by Clark Bolton
“Shush!” Onaleen hissed as she looked behind her and out into the other room to make sure no one had heard Doreen. “If father hears you it will mean the end of it.” She whispered harshly.
“I won’t say the word again if you show me something.” Doreen promised. “Like last time.”
Onaleen gave her little sister a critical look then softened up. “Now shush.” She whispered as she dabbed a small amount of face-powder on her finger and then slowly drew out a rune of arcane-script about the length of her finger on the top of the small table she was sitting at. Double checking to make sure no one else was around she whispered softly over the rune, so softly in fact that not even Doreen standing beside her was able to overhear.
The run began to glow softly a rich violet and then she whispered again over it causing it to turn a dark deep red. After a minute of watching it in awe, along with her sister she quickly rubbed it out.
“Gods!” Doreen said in wonder. “Will they teach you to do other things?” She asked as if this simple act of magic was a major feat in of itself.
“Oh yes.” Onaleen said with a smile. “Things you can’t even dream of.” Her sister seemed as convinced as she was that this was a great thing.
“Onaleen, you best come to the door!” Their mother suddenly called out from another room.
“Why, mother?” Onaleen complained, guessing that her parents were in too much of a rush to get her out the door. “We’ve got time to get to class!”
“There are people out here, Onaleen!” Her mother yelled back. “Lords too I think, and on horses!”
“What?” Onaleen exclaimed as she hurriedly looked herself over in the mirror to make sure she was presentable. She suddenly concluded it had to be Autbek, which brought on a sudden panic. “Oh Gods!”
“I don’t know any of them.” Her father announced as he peered out the door carefully. “Not Lord Autbek anyway.”
“What?” Onaleen said with concern as she walked up behind her father. She could now see that there were five or six horses all shiny and with expensive looking harnesses. A finely dressed man was walking toward their front door now and at least one or two others watched from horseback.
“Stay here!” Onaleen’s father said sternly as he stepped out and pulled the door nearly shut behind them.
The others in the house could see him greet the stranger with a deep bow which was only barely returned by the man. They spoke briefly for a few moments and both made gestures back toward the house until finally her father returned.
Onaleen could see her father was very unhappy as he stepped into the house and announced, “They are here to take Onaleen to the Vis Mage-Councilor, and they won’t take no for an answer.” Turning to his daughter he asked gruffly, “Do you know this Lord Bek?”
She indicated she didn’t and was very much having second thoughts about going out to meet them now and certainly thought it strange that Autbek or at least Haspeth or Castor was not with them.
Autbek paced around outside the building near the door that led into the classroom that they had always held their classes in for the three blue-girls. The three had never been this late before and certainly not all three at once, in fact they all tended to be early so as to chat informally with one another before class started.
Stopping to look about for Castor, who had disappeared down an alley some time ago, he hoped to spot the boy again. He had caught sight of Castor one or twice over the last half-hour and at first had been embarrassed by the fact one of his teaching staff was slinking about so, but now very much wondered if the boy had found out anything concerning the girls.
“They are coming.” Castor announced from behind Autbek who was slightly startled and then relieved to hear the news. “But they are not alone.” He added as he pointed back toward the way Autbek had been looking.
A few minutes later a line of horses came into view consisting of six riders, three of which were women. Autbek had a sinking feeling in his gut that something was not right as one or two of the men looked somehow familiar to him.
“Fesmbol and Bek!” Castor announced as he motioned for Haspeth to come out into the alley and join him and Autbek.
Autbek said nothing as he stared at the approaching group until they were nearly upon them. “No Comusa anyways!” He said with teeth clinched, and then he held up his hand to signal Fesmbol and Bek to stop. The two were ridding side by side now in the lead.
“Greetings, Vis Mage-Councilor!” Fesmbol called out loudly as he dismounted. “I have three lovely mages with me as you can see.” He said jovially as he motioned toward the three girls. All three looked to be unhappy and not at all comfortable on a horse. The man taking up the rear of the group looked to be a footman of some type and was clearly assisting the girls with their horses.
“Who asked you to do this Fesmbol?” Autbek said dryly. He was trying very hard to make sense of it all and to come to a calm rational conclusion that wouldn’t involve upsetting anyone, but so far he found himself failing.
“Ah, I took it upon myself, Autbek.” Fesmbol said in a less friendly tone to more closely match Autbek’s. “You three here…” He said as he motioned toward Autbek, Castor and Haspeth, “…along with these three ladies behind me represent all the mages of Astrum. And I think deservingly so, particular when Tenric …urrrr … departs!” The last part of his statement got a silent chuckle from Bek.
“I don’t find humor in it!” Autbek snapped as he glared at Bek for a moment. “Do you know what the Comusa have done?” He found his voice leaving him as he said it.
“I do, Mage-Councilor…” Fesmbol said seriously, “…and that is why I have acted boldly this day. Neither of us wishes to see six mages become less than that!”
“Are you saying you’re protecting them?” Autbek demanded to know incredulously.
“In a way yes, Autbek, and I’m also making it most clear how much I value you and your … apprentices.”
Autbek shook his head angrily. “Not working! Help me get them down!” He ordered Haspeth and Castor as he walked toward Onaleen. Immediately both Bek and the footman tensed up and Bek went so far as to put his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Without hesitation Autbek pointed at the lord as he spoke a few words of arcane-script. Bek screamed as his hand flew from his sword hilt leaving a trail of sparks that then danced about the man’s hand as he desperately tried to shake them off. This nearly spooked his horse and some of the others.
“Calm now, everyone.” Fesmbol called out with hands slightly raised to show he was not armed. “I brought these three here of their own freewill Councilor. Ladies tell him this is so!”
The three girls were more than happy to be helped down off their horses by Haspeth and Castor as Autbek stood defiantly between them and Fesmbol. “We did.” Onaleen said softly to Autbek. “We didn’t really want to but his lordship did not force us.”
“Ok!” Autbek replied as he motioned for them to go inside. “You should know that the Lady Sema is between you and them now!” Autbek informed Fesmbol, hoping very much that would deter the man or perhaps even frighten him.
“Oh, my sister is between you and me, Autbek, that I know.” Fesmbol replied with a tight smile. “But even she has not figured out the value of your apprentices yet!”
“Enough said!” Autbek barked. He was a little surprised and pleased when his outburst appeared to startle Fesmbol, and Bek looked on the point of panic, as did their footman. He then slammed the door shut behind him and went so far as to cast a simple lock spell on it. This last part he found most satisfying as the ecstasy of arcane-energies surged through him.
“Do you know who that was?” Autbek asked of Onaleen after everyone had calmed down and found a seat within the classroom. He glanced at her with a kind smile to try and keep her calm.
“No, he didn’t tell us much exactly, but that Lord Bek seemed to think a lot of him. Lord Fesmbol I mean.” Onaleen replied as she looked at the other two girls for support.
“He didn’t say why he was bringing you here?”
“Just that he was looking out for us and doing a favor for you.”
Autbek furrowed his brow. “Yea, a favor.” He said absently. “He is an Astrum, and by that I mean he is a member of the Earl’s family. More than that doesn’t really matter I guess.” He didn’t think it was worth discussing rumors with them as he tried to decide what he should tell them about the Comusa, if anything.
After a few minutes of mostly silence Castor finally spoke up. “You need to tell them, O’t.”
Autbek inhaled deeply and then nodded his head. “Yes, I should.”
As he related the events that had occurred over the last few days he watched the girl’s faces go nearly blank, and then display alarm, and finally horror when he told them of Lusric’s death and that of the librarian. Not much else was said and the girls seemed to have no questions for him and so then he came to realize that he needed to get them back to their families.
“I don’t think the Comusa know about you, or likely care at this point as they’ve showed no interest yet in Castor or Haspeth.” Glancing at Haspeth he could see that the mere mention of his name in connection with the mage-hunters was terrifying to him. “Best stay away from the palace for a while and certainly don’t tell anyone of what you have learned here today.”
“What if they come to our homes again.” Resbeka asked hesitantly.
“Fesmbol may do that.” Autbek suggested. “If he does just remember that as of yet he has no real authority, though I suppose there are those that would follow his orders anyway.”
“Have a way out the back.” Castor suggested. “And a place you can run to and hide for a while.”
The girls looked shocked at the suggestion they might have to actually run and hide but for the most part Autbek found them sensible enough to understand the situation all of them were in. “That is a good plan I think.” He added as he thought about the plan he, Haspeth and Castor had been working out for themselves. “Hiding may be all we can do.”
The sun had nearly set Autbek noted as he trudged behind Haspeth through the streets of Astrum with the three girls huddled closely behind them. At first he had tried to keep track of where they were but had given up now in shame to himself at being so unfamiliar with the city. He admired now how the three girls put up with this walk several times a week to make it to the walls of the palace.
“Now don’t do anything, O’t.” Haspeth said over his should with a knowing glance to the girls. They were approaching another group of people who were standing about chatting and minding their own business.
“Yes!” Autbek acknowledged with annoyance, realizing it was going to be sometime before Haspeth let him live down his hurried spell casting when they had unexpectedly encountered a similar group upon turning a corner.The spell would have produced a loud bang and a shower of stinging sparks, which the more he thought about it the more he was glad Haspeth had stopped him from completing it. Determined attackers would likely not have been impressed much by it.
“Sneak-thief.” Haspeth reported again as he did every time he caught sight of Castor ahead of them. The kid would come and go, being sometimes ahead and sometimes behind them, and all of them began to rely on his silent suggestions about which road or alleyway to take.
“This is where I live, sir.” Onaleen announced as she stepped up from between the other two girls. She allowed Autbek to put his arm around her and kiss her on the cheek quickly, and then she was off.
“Be safe, Onaleen.” He called softly after her, and then as soon as she was in the door he motioned for Haspeth to lead on.
“Her parents must have money.” Haspeth said as he glanced around at the other homes before starting out again. Many here were three or four stories tall and most had a wall or two in common with the neighboring building.
“Really?” Autbek asked with some skepticism. The place, and indeed the whole city seemed to him to be one dark and endless row of filthy houses. Seen worse I guess, he told himself as he thought about some of the villages he had past through on his journey to Astrum over a year ago now.
“Yea, some nice places here.” Haspeth replied which was echoed by Pemmesa and Resbeka. “Just ask Castor, he has probably been in a few of them.” He seemed happy when the girls chuckled at his remark.
Autbek furrowed his brow as he asked, “So where do the Dakish live in this city?” Haspeth had told him before he was sure.
“Not here.” Pemmesa said adamantly as they walked. “Down near Mosswall and the docks is where you’ll find them living. Hasn’t Castor ever told you that, sir?”
“No, he would just assume forget about his past I think, Pemmesa, or at least not have me know of it.” Autbek replied as he looked around to make sure Castor was not sneaking up on them at the moment. “Though I for one am finding it of use this evening.”
“Yeaaaa … useful.” Haspeth said skeptically as he pointed out in front of him again to give his obligatory warning. “Sneak-Thief!”
It was approaching midnight by the time the three of them returned to the palace, where they found a couple of servants dozing at the table in front of the black-door to the mages wing. They didn’t recognize them and became especially leery when Castor pointed out the large daggers the two had on their belts.
One of the two awoke but said nothing as they quietly slipped by and opened the door after whispering the phrase that unlocked it. Inside they found the place still deserted as the servants who normally resided within had never returned since the Comusa had made their presence known. Not even Eifled was around and none of them wanted to knock on their master’s door to learn if Tenric or Sterncast was within.
They decided to just close and ward their bedroom door as at least the mages wing was partially secured which was more than they could say for Autbek’s suite which seemed their only other option. They slept fitfully until someone knocked on the door early the next morning.
Autbek was just waking up out of deep sleep when Castor let Berdtom into the room. “How did you get in?” He asked as he rolled over in bed to better see his friend.
“Your librarian friend, actually.” Berdtom said with some impatience. “He was released quietly this morning after word spread of his imprisonment. I just happened to be near.”
Autbek frowned skeptically but then decided it was indeed good news for a change. “Tenric know yet?” He asked as he climbed out of bed.
“The man is banging on his door now so I assume he soon will. Anyways I have need of Castor this morning.” Berdtom announced as he handed Autbek his cloths. “All day in fact … and don’t let it be known, ok?”
Autbek nodded sleepily and then wondered suddenly why and if indeed it was safe for the kid to go out. “Are you-“
“Bye O’t’!” Castor said as he cut him off and then pointed to a scroll sitting on his writing table. “You’ll want to read that first thing!” Then he disappeared out the door after Berdtom, leaving Autbek and Haspeth gazing at each other questioningly.
“Comusa Cult and its Lore.” Autbek read aloud after unfurrowing the scroll. “Eifled must have left this for us.”
“He must have hid it somewhere where only a sneak-thief could find it because it was bloody well not here last night!” Haspeth said as he leaned over Autbek’s shoulder.
“…limitations for the detection of enchantments…” Autbek muttered as he read further.
“This is Nec.” Berdtom said to Castor as they paused in front of the black door to say hello to a short looking scribe who had been waiting for them. The man nodded and said nothing as Berdtom pulled Castor back around the corner. “The mages wing is now watched closely and so you need to look as much like him as possible. He’s as close to your size as anyone I could trust to bring with me, so if you need to switch clothes with him do it.”
“No I got some clothes stashed over here.” Castor said softly as he looked around to make sure no one was watching then walked i
nto a small room were linens and other supplies were kept. He then climbed up high onto one of the shelves to retrieve a bundle of scribe’s clothing that he had used in the past.
Berdtom watched with great interest as Castor prepared himself. After first changing his clothing the boy then found a mirror and proceeded to draw upon his face with several pieces of chalk. After what looked like some spell casting followed by applying more chalk the boy’s face began to slowly transform. Castor now looked more like Nek then Berdtom had thought possible.
“No one is going to see through that.” Berdtom guessed aloud. “Just don’t forget to answer to his name.”
“Let me hear him talk some.” Castor replied as he wrapped a towel around his head and face to conceal himself from Nek. Berdtom then obliged him by walking back down the corridor to where Nek sat and carrying on a short conversation with him, who to his credit seemed to be taking all the mystery in stride.
After the two of them exited the mages wing, getting little more than a nod from those guarding the door, they proceeded toward the court side of the palace. “Mind the Comusa…” Berdtom said softly as they walked. “… I’ll show you a side room where you should be able to hear when the court convenes. Pay particular attention should the subject of an Inquisitor come up, a one Anistig Nekail. It’s rumored he arrived with the Lady Sema and that the Comusa are involved, so you’ll need to keep your distance from him as well.”
Castor nodded his head as he followed behind Berdtom at the proper distance for a scribe. “If the Comusa show it will be soon.” He remarked which got him a concerned glance from Berdtom.“They should not be able to detect what I’m doing though.” He said with more self-assurance then he felt.
“Just know when and where to run if it comes to that!” Berdtom said as he made a sign for good luck with his fingers.
