Deamira stepped towards Amanda, attracting her attention as her wings fanned out.
‘Lilitu sends her greetings,’ Deamira said as her claws glinted in the light.
Archon’s Gambit
London, England.
Deamira raised her hand, holding it palm out towards Amanda, Essentia dancing around her fingers. Magical light flashed in Amanda’s vision, and a blast of Essentia rushed out from Deamira’s hand, slamming into Amanda’s Aegis.
It hit hard, but Amanda’s shield held as the Magic washed over and around her while she jumped to her feet.
‘My turn,’ Amanda whispered, and with a thought from one of her Multitasking minds, hit Deamira with a battering ram of Kinetic energy that sent her flying into the wall to Amanda’s left. She followed it up with a series of Essentia blasts, making her Aegis flare as it tried to fend off Amanda’s attacks. The rest of Amanda’s hive minds loosed a barrage of lightning bolts that shot across the space between them with thunderous booms and flashes of intense white light as they hit Deamira’s Aegis with ever more Essentia.
Deamira screamed as she tried to fend off the onslaught, while Amanda looked behind her to check on her friends in time to see Liz twist and throw the bouncer off her. She was smaller than Amanda and a slim girl, too, but her Magically enhanced body was much stranger than the bouncer’s.
He looked shocked as this young slip of a girl threw him around before she hit him in the face, knocking him out.
Vampire and Riven clubbers ran for the exits, pushing out through the door as they ran from the fight. Maya stood nearby and faced off against a couple of other vampires, who seemed to have taken exception to their battle against Deamira.
They rushed Maya, but she was too fast for them and slipped between them, slashing at them with her talons as she moved. Blood sprayed everywhere. She twisted and came at them again, overwhelming them with her ferocious assault.
Amanda focused her attention back on Deamira, who had somehow found her feet and lunged forward. Amanda was ready for her this time, though, and lashed out with her fist and struck her across the face. Essentia snapped as she connected with her, sending Deamira collapsing back to the floor as she threw another round of Essentia Strikes at her and pushed Deamira’s Aegis to its limits.
The shield flared and after another moment, disintegrated entirely.
‘Stop, wait,’ Deamira wailed, but Amanda wanted the Scion to be under no illusions that she wouldn’t finish the job, and hit her with another bolt of lightning that sent her spinning back into the wall. She hit it with a crunch of bone and grunted.
‘Where are Lilitu and Joe?’ Amanda reiterated.
‘I take it you mean the Arcanum agent that was snooping around here?’ Deamira asked as she steadied herself and looked up.
‘I do,’ Amanda answered.
‘He’s dead,’ she said, looking away from Amanda.
‘Of course, he is,’ Amanda answered, watching Deamira tense up as if expecting Amanda to lash out at her. ‘And Lilitu, where is she?’
‘I can’t… I can’t tell you that…’ Deamira answered, looking sheepish.
Amanda cocked her head to one side. ‘And why not?’
Deamira sighed before she spoke next. It was a sound that to Amanda, felt like defeat. Deamira knew she was beaten and there was little she could do, and her body language reflected that. She was still dangerous, though, Amanda thought, and it would not be a good idea for her to lower her defences.
‘Magic. She put a… a block… up here,’ she said, tapping the side of her head.
‘Let’s see,’ Amanda said, and reached out with her Magic, focusing on Deamira’s mind and thoughts with the intention of reading them and finding out the information she wanted to know.
Flashes of memories flickered by, memories of death and blood as she started to understand a little of who Deamira was. She was a succubus. A creature very similar to a vampire, except that rather than drain blood for sustenance, Deamira syphoned off her prey’s life-force, her Anima.
But she had not been a Scion for long. Lilitu had transformed her after the Archon had returned to Earth, having been freed a few months ago, but already Deamira had killed people. Lilitu had passed through and left Deamira here after killing the vampire owner of this establishment, and the feelings Deamira had about that were incredibly mixed.
Amanda moved past those thoughts, though, and hunted for the information she needed. Where was Lilitu now?
Deamira was right, there was Magic in her mind. Lilitu had locked off some of Deamira’s memories, meaning whenever she tried to remember where Lilitu was, she drew a blank. But Amanda had no such trouble and quickly bypassed the block once she knew it was coming and delved into Deamira’s memories of where Lilitu had been living.
She found it quickly, and as the information about the location blossomed in Amanda’s mind, she couldn’t help the look of surprise that crossed her face.
‘Well, shite, would yeh look at that?’ she whispered.
‘What is it?’ Liz asked from beside her. Amanda looked up and smiled at her apprentice, looking over at the crumpled figure of the bouncer she had knocked out. She also got a quick look at Maya, who had finished off the two vampires she’d been fighting and who was now watching the last few patrons who had been in here leaving through the far exit.
Amanda looked back at Liz and smiled. ‘She’s in New York.’
‘Who? The Archon?’
‘Lilitu, yes,’ Amanda confirmed.
‘Right under our noses,’ Maya said from close by.
‘I wonder if the others are in the city, too?’ Amanda mused. ‘Hmm, well, that’s a question for another time,’ she said and looked down at Deamira.
‘You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?’ Deamira asked, although it sounded more like a statement.
‘Sorry, but I can’t let you live,’ Amanda shrugged. ‘I’ll make it quick.’
Deamira nodded. Amanda summoned the Magical energy to her once more and reached into her head. It was a simple thing. Just a quick thought, a quick change in her brain, and she was suddenly dead. Deamira dropped to the floor like a ragdoll, her body now a lifeless husk. As Amanda watched, her wings faded away, and she transformed back into a normal human, losing her Scion traits in a matter of seconds.
At least, any investigators here would only find a normal human now, rather than a monster.
‘New York, then?’ Liz asked.
‘Looks that way,’ Amanda agreed.
‘Whereabouts?’
‘A nice penthouse, in the city,’ Amanda answered, and then turned to her apprentice and daughter. ‘This is it, we’ve found an Archon. Have no illusions, this won’t be easy. You don’t have to come, you know. I understand if you’d rather sit this one out.’
‘No way. I’m coming,’ Liz replied.
‘If you go, I go,’ Maya added.
‘Alright,’ Amanda said, and was about to work her Magic when a pulse of Essentia flared in her mind. It was someone who wanted to talk to her through a Mental Link, and she recognised the Magical signature of Trevelyan. The current chair of the Magi Council and one of the oldest Magi in England.
‘Hang on,’ Amanda said to Liz and Maya, and opened the Link to Trevelyan, letting his thoughts sound in her mind so they could talk.
~Trevelyan, it’s good to hear from you,~ she said.
~Amanda. I hope I didn’t interrupt the mission?~
Amanda glanced down at the body on the floor nearby. ~No, we’ve just finished up here. Had some vampires to deal with.~
~Very well, let me know your location,~ he asked.
Amanda sent the information over the Link, and a moment later there was a flash of Essentia and a whip-snap of air as a figure appeared in the VIP area of the club a short distance from the three women.
Trevelyan was a trim, handsome man in his fifties with salt and pepper hair and a close-cropped beard. He stood wearing a long-stylised coat that had an angular cut.
It was tied at the waist and came to his knees, showing trousers beneath tucked into his boots. He looked very much like a modern wizard, which was precisely what he was.
‘Amanda, lovely to see you again,’ he said.
‘And you.’
‘Liz, Maya, always a pleasure.’
‘Evening, Councillor,’ Liz said, referring to his position on the Magi Council, the group of elected Magi who served as the guiding hand for the Arcadian Magi.
Maya merely nodded.
Amanda had known Trevelyan for a long time, and he had been a valuable ally many times over the years to her and her Coven. He looked around the room, taking particular notice of the bodies on the floor.
‘We’ll need to bring the Arcanum in on this for clean up,’ he said.
‘Of course,’ Amanda agreed. ‘This was a vampire club, though, so I guess that the Riven who were in here would be aware of the supernatural. The vampires were feeding openly.’
‘I understand.’ Trevelyan nodded. ‘Still, we’ll leave that for the Arcanum to sort out. They know what they’re doing when it comes to covering our tracks and hiding us from the masses.’
Amanda nodded.
‘So, any news of Joe?’
Amanda directed Trevelyan’s attention to the dead succubus close to her. ‘She said they killed him.’
‘I had expected as much. Still, we tried. So, did you learn anything else useful?’
‘I have a lead on one of the Archons,’ she said. ‘Lilitu. It appears she’s in New York.’
‘Really?’ he said, raising his eyebrows.
‘Yeah, I know, right under my nose. It’s almost like they did it on purpose,’ Amanda commented.
‘Hmmm. A little too close for comfort.’
‘Right.’
‘I take it you’re going to follow it up?’ he asked.
‘Of course, I’m not missing this opportunity.’
‘Okay, well…. Oh, hang on, I’m being messaged,’ he said, and turned away from her, turning his attention inwards. As she watched, a look of concern crossed his face before he looked up at her and the Essentia around him faded. ‘Sorry. I have somewhere I need to be.’
‘Sure. I’ll send you an update when I know more,’ Amanda said.
Trevelyan nodded, and with a flash of Essentia, he was gone.
‘Wonder what that was about?’ Liz asked.
‘Council business, probably,’ Amanda mused. ‘Right. I’m going to follow this lead about the Archon. Are you coming?’
‘Of course,’ Liz answered.
Maya only nodded.
‘Alright,’ Amanda said, and concentrated. She cancelled the second set of senses that were still active here, and instead, focused on seeing the building that the succubus believed Lilitu to be in. Essentia flared, and in her mind’s eye, she was suddenly looking at the upper floors of one of Manhattan’s towers. It was early evening there, and the sun was dipping towards the horizon, casting long shadows over the city as the light started to turn orange.
Spinning her senses around, she spotted a nearby rooftop that had a good view of the building Lilitu was apparently in and concentrated on being there rather than here.
Essentia snapped and light flashed behind her eyes as a sudden, but fleeting feeling of dislocation washed over her, as it always did when she Ported. A fraction of a second later, she, along with Liz and Maya, were standing on a rooftop. They were high above the city streets with the evening sun bathing them in a warm glow. The building Amanda was interested in was a block over, but there was nothing between them and it, and she was able to get a good look at it.
Her enhanced vision could make out a lavish and well-appointed apartment on the top floor, complete with outside garden and rooftop swimming pool. It was a beautiful place and looked deserted. But as she concentrated, she made out the subtle shimmer of a bubble of Essentia around it. An Aegis, and a well-hidden one. Any casual glance by a Magus would never see it, and an even a less powerful Magus might have trouble seeing it at all, but it was there. She reached out to it to get a feel for the shield and was not surprised to see just how powerful it was. The presence of Magical protections also meant that she could not trust what she saw, in case it was an illusion. There could be an army of Scions in there for all she knew.
‘Is it that building?’ Liz asked.
‘That’s it. She’s in there.’
‘There’s no Aegis,’ Liz commented, her voice filled with confusion.
‘Oh, there is. There’s an Aegis there, but it’s incredibly subtle. I’ve never seen one like this.’
‘Just how powerful are these Archons?’ Liz asked.
Amanda glanced up at her. ‘Um. I don’t think you really want to know that.’
‘That bad, hey?’ Liz answered.
‘Best not to think about it,’ Amanda advised her. ‘This is going to take me a while; bear with me.’ Amanda sat on the edge of the building, and as subtly as she could, used her Magic to gently probe the Aegis, looking for weak points. She didn’t want to be detected, so she moved slowly and used as little Essentia as she could.
Feeling around the shield, moving slowly and cautiously, she eventually identified a few weaker sections. Picking one, she set to work picking the tiniest hole she could in the shield. It was painstaking work, but nearly an hour later, as the sun neared the horizon, turning a brilliant orange, she finally picked a hole in the Aegis.
‘I’m in,’ Amanda said.
‘Wow, that was quick,’ Liz said. ‘I’ve only just been able to spot the thing, but even now I know it’s there it keeps slipping away. That’s the strangest Aegis I’ve ever seen.’
‘I suspect very few Magi would be able to detect it,’ Amanda commented. ‘Right, let me take a look in there.’
Amanda sent her senses in through the hole in the Aegis she was now holding open with her own Magic, which was tougher to do than she expected. The Archon’s Aegis kept pressing in on her Magic, trying to close the breach, but so far, she’d managed to keep it open.
The inside of the penthouse mainly consisted of a large open plan area, with sections dedicated to the kitchen, dining and relaxation with plenty of space between them. Outside, on the rooftop space, Amanda spotted a figure standing close to the pool overlooking the city. She wondered if that was Lilitu.
‘Someone’s in there,’ Amanda said.
‘Lilitu?’ Maya asked.
‘Can’t tell, and I don’t want to warn them of our presence until we’re there.’
‘What about putting another Aegis around that one?’
‘Maybe once we’re in. I bet it would be noticed, though, and a quick Aegis by any of us would probably be useless against an Archon. So, on that happy note, are you ready?’ Amanda asked with a smile as she boosted her Aegis and checked to make sure she was ready for a fight.
‘Yes.’
‘Whenever you are.’
Amanda nodded and focused on being inside that apartment, but tried to use her Magic carefully to make it as subtle as possible. Essentia flared and the trio Ported over and into the penthouse, appearing in the apartment just on the other side of the hole Amanda had burrowed through the Aegis.
Liz and Maya stood beside her, much to her relief, as she scanned the space they found themselves in. It looked empty as far as she could tell, and off to her right, on the other side of the floor to ceiling windows, through the open patio doors, Amanda could still make out the single occupant. Getting a better look at the feminine figure, Amanda could feel the power she radiated from here. She glowed in her Aetheric Sight, marking her as an incredibly powerful Magus at least, or as someone who could use Magic, anyway.
With a final glance around to make sure they were alone, Amanda waved at Liz and Maya to follow her as she started to creep through the apartment.
They crossed it unchallenged, and soon reached the open doorway that led outside. A single walkway led out over to where the woman stood at the edge of the rooftop with a pool on the right
and seating on the left. The figure stood with her back to the apartment, showing only her dark hair and long black coat.
With another glance around, Amanda stepped out of the apartment and took a few steps towards the woman.
Was she Lilitu? Was she an Archon? The way she glowed with energy and power led Amanda to think that this was who she suspected it to be, and she also felt sure that this person probably knew they were here by now.
‘Amanda, isn’t it?’ the figure said. It was a soft voice, enticing and resonant, making herself heard quite clearly.
Amanda stopped and then straightened up. ‘That’s right,’ she answered.
The figure turned. She was a pale woman with long raven black hair, deep red lips, and dusky eyes.
She wore a simple fitted black outfit under her long coat that showed off a somewhat busty figure, not too dissimilar from Amanda’s own shape.
‘You took your time picking that hole in my Aegis,’ she smirked.
‘Lilitu?’ Amanda felt sure it was the Archon in question. She’d seen Lilitu briefly before, and was about as certain as she could be that it was her, But she wondered if she would confirm it and admit who and what she was, or would she hide it?
‘You’ve done your research,’ she said.
Amanda shrugged and let Lilitu continue.
‘It’s amazing how few of you know who we are or know our names any more. Have we been away for that long?’
‘Millennia,’ Amanda answered.
‘We used to rule this world, you know. We lived as gods, with all of humanity ready to do our bidding. Although, there were much less of you back then, before we were imprisoned. Things have changed so much.’ She sounded almost wistful, mourning the loss of the old days.
‘Humanity has been getting along just fine without you,’ Amanda argued.
‘So I see,’ Lilitu answered. ‘This city is amazing. I’m impressed.’
Star Magi: A Space Opera Fantasy Adventure (Star Magi Saga Book 1) Page 5
