The Spirit Siphon (Magebreakers Book 4)

by Ben S. Dobson

  It didn’t take him long to find the first major change Endo had made to the machine. And it was terrifying. “Spellfire. He’s made it unstoppable. He’s scribing spells directly to the Astra.’

  Kadka cocked her head. “This is different than normal spell?”

  “The spells aren’t different, not necessarily,” Tane said. “The medium is. Spells make requests of the Astra, ask for power to be sent across to use on this side of the divide. But they can’t directly touch the Astra itself, and they have to abide by the limitations that creates. That’s how wards against magic work—they just stop the power from crossing over. But this… Endo used the machine as a way in. It opens a tunnel, and through that he inscribes a spell right into the Astra. Which means all the power is flowing on one side. A ward can’t interrupt it, as long as nothing is crossing between planes. And with the ability to write new rules directly to the source of life… Things like animating the dead, or controlling the growth of that dragon, those are just the beginning of the possibilities. Siphoning someone’s Astral link would be child’s play. If a spell like that was inscribed right onto Urnt’s Astral signature, it would follow him wherever he went, and no ward would stop it.”

  “It’s worse than that.” Tinga held her scroll up, pointed to a section of glyphs. “I’m not sure, but… It looks like it’s self-propagating, increasing its own power. The more he drains, the further the effect goes. He’s like a wraith but with longer reach. Am I reading it right?”

  Tane leaned in to look; the glyphs detailed part of the spell that had been instilled into Urnt. “I think you are. Astra, I’ve never seen anything… this could be the most destructive spell ever written. Its range is going to reach the size of cities. The more people it hurts, the more it can.”

  “That’s what he told Urnt,” Indree said. “The more you drain, the more it will grow, he said.”

  “So he means to build his magical empire by sucking the life out of the rest of us.” Tinga looked equal parts furious and terrified. “Can we reverse it? Like we did with Cestra?”

  Indree shook her head. “I don’t think so. Look here.” She indicated a section of her own scroll. “It’s a shut-off clause. We were only able to save Cestra because the machine held the connection open. It gave us a place to return the energy that had been taken from her. This spell doesn’t do that. It has no use for the people it’s drained dry, so it severs the link. And once they’re riven and that connection is closed, they’re gone from the Astra. There’s no place to put anything back. At least, not the way we want to. They’d end up like the ones Endo brought back, at best. Automatons in skin suits.”

  “So we stop him before too many are hurt,” Kadka said. “But how do we go near with this spell around him?”

  “Indree could get to him,” Tane said. “She’s a mage, so it won’t target her. The rest of us will have some time to act, too—the drain isn’t instant. But Urnt left before it was done, so I don’t know exactly how long it takes. It will work faster the closer we are, for certain.”

  Kadka nodded. “Have to be quick when he is close, then. What is best way to stop spell?”

  “If it’s linked to his Astral signature, severing that would end it,” said Tane. “Which… I don’t know how to do that except by killing him.”

  “This is not a problem.” Kadka drew one of her knives.

  “It’s a bigger one than you think,” said Tane. “The source of this thing is going to be hard to prove, if not impossible. No one is going to know Urnt is the cause. What they do know is that a bunch of Audlanders are in town, including a mage. If those same Audlanders charge in and murder the chancellor in the midst of a magical attack, we’ve probably started the war we’re trying to stop. We need him alive and able to confess.”

  “Well we have to do something,” Indree said. “And fast. Urnt has been gone too long already. Getting to him has to be our first priority. We’ll figure the rest out when we get there. And the only way we’re catching up now is a portal of our own. So where is he going? He’s still masking himself, and we don’t have time to dowse him out by general direction again.”

  “I’m not sure…” Tane trailed off as the obvious answer came to him. “Wait. You said there was a council meeting tonight. All the most important people in Belgrier in one room.”

  Indree nodded. “Right. I’ve been to the palace more than most places in this city—I think I’m familiar enough. If I don’t lose us in the Astra, can you come up with a plan to stop this by the time we get to him? Because if anyone is going to, it’s you.”

  Tane took a deep breath, and nodded his head. There were no good options he could see, and he still didn’t understand how the spell could tell non-magical and magical apart, but he wasn’t going to tell her no just then.

  “I’m… working on it,” he said. “Bring the scrolls. Let’s go.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  _____

  TANE STEPPED OUT of the portal and onto the road just outside the palace gates. It was as close as Indree had been able to get without the anti-magic wards interfering.

  The first thing he noticed was that there were no guards. The second was that the great iron gates sat slightly open.

  Something was definitely wrong.

  The others followed him out, Indree coming through last to ensure the portal held for the rest of them. A moment after she stepped through, it blinked out of existence. A complicated spell cast under stress and to a place she was only passingly familiar with—and she’d even done it without letting a wraith out behind them, as far as Tane could tell. But she didn’t take any time for satisfaction. She was already concentrating on the next thing, by the distant look in her eyes.

  “I still can’t sense him,” she said.

  “Is not here?” Kadka frowned.

  “There’s nowhere else he’d be,” said Tane. “Something’s certainly going on. No guards, and the gate’s open. Remember, the palace is warded against magic. No divination is going to get through that.”

  Kadka took a wary step toward the open gate. “Will wards let us in? If he is already draining Astra inside and blames us…”

  “They’d have to pull a mage out of the workhouses to change the spells,” said Tinga. “I’m guessing they haven’t.” To demonstrate, she stepped by Kadka and through the open gate. “See?”

  Tane followed her through with an approving nod. “Now you’re thinking like a…” He caught himself and trailed off.

  “Like a Magebreaker?” Tinga finished, quirking an eyebrow.

  “Shut up,” he said, scowling. “Anyway, we need to move. The longer we take, the stronger Urnt’s spell is going to get.” He headed in, and the others followed.

  The palace towered before them now, a great stone edifice built centuries ago. There was a sense of history there that Tane could feel as an almost physical weight as he approached. He hadn’t thought much about it the last few visits, when they’d rolled right up to the entry stairway in a carriage, but this time it was impossible to ignore. This is where the problem started. Kaisers and councillors sitting in luxury for centuries, passing laws while mages suffer in the workhouses. Small wonder Urnt chose to target this place.

  They found the gate guards further in, or at least some of them. Near the doors, wandering in the snow just off the path with empty eyes and open mouths. Already riven. There was nothing anyone could do to help them now.

  “They must have escorted him from the gate,” said Tane. “They wouldn’t have known what was happening, probably thought they were protecting him from Audish sorcery. If they only made it this far, they must have been close to him. I don’t feel the spell here, so it’s not that it reached them from inside. His range hasn’t extended that far yet, at least.”

  Indree stepped ahead to block the path, turned to face him. “I should go on alone.” Her eyes went to the riven guards. Proof of Urnt’s effect on the non-magical. “It’s too dangerous for the rest of you.”

  Ta
ne shook his head. “Not on your life. You’re not doing this by yourself.” He’d already come too close to losing her today. “Besides, I’ve got part of a plan, and it’s going to need more than one person. Please don’t fight me on this, Indree. We’re short on time.”

  Indree hesitated a beat, and then relented with a nod. “Fine. What’s the plan?” She was already turning as she spoke, continuing on toward the palace doors.

  “I’m still working on it. The anti-magic wards start at the doors, right?”

  Indree nodded.

  “Then get a sending to Althir before we go in,” Tane said. “Tell her to evacuate the embassy.”

  “What good will that do?” Indree asked.

  “I’ll explain on the way, but get it done first. We need the building clear.” They’d reached the stairway leading up to the doors, and as they ascended Tane felt a low, cold ache beginning to pulse in his chest. “There it is. Urnt is definitely inside. And the spell’s reach is getting longer fast if I can feel it from here.”

  Kadka swallowed, rubbed her own chest with a white-furred hand. “Is not just here. Starts just past guards for me.”

  Indree frowned. “You should have said something. It hit you worse before, too. Maybe you shouldn’t—”

  “No,” Kadka said flatly. “I am coming in.”

  Tane had been trying to reason out why the effect of the spell was worse for her, although he knew she wouldn’t listen to any attempt to dissuade her, reasoned or not. “I think it’s your weak Astral link. On this side it makes you nearly invisible to spells, but this is coming through the Astra directly. It can find you, and you don’t have as deep a reserve to drain. Its going to take a lot out of you, Kadka. I don’t know exactly how long we’ve got, but if we aren’t fast enough…”

  “If we are too slow, is bad for all of us.” Kadka jutted out her heavy lower jaw; there wasn’t going to be any changing her mind. “Is just worse for me. This wastes time. Is why I don’t say before.”

  Indree spread her hands. “I don’t want to see you hurt, Kadka, but if you want to come, we can’t stop you. I know better than to try.” She looked to Tane. “I’ve sent to Althir. She’s clearing the embassy. We can go in.” She pushed open the doors and entered the palace.

  Tane followed after her, felt the tingle of magic as he passed through the wards and into the vast entry hall, as gilded and ornate as any manor in Thaless. The chill in his chest grew colder by the step. There was no one immediately inside the doors, but he could hear panicked voices deeper in, shouted commands and cries of alarm.

  “There’s still people moving around in here,” he said. “They’re not all riven. Which means we might not be too late. Good. The next thing is that we need to take down these wards. You’re going to have to be able to cast a spell.”

  They moved through the entry hall and into the corridor beyond. At the first fork, a riven servant blindly sagged against the wall, a string of drool cascading down his chin. Urnt had definitely been here—this man had to have gotten reasonably close to be riven already, like the guards outside. The sight made Tane shiver. Or maybe it was the icy cold spreading from his chest into his extremities. That could be me very soon. The effect was still distant, but he was already weakening, and it would get worse. Spellfire, we need to stop this.

  At least he knew this fork. Forward would take them to the throne room, and right to Urnt’s offices. Left, he had no idea.

  He turned right. The way to Urnt’s offices led directly by the ward room; he’d noted it on their first visit. “The wards are this way. You’re going to have to go on to the council chambers while I—”

  “I should do it,” Tinga interrupted.

  Tane blinked. “Do what?”

  “The wards,” she said. “I should be the one to take them down. You’re the one with the plan, and it’s better if you can see it through. Faster too, if you can explain as you go instead of laying it all out right here. And I assume you need Indree to cast whatever spell needs casting. That leaves me and Kadka, and no offense Kadka, but I know more about wards than you do.”

  Kadka shrugged. “Is true.” Her face was wan and sweaty; she looked like she’d contracted some wasting illness in the past few minutes.

  Tane frowned. “It’s too dangerous.”

  Tinga rolled her eyes. “Aren’t we past that, after everything else today? It’s all dangerous. But this is the best choice right now, and you know it.”

  Tane looked at her for a moment, and then let out a long sigh. “Spellfire, I am doing such a bad job keeping you out of trouble. Don’t tell your parents. Again.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out the sending locket. “Take this. When the wards are down, use it to let Indree know.”

  Tinga nodded. “I will,” she said, and hung the locket around her neck.

  “It’s the brass door,” he said. “If it’s locked—”

  “I know which door it is, Tane,” said Tinga. “I do pay some attention in class, you know. I’ll figure something out.”

  A loud voice from the right-hand fork turned all their heads, then. “Find the Audish mages. They’re doing this. They have to be here somewhere.”

  Tane recognized the look on Tinga’s face before she moved. “Tinga, wait—” He reached for her shoulder. It was alarming how much strength it took just to raise his hand so quickly.

  But she was already gone, running toward the sound. “I’ll make sure they don’t follow you,” she shouted over her shoulder. “Go!” In a moment, she’d dashed around the corner and out of sight. He wasn’t sure he could have matched that pace even if he’d tried. He knew Urnt’s spell had to be affecting her, but she was young, and she’d never lacked for energy. She’d fight it better than he could.

  Indree shook her head almost fondly. “That girl is more like you every day.”

  “I know,” Tane said. “Horrible, isn’t it?”

  “There’s no time to go after her, so let’s hope she’s as good in a tight spot as you are too,” Indree said. “We need to keep moving. Where are we going?”

  “Urnt’s going to be in that council meeting,” Tane answered. “That’s where the best targets will be. Anyone know how to find the council chambers?”

  “I do,” Kadka said. She wasn’t doing well; the strain was audible in her voice. “Saw when I look for Detehr’s rooms. This way.” She strode straight through the fork toward the throne room. Her pace didn’t flag, but Tane could tell it was taking a toll on her.

  It wasn’t easy on him either. The further in they went, the more that tugging cold took out of him. It was setting into his fingers and toes now. This slow ebb of vital essence out of his body was almost worse than the sudden shock of loss he’d felt when he was right beside Urnt in the cave—or at least, he had more time to feel it. When he turned the next corner to see another stretch of hall open up before him, he wanted to weep. Or maybe to just collapse where he was and rest. Which would essentially be suicide, but the impulse was getting harder to resist.

  And he wasn’t the only one feeling it. A guardsman was waiting halfway down the hall, sword in hand, and when he saw them he started hobbling in their direction. He didn’t make it halfway before he stumbled, slumped against the wall, and slid down to the floor, too weak to stand.

  “Stop,” the man croaked weakly, and reached out a hand as they passed.

  Kadka didn’t give the fallen guard so much as a glance; not out of disdain, as far as Tane could tell, but because she probably couldn’t spare the energy to turn her head just then. “Is not far,” she said. “Next left, then end of hall, right side.”

  They were close, then. Very close. No wonder I feel so terrible. Tane’s vision swam, creating the illusion of two Kadkas running beside him. He blinked it away, but she remained slightly fuzzy, blurred around the edges.

  “I think it’s time you filled us in on this plan,” Indree said as they moved. “I need to know what I’m doing when we get there.”

  “It’s simple,�
�� Tane said, wheezing slightly with the effort of moving and speaking at once. “He’s a danger when he’s close to people. We need to isolate him. You’re going to open a portal to the embassy, and we’re going to push him through.”

  “Of course,” said Indree. “That’s why we needed them to evacuate. Althir is the only person in this city that would actually listen to us.”

  “And the embassy is somewhere you’re familiar enough with to make the portal,” said Tane. “I’m hoping Urnt will listen to reason once he’s out of the palace. He’s not doing this for the same reasons Endo is—he’s trying to take out the ruling class, not hurt innocents. That’s all I’ve got. If he doesn’t stop it for us, the only other way I know is killing him and causing an international incident.”

  “The problem with this plan,” Indree said, “is that I’m the only one who can safely get close to Urnt, and I’ll have to close the portal behind him to cut off the effect. Which means I can’t go through. If I close myself on the other side and they get their wards back up, we’re abandoning Tinga.”

  “I know,” said Tane. “Me and Kadka are going to have to take him through.” It hurt just saying it. Getting that close to Urnt wasn’t going to be pleasant.

  Indree shook her head. “You can’t. We’ll be lucky if Kadka is still standing by then.”

  “Will stand until is done,” Kadka said stubbornly, and shot Tane a shadow of her usual grin. “Can’t trust Carver to do this alone.”

  Indree had pulled ahead as he and Kadka grew weaker; now she stopped dead and whirled to face them. “Astra, you’re both insane. I knew I shouldn’t have let you come. I’m not just abandoning you to get riven.”

  Tane staggered to a halt, swaying on his feet. “You said it yourself. You can’t do it, so who else? It’s that or leave Tinga here. And I told her parents I wouldn’t let anything happen to her.”