"But that's different. You were taking a potion to prevent children anyway. I have a use for my manhood."
Jessa smiled, but she felt a heaviness in her stomach, an empty heaviness. She felt the loss. "If this rash grows any worse, you will be all but useless by the time we face Cytherea."
He rode up beside her. "I am sorry, Jessa. I did not understand. If I had known, I might even have let him unman me." He shivered in the sunlight, skin twitching. "I would not have you be killed because I was distracted by this infernal itching." He clawed at his arms, raising welts.
"You're going to bleed if you keep scratching. Don't you have an ointment to help yourself?"
"Yes, but I was hoping to save it until we were nearer our destination."
"I think we are close enough. Use the ointment before you flay yourself alive."
Gregoor rummaged in his saddlebags and came up with a sealed pot. "This will take some time."
"We have time. I have a spell to do myself."
He nodded and dismounted. The grass was shoulder high to him and brushed the horse's bellies. Wild bellis flowers filled the air with their delicate scent. A swift, quarreling flock of brownkins flew overhead. Jessa breathed in the summer bounty. Her magic pulsed and swelled with the ripening grass, the swift flight of birds, the tiny hidden creatures. Everything was magic for the taking, for an earth-witch.
Gregoor came to stand at her stirrup. His face was coated with an oily lotion. "You sparkle like pale flame."
She grinned at him, stretching arms skyward. "I feel like I should burst into flame, swollen with power."
He frowned.
Jessa laughed. "There's no danger of that, Gregoor. Don't frown so; it will make you itch." She touched his shoulder.
He jumped as if burned. "Your power poured over my arm. It was...unexpected."
"Surely making your herb potions fills you with magic?"
He shook his head. "Nothing like that. I'm an herb-witch, Jessa. Our magic is a quieter thing. You could pass for a sorceress, now."
"It's always like that in spring and summer, but winter," she shivered, "winter is a poor time for earth-witches."
"Then what will you do behind Cytherea's spell line?"
"I have absorbed enough power to do a few spells, if I am careful."
"Then what?"
"Then I won't be able to pretend I am a sorceress anymore. Cytherea will know me for an earth-witch, and our plan had better work."
Gregoor looked up at her, the swelling and redness already leaving his eyes.
"You look much better. How do you feel?"
"The best I've felt in three days of travel. I'll be able to watch your back."
"I never thought you wouldn't."
Gregoor remounted and they pushed through a stand of pine trees. Bushtails chattered and scolded overhead, showering them with pine needles. Jessa felt the first cool tendril of power, someone else's power. She slammed down her shields, cutting herself off from the land, but protecting herself from what lay ahead.
The horses pawed nervously at the top of the ridge. Up through the trees, mist was oozing. Sunlight cut through the mist, sparkling on a line of ice-covered trees. The summer leaves were crumbled, blackened, ice coated. Frost and snow lay in glittering drifts at the foot of the ridge.
Jessa glanced up at the waving greenery overhead. Yellow snake lilies nodded on the forest floor. "Definitely the work of elementals and demons."
"Do you think we can bargain with the demon?"
"Our plan depends on it."
"What if it doesn't agree?"
She smiled at him. "Then, Gregoor, we will see if the god Magnus truly does cry tears of blood."
"I did not plan on meeting Him so soon."
"Nor I. Let's get out the winter gear."
Sweat trickled down Jessa's spine. The fur hood was oppressive. Gregoor waited beside her, sweat-carved runnels melting the ointment on his face.
Cool mist swirled around the horses' legs, but the summer sun beat down on them. Winter was a slash of brilliant diamond ice. Snow lay inches deep. The green belt of summer had been sliced cleanly and completely.
Jessa urged her horse forward. The hooves crunched in the snow's edge. The chill breath of winter cooled the sweat on her face instantly. Her breath fogged and began to crystallize on the fur trim of her hood. Something large moved in the trees. Jessa signaled Gregoor to wait.
She could see nothing and yet she knew something had moved. The winter-ruined trees were utterly still. Snow stretched smooth and untouched. But...there was a spot near a large straight elm tree that Jessa could not look at. No matter how hard she tried to stare at it, her vision kept slipping by it. Don't look at me, it seemed to say, I am not here, but of course that meant something was there. The question was, what?
She signaled Gregoor to come up beside her, slowly.
They had ridden only a few strides when the air wavered and a demon was leaning against the elm. Both sets of arms were crossed over his chest. He was about ten feet tall, only a little less white than the snow. His scales shimmered like mother-of-pearl. Two slender horns grew from his head. His tail twitched in the snow. Jessa was reminded of a cat about to pounce.
The demon's bat-ribbed ears curled and uncurled. "I am the guardian of this spell line. If you cross even one step farther, you will be trapped until the spell is complete."
"When will that be?" Jessa asked.
He blinked large purple eyes. "When Cytherea the Mad wills it, and not before." A forked tongue licked his lips, exposing teeth like ice daggers. "So turn back while you may. You have been warned."
"Thank you for the warning. If we ride farther, what will happen to us?"
He shrugged one pair of shoulders. "Cytherea will decide."
"What will you do if we ride farther in?"
"I," he said, placing a claw on his chest, "nothing, yet. You will have to huddle in the town while Cytherea does her business."
"How long will that take?"
The demon looked up at the ice trees. He smiled, flashing fangs. "Not long, I think."
Jessa said, "Then we will cross and wait if we must."
"Come across, then." The demon made a sweeping bow, motioning with his many arms.
They rode forward, skirting out of the demon's reach, though distance alone would not save them if the demon chose to be nasty.
The demon called, "Herb-witch."
Jessa looked back at Gregoor. He was staring at the ground, very determinedly.
"Look at me, herb-witch, look at me," the demon hissed.
"Stop it," Jessa said. "He does not have the magic to resist you."
"And you do?" He turned his gaze upon her, perfect violet, like the eyes of the blind. Jessa would not meet his gaze. The demon laughed.
"You said you would not harm us if we passed."
"I lied."
She looked at him without meeting his eyes. "Will you stand in our way?"
"Not now. But when Cytherea is done with her little...chore, then she will let me choose my reward." The demon was suddenly standing before them. Jessa's horse screamed and reared, hoofs lashing the air.
The demon grinned as Jessa fought to control the animal. "Perhaps I will ask for you, sorceress."
Jessa glared at him. "Will you beg for a treat like a well-trained dog?"
The demon's ears curled into tight rolls, his claws flexing the air. "I am no dog, woman. I am ice demon and I will show you what that means."
"You will harm me before Cytherea sees me? Is that wise?"
The demon roared, clawing at the trees, raking ice and wood into splinters. The horses went wild. When Jessa and Gregoor slowed the trembling animals, Jessa found a splinter of ice in her cheek. She pulled it out and found it bloody. She would have thrown it on the ground, but the demon was watching her, eyes intent, a strange eagerness in his scaled face. She held the bloody crystal, unsure what to do with it.
Gregoor whispered, "Jessa, try not to make it
more angry than you have to."
"Cytherea is your enemy, not us. She has bound you into her service. What if we could free you?"
The demon stared at her. "How?"
"If she is dead, then you are free."
He snorted. "You cannot kill her with sorcery."
"We will not kill her with sorcery."
"Why tell me, when now I can warn her?"
"You want your freedom. We want her death."
"What do you want of me, sorceress?"
"An oath that you will not help Cytherea against us."
The demon flashed fangs. "Of course, I promise, I will not hurt either of you."
"No, demon, an oath to Verm and Loth."
His ears furled in surprise. "A vow to the dark ones will sever Cytherea's control over me. Will allow me to stand and watch." He grinned. "One of the few things that will. You are not just a sorceress, are you?"
"No," she said.
"And what do you vow, mortal?"
"We vow to free you."
"I simply watch while you kill Cytherea. Then I am free."
Jessa nodded.
"The exchange is fair, and because of that I cannot take it."
Gregoor started to protest, but Jessa silenced him. "I understand, demon; you must come out the better in the bargain."
He nodded. "You have dealt with demons before."
"Perhaps." She caught Gregoor's shocked look and ignored it.
"What do you offer to sweeten the bargain?" the demon asked.
She held up the bloody splinter. "Blood."
The demon licked his lips. "And from the man?"
Gregoor said, "No."
Jessa frowned at him. "Will you bargain with just my blood?"
"If I cannot harm either of you, then I must have blood from both of you, or we fight here and now."
"Gregoor, just a few drops..."
"Look at its face."
The demon's face was lined with hunger; he seemed almost to have grown thinner. He shimmered with a horrible eagerness. "I see him," Jessa said softly.
"Then how can you offer him our blood? I am an herb-witch, and I could kill with a single drop of it. What could a demon do with blood?"
"I will taste your soul," the demon whispered.
Gregoor said, "I will not give that thing my blood."
"Then we will fight it here and now. It is your choice, Gregoor. I understand your uneasiness and I will abide by your decision."
He shifted in his saddle, hand stroking his sword hilt.
"Fight me, wizard. I will have your blood one way or another."
"No," Gregoor suddenly said. "I will give what is asked."
Jessa held out the bloody shard. The demon reached for it, and she covered it with her hand. "Swear, demon. Swear by Verm and Loth."
"Let the wizard draw blood first."
Gregoor took off his gloves and drew his dagger. He nicked one finger, letting three drops of blood fall into the snow. "There is your blood." He wiped his dagger clean and applied pressure to the small wound.
Jessa said, "Make oath, demon."
"I swear by the birds of Loth and the hounds of Verm that I will not harm you by direct actions."
The demon grimaced, claws clicking like ice breaking, but he repeated it word perfect. Jessa handed over the ice shard with its cold blood. The demon took it delicately in his claws and licked it, daintily as a cat with cream. He licked it clean, but the ice did not melt. He chewed up the ice, crunching it with his teeth.
Then the demon knelt in the snow, all glittering in a shaft of light. He rolled his eyes at Gregoor and scooped up the bloody snow. Sucking sounds filled the forest, obscene and joyous. The snow did not melt at his touch, and he swallowed. He grinned and stood, stretching arms wide. "I will see you in your dreams." He vanished.
Gregoor said, "What does that mean?"
"We will relive this in our nightmares, with certain changes."
"Jessa, what have we done?"
"We have bargained with a demon. Did you think to come out of it untouched?"
He stared down at his gloved hands. "I don't know what I thought." He drew a deep shuddering breath and looked at her. "Let's go kill this bitch and get out of here."
Jessa smiled, her eyes full of a strange dark light. "Let us go hunting. May Magnus guide our strokes and strengthen our spells."
The village of Bardou lay in a small hollow, trusting to be hidden rather than protected by a stout wall. Perhaps a dozen houses huddled in the snow. There was activity near one end, people moving. A scream carried through the cold air. Two figures were left isolated in the snow as the rest backed away into the houses. A tall figure in red, fur-cloaked, stood alone before the two who had been cast out.
Gregoor said, "It would be better to wait until she is in the middle of her spell. We could catch her by surprise."
Jessa shook her head. "Enough have died in my place already. I cannot let these two die while I watch." She met Gregoor's eyes. The killing light had faded from her face, replaced by something he could not decipher. "By saving these people our plan falls apart."
"I know, but this is your choice, Jessa. I will abide by your decision."
Jessa smiled. "Perhaps I have been playing the mercenary too long." She kicked her horse into a gallop and Gregoor followed. The red-cloaked figure was chanting strange twisted words that slid along Jessa's mind and left a stain. Jessa called, "Hold, Cytherea, mother of Soldon."
The woman looked up, startled. Jessa glimpsed a pale face. As she rode closer, the woman stared at her with eyes the cold gray of good steel. There was no expression on Cytherea's face, only a blank waiting. Thin yellow hair blew in strands around a fox-lined hood. The reddish-brown fur made the face paler.
"You seek the earth-witch who killed your only son. Is that not true?"
There was no change in the pale eyes, but she nodded.
Gregoor had a potion open in his hand, waiting.
"Let these poor fools go; I am here."
Cytherea shook her head, slowly. Her voice was as flat and unemotional as her face. "You are a sorceress. Do not stand in my way, or I will destroy you."
Jessa rode her horse between the two huddled earth-witches and Cytherea. The first flicker of emotion passed those gray eyes: anger. Gregoor dismounted, staying off to one side.
"Do you remember the village of Threllkill?"
Cytherea frowned. "They killed my husband, and my son destroyed them for it."
"Your husband died of old age. Even sorcerers die, Cytherea."
"No," she said.
"Your son destroyed innocent people, but I survived. When I was grown, I hunted him down and I killed him."
Anger flared and turned the eyes a darker color, the color of storm clouds. "Get out of my way, little sorceress, or I will kill you as I slew the earth creatures that killed my son."
Jessa dismounted and pushed back her hood. Gregoor poured the potion upon the ground.
Suddenly, the world was cold; the cold that numbs bones and steals air from lungs. A glittering figure of ice appeared beside Cytherea; vague eyes and mouth appeared, but nothing more. The ice elemental whispered to the sorceress, "The man spilled a potion on the ground."
Cytherea blinked as if trying to focus on what was happening. "Demon, where are you? Jecktor?"
The demon appeared and bowed before her. "Kill them, Jecktor, get them from my sight."
The demon said, "I fear I cannot."
She turned on him, anger flashing sorcery like embers on the wind. "What?"
Jessa reached out to the earth where Gregoor's potion lay, pooling and still warm in the snow. She touched it with her earth-magic. There was the scent of green growing earth, strong and clean.
Cytherea turned back from the cowering demon. "What are you?"
Jessa said, "I am earth-witch."
The earth exploded upward, showering down dirt and rock. A figure stood full-grown from the ground. It was ten feet tall, roughly ma
n-shaped, formed of rich black earth and the redness of clay. One eye was a diamond, the other an emerald. It took a heavy step forward, and the ground moved.
The ice elemental grew like an ice fire and rushed over the earth elemental, shrieking like a banshee wind.
Cytherea screamed, "Then die, earth-witch!" She pointed her left hand and its ring at Jessa. A shriveling, killing magic flashed outward. Jessa staggered from its touch, but it washed past her as if she were a rock in a stream.
Cytherea stared at her. "No!" Again she raised the ring. The ground began to smoke and pop to either side of Jessa.
Cytherea turned to Gregoor. "Die!" He stood unmoved and unharmed. "What is happening here?"
"We are both already cursed. You cannot curse someone twice," Jessa said.
The sorceress shrieked and tore her cloak away. She stood, hair streaming in the wind, the emerald necklace sparkling in the cold light. She put a hand over the emerald and began to chant.
Encased in ice, the ice elemental moved forward, its movements stiff. Ice froze the earth, until the earth-giant moved in agony. The ice wind shrieked in triumph.
Jessa felt the power growing. She felt the pull of the enchantment. It called to her magic; it beckoned, a poisoned seduction. Her magic answered it, flaring and shredding on the winter wind. It drew off the magic she had absorbed. Jessa drew her sword and started forward, but she could not move against the necklace. It was sucking her dry.
A throwing knife blossomed in Cytherea's side. She shrieked and staggered.
Jessa saw Gregoor coming forward, another knife in his hand. She fell slowly to her knees in the snow.
Gregoor screamed, "Jessa!"
Cytherea had regained her control. She gestured and sorcery flared in her hands. Blue flame enveloped Gregoor.
There was a crackling thunder and the earth elemental burst free of the ice. Then it was suddenly running, shaking the ground as it came. Cytherea was forced to turn her attention to the earth-giant.
Gregoor fell face down into the snow, unmoving.
Blue light and ice crawled over the earth elemental. Jessa felt it scream through the frozen ground. She began to crawl toward Cytherea, naked sword dragging over the snow.
Cytherea was bathed in blue flame; she crackled and seemed to glow. Jessa was almost close enough to touch her skirts. Stray bits of power crawled along Jessa's skin, burning with cold fire. She staggered to her feet, sword held two-handed for an upward thrust.
The ice elemental hissed, "Behind you, mistress."
It was too late. The steel bit into Cytherea's back; the blue fire shredded and vanished. Jessa shoved the blade upward, seeking her heart. Cytherea shrieked, but she would not die. She put a hand on the emerald necklace and Jessa felt the power begin to grow.