"Of course! I must go see firsthand if he is gloating over my loss."
I penned a cordial reply, then took it to Atera. As she read my words, I told her that jealousy had turned me into an idiot. "I could never really doubt you," I said. "Forgive me."
Tears came to her beautiful eyes. She embraced me. Our reconciliation was long and satisfying.
The visit to Lord Romul accomplished everything I'd hoped for. He and his wife had arranged a magnificent meal, even hired some local musicians to play through the dinner. I tried to appear relaxed as I waited for some clue as to why the nobleman had become my enemy.
I discovered the cause after the meal, when he took me aside to speak to me privately. "Before your brother died, we had discussed the sale of your north fields that border my own grazing area. Since your livestock is so decimated and you have no interest in rebuilding the herd, I thought you might want to sell it to me," he explained.
Decimated livestock! Yes, he'd seen to that! "My father always said land is more precious than gold," I noted evenly.
He looked at me oddly. "So it is. But land is a tool like any other. It has to be used to be of any real value."
"I'll keep it," I responded, my tone convincing him I would not reconsider. "Now, if you don't mind, I think Atera and I should leave."
"I meant no offense, Sharven. I'm sorry if you misunderstood me."
"No offense was taken. It's just such a long ride back," I responded as pleasantly as I was able.
I hid my anger from Atera as well as I had from Lord Romul, venting it only when I was safely in Raven's chambers. "It's my land Romul wants," I told him.
Raven's long black robe brushed the floor as he paced. I'd never seen him so animated. "That's hardly a surprise. Now, we must determine what to do about his schemes."
We read well into the night. Eventually I suggested a plan so audacious that no one in Espar would ever suspect my hand in it I went to Atera and instructed her to send word to all our neighbors that we were holding a feast and wanted everyone to attend.
"Sharven, thank you!" she exclaimed and kissed me.
Atera penned invitations all evening and sent the servants out with them in the morning. Most of the estates sent immediate acceptances.
While Atera worked with the seamstresses, the cooks, and the house servants, Raven and I read through our remaining books, preparing everything I needed for my revenge. Now we are prepared, and the party is at hand.
I have written what I can. Later, after I have dealt with my foes and my woes are over, I will finish this account.
It is difficult now to write, though the memories of my carefully orchestrated vengeance still burn clearly in my mind. And though it will take some time for me to capture all the events on paper, I will do so____________________
The pigs and fowl for our feast were turning slowly on their spits when I knocked on Raven's door. Inside his room, with its scrolls and ancient tomes, its vials of herbs and exotic incense, I claimed the magic he had prepared.
I pocketed the love potion for Atera, then held out my hand for the other, darker magic we had discussed. He gave me a tiny blood-red egg, so light it seemed hollow. I looked doubtfully at it. "Are you certain?"
"Swallow it whole, as I instructed," he said. "The shell will dissolve inside of you, and the creature will merge with your body."
Now that I was actually going to eat the thing, I found myself more concerned about its nature. "What precisely is it?" I asked.
"A dark spirit summoned here from the nether-realms to do exactly what you requested: destroy your worst enemy."
"A dark spirit." What little I knew about supernatural creatures made me less certain I should go through with this.
"Your victim will feel his life slowly drained by a force he cannot see."
Exactly the sort of end for Romul that I'd demanded! I swallowed the egg with great care, then sat and waited.
For some minutes I felt nothing. However just as I was about to voice my disappointment, something lurched deep within me, and the terrible power of the creature I had consumed exploded in my body. I bellowed in an inhuman voice, then lifted a massive oak chair with my weak arm and flung it against the wall. The wood splintered. The pieces scattered. My sight became keener, my hearing painfully acute. A rage such as I had never felt before took hold of me. I, and the monster within me, were ready for the kill.
The potency of the dark spirit made me uneasy. "If anyone in Espar detects sorcery, I will be an outcast in my own land," I reminded Raven, astonished at the force and strange hollowness of my voice.
"When the creature is released, it will be visible to you only. Even Lord Romul will not see it, though he will certainly feel its effects. He is an old man. If he dies during the duel, no one will think it odd. And you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you have indeed killed your greatest enemy."
With difficulty, I softened my tone to a hoarse whisper. "And if my greatest enemy is someone else?" I asked.
"Do you suspect anyone else?" he asked with some concern.
I shook my head.
"Then look at me."
I did as he asked. In a moment he began the final chant, ending with, "I charge the spirit that dwells within this man-when this human shell is cut and your host's blood is spilled, you will be released. Seek out Lord Sharven's worst enemy. Enter that body and drain its life, but do not destroy the spirit. Instead let the ghost of Lord Sharven's foe walk these halls forever, an impotent observer of all that happens here. When your task is finished, depart this place and return to your own nightmarish abode."
I listened to the words with great satisfaction, for they gave voice to the essence of my revenge. For the rest of our days, Lord Romul's ghost would watch Atera and me together. I could think of no more fitting end for his treachery.
Once Raven had finished his spell, I practiced walking with my new strength. When I thought it safe, I took the potion to Atera.
I had never seen her look so magnificent. Her long thick hair was braided with multicolor scarves. The black bodice of her gown gave way to skirts of the same rainbow hues as in her hair. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation of the gathering.
The creature inside me raged, trying to escape my body -prompted not by anger, but by lust. Such was the beauty of my wife at that moment.
"Would you share some wine with me?" I asked her, my voice trembling as I fought to keep it soft.
"Sharven, you sound so strange. Are you all right? If you're ill we can-"
"No, not ill, just excited. After all, this is my first feast as head of the estate." I kept my back to her as I slipped the potion into her goblet, then poured our wine. I watched her carefully to be certain she drank it all.
By then, the first of our guests had arrived. I went down to join them, Atera walking joyfully at my side.
As we greeted our guests, the potion began to do its work. Atera's face flushed, and her voice grew high and sharp. "She's a bit anxious, but I think the wine did more than relax her," I confided to one of the guests. I heard him repeat the comment to his wife. Soon the entire room assumed Atera was already tipsy.
Lord Romul and Lady Laudrel were among the last to enter the hall. As Atera went to greet them, I hung back. I could not get too close, not with the beast inside me looking through my eyes at my enemy, demanding to be released.
Some time later, Atera and I took our places at the table's center. Lord Romul sat to Atera's right, then Lady Laudrel. After all her planning of the evening's feast, Atera only picked at the food. Her attention became, as the potion directed, fixed on Lord Romul. Soon she seemed openly infatuated. I pretended not to notice, not even when her hand disappeared from the table, resting no doubt in his lap. A few of the guests near us began to whisper to one another.
The farce could not continue much longer. I gave the signal and the music began. I asked Lady Laudrel to dance.