REVILED

Meridith sat in a plush chair with her hands clasped in her lap. She took several deep, slow breaths as she dived into her memories. Anger started to burn within her as she remembered the night Geran forced himself on her. She remembered her foot striking his face and coming back warm with his blood. Despite the struggle of getting him outside, she felt a twisted sense of satisfaction as she remembered Reviled’s tongue piercing his skill.

“Ignite Flame,” Meridith said, and she felt warmth wash over.

Meridith opened her eyes and stared at the floating ball of fire in front of her. It’s red and orange color was dim, and it flickered as she struggled to maintain the flow of magic. It wasn’t anything impressive, but she couldn’t stop the feeling of accomplishment. However, the flame instantly vanished.

“Not bad for your first spell,” the old witch Esmeral said, “However, you’re focus could still use some work. You must maintain the flow of mana to the spell even if you are expressing another emotion.”

Meridith nodded, “Do you have any advice you can give me?”

Emeral stroked her chin, “Try picturing your emotions as threads that tie the appropriate mana to the spell,” she said, “Whenever you’re changing emotions you connect a new string to the spell while cutting off the old one.”

“I see,” Meridith smiled.

“Honestly child, each witch has their own method for casting spells, that’s why I called it an artform,” Esmeral sat next to her, “I can teach you the basics, but you must make it your own. The question you should be asking yourself is what kind of witch do you want to be.”

“I… don’t understand,”

“When a witch comes into her own, she is given a moniker,” Esmeral chuckled, “I used to be known as the Witch of Seduction, but many also called me the Enchantress.” Esmeral laughed harder at Meridith’s grimace, “I’ll have you know I used to be an amazing beauty.”

Esmeral snapped her fingers, and an illusion stood before them. It showed a woman who was slightly shorter than Meridith, but the woman’s beauty was on a different level. Her sun kissed skin and ebony black hair made her exotic with her sky-blue eyes. Her clothing consisted of a silk brassier that barely covered her chest, and a sash around her waist that only covered her nether regions.

Meridith looked skeptical to the old witch, “That was you?”

“I wasn’t always an old hag,” Esmeral looked fondly at the illusion, “I come from a small nation to the east, on the southern edge of the Shek’ Syra desert. It’s the only nation that welcomes witches since the queen herself is one.”

“How’d you end up here?” Meridith said quietly.

“Witches aren’t welcomed in this world,” Esmeral sighed, “To keep the other nations from fearing us, it’s expected for witches to go on expeditions and create their own covens. Of course, the nation openly welcomes the young for training and the elderly for teaching, and to keep the population well maintained, the men are… lavished with affection.”

“Wait… are you talking about Quza?” Meridith gasped, “I thought that was just a rumor!”

Esmeral smiled slyly, “Well, they may be exaggerated,” she chuckled, “However, Quza needs men for hard labor, so we try to incentive them to stay, and of course, these rumors help weed out the weak from the strong. If we’re going to debase ourselves for men, it should be the ones who can strengthen our nation, right?” she turned back to the illusion, “However, I wanted to explore the world, so I traveled. When I was young, I was… painfully naïve.’

“How so?”

“I wanted to use my magic to help women fall in love,” Esmeral’s smile turned sad, “It started with love potions, and perfumes to help them capture their intended’s heart, but… they soon started coming to me for other reasons. Because they used tricks, they started questioning their lovers commitments, so they had me test their loyalty, and they all failed. Time and time again, I was driven away because the very women who used me were angry when I seduced their lovers at their request,” Esmeral gave Meridith a stern look, “That’s why you should truly think about how you want to use your magic.”

Meridith nodded, “I’ll definitely give it some thought,” she said standing up, “It’s getting late. I’ll be back tomorrow."

Meridith stepped out of the room and into the witch’s store front. Esmeral’s granddaughters manned the shop and lined the shelves with potions and cosmetics. In one corner were plush animal dolls in a wooden basket. Meridith stopped to admire a glass bottle of lavender scented perfume before leaving.

“Thank you for visiting,” Esmeral’s granddaughters addressed her.

Meridith moved through the streets of the middle city. The other citizens were finishing up their day but did not want to go home yet. The lamplighters were out igniting the lamps as the sun slowly disappeared. Meridith stepped to the side of the road as a group of guards went by. Rage and fear warred in her as she stared down to the ground and clenched her hands. When they disappeared, Meridith continued down the road.

She entered the lower city. A week had gone by since Priscilla had visited, but she had sent a message through Kogna about getting the mercenary group outfitted as quickly as possible. Danien hadn’t responded well to the idea of being pseudo-knights, but Reviled had put those thoughts to rest when he branded the thug. Danien and his men were doing a decent job in suppressing the weaker gangs and keeping the main street safe. A clatter to the side drew her attention.

Several guards stepped out of the alley, and Meridith ducked into a side street to hide. Despite the darkened sky, there was still enough light to see their faces. A sneer came to her face. Meridith recognized them from the night that Maelon visited the tavern, and she watched as they moved down the street out of the lower city. She stepped out of the side street, but the cries that came from the alley stopped her. She gasped when she stepped into the alley.

A woman laid on the floor with torn cloths. The darkness obscured most of her, but the stench made it clear what happened. When Meridith kneeled to inspect the woman, she noticed the bronze coins scattered on the ground.

“Do you need help?” Meridith whispered.

“N-no, I’m fine,” the woman sniffled as she gathered the coins, “My last clients were a little aggressive is all.”

“You’re independent,” Meridith sighed, “Come with me, I know a place where you can get cleaned up.” The prostitute slowly rose to her feet as she clutched the few coins the guards had given her.

Meridith led the woman down the street with a comforting arm around her. The prostitute’s glazed eyes stayed straight ahead as she desperately tried hold back the tears. The warm light of the tavern welcomed them, and Meridith led her in through the back. Pain gripped her heart when she noticed that the prostitute was practically a girl, and the blood leaking down her legs.

“Lady Meridith, what happened?” Yula ran up to them.

“I found this poor girl in the street,” Meridith gently brushed the girl’s hair, “Could you sneak her upstairs please. And get a bath ready along with some clothes.”

“Right away,” Yula took the girl in a motherly embraced, and the prostitute started bawling, “There, there dear,” Yula whispered, “You’re safe here.” Meridith fought back tears as she watched Yula take the girl upstairs.

“Poor child,” Meridith wiped the tears from her eyes as Ada approached, “Is she independent?”

“Yes,” Meridith cleared her throat, “I found her in an alley after some guards…” she covered her mouth trying to hold back from vomiting. The memories of that night surfaced, and she could feel Maelon’s hands running along her body.

Ada took her in an embrace, “I’m sorry,” she whispered into her ear.

“For… what,” Meridith choked out a sob.

“For letting me go home early that night,” Ada sighed, “If I had stayed, then I could have saved you the horror of that night.”

Horror dawned on Meridith, “Then Maelon would have…”

Ada placed a finger on Meridith’s lips, “I’m a prostitute,” she smiled sadly, “I’m used to my partners being… rough,” she released a broken chuckle, “Besides, it’s not like I’m worth sacrificing yourself for anyway.”

“You’re wrong!” Meridith snapped returning the hug, “I would have sacrificed myself for you as well. You have a brother who loves you, and Oria is your best friend. Mina sees you as an older sister, and I know Kogna is fond of you too. You’re important to us.” The tears freely flowed down her cheeks.

“Thank you,” Ada cried, “It’s nice to know that there is someone who would feel sorrow for my suffering. It reminds me that I’m not alone.”

Meridith chuckled as she wiped away the tears, “As the master like to say, a city is not made of a single building.”

“What does that even mean?” Ada laughed along with her.

“I think it means that we need to support each other,” Meridith shook her head. “Ada, do you want to go shopping with me tomorrow? We can do it before my lessons.”

“I’d love to,”

Meridith stood in the center of an empty room in Esmeral’s shop with a clay mannequin standing in front of her. She held her hands up and stared at the opening in her hands, and she watched the mana flowing around aimlessly. She remembered that night with the prostitute, and she felt sorrow, anger, and fear all over again. The emotions took on the form of spectral hands, Reviled’s hands, and she imaged them grasping the currents of natural mana and pulled them into her hands. The clawed hands tied the currents together and wound it into a ball.

“Ignite Flame,” Meridith pictured the ball bursting into ghostly blue and white fire. She smiled when a ball of fire appeared. Meridith threw the fireball, and it splashed against clay doll, leaving a small burnt mark.

“Well done,” Esmeral nodded with satisfaction, “You’ve improved greatly over this last week.”

“I’ve only learned one spell,” Meridith laughed, but yelped when the old woman smacked her with her cane.

“One spell is still a spell,” Esmeral scoffed, “Back in Quza, I’ve seen it take children months before they can use a spell,” she smiled, “So, what drove you?”

Meridith rubbed her head, “What do you mean?”

“What’s your motivation?" Esmeral sighed, “This kind of growth is seen when someone finds a reason to get better. So, what kind of witch do you want to be?”

Meridith stared at the floor, “Several days ago, I… came upon a young woman,” she said quietly, “She was assaulted by city guards, and I… couldn’t do anything. I want to use my magic for them. To let them know that someone out there feels sorrow for them.”

Esmeral squinted with a frown, “Is this for them, or you,”

“Of course it’s for them!” Meridith snapped, “She was the one who suffered, not me.”

Esmeral sighed deeply, “Be careful with your motivations,” she said, “Using your magic for others can sometimes be more trouble than it’s worth. What happened to the girl?”

“I convinced master Legion to hire her,” Meridith took several deep breaths, “I suggested we train her to be a clerk for his new mercenary guild.”

“I’ve heard about that,” Esmeral smirked, “He’s coming into the role of King rather well. However, I've seen storms on the horizon.”

“What do you mean?”

“There is an agent of Shecoga in the city, although I don’t know who,” Esmeral’s smirk turned dark, “The Virtue of Mercy has set her sights on your master, and she plans to stop him. Come, I have something for you.” Meridith followed Esmeral into the next room, and the elderly woman pulled out a thick leather-bound book a chest. “This is my spell book, take it.”

“Why are you giving this to me?”

“Because I’m leaving by the end of the month,” Esmeral said seriously, “I’m getting my granddaughters out of this city before tragedy happens. However, I’ll still train you until we leave.”

“You’re leaving!” Meridith gasped, “But what about your shop?”

“Your master is free to buy it,” Esmeral laughed, “I will not subject my granddaughters to war between gods, and honestly, I hope your master wins. We witches have no love for the Virtues and their church,” Esmeral patted the book, “All my accumulated knowledge is here. If you study it daily, then you should be able to do everything we can.”

Meridith groaned as she picked the book up, “Thank you, I should get this back to the tavern.”

“Here,” Esmeral placed a hand on the book, and it became lighter to carry, “That spell should last until you get back.”

“Thanks,” Meridith smiled as she left.

She left the shop and quickly made her way back to the tavern. There was still plenty of light left, so she was able to get home before the sun set. Yula, Ada and the girls were cleaning up and finishing the last-minute preparations before the customers arrived. She slipped upstairs to her room and laid the book onto her desk.

She started flipping through the pages and was amazed at the wealth of knowledge on each page. Hexes, illusions, charms, and evocations spells were organized neatly in their own section of the book. There was even a section dedicated to alchemy which would prove useful in taking over Esmeral’s shop. Meridith found a spell in the illusion section that interested her.

Excitement surged through her, and she imagined Reviled’s hand overlaid over her own. She grasped a single current of natural mana and ran a hand through her hair. A large smile came to her lips as her dark red hair turned stark white. She couldn’t stop the laugh from escaping as she examined her reflection.

She quickly dressed in her new pale blue dress. The gown hung off her shoulders showing her off her cleavage, and the ruffled sleeves ended at the elbow. She pinned her hair up into a bun and placed the large, wide-brimmed sun hat that matched her dress on her head.

Meridith stepped into the kitchen, “I need to run an errand,” she said as the girls gawked at her appearance, “If the master asks for me, please tell him that I’m busy.” She left the tavern before they could say anything.

Meridith’s heart pounded in her chest as night quickly fell. The excitement took on the form of Reviled’s clawed hands, and they lovingly drifted at her side, grabbing at every current of mana they could. She imagined the hands wrapping her in the currents. A thick fog enveloped her, and she sneered since it was too thick to see through. She wandered aimlessly through the darkened streets until she heard the clanking of armor, and she quickly headed in the direction of the sound.

Meridith heard the clanking get louder, and it was accompanied by the sounds of a woman moaning. Infuriated by the thick fog, she released a few flows of mana. It thinned out the fog, and she snarled at the sight in front of her.

The moon provided enough light to show one guard standing at the edge of the alley keeping watch. In the alley, she could see the silhouettes of three people. She couldn’t see what was happening but the sounds coming from the shadows told her enough.

“Hurry up,” the guard standing watched snapped.

“You’ll get your turn,” a voice came from the shadows, “We’re breaking this one end for you.”

“We wouldn’t need to hurry up, if there were more whores on the street,” another voice growled, “But it seems all the independents are finding work somewhere else.” Choking sounds followed moans of pleasure, and a guard stepped out, “You’re next,” he said fixing his britches.

Anger burned through Meridith. Memories of that terrible night echoed in her ears. She remembered the men’s howling, and Maelon’s groans. The feeling of powerlessness crept up behind her, and for a moment, she doubted herself. That is, until she saw the ghostly hands floating at her sides. Meridith reached out and intertwined her fingers in the ghostly image.

Meridith rekindled the anger in her chest as she watched the guards swap places. She summoned more ghostly images of Reviled’s hands, and each grabbed a separate stream of mana.

“Ignite Flame,” Six ghostly flames erupted around her.

The guard noticed and tried looking at her from across the street. He took a step forward and she threw one of the fireballs at him. It shot through the air but struck the building behind him.

“Fuck, we’re under attack!” The guard shouted as he drew his sword.

“Shit,” Meridith snarled as the spectral hand grabbed another current.

The guard ran towards her, and Meridith ran down the street. She peaked over her shoulder and watched as the other two guards stepped out of the alley. They followed slowly as they fixed their pants. At least the girl is safe.

Meridith turned into another alley. The six flames provided enough light for her to see, and she turned a corner. She had one of the hands stay by the edge as she stepped away from it. The guard shouted as he slashed at the air, the pale light showing his vicious smile turn to confusion when his sword struck the wooden wall. With her own twisted smile, Meridith ordered the flame to fly into the guard’s face.

“Burn,” She sneered as she imagined the tears the girl, they assaulted, cried, “Burn,” Her sneer turned upwards as she remembered the girl she had taken in, “Burn!” Meridith cackled as the images of the girls disappeared and were replaced with image of Maelon.

The small fireball erupted into a blazing inferno that engulfed the guard whole, and he screamed in agony as he ran away. Meridith couldn’t stop herself, she chased after the guard, cackling all the way. The burning guard barely made it out of the alley before he fell to the ground. With a final gasp, he reached out to his two companions. The two guards shook as she stepped out of the alley, and the light from the flames illuminated their stained pants. They looked at their fallen companion and then ran away.

Meridith watched the two guards disappear. Her laughter slowly faded into sobs, and she wiped her eyes. She extinguished the flames as she headed back up the street. The prostitute stumbled out of the alley with bruises along her arms and legs. Tears ran down the whore’s cheeks as she held her jaw.

The prostitute stared at Meridith in fear, but she held up a hand, “It’s alright,” she said quietly, “I’m not going to hurt you,” Meridith swallowed when she saw how young the girl was, “It’s over now.” She gently hugged the girl. The prostitute started crying into her shoulder as she comforted her, “They won’t hurt you ever again.” Meridith couldn’t stop her own tears from escaping.