Rogue Magician (The Magician Rebellion) (12 page)

The
desire to please her was overwhelming and he quickly found himself up and off
of the flowerbed where he had wakened and standing beside the fair-haired woman
on a dirt path. Taking a larger survey of his surroundings Byrn realized the
dirt path extended ahead and behind him going into the horizon, as did the
“beds” of flowers that were actually never ending fields.

“
Do
you understand why you are here?” asked the woman that Byrn was sure must be a
goddess for no human could be so beautiful.

“
My
lady, I do not even know
where
here is,” he
confessed.

“
Well
at least you have some manners,” scoffed the goddess.

“
See.
He is not so bad,” replied the goddess's voice this time from his opposite
side. A moment ago there had been no one else for as far as Byrn could see, but
now there was another woman standing to his right. She was the twin of the
goddess, but her dress was black and her hair was a striking red. Her beauty
was almost as intoxicating as her sister's, but she had a sly smile instead of
a scowl.

“
Do
not take his side,” the blonde one said petulantly crossing her arms. “What he
did was sacrilege plain and simple. You should take his life here and now for
such an affront.”

“
Oh
dear sister,” the redhead said in a placating manner, “He is just a stupid
human. He does not understand what he is doing. Honestly, I can not recall the
last time I saw you so eager to end a human's life.”

“
And
I fail to recall the last time you were so quick to spare one,” the golden
goddess' eyes burned with fury.

An
uncomfortably silent moment passed that felt more like an hour to Byrn before
he dared speak. He had no idea what was transpiring or what he had done, but he
was confident that he was in way over his head and a misstep could mean his
life. “Pardon me, my ladies,” he began more than a little unsure of himself,
“but may I ask what is going on here?”

“
See,”
the red-haired one smiled triumphantly, “I told you that humans were simple
things.”

“
Do
not act so self righteous, Kassani, you're just taking his side because he is a
deranged, sacrilegious murderer and you think he will drive more souls to you!”

Kassani
laughed. “Please, sister, you wound me. I have more souls than I know what to
do with. Why would I care about a few more?”

If
the red-haired woman was Kassani, the goddess of death, then the golden-haired
one must be Ashura, the goddess of life. That answered one question, but raised
another, “Why does the goddess of life think me a murderer?”

“
Why
do I think you are a murderer?” Ashura scoffed in disbelief. “Well that could
be because you
are
a murderer! You killed nine
people... including your father... at
my
temple... and you used
magic, a gift I gave you, to do it!

“
Do
you not see how that is a direct insult to the gods and me specifically? I have
no illusions about the higher races and their love of war, but I can not turn a
blind eye to what you have done on my very doorstep.”

Byrn
refused to believe what he was hearing. He never killed anyone certainly not
his father. He killed animals while hunting with his father and more recently
two ogres, but never a person. “But I have never killed anyone.”

Kassani
laughed, “There is no need to lie to us, human. Your guilt is not in question.
It is only your punishment that has yet to be determined. My dear sister,
Ashura, wants me to send you to the underworld whereas I would very much like
to see you go on living.” The irony of the goddess of life wishing him dead and
the goddess of death wanting to spare him was not lost on Byrn. If it were not
his life in the balance, he might find it absurd.

“
I
swear I did not kill anyone,” Byrn protested tension filling his words.

Ashura
relented, “Perhaps he believes he is speaking the truth. Let us begin his
sentencing then he will understand what he has done... and why he is too
dangerous to be allowed to run amok in the world of the living.”

“
As
you wish, sister,” Kassani said amicably.

Suddenly
Byrn found himself in a nondescript dark chamber. The goddesses stood in front
of him. Kassani was to his left and Ashura was on the right. Between them were
nine figures of differing sizes, but all were decidedly human. He could not
make out any details, but Byrn thought that one looked smaller than the others
like a child.

Ashura
began speaking, “Byrn Lightfoot you stand before us guilty of committing murder
nine times over at my temple in the city of Colum.” Byrn opened his mouth about
to object once again, but the goddess stopped him. “Do not interrupt. As my
sister said, your guilt is not in question.”

She
crossed the chamber to stand before him. Raising her soft hand to Byrn's
forehead she touched him with the tips of her fingers. A bright light flashed
for an instant where Ashura touched his head and a sudden understanding befell
him.

The
goddess of life showed him the dark secret of magic. It was within every living
creature from the smallest insect to the largest beast. The source of magic was
found in their blood. Some were more attuned to it like magicians, but it was
present in all living things. When Byrn summoned forth the fire he used to kill
the ogre at the temple he did so by unknowingly draining the life force, the
very blood itself, from those around him. Anyone with an open wound in close
proximity to Byrn was drained of life to fuel his attack.

He
fell to his knees and began sobbing uncontrollably as the realization of the
death he caused washed over him. Ashura's heart lightened a little watching
him. Her scowl retreated to a frown as she returned to her place to the right
of the assembled figures.

“
Now
you understand. We will give you some time to compose yourself.”

The
goddesses of life and death along with their congregation stood silently
watching with infinite patience. Byrn guessed that to ones such as these time
might be meaningless as he slowly regained his composure.

The
guilt cut him deeper than any knife could and the pain was far worse. “I am
ready for whatever punishment you believe is fitting,” he said to the goddesses
resigning himself to his fate.

“
Do
not be so quick to fall on your sword,” Kassani told him. “Your actions are not
in question, but you may defend them if you wish.”

“
I...
There is nothing I have to say to defend myself.” Byrn told her sadly.

“
Then
you leave us little choice,” said a disappointed Kassani. “Ashura wishes to see
your life ended. I wish to see you spared. Before you stand the souls of the
nine lives you ended. Your fate is in their hands. If they wish to see you join
their ranks, they will stand with Ashura. If they wish to see you spared they
will stand with me.

“
Departed,
please make your choices now.”

One
of the figures stepped forward. Once he came forward Byrn could see that the
figure was that of a man. It spoke with the voice of Tannys Lightfoot. “If he
does not wish to say anything on his own behalf, then I would like to do so for
him.”

Kassani
considered the request. “Such a thing would be reasonable,” she said urging
Tannys to continue.

“
My
name is Tannys Lightfoot and the boy standing before us is my son, Byrn. I know
him as well as I know myself and I can tell you he is a good and honest lad.
What happened to us was a tragedy to be sure, but if Byrn had not been there
would any of us have lived? That ogre would have killed all of us and probably
many others.

“
I
know my son would not have knowingly harmed us even to save others, but what he
did was done to protect lives, not take them.”

“
There
were thirty-seven others at the temple,” Ashura added. “That is hardly
countless.”

“
Then
that is thirty-seven lives that was spared by his actions,” countered Tannys.

“
Why
did you do it? Why did you sacrifice us?” asked another of the figures. This
one was a woman.

“
I
did not know what the consequences would be,” Byrn told her apologetically,
“Magic is new to me. I didn’t understand that magic came from our blood. I did
not even know how to cast a spell. It all happened instinctively.”

“
So
you killed us by instinct?” asked another man. “That is hardly reassuring.”

“
Yes,
I apologize, but yes. If I could undo it, I would. If I could sacrifice myself
to return your lives, I would willingly do so.”

“
Is
that possible?” another man-figure asked.

“
No,”
said Kassani.

“
But
he means it,” interjected Tannys, “Remember when that ogre attacked us, he was
the only one to stand against it. One boy against an ogre.”

“
Yes,
and he used us to defeat it,” said the first woman-figure.

“
Time
grows short,” Ashura reminded her sister. “These souls need to be taken to the
underworld.”

“
Of
course, you are right,” said Kassani in her usual cool manner. “We both have
other duties to attend to. If there are no objections let us begin with the
judgment.”

The
assembly of souls was silent for a moment and then they began to move. Tannys
took a place by Kassani indicating his son should be spared death, as did two
of the men and a woman. The four other adults stood with Ashura leaving only
the child still undecided.

Judging
from his size the boy was probably ten years old. He stared at Byrn for a few
moments and finally asked him, “Do you promise never to kill anyone again?”

“
I
do,” Byrn promised whole-heartedly feeling another rush of guilt and what he
had done.

The
little boy made his way to Kassani's side stopping by Tannys Lightfoot.

“
It
has been decided,” declared Kassani, “Byrn Lightfoot will live.”

“
Thank
you,” Byrn told them. “I will not forget this kindness you have shown me.”

“
Indeed
you will not,” Ashura assured him, “You have made a promise and I intend to see
that you keep it. From this day forward you shall not kill another living thing
as long as you live. Not even a bug and not even to defend your own life. If
you forsake your promise, then your life will be forfeit.

“
Now
go.”

With
a wave of Ashura’s arm Byrn was lost alone in a white void. He felt like he was
tumbling through the sky falling faster and faster until he could no longer
distinguish up from down. Weariness came over him and he found that he could no
longer keep his eyes open.

Four
days passed since the assault on Colum before Byrn woke up in a small brown
earthen room. Large runic symbols were carved into each of the walls and the
cell door. There was a bed on one side and a seat with a small hole in it on
the other that Byrn guessed was a replacement for a water closet.

His
head throbbed and he noticed small scars on his hands and wrists as he sat up
and summarily flopped into the corner propping himself up opposite the large
metal door.

As
he stared at his new surroundings he could only wonder, “Where am I?” and, “How
did I end up in here?”

“
You
are in a cell in Baj,” said an older voice from beyond the door. “I do not know
who you are, but if you are here it is because you are a magician who did
something that the kingdom found to be dreadful enough to warrant sticking you
in this whole.”

“
This
is Sane's fault. If he had only warned me,” Byrn said to himself. Not knowing
whom he was speaking with he chose to speak formally as his father taught him.
To the voice he said, “My name is Byrn Lightfoot of Colum. Might I ask your
name?”

“
It
is good to 'meet' you, Byrn Lightfoot,” said the voice amicably, “I am Xander
Necros, the grand master of necromancy. Perhaps you have heard of me.”

***

“
I
think I may go insane,” Byrn said to no one in particular looking around his
tiny cell. He was unsure how much time had passed since he woke up in the
prison, but it felt like weeks had gone by.

Once
again Byrn looked around the room taking everything in. There was a small slit
in the iron door at eye level for the guards to check on him and another on the
floor to pass plates of food through.

The
only places to sit were a surprisingly comfortable bed and a seat carved out of
the floor with a hole in it for bowel movements that emanated a strong odor on
hot summer days. There was no window and no way to judge the passage of time
except by when meals arrived. Byrn quickly found out that the magicians were
never allowed to leave their sparse cells and the only way to pass the time was
by talking with his fellow prisoners in his cell cluster.

Each
cell cluster consisted of six cells with one prisoner in each cell placed in a
rough circle. The cells were placed in this pattern to keep the prisoners
separated, but still allow them some interaction. It was deemed that magicians
were too dangerous to be allowed to roam outside of their cells at any time and
further they needed to be kept separate to prevent them from killing each other
in a misguided attempt to access the blood source. However, keeping the
prisoners totally isolated locked in their cells for years on end tended to
have the undesirable effect of driving them crazy. So the cell cluster design
came about to prevent sadistic magicians from becoming crazy sadistic
magicians.