by Lisa Cassidy
For a long moment she simply hung there in the sky, staring down at the devastation. Hearing about it had been bad enough, but seeing the reality…
A cold wind was gusting up from the ocean when Alyx landed. She wrapped her cloak more tightly around herself and began walking along the empty road towards the city, trying to ignore the icy-cold tendrils creeping through the gaps in her clothing. Snow lay thick all around her—nobody had been out to clear the road recently.
The main gates lay scattered in several pieces across the road, and the wall to either side of where the gate had been was destroyed. Alyx paused by the rubble, taking in the broken stone pieces and evidence of concussion blasts and mage fire in the charred edges.
Nobody was around. She climbed up a broken edge of wall, going slowly because of how unstable it was, and eventually reached the top of a still-standing section.
Wind tugged at her as she made her way around to the coastal side of the city. A light snow began to fall, the cold flakes landing on her cheeks and eyelashes. Stopping, she sent out a wide burst of magic and located a large group of people to the west. Their thoughts revealed them to be survivors of the attack on Tennan, living in a corner of the city still left relatively untouched.
There were so few.
A shiver racked her, not entirely to do with the cold. Thousands of people had once lived in this city, and only a few hundred had survived Shakar’s attack.
What had been the point of it? Why destroy an entire city and then vanish? She stared down at the destruction below her as if it held all the answers. Shakar had done this, all of it. No mage had helped him destroy this city, he’d done it all alone and with sheer might and power. But why? To get their attention?
The questions swirled around and around Alyx’s mind, as they had for weeks, when she’d been recovering and had nothing to think about but this. She had no good answers. This city was dead now, ruined, destroyed by a single mage.
You are responsible for the mage order.
Cario’s words flashed through Alyx’s memory, and she shivered, acknowledging the truth she hadn’t been able to accept at the time he’d spoken it.
You need to stop being Alyx Egalion and be the Magor-lier of the mage order.
Deep down, she knew what had brought down those walls. It wasn’t purely magical strength. It was magic fuelled by the same anger and bitterness that simmered inside her, the sense of betrayal, the need to destroy. She’d let it take over and killed a mage with it, and it had been easy. And it had made her feel sick.
Alyx raised an arm, the green glow illuminating her skin as she summoned her magic. She could use the new hardness inside her, use it to give her clarity and the ability to make hard decisions. But she wouldn’t let it control her. Not ever again.
Finn had been right and wrong at the same time. She could be another Shakar, it would be as easy as breathing. But it was also a choice. And she would choose against it. Every day for the rest of her life. Because she didn’t want to be like Shakar. She wanted to be like Cayr and Dashan. Like her father and brother. Like her mother.
How many more people will die, Alyx?
Alyx let the light surrounding her hand die and took one final look at the fallen town of Tennan.
It was time to go.
It was late afternoon when she arrived back in Alistriem, dropping down out of the sky above her family home. She was tired, weary from several hours of flying—she’d pushed herself hard, needing to test the limits of her returning strength. It was likely she’d even beaten Jenna back.
She went inside long enough to learn from Safia that her father and Ladan were still over at the palace. After a brief wash and change of clothes, Alyx went looking for them.
She found Ladan first, leaning against the railing of the open-aired hallway outside the lord-mage offices. The sun was setting over the city, its orange glow illuminating the houses and the bay. A chill breeze swept up as the sun faded.
At the sight of her, relief crashed over his face, followed quickly by anger. “Where have you been?” he demanded. “We’ve all been worried sick.”
“There was something I had to do,” she said, as if that were a good enough excuse for sneaking off.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “What does that mean? Where did you go?”
“It’s a long story.”
He regarded her furiously for a long moment, anger and worry turning his green eyes bright in the fading dusk. “Don’t ever do that to me again, Aly-girl. I don’t care who else you sneak away from, you tell me. Am I clear?”
“Yes.” And she meant it.
He let out a long breath. “I’m glad you’re back safe.”
“I feel the same way.” She stepped into his side, leaning into him for warmth and comfort. “Are things well in Shivasa?”
“Yes. I get the impression Dashan was crucial to their efforts—their leader sings his praises, although he seems an impressive man himself. I can’t go there full time, but we’ll continue helping them as much as we can.”
“Is that what’s bothering you?” She sensed he was upset by something.
Ladan’s jaw clenched. “You know that I don’t find it easy to control my anger, and it’s easier to feel anger than…”
“Pain?” she asked softly.
“He was the only friend I’ve ever had.”
Alyx’s heart tore open anew, but she wouldn’t let the tears fall. “I’m sorry, Ladan.”
“It is me who should be sorry.” He seemed to wrestle with himself, before reaching out tentatively to touch her arm. “You loved him very much.”
Alyx nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She looked away from her brother, out over the city.
“Papa is furious with you,” Ladan said, a smile quirking at his mouth. “I suspect he will try and keep you from leaving the house again for at least a month.”
“I’m sure he’ll try,” Alyx dryly.
Silence fell between them again. Alyx sensed there was something her brother wanted to say, so she gave him time to find the words. She had an idea of what it was anyway.
“Alyx?” he said eventually. “I think both of us need to…our parents left us with a difficult legacy, but there is no point bemoaning something that is already done.”
“What are you saying?” She turned back to face him.
He was silent for a long moment. Then, in a single, abrupt movement, he drew the sword belted at his waist, laying it out on the marble railing before them. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight.
“I have been a poor Taliath,” he said. “I went to train on ShadowFall Island, as you asked, but I never fully committed. I was scared to leave my home, where everything was familiar. Papa has urged me for months to get my own Taliath sword. I refused.” He paused, his right hand coming to rest lightly on the blade. “I had this made while you were away.”
Alyx said nothing as she studied the sword. Unusually, it had no pommel, its grip a single cylindrical piece of wood fitting firmly into the hilt. In fact, it almost looked like a...her indrawn breath was loud in the silence around them, and her gaze shot to his. “Oh Ladan.”
“I remember her mage staff so clearly, even after all these years.” His fingers distantly traced the intricate carving on the wood. “She told me once these lines were designed to match the leaping flames on Papa’s Heartfire.”
She bit her lip in an effort to keep the tears at bay. “What have you named it?”
“Mageson,” he said simply.
Some of the welling tears spilled down her cheeks. “You say you’ve been a poor Taliath, but I’ve been no better as a Magor-lier.” She rubbed her eyes. “Everything is such a mess.”
“A mess that needs fixing.”
Alyx sighed. “Cario said some things to me before I left, and he was mostly right. The way things were…it wasn’t possible for me to be what the mages needed.” She paused. “I understand what I need to do now, and I’m willing to do it. I just hope it’s not too l
ate.”
“It is the same for me. I will leave Widow Falls in Romney’s capable hands, and I will be one of the last remaining Taliath with our father. I owe Dashan that much at least.”
“I know what I have to do, but I’m not sure if I’m strong enough,” she murmured. “Sometimes I find it so hard to even put one foot in front of the other.”
“Then you can borrow my strength for a while.” Slowly, Ladan’s arm crept around her shoulders and settled there.
“All right.” She gripped his shirt in her hands, buried her face in his chest, and allowed his strength to hold her.
“Are they here?” she asked eventually.
He nodded, gesturing to the offices behind them. “They’ve been working in there, helping Lord-Mage Astor. I don’t think they know what to do with themselves.”
She let out a breath and pulled away from him. “I’ll go and speak to them.”
“Do you want me to come?”
“No. I need to be strong. I’ll go alone.” She considered. “At least at first. But I want you to come and join us in a little while. We need to talk about mages and the Taliath.”
He nodded, speaking fiercely. “Things will be different this time.” His green eyes met hers. “Together we’ll build a better mage and Taliath order.”
A small smile crept over her face, stretching her cheeks. She wasn’t alone in this. Her brother would stand at her side.
A touch of magic confirmed Dawn was inside, and that Tarrick, Finn, Cario, and Rothai were with her. They weren’t working though. She frowned, concentrating—they were outside, in the private garden adjoining the mage offices. Astor wasn’t anywhere nearby.
She paused at the door, glancing down at her hand to find it trembling. With a massive effort of will, she reached for that certainty of purpose she’d felt while standing on the ruined city walls of Tennan and drew it down over herself like a cloak. Ladan’s unwavering gaze was almost tangible on her back, a welcome source of strength.
Steadied, she walked through the dark, empty rooms of the mage offices and out into a small, walled garden. Tarrick, Rothai, and the twins were sitting on bench seats under a tree that was bare of leaves. Cario stood some distance off, hands in his pockets, staring at his shoes. None of them were talking—each looked lost in their own thoughts. Alyx’s magic told her they despaired.
Dawn picked up on Alyx’s arrival first. She leaped to her feet, relief and pain warring on her face. “Alyx. You’re back!”
All eyes shot to her and she nodded. “I am.”
“What do you want?” Tarrick asked listlessly. The fact he wasn’t angry with her for vanishing so suddenly told her the depth of his despair.
She took a deep breath. “I want to talk to you.”
“What about?” Finn sighed. “I think we’ve said everything we wanted to say. It is how it is, Alyx. You’re going to do whatever you want. You’ve made that abundantly clear.”
Alyx nodded, her gaze moving over to Cario, who was watching intently but as usual expressionlessly, before returning to those sitting at the fountain.
“What happened between us before I left…they were harsh words, but I think we all needed to say them. You call me your Magor-lier,” she told them, grateful that her voice sounded clear and calm. “And I’m willing to be that for you. But not like before.”
“What does that mean?” Tarrick rose to his feet.
“If I’m the Magor-lier, then I am the mage leader. I don’t take orders from you or Rothai, or the Mage Council. I am the one that gives the orders,” she said. “Secondly, I will not be trapped and hidden for my own safety. I will lead the fight.”
Finn’s mouth had dropped open. “You want to claim leadership of the mage order?”
“Isn’t that what a Magor-lier is?” she asked pointedly. “Or is it just an empty title you, Tarrick and Rothai have been using so that the effort against Shakar has a ceremonial figurehead to rally behind?”
“The Mage Council will never cede their power to you,” Rothai said.
“I don’t care. The council is corrupt and weak. I represent the future of the mage order.” Alyx paused. “I’m going to build a new order. And if you accept this, I promise to consider all your advice and not take unnecessary risks. I promise to always act with the knowledge that my death removes all hope of destroying Shakar.”
There was a brief moment of silence, and then,
“I accept,” Dawn said without hesitation. “I trust you, and I trust that you won’t become another Shakar.”
“Dawn—” Finn went to speak but Tarrick interrupted him.
“Alyx, you are a mage of the higher order, the most powerful mage alive aside from Shakar. The position is yours by right,” Tarrick said quietly. “I accept your terms.”
“So do I,” Cario added.
Alyx turned to Finn, who seemed to be struggling with himself. She kept her gaze unflinching—she wouldn’t back down from him on this. He would have to have faith that she would listen to him.
And in the end, he did. He gave her a slow nod. “I accept.”
“Rothai?”
His ice-blue eyes focused on her with startling intensity, but after a moment the fire in them faded, and he nodded. “I accept your terms, Magor-lier.”
“Good.” Alyx turned and gestured to Ladan, who had been waiting in the shadows. The simple nature of his clothing only served to enhance his Taliath grace and ability. Everyone’s eyes went to him, then back to Alyx as he came to stand at her right shoulder.
“We’re no longer treating Taliath as the enemy,” she said. “If we want to defeat Shakar, then we’re going to need all the help we can get. There will be no more killing of Taliath or potential Taliath, and at least officially, they will be trusted allies. This is non-negotiable.”
“The Mage Council’s position on the Taliath has never been strategically sound,” Cario spoke smoothly into the silence. “While the threat of another Shakar cannot be discounted, treating the Taliath as a threat to mages is counter-productive and foolish. I support your position.”
Cario’s rational argument seemed to get through to the others. Tarrick and Finn both nodded, seemingly not willing to fight Alyx further on the issue.
“I agree with Cario,” Dawn said.
“I agreed to your terms, Magor-lier, so if this is what you order, it is what I will support,” Rothai said tersely.
“Thank you,” Alyx said, not missing their reluctance, but sensing they meant what they said.
“I will leave the city within the next few days,” Ladan spoke. “I intend to travel through Rionn and Tregaya and gather all those with Taliath potential I can find and take them to ShadowFall Island. Alyx and I both agree that this fight will not be won without the Taliath and the mages working together.”
“That will take months,” Finn said. “And the potentials will be extremely vulnerable once they’re gathered on ShadowFall.”
Alyx nodded. “I will send a permanent mage guard to the island to ensure the trainees stay safe.”
“We could send one or two mages to travel with your brother, Magor-lier,” Tarrick offered, surprising her. “They can help protect the potentials.”
“Thank you, Tarrick,” she said softly, though not without a touch of sadness. His use of her title reinforced his acceptance of her leadership but also represented the loss of part of the friendship they’d shared.
Rothai stood. “Magor-lier, we need to discuss what comes next.”
“Tomorrow morning,” Alyx said. “When we have all had a chance to sleep. Which mages are in the city with you?”
“Jayn, Tari, and Adahn, those who were in Sandira with us,” Rothai said. “But we’ve been keeping in ad-hoc contact with the mages still in the mine.”
“We’ll need to do better than that.” Alyx frowned. “Now, give me your mage robes.”
Tarrick looked puzzled. “What?”
“Your mage robes.” Alyx held out her hand. “Hand them over.”
Sharing confused looks, each of them shrugged off their robes and slung them over Alyx’s outstretched arm. Once they were done—Rothai being the last—Alyx dropped them into an untidy pile on the ground. Before any of them could say a word, she flicked her right hand and green flames lit up the pile with a whoosh.
“What are you doing!” Finn protested.
“The council is done,” she said clearly and firmly. “The way they did things is done. We are the future.”
“That’s fine,” he said. “But it’s freezing out here.”
Tarrick snorted. Dawn chuckled. Even Cario’s face broke into a smile. Rothai heaved a sigh. “If there’s nothing else, Magor-lier?”
She hid her smile. “You’re dismissed, Rothai.”
Dawn stepped forward and threw her arms around Alyx as the others began leaving the garden. “I’m so glad to have you back with us.”
Alyx hugged her friend. “I’m sorry I’ve been gone.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Dawn said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Alyx was left alone with Cario, and they began walking back towards the palace together.
She broke the silence. “You were right, what you said to me before I left.”
“Yes, I was.” He smiled faintly. “You were also right though—it had to be your choice.”
“I am truly glad of the trust we share, Cario. Thank you for staying.”
He stopped as they reached a pair of doors leading inside. “I never imagined I would ever find a mage leader I wanted to follow. You’ve given me a purpose, despite how reluctantly I accepted it.”
“Somehow I think I’m going to keep needing your advice.” She smiled and opened the door. “Good night.”
“Alyx?”
“Yes?” She turned back.
“I’m so sorry about Dashan.” His hand reached out to squeeze her shoulder, and what she read in his eyes was empathy, not pity. “I should have told you that night instead of just yelling at you.”
