Chapter 11

After three days of hard travel, Aislin stood high in the treetops, staring into the vast swamp called the Oáche Foraoise. Sitting in the center of the Wyre Forest, legends spoke of its birth at the very moment of the Sorceress Liadan’s death, one last evil bit of magic inflicted upon the world. True or not, only the foolish ever ventured very far into it.

In its center, she would find the ruins of Dubh Caisleáin. Not that she knew its exact location, but in her dreams, they showed an ancient road. From there, it would take her directly to the castle.

Waiting for a bear-like creature to pass under the tree, Aislin jumped from its branches, gliding softly to the ground. Discovering it by accident the day before, she appeared to have gained some control over the elements.

The ability to jump a little farther than normal or float down from a tree branch would come in handy during her journey, but if she could only learn how to fly. The trip to the castle and back would only take a day at the most. Still, Aislin always wondered what it would be like to be a bird, to fly away from her old life, to be free.

Such fanciful powers were beyond someone like her, though. Only the greatest of mages, such as the seven master Thaumaturgists who battled against the Sorceress, had such wonderful gifts. However, even those powerful mages flew on the backs of powerful elementals. According to the same stories, only one mage ever could fly, taking the form of an enormous black dragon, the Black Sorceress herself.

Giggling at such a foolish thought, Aislin stepped into the marsh, trying to keep away from the edge of the deeper waters. She couldn’t fathom the shadow creature’s intent on having her make such a perilous journey, much less take it alone. Perhaps it meant to test her abilities; more than likely the shadow creature just hoped she would end up in some belly of some monster.

By the end of the third day, moving across the marsh gave her little trouble. Oddly enough, the creatures that inhabited the swamp started to give her a wide berth, perhaps perceiving her as some threat. Not that Aislin understood why. Happily, though, the bugs, which had found her quite tasty at first, also left her alone.

Finally, by week's end, the ground began to rise, revealing the start of the ancient road. Obviously enchanted, as neither time nor the elements seemed to have damaged the old stones, Aislin felt it a safe place to spend the night before heading further into the center of the Oáche Foraoise.

Looking down at herself, Aislin grimaced, before removing her outer dress, and carefully set it aside. After stripping off the remaining filthy layers, she concentrated for a moment before pulling clean water directly out of the muddy swamp. Although Aislin believed she brought enough fresh water for the journey, this new skill had made it much easier to travel. Now if she could only learn how to warm the water.

Satisfied or at least less disgusted with herself, she slipped on a clean chemise before setting about brushing the dirt off her outer dress. Call it vanity or whatever; Aislin refused to enter the Sorceress’ castle entirely covered in muck and mire.

With the outer dress somewhat more presentable, she began to make a place for a small fire off to the side of the road. With care, Aislin put several rocks in a circle above a small pit on the ground to lessen any chance of any fire spreading. Not that she expected such a thing to happen, however, she knew that she still had to be careful.

For the last few days, the swamp felt as if it was watching her. When the first fingers of flame burst from the small pile of wood shavings, Aislin could feel it, like some ancient spirit taking notice. Deciding that she meant no harm, it settled back down.

Clean and now, with a small cup of redberry tea in hand, Aislin felt more like herself than she had in the last few days. Her journey appeared to be coming to an end, and whatever fate had in mind for her lay down the enchanted road.

After cleaning up her campsite, as the sun broke over the horizon the next day, Aislin thanked the ancient swamp for the company during her journey. A strange thing to do perhaps, but she felt that it appreciated the gesture.

The Oáche Foraoise, which had seemed so intimating at first, no longer felt like a stranger, and as she took her first step towards the castle, she didn’t feel as alone.

By mid-afternoon, Aislin spotted the ruins of a magnificent keep off in the distance, but she knew it to be a trick, an illusion. The King’s Healer could see in her mind, the tall black spires, powerful battlements, and thick walls, all very much intact.

As she drew near, the illusion crumbled, revealing a massive structure black as night. With no entrance or even a window, Aislin searched for another way into the keep. Perhaps she did need to learn how to fly after all; apparently any other way to the Sorceress’ Keep seemed unlikely.

Drawing closer, now coming under the shadow of the great black wall, a wave of fear washed over her, almost causing her to panic. Stopping for a moment to catch her breath, Aislin gritted her teeth. Difficult at first, she took one step forward then another, understanding that the fear came from the castle.

Immediately, like the illusionary ruins, the fear vanished. With another one of the castle’s defenses defeated, an archway appeared right in front of Aislin.

Deciding that she would have to enter the Keep anyway, and having little desire to spend another night in the swamp, Aislin passed under the archway only to see it vanish behind her.

“Good day to you, Lady, welcome to Dubh Caisleáin.”

The King’s Healer jumped back, so intent on looking for an exit, she almost ran over the diminutive greeter.

“Thank you.” Surprised not to be confronted by the beast as soon as she entered the castle, Aislin realized that the woman was not human.

“Oh, you’re a gnome.”

Barely coming up to her waist, dressed in simple browns and greens, the small woman’s clothing wouldn’t be out of place in Lord Kevin’s Castle. Still, Aislin would have been surprised to find a servant with sharp pointing ears and dark brown almond-shaped eyes strolling about.

“Yes, Lady, if you will come with me.”

Trying hard not to stare, she had read stories of elementals such as gnomes taking human-looking form. She just never expected actually to meet one.

“Aislin, my name is Aislin.”

“Very well, Lady Aislin.”

As the two walked down a long hallway, the King’s Healer studied the black walls. Unlike Lord Kelvin’s cattle, Dubh Caisleáin seemed crafted from a single piece of stone. It came as no surprise that it bore a similar appearance to the monolith, which the villagers had unearthed many weeks before.

One would also expect the corridors of a black castle to be dark, however a warm light, coming from inside the stone itself, kept its corridors well lit.

“It almost feels like crystal,” Aislin mumbled, touching a wall with her hand.

“My lady, this is your room.” The small figure came to a sudden halt, once again almost causing Aislin to run into her.

Through an open archway, she found several comfortable looking chairs, numerous beautiful tapestries, and a small round table covered with cakes and drinks. Resisting the urge to throw herself into one of the chairs, Aislin turned around to thank the woman, only to find the door had vanished.

“Guess I’m a prisoner.”

“My lady, A bath is prepared.”

Spinning back around, Aislin found two more gnomes standing near a new opening that had appeared on the black wall.

“A bath sounds lovely; however, this is not really what I expected when I entered the castle.”

The two looked at one another for a moment and then turned away. “This way, please.”

Seeing that she wasn't going to get any answers, Aislin followed.

The new room appeared to be quite spacious, dominated by a large stone bath built into the floor. Walking forward with a smile, Aislin sat down and ran her hands through the water, feeling its warmth. With her new senses, she could feel the heat source deep underneath the castle.

Moments later, ignoring Aislin’s objections, the two gnome women quickly disrobed her, put her in the bath then disappeared with her clothes. Embarrassed about being undressed by the two gnomes and having to reveal her odd-looking body, Aislin closed her eyes and tried to relax.

At least they were polite enough not to say anything, even going so far to fill the air with a flowery scent that settled one's nerves. Although she believed she knew what lay ahead, Aislin decided to enjoy the moment.

Sometime later, the two gnome women seemed to return. Noticing something different about them, Aislin smiled. “Oh, you two are different from the ones from before.”

Stepping backward, the two gnomes looked a little frightened before helping Aislin out of the bath, “Come, my lady; let us dress you for this evening.”

“What is going to be happening to me this evening, may I ask?”

“You have been invited to dine with the current master of the castle.”

Aislin nodded, stranger and stranger, so far no battle to the death, no contest of wills. Did the shadow creature usually bathe and feed its victims?

“Has the master of the castle had others dine with him recently?”

“No, my lady, you are the first.”

Moved into a large bedroom, the two women quickly dried her off before helping her put on a clean chemise. Once again, Aislin felt embarrassed about her body, but the gnome women didn’t seem to care.

“Oh, this is lovely.” Aislin admired the clothing laid out on the bed. Even her mother’s clothes did not appear as well made.

Soon the gnomes went about their work, dressing Aislin for the evening meal. Although she didn’t mind the undergown, which had close-fitting sleeves, tight fitted around the wrists. Aislin wasn’t too happy with the corset.

Now in a wide black skirt, the gnomes slipped on a little midnight blue and silver embroidered jacket. With the inside covered in silk, the outside had small pearls woven into the fabric.

The two gnome women were far from finished, working on Aislin’s hair, somehow adding more to its length, while fastening small silver jewelry to her braids.

“Well, at least I will be well dressed,” Aislin said, thinking macabre thoughts before smiling at the two gnomes. “Thank you, both.”

The gnomes looked puzzled for a moment and then bowed before disappearing directly into the castle walls.

Now finding herself alone, Aislin couldn’t help but admire the dress. How strange, only a few months before she wouldn’t have thought about wearing such clothing, now she wouldn’t wear anything else.

Gliding back into the sitting room, she didn’t have long to admire her new shoes either before confronted by four well-armed gnomes.

Dressed in heavy mail and half-plate, these little warriors looked to be even more dangerous than either Nevan or Miles.

“If you please Lady Aislin, our master is waiting.” The gnome’s voice was strong, deep sounding like it came from far beneath the ground.

“I see, may I ask who your master is?”

The gnome stared at her for a moment before answering. “The Prince.”

Walking down the black hallways, Aislin reflected that the Sorceress castle felt like a donjon rather than a place where people lived. With no windows, no opening to see the sun, she felt cut off from the outside world.

Passing through another large corridor, the group walked underneath a large archway, stepping into a brightly lit banquet all. All along the walls, banners were displayed of city-states and nations long forgotten.

At the end of the long banquet table garbed all in black, stood the beast. As he approached, Aislin prepared to do battle, but instead, the silver-haired man gave her a slight bow and kissed on the hand.

“It’s good to see you again, Aislin. You may call me Prince Scáith.”

Shadow in the old tongue, how appropriate, she thought. “I did not quite expect this level of hospitality upon entering the castle of the Black Sorceress, your Highness.”

Smiling, he motioned for Aislin to take a seat. “I see no reason for this meeting to become unpleasant.”

“I see.” Not that she trusted the creature, but talking was always better than fighting.

“In fact, I hoped you, and I can come to terms, but first, let us eat. You will find that there are many advantages to living in Dubh Caisleáin.”

“I hadn’t planned on living here.”

“Yes, we shall talk about that later.”

Waving his hand, the table, which had been empty, began to change. A long tablecloth appeared, settling down neatly followed by a beautiful crystal centerpiece in the shape of flying birds. Plates of gold followed soon afterward.

Not used to such lavish displays, Aislin wasn’t sure what to make of this Prince. In her dreams, he threatened to imprison her in the dream world. If she didn’t know better, the creature seemed to be courting her.

Perhaps it expected to overwhelm her by such opulence, but she refused to let her guard down. The creature had threatened to imprison her; it had slain over a dozen girls and had inflicted a horror upon Lord Kelvin’s lands.

Course after course soon followed seasoned stag, civet of hare, stuff chicken, and various wines and bread. Meat pies filled with deer, eggs, and pigeon covered the table. Finally, berries from the south along with clotted cráme and cheese.

A King's banquet for two, Aislin couldn’t eat even a third of what the elemental servants placed on the table.

“Do you regularly feed your victims?”

A half-smile formed on the Prince’s lips as he sipped from a golden goblet filled with distilled wine.

“No.”

“As much as I appreciate the meal, to put it as delicately as possible, why am I here?”

The creature frowned for a moment, then nodded, “Right to the point. Let me tell you a story. Not far from where we are sitting now, two girls were born, twins. Réalta, the oldest by only a few breaths, was fair in complexions and hair as black as night. Her sister, Liadan had hair like the sun and a disposition to match.”

Aislin looked confused; she had never heard that the Sorceress had a sister. Stories also told that she had been named the Black Sorceress because of her hair.

The Prince raised his hand before Aislin could voice a question. “Let me tell the tale; I will answer all questions afterward.”

“Yes, sorry, please continue.”

With a nod and a sip of the distilled wine, he continued. “Now back in those days, when a midwife notices a child with certain marks or are shall we say looks different, they do not allow the child to take its first breath.

Both these twin girls had such marks; however, the midwife in question was the best friend of the mother. Fearing for her daughter’s lives, as her husband would take matters into his own hands, she pleaded for her friend to take the children away.

Now leaving a village for the unknown was no small task, and although I don’t know the details, both twins would prosper under the care of the midwife.

It should not have been surprised to learn that before both girls were out of swaddling clothes, they began to interact with the elementals around them. Simple things at first, a look, a smile, but when items began to move by themselves around the cottage, it caused problems. Unfortunately, this required their guardian to move to another village on several occasions.

By the time the two girls learned to walk, they could hide their gifts. Although, at times, the two of them had problems speaking to adults as they considered them their equals or betters.

At the first blossom of womanhood, their lives would change. Kyra, their protector who they always called Aunt, was killed in a raid. She had been waiting for the birth of a warlord’s child and stayed with the mother while the father and his sons went off to war. The girls were in the forest, gathering herbs that would help ease the pregnancy when the raid happened.

Allies of the Warlord supposedly burned down the camp and killed everyone inside. Of course, Kyra never left the pregnant woman’s side, and she died along with her.”

Aislin held her breath as the Prince took another cup of wine from unseen hands.

“Now Réalta, she always had a bit of a temper, but poor Liadan went mad with grief. Most likely, the more powerful of the two, although I personally wouldn’t want to get in the middle of them, she reached into the Spirit Realm with her anger and grief and found a Prince of their kind. Bound him without a thought and sent him against those who killed their Aunt.”

“The warriors?” Aislin asked.

“Every last one of them, but Réalta kept her from ordering the Prince to do more. She had seen this before, armies marching across, pillaging, raping, and killing without reason and wanted no part of it.”

The beast smiled. “I see that you know the rest?”

“The Sorceress came upon a Warlord of great promise and said if he followed her, she would give him great power. From there, she gathered more warlords and eventually built her Kingdom.”

“Yes, that’s mostly right.”

“But I have never heard of a sister.”

“Well, it was a long time ago, but there was one, although storytellers mix the two women often enough. I suppose by now they are one person, but there were always two of them.”

“What does this have to do with me?” Aislin frowned.

“What Liadan didn’t know, Réalta had a vision about her Aunt’s death many weeks before. She was also the one who insisted that the two of them go into the woods to look for plants.”

“So, she allowed her Aunt to be killed?”

“Réalta explained that if this hadn’t come to pass, then there would have been terrible consequences. Liadan acted as if she too was betrayed, leaving with the Warlord’s army to create her Kingdom; for she too had a vision while delving so deeply into the Spirit Realm that the two of them must separate for a time.

Réalta wandered the lands, healing those who were ill. In time she found another like her, made her an apprentice, and sent her off to be the healer of other villages.”

“Wisewomen,” Aislin said, surprised. “Then what about all of the stories about the Black Sorceress stealing girls?”

The beat laughed. “Foolish story but typical, Réalta had after some time reunited with her sister, who now stood on the throne. The two realized that they needed to somehow protect others like them.”

“So, they just went to a village and took the children away?”

“Often right out of the hands of those who were planning on murdering the child, so yes. Aislin, don’t tell me that practice has stopped?”

The King’s Healer started to object but only shook her head. It still happened, especially in the southern kingdoms.

“I won’t bore you with the stories you heard all of your life, how the Black Sorceress had conquered the free lands, inflicting harm upon the good people. And that the captains, who wanted freedom, rose up to defeat the evil Queen.”

“That’s not what happened?” Aislin had always enjoyed those stories of heroic deeds, often place herself by the side of one of the Kings.

“Not quite, oh, there were battles, but we will get into that a little later. No, she decided to dismantle her own kingdom.”

Aislin sat back a little; the creature had suddenly crushed the golden cup in his hands. Seeing what he had done, he bowed his head.

"Apologies, my dear, see Liadan had a vision of great darkness coming, a devourer which would despoil all the lands.”

“From the north,” Aislin whispered. Looking up, she could see the Prince looking directly into her eyes.

“You are the one.”

“Who?”

“Liadan’s heir.”

Aislin almost stood up in a panic; she couldn’t be the heir to the Black Sorceress. “I’m nothing like her; I don’t covet power. I don’t want to rule anyone.”

“I believe she said the same thing.”

“I can’t be,” Aislin whispered.

The Prince raised his hand once more. “If you let me continue, perhaps it will answer a few more of your questions.”

Aislin nodded, reaching for a golden cup of the distilled wine, she downed half of it before realizing what she was going. While Aislin caught her breath, Prince Scáith continued.

“Liadan understood that if she remained in power when the darkness came, all would be lost. Knowing that she prepared, she created this place for her successor. This keep became the last holdout against the darkness, where she would store all of her knowledge, all of her wisdom, so when the time came, her successor would be ready.”

“So they didn’t attack her? What about the hero Cuthian and his companions who slew the red dragon of Malikar at the very gates of the Sorceress castle?”

“Who?”

Aislin made a face. “Or what about the seven master Thaumaturgists who battled against the Black Sorceress?”

“Never existed.”

Aislin sighed; tales of her childhood were all just stories. However, the last one must be true.

“How about the love story between Oisin and Enya?”

She always held this love story in a secret place in her heart. The mysterious enchantress Enya and great warrior captain Oisin met for the first time when she saved him from certain death as he faced the terrible beast called Ollphéist. Not that she would tell anyone, but she always thought that a young girl rescuing a warrior made a much better story.

Afterward, the wise Enya and the strong Oisin, along with six other great captains, would defeat the Black Sorceress’ greatest Generals. With her defeated, Oisin would be crowned High King, with Enya as his bride. The other Captains would later become the rulers of the first nations.

“Well, that story or parts of it anyway are correct. Understand, as Liadan was too busy to pay attention to her kingdom, she needed to make sure that the right leaders would take control.”

Aislin thought for a moment. “You’re telling me that Réalta became Enya the Wise?”

“Of course, neither sister was going to leave anything to chance.”

“So who did these Captains fight?”

Prince Scáith laughed. “Why each other, of course, well the weaker ones anyway. Liadan knew which leaders needed to take power, and Réalta made sure that it happened.”

“So did Réalta become Oisin’s Queen?”

The bards told tales of their beautiful wedding, and of a love that continued to touch people even in her own time. Rulers have always tried to compare themselves with Oisin, and every Queen wishes to be as wise as Enya.

“Yes, and you, my dear Aislin, are a distant child of that union.”

Aislin looked down at her plate. That couldn’t be true; she wasn’t that special.

“So who sealed you away, Prince Scáith? Who placed you in that black rock?”

The beast growled. “It was Liadan who sealed me knowing the stone would only appear when the heir started to come to her power. She also commanded me to bring the child to the Keep.

“Then you must have known those girls you killed were not the heir, why did you take them?” The King’s Healer looked up, directly into the eyes of the beast.

“They all had the gift to some degree. What I needed from them was that power, which I used to make ready this fortress for your return.”

The two stared at one another for a moment, and then Aislin said. “You didn’t need their power, did you?”

“Why should I waste my abilities on such a mundane task when there were others who served the purpose better?”

“And the curse? From what you have told me of both Liadan and Réalta, they would never have done such a thing.”

“Don’t be too sure, the Black Sorceress, as you call her, was more than capable if she determined it would be for the better. But you are right, I needed to find the heir quickly and what better way to find her, a curse that only she could cure.”

“So many lives.” She whispered. “Why didn’t you find me sooner?”

“Because like Liadan and her sister, you possess the ability to hide your true power; even now, I can tell that you have the gift but not your strength. In fact, you only made it possible when you created that ward around your cottage. It was only a matter of time before I determined between you and the other girl, who was the heir.”

The beast leaned back in his chair. “However, as much as I believe that you are Liadan’s heir, only she can take control of this fortress.”

“What do you mean?” Aislin looked around; she didn’t have any idea how to take control of such a fortress, much less command the elementals that dwelled in it.

“Lets us continue this conversation in the morning. It is getting late, and you are weary from travel. Besides, I still have a few minor tasks to perform.”

As the Prince began to escort her across the room, Aislin asked. “So your Highness, what happens if I am the heir?”

The Prince gave a half-smile before kissing her hand. “The fortress and all in it is yours to command.”

“Including you?”

The beast laughed. “Yes, including me.”

“And let’s say I am not the heir?”

Prince Scáith gave Aislina a slight bow, before passing her off to her gnome escort. “Well, then, I shall send you home.”

Aislin walked out of the hall, well aware that if she were not Liadan’s heir, she would never leave the fortress alive.