Chapter Chapter Five

Liza runs long after the rain has stopped. I’m somewhat aware to where we are. We’re still heading north, but more in the center of the country. We’re heading more northeast right now. We’re about ten miles from my birth city. Time to look into the reason I am here.

The city in which I was born is called Emera. It’s located in a quiet village on a sloped section of a mountain range. A small river runs through the town, feeding into a lake that collects enough to overflow into a waterfall down below. During the wet months most of the villagers will head to the side of the waterfall and collect fish that pool out from the lake. The village is very fertile. I do not see a hint of anything dead nearby or signs of struggle.

I enter the village that is mostly made of wooden buildings, but there are some made from brick. The ground is green but there is a worn path from people as they come through. No one pays me any mind since travelers are very common here. There is a legend that Lake Vi has the power to heal one of illness.

I head through the town as people talk and shop. Some are cleaning since it’s officially the end of the Warming Festival. The decorations and food offerings look days old so it’s likely a couple days after the festival ended. I wasn’t unconscious for too long, but I’d love to get an exact number.

Once out of the town, I head towards the base of the mountain. There rests a red barn. It is known in this village for wolfed foxes running around. They love the small game that the lake brings, and the deer that come down from the mountain on cold nights. Just after the barn, under a little willow tree, I was born.

I walk over to the spot I was born and find evidence of a reanimation spell. There is a black circle, as this is where all life was drained. The circle is bigger than I anticipated, so Gstalt must have fed on nearby life to power his energy. That spell from earlier was easier to deflect than I thought.

There is blood that will never be washed away in the center of the circle. That is where he performed the sacrifice. The blood is collected into one spot, not spattered. Interesting. The person who performed the sacrifice must have used a draining spell to kill themselves. The only benefit of this, is that the person who is powering the ritual wouldn’t be able to harvest the magic from the sacrificed party. They didn’t want to power Gstalt. Then again, he doesn’t have enough power to drain someone of their power. I do, however. That might be another reason he called me back. To give him back his power so he can steal others. Then why did he try to kill me earlier? Maybe he didn’t know it was me?

I reach in and touch the blood. It comes back wet, so it’s still less than two weeks old. It’ll become something gelatinous after two weeks. After a month, it’ll be completely dried. Using blood caused from a draining spell is useless as there is no magical or life properties, so people will leave it alone. The fact that I’m touching the blood of one of my biological parents is horrifying, even though I’ve never met them. They had to have placed their magic into someone though, in order for the spell to be complete, but who? Evidence suggests it was not given to Gstalt.

Reanimation spells can take days to complete, which is why the caster is required to have tremendous amounts of strength. The caster usually suffers a lot of psychological damage and is drained of some of their magic-for tribute-as well. It’s impossible for all parties in a reanimation spell to walk away unscathed. Usually for the revived party, it’s the loss of a loved one. The revived party will also suffer nightmares but is otherwise fine.

I sit cross-legged at the site and touch the dead earth. I picture a window frame being restored from a battle. When I open my eyes, I see the scene that had happened here being restored; and playing out in front of me. The scene that is being recreated is the one of my reanimation:

Why is she looking behind her?

I shudder at the sound of his voice.

I roll my eyes. This woman is either stupid or naïve. I’m one hundred percent sure that Gstalt will kill me the moment he gets his magic back. Then again, having me watch him rule for centuries will be worse than purgatory Influence? Who could get close enough for Gstalt to trust? He hasn’t trusted anyone since Lee. Even then, that took years. Lee was the one that stabbed both of us in the back. More Gstalt than me it appears.

Gstalt must be weak if he is using words. The stronger of the Demigods can use our minds and picture the outcome we want, or a scene similar to what we want. Those who use words have to use it as a locking mechanism in order to keep the spell active.

The scene ends then. Interesting, but I’m still not buying the full reason they gave my mother. I need to find more answers. From that I can find what direction I need to go. If Gstalt does have help, and it’s from a man with power, I’m going to need some help. However, I know where to start for answers. I’m going to find the Wind God that interfered with the reanimation process.

I stand up and Ambra gives a warning shriek. I turn my head and prepare for the worst. Gstalt would know I’d come here, but there wasn’t a way to avoid it, shy of asking him directly. If it is Gstalt, I don’t think Ambra would have let them get this close.

A man walks towards me with his hands above his head. I recognize him. He is the same man that is tracking me. His name is Alaric. If I recall correctly, he’s the one working for Gstalt. His little companion, Arin, is a few feet behind him.

“If you want to keep your limbs intact, I would stay where you are.” I warn as I brush off my pants legs.

“I really don’t mean you any harm.” Alaric says quickly.

“A brain-dead fly would be smarter than me to believe that, when one works with Gstalt.” I grab my bag from the ground and sling it on my shoulder. “I’ll be leaving. Try to stop me, and you won’t live to face the consequences.”

Alaric steps to the side, but Arin steps next to Liza. Ambra takes a bite at him, forcing him to move. Arin speaks. “Please, we just want to talk to you. We saved your life. You at least owe us a conversation.”

“We’ve already had one, no matter how brief. Now I’ve really got to get going, or your boss is going to be here soon.” I can already sense him. He’s likely at the edge of the mountain.

Arin grabs my arm, causing Ambra to bite him in response. “Ouch! What is up with your bird?”

I toss my hair over my shoulder. “Ask your question. You’ve got three minutes.” It’s better to just talk with them than argue. Wastes less time.

Arin speaks quickly. “How did you do that? Defeat Gstalt like that I mean?”

“My power is stronger than his. Now I really must be going.” I go to get on top of Liza, but Arin stops me, resulting in another bite from Ambra.

“Son of a-“ He hisses as he sucks at his wound. “Why can’t you just kill him right now then?”

I roll my eyes. “You’re either young or stupid. Gstalt’s power is black magic. Darkness is incredibly unpredictable. He’s strong enough that that fact gives him a huge edge. He also has several magical backups. Gstalt can also drain power from life itself. Only a fool takes him on alone.”

His eyes widen. “How do you know all of this?”

I give him an incredulous look. “Do you even know who I am?”

They both shake their heads. “No ma’am.”

I sigh. “Look, I’ve really got to go. I have more clues to figure out. My name is Callia. Ask an elder in almost any village and they’ll tell you about me.”

“Why an elder?” Alaric demands.

I chuckle as I swing onto Liza. “I’ve been dead for a hundred years. Not many regular people are from then.” I urge Liza into a gallop as they stare at me opened mouthed.