Feral Mage 3: Chapter 4

Bryce quickly looked from the crying Thea to the back of the ship, looking for somewhere safe for both her and Julia. He saw the Duke's guards gathering at the bottom of the stairs, swords drawn. Many of the noble guests rushed for the stairs as well, only to be greeted by harsh threats from the guards, enforced by the point of their swords.

They don’t know who to trust right now.

He swore, turning to face the puppets at the front of the ship. A barrier had formed between the abominations and the nobles, created by the nobles’ bodyguards.

“Julia, stay close to Thea. Yell for me if anyone tries to come near you!” Bryce shouted to the baroness.

A knight in full plate swung a war pike at a violinist, sinking his weapon into the musician’s skull. Brain matter spilled onto the deck as the violinist kept stabbing with his dagger, trying to find a weak point in the plate.

Opposite of him, a nervous Elemental Mage formed spikes from water, flinging them at any who tried to get near him. His targets didn’t slow, despite looking like pincushions from the icicles. He took a few steps back, forming a sheet of ice in front of him, causing the puppets to slip.

Ice magic would be useful for control. Wish I had pulled on the Pale Queen Aspect instead.

The thought barely crossed his mind before he heard a feminine voice whisper into his ear. A voice he knew wasn’t there.

“Use my gift…”

Bryce gritted his teeth, pushing back on the temptation to use two Aspects.

“Aim for their hearts! It’s the only thing that will kill them!” he yelled before rushing to the aid of a fencer.

The man had two of the musicians coming at him, his sword doing little against them. The rapier was a weapon ill-suited for fighting against what these puppets were. Even if the fencer managed to pierce the heart, the thin blade most likely wouldn’t damage the wooden heart enough to stop his opponent.

Bryce arrived just as one puppet parried the rapier and the other rushed forward to drive the long knife into the man’s neck. Bryce’s sword knocked the knife away as he placed himself between the puppet and the man. The puppet started to recover, but Bryce had carried his strike through, and his sword sliced into its knee.

There were no screams, no curses, no grimace of pain as the puppet fell to the deck. Just an emotionless face as it wordlessly dragged itself toward him with its knife. Bryce plunged his blade into its back. He struck his steel on something hard, and the puppet twitched before desperately trying to free itself from the blade.

He pushed down harder, twisting as he felt his sword break through the object it had struck. The puppet stopped moving then, and Bryce placed his foot on the creature’s head before pulling his sword free and helping the fencer with the other one.

Together they quickly dispatched it, the fencer using his weapon to keep the puppet pinned while Bryce dug his blade into its sternum, prying out the wooden heart. Screams greeted them as the puppet stopped moving, and Bryce looked up to see where they were coming from.

The Elemental Mage was being swarmed by three of the musicians, blood staining the sheet of ice he had laid down for his defense. The man screamed as his ice shards shot into the puppets, then Bryce saw a flicker of light before flames replaced the ice shards and ignited the puppets.

“The fool is going to set the ship on fire!” the fencer yelled.

The desperate last act of a dying man might have just doomed them all. Bryce and the fencer raced for the inferno that was now the puppets, still stabbing the mage as they burned.

“We need to get them into the water before the fire spreads,” Bryce stated.

Then he saw the other puppets start to move for the opening created by them rushing for the mage. The knight moved to deal with them, but they all started to swarm him. The sounds of their knives scraping against his armor, and Bryce knew eventually one would find a gap.

He gritted his teeth, knowing the knight would soon be overrun and the puppets would then go for Thea and the other nobles. Though if he went to aid the man and the fencer failed to contain the fires himself, they were all doomed.

A wave splashed over the deck of the ship, sweeping both the now dead mage and the three burning puppets into the river. The event was strange, but Bryce’s mind was already on his next task, helping the knight. He made a half step in the direction when someone spoke.

“You said to aim for the heart? Correct?” a man asked.

Another wave swept onto the deck of the ship, only this time, Bryce saw the strange movement of it.

A spell is manipulating it.

The water twisted on itself, turning into something like a tentacle that wrapped around the musicians swarming the knight, pulling them back from him. The puppets stabbed at the water with their knives as it gathered them together. Bryce heard the man say a single word, a spell, and the water froze, large ice spikes piercing through the puppets.

Bryce kept his gaze on the mass of ice, watching to ensure the puppets had all stopped moving, then he turned and faced the man who had killed them. The man with the pencil mustache was now on the lower deck of the ship, standing between them and the nobles. He held his arms behind his back as he scanned the deck of the ship before approaching the puppet Bryce and the fencer had killed, its wooden heart still beside its corpse.

He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and knelt, picking up the heart. He looked it over before turning to Bryce and holding it up.

“You knew this was inside them?” the man asked.

Murmurs went up from the nobles, and Bryce’s enhanced hearing could already pick up the two Counts Thea had spoken to, blaming this on her. He could also hear Julia still comforting her as she breathed rapidly. Bryce wanted to look in her direction, but knew it might cause trouble for the foreign Princess.

“I’ve encountered them before,” he said, sheathing his sword. “A friend of mine cut the head off a dwarf just to have the bastard keep moving. Another friend faced two human soldiers who were horribly burned by a fire, but kept fighting.”

He hooked a thumb, pointing it to the side of the ship.

“The ones you washed off the deck are still moving. I can hear them climbing the side of the ship with their knives.”

The man looked toward the railing of the ship, where he swept off the puppets. His gaze stayed there even as Bryce kept speaking.

“They both told me the only way to kill them is to destroy the wooden hearts.”

Bryce heard something haul itself onto the ship, followed by two more. He didn’t look over at the puppets. He kept his gaze on the man with the pencil mustache.

The man frowned and said a spell thrice before flicking his hand, three ice spikes forming and following the movement.

“Jasper. What the hell was all this?” the Duke roared from the quarterdeck.

The man named Jasper looked Bryce up and down once more before turning back to face the Duke and bowing.

“Forgive me, my lord. Your celebration has been interrupted by some very unusual creatures. An escort of one of our guests is apparently knowledgeable about what these things are,” Jasper answered, his tone proper. “I will give you a more in-depth report once I return to the quarterdeck.”

Jasper stood and faced Bryce.

“When we arrive at port, the city and Duke’s personal guards will question you,” he said.

Bryce’s lips thinned, but he nodded.

The knight and fencer moved to rejoin their protectee as the nobles fell into conversation now that the danger had passed. Jasper moved toward the quarterdeck, while Bryce walked toward Thea and Julia. Thea was still shaking as Julia tried to comfort her. His steps slowed as he neared them, stopping just for a moment to whisper into Julia’s ear.

“Stay clear of me for the journey back to port. When we land, get Thea to the guildhall. Don’t stop for anyone,” he whispered before moving past them toward a table with kegs of ale.

He poured a tankard and then sat in a chair. He watched as Jasper approached the Duke and bowed. Bryce had dropped his Manticore Aspect, so he couldn’t pick up what Jasper was saying to the Duke, but he knew what was coming. Something confirmed by the suspicious look the Duke cast him a few seconds later.

***

Not long after they arrived at Witchbrook’s port, the Duke’s guards approached Bryce. As soon as he saw the iron cuffs in their hands, he undid his sword belt, holding it out to them.

“We’ll ensure it’s returned to you,” the guard who took it said.

Bryce nodded to him, hoping it was the truth. The blade was good steel.

They put the cuffs on his arm and escorted him off the ship. He could already see Julia leading Thea away in the distance, the Princess looking back at him, worried and confused. He was glad the Baroness listened to him. An attempt was just made on the Duke’s life; anyone who knew about the puppets was now under suspicion. He was just glad the Duke’s focus was on him and not the two Counts gossiping about what Thea had said.

Eventually, the Duke would learn about that as well. Thea had spoken about her Uncle’s crimes many times in the noble circles of Witchbrook to try and drum up support. Bryce just hoped that when he did it, it was with a cooler head.

He found himself locked in a cell within an hour of stepping off the ship. He lay on the rough bench in his cell, staring up at the damp stone ceiling, wondering how long he would stay in this place.

Nobility…

He sneered, recalling the gossip he had heard after the danger had passed on the ship. None mourned those who had died defending them. He even heard the client of one boast that he wouldn’t have to pay the rest of his fee.

At least with the guild, they will compensate your family.

He wondered just how this talk with the Duke would go. Would Duke Leon himself come to this damp cell, or would it be Jasper or some random guard? Would this really be a talk to learn what he knew, or would they break out the hot pokers and try to force a confession to save the Duke’s face? It wouldn’t be the first time he had heard tales of nobles doing that.

“Mama always said I’d fall for a boy that was trouble,” a feminine voice purred.

Bryce rolled off the bench and approached the small window of his cell facing outside to the courtyard of the guardhouse. Isabelle smiled back at him as she lay on the ground, chin resting in her hands as her legs kicked in the air playfully behind her.

“How did you get into the wall of the guardhouse?” Bryce asked.

Isabelle shrugged.

“It’s my city,” she answered.

Bryce took that to mean some of the guards were on her payroll. He licked his lips and looked to see if anyone was around them.

“Did Thea make it back to the guild okay?” he asked.

Isabelle pouted.

“I come here to see you, and you start talking about another girl! A blonde even!” Isabelle shook her head as she narrowed her eyes at him.

Bryce just gave the crime boss a stern glare, letting her know he wasn’t playing this game. After a moment, Isabelle sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Blondie made it back to the guildhall. They didn’t even notice she left with the stink going on at the docks,” Isabelle answered. “I heard what happened, enough of it anyway. The first tavern one of those nobles stumbled into and they blathered to anyone that’d listen.

“Anyways, I thought I’d stop by and let the guards know you’re my Darling and to take good care of you. Even if you do ignore my contracts, despite all I do for you.”

Bryce sighed.

“When I’m able to take another contract, I’ll do one of yours,” he said.

Isabelle grinned and clapped her hands together.

“I can’t wait! I heard the Duke plans to see you tomorrow, so you have a good night, Darling,” Isabelle said before jumping up.

Bryce watched as she walked away, humming to herself. She looked back at him, seeing him watching her, and smirked before she started to sway her hips more with each step.

Once Isabelle was gone, Bryce shook his head and returned to the bench.

“Why the hell is that woman so interested in me?” he said, staring at the ceiling of his cell.