Part 16 (1/2)

”Please. I just want to talk to you,” Myranda said.

Something had apparently caught Ether's attention, as she scurried to one of the blackened stains on the floor.

”You probably haven't eaten in days,” Myranda said, pulling some of the meager and practically frozen provisions from her bag.

”Go away. Go . . . you have food?” she asked, venturing a peek from her hiding spot.

”It isn't much, but . . . ” Myranda began. Before she could finish, the creature had sprinted out and s.n.a.t.c.hed the piece of salted meat from her hands.

She turned it and sniffed it, tentatively sampling it with her tongue. Suddenly she tore it to pieces with her sharp teeth, sloppily speaking as she wolfed it down.

”This isn't (gulp) food. This is much better. Food is nasty wet stuff. It comes in a bowl and it has no taste. Also, there is (gulp) never this much of it,” she said, making short work of the meat.

When she was through she stared longingly at the bag the food came from.

”Do you want more?” Myranda asked.

”N . . . Yes?” she attempted, nervous of reprisal.

”Here,” Myranda said, offering another piece.

Without a word she s.n.a.t.c.hed it away and swallowed it down. Myranda offered her canteen, which was emptied in an equally desperate manner. When the creature was through she sighed and smiled, licking her lips and sitting down on the ground.

”I like you. You are much better than the teachers,” she said.

”I like you too. Now, can you tell me your name? What did the teachers call you?” Myranda asked, joining her on the ground.

”They called me very bad things. Things I don't want to say. There was a tag that they made me wear. What did it say? I . . . V . . . Ivy?” she said uncertainly.

”Well, Ivy, my name is Myranda,” Myranda said.

”Myranda . . . ” Ivy repeated thoughtfully. ”I think they talked about you.”

”The teachers?” Myranda asked.

”Yes. I don't remember, though. I hardly remember anything they teach me. That's why they're so mad all of the time,” she said, shuddering.

”What is this place? How long have you been here?” Myranda asked.

”I don't know. I have been here forever, though. Longer than I can remember,” she said.

”What did they do here?” Myranda asked.

”They kept me behind those bars and tried to teach me things. All sorts of things. They tried to teach me about places, and people, and things like that. And they tried to teach me how to fight. They did that a lot. I didn't want to. Then they brought in this man. He had a glowing stick like yours, only pointier, and he would put his hand on my head and make me know things,” she said, shuddering again.

Dark memories of the soul searing time she spent with Epidime flickered in Myranda's mind. In her simple way, Ivy may have been describing his torturous ability to manipulate the mind.

”This man, the one who forced thoughts into your head, what did he look like?” Myranda asked.

”He looked like a man. I don't know. He was big. I don't want to think about it,” she said, shaking her head as if she could shake his image out of it.

”Ivy, what about the staff? What did it look like?” Myranda asked. ”It is very important.”

”It was . . . it was . . . a two handed, casting type, hook-and-spike pole-ax, a style of halberd, best suited for battle mages and paladins,” she said definitively, as though the words had been read from a text.

Myranda was surprised by the precise answer, and it showed on her face.

”Well, I didn't forget everything they taught me,” Ivy explained.

”That man. Did you hear the name Epidime when he was about?” Myranda asked.

”Yes, but not just that. It was always General Epidime. There were other Generals I think . . . one was named Teht,” she said.

Myranda remembered it as one of the names that Desmeres had mentioned.

”What did she look like?” Myranda asked.

”That,” she said, pointing.

Myranda turned swiftly, staff held defensively. There was no need. The form she indicated was slumped in the far corner of the room. She, for all outward appearance, was human, but the thick black liquid that should have been blood betrayed her true nature. Myranda had heard of nearmen who were different. This must have been an old one. Whatever had killed her had been ma.s.sive. She had more injuries than could be counted, though from the looks of it they all came from the collision with the wall and single blow that had hurled her into it.

”I should be sad that she's dead. I'm not. She was horrible. They all were. I'm glad I can't remember half of what they did to me. I'm glad the monster came,” she said.

”The monster. Tell me about the monster. What did this?” Myranda asked.

”I don't know. I didn't see. They were teaching me something and yelling at me and then there was this shaking and this light. After that all I remember is screaming. I was screaming, they were screaming. And there was the light. Terrible light,” Ivy replied, trembling.

”I have heard enough of this. Human, kill the beast,” Ether ordered.

”What? No!” Myranda said.

Ivy was startled by the out of place voice and ran behind Myranda for protection.

”Do not disobey me, human. Do as you are told,” the tiny creature warned sternly.

”I will not kill her!” Myranda declared.

”Human, if I am to tolerate your presence by my side during this quest then I expect nothing short of blind obedience. Now do as I say!” the shape s.h.i.+fter fumed.

”I will not kill her and neither will you!” Myranda said.

”I have no intention of killing her. I have ordered you to do so,” Ether said.

”No. If this was truly important then you certainly wouldn't trust me to do it. What is this? A test of loyalty?” Myranda asked.

”Open your eyes. This place reeks of the D'karon. Their tainted influence permeates the air. That thing that you are s.h.i.+elding is no different. We are surrounded by death and destruction, yet that beast is unharmed. She speaks some absurd tale of a monster that rendered a fort and all those within to rubble, and yet spared her. It is a trick, a ploy, and you have been fooled by it. There is a stain on the floor there. It is Lain's blood. Months old. End that menace before it is too late. I will not touch that thing. You believe that you have a place in this prophesy? Well, this is it. Bring a moment of meaning into your useless and wasted life. Perform one valuable act before your frail, impermanent body succ.u.mbs to the ravages of time and the elements,” the shape s.h.i.+fter raged.

As the creature continued, her words were ever more hateful and venomous. Myranda weathered them as she had a dozen times before. Myn was not so patient. She had learned the language well, and was quite aware of the vicious tone. She would not hear such words aimed at her companion. Before Myranda could stop her, Myn puffed up her chest and blasted a column of flames at the tiny form.

”Myn, what have you done?!” Myranda cried. A fear that had been growing in the pit of her stomach as the argument had progressed suddenly surged. Behind her the trembling malthrope whimpered, crouched into a ball and hugging her knees.