There was a short pause after he finished his tale. He was taking another sip of the elixir when Iris spoke. “I know this might be difficult for you to understand right now, but I believe you’re suffering from delusions. Likely a result of the trauma you’ve recently endured.”
Lucas sat up. “I’m not delusional!” he protested. “It really happened! I swear!”
Iris looked surprised. “The elixir appears to be working rather quickly on you.” She was right. Lucas had sat up without feeling even a fraction of the pain he had experienced when he first tried.
Though he was relieved to be able to move a little more than before, Lucas was still upset that Iris considered him to be delusional. “If I made the whole thing up in my head, why am I here? It doesn’t make sense!”
Iris shrugged. “I’m uncertain. I apologize if I have offended you, but I simply find it hard to believe.”
With a little more thought, Lucas concluded that it would only be a waste of his time trying to argue with her. Oh well. I know what happened. That’s all that really matters, I guess. “Where are my clothes, anyway?” he asked.
“I put them in the washroom,” Iris answered. “Your pants are damaged, but your shirt, socks, and boots appear to be in good condition. I will wash them before returning them to you, though I would suggest that you purchase a new pair of pants.”
After a little more time had passed, Lucas finally finished the pink elixir. Though Iris did not allow him to leave, insisting he would require several days of rest, he was now able to sit up completely and even walk short distances without experiencing pain. He noticed a bookshelf in the corner and decided to rummage through its contents.
Lucas grabbed a poetry book from the shelf. “My grandpa wrote this,” he said, turning to Iris.
A look of surprise appeared on her face. “Your grandfather is Marvin Bardsson?” Lucas nodded. She smiled. “I absolutely adore his work. He’s a brilliant poet.”
Lucas put the book back. “I’ll tell him to mail you an autograph when I get home.”
He turned his attention to a chess table sitting in the corner. Iris noticed him eying it. “Do you play?” she asked.
Lucas turned to Iris. “Yeah, Grandpa and I play all the time.”
“Care for a game?” she offered, intrigued.
He smiled. “Alright, but I’m warning you, I’m pretty good at this.”
Iris slid the chess table out from the corner and collected two chairs from another room. “Do you prefer white or black?”
Lucas thought for a second. “I’ll play black.” They sat at the table. Lucas examined the board. Across the bottom and top perimeters, letters marked each square. From his side, ‘A’ was marked beneath the rightmost square proceeding to ‘B’ for the next, all the way through ‘H’ on the leftmost. The side perimeters were similar, only they were marked with numbers. ‘8’ was on both sides of the row closest to Lucas’s end, while ‘1’ was marked on the ends closest to Iris. This thing looks a lot fancier than the one we have back home.
Iris began by moving a pawn forward two spaces to E4. Lucas thought carefully for a moment, unsure of which piece he would move first. He decided to move his pawn to E5. The moment he removed his hand from the pawn, Iris quickly slid her queen to H5. “You’re going to risk your queen for a pawn?” Lucas joked. “You should take your time with that thing.” Iris chuckled at the remark. Lucas moved a knight to C6. If she goes after it now, that queen is all mine.
Iris placed a bishop on C4, nodding to indicate it was Lucas’s move. Taking his other knight, Lucas placed it on F6, positioning his piece to take Iris’s queen in his next move. When he removed his hand from the piece, Iris moved her queen to F7 and softly said, “Checkmate.”
Lucas was shocked. “Already?!” He eyed the board. She was right. If he took out the queen with his king, her bishop was in place to capture it. Considering he could not put his king into direct danger and no other pieces were positioned to attack the queen, Iris had won.
“Good game,” she remarked. “Would you like to play again?” Lucas continued to stare blankly at the chess board. Iris smiled and rolled her eyes as she got out of her chair. “It’s only a game, Lucas.”
There was a knock at the front door. Lucas returned the chess pieces to their starting positions as Iris walked to answer it. She opened the door. “Hagan! Come inside. He’s awake.” Lucas turned around to see a large, muscular man in his mid‑twenties. He had blue eyes and strong, defined facial features. Dressed in a brown cloak with massive black boots, he removed his hood and revealed that he was completely bald. He walked inside as Iris closed the door behind him. Lucas got a similar feeling from Hagan as he did from Iris. It was somewhat different in a way that was hard for him to comprehend, but he could understand why they were good friends.
“How’re you feeling?” Hagan asked. “That thing gave you a pretty good ass kicking.”
Lucas slowly got up and approached him. “I’m doing alright. I can’t thank you enough for saving my life.” He extended his hand. “Lucas Bardsson.”
Hagan took his hand with a mighty grip and shook it. “Hagan Caine. Don’t mention it. You’re just lucky I was in the area. I’m surprised you’re even walking.”
“As am I,” Iris commented. “I find it quite intriguing that he was capable of walking after merely one bottle of Anodynum Elixir.” She turned to Lucas. “I had expected that it would take several doses over a period of days to achieve such results.”
Lucas shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I’m just lucky.”
Hagan eyed Lucas. “Any reason you’re still half naked?”
Lucas felt slightly embarrassed. He had completely forgotten that his clothing had been removed.
Seeing the look on his face, Iris explained, “I have not had a chance to wash his clothing.”
Hagan chuckled, casually walking toward the kitchen. “You got any ‘magic potions’ in here that’ll get me drunk, Iris?”
She followed him into the other room. “I do not participate in the consumption of alcohol! You’re well aware of this! Why would you suggest such a ridiculous idea?”
Lucas heard Hagan laugh from the kitchen as he heartily said, “I’m just messing with you! Calm down, I brought my own flask.”
Shortly after the pair had left the room, Lucas went back to the bookshelf. I guess I’ll find something to read to pass the time. His grandpa’s book caught his eye. I hope you’re alright Grandpa. I’m sorry about all of this. Scanning the shelf, a particular book grasped his attention entitled, The Basics of Light Magic. Remembering his conversation with Zoe in the In Between, he took the book and sat down on the couch.
Chapter 5: The Interrogation
Roshan’s vision started out blurry as he slowly gained consciousness. He could hear faint voices as his sight focused.
“He is waking.”
“Seize him.”
As his senses returned to him, Roshan could see that he was now being carried by his arms down a long stone corridor. Iron bars were visible on both sides of the hallway. He began to remember what had happened and realized that he was in prison.
Turning his head slightly left and right, he saw that he was being carried by two Knowms. At the end of the corridor, they turned right and proceeded to a set of doors with a Knowm standing on each side. As they approached, the Knowms simultaneously opened both doors and Roshan was thrown inside. The doors shut behind him with a loud slam. He slowly got to his feet.
The dark room was illuminated by only a single lamp which rested atop a desk. Sitting at the desk on the opposite side of where Roshan stood was a man dressed in a cloak similar to the ones worn by the Knowms. The only difference was that his cloak was colored a deep red. Nothing else decorated the room other than an empty chair which rested on the side of the desk closest to Roshan.
“Have a seat,” the man said calmly, gesturing toward the chair. Roshan gradually approached the desk and sat down. Th
e man said nothing for nearly a minute. Roshan attempted to make out his face, but with only the light provided by the lamp, he couldn’t see any features under the man’s hood besides his mouth.
The moment of silence seemed to drag on forever. Finally, the man spoke. “I would like to make this as easy for both of us as possible, so I will be direct. Our spy informed us that you received a delivery in your restaurant from a blond-haired young man. From what I understand, this object that was brought to you is the missing fragment of Damiano’s Disk, currently in Spade possession. Therefore, I can only assume that our intelligence was correct regarding the possibility that you are a Spade. So tell me, Roshan, are you a member of the Spades?”
“I am not,” Roshan replied. “You have the wrong man. I’m simply a humble restaurant owner.”
The cloaked man chuckled. “Roshan, Roshan, Roshan... Do you think I’m stupid?” Roshan sat quietly, petrified with fear. “We are well aware of the gateway you somehow managed to construct in the backroom of your restaurant. Did you think we wouldn’t hear the explosion as you destroyed it?” The man reached below the desk and pulled out a slab of stone which was once a piece of the gateway. He carefully set it on the desk and slid it to Roshan. “Did you think we wouldn’t be able to identify the pieces? Now... I’m going to ask you again. And this time, I suggest that you try to be a little more honest with me. Roshan, are you a Spade?”
Roshan answered, “I am not.”
The man slammed his fists on the desk without warning, “Liar!” Roshan began perspiring. Slowly, the man removed his fists from the desk. “We were unable to locate the disk fragment in your restaurant or on your person while you were unconscious. Given that, we can only assume that you handed it off to a fellow Spade in the In Between shortly before our arrival. If you would be so kind as to tell me where I can locate the disk fragment, I might be willing to forgive how uncooperative you’ve been so far in this investigation.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Roshan responded.
The man sat quietly for a moment. He then slowly got out of his chair and walked around the desk to the doors behind Roshan. The man left the room as the door slammed behind him. Roshan sat quietly, trying to keep his composure. He watched the flame dance inside the lamp, nervously awaiting the red-cloaked man’s return. Finally, after several minutes had passed, Roshan heard the doors open.
The red-cloaked man returned to his chair as two green-cloaked Knowms entered behind him and shut the door. After sitting down, the red-cloaked man spoke. This time, much more sternly. “We’re going to try this again. Where is the disk fragment?”
After a short pause, Roshan answered. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The red-cloaked man’s mouth fidgeted in anger. “Now.”
Immediately, one of the Knowms standing by the doors grabbed Roshan and pulled him out of the chair. Then, both Knowms took turns repeatedly punching Roshan in the stomach while the other held him in place. This went on for several minutes as the red-cloaked man sat quietly and watched. Finally, he spoke. “Stop.” The Knowms ceased their assault instantly, throwing Roshan back into the chair.
After administering the brutal beating, the Knowms stood perfectly still as Roshan sat in agony, gasping for breath. Blood slowly seeped from his lips down his chin. Nothing was said for several minutes. The room was completely silent. Then, the red-cloaked man leaned forward slightly. “Where’s the fragment, Roshan? All you have to do is tell me and it will all be over.” Nothing was said. “Where’s the fragment?” His tone became increasingly aggressive. “Where’s the fragment?” Silence. “Where is the disk fragment?!”
Without warning, the door swung open. “That’s quite enough,” said a voice. “I’ll take it from here.” Roshan’s eyes widened. The door slammed shut as the man entered the room. Roshan could hear his footsteps slowly approaching, echoing as he walked along the stone floor. Bending down and putting his lips inches from Roshan’s left ear, he softly said, “Why must you insist on making this simple investigation so painstakingly tedious?”
Roshan was nearly shaking with fear. “Quinn.” Slowly turning his head to the left, Roshan saw Lord Javan Quinn’s face. His sharp nose. His long, gray hair. His dark‑brown eyes, slicing and unforgiving. A malicious grin spread across his face as he slowly backed away from Roshan and gradually paced the area behind him.
“I understand,” Lord Quinn began, “that you feel some sense of obligation to protect your comrades. That is most noble. However, I am unbearably curious to know if your alignment would waiver if you were given the opportunity for a second chance... Think carefully, Roshan. Imagine... happily returning to your exquisite dining establishment in Cymbeline... resuming the extraordinary lifestyle of the entrepreneur. As it was, before you became a Spade.”
Roshan slowly turned around in his chair. The red-cloaked man grinned. Lord Quinn halted his pacing, stopping directly behind the chair that Roshan sat in. He stood there, patiently awaiting the information he sought. Slowly, Roshan raised his hand in a cup‑like formation. Looking directly into Lord Quinn’s eyes, he said, “Go to hell. Ignis orbis!”
An orb of fire formed in Roshan’s palm as Lord Quinn smiled and replied, “Umbra disseptum.” Roshan hurled the fireball toward Lord Quinn, but before it made contact, the fiery sphere suddenly disappeared into a black void which vanished immediately after capturing the flame.
Lord Quinn shook his head and softly said, “Unfortunately, it seems that I will need to extract the information I seek at another time in the near future.” He outstretched both of his arms toward Roshan with his fingers spread wide. “Umbra obscurum fulgur!” Dark‑purple bolts of lightning shot wildly from Lord Quinn’s palms, striking Roshan with unbelievable force. Roshan convulsed for a short period before losing consciousness and falling to the ground. Lord Quinn turned around and walked toward the room’s exit, pausing just long enough to address the red-cloaked man. “He will live. But he will wish he had not.”
Chapter 6: Learning The Art
Lucas sat quietly on the couch reading The Basics of Light Magic as Iris and Hagan chatted in the kitchen. The first part of the book explained that in order to perform Light magic, one must first possess the ability to use it. However, there was nothing indicating how he should go about verifying this. Zoe seemed to think that my ability to sense other people’s emotions was a sign that I could use Light magic. Wait... didn’t she say everyone has the potential to be a mage? Then it shouldn’t matter... but why does this book say I need to ‘possess the ability to use Light magic?’... Now that I think about it, I also remember Zoe saying that she ‘possessed Shadow magic’... Ugh! This is so confusing!
Lucas flipped to the table of contents. Here we go... the spells start on page 35. I can just try performing an easy one. Then I’ll know for sure. He flipped through the pages and hunted vigorously for a suitable spell. It says this is the first one I should practice with... These must be the words I’m supposed to say down here... Well, here goes nothing. Lucas stood up. He held the book in his left hand and outstretched his right arm. Cupping his right hand, he turned his palm upward and read aloud, “Lumen... orbis.” Nothing happened. He tried again, “Lumen orbis.” Still nothing. Maybe I’m supposed to shout it. “Lumen orbis!” Again, he was unsuccessful.
Iris quickly entered the room. “Lucas! Please do not conjure light orbs inside my house.”
“Oh... Sorry,” Lucas replied, setting the book on the coffee table.
Iris walked over to him. “Well, this certainly explains your miraculous recovery. The possibility that you possessed the ability to use Light magic never even occurred to me.”
“I’m not sure I do,” Lucas answered. Iris looked puzzled. He sat back down on the couch. “I have the ability to sense the emotions of other people nearby. I learned that it might be a sign that I can use Light magic. So when I saw this book, I thought I’d give it a try. But it didn’t work
...”
Iris seated herself next to him. “Based on the symptoms you’ve described, I’m absolutely certain that you were born with the Light elemental center.”
Lucas raised an eyebrow. “Then what am I doing wrong?”
Iris shrugged. “I cannot tell you. I’m uncertain of which methods you are applying during your attempts of conjuring through your elemental center.” Iris could tell that Lucas was completely lost. Getting off the couch, she made her way to the bookshelf. As she dug through it, she said, “I believe you might be getting in a little over your head with that particular book. Perhaps you’re simply not ready to begin casting spells.” Turning her head to Lucas, she quickly added, “Though casting offensive spells indoors is highly ill-advised.”
Iris turned her attention back to the bookshelf as Hagan entered from the kitchen. Taking a swig of whisky from his flask, he asked, “Where did you go, doctor?”
Iris grabbed a book and turned to him. “You are well aware that I am an alchemist and not a doctor, as I–”
“Yeah, I know,” Hagan interrupted, rolling his eyes. “It’s called humor. You should read about it sometime.”
Iris handed Lucas a book entitled, So You Want to be a Mage: A Beginner’s Guide to Conjuring through Your Elemental Center.
Lucas took the book and examined it. “Thanks.”
Iris smiled and gave a soft nod. “After grasping the basics, you may find it wise to learn a healing spell. It’s a special aspect of your elemental center that will prove highly beneficial to yourself and those you care about.” Lucas crinkled his brow in interest and opened the book as Iris returned to the kitchen with Hagan.
Lucas studied the book carefully. He learned that each person is born with an elemental center, of which there are four types: Fire and Ice being the most common. Shadow and Light were said to be rarer. It explained that these centers are unchangeable and passed down through bloodlines. Centers from past relatives float outside of the person’s true center and while these elements are present, the mage does not have access to them. Fire and Ice centers are typically dominant, while Shadow and Light are usually more recessive. For example, if one’s parents are of Ice and Light, then typically the child would be born with the Ice elemental center. While the Light center may unexplainably resurface in a child generations later, the chances of this occurring are extremely low. Thus, Shadow and Light centers are typically found when both parents’ centers match. Lucas thought for a moment. Grandpa has the same sense I do... I think I’m starting to understand.
Tales of Aria: The Legend of Damiano's Disk Page 4
