jaws, these teeth are buried deep.”
She turned back to Auriel.
“We do it together,” she said, placing her hand on the trap next to Auriel’s. “I’ll get the rod.”
Their eyes met as together they blinked out an unspoken countdown. Rose yanked out the rod as Auriel simultaneously forced open the jaws of the trap. Raemis let out a bone-chilling cry as he lifted his foot free from its razor-sharp metal teeth.
The three of them regarded each other warily for a second then Rose and Auriel got slowly to their feet. Rose offered a hand to Raemis. Taking it without hesitation, his claws retracted, he winced as he attempted to put weight on his injured foot.
"Rose the Whyte,” he said, breathing heavily as he swallowed his pain. “I am in your debt, and this I will never forget."
Rose steadied him as he attempted to take a step.
"We can get help, get you bandages,” said Rose, “we have Alchemists with us and they can heal you.”
"Rougarou recover quickly, Rose," he said "I will soon mend. Your friends from the Oratory, I fear, will not be as altruistic as yourselves. You must go, leave the swamp quickly. My pack also is not known for their altruism, and they have no debt of honour with you."
"He’s right Rose,” said Auriel urgently. “We need to go."
“Take care Raemis” said Rose. “I am glad that we met.”
Raemis watched them as they left the clearing and then he followed them, silently bearing his pain until they reached the edge of the swamp and he was satisfied that they would be safe.
Auriel did not speak to Rose until they were out of the marsh and back on the forest path. Then she exploded.
“Do you even know how stupid that was?” she shouted. “You could have been killed. We both could have been killed. Have you no idea how important it is that you stay alive?”
“We were not in any danger Auriel” said Rose as she casually wiped her muddy pumps on a clump of damp moss.
“You could not possibly know that. Rougarous have killed novices before you know, more than once. It was just stupid; stupid, stupid, stupid!”
She shook her head, her eyes blazing and two small round circles of scarlet warming her cheeks.
“I couldn’t leave him in pain like that Auriel, and you couldn’t either” She rested her hand gently on Auriel’s shoulder, “tell me that I’m wrong?”
Auriel let out a sigh of acquiescence.
“No, I can’t tell you that Rose, because you’re right, but I was charged to keep you safe, we all were. You’ve made me break my promise to Lord Dux.”
“I am safe, Rose…. so you’ve not broken anything.”
Tamarix and Willow, the Mud’s Alchemist and Mage, appeared around a bend in the path ahead. As they approached, Tamarix noticed Rose and Auriel’s confrontational stance. Looking questioningly from one to the other, she smiled awkwardly.
“Err, are you after bloodroot?” she asked.
“Yes” Auriel confirmed a little too sharply.
Briefly she attempted to return their smile.
“Have you two had any luck?” She asked.
The two Muds gave each other a conspiratorial glance. Willow appeared to come to a decision.
“Yes we have actually, if you keep to the northern edge, you’ll find a large clump of it on the border of the swamp just before you reach the brook. Be careful though, the path is really overgrown, you can hardly see where it is in places. If you reach the water, you’ve gone too far. Did you manage to find any wolfsbane?”
“Yes” Said Rose looking back and pointing to where they had just come from. “There’s plenty in the north East Meadow. If you follow the path between the wood and the meadow and keep your eyes on the east horizon, you should see the flowers just before you reach the edge of the dell.”
The four of them stood for a moment, indulgently enjoying this new found camaraderie, but unable to think of anything else to say they stood awkwardly regarding each other until finally Tamarix held out her hand.
“Thank you both,” she said, taking Rose’s hand and then Auriel’s, “good luck with the bloodroot….and make sure you wear your gloves, it’s evil stuff it is.”
Rose and Auriel found the bloodroot about a mile into the thickest part of the wood. It stood in a large shallow rooted clump. White, daisy-like flowers gave the plant an innocent appearance. However its roots, ugly orange coloured rhizomes shaped like giant intermeshed hands, contained a thick red sap which was extremely poisonous.
“I’ll get this if you like,” said Rose “you foraged the wolfsbane.”
She stepped onto the boggy ground surrounding the plant. Blood red coloured water seeped up from the ground, wetting her pumps. Wondering if she would ever get the colour out of the material she squelched on. The red liquid filled the indentations left by her footsteps as she made her way into a small clearing.
Rose found that the roots were easy to remove. However, when she cut the rhizome from the rest of the plant, thick red sap flowed out of the wound, almost as if she had amputated a real finger.
“This is so gross,” she said crinkling her nose.
Carefully she sealed the cut end with the tablet of wax from her occultus. A bird screeched loudly nearby, causing them both to turn.
“Hey,” said Auriel frowning “isn’t that the bird we saw from the wagon when we entered the dell? Over there.... look, on that big bough to the right.”
She pointed back along the path they had just walked. It was dark, but on one overhanging tree limb they could just make out what appeared to be the silhouette of a large bird, with an enormous bill and long tail feathers.
“I doubt it.” Rose sounded sceptical, “probably just a trick of the shadows. I doubt that there are any large birds in this area, there’s scarcely enough room to walk through here, let alone fly.”
Wrapping a square of hessian cloth around the bloodroot, she dropped it into a flask and placed it into a pocket of her occultus, before squelching her way back towards Auriel.
Just as she reached the path, there was another ear-splitting screech, this time it was accompanied by a thunderous flapping sound as a large bird flew from its roost.
Mesmerised they watched, as almost in slow motion, it glided towards them. The bird took on a phosphorescent glow as it drew near and then its form began to change, becoming blurred and indistinct.
Immediately Rose recognised this mixture of glowing vapour and solid form from her morphology classes and with a sudden feeling of dread, she realised that the bird was not a bird at all. Helplessly, she watched as the rapidly expanding hazy form surrounded her friend.
As the glow subsided, standing beside Auriel, his arms wrapped tightly around her and his hand holding a dagger to her throat, was Senior Custos Lord Baroque.
“Rose, I wouldn’t do that!” Baroque said quickly, as she moved instantly into an alarm action. “If you signal an alarm, I swear I’ll slit her throat before it’s even in the air.”
Rose hesitated, before reluctantly bringing her hands to her side.
“I don’t understand,” she asked, her brows creased together, “why?”
Rose’s dismayed, accusing expression, seemed to disturb him.
“I am sorry, Rose,” he said, shaking his head he looked down seemingly afraid to meet her reproachful eyes. “I did not wish to do this, but if I had not agreed to come here then, they would have sent someone else, someone who would have no hesitation in doing their bidding. I have been charged with the task of sending you back, of despatching your physical body and forcing your descent. You wish to know why? Well, it would seem that Lord Ka may be about to be returned to us and the Ophites see you as a threat to his reincarnation.”
His hand shook as spoke to her and the tip of the blade cut into Auriel’s neck. She winced. Baroque responded to this by gripping her more tightly.
“I have studied the prophecy for many years,” he said, “and in great detail.
I do not believe as they do that you were ascended here to prevent Lord Ka’s return. I think Eldwyn sent you here to protect us from the Djinn. Lord Ka’s ultimate aim has always been to gain control of the Djinn and then use their armies to enforce his rule over the Afterlands. However, no one has ever been able to control the Djinn. If the Djinn are freed and Ka cannot control them, then you could be our only hope. I believe that Eldwyn the Whyte foresaw this eventuality and that the actual purpose of the incantatio he bequeathed to you is to defeat the Djinn, which is why I have no intention of following this order.”
Rose looked puzzled.
“Then why all this?” she said, gesturing towards the dagger.
Each time he tensed the tip of the curved blade bit deeper into Auriel’s flesh. It released a stream of blood which trickled down her neck and soaked into the collar of her robe forming a crescent-shaped crimson stain.
“I have to take you with me Rose, don’t you see, you are our insurance.”
He sighed, frustrated by her apparent bewilderment.
“When Lord Ka is returned to us,” he said his voice quickening. “If he does succeed in controlling the Djinn then you will be of no use to him. Indeed you may even pose a threat to his plans, but if Lord Ka fails to control them, then he will need you, we will all need you. Either way, surely you must see that your destinies are linked. This is why I am asking you to come with me willingly Rose, if you do, I will ensure that no harm comes to either of you, I swear this.”
Auriel’s fearful eyes found Rose’s, but with a