by Eric Vall
“What do you want me to do?” Shoshanne asked. The healer was securing her snug thigh strap and the case of shuriken in place, and I couldn’t resist getting one last blush out of her.
“Get on your knees, and I’ll show you,” I replied casually.
Shoshanne’s cheeks were beet red as she straightened up to send me a warning look, and when the healer strutted off toward the entrance of the Oculus, Cayla couldn’t contain her giggles any longer.
I tried to reign in the filthy grin on my face while I jogged to catch up to Shoshanne, and as I resealed the trunk and doors behind me, I finally caught her and slid my arm around her waist.
“I never should have said anything,” Shoshanne sighed with a smirk. “Now, you’re going to be making me blush all day.”
“That was the last one,” I promised. “No more dirty comments, unless you’re in my bed.”
“Maybe some comments,” Shoshanne mumbled. “When there isn’t an entire village winking at me, I do enjoy it.”
I grinned and pulled her snug against my side, and when I leaned to brush my lips against her ear, Shoshanne melted another degree in my hold.
“Good,” I growled, “I want you turned on as often as possible.”
“Well, it’s working,” Shoshanne muttered back as a quiver lightly shook her shoulders.
“Don’t worry about the village, either,” I told her more soberly. “Kurna’s handling it as we speak, but if anyone makes you uncomfortable about it, just point me in their direction. Deal?”
“Deal,” Shoshanne said as she sent me a soft smile. “Now, before you get me all worked up and send me off alone, will you please tell me where you want me to go?”
“The infirmary,” I chuckled, and I loosened my hold to give the blushing woman some space to cool down again. “King Temin wanted you to take a look at whatever issue he’s having with keeping his healer’s around, and they might have some information we could use as well.”
“Of course,” Shoshanne agreed, and she was immediately back in business mode. “I’ll see if I can figure out what’s going on with them.”
“If there’s any mages there who you know and can trust,” I continued, “see if they have anything to say about the disappearances. Odd behavior, things like that.” I turned to the others as they joined us, and the four women stood obediently waiting for their instructions with Ruela in line as well. “The same goes for everyone. We need to know what rate mages are going missing at, if anyone’s seen how this happens, where they go to, if there are possessed mages living within the Oculus right now, and any other details you can possibly gather. I’m also curious if there’s any hierarchy going on here, like how House Syru’s soldiers led the others in our last battle against the Master’s army. So, if you see a suspicious mage, or hear of one who seems to be a leader of sorts, find out their names, alright?”
The women nodded diligently, and we turned ahead of us.
To the untrained eye, the entrance to the underground city that housed the Order of the Elementa was only a blur of shadows at the far edge of the courtyard. Even to us mages, the enchanted entrance caused a curious sensation when you looked for it that was a lot like trying to see a star by not looking directly at it. The enchantments of the tunnel opening repelled the eye completely, but as my gaze drifted to the right of it, I saw it more clearly.
Deya had her arm clasped around Aurora’s as we all stepped forward into the strange array of shadows, and I held Cayla and Shoshanne’s hands in my own to guide them through the pitch-black tunnel. We walked like this for ten minutes, and I marveled at the view as my eyesight swiftly adjusted to the darkness. I didn’t need any help from the Ignis Mage to find my way into the city now that I had the runes branded into my skin, and I could even see the faint outlines of my women around me.
Deya and Aurora clearly had no issues in here either, but the other two women kept a tight hold on me until the end of the tunnel finally began to shine with the light of two torches mounted on either side. The firelight gradually illuminated the pathway more fully, and when we came to the end of the tunnel, a pair of stout stone doors loomed at a height of thirty feet. They appeared to be nothing but a wall at first glance, but when I sparked my Terra Magic and sent my powers into the stonework, the doors gave a deep grating noise and began to swing open.
Daylight broke across the dim tunnel as the Oculus came into sight, and Deya gasped in awe at the sight of the magical city within the mountain.
Aurora’s grin spread from ear to ear as she took a steadying breath, and the ancient rock around me sent a surge through my veins as all-encompassing as it had always been when I entered the Oculus.
But this time, I recognized what I was sensing.
Like joining in an endless magical circuit, I could feel the Terra energy that had gone into forming the city over the years, and the sensation was like pure power rushing through me all at once.
More than returning home, it was like returning to a hive of my own kind at last, and I let the presence build in my veins until my heart pounded with it.
The massive cavern was hollowed out from the foothills of the Draconis Mountains, and it stretched far and wide before us as I craned my neck to admire the crater-like opening high above that revealed the blue day.
The waterway that stretched across the belly of the Oculus shimmered with the sunlight filtering down, and along the vast walls of the mountain, large stone buildings were built on one another and climbed into the heights from decades of Terra Mages expanding the magical city.
The base of the mountain was interlaced with stone streets and humble homes that wound around the central marketplace, and in the distance, the glittering dome of the great library stood as the largest structure in the Oculus. I could see the two-toned storm clouds still warring with one another above the spire of the dome, and as a few bolts of lightning streaked from one cloud to the other, a shiver of anticipation coursed down my spine.
I couldn’t even recall the last time I’d wandered the streets of the Oculus, but my veins pulsed hungrily to be back in the thick of it. Beyond the dense presence of the mountain that enclosed us, the air in the underground city held the vibration of the many elemental powers at work here, and it sifted across my skin like it wanted to drag me right into the streets.
“What do you think?” Aurora asked Deya, and I noticed the proud glint in the half-elf’s eyes as she looked out across her city.
The Oculus had been a true home to her after she’d left her orphanage to come to Serin, and from the very first time the half-elf brought me here, I’d known it was a place that meant more to her than any other.
“I love it,” Deya sighed as her violet eyes took in the strange buildings that curved inward along the rim of the city. “This place is so much more beautiful than even Serin.”
“I agree,” I said as I shared a grin with Aurora. “Shall we?”
The half-elf gave an eager nod.
“Keep your ears and eyes trained for anything suspicious,” I reminded the women as we descended the stone path into the base of the mountain. “Stay alert and watch your backs, and Aurora, don’t lose track of Deya. We’ll meet at the library in an hour, but if you can’t find us, listen for the sound of our hilts against our belts.”
Aurora stared. “I hadn’t even thought of that,” she admitted.
I smirked and nudged her with my runed arm as Deya tightened her hold on Aurora, and then the beautiful elf flickered out of sight.
I left a kiss on Shoshanne’s cheek before she headed toward the infirmary, and I kept an eye on her until she wove around a stalagmite to disappear down a footpath with her hand clasped around the dagger on her hip.
Aurora sent me a wink as she and Deya headed the opposite direction, and I tried to prod Ruela toward the pair so she would join them, but the stubborn wolf remained locked in place beside me.
I sighed and sent Cayla a wry smirk, and then the princess shifted her rifle’s strap as the
three of us headed straight along the edge of the waterway to make our way toward the great library.
We walked without hurrying as I scanned the streets and walkways between the buildings we passed, and I tried to focus on dissecting the sounds that drifted to me from even the furthest reaches of the Oculus. The usual bustle of the marketplace came back to me along with the hum of mages discussing their craft or their annoyance with the sleeping quarters, but from what I could tell, nothing sounded out of the ordinary.
The streets were only partially occupied at this hour, but I knew the major hub of activity in the Oculus was always the library, so I wasn’t too concerned about this. After a few minutes of nothing but studious mages and a few clopping horses, Cayla shrugged at my side.
“It looks the same to me,” she said quietly. “Granted, I have only been here once, but I think I remember the place being much like this.”
“Me too,” I agreed, “and nothing sounds too suspicious so far.”
I was struggling to keep from drifting into a daze as my eyes caught more intricate details on the distant buildings that I’d ever seen before, but knowing the beautiful city was in danger made it easier to return my focus to the work at hand.
As long as we did what we came back to Illaria to do, there would be many more years ahead to truly admire the Oculus for all that it was. More than anything, I wanted to talk with the mages again to find out where they were with their craft, and I began to wonder if any of the passing Terra Mages had gotten to the level I was at.
I was a little surprised to find Haragh hadn’t advanced further in his magery since we left for Nalnora, but if I could help him along at all, maybe he and a couple others who had reached the same point could do periodic scans of the grounds surrounding Falmount for the time being.
Ruela prowled silently on my right side with Cayla strolling to my left as we continued to make our way beneath the gaping ceiling of the city, but when we passed a small intersection between several hovel-like buildings, a deep growl started in the beast’s chest.
I halted and scanned the entire area, and my eyes caught on a boot swiftly disappearing around a far corner between two buildings.
Ruela’s eyes were glued to the same spot as she growled, so we promptly headed down the alleyway at a quick pace.
When we got to the end of the alley, nothing but walkways branched off in every direction, and Ruela began sniffing around to try and track the mage who seemed to have vanished completely.
“They could have just been nervous after seeing Ruela,” Cayla pointed out.
“True,” I allowed, and I nudged Ruela to bring her back toward the main road.
The mages at Falmount had scattered as well at the sight of the wolfish beast, but Ruela hadn’t growled at any of them for the reaction. Since entering the Oculus, we hadn’t had any strange reactions beyond the stares the giant dog naturally inspired.
So, for the next few minutes, I kept my ears trained in the direction we’d seen the mage head. Whoever it had been wasn’t running anymore, though, and the footsteps I heard on that side of the city all blended together indiscernibly.
We were nearing the marble stairway of the library when Ruela let out another low growl, and this time, there was a mage in a brown hooded cloak crossing just ahead of us when it happened.
It struck me as odd that the mage didn’t look over at the sound of the ominous growl, and as the cloaked mage subtly quickened their pace, I exchanged a look with Cayla before we changed course to follow them.
Ruela trotted a few paces ahead as her growl peeled into a snarl, and a split second later, the cloaked mage shot their arm out with their palm facing back toward us.
A fiery wall erupted between Ruela and the mage, and I immediately sparked my Terra Magic to pull the stonework of the street open and swallow the flames down.
By the time the enchanted wall was gone, the cloaked mage had disappeared, and I stretched my hearing to zero in on the fleeing footsteps.
They were moving at an unbelievable rate and were already more than halfway to the entrance of the Oculus.
“Wait here,” I ordered, and I quickly whipped around to sprint back the way we’d come. I kept my eyes trained on the path that rose up and led to the tunnel entrance of the city, and when I’d made it only a third of the way there, two cloaked figures appeared on the path.
They ran at an all-out sprint for the stone doors, and I summoned my Terra Magic to keep the entrance firmly sealed against the Ignis Mage until I could reach him.
My heart hammered as I quickened my pace another measure and barely missed crashing into a passing cart, but then the second cloaked figure raised their arm, and with a heavy surge of power fighting against my own, I felt the doors manage to part just a crack.
“Shit,” I cursed as the two mages slipped away, and the stonework slammed shut under the force of my hold on it. I considered pursuing them, but with a possessed Terra Mage among them, I knew I’d put the whole cavern of the Oculus at risk if something went wrong. So I let them go for now, and once I’d traced their footsteps beyond the gates of the castle to be sure they were leaving the city behind unscathed, I headed back along the waterway.
On my way to where Cayla and Ruela were waiting, I kept a wary eye out for any other brown cloaks similar to what the Ignis and Terra mages had been wearing, but I didn’t see another, and I wasn’t entirely sure if the matching cloaks were some kind of uniform, or only a coincidence. Still, I kept the notion in mind as I returned to the others, and Cayla cursed as well when I told her I lost the Ignis Mage after the Terra Mage aided in their escape.
“Do you think they were branded?” Cayla asked in a low voice.
“I don’t know, but they were up to something,” I told her. “If it was because of Ruela, that mage would have just changed course, but both of them made a beeline for the tunnel and never slowed down for a second.”
“What do you want to do?” the princess asked.
“Let’s stick to the plan and search the library,” I decided. “Aurora and the others will be coming here, and we can see if they had any similar run ins.”
The three of us turned back down the street, and when we branched off at the lane that led to the marble steps of the library, several nervous mages were heading in the direction of the sleeping quarters.
None of them looked shifty at all, but I could see from the looks on their faces that something was up, and when I gestured for a passing mage to come over, he only paled and ran off.
The storm spiraling above the spire crackled ominously with thunder as we approached, and Ruela flattened her ears back as her hackles rose. We passed three Aer Mages leaving the library together, but these few only eyed our weaponry and the wolf with the usual level of concern as they hastened for the sleeping quarters as well.
I furrowed my brow and reached for the door.
It was barely lunchtime, and as far as my memory served, mages usually spent the whole day out and about in the Oculus.
Inside the library, the sunlight shining through the dome cast a wash of colors across the massive chamber of the entrance hall, and although mages strolled around everywhere I looked, I immediately noticed it wasn’t half as crowded as it had been on our last visit.
The mages we saw also weren’t wandering around at their leisure anymore. It only took a glimpse around the chamber to see no one was on their own, and the majority moved in groups no less than three. I was reminded of the protocol in Rhoemir where every elf travelled with two guards, and the notion had my nerves on high alert.
The mages around us looked tired and tense, and when they caught sight of our weapons, some of them seemed to recognize who we were.
Two Terra Mages immediately smiled with what could only be called relief, and the Flumen Mage they had with them gestured our way to change their route. They waited until they were directly beside us to speak, and the Flumen Mage glanced nervously over his shoulder as he lowered his voice.
&n
bsp; “You’re Defender Flynt, aren’t you?” he muttered.
“I am,” I replied.
“The east wing on the second floor,” the mage whispered, and then the three of them abruptly walked off and left the library without another word.
I furrowed my brow once more while Cayla sent me a calculating glance.
“Is it a trick?” she asked quietly.
“Ruela’s not growling,” I pointed out, and the two of us looked down at the wolf who kept her green eyes darting all around the chamber.
So, we headed to the large set of stairs at the far end of the chamber and climbed them into the heights of the library. At the top, we turned toward the east wing, and we passed at least five mages quickly heading in the opposite direction.
One of them gave a fervent shake of her head in passing, but the warning look on her face only solidified my resolve. Whatever was waiting in the east wing on the second floor was clearly not something any of these mages wanted to fuck with.
I slid my revolver from its holster once the last mage scuttled past, but Cayla sent me a pointed look.
“You said you didn’t want to draw any attention,” she reminded me.
“Good point,” I replied, and I swapped the revolver for my Halcyan dagger instead.
We slowed our pace when we came to the first row of oaken shelves in the east wing, and as I strained my ear, I could tell the area was already mostly deserted.
Except for three distinct voices in the far corner.
I silently motioned in their direction, and Cayla fell in step behind me with her bow drawn and at the ready. Then we stopped in the shadows between two lofty shelves of leather-backed volumes that must have been at least a hundred years old.
Ruela’s ears shot up and swiveled anxiously as the voices began to draw closer, and I placed a steadying hand on the wolf’s scruff to keep her from giving away our position.
The first thing I noticed wasn’t the words being said by the approaching mages, but the fact that their tones sounded severely agitated. One of them scolded another in a gravelly whisper, and the other immediately fell silent.
