Wandering Warrior: Jury - Prologue 2

Prologue 2

Chilly mountain air from the north blew through the trees, causing the trio of witches to shiver.  The presence of the supernaturally beautiful vampire in their midst didn’t help curb their discomfort, and the dense power coming from her magical staff cowed all but their most rebellious thoughts.

“You still don’t have the goblins in position?  What’s taking so long?”  The vampire princess stalked across the clearing, causing the shadows cast by the bonfire to jump across the forest clearing in a macabre dance.  “Do you need me to do it for you?”

“No, great lady.”  The oldest of the witches, a hunched crone, shuffled forward into the light.  “The orcs had to be convinced to stop eating them.  Now that they are willing to allow the greenskins to muster on the surface, we should be ready for the next phase of the attack by sunset.”

“Sunset!”  The vampire stabbed her staff into the dirt, causing a flare of power to erupt from the gem set in its top.  “What’s the point of having forces that can fight during both the day and night, if you only attack when the sun goes down?”  She paused, cocking her head to the side, as if she were trying to hear something whispered from far away.  The undead princess took an unnecessary deep breath and let it out slowly, calming her sharp temper.  “Fine.  One more day won’t matter in the long run.  The important part is keeping the pressure on the city’s defenders, both day and night.  Stage the forest and cave dwellers for daytime raids, and my ghouls and vampires will continue to push them during the night.”

“We’ll make it so, great one.”  The old crone pulled a clay tablet from within her heavy robes, her gnarled fingers showing a surprising level of dexterity as she gave it a twirl.  “Once we have them behind the city walls, we’ll crack their fragile shell like a rotten goose egg!”  Her deranged cackle ended in a phlegm-filled cough, forcing the crone to spit into the fire.  The orange flames sputtered and danced green for a moment before returning to their normal hue.  “Drats.  Now I’m hungry for scrambled eggs.”

The vampire winced at the disgusting display, turning toward the edge of the clearing that led to the largest concentration of her own forces.  “I’ll leave you to it.  Make sure your monsters are ready the following sunrise.  No mistakes or delays this time, or I’ll be forced to punish you.  Again.”

Now it was the witches turn to wince, their eyes flashing to the fourth member of their coven.  She was still staked to the ground where the vampire had left her, the whimpers of pain long ago ending.

“If she survives the change, send her to me.  I’m interested to see what kind of abilities a vampire witch might have.”  With that, the undead princess left, her heavy presence lifting off the coven like a wet blanket shrugged from their hunched shoulders.

The youngest of the witches, a woman who had yet to see gray in her long black hair, was the first to speak once they were sure the vampire was gone.  “Now what should we do?  There’s only three of us left!  Without a full coven, the moment the vampire returns to the mountains, we won’t even have the power to keep the orcs in line.  They’ll turn on us, and eat us, or worse, we’ll–”

“Enough, Danika.”  The old crone slashed her hand through the air, tucking away the clay tablet in the same motion.  “We were forced into this by circumstance, not by choice.  We’ll make the best of it, as we always do.”

“But–”

“Trust us, Danika.”  The third witch, who was closer in age to the leader of the coven, with pure white hair and a slightly hunched back, patted the younger woman on the small of her back.  “This isn’t the first time we’ve been in a tight spot.  There’s plenty of time to make plans for what comes after, whether we win or lose against the Wardens.”

“Orcs are the least of our concern.  Either they get wiped out trying to take the city, or they are distracted enough when we win that sneaking away will be child’s play.”  The oldest of the three was struck by another coughing fit, hacking her phlegm into the fire once again before continuing.  “Our true enemy is the undead.  The princess already let slip that she wants the power a vampire witch under her thrall might provide.  We can’t let that happen.”

To accentuate her point, she pulled a small pouch off of her belt and sprinkled some of its contents onto the body of their fourth member.  The powder hissed and bubbled when it made contact with the open wounds covering the corpse.  After a few moments, the body trembled and thrashed against the ropes holding it.  As suddenly as the movements started, they stopped, and the body stayed still.

“What did you do?”  Danika approached the body of her coven sister cautiously, afraid of what might happen next.  “Is she…a vampire now?”

“No.  She’s passed on to her next life.  I released her from the bonds of the undead.”  The old crone hunched down a little lower, sadness haunting her features.  “I had hoped to never see another sister pass before me, but the fates deem my wishes to be nothing but wasted words on the winds.”

“So, if the undead are our true enemy here, what should we do next?  Try to help the Wardens?  Try to make a deal with the guilds?”  Danika wrung her hands in worry, her thoughts on the idea plain for her coven mates to see.

“The Wardens and guilds are just as much our enemies as the undead.”  The old crone shuffled her way over to a chest near the edge of the clearing, where the majority of her personal supplies were kept.  “We’ll continue with the plan, and try to sack the city.  It’s what we do afterward that matters.  Now, come help me.  We need to prepare.”

The two coven sisters nodded in agreement before hurrying to her side.  They didn’t know how much time there was before the vampire princess returned, and every second could make all the difference.

***************

“You called for me, milord?”  The princess made her way through the trees, using the light from her staff to illuminate her way.  “Is there something wrong with the demon gate?”

“No.”  The voice of the Destitute came through the pendant on her necklace, as strong and powerful as if he were standing next to her.  “I wanted an update.  Have you found out anything about the interloper who killed the lich?”

“The witches are barely competent, but I have hopes that they will be enough to take the city.  Once the population has been converted, I’ll march them to the mountains immediately, and the new numbers should be enough to provide the push we need to close the gate.”  The princess took another deep breath and let it out slowly, a habit she maintained from a time when breathing was necessary for her to live.  “As for the interloper, there’s been no sign.  I’ve had my forces looking everywhere south of the city where we last knew they were, but all they found were some old campsites and faint traces of someone using magic.”

“Hmmm…”  The Destitute’s displeasure was palpable, even through the speaking device.  “Make your attack on the city.  We need those extra units if we’re going to have a chance.  Don’t forget to arm and armor them as best you can while you’re in the city, even if it takes a little longer.”

“Of course.  I know the value of properly prepared troops, milord.”  The princess finally made her way through the trees to the road where the majority of her forces were staged for the evening’s attack.  “If there’s nothing else, I have a city to take.”

“Yes, there is something else.”  An invisible force pushed down on the princess, forcing her knees to buckle under the pressure.  “You will find out who the interloper is, and inform me immediately once you do.  There can be no mistakes this time, Princess Starnight.  I have a feeling once you make your assault on the city, the interloper will make themselves known.  I should know about it right afterward.  Don’t forget our ultimate mission.  We’re trying to save the world.”

“Yes, milord.  I understand.”  The pressure disappeared, and she made it back to her feet.  “I hate that name.  Princess Starnight.”  The vampire dusted off her clothes as she made her way over to the ghouls that would be leading the push against the Wardens.  “If I could find the bard that stuck me with that name, I’d feed him his own entrails for an eternity.”  Pushing aside her anger, the princess focused on the forces arrayed in front of her.  “Enough delays!  Forward, and kill them all!  We’ve a planet to save, and no time to spare!”

The horde of undead roared in response, rushing out of sight in the darkness like a wave.  Off to kill everything living in their wake.  It made the princess smile.