Introductions
"Let me regale you now, friends, with this tale of old," fingers deftly plucked at the strings of a iaka. "About a child of a spirit and one mortal man," the bard's voice was strong, and despite coming from the small stature of a quarterling, carried all through the tavern.
"A lady who whose ambition none could withhold," sitting at a front table, clutching a glass with gloved hands, Marionette smiled at the awkward rhymes.
"Yes, let me tell you the tale of Anna Spasen."
The bards sang and Marionette listened. She listened to the tale of a faechild from long ago, a local heroine who negotiated with malevolent spirits, took a pilgrimage to the Firstseed Tree, saved her people from enraged beasts. She drank of her apple wine and listened, though her focus was elsewhere. From time to time she rolled up her sleeve, revealing her arm made of silver. Just above her wrist, complex dials and clock-like faces of a thaumometer ticked away.
As the bard sang of Anna facing a dragon, Marionette's attention perked up. One more look at the dials. She stood up, leaving a few coins on the table. Her prey was on the move.
--- "Spare me the details. From where I'm looking, the mortals haven't learned anything. We can't poke a nose out of the forest without our head spinning. The stench of empty aura is unbearable, you know."
In a forest clearing lit by the moon, a rusalka was arguing with a pile of rocks and vines, shaped somewhat like a person. Now, with a deep rumble, the rocks replied.
"You live close to their cities. Too close to the north. You know what the treaty declared-" "That's enough from you, Fourthseed."
Despite the fact the druid was twice her size, the rusalka emanated fearless determination. She stuck out her finger and poked it into Fourthseed's chest. "Aren't you meant to be our king? To protect us from evil?"
"I'm afraid things aren't as black and white," a third voice came from inside the forest. A girl walked onto the clearing, eyes almost glowing, a green cloak billowing behind her. "The world is not as simple anymore, I'm afraid."
The rusalka scrunched her nose. "You smell of silver, thaumaturge. What do you need?"
"I'm only looking for a friend. I'm afraid it's time for us to go," a slight smile hung on Marionette's lips, her bright eyes looking forward into the distance. Next to the two spirits, she looked rather small.
"I wasn't aware the King of Druids sought the company of your ilk."
"It is as the girl says. The world is not simple," Fourthseed chimed in, "Now, I am afraid we have work to attend to."
"Hmph. Very well, then. We are done here, for now," the rusalka gave them both a half-sincere bow, walked into a nearby puddle, and was gone.
Fourthseed knelt down. Marionette climbed onto his arm and was hoisted up onto his shoulder where she comfortably seated herself.
"Fifty-two knots, a hundred lengths away," she said and the druid walked in the given direction.
They were out of the forest now, not two hundred paces away from the village. Marionette motioned for her companion to stop and climbed down onto the ground. Once again she looked at her thaumometer.
"It should be here soon." She knelt down, sitting on the back of her heels, eyes fixated on the forest. After a few minutes of silence, she spoke up again.
"I suppose she was right. There is still carelessness, even with regulations."
"The war is still fresh in spirits' memory," Fourthseed replied, "but they know things are better now. And carelessness, my dear, is why we are here."As if in reply, a growl came from the forest.
Deep and angry, it quickly turned into a roar that bit into the bones. Its owner did not wait long to appear; a wolf snout emerged from the forest. Though it was no bigger than a normal wolf, its fur was matted and roots coiled around its body. It growled and barked, and sprinted towards the village, not paying any mind to the two figures standing in its path. Marionette deeply breathed in, unlatched her cloak, moved a foot forward and stood up with a slight swing. From under her tunic shone soft purple light.
Besides her, Fourthseed's arms rose as the ground underneath the wolf trembled and broke. The beast stumbled and barked. Its muscles tensed. The ground moulded under its feet as it fought against the druid's powers. Once again it ran against them.
Marionette breathed out. "Forgive me, gentle spirit," she said softly. She moved her arms, a precise movement from the tips of her fingers down to her elbows. The air around the wolf tensed, an invisible coiled rope. The beast stumbled and whined. The grasp on its own weave slipped for just a moment, but soon in ran forward again. It was not fifty paces away from them now. With one hand, Marionette held the invisible rope. Forty paces. The other hand swirled, pulling at the wolf's hind legs. Thirty paces, it stumbled again. The ground cracked again, vines grasping at fur. Twenty paces. The vines and the ropes enveloped the wolf. At ten paces, its maw opened.
Forgive me...
Marionette's eyes glowed purple, the beast snarled, spitting blood. It fell down, skidding across the dirt, stopping at the girl's feet. Tied with vines, its breath soon calmed. Marionette knelt down next to it, placing a hand on its snout. "Rest, now." "W-what is the m-meaning of this?" a voice came from behind. A crowd was slowly gathering, wide-eyed villagers roused by the wolf's roars. Leading them was a tall human, well dressed, lantern in hand. "W-well? Do you speak?"
Marionette stood up and turned around while Fourthseed picked up the bound wolf.
"Are you the alderman?" she asked.
"Y-yes. Thorn Radegast, if you must know. And you are?"
"Marionette. Pleased to make your acquaintance," she said, giving a slight bow. The man clumsily returned it.
"And what may your business here be, Marionette? I-is that-" as he finally saw the bound wolf, he took a step back.
"A wolf-spirit," Marionette said, "one I hear you may have had troubles with."
"T-that you have heard r-right. I am af-fraid there is no bounty, h-however."
"A bounty won't be necessary." She walked towards the man, removing her gloves. Silver glimmered into the night. "I'm here on behalf of the Academy, in company of King Fourthseed of the Academy Council and head of House Seed. Tell me, alderman, have there been any new purchases of thaumic machinery?" She spoke firmly, her eyes looking forward as if into the distance.
Radegast gulped, seemingly unsure what to say as his eyes darted between the druid and the girl. "W-well," he managed at last, "I think our hunters had-"
"Ah, so weapons," Marionette cut him off, "All licensed, surely. I'm afraid, however, that they will have to come under review. Nothing that cannot be dealt with tomorrow, of course. Would you be so kind as to gather the hunters and the devices tomorrow, two hours past sunturn? We have, as you can see, more business to attend to tonight." She bowed again and turned on her heel, leaving the flustered alderman to his thoughts. --- They carried the wolf deep into the forest. It made no protests as the druid cut its bindings. Once it could move it shook off the rest of the vines, standing up and facing its previous captors. Between the rustling of the leaves, it gave soft growls as it conversed with Fourthseed, a conversation Marionette was not privy to. She simply sat, motionless, until the wolf looked at her with thankful eyes before turning around and heading back into its home.
"A lady who whose ambition none could withhold," sitting at a front table, clutching a glass with gloved hands, Marionette smiled at the awkward rhymes.
"Yes, let me tell you the tale of Anna Spasen."
The bards sang and Marionette listened. She listened to the tale of a faechild from long ago, a local heroine who negotiated with malevolent spirits, took a pilgrimage to the Firstseed Tree, saved her people from enraged beasts. She drank of her apple wine and listened, though her focus was elsewhere. From time to time she rolled up her sleeve, revealing her arm made of silver. Just above her wrist, complex dials and clock-like faces of a thaumometer ticked away.
As the bard sang of Anna facing a dragon, Marionette's attention perked up. One more look at the dials. She stood up, leaving a few coins on the table. Her prey was on the move.
--- "Spare me the details. From where I'm looking, the mortals haven't learned anything. We can't poke a nose out of the forest without our head spinning. The stench of empty aura is unbearable, you know."
In a forest clearing lit by the moon, a rusalka was arguing with a pile of rocks and vines, shaped somewhat like a person. Now, with a deep rumble, the rocks replied.
"You live close to their cities. Too close to the north. You know what the treaty declared-" "That's enough from you, Fourthseed."
Despite the fact the druid was twice her size, the rusalka emanated fearless determination. She stuck out her finger and poked it into Fourthseed's chest. "Aren't you meant to be our king? To protect us from evil?"
"I'm afraid things aren't as black and white," a third voice came from inside the forest. A girl walked onto the clearing, eyes almost glowing, a green cloak billowing behind her. "The world is not as simple anymore, I'm afraid."
The rusalka scrunched her nose. "You smell of silver, thaumaturge. What do you need?"
"I'm only looking for a friend. I'm afraid it's time for us to go," a slight smile hung on Marionette's lips, her bright eyes looking forward into the distance. Next to the two spirits, she looked rather small.
"I wasn't aware the King of Druids sought the company of your ilk."
"It is as the girl says. The world is not simple," Fourthseed chimed in, "Now, I am afraid we have work to attend to."
"Hmph. Very well, then. We are done here, for now," the rusalka gave them both a half-sincere bow, walked into a nearby puddle, and was gone.
Fourthseed knelt down. Marionette climbed onto his arm and was hoisted up onto his shoulder where she comfortably seated herself.
"Fifty-two knots, a hundred lengths away," she said and the druid walked in the given direction.
They were out of the forest now, not two hundred paces away from the village. Marionette motioned for her companion to stop and climbed down onto the ground. Once again she looked at her thaumometer.
"It should be here soon." She knelt down, sitting on the back of her heels, eyes fixated on the forest. After a few minutes of silence, she spoke up again.
"I suppose she was right. There is still carelessness, even with regulations."
"The war is still fresh in spirits' memory," Fourthseed replied, "but they know things are better now. And carelessness, my dear, is why we are here."As if in reply, a growl came from the forest.
Deep and angry, it quickly turned into a roar that bit into the bones. Its owner did not wait long to appear; a wolf snout emerged from the forest. Though it was no bigger than a normal wolf, its fur was matted and roots coiled around its body. It growled and barked, and sprinted towards the village, not paying any mind to the two figures standing in its path. Marionette deeply breathed in, unlatched her cloak, moved a foot forward and stood up with a slight swing. From under her tunic shone soft purple light.
Besides her, Fourthseed's arms rose as the ground underneath the wolf trembled and broke. The beast stumbled and barked. Its muscles tensed. The ground moulded under its feet as it fought against the druid's powers. Once again it ran against them.
Marionette breathed out. "Forgive me, gentle spirit," she said softly. She moved her arms, a precise movement from the tips of her fingers down to her elbows. The air around the wolf tensed, an invisible coiled rope. The beast stumbled and whined. The grasp on its own weave slipped for just a moment, but soon in ran forward again. It was not fifty paces away from them now. With one hand, Marionette held the invisible rope. Forty paces. The other hand swirled, pulling at the wolf's hind legs. Thirty paces, it stumbled again. The ground cracked again, vines grasping at fur. Twenty paces. The vines and the ropes enveloped the wolf. At ten paces, its maw opened.
Forgive me...
Marionette's eyes glowed purple, the beast snarled, spitting blood. It fell down, skidding across the dirt, stopping at the girl's feet. Tied with vines, its breath soon calmed. Marionette knelt down next to it, placing a hand on its snout. "Rest, now." "W-what is the m-meaning of this?" a voice came from behind. A crowd was slowly gathering, wide-eyed villagers roused by the wolf's roars. Leading them was a tall human, well dressed, lantern in hand. "W-well? Do you speak?"
Marionette stood up and turned around while Fourthseed picked up the bound wolf.
"Are you the alderman?" she asked.
"Y-yes. Thorn Radegast, if you must know. And you are?"
"Marionette. Pleased to make your acquaintance," she said, giving a slight bow. The man clumsily returned it.
"And what may your business here be, Marionette? I-is that-" as he finally saw the bound wolf, he took a step back.
"A wolf-spirit," Marionette said, "one I hear you may have had troubles with."
"T-that you have heard r-right. I am af-fraid there is no bounty, h-however."
"A bounty won't be necessary." She walked towards the man, removing her gloves. Silver glimmered into the night. "I'm here on behalf of the Academy, in company of King Fourthseed of the Academy Council and head of House Seed. Tell me, alderman, have there been any new purchases of thaumic machinery?" She spoke firmly, her eyes looking forward as if into the distance.
Radegast gulped, seemingly unsure what to say as his eyes darted between the druid and the girl. "W-well," he managed at last, "I think our hunters had-"
"Ah, so weapons," Marionette cut him off, "All licensed, surely. I'm afraid, however, that they will have to come under review. Nothing that cannot be dealt with tomorrow, of course. Would you be so kind as to gather the hunters and the devices tomorrow, two hours past sunturn? We have, as you can see, more business to attend to tonight." She bowed again and turned on her heel, leaving the flustered alderman to his thoughts. --- They carried the wolf deep into the forest. It made no protests as the druid cut its bindings. Once it could move it shook off the rest of the vines, standing up and facing its previous captors. Between the rustling of the leaves, it gave soft growls as it conversed with Fourthseed, a conversation Marionette was not privy to. She simply sat, motionless, until the wolf looked at her with thankful eyes before turning around and heading back into its home.
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