Heart of the Gemini

Contract

Very little could make vampires panic, but right now panicked shouts were erupting outside Sorin’s tent. He left the speechless Baroness waiting as he rushed out in the direction of the noise. What he saw brought his stomach up to the level of his throat: there, in the middle of the street, lying in a pool of black blood was the lifeless body of Anowon.
On the far side of the courtyard, several priestesses had already gathered and were rushing through the words that had to be said at the time of death to ensure the safe passage of the spirit. Behind them, the warriors were preparing to search the camp. Sorin turned to the warrior closest to him and spoke in broken Zenkaril.
“Kel rok-naya tel-Anowon?!”
He was, by all accounts, found like that: no one knew how it had happened. Moments later the search began and the space around the body cleared, except for the priestesses. From the shadows, a young girl with the marks of early magic training emerged. She moved towards Sorin, pushing away those who tried to comfort her. Sorin bent down on his knees to meet her, pointing to his eyes as he spoke.
“Kel naya, chiya? Se-lira?”
The girl spoke with her eyes cast away from the body.
“A-tel Anowon… se-hakri… tel Liliana.”
The nearest priestess’ eyes widened with shock as she stared at Sorin. She was one of the ones who occasionally went with him to the human settlements, and could speak their language.
“The Queen did this… how?” the words barely escaped her lips before his hands found her shoulders.
“Take the girl somewhere safe. Say nothing of this to anyone… Solourn, silence. Understand?” Hurried nods were her only reply. Sorin turned and made for his chambers. Inside her found Teysa, who rose from a chair as he entered.
“What’s happening…” she started, but was cut off when Sorin’s hand wrapped around her throat. He held her pinned against the wall, her good leg kicking wildly.
“Anowon’s dead! Hours after you arrive! Tell me how that’s possible!”
“I don’t know… what you’re… talking about…” Teysa chocked back.
“What did you do to Liliana? Tell me!”
“No, we don’t have… the power…”
“Markov!” Gideon’s voice was like thunder in the small chamber. “Unhand her, now!” He had his sword drawn, with the hilt at the level of his chest and the blade pointed to Sorin’s back.
“Back away, light-mage!”
“This woman is under my protection!”
“So what?!” Sorin yelled back. “You cannot kill me!” Instinctively he raised a shield of white mana, a half-sphere that would protect him from Gideon’s attacks.
“Perhaps not,” Gideon replied, still holding his sword raised, “But I can kill her...”
In his free hand Sorin felt Black mana charging around his fingers. Here, in the heart of Liliana’s camp, where Black mana surged in his veins, the White Planeswalker’s bones would break as easily as tree branches. A good shot may even kill him. His other hand slowly relaxed its grip, bringing the Scion slowly to her feet.
“If you think you can defeat Liliana, go ahead and try!” he growled. “You can spend your afterlife in a grave dug by vampires… once they drain your blood.” He took two slow steps towards the armoured mage.
“That’s enough!” Teysa’s voice was weak, but it had lost none of its authority. “Gideon, you’ve done your duty. Now, go find Liliana Vess.”
“What?!” The two Planeswalkers yelled together.
“My lady, I cannot leave your side.” Gideon kept his sword raised.
“If he harms her, you both die,” Sorin threatened.
“Find the Queen,” Teysa repeated, “But do not engage her. Go now. You have your orders, and by your contract with the Orzhov Syndicate you will follow them without question. Is that clear?”
Gideon straightened uncomfortably, and lowered the sword in front of him. “Yes, Scion.”
“Good. And don’t worry,” she said, eyeing Sorin, “I will be fine.”
The White mage was clearly unconvinced, but did as he was bid. A rush of White mana marked his teleport from the camp boundaries.
Teysa’s hands were already beginning to glow with White magic – a simple healing spell. The angry red marks on her neck began to fade immediately. When they were finished she rose to face Sorin once again, and spoke with her former strength.
“You know who is responsible for the vampire’s death,” she said, “and it was none of us.”
“No.” Sorin couldn’t bring himself to look at her. “She couldn’t have done this. She loves her people, and Anowon… he was her most loyal follower.”
“The old Liliana Vess was indeed a great Queen.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’ve felt it, every moment I’ve spent in this place, and I know you’ve felt it too. How long has it been progressing? Months? Years?”
Sorin could feel his mind tearing itself into pieces. “What is happening to her? If you know, then tell me now!”
“She’s changing, although I cannot say why. Something has poisoned her and with every passing hour she slips further from you. Wait too long and she may be beyond your reach entirely.”
“Why should I believe you? This all started when you arrived...”
“You don’t need to believe me, Sorin. You already know it’s true. That’s the only reason I’m still alive.” He stared at her, speechless. The nameless dark that had been growing in Liliana was real, and it was taking over.
“What can I do?” he asked, unable to fathom the path he had taken to ask the question.
“Bring her with you. Bring her to the Orzhov…”
“That’s impossible! They’re White mages…”
“We can help her there. We have the finest magic for a hundred worlds.”
“She is not a hybrid! Your magic will kill her!”
“Pain her, certainly, but if she can endure it then I guarantee we can purge whatever is taking hold of her. We will save your Queen.”
Sorin stared at the Scion. This is what she was waiting for, why she didn’t need to use his past as leverage: she had his present in the palm of her hands.
“In exchange… you will take you place in the Festival of Balance.”
Sorin felt his blood raging. “I won’t fight a war for you! I won’t lead a crusade on Ravnica!”
“Nor will you let your beloved Liliana Vess fall into darkness, especially one not of her own making. Do not despair: no one is asking you to fight. The Festival is aptly named. It is, first and foremost, a peaceful celebration.”
Her words were as serpents, slipping free of her tongue on their own accord. Were he not helplessly at her mercy her would have had the good sense to throw her from his chambers, the camp, and perhaps even the plane.
“How can I possibly trust you? Ever since you arrived it has been one deception after another.”
“My Lord Markov, have you forgotten? I am Orzhov. Deception is in our nature, but there is one thing I do trust: the power of the contract. Bring Liliana to us, and we will save her.”
And with that, Sorin watched as the Orzhov’s unmatched power to extort manifested itself in his chambers.
“How will we get her to Ravnica? We cannot take her there by force…”
Teysa smiled her sly, all-knowing smile. “If I’m right, we won’t have to. She’ll likely arrive there before we do. Then all we will have to do is escort her to the Temple.”
Sorin couldn’t distinguish the throbbing of the mana in his chest from his heart, which was beating out of control.
“Leave me, please,” he said through laboured breaths.
Teysa stood silently for a moment, then nodded once and headed for the door.
“Don’t take too long to decide,” she warned, without turning around. Sorin heard the rustling of the curtain, and then she was gone.