Antithesis, In Power Matched
#15 of Antithesis
Alrighty. Chapter fifteen of sixteen. I hope you enjoy it.
As always, comments are appreciated and requested.
Continued from 'Twin Betrayals...'
Shandi stepped from the portal, an offensive spell on the edge of her mind, already almost cast, awaiting the final push that would loose it from her fingers. Looking around the star lit chamber she had just entered, the young master magus let the spell fade, the magic crackling around her fingertips drawn back inside her body, unused. Her chambers were empty, no guards or magi lying in wait for her to appear. As Kael stepped through the portal into the chamber behind her, a brief spark of hope lit in her heart and she allowed herself a small, almost grim smile. Either her brother hadn't made his move yet, or he had made a mistake, leaving her chambers unguarded. But even as the portal faded, she shook her head, the spark drowned within the tide of suspicion, her smile fading even as the room was plunged into total darkness once more. That wasn't like her brother, not at all. He wouldn't have made such a foolish mistake. And if it wasn't a mistake, then he had known that she would appear, and for whatever reason had decided not to oppose her. Then, a sudden sound behind her made her spin, calling the magic back to her mind as if it had never left. The chambers weren't empty after all. Seated in a chair before the lone table was Kaia, fast asleep, her head laid upon her folded arms. She had murmured when the portal faded, and Shandi let out a light sigh of relief. Hurrying over to her, the magus shook her handmaiden gently.
"Kaia, wake up." Shandi whispered and the young woman's eyes opened quickly, looking around in surprise, and finally settling on her face. But, when Shandi's gaze met her handmaiden's eyes, she felt a flash of something in her mind, something that hadn't been there when they had left the house a short lifetime ago. At once, her mind was on full alert, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end, the magic still crackling around her hands, though she had no spell fixed in her mind.
"Mistress!!" Kaia exclaimed, leaping to her feet with a broad grin on her lips. "You are safe. We all feared the worst when word came about house Kirinus' attack."
"Yes, I am safe." Shandi began, her tone cool, though she knew not why. Trying to identify the strange feeling that had welled up in her heart, she regarded her handmaiden with curiosity. She certainly looked the same as before, and nothing seemed out of place, but still... "What has happened? Has Shaden made his move?" And then, as she asked that question, Shandi suddenly recognized the sensation she was feeling. It was a feeling of triumph, the sort of feeling one got when you won a contest, but the sensation felt...wrong, almost alien to her heart, there was no other way to describe it. And then, a sudden cold sensation trickled down her spine as a suspicion welled up in the magus.
"I don't understand, my lady." Kaia replied, surprise coloring her words, though Shandi caught a slight flicker in her eyes as the young woman began walking towards the door leading to the rest of the manor house. "Lord Shaden returned a little while ago and immediately met with your parents. I don't think anything has happened. Is something wrong?"
And then, as the handmaiden looked at her mistress once more, a memory suddenly swam to the surface of Shandi's mind, a memory that was not her own. As it played out in her mind, a long, dark scene viewed through another's eyes, she felt her insides suddenly twist into a knot, her suspicions confirmed in an instant. Then, as the handmaiden neared the door, standing with an unconcerned stance, apparently at her ease, one hand at the small of her back, Shandi called a spell to her mind, one very different from the magic she had prepared before stepping through the portal.
"I have never heard you lie to me before Kaia," Shandi said and her handmaiden's eyes widened in sudden confusion, surprise crossing her face. But it wasn't the same sort of surprise that one felt when encountering something unexpected. Instead, it was the kind that one felt when caught doing something they shouldn't, a guilty surprise that the girl tried to hide, but it was much too late for that. "And I can't say that I care for it much."
"My lady?" The handmaiden replied, trying to look confused as the knight drew his sword, readying himself for battle as he stepped up beside his charge.
"Admit it, you and Shaden have been conspiring for months, since before the attack." Shandi said, the magical energy flaring bright blue-white around her hands as anger melted the chill that had collected within her heart.
"How could you..." Kaia started to say, and then her eyes opened wide as she realized what she was saying. A moment later, they narrowed again and her face twisted into a sneer that was frighteningly reminiscent of the one Shaden had worn barely an hour ago. "Fine then. I admit it, freely."
And as she said this, the servant girl drew the dagger she had hidden behind her, drawing it back as if to throw, a move that would have caught Shandi off guard before. But Shandi was ready for her. Before the handmaiden could loose the weapon, Shandi's spell hit her full force in her chest, flinging the girl up against the wall and pinning her there several feet off the ground, spread eagled, the dagger clattering to the stone floor where she had been standing. Then, with a cold, hard anger smoldering in her gaze, the magus walked slowly towards the young handmaiden, who glared hard at her former mistress, struggling against the spell. And Shandi glared just as hard back, her gaze like two blue diamonds, boring into the young woman restrained by her magic.
"Why, Kaia?" Shandi asked, feeling an unspeakable rage simmering just below the surface, barely controlled by her will. When her brother had betrayed her, she had been able to accept it, knowing as she did about his darkness. But this... this was so much worse. This was someone she had trusted, someone whom she had confided in. "What possible reason could you have to betray me?"
"Power." The handmaiden replied, smirking. "Why else? Shaden promised me a place of power in his new regime, a world of my own to rule."
"So you betrayed me?!" Shandi demanded, the rage threatening to bubble over inside her, the corona of magic power around her limbs brightening as the anger fueled it. "After I trusted you? After I treated you with kindness and respect?"
"Of course I did." Kaia snarled, struggling with all her strength against the spell that held her in place. "Did you really think that I would want to remain a servant the rest of my life? Trust and kindness is worth nothing compared with the chance to escape all of that. I will be a noble, not a servant. All I have to do is keep you from fleeing."
"I am not going to run away, Kaia." Shandi said, closing her eyes. All at once, as if a wall had been raised between her and her temper, the anger was cut off, replaced by a cold feeling, a feeling withdrawn from the world, a feeling she had felt only a little while ago, when she had been blended with her dark brother. "I wouldn't be here if I was. I pity you, Kaia. I really do. You know nothing of what it is like to be a noble woman. If you did, you would not want it." The handmaiden started to speak, but Shandi waved a hand and, though the girl's mouth moved, no sound came from her lips. "Shhhh... I am sorry for this Kaia. I wish I didn't have to do this, but you have left me no choice. I can't have you interfering, and I know you won't stop trying, not so long as my brother lives."
And then, before the handmaiden could do anything more, Shandi waved her hand once again, and the girl's voice was silenced forever as her mistress' spell struck her. It was not a spell of great power, a grand display of magical prowess. Instead, it was small, a tiny flare of energy, energy that targeted something very small, stilling the handmaiden's heart in one moment. Releasing the spell that held the now lifeless body of the young woman to the wall, Shandi walked over and stood above Kaia, looking down on her. Though she carried the memory of dozens of murders in her mind, all carried out by her brother's hands, looking on the body that had once been a friend, Shandi felt a great sadness in her heart. Regretting the necessity of what she had been forced to do, she knelt, gently closing the handmaiden's lifeless eyes, and arranging her arms carefully on her chest as if she were only sleeping.
Then, Shandi closed her own eyes, tears welling up in them. But she didn't let the tears fall, swallowing the knot that had risen in her throat, walling off her feelings with the knowledge that this was more of Shaden's work. Another useless death, another life on her brother's hands, more blood to stain his paws in crimson. Shaking her head once more, the magus rose, turning from the body and looking at her knight once more.
Kael was kneeling where Kaia had been standing, examining the dagger with dispassionate interest. The wolfish knight was clad now in an odd mixture of armor, some of the pieces of his plate armor having been so battered in the earlier fight that they no longer fit him as they should have. He wore his gauntlets and paldrons still, likewise his greaves, as well as his battered and crimson stained chainmail, but the rest of his armor was stored in his bulging backpack. As she watched, Kael removed his right gauntlet and carefully touched the dagger's blade, which Shandi only now noticed was covered in some sort of dark paste, the metal a dull grayish black. Scraping some of the substance off with a nail and rubbing it between two fingertips, sniffing it carefully, the knight nodded as if something had been confirmed in his mind.
"Poisoned." He stated, tossing the weapon to the floor and wiping his fingers off on his mail tunic. Then, he looked up at her, and seeing the look on her face, he spoke once again. "What is the plan, my lady?"
"Shaden must have already taken control of the house, which means we can't trust anyone in the manor." She replied, her hand dropping to the claw tipped whip which hung coiled at her side, stroking the braided leather thoughtfully with her finger tips. "If I know my brother, he will be waiting for us. And I think I know where too. But that also means that he will have a trap set for us."
"We may have one advantage, my lady." Kael said quietly, getting to his feet and pulling the plate backed gauntlet onto his hand once more. "Shaden probably thinks that he killed me, which means he will only be expecting you, not the both of us."
"Maybe." Shandi replied, trying to think like her dark brother, if only for a moment. "Maybe not. We can't count on that though."
"True." Kael agreed, folding his hands on the hilt of his drawn sword, which he had placed point down on the stone floor, waiting patiently for her orders. After a moment, Shandi nodded, her mind made up. Everything suddenly seemed simple. She and Shaden were destined to fight this day, so if the way to get to him was to go through a trap, then so be it.
"Alright, lets go." The magus turned as she said this, walking to the door and laying her paw on the handle. Then, careful to keep the door between her and the corridor outside, Shandi pulled the thick oak barrier open, her knight stepping past it, carefully looking both ways down the corridor, testing the air with his nose, his sword at the ready. After a moment, he nodded and Shandi pointed left, westward. With the knight leading, the pair slowly began to make their way through the silent corridors of the manor, the hair on their necks standing on end. Everything was eerily quiet.
For many long minutes, they walked along in silence, as quiet as they could be, ready at a moment's notice to fight. But, as they made their way through the empty halls, Shandi began to feel more and more on edge. She had been expecting to have to fight for every step they took closer to her sibling, to have to face down all the guardsmen employed by the family at the least, but never this. By the time they were nearing the doors to the huge audience chamber, Shandi felt as if she might burst if the empty silence persisted much longer. They hadn't seen so much as a single servant, much less a soldier or magus, since they had arrived, fifteen nerve wracking minutes ago. Thoughts kept flitting through her mind with every silent step, thoughts that threatened to destroy her resolve to continue. Where was everyone? Had Shaden killed everybody? Were all the guards and servants she had known her whole life lying dead somewhere? But the most horrible thing, the most persistent of the thoughts, was that they were walking knowingly into a trap, and every instinct in her body wanted her to flee, to turn back, to run away, but she went on, ignoring those instincts, determined to face her dark reflection.
And then, finally, they stood before the doors to the audience chamber, and Shandi knew, somehow, that this was where she was to go. Whatever it may be that awaited her, it was inside this chamber. So many things had come to pass in that chamber, and it was somehow fitting that it would be the place where this all ended. It was the chamber where she had first met Kael, and the chamber where she had stood so many times, watching the business of her family, determined not to get involved. And it was now where her future would be decided. Taking a deep breath, Shandi placed both hands upon the towering doors and pushed. The heavy slats of iron bound wood, beautifully carved with the boundless imagination of a master artisan telling of the great history of her house, all the great deeds of its members since the house had been founded, resisted her push, the hinges stubborn with their age. But finally, after a moment's hesitation, they began to move, yielding to her will. Slowly, the door swung inward soundlessly on its well-oiled hinges. And then, as the hall beyond was revealed to her sight, Shandi felt her heart leap.
The throne-like chair at the far end was empty, but before it, upon the top stair leading up to the dias, there was a crumpled heap of dull armor and black spotted grey fur, illuminated by the moonlight, a dark pool of blood like a crimson waterfall staining the stairs, marring the once pristine stone, the figure's wings crumpled and broken. Walking quickly down the long expanse of the room's first floor, every step echoing strangely, her eyes darting around swiftly, seeking threats, the magus hurried towards the dais, her knight following close behind, his face already the expressionless mask he wore when dealing death. But when she got close enough, she recognized the crumpled form and she let out a gasp of horror, running the last few feet to the base of the stairs. It was Lord Nael'eth, his sightless eyes glazed, staring up at the vaulted ceiling, his lips locked forever in a look of surprise and Shandi stood at the edge of the blood pool, horrified. She had known that her brother would do almost anything to get power, but she had never expected him to go this far. As she stood still, horror overwhelming her sense of urgency, she felt Kael's hand on her shoulder once more and she shook her head.
"I never thought he would do this," She whispered, forcing herself to regain control. For a moment, she was surprised at herself, for though the pain of loss was as keen as it had been when Fornun had been killed, it faded much more quickly, as if she had felt too much raw emotion already, and her mind had had enough, forcing itself away from anything more than what she had already felt. And then, something happened that made her blood run cold, a shiver passing down her spine.
"How sweet." A familiar voice said, filled with an unpleasant, mocking tone. Turning quickly, the young magus found her brother standing in the hall behind her, the family's sword master flanking him, both with their swords drawn. Her brother's illusion spells were gone, his altered shape proudly displayed to the world. And the swordmaster was barely recognizable as such, his eyes solid black, the muscles of his lean form bulging. They had appeared so suddenly it was like they had come from nowhere. Grinning sadistically, Shaden took a couple of steps forward, but for once, his crimson gaze wasn't on his sister. Instead, it was on her protector, whose stoic mask had been broken, his teeth bared in a silent snarl at the man who had so nearly ended his life.
"Goodness, you really are tough aren't you? I must say I am impressed." Shaden commented, his tone mocking. Then, he turned his gaze upon Shandi and she felt a blast of blistering anger rise within her, despite her determination to remain calm. "Of course, without my sister's aid, you would be long dead wouldn't you?" Before either of them could reply, a group of guardsmen clad in plate armor appeared in a crescent around the dias, Shaden and the Swordmaster completing the circle, the spell that had concealed them dispelled by its castor. There were at least a dozen, their armor glowing with enchantments. "Last chance to join me willingly, Shandi."
"No Shaden." Shandi replied calmly, banishing the anger once more, uncoiling her whip. "Not now, and not ever again. Not after all you have done."
"Suit yourself." Shaden replied, waving towards the guards in an offhand manner. Before all this had happened, before she had faced the terrible enemy, Shandi would have been terrified into inaction by the sight of so many enemies, every one of them protected by dark enchantments. Before, Kael would have had to fight alone against them, and while she didn't doubt that he would find a way around the enchantments as he always had, now, he would not fight alone. Now, she would fight beside him, as he had fought beside her so many times. And, as she made that decision, made the choice to fight against even these odds, something happened, something that she had never before experienced, not in any practice duel. Everything suddenly slowed down for her. The guards were moving so slowly that she could see every nuance, every little detail, and it was as if she had all the time in the world to act. And, even as the guards raised their weapons into fighting position, the young magus and her wolfish knight turned, him to the left, her to the right, the movement as natural as if they had agreed upon it before hand.
The three guards who were nearest her were advancing, their foot falls so slow to her perceptions, and at once she knew what she had to do. The guard furthest along the crescent, the one closest to her, carried a spiked mace, but he wasn't close enough to reach her yet, so she turned her attentions to the next in line. He was armed with a short spear, but he had chosen to wear only an iron sallet on his head, forgoing the better protection of a full helm. He was already drawing his weapon back to lunge at her, his arms swinging like a pendulum. But, even as his arms began to slide forward, jabbing the spear point towards her, she flicked her wrist in a practiced motion and the whip uncurled, forming a perfect line connecting her to the guard for the briefest instant, all of the practice sessions she had performed finally paying off. The clawed tip of the whip slashed through the air with a slight whistle, and the spear fell from his hands, the guard's hands coming up to clutch uselessly at his ruined eyes, blood trailing from beneath them a moment before her return flick laid open his throat in three great slashes, the claw wounds ragged. Turning slightly to continue the momentum of the first strike, Shandi extended her arm fully, snapping it out hard, flicking the length of braided leather just so, the last several feet wrapping themselves around the neck of the third guard in line, neatly choking him. As the clawed tip tied the end of the tight loop, digging into the leopard guard's chainmail coif, she tugged the handle of the whip towards her.
Unprepared for the sudden move, the guard staggered forward, going down on one knee as the whip threatened to yank him off his feet. Then, Shandi took a step forward, wrapping the near end of the whip around her elbow as if coiling a rope, keeping the tension of the braided leather. The first guard was now almost to her, the mace raised for a heavy swing but Shandi wasn't afraid. Reaching out with her free hand, the magus grabbed the leopard by the head, her magic surging to life in her hand, and suddenly the guard was flying backward, a thunderclap echoing in the chamber as her spell surged into him, the dark enchantments no match for her new powers. Even as he landed against the wall, his mail glowing from the blast of magic, narrowly missing one of the high windows, Shandi spoke a word of command and the length of the whip suddenly blazed brilliant white as its holy enchantments came to life. The guard she had caught with its end screamed in horror as the white loop that encircled his neck contracted swiftly, becoming as hot as the sun, a scream that was cut off a moment later as his head fell one way, his body the other. Flicking her whip hand back, the glowing leather fading back to its normal color, preparing for another strike, the magus took a few heartbeats to survey the small battlefield.
Besides the three that she had dealt with, four others had fallen to her protector, the knight moving with almost effortless grace, a fifth guard joining the others even as she watched. But the fight was far from over. The two guards who were next in the line beside the three she had slain were working together, the first keeping his large shield before them, the second aiming a spear at her from behind the cover of his comrade. They were close, almost too close and Shandi quickly looked for an opening, looked for way around the barrier. With the shield before them, she couldn't strike either of them with her weapon, and the combined enchantments virtually guaranteed that she couldn't use magic before they were able to strike her. Then, with a wide grin on her face, she got an idea. Darting forward swiftly, far too quickly for the spearman to use his weapon, the magus leapt up in a hard kick, both feet connecting with the shield. Pushing off with all her might, Shandi flipped backward with a dancer's grace, landing in a crouch as the shield holder stumbled backward into the spearman. Reacting with an instinct she hadn't thought she possessed, the snow leopardess flicked her whip towards them, the thong curling about the shaft of the spear. Before its owner could react, she had yanked it from his grasp. Then, working quickly as the surprised pair rose to their feet, Shandi raised her free palm, calling to mind a spell and swiftly modifying its effect.
A moment later, a brilliant arc of lightning flashed between her and the fallen guards, the bolt forking suddenly before it reached them. Far from trying to penetrate the enchanted armor, something that would take more energy than she could spare, the lightning played over the metal, surging along its surface. Twitching like marionettes, the two guardsmen curled up in soundless agony, smoke rising from them as the powerful lightning entered their bodies, bypassing the enchantments altogether. As they died, Shandi turned her attention to the next guard, who, perhaps more experienced than the others, was advancing slowly, watching her motions carefully, wielding a halberd with obvious skill. But Shandi knew what was needed here. With a motion so swift that it could barely be followed, she snatched up the spear that she had yanked from the guard's grasp, reversed it, and threw the weapon with all her might. To his credit, the guard reacted fast, swinging the shaft of his long axe quickly, batting the spear aside, avoiding its deadly point. Unfortunately, he noticed too late that Shandi hadn't stopped moving. Before he knew what had happened, the whip claw slashed across his throat, the enchanted metal sheering through his mail in an instant.
While the last of the guards she faced fell to his knees, grasping his throat with a hand, trying in vain to stem the blood that was flowing from the ragged wound, Shandi looked around to see what had become of the rest. One more had joined the pile of corpses while she had fought the last three guards, this one beheaded, his enchanted armor doing little against the rune blade of the Knight. But the battle wasn't quite over yet. Kael was a bright whirlwind amid the black armor of the last three guards and the Swordmaster, dueling all four at once to a standstill. But, while his skill was enough to hold them, he could not seem to find an opening to slay them. A grim smile on her lips, Shandi lashed out with her whip once more, curling the tip around one of the dueling guard's necks from behind.
With both hands on the length of leather, Shandi yanked with all her strength. The guard she had lassoed tumbled backward with a cry, landing with an audible crack on his neck and that was all the chance the Knight needed. With a swift slash, the rune blade slid through the dark mail of one of the guards, opening his neck with a spray of dark blood. In the same motion, Kael deflected one of the Swordmaster's blows and, grabbing the wrist of the last guard, pulled him between them. By the time Shandi uncurled her whip from the fallen guard's neck, the guard Kael had been using as a shield was down, his chest slashed open by the Swordmaster's next blow and now the two were dueling alone, their weapons barely a blur, sparks flying where they met, the ringing staccato of the swords almost like music.
The Swordmaster wasn't normally the match of the wolf in speed or strength, but the dark enchantments that had twisted him had made him the equal of the Knight. But, all the speed and strength in the world can't make up for experience and pure skill, both of which the Knight had in spades. All of a sudden, the Swordmaster was falling backward, his sword out of line and Kael spun in close, reversing his blade. Before the leopard had even hit the ground, Fal-cotha had stabbed, piercing the master through the heart, his sable eyes wide. With a single deft motion, Kael pulled his sword from the dying leopard's body, swinging it up in a salute and time seemed at last to return to normal. Taking a deep, calming breath, Shandi turned around to face the last foe. She found her brother looking at the pair of them with a mildly annoyed expression on his face, running his fingers absently along the rune blade's length.
"An impressive performance, to be sure." He commented, with the air of one who has witnessed an enjoyable play rather than a fierce battle. "All that work enchanting their armor and weapons and you two go through them like they were clad merely in simple cloth. Oh well, so it goes." Kael started to walk towards Shaden, his teeth bared once more, raising his rune sword into fighting position once more, but Shandi laid a gentle hand on his arm as he passed her.
"No Kael," She said, making Shaden look at her in surprise as the knight paused in place, looking at her. "This is one battle I must fight alone."
"As my lady wishes." Kael replied, giving a bow before stepping back, out of the way, sheathing his rune sword. And then, finally, brother and sister, light and dark, faced each other in the silent room, only a few feet separating them. Everything else seemed to fade into the background for Shandi until it was only Shaden and her, no one else existed. A calm settled over the young magus of light, a strange calm like to that of the moments before a storm breaks and, with her magic coursing through her, she waited for her brother to make his move...