Obsidian Alcatraz: An Evalyce Novella

by J. Aislynn d' Merricksson

  He shook his melancholy thoughts off and walked to the open window. He shifted form, once more becoming a firecrow and winged his way into the night. Though honestly indifferent to the suffering humans inflicted upon one another, he knew the help Cadi would value the most was in catching her criminals and that was something the demi-deity could certainly do.

  He glided on night-dark air, high above the bright lights of Port Jericho, listening. The killer he sought had been the last to hold his prison and he quickly picked up on the man's psychic scent. Marking the hiding place, the firecrow dove towards the ground, shifting in time to lightly touch down. He hadn't shared with Cadi that his prison had been destined for the hands of yet another Mage, likely one who had heard of its amplification properties. The cutthroat he sought, name of Tarlin, had no idea of the stone's true value, but he did know that there would be a harsh penalty if not delivered on time.

  The demi-deity ghosted towards the ramshackle hut on silent feet and knocked softly. There was a burst of nervous activity from within. The door creaked open and Loki gave an exasperated sigh as a heavy crossbow quarrel thrummed through it. He caught the quarrel in mid-flight and snapped it with a sharp 'crack'.

  “Nice try, but you missed.” He shoved through the door before the man could get it closed again and pushed into the filthy room beyond. The man lunged at him, slashing wildly with a knife. Loki caught it as easily as he had Cadi's knife and wrenched it from the man's grip, flinging it out into the night.

  “You killed a man last night,” he growled. “You left behind a very valuable stone. A stone you were supposed to bring to a certain client. Tomorrow. They will be highly displeased you let it slip through your fingers.”

  “There's no way I can get it back,” Tarlin snarled. “By now it's in the Magisters' Vaults.”

  “Actually, it's not. Not yet. I can tell you how to get it back. For a price…”

  Skycity of Port Jericho, 10000 ft above the Aryth Ocean, Year of the Jade Bull, 2114 CE

  Cadi woke to find the firecrow perched in her open window, feathers fluffed against the early morning chill. She shook her head, wondering how he could possibly be cold given the heat he radiated.

  “Good morning.”

  “Good morning, my dear.” The crow cocked its head, watching out the window. Cadi could still feel his thoughts, though they were greatly subdued. She reached up and ran her finger over the hoop, marveling yet again at the change in her life.

  She stood and yawned, collecting a new uniform for the day. Wandering into the washroom she suddenly became acutely aware of her new guardian's presence and self-consciously locked the door behind her. Dry laughter filled her mind at the sudden anxiety.

  “If I meant you harm, the lock would not stop me.”

  “You aren't helping,” Cadi hissed. More laughter in her mind.

  “My dear, I have no intentions whatsoever of bringing any harm to you nor allowing any harm to befall you. Upon that you have my word.”

  He fell silent as Cadi washed and dressed. She paused a moment to regard her reflection in the mirror and her hand went once more to the hoop in her ear. It was, she realized after a moment, crafted of seamless obsidian. When she emerged from the washroom Cadi found the firecrow still watching out the window.

  “What perfect timing. You are about to have company. A quiet thief through the back,” Loki said. The firecrow fluttered to her shoulder as Cadi turned the serryslym to a long-bladed dagger, shielded herself and crept to the back door. Soft scraping sounds and muffled cursing preceded the thief into the house, no doubt the result of his efforts at breaking her wards. Cadi found the fact that he could breach them surprising in and of itself. The thief in question rounded the corner and pulled up short to see Cadi waiting for him. Snarling in frustration, he raised the heavy crossbow he carried, releasing the quarrel.

  It struck Cadi's shield hard enough to stagger her back and giving the man enough time to pull a long dagger from his belt. The Magister hissed out a soft breath and the packed earth floor beneath the man's feet shuddered and shifted, turning to viscous muck. He sank in to his knees and Cadi turned to floor to solid stone, trapping him. She finished the job by binding his upper body in coils of air and liberating the crossbow.

  “You were supposed to be asleep!” the thief accused. Cadi gave him a dry look and brushed her fingers over the Magister's pin on her collar, sending a mental call for help. Jupiter answered in the affirmative, assuring her that Crows had been dispatched.

  “Obviously I'm not. Why are you here?”

  Tarlin bared his teeth at her. “Why should I tell you, Magister? It would make no difference in your treatment of me.”

  “Suit yourself. We can wait for the Crows to get here.”

  The firecrow tightened his claws into Cadi's shoulder.

  “I think you'll find this find upstanding gentleman is the killer you and yours seek, my dear. He was the last to hold my prison and that is what he seeks now.”

  “And how did he know to look here?” Cadi asked.

  “I told him, of course. I would not have let him harm you.”

  “Why not just tell me where he was?”

  “As of the moment you have no real evidence that would have pointed you to him. His 'employer' has charmed him. The fingerprints you found, none of it, would lead you to him, but a mind-read will give you the truth of the matter and now you have the grounds for it. Further investigation will reveal his deceptions.”

  Sounds at the front door took their attention and several Crows flooded into the house, followed by Rolf and Viktor.

  “You okay, Cadi?” Viktor asked. The elder Dashmari gave her a critical once over as the Crows secured her prisoner. He frowned at the firecrow perched on her shoulder as Rolf undid the magick holding the man to the floor.

  “I'm fine, Viktor, thank you.” Cadi smiled at the grizzled wolf. Since they had become partners a few years ago, Viktor had become very protective of her. “Rolf, go with them please. Do a mind-read on this gentleman and a scan for illusory magick.”

  The younger Dashmari gave her a puzzled look but nodded.

  “Will do, Cadi.” Rolf herded the Crows, together with their prisoner, out the door leaving Viktor alone with Cadi.

  “I see you have a familiar now,” Viktor said. “I wouldn't have pegged you for a flame elemental. Your temperament leans towards earth and water.”

  Cadi winced. In most cases, a Mage's familiar came from an elemental realm close to the Mage's natural proclivity. The Dashmari's own familiar, Luther, an earth elemental in the form of a sleek hunting hound, coalesced beside him and lifted its nose to scent Cadi's new companion. The firecrow made a reeping noise and Luther settled on his haunches, tongue lolling out. The gesture satisfied Viktor and the Magister relaxed.

  “Why didn't you ask us for help, Cadi? Rolf and I would have been more than happy to assist you. You took a chance, doing it alone.”

  Cadi lifted her head and twisted it slightly, baring her throat in the manner of a lesser wolf to the alpha Viktor was. Viktor allowed a small smile to touch his lips as he acknowledged the gesture. Most outsiders still did not know the customs of the Dashmari, despite their greater presence in the world beyond their mountains thanks to Empress Kalla's influence. The one-time Mage and avatar of Amaraaq had forged an alliance with the Argosians and raised the small Dashmari nation into an Empire of its own.

  Cadi had taken the time to learn about the wolves when she'd been assigned to the two Dashmari. Rolf, the same age as Cadi, had been trained at Cryshal. Viktor, some six or seven years their senior, was one of the Dashhuygin and had served time with the Donnerkeil as a tracker before coming to Port Jericho. Cadi had no idea what had driven the wolf so far from his homeland. He was silent about it and she didn't pry.

  “I apologize, Viktor. It's just… something that was kinda not planned. It is nice though. Nice to not be alone and I can finally carry my full responsibility as a Magister,” Cadi said.

&n
bsp; “Ah well, what's done, is done. Just remember Rolf and I are always here for you. Come on, let's go see what Rolf's found out.”

  * * *

  A flurry of activity greeted the pair as they arrived at the Magisters' headquarters and two magi healers wearing the colors and crest of House Hilataal pushed past them and hurried down the hall in the direction of the interrogation chambers. Cadi and Viktor exchanged a look and loped down the corridor after the magi. Cadi was fair certain of what they would find and she wasn't to be disappointed.

  “What happened?” Viktor barked as Rolf met them. The younger wolf's ears flattened submissively at his sharp tone.

  “I saw through the illusions easy enough but when I went to do the mind-read it triggered a hidden spell. Something the likes of which I've never seen before. He started seizing as soon as I began the mind-read. I tried to reverse it and the Crows sent for the healers almost immediately, but it was too late.” Rolf paused a moment, letting out a shaky breath.

  “I don't know, but it seemed as if the man didn't know this would happen. The look on his face when it started was one of pure shock. Whoever he was someone out there didn't want anyone to share his knowledge. I can… send some samples to Jupiter. If he's in our databases then perhaps we can still learn who he is. Or see if he's connected to any other crimes.”

  “Well, what's done, is done. You did well, Rolf,” Viktor said. “Cadi, do you have any idea why he would have been trying to rob you?”

  Cadi shook her head, unwilling to share her own theft of the stone Tarlin had sought with the others. “No, Viktor. No idea at all. It's a fool that tries to rob a mage, though he must have had the backing of a mage himself to have broken into my house. And his manner of death…”

  Rolf excused himself as two Crows exited the room.

  “The healers must be ready to take the body. I'll go collect the samples now,” he said. Viktor gave him a curt nod and shepherded Cadi away to their shared office where new assignments awaited them.

  “You'll never guess what Jupiter discovered,” Rolf said, as he joined Cadi and Viktor at a small open-air cafe along Jericho's broad central thoroughfare. The two Magisters had spent the morning processing first a suspicious drowning, then the aftermath of a gang eruption.

  “What's that?” Cadi asked, far certain of what was coming next.

  “The man who broke into your house was our killer from last night,” Rolf said. “So that crime's solved at least, though it would have been nice to know the why of both. The body was identified as that of a local merchant. It makes no sense why either of you would have been targeted.”

  “Guess we'll never know,” Cadi said, working hard to keep from laughing as Loki the firecrow edged slowly towards Rolf's plate. His beak darted out, slipping under the inattentive Magister's hand and snatched a biscuit away. Rolf yelped as the firecrow flew off with his prize. Viktor snorted a laugh into his mug of furywine and Cadi lost her own battle at Rolf's bewildered look.

  “Bloody crow,” he muttered darkly.

  “Here, Rolf, have mine. I'm full.” Cadi passed him the biscuit from her own plate.

  Jerachi Mines, Lower Echelon, East Ward, Port Jericho, Year of the Jade Bull, 2114 CE

  “Got somethin' strange 'ere, Cap'n,” one of the miners called out. Captain Kellin, Chief of the East Ward mines, stumped over to where three of his miners stood hunched over a 'thumper'. The group had been doing soundings within deepest recesses of the East Ward mines to see if they could be expanded.

  Kellin frowned as he looked at the readout. What he saw was impossible. A vast cavern that looked to have been man-made. He touched a button and a three-dimensional image of the sounding resolved itself on the screen. It was a giant maze, replete with numerous dead ends, carved into the rock, its walls rising from floor to ceiling and culminating in a large open area at the center. More puzzling was the fact that the entrance seemed to be blocked by natural stone. The door showed the signature of pyrallym.

  East Ward had never shown any signs of man-made ruins. The maze was an anomaly. Even more puzzling was the odd metallic signature that glowed all along the carefully crafted walls. It registered like none of the known metals in the database. No signs of life shone within the sealed chambers.

  Kellin looked at the readout again, calculating. Half a day's work and they could be at the entrance. He nodded.

  “Call Jackrabbit and Tenger. Have the others ready to place struts behind us. Let's get to work, boys and see what we've got here,” the Captain barked as he shouldered his own equipment and slipped the breathing mask over his face. He was joined shortly by Jackrabbit and Tenger, likewise bearing the vaporization equipment and wearing breathing masks. The rest of the miners fell back several feet, slipping masks on as well, ready to shore the tunnel the three diggers would be carving out.

  “Halt!” Kellin called out. He shut his equipment off and waited for the dust to settle. There was a soft whine as his companions turned off their equipment as well. Behind him, Kellin could hear the others, busy placing struts along the newly excavated tunnel.

  Slowly the thick rock dust cleared enough for the Captain to make out the faint outline of a metal door crafted of dark green pyrallym. Pyrallym chains held the door closed.

  “What is this place,” Jackrabbit whispered in a low voice. The big miner didn't spook easily, but it was clear from his tone that this place, sealed away far beneath the skycity, made him nervous. Kellin grunted and stepped closer to the door, squinting in the murky half-light. He unclipped his lamp and held it closer to the doors, revealing an inscription etched into the dark green metal. Kellin ran his hands over the writing, his frown deepening. It was Archaic Ekkitaran. Miner the Jerachi Artificer might have been, but archaeology was his first passion and he had a love for ancient Ekkitaros. But there were no known Ekkitaran ruins on any skycity. Kellin peered closer, trying to decipher the inscription.

  “Herein… dwells the Bull of Minos… the Great Devourer. Open not the… Labyrinth's Gates…, lest misfortune befall… Jericho's… children once more.”

  “What does that mean?” Tenger asked.

  “I have… no idea,” Kellin said, replacing his lamp. “Jerry, bring the sounder. Double-check those readings. Verify there are no life signs.”

  “Aye, Cap'n.” The miner who'd been taking the soundings earlier hurried up with his equipment. After a moment, he nodded.

  “All clear, Cap'n. Though what could live sealed away behind there is beyond me. No air flow.”

  “All right then. Let's open her up.”

  Jerry gathered his equipment and backed away, leaving Tenger to take his place. The burly miner touched the heavy bracers on his arms and the serryslym flowed and shifted into heavy claws that sheathed his hands. With a grunt of effort, he snapped the chains clean through and they slithered to the ground. He pulled them all the way free and leaned into the door. Kelllin and a reluctant Jackrabbit joined him and finally, with a loud groan and a hiss of escaping air, the door swung inward.

  Kellin took the lead, shining his light ahead into the gloom. Only a few steps into the corridor it reflected off a deep blue mage metal the likes of which Kellin had never seen before. Tenger let out a low whistle.

  “What is this stuff” Tenger asked, tapping it with a claw. He willed the metal back into the bracers and pulled out a serrysllym chisel and hammer. Carefully, and with much difficulty, the miner chiseled off a tiny piece and ran it through his analyzer.

  “Unknown composition, closest analog is serrysllym,” he said to Kellin. “It looks like we've discovered a brand-new mage-metal, Cap'n.”

  “Sure looks that way,” Kellin said.

  “Cap'n! I've got life signs. Movement in the central chamber!” Jerry called back. “No… wait… it's gone… Musta been a fluke,” he muttered. The group continued their explorations for another half-hour before Kellin called it a day. There were no further instances of life-readings and, in the end, the Captain chalked it up to an honest
fluke. It was rare, but it happened. What they did have was a seemingly endless supply of this new metal to begin harvesting the next day.

  * * *

  Within the depths of the Labyrinth's innermost chamber power stirred in the darkness. Dense fog gathered, wafting through the newly liberated tunnels and in the center old bones gathered themselves. Flesh covered bone, fur covered flesh as the wardings of the sealed maze failed and the dweller within resurrected.

  A wet nose quivered, drawing in breath for the first time in aeons. A velvet tongue flicked out as the ancient creature yawned, lips pulled back over sharp teeth. The nose trembled again, nostrils flaring as they quested for the scent of prey. The warm, fading scents of humans came to it, carried by the fog and the beast shook its head, snorting in the darkness.

  The creature followed the scents through the winding corridors and out into the mine proper, its hunger growing with each step. The fog stayed with it, muffling the sound of heavy hooves and offering a concealment. On through the mine it went, tracking the scents of the miners, til it came to the entrance. Eagerness built, for here the prey smells grew stronger. A lone night guard, tending the East Ward mine entrance. The hunter tensed, shivering with anticipation, watching the oblivious guard with aching hunger.

  Closer. Closer. The guard looked up, face furrowing in a frown as the fog curled up the hallway and snaked around him. He lifted a hand to his collar, to a small pin affixed there, but before he could touch it the creature lunged from its obscuring veil, waylaying the hapless human.

  Jerachi Mines, Lower Echelon, East Ward, Port Jericho, Year of the Jade Bull, 2114 CE

  Cadi frowned as she surveyed the scene before her. Behind her, Rolf lingered further away, a soft chuffing growl issuing from his throat. They ceased after a moment, after the young Dashmari had properly shielded himself, and then Rolf moved up to stand beside Cadi, looking upon the scene in dismay.