Heather the Necromancer - Book 6: Chapter 55: A hidden enemuy

Heather fretted as she sat at the table beside Frank while a room full of angry people debated what was to be done with Alexandria. The clever woman had found a way to amplify her magic and then ensnared both Chandice and Santos into a plan to lure Jaina away. The whole thing was brilliant and going exactly according to plan until her husband, who was an excellent judge of motive and character, saw through it.

Frank figured out what was going on and prevented anyone from moving ahead. He challenged Santos and Chandice, explaining the trap in exacting detail. When he was laughed at for his troubles, he used Alexandria’s influence against them, getting Santos to show he was under her influence.

The hidden rogues attacked immediately, and the opening round of deadly blows on seated people was devastating. It became a frantic battle as they tried not to seriously harm or even kill Chandice and Santos. Heather watched as Breanne fell, followed by Gisley, Evalynn, and nearly Rajeen. Frank was badly wounded but refused to die as he smashed Santos through the table, hoping to put him down. Jaina was immobile against the far wall, her eyes glazed over as a poison took its toll.

Heather realized she needed to act fast, so she reached for her essence, amplifying her ability to purge seductions and other mind-influencing attacks. She drew so much power she floated into the air, glowing brightly, and then purged everyone in the room and probably the surrounding inn.

The battle stopped instantly, and Chandice fell to her knees crying, unable to accept what she had done. It was a moment of regret and sadness, but Heather was more worried about healing those who had fallen. She ran to them one by one, placing her pulsing heal and adding a healing kiss until even the rogues were on their feet.

Embarrassed and enraged, Santos sent the rogues away, then profusely apologized as they began to put the pieces together. Chandice had a hobby of cooking and loved to work in the kitchens at the Rogue’s Tavern. While they were together, a mysterious elf woman came in, holding a small cat in her arms. Chandice remembered absolutely nothing after that moment, but Santos remembered more. He had recognized the woman somehow, but how he couldn’t say. He moved to have her captured and brought before him in the lower halls. He and the guild confronted her as she produced an orange gem about the size of an egg, and that was the last thing he remembered.

Several things about the tale seriously bothered Heather. For example, this encounter occurred three days ago, meaning Alexandria’s hold lasted far longer than any influencing spell. Most lasted less than an hour and couldn’t be used to control a player completely. The other worrying fact was that they had been told to forget what happened once she had them charmed. Heather thought of her own memory loss and wondered if it had happened the same way. Could Alexandria be a means to learn about how it happened and perhaps how to recover them?

Heather couldn’t let the thought go as they set out to find the dangerous woman. Santos was sure she would be waiting in the rogues guild, but all they found was a mysterious letter. It was magically trapped, of course, and layered with further mental twists. Jaina was the one who picked it up, as her seductress class rendered her nearly immune to Alexandria’s charms. The letter turned out to be a poem, and none of them had any idea what it meant. Chandice said it was a trigger meant to cause her and Santos to remember further instructions once read.

For Heather, that news was eye-opening. That meant they could be given detailed instructions and told to forget them until the trigger occurred. She wondered if that was how Umtha’s crown had been meant to work, triggering a release of memories when it was placed on her head. Now that she knew that players could cause such things to happen, she began to wonder just how complex the instructions could be. Was she playing some preordained set of steps left behind by another person? Was this why so many events of her life seemed planned and carefully orchestrated?

The only way to find out was to find Alexandria and prevent the others from killing her. That was easier said than done, as Chandice was particularly angry about what happened. Not only had Alexandria turned her against the woman she loved, but she had been charmed for three days. That meant she was under the influence of another when she agreed to marry Roric throwing the whole proceedings into question. Still, Heather did her best to point out that Alexandria was backed into a corner and unable to find a way out. Heather had to admit that Alexandria did this to herself, but she did it from a point of view that wasn’t so selfish. She honestly believed she could place Jaina in a fairytale dream life where she would be treated like an empress. She would have everything she ever wanted and needed to be catered to her on a silver platter. She never believed that Jaina would refuse such an offer, preferring to stay with Roric. She made promises she couldn’t keep and then doubled down on them, assuming that Jaina would change her mind if she could see what was on offer. She dug the hole deeper and deeper, always believing she could get out, and now she was in terrible trouble. She was being hunted by people who wanted to collect on the debts and promises she owed. She would likely end up with a collar on and be sold to some petty slave master to act as a means to collar more girls.

The others were not impressed with her portrayal of Alexandria as a flawed and tragic foe who needed a way out. Heather insisted that killing the woman or turning her over to her hunters would only breed resentment that would one day come back to haunt them. That seemed to have a little impact, but ultimately, they didn’t know where Alexandria was.

Quinny said they had hit a dead end, and Heather said it was a shame they couldn’t recover the memories somehow. She was fixated on the idea that memories could be locked away until a trigger brought them out. There had to be some way of shortcutting that and bringing them out. Santos volunteered to be subjected to any means to do so, but Chandice said she had no idea how to begin.

Heather then wondered, what if you seduced him? If he was under the influence of another seduction, would those memories be accessible if the seducer asked for them? She voiced her idea to the group, and Jaina agreed it was worth a shot. She would seduce Santos, starting slowly and working her way up to her most powerful charms.

She stacked her seductions one by one until Santos was visibly trembling, but when asked where he was supposed to take her, he still didn’t know.

Heather was frustrated as she had hoped this would be a good test to see how they could get at her memories. She wondered how Alexandria’s spell could keep them locked away even though it had been purged by her dispel earlier. It had to be something to do with the trigger. The memories were lost once the spell was removed, and the trigger was useless to recover them. That had to be why the crown hadn’t worked. The spell woven to hide her memories had been purged, locking the memories away for good.

All were disappointed until Chandice pointed out his willpower was too strong and suggested a potion of sapping. Heather wasn’t familiar with such a potion but assumed it would lower his willpower and, with it, the block holding back the memories. Could the effect blocking his memory of the incident away be his own willpower? Could he have been convinced that he shouldn’t remember these things and was now subconsciously fighting any effort to retrieve them? If so, she had to know for sure and asked if they needed his willpower drained.

Chandice confirmed that they did and explained that Heather was right. It was his willpower that was fighting back, not the spell. That gave Heather an idea, but to act on it, she would have to kiss Santos.

“Could I speak with you two?” Heather said as she motioned to Frank and Blackbast before pulling them aside.

“What do you want?” Blackbast asked as Heather tried not to look nervous. She knew what she was about to say would bother Frank, but it was the only way they had to resolve the situation.

“I can lower his willpower,” Heather stated. “By using a kiss of draining.” Instantly Frank’s expression changed to one of disapproval, and Blackbast took his hand.

“You have the ability to lower his resistance?” she asked.

“I have a whole group of kisses that lower stats,” Heather replied. “But most of them only work when the kiss is lip to lip.”

“I see,” Blackbast replied as she glanced at Frank. “I assume you are not happy with this.”

“Of course, I’m not,” Frank replied. “It was bad enough she had to kiss everyone on the cheek.”

“I won’t do it then,” Heather insisted. “That’s why I pulled you two aside. I didn’t want to say anything unless I had your permission.”

“Yes, you are doing it,” Blackbast insisted and turned to face Frank. “We do not have time to make a potion.”

“I know she is doing it,” Frank replied. “But I don’t have to like it.”

“I’m sorry,” Heather said as she put a hand on his chest. “If it makes you feel any better, at least it’s an attack.” Blackbast put an arm around her back and pulled them close so the two women were pressed to his chest.

“You have five wives who love you dearly,” Blackbast said. “And the others know what we mean to you. They will be touched that you allowed her to do this for their sake.” Heather smiled as Frank’s hand ran through her hair in a display of affection. His other hand was gently caressing the dark fur of Blackbast, gently rubbing behind her ear as she purred in delight. Frank told Heather he loved her and understood the need. He then looked into Blackbast’s eyes, and Heather saw the spark of love. The two gazed at one another as if they couldn’t stand the idea of being apart. She hadn’t realized they had grown so close and was delighted to know it had happened.

Heather stepped out of his grasp and announced she would lower his willpower before explaining how it would work. Jaina and the others glanced at Frank to see his reaction before Jaina suggested it might not be a good idea. Blackbast insisted it was their only way unless Rajeen had a girl who could do something similar. Rajeen said she did not, so Heather insisted she would get it done. She didn’t wait, not wanting to draw the uncomfortable moment out. She held his face and kissed him, activating her draining power instantly. Her lips glowed with a purple energy that flashed around his head. She took as much as she dared, then stepped back to allow Jaina to try again.

This time the man looked as if he would collapse and had to sit down before he could answer her question. To Heather’s relief, he remembered the instructions, speaking them as if in a daze. Still, it wasn’t an exact answer, but it allowed them to narrow it down to two possible houses. While the others debated which house it could be, Heather read the descriptions and smiled to see one was named Capture Heart Hall.

She pointed out the obvious play on words and how Alexandria would choose that one as her lair. The others agreed and began making plans to storm the building as Heather reminded them that just killing her wouldn’t matter. She was surprised when Jaina suggested they hold her and hand her off to one of the many groups hunting for her. She would be dragged away to be imprisoned or enslaved and held for years, keeping her out of their hair. Heather understood their anger for this woman who had hounded them for stupid reasons, but this reaction would only breed hatred. Alexandria would be back one day, and this time she would be out for revenge, not just to pay off a debt.

Concerns about the magic gem were raised, but Chandice pointed out it had limited uses. She was surprised it hadn’t shattered long ago, as most gems of falsehood shatter after three or four uses. Breanne brought up the cat again, and they agreed it was a dangerous, unknown quantity. They couldn’t be certain the cat was significant, but its presence seemed ominous.

Heather wondered why the cat hadn’t been present in the rogues guild when the two faced off. Where had it gone, and why had it defeated her in combat so easily? Why did she have it again when she entered the tavern? Had it played some role in all this? She went to contemplate these possibilities when Jaina asked for a little help. Santos was still firmly held by her charms and wanted to follow those seductions to their logical conclusions. His hands were already on Jaina’s body as she tried to fend him off.

Heather used her power to purge the effects, and the man instantly sobered up. He asked if the power had worked, and Jaina told him it had with a wicked expression. She then explained the plan, and for a moment, she and Heather locked eyes. Heather silently prayed Jaina wouldn’t be too harsh, and Jaina seemed to understand. She explained that it was time they played the game against Alexandria and then laid out how they would do it.

Heather would disguise herself as Jaina, then Quinny would become Santos and Breanne Chandice. They would approach by the alley door and deliver Heather to Alexandria while Jaina used her powers to slip into the building from above and hide inside. She assumed Alexandria would send them away the moment she had Heather but would not be expecting the switch. Then Heather and Jaina would confront Chandice directly, and Jaina would give Heather another chance to reason with her. If a solution could be found, so be it, but if not, Alexandria would be subdued and arrested. The others would be outside to capture any person who left the building unexpectedly or to rush in if the sounds of battle broke out.

Rajeen and Blackbast didn’t care for the idea of the two going in alone, but they could see how important it was to the girls. They relented, and Heather walked with Jaina down the street as they approached the house.

“Thank you for letting me try,” Heather said. “I know it had to be a lot to ask.”

“I love how caring and forgiving you are,” Jaina said. “But I find it very hard to forgive her, especially considering what she did to Chandice. Now the whole marriage thing is in doubt and has to be discussed again.”

“I am sure she did that out of her own desire,” Heather insisted. “Nothing needs to change.”

“I hope so,” Jaina said and took Heather’s hand. “I love you, sweetheart, but tell me the truth. If this was Moon we were going after, would you be so forgiving?”

Heather paused and considered the question as Jaina waited for an answer. Moon had tricked Heather, murdered Frank, and then tried to blackmail her into murdering Quinny. The vile woman was an abuser who didn’t care who she hurt to get what she wanted. She betrayed allies the moment it was convenient or profitable and never showed an ounce of remorse. Alexandria, on the other hand, felt more like a kindred spirit. Here was a woman who was trapped by circumstances that she brought on herself but were still closing in around her. If the rumors were right, she was even a good mistress to her girls, caring for them and seeing to their needs. She got caught up in the opportunity to advance herself socially by presenting a treasure of a woman to the silken princes. Jaina must have looked like a crown jewel to Alexandria, who assumed that she could win Jaina over and they would both profit from it. Misguided as her plans were, she had a sort of pure motive. However, she took things way too far and became vindictive when Jaina flat-out refused to be bought. That was when she crossed the line and became like Moon, but was her neck already in the noose by then? The only way to find out was to confront her, which meant playing the game.

With a sigh, she explained that the two people were very different and Moon didn’t deserve the consideration. She could see the look of disapproval in Jaina’s eyes, but Heather felt strongly that the two were not the same. She quickly added that she would likely take the chance if she saw any way to redeem Moon. That ended the topic, but it left a tension in the air that she wished could be put to rest. She loved Jaina like one of her wives, and knowing she was unhappy with Heather’s position made her uncomfortable.

Reaching the house via the alley was easy, but they weren’t sure they were doing it right. They wondered if they were supposed to deliver Jaina restrained in some fashion. Jaina said that wasn’t likely the case because she would have eaten her binds. Heather smiled at being reminded that Jaina was, in essence, a type of corrosive slime monster. Her entire body could become fluid, slipping free of ropes or dissolving them. Only magic could contain her, and they weren’t sure if that had been part of the instruction. They decided that Santos was likely meant to trick her into thinking this was a safe house, and Jaina would walk right in, unaware of the danger.

Once the house was in sight, Jaina slipped away, her form melting into goo and blending into the city. Heather marveled as Jaina flowed over the stone, her skin mimicking the look and texture so well that if not for the movement, she would be impossible to detect.

“She’s neat,” Quinny said as they waited for Jaina to slip out of sight.

“Are we sure this plan is going to work?” Breanne asked. “There are a thousand ways this woman could detect us.”

“That’s why Frank and the others are surrounding the house,” Heather replied. “If this goes wrong, they charge in.”

“How long do we wait?” Quinny asked.

“Just another minute,” Heather said, hoping this would play out the way they wanted. She prayed that Alexandria would be willing to negotiate and talked down from her manic need to acquire Jaina. If not, they would be faced with imprisoning her and handing her over to one of the various groups that wanted repayment. Heather hated that idea, as it was exactly what Moon wanted to do to her. The circumstances were different, but the same sense of dread stirred in her heart.

“Let’s go,” Heather pressed as enough time passed. The two girls had already used their succubus powers to impersonate Santos and Chandice. Now all they had to do was walk up to the door and hopefully let Heather in. Quinny even played it up, speaking in Santos’s voice and describing how this was a safe house where not even Alexandria could find her.

To Heather’s relief, the door was unlocked, and they walked inside, wondering what dangers awaited them. The room was well-dressed, with elegant furniture and thick rugs. The walls were papered in a green and gold pattern that Heather rather liked. Flowers stood in vases, and artwork of beautiful women in relaxed scenes hung on the wall.

“What? No ambush?” Quinny whispered as her hand tensed over her sword.

“Just wait here a moment,” Heather whispered back as she entered the room. The air was sweet with the scent of the flowers, and to her surprise, there was a box of chocolate on a low table of polished wood.

“Well, this is nice,” Heather said as she took a chocolate. She took a small bite and smiled as she tasted the rich sweet flavor. “Why can’t we get these?”

“This is some kind of parlor,” Breanne said in Chandice’s voice. “I approve of the style and decoration.”

“Thank you,” a woman’s voice said as a form appeared in a nearby archway. Heather’s heart beat fast as she locked eyes with Alexandria with a black cat standing at her feet.

“You,” Heather said in shock.

“Did you think I was going to give up that easily?” Alexandria said with a smile.

“You are going to wish you had,” Heather snapped and looked to the others.

“They aren’t going to help you,” Alexandria said as her smile spread. “They are under my control.”

“Why?” Heather asked. “Why are you even bothering to go to all this trouble? You had the chance to leave this behind and start over.”

“I can’t start over!” Alexandria shouted. “I bet everything on you, and now I can’t do much as settle anywhere until I find a way to convince you.”

“You’re wasting your time,” Heather replied, pointing to the collar. “It’s locked, and Roric will never sell me.”

“I am aware of that,” Alexandria replied as her countenance softened. “And I am sorry, I have no choice.”

“You’re sorry?” Heather asked as the hair on the back of her neck began to stand up. Something about this encounter was out of place, and she realized it was the creature at Alexandria’s feet. Only then did she realize how still Alexandria was standing and how the cat was actually in the lead. The beast eyed them with a narrow gaze, then hissed as if it were angry.

“Your cat isn’t very nice,” Heather said.

“She knows who you are,” Alexandria replied nervously. “You aren’t getting out of here alive this time.” As if her words were prophetic, the door locked behind them, and the windows suddenly shuttered. The cat leaped into the air, growing rapidly before landing before them, roughly the size of a rhinoceros. Its fur was still black, but it had three tails, each ending in what looked like a scorpion’s stinger. The head was now more human but overly large, with a broad mouth full of wicked teeth.

“What!?!?” Breanne cried in alarm as she went for her bow. Quinny was in motion before the beast landed, her sword flashing as she went into a combat maneuver. She was quickly stung by one of the tails and swept aside by a mighty arm, sending her flying into a nearby wall with a crash. The room was too cramped for Breanne to maneuver, and the monster lashed out with several tails, forcing the poor woman to dive out of the way. Heather had to blink out of the way of a vicious bite as the plan went horribly wrong. She arrived behind the creature to find Alexandria bound by what appeared to be magical chains.

“What happened to you?” Heather asked as she reached for the woman.

“I am its prisoner,” Alexandria cried. “And soon, so will you.”

Heather wanted to ask more questions, but the lion-like creature was on Quinny, easily blasting through her defenses. Heather could feel Quinny taking serious damage, and on impulse, she called out. “Masters protection!”

Quinny and Breanne were encased in glass-like bubbles that made the monster roar with rage. It turned on Heather, the wicked human face glaring as the three tails swayed in preparation to attack.

“Run,” Alexandria cried, then went silent as a red ball appeared in her mouth, gagging her completely. The monster jumped, but Heather was gone in a green flash, arriving in the far corner of the room with a wicked whip in hand. She unleashed a snap, causing a stinging wound down the monster’s back, but to her utter surprise, it changed, growing a thick main as the tails vanished. Now it was more like a lion but still had a human-like face. The beast glared at her with dark eyes as she glared back, releasing her form to become the Lilim devil.

“Infernal!” the monster roared. “Do you not know what you face?”

“Umm,” Heather began as she wished she had Frank’s encyclopedic game knowledge.

“I am a Lammasu,” the creature bellowed when it was obvious she had no idea. “A guardian of the light. Your kind is no match for one such as I.”

“Let her go,” Heather said with as strong a voice as she could muster.

“She is debt bound,” the monster replied. “She will remain in captivity until her promise is fulfilled. But you need not worry about that any longer.” The monster jumped with surprising speed, long claws spreading in powerful hands. Heather’s eyes glowed green as she readied to blink away, but suddenly, the power faded. She felt terrible pain as those powerful limbs shredded her skin, and a vicious bite caught her shoulder. Screaming, she was born to the ground, her various defenses and armor utterly failing. Bones broke as the monster swung her, causing blood to splatter the walls as Breanne beat on her bubble in vain. Heather panicked and flailed with her hands, calling on fire to try and burn the creature, but it didn’t seem fazed. She realized that she was about to die in the most horrible of ways until she, too, was surrounded by a bubble.

“What is this!” the monster roared as the wall exploded, and a gray-skinned giant tackled the creature. Frank shoved with all his might, but he barely moved the beast who swatted at him, opening huge rents in his skin that threw him back. Red lances of light blasted in through the hole in the wall just before Evalynn and Roric charged with spears leading the way. Gisley and Umtha were right behind them, the room becoming crowded as the group poured in. Heather was sobbing as her arms hung limply, blood pumping from wounds in her chest. Blackbast was on her in a moment, the bubble fading as she went into a heal.

“Be calm,” Blackbast insisted as she touched Heather, the pain slowly fading away.

“It tore right through me,” Heather sobbed. “My armor was useless.”

“That is a creature of great power,” Blackbast replied as the healing continued. “And for all intents and purposes, it is an angelic being. It has bonuses to wound devils and demons.”

Heather was only partially listening as she turned to see mighty Evalynn fold up like a tinfoil doll under one of the mighty blows. She hit the wall and slid to the floor, completely immobile.

Roric soon followed, and Gisley darted about, blasting the creature with moon rays and glitter blasts only to have a leg bitten clean off as she screamed in terror.

“We can’t win this fight,” Rajeen called as she grabbed Heather. “We must retreat!” Before any of them could move, the room exploded, and for a brief moment, Heather felt the exhilaration of flight. It was quickly followed by the crunching impact of the ground as she tumbled across the street and into another building. She looked up in a daze to see the entire wall of the house was gone and the terrible creature roaring like a god as it slammed Rajeen into the ground. It leered at her with angry eyes as Heather realized they were all about to die. The warm sensation spread across her body, and suddenly, the pain was gone. She felt the soothing warmth of a mother’s love as something silver descended from above and landed on the street.

Heather looked up in startled amazement as she gazed on a shining silver warrior with wings of blue glass that resembled feathers. She carried a bow of silver plates, golden light, and a blazing blue stone at the center. The air around her seemed to shimmer with power as she drew her bow while glaring at the terrible creature. It was like a goddess had descended from Heaven to deal with the threat herself.

“Who is that?” Heather muttered as Blackbast limped to her side.

“Do you not recognize her?” Blackbast said as a smile crossed her pained face. “Look closely, child, for you are about to witness a tiny fraction of the true power that is your mother.”