“Sail hard North; we will need you there in less than three days time if Inella’s plan is to come to fruition!” Dremeira conveyed through the mouthpiece of a bird. Her druidism was effective even on the open ocean. Her communication through various seafaring birds was the main way that the three ships of Inella’s fleet related news. The ships sailed far apart so that they would not gather the attention of the royal fleet of Zoboru or Celith. It hurt Nehaynosh’s heart that ships from the port she once called home might come out to attack her. The ships would immediately band together if there was sight of a pirate ship. Inella and a few of the other witches could easily sink a ship with a simple spell, but pirates often carried mages on their ships for that same purpose, and spotting a pirate ship would cause a battle between mages.

Thankfully the voyage to Cullah was a short one- only a few days on the open sea. Cullah is an island with tropical weather. There are coconut trees, colorful fish, and misty rains. The weather is always hot, so people dress differently in terms of culture and practicality. The witches had no port near their conclave, which is why Inella had so many of her mages practice assembling a ship out of lumber. The women had to travel several miles East of the Caves at Leired to get to a beach that a ship could sail off of. The coast of Leired was surrounded by menacing rocks, seemingly designed to sink ships and tear through wood and flesh. The island of Cullah was just a day away now. It and the swarms of biting flies and spiky fruits it gave birth to.

“What do you believe this to be?” Moira pointed down at the sea to a long, finless animal who swam by vigorously gyrating. The woman beside her, Adda, told her delicately that it was an eel. The both of them were fair skinned women, Moira blonde haired, Adda brown haired. Moira’s skin had a shining sheen to it that hadn’t begun to lack in luster yet, as she was new to Leired. Moira had been saved from a small homestead outside of Celith, Adda had escaped to the coast on her own from Ko’fell. They didn’t know that they were meant for each other yet.

“Eels are only common closer to the islands where water is warm.” Adda said to Moira affectionately. Adda had impressed Moira with her knowledge. Moira had not been schooled on her homestead, and when Nehaynosh had sequestered her away from her home, the only skills she had were those associated with a woman’s familial duty. Adda on the other hand had been given an excellent education by her father, who taught her how to read and borrowed books from the all boys school in town for Adda to read. Adda eventually learned about the witches who lived in the caves at Leired from witch hunting propaganda. Adda decided to leave Ko’fell after her father died in a mining accident to seek out sexual and arcane liberation.

“What’s that… out on the horizon? It looks to be shimmering.” The boatswain of the ship pointed out to Lyndross (who was the captain). Adds and Moira looked expectantly at their leader.

“It’s just heat waves, I’m sure. The sun has a greater presence this far North.” Lyndross answered to her boatswain.

“I don’t think that is so, Mistress Lyndross.” Adda said respectfully. The shimmer on the horizon was getting closer, and it was too small to be heat waves. Lyndross looked scornfully at Adda. Following Adda’s challenge, disregarding her polite tone, only hearing the insubordination, Lyndross gazed weakly at Adda. A giant ball of fire appeared from behind the shimmering atop the waves, and the fireball headed straight for Lyndross’ ship.

Lyndross broke her stare to turn the ship about in an attempt to dodge the fireball. The fire hit onto the side of the turning ship; the women screamed. Adda pulled Moira back from the flames, but not before half of her face was burned. Having little experience in healing magic, Adda called out for help from a healer as Moira lay on the deck of the ship, her face singed. The women were preoccupied with their fear and sailing maneuvers- it took too long for a woman to come to Moira’s aid. The pain could be healed, but the damage could not be reversed, not at this point, not with a healer who was less than adept. Although Moira would likely live the rest of her days deformed, her life was saved, and that was what was important to Adda in the heat of the moment.

The shimmering on the horizon dissipated and a ship appeared. It was a cruiser from the royal fleet of Zoboru, a ship meant for reconnaissance and quick attacks. A troublesome ship, it had both an illusionist and a mage aboard. The two wizards on deck were very skilled based on what they had just done. Lyndross left the wheel of the ship unattended as she shot out bolts of lightning at the masts of the royal cruiser. The illusionist on board the cruiser dispelled Lyndross’ magic before it could hurt the ship, and the mage sent another roaring fireball towards the panicking women. Lyndross easily unwound the magic of the fireball, her magic at full force in correlation with her intense anger. Lyndross was not thinking about how Adda had been right, or how Moira had gotten hurt. Lyndross wasn’t thinking anything at all. She was pure rage and instinct. A blank red slate of a mind with fiery edges and unencumbered tempo.

“Someone send a bird out to Dremeira so that Inella knows what is going on!” Lyndross shouted as she fizzled another rocketing fireball that had been hurtling towards her ship. The mage on the royal cruiser was very skilled to be casting such intense fire spells in such rapid succession, Lyndross and the other witches would have their work cut out for them, especially if they couldn’t collectivize quickly. The mana (mana is the energy needed to cast spells) required to make such destruction was fearsome… intimidating. “Tala and Minara, work on attacking their ship with whatever arcane spells you can manage, fire is prefered, but whatever you can muster will do. I will focus on using counter magic against their fire mage.” Lyndross was upset that she had to stay on defense. She was a much more offensive mage by nature, and she wanted to attack. However, Lyndross knew that what she was doing was the right thing to do tactically. Defending her own ship was much more important than sinking the enemy, and she knew that she could win a one on one battle with the enemy mage. The majority of the women on her ship were unskilled witches, and posed no real threat to the enemy ship. It wasn’t likely that Tala and Minara would sink the enemy ship, but they would keep the other wizard on the enemy ship from going on the offensive, and that would have to be enough until Inella and Nehaynosh’s ships could reinforce Lyndross. Lyndross had taken back control of her mind just long enough to bark orders, and then she fell into the fiery abyss of anger once more.

Instead of a giant fireball, this time the enemy mage wove a different spell, but Lyndross countered his spell before he could even cast it. Based on his hand signs, she assumed that it was some form of fire barrage. Lyndross countered another spell of the fire mage’s (the spell would have been a magma wave). Based on this, Lyndross assumed that the mage didn’t know anything other than fire spells, and that would make her counter-magic much easier to implement.

Counter-magic comes in three forms, each form correlating with one of the three keys of spellcasting. The first kind of counter spell is that which counters the imagination of a spell. To counter the imagination of a spell is a battle of willpower. No matter which spell the attacking mage was trying to cast, the countering mage incepts a different imagination. For example, if the attacking mage was trying to make a fireball, the countering mage might make the attacking mage imagine a teddy bear instead, distorting the imagination of the attacker and thus countering the spell. There are two risks with this kind of counter. The first risk is that you incept the attacker with what they were already imagining and help them with the spell when you are trying to stop them. The second risk is that the attacker combines their imagination with what you give them. For example, if the attacker tries for a fireball and you make them imagine a teddy bear, if they are strong enough at imagining, they will combine the spell into a fireball in the shape of a teddy bear, or what have you. Concentration counter-magic is when the countering mage steals energy from the attacker as they are concentrating it. The primary concern with this type of counter is the timing; if the countering mage is too slow to drain the attacker’s magic then the attacker will still be able to create the spell, albeit a weaker version. Countering a spell after it has already been created is the most obvious of the three counters. To see a fireball vanish out of thin air, or a rock wall suddenly split in twain is easily perceived. To counter this way requires you to act appropriately based on the spell you are countering. Putting up a defense of water can stop a fire spell, but will amplify a lightning spell. Logic is imperative to this third kind of counter magic.

Lyndross’ pissed tone had set the girls to business with haste and overridden the fear they had felt. Inella and Nehaynosh’s ships were quickly approaching and ready to aid in the fight. The fire mage on the other ship continued his attacks, but Lyndross was able to counter all of them, some by sapping him during his concentration, but most of the fire was countered after it had been created by sucking the oxygen out of it.

Inella began to form whirlpools around the enemy ship. This imbalanced the sailor's feet. Nehaynosh worked together alongside the women on her ship to cover the fleet of three ally ships in darkness, making it harder for the opposing mage to aim. They managed to make a thick purple smoke that rose up several hundred feet- a curtain just three feet in front of the now parallel ships. The defensive screen Nehaynosh made satisfied her as far as she could be satisfied. One part of her wanted to reclaim her homeland, but another part of her did not want to be violent. It was curious. There didn’t seem to be a reason as to why she objected to this typical violence. It was almost as if she wanted to kill the colonizers, but couldn't bring herself to burn the wood from Zoboru- it would be hurting the forests in some roundabout way.

Dremeira used a bird to fly around the smokescreen and relay information to Inella about the location of the enemy ship. Once Inella knew where the enemy was, she called down lightning to strike some and send the rest overboard as the deck of the ship, its masts, and its flags all caught on fire. She did what Nehaynosh could not. She would do anything to secure her goal.

After that, it was smooth sailing.

Inella stepped down onto the soft soil of the island, Lyndross and Nehaynosh’s ships were just landing on the sandbar. A few meters up the beach stood the Cullah welcome party. After looking at the broad shouldered men, Inella was able to identify that the chief was not present. Nehaynosh whispered confirmation in her ear. If the chief would have fully trusted the women he invited to his island, he would’ve been at their landing, but that was not the case. Inella would have done the same, if her role was reversed with the chief. Her witches were many things before they were ever trustworthy, but Inella had no plans of crossing the chief; she would need his help to take down the northern kingdoms.

“Greetings, witch.” One of the Cullah party members said to Inella. Inella stood out in front of all the other witches, so that there would be no confusion as to who was in charge.

“Greetings.” Inella said back, and then she did the traditional greeting symbol of Cullah by taking her middle and pointer finger facing inward on her forehead, then rotating her fingers so that they faced outward, and resting them back on her forehead. The party member did the motion with her, and this visibly relieved the tension between the hosts and the guests. Nehaynosh had told Inella that this greeting meant that intentions were mutual.

“Follow me- this way.” The burly man said, turning around and walking up the beach into the forest. The leaves on this island were tropical- long, slender, and rubbery; they were very different from the evergreen needles at Leired.

In Cullah’s culture, it was considered indecent to ask for formal names. It was expected that you would introduce yourself, and then others would reveal their names to you. Inella was waiting to reveal her name until she was in the presence of the chief. Inella had learned everything she would need to know about the Cullah’s culture from Nehaynosh, reading, and using Dremeira’s birds to observe the people of Cullah; Inella always had an excellent work ethic.

After making their way through the large leaved trees and the long vines of the sandy forest, the party finally came upon a system of huts that made up the village where the chief of Cullah stayed. The guide pointed the witches into a yard with several tables and a throne. The ground was hardened mud, and the daylight was blocked out by the canopy, so several torches lined the yard. The guide motioned for Inella to approach the throne, upon which the chief sat. Inella stood in front of the chief and did the little finger twirl of welcome, which the chief reciprocated.

“I am Inella, leader of the witches who live in the Caves at Leired.” The chief looked down at Inella pleased with her formality.

“I am Chief Tufenahei, leader of Cullah. I welcome you and your witches to my island. I hope that your stay here will be pleasant.” Chief Tufenahei said, his voice was deep, but smooth. In a way, it was alluring. Some of the witches visibly trembled when they heard the chief speak.

After the initial formalities, Inella and everyone else were escorted back to the tents they would be staying in. The interior’s were bare with thin walls to keep it cool. The island was excruciatingly hot during the day, and it stayed fairly warm during the night since the heat was trapped beneath the canopy. There was a blanket covering the ground, which meant that the only sand inside the tent was the sand that got tracked in. All of the cooking utensils were out by the fire pits, but some of the food was kept inside and buried in chests to prolong the time in between fresh and spoiled. The quarters would be used primarily for sleeping, but they offered a place to meditate or read during the day.

Inella put her bag inside her tent before coming back outside to socialize. On Nehaynosh’s request, Inella socialized with Koa by her side. Koa was a short black woman from Milynine. Being from Milynine meant she was very proper + trained in etiquette, and Koa was naturally kind. Koa’s bubbly personality would balance Inella’s straightforwardness.

“Hello there.” Koa said to a random man walking by. The man was tall, with a partially shaved head and tribal tattoos on either side of his black hair.

“Hello, witch.” The man smiled, but Koa could tell that he wasn’t sure what he should say or how he should interact with her.

“Want to see some of my magic?” Koa said with a wide smile. The man smiled back- nodded his answer. Koa used a fire spell, creating a small ball of flame that levitated above her palm.

“That’s pretty good.” The man said.

“It is not half bad, but Inella can sustain a much larger fireball.” Koa said, and on her cue, Inella made a fireball appear in her hand. Then she created another one, and combined the two, throwing it in the air. Once it was in the air, Inella manipulated it into the shape of a turtle (a native animal of the island). This pleased the man, bringing him to amazed laughter. It gave Inella an idea about how she could win over the trust of the Chief.

Inella began working on a pyrotechnic presentation to let the Chief know Inella’s true intentions. Inella’s plan was to attack Celith first, and then systematically rotate her positional advantages inward, battling her way East until the whole continent was hers. Inella wanted the help of the Chief with attacking Zoboru. Zoboru is a mountainous region in the northern part of Panatea. A large part of Zoboru had been stolen from the people who now inhabited Cullah (one being Nehaynosh). There had been no people living on Cullah until the great diaspora of Chief Tufenahei’s people. This meant that all of these men and women who had been displaced wanted to be back home with a passion few people will ever know. Inella’s primary way to create trust with the Chief and his people was through giving their land back (and more).

Later that night the food was being cooked; two pigs had been roasted over an open fire dressed in pineapple slices and dark brown sauces. There were other fresh fruits, rice, and sweet bread. The salad was made out of celery, cranberries, cabbage, and eggplant. People pulled out lengthy boards with raised edges, which were set on the ground as tables. The raised edges prevented any sand from getting on the boards.

The social aspects of the event was greater than Inella anticipated. Largely the people who lived on Cullah talked amongst themselves, but most every witch had a non-witch to talk to at the feast. After the food was done the Chief brought out dancers and drum players. The tables were lifted off of the ground and put away inside of sheds. Inella had spoken privately with Chief Tufenahei about the events of the night. They had agreed that after the dancers Inella should give her presentation.

She introduced her presentation as a plan to get the people of Cullah their land back. She sped through most of the witch parts. A desolate grey tower, brimstone fallen all around it, a red symbol lit in the sky. Inella had defeated Celith, and now she began to slow her presentation down. She created images magically which were connected to audio the same way a movie is. It would be categorized as illusionary magic, to make someone see what is simply not there.

“This is where you will come in, my great friends. Natives of Zoboru, you have been chased away to live on this island. The need for that is no longer. I tell you, if you will strike in the North, then us witches can strike in the South. Without having to worry about Zoboru, we can conquer this continent together. We will sweep through the west of the continent and come together to suffocate the colonizers of your home land.” Inella said this with the intonation of grandeur and believable wonder. “My great friends, the nations of Panatea hold us witches to be public enemy number one. This means that we will distract them in the South. The pressure that we apply will cause reinforcements to attract towards us.” Inella switched from strategy to history. “Chief Tufenahei, when your people were forcibly removed from your lands in Zoboru, it was only by the combined power of several nations. Zoboru will not have that same kind of strength this time around.” Inella gave a dramatic pause, her long black hair rustling around. She waited until her hair was completely still before she continued. “This is what will happen when we join forces.” Inella showed a scene of battle. Using all the faces of the people she had met on Cullah, specifically the ones who knew how to fight, Inella illustrated a battle that the people of Cullah could watch themselves in- could watch themselves win. They climbed atop the ramparts and the bastions, gruesomely killing all foes in their way. The scene of battle played for several minutes. It ended with an image of the castle in Zoboru. Tucked away in the black stone mountains, and inside the throne room, Chief Tufenahei was sitting, smirking, smiling wide. The people cheered at this. “And so I ask you, will you join me?” Inella’s question was met with fervent applause, hooting, and cheering. By the reaction of his people, Chief Tufenahei knew exactly what he must do.

The next morning Chief Tufenahei and Inella negotiated terms. It was a brief meeting. The witches on the island had not finished setting their boats in the water by the time Inella came down to the beach. A short meeting, and a brief farewell between the two leaders.

“Goodbye, Chief Tufenahei. Thank you for your hospitality.” Inella curtsied.

“Safe Travels, Inella.” A firm voice of rumbling sound replied.

Inella and Nehaynosh Argue

“In this life, you have to make mistakes.” Inella used her hand to dismiss Nehaynosh. Nehaynosh had brought up the fact that girls were complaining about how Blair had been used as Inella’s test subject. It had been a gruesome thing. Inella had genuinely thought that she would be able to bring Blair back, but she had failed. It had been a gory, gruesome thing. A mistake to be sure. Inella was now refusing to admit that she was wrong… trying to use rhetoric to convince Nehaynosh that progress was more important than any individual life.

“But Inella, the girl was only fifteen.” Nehaynosh disobeyed Inella’s order to leave, and it might have been the bravest thing Nehaynosh had ever done. Nehaynosh had killed swarms of soldiers, grappled with wild animals, and had many magical duels. None of those things put half the fear in her that talking back to Inella had. Inella and her icy blue stare, the way that she made herself taller, so that she was looking down on you. Looking down on you from either side of a menacing nose.

“When all is said and done, I will bring the girl back. Worrying about it now only leaves her dead longer, Nehaynosh. Now, get out of my sight.” Inella did not know if this was true or not. Dead bodies decayed fast, especially depending on the climate. Blair’s body might spoil before she could bring her back.

“Inella, you have always been so studious, so smart when it comes to books and spells, and you have always been so driven, but you must allow me to remark that you are not the best when it comes to reading people’s emotions.” Nehaynosh spoke quickly so that Inella could not cut her off. Inella did not try to speak, but she looked at Nehaynosh indignantly. “The women are afraid for their lives. There is talk of desertion amongst our conclave, you have wasted a young girl; the women are starting to lose faith in your ability.”

“Nehaynosh, anyone who wishes to desert will do so over my dead body. I welcome each and every doubter to challenge me, I would have no problem fighting each and every one of them.”

“That’s just the thing, Inella. This is not a matter of power, this is a matter of safety. No witch amongst us doubts your talents, no matter how many times you have failed at the reanimation spell. The witches amongst us fear you in a way they shouldn’t. The girls fear for their lives, the very lives that you have saved.”

“How naive. Without me half of these women would be dead. If not raped in the streets, they would have been beaten to death, or drowned with their arms tied. I am the very reason these women persist.”

“Inella, you saved them, but that does not give you the right to kill them. You sacrificed Blair in your attempt to perfect the reanimation spell like her life was yours to dismiss. You are a mother to these women, but you shan't be an angel of death to them.” Nehaynosh had argued her cheeks red. She was bold but just as afraid as any of the initiates. Her hat had fallen off as she argued, and she bent over to pick it up in the silence of Inella’s contemplation. Her hump back squeaked and her wrinkled fingers cracked/popped.

“The girls know that I love them above anything else, do they not? These are my children, and I am their protector.” Inella was frustrated and her voice hiccuped and stirred.

“They know that you care about them, but you do not always show it; it does not always seem it, mother.” The irony of Nehaynosh being older than Inella and calling her mother was faded in antiquity by this point. “If you have to ask, maybe you have your own doubts about how you think they feel about you. I do not mean to overstep, but you should do more things to show that you care for them. You can start by telling them that you won’t sacrifice anymore of them.” Nehaynosh finished.

“Fine, you have made your point.” Inella looked down at Nehaynosh and spoke slowly to keep her flustered dignity intact “This means that we will have to raid villages for little boys. The spell needs to be complete for the war that is coming. I do not care how afraid the women are of my practice, and the moments leading up to its perfection; it is absolutely necessary.” Inella turned away from Nehaynosh, so that her face was unseen.

“I think this news will please the women. Would you like me to tell them, announce it to them, so that their squalls may finally be quelled?”

“Go.” Inella said without turning to face her right hand woman. Inella needed time to brood after a rare concession of power. She had been convinced to do the right thing, but she had not come to the conclusion by herself. She could not come to the right conclusion by herself- not yet.