Chased By War

by Michael Wolff

  She found him where she knew he would be: in her quarters, at the windows, his hands cinched at the small of his back. The slamming of the door peeled his attention from the snowstorm outside. He showed no remorse, no guilt, not even a satisfaction of the nefarious deed done. That he looked like Timothy made the violation ever so more personal. “Why?”

  “He was a distraction to our goals,” Timothy – no that is not Timothy; just a monster in his skin – said. “He had to be eliminated.”

  “He was a child! He didn’t deserve this!”

  Timothy’s eyes clouded in confusion. “You are Christina Lansplex. You have dedicated your adult life planning vengeance against the royal family for their abuse towards your siblings. You have even killed one of your own brethren to mask your intentions. Lord Sutyr saw this in you. That is why he revealed himself to you, why he offered assistance.”

  It was sickening how the monster was stripping things to their barest form. “You bastard!” She launched into a punch that would have taken the head off a normal man. Only Timothy wasn’t a man. He caught the punch halfway into its execution like it was the most natural thing in the world. Christina grunted in her futile efforts. It was though an iron vice had clamped her wrist.

  “The boy was diverting your resources,” Timothy continued. “Pulling your focus away from your self-scribed mission. Now you can return to optimal efficiency. Everything is set right.”

  She wanted to rage, to howl, to beat at the keeper Sutyr had so easily planted. What was she to do? Expose him as a monster? The courts would have her quartered for the count of insanity. Cease this rebellion? Timothy was a more effective collar than any mortal hand could produce. Christina’s mind shivered with the feeling of doors crashing shut. Once, those doors were hers to open and close at her wish. Now the plan had crumbled. The opportunities had slimmed, silently, without her realizing it. Timothy was more than a boon. He was a keeper. Her keeper. And he would keep killing all obstacles in their way, whatever she wanted them or not.

  For the first time in a long time, Christina cried.

  GLOSSARY OF TERMS

  Areku (AR-wreck-YOU) - A being born with the ability to use Gale (wind) magic. Able to walk amidst others’ dreams. Second most impressive role was to unify separate minds into one, effectively creating a cohesive fighting unit under the areku’s control. (Also see Gale, manna, Elements, the).

  Celsius (CELL-see-us) - A being born with the ability to use Frost (ice and water) magic. Common talents were serving as diplomats and scholars, as well as skilled negotiators. Other talents involve quick mastery and application of knowledge (reading a hundred books an hour) and mastery of all known languages (see also manna, Elements, the)

  Circle, the - A Circle is a group of six Weirwynd, one for each Element. These groups were plentiful in the Weirwynd ages, as the gifts of one Weirwynd balanced out the others. Members of circles are called ‘circle-mates.’ Circle-mates are so close they are almost families. Any circle without one or more Weirwynd is referred to as a “broken” circle. Due to the sense of family between circle-mates, replacing lost members is a long and arduous process (see also manna, areku, enshou, celsius, Weirwynd, ikadzu, esuzou, jord, Elements, the)

  Eishi (e-SHE) - The Weirwynd word for “legend.”

  Elements, the - the six elemental forces that encompass the energy of the universe. Magic-wielders (called Weirwynd) are born with the ability to use one and only one Element (the act is known in non-Weirwynd circles as spell-casting, magic, etc). The power depends on birthday and breeding. The Six Elements are: Fire, Frost, Geo, Tesla, Gale, and Steel. Weirwynd use the term “manna” instead of “magic,” though the terms are often used interchangeably. (See also magic, manna).

  Endem (en-DEM) - Play on the word endemic. The term associated with people who cannot manipulate manna (see also Weirwynd, manna, Elements, the)

  Enshou (en-SHOU) - A being born with the ability to use Fire magic. Enshou in Circles strengthen the bond between Circle-mates through empathy, projecting emotions into the Circle-mates. (Also see Fire, manna, Elements, the).

  Esuzou (es-YOU-ZO) - A being born with the ability to use Steel magic. Esuzou usually lend a boost of defensive power to their Circle-mates, depending on the richest mineral in the ground on which they stand. Another, more viable talent is the creation of structures that can harness the powers of a Font, effectively unleashing the raw potential of manna, which in turn allows spell casting that would otherwise be impossible by normal means. (Also see Steel, manna, Elements, the, Font).

  Family (shiisaa) - A set of shiisaa (arcane artifacts) wielded by a group of specific elemental-born wizards to achieve a spell that would be impossible to achieve by one wizard. Also known as oz’shiisaa. (see also manna, Elements, the, shiisaa, oz’shiisaa)

  Fire - The Element of Fire. Most often associated with destruction. Users are called enshou. Enshou are most often born in deserts or areas with hot climates. Talents associated with enshou are manipulation of sand, illusion (desert mirage), smoke, hypnosis and empathy. Other talents were available in ancient Weirwynd civilizations, but records of those civilizations are vague and unintelligible. It is believed those powers faded across the centuries as the Weirwynd died out (see also enshou, manna, Elements, the)

  Font - A space where two or more Leylines intersect. The intersection gathers a “hotspot” of manna, in which allows a Weirwynd to manipulate a greater amount of manna than normal. This, in turn, allows for various phenomena to occur, such as the weakening of dimensional barriers, summoning the dead back to life, or the creation of gateways to eldritch realms (also see Leyline, manna, Elements, the, manna).

  Frost - The Elemental of Ice and Water. Most users are called celsius. Favorable climates are arctic winters. Notable talents include healing and knowledge. It is believed talents faded as the Weirwynd of old died out (see also celsius, manna, Elements, the)

  Gale - The Element of Wind. Most often associated with telepathy and telekinesis. Users are called areku. Areku live in the mountains and in windy climates. Most of the Weirwynd lore that survived the fallen Weirwynd civilizations involves areku. Talents involve manipulation of force fields, walking amidst dreams, “psychic” knowledge of weather, divinity and visions regarding past, present and future. It is believed those powers faded across the centuries as the Weirwynd died out (see also areku, manna, Elements, the)

  Geo - The Element of Earth. Users are called jord. Most often associated with animals and familiars. Favorable domiciles involve mountains and subterranean caves, which puts jords at odds with esuzou, wielders of Steel. Mastery involves communication with plant life, manipulation of healing, dust, stone and minerals (see also manna, jord, Elements, the)

  Ikadzu (eye-KA-do-ZU) - A being born with the ability to use Tesla (lightning) magic. Ikadzu are employed to stealth missions within the Circle (a tribute to the most common shiisaa usage being voice-throwing), or, more commonly, giving life to machinery and inanimate objects. The latter ability suggests a kinship between ikadzu and esuzou. Esuzou would create a metallic body and the ikadzu would give it life, creating golems (eldritch guardians). (also see Tesla, Elements, the, manna).

  Jord - A being born with the ability to use Geo (earth) magic. The role of jords in a Circle usually involves communication to elemental spirits; however, the effort is unimpressive since all Weirwynd have an affinity with their own Element. What is impressive is the fact that jords can derive communication with inanimate objects of nature, such as blades of grass and trees. The later can be used in teleportation, though it is a power shared by Weirwynd, again resulting with the affinity of one’s Element (also see Geo, manna).

  Leyline - Source of manna. Invisible currents of energy that roam across the planet’s surface, under the surface, and permeating the
atmosphere. It is this energy that Weirwynd manipulate to achieve effects classified by endem as magic. Leyline energy (referred hereon as manna) does not belong to one single classification; it is of all energies, and of none. It is the Weirwynd who change the manna to their respective Element and “cast” the spell through eldritch devices known as shiisaa. While manna is constantly forming and reforming as it travels, there are records that signify the decay of manna. Something has drained the manna to an all-time low, though the how or why is unknown even to Weirwynd scholars (see also Element, Fire, Frost, Geo, Steel, Gale, Tesla, enshou, endem, esuzou, areku, jord, celsius, ikadzu, manna, Font)

  Manna - Lifeblood of the planet. Is of all elements and none simultaneously. “Spells” are achieved by the Weirwynd drawing and channeling the energy into birth-specific classification. Weirwynd cannot cast spells outside of their birth-element, as is the creation of magic-imbued items called shiisaa. Thus, shiisaa are by and large character-specific, although the spell can be altered that shiisaa can be passed down from person to person. The process has been lost to time (see also Elements, the, Fire, Frost, Geo, Gale, Tesla, Steel, shiisaa, enshou, celsius, jord, ikadzu, esuzou, areku).

  Oz’shiisaa (OZ-SHE-sar-RA) – Legendary shiisaa (arcane artifact) created in the golden age of the Weirwynd. It’s construction and use was lost in the decline of that era. (see also manna, Elements, shiisaa)

  Sefiros Cayokite (suh-FEAR-ros kai-YO-kay) - Folklore hero in advanced health traveling the world and the realms beyond, righting wrongs and saving the day.

  Shiisaa (See-SHAW-UH) - Artifacts able to contain and channel eldritch energy (aka spell-casting). Only one spell can be cast using shiisaa. An additional condition is that shiisaa can only cast the spell of a specific element. For example, a Fire-wielding Weirwynd (known as an enshou) can use a Fire shiisaa, but not a Frost, Tesla, Gale, etc. It is the same with other elemental Weirwynd. Shiisaa are best forged from the rare starmetals, which possess an incredible durability able to contain and cast a spell without the elemental energy released backfire and destroy the shiisaa, and in some cases, the wielders themselves. However, the supply of starmetal dwindled with the fall of the Weirwynd. Ordinary materials were used in creating shiisaa, but no historical records show that any of these shiisaa survived the first spell-casting. (See also Family, manna, Elements, the, Weirwynd, oz’shiisaa)

  Steel - The Element of Metal. Users are called esuzou. Most common homes are subterranean caverns, due to the deposits of minerals within. It is due to this that esuzou were rivals with jords, since they share the same affinity for caverns. Steel is the one Element that remains relatively unknown to modern scholars, and as such, accurate information is sketchy at best. Associations involve poisons (since all metal rusts) and various degrees of shielding due to the manipulation of minerals, as well as changing one material into another (gold to iron, for example). Some scholars theorize that Steel is not an Element at all but rather an off-shoot of Geo, since their magic share similar qualities, but this theory is relatively small and unpopular.

  Tesla - The Element of Lightning. Users are called ikadzu. Ikadzu used to live in climates known for thunder storms. Talents associated with ikadzu are speed and sound. Other talents were vaguely described in ancient Weirwynd notes; assumedly faded as the Weirwynd of old died out.

  Weirwynd (WERE-wind) - The collective name of wizards, sorcerers, mages, witches, warlocks, magicians and spell casters; essentially anyone born with the ability to create physical phenomenon through mental manipulation. Through some unknown incident, the bloodlines dwindled a millennium ago; now Weirwynd are all but extinct (see also manna, endem, enshou, esuzou, areku, jord, celsius, ikadzu, Elements, the)

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