A Rock and a Heart Place (gxg)

Chapter 25

The little silver orb traced a pathway through the air, streaking its way towards the heat of the fireplace. Hudd started to stand, yelling in glee. Inez and Joppa both stopped and watched, unsure as to what was about to happen but were sure it would be important, and Kaspar had a triumphant look that didn't last too long.

Because once the orb halted in midair, mere feet from the flames, it became much clearer that perhaps the plan hadn't quite worked out as intended.

While she was chained to the table in the dungeon, Medya had been glad of the appearance of the guard, though the disgust that she felt almost paralyzed her for a moment. Other than the sickening taste of the rag, her gag never bothered her otherwise. When Master Vasati taught her to be invisible so she could be unobtrusive, he also taught her to cast all her spells silently. It would be pointless for an invisible servant to have to babble out an incantation and spoil the image of a book or cauldron magically floating over to where it needed to be without the wizard doing anything. Which was obviously because Medya was doing it for him.

So, it was quite easy to take the guard and slam him into the ceiling over and over with her magic until he was unconscious. And then, perhaps, a few more times till his head was pulped for the insult of wanting to rape her. She then used the same magic to lift the keychain from his corpse, bringing it to her waiting hands and unlocking herself. A few minutes of stretching after being confined for so long helped, and then she was digging through her pack to find some spare clothes and racing up the stairs to find Inez. She may not be wanted by her queen, but she wasn't going to let her fail in her quest for the throne.

Inez wasn't hard to find. Having twenty armed women in the castle tends to make noise, and even more so when Joppa was screaming while his finger was being cut off. But Medya remained invisible, not bothering to stop Nahmia when she was sent off to the dungeon to find her. Her place was at Inez's side, and though her heart hurt every time she gazed at her, she wasn't leaving. She had to stifle a sob when she realized that the princess was wearing the pendant that she'd left for Katja to give her, but luckily there was enough noise from the crying Joppa to cover up the sound she'd made.

It did help her heart to see her treating Joppa the way she did though. She held out a tiny sliver of hope that perhaps she still had a chance with Inez, but she refused to let her heart be broken again. Instead, she wandered down the hall a bit, taking in the bare walls and rooms, wondering why such a magnificent palace was almost empty of furnishings. Up ahead, Medya saw Kaspar rush from a side passageway into a room near the end of the hall, and she loped silently along to find out what was in there. She was able to slip into the room and heard the conversation while down the hall the heavy boots of Inez's group came closer and closer.

               Medya waited, crouching in the corner, hands on her fire and acid wands in case a fight broke out. Listening to the conversations was interesting, but she moved closer to Kaspar when he inched over to Joppa to help him up, and then started whispering. Why would he want to have some sphere thrown into a fireplace? A burst of magical energy wouldn't do much unless there were active spells that could be dispelled, which seemed unlikely in this room. No, that little orb was going to do something else. But not if she grabbed it with her magic.

So she did.

               "No!" she heard Hudd scream from behind her. She didn't care, but it was a good sign that he was upset that whatever was supposed to happen, didn't.

               She flicked her finger and the orb returned, hovering in front of Kaspar's eyes as she slipped one of her wands away and drew her dagger instead. She could see Joppa's eyes trained on the sphere, with his jaw opened in amazement. From the corner of her eye, she could also see Inez, a soft smile on her face, as though she knew that Medya was nearby. It was a good guess, obviously. She let the glamour of invisibility drop and pricked the tip of her dagger into the bottom of Kaspar's jaw. "Drop the sword, or you're dead," she said politely. The sound of metal ringing on the floor told her he had complied. "Now, tell me about the sphere."