by TR Cameron
Her mirth vanished as she spotted a trio of magicals in an alley. They registered to her eyes as suspicious right off the bat, and when they stopped at the back entrance of a store, she knew she’d found someone at least interested in breaking the law. That doesn’t mean they’re working for the Drow, of course. She called up a map on her secure phone and researched the business, finding it was a human-owned jewelry store specializing in estate sale items and antiques. Not big money because the big-money jewelry stores were in the casinos, but they would still have a fairly valuable inventory. It wasn’t conclusive, but she was in the mood to mix it up, so it would do.
She pulled a grapple attached to a thin cord from her belt and secured it to the edge of the roof, then lowered herself silently into the alley, hidden by the building’s shadows. She could’ve used her magic, but she didn’t want to make that loud an entrance. When she reached the bottom, she tapped the control that wirelessly instructed the grapple to retract its claws, and the line re-spooled with a whisper. She drew her collapsed bow from its left thigh holster and pressed the button to extend it, reaching back for her lightning stun arrow. She nocked and loosed it as soon as the bow constructed, taking out the member of the group who was separated from the others, watching the far end of the alley. It struck true, and he jittered and danced before collapsing. The other two, who had been working on the door, straightened and turned in her direction. She considered shooting them with arrows or anti-magic rounds from the pistol in the drop holster on her right leg, but discarded those ideas. Nah, let’s do it the old-fashioned way. She collapsed the bow and charged toward them.
They stepped away from each other, one to each side of the alley, and sent fireballs at her. She used magic to propel herself up and over them, wrapping herself in a force cocoon in midair. Their power covered her as she landed, but when the flames faded, she was unscathed. She let the shields fall. “Come on, boys, surely you don’t need to use fancy powers on little old me.”
She started toward the one on the right and led with a slow right hook. He smiled condescendingly and lifted his arm to block, then twisted and drove his other fist at her stomach. Now that they were engaged, his partner couldn’t use his magic, and she felt him circle behind her instead. Oh no, none of that. She whipped the right hand he had blocked and held up high down in a C-shape to slam a hammer fist into his ribs as she stopped the other. She felt the satisfying crunch as at least one bone gave way under the impact. The air whooshed out of him, and she raised his captive hand and spun underneath it, twisting his arm. With a solid yank, she could’ve given him a spiral fracture from wrist to shoulder but didn’t see the need to do quite that much damage. Instead, she used the limb to propel him at his partner, who danced nimbly out of the way.
Morrigan taunted, “He’s slow. I hope you’re faster.”
The elf replied, “Once we finish beating you down, that’s only the beginning of your pain, little girl.” He strode ahead menacingly.
She sighed. “You know, I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt. When you say things like that, you come off as someone who shouldn’t be allowed near women. So, Plan B.” She skipped forward and punched both fists at his throat, forcing him to block down with both arms and leaving his head undefended. She snapped her forehead into his nose, which crunched under the impact. He stepped backward, his hands automatically rising to cover the damaged area.
The other one slipped in again, slower but still in the fight. He’d produced a knife from somewhere, a small switchblade that thoroughly failed to impress her. He skipped in and stabbed at her, and she caught it in an X-block with her wrists, then grabbed his wrist and yanked it in a direction it wasn’t supposed to go. The joint snapped, the blade fell to the ground, and she finished with a sidekick to his sternum that sent him gasping to the pavement.
Broken nose advanced with murder in his eyes, and she shook her head. “It’s been fun, but I have to go. Sorry fellas.” He threw a series of jabs that she intercepted, then opened himself up when he thought he had a window to land a wicked offhand hook. She blocked it and skipped forward, ramming a knee up into his groin. He fell to the ground, whimpering. “Maybe think about that the next time you threaten a woman that way.”
A scuff from behind threw her into an automatic response. She spun and drew her pistol, summoning a force shield to protect herself. The trigger was halfway depressed before she realized it was another of the bad guys and that he was far enough away that she could easily defend against him. She yanked the barrel downward, and the bullet that would’ve taken him in the center of his chest caught him in the leg instead. He twisted and fell to the ground with a scream.
Morrigan remained locked in place, hyperventilating momentarily, then holstered the weapon and knelt beside him. “You’re an idiot. Do you realize how close you were to dying?” She popped the cap on one of her healing potions and poured it between his lips. Do you realize how close you were to breaking the rules because you panicked?
Morrigan growled and told her inner voice to shut up. A carefully calculated application of force magic thumped their heads against the ground to knock them out, then she blasted herself up to the roof and called the police department to clean up the magicals. Chances were good that someone was already en route given all the cameras around. Tense times for everyone in Magic City, apparently, including me. Maybe I should stop by and chat with Challen about my mental state sooner rather than later.
Chapter Nine
Ruby crossed the threshold from one world to the other, letting the portal close behind her in the living room of her family’s home on Oriceran. She wandered into what had been her bedroom and was now her dressing chamber. She’d changed the space over time, moving this or that item on each visit until it suited her current needs. Idryll shifted into cat form and made herself comfortable on a nearby pillow.
The heavy wardrobe creaked as she opened it, and she ran her fingers over the old, polished wood. It was always strange coming to this place, so unlike the technological world she spent most of her time in. She stripped out of her jeans and T-shirt, folded them carefully and set them aside, then pulled on the base layer of thin but strong leather Keshalla had acquired for her. The brilliant blue and silver portions offset the black beautifully. She took a moment to regard herself in the mirror, covered wrist to ankle and up to her neck in the tight sheath. It reminded her who she was on Oriceran, helped her focus on the importance of the events to come.
I wonder how many people reached this far in the process and what became of those who went no further. The mystics had records of another Mirra from before Kaeni but had lost any others to time. She had originally figured there would be one per generation, but in fact, it seemed like there were less than that, at least from what Nadar and the archivist had shared.
She fastened the tooled leather belt and slipped her daggers into the attached sheaths, then pulled her boots with their hidden throwing knives back on again. Her sword went into a new scabbard, left behind with a note by Keshalla. It looped diagonally over her chest, the strap connecting to the belt to hold the whole thing in place. The designs on it matched the ones on her belt, and the material was identical.
When she finished, she felt extremely underdressed, compared to the amount of gear she normally carried on the other planet. However, she did feel faster and more nimble without the weight of the vest and other stuff. Speed will probably serve me best since I have no idea what’s coming.
She pulled her hair back in a ponytail and tied it with two beaded holders that trailed down to the middle of her shoulders. She whipped her head around in each direction, noting that the beads fell just short of reaching anything vital. Perfect. The final touch was slipping healing and energy potions into her thigh pouches. With a deep breath, she dropped into the lotus position and reached a hand over her shoulder to grip the hilt of her sword. She landed in the construct she’d created for conversation with Shalia and Tyrsh, comfortable chairs on an or
nate rug in the center of an expansive grassland. A warm breeze caressed her skin as the entities inside her sword greeted her.
Shalia said, “It’s good to see you again.”
She nodded. “You as well.”
The other personality, generally more confrontational, added, “Perhaps you should visit more often.”
Ruby chuckled. “Even if I used you in each battle and trained with you for hours every day, it still wouldn’t be enough to satisfy your need for attention.”
His sister entity laughed, and he grudgingly chuckled as well. Shalia asked, “Why now?”
She replied, “I’m about to embark on the third venamisha.”
Both of their mouths formed identical “Os” in response. Tyrsh said, “We are aware of only one other who has done so, Mirra Kaeni.”
“And before her, Mirra Mintel. Those are the only two I’m aware of. You’d think there’d be more, though.”
Shalia shrugged. “Since we don’t know what the test entails, we cannot reasonably draw such a conclusion. For all we know, it requires the utmost luck to survive.”
Ruby rolled her eyes. “You know, that’s not exactly the sort of reassurance I hoped for.” The others laughed, and she continued, “I welcome your counsel as we go along. But, please give it judiciously. I have the sense that a slip of any kind, a distraction at the wrong moment, for instance, would spell doom.”
They both adopted identical sober expressions. “You have our commitment,” the female said. The male finished, “That we will do our utmost to assist and not to hinder.”
Ruby nodded. “More than that, I cannot ask.” She released the hilt and rose to her feet with a slow spin, cracking her neck and stretching out her arms. “Let’s get a move on, kitty cat.” She shook out her hands before opening the door, padding through her home, and stepping out into the village, followed by Idryll.
The sight that greeted her took her entirely by surprise. It seemed as if every individual who lived there had turned out, and they had formed two lines leading from her home to the centermost boulder in the clearing, leaving a gap barely wide enough for her to walk through. At the far end, her teacher and mentor stood atop the rock, arms crossed, gazing placidly toward her. Ruby felt a smile bloom on her face and stepped forward, gaining confidence with each stride. The villagers extended their hands to touch her, men and women, young and old. They said her name, or her family name, or simply wished her good luck. The overall sense was one of possessiveness, though, as if they affirmed that she belonged to them, and by extension, they to her. Tears dampened her eyes when she arrived next to the boulder and looked up at Keshalla. “This is something. Is it your doing?”
The other woman shook her head. “Word tends to spread regardless of how secret you try to keep things. They must’ve had someone watching that sensed your arrival at the same moment I did. This is clearly an important occasion for them.”
Ruby lifted an eyebrow. “But not for you?”
Her teacher chuckled. “It might be important for me, as well. But only a little.” The other woman jumped down from the boulder, and they shared a hug. “Are you ready? You look ready.”
Ruby nodded. “Let’s get to it. Let me guess, down into the mountain we go.”
Keshalla, who had taken the task of researching the next part of the venamisha upon herself, replied, “No, actually. The archivist found a journal from Mirra Kaeni's time, and the last sight the author had of her before her return was on the way to the top of the mountain.”
Ruby groaned. “Probably they want to tire our legs out first. Climb the whole way, then have to go down the mountain.”
Idryll observed, “You’re really whiny about the mountain, you know that? Maybe try to be more, I don’t know, adult?”
Her teacher laughed. “Well, at least we’ll get to stop and have a snack and a chat with Nadar.”
Ruby nodded. “Have you been to the top?”
Keshalla shook her head. “To my knowledge, no one has. It’s prohibited, and a magical barrier prevents going beyond a certain point, or so Nadar says.”
“That’s not ominous at all. Shall we go?”
Their arrival at the mystics’ home brought all of them out, as well. They didn’t touch her, only nodded respectfully. Nadar ushered them inside and sat them on the familiar couches. Idryll said, “So, wise mystics, do you have clues or secrets to share?” She made a suspicious face, somewhere between distrustful and hopeful, and drew a laugh from everyone in the room.
Nadar, his long dark hair pulled up into a bun, replied, “Not exactly. We do have something for you though. The archivist will be here before too long.” They sipped tea, ate trail bread, and talked about innocuous things until the head of the archive, who looked older than she acted, arrived. She bustled forward and sat between Ruby and Idryll, forcing them each to move aside. In her hands was a thick tome with a heavy cover. She opened it to a marked section and handed it over to Ruby. “I think you’ll find this interesting.”
Ruby scanned the page and found a description of Kaeni's ascent. It included a mention of the barrier being capable of reading the intents of anyone who tried to pass it, and only those with minds properly touched by previous venamishas would be able to penetrate it. Ruby read that part out loud, and Idryll snorted. “Oh, I’d say your mind is plenty touched.”
Ruby scowled. “You know, you can go home.”
“Then you die, and I have to go through a day or two of feeling guilty about that. I don’t need that kind of aggravation.”
She whipped out a hand and tapped her companion in the ribs, knowing full well that Idryll's greater speed could’ve stopped her easily. The assemblage laughed at their antics, and the archivist asked, “Do you have all you need?”
Ruby nodded and handed the large volume back over. The wizened woman reminded her, “If you find any books that look interesting, you’ll bring them back for me, right?”
She smiled at the older woman. “Of course.”
“Promise?”
Ruby smothered a grin. “Promise.” She saw that Idryll and Keshalla were both exerting the same extra control over their expressions and rose. “No time like the present.”
Many of the mystics followed as they climbed, but they fell off as the trail wound higher. By the time the trio reached the shimmering barrier, they were alone. Set into the path before the protective shield was a flat, circular stone, large enough for all three of them to stand on, with similar markings to the one she’d seen in the cave during the first venamisha. She focused her mind on that experience, and the events of the second, including meeting Mirra Kaeni, and stepped onto it after grabbing each of her companions’ hands in hers.
Nothing visibly changed, but she sensed something was different. She walked forward as if the barrier didn’t exist, and to them, it suddenly didn’t. Her eyes blurred a little as they crossed the boundary, then her mouth dropped open at the sight of what awaited them. The trail wound for another quarter mile or so, ending at a huge castle. It was positioned right at the pinnacle and looked ominous and violent, with sharp towers and harshly edged walls, black stone against a swiftly darkening sky. Only then did she realize they had moved from daytime to night in an instant.
Idryll observed, “That place doesn’t look at all welcoming.”
Keshalla responded with a single laugh. “Guessing we need to go inside. Is that what your instincts are telling you?”
Ruby nodded. “Got it in one. Here goes nothing.”
Chapter Ten
Two heavy wooden doors with black metal bands guarded the entrance, but they parted at their approach as if inviting them in to their doom. Crossing that threshold instead of running away to safety took an act of will. Beyond lay a vast room, several stories high, with mammoth chandeliers hanging from a towering, pointed ceiling. They glowed dimly, presumably magically, since she couldn’t see any other way for them to function for so long. Assuming time is a thing here. Maybe I shouldn’t count on anythi
ng. A pair of curved staircases led up to a second-floor balcony with a doorway leading beyond. Opposite the entry on the ground level, underneath that balcony, was a second egress.
Another carved circle that covered most of the floor dominated the space. It held four double-life-size statues of people, with room for at least a dozen more before the circumference would be complete. The figures faced inward, and one of them was recognizable. Ruby crept cautiously forward, keeping her senses open for traps or magic. Idryll and Keshalla walked a pace behind to her left and right, respectively. “It’s Kaeni.” The statue was so smooth that it almost seemed as if it would come to life. The exquisitely rendered folds of her dress looked like real fabric suddenly trapped in time and stripped of color. Among all the grey and black stone, the statues were a glimmering white. “Think it’s marble?”
Keshalla confirmed, “Probably is. Oriceran marble, obviously.” The version found on Earth wasn’t as pure to the eye.
Idryll asked, “Were they all Mirra?”
Ruby nodded. “It would make sense. The one before Kaeni was male, as is the statue next to her. Plus, the clothes look like they’re from the right era.” Another male was beside him, and the first in line was a woman, dressed in an outfit entirely unrecognizable to anything Ruby had seen people wear. They almost looked like hunting leathers, the subtly patterned skin of some long-dead beast. She shook her head. “Well, I feel confident saying that we’re in the right place, anyway.”
