by Adam Watson
“Focus in your mind the magical energies of the ward creating a bubble of protection around you. See it and believe it, harness the power and repeat these words … Ulus Vera Mosantaé.” Magmus envisioned the image in his mind. Calling upon the magical forces locked inside the world, he uttered the words.
“Ulus Vera Mosantaé!” Instantly the air around him solidified into a bubble. It was stronger than steel and clearer than glass. Magmus smiled wondrously. This was it! This was no longer an Illusion, this wasn’t playing with people’s minds - this was real magic. He breathed deep the air around him and revelled in the success.
***
And so, the days passed by. Days turned into months, months turned into years and soon three years had passed. Magmus’s skill with the Abjuration arts grew with every day that passed. His knowledge became more and more abundant, his mind more and more focused.
He never did find out what had happened to that mysterious redhead or his Dragon Gem. He had been sure that she was heading to the Academy but none of his secret inquires had ever yielded a result - so he assumed that she must never have gone there in the first place.
For three years he studied. It was more than study, it was more than learning - it was his obsession. He was learning at such a rapid rate, that word of his exploits were making their way around the Academy. Word had gotten out that there was potentially one of the most powerful magic users the Academy had seen for generations.
Magmus had vowed to himself that he would not only study everything he could about magic, but master it … truly master it. Every time that either Obsidian or Ruby Deathwood taught him something he would practice it obsessively until he had completely mastered it. His obsession even began to worry his teachers, but losing that Dragon Gem by being weak-minded and distracted by lust had awakened a focus in him that he never knew he had.
***
Magmus had finally done it, he was standing in the Hall of Mages. He stood to the side, ready to go out on stage and receive his graduation. The High Sorcerer Altrus Men`hoven stood in the centre of the stage - there was an audience of several hundred mages looking on.
Only a few students had graduated this year, and Magmus was one of them. When Magmus walked out onto the stage he felt the greatest sense of accomplishment and satisfaction he ever had. His smiled beamed - life was good, life was great!
“From this day forth, the mage Magmus Ashel’mar will no longer be considered by all as a novice, but will be acknowledged as a Warding Magician.” The audience applauded and clapped, whistles could be heard, and cheers hollered. Oh, this was truly a great day for Magmus - one he would never forget.
Now that he had achieved rank, the option of halting his studies and going out into the world was now available. Magmus had been thinking about this for the last few months, and he decided that he couldn’t allow himself to forget those who had helped him get to where he was today.
Aiden Thun’dira had been the one to help him with the proclamations three years earlier. Aiden had also been the one to help him get the gold he needed to enter the Academy in the first place. Aiden had even sacrificed part of his own share so that Magmus could get into the Academy quicker - he owed Aiden, and as far as Magmus was concerned, he owed Aiden a lot.
Magmus’s abilities and knowledge were growing at a rapid rate, but his time at the Academy had left him a pauper - albeit a much more powerful pauper than before. He needed to regain his finances. He needed to pay back Aiden for his generosity, and he needed to help Aiden prosper.
His mind drifted back to the proclamations. The first one they did together, Slaying of the Troll: Ooh’lag, had been difficult, but they had overcome the odds together, improvising when things didn’t go according to plan. Aiden was reliable, Aiden had skills, and together they could prosper beyond their wildest dreams.
The decision was made. Magmus would bring his studies to a halt and seek Aiden out. Together they could rebuild their wealth, before returning back for further study.
He smiled to himself standing up on that stage, everything was starting to fall into place, and what an achievement – Warding Magician, but even as he stood there patting himself on the back over what he had achieved in such a short amount of time, a feeling of unease began to creep into him - something was not right.
He shook hands with his fellow studies, accepting their praises and thanking his teachers for their help. He was happy, but he couldn’t shake that feeling – someone was watching him.
It was ridiculous, what did he expect … he was up on stage. His eyes wandered the audience looking for anything out of the ordinary, but nothing seemed strange. He shook hands with a student called Jorn, Jorn was saying something to him, but he was hardly listening – his eyes wouldn’t stop scanning.
Then, right in the middle, he saw her. She was laughing and smiling and softly clapping. She seemed to been having a great time with her friends around her. Magmus looked back to Jorn and congratulated him, he had to act normal.
“Congratulations Jorn, I always knew you would be one to make it.” Jorn smiled and laughed.
“Likewise with you Magmus, congratulations.” Magmus looked back to the girl. He had not seen her in three years, but he knew who she was, he knew exactly who she was. The red hair, the ice blue eyes … she wore a collar now, where that thing had pierced her throat, but there was no mistaking her. He had made love to her, he had kissed her and talked to her, and they had even read poetry together on that coach.
He had told her things that he had told no-one else, and she had betrayed him. Murder, mayhem and destruction, those were the feelings that welled up inside him now. Yes, he knew who she was … CASSANDRA!
24. AIDEN: THE UNDERWORLD
Aiden’s mouth was wide open, his eyes blazed in awe, he looked around shocked. All around him, luxury of the highest order. When he had walked through the Black Door, it was like he had walked from a piss-laden rat’s nest and straight into the grand palace.
“What is this place?” he asked Gustavo.
“Why this would be ‘The Black Heart’ of course.” Aiden rolled his eyes, nothing about this organisation was very straightforward.
“The … Black … Heart?” replied Aiden, with a tone as sour as a lemon. “What kind of name is that?” Gustavo stopped dead in his tracks and turned to explain to Aiden.
“The Black Heart … as in the heart of the sun.” Aiden nodded, but it still wasn’t making much sense. “We’re the Black Suns, aren’t we? Suns have a heart in the centre of them; Black Suns, Black Heart … get it?” Aiden frowned, he had never heard of such a thing before.
“How can a sun have a heart?” Gustavo laughed, he had never thought about it before.
“Haha, I suppose you right there, but the Black Heart sounds menacing, it's like all the members of the guild have a black heart and are utterly ruthless.”
“Yeah … I guess so.” Aiden was still not convinced.
“Listen Aiden, I know some of the formalities and traditions here are going to seem a little strange, but don’t let any of that fool you for a second. The people here might seem friendly and civilised, but in reality, they are extremely cutthroat, be on your guard at all times.” Aiden nodded, and they continued on their way.
***
As Aiden walked behind Gustavo on his way to meet the Leader of the Black Suns, he contemplated the Black Door. He even smiled at the thought. The so-called ‘Black Heart’ was located in the dirtiest, dingiest, smelliest part of town and it was all just a ruse - a cover to hide the wealth of the guild. Even if the King's Guard themselves searched the place, all they would find would be filth and vermin at every turn.
There was no way anybody would ever find the Black Door, as carefully hidden as it was, and the true ‘Black Heart’ was on the other side of a magically sealed portal. It was genius as far as Aiden was concerned. Then here on the other side of the portal was a place as grand as any palace he had ever envisioned - it was actually quite amazing.
Massive semi-domed ceilings filled with intricately carved patterns of circles and swirls; hanging down from them were huge crystal chandeliers. The ceiling seemed like it was supported by colossal marble pillars, but then again, they could just as easily have been put there for show. Huge wall-sized portraits and mirrors lined the gallery, and hand-woven carpets of red and white adorned the floors - it was quite a sight to behold.
After Aiden had followed Gustavo through another equally grand room, they walked into yet another room which, if Aiden hadn’t have known better, would have been called the throne room. Sitting upon the ‘throne’ was a man - Aiden had no doubts that he was Mortello.
When Mortello saw them enter the room, he welcomed them over with a smile and a wave of the hand. They walked further into the room and proceeded towards the throne.
“Ah Gustavo my dear friend, it has been too long. I do hope everything is all right.”
“Yes, yes, my friend,” answered Gustavo. “Everything is fine.” Mortello was not what Aiden was expecting. For a start, he was an old man, and Aiden hadn’t pictured that at all, but then again, maybe he should have.
He knew that Mortello and Gustavo were friends and used to work together, it made sense that they would be of similar ages. Still, in Aiden’s mind ‘Leader of the Black Suns’ conjured up images of a fierce warrior; muscle-laden and powerful. Perhaps Mortello had been like that once - a long time ago.
Then Aiden remembered what Gustavo had said to him earlier about trusting no-one - he suddenly had the feeling that nothing here was as it seemed, just like the Black Heart itself. On the surface, it was barely one step up from an open sewer, but down below, past the Black Door, it was something mighty and grand - he needed to be on guard.
“So, what brings you here then Gustavo? Not that I mind seeing my oldest friend, of course, but it would be most unlike you to come here just for a social visit.”
“This young man’s name is Aiden. He has been working for me in the store for a while now, and a fine worker he is too, but recently, after a visit from the Red Hand, I found out that he is a great fighter … he made quite the mess.” Mortello snickered, anyone that could make a mess of the Red Hand, was someone he could applaud.
“Come here young man,” he commanded, and Aiden stepped before him. “Tell me Aiden, do you consider yourself to be a violent man?” Aiden shrugged.
“Only when I need to be,” he answered. Mortello nodded contemplating the tone of Aiden’s voice.
“If someone attacked your home what would you do?” Aiden stepped back affronted.
“I’d defend it, of course.” Mortello nodded it again.
“I see, and what if somebody attacked someone you love … like your family for instance?” Aiden thought it for a moment. What would he do if someone attacked his family? He thought about his father. His father was pretty tough, he could probably deal with the attacker better than Aiden could, but then he thought about his mother, what would he do if he walked in, his mother on the ground covered in blood, a stranger standing over her?
“I’d kill them!” he spat. Mortello smiled and turned to Gustavo.
“I like this young man,” he said, pointing at Aiden. “I like him a lot. He has some good values.” Aiden suddenly found himself standing up straighter and filled with pride at Mortello’s comments. Mortello eyed Aiden up and down trying to get a better evaluation of what Aiden’s capabilities might be. “Yes, you are strong, I can see that, and you fight well … have you had training?”
“Only what my father has taught me. I would like more training to become even better if I can.”
“Have you tried the Battle Academy?” asked Mortello, his smile seemed to suggest he already knew the answer. Aiden grimaced, the mere thought of the academy turned his stomach.
“Yes,” he nodded, a sour look on his face. “It didn’t work out.”
“Well Aiden, I know a couple of people who might be able to help you with some training if you’re interested.” Aiden shrugged unenthusiastically.
“I haven’t got any money to pay for that.” Mortello smiled and waved his hand as though Aiden had made a silly suggestion.
“Don’t worry about that. I can take care of that for you.” Aiden looked up suspiciously.
“Really? What’s the catch?” Mortello smiled again.
“There is always a catch isn’t there, Aiden? You’re smart, smarter than a lot of people that come to see me. You could go far in this organisation if you applied yourself.” Aiden nodded hesitantly, agreeing for the time being.
“The catch is this … you work for me for a while. I give you a few jobs to complete, if you complete them you get paid. If you don’t complete them you don’t get paid … sound fair?”
“I guess.”
“Excellent, I knew you’d catch on fast. Do a few jobs for me, and I’ll make sure you get your training.” Aiden slowly nodded, unsure. “Still uncertain about whether I’ll follow through on that promise. Well Aiden, it's more than a promise I make to you, it’s an oath and if that’s not enough for you, just remember it’s in my best interest to have the most highly-trained people possible working for me. Inefficient people make for inefficient business. The Black Suns didn’t get to the top ignoring this fact.” Aiden smiled, it made a lot of sense - he was beginning to like this Mortello fellow.
“I have a friend down at the harbour, he works for me. He’s been telling me that he’s been having a lot of trouble at the docks. Aiden, I’d like you to go down there and see if there’s anything you can do to help him out. You’ll get paid for your help of course, and if you do a good job down there, I’ll be happy to make the investment in your training.”
This was it … a chance to prove himself to someone who had real power. His eyes burned with intensity as he thought about the possibilities. Do a good job and prove myself. If that’s what Mortello wanted, then that’s what Mortello was going to get. In fact, Mortello was now the one person in the world he wanted to please the most. He wanted that training, he hungered for it, he needed it - he needed to get good enough to take on Hammar.
Yes, his father had trained him well. Yes, he was excellent with the sword, which was his father’s expertise, and yes, he had years of hunting with the bow and spear, but even with all that, even with all that experience - it wasn’t enough … it just wasn’t enough.
Men like Hammar, the true warriors of the world - they were on another level. He needed to get to that level, he would do anything to get to that level. He wasn’t going to go home weaker than Greegan - not after what he did.
“You’ve got yourself a deal.” Mortello smiled. It was a sweet and sardonic smile. He could tell by the look in Aiden’s eyes that a burning passion was there, that something was driving him to be better than he was. He liked that, he liked that very much. In many ways, it was like looking at himself forty years ago, and he replied with only one word.
“Excellent.”
***
Aiden looked at the sign above the door, it read: The Bosco Transportation Company. It appeared that he was in the right place. It was on the waterfront overlooking the harbour, just as Mortello had said it would be.
Aiden looked out across the harbour, it was beautiful. The sun was shining down, warming up the day. Ships were sailing in and out. The water was dark blue, and waves lapped the shore at the far end of the harbour - it was both beautiful and serene.
Aiden could have easily spent all day just sitting on the edge of the docks watching the comings and goings, but alas - he had work to do. He walked through the door and into the warehouse.
Inside was a hive of activity, men were sorting and moving cargo from one place to another; bringing it in from the docks or loading it onto wagons that were bound for either the city or other townships further inland. After stopping the first man he saw to ask for directions, he headed for the office.
“Who are you?” asked a tall, slender man when Aiden entered the office.
“I’m looking for Mr Bosco. I was told that he would be expecting me. My name’s Aiden Thun’dira.” The slender man sniffed and looked like he was about to send Aiden on his way when a portly gentleman sitting behind the desk stopped him.
“Wait Jeremiah! It’s all right, let him in.” Aiden walked past Jeremiah, who still didn’t look that pleased about the situation, and up to the desk.
“Mr Bosco?”
“That’s right,” answered the man, extending his hand out to Aiden. “Lorry Bosco at your service.” Aiden shook the hand.
“Aiden Thun’dira.” Lorry nodded.
“Good … I’ve been expecting you. I received the message from Mortello. He said you are really good and will solve my problems for me.” Aiden straightened up at the compliment and even straightened his shirt. If Mortello was telling people that he was good, he was going to have to step up. Whatever the problem was, he had to solve it. It was a matter of honour now, and even though Aiden had no real experience at doing this, he had already decided on the journey over that they didn’t have to know that. He was going to have to act on the fly and pretend he knew exactly what he was doing.
“I’m a problem solver … it’s what I do.” Just relax Aiden … you got this. No matter what it was, he had to do it without question. I need that training.
“Good … good … I’ve got problems that need to be solved, Aiden.” Aiden stretched his arms out in front of himself, cracking his fingers in the process. He purposely took his time before answering. Just relax … just be calm.
“Tell me your problems, Mr Bosco … and I will solve them for you.” Lorry Bosco smiled and let out a sigh of relief. It was like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He thinks I’m a professional! Look at him! He’s got absolute confidence that I can do this. Aiden was elated, he had never had anyone look at him as the answer to their problems before. Maybe there’s something to this whole ‘Black Suns’ thing after all.
