Day 87 (65th)

Day 87 (65th):
When the servants arrived with breakfast, they had a message, asking us to come down to the dungeon. The female necromancer was being very uncooperative and it was thought that we might have more luck.
We were escorted into the dark dungeon, lit by the same magical lights as in the city streets. A knot of people were at the door of one cell. As we approached, they stepped back and separated. Inside the cell, the female necromancer was seated in a chair, shackled hand and foot to it. Even in this state, the white coating of pride was strong and bright. Her physical stance was also the picture of arrogance and superiority. She looked up and us and straightened as much as she could.
"Well, well, look who's here. The humans could not break me, so they bring in the demon bitches with their evil, possessed swords. What wicked scheme do you have in store for me?"
I touched Lisa's arm to keep her silent. Sarah got our attention.
"She is sick. I can see it. A dark shadow hovers over her head and heart. Also, I think her marks are infected."
"Yes, I see that poison," Lisa added, "It spreads through her body but is strongest around her back."
"She has committed awful things in her past," Alice told us, "She believes Maalicus loves her and sent her on this mission because only she could defeat us."
"The soul poison chant is useless right now," Anna said, "Her mind is not hers. The spell must be broken before she can be cured of anything. Let us begin."
"Are you afraid to speak to me, demon bitches? I am better than all seven of you together. Nothing you can do can harm me."
We did not answer. We circled her. She tried to stare us all down, scooting her chair to face each of us. We began the spell. She began shouting, trying to break our casting. Shifting, scooting, banging, none of it worked. We saw the marks, even through her clothes, begin to glow. The marks faded and disappeared, leaving smooth, healthy skin behind. We stopped when the last mark was gone.
"The infection is gone," Lisa and Sarah said together. Sarah, alone, added, "But her head and heart are still in shadow."
The necromancer swore and shouted, "Bloody whores! Stupid bitches! You have committed the foulest thing imaginable! I endured days of pain to receive the holy words. Your blasphemous spell has undone all of that work. I will send all of you to the Abyss where you belong!" She was bouncing in the chair so hard, it threatened to break.
We mentally called for Mattis. Instructions were given and received. As she watched him enter the cell, we began the soul poison chant. Within the first few lines, the black puddle oozed out of her body to cover the area under the chair. As we continued, the puddle grew larger, darker, and deeper. Near the end, it was a circle under her, within our circle, and deep enough to cover her feet. Once finished, we did not dispel it. Alice and Mattis stood side by side behind me. I drew Vanity and held her so the necromancer could see herself. Alice placed one hand on my shoulder and Mattis did the same on the other side.
As one, the three of us spoke, "Shandara, daughter of Maram, behold the evil you have done."
In the surface of Vanity, Shandara's life played before her. Horror upon horror rolled across the polished blade. Tears formed and fell as she watched. I could see the cloak had disappeared, white pride gone, and all of the feelings she had suppressed washed over her. When we finished, the black puddle was gone and Shandara was sobbing. The shackles were removed and we seven aided her in crossing the room to her bed. Sarah soothed her to sleep and we got everyone out of the cell. Droland, Kendar, and Lehand said nothing as we all went back into the daylight and into the garden. We did not have to tell Leo what had happened. His expression let us know he knew. Finally, Droland broke the silence.
"What now? Will she cooperate or fight us?
"Maalicus' and Tharinzar's holds are gone. Her soul is cleansed of all evil and she has seen, without bias, her willful actions. Have her watched to keep her from killing herself. In a day or so, she may be able to provide the information you need. Right now, we can't tell what she knows, exactly," Lisa told the men.
They seemed to understand. All of us, even Leo, went to see the progress being made on the garden wall. The work must have continued through the night as the wall area was free of rubble and the site of the wall was being prepared for building. We did not disturb the workers. Leo was asked to help for a moment. As the largest being available, they marked his height as where the top of the wall should be. They thanked him for his assistance.
About an hour or two after leaving Shandara, a servant found us and said she was awake and wished to speak with us. Once again, we went down into the dungeon. We found her pacing the cell. Although the cloak was gone, there was no glow, not even a hint of one. She stopped pacing when she saw us. She went down on her knees so fast, I thought she had fallen.
"Sisters of the Swords, Your Majesty, all of you, please forgive my evil ways. Baaloc life is all I have ever known. My parents and their parents have been slaves of Maalicus all of their lives. I was removed from slavery when my magic manifested. Maalicus had me trained as both wizard and concubine. I believed he truly loved me and I began to love him. I killed other concubines just out of jealousy when they were called and I was not. Maalicus learned of this and added assassin to my training. I earned the marks you removed for every life I took. When he sent me to kill you seven, I truly believed it was because he thought only I could do the job. Abigail's betrayal and desertion had elevated me in his eyes."
"Shandara," I interrupted, "Abigail did not betray Maalicus and desert. We killed her."
Shandara slowly rose at this news. She paced a moment, then faced us once more.
"We were told she drugged Maalicus and fled Baaloc Prime in shame. A cleric and wizard have been at his side since then, to prevent further occurrances. More of his lies," she added, throwing up her hands in frustration. Calming down, she continued, "He told me that the swords could effect the mind and heart of people. That is why I called upon the dead. He informed me that your guardian abilities were passive and of no use in a fight. He was very wrong about that."
She became quiet and paced some more.
"Shandara, will you tell us about Baaloc Prime? We need information on the buildings, fortifications, arms, and manpower," Lehand calmly requested.
She did not stop pacing. As she walked, she asked for writing tools and paper. She promised to have as much as she could by morning. As we were leaving, the seven of us stopped and faced her. She stood still and looked at us.
"Shandara, you are forgiven," we said as one.
She sank to the floor. She did not cry or do anything. We left her still on the floor.
Returning to the garden, lunch was being set out for all of us. Those who had not been there were told what was said and done. We, again, received strange looks and emotions swirled under calm masks. After the others were fully informed, there was little talking. Emotions, attitudes, and thoughts were being sorted through and opinions being formed.
For the rest of the day, we seven were conspicuously avoided. Leo was out flying. Vangar was supervising the wall construction. Mattis, Margret, and Gavin were involved in training. Mamar, Jerome, Kendar, and Lehand were consumed with the Bishop's papers and what Damas and Barram had given them. Droland and Darla were "busy" elsewhere in the palace. We did not see or speak to anyone until after the night bells rang. Servants told us our presence was requested in the formal dining room. He was very stiff and official. We wondered about this as we followed him.
Upon entering the dining room, the air of formality was almost tangible. Everyone was dressed as if for a wedding or some important event. We looked at each other in confusion.
"Um...is there some special occasion we don't know about? Do we need to change or ... something?" Alice asked timidly.
Strained smiles were our only answers. Even Mamar, Kendar, and Lehand were distant. A metallic scraping noise above us drew every one's attention. Leo entered through the ceiling window. Once he was inside and the window closed, he saw the scene. He, too, was confused.
"What's going on? Why are they all dressed so fancy?"
"We don't know. We asked, but no one will talk to us. They just smile at us strangely."
"Then, I will ask. See if they will answer me."
"It seems I've missed something. What's the occasion?"
The same strained smiles. It was getting bizarre. Leo looked around.
"Over on the wall is an area of magic like Mattis' silver circle. It is invisible to the human eye."
"I see it," I told my sisters and Leo, "Alice, focus on the King. Tell us what he has done recently."
Alice focused, "After Shandara's cell, he and Darla walked around and talked. They ate in their chambers. A messenger arrived with an important letter. It was only signed by a symbol I have never seen before. Servants were sent to get everyone and all but us were told to wear their best."
"Focus on the symbol, please," I requested. I locked eyes with Alice and saw the symbol. I smiled, "It is the seal of the Faerie Queen. She is coming to meet them in person."
We were all agape. It must have been very important for her to meet with everyone.
"Should we change? Shouldn't we be in our best?" several of my sisters asked.
"Not necessary, dearest girls. I like you just as you are."
Only I recognized that female voice that sang through our minds. Turning to where Leo and I indicated, we watched a shining doorway form. Out of it walked the woman I had seen in the woods about five days ago. The shining doorway faded back to the light shimmer of before. Still, a pale-pink glow radiated from her which seemed to make the room brighter. The others were torn between bowing and standing in shock. We seven and Leo went to her. Introductions were given of the rest of us before we walked with her to Droland and the others and introduced them. She and Darla lightly conversed in the Faerie language, small talk pleasantries only. When she had met everyone, we all found a seat at the huge table. Leo's side table was moved closer as to not exclude him. The food was served and a lot eaten in silence.
"Are they always like this, daughter?" she asked me.
"They aren't always this way. They are afraid of saying something stupid or offensive."
"I see. Well, I am tired of this silence. How can we get them to talk?"
Just then, Leo belched. Nothing human could ever make that sound. We seven, the Faerie Queen, and Leo laughed as the sound reverberated inside the stone room. The others had looks of sheer horror. They all tried to apologize, beg forgiveness, etc. When they saw she was laughing as well, they visibly relaxed. Mamar began to openly ask questions, as did Mattis.
Finally, the reason for her visit was mentioned. She stood to get every one's attention.
"As you know, these seven girls have unique bloodlines. Our scholars have been busy and discovered some interesting things. Lisa and Alice, the elf of your blood is the same man. You two are distant cousins."
Lisa and Alice, who happen to be sitting next to each other, faced one another. They clasped hands and smiled. I knew both of them disliked not having family besides their fathers. I was happy for them.
"Sarah, your great-grandmother still lives. She has a grotto not far from the mouth of the river. She wishes to see you when you can."
Silent tears flowed. After her father's death, Sarah had ached for a family. Knowing she had some make her glow radiate.
"Gretta, there is an uncle, two aunts, and four cousins, distantly related, who want to see you, and, yes, they are all leprechauns."
Gretta, sitting beside Sarah, squealed in delight. The two of them hugged, knowing loving families wanted them.
"Anna, the reason your parents never talked about your non-human ancestors is they think that they are under a curse. They think that they are safe as long as they do not talk about them. Both of your parents have brownie gnome ancestors. Because of your size, they feared the curse had fallen on you. However, there is no curse and your great-grandparents on both sides would love a visit from you."
Tears flowed from Anna. So many questions had been answered in just a few sentences. Confusions vanished like mist before the sun. Lisa and Gretta, who were on either side of her, leaned over and one-arm hugged her. Joy rippled her glow.
"Callie, I know you have a strong and large family. Yet, you have expressed unhappiness in the small village where you grew up. Only Kayla gave you any connection to that place, where you felt like an outsider. A distant relative, a dwarf, has offered a place in the mountains when you are ready to take it."
Callie sat in stunned silence. She had only told a few people about her feeling out of place in our home village. She loved hearing mountain stories and songs, much to her mother's dismay. 
She looked at me and smiled, "I have a place in the mountains, Kayla. When this is over, we can journey there."
"Of course we can. We can visit everyone after the Baalocs are no longer a threat," I assured her and everyone.
"Kayla, plan your journey to end in the Faerie Realm. After much searching, we have determined that you are the only living female descendant of my only child, my son. The entity that is now Vanity is your distant cousin, a child of my son's son while you are a child of my son's daughter. As such, you are my only heir. Kayla, you are a Faerie Princess."
It was my turn to be shocked. I had never even thought of myself in that way. Even as a child playing pretend, I was never a princess or anything like that. The whole table went silent and stared at me, even Leo. I felt my face get warm. I wished everyone would stop. The Faerie Queen sat back down. She went back to eating. I tried, but I felt every move was being watched and the food had lost its flavor.
Suddenly, Sarah jumped to her feet, "Shandara! Something has happened to her!"
Except for Leo, Darla, and Margret, we all headed to the dungeon. The guards were surprised to see us. Shandara was slumped over the table that was covered in parchment, pens, and ink. Kendar reached her first. Pulling her up revealed a bloody mess. Somehow, she had stabbed herself in the neck with one of the pens. A pool of blood was below her chair and the blood covered one side of her body. The way she was positioned hid the flowing blood from the guards. There were several piles of parchment. One had detailed drawings. Another was descriptions of the buildings and walls. Armament, personnel, schedules, etc. were sorted and arranged for us to find easily. Every bottle of ink was empty. Under her head was a single piece of parchment written in a mixture of ink and blood. A hole in her arm with ink around it revealed where she dipped the pen. Across the top of this said, "My apology to the Sisters." The men and the guards set about removing her body and gathering the papers. The Faerie Queen picked up the letter.
" 'I have been examining myself as I have written out the secrets of the Baalocs. While I am glad to be rid of the massive evil you purged from me, I find I cannot find anything good in me. My life, my very soul, is empty. I could see Kayla search for any hint, but there is nothing to see. It is my hope that the information I provided might bring down the Baalocs and Maalicus. Hopefully, my name will be among the heroes of this battle and I will be remembered kindly and well.' Signed, Shandara, daughter of Maram, former Baaloc."
We were all choked up. Sarah had to be supported to keep from collapsing. We made our way back to the dining room. Darla, Margret, and Leo looked at us for answers. Sarah was seated and we suggested they do the same. Once they did, we told them. The royal women slumped a bit but did not faint. The men arrived one or two at a time. Servants were called to clear the room. The Faerie Queen said her good-byes and exited through the same shining doorway. Leo went back out the window. Everyone parted company. We seven went back toour room. Tears were shed. We did not go to sleep for a long time. I awoke several times in the night.