by A. C. Cobble
“Well,” drawled Rhys, “if we’re going to stick our foot in the bear trap, we may as well get on with it. No sense dragging this thing out any further than we need to.”
Ben smiled at his friend. “I appreciate that.”
Rhys snorted.
Ben led them out of the door and into the village. He stopped, looking around, wondering where they could find Adrick. Instead, Prem found them.
“Looking for my father?” she asked.
Ben nodded.
“Come with me.”
She led them to the old man’s, her grandfather’s, house, the first building they’d entered in the village. She knocked on the door and pushed it open after a muffled response. Inside, they found the swordsman pouring over a set of handwritten notebooks. He looked up, his face grim.
“I’m not much of a reader,” he said. He gestured to the pile of tomes in front of him. “He must have written a dozen pages of notes a day. He was alive for hundreds of years! You know how much of this stuff I have to work through?”
Towaal stepped forward. “I could help you.”
Adrick smiled a bitter smile. “I don’t think so. Besides, aren’t you here to ask if you can leave?”
Ben flushed. “Things are happening in the world. Things just as dangerous as what we faced last night. Someone has to deal with them.”
Adrick sat back and met Ben’s eyes. “You know when I first found you, I wanted to kill you.”
Ben blinked.
“My father convinced me otherwise,” continued Adrick. “Now, he’s gone, and I’m in charge. The weight of that responsibility is heavier than I ever imagined. The rift is gone, the demons can no longer pass into our world through any gate on the western half of Alcott, but our core mission remains as it always has. You tell me there is death magic afoot, wyvern fire…” Adrick trailed off, frowning.
“Father, you have to let them go,” stated Prem.
Ben turned in surprise.
The slender girl continued, “Whether it leaked from here or some other way, dangerous knowledge has reentered the world. Dangerous items are in the hands of people who may be ignorant enough to use them. We cannot allow it. We cannot simply hide in our forest and hope that it goes away.”
Adrick winced when his daughter mentioned hiding.
Ben saw an opportunity and added his weight. “We have no interest in sharing what we’ve learned about you, the rift, or anything else here. What we do need to do though is continue on our mission. There is a growing threat of demons, the wyvern fire staff, the Veil, and her predecessor.”
“Fine,” barked Adrick. “You can go, on one condition.”
Ben looked to his companions. Rhys shrugged, and Amelie nodded.
“What condition?” Ben asked.
“You take Prem with you,” said Adrick.
“Take me with them?” exclaimed Prem.
Her father looked at her. “You believe in their mission, yes? Enough to try and convince me to let them go, apparently.”
She nodded.
“Then, you should be a part of it.”
Prem rolled her shoulders and glanced at Amelie and then back to her father. “Okay. I will go.”
“They seem to be in a hurry, so I recommend you leave quickly,” he responded. “Keep it quiet as not everyone in this village will agree, particularly if they learn what these people shared with me and the elders about the First Mage... I think it’s best if you leave soon. The others would never defy the elders and go against their orders, but the elders are gone now. I don’t know how they’ll react when breaking a hundred-year old tradition is my first official decision. If the rest of the village finds out you know the First Mage, well, I don’t think leaving will be an option, no matter what I say. And, Prem, take this with you.”
From a pouch on the table, he shook out a silver amulet. It sparkled in the light streaming through the windows. Both Towaal and Amelie leaned forward, examining it. Ben could tell from a distance it was a face. He was certain there would be another one on the other side.
“Father,” whispered Prem. “Are you sure?”
He nodded. “When the time comes, and you decide that our people are needed, use it. Before you leave, take them to the hall. Show them what we protect, and then go.”
They followed the girl out of the elder’s house. She led them to the huge stone building Ben recalled from the first night. It was large enough to fit the rest of the village’s buildings inside, but nothing outside gave a hint to its purpose.
Prem set a hand against each of the tall, double doors and shoved. With a creak of disuse, the doors swung inward. Light sprang up as she crossed the threshold. A soft, green glow permeated the room, reflecting off a hundred copper masks hanging against the walls and sitting on pedestals. The masks glowed from within, pulsing with barely constrained energy.
Ben gasped. Mouth hanging open, he pointed at one of the masks. He recognized it, and his friends would as well. Rhys strode to the mask and bent to examine it, his hands carefully tucked behind his back.
“I don’t understand,” said Towaal.
“Enrii,” said Prem. She walked over and studied the mask beside Rhys. “Ah, I remember. She is hanging on the gates of the Sanctuary, isn’t she? I’ve never been there myself, but I believe that’s what I was told. I confess, I never paid much attention when the elders taught these things.”
“But, what does it mean?” asked Amelie.
Prem looked back at her. “It means the Sanctuary has called for Enrii’s protection. They’ve harnessed her power and likely infused it into grounds. There could be extra healing energies pulsing in the area, structures may be stronger or last longer, fires could burn hotter, or maybe there are some magical defenses that trigger using her power. If I recall, Enrii spent a great deal of time fashioning protective wards. That’s what I would tap her energy for.”
Ben glanced at Amelie. All too well, he recalled the floating discs of light that had followed them when they were fleeing the Sanctuary.
Prem shrugged and continued, “There are many things one can do if you are able to marshal the spirit of the First Mages. Their energy flows still, and usually, it is attuned to something the mage was skilled at. I’m told most of the busts out in the world are poorly done, though, and rarely harness the full power of the mage. That is a good thing.”
Towaal opened her mouth and then shut it, clearly flabbergasted at what Prem was telling them.
Ben began walking through the hall, looking at the array of faces hanging there. Even he could feel the energy flowing through the place. It was a coiled spring, pulsing with expectancy, a repository containing nearly endless power.
As he moved deeper, he saw some of the masks burned brighter than others. A few were dull, merely a low sheen coming off the copper, where others sizzled with strength. At one, he held out his hand. His eyes widened to see the hairs on the back of his wrist standing up.
“Prem,” said Prem with a smirk. “One of the oldest First Mages and one of the first to die. My father named me after her. I believe he thought it was a bit of a joke, but I take it as a compliment. Look at her. After all of this time, she’s still strong.”
Before the mask of Prem, Ben felt lightheaded, and his heart was beating uncomfortably quickly. He felt like he could float away. He moved on.
“She does that to some people,” murmured Prem. “She senses their potential and strives to add her strength to it. It’s what she did in life, I think, support others. You should be proud that she is showing interest in you.”
“Is it, is she... sentient?” asked Ben.
Prem shook her head no.
“Ben, Lady Towaal, come look at this!” exclaimed Amelie from another side of the room.
Ben rushed to her. His heart sank when he saw what she was looking at, a large mask that didn’t reflect any of the light around it. He knew the man. He’d traveled with him through the desert of Qooten and assaulted the Purple’s fortress with hi
m. Gunther.
“The last First Mage,” explained Prem. “The mask was fashioned long before my time or my father’s time. He still hasn’t needed it after all of these years. Some day, he will pass like all of the others. Then, the mask will collect the echoes of his power. We hope to find him before he passes, though. There is so much we have accumulated over the years. Devices, knowledge, the stored power in this room. We mean to gift it to him if he ever returns to us. If they were able, many of the residents of our village would follow him, study at his feet, but I’m told he has not been back in hundreds of years.”
Ben didn’t respond.
Prem waited, and then finally said, “My father said you claimed to have met him. My grandfather believed you. My father was not sure at first. Most of the elders were certain you lied. How would you recognize him, though, if you haven’t met him?”
“Nothing we told you was a lie,” declared Ben.
Prem pursed her lips. “My father was right. If others in this village find out you have met the First Mage, they will be reluctant to let you out of their sight. They will try to keep you here or even follow you. I see now why my father urged us to leave quickly. Gunther, the First Mage, he is revered by our people. Worshipped even, though they would not admit that.”
“I don’t think Gunther would appreciate that,” remarked Amelie.
“We should leave,” said Prem. “Only my father and I know what you discussed with the council of elders, and they’re all dead now. If others find out…”
They slipped through the village, walking quickly but afraid to run. Without incident, they made it to the stairwell that led into the node gate chamber, and they disappeared below ground. Prem held up the silver amulet her father had given her, and a gateway flickered to life. Through it, Ben saw pine forest.
“A day and a half from the outskirts of the City,” explained Prem, hesitancy creeping into her voice. “I’ve never been. I’m hoping you can lead us there?”
“I’ve been before,” responded Towaal dryly. She strode through the gate and appeared on the other side.
Ben gripped Amelie’s hand. Then, he walked through as well.
6
A Rat By Any Other Name
Birds chirped, the wind rustled the bright green leaves that surrounded them, and a chill of foreboding crept up Ben’s spine.
The City. The last time they’d been there, they had to jump into the river and swim for their lives while the Sanctuary’s mages lobbed fireballs at every passing vessel. Ben and his business partner, Lord Reinhold, had been set up by Lord Gulli and Lord Jason. Ben had been jumped by thugs, and Reinhold and all of his men had been slaughtered in an ambush.
In addition to that, the place was full of soaring towers and delicate bridges spanning between them. The bridges made Ben shiver just thinking about them. The rent was expensive, and most of the ale tasted like swill. There was always noise, and you could never get a good night’s sleep. In short, Ben wasn’t looking forward to entering the City again.
“We need a plan,” declared Rhys as he walked out of the node gate.
Behind him, it flickered out and appeared to be a flat stone wall broken by an intricate array of cracks in an arched pattern. If Ben hadn’t seen the runes glowing on the other side, he would assume it was just an odd quirk of the geology of the place.
“Well,” said Amelie. “First things first, we need to get inside. Once we’re in, we need to set a watch for Milo, and we need to undermine the Veil, all without drawing her interest or falling into an open battle against all of the Sanctuary’s mages. Above all else, though, we need to get that staff.”
“Seems simple enough,” remarked Ben.
Rhys snorted.
“Don’t forget the demons,” reminded Towaal. “There is an army of them somewhere. We need to figure out where and then figure out what to do about them.”
“Oh, right,” conceded Ben. “The demon army.”
“Now that we’re away from the village,” advised Amelie, “I think it’s time to check in with Jasper.”
Ben nodded. “Agreed, but not here. Let’s go until we can make camp and then contact him in the morning. Getting a little distance from this node gate is not a bad idea.”
“Fair enough,” said Amelie, glancing at Prem out of the corner of her eye. She hitched her pack and turned to the group. “Which way?”
Rhys pointed downhill. “Walk until you see the river. Then, turn and go until some mage tries to light us up with lightning or fireballs. That’s when we know we’ve made it.”
They camped easily, not worried about fires or giving themselves away in such proximity to the City. It wasn’t mundane guards, patrols in the woods, or bandits they were worried about. It was mages and anyone who could recognize them.
“We have a problem,” Ben admitted after they’d settled down to dinner. “We’re well known in the parts of the City that we want to get into, and no one who knows us is likely to be a friend. We need to sneak in and find a place we can use as a base. From there, we can scout for opportunities to stop Milo and get to the Veil.”
“I’m not going back into an ale barrel,” growled Rhys.
Prem looked at him curiously.
Ben shook his head. “No, not an ale barrel, but a smuggler is what we need.”
“Do you know any smugglers?” asked Amelie doubtfully. “How do you even meet someone like that?”
“We know of at least one,” confirmed Ben.
Amelie frowned at him. Then, understanding fell over her face. “Oh, no. Are you sure? Not him. I don’t think he’s very trustworthy. He’d sell us to the Sanctuary in a heartbeat, wouldn’t he?”
Towaal sat forward, a chunk of hard bread forgotten in her hands. “You’re not thinking…”
Rhys cracked his knuckles and laughed. “We always say we need to find allies, right? According to his Captain Martin, that little rat has been building a proper smuggling network. Ben’s right. He’s the one we need to talk to.”
In the morning, they clustered around the thought meld, everyone sticking a finger to the smooth wood. For several moments, the device hummed softly, a gentle vibration thrumming through it. Then, Jasper spoke.
“I’m glad you contacted me. We have much to discuss.”
“You have no idea,” said Amelie, her thought filling Ben’s head.
There was a pause. Then, Jasper suggested, “You go first.”
“You are aware of the First Mages?” asked Amelie.
“I am,” Jasper pulsed back through the thought meld.
“We found…” Amelie started and then paused. “Let me try something.”
In Ben’s mind, an image of the hall, decked in the copper faces of the First Mages, unfolded like an opening book.
“I’ve heard of this place,” sent Jasper. “I didn’t know where it was, though. I assumed it had failed and been lost to time like so much else. There were people there?”
“There is one of them with us,” responded Amelie.
A sense of Prem nudged into Ben’s thoughts, and he glanced at the girl. She was frowning.
“She is working with us after…” Again, Amelie paused. Then, images flicked through Ben’s mind. The village, the hub for the node gates, the wall, the battle, and the mages closing the rift. “Demons, wyverns, and goblins were pouring through. It’s been stopped, but many were lost.”
“Ah,” responded Jasper. “Closing the rift was the right decision, but it’s unfortunate the price was so high. The openings between our worlds are vanishing. If we can find the last few, we could end the threat of the dark forces once and for all.”
They all paused, considering that.
Jasper continued, his thoughts sounding in their heads. “Closing the rift was good, but The First Mages, like so much else from that time, should be forgotten. Gathering those memories, sustaining them, is not advisable. It’s a treasure trove of secrets that anyone could stumble across and use for evil.”
Prem
muttered something under her breath that Ben didn’t catch. He tried to ignore the girl, sure she wasn’t happy about a stranger disparaging the work she had spent one hundred years doing.
“We have bigger and more immediate problems, though,” said Jasper. “I was able to track down and recruit some of the wanderers who had passed through my valley over the years. We made some progress against the swarms that have ravaged the north. Three days ago, though, Northport fell. We were a few days away and couldn’t arrive in time to help. From afar, we studied the aftermath.”
A new image swirled into Ben’s head and he gasped. The huge walls that surrounded Northport were breached, torn down in half a dozen places. Buildings were leveled, rubble strewn everywhere. The image zoomed in closer, like it was from far-seeing, and it was a knife twisting in Ben’s gut. Everywhere, bodies littered the streets, torn to pieces, their lifeblood drained by their attackers.
Another image flashed, and Ben’s jaw dropped open. An arch-demon, like nothing he had seen before, crouched atop Lord Rhymer’s keep. Huge wings that looked like they could span the entire building shrouded its body. What Ben could see terrified him. Claws, larger than a person, stuck out from its hands. Muscle corded its body, and Ben had no doubt about how Northport’s walls had been torn down. The thing looked like it had strength to tear the Citadel off the top of Whitehall and throw it halfway across the Blood Bay. As Ben watched, the creature’s head tilted up, and it stared right at him, eyes burning red with hatred. The image flicked out.
“As you can imagine,” thought Jasper, sounding shaken even now, “we stopped looking after that.”
The group fell silent, the news of Northport’s fall like a cold blanket thrown over their fire.
“The group I’ve assembled is formidable,” continued Jasper, “but I do not think we are sufficient. That arch-demon is like nothing I have experienced. It sensed me watching it! I could feel it, like it was looking right back into my eyes.”
