‘Don’t worry,’ Samuel told him. ‘I’ll help you,’ and quickly cast a spell to slow the bleeding.
‘Go!’ Eric howled out. ‘You need to go after Ash.’
But Samuel was hesitant. ‘You can’t stave off the bleeding by yourself, Eric. If I leave you, you will die.’
‘No!’ Eric hissed through clenched teeth. ‘I’ll be all right. You can’t risk wasting any power on me. If I can get myself to the others, they can save me. Don’t worry. I can manage.’
Something in Eric’s tone told Samuel he was hinting at something beyond the obvious. It took him a moment to realise what it could be. ‘You finished the Journey Spell?’
Eric gripped his arm with desperate strength. ‘I’m sorry, Samuel!’ he declared. ‘I didn’t want anyone to know. It was more trouble than it was worth.’
‘Just go, now while you still have the strength. I will stop the pain as much as I can.’ With that, Samuel did his best to lesson his friend’s discomfort.
‘That’s good,’ Eric said, opening his eyes and looking calm. ‘Now get back. You don’t want to be too close when this happens.’
Samuel did as he was told as a web of magic bloomed into being around his friend and immediately began weaving itself into an intricate design of utmost beauty and perfect symmetry. It was as if a crystal web of delicate cross-spans and concentric circles had forged itself in the air. Numerous opposite edges began knitting together, perfectly synchronised.
‘He’s doing it,’ Samuel heard himself whisper, just as the spell clicked into place and finished itself.
In that instant, Eric vanished. His magic snapped down to an infinite point at its centre and vanished along with him, following Eric to wherever he had gone. Unlike the last time, there was no terrible residue left behind. Eric had formed the spell perfectly and had simply journeyed away.
Barely believing what he had just witnessed, Samuel turned away and began up the stairs, past the two frozen mercenaries. He continued up stair after stair, climbing ever higher into the massive High Tower of Cintar.
Samuel could feel the magic of the Magicians’ Game still escalating below. He only hoped his friends were up to the task. With all the power he could feel in that room already, the losers would most likely not survive.
That was nothing, however, to what he could feel gathering above. Somewhere above him in the Argum Stone’s chamber, something was gathering magic in enormous volumes. Vast quantities of energy were being called into being-a massive pool of magic that already felt beyond all natural limits-and it was still growing by the moment.
Samuel hurried up the stairs past a few worried servants as they all fled down. Presumably, they had bolted themselves in their rooms, but now the tower had begun to sway, they had decided that fleeing was the better choice. Their concerned faces eyed the dust that shook loose from the ceilings and the walls as the tower shook and trembled. It did not bode well.
Panting and with burning legs, Samuel finally arrived before the door to the Argum Stone’s chamber. Magic was forming all around and gathering, bursting into existence and surging into the room. Gingerly, Samuel tested the door, but it was bolted firmly. Whatever was inside was incredibly dangerous and he was not even sure he wanted to go in.
‘You there!’ came a voice from along the hall.
It was the magician, Lullander. He began to approach down the corridor, but his steps slowed and stopped when he recognised Samuel. He turned and ran without a pause. There were only a few more floors above in the tower, so Samuel assumed the man was going to go huddle out of view and bide his time until all this was over.
Samuel promptly returned his attention to the door. There was little time left for subtleties. He summoned a fist of energy and blew the thing right in.
A blinding, white light greeted him inside and he had to subdue his sense of sight to almost nothing just to see into the room. Revealed within was an intense cloud of energy, convulsing and contorting above the Argum Stone, which itself was glowing white hot, cradled in a frame that held it upright. Magic came from everywhere, manifesting from the very air, and was being sucked into the churning cloud. It twisted and pulsed spasmodically, as if somehow trying to resist the forces that drew it together. There was a noise in Samuel’s head like titanic stones grinding together and he could hear his own blood surging in his ears. The experience was overpowering, almost too much to behold by his senses, yet he did not flee. Standing in the room was something-someone-who had a stronger grip on his attention, outweighing any thoughts of turning away. Standing there was a man that Samuel could not take his eyes off, for killing him had become the very reason for his existence. Ash.
Ash was standing across the room, arms-folded, next to another black-cloaked magician. It took Samuel a moment to realise that the second man was Master Dividian. He had the Staff of Elders in one hand, outstretched towards the enormous form of the Argum Stone. He was forging a Great Spell upon the ancient relic, pouring the tremendous power he had summoned with the Staff of Elders in upon it. His eyes were sealed shut and his body shook with sweaty exertion. Dividian’s lips were moving and Samuel could sense the vibrations of each word as they formed on his tongue in the Ancient Lick. Dividian continued on, heedless of Samuel’s entrance, but Ash had clearly noticed him and smiled.
‘You’re just in time, Samuel,’ Ash called out. ‘You’re about to witness something fantastic.’
Samuel stepped into the room and glared back at the man.
‘Doonan!’ Ash called out and a very small man came scuttling over from near one of the bookshelves. He was barely waist-high and Samuel had not even noticed him before, although he certainly remembered him. ‘The spell is almost ready. Go and tell Balten his prize will be ready soon.’
‘I’m supposed to stay here,’ the midget responded in a fierce and squeaky voice.
‘Do as you’re told, you vile little man!’ Ash retorted. ‘Balten will get what he wants, just go tell him to hurry up and come get it. You may have some trouble downstairs, but I trust you can get out of the palace somehow.’
The midget shrugged and began to leave the room. As he passed Samuel, he looked up with a secretive smile before scuttling out the door.
‘You have certainly proved yourself to be a thorn in my side, young Master Samuel,’ Ash then declared. ‘Time and time again I think I am rid of you and then, once again, you appear to meddle with my affairs.’
‘I’m just trying to return the favour,’ Samuel returned. ‘You ruined my life and I vowed I would not rest until I saw you dead.’
‘Well, this is the last time you shall bother me,’ Ash called, ‘for it is much too late for you to do much of anything. As you can see, the spell is almost complete and the power of the Argum Stone is about to be released. Nothing can stop it now.’
Samuel’s gaze flicked towards the great relic, which was starting to resonate with the power of the spell above it, shaking and rattling about in its magic-imbued wooden cradle.
Ash continued on. ‘The Circle have been watching you, Samuel, or so I am told. It seems you are quite the magician. If I had managed to kill you, they would probably have been quite annoyed with me for ruining their plans. Perhaps I should have let you join me. We could have done wonderful things together. Then again, you are quite useless to me now.’
‘You’re a thief and a murderer, Ash. No matter what you say, I will see you dead before this day ends.’
Ash laughed again. ‘You seem to have no comprehension of the situation. Can you not see what is about to happen?’
‘I only speak the truth. No mage can match me. I have destroyed all who have tried.’
‘So it’s true then!’ Dividian said, pausing momentarily from his spell work to open his eyes and look at Samuel. Almost straight away, he realised what he was doing and returned to the task at hand before his spells became unsettled.
‘So what would you be in my absence, Samuel?’ Ash asked. ‘Would you be Archmage, or perhaps
you have designs on being Emperor, too? King of the world, perhaps?’
Samuel ignored the remark. ‘I will kill you, Ash, as you killed my beloved and my family.’
Ash laughed so long and loud that Samuel clenched his fists with rage. ‘Oh, you poor fool! You’re telling me that you have been after me all along because one of my men killed your woman? And what’s this about your family? I’m sorry-did I happen to kill them, too? Well, that’s a shame, but I really have no idea what you are talking about. I kill many people every day, my naive young friend, and I certainly have no way of remembering one corpse from another. I can’t believe you have been stumbling along all this time trying to kill me, when I really had no idea you even existed. This really is quite amusing.’
Samuel was incensed by Ash’s demeanour. He took a step forward and readied to throw a spell at the man that would tear him to pieces.
‘Oh, I’d stop there, if I were you,’ Ash called out. ‘If Dividian’s spell is not finished properly, we could be in for quite a bad time. You see, all the power in here has to go somewhere, and if it isn’t used to awaken the Argum Stone it will blow this tower to dust. Don’t even think about using any of your magic. One wrong spell could destabilise the whole process.’
At that, Samuel stopped and eyed the hideous knot of power above them. Ash was probably right.
‘You see, it took me a long time to get where I am now, Samuel. I have lied, manipulated, stolen, tortured, kidnapped and killed. I have done every kind of foul, heinous and dishonourable act to claw my way to this point. It’s amazing what you can achieve with a little perseverance. With these two relics in my hands, I will be the new Emperor and ruler of the known world.’
At that, Dividian opened one beady eye towards Ash.
‘Keep going, Dividian, you damned fool!’ Ash told him. ‘Stop now and there’ll be hell to pay!’
Dividian scowled but closed his eye and continued on, sweat pouring from his forehead in rivers.
‘Why?’ Samuel called out above the raging din. ‘Why did you kill them? What did they ever do to you?’
‘What?’ Ash asked with disbelief. ‘Are you still going on about your pathetic family? I don’t know, boy! I don’t even know whom they were! Asking me to remember a few names or faces is like asking me to remember which my favourite pebble on the beach is. I began my life so poor and miserable that I began killing people almost as soon as I could hold a knife. When I found out how easily fooled most magicians were, I could not resist joining the Order. It was like finding the fattest, wealthiest, most stupid merchant in the world and having him ask me to mind the key to his front door for him.’
‘How could you bring the Order so low?’ Samuel asked him. ‘How could a magician be so foul?’
Ash laughed with outright mirth. ‘You mean you really don’t know?’ he asked incredulously. ‘Oh, my boy, you prove yourself more incompetent by the moment. I’m no magician! I couldn’t cast a spell in a hundred years! That is why I forged an alliance with the Circle of Eyes. They covered me with spells so I would pass as one of you and, in return, I would do them various favours and pass them information. The fool Lord Jarrod thought he was using me all along, but in the end I killed him, too. He wanted the Argum Stone for himself and arranged to have me return it to him but, in doing, so he gave me a path straight to everything I ever wanted. What a grand imbecile he was! And Rimus was no better. How can I bring something lower when it is already so pathetic?’
Samuel laughed in disbelief at himself for being so foolish. ‘You don’t have any magic?’
‘Of course not! It’s true, I do have some skill in manipulating the dense and foolish of this world, but magic? No. I dallied a little in black magic, but I found its aftertaste rather bitter. It’s much safer to let others meddle with such dark things. Just look at Dividian here. He seems to enjoy it immensely. I enjoy killing people because I think of all the riches that will result, but Dividian here is truly sick. He enjoys cutting and torturing people in ways that make my stomach turn. He prepared all my vials for me and taught me how to use them. Without him, I would have been killed long ago, so I guess I owe him my many thanks. However, with this,’ he gestured to the great stone tablet shaking beside him, ‘comes true power, for the power of the Argum Stone is truly a wonder. With it, I will be able to wield magic like a true-born magician. I will wield the Staff of Elders and be utterly unstoppable. I will rule the Empire and no one will be able to lift a finger to stop me.’
‘Ash!’ Dividian called out from beside the Argum Stone. ‘You’ll pay for this! Cang will have your head!’ He had ceased his chanting on hearing Ash’s tirade and the room started shaking as all the great weaves of magic began to fall out of alignment.
‘By the gods, Dividian!’ Ash cursed. ‘You can’t stop now! We’ll all be killed, damn you!’
‘Cang will kill you for this, Ash!’ Dividian declared, but he firmed his jaw and continued with the spell. The violent shaking became subdued as the Great Spell of Awakening continued.
Ash laughed again. ‘You see, Samuel? This is true power. Look at Dividian here. Right now, he has realised the truth about me and wants to kill me with all his will, but he cannot. His choices are defined by the situation I have created. Here he is, working the Staff of Elders on my behalf and for my benefit, even as he learns I have betrayed him. Even the great Circle of Eyes is but putty in my hands. Like all magicians, they are conceited and egotistical. They, the Order and even you, young Samuel, have seriously underestimated me. A common man has brought down the Order and the entire Turian Empire!’
There was a sickening slowing in the cycle of the pattern, making Samuel’s stomach churn. Then, a deep growling boom sounded and the tower lurched to one side, causing Samuel to scramble for balance. There was another gut-wrenching shudder and then Samuel’s head cleared. The Great Spell had finished and the enormous pool of energy in the room was gone, instantaneously swallowed with a great gulp into the ancient relic. Samuel knew what had happened, even without Ash’s maniacal laughter to tell him, for Dividian had succeeded. He had finished the spell and awoken the power within the Argum Stone. There was a sharp hiss as the enormous bulk of the ancient relic then shivered and vanished. For a moment, held in mid-air, something tiny could be seen in its place, glinting in the light, before it fell to the floor with a soft clink.
Dividian opened his eyes wide and staggered back, falling heavily to the floor and dropping the Staff of Elders from his hands. He looked thin and drained and struggled to move.
‘It’s done!’ Ash called out jubilantly.
‘Wait!’ Dividian cried. ‘The magic is spent but I must seal the spell for the transformation to be complete! If not, the relic will revert to its original form in a matter of days.’
‘Then do it, you fool!’ Ash commanded.
Dividian gathered the last of his strength and began to call out in the most ancient of tongues, the lost language of the people who had created all the wondrous relics ages before, a language only known as the Ancient Lick. ‘Karem abatu; mendar arrellum; daedus mantati hellevar; amun morbata!’
With each phrase, the tiny object on the floor blazed and squealed with white heat, seeming to recognise the words. At the completion of the utterance, it hissed cool again.
‘Is that it? Is it done?’ Ash asked impatiently.
‘It’s done,’ Dividian groaned, looking set to keel over.
‘Then it’s mine!’ Ash declared with delight.
‘Samuel!’ Dividian croaked. ‘Kill him! Kill him now, you young fool…before it’s too late.’
‘Hah!’ Ash spat out and kicked the Argum Stone’s wooden frame crashing to the floor, where it snapped in two under its own weight. ‘It’s already too late.’ Then, he bent over and plucked up the tiny, gleaming object from the floor. He gloated at it as he held it between his thumb and index finger, and rolled it around to glint in the light. It was a small, glimmering ring.
‘That’s it!’ thought S
amuel. At last, he knew the meaning of the word’s Ash had spoken in Tindal. Amun-morbayah. They were simply instructions on how to awaken and use the relic, infused with the power of the Ancient Lick. ‘It’s a ring!’ he gasped aloud.
‘Why so it is,’ Ash responded, glancing up at Samuel with an amused smile. He popped the thing onto the ring finger of his right hand without so much as a pause and began rolling his hand around, letting the Argum Stone catch the light on its surface. ‘It’s not so bad at all,’ he mused to himself.
Samuel took half a step forward, but stopped in his stride, for Ash’s form had begun to pulse with blinding energy as magic began to course into him from the ancient relic. Samuel staggered back, shielding his eyes from the light as magic filled the man. Through slitted fingers, Samuel could see Ash bend over again and pick up the Staff of Elders.
‘Now let’s see what all the fuss is about,’ Ash mused.
‘Damn you, Ash,’ Dividian groaned, still splayed out on the floor. ‘The Circle will not forgive you for this. You will die the most horrible of deaths!’
‘So will you,’ Ash said and tipped the head of the Elder Staff at Dividian. A fury of magic sprang out and turned the old man to thrashing flames. ‘Wonderful!’ Ash declared, but Dividian continued to roll around as he burned, wailing and shrieking hideously. ‘Damned Magician! You can’t even die properly!’ he said and sent more beams of fire out over the old man until Dividian was only a flaming pile of matted bones.
The presence of the Great Spell forming in the room had kept Samuel’s mind reeling, but now, with the spell spent, Samuel could begin gathering power of his own. As Ash had his attention set on Dividian, Samuel had cast a spell of Lifting and began readying one of the huge bookshelves into position over Ash’s head. He only hoped the man was too busy to notice.
‘Perhaps this will take some getting used to,’ Ash spoke to himself, turning the Staff of Elders over in his hands as he scrutinised it. He then looked to Samuel with satisfaction on his face. He tipped the Elder Staff forward and power burst forth. Samuel leapt aside as the energy struck the wall with a piercing shriek, releasing his Lifting spell as he did. The hovering shelf dropped down and smashed Ash to the floor, spilling books all over. A protruding twisted arm was all that could be seen of Ash, still gripping the Staff of Elders tightly in its hand.
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