Curselock

Chapter 106: Harbinger

In an above ground graveyard of scorpions, Leland reeled at Melody, the Legacy of Nature.

“What was that!” he screeched. “Just alert the whole nest to us! That won’t be a problem!”

Murmuring to herself, she simply ignored Leland and instead focused on the single yellow Crystalline Scorpion. If she didn’t know better, she’d have said the crystals that made up the monster’s body were citrine or yellow garnet. But she did know better. In fact, she knew of every variant of scorpion this region held. And yellow quartz was not one of them.

Melody pointed at the corpse in question. “That is what I drew out. Now I have confirmed my Lord’s query.”

“And almost got us killed in the process!” Leland continued, his voice hushed but still quite angry. “Glenny was injured because of your actions!”

The gentle green glow of Touch of Regeneration echoed lightly through Glenny’s bare skin. The puncture wound had already closed, but a decent amount of venom remained. Leland’s healing spell counteracted the venom’s effect, however, resulting not in paralyzed muscles but rather just a dull numbing.

Melody blinked slowly at Leland, obviously uncaring. “Next time I will inform you of my doings before I do them.”

Leland could strangle this woman, but a subtle head shake from Glenny cut his irritation like a slice of bread. The battle honestly went great, except that Glenny had been hit by a stinger. There was something to say about trusting one another to the point of covering each other in the heat of battle, which each boy did without question.

“What’s with the yellow one?” Jude asked.

Melody craned her neck from looking at the ceiling to the darkness of the tunnel ahead and then to Jude. “An enemy approaches. It is far, but more powerful than what we have faced so far. I suggest we complete our tasks before the inevitable battle.”

Leland swallowed down a snarky retort. “What about the yellow crystals? Why is that special?”

“Evidence of a plague. Or corruption, depending on who you ask in my Lord’s enclave.”

The group got moving, deeper into the tunnels. Glenny asked, “Corruption of what? Scorpions?”

“Yes, although the monsters of this nest are only a precursor of what is to come. That is, if we do not remove the seed of corruption before the ecosystem falls.”

“And this seed, you think you can remove it?”

“Yes,” Melody answered plainly.

“What is it we are actually looking for?” Leland asked.

“A seed.”

Pushing his teeth together stifling a growl, he continued, “What does this seed look like?”

“A lighthouse.”

Jude was the only one not fully annoyed by the odd Legacy of Nature. “How does a lighthouse get into a scorpion nest? Aren’t those, like, huge?”

“The scorpions most likely did not know what they dragged into their home,” Melody said.

“These scorpions must be rather strong if they can move an entire lighthouseunderground,” Glenny spat.

Melody turned on the rogue, looking at him like he was an idiot. “It is not a real lighthouse. Don’t be absurd.”

“Right, Glenny,” Leland said, mocking their guide. “Don’t be absurd.”

“So if it’s not a real lighthouse, then what is it?” Jude asked.

“A magical construct, one left behind by an agent of chaos,” Melody said.

“Agent of chaos? Like a Witch?”

“Worse, a follower.”

Leland suddenly felt his stomach drop. “You mean a Legacy of a vile Lord.”

“Correct,” Melody said.

Jude and Glenny suddenly found themselves making the same face as Leland – crude, anxiety filled anguish. There were not many stories their parents, as Royal Inquisitors, would not share of their adventures. They removed key details of some stories, like the carnage after a battle or the effects of terrible drugs. But the simple story of going to a town or city, investigating some problem, and saving the day by arresting or killing hardened criminals, were always told to the boys when they asked.

Stories about their parents' dealings with vile Lords and their envoys were, however, strictly censured. It wasn’t out of fear that the contents of such a case would haunt the boys, but rather the cost of knowing was simply too high. The Queen had placed certain restrictions on her Inquisitors, marking them with heavily potent magical bindings – specifically for the topics of vile Lords.

There was little general information that the Queen sought to withhold from the public eye besides a few names and the list of restricted Legacies and their accompanying tattoos.

“A-are you sure?” Leland finally asked.

“Yes, the yellow crystal was corruption from the Lucent Lord, otherwise known as the—”

“Light Architect,” Glenny supplied.

“Correct,” Melody affirmed.

Leland stumbled on his next step. “But why does the Light Architect want this place? He can’t be hurting for wool, can he?”

“A Lord’s will goes far beyond that of a simple wool farm,” Melody said with a slight smile. “No, the Lucent Lord has no care for the land itself, but rather bringing more of his minions into this dimension.”

“The yellow scorpion is a—”

“The first generation of an agent of chaos, yes. A Harbinger, as they are properly called.”

Leland went still at the title. His curse, Harbinger Halo… did that have something to do with chaos? Did that make him an agent for the Lord of Curses? Just what—

“Quiet!” Melody suddenly screamed through her teeth. “Nobody move!”

The group had just turned the corner of a branching tunnel and stopped just before a sudden drop off. Looking down, the soft freshly moved soil stopped and hard stone began. The chittering movement of dozens of scorpions blazed in the lowlight, moving through the opening like people at a crowded market.

But whereas humans don’t crawl over each other, the scorpions did everything in their power to not touch the floor.

Melody sent her glowing orb slightly closer in, illuminating the area enough to see the slight yellow glint of a pool of magical liquid. Yellow water dripped from further down the hole, trickling in like a dammed creek made of lava. The scorpions actively fought each other not to stand in the liquid.

The weaker ones screeched with horrible hisses and deathly calls, the yellow liquid searing their exoskeletons while the corruption slowly made its way into their mind and bodies.

“That’s horrible,” Leland whispered.

“Indeed,” Melody said, pulling out her compass. “And exactly why I was tasked with coming here. Are we ready to bask in the glory of defending this land from the poison of a vile Lord?”

“Leland,” Jude said, taking up arms. “This quest might not have been worth a simple healing spell.”

Leland dipped his head in agreement.

Isobel had not felt her heart pumping this fast in years. She moved through the mountains at her top speed, rushing along the gravel paths in wide strides. She chased a set of tracks, a set that had been hastily covered up. With her Legacy abilities, however, she was able to follow her senses.

Four sets, each different depths, sizes, and distances from one another. She recognized the three oldest tracks, those she had been following for months at this point. But the new set was her true target. If she came upon the nephew before meeting the boys, she’d kill him before anyone knew. That was the protocol for a vile Legacy, even if the person in question wasn’t a Witch yet.

The boys were too young to be in this situation, she decided. They’d most likely fight a few Harbingers in their lifetimes, but not yet. Not if they didn’t have to.

Luckily the Legacies of the Toy Maker were weak physically. They were creatures of mischief and malice, tricksters that sent their puppets to do their bidding. Cowards, in other words. Double luckily, the Huntress trusted Leland, the smart and cynical one, to see through the trick.

Or that was what she told herself.

In all honesty, she hadn’t seen through the nephew’s puppet. Not until it was too late, at least. But still, there could only be hope on a cold, frozen mountain. She’d survived this long due to similar lines of thought, they were how she’d become who she was.

After the deaths of her family, after the deaths of all those she cared about, hope was the only thing that kept her going. Hope in the darkest of cities, hope in the soon-to-be leaders of the world, hope in the next generation of Inquisitors, hope in three young men.

That, and the unbridled need to take revenge on the criminal scum who took her d—

The Huntress’ thoughts swayed her, causing her to miss a simple step. She never slowed, however, her body reacting to her momentary hesitation with raw guilt. Emotions were a powerful thing, sometimes even taking on physical form. Her missed step was fixed with palpable correction. It was only a hint, only a glance into the future of the next step in her power – the next Legacy ranks.

She would not fall here, she would not slow here, she would not stop here.

A strong mantra, but one that was every bit as complex as it was simple.