Chapter 13: Corpus Delicti (The Body of the Crime)

I self-edit and admit editing isn’t my greatest skill. I apologize in advance for anything I missed.

Corpus Delicti (Latin, “The body of the crime”)

A legal term meaning:

1. The corroborating evidence that shows a crime has been committed (other than a confession or an alleged accomplice’s statement)

2. A corpse.

3. The body of the victim.

Ethan did the only thing he could think of to avoid Kendra’s charge: he jumped to the side. Thankfully, his legs were as powerful as ever and he managed to get clear of her sword before he lost a limb.

Barely.

He hit the ground awkwardly but managed to roll into a standing position. It was a lot harder with his arms pinned to his sides by Kendra’s bolo. He was still healing his left arm and the wound wasn’t too severe anymore. But it wouldn’t matter because it was pinned anyway.

She skidded to a halt wearing a large smirk on her pretty face. She wasted no time in charging to close the distance again. Again, he jumped out of the way and came up breathing hard after fighting for so long.

“You look tired dragon.” She taunted. “Perhaps you should stop jumping around like a rabbit.”

“Sure, if you stop charging like a rhino.”

She gave him a confused look and then shook her head.

Then she changed her approach. She started walking toward him. Her legs were spread wider and she was crouching slightly so her center of gravity was lower. If he jumped again, she’d be ready to pounce on him instantly. He started backing up and called his hammer to his hand, having dropped it after her first charge.

It’s now or never. He thought to Alana and focused his will and mana into his hammer. He focused on making it positively charged, altering the electrical potential so it started sucking up electrons like a sponge. When they hit critical mass, he would release it as a bolt of lightning. Well, maybe more like a Taser or stun gun.

That was the hope anyway.

He waited as long as he dared, backing up as long as he could and allowing her get as close as possible before striking. He whipped his hammer at her as fast as he could. Unfortunately, with his arms still strapped to his chest that wasn’t very hard or fast.

She was ready.

She neatly sidestepped the hammer, using a downward angling block with the flat of her blade to ensure it missed. The moment the hammer touched her blade, he released his spell. He thought it would surge through her like a Taser.

He was wrong.

Her sword block had been angled down, with her blade’s tip pointing towards the ground. The electricity surged out of the hammer, down the blade, then arced through the air towards the earth. There was a loud crack, a bright flash and the smell of burning ozone. Kendra herself was completely unharmed.

Her eyes went wide.

A stunned silence fell over the crowd.

She looked at her sword for a moment, then dropped it like a hot potato or poisonous snake. She took several fearful steps away from it, staring at him wide-eyed with shock written all over her face.

“What sorcery is this?” She breathed.

He grinned. “It’s not sorcery; it’s science bitch!”

His hammer flew back into his hand and he quickly whipped it at her as hard as he could. She leapt out of the way like he had thrown a vat of acid. She rolled through her dive and came up ready, having picked up a discarded sword while rolling.

Ethan considered what had happened with his first electrical attack. He realized that her sword hilt was probably made of dry wood — an electrical insulator — so the electricity had chosen the easier path through the air instead. In order to hit her directly, he needed to make sure she was the easiest path between his hammer and the ground.

He called it back to his hand and gave it a flourish that was intended to intimidate the dragon huntress.

She seemed intimidated.

He started charging his hammer again, using all his willpower and mana to give it even more power.

Kendra was quickly recovering her shock and raised her sword to a ready position. She started closing on him cautiously. That suited him fine; he didn’t know how long he needed to get a really good charge. He didn’t think he’d get many shots at this, so they had to count.

Finally, Kendra lunged at him. He hopped backward out of her reach, then leapt as high as he possibly could, aiming to hit the apex of his jump when he was directly over her.

It worked.

Kendra aimed a slash at him as he sailed overhead, but he was just out of reach. She followed him with her eyes, and he waited until her missed sword strike had carried her blade out of a defensive position. When it had, he released the spell directly over the irate dragon huntress.

CRACK!

The electricity surged out of his hammer, arcing through the air with the characteristic sizzle of a true lightning bolt — though at a fraction of the power — and struck Kendra over the heart.

He landed and eyed her cautiously as she turned to look at him.

She clapped her hand over her heart.

Her mouth was open and it almost looked like she was gasping for air. It looked like she’d gotten the wind knocked out of her and couldn’t recover it. She stood there for a several seconds, staggering and apparently trying desperately to remain on her feet.

Then she fell to her knees.

Shock and pain were written all over her face as she gasped for air. Her hand was still clutched over her heart.

Her heart.

It clicked in Ethan’s mind. The bolt of electricity must’ve stopped her heart.

Kendra’s eyes went wide.

She fell backwards to the earth and lay completely still.

Her eyes were open but were unmoving, unblinking, and strangely vacant. The bolo that encircled Ethan’s torso — the one that she’d said would only release with her death or his — loosened and fell to the ground.

Her hand had fallen away from her heart as she had hit the ground, and he saw a zig-zag hole had appeared in her shirt. Underneath, he could see the slightly charred flesh where the bolt had struck, surrounded by pink, healthy skin. The scar was jagged and almost lightning shaped.

A lightning shaped scar...

That jogged something in his memory.

Gabriella had said he’d fight a deadly enemy and leave a lightning shaped scar over their heart. She’d also said he shouldn’t let that enemy die no matter what. She said it was an instruction from “her lord” and given that she looked like an angel...

He looked at Kendra’s dead body.

Well, not permanently dead; not just yet.

He knew CPR, so he could bring her back as long as there wasn’t any other damage. He just had to do it. Without Gabriella’s visit it probably wouldn’t have even occurred to him. He had struck with the intent to kill because she was intent on killing him.

It was self-defense. He was fully justified.

But still...

Kendra opened her eyes to discover the blinding pain she’d felt only moments before was completely gone. She felt perfectly fine ... except something was very wrong with her vision. The entire world around her was bathed in various shades of purple...

... And she was floating upwards.

She looked down to see her body lying there, slowly getting smaller as she drifted upwards.

Above her was a blinding light that — despite its brightness — felt gentle and pleasant on her eyes and skin. She was slowly floating toward it, a gentle pull making her feel safe, warm, and loved. It was a wonderful feeling. She savored it like she’d never felt it before, because she hadn’t.

It was incredible.

Could this be what having someone love you felt like? She didn’t know; she didn’t have anything to compare it to.

“No.” She whispered. “This can’t be the end.”

She felt a great weight settle over her that had nothing to do with her recent death. She knew no one would mourn her passing, except perhaps Falkaan. But that was only part of what was bothering her. She wasn’t sad that she’d died; she was sad that she’d never truly lived.

She felt regret.

Regret that she’d taken such a lonely path in life.

Regret at not knowing any true friends.

Regret that she’d never know love.

She looked down to see the dragon standing over her body. It had started to pace back and forth, casting furtive glances at her unmoving form. It seemed like the beast was conflicted and fighting an internal war with itself.

The crowd in The Arena was completely silent and sat unmoving, like they had all been collectively stunned with a stasis spell.

Movement below her caught her attention, and she saw the dragon leaning over her body. It appeared to have healed the wound on its arm because it put both its hands on her chest and pushed hard.

She felt nothing.

The dragon did this for several seconds, then leaned over her face. It almost looked like it was kissing her and she shuddered at the thought. She was glad she was dead, because she didn’t think she could live with the shame of having a dragon touch her like that. It started pressing on her chest again.

Then she felt a jerk.

Her slow rise upward halted, momentarily and she was forcefully jerked downwards several feet. After a moment, she resumed her slow upward ascent. The dragon continued whatever it was doing, then she felt another jerk; this one much stronger. It felt like she was being violently yanked down to the earth.

She plummeted towards her body. The moment she touched it, she blacked out.

Kendra woke with a start, coughing and spluttering as air rushed into her depleted lungs. She gulped huge mouthfuls of oxygen until she felt like she could breathe again, then looked up...

Into the eyes of the dragon.

It looked at her with cold fury softened only by frustration and annoyance. It wiped its mouth with the back of a clawed hand, then spat on the ground. She realized her own lips felt moist ... and they smelled like the dragon’s breath.

She clutched her stomach, then — realizing their lips had actually touched while she was dead — turned and vomited all over the ground. She would’ve killed him right there if she had any energy.

How DARE that beast touch her like that!

“Stay down.” The dragon growled as it leaned over her.

She didn’t have the strength to argue. She could barely move, let alone stand up. She wiped her mouth as thoroughly as she could.

“This isn’t over beast.” She spat once she’d gathered enough wind.

“I saved your life after you tried to kill me.” It held up two fingers. “Twice. You could be a little more grateful.” It said with derision in its voice.

She opened her mouth to retort when she realized that it was right. This bloodthirsty, disgusting beast had indeed saved her life. She had been dead. She was sure of it. Yet here she was, alive and mostly unhurt. The wound over her chest still burned badly and she felt completely exhausted, but otherwise she was perfectly fine.

Why?

Why would the beast do this?

It didn’t make sense.

“Ladies and gentlemen.” The Arena announcer’s magically magnified voice said with as much surprise as she felt. “It ... it appears the dragon has won. Therefore by the laws of Arcanum, he is ... I mean, his slave is cleared of all charges.”

The crowd didn’t react.

No one clapped.

No one cheered.

No one booed.

No one did anything.

After several moments, a single person began to slowly clap. It was a woman with flame-red hair that faded slowly to blond at the tips, making it look like her head was on fire. She was joined by a wood elf in a green dress, then a few other spectators in the seats. Moments later, the entire crowd was clapping and cheering like the dragon was a war hero who’d saved the land.

Then someone stood up.

The entire Arena audience followed suit, giving the dragon a standing ovation. Wild cheers broke out and jubilant fist pumps were seen all throughout the audience. They were ecstatic; they were cheering the victory of the dragon whose death they’d craved only minutes ago.

She felt like her brain had frozen with the strangeness of the last few minutes.

It had used lightning.

Lightning!

How was that possible?

No mage in the history of the Ten Kingdoms had ever created lightning before. It had never been done. Ever. Many believed it couldn’t be done. It was a common belief that lightning was the weapon of Illuminar Himself. That Illuminar — the Great God of Light — had created a weapon made of pure light so evil ones could never wield it.

Lightning struck faster than the eye could see and burned with a righteous intensity. It could smite trees in half and no one could foresee its coming. It was truly a weapon fit for the God of light.

How could a dragon — evil incarnate — wield a weapon made of pure light?

It didn’t make sense.

And there was the fact that she was alive. She had been dead, but now she was alive. It just wasn’t possible, except it happened. Why had the dragon brought her back?

How had it brought her back?

A death shaman could bring someone back, but only by draining the life-force and mana from one or more living beings, whose bodies were then reduced to dried, wasted husks. There weren’t any of these husks in The Arena, so it hadn’t used a death shaman’s spell.

Only Illuminar had the absolute power of life and death.

Only the Great God of Light could bring someone back from the dead without the life-draining spells of a death shaman. Some of Illuminar’s prophets did by using His power at His direction, but a dragon couldn’t be a prophet of Illuminar...

Could it?

The crowd certainly seemed to think it could. Their cheering went on for what seemed like forever. They heaped never-ending praise on this murderous dragon with shouts, whistles, and cheers.

Then she remembered: didn’t the Book of Light say that Saidow himself comes dressed as an angel of light? The dragon must be that; a demon of darkness masquerading as an angel of light.

There was no other explanation...

... was there?

But then, how could a servant of darkness wield a weapon of the light?

Eventually, the tumult of the crowd died down. The dragon wandered away toward the portcullis through which it had entered, leaving Kendra alone with her thoughts.

And alone she was.

Her mind drifted back to Luminar Kossel’s prediction. He predicted that someone would kill her, then save her life twice. He’d said that person would be the best chance she’d ever have of true friendship; of being able to truly trust someone.

The dragon had just killed her and then saved her life. Only once, but still...

Kossel couldn’t have meant...

No.

No, it wasn’t possible.

Not with a dragon.

She shook her head; she would never be friends with a dragon. Ever. They were wicked Saidow-spawn that corrupted everything they touched. They were bloodthirsty, primitive beasts without a soul or shred of human decency. The very idea of being friends with a dragon was just...

Just...

She shuddered, felt her stomach give another twinge and resisted the urge to vomit again.

The dragon may have bested her this time, but next time it would be different. It wouldn’t be so public and it wouldn’t see her coming. She would stay far away and take him unawares. She’d use Falkaan’s Dragon Slayer to put an arrow through its black heart.

It could use black sorcery, so she wouldn’t give it the chance.

That dragon would pay.

Alana felt like she had aged several decades over the last half hour while Ethan had been fighting in The Arena. Her heart was still pounding and she was short of breath from having held it so often. Her hands were covered in nervous sweat and her whole body had been trembling so much that she felt like she’d just run a marathon.

But he was okay.

Thank Illuminar he was okay.

They sat in the reception antechamber waiting for Ethan to return from his victory in The Arena. It was the same place where they had met Hailey for the first time. The walls were still covered with ornate tapestries and it was lit by a single iron chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

“Take a deep breath Alana, he’s okay.” Rachel repeated for the dozenth time.

The wood elf did just that, trying to calm her nerves. She had never been so scared in her entire life. She put her hand over her womb, and thought It’ll be okay little one; it’ll be okay.

Talking to our daughter? Ethan asked.

Your daughter; I’m just carrying her. She corrected, then realized what she’d said. I mean ... I have no idea where that came from.

Me either.” He replied with concern. “You know she’s as much your daughter as mine, right?

I do.

Good.

The door opened and he walked in. The moment she saw him, she ran to him and threw her arms around him. He winced, but hugged her back.

I’m never letting go of you again; you know that right? She told him with a sigh. She could feel the last remnants of her anxiety draining away as he held her.

Yeah, that might be hard when I need to relieve myself. He chuckled.

We’ll make it work.

I believe you could. He chuckled again.

He held her for several moments and she could feel warmth and relief coming from over their bond. He was as glad to hold her as she was to be held.

The creak of a door opening finally made them part. Hailey was led in by two guards. They unshackled her hands and feet then left without a word.

“Um, hi.” She said when the guards had left, though she didn’t meet their eyes.

Alana felt Ethan tense slightly, so she asked. What are you going to say?

Ethan took a deep breath, then turned to the former slave. “Hailey, do you realize what you’ve done? Do you know how much danger you put us all in?”

She nodded, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. “I know, I shouldn’t have ... I--” She swallowed. “I’m sorry.”

Alana could tell she meant it from the bottom of her heart. She was really, truly repentant. Apparently, Ethan could tell too.

“We forgive you.” He said kindly.

Hailey looked up, shock and disbelief on her face. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“We do.” Alana agreed, then added. “Just please don’t do something like that again while you’re traveling with us. I’m not sure my heart could take it.”

The willowy woman nodded, glanced up at them, and then averted her eyes again. She mumbled something, but the wood elf wasn’t sure what.

“What was that?” she asked.

Hailey swallowed again. “You ... you really mean it? I can still come with you?”

Alana disentangled herself from Ethan, walked over and gave the taller woman a hug. Hailey seemed shocked, but accepted it after a moment.

“Yes, we mean it.” She said giving the willowy woman an extra squeeze. “In fact, after we help Taloni, I think our next stop is the slaver’s camp that kidnapped you?” She broke the hug and looked at Ethan for confirmation

“After we free Taloni, yes. Assuming we can find it and assuming you still want to go home?”

Hailey swallowed hard as the tears which had collected at the corners of her eyes began to fall. “I do, I want to so much. I...” She sniffled and tried to surreptitiously wipe the tears from her eyes.”

“We’ll help you, but I need to make one thing perfectly clear.” Ethan said, and Alana noticed he’d slipped into a ‘fatherly disapproval’ tone. She wondered if it was because of the baby on the way, but regardless it sounded pretty damn sexy on him.

“You endangered not only me, but also my wife, my unborn daughter, and the whole crew of the Argo. You’re welcome to travel with us, but consider this your one and only warning. If you ever pull a stunt like that again, if you ever endanger my family like that again, you’re gone. Understand?”

“I understand and I won’t; I promise.” She nodded. “And thank you, I don’t ... After what I did, not many people would let me...” she closed her eyes and seemed overcome with emotion.

Alana couldn’t tell if the former slave was deliriously happy and content, or plagued with guilt and feeling miserable. She guessed it was a combination of both.

Ethan walked up to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I’m not the type to hold a grudge. I know you didn’t mean to hurt or endanger any of us. If you had, this would be a very different conversation. Don’t beat yourself up over it; we won’t.”

“Okay.” Hailey replied, but couldn’t meet his eye.

Alana had never seen such a tall woman look so small. Somehow, she seemed to have shrunk a whole foot.

“Hailey, I’m serious, it’s okay.” His voice was gentle and caring. “I understand you feel bad and probably will for a while. But we won’t hold your mistakes against you. We’ve certainly made enough of them, so holding yours against you would just make us hypocrites.”

“Okay.” Hailey nodded, and she seemed slightly better.

“Ethan.” Rachel interrupted. “I suggest we leave the city before the magistrate comes up with a trumped up charge to hold us.”

“Good idea.” He nodded and they headed for the door.

Before reaching the door, it opened and Alana saw Elder Goman standing there. He once again looked at least a hundred years old — maybe older — and like he was on death’s door.

“Um ... Uh, a moment, yes a moment if you please?” He said in a weak, frail voice.

Ethan turned to Hailey and Rachel. “Can you wait outside for a minute?”

They nodded, stepped outside, and closed the door behind them. Once the door was shut, Elder Goman looked around for a moment to ensure they were alone, then straightened up.

“I have a parting gift for you two.” He reached into his robes and pulled out two small, flat items, giving one of them to Ethan.

They were disc-shaped, about four inches in diameter and an inch thick, with a hole in the center that was slightly more than an inch in diameter. But the most interesting thing about them was the hole itself.

The hole was filled with...

It was hard to explain.

The hole had a thin opaque membrane stretching across it, equidistant from the top and bottom. The membrane was like the surface of water as it reflected the sun. Or perhaps like water mixed with oil and left outside because it undulated and moved liked water in a gentle breeze while reflecting the colors of the rainbow. But at the same time, it was a subtle thing; easy to miss with just a glance.

“What are they?” Ethan asked after looking at the one he’d been handed.

“Just the one, the other is for me.” Elder Goman replied. Then he took his finger and poked it through the membrane on the one he was holding. The membrane parted like water, and his finger poked out of the one Ethan was holding.

He nearly dropped it in shock.

“What the hell?!”

Alana inhaled sharply as her mouth fell open. “Are those ... are those what I think they are?”

Elder Goman nodded.

She stared dumbfounded at them for several seconds before Ethan broke into her thoughts.

“So, what are they?”

“They’re portal stones.” She whispered in amazement. “I’ve heard of them but how did you? I mean the cost alone...” She held out her hand toward the portal stone Ethan was holding, and he handed it to her. She accepted it reverently, treating it like it was made of glass.

Elder Goman smiled. “Dragon steel in indeed expensive, but I thought it was worth it. This way we can communicate no matter where you travel.”

“Dragon steel?” Ethan asked.

“Dragon scales melted down and forged together to make a metal.” Alana explained. “It’s the only thing that can take enough magic to form an enchantment that’s this powerful at this size.” She turned the portal stone over in her hands. The dragon steel wasn’t cold to the touch like normal metal. Instead, it almost had a warmth about it.

“I don’t know what to say.” She wondered as she looked at it.

“Say you’ll use it.” Elder Goman replied. “Simply write a note and slip it through when you wish to contact me. I’ll do the same when I have something that might help you.”

“Thank you.” Ethan said to him.

“You are welcome, but it’s as selfish as it is selfless. I can’t defeat Lord Delmar or his black dragon alone. I need help, and I can think of no one better suited to the task. In fact, you might be the only one in the Ten Kingdoms who can defeat them.”

Ethan grimaced. “No pressure huh?”

“I thought you’d be looking forward to it, given the strategy your lovely wife and I discussed.”

“What strategy?” Ethan asked turning to her.

Alana went beet red and suddenly felt very warm under her dress. She had ‘conveniently’ forgotten to tell him what Elder Goman said. Mostly because that would lead to him asking her opinion, and she didn’t want to admit what she thought about the idea to anyone, even herself.

“Can we talk about it on the Argo?” She asked, mostly because she wanted to put it off as long as possible.

He looked at her with interest, curiosity coming over their bond in waves. She was sure he’d felt her embarrassment — among other feelings — at the question. He opened his mouth to speak but she beat him to it.

“Please?” It was a genuine request, and she would’ve told him if he’d asked. She just hoped he wouldn’t.

“Okay, on the Argo it is.”

“Now, you both should leave. Magistrate Haglath is a vindictive man. If you hurry, you should be able to depart without incident. If you tarry but a few hours...”

“Understood, and thanks again for everything.” Ethan replied, then they made to leave with all haste.

Alana decided not to mention the gold purse for winning that Kendra had mentioned. She was pretty sure that staying long enough to receive it would be a death sentence, and since it had by some miracle slipped Ethan’s mind, she wasn’t planning to mention it. Plus, the dragon huntress might’ve been lying anyway.

Kendra had retrieved her sword and slipped away from The Arena without incident and now found herself stalking through Arcanum’s streets with a vengeance, stomping her boots as if each stone in the pavement had done her a great personal wrong. She was alternately clenching her fists and focusing on her breathing; one to calm down, the other to magnify her rage.

It would pay.

That beast was going to pay.

For the hundredth time, she wiped her mouth trying to get the feeling of the dragon off her lips as her stomach roiled at the thought. Finally realizing that her hands wouldn’t do it, she stalked into the nearest tavern.

“Give me the strongest whisky you have and an empty tankard.” She ordered, dropping a coin onto the bar as she stepped up to it.

The bartender gave her an odd look, glanced out the window at the early morning sun, shrugged, then grabbed the coin and filled her order.

She got a huge swallow of whisky in her mouth, braced herself, and then began to swish it around furiously. It burned like fire, but then fire was how you eliminated darkness. She spat it out into the empty tankard then repeated the process again, and again.

It was only after the fourth time that she felt some semblance of “clean”. Two more and her stomach finally calmed down. A vigorous application to her lips and they also felt clean, but burned just as fiercely. Scowling, she left both the unfinished whisky and the tankard on the bar and left. Once outside, she headed back toward Falkaan’s ship, the Midnight Sun.

When she arrived, she couldn’t believe who was waiting on the weatherdeck with Falkaan.

“What in Illuminar’s name are you doing here!?” She demanded.

Luminar Kossel smiled, then glanced at Falkaan. “I thought I’d see an old friend while waiting for you to fail in your crusade.”

“Dragonshit!” Kendra’s eye narrowed. “There’s no possible way you could’ve known the beast would win. You yourself said I was one of the best you ever trained.”

“I’m afraid Falkaan did most of the training, I merely helped. Though given this morning’s debacle, apparently you didn’t learn much.”

Kendra could feel white hot rage boiling up inside her. For the first time in many, many years, she simply couldn’t contain it.

She snapped.

She used everything she learned in over a decade of training and threw all of her skill and ability into a careful and precisely aimed attack. Even in her anger, she made sure to keep her balance even and defenses up. It was as close to a perfect strike as she could make.

Then she missed.

One moment, Luminar Kossel was in front of her and her strike was about to land. The next moment, her back was hitting the weatherdeck and the wind was knocked out of her.