Peter and the Heart of Alchemy (War of Contractia Book 5)

by Tj Dixon

  Peter walks straight towards Trinity, obviously recognising her. I follow slightly behind Peter and so do Rin and Midori. She smiles as we approach and the other mages step aside to allow us to reach her.

  “Trinity.” Peter says with a small but polite bow.

  “Peter.” Trinity says, responding with a small bow of her own.

  “What brings the Divine Flames here?” Peter asks curiously.

  “Our lands have fallen to the enemy. We retreated here because there were five independent companies here. They were resting between missions, so the enemy got a shock when they attacked the town with just a single goblin company. Not as big a shock as we got when our lands were attacked by fifty mage companies though.” Trinity says and whilst she seems outwardly calm, she can’t entirely hide her anger.

  “What happened to the people in your land?” Peter asks cautiously.

  “We evacuated some but most were enslaved by the enemy.” Trinity says and she doesn’t even attempt to hide the bitterness from her voice.

  “What about your mother?” Peter asks.

  “She is in charge of a company in Portalis. With the port gate blocked and Regalia under siege though, we can’t get any reinforcements even if the queen did decide to send them. Given that the Fallen Angels are starting to gather outside Portalis I’m not confident we would get reinforcements even if she could send them.” Trinity answers.

  “Are we far from the town?” Peter asks.

  “No. We’re still on patrol so we can’t return with you, but Beach Town is just a couple of minutes that way. That’s assuming you are walking and not flying.” Trinity tells Peter.

  “Thank you and good luck with the patrol. We’ll see you when you return.” Peter says.

  “Is my sister safe?” Trinity asks.

  “She should be. She was last time we saw her. The academy is well protected, although it is under siege.” Peter tells Trinity who smiles for the first time.

  “Now that you are here, perhaps we can start to take the fight to the enemy and relieve the siege, but we’ll discuss that later.” Trinity says and then turns her attention back to her comrades.

  The Divine Flames quickly resume their patrol, heading in the opposite direction to Beach Town. Whoever named it that must have been the most unoriginal, uninspired idiot. Oh well, we have more important things to worry about now.

  “Let’s go.” Peter tells us and leads the way towards Beach Town.

  We follow Peter slightly uphill through the thin forest and soon come out of the forest. We look down at a small town of wooden houses with one large wooden building in the centre of town. There is enough starlight and moonlight to tell that like the trees the wooden buildings are dark brown. There is a small wooden fence around the town but no wall.

  It looks defenceless but there are undoubtedly guards hiding somewhere. We don’t want to get mistaken for enemies or they’ll attack us. There are also two port barriers around the town, which is obviously a sensible precaution.

  “Hello!” Peter calls, looking up at seemingly empty air. “We’re students from the academy of Contractia. You may not recognise my uniform but you should recognise my friends’ uniforms.”

  “What’s your name?” A woman calls back without showing herself.

  “Peter.”

  “Of the wind?” The woman asks.

  “Yes. You’ve heard of me?”

  “I’m Hilda Lightwood. My daughters are in your club.”

  “Cherry and Sherry are your daughters?” Peter asks in surprise.

  “Yes. We can talk later though, because I’m heading out on a patrol. I’ve told the guards that you’re allies. Just head for the largest building in town and introduce yourselves to the magistrate. Just one question. Are my daughters safe?”

  “They were the last time I saw them. Thank you Hilda.” Peter calls out and after a moment’s silence he continues towards the small fence. We follow and using a little flight magic jump over the small wooden fence.

  “Hilda…” Rin says thoughtfully and looks back where we met that woman. “Hilda used to be a popular name among commoners and merchants, but I’m surprised to hear a noble by that name. I wonder whether she was born a noble or whether she became one as some sort of reward.”

  “We can ask her later.” Peter says and Rin nods. “We probably shouldn’t stop here any longer. Let’s carry on.”

  “Ok.” Rin agrees and so we carry on walking towards the town.

  We turn left and walk around the outside of the town. We’re behind the backs of the outermost houses and I can see windows a couple of feet above my head, but they have curtains and they are all drawn so I can’t see inside. Now we are closer I notice minor enchantments to protect the wood from fire and to keep the houses warm. There are other enchantments too, but I don’t recognise them.

  Rin could probably tell me what they do but I don’t ask. That would give her a chance to show off to Peter. I already feel like I’m the girl who has the least chance of winning Peter’s heart. If I’m going to lose I’d rather lose to Rin than to Midori or Cherry, but I don’t want to lose. Peter is the boy who saved me and treated me like a friend when I was his slave. He even went as far as asking for her majesty’s help to free me.

  We reach the leftmost house. Turning the corner I look downhill and see the sea perhaps a few hundred feet away. It is a huge dark mass of water with a stretch of sand where land and water meet. I can’t see or even sense the other side of the sea. The waves of the sea sweep inwards and then rush out again. The sound is eerie but somehow calming.

  “It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it.” I whisper in awe.

  “You’ve never seen the sea before?” Rin asks in surprise.

  “No, this is my first time.” I tell her, a little embarrassed.

  “Have you seen the sea before, Peter?” Rin asks and then gasps. Turning away from the sight of the sea I see Midori is holding Peter up and there are tears swelling in the corners of his eyes. “What’s wrong?!”

  “Azrael…” Peter gasps and bursts into tears. Isn’t that the name of the leader of the Fallen Angels?

  “What do you mean?” Rin asks urgently, but Peter shakes his head and starts gasping for breath. Midori glares at Rin before quickly turning her head back to Peter.

  “Don’t worry Peter. You don’t have to say anything.” Midori tells him gently. His tears slow and eventually stop.

  A young woman appears in front of us and looks at us suspiciously. She must have been hidden, because I didn’t sense her port. She’s wearing red mage robes with the symbol of a blue leaf above her left breast. It signifies her mage company but I don’t recognise it so I’m not sure which company she is from.

  “What’s going on here?” She asks and Rin turns to face her.

  “We’re from the Academy of Contractia. Hilda Lightwood told the guards about us.” Rin says quickly.

  “I know, but what are you doing? You shouldn’t stop until you reach the magistrate’s home.” The woman tells Rin angrily.

  “I’m sorry, but my friends have never seen the sea before. They were overcome with emotion.” Rin lies.

  “It’s on fire.” Peter says and the woman looks at him.

  “What’s on fire?” She asks with an annoyed glare.

  “The sea.” Peter tells her and she laughs.

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” She says but looking past her I see flames rising from the sea. They are a long way from the beach but they are rising high into the sky. Noticing my stare the woman glances behind her at the sea and gasps. Then she ports away.

  “Are you ok now, Peter?” Rin asks.

  “Yes. My mind’s a little fuzzy but I’m ok. Did I say anything strange?”

  “You just said one word. Azrael.” Rin says uncomfortably.

  “That sounds familiar. Do you know what it means?” Peter asks.

  “It’s the name of the leader of the Fallen Angels.” Rin tells him cautiously.


  “That’s all I said?”

  “Other than that the sea is on fire, which it is.”

  “If it wasn’t for the fire, everything would be so pretty.” Peter says sadly.

  “Any idea what is causing the fire?” Rin asks but Peter shakes his head.

  “Fire isn’t really my strength. Hermes, can you sense anything?” Peter asks. I focus my senses but it is just too far away.

  “Sorry. My senses can’t reach that far.” I answer apologetically.

  “Never mind. We should carry on before anyone else comes to check on us.” Peter says and pulls himself away from Midori, who was still supporting him.

  “If you need help, just ask.” Midori tells Peter who smiles gratefully.

  “Thanks Midori.” Peter says and then leads the way again.

  “I’d help too.” I say quickly.

  “As would I.” Rin shrugs.

  “Thanks. I’m fine now though.” Peter says gratefully.

  “The fire’s going out.” Midori says. Looking at the flames they do appear to be shrinking. Then all of a sudden they flare up so high that they seem to reach the stars, but a moment later the flames are completely gone as if they were never there.

  “That’s odd.” Peter says uneasily.

  “What’s wrong?” Rin asks nervously.

  “There’s a star missing.” Peter says with a frown.

  “Are you sure?” Rin asks confused.

  “Yes. There was a star there called Hercules, but he’s gone now. Almost as if those flames killed him.” Peter says sounding a little scared. Then he looks at me. “What were those flames?”

  “I’m sorry, but they were too far away. I only know what I saw.” I tell Peter even more apologetically this time.

  “Maybe some of the mage guards will know more. Let’s hurry.” Peter says and then continues on at a much faster pace than before. Although we are still walking, any faster and I would have to start running to keep up.

  We go downwards past the end of lots of small dirt streets until we reach one large street paved with grey bricks. The houses are still made of wood but at the end of the street is the magistrate’s large home in the centre of the town. Peter leads us quickly down the street until we reach the magistrate’s home. There is a large wooden door with two old women standing in front of the door. They have the same red robes with the same blue leaf symbol above their left breasts.

  “You can enter.” One of the women tells us and they both step aside. The door opens on its own, revealing a long corridor. The corridor is formed of dark blue wood unlike the dark brown wood that is on the outside of the building. There are enchanted blue glowing stones embedded into the floor and ceiling.

  “Thank you.” Peter says politely and the woman frowns at him but doesn’t say anything. Peter enters the corridor and we follow. Rin and Midori are both right behind him but I am walking a few paces behind them.

  The door closes behind us but the enchanted stones give more than enough light to see by. It is in fact brighter in here than outside, since it is still night. We quickly approach the end of the corridor and there is a small blue wooden door. It opens a few steps before Peter reaches it.

  Behind the door is a large hall, which Peter quickly leads us into. In the hall is a large table that could fit twenty to thirty people. At the moment there are four people sitting at the table. As we enter though, they stand and face us. They are wearing the same red mage robes with the blue leaf symbol. One woman appears young but the others look to be very old women. The young woman ports in front of Peter.

  “I am the local magistrate. You don’t need to know my name, but I am in charge of the companies gathered in Beach Town. I hear you are Peter of the Wind and that you have her majesty’s favour. Is this correct?” The young looking woman asks Peter.

  “Yes.” Peter nods.

  “This town has been evacuated so feel free to use any home that isn’t already being used. A few of the residents chose to stay here to help support our forces and we have quite a few mages and soldiers, but there are still plenty of empty homes.”

  “If you have lots of mages and soldiers, will you be taking the fight to the enemy?” Peter asks directly.

  “We’re not that strong. Mayor Perry is in charge of this area and she has instructed us to defend the town to our last breath. So that is what we’ll do.” The magistrate tells Peter.

  “How is Utopia Camerona doing?” Rin asks urgently.

  “It is under siege, but the walls are holding.” The magistrate answers calmly. Rin sighs with relief. I suppose because of the war they must have rebuilt the damaged parts of the walls pretty quickly.

  “What were those flames earlier?” Peter asks.

  “We believe they were part of an enemy ritual, but we don’t know for sure. We don’t have the resources to investigate it and defend the town.” The magistrate says and for the first time she seems worried.

  “How about we investigate them?” Peter suggests.

  “It could be very dangerous, but if you are confident of your abilities your help would be very welcome.” The magistrate says cautiously.

  “I’ll go there alone. If nothing else I can at least get back here safely.” Peter says and the magistrate frowns.

  “If it is the enemy they will most likely have enough forces to take on at least a small company.” The magistrate warns Peter.

  “I’ll be fine if I can take mana from my friends before I leave.” Peter tells the magistrate and I realise he plans to kiss us again. I blush slightly but I’ll help Peter however I can. It’s not like it’s the first time either. I am worried about him going off on his own again though.

  “This is the sea. That’s my element.” Rin tells Peter pointedly.

  “I know but…” Peter starts to say but Rin shakes her head angrily.

  “I’m coming too.” Rin declares.

  “Me too.” Midori says quietly. Then she looks at me. I panic for a moment before speaking up.

  “I’m low on mana, but if I can take more I’ll come too. You’ll need someone with the fire element.” I tell Peter. Then the magistrate laughs cheerfully.

  “It seems you are all going. We have enough prisoners that you can take mana from. Take as much as you want but try not to kill them. It would be a waste.” The magistrate tells us.

  “That would be a big help.” Rin says with a smile. Peter looks at Rin with a frown, but Rin just glares at him.

  “Fine.” Peter sighs. “So where are these prisoners?”

  “Helen will show you.” The magistrate says and ports back to the table.

  One of the elderly women ports to us and then ports with us to a dark dungeon more or less directly below the room we were just in. There are men and women chained to the wall with their legs and arms stretched apart about as far as they will go. Most of them are obviously in pain and the ones where it isn’t obvious are probably in pain too.

  There are also about twenty guards that I can see and there are undoubtedly more that I can’t see. They seem to be soldiers rather than mages. They are wearing enchanted chainmail and carry long enchanted rods at their waists. The rods seem to be attuned to the wind element.

  “Lightning rods.” Rin mutters darkly.

  “You can all port?” Helen asks us.

  “Yes.” Peter nods.

  “Then I’ll leave you to it.” Helen tells us and ports away. The magistrate might as well have just ported us down here herself. Not that it matters.

  “We have to kiss them?” Rin asks disdainfully.

  “No. I’ll take power and share some with you. I don’t need to kiss to take power.” Peter says and walks up to a young man. The man looks at Peter fearfully. “There’s no need to be scared. I’m just going to place my forehead against yours and take some mana from you. It isn’t going to hurt.”

  The man still looks terrified but Peter places his forehead against the man’s and slowly takes mana from him. Peter repeats the process on quite a few
of the other prisoners before walking up to us again.

  “You can kiss me.” Midori says with a smile and Peter only hesitates for a moment before kissing her. It only takes a moment and then Peter pulls away. Midori looks pretty happy. Peter looks at me.

  “You can kiss me too.” I say with a blush. Peter blushes for a moment but then he walks over to me and kisses me too. As his mouth locks with mine I feel the mana flow into me. I’ve soon fully recovered my mana. Then Peter pulls away from me too and looks at Rin.

  “Well you’d better kiss me too.” Rin says but her face is bright red.

  “Ok.” Peter says and this time he is even more embarrassed. It doesn’t help that a couple of the nearby guards choose to laugh just as he says it. Even so he walks up to Rin and they kiss. Even though I just kissed him I feel jealous as I watch him kiss Rin. I glance over at Midori and she looks very uncomfortable now. Peter pulls away from Rin too.

  “Do you still have enough power?” Rin asks.

  “Yes and I don’t want to wait too long. If the enemy are still there they may not be for much longer.” Peter answers determinedly.

  “I don’t want to stay here too long either.” Midori says quietly, glancing at the prisoners. I can’t say the sight leaves me comfortable either. It is far too close to what my mother did to me.

  “Rin, port us please.” Peter says and Rin nods. We all hold on to Rin’s hand and she ports us up just outside the entrance to the magistrate’s home. Peter looks up at the night sky in the direction the flames were. “I’m going to fly us there.”

  A moment later I feel myself lifted up off the ground and through the air towards the sea. A couple of moments after that the sea is directly below us and it no longer seems calming. It now feels threatening instead as we hurtle through the sky above it. Water isn’t my element but I can tell it is already very deep and there is no telling what threats may lie hidden beneath the surface.

  It isn’t long before we reach an area of the sea that looks odd. The surface is glowing dimly in a roughly circular shape. As the sea water flows the shape is getting more and more distorted. It probably won’t be long before the glowing water has been spread so thin that we won’t be able to tell the difference between it and the rest of the sea water.