Book 3: Chapter 20
Tiffany
I wanted to help… I really did, but the command straight from Gulteer himself was to let the town consume itself. I could see from the top of Tower 3, that the city was razing itself to the ground. The smoke billowed over the mountains, and made their usually wispy white tips fogged with soot.
I hated that I could do nothing, and that if I went down, the mobs that roamed the streets would throw their rocks, or worse at me. I heard the Church’s local priests were splashing humans with holy water, and that if they resisted, that was all they needed to ‘prove’ that they were supernatural.
Granted, Holy Water Does Not Affect Mortal Skin, but I could see why someone wouldn’t want to get wet. It’s a little degrading too. Being mobbed by friends or even family, accusing them of siding with the Horned One, when they live in the same little village…. I could see how someone who dedicated their life to the Light would be proud, maybe even too proud to satisfy the notion that they’re one of us…
I had my own problems to deal with, worrying about those who would lay me on the ring without the bat of an eyelash…
“Aptherraam, let’s go downstairs.” I said putting on a light long sleeve shirt, a cardigan with pockets to fit my familiar, and some black jeans in case I needed to use my broom. It wasn’t very professional, but I didn’t want to be uncomfortable, or fall off because I chose slippery pants.
He jumped into my pocket, and I went downstairs. Zayde was already in there, on the phone with Velimier. Tinzaa was in the corner, waiting for Aptherraam to hop next to her. Their bond is as strong as ours, so they were mates as well.
Today was meant to be an office day, since Zayde, nor I, have delt with the steps needed to move out of Tower 3, and into the Center Tower of the soon to be constructed castle. They’d put a table in here for me, since traditionally, we’d have separate offices, but I enjoyed the idea of hanging out with him at work.
The small rearrangement of the office made it more organized, since books were put on shelves, and there were two cat beds in the corner for our familiars to rest on. They had their own errands we could send them to run, but at the moment they were merely silently instructed to relax.
That was because it wasn’t safe to send them to Atto, and retrieve the additional meat to feed Typhen and Echidnah. They didn’t eat typical food…. They ate people… Typical food could be eaten as a farse to fool the locals, but they needed men.
I couldn’t linger on that, however. I needed to make sure the foundations of Yellow could be started before the next moonless night. They planned on completely retaking the land by then, so they could get the ball rolling.
The Phantom Coven witches Just arrived at Yellow Diamond’s original location, and were hard at work to make the land suitable for magic, while the stone was being ordered to be imported. That was my job. I contacted Phantom Coven via email. I made sure that the invoices were correct, and the measurement was in tons… This was going to be expensive, since a road was going to Have to be made too for transport.
Then there was the Man Farm that needed to be sponsored, but Alteer emailed me back that he’d handle it. In order to have facilities like that built, it has to be approved, inspected, and already operational before any humans can be shipped. I hated thinking of them like that. They were people too…
They were Not *just* ingredients or food…. It’s why I also sent word to the Secret Police to send us a unicorn to aid in corruption. I also asked permission, and Alteer thought it a good idea. We didn’t work with unicorns at all, but they ran many things that other creatures can’t be trusted with, being made of literal purity. Even Atto was subject to random unicorn inspection.
Then I smelled sweet rot.
“Let me see your neck.” I said firmly. The undeniable scent came from Zayde… all he had to do was turn his head, and the smell was wafted gently around…
I could see Zayde stiffen. He hung up the phone abruptly as well. “No.”
“Let me see. It smells like gangrene.” I said getting up from my chair. It looked alright on the outside, but I knew how to treat this kind of thing. I don’t know how, but I’d seen this particular curse before. “It’s radiating an incredibly intentional hex….” I slowly caressed his face, and he hissed at the sting of my hand on a stray scale… It oozed.
“I know… It needs to come off and be cleaned but- HOLY SHIT” He screamed as I pulled one large neck scale, and it all came off…. The skin underneath was horrid.
It was black and congealed, though once touched by my hand to dispel it, the ruined flesh became ash… There would be little left of this curse to bring to Alteer. Zayde was likely in too much pain to notice that I took some of it, and put it in a magic bag to show my father-in-law…I know my husband. He will argue that telling the Witch Court of Velimier’s crime will make him appear weak.
My counter, is that it was WEAK for a man old as the war to feel threatened by my husband.
“I’m sorry, but I can tell it was spreading under there.” I said quietly.
He pulled me a little closer, and I bent down to receive a gentle forehead kiss. His neck looked so painful, yet he kept trying to console me, as if the wound was mine…
“You didn’t do this.” He said petting my hair. He didn’t want me to worry, but I knew better.
[I will fetch a medic.] Said Tinzaa.
[I’ll go with her.] Said Aptherraam.
“Go ahead.” I gave them permission, and they ran off while I dispelled the last of it. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“…I thought it would fade.” He grumbled quietly. “How did that curse latch onto me so well?” He asked as I showed him.
I picked up a scale before it disappeared.…. They really were iron, being heavy, and at least two centimeters thick. It was cursed, so all the skin underneath it was being eaten alive by the vindictive magic of the offended Coven leader.
The cuts underneath the scales were also cursed… He said nothing as I removed another piece of skin, and it turned to ashes…
Acavitos was written in smoke as the spell broke. It sounds almost like ‘avocado’ because it was inspired by the softness…. Just as the skin overtop was hard and firm, the skin below is soft and mushy.
“Your iron scales are armor, but that armor can be turned against you. Those scales were turned into a container for a flesh curse called Acavitos.”
“I know that spell. It was banned with the 1605 Treaty, and we were ordered to cease its use along with other bands of witches.” Said Zayde. “Should I report this, he could actually be in hot water. However, I don’t think that’s a good idea. He seems to want me to go seek outside help to make me look like a child who runs to mommy and daddy.” I growled.
“Two can play at that game.” By law, I could take my evidence And return his spell to him. I knew he would be against retaliation, but if Velimier didn’t want his own hex returned, he shouldn’t have cast it.
“Tiffany don’t do anything on my behalf.” Said Zayde. He hissed when he adjusted himself in his seat.
“He planned this.” I snarled. “That spell sits overtop cursed wounds…. You were stubborn and foolhardy thinking that Velimier wouldn’t cheat.” I said sternly… “But I know you had to…”
“Yeah I did. I bet he’s laughing right now that I was too stubborn to get this treated.” He growled.
He roared when I pealed off the last one, on the back of his neck. The one in front of the jugular was especially nasty… I could see his blood pumping through the thick vein… This was a debilitating wound. Had that vein ruptured, he would have bled out.
I picked it up before it turned to dust, and tossed it out the window. “Fly.” I mumbled. “I’m not cursing him. He’s cursing himself. Maybe it’ll teach him to think twice before casting magic like this on another magic caster.”
“I know I should be chastising you, but honestly, I find this kind of hot.” He chuckled.
How did he not pass out from pain?
“Oh whatever.” I smiled rolling my eyes, faking for his sake that I wasn’t absolutely livid.
Zayde still needed to be treated. I found a clean rag to help cover this… I may know how to dispel a curse, but medical clean up this bad would need a doctor… As it was, the room reeked of malicious dark magic that was intended to kill.
That was partly why it was so illegal. This kind of spell was not made for duels… it was made to hex, to make an enemy suffer….
“Oh my.” Said a woman coming in wearing all white. She had transparent, glasslike hair. It sparkled like clear crystal, but her skin was light, almost off-white gray, “I’m Nurse Irine. Head Nurse of Tower 6: Medical and Death Management.”
I didn’t say anything about the ‘death management’ part, they likely specialized in revival of fresh corpses too…
“I got rid of the curse, but he’ll need help with the rest.” I said seeing her bow. She smiled when she rose, and summoned a medical kit. “Usually, I would take something like this to the hospital wing, but I assume you would wish this to be discrete my lord.” She put her things on his desk.
I sat in my chair.
“Aye. Is there anymore magic residue?” He asked.
“Quite a bit. The rot spreads it to healthy tissue. I’ll numb the area and clean it with Moon Blessed Saline. Holy water would be best, but-” he cut her off.
“I can tolerate the pain. Do what needs to be done.” He said firmly.
She looked him in the eyes, and they became that of the behimoth…
“Zayde, I can’t watch that.” I said a little sadly. “I don’t want to watch you suffer…” I almost felt like this was my fault. Had We not been tasked with reforming Yellow Diamond... We’d be enjoying our honeymoon somewhere….
“I want you to go to Tower 7, and give Andrei this.” He handed me a piece of paper, and I gently kissed his forehead.
I could handle the initial gore, but she’s going to have to Really hurt him… And sure enough, the moment I left, I could hear the unearthly scream of a witch who’d been branded by the Light’s touch…
That wound will leave a scar… a nasty one that stretches to his face… Alteer was where I was headed. I know I should have listened to Zayde, but I just couldn’t. ‘Let the fur fly’ as dad used to say.
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