Feral Mage 3: Chapter 11

The southern half of the Kingdom of Deathridge was similar to the terrain around Witchbrook, at least for a few miles, until the mountains came into view. The same mountains that gave the kingdom its odd name. The first Kings of the area that would become Deathridge had gained much wealth from the iron and gold in its mountains, as well as the envy of their neighbors in the Volpin and Graystone Kingdoms.

Nicole didn’t know the original name for the kingdom, but she had heard the story of how it acquired its current name. When both Volpin and Graystone tried to invade the area, the king turned many of the older mines into barracks and set traps along the choke points of the mountains. The invading forces paid for every step deeper into the kingdom with blood, and it wasn’t long before Volpin and Graystone ended their campaigns in fear of weakening themselves.

The King had refused to send back any of the dead from the invasion. Instead, he had their bones stripped of flesh and placed on two sheer cliffs that faced Volpin and Graystone, the bleached white bones a warning of what the invasion had cost them. The ridge of death along those cliffs soon earned the kingdom the name Deathridge among the commoners and in jest by the nobility. Eventually, one of the king's descendants made the name official, seeing it as a symbol of the strength and pride of his kingdom.

The old story of the Kingdom’s name had mulled through Nicole’s mind as she traveled across the Winter River to the Kingdom of Deathridge with her sister and Bellamy. When they arrived at the port town called Gateway and spotted both Volpin and Graystone banners flying alongside the Deathridge, Nicole figured the first King of Deathridge would be rolling in his grave.

“You’ve been quiet, Sis,” Olivia said across from her at the table.

Nicole was sitting with her at the tavern in Gateway, enjoying a small meal as they waited for Bellamy to return.

“Just lost in my thoughts,” Nicole said, her feline ear flicking every once in a while to eavesdrop on the other patrons of the tavern.

“I thought you might be worried about our upcoming hunt?” Olivia teased in beastkin.

Even in beastkin, Olivia knew better than to refer to the convoy of soldiers Bellamy was following as anything other than a vague reference. The occupants of the tavern were human, but there was always a chance one knew beastkin.

Nicole lifted her tea and took a sip.

“This hunt seems off. There are a lot of predators in the area,” she replied in beastkin.

Olivia nodded with a stern expression. This port town had far too many soldiers stationed there. So many that Nicole suggested that Bellamy stalk a group of soldiers leaving the town not long after they arrived.

“We’ll have to see what kind of tracks we find,” Olivia responded.

The tavern door opened, and Bellamy stepped inside. She said nothing as she met Nicole’s eyes before turning and walking out of the establishment. Nicole focused on finishing her tea as Olivia devoured the last bites of her meal, quick but not so much as to appear to rush. Arousing suspicion would be bad. A few minutes later, they were finished, and Nicole looked to her sister.

“Ready to hunt?” she asked in beastkin.

***

Nicole’s cat-like eyes scanned the camp before her. Night had set in hours ago, but her feline eyes allowed her to see perfectly fine, same as her sister and whatever Aspect that Bellamy woman was using.

Bellamy had led them near where the convoy was setting up camp, keeping their distance until night finally fell. Nicole pulled a stone from her pocket, a smooth one she had found while they walked along the road. She stared at the guard on watch, the torches illuminating his position in the sea of darkness at this late hour. Nicole held the stone between two fingers and cast her spell.

“Wind Sling,” she said.

The stone flew from her hand, and she watched as the man’s head exploded before his body slumped to the ground with just a faint thud. She waited to see if anyone had noticed, but no alarm was raised. Cautiously, Nicole stepped closer to the camp and pulled another stone from her pocket. Two other guards were on watch, forming a triangle around the tents. She soon saw her next target, a young man sharpening his sword as he kept watch. Nicole used the spell again and saw the stone enter through the back of his head and exit out where his right eye had been. He fell forward, and his sword clattered to the ground. Nicole started to walk deeper into the camp, only to pause as her feline ears twitched and picked up noise.

“Damn it, lad. I knew you’d fall asleep,” a voice said, approaching the man she had just killed.

Nicole prepared another stone, only to frown when she saw the man was wearing a helmet.

“Lad?” the voice asked as he stepped from the shadows by the body.

She knew the soldier would soon see the fatal injury and sound the alarm. The time for subtlety had passed, and Nicole pursed her lips to make a bird call. A second later, she heard the clatter of armor in the darkness and saw Olivia barrel into the man with her tower shield, knocking him to the ground. The man shouted, and Nicole pointed both her hands at the group of tents that held sleeping soldiers.

“Hail Shards,” she said, casting her spell.

A barrage of frozen spikes fired into the cluster of tents, cries of pain and curses ringing out from them. Nicole cast the spell a few more times before the first soldier exited a tent, half-dressed and armed with a bastard sword. He scowled at her, then his gaze shifted and his eyes widened. Olivia stepped into Nicole’s view, a red aura glowing around her as she stalked toward the soldier, maul and towershield raised. More soldiers soon emerged, but it didn’t matter. They were all dead now that Olivia’s Fortress spell was active. Her body was continuously being healed and strengthened as long as the aura remained active.

Nicole followed behind her sister, providing range support with her wind and ice spells. Olivia’s maul removed the head of the first soldier, his corpse hitting the ground just as another man also lost his head. Her ear twitched as she heard someone utter a syllable, and Nicole turned toward it, slinging an Ice Shard. A woman trying to cast a fireball ended up with the shard buried in her neck, her voice turning into a gurgling mess as the fireball spell fizzled out.

“What the hell is going on!” a male voice boomed from the officer’s tent at the center of the camp.

A bald, muscular man stepped out, holding a sword and a shield in his hands that glowed with a silvery hue.

Paladin?

Nicole never got to find out, as she heard the flap of wings overhead, and the bald man’s head was rolling on the ground, Bellamy standing over his corpse with her Griffin Aspect active. She only stayed on the ground for a second, then launched back into the night sky. Her role tonight was to hunt down anyone who escaped Nicole’s and Olivia’s rampage before they made it far from the camp. Everyone would die tonight.

Minutes later, Nicole and Olivia were both in the officer's tent. Olivia was partly stripped as she used the washbasin to clean blood and gore from her body, while Nicole searched through the officer’s possessions. She hummed to herself as she read through the letters, most of which were related to supplies and requests —minor matters, but ones that painted a larger picture when viewed together. She stashed many of those in her satchel. When she picked up one with a light blue wax seal on it, she froze.

“Why are Death Ridge grunts carrying around a letter with the seal of the Saltland Kingdom?” Nicole asked, holding up the letter.

Olivia stopped washing and looked to her with a frown.

“Doubt it’s a trade deal proposal,” Olivia said with a huff. “Makes me a little more nervous about some high-brow sea elf bitch who arrived in Witchbrook before we left.”

Nicole nodded, then heard a thud followed by footsteps. She glanced to the entrance as Bellamy stepped through, the bird-like wings receding from her back. Her piercing eyes scanned the room. It seemed she had finished hunting down those who tried to run.

“Found anything?” she asked.

Nicole gave the letter a little shake, drawing her gaze to it.

“Seal is from the Saltland Kingdom.”

Bellamy frowned as she looked at it.

“Let’s leave,” Bellamy said. “You sure this will work?”

Nicole slipped the letter into her satchel, then knocked over a candle and used her magic to grow the fire.

“Just leave scratch marks on a few trees with one of your Aspects. Olivia has already made sure the bodies were sufficiently damaged,” Nicole said before smiling at her. “This is what Bryce would do, make it look like a monster attack.”

Bellamy looked at her with an odd expression. “Do you work a lot of jobs with Bryce?”

Nicole smiled as her cat tail flicked.

“A few. We normally take different types of jobs, but I have invited Bryce multiple times to join my little team,” she purred. “So far, he just likes to play with us sometimes, but you can’t let a man like that slip through your grasp. Otherwise, you’ll never get him again.”

Nicole smiled as she watched Bellamy turn and wordlessly leave the tent, wondering if her answer had stung a little. Bryce might have made amends with his old mentor, but Nicole wasn’t as quick to forgive. She had seen the state that woman had left Bryce in.

Her smile faded to a frown as she recalled first meeting Bryce. He was passed out drunk under a tree and covered in blood. The corpses of the men who had been hunting Nicole and her sister the previous night surrounding him.

She pushed the memory away and followed Bellamy from the tent along with Olivia. The camp was an inferno as they made their way back into the woods, careful not to leave evidence that the attack wasn’t a monster.

Alice

Alice moved about the kitchen of the tavern, working to make some breakfast for Thea. It was still the early hours of the morning, and only a few of the guild’s usuals were up and in the tavern. She cracked a few eggs into an iron skillet before moving to slice some fresh bread that the bakery had delivered.

She placed the over-easy eggs on a plate along with two slices of buttered bread and bacon.

Always bacon.

Alice smiled at the reminder of Vex’s most requested food. She was glad they wouldn’t be gone long for this contract and not just for her sake. She lifted the plate up and moved from the kitchen into the tavern. Soft conversations from mercs that were awake filled the room, along with morning greetings from those she passed by. Alice smiled and returned the greeting, but her smile would soon fade when she looked at her destination.

Thea sat at a table by herself, heavy black bags under her eyes as she stared at the tabletop. She only lifted her gaze when Alice placed the plate of food in front of her.

“Thank you,” she said, picking up the fork. “And I’m sorry about last night.”

Her eyes were still red from when she came to Alice’s room in the dead of night, a sobbing mess, worried she was changing into a chimera and begging Alice to take her to Bryce. Alice instead brought Thea into her room, trying to comfort the poor girl and asking what had happened. Apparently, she had a nightmare, and Alice let her stay in her room that night, promising she would restrain Thea if she did start to change into a chimera.

“You don’t need to apologize, and next time Bryce is away, you’re welcome to stay the night again.”

Thea’s eyes dropped to the table, and she sighed.

“When Bryce is away again…” she said softly.

Alice pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.

“Bryce is a merc. He does a contract and moves on to the next one. Staying in one place for too long isn’t in his nature,” Alice said, telling Thea something close to what Callie had once told her.

Thea bit her lip in thought.

“Do you think he would ever give up being a mercenary?” she asked.

Alice’s eyes widen at her words, but before she could say more, a knock sounded at the guildhall door. She and Thea looked toward the door, both hoping it was Bryce stepping through. Instead, guards stepped through, followed by an important-looking sea elf woman in an elegant dress. A merc stood and rushed for Mark’s office as the woman’s eyes scanned the room, her black hair held back by a silver pin in the shape of a seashell, except for one bright blue lock that dangled by her left eye.

“That’s the crest of the Saltland Kingdom,” Thea said.

The woman’s eyes went immediately to their table, and she smiled as Alice met her gaze.

“How might I help you folks?” Mark’s voice boomed as he stepped from his office.

The sea elf turned from Alice and Thea to face him, smiling as she made the slightest bow.

“Greetings, I am Princess Charlotte of the Saltland Kingdom. Some months back, our ambassador to Witchbrook sent an interesting journal related to relics belonging to our Kingdom. I was hoping to speak with the one who found the journal,” the sea elf woman said. “I believe her name is Alice.”

Mark smiled, but Alice noticed his lip twitch. After a second, he bowed to Charlotte.

“It is an honor to have a Princess of the Saltland Kingdom visiting my guildhall,” Mark said, then gestured to his office. “I’m guildmaster here, and if you don’t mind waiting in my office, I’ll track down the one who had the journal and bring them to you.”

The Princess smiled and made her way to the back of the guildhall, her guards following. Mark glanced toward Alice before making his way to Darren, who sat a few tables over.

“Find Bryce and keep him out of the guild for a while,” Mark demanded, flipping a gold coin to the dwarf.

Darren caught the coin and smiled.

“Will do, Boss,” Darren said before returning to his breakfast.

Mark glared at the dwarf.

“That meant find him now, Darren,” Mark growled.

Darren swallowed his food before stabbing a slice of sausage with his fork.

“Bryce is on a job. I heard he should be back this afternoon,” Dwarf replied as he quickly pocketed the gold coin. “Rest assured, I’ll stay right here, and if he steps through the door sooner than expected, I’ll drag him out for drinks. On your tab, of course.”

Mark swore as he walked away from the dwarf toward Alice, a deep scowl on his face. He bowed to Thea before looking at Alice and sighing.

“I thought someone might eventually come after Bryce told me you gave the journal to the ambassador. Wasn’t expecting a Princess, though,” Mark said with a frown. “You okay with speaking to her?”

Alice nodded, then stood from the table and made her way toward the office. She was more than a little surprised to see Princess Charlotte had taken the seat behind the desk and was waiting with her hands folded, the guards stationed on both sides of her. Alice looked back at Mark and saw him frown, but he said nothing as they entered his office.

“I was hoping to speak with her alone,” Charlotte said, looking at Mark. “Some matters we discuss might be vital to the security of the Saltland Kingdom.”

Mark nodded.

“I’ll be right outside if you need me,” he said, anger simmering in his one eye.

When the door closed, Charlotte looked at her with a smile better suited for a cat that cornered a mouse, or at least that’s how Alice felt right now.

Charlotte suddenly spoke in elvish. “Greetings to you, daughter of the snow.”

Alice remembered her manners and quickly bowed before returning the traditional greeting.

“And greetings to you, royal daughter of the sea,” she said in elvish before taking a seat before the desk.

“So you are a snow elf,” Charlotte said with a smile, and Alice froze. “Your eyes made me believe you were a half breed, but Ambassador Ken described the woman who gave him the journal in detail as a young snow elf woman. Why hide your white hair?”

Alice’s mouth hung open as her mind raced with what to say. Charlotte looked at her curiously.

“The human Kingdoms haven’t been kind to snow elves since the Second Northern Border War. Dying my hair black is enough to convince most folks I’m a forest elf,” Alice answered.

Charlotte leaned forward and rested her chin on her hands, her curious gaze replaced with a smile.

“Well, I’m sure you overheard my introduction to your guildmaster, but it’s proper etiquette to introduce oneself. I am Princess Charlotte Salt, the sixth daughter of the Queen of Saltland, her majesty, Queen Camilla Salt,” the princess said, placing her hand over her heart, then pointing it toward Alice. “Who might I have the pleasure of speaking with?”

“My name’s Alice,” she answered nervously.

Charlotte nodded before once again resting her chin on her hands.

“Well met, Alice. I wish to hear how the journal came into your possession. Even the smallest detail might be vital for my mother’s Kingdom.”

Alice took a deep breath, calming her rattled nerves. She began with Bryce taking the contract for the vampires back in Oakbridge and finished with her finding the journal in the old manor. Princess Charlotte listened intently to her story.

“Forgive me,” Charlotte said once Alice finished. “I am curious why you were traveling with Bryce and his team? You don’t seem like a fighter.”

Alice licked her lips.

“I hired him back in Sawtown to escort me to elvish lands,” Alice answered. “The frontier towns were even more dangerous for a snow elf.”

“Yet, you’re here in Witchbrook. Human territory,” Charlotte replied quickly. “Instead of the Red Pine Kingdom.”

Alice froze and stared at the Princess.

“That is where Ambassador Ken said your ship was destined to sail. Right before the Winter Bell tolled, I wonder if you heard it while you were there?” Charlotte asked, tilting her head, the blue strand of hair swaying.

Alice wanted to rush through the door, her mind trying to piece together what to do.

“I… I thought we were talking about the journal,” she deflected, her voice cracking.

Charlotte closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair.

“Of course, silly me getting sidetracked like that,” she said with a laugh. “Again, I apologize. The trip west from the Kingdom was long, and I’ve been preparing to meet with the Duke of Witchbrook. Idle gossip is a guilty pleasure of mine, and I can tell you find this mercenary named Bryce fascinating. I didn’t mean to pry too much for my amusement.”

Charlotte let out a heavy sigh.

“Thank you, Alice. I believe my next task will be meeting with some of the merchant guilds to see if I can determine who sold the pendant and journal to the man who became a vampire. You mentioned his name as William from Oakbridge in your retelling of the events, correct?”

Alice nodded.

Charlotte stood and moved for the door of the office, her guards following behind her.

“Thank you for your time,” she said before exiting.

Mark immediately stepped inside as the Princess left. He watched through the door as Princess Charlotte made her way out of the guildhall and then closed the door.

“What happened?” Mark asked. “You look shook up.”

Alice met Mark’s gaze, seeing the concern in the berserker’s face.

“I think she knows who I am,” Alice answered quietly.

She almost jumped when someone knocked on the door. Mark cautiously opened it, and they saw Thea standing there.

“Alice, are you alright? Why did the Princess of the Saltland Kingdom want to meet with you?” she asked.