The Flames of Deception - A Horizon of Storms: Book 1 (101 page)

“
Mother? How…
how
are you
here?
”

“
The
how
does not matter. You have
already
glimpsed all that lies beyond the
world at your fingertips today. What matters is I am here now, when
you
need
me.”

Josephine ran to her and threw her arms around
her. “I have waited to do this for
so
long!” the princess sniffed. “Mother, I can’t
fight this. Not any longer.” She swallowed. “I am
so
tired.”

“
You are so much
stronger
than this. I have seen all that you have
done. Do not let this be the end of your story. I didn’t bring you
into this world and raise you to give up.”

“
It
wants me to hurt everyone. It wants me to hurt Matthias. I…” She
trembled. “I can’t let it!”

“
Then do
not
let it,” her mother nodded.

“
How do I
do
that?”

“
Feel
,” she said. “Feel the emotions deep within you
for this man. They are
powerful
.”

“
Emotions didn’t stop me from hurting
you
,” Josephine replied.

Her mother took her hand. “Do not live in the
past, my beautiful girl. You did not know then what you know now.
And I am not in pain.
Look
at me! I am free. Free to watch over you and see
the
beautiful
woman you have become.”

“
I
miss
you so much,” Josephine sobbed.

“
And I miss
you
. But I am
always
here with you, in your thoughts. Every memory you have of
me lives on in you. But if you let this anger and pain control you
I will be extinguished with you. Feel. Love.
Live
.” Her mother smiled. “Be
yourself
.” And then her image dispersed, and the torment took
centre stage again.

Burn
, it chanted.
Gorge on their pain. We will consume
everything together. Strangle their throats and crush their
bones.

“
No!
” Josephine cried. She struck out at it with her mind’s eye
and felt, as her mother had instructed. She looked at Matthias as
he stared up at her and opened her head to all the feelings she
felt for him. Instantly the anger trembled and melted as the warmth
spread through her - a kind, loving warmth that took the
contrasting heat of the rage and tore it to pieces. She suddenly
felt as if she would vomit and opened her mouth. The dark energy
burst from her lips and spun in the air, and then crumbled to
nothing, like a parchment thrown in a fire. The wound at her neck
seared with pain a moment. A voice wailed inside her head. Grimm’s
voice again.

“
This is
not
the end of the
story!
A
chapter
has been erased but the storm grows
closer
.” Then it was gone. She fell to her knees and gasped for
breath.

“
Josephine,” Matthias called to her, and crawled to her side.
“Are you alright?”

“
It’s gone,” she replied, and shook as she sucked air into her
lungs. “I’m sorry.”

“
Sorry? You
did
it Josephine,” he said in awe. He rose, helping
her to her feet.

“
I saw my
mother
,” she said to him. “She guided me, when I needed
her help most of all.”

Matthias looked shocked momentarily, then smiled and nodded.
He turned to Sikaris, who lay, still restrained and panting. The
creature tilted its head, looking at Matthias. The wizard took a
step forward.

“
The
eyes...” Matthias whispered. "There’s no malice left at all. Look,
can you see?” Matthias indicated to Luccius, who approached with
Emary.

“
Are you
sure
it is safe to be this close?” Emary
asked.

“
It is safe,” Josephine said nodding.
“
Who
-”

“
A
friend
,” Matthias advised. Emary bowed her head and introduced
herself as Matthias analysed the creature in front of them. Then he
reached up and stroked its beak.

“
Matthias?” Luccius breathed, and swallowed
heavily. “You’re petting the Great Dragon like a
horse
. Less than ten minutes ago he was about to claw you
to
pieces
.”

“
It’s alright,” Matthias said, smiling as he
stroked the dragon’s head. "The hatred has gone from him. The evil
embedded into its mind in Helriven all those centuries ago is gone.
He’s not the same being that attacked us. It never
was
him.”

Luccius shook his head in awe.
“
Princess,
how did you
do
this?”

She smiled. “
Oh you know, just a hunch,” she
shrugged.

The
dragon groaned again and lowered its head. Matthias removed his
hand and Sikaris closed his eyes.

“
What’s it doing now?” Emary asked.

“
I
think he’s remembering,” Matthias said.

“
Remembering what?” Luccius queried.

“
Everything he’s done. Four hundred years of
killing.
Millions
of people who he hurt,
against
his will,” Matthias
advised.

“
Can
we do something?” the ansuwan asked.

Matthias shook his head. “Memories can't be
erased,” he advised. “At least, not by anyone
I
know.
You
weren't to blame,” Matthias said to Sikaris as the
creature moaned again. He patted its snout and Sikaris tried to
nuzzle him, but the bonds were still in place.

“
We may have a
new
problem,” Luccius said, and nodded to the growing
group of villagers that were now gathering in the area. “I doubt
they will be quite as enlightened or understanding as we
are.”

Matthias took in their numbers. “Josephine, release the
restraints,” he asked. The princess nodded and concentrated and
then the dragon's body seemed to visibly relax.

“
They’re gone,” she advised him. “But I doubt he will be
able to move. I have weakened him too much.”

Matthias nodded. He took a breath and placed both his hands
on Sikaris. “I’ll heal him.”

“
Matthias, you have barely enough strength to light
a
candle!
You'll burn yourself out!” Luccius
exclaimed.

“
I can do it,”
the wizard replied. He closed his eyes and
concentrated. His teeth gritted and his body tensed, and his skin
grew paler second by second. The others watched as the lesions on
the scales began to grow smaller and heal up. Matthias grunted and
his arms shook as if he were holding a great
weight.

“
Matthias”-
Luccius said.

“
Just a little more!”
Matthias strained. His hair began to
grow less auburn, as if bleaching, and his lips thinned. Then he
let go, stepped back and bent over, placing his hands on his knees.
“That's all I can manage,” he breathed. “But it should be enough
for now.” Matthias raised his head. “You need to
go
,”
he panted to Sikaris.

“
Go? Where
can
it go?” Emary asked.

“
He’s the last of his kind,” Matthias said. “It
will take time for people to forget everything they have been
taught over the centuries and for everything that’s happened in the
last few weeks to start to fade from people’s minds. He has to go
and live his life in solitude,
away
from people.” Matthias raised a hand and indicated
to Sikaris again. “I
know
you can understand me. You
have
to go,” he told him. Sikaris titled
his head, and blinked slowly at Matthias. Then he arose, unsteadily
at first as he pulled himself to his feet. The people who had grown
bolder around them began to edge backwards at the sight of him
standing up again. Several ran away completely. Then his wings
unfurled and Sikaris took to the skies again. It seemed to take the
creature a great effort to beat his wings, but after several
powerful flaps, he disappeared into the clouds.

For
a good few moments the three of them stayed where they were in
silence, staring up at the sky. Emary was the first to break the
quiet.

“
It
is done, then?” she stated.

“
It
is,” Matthias nodded. He closed his eyes momentarily, a wave of
fatigue encompassing him again. “For now.”

Somewhat ironically given the events of their afternoon, the
fire spitting in the hearth of the village inn was welcoming. Soon
after the dragon left, the storm clouds that had been of such use
to the princess in her attack finally released their accumulated
rainwater, in the heaviest downpour that had been felt in the area
for many months. Most of the flames that continued to burn the
straw rooftops and wooden beams began to subside, until only a few
smouldering timbers continued to crackle, and even they were soon
doused with water from dozens of pales filled and brought up from
the stream. The inn had lost a chimney and some of the slates on
the roof had cracked and broken, but aside from some blackened
scalding it had survived mostly intact and so that was where most
of the villagers had decided to gather.

Josephine pulled the blanket she had acquired from the
innkeeper over her head like a cloak. Fortunately for her, no - one
seemed have been close enough when she was healing Sikaris to see
what she had done. It was only after the creature’s attacks had
stopped that people felt the courage to find out what had happened.
In any event, the fact that Matthias was a wizard made it all the
more plausible that it was him that had managed to stop the dragon.
Several people questioned him as to why he let the beast go, to
which Matthias replied that he had been unable to restrain the
beast any more, but that it would no longer pose a threat.
Hopefully word of that would get around soon enough.

“
You look like a
seal
,” Matthias chuckled at her, as the grey blanket
shrouded her hair and ears. She smiled at the remark. In her free
hand she clutched to a small pottery mug filled with heated mead,
and wisps of steam curled up from the contents in random,
hypnotising patterns, like dancing creatures. She breathed in the
smell with a sigh.

“
I wish I
was
a seal. Then at least I could bathe in water and
freshen
up
.”
She looked bashfully at him. “I must look a
terrible
state.”

Matthias smiled. “I am just pleased to see you
at
all
,” he said.

Josephine smiled back, then, a second later, her
forehead creased. “So… I
do
look a mess?”

Emary chuckled by her side, and gulped down her
tankard of ale. “You should choose your words more
carefully
wielder,” she said
when she had drained the sweet brew.

“
I must be out of practise at flattery,” he
shrugged. “You look
lovely
, Your Highness.”

“
Poor Thadius,” Luccius said, staring into his
drink. “I… I still can’t get my head around the fact that he’s-” he
stopped, and looked at Josephine. “I’m
sorry
princess. I didn’t mean to upset you
again.”

She shook her head. “It’s alright Luccius,” she
said. “I
loved
him. I had come to think of him almost as a part of my
family. Like an older brother in a strange sort of way. I don’t
want to
not
talk about him. It would do him a great
dishonour
to skirt around what happened.”
She swallowed and her head fell.

“
He died saving you,” Matthias added. “I can think
of no
greater
honour for a soldier. You were all he cared
about.”

“
He
was a good man,” Luccius said. They all nodded, save Emary, who
watched them with interest. He raised his pitcher. “To Thadius.”
They all raised their drinks and struck them against each other.
“Can you think of some other way we can honour him?” he asked
Josephine. “You knew him the best.”