the sacred quill, he used to bore me, but it was worth sitting through an hour of meandering drudgery for the five minutes of brilliant wit that would suddenly spill from him. He’d make me laugh ’til my face hurt.” She shook her head. “Now, I even miss the boring lectures.”
“I wish I could have met him,” said Sorrow. “I’ve heard he was the best authority on the secrets of this island.”
Again, I appreciated the irony that Sorrow had stripped herself of the chance to have what she really wanted, which was a conversation with me. Of course, I would have disappointed her. I’d never found the legendary witch’s graveyard. I took a little delight in knowing that the woman who’d imprisoned me had wasted her money buying my papers. There was nothing in those notes or maps that would direct her to Avaris.
Which isn’t to say I didn’t have some idea of where to look. I do know my history, after all. Supplement this with a little legend and rumor, and I knew where I’d start looking, based on three pieces of evidence.
Item One: The weavers had reached the peak of their collective powers five hundred years ago, during the rein of King Glorified Brightmoon. Ol’ Glory, as he was called, vowed to wipe out all the witches in his kingdom, and commissioned a blacksmith to craft a weapon up to the job... the Gloryhammer. He entrusted the weapon to one of his best knights, Stark Tower, ancestor of Infidel’s former fiancé. As impressive as the Gloryhammer might be, Stark actually took his duties so seriously that the had an even more dangerous weapon commissioned, an ebony sword called the Witchbreaker. This blade was said to be forged from iron stolen from the gates of hell. Anyone killed by the blade was instantly banished to the pits.
As you might guess from someone who felt the need for such a weapon, Stark took a no-nonsense approach to his job, and eventually people started calling him Witchbreaker instead of the sword. According to legend, he killed over ten thousand witches. He was allowed to keep any valuables his victims might have had, and if they had children, he had the legal authority to sell them into slavery. The Tower clan remains obscenely wealthy to this day.
Like any rich person, Stark liked to travel in comfort. When Avaris fled more civilized climes to set up shop on the Isle of Fire, it’s said that Stark gave chase in nine ships filled with servants and building supplies and erected a castle for the duration of his stay.
Item two: The bay of Commonground is the only place on the island with a safe harbor for cargo ships carrying enough swag to equip a castle. Odds are excellent he would have built his home near the bay.
Item three: There are, in fact, several big stone ruins a few miles upriver from the bay that are sometimes called “the Knight’s Castle.” They’re so close to Commonground, they’re the first place every amateur treasure hunter strikes out for. I’ve done some poking around, but didn’t waste much time because my grandfather’s notes indicated he’d explored the place and found nothing. He also recognized, architecturally, that the walls were the work of middle period stone masons from the Silver Isle, not remnants of the Vanished Kingdom. He’d moved on to more fruitful targets deep in the jungle. But about a half mile away from the Knight’s Castle there are some earthen pits grandfather noted as possible burial sites. He never made any notes about digging them up. I did a few test digs, but they didn’t strike me as particularly promising. There were no headstones. The fate of Stark Tower is unknown; there’s at least six different legends of how, where, and when he died. But if he’d been buried at these mounds, he almost certainly would have had a stone monument. I’d assumed the unmarked graves had been for his servants and slaves. But what if it had been where he’d buried his prey?
I strained to move my wooden limbs. Not long ago, this
“I wish I could have met him,” said Sorrow. “I’ve heard he was the best authority on the secrets of this island.”
Again, I appreciated the irony that Sorrow had stripped herself of the chance to have what she really wanted, which was a conversation with me. Of course, I would have disappointed her. I’d never found the legendary witch’s graveyard. I took a little delight in knowing that the woman who’d imprisoned me had wasted her money buying my papers. There was nothing in those notes or maps that would direct her to Avaris.
Which isn’t to say I didn’t have some idea of where to look. I do know my history, after all. Supplement this with a little legend and rumor, and I knew where I’d start looking, based on three pieces of evidence.
Item One: The weavers had reached the peak of their collective powers five hundred years ago, during the rein of King Glorified Brightmoon. Ol’ Glory, as he was called, vowed to wipe out all the witches in his kingdom, and commissioned a blacksmith to craft a weapon up to the job... the Gloryhammer. He entrusted the weapon to one of his best knights, Stark Tower, ancestor of Infidel’s former fiancé. As impressive as the Gloryhammer might be, Stark actually took his duties so seriously that the had an even more dangerous weapon commissioned, an ebony sword called the Witchbreaker. This blade was said to be forged from iron stolen from the gates of hell. Anyone killed by the blade was instantly banished to the pits.
As you might guess from someone who felt the need for such a weapon, Stark took a no-nonsense approach to his job, and eventually people started calling him Witchbreaker instead of the sword. According to legend, he killed over ten thousand witches. He was allowed to keep any valuables his victims might have had, and if they had children, he had the legal authority to sell them into slavery. The Tower clan remains obscenely wealthy to this day.
Like any rich person, Stark liked to travel in comfort. When Avaris fled more civilized climes to set up shop on the Isle of Fire, it’s said that Stark gave chase in nine ships filled with servants and building supplies and erected a castle for the duration of his stay.
Item two: The bay of Commonground is the only place on the island with a safe harbor for cargo ships carrying enough swag to equip a castle. Odds are excellent he would have built his home near the bay.
Item three: There are, in fact, several big stone ruins a few miles upriver from the bay that are sometimes called “the Knight’s Castle.” They’re so close to Commonground, they’re the first place every amateur treasure hunter strikes out for. I’ve done some poking around, but didn’t waste much time because my grandfather’s notes indicated he’d explored the place and found nothing. He also recognized, architecturally, that the walls were the work of middle period stone masons from the Silver Isle, not remnants of the Vanished Kingdom. He’d moved on to more fruitful targets deep in the jungle. But about a half mile away from the Knight’s Castle there are some earthen pits grandfather noted as possible burial sites. He never made any notes about digging them up. I did a few test digs, but they didn’t strike me as particularly promising. There were no headstones. The fate of Stark Tower is unknown; there’s at least six different legends of how, where, and when he died. But if he’d been buried at these mounds, he almost certainly would have had a stone monument. I’d assumed the unmarked graves had been for his servants and slaves. But what if it had been where he’d buried his prey?
I strained to move my wooden limbs. Not long ago, this
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