The Hunter's Gambit

by Nicholas McIntire

  Jonas' eyes widened, “Did She threaten you?”

  Aleksei shook his head, dropping into a seat on the floor, resting his back against the settee Jonas had occupied for the better part of the evening. “Nothing like that. She sounded afraid. Honestly, She sounded terrified.”

  “So what did you do?” Jonas asked, leaning forward.

  Aleksei laid his head against the settee and groaned, “I went to see Roux. The Ri-Vhan have documents that talk about the Lost. He promised he would send Ri-Vhan to warn the villagers in Timurus, to instruct them in proper behavior and to recognize warning signs.

  “Something similar will have to be done in the Relvyn Wood, but that will take time. Time and understanding of exactly what we’re dealing with down there.”

  “But you said the appearance of the Lost is a cause for greater concern.”

  Aleksei nodded, “She told me that they are some lesser form of demon. Not dangerous unless you’re a fool, really. But deadly. And worse, their return is a warning.

  “As are the beasts in the south. Or at least the spell that created them.”

  “A warning? That someone is trying to find this Demonic Presence?”

  Aleksei sighed, “Have you heard of it?”

  Jonas frowned, absently running his fingers through Aleksei’s hair. “It sounds familiar. I’ve been looking through every book I can get my hands on in the Voralla, and I’ve only seen it referenced a time or two. But the Vault is enormous and I have access to only the most basic texts. I would need a high-ranking Magus to get access to the hidden and encrypted texts. Certainly any texts that go back to the Kholod Wars.”

  “Whatever you have to do, Jonas, we need to know more about this. I asked Roux about it and he promised to look through the Ri-Vhan collection, but those books span the last thousand years. It’s no small feat.”

  “Well, I highly doubt Sammul will grant me access to the restricted areas.” He paused. “But I might have another way.”

  Aleksei sat straighter, twisting. “What do you mean?”

  Jonas shrugged, “The Ilyari are hardly the only nation with ancient texts. The Angels of Dalita are just as likely to have books from the Kholod Wars. And I doubt anyone will turn me away there.”

  Aleksei arched an eyebrow, “I know your father was an angel, but is that enough to get access to their most prized secrets?”

  Jonas looked away from Aleksei, “In a manner of speaking.”

  “Why?”

  The Magus returned Aleksei’s gaze. His emerald eyes wavered.

  “Because my father was also a prince.”

  Kevara Avlon, Angelus to the Host and Empress of all Dalita, was drunk.

  She lay in her aerie, golden wings framing her tiny form as she stared listlessly at the ceiling.

  Above her, delicate birds swirled about in the sky around depictions of various miracles of the One-God. All of it was rendered in the finest detail by the most talented artisans of her empire and yet she hardly saw the murals anymore.

  Her world was ending.

  Beside her a half-empty bottle of firebrandy lay near a pile of golden paper. Those papers reported the most intriguing and worthy information from Ilyar in the past month. Such messages often contained economic news, intelligence of trade negotiations and the like.

  That pattern had come to a choking halt.

  The Ilyari Queen was sending Archanium Magi and Legionnaires to the south upon suspicion of unexplained attacks.

  And something else. A description of a beast. Of a revenant.

  “Grandmother?”

  Kevara Avlon raised her head from the velvet cushions that surrounded her and smiled weakly. “Leigha, darling, will you join an old woman in her misery?”

  The young angel glided down to her grandmother and frowned at the bottle she saw lying to the side.

  “Grandmother, what’s wrong with you? The entire Basilica is in an uproar. Evening services were held by Malachai and suddenly the entire Host is convinced you’ve taken ill. As it stands, I’m afraid I’d rather lie than tell them you’re just drunk.”

  Surprisingly, the Angelus laughed, “It’s so easy for you to judge me, Leigha dear. But tarry a moment. Come here.”

  The angel paused for a long moment before floating gracefully forward. Irritated though she may be, Kevara knew Leigha was curious to know what might have caused such a drastic reaction from a woman so prim and self-possessed.

  “Read this.” Kevara Avlon whispered, handing Leigha a single sheaf of paper.

  Her granddaughter looked down and scanned the words. The paper fell from her hand as she reached for the bottle and took a long pull.

  The Angelus laughed again, “Very good, child. You understand, then?”

  Leigha wiped her mouth and nodded, closing her eyes.

  “The Second Transept has been opened.” she whispered. “Dear God, Grandmother, what can be done?”

  Kevara Avlon shook her head, “Who knows? It all depends on the Prime Key, doesn’t it?”

  Leigha frowned, “But surely it’s in the Reliquary. Why would we allow such a thing out of our sight?”

  The Angelus shrugged, “Darling, it’s been one thousand years. And unfortunately, not all of my predecessors were as…conscientious as I am. Many sought to build our empire rather than protect the past. And sometimes the latter was sacrificed in the name of the former.”

  Leigha blinked, “Are you telling me we traded the Keys for political favor?”

  Kevara Avlon shrugged, “It’s one of the theories I’ve come up with over the years. Not all of them, you understand. But definitely the Prime Key.”

  “But why?” Leigha cried out angrily.

  Her grandmother smiled, “Well tell me, dear, why worry about the Prime Key if you simply take care to protect the Third? If they cannot open the Third Gate, why worry over the other two.”

  “But the Third Key was stolen centuries ago.” Leigha groaned.

  “Yes well, it’s a bit late to fret about that now, isn’t it?” Kevara slurred, “By the time the Third was stolen, the Prime Key was long gone. God only knows where.”

  Leigha took another pull from the bottle. “Shouldn’t we send word to Ilyar?”

  Kevara Avlon considered for a long moment. “No.” she said finally. “No, the scriptures are quite clear on this. We must wait and watch. They might come across something on their own. If we tell them everything now, it could make them short-sighted.”

  Leigha nodded her understanding, “As you say, Angelus.”

  The Angelus smiled.

  “That’s a good girl.”

  Aleksei walked softly across the South Lawn, his mind roiling with the developments of the day. He had long since learned that the Lord Captain carried an enormous responsibility, but he doubted that Captain Lenox ever dealt with cryptic warnings from the Seil Wood or strange beasts in the South.

  He did his best not to think ill of the man, but he couldn’t help but wish he had his old life back. Being a mere captain in the Legion was something to be proud of. Being the Lord Captain of Her Majesty’s Legion was something to be feared.

  Feared by others, not by the bearer of the title. But with the danger of holding the title and being so young, Aleksei knew he had a target on his back. It was why he’d been granted the title to begin with.

  Andariana should have just called him what he was. Bait. A year had impossibly passed and gods, he was so weary of being afraid.

  He wandered towards the single structure that dominated the South Lawn.

  The Cathedral of Mokosh.

  Aleksei pushed open one of the giant doors that led into the sanctuary. It was empty at this hour, save for the small flame that burned before the altar.

  His footsteps cast echoes through the massive chamber as he walked, as he contemplated what he’d just done.

  Strange creatures were rising up around them, and he’d just ordered four hundred men to
what could very well be their deaths. He had no idea what they were up against. Perhaps the Magi could sort something out.

  Perhaps they couldn’t.

  Aleksei stopped several pews from the front of the altar and knelt, resting his head in his hands.

  His entire life on the farm had been dictated by the whims of the Goddess, and he felt She had always favored him and his father. It was difficult to keep such a small farm going, yet each season they had enjoyed good fortune.

  But now it was not respite from the winter’s chill or early rain that he required. He needed solace. From the time he was little, Aleksei had felt a certain bond with Her, a comforting, motherly connection.

  And right then he needed hope.

  Hope for a future that grew dimmer by the day.

  Heavy footfalls jerked Aleksei out of his contemplation. He looked sharply around the sanctuary, trying to place the source of the sound.

  A flicker of movement to the right caught his eye and he stood.

  A man was walking towards him, on the other side of the massive marble columns that supported the vaulted ceiling.

  He was cloaked in heavy black wool.

  “Hello?” Aleksei called.

  The man said nothing; he simply kept approaching.

  “Who are you?” Aleksei demanded.

  Again, no response.

  A scent filled Aleksei’s nostrils. He coughed as the heavy, acrid stink swirled in his mind. He felt a deafening echo surround him. It pulsed without pounding.

  It was the man’s heart.

  He fingered the sword at his hip.

  The doors of the Cathedral burst open and Aleksei turned to see a small bird flit through the doorway and melt into the shape of a man.

  He turned back to the black figure, but it was gone.

  Aleksei growled in frustration.

  “Aleksei!”

  He turned to Jonas, “What is it?”

  “Where is he?” Jonas panted.

  “Who?”

  “The Magus. I came as soon as I felt him.”

  Aleksei turned to where the man had been. “He disappeared.” Aleksei said after a long silence. “I didn’t see where he came from and he didn’t say anything. He just kept walking towards me.”

  Jonas frowned, “And then he just vanished?”

  Aleksei nodded, “When you came through the door.”

  “Did you see his face?”

  Aleksei shook his head, “I have his pulse. I have his scent. It…smells of death.”

  “That sounds about right.”

  Jonas started walking towards the vestry, but Aleksei stepped in front of him, “What aren’t you telling me?”

  Jonas clenched his jaw for a moment before relaxing, “He’s the one, Aleksei. He killed Lord Captain Lenox and Lord Bazin. He almost killed me. When I find him….”

  Aleksei gripped Jonas' shoulders, “What? What will you do? Do you have a plan?”

  Jonas paused, “No.”

  Aleksei looked deep into Jonas' eyes, “Never attack another Magus, never attack anyone without a plan. It might fall apart in a moment, but you can’t let them have the upper hand, Jonas.”

  The Magus stared right back at Aleksei, and the Knight knew he was pushing his Magus' patience.

  “Let’s see if he’s still hanging around.” Aleksei finally allowed. “Did he embrace the Archanium here?”

  Jonas paused for a moment, “No. Not here.”

  The prince started running towards the altar. Aleksei ran after him, drawing his sword. He was shaken enough to have encountered the man who killed his predecessor. He hadn’t even been able to recognize the Magus, but now he had the man’s scent. He could hear the man’s heart.

  He followed Jonas down into the vestry and deeper into the catacombs that lay beneath the Cathedral.

  Labyrinthine though it was, Jonas seemed to have no difficulty finding his way. Aleksei followed closely behind, desperately trying to remember which way they’d come.

  Jonas vanished into a hole burned into the wall.

  Aleksei followed and dropped into the sewer below.

  “Stop.” Jonas called.

  Aleksei dug his heels in and turned to make sure they weren’t being followed. The scents of waste and decay pervaded the air, but he couldn’t find a trace of anything new. The last scent to pass through was from the strange Magus.

  But there was something else.

  “Something’s down there.” Aleksei whispered.

  Jonas turned and frowned, “What?”

  Aleksei moved past the prince and reached a hand down into the murk.

  A body floated to the surface, bloated and rotting.

  It was a member of the Guard.

  Aleksei’s blood boiled.

  Jonas studied the Guardsman’s corpse in confusion. More boy than man, the soldier stared at the sewer ceiling in frozen surprise.

  After a few moments of watching the body bob up and down on the low current, he crouched down and ran his hands through the air over the body. Reaching into the Archanium, Jonas searched the body for the cause of death.

  “Any ideas?” he asked Aleksei after a moment.

  The Knight crouched next to him, “His scent is…strange.

  There’s no disease in his blood, nothing out of the ordinary beyond the beginning signs of decay. Did you detect any broken bones?”

  Jonas shook his head, “Near as I can tell, this man should be perfectly fine. It’s as if his heart just stopped beating.”

  Aleksei cursed and stood, studying the walls of the tunnel that fed into the Ylik Water to the east.

  “What about echoes? Can you see anything?”

  Jonas stood and stared at the stones, searching for Archanium echoes clinging to the stone like moss.

  And then they flashed before his eyes.

  “Who is capable of touching this much of the Nagavor?” Jonas wondered aloud.

  The Akhrana embodied the firmament of the Great Sphere, a tranquil sky held aloft on the pillars of growth and order. Serving to balance these magics, the Nagavor was a churning nether born of destruction and chaos.

  Sammul’s Magi were limited in their power, strictly limited to the farthest meridians of the Akhrana. None of the Magi in the Voralla could touch magic like this.

  “And you’re sure this was a Magus?” Aleksei asked.

  Jonas nodded, “It had to be. Dalitian angels, Yrini warlocks, the Fanja Ul’Brek; they all use the Archanium, but in completely different ways. These echoes could only have been produced by a Magus. One who walks a far meridian of the Nagavor.”

  Aleksei frowned, “I don’t understand. Why would a Magus with this sort of power want to sneak into Kalinor? He could just as easily walk up to the front gates and ask to be let in. None of the Voralla Magi would be able to sense a Magus that far from their own path.”

  “But they would still feel the general presence of the Archanium around him. And if anyone had seen his echoes before….”

  “Then we might recognize him.” Aleksei finished. “So why come up through the Cathedral? How was he to know that someone wouldn’t be worshiping or keeping a vigil? Someone who could just as easily sound the alarm?”

  “He couldn’t. If he could, he would have realized that you were in there. Or perhaps he didn’t care. This Magus is certainly powerful enough to destroy a mere acolyte or priest.”

  “Or a Lord Captain.” Aleksei noted bitterly. “But he doesn’t seem confident enough to risk confrontation with another Magus. He certainly wasn’t frightened by me, but once you showed up, he vanished.”

  “And what a pretty trick that was.” Jonas muttered, his eyes narrowing.

  There were a good many things Jonas would like to know about this Magus. The whole event raised a number of suspicions in his mind, but he couldn’t put it together just yet. What would a Magus of this power want in the Voralla?

  The Voralla was fille
d with ancient magic, but so many secrets, so many treasures, had been lost since the Kholod War. The harder Jonas reached into the Archanium for answers, the more they eluded him.

  He touched the wall again and frowned. “I don’t suppose there’s any chance you can track this echo?”

  Aleksei shook his head, “It doesn’t work like that. If I had a scent, a drop of blood, anything tangible I’d be fine. But I can’t follow an Archanium echo. And his scent is fading too fast down here. It matches the rest of this filth too closely.”

  Jonas nodded. He’d figured as much, but with Aleksei it was always best to ask. He’d seen the man perform too many impossibilities in the year they had been bonded.

  “But what would he want?” Aleksei asked finally. “I mean, why tromp through a sewer? Why risk detection?”

  Jonas shrugged, “There are countless reasons in the Voralla alone. It’s over a millennium old, Aleksei. There is lore in that palace that is both misunderstood and underused, mainly because it’s all so old. We’ve lost so much since the Kholod Wars. Perhaps this Magus knows how to use one of the artifacts from the War, or perhaps he needs one of the books in the Vault.”

  Aleksei frowned, “That Magus didn’t kill Lord Captain Lenox for sport. He knew something.”

  Jonas considered for a moment. “Quite possibly. We don’t know why Lenox was killed. Or Bazin, for that matter.”

  “Yes, but there was a Magus involved. And he used the Nagavor.”

  “But it’s more than that.” Jonas whispered. “Aleksei, the more time I have to study these echoes, the more they feel like…like they came from me.”

  Aleksei arched an eyebrow, “You?”

  Jonas nodded, “As though I created them, except that I don’t use the Archanium like this. There’s no subtlety in it. This Magus uses the Archanium like a battering ram. Even if I could touch the Nagavor to this depth, I wouldn’t use so much blunt power. My connection to the Archanium works differently, It requires some measure of balance. Not this one.”