Shadow Mage (Blacklight Chronicles)

by Forrester, John

  “I can make it stop…if you sit down and listen quietly.” Talis leaned in and glared at the innkeeper. “Or I can make it much, much worse….”

  The man obeyed, terror blazing in his eyes as he stared at Talis.

  “Now listen to me very carefully, I’ve placed a spell on your hand, the hand you’ve used so shamefully to beat on your own daughter. Are you paying attention?”

  The man nodded, and whimpered and cried as Talis sent more fire into the man’s hand.

  “From now on you’ll never lay a hand on her again, do you hear me? If you do, the spell will flare up again and then the pain will be five times as much as you’re experiencing now. Do you want to feel what that’s like?”

  The innkeeper shook his head vigorously, shame and agony pouring from his eyes.

  “Good. Leave the girl alone, and you’ll be fine. But if you don’t…” Talis hung his head as if contemplating terrible things. He stood and went to the door. “Oh, would you be kind enough to introduce us to the stable master? I hate bargaining with strangers.”

  “Of course…anything, I’ll do anything.” The innkeeper rose, trembling and staring warily at Talis, and led them briskly down the now bustling villages streets to the stables.

  The innkeeper did indeed bargain well for them. Talis and Nikulo walked out with a fresh mule each. When they mounted the creatures, the innkeeper rushed away, not daring to glance back. Talis thought of the innkeeper’s daughter, and felt a warm glow spread across his chest. She wouldn’t have to deal with his abuse anymore.

  “Why do you suppose Mara and Palarian have stopped moving?” Nikulo said, shifting uncomfortably on the mule.

  Talis gazed down the grubby street lined with gawkers, merchants and stalls, and then to the end where the eastern gate led towards where Mara and the sorcerer had gone. An enormous man carrying a butchered ham waddled across the street, causing the mules to stop abruptly.

  “I have no idea…” Talis wiped his nose. “Do we need supplies?”

  Nikulo slapped his forehead. “Supplies!” He jumped off his mule and led the beast over to a vendor selling dried pork, baked sweet potatoes, and roasted almonds. He handed a silver coin to the lady and she frowned, turning over the coin several times, bit it, and finally seemed satisfied. Nikulo stuffed the pork, sweet potatoes, and almonds into his backpack, and handed more to Talis. Charna nuzzled Talis’s hand, and he gave her a piece of dried meat.

  The sun glowed orange in the western horizon after they’d ridden most of the day. Every time Talis had checked the Surineda Map, Mara was still in the same place. For the last few hours, a feeling of dread had spread over him. Something was wrong. Even Charna seemed agitated, her tailed twitched as she scanned across the field.

  As if sensing his mood, Nikulo cast Talis a reassuring look. “Maybe they’ve found a place the sorcerer was looking for, or they’re visiting someone?”

  “Whatever the reason, we’ll reach them by nightfall.” Talis was fearful of confronting the sorcerer again. Whatever magic Palarian had cast on Mara, he could do that or some other strange kind of magic he’d accumulated over the many thousands of years of his life.

  After another hour of traveling through wheat fields and sparse forests, they found themselves quite close to where Mara was on the map. They ventured away from the wheat and into a clearing surrounded by elm trees. In the center of the clearing, there was a campfire burning low, and a figure sat nearby. In the dying light Talis made out a silvery shimmer, an enormous bubble of sorts covering the figure and the fire.

  Fear and hope shot through Talis as he recognized Mara. His heart raced, scanning around for Palarian, searching the the fields, preparing himself for battle.

  17. LEFT BEHIND

  Mara stood abruptly, her eyes flared in fear, and raised a hand to stop Talis’s advance. Nikulo froze, and glanced at Talis as if wondering what to do. In their race to catchup with Mara, Talis realized he’d forgotten to track the sorcerer’s movements as well.

  “She’s surrounded by some kind of bubble…a magical shield?” Talis frowned, sliding off his mule, and he walked the perimeter around Mara’s camp. She pointed at the ground.

  “Be careful, Talis,” Nikulo said. “Palarian has probably placed magical wards all around her.”

  Talis took a step back, and sank to the ground. He withdrew the Surineda Map, summoned the image of the sorcerer, and tracked his position as miles east of here. Why had Palarian left Mara all alone here? He scrunched up his eyes and tried to puzzle it out.

  From behind, Talis heard a slithering in the grass and a hiss loud enough to drown out his thoughts. A black shape slashed out at him, and he recoiled back in fear, his heart pounding. Nikulo jumped off the ground as another shiny dark thing undulated through the grass where he’d been sitting. Charna swatted the grass with her paw, and in lightning-quick speed snapped back. A glassy black snake’s head raised itself up as if inspecting them, its forked red tongue flicking in and out like it was tasting their smell.

  “Get back!” Talis shouted, and edged away from the taller grass. Nikulo flanked around to the right, raising fingers to his temple.

  In a quick burst, Talis shot fire from his fingertips, causing the grass to erupt in flames. The mules brayed and bucked, terrorized by the fire. Hundreds of giant black snakes rose up at once, immune to the flames, staring at them. Their mirror-like scales shimmered in the firelight.

  Talis and Nikulo retreated from the snakes, watching in horror as the giant creatures grappled the mules, sinking their enormous fangs into their bodies, poisoning them until the mules fell over and exhaled for the last time, their eyes open in shock and fear. As Talis continued backing away from the snakes, he felt a tingling sensation run up and down his spine. He quickly glanced around and realized the magical shield around Mara had fallen as he’d passed through it.

  Mara rushed over and flung her arms around him. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

  “We’ll never see anyone again if we don’t get out of here,” Nikulo said.

  Talis faced the snakes again, pictured the sun in its strength, and shot out a burst of Light Magic at the reptiles. He could feel the power of the crystal shard aiding him in his casting. But the light only reflected off the glassy black scales, and the snakes slithered closer.

  “Are they immune to magic?” Talis said, staring at the snakes winding through the burning field.

  Nikulo pushed his way forward, aiming his fingers at the creatures. “I’ve been meaning to test this spell out.”

  A stain of ghostly grey and black fibers shot from his fingertips and erupted across the field, finding purchase inside the snake’s bodies. “Fight fire with fire, and poison with poison.”

  Just as the reptiles were about to overtake them, the snakes twitched, bared their fangs, and struck out against air, earth, branch, grass, flame, and even biting each other. Talis, Nikulo, and Mara stayed far enough away from all the mayhem, as the snakes twisted, sprang out, and contorted wildly.

  “What did you do to them?” Mara said.

  “The poison spell I learned from the Tandria Scroll.”

  Mara’s brow furrowed as she stared at the snakes writhing in agony. “That’s disgusting… But, incredibly effective.”

  Talis slapped Nikulo on the back. All those months Nikulo had spent studying the Tandria Scroll had paid off.

  “So the sorcerer created the bubble to protect you?” Talis said.

  “He’s not a bad person at all,” Mara said. “Ruthless, yes, but not evil. He knew you would cast the portal spell and come after him, but he was fine with that. He just wanted to return home.”

  “And you told him I had the Surineda Map?”

  Mara nodded, her eyes careful to see if Talis would be angry. “Palarian wanted to avoid fighting you, so he had to get far enough away. He figured it would take you some time to create the runes and cast the portal spell.”

  “But why didn’t he leave you at an inn back in the
Fioran Village?”

  “He said those villagers couldn’t be trusted, they often kidnapped strangers and took them as slaves, especially girls.” Mara shook her head and exhaled in disgust.

  Nikulo wrinkled up his forehead. “So what do we do now? We’re out here in a foreign world, and Naru is under siege by the Jiserians.”

  “And by House Lei.”

  “What?” Mara stared incredulously at Talis.

  So Talis told her the story of what he knew, of the plots and intrigue surrounding the king, and rumored shadowy alliances with the Jiserian Empire. She winced at the story of her father leading an attack against the Temple of the Sun.

  “How could he do that?” she shouted, slapping her hands on her thighs. “He promised me he wouldn’t hurt you if I stayed away from you.”

  “You promised him you’d stay away from me?” Talis muttered.

  “I didn’t mean it, and I made the sign of Trickster with my left hand. He was constantly bothering me about it!”

  “That’s okay.” Talis ran a hand along her back. “Somehow we have to sort out the mess back home, bring things back to normal.”

  “Normal?” Nikulo scoffed. “Things have forever changed. We’ve changed. And unless we find a massive power source like the black crystal, we’ll be stuck here on this world forever.”

  They remained quiet for a while, listening to the fire hiss and crackle across the grass field. The air was thick with smoke, and Talis was lost in his thoughts. What would they do? The vision of Rikar trapped in that storm flashed in his mind’s eye. Did they have a duty to help him? Then a cold chill spread across his stomach.

  The vision and the knowledge of the portal…it was all Aurellia’s doing.

  Aurellia’s words echoed in his mind: “You know so little. But one day you might figure out a thing or two. If you dare, you’ll search for me in your dreams. If you’re afraid and cower in that city of yours, I’ll return and consume everything you hold dear.”

  So that was it, Aurellia had sent Rikar to search for Talis in his dreams, and when that wasn’t enough, he sent the Jiserians to destroy his city. And all the while Nikulo had been learning the Tandria Scroll. Did Aurellia send Palarian to them as well? What did Aurellia want from them?

  “Are you okay?” Mara sat next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. It felt wonderful to have her close again.

  Talis smiled warmly at her. She blushed and nudged him in the ribs.

  “At least we’re all together again,” Mara said. “Why don’t we have a look at the map?”

  “Everything that’s happened seems to have been planned by Aurellia.” Talis unfurled the Surineda Map, and felt the warmth slither up his hands from the map’s power.

  He closed his eyes and pictured Aurellia, and instantly the sorcerer’s wrinkled, gaunt face appeared, gazing at him with a why-have-you-waited-so-long look. Talis tried to resist the vision, hated seeing Aurellia’s hideous face, but somehow he couldn’t break the connection.

  “It’s been a span of time since I’ve seen you, young wizard,” Aurellia said. “You’ve ignored my words and failed to reach out to me until now, and you ignored Rikar’s summon.”

  An icy river flowed down Talis’s spine at the sorcerer’s words. Aurellia was vile and revolting and intriguing at the same time. His nostrils flared and his eyes fired up with flecks of gold burning inside his irises.

  “Now you are here, on this middling planet, the place of no cause, a step on the path towards home.” Aurellia spread his arms like the unfolding of dragon’s wings. “The world of shadows.

  “You have come to save her, and now she is yours, and yet you are trapped here on this forsaken world. What will you do? Hmm… Your city has fallen to the Jiserians, Viceroy Lei is a traitor. There is nothing left for you back there. Look to the future!”

  Talis clenched up his fists and fought the urge to strike out against him.

  “Your family may well already be slain, the eradication of House Storm. There is deep enmity between your father and Viceroy Lei, did you not know this? Old rivals in the war for the heart. If you did ever manage to return home, what would you find? Tears and wailing and the gnashing of teeth?”

  “I would find my city and my home.” Talis glared at Aurellia. “Where is your home, old sorcerer?”

  “Aye, I am old, as old as the sands of time. You are but a wink in that ebb and flow of light and shadows.” Aurellia aimed a finger at the sky. “My home is far from here, far away amidst the stars of the night sky, where the glint of diamonds take their rest in the dark. A land of beauty and contrast, the soft light of the twin suns, the pale glow of the twin moons, a world of perfect balance, unlike your hideous world.”

  “Then why are you still here on this planet?” Talis chuckled. “Are you trapped like before? Bound to serve your time for thousands of years until a boy discovers the secret you so desperately need?”

  “Ah, yes, your discovery was most fortunate, I thank you for that.” The sorcerer leaned in close until Talis could see the hairs springing out from the mole on his face. “And from what I’ve heard, you have the Goddess Nacrea’s ear, she listened to you. Why is that?”

  “My prayer was sincere, my need was great. And I obeyed her and built a new Temple of the Sun, and planted the black crystal she gave me.” Talis pictured the roaring flames of the temple beams and felt the anger bubbling up inside. “But they destroyed that beautiful temple, why did they destroy it?”

  “They don’t understand you, they don’t understand the gods, your pitiful Order of the Dawn.” Aurellia clapped his hands and curled his lips into a withered smile. “Enough talk of the past, let’s talk of the future, shall we? I have a proposal for you, if you are interested in leaving this dreary land.”

  “What’s that?” Talis said, recognizing the greed in Aurellia’s eyes.

  “Look to your map, you’ll see Rikar. Prove your worth by making it here alive, then we will talk. If you ever try to summon my image again on the map, you will wish you were never born.”

  With that Aurellia vanished and the vision faded. Talis stared at the map and saw a point where Rikar was, far to the east, amidst mountains, and Aurellia waiting there for them… Was this all just another test? Talis glanced around at the smoldering flames issuing puffs of smoke into the sky, a certainty sinking into his bones. They really didn’t have any other choice but to go out there and find them…

  Charna pressed herself under Talis’s arm and nuzzled his hand. He scratched her chin and under her ears, and she purred and murmured in response.

  “Did you have a vision?” Mara said, her eyes blinking rapidly.

  Talis still pictured Aurellia’s hideous face. “It was him all along…the grand puppet-master. We’re just pawns in his game.”

  Nikulo wrinkled up his face and coughed from the smoke. Talis told them his vision, and Mara frowned and her eyes sank as if absorbed in thought.

  “He’s tempting us and testing us at the same time,” Talis said. “I imagine we have no choice but to play along.”

  “There’s something I didn’t tell you.” Mara’s face was pale and trembled slightly. “The sorcerer told me he obeys Aurellia and yet despises him at the same time. He said it was Aurellia that brought the downfall of Urgar, the City of Light, and with it the ancient Temple of the Sun. A group of ancients moved the Temple to the secret location where we found it, in order to hide it from Aurellia.”

  “So we betrayed them?” Talis said.

  “No, Rikar betrayed us. It was he who was secretly communicating to Aurellia all along.” Mara sighed. “Palarian said Aurellia needs only one more leap, one more jump through a World’s Portal in order to reach their home world, the place where most of the ancients escaped after the war between Urgar and Darkov many thousands of years ago.

  “But if that happens, the sorcerer said it would mean war and disaster on their home planet, not just a war of the immortals, but a war amongst the gods.”

 
18. THE WAY OF SHADOWS

  As they trekked east the next morning towards the spiny grey mountains, images of the gods devastating Master Viridian flashed in Talis’s mind. The shadow gods wrath striking so severely at such a minor offense… A war of the gods, the dark gods against the gods of light? If a student of Light Magic had to study Shadow Magic in order to avoid going insane, that meant worshipping different sets of gods, some light and some dark. What was he going to do?

  Talis remembered Zagros and his host of nether-beasts and his army of risen dead. Would the God of the Underworld prevail against the Goddess Nacrea, Mistress of the Light? Charna came prancing up alongside and gave out a quick cry for attention. He scratched her between the ears and she purred in response, her golden eyes beaming in affection.

  Nikulo pointed at a great wall off in the distance. “Doesn’t look like we can go around it, and the main gates are well fortified.”

  “Aurellia won’t make it easy for us to enter through the front gates, I’d say that’s a losing proposition.” Talis knew there had to be another way inside.

  A distant storm flashed high amidst the jagged mountain peaks, and while they hiked through scattered scrub-brush, a cold wind whipped up and blasted dust into their eyes. They veered to the left and away from the main gates, down a dry gully littered with boulders and brush. Talis climbed along the gully towards the wall, all the while keeping an eye out for lookout towers and archers at the top.

  Then Mara spotted an iron grating where the gully went under the wall. They stalked through the gully, hiding behind boulders strewn along the way, glancing up to see if they’d attracted any attention. The wall was at least a hundred feet tall and formed of seamless hewn stones. Talis carried Charna and whispered in her ear to be still.

  Nikulo opened his mouth to talk, but Talis raised a finger to keep him quiet. He motioned towards the iron grating and kept an eye on the rim of the upper wall. The stone wall felt cool on his back as he set Charna down, and withdrew a flask of water and took a drink.