She’d no idea of the priest’s thoughts or the plans that he now conjured about him, but she’d seen enough of his mind to hate him, and the idea that he had been inside her was almost too much to bear. That he might take out the doll and begin all over again brought up an acrid stench of bile deep in her throat.
‘There is nothing you can do, for all your stupid powers,’ she spat.
The priest stood before her, his face filled with anger, but then the anger subsided to be replaced by a wry smile. ‘I could force you,’ he said, as he placed the blade of his dagger at her throat. ‘I could make you nothing more than a doll, a mere conduit for my power.’ He raised the blade and pressed it hard against her jaw, forcing her head back. ‘A living cell through which I could channel your craft and together bind the Lord Bethrayal to my will, though I am not sure that you would survive such an experience.’
‘And what would you do then, when the demon is bound to your will?’
‘Ah, you are a cunning one, but that is for me to know. My plans are my own and not for the ears of one such as you. But now you will tell me everything about this Lord Bethrayal.’ He paused, glad that the forest wretch had bitten her tongue and refused to say anything. He smiled to himself and let the blade scrape against her neck. Around him the tattoos enjoyed the spectacle, they too had been caged for far too long. He felt their power surge, the tiny pinpricks that coiled over his skin and reached deep inside to his heart. ‘I can be very persuasive,’ he whispered, and felt their magic rise within him.
‘Leave her alone,’ Yaroslav croaked, ‘or I swear I shall hunt through the ancestor world and rip your eyes out and feed them to Zaltys.’
Suddenly Wislaw withdrew the knife, but there was no trace of fear as he glared at Iwa. ‘No, perhaps I should not waste my magic on you just yet; but you will answer me all the same. There are less subtle ways of persuasion.’ With that, he took a step backward and, with the blade of his knife, lifted up the tarpaulin.
Behind, it was almost too dark to see; a single candle spluttered in the dark. Yaroslav was bound to a stake but, even in the dim light, Iwa could see that there was something wrong. He turned away but not before she caught sight of his face; black and blue with bruises and his eye swollen and almost closed by what must have been a savage blow.
‘So you see, little girl, there are many ways to bend you to my will: no need for clay dolls or magic tricks. How long do you think Grunmir will protect your father now that he has you to play with?’
Once again Wislaw felt the tattoos move about him, the great lizard coiling about his head as its tail slithered along his cheek. Did they want to savour this moment as much as he did, to glory in his sudden power?
‘Let him go,’ Iwa gasped in shock. ‘He can be of no use to you, he knows nothing. He’s nothing to do with the craft.’
But he paid no heed to her words, lost in his plans and schemes. Around his eye the lizard’s tail flickered. He sensed its urgency, the longing to be free burning within it, and it took almost all his concentration to quell the thing.
No, he must not be too hasty. He’d underestimated this girl once before, though he couldn’t understand how. She should have succumbed easily, this girl who could not even read or write. Yet, for all his learning, he’d felt her struggle, her mind drawing round like a cloak set against him. No, he’d have to be careful. But that was one thing he’d always been good at, care and patience.
‘He knows nothing,’ he heard her say again.
‘But teasing out the limits of his understanding would yield me much pleasure. I could be merciful if you co-operate.’
‘And afterwards, you’ll do whatever you want, no matter what I say.’ Iwa spat into the old priest’s face. She was too scared now for any clever pretences.
‘We need not be enemies,’ Wislaw smiled as he wiped a trace of spittle from his cheek. Yes, he’d have to be careful with this one, careful and patient, but his day would come. ‘We need each other. We are opposing sides of the coin. You have the natural ability, but I have the knowledge. There is so much for you to learn; the craft lays many traps for the unwary. I could help you, teach you. You could be so much more than a mere conduit, a puppet. Bind yourself to me and together we could rule over the woyaks, carve out a kroldom here amongst the forest. Matka Ziemia will never have seen the like of us; our power could extend to the furthest reaches, to the Arab lands and beyond.’
He paused and shook his head solemnly. ‘It is such a sad fact that I cannot trust you. In time maybe you will come to appreciate what I can offer.’
‘Yes,’ Iwa said, ‘we could be very great, and powerful.’
‘You lie well, and I wish that I could believe you.’ He came forward as if to whisper in her ear. ‘Truly I do. But many things start with a lie and some day you might have even believed in it yourself. Yet I do not think that it would ever happen; you are too
