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Authors: A. Christopher Drown

A Mage Of None Magic (Book 1) (22 page)

BOOK: A Mage Of None Magic (Book 1)
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“A mage of none magic, Denuis!” she yelled. “My preference for investigation over Canon is practically
infamous.”

“You work plenty of magic, Ennalen. I’ve seen you.”

Suddenly, she was a mouse trying to haul a bar of lead.

“Petty charms and glamours are a far cry from the meat of what is taught here, Denuis, and you
know
it!”

“Fine,” Denuis replied. “But you are a far cry from being an apprentice, as the legend implies the Apostate to be.”

Her arms dropped to her sides. “You are the Lord Magistrate of the Ministry of Law of the College of Magic and Conjuring Art! I am a Magistrate sworn to your service! Your pupil! Your heir apparent!
Your apprentice!
” She jabbed her finger at him. “An apprentice who did what no one else in the history of the College has done—nearly killing her rightly appointed teacher, and then not only escaping the punishment due her offense, but being elevated to a post above most others as a direct result.”

Denuis bowed his head. “But as I’ve been trying to get through to you, Ennalen, you did not do that. Everything you just mentioned was brought about by others and allowed to happen. Just as has been done for so long, and with so many others.”

Ennalen fell quiet. “There have been others?”

“Yes, child. You are by no means the first.”

“How many others?”

“Hard to say. Since long before I came here.”

Too many whirling thoughts, too many unbridled emotions, and at the core a brilliant fury that blazed. But then amidst the tempest formed an unexpected, horrible oasis of clarity born from the light from that blaze.

Ennalen lifted her face slightly. “You say everything that’s happened in my life has been by design?”

“Yes.”

Her eyes widened, her throat tightened, and her breathing stopped.

She managed only a hoarse whimper. “Solamito?”

Denuis’s long, slow nod was clearly both admission and remorse.

“Yes,” he said. “Even that.”

Ennalen lowered her face against her fists, shutting her eyes tight.

Too many whirling thoughts—

Lies.

—too many unbridled emotions—

Everything I am is a lie…

—and when she looked at Denuis one more time, it was not him she saw. In his place stood Solamito, tongue snaking over glistening, grouper-like lips; eyes flicking hungrily across wherever her robe met her figure—


so many others

The avalanche Ennalen thought she had so cleverly sidestepped instead seized her up and carried her away.

“NO!”

The primal, fiery explosion of her rage buffeted the walls and sent Denuis sprawling.

Bleeding from a gash across his forehead, Denuis pressed his back against the column into which he’d collided and struggled to his feet.

With a sweep of her hand she flung him doll-like across the room, where he landed hard in front of the fireplace.

“My intention,
dear
Lord Magistrate,” Ennalen spat as she stalked toward him, “had been to forge a glorious New College that would finally claim its rightful place in the world. But once I heal the Heart, I will reshape the world itself!”

Another gesture from her lifted Denuis from the floor and threw him violently into the nearby chair.

“I came to offer you an exalted position at my side,” she said. “Even gods require others to carry out their will.”

“So,” Denuis said with a pained swallow and shallow smile, “you would solve my crisis of faith by having me worship you?”

Ennalen ceased her approach and narrowed her eyes at his patronizing tone.

“No,” he said. “I will do no such thing.”

“Now I shall speak words truer than any which you have ever heard,” she seethed, jaw gnashed tight, hands trembling. “I am a hair’s breadth from killing you here and now for your deceptions, Denuis. But at the same time I wish not to be unmindful of your guidance. Your help would no doubt be of value. So I will ask you one last time.”

Denuis coughed as he cast his eyes at the floor. “Ennalen, I am so weary of all this. Conspiracy within conspiracy, deceit in place of virtue. Nothing has come to be as I’d hoped. I’ve already told you, or tried to tell you, that in all my years of service here I’ve found nothing truly worthy of my devotion. Not in the heavens, not in the College or the duties of my office.”

He looked up, and deep into her eyes. “And most certainly not in this room.”

Rage flared from Ennalen’s skin in white-hot rays, and she shrieked with everything she could summon of the raw hatred that stormed through her being.

She squeezed her fists, capturing the Lord Magistrate magically within, and shook them with wild frenzy. Only distantly did she perceive her former master’s tortured screams as bone ground to pulp within the confines of his flesh. In that instant she felt as though she was the very axis upon which the universe turned, and no other thing could have possibly mattered while its energies wheeled through her.

The torrent ended with such immediacy that Ennalen lurched to one side and nearly stumbled over. All fell still, save for the rasp of her labored breathing.

Ennalen peered down at Denuis. His head and neck lay wrenched at a ghastly angle from his shoulders. His lifeless eyes stared out at nothing. Dark blood seeped from his nose and ears. Even broken and mangled there remained a dignity about the man that brought to her eyes the quick sting of tears.

She grabbed her hair in two fistfuls, shoved the unwelcome sentiment aside, and reminded herself of the true malefactor at hand. Even Denuis would be an insignificant price once her goals had been achieved, but his death had never been her intention. It would not have happened had the Lord Elder not made a vile farce of her existence by playing puppeteer.

At that, another ball of fury ignited.

Thaucian…

 

 

 

 

 

28

 

 

 

 

 

It shouldn’t have bothered him, but it did. Given the affinity all things incredible and absurd had for him as of late, Niel knew he should not have been troubled that of all the places in the city Lleryth could have chosen to gather, he picked the same room in which Uhniethi had made him a prisoner. The solemnity of the study did fit Lleryth’s mood, but surely another location could have sufficed.

The Galiiantha provided them a simple breakfast of fruit, bread, and fresh, sweet spring water, all of which they devoured while seated on large, plush pillows around a low table.

All but Jharal. He pushed his food away and growled at the young girl who served it, then sat with arms crossed over his massive chest. Niel supposed it should have been expected. Even after explaining everything that had happened while separated, getting Jharal to submit to magical comprehension of the Galiiantha tongue had been task enough.

Then again, despite his increasing confidence in the benevolence of their host, Niel had yet to sort out his own feelings about the goings-on.

Briajl and Riahnn stood poised on either side of Lleryth, bristling with watchfulness—at Niel, in particular. Their scrutiny had not gone unnoticed by Arwin, Cally or Jharal, but Peck seemed oblivious as he busied himself with admiring the room’s contents. The tension from the glares and counter-glares worsened the pain in Niel’s head.

Lleryth stood patiently, hands clasped, before a wide set of twin bookshelves easily twice Niel’s height. Finally, when he saw the meal nearing an end, he approached.

Though it was halfmorn and outside the day beamed bright and cheerful, the room seemed to dim as he spoke.

“We haven’t long, my friends, so I will be direct, and as brief as thoroughness allows.”

Niel’s companions settled themselves in to listen. Peck ceased his explorations and lowered himself cross-legged to the floor.

“For more than a thousand years,” Lleryth said, “the College of Magic and Conjuring Arts has been engaged in endeavors to heal the gem known to you as the Heart of the Sisters.”

The Heart of the Sisters?

Serrated fear gouged at Niel’s stomach. Peck leaned forward and rested his chin on his thumb and forefinger; the others exchanged looks of shock.

“And you know this how?” Cally asked, a distinct quaver in her voice.

Lleryth gestured at Niel, who spoke reluctantly. “They’ve apparently had spies within the College for a very long time.”

Again the group stirred. “How long?” Jharal asked.

“Long enough to have discovered what the Board of Elders has been doing,” Lleryth said. “We’ve kept as close a watch on them as possible.”

Arwin raised a finger like a scholar at a lecture. “Given the scope of what you’re suggesting, why haven’t you tried to stop them? It seems to me the element of surprise would have been on your side for, oh, centuries now.”

Riahnn stepped forward. “Hold your smart tongue and let the Keeper finish what he has to say!”

“You should consider a more cordial tone yourself,” Peck replied. “We are now your guests, not your captives.”

Riahnn responded by closing her mouth and resuming—not at all happily—her place beside Lleryth.

“To do so would have risked discovery,” Lleryth answered, “and following that, war. Knowing the power the Heart is reputed to possess, a confrontation would not have been wise. Our goal was not to interfere, only observe.”

“Forgive me, Keeper,” Cally said, “but wouldn’t the College having the Heart in their possession have consequences for the Galiiantha as well?”

Lleryth nodded. “Fortunately, we had foreknowledge of their progress.”

“And this is where Uhniethi comes in, I’ll wager,” Arwin said.

“In a sense, yes.” Lleryth replied. “After the Devastation, the College’s Board of Elders initially sought out portions of the Heart to fortify itself against another attack. However, the Elders soon succumbed to the allure of the stones and kept the fragments for themselves. They studied and hoarded away larger cantles as they became available, reaping the benefits their bits of the Heart had to offer.”

“Benefits?” Cally asked. “Such as?”

“As a minor example, my people tend to have longer lives than outsiders, yet my prolonged exposure to the small stone Niel possesses allowed me to live many times beyond that.”

Niel pulled out the black pouch and set it on the table. “This is a piece of the Heart of the Sisters?”

Lleryth nodded again.

“And you say Uhniethi gave that to you,” Arwin said.

“Yes.”

“So that must mean he could afford to part with it,” Cally said. “That it wasn’t of any use to him anymore.”

Seeing where the conversation would end, Niel put his head in his hands. If Uhniethi had parted with something as precious as a cantle of the Heart, it was possible he’d acquired an even greater portion, just as Lleryth said the Elders had done. And if that small fragment granted its keeper a life span far exceeding the norm…

“Then Uhniethi could still be alive,” Niel whispered.

“Perhaps,” Lleryth answered grimly.

A heavy silence fell upon the room.

“Keeper,” Arwin said, his tone more respectful, “what does this have to do with us?”

Though Lleryth spoke to Arwin, his eyes fixed on Niel.

“There is a young woman from the College, a Magistrate, who spent most of her adult life seeking out a cantle of her own. Though the Board had been aware of her efforts the entire time, when she finally located a fragment of the stone, they were not prepared for the speed with which she harnessed its powers. Her fluency approached, and on some levels surpassed, their own. More troubling than that, she believes she has located the remainder of the Heart. She intends to retrieve it.”

Niel rubbed his hands between his knees, wanting nothing more than to bolt through the door, find his way home, and crawl into bed.

According to legend, the Dragon Sisters shattered their Heart hoping that humankind would one day heal it and in turn destroy itself. If the Heart was real, who could say healing it would result in anything less than exactly what the Sisters desired?

A strange urgency came over him.

A single magician possessing nearly the entire Heart was not only terrifying—a
wild
understatement—but it also carried a sense of obscenity; a sense of being personally wronged.

He raised his head to meet the faces of everyone else in the room.

“That
cannot
happen,” Niel said

Lleryth turned to Arwin. “That is what this has to do with you. Someone very dangerous and very capable is trying to mend the Heart. She must be stopped, and that will sooner or later directly involve Niel.”

“Wait,” Jharal said. “If we’re thinking Uhniethi might still be alive, and he’s got the rest of the Heart, why don’t we let him deal with this Magistrate? Like he’s going to just let someone take the Heart from him after a thousand years.”

“Because Uhniethi is a possibility,” Lleryth replied. “She is a definite.”

“Does this ‘she’ have a name?” Arwin asked.

“Her name is Ennalen.”

“Surely Niel will gain some benefit from having his own piece of the Heart,” Arwin said. “Couldn’t he use it to protect himself, or at least hide?”

Lleryth frowned. “I’m afraid it’s also possible Ennalen may already have a good idea who and where Niel is. If so, she likely has dispatched at least one other to find him.”

“Then can’t
you
protect him?” Jharal snapped.

“No,” Lleryth said. “Not in the manner you’re meaning.”

“Why would she have any interest in me?” Niel asked.

“Ennalen believes
she
is the Apostate,” Lleryth said. “Whether this is because Uhniethi left her an indication such as he did with you, or simply because she is mad, we cannot say. The reasons behind what she is doing have little bearing on the fact that she must be prevented from doing it.”

“And just how do you propose we do that?” Jharal asked angrily.

Lleryth gave a thin smile. “By seeking out where the great divide has yet to begin.”

After a brief, befuddled stare, Jharal scoffed. “Right. Sure. Why didn’t I think of that.”

“What does that mean?” Cally asked.

“It’s what the statue told me when I took the stone from its hand,” Niel said.

“The Peridehn Mountains are the starting point for what you call the Black Wall,” Lleryth explained. “There the remainder of the Heart lies, and it is there you must go to prevent Ennalen from obtaining it.”

“That’s in northern Lyrria,” Arwin said. “It would take weeks on horseback. There’s no way for us to get there in time, particularly if Ennalen has a head start.”

“We’ve... managed to buy a little time,” Lleryth answered. “But only a little. Thus, a suitable method of transportation has been arranged.”

Arwin sat quietly in thought, looking first at Lleryth, then for several long moments at Niel, then raising a questioning eyebrow at Cally.

“I don’t believe this,” Cally muttered as she shook her head.

Lleryth shuffled rather than floated to the door.

“You no doubt have much you wish to discuss. We shall take our leave and give you privacy. I ask you to trust that in this room you may speak freely. No one will hear anything you say.”

When he reached the doorway, Lleryth turned once more to face the group while Riahnn and Briajl continued out. “I also ask you to trust that alone or not, all that is to come is not something Niel will be able to avoid. As will none of us, should he fail.”

Lleryth bowed then stepped outside. The door closed on its own behind him.

For a long while, no one said a word.

Finally, Peck spoke. “Arwin?”

The swordsman raised both eyebrows.

“The next time you decide to go out and find us a magician, be sure to let me know so I can find a dull knife and cut off my own head.”

There followed a collective exhalation—far from laughter, but nonetheless a breaking of tension that let the conversation get underway.

“Or better yet,” Niel said bleakly, “chop off the magician’s head and spare him and everyone else some grief.”

Arwin chuckled.

Cally got up from her place at the table. “Do you think this is a
joke?

“On the contrary,” Arwin replied. “Were I to be perfectly honest, I’d say I’ve never been more frightened in my life, thank you.”

Caught off guard by Arwin’s candor, Cally turned on her heel and began to pace.

“But,” he continued, “if we’re to believe even some of what Lleryth tells us, we have little say about our involvement in this. Niel?”

Niel looked over.

“Do you trust our host?”

Niel searched the smooth, wooden floor. “Yes, I do.”

“As do I,” Arwin agreed, somberly. “So we’re going to have to assume we are all now happy players in something of serious consequence to every living soul in the Lands.”

“Or the world,” Jharal grumbled.

“Please,” Arwin said with a smirk, “let’s try to keep things to as small of an impossible situation as we can, eh?”

Cally walked back to the table, kicked a pillow out of the way, and sat.

“All right,” she said, “so a Magistrate with nothing better to do gets the urge to heal the Heart of the Sisters. Then what? I mean, I want to know where Uhniethi fits in, because I’m with Arwin—the idea of him still creeping around scares the piss out of me.”

“If I recall,” Arwin said, “he caused the Devastation by exploring forbidden magic. Maybe he found part of the Heart long before leaving for Talmoor.”

“Seems to me if he’s got that big a blade to swing,” Jharal added, “then he’d have used it. You don’t wipe half the College from the map because you’re a wee bit miffed. Why hole himself up for a thousand years instead of finishing what he started?”

“Maybe there are consequences to having a cantle for so long that kept him from doing just that,” Niel answered. “Then again, maybe he really is dead.”

“Or,” Peck said, looking over at Niel, “he’s luring you and Ennalen in for reasons only he knows.”

A chill descended on the room.

“I wish you’d stop saying things like that to me,” Niel muttered.

Peck held up his hands. “Hey, you’re the one Lleryth’s wooden friend mentioned during the little puppet show Uhniethi left behind. I’m only putting two and two together.”

Niel glared back in reply.

“I think it comes down to this,” Arwin said. “Like it or not, we’ve stumbled into the path of something bigger and more important than any of us has even dreamed about facing. And it seems Niel, Apostate or not, is smack dab in the middle of it. As far as I’m concerned, that means we’re all smack dab in the middle of it.”

He stood. “Part of me wants to apologize for my hand in getting us into this. But I’d be lying if I said another part of me wasn’t grateful for the chance to turn something small and tedious into something worthwhile. So I pledge myself to the aid and protection of our friend, Niel, and to the completion of this task.”

A long silence ensued.

Niel looked around at his companions, having no idea what would happen next.

BOOK: A Mage Of None Magic (Book 1)
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