Haruth couldn't sleep that night. And how could he? When he knew he was under the roof of a Summoner. Every wizard knows about them or at least heard about this guild.
His bed was comfortable, in fact it has been years since the last time he slept on a feathery bed like this one, he has been on the run and travelling for long now, and he would usually just sleep anywhere he deemed safe and comfort wasn't always on the menu.
This time safety seemed to be lacking, and Haruth did not like that. If he was alone he wouldn't have stayed let alone spend the night. He was a strong mage, one of the strongest out there, yet Massin scared him.
"Are you going to wet that bed?" asked him Krog who was sharing the same room with him along with Harvick.
"Ever since you talked to that witch, you've been shaking like a shitting dog. What did she tell you that scared the crap out of someone like you?"
"It would be best if you didn't know. I also don't want to jump into any prejudiced conclusions…" Haruth answered.
"Oh I see. You don't want to tell me because Harvick is here right?" Krog said.
"Nonsense!" Protested Krog.
"Want me to leave wizard?" Asked him Harvick who was facing the rocky wall, avoiding any contact with the warlock.
"No no not at all… Listen Harvick… I know you don't like me very much and I understand. Bad blood, bad history etcetera etcetera… but this tension right here, isn't going to help us." Haruth was trying to reassure the uninterested man.
"Don't bother. It's not that I don't like you, I don't want to be friends with you. Now, let me sleep or if you want to chat, Krog seems to die to talk to you. Leave me be wizard." Harvick answered firmly.
Krog shared an awkward glance with Haruth and then shrugged his shoulders.
"Do you want to go out? I want to have a smoke." Added the friendly man nodding his head towards the exit. "t'will probably help you rest your nerves… wizard"
Haruth smiled at Krog's cheap impression and agreed to going out.
The night's fresh air might help him with his troubled thoughts.
When they reached the main chamber, it was still lit and Massin was sitting on a cushion surrounded with parchments and journals. She lift her head the moment she felt their presence behind her.
"Careful now, you might want to take light. It is pitch black outside these walls. You better have light with you." She said calmly before returning to her pages.
Haruth felt his heart pounding, his throat got tighter and his breathing fastened. He froze in his place, eyes on the papers scattered on the floor. He felt cold and uneasy until Krog pushed him to move forward.
"Let's go." Krog gave him another push, grabbed a torch that hung on the wall and lead the way out.
It was indeed very dark outside.
"What's going on? Why are you scared of her that much? Should I be scared as well?" Asked him Krog.
The wizard didn't say a word, his puzzling glance was lost in the darkness of the forest. And he was muttering to himself something the man couldn't comprehend.
"Haruth… you're okay?" Krog put a hand on the wizard's shoulder and shook him gently.
"Krog… have you ever heard of the Summoners?" He finally asked.
"No, what's that? Or who?" Krog was confused.
"They are wizards, bad wizards." Haruth said.
"How bad…?" Asked him Krog
"Remember where we went, to save Poli. The doomed realm." Haruth said.
"I will never forget it." Krog shivered. "What about it?"
"Remember how I needed the help of Galenhaim to cross?" asked him again the wizard.
"Yes for fuck's sake Haruth yes I remember everything just fucking tell me what's troubling this bad!" The man grew impatient.
"Summoners don't need a veer to cross, or rather they don't need them to provide passage. They can travel there whenever they want and return… unharmed and unbothered." Haruth explained.
"Well how does that make them bad?" Inquired Krog.
"Well… according to what we know about them, which is very little… Summoners can also summon veers into our world… and control them." Haruth felt a cold chill run through his spine. "They can control them and use them as puppets."
Krog looked at Haruth in disbelief and distress.
"If… if I believe what you told me before… these Veers are more powerful than demons. So you mean to tell me that these Summoners are bigger a threat than your father and even stronger than the one who would be handling the second stone we're after… AND SHE IS HOSTING US?" Krog fell silent.
"That is wrong." She replied.
Haruth and Krog jumped away. Haruth tripped and fell whilst Krog felt his knees weaken. Massin landed her staff to Haruth, pulling him up on his legs. The wizard hesitated at first but he felt drawn to her and he couldn't refuse.
Is that one of their powers? He thought.
"It is not" She replied.
Haruth's eyes popped and his heart was still racing. Why am I so frightened?
"Because you're in the dark. You don't know me and you don't have answers to your questions, but you choose to believe what was written about us by our prosecutors rather than simply ask…" She once again replied.
"Is everyone around here enjoys making me feel stupid or am I actually this dense?" Krog was disoriented and had no idea what was going on in front of him. He was waving his hands around him and expecting an answer.
"Come in… I will answer your questions if you insist and refuse to sleep. Come in Haruth, I suppose your mentoring starts tonight." Massin said.
Haruth still frightened looked at Krog who, strangely, didn't seem to share the wizard's feelings.
"Well I sure want to know what in the damned seas is going on. Ever since I met this guy my intellect has been challenged constantly and frankly, it is getting on my nerves." He dragged the wizard behind him and followed Massin inside.
This guy killed a demon in the blink of an eye… to see him shiver like this in front of her… she must be something else or at least he believes she is. The man thought. But she doesn't seem bad at all… she's a witch you stupid ass, she could've easily bewitched you… fuck! I'm not fit for this.
"Calm down Krog. The only witchcraft here is the scent you smell but it doesn't alter how you feel about someone, it only helps you relax... I didn't do it for you, I do it for myself, I like how it smells…" She answered.
They sat next to where Massin was before they left the cave. Her tools and papers weren't there anymore. Haruth was looking for them and Massin noticed.
"If you're looking for the talismans and grimoire I was working with earlier, I have already packed them for you to take." She said.
"Who said I wanted your stuff?" Haruth replied hesitantly.
"Oh but you will ask me for them when you will know what I have to tell you." Massin objected.
"What do you have to tell me?" Haruth asked.
"You're running out of time. But that you already know." She said and Harith nodded.
Krog was seated on the wizard's left and the witch's right, between the three was an empty space, the carpet beneath them was colorful.
"First I will show you Haruth son of Zion, the things about you and your quest that you ignore." She pulled out a pouch that was tightly tied with an orange ribbon. She then grabbed the top of her staff, pulled a stone and a feather. Massin dragged a an empty book beneath the cushion she was sitting on. She whistled. A small lizard-like creature came rushing towards her with an ink bottle in its mouth. "Thank you." She threw him a treat and the creature handed her the bottle, took the treat and left from where it came.
"What was that?" Inquired Krog of the witch.
"My roommate." She smiled. "That's a water-dog, there are many of them living in this cave because of the spring. Usually they're very shy creatures but I befriended the one you saw. Smart little things they are. Very useful to keep the bugs away. I don't like bugs." She tore a page from the book, opened the ink bottle and gently she dipped the feather in the ink. She splashed the ink on the paper. Drew three vertical lines starting from the stain she already made.
Why isn't she saying anything? Haruth was intrigued by how she didn't say any incantations. Blood on talismans without incantations to protect you… even for prediction, no one really knows what might happen… I better be ready. Ugh… Krog, I should cast a shield at least.
The moment Haruth was about to cast a protection spell, Massin looked at him.
"You won't be needing that. This entire cave is protected. Trust me." She smiled. She had two copper teeth. She stood up, the wizard noticed she was barefoot and saw two matching tattoos on her soles. The markings felt familiar to him but he couldn't remember where he saw them before. Massin opened a large chest and took out what seemed to be a musical instrument. It looked like a large lute with a longer and thinner neck, that was ornamented with long and colorful strands, some of which had colored rocks tied to their ends. The instrument was entirely covered in leather, with three strings, one shorter than the two. The hallowed body of the instrument was made out of wood. Massin brought it and sat next to her curious guests.
"This is a guembri." She simply said, gently touching the strings.
"Is it like… a magical instrument?" asked her Krog with an ironic tone.
"Yes, indeed. Everything about a guembri is magical." Massin replied.
"Have you read about this in your books, Haruth?" She asked the wizard.
"No…" He answered and Massin smiled.
"Well, you have many things to learn about us and our magic. But as I said, let me first show you the things you need to know." She said.
With the instrument's upper part—where the neck starts few inches away— resting on her right lap, she put her oracle stone next to the paper, pulled a knife and cut her left thumb, letting her blood drip three seven times on the paper without staining the lines she drew. She then proceeded to open the pouch she took out earlier, and pulled three small and orange threads. After smelling them, and smiling she crushed them with her bleeding hand, then rubbed both hands together. The red of her blood mixed with the orange pigment and covered her hands entirely.
Krog was following and focusing on everything she was doing, and so did Haruth, but they didn't share the same feeling about her actions. One was curious and impatient to see the result, the other one was resentful and afraid of the result.
Massin then pulled her Guembri, cleared her throat and started nodding her head slowly, left and right, before she started playing. Her hands waited calmly, fingers resting gently on the strings. She then played nine consecutive and deep melodic notes and with a voice as old as the cave she inhabits, as soothing as the fragrant incense surrounding them, she started singing. She spoke a different language, which seemed ancient. She then proceeded to play her instrument rhythmically. The deep-toned and percussive resonance of the strings, whenever she plucked or strummed them, reverbed inside of her guests. Her voice seemed to cover the gaps between the sonorous notes harmonically.
While Krog was entirely engulfed and overwhelmed by her performance, he couldn't notice what Haruth witnessed. The three lines she drew on the page were mimicking the vibrations of the strings. The wizard almost didn't believe his eyes.
What next, you'll call her a damned witch? He thought to himself sarcastically. The music she played and the songs she sang echoed through the cave, and Haruth had a familiar feeling. Smoke rose from the stone and surrounded them.
This feels like trespassing… are we trespassing? The wizard thought.
Not really. He heard her voice inside his head. Patience. She added.
Krog finally snapped out of his mesmerizing trip. "What in the damned seas is going on again… this is taking a toll on my sanity!" He said looking at Haruth.
Massin was in a complete trance and unable to respond out loud. Immersed in her musical ritual, she wasn't entirely responsive.
The smoke surrounding them began to fade, the wizard noticed silhouettes that he first thought to be their companions, until the vision cleared completely. They were on a ship. Haruth and Krog stood up.
"Where the hell are we…?" Asked Krog.
"I have no clue. It seems like we're on a ship." Haruth looked around him.
"Who are they?" Asked him again Krog, pointing at a group standing at the deck.
"Dwarves, a giant and… a man or maybe a wizard… I can't tell." The warlock answered.
"Why don't we ask them? That would get us answers." Krog walked towards them.
Stop. Don't. They both heard Massin's voice inside their heads. They froze on their spot. Get close to hear them but do not interact with them.
"What…" Krog was out of breath. "What does she even mean? What have I done to be tangled in this mess God help me." He resumed.
"We do as she says… it seems like they can't see us." Assumed Haruth and he was right. The man that troubled Haruth had a golden eye.
"I have told Maruth about my nature when I met her and knew about her and her journey as well." They heard the man say.
"Maruth!" Haruth whispered in shock.
"You know this Maruth?" Asked him Krog.
"It's my twin sister!" He replied.
"What?!" Exclaimed Krog.
"SHHH!" Haruth shushed him.
"…Her brother doesn't know about her whereabouts now, they haven't talked for months. He is currently in the kingdom of Leidir, looking for a magical jewel to prevent the one he thinks is his father from getting it. Haruth and Maruth are Zion's own children, and just like you, they also thought that their father was evil and mad. Both of them ran away to look for that stone. And that is how I got to meet Maruth... None of them knew that the person they thought was their father was one of the strongest Veers, I myself, know of." The golden eye man said.
What does this mean? Who is this man… Wondered Haruth in confusion.
Listen carefully. He heard Massin again say.
"Who… who is he?" Asked a dwarf.
"Veers can shapeshift. And Marid, an old acquaintance of mine, was and is the one behind all of this mischief. In our world, and before the birth of yours, Marid was born to a religious priest of power. His life was one of the many boring ones -if I may call it that way. And to tell you the truth, he was always a vile and a cunning Veer. When the trespassing started, his father was one of the priests to forbid it." Answered him the man.
Haruth stepped closer to hear them better, Krog followed him.
"Marid took his time, learned from the mistakes of those who travelled here before him and when he was ready, he came here bringing with him a hatred that could keep hells burning forever, his strength can shake mountains. His sole purpose is to soil the peace and the harmony of this world. If someone is worthy of your vengeful desires, it is Marid." Added the man before pausing a moment, with a disturbed look on his eyes, as if he felt the presence of the three. He looked behind him briskly as if to catch them eavesdropping. His eyes met Haruth's. The wizard froze in fear, the man smiled at him, but Haruth looked behind him in disbelief.
Can he see me?! Was I wrong?? The wizard thought.
Maybe. Answered him Massin who was still playing her guembri. Don't worry. She whispered in his mind again.
"Is there something wrong Captain?" Asked him one of the dwarves.
"No… nothing." He said before carrying on his speech. "I was saying… Zion was an unlucky wizard who discovered things he shouldn't have and now all of this mess is sticking to his back like a leech. And by some miracle or perhaps it was fate, I was in Tadmil for supplies, cheap market, you know, I like smart business. Anyway, one of my men was caught by "Zion's" soldiers for theft. We planned on breaking him free from jail when Hibe saw Zion in there. She didn't know who he was. To her, he was another prisoner in there. Until he uttered my name to her. My full and real name. That only my crew and my kin know. He begged her to take him to me, that it was a matter of "doom or salvation"..." He paused once more and sighed. "I am more than thankful for having her in my crew, and I believe that she made the most significant move in our lives by bringing him to me. I always wonder what could have happened if we didn't save Zion from those cells. The world was collapsing helplessly and it could have gotten worse if she didn't trust her intuitions… we owe all the changes we're about to make to her… and him…" The man turned once again to meet Haruth's attentive eyes, smiling at him. The wizard was filled with fear. The man winked at him.
We go back now. Massin whispered. The smoke engulfed him and Krog once again and in the blink of an eye they were back at the cave and instantly Massin stopped playing and collapsed.
"What the fuck was that!!!??" Cried Krog.
"My father… My father is innocent! My father…" Haruth was on his knees, his hands shanking and his eyes tearing up.
Krog rushed towards Massin, he tapped gently on her cheeks to wake her up. "Lady wake up! Wake up!"
She groaned and opened her eyes.
"Where is he?" She asked Krog about Haruth. The man helped her sit down where she was. She put her instrument aside and put her tools back in her pockets.
"Massin!" Haruth turned towards her. "Where were we? Who was that man? What business does he have with Maruth? Is she safe? What he said of my father…"
"Calm down Haruth… we were at the Phoenix, Goldeneye's ship. That man is a Veer. He met your sister on her way to meet the Brymhelians. He rescyed your father from his doom… Zion is innocent." She replied.
Haruth broke down in tears.
"Are you okay…?" Krog was worried.
"I have never felt better!" Answered the warlock crying.