The Magic, Broken: Book Two of The Magic Warper Trilogy

by Rick Field

  They ate in silence, each lost to thought, and went to bed early. After the hard travel, they didn't take long to fall asleep.

  The next morning, both Mage and foreigner were up before sunrise. Liane guided them expertly through the woods, skills learned as a young orphan playing in the forests pointing her true. They emerged from the woods not far from Sevenoaks just as the sun rose over the horizon. Already, people were out and the village smelled of cooking food and hard work.

  The town looked no different from usual, and Liane was glad for it. It seemed that whoever was behind this was limiting themselves to the Capital; likely they needed to consolidate their position before tackling the rest of the country. Whoever was behind this had isolated themselves from the rest of the nation, and was ignoring it for the time being. Liane hoped that her arrival would make a difference.

  The people out and about smiled and nodded respectfully at her, gave Steve a curious glance, then left them alone. They were used to the eccentric Mage appearing in their midst using her strange floater, and they paid no more attention to her now that she appeared from cursed woodlands.

  For a moment, Liane debated a mug of strong ale and a hearty meal in her favorite tavern, then decided against it. Time was essential, and the Pillar consented only to spare the time necessary to buy more provisions from the baker and butcher before setting out for the Capital. Now that they were on open road, and in the final stretch, they spurred their horses into a canter. Pertogan had assured her that the animal she was riding was the fastest in his stable, but it was a long trek to the Capital still and she didn't believe their horses would have the endurance to reach there under full gallop.

  She wanted to return them in good health, too.

  Liane saw Steve look around from the corner of her vision, either taking in the surrounding landscape or scanning for enemies, she didn't know which. Her detection spells were still up, and she was quite sure that no magical being was sneaking up on them right then and there. For a few moments, she debated whether to tell him or not. Since it seemed that it made him feel useful, she kept her silence.

  As they rode, she thought back to the first time she had made this voyage, back in her eighth and final year. Her Assistant and she had been riding a cart in the opposite direction, hoping to save Milor. Unbidden, a small smile came to her lips. It had taken them a day and a half to reach Sevenoaks then. Now, with faster horses and no cart, they would be able to reach the Capital before the end of the day. Liane hoped that she would find her home city in good condition.

  Her imagination went from the past to the present. What would she find on her arrival? A city under heavy wartime shields, two armies clashing in battle? More than likely not, there was no way to hide an army capable of taking on the Kirian forces on equal footing. She frowned slightly, and wondered how the terrorists were trying to achieve their goals.

  She tried the communications spell. It still failed as it had been doing for the last few days. Why hadn't the city been unshielded yet? The Lord Emperor or Milor should be able to lower the wards on their authority alone. The Commander General of the Kirian army should be able to do the same. A quorum of Council members should have enough votes before magic to force them down as well.

  How could all of them be immobilized? The strength required to do so was substantial, and brought Liane back to her initial point – there was no way to hide a force that big. Not on Kiria, the island was only so big, and there was only so much open space available. A gathering capable of achieving a strike of this magnitude would have drawn attention.

  Her hand rubbed her chin. Something wasn't adding up. She was missing something. Liane wished she knew what it was.

  She was working herself up now. Just what would she find? Smoking buildings and dead bodies? A city under siege, raped, pillaged, and burnt to a crisp? As her thoughts spiraled further out of control, she could feel the stress in her body wrap around her chest like a tight band. Her toes and fingers tingled with repressed adrenaline.

  A deep breath and slow exhale later, she felt almost human. “Perhaps we should slow down a bit,” Steve advised.

  She blinked, and looked over at the man, only realizing at that time that she had subconsciously spurred her horse into a full gallop. She nodded once, and relaxed her hold, slowing the animal back into a trot. She could feel its mighty body pant beneath her, and her face twitched in annoyance. Now they would need to rest the horses, what a stupid mistake to make.

  “Are you alright?” the pilot asked, concerned.

  The Pillar drew her breath again, slowly letting it out. “I do not know what I will find when I reach the Capital. Will I find it under siege? Will the people close to me be safe? Will I find the streets filled with the dead and dying, or will I find something else? I don't know, and don't have enough information to know, and now that we are closing on the city I cannot help but think about it.”

  Steve nodded. “You're worried and anxious,” he said. “I can completely understand. I hope you'll find everything as it should be.”

  She gave him a sharp nod. “Thank you,” she acknowledged. “Although I think we both know I will not find everything as it should be. We have been attacked too many times for it to be as it should be.”

  The foreigner fell silent, accepting the truth of her statement. They rode without talking as the sun climbed to its zenith, then descended from it. The hours passed in silence. In the distance, the city started to rise from the horizon, and they entered the farming landscape that surrounded it. Despite being late afternoon, people should be at work, and Liane frowned slightly at their absence.

  Liane held her horse, slowing into a trot and finally into a walk. Steve mirrored her actions, mindful of their surroundings, and not liking the small frown that appeared on her usually impassive face.

  “That should not be there,” the Mage said, pointing at a medium-sized construction that appeared to be made from compacted dirt, a sure-tell sign of a building hurriedly raised using Earth magics. She remembered once constructing a small dwelling in the same way, and the mistake she had made in making it air-tight. This building, however, had a second story, a large floor area, and appeared suitable for longer-term habitation. Attached to it was a large earthen barrier that stretched across the road, preventing their entry into the city itself.

  She scowled when she realized that the small building had been placed with a lot of thought in mind. Although it was theoretically possible to cut around the building, either through the farmland or the forest, it was more than likely that they had already been spotted and any attempts to go around would be useless.

  The Pillar took a deep breath. It was too late now; they had seen the building, the building's occupant, or occupants, had seen them. There was nothing to be done other than go forward. Grateful for the fact that she was riding sidesaddle, the Pillar slipped easily from her horse. She approached the earthen barrier on foot, Steve having descended from his horse and taking her reigns as well as his own.

  “I cannot let you pass, My Lady,” a female voice said from the building. Liane turned to face the door, only to come face-to-face with a young Mage dressed in Academy robes, her education insignia still in place. From those insignia, Liane saw that the girl was in her eighth year, and had an Assistant.

  “Perhaps you can explain why not, Young Lady?” Liane asked, curious as to where in the strange guardhouse the student's Assistant might be hiding. She was well aware that she was focusing on meaningless details, and trying desperately not to think of that fact that she was now facing a young woman that was still in school.

  The young Mage seemed eager to talk. “My Lady is securing the city. As soon as she has control over the nation's defenses, you will be allowed entry if you swear to the new government, Lady Pillar,” the young woman answered.

  “Perhaps you do not know who I am,” Liane replied calmly, despite her inward anger over the situation and what was being done in the city. “I am Liane, the MagicWarper.
I am Pillar of Kiria, authorized to be the Hand and the Voice of the Emperor. As of the moment that the Capital city became shielded, and the senior Pillars in Eunan were assassinated, I became the highest ranking official in the nation. At this moment, I am acting leader of the Kirian Nation, and I am ordering you to stand aside and let us pass.”

  The slip of a girl paled slightly, and actually took half a step back, before squaring her shoulders. “I believe in what we are doing, My Lady. The government is corrupt, cares not for its people or its nation, and is determined to satisfy the status-quo. My Lady will change things, and allow anyone to act and become what they see fit without boundaries determined by magic. I can't let you pass.”

  Liane leaned casually on Lucifer to hide her turmoil. She didn't want to fight a student, nor could she allow the heinous act of rebellion to pass. “Perhaps you can begin by telling me your name, Young Lady,” she said as she tried to get herself back under control.

  “I am called Nadia Lightningmistress, My Lady,” the young woman said, raising her head just a little as she did so.

  The Pillar ignored the slight posturing, and pressed on with the conversation. “And just who might your mysterious leader be, Young Lady?” She asked. The young woman wasn't a fighter, and more than likely hadn't performed in more than a duel or two. She seemed more eager to talk than to fight, and Liane wanted to keep it that way. Perhaps she could talk the young woman down, and find out more about the rebels' plans in the process.

  The student before her seemed inclined to keep the conversation going as well, and answered, “The Lady Danulia of the Runes, Lady Pillar. She is the sister of the Lady Annjii of the Ball Lightning, Imperial Overseer of the Pillar Service. It is hoped that the Lady Annjii will consent to breaking her oaths to the old corrupt government once the takeover is complete.”

  Liane's hands unconsciously clenched around Lucifer's shaft. After a surreptitious breath, she calmed. Danulia of the Runes. Before Liane, Danulia was probably the foremost expert in all forms of Runic Script, and had even managed to receive an honorary titled based upon them rather than her aligned element. More than likely, the woman had also used her relationship to her sister to gain access to information on the government's inner workings.

  “And just what is the plan, Young Lady? Not even the Lady Danulia can break the protections placed upon Kiria's defenses while under siege from the entire Kirian government,” Liane said.

  Nadia shrugged. “She probably could,” she answered with the kind of utter conviction that the young had in their chosen heroes. “But she doesn't need to. She's ramped up the tax wards. Everyone not exempt has had their magic taxed so heavily that they fall asleep. Even the Commoners are affected by it. It's brilliant!”

  Despite the girl's adherence to the Decorum, the last part had her raising her voice in obvious hero-worship, and it grated on Liane's nerves that this girl could be so callous about the destruction of their nation. “Let us hope they do not need food or water, or a lot of people will die,” the Pillar found herself answering, despite her best wishes to keep the conversation neutral and keep the girl talking.

  The student paled slightly, obviously not having considered that before. “I'm sure My Lady has considered that,” she said, her conviction overcoming her sense.

  “I'm sure she has,” the Pillar replied coolly, hoping to mask her annoyance at the lack of independent thought. “It must have taken quite a bit of planning to pull this off,” she went on, hoping to extract more information. Parts of the puzzle were starting to fall together, and she wanted to get some confirmation on the conclusions she was drawing. “Especially considering that she first sabotaged the Great Barrier.”

  The young Mage shrugged. “I don't know about the Barrier or anything. I've just joined recently, all I've been told is to raise this guardhouse, create a barrier, and not let anyone pass. So I'm not letting you pass.”

  Liane wanted to use a few chosen words of foul language that she remembered from her youth as an orphan, and wished that Decorum allowed for it. It seemed the girl in front of her had no more useful information to pass on, their conversation was drawing to a close. “So the Lady Danulia is probably at the Imperial Palace, trying to circumvent the Blood Magic on some of Kiria's protections,” the Pillar said, conversationally.

  The young Mage shrugged again. “Probably. I don't know, I never took Runes, Glyphs, and Magical Symbols. Not that it matters, really, My Lady. I cannot let you pass.”

  “You intend to stop me, Young Lady?” Liane asked, raising one eyebrow and sounding vaguely amused.

  The girl swallowed. “If I must, My Lady.”

  “You will fail,” the Pillar stated with conviction. “I do not wish to fight with a student in the Academy.”

  “I do not wish to fight with a Pillar of Kiria either,” the younger Mage answered. “But, I must do as I was instructed.”

  “It seems we both have our duties,” Liane said, and stopped leaning on Lucifer. Calmly, she took her staff in hand, and started walking to the barrier.

  Two voices sounded as one, and Lucifer pulled Liane out of the field of fire from a spell that was beyond most Academy students. The magic struck the ground beyond the road, and ate a deep hole in the ground, disintegrating the material into air. It was the spell-based counterpart to the ritual Liane had once used to remove Steve's airplane.

  Frowning, she looked at her opponent, and found her joined by a thirteen-year-old girl, who was looking frightfully at her. “Do not make me do this, Young Lady,” Liane said, focusing on the Proctor rather than the Assistant. Bad enough to have to fight an Academy student in her final year. It was unacceptable to fight a thirteen-year-old Assistant.

  “We do not have a choice, My Lady,” the eighth-year student said. Again, her voice joined with the younger voice of her Assistant. Liane dodged the spell, and deviated a follow-up spell. The duo wasn't stopping now; they weren't going to talk or be reasoned with. The spells came too hard, too fast for Liane to interrupt them.

  “Please don't make me do this,” the Pillar managed when the duo went for a deep breath. They didn't react, and Liane could see how the casting was drawing the Assistant empty. The girl looked pale now, her skin an ugly grayish color, her eyes deep and sunken. She wouldn't be able to last much longer.

  The next spell wasn't aimed at her.

  It was aimed at Steve. Steve, who was holding on to the reigns of their horses. Steve, who was pinned between the two large animals. Steve, who couldn't get out of the way in time. Steve, who struggled with two horses that were suddenly panicking at the sight of magic racing to kill them.

  The Warlock spell of accelerated time took hold with hardly a word, and Liane reached out with her magic, breaking the incantation. Anger took over her heart and clouded her emotions, the synesthesia meshing her senses together. A lethal spell snapped from her lips and hands.

  The young Proctor let lose a scream, the shrill sound rising over the horrible, disgusting sound of snapping bones, before wrenching off.

  The Assistant looked at her Proctor with wide, disbelieving, shocked eyes, her mouth open at the disgusting mess of flesh and bone that used to be an eighth-year Mage. Liane approached, sadly. The child did not react when the Pillar placed her hand on top of her head. Nor did she react when Liane spoke. The girl's eyes drifted closed, and the Pillar lowered her gently to the ground.

  “What was that?” Steve asked from behind her.

  “Gravity manipulation. A hundred times normal gravity will kill a person,” Liane sounded disgusted with herself. Tenderly, she reached down and picked up the sleeping thirteen-year-old. “I'm going to put the little one in bed and break her bond to this... this...” her voice faltered as she stared at the remains. “She dragged her Assistant into this. There is no excuse.” She left without turning to face Steve, hoping to mask her inner turmoil and guilt over her actions with anger and bravado. She remembered the guilt she bore over allowing Amy to accompany her while rescuing Milor.
Her Assistant had insisted; she still wished she had had the courage to break the bond and save the girl the misery. Did Nadia feel the same thing? Had she faced the same doubts and worries regarding the young girl's future?

  Liane put the young Assistant in the bed on the second floor, broke the Proctor-Assistant bond, and slunk back downstairs. Her anger was spent. She just felt sad now. Sad, and disgusted with herself over the life she had been forced to take. Honorable combat between equals was one thing. Combat between a trained Pillar and an Academy student was not.

  Steve was shaking his head over the remains when she emerged on the ground level.

  “She didn't give you much of a choice,” the pilot said when he noticed the look on Liane's face.

  Liane stopped when she saw the remains again. The results of her actions seemed to slap her in the face, and she suddenly felt ten times worse. “By all the gods above, what have I been forced to do?” the Pillar muttered.

  She swallowed, feeling her throat constrict. Something stabbed her eyes, she wiped at them. “She was someone's child. Someone's Proctor. She probably was someone's Assistant as well, at some point. She should be at the Academy, learning magic, enjoying time with friends. Not standing here, futilely trying to play at guarding the city.” Her voice sounded hoarse through her constricted throat, and a hiccup escaped her. Her eyes stabbed again. She wiped again. “It's all so useless. So very useless.”