City Of Light

by Darren Deegan

  Selene ordered ale from the bar and took up a table at the back of the room, back to the wall, facing the door. She noted Neesha did the same, taking up the seat next to her, and not facing her, having similar instincts or training.

  ‘So, you said you’d tell me more about these Magi when we had time. We’ve nothing to do until the others arrive, and this is about as much privacy as we’re likely to get for a while.’

  ‘Indeed,’ Neesha began, taking a deep breath. ‘There are hundreds of years of history to explain the Magi, but to simplify it enough to understand them, they want nothing more than complete and total power. Power over every living creature in this world. They believe themselves gods, and they will do anything to assert that belief on others.’

  ‘Gods? Really?’

  ‘Yes. Crazy as it may seem, I believe it is not an act. They think the power they possess makes them gods, and that their place is to rule above all else. Their cruelty knows no bounds, and it is that that the people of Emeer will fear most of all.’

  ‘So why didn’t you and the rest of the Zin just wipe them out after that war you told me about?’ She asked, as the barmaid arrived.

  ‘There you go, love, enjoy.’ The barmaid said, plopping the ale down on the table and heading back to the bar.

  ‘We suffered great losses during the war, as did Emeer. Pushing the Magi back, and forcing what little remained, from these shores was all we were capable of. It has been a century since they’ve set foot here, we thought them long defeated, and hoped they would not return.’

  Selene took a long sip of ale, the bitter taste of hops still something she hadn’t become accustomed to. A great war, magic, and two immortal races, all of which no one had heard of, seemed to be too much to comprehend. She couldn’t understand how it would be possible to completely remove such events from history even if the order had come directly from the king.

  ‘I see the doubt in your eyes, little one.’ Neesha said. ‘You have almost fallen victim to the Magi, seen magic first hand, and even experienced their cruelty. Yet you still doubt what I say.’

  ‘It’s not the Magi I doubt, it’s just… How can so much history be stripped away? Surely knowing of the Magi, Zin, and even magic could have helped the people of Emeer. We could have been ready for their return.’

  ‘Your king thought, as did we, that the Magi had lost far too many to ever risk returning to Emeer. He was stricken with fear, and wanted to ensure his people never lived in that fear, fear of the Magi return. We can only assume that they have spent a century growing their numbers, recruiting magically gift children from across other lands, maybe even from Emeer, at a slower rate, to avoid detection.’ Neesha paused, looking worried for the first time.

  ‘What is it?’ Selene asked.

  ‘Their blatant disregard for stealth and pretence, could mean only one thing. They are planning to return soon, and that return could mean the end of this kingdom.’

  A sudden fear swept over Selene. Kidnappings were just the tip of the iceberg, and they didn’t seem as overwhelming as they had just minutes before. She knew now, that the Magi were gathering an army, a final push before they invaded, but how long before, that was her most pressing concern as she sipped her ale. The room felt like it had suddenly gotten warmer, she took another swig of cold ale, removed her long leather coat, and rolled up the sleeves of her tunic. Neesha stared at her as she lifted the mug to her lips once more.

  ‘What? We paid for it, I’m going to drink it all, even if it is kind of foul.’ She said, not wanting to be judged by the immortal who’d yet to take a drink.

  ‘Drink as much as you wish, you’ll get no judgement from me. I only wish to enquire as to your necklace, it is a fine piece of jewellery, where did you procure it?’ Neesha asked.

  Selene hadn’t even noticed she was wearing her mother’s necklace, it was something she always kept close, even if a situation made it less than appropriate to wear, she would keep it concealed, close to her.

  ‘It was my mothers.’ She said. The extent of the information she wished to share.

  ‘I see. Your mother does not seem like the type to wear such a piece.’

  ‘Mother? Oh, you mean Molly?’

  Neesha nodded, but said nothing more.

  ‘Molly isn’t my mother, she’s just an old family friend. My parents are dead. My father died when I was young, my mother… she didn’t survive my birth. This necklace is all I have left of her. Even when I was starving on the streets, alone, in despair, I could never sell it, it brought me more comfort than any meal could have.’

  It had been many years since she’d thought of it, her time on the streets. There had been many opportunities to sell the necklace, probably for enough to feed her for weeks, if not months, but she could not let it go. Her father had given it to her while telling her many stories of her mother. Having never known her mother, it was all she had left to hang on to. A flicker of light in the darkness that was her life.

  She could see Neesha’s expression shift, or as much as her expression ever changed. ‘What is it?’

  ‘Nothing.’ A smile, finally. ‘Old ghosts is all.’

  TWENTY FOUR

  Stacks of parchments, letters, lists it all piled up on Thyle’s desk. He had intended to ignore none of it, but the events of the previous night had been weighing on his mind. The girl had been lost, her involvement in the escalating crisis still unclear, but it was his attacker that had him so preoccupied. He remembered nothing about the encounter, only that he was speaking to the girl one minute, and the next, he was waking up to the City Guards standing over him, no sign of the girl or her presumed accomplice.

  He had been pacing around his office so much that he wondered if the large rug that covered most of the floor would need replacing soon. News of the bodies left behind at the shipping office, should have been with him long before, yet it had still to arrive, Thyle’s patience grew thin. The men he had killed were the only clue as to the identity of the kidnappers, and he needed something to take to the king, who was far more impatient than he.

  ‘Commander.’

  Thyle had been so deep within his own mind that he hadn’t noticed the messenger step into the room.

  ‘Yes?’ He said, striding across the room to the outstretched hand of the messenger.

  ‘From the city examiner, sir.’ He said, handing over a sealed letter. The messenger saluted Thyle before leaving the room.

  Thyle rushed to his desk and broke the seal on the letter, reading its contents as fast as his darting eyes would allow. It wasn’t what he had hoped for. There was nothing unusual about the bodies, no traits that would identify them as being of any other land, whether east or west. The only markings were found on the hilts of the weapons they carried, one of which Thyle already had on his desk, having taken it from the bodies to examine himself.

  ‘Gods damn them. Even this blasted marking on the hilt is no where to be found in our records.’ He said to himself, almost enraged.

  The king would not be pleased, but there was nothing else he could do, and the king had been requesting to see him all morning. The dagger and letter will have to suffice for now, he thought, already knowing it was as good as nothing. Without so much as a word to his squire, Thyle grabbed his sword, the letter from the city examiner, and the strange dagger. There was no sense in delaying the inevitable, and he was not one to shy from responsibility, for the responsibility was his, and his alone. At least that’s how he saw it.

  Thyle set off through the palace with an intensity that told passersby he was not to be approached. He moved through the vast array of corridors, the aisles of the main hall, and finally up the stairs to the king’s private study, where he knew the king would be at that hour. Three firm knocks on the door, and the king’s low voice beckoned him in.

  ‘Majesty,’ Thyle said, greeting the king from several feet away.

  The king appeared to be deep in thought, nestled in his high-back chair next to the hearth. The fir
e was roaring in the centre of it, the crackle of wood being consumed by flame filled the air. Thyle took in a deep breath, savouring the comforting smell and warmth of the fire. It always brought great childhood memories of nights around the fire with his family. The idea of sitting around a fire with his parents now, made him far too anxious to enjoy it. Finding a suitable wife was all his mother ever spoke of that and her need for grandchildren. Gods above.

  ‘Commander. So good of you to grace me with your presence.’ The king said, looking up finally.

  It was obvious the king was only half serious, while no doubt wanting new information, he wouldn’t be upset with Thyle for his delay.

  ‘Apologies, Majesty. I was awaiting news from the examiner, I felt it important to have it before updating you.’

  ‘Wise, as always, Thyle. So, you have news then?’ King Torren seemed much more alert, and interested now.

  He removed the letter from his belt, and passed it to the king, saying, ‘news? Yes, but good news? No. It appears the examiner could find nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing that would designate them as being anything other than any other Emeerian.’

  Torren examined the contents of the letter, line by line, before placing it in his lap. He looked out through the large open window opposite him, deep in contemplation. Thyle wished he’d had other news, any shred of hope to give the king, for he knew it weighed heavy on him. He knew the king saw it as his kingdom being under attack, and it was as if nothing was being done about it.

  ‘I can not believe we came so close, and there was not so much as a piece of parchment on the bodies.’ The king stood and gazed into the fire.

  ‘Clothing and weapons, Majesty, that was it. I brought one such item to show you,’ he said, removing the dagger from next to his sword’s sheath. ‘Other than a symbol, that could just be a blacksmith’s mark, there is nothing unusual about the blade.’

  King Torren turned and took the dagger from Thyle, scouring every inch of it, resting his eyes at the hilt, and the embossed symbol atop it. He moved his thumb over the symbol, tracing it in its entirety. Two circles, one within the other, forming an outer ring. At the centre of the ring, two lines intersected, creating four sections of the wheel, atop these lines, a symbol was carved; the tree of life. At each compass point, four symbols stood proud. A sword, cauldron, stone, and spear. He had seen nothing like it in all his days.

  ‘Majesty?’ Thyle said, to get the king’s attention, for he seemed lost in thought.

  ‘Hmm?’ Torren began, ‘oh, yes. There is something familiar about this symbol, Thyle, it is there at the edge of my mind, but I can not place it. The tree of life, while not exact, is reminiscent of the royal seal, but these other symbols…’

  ‘Are you sure? I’ve searched every record I can find, symbols from every known kingdom, and nothing comes close.’

  ‘I am quite sure, Thyle. Leave the dagger with me, I will endeavour to get to the bottom of this.’

  Thyle bowed low, having nothing more to say on the matter, and left as quickly as he’d arrived. He knew the king was the foremost expert on the Kingdom’s history, if there was something he had missed, something not in his books, it would be the king who would find it.

  * * *

  ‘I don’t think I ever appreciated the sheer vastness of the warehouse district before now.’ Selene said, coming up behind Gareth.

  That warehouse, like the four before it, was laden with cargo, waiting to be shipped, or awaiting transport to its buyers across the city and beyond. While none of the warehouses had been empty, they were empty of the one thing they wanted to see, Magi and the missing children. It had already been a long day, moving from building to building, having divided up the district again, and as usual, there had been no trace of their target.

  Neesha had been a real aid in the search, she moved quickly, and quietly, never missing so much as the smallest scrap that might lead somewhere, but even she wasn’t enough to lift Selene’s spirits. The thought they had been so close, yet, were no nearer to achieving their goal, plagued her. She had thought of nothing else that morning, as they went from building to building, searched rack after rack of cargo, hoping there could be a hidden compartment, or room they might find the children in.

  ‘Don’t worry, with the others searching, we’ll get through the district in no time.’ Gareth said, in that comforting voice he used when trying to soothe her mind. ‘Narrowing it down to one area of the city was huge, Selene, you know that.’

  She nodded, but said nothing as she continued her search of that aisle.

  ‘He is correct, young one, it may only be a matter of days before you have completed the search. Which means, that we could find them before then, be patient, quieten your mind, it will not serve you well to worry.’ Neesha said, through the large metal racks that held the shipping containers between aisles.

  ‘Can you please stop calling me, young one, I’m not that young.’ Selene said, a little more snappy than she’d intended.

  ‘Apologies, but to my old eyes, you’ve barely begun to live.’ Neesha said, a cheeky smile touching her lips.

  Selene laughed a little, for the first time in a while, and they all continued the search of the final aisle.

  Nothing, as she expected, from that aisle, or any other, and her mood quickly returned. She led the others from the warehouse to the street. Light had faded in the sad grey sky when they settled against an adjacent building, and she knew there wouldn’t be time left to search much more.

  ‘Neesha,’ she said, turning. ‘Is there no one else that can help us? Some of your people would make this go so much faster.’

  ‘I wish it were possible, child, but my scouts are tasked with securing as many of the gifted as they can. I think you’ll agree that it is just as important that we prevent any further kidnappings?’

  ‘Yes, I do, it's just… I wish there was more we could do, I feel like we haven’t done enough.’

  Neesha stood next to her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. ‘You have done more for your people, than all the city’s guards and soldiers. If it weren’t for you, these children might never be found. Take comfort in that, young one.’

  The words didn’t seem to register with Selene, but she allowed Gareth to link her arm through his. Together they pushed on through the cold, wet, miserable streets. She could do nothing but cling on to that ember of hope that lived somewhere deep inside and prayed to the gods that this would all be over soon.

  tWENTY FIVE

  Howling winds tore through the streets and along the rooftops of Eitane. The perch Neesha had waited upon offered no respite from the wind, or the near vertical rain that threatened to cut her sun kissed skin. The weather was unusual for the time of year, but so many things seemed strange to her of late, she thought nothing of it. From where she knelt, she could not only watch her targets, but the entire Merchant’s quarter opened out before her. While it hadn’t been their original meeting point, it had become the only location she would meet her scouts.

  ‘My lady.’

  Neesha didn’t need to turn to know who was addressing her. ‘Not so formal, Velias, it’s just us.’

  Velias was far younger than Neesha, not that you could tell when it came to immortals. She had just seen her fiftieth winter, but already she had proven her worth on too many occasions for Neesha not to have taken notice. The scout stepped forward and knelt down next to Neesha, who continued to gaze out over the Merchants quarter.

  ‘What is it?’ Velias asked.

  She finally turned away from the city and gave Velias a questioning look.

  ‘You’ve been distracted. And you won’t move from this quarter unless you’re with that girl, and her mortal friends. Even now you watch them return home.’

  ‘Perhaps I shouldn’t encourage you to be so informal.’

  The scout looked at her for a moment, before cracking a cheeky smile, ‘perhaps.’

  They both laughed a little in between bouts of crushing wi
nd and rain. ‘You worry too much. This girl is older than most, I am unsure of how she evaded us for so many years, but it means she needs a little more convincing.’

  ‘Neesha, if she doesn’t want to join us, that’s her choice. You should seal her powers and move on, there is an entire city to search, and this time we have the Magi to contend with. We could use your experience out there, your ability to sense power is unmatched, even amongst the elders.’ Velias said with a sense of urgency in her voice.

  ‘Velias, this girl…’ she trailed off for a moment, but quickly composed herself. ‘There’s something special about her, I sensed it the moment I detected her power. At first I thought it was due to her age that perhaps she had developed her powers alone somehow. But,’ she lowered her head.

  ‘But what?’ The young scout jumped in as if hanging on every word.

  A long sigh left Neesha’s mouth before she spoke again. ‘I don’t wish to speculate, Velias, you’ll just have to trust me. I need more time.’

  She stood to attention almost out of instinct. ‘You are Commander of the forward scouts, General to the armies of the City of Light, and the fiercest warrior I have ever met. And even if you weren’t all of those things, you are my mentor, and friend, I will do anything you ask of me.’

  Guilt washed over Neesha. The warrior she had trained for decades and befriended, deserved more trust and loyalty than she had shown. ‘There’s something else,’ she paused for a moment. ‘The girl. I believe she’s the last of the Saend line.’

  Shock and disbelief were all she could see on Velias’ face, as she appeared to stumble back two paces. She regretted voicing her suspicions and wished she’d trusted her first instincts.