Stonecutter's Shadow: A young mage's fight through a fantasy kingdom full of treachery

by James Haddock

  I went back to the treasury vault and unlocked it and left the door standing open. I went down to the dungeon, unlocked the door, and left it standing open as well.

  Some four hours later the guard woke up and sounded the alarm. The mercenaries swarmed like angry bees, especially when they saw their money was gone from their vault. In no time all the mercenaries knew there was no gold to pay them. Search parties were sent out everywhere looking for Lermont, the captain, and the gold.

  * * *

  A day or so later I went back to visit Lermont. He was sitting in the floor, still gripping the leg irons. “Who is your master?” He jumped to his feet spinning around looking for me. He said nothing, I waited a bit, the asked again. “Who is your master?”

  “Starwick backed me,” he answered.

  “That was to take Farshores. I want to know who sent you to Rockspire, and who's financing you here.”

  He said nothing.

  I left, figuring I'd let him sit there another day and see if that loosened his tongue.

  I went the captain's Shadow and saw he was lying in the floor, but he wasn't asleep. “Who is your master?” I asked. He flinched but did not jump up. I waited a moment.

  “Lord Lermont,” he finally answered.

  “No, you put Lermont in the dungeon, then sent a message to your master for further instructions. Who is your master?” He said nothing further. I left; I'd let him stew for a while longer as well.

  I went to a nice inn, had a tasty meal, and took a room to get a good night’s sleep. I go back to the mercenaries’ estate tomorrow.

  * * *

  When I arrived back at the estate, one of the mercenary companies had already left. “That didn't take long,” I thought. I went to Lermont's Shadow. He was lying on the floor rolled up in a ball. I cast a small mage fire about the size of a candle flame 30 feet from him. It didn't take long for him to see it, and he quickly crawled to it.

  “Who are your masters?” I asked.

  “Water!” he said from a parched throat. I extinguished the flame. “No! Please! he begged.

  “Who are your masters?” I asked again.

  He said nothing for a moment, then “the Crimson Isles.”

  I frowned, “the Blood Bankers?”

  “Yes,” he answered. I relit the flame, and he huddled close to the light. I considered the implications of this new information. “Water, please. I'll tell you everything I know,” he said. I still didn't trust him, so I tossed a small water bag to land beside him. He snatched it up and drank half of it.

  “I'm listening,” I said.

  He nodded, “countries had been at peace to long. With no wars the bankers weren't loaning as much money, so they weren't earning as much interest. They decided to change that. They started financing the overthrow of certain kingdoms that were weak and vulnerable. Starwick talked me into taking Farshores. When that failed, the bankers sent their man to me with orders to move the mercenaries to Rockspire. We were to do the same here. If I succeeded, I'd pay them a tithe, If I failed Joseph would have to take a loan to finance the war. Either way they made money.” He took another pull from the water bag. I tossed him an iron ration and left.

  I went to the captain's Shadow and found him much the same way as I had left him. I lit a candle-sized flame close to him, he turned his head to look at it, but didn't move. “Who are your masters?” He said nothing, turning his head to stare back 'up'. I extinguished the flame and left. Seems the captain was a good bit tougher than Lermont.

  I flowed into a different Shadow and set up my camp. I lit my mage fire and put the kettle on. I rolled the new information around in my mind. If true, the Blood Bankers were starting wars, and win, lose, or draw, they won. They might not have killed my family, but they paid to have it done.

  So, I owed them a blood debt. Sipping my tea, I weighed my options. If I killed the Blood Bankers, they’d just be dead. Which was OK, but if I wanted to really hurt them, the one sure way would be to take their money.

  When I say 'their money', I mean all of it. But I needed to do more than that. I needed to cripple their banking system, so they could never do this again. I spent the rest of the day pondering the problem. As an idea would come up, I would consider it, then discard it.

  The next morning, I went back to the captain's Shadow. He was lying on the floor, eyes closed, lips cracked from lack of water. “Who are your masters?” I asked.

  He said nothing for a moment. “You'll never beat them,” he finally said.

  “Why, because they’re the almighty Blood Bankers?”

  He nodded, “that is exactly why. They have enough money to do anything they want. No one opposes them and lives. When they can buy whole countries, take everything you hold dear, who should they fear?”

  “Someone with nothing to lose,” I answered, making a candle sized flame, and tossing him a water bag. He slowly picked it up and drank greedily, nearly choking on it. “So, they sent you to keep an eye on Lermont?”

  “I should have just killed that idiot and done the job myself. But I'm not a mage and, according to them, only mages can rule,” he said taking another drink.

  “Just because you are a mage doesn't mean you'd make a good ruler, Lermont proved that.” I said, tossing an iron ration down beside him. he sat up and began to eat it.

  “You mages all stick together, keeping control over us mundanes. It's all about money, and power.”

  “Not anymore, they've started killing mages, that changes the power dynamic. Now the mages are banding together against the oppression.”

  “Won't make any difference,” he said. “The Blood Bankers will just hire battle mages and send in an army of mercs to put down the rebellion.”

  “So, they think they are untouchable.”

  “That's because they are. Only their ships use their ports, and no others are allowed to dock there. Any ship caught is fired, and the crew put to the sword and thrown overboard. The thing is, they don't want to rule, they just want interest on their loans. They are perfectly happy letting everyone else fight over land and power.”

  “How many countries have they done this to?” I asked.

  He chuckled, “all of them. You don't get it; they have been doing this for generations. Every kingdom owes them money, and their rulers don't like it, but no one really wants to rock the boat. Even if you killed every blood banker you found and stole all the gold you could find, it would make no difference. They world just send replacement people and replacement gold.

  If someone could somehow kill their board of directors and take all that gold, within five years it would all be replaced, and they would be doing what they've always done. And another thing, they don't have local banks. They send their gold in and turn it over to the kingdom. Then it’s the kingdom’s responsibility to keep their gold safe. Once it’s sent, the ruler is responsible for the loan and repaying it with interest. The bankers brook no excuses — their red gold is not the only reason they are called blood bankers.” I considered all that he had told me. “I suppose you'll kill me now that you have your information,” he said.

  “I considered it, but there is really no need … but if I catch you trying to do this again, I will kill you.”

  I tossed a small pouch of gold down beside him, “If I were you, I’d disappear. Everyone will be looking for you.” I pulled the Shadow away from him putting him back into the world of light. He grabbed the pouch and stumbled from the room.

  I Shadow Flowed to Lermont's Shadow. He was sitting beside the small flame. I tossed a knife down beside him. “Your captain is escaping, if you want your vengeance, you'll have to catch him. He also has gold, and is heading for the river,” I said, pulling the Shadow away from him, putting him back into the world of light.

  He took the knife and headed after the captain. “Let the best man win,” I said to myself.

  Chapter 24

  I spent a week doing nothing but walking around the city eating at nice inns, and relaxing, w
hile reflecting on my life and what to do next. I took a horseback ride away from the city, since I needed to test Lermont's nullification necklace, and I didn't want anyone else around.

  What I really needed to see was if I wore the necklace would it nullify my magic or the magic of the other artifacts I was wearing. The test was rather anticlimactic. As far as I could tell, the necklace had no effect on my magic or any of the artifacts I was wearing. I'd have to wait to see if it nullified magic being used against me. Though it wasn't a total waste of time, I did enjoy the ride in the countryside.

  I decided to let my quest for vengeance drop, at least for now, and get on with my life, especially since it seemed that nothing I could do would change anything to any extent … why waste my time?

  ***

  One day I was sitting at what had become my favorite café, eating a pastry and drinking coffee. I thought I’d give coffee a try for a change of pace. Then the Shadows told me someone I knew had come out onto the patio. It was the spymaster, Rodger.

  He took a table at the railing away from everyone and ordered tea. I wondered what he was doing here, other than the obvious. Before long he was joined by another man, I could hear them perfectly through the Shadows. “Have you found them?” the spy master asked. The other man just nodded. “Am I to guess, or can you speak?”

  “We found them between the estate and the river.” the other man said. “Lermont and his captain had fought. It appears that the captain killed Lermont but was wounded and died later from his wounds. The only thing we found was a small purse of gold.”

  “Very well,” the spymaster said, and waved his hand dismissing the man.

  “And the other job?” the man asked.

  “It hardly matters now; she won't be marrying a dead man will she?” The man left without another word.

  I took it that the “she” they were referring to was Princess Rayne. I knew where I could find the spymaster, so I followed the other man. Once around the corner I went into Shadow, and Flowed ahead of him. When he passed I jumped into his Shadow. He continued his trek across the city and seemed to be walking in circles for time. I assumed it was to see if anyone was following him.

  We finally stopped at a warehouse and went inside. He continued through to the rear of the building to an upstairs office. The door was guarded by a couple of bully boys, but he went straight in.

  The man behind the desk was smallish, but something about his eyes said he was dangerous. “You met with him?” the man behind the desk asked.

  “Yeah, I passed on the information just like you said. He didn't seem all that surprised.”

  “What of Princess Rayne?”

  “He said it was off, since she wouldn't be marrying a dead man,” he answered, chuckling.

  “Too bad, that would have put the spymaster in our debt forever. Well, we'll just have to find something else to hold over him. For now, keep watch on him, report anything out of the ordinary.” my ride turned to leave, but I stayed in the office.

  Visitors came to the office, some of whom were for his legitimate warehouse business, while others were for thieves’ guild machinations. Everyone on legitimate business called him Mr. O, for Oscar. The guild never mentioned his name.

  I was about to leave when in walked Lermont's captain, who had been reported dead. My eyebrows, “things just got interesting.”

  The captain took a seat, “your man delivered the message?”

  “He did,” Mr. O answered. “No problem, no suspicion. With Lermont out of the way, what's your next move?”

  “I need to find out who my captor was. Once I have eliminated him, I'll decide on the next step. What I need from you is to find out what mage can cast invisibility and Shadows spells. He’s very strong, since he was able to sustain the illusion for days.”

  That was all I needed to hear. I cast a Shadow over both of them. When I did, I brought the desk and chairs in too, which was a mistake on my part. They both dropped to the floor and drew knives. Mr. O conjured a small fire ball and tossed it into the air where it floated, lighting the area around the desk. Mr. O was a mage or wore an artifact.

  I was well back from them, wrapped in Shadows, so even though they had light they couldn’t see me.

  “He followed you,” Mr. O said, looking around.

  “You sent Lermont after me,” the captain said accusingly.

  When I spoke, the Shadows caused my voice to come from everywhere, and nowhere. “In my defense, I did tell you everyone would be looking for you. I also told you if I found you doing the banker's business again, I'd kill you,” I said. Taking over his Shadow form, I drew his knife and cut his throat.

  Mr. O began hurling fire balls in every direction, as the captain bled out. They were small but powerful. One came close but fizzled out as it neared me. The nullification amulet seemed to be working.

  He stopped after he had thrown several. “Let's make a deal,” he said, playing for time while he built his energy back up.

  “I'm listening.”

  “I can pay you, make you a rich man.”

  “How much is your life worth?”

  “It's not only the money, but also the information, and the services I can provide.”

  I chuckled, “what, to give the guild’s time to figure out who I am, and where I live? I think not.” I took his Shadow Form and stabbed him through the heart, then laid him down on top of the captain to make it look like they killed each other.

  I searched them both, finding nothing of interest. Mr. O had worn no artifacts. I searched the desk and found a ledger, then moved to his sleeping rooms and searched them. He had some gold and gems but not a lot for a guild leader. I didn't really need the money; I just didn't want the guild to have it.

  When I had finished my search, I withdrew the Shadows and left the bodies in the light. I stayed in Shadow while I read the ledger.

  I found that Mr. O's money was kept it in a bank, along with the guild's money. I was pretty sure the bank belonged to the thieves’ guild as well.

  I left the warehouse for the bank, hurrying before news got out about Mr. O's demise. The bank was well guarded, inside, and out. It had a large vault with magic traps inside and out. Nevertheless, the combination of my Shadow magic and the null necklace gave me easy access. I tried something new, instead of moving the vault’s contents onto a sheet and then putting it into Shadow, I hung a sheet up, putting a flame behind it casting a shadow inside the vault.

  I emptied all the drawers, cabinets, and shelves onto the floor in shadow. When I finished all the vault’s contents were in my Shadow. I then folded the sheet up which in turn folded its Shadow. It didn't feel any different and it still weighed nothing.

  Putting the sheet away, I left the bank, taking the vault’s contents, including all their ledgers, so they could not track all the loans they had out, or the businesses they owned. That would put a knot in their tail.

  * * *

  I had a nice breakfast and headed for the palace, figuring I needed to pay the spymaster a visit. I Shadow Flowed through the palace to his office and found him there reading messages from his agents. I didn't feel like wasting time on him, so I pulled him into Shadow and left him.

  Since I was here, I thought I'd check in on Princess Rayne. I found her studying in her apartment and moved around the room to the balcony, waiting for her to recognize my presence, but she never did. It must be the null necklace that blocked her from sensing my magic.

  I went out on the balcony, looked around to make sure no one could see me, then stepped out of Shadow. “Anyone home?” I called out and waited.

  She came to the balcony door and looked out. “Master Mason, do you ever use the front door?”

  “Not usually,” I answered. “May I come in?”

  “It's nice out here, let's stay on the balcony instead. Would you like some tea?”

  “That would be nice, thank you,” I answered. She stepped back inside and a moment later returned pushing a tea service cart. W
e sat down at a small table and she served.

  “I haven't seen Lord Lermont around for a while. Rumor says his mercenaries have left the city,” she said, handing me a cup of tea.

  “Thank you,” I said taking the cup. “I heard the same thing, that seems very strange. I also heard his captain was involved with the thieves’ guild — that whole bunch struck me as shady,” I said, like one of the girls spreading gossip. She laughed, and I joined her.

  “Do you think Lord Lermont left with his mercenaries?” she asked.

  “Who can say? I heard he was having money troubles … keeping that many mercenaries is expensive.”

  “I'm sure. Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad he's gone. So, what have you been up to?

  “Me?” Sightseeing. And church… been going to church, singing hymns.”

  “Big hymn singer, are you?” she said, giving me the look my mother used to give me. “Well, you've improved your invisibility spell, I never felt your presence.”

  “Do you ever go out?” I asked.

  “Out?”

  “Yes, out among the people, to cafés, or for walks along the river?”

  “I could but it would be a major undertaking with getting permission, the guard escort, and the spymaster's involvement.”

  I chuckled, “I don't think your father’s spymaster will be having much involvement in the future.”

  “Why not?”

  “I think he left with Lermont and the captain. He was also involved in some shady dealings.”

  She turned serious, “are we safe?”

  “Safer now.”

  She thought a moment, “will father know?”

  I shrugged, “he'll find out before long. Some news travels faster than others. Anyway, if you ever decide to go for a walk along the river, I'd be delighted to take you.”

  “Thank you for the invitation — I shall consider it.” She sat her cup down. “Mason, who are you really? An agent from another kingdom? A spy?”