The Nine Bishops

The men who had ambushed Mika glanced at each other and spoke in panicked whispers Mika couldn’t quite catch. She was as confused as they were, but she saw an opportunity. If the Joker hadn’t shown up, the bandits would probably have had their way with her by now. Moments ago, she had felt practically defenseless. But now she was prepared, not only to protect herself, but also to conquer her fears. It was a strange sensation, suddenly feeling so confident.

While Mika strategized, the men seemed to regain some of their own courage and moved slowly towards her. Any sane person would be nervous, she thought to herself. A Bishop was watching them, and they were just ordinary Filth. If what the Joker had said was true, they had no other choice than to continue with their plans.

Mika wondered if the Joker was being genuine when he said he would honor their lives if they did not flee. Mika figured that, either way, she would have to fight to survive.

The Joker’s conditions had struck her as cruel at first, but now, she realized, they made no difference as to what she was already facing. The Joker was no ally, but Mika would have been just as alone in this fight if he hadn’t shown up. If she could use her magic now, she would probably have to face him next, as he was here looking for her. It was simply a matter of what fate she was willing to accept. If anything, Mika realized, the situation favored her. Her fear was dissipating.

At that moment, the Joker had created a catalyst.

“Well, come on already, I don’t have all day!” he shouted, annoyed at the pause in the action.

That was all the encouragement the bandits needed, and now they ran towards Mika in a close pack.

But Mika was a step ahead of them. Turning, she raced away from them—not so much out of fear this time, but because she needed time to prepare her magic, since she was not yet entirely in control of it.

Soon, though, hearing their heavy footsteps and loud breathing close behind her, she began to realize how exhausted her earlier sprint had left her.

A thousand options were whirling through Mika’s head. But which one to pick? All her ideas came to the same conclusion: she had to use her magic to survive. The men could surely overpower her in strength and numbers. And one of them was armed. She could not afford to let them close in on her before she was ready to use her magic.

“I hope you’ve made a plan. They are almost on you,” the Joker’s unmistakable voice called from above.

I’ve run a fair distance from the last place I saw him, but he sounds just as close now, she thought. He couldn’t have jumped from tree to tree as fast as I’m running.

But there was no time to think about that. She didn’t have an answer for him, but at last she did have a plan.

Mika began slowing down deliberately, her eyes closed. She thought about the Flame, specifically all the people he had burned alive. She imagined herself in the flames, taking their place—as she would have done if she could have. Her thoughts were the only thing Mika had complete control of at this moment, but they were powerful. Suddenly she felt balanced, so balanced that she came to a full stop and stood immobile in the middle of the darkened road, her eyes still closed.

Seizing the opportunity, the first man to catch up to Mika lunged forward, grabbing her from behind with both hands. Mika, unflinching, heard the man howl with pain.

She opened her eyes and stepped backward, pushing him hard. Strangely, she felt no resistance, but heard a shattering noise as his weight came off her. She turned around to see the man down on the ground, gaping in horrified silence at the void at the ends of his arms, where his hands should have been. The hands were missing.

Mika’s body had become cold—so cold that anything that touched it suddenly froze, too. The man’s hands now lay scattered around him in frozen shards, like icicles. They had broken instantly when Mika shoved him off her. His two comrades stood above the hand-less, now unconscious bandit, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

The hulking one with the club looked up at Mika and, snarling, lunged toward her, raising the club.

Luckily, Mika was more agile than him and quickly dodged the slow blow of the heavy club. She ran, and as she sprinted she pulled out her water canteen with one hand and poured its contents over the other cold fist. The water instantly froze, and with the tiny window of time she had to attack her pursuer, Mika spun around and struck the man square across the jaw with it.

The ice protecting Mika’s knuckles was not only strong enough to shatter the man’s jaw, it knocked him off his feet and left him sprawled unconscious on the ground.

When she looked up, only one of the bandits remained: the one with the gold tooth. He was still standing there, open-mouthed, but now he turned to bolt away.

Mika watched him run until she could not see him anymore. After a moment, she heard running footsteps behind her. Whirling around to see who it was, she was stunned to recognize the man with the gold tooth. Mika had watched him barrel away in a completely different direction, yet now he stood right in front of Mika, panting. His eyes widening, he turned to run in the opposite direction. Once more, Mika watched him until he was out of sight, then heard someone running behind her.

Again, it was the gold-toothed man! He stopped a short distance away, and for a long moment, their eyes met. He’s just as confused as I am, Mika thought. What in the world?

“I told you that the survivor survives,” came the resonant voice of the Joker, somewhere in the branches of a tree above their heads. “Yet, two of you still stand. Don’t you remember the rules, you brute?”

Mika looked up to see the Joker sitting in the same position where he had last appeared. How could it be? They were in a completely different spot from where the fight had begun. Why is he so casual about all this?

“Don’t you want to finish him, especially after what he wanted to do?” the Joker asked, his voice curious. Mika was surprised that he framed it as a question rather than a command.

Mika looked back at the bandit, who had dropped to his knees and begun sobbing. She wasn’t scared anymore, and, despite his evil intentions, had no desire to hurt the man. If anything, she felt that she might just be the monster here, especially after what she had just done to his comrades. She turned back to the Joker.

“Honestly, no. I hope by sparing him and his comrades, that he’ll learn to live an honest life,” Mika said, not entirely sure why she’d said something so cliché.

The gold-toothed bandit looked up and said, “I will.” He seemed to Mika to be sincere.

She looked up to see the Joker’s reaction, but he was gone. Hearing a loud thud, she turned back to the gold-toothed man, whose face was now planted in the dirt. The Joker was squatting next to the unconscious man, the other bandit’s club slung over his shoulder.

He stood up and threw the club aside. “That’s a relief,” he said. “I didn’t want you to kill him, either.”

How did he do all that without my hearing or noticing? Mika wondered. The tree, the club, and the gold-toothed man had been in three different places, but somehow, the Joker had been in all three in seconds. Mika was amazed, intrigued and on her guard, all at once.

She watched the Bishop walk calmly towards her. When he was a few feet away, he stopped and asked: “Do you know who I am?” The Joker’s catlike eyes illuminated the darkness around him.

“You are the Bishop Joker,” Mika replied, cautiously.

He chuckled. “Unfortunately so; that’s what they have chosen to call me. Would you rather know my name?”

The Joker’s response muddled Mika’s thoughts about his intentions even more. She was already shocked that she had found herself talking to a Bishop. The man showed no hint of malicious intent. Mika knew she should be on her guard, yet she felt calm in his presence. She was even more shocked that she found him extremely attractive. She was suddenly enthralled by his presence: the way he walked, talked, and looked. His eyes were mesmerizing; she couldn’t help but stare into them.

“Yes, I would,” Mika finally muttered, relaxing.

“Before I tell you my name, can you grant me the privilege of knowing yours?” he asked.

Mika wondered briefly if this was a trap and whether it was safe to part with her identity. But she quickly convinced herself it didn’t matter. He was there to detain her, regardless.

“My … my name is, um, Mika,” she said.

“Mika. That is a beautiful name. It is a fitting name for a beautiful girl. My name is Nik, and it’s an absolute pleasure to meet you,” the Joker said with a short bow. While he bowed, he took Mika’s hand into his own and softly planted a kiss on it. Mika blushed at the gesture. She feared her skin was still dangerous to touch, but when Nik appeared unhurt, she sighed in relief.

He was charming, all right, though she was still uneasy about his intentions. Mika was about to ask him something when he asked a question of his own.

“You are heading east, right?”

Mika had no idea how he knew that, but then realized it was obvious since it was one of only two places she could be headed. Before she could answer, he asked, courteously, “Would you mind if we walked a bit together so I can see you safely on your way?”

Mika felt warmth rising in her cheeks as she nodded. Something about the man made her feel relaxed, though she knew, rationally, that she was taking a risk. Nik offered his arm, and after a moment’s hesitation, she took it. For the first time, Mika felt like a proper woman. She’d read about such chivalry in books but had never imagined she’d experience it for the first time on the Low Road, and certainly not with a Bishop, of all people. This was a very strange turn of events.

Nik guided Mika graciously through the dark forest as if they were taking a leisurely stroll down a nature trail. Mika gradually grew more comfortable holding his arm, while trying to suppress the butterflies in her stomach.

They walked for a while without speaking, though Mika had so much on her mind. Finally, she broke her silence with a question.

“I don’t mean to interrogate you, but can I ask you why you, a Bishop, are out on the Low Road? And,” she snapped, “why didn’t you help me back there?”

Mika heard him laugh quietly to himself.

“I guess I should explain myself. I’m sorry about before. I wanted to see what you could do. I mean, I could be asking you the same question. Why is a mage, especially one as beautiful as you, traveling alone on the Low Road?”

Mika knew Nik’s compliment might be mere flattery, but if so, it accomplished its purpose. She blushed again, and then bit her lip, worried about how she could possibly explain her own presence on the road. Was he actually here looking for me?

Mika had used ice magic again, the only magic strain she knew, and the Joker was there to witness it. Have I incriminated myself? she wondered. It struck her that she’d have to learn more about his true intentions before she could assume he wasn’t looking to capture her as the circus killer.

“And what if I couldn’t defend myself?” Mika asked, returning to his question, while hoping to determine his motives indirectly.

“Then it would have been a perfect opportunity to save a damsel in distress. I would not have given up such an opportunity with a girl like you. However, I was right to trust you to defend yourself. You were remarkable out there by yourself. You didn’t need my help at all,” he responded, looking into Mika’s eyes.

She thought about that silently for a moment as they walked, then ventured the question: “How did you find me, and what were you doing out here?”

Mika was already preparing herself mentally for capture. She wasn’t sure how this conversation would lead to that scenario, but it seemed likely.

“I’m looking for someone,” he answered plainly.

This was exactly what Mika had feared. She’d surmised the king had sent two Bishops to find her and her uncle. The Flame went after Sam, and the Joker had come for her. King Fallon must have heard exactly what had happened at the circus, which would mean he knew Mika was a threat to his claim to the throne. If that was true, then the king would like nothing more than to take her out of the picture. Steeling herself for the consequences, she pried further.

“Did you find who you were looking for?”

“Not necessarily who I was looking for, but someone better.”

“And who is that?”

“You,” Nik said, smiling.

It was the answer Mika had feared. But the way the Joker said it seemed less frightening than she’d imagined. His manner seemed too casual for someone bent on doing her harm. In fact, he was the picture of a gentleman; he seemed to be going out of his way to compliment her and make her feel safe. She could only assume this was a ruse to lull her into an easy capture. Given that he was the Joker, after all, it made perfect sense.

“So, what is your plan now?” she asked, doing her best to ignore his last response, though it was the focus of her thoughts.

“Well, my plan has changed, actually.”

Mika gave him a puzzled look.

“First, I’m going to make sure you get on your way, and I’m also going to give you this,” he said, drawing out the medallion that had been hanging from his pocket. The silver metal medallion was beautiful, perfectly molded, with no rough edges.

Nik stopped and looked at Mika squarely. He took her hands and cupped them together, then dropped the medallion into them. Mika immediately felt the heavy weight of it, which took her by surprise. Confused, she tried to speak, but Nik had one more thing to say.

“I’ve taken you back to the trail. Follow this road until you get Home. The first town you will find is called Summerhall. If you are planning to join a mages’ guild, show any caravan that medallion and they will give you free passage to Monsoon, the largest city in the east. You’ll find all of the public guilds there. If you have trouble entering a guild, that medallion will get you accepted immediately. Whatever you do, limit the number of people you show that medallion. I don’t recommend you show that to anyone other than the caravan. It is dangerous to have. In about two years, there will be a tournament, and that is your ticket into it. Train hard and we will meet again.”

“Why are you helping me?” Mika asked, surprised at the torrent of information he was giving her.

“We have the same objective, Mika,” Nik said, with a look of longing in his eyes. “Now go. I’m out of time, and I won’t be able to join you,” he finished, pushing Mika gently in the direction of her travel.

Mika looked down at the medallion, then turned to meet his gaze one more time. But he was gone. Looking around, she saw no sign of him. She was beyond confused.

Mika looked at the medallion one last time before putting it in her pocket. Yet again, her head was whirling with questions she had no answer for. With the weight of the medallion at her side, Mika kept moving toward Home, where she hoped those answers would be found.

PART 2

“If the Joker was looking for Mika, why would he just let her go?” Inessa interrupted.

“Maybe he wasn’t letting her go,” the storyteller replied, coyly.

“Well he didn’t seem very much like the Flame. I thought all of the Bishops were supposed to be bad.”

“You know there is more to the story, right?” the storyteller asked the inquisitive Inessa.

“I know that much! But I have so many questions, and that is just my most recent one. Like, is Sam ok? How was Mika able to use her magic against the bandits, what does the Bishop’s medallion do…”

“Woah, woah, woah, slow down. As I said, there is a lot more story to come. Just pay attention to the details, and I’m sure most of your questions will be answered.”

“Fine, but why did you stop then?”

“What do you mean,” the storyteller said, amused annoyance creeping into his voice. “You interrupted me!”

“No, I promise I didn’t. Keep going please, please, please!” Inessa cried out.

The storyteller sighed. “Okay, just pay attention. We are getting to the good part!”