Welcome To The Age of Magic

by C M Raymond et al.

  “He hit her,” Julianne said quickly. “But she’s too far away for me to wake. Come on, we have to go get her.”

  “Julianne!” Danil hissed, grabbing her arm. “We can come back for her. Later, with the others.”

  She shook him off, fury burning in her eyes. “She’s a child, Danil. Barely seven.” She looked at Bastian, the question clear on her face.

  He nodded. “I’ll do whatever you ask, Master.”

  “Thank you. We’ll use our uniforms. Be ready to think fast, and have your… blasting thing ready.” She gestured towards Bastian’s pocket.

  She turned back to Danil. “Stay clear. If a fight breaks out, you won’t see clearly enough to help. This is my fight; you don't need to sacrifice yourself for it”

  “To hell with that!” Danil stepped up next to her. One hand touched his forehead, then his chest in a firm salute. “You have my mind and my soul, Master.”

  The pledge was an old one, used whenever Selah and his council had come to a difficult decision. It was said to confirm the complete trust and loyalty the mystics had in their leader. Julianne had so far only heard it the day she took her position as Master.

  Julianne blinked hard to clear her suddenly blurry vision. “Let’s go then.”

  They set off in the direction the girl had been taken, Julianne pointedly ignoring Danil’s mental query as to whether she was crying, or had just walked past a pile of rotting onions.

  Because if those are tears, I won’t tell. Wouldn’t want to ruin your reputation.

  You do nothing but try to ruin my reputation. Julianne held up a hand and they stopped, waiting until a pair of New Dawn members had passed. The couple nodded their way and the squeezing anxiety around Julianne's chest lessened a little at the confirmation the spell was working. Seriously. I’m the leader of a Temple, and my best friend is a gambling addict?

  When the street was clear again, they headed to the right. Pinpointing the girl’s location was easier now. She’d woken again, and her furious screams rang through the town.

  Your best friend is a suave, mischievous bachelor who half the Temple would be tripping over themselves to get at, if they had half a brain between them.

  Julianne pulled Danil around a corner and nodded at a robed figure who hurried past, ignoring them. I didn't know Charles counted himself as my best friend.

  Danil pressed a hand to his chest and staggered back at the mock wound.

  “I think she’s in there.” Julianne pointed to a small, white building ahead.

  Bastian fidgeted nervously. “What’s our plan? Rush them, try to take them by surprise? Or are you two just going to blind them with your dazzling wits?”

  Julianne smiled. “We do what we do best. Cover me a moment.”

  Her eyes glowed white and her shoulders slumped. She’d need every ounce of concentration for this, and she was already, as usual, running on empty. Slipping behind the rather average mind shield held by one of the men guarding Lilly, Julianne found the information she needed. When she opened her eyes, Bastian gasped.

  “Who are you?” he asked, uncertainty underlying his words.

  A thin, bearded man smiled back at him with a greasy expression that made Bastian shiver. “Convincing?” Julianne asked in a strange voice, from an even stranger mouth. She smoothed her pristine navy robes and nervously pressed a hand to her new facial hair.

  “Wow, Jules. I’ve seen you do it before, but it scares the hell out of me every time.” Danil reached forwards to touch the cloth of her robe. “You know your robes are darker?”

  The man—Julianne—nodded. “I am Master August. His rank is denoted by the deeper shade of blue. You two will be my aides, newly arrived in town. Shall we go?”

  Bastian nodded, eyes wide. Then he shook himself and wiped the stunned expression off his face. “Yes, Master.” That, at least, he could handle. It rankled him that they’d stolen the title of Master, though.

  Julianne strode forwards and slammed open the door. The heavyset man jumped to attention, but not before Julianne had seen what he was doing. He’d been leaning over Lilly, who was tied to a chair and craning her neck as far as possible to get away from his warm, sticky breath.

  “What the hell is this, Jackson?” Julianne demanded in Master August’s voice.

  32

  Jackson bowed and began his stuttering explanation. “The girl, Master. I lured her in, caught her. I was just going to—”

  “Lured her in? Swallow your lies. She ran straight into you. You got lucky.”

  Jackson nodded quickly. “Yes, Master August. Sorry, Master August.” Sweat dripped off his wobbling chin and splattered onto the floor.

  “Shut up, you pathetic man. Give me the girl.”

  “What?” Jackson’s eyes darted up to his Master. “But you told me—”

  “I told you to put a stop to her shenanigans weeks ago.” That was true, according to what Julianne had seen in Jackson’s memory. She had exploited his fear of his Master and his confidence of rich rewards when he handed the girl over. No better way to unsteady someone than by thwarting their expectations and turning elation to terror. “You were to contact me immediately, not sully the girl with your sweaty paws. I should have you flogged. I still might, if you forget your place again.”

  “Please, Master. Forgive me?” Jackson’s bottom lip trembled and Julianne stifled the urge to slap him.

  “Get out of my sight.” The words came easily, as did the vile tone and instinctive loathing of the man. The difference was that Julianne was disgusted by what Jackson had done. August would have been disgusted at what he hadn’t.

  Danil and Bastian stepped forward to take Lilly’s arms. She struggled and they had to hold her tightly to stop her from running. The two men half dragged, half shoved her out the door and away from her captor.

  As they rounded a corner she sank her teeth into Danil’s hand and he let go, cursing. Lilly snatched her other arm from Bastian’s grip and tried to run, only to trip over Julianne’s staff. Julianne dropped the disguises and when the girl looked up, she gasped and scrambled back against the wall.

  “Shh. It’s ok, Lilly. We’re here to help,” Julianne said.

  “Who…” Lilly’s eyes darted around, looking for Lord August and his two cronies.

  Julianne caught her attention and, one hand on the girl’s arm in case she tried to run again, stripped her fear away. Lilly sagged, then bared her teeth in defiance. Julianne raised an eyebrow at that, then slowly reassembled the image of August. Lilly’s eyes grew wide and she pulled back, ready to run again. Julianne dropped the image immediately.

  “Lilly, it’s just a trick. A mask.” Julianne reached her other hand out to Lilly and pulled the girl to her feet.

  “How?” The word came out as an angry growl. Lilly scrubbed the tears from her cheeks and folded her arms across her belly.

  “Mind magic. Yes, like August and his goons, but I swear we won’t do anything to hurt you, Lilly.”

  “We can’t stay here,” Danil murmured to Julianne.

  “We can try and sneak out.” She turned to Lilly. “Or, we can use our disguises and pretend you’re our prisoner.”

  Lilly shook her head vehemently. “Jackson sent for August. He wasn’t surprised to see you—um, him? He was just surprised to see August so soon. Unless you stopped the message, he’s on his way and will be here any minute. If they see you and him in the same place…”

  “You’re right,” Julianne said. “It’s too risky. I don’t know that I can hide us all, though. The people we passed earlier were distracted, easy to fool. Once our ruse is discovered, they’ll be hunting for us.” She didn’t add her other concern. If August was their leader, he was probably stronger than the lackeys he’d left to guard the town during the day. Until she met him, there was no way to tell how much stronger.

  “Is there somewhere we can hide until nightfall?” Bastian asked. “It might take the heat off a little, and give us the cover of darkness when we lea
ve.”

  “They were searching buildings before,” Danil pointed out. “If they have all afternoon to do it, how safe do you think we’ll be?”

  “I want to go home.”

  The tiny voice made Julianne’s heart break. She pulled Lilly to her, wrapping her arms around the girl. “I don’t know about home just yet, but we’ll get you somewhere safe.”

  Julianne quickly mapped their way out of the town, looping Danil and Bastian in on her plan. She gave them each an alternate route, in case they had to separate. “Whatever you do, make sure you can’t be tracked back to Annie’s. I don’t want her pulled into this.” Gripping her staff, Julianne edged towards the corner of the building. “Let’s go.”

  They darted down the street, stopping at doorways and disappearing into shadows in between bursts of speed. Julianne gripped Lilly’s hand, pulling her along as fast as the little girl could move her feet.

  A loud yell sent them skittering for cover. Moments later, a voice screamed, “Find them!”

  We’ve been made, Danil sent.

  Thank you, Captain Obvious. If we’re caught, take Lilly and run like hell.

  Don’t be an idiot. I can’t protect her like you can. Danil led the charge across the street, where they stood panting for a moment before running again.

  What will you do if we’re separated, feel your way out of town? Just take the girl. I can do more if I don’t have to worry about keeping her safe.

  Danil screwed up his face and shook his head emphatically. Bastian, closed out of their conversation, watched them closely.

  Julianne is right, Bastian sent. Danil, if we get made, we have to let her do her thing.

  Stop eavesdropping, junior. How the hell did you hear that, anyway? Danil snapped at him.

  I didn’t. I guessed, Bastian sent. You weren’t half obvious. Julianne wants us to run while she fights. You don’t want to let her, but it’s the only thing that makes sense.

  Julianne rolled her eyes to the heavens. At least someone agrees.

  They bolted down the narrow street and through an alley, then around a corner. Bastian plummeted straight into a tall woman, knocking her down. He swallowed the apology on his lips when he saw her robes.

  Julianne’s brain immediately kicked into gear, reaching out to silence the woman. Her probe bounced off a shield. “Oh, shit!”

  “Here! I’ve found them! I’ve—” the woman screamed.

  Julianne snapped a fist into the woman’s face, cutting off her words. The New Dawn mystic crumpled to the ground.

  “Run!” Julianne barked, and they sprinted past. They turned left, then wheeled around when they spotted two more figures at the other end of the lane.

  “Here!” Julianne led them around a corner, then jerked Lilly’s arm and grabbed Bastian’s cuff, pulling them through a broken door. Danil threw himself in a moment later as the patrol dashed past them, oblivious to the press of bodies squashed in an abandoned cold room.

  The glow in Julianne’s eyes faded. “It's no good,” she panted. “They're all shielded. I can't break through.”

  As the sounds of their hunters moved off, Danil motioned them out.

  “Go through the old bakery,” Lilly whispered. “I slip through there all the time.”

  She led them across the street, then darted a few doors down. She stopped under a dirty sign that said, “Hank’s Bread and Pastry”. She thrust one arm through the broken glass pane and unhitched the door.

  The inside of the shop smelled musty and old. A glass display case was full of green, hairy mold. Behind it, a counter sat below an opening into the kitchen behind, long but only a foot high. Motes of dust swirled past the light streaking in from the street as they moved. Bastian moved for the door beside the counter, and Lilly shook her head. He tried it anyway, but it was locked.

  “This way.” She climbed on the workbench behind the display case, then ducked through the opening above it.

  Julianne eyed the gap. “Danil, you need to start eating less.” She hopped up and followed the girl, chuckling at the grunts from Danil as he forced his way through. Bastian slipped through without a problem.

  “Grownups never think of the obvious,” Lilly said with a grin. She led them to the back of the room, where a strap of leather hung from a latched door. She opened it, ushered them out, then pulled it shut, making sure the end of the strap peeked through beneath. “In case I need to get in from this side,” she explained.

  From there, it was only two more streets to the low wall that edged the city proper. They made a run for it, easily climbing the wall and plunging into the wooded field beyond.

  The trees offered some cover, but not enough. Tall trunks stretched to the sky, racing past as they ran, but branches were sparse and offered little protection. When a thick branch snapped behind them Julianne spun. Three white-eyed mystics in midnight robes dashed after them, winding through the trees, faces set with determination.

  “Take the girl,” Danil snapped at Bastian.

  The boy looked ready to argue, but instead nodded. He grabbed Lilly and hoisted her over his shoulder, ignoring her squeak of fear. He ran, leaving Danil and Julianne to stave off their attackers.

  Julianne slipped into a trance. Danil’s eyes were already white, as they always were.

  The three pursuers, a woman and two men, fanned out.

  “Go ahead, try your little tricks.” Their leader was a weedy little man, with oil slicked hair and a pointed beard. “You can't break us. We are one.”

  Fear spread over Julianne's face as she battered their shields. Again and again, her attacks slipped aside as they wound closer to where she and Danil stood. She pressed her back against a tree.

  “How?” she asked, voice shaking. The small man sneered, and she was close enough to see his crooked, blackened tooth. “I am the Master of the Heights. You shouldn't be able to—”

  As the man stepped towards her, Julianne smiled and whipped up the butt end of her walking staff. It smashed into Black Tooth’s jaw. He staggered back with a howl and she jabbed it forwards again, this time slamming it into his gut.

  Julianne stepped forward, still smiling. “You arrogant fool. I am a Master. You? You are nothing, barely a weed in the forest of my mind.”

  She rammed forward with the force of her mind, meeting almost no resistance from him at all. His shield was gone, shattered when his concentration failed. She spread out to find the other two were unshielded now, too. The leader collapsed, sitting down hard with glazed eyes and blood sliding down his skin from the split in his jaw. His companions stood motionless, caught in the thrall of the mystic Master.

  She rifled through their minds and found it: the trick to their shields. It was a complicated spell that linked three minds, strengthening their shields via a feedback system. She let it go, knowing she wouldn’t be able to replicate it without further study.

  Julianne stepped up close to Black Tooth and looked down at him from above. “Tell August and whoever else will listen that a day of reckoning has come. You have one chance to leave this town. One. Come sunrise, I don't want to see any trace of the New Dawn except the one rising in the damned sky.” She kneeled down to stare him in the eye, her white pupils reflected as points of light in the pair of muddy brown eyes. “Now, run. And don't come back.”

  The little man blinked as her mental suggestions took hold. Then, he began to tremble. He looked up once, quickly, before scrambling backwards. He turned, tripping as he pushed off the ground and sprinted away back towards the town.

  Julianne turned to face the two remaining pursuers. “You, too.”

  She sent a bolt of pure, visceral terror at them. She winced when, as they turned and bolted, one slammed straight into a tree. He reeled back, blood streaming from his nose below terrified eyes, and staggered off as fast as he could.

  “You couldn’t have planned that any better,” Danil said. “If it didn’t look so damn painful, that would have been hilarious.”

  “We ne
ed to go,” Julianne said in a low voice. She took Danil’s arm, and together they ran to find Bastian and Lilly.

  Julianne let Danil lead, using her eyes and his memory. He had stayed connected with Bastian as he'd fled with Lilly, and his practice at navigation gave him a good idea of which way to go. Fast and silent, they darted through the trees, then plummeted down an embankment.

  “Danil!” Julianne gasped as his hand slid from hers. They slid down the short hill, landing in a heap at the bottom.

  Panting and cursing, they lay for a moment. Julianne reached out with her mind and found Bastian, who appeared above her a moment later.

  “This way. We’ve found a place to hide until nightfall.”

  33

  He led them along the bottom of the embankment to a section that formed a hollow in the dirt. Ferns grew at the lip above, trailing down to cover the space. Pushing aside the branches, Julianne crept in to sit beside Lilly. The girl’s eyes glowed, not the white of a mystic, but green.

  A bird called overhead and her eyes cleared. “Tarchus said they didn’t follow,” she said, matter-of-factly. “Master August is calling his guards back in. They’re stopping the search.”

  “It’s too soon,” Julianne murmured. “Why would they give up so quickly?”

  Danil shrugged. “Maybe they just don’t care. Or, maybe he’s fortifying the town, doesn’t want his people spread out in case of an attack.”

  “Oh, there’ll be an attack.” Julianne’s voice was hard. Her eyes glowed white. “There are people, but not close. How long can we stay here unseen?”

  “Go that way,” Lilly said. She pointed further along the furrow in the ground to where leafy ferns had taken root.

  They crawled over. Leaves reached out to form a small, green refuge. Lilly pressed her hand on the ground and her eyes lit up again as tiny, curled fronds unfurled to extend the foliage and thicken it.

  “Thank you, Lilly. You’re very talented.” Julianne’s heart went out to the little girl. “What were you doing in the town? Have you been there all along?”