Wysper

  Man was not the only race who lived upon Terra. There were the wise goblin-kin of the east and the fierce Ogri, the Centaurs who had allied themselves with the nomadic Tartaros steppe hordes of the north, the Satyrs who had put down their hatred of the Brittani to ally with them against the Kingdom of the Gauls, and more besides.

  Rarest of all the races, though, were the Winter Fae. Although her body was more slender than any child's, with a face of unnatural, elfin beauty, she was stronger than any human alive. Wysper once watched as Yrg snapped the thigh bone of a general who made the mistake of insulting the High Priest, moving faster than a viper as she killed the general's guards with her bare hands. Yrg was Muzen's assassin and there was only one reason she was there.

  Pigeon brought the platter forward and set it on the table as Yrg strode over to stand beside Wysper. Dressed in black, tunic and trousers, the Winter Fae carried a variety of implements attached to the belt at her waist, and it was only the pride of being Brittani that kept her from whimpering as the High Priest motioned for Pigeon to leave.

  She gave Wysper a worried look as she departed, the door closing behind her with an ominous boom as the High Priest looked across the table. "Planning ahead also means taking advantage of opportunities when they arise."

  "If you're talking about Asena's son, Greywolf," Redhunter replied, "rest assured that he's received word about..." He trailed off, glancing at Wysper before looking back at the High Priest. "Ah, what you've planned."

  What he has planned? It was taking all of Wysper’s self control not to begin trembling as Yrg rested her small hand on the girl’s bare shoulder. "You are going to be the bait that draws in Greywolf to us."

  "Bait?" Wysper looked past her at the High Priest. "Your holiness, please tell me: what is going on?"

  He sighed... and that frightened her more than Yrg's fingers caressing her skin. "Wysper, I meant what I said about having to be ruthless. You see, Greywolf, the one who kissed you, is the first child born to any Celestial in the Sasnayam pantheon, or any other that I know of, for several hundred years, and is a Shadow-walker as well. His potential value to me is enormous."

  Yrg's presence beside Wysper faded to insignificance as she stared at him. "Your holiness, is this another test? Because if it is, I believe in Yun-Kax and their allied gods, and not—”

  Wysper gasped as Yrg squeezed her shoulder just hard enough to cause pain. "No one is testing you," she replied in her child-like voice as she released pressure on the girl’s bones. "Greywolf was told that if he did not show himself tonight, you would lose your hands."

  She gave Wysper her jagged smile as the girl’s hand went to her mouth. "My... your holiness," her eyes pleading as she looked at him, "have I displeased you in some way? Because if I have, I promise—”

  "No, Wysper, you have not displeased me in the slightest." The High Priest's voice was soothing as he held up his hand with its palm out to stop her torrent of words. "The purpose of this gesture is three-fold. First, I knew Asena would never permit Greywolf to attempt a rescue, and would do anything, including giving him a bald faced lie, to get her son to believe that I was bluffing. Your hands showing up tomorrow will convince him of my sincerity."

  Terror froze Wysper in place as he went on. "Second, I have a strong suspicion that Yrg not only planted the dreams about your being rescued, but also planted nightmares that would lead you into committing suicide on the road to Tesiphon, so she might be able to enjoy feasting off your body after you were dead. It is a hard thing to kill yourself with no hands." It was Yrg's turn to go still as the High Priest gave the Winter Fae a knowing look. "And third, my experiments have led me to believe that, over time, both of your hands will regenerate."

  Wysper’s mouth opened in shock and Yrg's did too, the High Priest smiling like a temple cat over a pair of mice. "The expressions on your faces are beyond price. Yes, I have witnessed regeneration of a finger on the child born to replace Wysper, which means there is no reason why Wysper's hands will not regenerate as well. Provided I leave the mana node inside her intact."

  This is not another test. He is really going to take my hands, even though I have done nothing wrong. Wysper closed her mouth as she drew her knees to her chest, instinctively placing her hands under her armpits. Yrg closed her mouth and licked her lips with her snakelike tongue. "There will be no pain, I promise. In my pocket I have an enchanted silver garrote that will take your hands off cleanly at the wrist, healing the stumps as the hands come off."

  Wysper could not keep from whimpering, so scared with no one close by who cared about her as Yrg touched a finger to her lips. "Shh, it will be alright. I will go through your mind first, scrambling your thoughts so you will not feel the horror, and in time you will come to accept this." Her icy smile returned. "Who knows, your loss might actually spur Greywolf into coming to save you after all."

  "Before she does," Redhunter said, "I want to ask Wysper about something she said earlier, something that's been bothering me." Muzen raised his painted on eyebrows, but made a 'go ahead' motion with his hands. I will answer whatever he asks if it means I can keep my hands a little longer. Wysper turned towards Redhunter as he said in a sharp voice, "Earlier, you asked if this was another test. Did someone try to do something to you right before you walked in the door?"

  No! If the High Priest learns how close I came to disobeying him, he might not let my hands grow back and make my punishment worse. "It was nothing," Wysper practically mumbled, looking down at the floor.

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  "Your face was a mask, but I saw fear in your eyes when you walked in. It definitely wasn't 'nothing'."

  "Wysper," the High Priest said with a touch of coldness in his voice, "what happened?"

  "It truly was nothing, your holiness." Please let him believe me and let this go. "Kavad-El tested me on the stairs, but I passed and he let me go."

  Wysper glanced up. Please, no, there is anger in his eyes. "No one except myself is permitted to test you. Zanzabel," the High Priest rising to his feet, "hold Wysper while I rummage through her memories."

  "I can do it for you," Yrg said, a little too quickly as Zanzabel's strong legs folded themselves around Wysper while her arms held the girl fast.

  There was a sly smile on Redhunter's lips as the High Priest dropped to his knees in front of Wysper. "Not this time." The High Priest took her head between his hands and stared into her eyes, his own eyes becoming twin pools of darkness. She fell into a pit that sucked her down as the High Priest took control of Wysper’s mind.

  The memories of a mind were like a house with thousands of rooms, growing outward as more were added. The High Priest broke down the door to the first one, rummaged through the contents, then smashed down the door to the next as he moved on from room to room.

  Images began flashing through what remained of Wysper’s coherent thoughts: her encounter with Kavad-El and Fat-boy's rescue, the walk over with the temple guards, her conversation in the bathing room and more, farther and farther back, until her memories became a throng of people like the the ones watching her be sacrificed, aimlessly milling around. I am losing myself, losing my mind… losing my… losing…

  Wysper fell back into someone's arms. They were nice arms, dark as pieces of ebony and strong, yet they held her gently, as a child-like voice beside her said, "You were in there more than a few moments. What did you find out?"

  Wysper could see the one speaking. She was dark skinned as well, but she did not have nice arms… too stick-like, and white hair. There was a strange looking man with dark red hair across the table as well. Her gaze wandered around the room, then back to... I know him... the High Priest, yes, whose name is... Muzen. "Yrg, leave her hands alone for the present. I need you to search the memories of my senior acolyte, and I need you to do it now."

  Wysper was content to watch as the woman... a dancer? As she said close to Wysper’s ear, "You have uncovered a plot against you?"

  "Perhaps." The High Priest's face was grim, though Wysper had no idea why. "There is a chance Kavad-El has grown cocky, and is using his position to abuse the slaves to satisfy his own desires, but in either case, he needs to be chastised. However, word must not leak out that I suspect anything is amiss. Yrg, you will go find my senior acolyte and tell him that I questioned Wysper as to why she seemed upset, and she said it was because the captain of Bukhara's temple guard suggested he defile her on top of the pyramid. This will allay his suspicions, so when you tell Kavad-El I am trusting him to stand in for me, to hear what you discover when you go through the captain's mind, he will be eager to do so."

  Yrg, is that the creature's name? Yes, I believe it is, and I think I am afraid of her. She said, "He will become unruly once he realizes the truth."

  "I suspect he will. Have him bring the young captain to the temple of Ghash-Kimil, and make sure the captain is present when you question my acolyte. It should leave a lasting impression, even if you find Kavad-El is guilty of nothing more than arrogance, and the priests of Ghash-Kimil will keep their silence."

  "What if your acolyte is guilty of much worse?"

  The High Priest grimaced. "Have one of the priests send word that it is time for the traditional appeasement sacrifice to Ghash-Kimil. If things are as bad as I suspect, drain the accumulated magic from his body, then feast upon his flesh while the others watch. I will trust your judgment as to his guilt or innocence."

  "Such a feast will make me sluggish for a while."

  "We can delay here a few extra days while I send envoys to Akhur, asking them to reconsider their decision to leave the empire. Who knows, it might even be successful. In any event, the danger will increase the closer we get to Tesiphon, by which time you will be sharp as your assassin's daggers, and together we can root out those conspiring against me." The High Priest stood, then moved over to the covered tray on the table as Yrg walked towards the door. "For now, though, I plan to enjoy the time I have before I learn how bad things actually are."

  "I will send you a priest to inform you of how things stand when I know more," Yrg said as she reached the door and pounds on it with her fist. A fat man... a eunuch? He opened the door and Yrg passed through into the hallway beyond.

  Meanwhile, the High Priest picked up the tray and knelt back down in front of Wysper, lifting the cover to reveal a wooden bowl of stew and a platter of bread with nuts baked into it, along with a piece of cloth and a metal spoon, as the strange man... is he a hunter, perhaps? As he said, "Muzen, can you trust her?"

  The High Priest took the spoon off the tray and dipped it into the stew. "With my life," he said as he fed Wysper the first mouthful. She chewed reflexively, sitting up as her hunger awakened. The High Priest dipped another spoonful. "As long as I keep Yrg safe during those times when she is sluggish, she will be the most loyal ally anyone could ask for."

  He fed Wysper another spoonful as the dancer said, "And if you cannot?"

  He chuckled while he dipped another. "Let us just say she would make my life extremely interesting. Allying with a Winter Fae is like riding a tiger into battle: if you get knocked off, the tiger will likely eat you, but until then you are the lord of the battlefield."

  He continued feeding her with one hand while making an inviting gesture with the other. "While Wysper has been denied the attentions of men, I do permit her the pleasures of women, which her memories indicate she enjoys. I will finish giving her this stew then turn her over to your ministrations, so you may disrobe her and be pleasured, or pleasure her, as you wish." He glanced at the man. "With your permission, Redhunter and I shall observe."

  A little of the stew missed Wysper’s mouth and dribbled down her chin as the woman laughed. "Holiness, you know I enjoy being watched as much as being the one in control."

  "You civilized people looked for any excuse to take your clothes off," the strange man... Redhunter, that is his name, said in an aggrieved voice.

  The dancer put her arms around Wysper as she said, "You do not want to watch?"

  He snorted. "Of course I want to watch. The memories of watching the two of you will warm me at night when my beast of a wife snores, memories I would be punished for if my people discovered I had them." He shook his head as the High Priest put down the spoon and grasped the cloth. "Muzen, sometimes I think you're an evil man."

  "What a cruel thing to say," the High Priest replied as he wiped the juice off Wysper’s chin. "Do you not see how lovingly I treat my children?"