Chapter 12

With a bit of concentration, Catriona soon had one of the mops walking around, cleaning the floor by itself. Whenever the water got too bloody, the mop marched down the steps, emptied its bucket and rinsed itself in the pond outside, before marching back upstairs with fresh water.

“Hey, it’s like that movie Jessica and Sara showed us,” Mandalee remarked.

Cat grinned. “I spent the rest of the day trying to figure out how to make that magic work.”

Mandalee shook her head in wonder. “That is so you. That is textbook you.”

At that moment, they realised all the other prisoners were staring at them. The man who was chained up next to Cat asked, “Who are you people? The way you’re acting, it’s like you think you’re on holiday or something!”

“And you are…?” Cat prompted.

“Peryx,” he answered.

“Well, Peryx, I’m Rose, this is my friend, Mel, and we are a long way from home.”

“Sort of,” Mandalee allowed.

“But it’s more of a job than a holiday.”

“I would have said ‘calling’,” Mandalee put in.

Cat gave a facial shrug. “That works, too. Either way, I think it’s time we did something about it, don’t you?”

Mandalee used her cleric magic to levitate a few shards of glass, which she used to sever the tubes that were still draining the prisoners’ blood. The collection bottles smashed themselves in the far corner, where the mop, undaunted, cleaned up the additional mess. Cat mentally called to the second mop, causing it to hop into the other bucket, which had so far sat idle. After soaking itself for a moment, it flicked clean water all over the prisoners. Then the Red Guardian used nature’s healing power of water to close all wounds, before sending her magical senses into each of their bodies and asking nature to replicate enough blood to replenish what they had lost. She then encouraged the water on their bodies to evaporate and their clothes to dry. Job done, the mop wiped the floor and joined its fellow on its trip up and down the steps of the Tower.

Mandalee gave each prisoner a thorough going-over with her clerical magic and decided that given time, they should all recover, at least physically. Sadly, not even Temporal magic could speed up the healing of mental scars. They might well last a lifetime.

The prisoners were mostly grateful, but the two friends could see suspicion in the eyes of some, who couldn’t believe someone would help them without it being some kind of trick. That was particularly evident in one woman, who, from the looks of her, had been there a long time. In fact, given her weak condition, Mandalee was sure she would have been beyond help within a day. Where before she had seemed resigned to her fate, she now appeared terrified, as if the lifeline of hope these two strangers had offered was more than she could bear.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because we can and because it’ll annoy Ulvarius,” Catriona replied.

The woman was less than convinced. “That’s it? Just that?”

The two friends glanced at each other, as if deciding how much to share.

“We have to tell them,” Mandalee urged her, quietly.

“Really? I’m not sure we should.”

“It’s only right,” she insisted.

“I know, but we have to be careful.”

“If you don’t tell them, I will,” Mandalee insisted.

Cat let out a long, slow breath. “Oh, alright,” she accepted, grudgingly. “I suppose.”

“I knew it! Tell us what’s going on!” the woman demanded.

“Alright!” Cat hissed. “But keep your voice down. Ulvarius can’t know any of this.”

The woman still looked belligerent, but nodded her agreement, nonetheless. She didn’t want Ulvarius back any more than anyone else did.

“What’s your name?” Cat asked.

“Petra,” she replied.

“OK, Petra, we’re part of a mission, a quest to stop Ulvarius. We were captured because we wanted to be. Thanks to our unique magics, we kind of drew the short straw and got this job.”

“Calling,” Mandalee corrected.

“Whatever. The point is, we’ve convinced Ulvarius we’ve got important information about this other powerful fragment. We’re going to try to trade the information.”

“Information we want him to have,” Mandalee clarified.

“Yes, but we’re going to lie about part of it,” Cat told them. “We’re going to convince him the fragment is somewhere in Walminster. It’s not. In fact, it’s in a small village just outside the city. It’s called Compton, you’ve probably never heard of it.”

“Why lie about that?” asked Peryx. “Why tell him anything at all?”

“Because Walminster is a trap,” Mandalee explained. “It won’t kill him, no trap’s that powerful, but it will keep him busy for a while.”

Cat took up the story. “You see, as you’ve guessed, we’re not from around here. Our home is…well, let’s just say it takes a long time to get there.”

Mandalee hid a smile at that. A long time, indeed: over three hundred years.

“Where we’re from,” she explained, “there’s a powerful sorceress called Darla. She’s already had her hands on Kullos’ device and has been absorbing its power. Now she’s ready to take on Ulvarius.”

“Nearly ready,” Cat corrected. “She needs a little more time, and she’s worried that Ulvarius might get wind of her activities and attack her before her preparations are complete.”

“That’s why you’re here,” Peryx deduced. “To run smokescreen. Keep him occupied and lure him into this trap.”

“Exactly,” Mandalee agreed. “Thanks to our unique magic, we can escape any time we want.” To demonstrate, she momentarily took herself out of Time, making herself invisible and incorporeal long enough to slip out of her bonds. She returned to the local Timestream in the middle of the room and took a bow.

Cat gave her a withering look. “I’d applaud, but my hands are tied. Stop showing off and get back in your chains before he comes back.”

Before complying, Mandalee grabbed a small vial out of one of Cat’s spell pouches. Walking back to where her chains awaited, she slipped it unseen into Catriona’s hand and used one of her daggers to slice cleanly through the steel shackles around that wrist. The dragon claws could cut through iron as easily as paper.

Cat was sure to keep both the damage and the vial hidden.

That done, the White Assassin shackled herself back up again.

“When you escape, you’ll take us with you, right?” Peryx asked.

“Well, we should be able to take you,” Cat fudged.

“But maybe not all of you, right Rose?”

“Mel!” Cat hissed, as if trying to shut her up.

“What’s she talking about?” Petra demanded.

Cat glared at Mandalee, but she ignored her.

“What my friend doesn’t want to tell you is that some of you are going to be too weak to be transported our way, so some of you will have to stay here.”

“Some of us like me, you mean?” Petra realised.

“I’m sorry,” Cat replied, regretfully, “but we have to prioritise.”

“It makes sense,” Peryx offered.

Petra scoffed. “Easy for you to say, you’re getting out.”

“Don’t worry, Darla will stop him,” Cat assured her.

“Before he kills everyone in this Tower?” Petra shot back. Cat turned away, not wanting to answer. “Even supposing this Darla does kill Ulvarius, then what?”

“Well, she’s got her eye on this place, for a start,” Mandalee replied. “This will be her home, her base of power. She’s got all kinds of plans for magic on Elvaria.”

“So, she’ll be just like Ulvarius, only more powerful?” Petra concluded.

“No, not at all!” Cat protested. “Honestly! I mean, yes, she can be pretty scary at times…”

“Very scary,” Mandalee put in.

Cat frowned at her friend. “Not helping, Mel.”

“Sorry, Rose. I was just saying—”

“Well don’t!” The druidess cut her off. Turning back to Petra, she tried to reassure her. “Just don’t cross her, and she’ll be fine with you. Leave her alone, and she’ll leave you alone. Probably.”

“Look,” Mandalee said, “it’s either Darla or Ulvarius, and you know what kind of devil he is.”

“Trust me, you’ll be way better off with Darla in charge,” Cat promised.

“In charge?” Petra demanded, clearly not liking the sound of this.

At that moment, they heard footsteps approaching. Ulvarius was returning. They were out of time.

“Not a word,” Cat whispered.

She looked over at her best friend, who smiled, grimly. This was it. History hinged on what happened in these next few minutes.

*****

Ulvarius wandered back into the room, all cleaned up and wearing fresh Black robes over his emaciated frame. He took in the activity of the mops with a glance and Mandalee imagined he would have raised an eyebrow, if he still had them, as he remarked, “Intriguing magic.”

Cat shrugged. “Bit plagiarised, if I’m honest, but it works.”

The tyrant’s expression darkened when he noticed that his captives were now healed and no longer spilling their blood and magic.

“This is the deal, Ulvarius,” Mandalee offered. “The other fragment is in a major city.”

“If you want more than that, you’ll have to let us go. All of us,” Cat told him.

“That’s one option, yes,” Ulvarius mused. “Alternatively, Ulvarius could just destroy another village every five minutes until I’m convinced you’ve told me everything!”

“I don’t think you’re really going to do that,” Mandalee refuted.

“You doubt Ulvarius’ commitment?” he growled, menacingly. “Just for that, I’ll destroy Gaggleswick. You might not be able to see it, but you’ll hear the explosion right enough. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear the screams. Hear them, and remember you’re the ones doing this. By not telling Ulvarius everything, you kill all those people. Listen to that and know it’s your fault! Listen! Listen…” he trailed off.

All was silence.

“I’m listening, but I don’t hear anything,” Mandalee remarked, facetiously.

“Yeah, what my friend meant to say was, you won’t really be able to do that.”

Ulvarius was livid when he realised he was cut off from all communication with his undead minions.

“Alright, Ulvarius will just go out there and do it himself!” he roared.

He headed for the door, but it slammed shut before he could reach it. Once in place, it warped and expanded at Catriona’s request, and nothing Ulvarius could do would budge it.

Boiling with anger, he blasted the door with a beam of higher planar energy. Cat was expecting him to do something like that. Like a certain late shadow warrior of her acquaintance, he would always naturally lash out with power, without thinking. It rebounded off the door without leaving a scratch and began to ricochet dangerously around the room. Thanks to Mandalee, she had her vial of sand ready to fuse into Nature’s Mirror, should it be necessary. Fortunately, the only person the energy beam hit was Ulvarius himself, throwing him headfirst into the door.

The two Guardians hooted with laughter as a dazed Ulvarius turned around sporting a bloody nose.

“How have you done this?” Ulvarius demanded. “No-one has this kind of power!”

The Red Guardian shrugged as best she could in her chains. “Power isn’t everything.”

*****

As you know, gentle reader, the Black Tower was Catriona’s home. She was intimately familiar with both its future owner and the building itself. When Dreya first took the Tower, she changed or dismantled most of its defences, but she had kept the shield intact. It had been subjected to all kinds of magical assaults for over three centuries, never once wavering, so why would she change such a winning formula?

Those defences had once had the unfortunate side effect of blocking Mandalee’s desperate sympathic cries for help on the day she and Shyleen were almost killed. It was the biggest mistake of Catriona’s life and she would be forever grateful for the way they had both come to forgive her and become the best friends she could ever wish for.

She was also thankful for Dreya who, on that very same terrible day first opened up to her and took the first steps towards a relationship. By that time, the sorceress had already adjusted the shield to allow Mandalee’s magic to pass through without interference. It took a while longer for Dreya to trust Cat enough to show her how it worked, but eventually, she did. Catriona had been the one to change the shield to allow the two Chetsuans, Sara and Jessica, to come and go at will. Three hundred years in the past, she could apply that same principle.

In effect, while Ulvarius had been out of the room, she had quietly changed the locks, and now she held the only key. He would find a way to break through eventually, but for now, he was trapped.

*****

“Now you can’t threaten innocents to get what you want,” Mandalee told him. “And if you harm one of us, the other will have no reason to tell you anything. Now agree to release us – all of us – and we’ll tell you everything.”

A rictus grin grew across the tyrant’s face, which burst into a terrible manic laugh.

“You think you’re so smart, don’t you? But you’ve made a mistake, just like everyone does when they try to challenge Ulvarius! You say I can’t harm innocents? I count twenty-two of them in this room alone!”

“What? No! You can’t!” Cat implored him.

“And these aren’t my only prisoners! There are many more in this Tower of mine, once Ulvarius blasts out of this room – and I will. Shall we go with our usual terms? One dies every five minutes until you tell Ulvarius everything. Starting with…” his moving finger stopped at Petra. “This one right now!”

He slowly began to build up higher planar energy, ready to fire at her, incinerate her.

The two Guardians looked panicked, and Mandalee blurted out, “Walminster!”

“Mel!” Cat warned her.

“I had to. I’m sorry.”

Ulvarius began to power down. “Elaborate,” he ordered.

“It’s being hidden by some mages in the Forum building.”

Ulvarius nodded. “Ulvarius has heard something about a group of troublesome mages there,” he mused. “I thought they were all talk, but if they have one of these fragments, I’ll have to pay them a visit. It makes sense…too much sense.” He resumed powering up his energy beam, saying, “Now, you have five seconds to convince Ulvarius that’s the truth, or this one dies!”

He began counting down, and the two Guardians insisted it was true, but when he reached ‘One’, Petra blurted out, “They’re lying!” Ulvarius powered down instantly.

“Petra, no!” Cat cried.

“They told us the whole thing! Please don’t kill me!” she begged, sobbing. “I’ll tell you everything they said, I just don’t want to die! Release me, please!”

Ulvarius shattered her chains with his magic.

“Speak true, and Ulvarius will grant you release. With all I’ve drained from you, you’re no more use anyway.”

“Petra, please, you can’t!” Cat begged her. “You’ll ruin everything!”

“Why should I care?” she shot back. “You were going to leave me to die! As for this Darla, like you say, Ulvarius is the devil we know, and you know what they say about that.”

“Darla?” Ulvarius demanded.

Petra nodded. “Some sorceress who wants to take your place.”

As she relayed the whole story, the Guardians looked defeated.

“So, Walminster is a trap!” Ulvarius raged, incensed at the idea. “Someone dares to try and trap Ulvarius? Someone dares to challenge Ulvarius’ supremacy? Ulvarius is the Greatest Mage Who Ever Lived! Whoever this Darla is, hiding away in Compton village, Ulvarius is coming!”

This was the moment the Guardians had been waiting for. Cat dropped the shields around the Tower and sent a sympathic message to Dreya. ‘Incoming.’

Rant apparently over, Ulvarius turned back to the trembling Petra, “Thank you for that information. As promised, Ulvarius shall reward you with your release…the release of death.”

He powered up his energy beam and fired it straight at her, but Catriona was ready. Sand flew out from the vial in her hand, and thanks to the Temporal aspect of her druid magic, it fused into a mirror right in the path of the energy beam, deflecting it. Part of it flew back at Ulvarius, knocking him flying across the room. The rest hit the East wall, leaving behind a big black scorch mark.

Even as Cat and Mandalee pulled themselves out of the Timestream to escape their bonds, Cat’s mind was racing at the implications of that mark. She had seen it before…three hundred years from now in the room that was to be her child’s nursery. What did that mean? Were they changing history or just fulfilling it? She would have to puzzle over that one later. Right now, she was busy.

Using her super-speed, Mandalee raced out of the door that opened easily for her. She quickly found where Ulvarius had taken her things and was back before Ulvarius had even begun to stand up. She snatched Catriona’s robe and spell components, and rushed back over to her friend.

Cat opened her pocket dimension so that Mandalee could throw everything inside. They could sort it out later.

While the White Assassin hurriedly sliced open all the chains that bound the prisoners, Cat asked one of the buckets of water to spill its contents over the floor. The water grew into a thick wall of ice, separating them from the tyrant.

Ulvarius was beginning to stir now, so the two friends used their Guardian powers to buy time by slowing it down. They couldn’t stop it – they needed Dreya for that – but slowing it was enough.

“Do you want to open the portal or shall I?” Cat asked.

“Let me do it,” Mandalee replied. “I need the practice.”

A shimmering blue Prismatic Sphere opened before them into which they practically threw the prisoners one by one. They regretted being so rough with them, but they had no choice. They knew there were more prisoners in the Tower, too, but they couldn’t save them. Even with Time slowed down, they didn’t have time. They knew Ulvarius had been holding back. He didn’t want to use his full power for the same reason Dreya didn’t when her grounds’ defences turned on her: he didn’t want to destroy his own home in the process. But after the way they’d just humiliated him, they knew he would be beyond such restraint now, and they needed to be gone.

When the last of the prisoners were safe, Catriona jumped through, just as her ice wall shattered. Mandalee dived through the portal last…

…and landed right on top of the Black robed form of Dreya the Dark, knocking her to the ground.

“Oops,” Mandalee remarked as the portal closed. “Sorry.”