Several hundred yards away from the Windsabre, Vina stood upon the ocean itself. The amanzi inkonzo watched in eager anticipation as the sea monster she had summoned attacked the ship. Vina had magically tracked the renegade Friza to this vessel and would destroy the ship to capture her target.
The arrogant look of total confidence that played on Vina's face suddenly changed as she could see those fighting her monster. To her surprise, there were two spell casters on board the ship: Friza and some weakling male. While that complicated things, it wasn't a major setback to Vina's plans. What transpired a moment later would force the sea sorceress to change her mind.
The look of confidence that ruled her features quickly changed into one of near disbelief. One of the males on the ship flew through the air! Obviously, he was under the influence of a magic spell or some enchanted item. What the strange male did next was nearly unthinkable. He drove a sword right into the head of the beast, piercing its brain and slaying it. This strange weselisa possessed a strength that Vina had never seen before in an abantu.
Vina had considered the creature she had summoned to be unbeatable, even with two mages to combat it. At worst, the creature would be hurt and driven off, but not before doing much damage to Windsabre. It would crush the ship's hull like an eggshell, sending the doomed vessel into the ocean depths. Then Vina would move in and capture Friza.
But now that simple plan was no longer valid. Vina has severely underestimated the forces she was combating. For a moment, fear did enter into Vina's black heart. Perhaps this mission was far more difficult than she first expected. It wouldn't be the first time that the Empress had sent someone on a suicide mission.
That emotion was quickly beaten back down. Whoever this powerful stranger was, not even he could save everyone on board. All she had to do was summon other creatures to attack the ship. It would still sink and Friza would be hers. It would merely take a bit longer than expected.
The arrogant smile returned to Vina's face as she raised her trident high into the air. She spoke the words of power that would summon other ocean creatures. The sea beasts would obey her every command, sacrificing themselves if necessary. The Windsabre was still doomed and Friza's fate sealed.
The giant octopus had been defeated, but the Windsabre was not yet out of danger. Two of the invader's tentacles had encircled the ship's hull and crushed it. The sounds of timbers snapping could be plainly heard. Captain Jess had rushed down below to inspect the damage. Word came just moments later. The hull had been breached and the Windsabre was taking on water!
"What the hell do we do now?", Captain Valor cried out. Several of the Avengers and Windsabre crew surrounded the Captain. They had been congratulating him on his slaying the giant octopus. Now their thoughts were turned to the new crisis at hand. "Start a bucket brigade?"
Without a word, Friza dashed off towards the down below area. The tiny Ectolian easily weaved around those on deck in her haste. Friza had been the commander of the fleet sent to enslave the Tanbora Islands. She was unsuccessful and no one who failed the Empress lived long. Friza accepted Captain Jess' offer to become the ship's mage of the Windsabre. She had little choice but to accept, as it was her only way to escape the Tanbora Islands.
"We must lend aid," Lyndah cried out and she sheathed her long sword. The black clad warrior then set out after Friza. Sargon and Katrina rushed after Lyndah with Captain Valor bringing up the rear.
The Avengers of Terra Nova made their way down the crowded gangway. Knee-deep water was spotted immediately as they reached the lowest deck of the Windsabre. What they had heard while above was true. The Windsabre was taking on water!
Led by Lyndah, the Avengers moved past concerned members of the crew as they waded along. Fortunately, the water was warm befitting the ship's tropical location. Up ahead the group could spot Captain Jess inspecting the damage to the ship's hull.
"Friza!", Captain Jess called out upon seeing the approaching arrivals. "Time to earn your keep! What can your spells do to counter this?"
Captain Jess gestured towards the far end of the hold where the two sides of the hull merged to form the bow. Several of the planks had been snapped into pieces. Gapping holes in the hull allowed viewers to see outside. The ocean was pouring in through the breaks below the water line. The water inside the Windsabre was rapidly rising.
"Oh crap," Captain Valor cursed upon seeing the damage. Maybe if he hadn't frozen while fighting the overgrown calamari then this might not have happened. His own reluctance to slay an enemy might have doomed them all.
"As you command, my Captain," Friza responded as she moved closer. There couldn't help but be a hint of sarcasm her voice. The idea of being forced to serve lesser beings in order to survive grated powerfully on the Ectolian. The water was well above her knees already.
Turning back towards Sargon, Friza quickly added in a more authoritative voice, "Attend me, weselisa! Your meager skills will be required as well. As for the rest of you abantu ubuthi, vacate the area!"
"I have no idea what you just said, little girl," Valor growled as he pointed at the indifferent Ectolian, "but it sounded like an insult to me! Don't you have the guts to say what you said so that everyone can understand?"
"It was indeed an insult that came from the lips of this isifo esifazane," Sargon responded in an amused voice. The lower portion of his robes was floating on the rising water. "However, in this particular instance, the inkonzo is correct. Given us space to perform our spell craft."
"Now that definitely was an insult!", Valor laughed in regards to what Sargon had called Friza. "Let's give the robed types room to operate. I always wanted to see a magic show up close and personal. Let's see if they can pull a rabbit out of a top hat." Valor backed off with Lyndah, Katrina, and Captain Jess.
If looks could kill the one that Friza shot Sargon would have taken the lives of all those in the small cabin. "You're not the only one who speaks your dark tongue on this ship, my dear," Sargon explained, a pleased look locked on his face. "Shall we get to work?"
The look of anger on Friza's face quickly turned into one of minor respect. "You continue to surprise me, weselisa," Friza cooed, turning back to the task at hand. "I didn't think you had the ibholas to speak to me as such."
"I am an Avenger and we dare much. There is a great deal that you don't know about me, isithunzi philile."
"Indeed," Friza responded as she raised one of her eyebrows. "Follow my lead, weselisa."
"Fix the damn hull before we sink!", Captain Jess called out in aggravation. "Or so help me I'll run you both through! I hate getting water in my boots!" She couldn't believe that the two mages were wasting time with all this verbal sparing. Mages! Can't live with them, can't live without them.
With the immediate area deserted, Friza turned back to the damaged hull. She began to make strange gestures and spoke dramatically. Magical energy gathered about the tiny Ectolian's hands and then shot out into the damaged hull. As Valor and the others watched, the thick wooden planks began to move of their own accord. As if being manipulated by unseen hands, the damaged planks began to move back into place. The gapping holes were quickly sealed, but some water managed to trickle through in spite of Friza's efforts.
Sargon moved forward after Friza's spell was finished. The spell had momentarily drained the Ectolian. Sargon's own magicks were cast and a glow surrounded the hull in this part of the Windsabre. The glow began to fade but as it did the magical energy sealed all the holes and cracks in this portion of the hull making it waterproof once more.
"Much better," Captain Jess commended as she approached the mages. The water level stopped just short of her highest boot. The folded back one was already flooded before the mages could arrive. "Looks like I was wise in bringing you along, Ectolian. You and Sargon repaired the Windsabre. You have my thanks."
"My pleasure, Captain," Sargon graciously intoned.
"I---," Friza started to say but Captain Jess cut her off.
Captain Jess, while not the tallest of women, still stood half a foot taller than Friza. She coldly looked straight down into Friza's purple eyes. "But don't let my praise go to your head. I know that you're only interested in saving your own skin and would rather see us all dead. I'll kill you just as soon as look at you. Understood?"
"Perfectly, Captain." If Captain Jess had intimidated Friza, she did not show it. Instead, Friza carried herself in a non-threatening, almost servile manner. "However, I must inform you that our repairs are temporary at best. Our spells are the only thing keeping this portion of the hull intact. We'll have to renew them at minimum twice per day otherwise they will become undone."
"Very good. Now do something about all this damn water we've taken on." With that, Captain Jess spun and sloshed out of the hold. "I'll check the charts and see if there is some place close by where we can make landfall and properly repair the damage."
"As you command, my Captain," Friza called out with almost an amused look on her face. "It shall be done."
"Now that's one chick I don't want to get mad at me," Captain Valor remarked after Captain Jess was gone.
"Which one?", Lyndah inquired.
"Scarlet of course. She's nothing like the one I knew. Captain Jess is far more in charge, in your face, and ruthless. I'm not afraid of any little girl, even one that does hocus pocus stuff."
A look of anger flashed over Friza's angular features. She began spell casting once more and everyone stepped back. The water before Friza began to bubble and rise up into a column of liquid. The column continued to grow as the standing water flooding the Windsabre was being absorbed into it.
Suddenly, the column shot forward and slammed hard into the chest of Captain Valor. Valor couldn't help but be hurtled backwards from the force of the impact and knocked down. He made a large splash into the water that remained covering the deck.
The column itself continued to move along. It reached the gangway and streaked up the stairs, knocking aside any who got in its way. By now a long tentacle of water was stretching from the lowest deck of the Windsabre all the way top side and out to the ocean beyond. All the remaining water was drawn into the column and sent back to where it came from. In a matter of moments, all the standing water was gone. Only the wet deck and timbers remained to show that they had been flooded just seconds ago.
Slightly groggy, Valor pulled himself back up. "Why did you do that, you crazy witch?"
Friza gathered her wet cloak about herself and fearlessly advanced towards the dripping wet Captain. "I'm not a little girl, you ithambo ikhanda! I'm an inkonzo of no small power! Trifle with me and you'll be ukufa!" Mustering all the dignity she could, Friza reached the gangway and walked up.
"Big talk, little girl," Valor called out after Friza, shaking his fist. "I've heard that noise before and I'm still here! There are no dog-men around here to protect you either!"
Looking back towards the others, Captain Valor walked up to Sargon. "So tell me there, Sargie, just what did she say? It sounded really kinky to me. You know, she'd be pretty hot once she grows up."
Sargon considered what to say for a moment. While that was going on, Katrina quietly slipped away. She considered Valor to be quite annoying. She'd rather check up on her recovering husband than listen to Valor's tirade. Lyndah remained with Sargon and Captain Valor.
"Friza is an adult," Sargon explained diplomatically. "In fact, she's probably older than all three of us combined. Her race is naturally small in stature, but large on ego. In fact, they are rumored to excel in the art of giving pleasure and pain."
"Really?," Valor admitted, mildly surprised. He was going to be forced to look at Friza in a new light now. Maybe he should have taken her up on her offers before to satisfy his own curiosity. Too bad she wasn't as full figured as the kind of women Valor preferred. "I didn't know that. We don't have any like her back where I come from."
"Count yourself, lucky Captain," Lyndah added. "The Ectolians are the ruthless servants of the Empress of Darkness. They are driven to conquer and enslave others. Nonetheless, well done, Sargon. Thanks to you and Friza the danger of our sinking seems to have passed. Let us assist Captain Jess and her crew as needed. I imagine that there still is much to do." Lyndah started to walk towards the gangway with Sargon and Captain Valor following slowly behind.
"So, have you found out for yourself about those rumors, Sargie?", Valor inquired his interest peaked. "You know, about the pleasure part?"
"No, I have not. Perhaps some research into the matter would be prudent?"
"Now that's the kind of testing I can get real interested in, if you know what I mean," Valor said with a laugh. While there was much that was different about this world, some things did not change. Lusting after and speaking about the opposite sex was something common to each world.
Before Sargon could reply, the Windsabre shook violently underneath both men's feet! Sargon and Captain Valor were thrown to the deck and sent sprawling. Lyndah managed to remain standing only by virtue of holding on to the gangway railing. It was like the Windsabre had struck something again!
"Now what the hell is going on?", Captain Valor cried out in annoyance. "We've already been through this song and dance once tonight! I'll never get my beauty rest this way!"
The calm that had come over the Windsabre after fighting off the giant octopus and avoiding sinking had been shattered. Cries of panic from topside could be heard even down here. One crewman came tumbling down the stairs into the hold from the force of the impact. He just narrowly avoided colliding with Lyndah.
Captain Valor scrambled back to his feet once more, pulling up Sargon as he moved. "Up and at'm, Merlin! Time to play superhero again!"
"Thank you," Sargon said gratefully. "That felt like something hit the ship!"
Before another word could be said, yet another tremendous impact was felt. The deck underneath the Avengers' feet jumped once more. This time Valor was prepared and kept his footing. Sargon held on to the Captain for stability.
"Topside, Avengers!", Lyndah cried out. "We're under attack once more!" With that announcement, Lyndah drew her long sword and scampered up the gangway.
Valor and Sargon rushed to join their comrade. They reached the gangway and started up. A third powerful jolt ran through the Windsabre, forcing both men to hold on for dear life.
"I'm getting sick of this crap! I'm taking the express elevator," Valor growled as he took flight. He flew up the gangway, bowling over Friza in the process. "Sorry 'bout that, toots. I'll kiss and make it better later!"
The tiny Ectolian bounced off the wall, lost her balance and then tumbled down the stairs into the waiting arms of Sargon. "Ithambo ikhanda!", she cursed in response, shaking her fist. "I'll feast on your heart, fool!"
"Fear not, isithunzi philile. I have you." Sargon easily caught Friza as she tumbled along. The tiny woman hardly had any weight to her at all. "Come, let us see what this new threat is." Sargon gently set Friza down and started up the stairs after the others.
"No, weselisa!", Friza called out as she grasped Sargon's arm. "First we must speak and prepare! You must do I as I say or we may all regret it!"
Captain Valor flew up to the main deck of the Windsabre once again. He quickly looked around for the new source of trouble. The crew of the Windsabre rushed about below his hovering form but no danger was apparent. No sea monsters had the ship in their slimy grasp. Captain Jess was back near the wheel directing her crew.
Spotting Lyndah, Kristine, and Katrina standing by a railing Captain Valor flew to join them. The lady Avengers were all looking out into the ocean around the Windsabre. Valor couldn't tell what they were looking at or for.
There was a loud crash and the proud Windsabre shook once more. This time Captain Valor turned towards the source of the impact and went to investigate. He flew out over the railing and hovered over the vast ocean. There was something large moving quickly through the dark and churning water.
Captain Valor immediately recognized the attacker. He had seen this particular form of sea life before. On the very day he arrived on Terra Nova in fact. It was gigantic shark. This world's version of nature's perfect killing machine was dark gray on the top fading to white underneath. The shark was easily sixty feet long with jutting ivory teeth, each one easily the size of Captain Valor's hand.
The giant shark had apparently rammed the Windsabre and was swimming off once more. That's when Captain Valor noticed that there was more than one shark in the vicinity. A quick inspection of the immediate area revealed a total of four of the giant sharks! They were taking turns in ramming the Windsabre! The wooden vessel would surely break up from this kind of relentless pounding!
Valor surged forward towards the shark that was getting ready to ram the Windsabre. He gathered speed as he flew along and slammed into the top of the shark, fists first. The force of the impact drove the giant shark deeper into the water causing it to swim harmlessly underneath the Windsabre.
In spite of his superhuman abilities, Valor had only bought a small reprieve for the Windsabre. The four sharks would soon be swimming back to continue their assault on the beleaguered ship. A fast and more permanent solution was going to be needed to survive this new crisis. Valor knew what he had to do. This time there would be no hesitation on his part.
Captain Valor flew up out of the water and took to the air once more. He streaked back to the Windsabre and landed on deck. Valor had seen what he was going to need to fight off the sharks earlier in the voyage. Stored near the bow of the ship was a collection of harpoons. At first Valor figured that maybe Scarlet did some whaling when not playing pirate. Now he knew that they were to repel the larger creatures that prowled the seas.
As Valor grabbed several of the harpoons, Lyndah came running up to him. "Captain! What are your intentions?"
"If these overgrown guppies are anything like the sharks back on my world, they'll go bananas when there is blood in the water. I'm gonna wound one and hope the others go after it."
"Thus luring them away from the Windsabre!", Lyndah concluded. "A brilliant strategy, Captain! Good luck on your attempt!"
"Hey, babe, when you're as good as me, you don't need luck!" Valor grinned widely at Lyndah and then rose up into the air once more.
Further along the main deck and back by the gangway, Sargon and Friza were finally making their way up on top. Valor had thought that the spell casters were right behind him, but must have been wrong. The two split up once on deck, each moving to one side of the ship.
Surprisingly, Robert of the Forests emerged from the below decks area right after the mages. He was ready for battle. His bow was drawn and an arrow ready to be fired. Strangely enough, the head of the arrow glowed slightly as if holding some type of energy.
Captain Valor flew away from the Windsabre in search of the attacking sharks. They had already completed their turns and were heading back towards the Windsabre. One had already reached its target and there was a tremendous crash as the giant shark collided with the Windsabre.
A flash of lightning attracted Captain Valor's attention as Friza fired electrical arcs from her hands. The magical energy slammed into one of the approaching sharks, turning it away from the Windsabre. The horrible of smell of burnt flesh soon reached Captain Valor's nose.
An explosion of fire erupted below Valor. Sargon had added his magical prowess to the battle by casting a fireball at the sea going attackers. The singed shark dove back into the ocean's water for safety.
Spying a good target, Captain Valor grabbed one of the harpoons and fired it at an approaching shark with all his might. The missile streaked through the air with great velocity and slammed into the shark with incredible force. The harpoon passed cleanly through the giant shark, leaving a gaping hole in the fish. Blood freely flowed from the wound darkening the water.
"Now come on, you Jaws wannabes! Take the bait!"
The wounded shark started to swim away, a trail of blood spreading out behind it. As Captain Valor watched, one of the other sharks started to make its attack run on the Windsabre. Suddenly, it slowed and turned away. The giant shark swung around and started to pursue its wounded brethren!
"That's it. Be a good fish and go play with each other!"
One by the one, the other sharks turned and homed in on the trail of blood being left by the wounded shark. A feeding frenzy soon followed as the three giant sharks preyed on the wounded one. They thrashed about with wild abandon, completely forgetting about the Windsabre. Satisfied with his efforts, Captain Valor left the sharks to their meal and flew back to the ship.
The Windsabre had been moving away all the while. The night breeze filled its crimson sails propelling the damaged vessel along. Hopefully the ship would hold together long enough to safely make landfall. Sinking in the middle of nowhere had to be the loneliest way to die that Valor could conceive of.
Captain Valor landed to a heroe's welcome on the deck of Windsabre. Lyndah greeted him, along with Katrina, Captain Jess, and Kristine. Friza continued to stand at the railing, staring out into the ocean. Likewise, Robert of the Forests continued to be ready to fire his bow. He still held the glowing arrow in the ready to fire position.
"That's right, boys and girls," Captain Valor announced as he landed. "No overgrown guppies are going to get the best of Captain Valor! No way, no how! Damn, I'm good!"
"So you keep reminding us," Captain Jess sarcastically noted.
"Hey, it ain't bragging if you can back it up, short stuff."
"There!", Friza called out as she pointed off into the sea. "Your target is there!" The command attracted everyone's attention and they turned to see what the tiny Ectolian was going on about.
Robert spun to face the direction Friza was indicating and took aim. A second later, he let go of his shaft and it streaked off into the night. The glow of the arrowhead allowed everyone to keep track of the missile as it arced through the night sky.
Much to everyone's surprise, they could faintly make out someone out in the ocean. The light illuminated by the arrowhead was just enough to reveal that there was an Ectolian woman standing on the ocean itself! A split second later, the arrow struck the startled woman and then it exploded in a ball of fire! The painful screams of the distant woman echoed over the ocean waves and then were silent.
"Good shot, umnembi!", Friza complimented gleefully. "You hit the inja!"
"Way to go, Bobby Bowman!", Captain Valor called out.
Robert didn't verbally respond to the accolades. He stared out to sea for a few moments and then turned and headed to the down below areas. While he was doing that, Captain Jess and the Terra Novan Avengers advanced on the still gleeful Friza.
"Who was that?", Captain Jess demanded from her sorceress. "What's going on here? I demand an explanation!"
"The attacks on us by the ingwane and the ishaka were not coincidences," Friza arrogantly explained. "It was obvious that they were being controlled and forced to attack the ship. I simply tried to locate our foe and once finding the inja, the umnembi did the rest."
While Friza was providing her explanation, Sargon approached from the other side of the deck. "Before we came up topside, Friza laid out her plan to me. We located Robert and placed enchantments on his arrow. I caused it to explode in fire upon impact."
"My enchantment was not as pleasant, as I was attempting to slay our foe" Friza said, picking up the narration. "I placed a poison spell upon the arrow. Should she have survived the fire, then the poison should have finished her off."
"Finish who off?", Lyndah spoke up. "Did you recognize the person was behind this?"
"I believe so. She is a disgusting deviant, even among we Ectolians. Her name is Vina and she has used strange magicks and dark rituals to make herself one with the ocean. Only she could have found me so quickly and used creatures native to the sea to attack us. My former superiors must have sent her to hunt me down and capture me."
"Wow," Captain Valor added in amusement. "Are you saying that there are Ectolians that even you find strange? That's pretty amazing! But still, are you trying to tell me that they would try to destroy this ship just to capture you?"
"There are no limits to the depravity our foes would enact," Lyndah explained. "The forces of the Empress of Darkness are without mercy, without pity. If they had known we were here as well, they would have attacked without any warning."
"Without question," Friza agreed. "It is the way of my people. They have learned of my failure and will hunt me down. No doubt the Empress herself will personally see to my execution." Friza fully understood the weight of her words and her expression showed that comprehension. "My days among the living are numbered."
"We've been defying the Empress for a long time now, isithunzi philile," Sargon spoke up. "We survive by staying together and looking out for each other. Consider this, without the cooperation between you, Robert, and I; we could not have struck back against our attacker. It was teamwork that accomplished this."
"The concept is alien among my kind," Friza admitted. "To demonstrate such weakness, by actually needing others, is a sickening concept. In this world, only the strong survive."
"I don't know how true it is on this world, but on mine, the Avengers kick ass and take names because we function as a unit," Captain Valor added. "We are greater than the sum of our parts. By working together we become something far stronger."
"The Captain speaks truly," Lyndah spoke up. "What you consider to be our weakness is actually our greatest strength. It is how we have survived so long against your precious Empress."
"You've given me much to consider," Friza reluctantly admitted. "There is much to the world outside of working for the Empress. If you'll excuse me, I need to go retch. Those whole notion of needing others and cooperation sickens me."
"You can be ill later, sorceress, there is work that your Captain requires from you," Captain Jess spoke up. "We need to examine the hull for any breeches from the sharks. According to my charts we're about two days from a small chain of islands. We need to hold the Windsabre together until we can reach them. Let's get to work!"
Friza followed Captain Jess towards the lower decks of the Windsabre without question. Keeping the ship afloat was now the paramount concern. Sargon followed after the two women. His own spell casting ability was most likely going to be required as well.
"I had best check up on Hunter," Katrina uttered as she too walked away.
"Hey, what about this Vina character that you said was behind all of this," Captain Valor called out. "Shouldn't we make sure that she's swimming with the fishes before celebrating?"
"How do you propose to do that?", Lyndah countered. "Unless you can survive underwater and see through the darkness, you'll never find Vina's body. All we can do is hope that Robert's arrow put her out of our misery."
"I hope so, Lyndah. Still, without finding a body we can never be sure if she was killed or not."
"Sometimes, Captain, even if you find a body it is not a guarantee that an enemy has truly been vanquished. Magic can do many wondrous things. It can also be used in a manner as to make one's blood run cold."
"All of a sudden, I think I need a drink," Captain Valor moaned. Maybe all of this wasn't as over as it seemed.
Epilogue:
As was his nature, he worked late into the evening. The tropical heat was not to his liking and only during the night could he comfortably carry out his research. He rested in the lowest levels of the ruins by day. The dank and damp chambers made the daytime heat bearable.
Ages ago, when these ruins were inhabited, this chamber was a private library. Books and scrolls filled the shelves of the room. Most were quite old and brittle by now. The remains of scrolls that had crumbled apart upon touch now littered the stone floor.
Each time a scroll had disintegrated his own rage and sorrow grew slightly. He felt anger because one of these crumbled scrolls might have been the one that held the answer to his personal dilemma. The sorrow came from the fact that each delay was just keeping her away from him that much longer.
His emotions overcame him frequently these days. There were times when he screamed out to the heavens at the top of his lungs, cursing the gods for what had befallen her. What a cruel world it was to keep him and his beloved apart! What had he done? Who had he offended to suffer such a fate?
At these times, he looked over at her. In his eyes she was as she always had been. He didn't see the forged metal body that had been made to look like a human female. He saw her hair as being golden and curled, not as the worked metal that it really was. Her skin was its normal flesh tone and slightly tanned. Not the plain, dark colored metal that stood close by waiting to be commanded.
Globes of magical light brightly illuminated the chamber. He had not summoned them, but instead, they dated back to the creator of this library. She had been a sorceress of fantastic power back in her time, among other things. It was a name from the ancient past that had drawn him to his remote island. The isle itself was still shown on charts of the area, but its name had long been forgotten. Perhaps in this place of knowledge, he would find what he needed to make his beloved whole once more.
Finished with yet another scroll, he carelessly tossed it aside. It joined a growing pile of such scrolls on the floor. The knowledge they held was worthless to him. There was a small pile of scrolls that held minor things that interested him, but none that would bring her back to him.
With weary eyes, he opened the next scroll and began to read. This one seemed to be promising. It spoke of how one may transfer souls from one location to another. Yes, this was what he had been seeking! This was the incantation where he could transport her spirit out of its iron prison and back into a flesh and blood body.
His heart soared momentarily. All the anguish and toil was now worth it. The key to restoring his beloved was now in his hands. But he realized that he was lacking one essential ingredient for this endeavor. He was going to have to locate a living body to house his love's essence. It didn't matter if they were willing or not.
He had given this much thought over the months since she had been taken from him. Her original body was gone; all that remained was her spirit that had been placed in this magical automaton. Her new body should resemble the old as closely as possible. To complete his mission, he would need the body of a beautiful blonde woman. All that remained was to find one.
