Magi Saga 2: Shadows of Darkness

by Andrew Dobell

  He also had some support in ranks of the Coven’s Initiated, but again, Lucian knew he could swing them back to him any time he wished.

  Still, Ekua could not be underestimated, Lucian had to be on his guard the whole time.

  Lucian planned to hold another meeting this morning to go over recent events and plan their next move with his close supporters, before dealing with his other business interests.

  As he walked up the corridor, towards a T junction, he felt a tingle in his extended senses, a sense of foreboding about the next few moments that warned him of something potentially dangerous.

  Looking up, he saw one of Bull’s Scion Wolves stalk around the corner into view. These things were huge, wolf like creatures, their dark skin covered in patches of unkempt black hair. Its yellow eyes were locked on Lucian as it bared its teeth and uttered a low, guttural growl that rumbled along the corridor.

  Behind it, Ekua strolled into view, his large frame relaxed and with a very superior look on his scarred face. He wore only a stained white vest top with baggy jeans and trainers, his only visible weapon an evil looking knife in his fist.

  Behind him, looking very apprehensive and staying in the shadows stood Bull, a large bald man wearing functional clothes and a rubber apron stained with blood.

  Lucian had stopped walking and waited to see what Ekua might do next, while his now Multitasking mind worked overtime to shore up his already powerful defences and prepare for the fight he felt must be fairly inevitable at this stage.

  He noted a second of Bull’s wolves closing in behind him, also ready to pounce, just like the first.

  ‘Whaa gwaan Ekua?’ Lucian asked.

  ‘Don’t play coy with me guy,’ Ekua said, pointing at Lucian. ‘This has gone on for long enough. Your incompetence has made us look weak mon. Nymira needs to know of what you be doin.’

  ‘You think she don’ know ‘bout all this? She knows every-ting mon.’

  ‘Bullshit. She don know shit. I’m here to make you an offer.’

  ‘Really?’ Lucian said, incredulously.

  ‘Step down now, name me Coven leader, and dis ting will be ended. No more will be said.’

  ‘And if I don’t?’

  ‘Do I need to spell it out for you?’ Ekua said, indicating the two wolves that had inched closer to Lucian with his hand.

  ‘I think if you want leadership of dis coven, you need to come and take it, pussy.’

  Ekua cocked his head to one side and let out a breath.

  Lucian sensed the subtle Essentia pulse that came from Ekua at that moment, a simple discrete message sent to the two Scion wolves on either side of him. A heartbeat later and the two attack dogs launched themselves at Lucian, their fanged maw’s gaping, drool flying as they attacked.

  But they never made it. Two huge blocks of concrete, each over a meter cubed launched themselves from the walls into each of the two wolves, slamming into their sides and crushing them against the opposite wall. Blood exploded from the two creatures, catching everyone in its spray of gore as the two wolves whimpered once before dropping silent forever more.

  Lucian wasted no time, part of his mind had also reached out to his two most combat ready allies, Raal and Lex the moment the wolves had pounced. Lucian moved, running and launching himself over the debris between him and Ekua, his black cloak and dreadlocks flying out behind him as he sailed over the concrete block, landing deftly before Ekua just as his two Allies Ported into the corridor. Raal stood next to where Lucian landed while Lex appeared next to Bull, and immediately grabbed him, putting him into a painful hold to immobilise him.

  Magic poured out of Raal, flooding Ekua’s Aegis with disruptive energy to try and break down his Aegis. Lucian did the same, his multitasking mind working several effects at once.

  Essentia lashed out, striking Ekua’s Aegis, breaking it down, pushing it to its breaking point, while at the same time, Essentia poured into a Dagger of his own that Lucian pulled from his belt, ready for attack. Still another part of his mind flung large rocks of concrete at Ekua that were not deflected by his Aegis, hitting his body hard and knocking him back while Lucian advanced upon his foe, ready to attack.

  Ekua did his best, Lucian watched as he tried to bolster his Aegis, to pull in Essentia and keep his shield in place, his biggest defence against Lucians attack and his best chance of staying alive, but it wouldn’t be enough. With Raal there, Lucian knew he couldn’t resist for long.

  Sure enough, seconds later, with a snap of magical energy, Ekua’s Aegis fell apart. Lucian moved in quickly, his dagger in hand and started to throw punches and kicks at his Coven mate. Ekua defended well, getting in a punch and swipe of his own dagger, while his other mind tried to work Magic.

  Lucian wouldn’t let up though, as they moved along the corridor in a desperate fight for supremacy, Lucian’s other minds watched and worked. Every time Ekua tried to work Magic, Lucian blocked him, throwing two or three of his minds at the effect to dissipate the Essentia quickly, stopping Eku’a Magic before it even started. Meanwhile Lucian’s other minds, of which there were six in total, threw rocks and debris and other items along the corridor at Ekua, distracting him and keeping his own Multitasking mind as busy as Lucian could.

  Lucian knew how to fight, skilled in a number of Martial Arts and willing to fight dirty to get what he wanted, he made a formidable opponent. He kept the pressure on Ekua and a few moments later Ekua messed up leaving a gap in his defences. Lucians spin kick connected heavily with Ekua’s jaw, breaking it with a loud crack and slamming his head against the wall.

  Ekua dropped to the floor, his defences dropped for the moment as he tried to recover from the brain rattling kick.

  Lucian didn’t wait, he reached in, grabbed Ekua by the scruff of the neck and easily hauled him up off the ground against the wall. Lucians other hand moved like a flash, the daggers blade flashing as he brought it across the stomach of Ekua.

  Blood and ropey intestines spilled from Ekua’s gut, splashing to the floor while his insides rolled out of him, uncurling onto the slick red puddle at Lucian’s feet.

  Ekua gurgled as blood rose up into his mouth, but Lucian hadn’t finished with him yet. He dropped Ekua back to his feet, so he stood face to face with him, but still held him up as his opponents strength faded.

  ‘Nice try Ekua, I respect your loyalty to our mentor, and it’s for that reason alone I grant you this,’ said Lucian.

  In one swift movement, Lucian jammed his dagger up under Ekua’s jaw, into his brain, killing him, granting him a quick death in the end.

  After holding him there for a second, Lucian withdrew the blade and dropped the body to the floor. He stood there for a moment, looking down at the bloody mess at his feet. He knew this had been coming. Ekua had always been brash and often did things a little too soon or without enough preparation. He also underestimated the loyalty of the other Coven members to Lucian, no doubt thinking that the fight would be one on one. But Lucian had been prepared, he’d had Raal and Lex on alert for days now, knowing that he’d need to call them at a moments notice for their aid should Ekua try to kill him.

  Even knowing this, knowing that Ekua would try to kill him, he still felt angry. Ekua’s death, as inevitable as it apparently had been, felt like a waste to him. Surely as Nomads they should not be bickering amongst themselves, but instead be working together against their mutual enemy. He could have used him in the coming fight that would no doubt happen with these damn Arcadians. Ekua had been a skilled and competent Magus, probably a match or better for this red head Amanda. He’d certainly need all the backup he could get against Yasmin when the time came as well.

  He put up and played along with Yasmin’s stupid request for the time being, but his harassment of Amanda and her friends would probably come to a boiling point sooner or later, and when that time came, Lucian would defend himself and if need be, kill her. Yasmin be damned.

  But now Ekua would be no use to anyone, and would likely be used to
feed the remaining 3 wolves in the levels below.

  Remembering the other member of his Coven that had been stood beside Ekua, Lucian turned to Bull where he stood with Lex. Her left arm around his neck and his right arm held by her behind his back.

  He walked up to the pair, blood from Ekua splattered all over his chest and face and watched as Bull struggled against Lex’s hold.

  ‘Lucian, I’m sorry, he made me do it, he made me. He hurt me Lucian, he did terrible things to me, to my babies.’ Bull looked over at the crushed remains of two of his wolves, and sniffed, clearly upset.

  ‘Let him go,’ said Lucian to Lex, who released her hold on Bull who dropped to his knees.

  He clasped his hands together and looked up at Lucian through his tears.

  ‘You know I’m loyal to you Lucian, always. I’m sorry, I had no choice.’

  Lucian actually kind of felt sorry for this simpleton, who Ekua had no doubt easily manipulated into helping him. These wolves, the two dead ones here and the three more that were elsewhere in this complex were his life. They called him the Beast Master because that’s all he did. He looked after these creatures, turned them into the lethal killing machines that Lucian needed them to be.

  The death of two of them would be punishment enough, nothing else would even come close to hurting him in the same way. So Lucian crouched down in front of Bull and put one hand on his shoulder. Bull went quiet, probably unsure what Lucian would do next.

  ‘I know Bull, you’re a loyal and valued member of this Coven. We will clean up this mess for you.’

  ‘No!’ Blurted out Bull.

  Lucian raised his eyebrows at the outburst.

  ‘Sorry, but no, I’ll do it. They were my babies, let me. Please.’

  ‘Of course Bull, of course,’ said Lucian. He stood up then and looked at Raal and Lex. ‘A meeting, now, in the main meeting room. Bring Aneurin and Joaquin. I’ll bring the others. Go now.’

  With that, Lucian started to walk down the corridor to the stairs and ascended two levels to the topmost private level. As he did so, his multitasking mind hunted down Shaun, who he found in his lair with Ben. He reached out and broadcast his voice to the room.

  ‘It’s Lucian, drop your Aegis and let me Port you to the meeting room.’

  He watched them stop in their tracks, listening to the voice that sounded in their lair like an unusually crisp and clear speaker might.

  Shaun hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. ‘Done,’ he said.

  Lucian Ported them both to the Meeting room.

  His other minds found his Biker gang of Initiated in the garage around the rear of the Club, They had no Aegis to worry about, so he just Ported them all into the Meeting room without warning, just as he stepped into the room. Seconds later Lex, in her mystic robes, Raal in his customary Black outfit, Aneurin in his dirty Jeans, dishevelled shirt and clipboard and Joequin, also in Jeans and shirt, but looking much better in them than Anuerin could ever do, all Ported into the room in a succession of whips and cracks of air, being suddenly displaced.

  Apart from Raal and Lex, they all looked at Lucian in a mixture of curiosity and horror at his blood soaked body.

  ‘Ekua is dead. He tried to take leadership of this Coven from me, and he paid da price. Anyone else want to join him?’ Lucian bellowed.

  He felt angry, furious about this turn of events. So he wanted it out there in the open that he would not stand for this kind of insubordination, and make it clear what would happen to those who try to take his Coven from him.

  The room remained silent as Lucian looked over the stoic faces of those in the room. No one dared move lest he be next to feel Lucian’s wrath.

  ‘Good,’ he said. Satisfied for the moment even though his blood still ran hot. ‘Shaun, an update on the Lotus please.’

  Shaun shifted on the spot, clearly not comfortable.

  ‘Ur, sir, is here the best place…’

  ‘Now Shaun!’ Lucian spat.

  ‘It’s not good news sir.’ Said Shaun quickly. ‘She attacked Yoh, and from what we can see, she did manage to kill him…’

  ‘But,’ Lucian said, anticipating the next word.

  ‘But, he seemed to have been turned into a Scion. We saw a woman who we’re not familiar with turn him in the doorway at the rear of the house.’

  Lucian closed his eyes.

  ‘And the Lotus?’ he asked.

  ‘She made it into the house, evading Amanda, which is where she killed Yoh before the Scion arrived, but she never came back out.’

  ‘Is she dead mon?’

  ‘That is my assumption.’

  The anger inside Lucian boiled once more. He pulled the gun from his belt and fired it at Ben who stood next to Shaun, blowing a 3 inch hole out the back of his head that covered the side of Shaun’s face in brain and blood.

  Lucian looked at Shaun, whose mouth stood agape in shock as he looked down to where Ben’s body had dropped to the floor.

  For a moment, the room stood silent, the blast from the gun ringing in Lucian’s ears in this confined space.

  No longer able to contain his rage, Lucian roared and slammed his two fists into the top of the oak table, splitting and fracturing it.

  ‘I want this fucking group of Arcadians out of my city right now!’

  ‘Can we not just kill them?’ Joaquin asked. Lucian looked at his coven mate, the only person in the room who did not know about the situation with Yasmin.

  ‘Arch magus Yasmin has forbidden me to kill Amanda and her two friends, threatening my life, and all of yours as well should we do so.’

  ‘Yasmin? As in Yasmin the Dark? Red Yasmin?’ Joaquin said, surprised.

  ‘The same,’ Lucian answered flatly.

  ‘Holy shit.’

  ‘I need something to scare Amanda, to convince her that she must leave this city, today,’ said Lucian.

  No one answered, silence filling the room as everyone started to think. Lucian sat down at the table, tired and stressed at the events of the morning so far. After a moment, he heard movement at the far end of the room.

  ‘Sir, I might have an idea,’ said one of the bikers.

  Lucian looked up at the young man that had stepped forward. Lucian knew all the names of the guys in his biker gang, but didn’t really know the intimate details of their lives or what they did when they weren’t with him. Lucian only really knew this kids name.

  ‘What is it Jason?’ asked Lucian.

  Lucian stepped up to the wooden door on the side of the Church of the Devine Mother, just a block away from the PIT club. He produced a key from the inside of his coat and unlocked the door. He walked in, followed by Joaquin who had accompanied him here.

  He shut the door behind him and locked it, before starting to navigate through the small rooms and narrow corridors at the back of the church.

  ‘Are you going to let me in on this plan of yours then Lucian?’ Joaquin asked.

  ‘You’re the second part, you and Noah, after Jason does his bit. You’re gonna be in charge of logistics, while Noah… Noah will be indulging in his own personal tastes.’

  ‘Oh God,’ muttered Joaquin. Knowing what that meant.

  Lucian eventually found his way to a plain wooden door and used another key he produced from his coat and let themselves through, locking it behind them. The room looked like it had once been a storage room, but on the far side of it just a few feet from the door, a huge hole opened up covering the back wall and part of the floor that plunged into the ground beneath the church at a steep, but walkable angle.

  They paused for a moment, looking down into dark passageway.

  ‘He’s down there?’ asked Joaquin.

  ‘That’s where he said to come,’ Lucian answered, referring to his earlier Magical link with Noah to ask to see him.

  As they gazed down the tunnel they could see things, large, things, like insects, but much, much bigger, skittering over the walls.

  ‘I can’t wait,’ Joaquin said, sarcas
tically.

  Lucian stepped forward, carefully making his way down the roughly carved steps into the depths beneath the church. They passed huge deformed cockroaches and other bugs that stayed well out of the way of them, seemingly sensing they were allowed inside, or maybe they sensed the power of two Magi they didn’t want to anger.

  Soon enough Lucian, followed by Joaquin, stepped onto level ground and made out the sounds of someone, a child, in pain, but they were muffled, as if they were gagged.

  They walked forward, passing side corridors, and hearing moans and pleas for help coming from inside, again these voices sounded like children.

  Eventually they passed from the corridor into a good sized room, carved from the rock. Parts of it were roughly hewn, others intricately carved with writhing bodies of demons and their victims in the throes of torture and rape.

  Tables scattered about the room were occasionally filled with books or candles, or splattered with dry blood and implements designed to inflict pain.

  Around the room there must have been half a dozen young children, in cages or chained to walls, some of them untouched, others mauled and beaten, all of them naked.

  In the centre of the room, on an altar, a boy, no older than six or seven lay strapped upon the stone edifice. Gagged, and covered in cuts, bruises and bite marks. He fought against his attacker in vain as he looked at Lucian and Joaquin as they entered, at first in hope of release, his eye filled with pain and pleading for help.

  The man, who stood beside the altar had his back to them, bent low over the boy’s legs, had been moving slowly in pleasure, but now stopped. Sensing a change in the room, he jerked his head up, tense for a moment, before relaxing and turning to face Lucian. The man wore a robe that covered his back and upper arms, but fell open all down his front, revealing his nakedness beneath.

  The man had slicked back dark hair and hungrily licked his lips. Most of his face and front glistened in wet fresh blood, smeared all over him by his own hand.

  ‘Lucian, such a pleasure, you caught me in the middle of my breakfast.’

  ‘Apologies Noah, but this is urgent. I have a job for you.’