by JD Franx
512TH YR. ARE
MYONARIA VEVERELL, KEEPER OF THE RED PLAINS AVALATH.
The end of my time in the mortal realm draws near and peace has looked over Talohna for many centuries. Finally. The strange occurrences now known as the Black Suns seem to have born forth a new breed of wizard and public fear of them grows. They can access tremendous, sinister power, and they handle magics the like of which we have never seen. It was bound to happen, as all races were desperate to find new magic to use against the Ri’Tek during the war. Who knows what depths were touched and what covenants were made during that time? Perhaps these new wizards are a failure or a mutation. So many secrets surround the final six battles that won the war and destroyed the Ri’Tek. The price of such secrets will one day be known, but it won’t be in my day. New magics are often unstable and tend to change and evolve, even mutate and corrupt the older they become. What will come of these wizards remains to be seen, but it will be seen by someone other than me. I can leave this world with ease, knowing that the peace we have lived with appears to be genuine and real. I hope it remains so for the benefit of all races.
2663RD YR. ARE
LOXIUS GOYLE, ARCHWIZARD, KORVUS TOWERS.
As ArchWizard of the country of Korvus, I have been looking into reports of another dark wizard. The common people have taken to calling these monsters DeathWizards. Accounts will vary, but encounters with this type of wizard have resulted in countless fatalities in the past. Witches have also been seen in this one’s company. This can only be a bad omen. We are unsure of the depth of the corruption racing through this wizard’s soul or the amount of madness he may be suffering from.
As Kael leafed through the beginning of what used to be Jasala’s grimoire, it became clear that it was a collection of both historical and personal accounts of events from long ago. Most of the entries took place during a long war. Only two documents mentioned the Black Sun or a DeathWizard. Someone who knew about the ancient history of this world would be able to give him more answers. The writings varied in the languages used, and some were understandable, but not all. Most, in fact, he couldn’t read. Kael figured that from what he could understand, he had at least learned part of the history of this land he’d been dragged to. Upon leaving the ruins, he hoped to find more answers, but more importantly to find Lycori waiting at the bell tower. Having to face this frightening new world on his own was something Kael didn’t want to think about.
The black of night receded slowly beyond the DeadZone Barrier, and in the lands that Jasala Vyshaan used to rule. Hoping dawn had arrived, Kael left the tower basement after double checking that the fireplace had slid into its locked position, hiding the personal chambers of the tower’s former owner. With the grimoire stashed in his travel pack, he left the tower behind.
The Forsaken Lands’ constant cloud and gloom made it hard to determine exactly when sunrise had occurred, but Kael figured that it was indeed morning. One more reason to leave such a cursed land. Approaching the bell tower from the north he couldn’t see whether or not Lycori was waiting, but his new senses told him she wasn’t there. He’d already decided that he wouldn’t wait for her, even though heading out on his own terrified him. Eager to leave and begin his search for Ember and Max, however, he cared about little else.
It became obvious as he walked around the side of the bell tower’s structure that his magical sight was correct. She wasn’t there. With his stomach doing a flip at the idea of being alone, he looked ahead and started walking to the south, away from the tower’s compound. After travelling less than ten minutes, his mystical sight picked up movement from behind him, moving fast, too fast. By focusing his attention, he could tell it was Lycori running to catch up.
Positive that the reason he had spooked her days before was because she knew exactly what he was, Kael couldn’t be sure that she was joining him to help. He spun and pulled both his blades, rolling them over his wrists to loosen the muscles in case of combat. As he waited, watching her with his outward sight, he concluded that if she meant no harm she would head straight for him. If not, then he would be ready for her, though he doubted he’d have much chance against such a creature. As soon as she came into his visual sight, he smiled with relief as she waved and called his name. Elated, he chuckled.
“Hi, Kael,” she said, not even winded after the fast run. “I thought you were going to wait for a couple hours before you left? I almost missed you.”
“I figured if you wanted anything to do with me, you would have been ready to go, not waiting until the last possible moment to decide whether or not you were going to help,” he snapped, still hurt by her repulsion days earlier.
Frowning, she took a step back, fear flashed in her eyes. “Do you feel all right, Kael? You’re not normally miserable like that. I’m sorry I was running behind. I forgot you need to eat, so I grabbed some food for you and made us a couple of extra travel packs,” she said, handing one to him.
“Sorry, Lycori. Not mad at you, just haven’t had a lot of sleep the last two days and I honestly didn’t expect you to show up. I know why you were so scared, or at least part of the reason anyway. I didn’t think you’d want to travel with me.” Kael watched her closely, wondering how much truth would be in her answer.
She appeared only mildly uncomfortable when she replied, “How did you know what scared me?”.
“I spent the last two nights in the old tower. It was a wealth of information,” he confessed. Telling her the rest of what happened would only upset her again, so he offered nothing further.
“You did what?” she yelled, looking him up and down. “Are you insane? There are things in that tower no one even have names for anymore.”
“I know. I met them. Talked to some, almost got killed by one and destroyed the other two. Like I said, a wealth of information. Just not the good kind,” he laughed, trying to lighten the mood with his strange sense of humour.
It seemed to calm her down a bit. “Kael, I’ve come to see you as a friend. That’s why I’m here now. But you are either the craziest bastard I have met in over three hundred years, or the most naive. If you don’t start being more careful, you won’t survive here,” she said.
“Yeah, well, that’s what friends are for, right?” he joked, then ducked as she took a swing at him.
“Friends? I’ll show…” She stopped short, taking a second swat at him. Using his left foot to knock her feet out from under her, she fell on her backside in the dirt. Kael chuckled as he jumped away. With incredible speed, she was back on her feet in only a second.
“Kael!” she screamed. “You’re going to get it, you ass,” she cursed, feigning anger and darting towards him.
“All right, all right,” he said, still laughing. “Truce. Come on or we’re never gonna get anywhere.”
Kael stood his ground and let her smack him on the chest, hoping that she’d feel better. It was a big mistake. Pain cut through every nerve ending in his body when the light slap bounced off his chest. Cursing, he dropped to his knees in agony. Lycori was quick to his side, her hand on his chest. “What’s wrong? I didn’t mean...”
Catching his breath, he gasped, “Sorry, forgot about that. It showed up the day before yesterday.” He lifted his torn shirt so that she could see his newly acquired, yet alive, tattoo.
“Gods, Kael, that is absolutely beautiful. Terrifying, but beautiful. Where did it come from?” she asked, her fingers following the design of the vines. Starting with the fight with the dargas, he explained how the tattoo began as a simple itch that soon transformed into something alive.
“What do you think it is? Have you ever heard of such a thing?” he asked.
“Not really. I’ve heard tales about the DragonKin having something similar. As their powers mature, they have markings that become visible, but I don’t know what or how,” she said. Kael started to pull his shirt back down when she grabbed it from his hand, staring at the tear and noticing the excessive blood stain. Lifting it back up, she tou
ched the freshly-healed scar on his stomach, careful not to press too hard.
“Wait,” she muttered, glancing up into his face. “You said before you almost died. This scar wasn’t there before, Kael. I know that for a fact. That’s a sword scar. What the hell did you do? Turn around. Now,” she ordered, as she grabbed his shoulder, spinning him. The matching exit scar, even uglier, showed where the sword had torn through his back, leaving a larger wound below his ribcage and against the spine.
“Blessed Fae!” She gasped and put a trembling hand to her mouth. “Kael, that’s a mortal wound, how are you even alive, let alone walking? There hasn’t been magic that could heal such severe damage since the Fae were alive—even they would’ve struggled to heal that. You should be dead.” she whispered, in awe as he turned back to face her.
“Honestly? I don’t know. Part of it had to do with my inner sight. I somehow managed to lower my extra senses into myself, and from there I followed the flow of my body’s rhythm. This might sound crazy, but it kind of felt like I was being shown what to do. Almost as if something had taken the lead and helped me help myself. The only thing is, I think I screwed something up. That spell you taught me worked fine with you and later against the darga pack before that creature stabbed me, but not after I healed myself. When I used it against the second Zakair, I almost killed myself. The spell hit me just as hard as the Zakair it killed. That yellow shield saved my life, I think.”
Lycori shook her head. “I don’t know what to tell you, besides the fact that you must have been born with Lady Lykke’s favour. That, or she’s fallen in love with you. I’ve never seen anyone so lucky,” she said with a coy smile.
Kael laughed at the absurd thought. “I guess there are worse gods who could fall in love me than the goddess of luck. Don’t you think?” She gently touched his shoulder as she turned and started to walk away.
“You are crazy, Kael. To draw the attention of any god is never a good thing. Ever,” she said, as she looked back over her shoulder, the playful mirth gone from her voice.
Kael absent-mindedly rubbed the black flower in the centre of his chest, pulled his shirt back down and jogged after her. As he slowed to keep pace, it dawned on him that he knew exactly what the mark on his chest was called. Pulling out the letter from Jasala, he read the first page again.
“It’s called a death-flower. Look,” he said, showing her the letter as the rest of the page’s meaning registered.
Lycori frowned, shaking her head. “Were did you get this? What does the rest mean?” she asked, reading the rest of the letter.
Telling her the partial truth, Kael said, “I found the letter in the tower, but I don’t understand what the rest means. I can’t read the second page.”
“We can take a closer look tonight when we stop to rest. We really should get going, Kael. We have many miles to go. The RedMaw clan home is hidden deep inside the southern part of the Corynthian mountains.” Lycori smiled and continued, “We have weeks of travel on foot.”
“Any chance of finding horses?” he asked.
“Maybe, if you suddenly come into some gold,” she said, smiling. Kael grinned from ear to ear, but said nothing of the gold and other coins he found inside the tower. He would tell her if they came across some place to buy horses. They travelled in a southeasterly direction for the rest of the day. They talked a bit, but spent most of their time alert and watching for danger. They were never outright attacked, but both could see and sense shadows moving behind the tree cover in the distance. Whoever or whatever the shadows were, though, stayed just outside the range of Kael’s esoteric sight, and when he stopped to concentrate so he could see farther, the shadows would bolt too fast for him to follow. It lent support to the theory that magical creations were abundant in the Forsaken Lands.
Kael tried not to worry. His extra sight now let him see several hundred yards in every direction, which meant nothing could sneak up on them without some warning. Though he seemed to have a problem with the only spell he could cast, his magical senses appeared to be unaffected. In fact, they slowly continued to increase in range and sharpness the more he used them. It was getting a bit easier for him to keep his out-ranging sight active all the time. He still had to focus it, but it was getting less difficult. After his mistake in the tower, he stayed alert in case there were creatures in the Forsaken Lands that couldn’t be detected with magical sight.
After spending the better part of the day debating with himself whether or not to tell Lycori about the book he had found in the tower, Kael had finally decided that when they stopped for the night he would talk to her about it and see what she thought. Even though she knew what he was, she had still decided to help him find his wife and friend. He felt he could trust her, at least some. The thought of Ember and Max made Kael realize how much he had lost in such a small amount of time.
As they continued on their way, a familiar tickle entered Kael’s mind. Now aware of what it meant, he stopped and concentrated. Two hundred yards ahead of them, just below a small rise in the ground, someone was waiting. Sticking out his arm to stop Lycori as she passed, he whispered for her silence. Inside his mind, he studied the area around the uneven ground.
“There’s someone waiting for us below the next rise. I can only sense the one. All he has on him is a dagger. Weapon-wise, I mean. Sorry. Kinda new at this.” He blushed as he opened his eyes and looked her way.
Lycori smiled. “I didn’t assume you meant he was standing there in the nude holding his... dagger,” she said, and started to laugh.
Kael shook his head, turning even redder. “Yeah, I suppose not, but how does someone like me, coming from where I do, make someone else understand what I’m seeing with a magical sight that I seemed to have inherited only a couple of weeks ago?” Shaking his head, he added, “No wonder I doubt my own sanity.” Lycori’s response was not what he expected.
“Hey,” she said softly as she looked at him. “You don’t have to doubt your sanity, Kael. I get it. Believe me when I tell you that I understand. I was turned into what I am unwillingly. I know what it’s like to have your world shattered. Remember that while things like this are unheard of in your world, it is more common here. You’ve done well so far. Now let’s deal with this stranger before he comes looking for us. Fair enough?” Kael took a deep breath, nodded, and refocused his attention to the matter before them.
Lycori had told Kael earlier that the word “mystic” was the general term for anyone who could manipulate magic in any of the multitude of ways possible. With only a dagger, he suspected the man ahead might be a magic user of some kind, either that or the man was crazy. Concentrating, Kael tried to sense the extent of the threat ahead.
“I can’t tell if he’s a mystic, Lycori, and I don’t feel anyone or anything else for over two hundred yards in any direction, now that I’m trying. What the heck would a person be doing way out here? He must be insane,” he said, glancing her way once more.
“I don’t know, but be ready. He might very well be crazy. If so, he is what we call a Braiga, a mystic who has cracked under the addictive strain of using too much magic, too often. The insanity makes them stronger than they would ever normally be. They’re very unpredictable,” she warned, clearly nervous.
“Okay then, let’s go. Carefully. Just another day…” he replied, trailing off.
It was a walk that took only minutes. Covering the two hundred yards to the man waiting for them, Kael and Lycori both realized as they approached that the stranger had no intent of moving or hiding. They had no doubts that he was waiting just for them.
Stopping within twenty feet, Kael offered a greeting. “Hello traveller, how are you today? Your journey is going well, I hope,” he said, shaking his head as he realized that he sounded like an idiot, one from the eighteen hundreds. He had absolutely no idea how travellers greeted each other. At the moment it didn’t seem to matter to the new arrival, though.
The man’s response shocked Kael. “Much better now that
I found you,” he chuckled. “I didn’t believe you would be here in this festering dung pile, but being at the bottom of the guild’s list we didn’t have a choice where to look for you.” Kael yanked both his sword and dagger from their sheathes, stumbling as the sword blade caught the side of the sheathe. The stranger grinned at his lack of experience but said nothing out loud.
Kael recovered and rolled his wrists to loosen the joints and stretch the muscles just as Max had taught him. He knew that the longer they could keep the guy talking the better chance they had of finding the others with him. None of whom Kael could sense nearby, a fact that worried him.
He whispered to Lycori. “I can’t sense the others with him. Can you find them?” By talking to her the last two weeks, he knew that if they were close enough, she could find them by hearing their heartbeat or by smell. Very beneficial abilities for anyone to have, let alone a vampyr.
“If they’re here, they’re not close enough yet,” she answered softly. Kael nodded, knowing it bought them a little time.
“I’m afraid I don’t know you, so why would you be looking for us?” Kael asked.
“I’m not looking for her, though a young tart like her will be a fine prize for later tonight,” he laughed. Lycori stared at him with a fang-filled smile, a calm hiss escaping her throat, but she said nothing.