Bone Priestess, page 9
Tillie huffed and tailed the construct as it headed for Cadence. She held out the dagger, and when she had stepped in just close enough, she made a tiny cut and watched the stitching come loose along the monster’s back. She cut again and its entire left side started separating from its right. The mess of organs inside spilled out and Tillie retched.
It turned around to address her, and she nicked at the stitches around its neck. It went to swing, and the arm came completely detached. The final strings snapped with its weight and the arm fell to the ground.
Cadence hadn’t noticed. She was pummeling Lord Deloren without mercy. She’d finally decided that there was no better way to take him down. He tried to fight back and then to shove away, but he was feeble and old. He lost his footing and fell just like his creation, and then Cadence was on top of him continuing her assault.
Tillie and Dane ran to her side.
“Cadence!” Tillie wanted to pull her away but was afraid to touch her. “Cadence, I think we did it. I think we’re okay!”
Cadence’s bloodied fist trembled, but she drew back. “The flesh construct?”
“It can’t move anymore,” Tillie told her. “The other thing… well, it’s just kind of slithering around over there. I don’t think we’re in danger.”
Lord Deloren groaned but made no words. His face was too battered for Cadence to see exactly where she had spit the skin.
“I admit, Lord Deloren, you had me worried.” She caught her breath. “Quite the parlor trick, shaking up all the bones down here. Had I been alone, you might have done me in.”
He grunted. “What comes now, Bone Priestess? What pitiful way will your Sanctum seek justice?”
“Justice for your crimes are not our jurisdiction, Lord Deloren. They are Botathora’s. You will see her directly for your punishment.”
It did not register with him immediately, but when it did, his eyes widened.
“Surely you don’t mean to kill me.”
“Our world must maintain its balance. Order and Disorder. Law and Chaos. Good and Bad. Unfortunately, Lord Deloren, there is no room in life’s perfect duality for the Forbidden.”
Cadence stood up and held her hand out, the silver ring on her index finger glowing white. The energy enveloped her hand, gathering like a brewing storm. Lord Deloren looked up at the thin electric wisps arcing through the air from her energy.
“A Crux Bolt, then?” he asked.
“The Death Goddess’s answer to those who cheat her rules.” Cadence narrowed her eyes. “A Crux Bolt.”
A ferocious crack vibrated through the air as a silver lightning bolt formed from the ring’s energy and struck Lord Deloren. His roar of pain echoed all through the catacombs as the magic tore through him. When it started to burn his skin to ash, Tillie turned away.
Cadence’s Crux Bolt left nothing behind of Lord Deloren but a grimy black smear on the ground. Any creature that had still been rustling—the mass of moving body parts and a handful of persistent corpses in the catacombs—stopped and fell, finally at rest.
Tillie looked around. “Is this finally over?”
Cadence nodded. “Looks to be so, Miss Boyce. Are you and Mister Sheltier alright?”
“I’d rather be somewhere that smelled better,” Dane said, “but all things considered, I feel quite well. Thanks for keeping an eye out for us, Lady Cadence.”
“I knew you two would do something stupid.”
“Yes, but look where it got us.” Tillie gestured to everything around them. “This is it. This is what that dumb little note of mine uncovered. Well, it’s what you uncovered.”
“We did it, Miss Boyce.” Cadence tucked stray wisps of hair behind her ear. “Together. But it turns out we were worried about the wrong grave warden. Brin Colt was Deloren’s supplier all along.”
“And now,” Dane handed Cadence the Minute Hand, “I get to say, ‘I told you so.’”
She inspected the sword’s sender design and shook her head. “Despicable that he could come by something like this. And what about you, Mister Sheltier? How did you become so capable? I did not expect you and Miss Boyce to come barreling through the undead so valiantly.”
“It’s just as I told you before,” he said. “It’s how I got the new grave warden job in the first place. Traveling three thousand miles, coming across the open plains of Central Siopenne, you face some things. Sometimes those things are undead, and you learn how to handle it. That’s all.”
“Thank you both for stepping in.” Cadence’s lips turned up into the tiniest grin. “Now help me get the dead together so that I may conduct a proper death ceremony. It worries me to know that Master Tano’s abilities can still reach them, but that is something I will just have to address later.”
“You’re going to go after the Tano Family?” Tillie asked.
“I must. And someday? I will.”
The sun was high in the sky on a brilliant summer afternoon in Riddenholm. The Silver Lady Cemetery was peaceful, filled only by the sounds of a child’s laughter. Rowan skipped between the headstones with two dandelions in his hair like antennae.
With a content sigh, Tillie relaxed on a blanket by Galen’s headstone. It had only been a month and a half since her run-in with the Bone Priestess, and already she was back in Riddenholm, visiting a place she usually only saw once a year. She looked at Galen’s engraving and smiled.
“Did you see me?” she asked. “I was impressive, wasn’t I? Didn’t think I’d ever be fighting against the undead like that. And to think Brin Colt had such a hand in all of it. The Sanctum saw him taken care of and sent someone out to ensure everyone buried here was done so properly. You’ve been well taken care of.”
A gentle breeze rustled the branches and swept through the long grasses. Tillie felt cozy and warm on the inside.
She saw Dane come out of the little white grave warden’s cabin and wave to Rowan. The boy skipped circles around him until Dane handed him a piece of paper-wrapped candy from his pocket.
He approached Tillie next with a friendly grin. “Are you going to stay in town for dinner?”
She sat up and couldn’t help but blush. “Depends. What’s on the menu?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I’m sure I could cook something up. Throw a bird over the hearth, maybe. I could get some of those swirly green things… what are they called?”
“Fiddleheads?” Tillie laughed. “You know how to cook fiddlehead ferns?”
“I’ll just throw them over the hearth, too.”
Tillie’s infectious giggles struck Dane, too.
“What?” he asked. “Are you making fun of me, Til?”
She managed words with a gasp of air. “I would never!”
They teased each other and laughed about nothing, none the wiser to Rowan rejoining them with a guest.
“Miss Boyce. Mister Sheltier.”
They gasped and looked up. Cadence de la Croix tipped her hat to them, a wry little grin spreading across her face. A basket hung from her elbow.
“Cadence!” Tillie jumped up to give her a hug. Cadence reciprocated by touching her cheek to the woman’s shoulder for just a second. “What brings you over?”
“I am merely here to check in with Mister Sheltier. Figured there was a chance I’d find you here, too, so I came with treats.”
“Treats?” Rowan’s face lit up.
“Yes, Mister Rowan. Would you like a peach?”
“Ma, can I have a peach?”
Tillie nodded. “Of course you can, Rowan.”
Cadence handed the boy a ripe, fuzzy peach. “Brought some bread, too. Mister Sheltier may have told me his big dinner plans ahead of time.”
“Wait, really? You’re having dinner with us?” Tillie couldn’t keep from clapping her hands together. “That’s wonderful!”
“Thought it was only right. Dane here has finished his first course at the Sanctum, and he passed with accolades.”
Dane led everyone into the cabin. A quaint table had been set up and covered in a patchwork tablecloth that was sewn together from various grain sacks. A bouquet of sunset-colored wildflowers filled a jar that sat in the center. Wooden plates, pewter cutlery, and stunning wine glasses were set for four. Rowan’s glass was already filled with juice.
Tillie’s gasp faded into a chuckle. “Dane! This looks beautiful. I had no idea you could do something like this!”
“Don’t give him all the credit.” Cadence set the basket on the table. “I donated the glasses. And commandeered a couple recipes, since neither of us knows how to cook. But everything else? All him.” She showed Rowan to his chair and then seated herself.
Dane’s hearth was occupied by two pots. Tillie followed him over and took a peek.
“Roast chicken, and a fiddlehead casserole? Dane, you’ve outdone yourself! I wish you had told me the big news so I could have helped, or at least brought the wine!”
“I wanted it to be a surprise.” His sparse collection of kitchen tools was laid out on a small countertop by the hearth. He picked up the knife and started carving the chicken. “I don’t really have anyone to surprise with good news these days. And Great Aunt Mattie couldn’t make the trip this time around.”
“We’ll get her over here next time!” Tillie smiled and helped him serve. “And if you really want a crowd, I’m sure my mother would join us, too.”
“I don’t know that my little cabin can handle that many people,” he laughed.
Dinner was served with fresh bread and local wine. Dane was excited to finally share his experiences at the Sanctum, making sure to let everyone at the table know that he had much more knowledge than his fellow students.
“Didn’t feel fair, really,” he said between sips of wine. “When it came time to prove I knew the material, it almost felt like I was showing off. Doesn’t help, either, when my classmates ask what position in the Sanctum I’m training for and I just tell them I’m trying to be a better trained grave warden.”
“So then, Dane,” Cadence paused, still uncomfortable with the informality of first names, “is it safe to say that you are prepared for your next course?”
“Absolutely!” He raised his glass. “The letter said the second course starts on the last day of summer. It’s nice that the Sanctum appointed someone to watch over the cemetery on the days I have to be in Beralin.”
Cadence chewed her food, fighting back a grin. “We wouldn’t want you to be stressed over the curriculum and your job.”
“Agreed! The students are all telling me that the instructor for the second course is a tough one.”
“They are correct. But let’s not fret about it, shall we?” Cadence raised her glass for a toast. “We should celebrate your success! There is time to worry about your course on the last day of summer, where I will expect to see you and your classmates at dawn.”
Dane started to raise his glass then stopped. “What was that?”
“Mister Sheltier, I am your second course instructor.” Cadence finally let the smile onto her face and beamed at them all. “You’d better be ready.”
* * *
The End
* * *
To see more of the world of Rosamar, start reading Nightwalker: Wish & Mercy!
About the Author
Northern California-based author AJ Gala writes dark fantasy stories set in the gritty, high-magic world of Rosamar.
* * *
If you enjoyed Bone Priestess, read more of AJ’s work set in Rosamar!
* * *
Nightwalker: Wish & Mercy is an epic-length read featuring forbidden romance, political intrigue, and the darkest creatures across the land.
US UK CA
* * *
Nightwalker: Curse & Whisper, the sequel, is due out in Summer 2020!
* * *
AJ Gala on Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AJGalawrites/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aj_gala/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aj_gala
Website: http://www.aj-gala.com
A J Gala, Bone Priestess
