The Magus frowned, “You’ve been here for days?”
Aleksei chuckled, “Ah, I forgot that part. The Wood told me to ride west into the Heart because I would go too slowly otherwise. I didn’t want to because I didn’t want to waste any more time than was absolutely necessary. But I did as She said, and when I exited the Wood I was just outside Drava.”
“How is that possible?”
“The Woods are connected. The Seil Wood called Relvyn Her ‘brother’. She said that since the Relvyn Wood had no Hunter to protect Him, I was being sent for a while.”
“Did She say anything else?” Jonas asked, leaning forward.
Aleksei considered for a long moment, “Well, after I killed the Salamander, She told me I was ‘true’, but I’m not exactly sure what that means.”
Jonas nodded, “That was it, then.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“That was when She placed the Mantle on you. You proved yourself a true Hunter, and so you were rewarded.”
“But what does that mean?” Aleksei demanded. “How does this reward me? You said I had to prove worthy of it.”
Jonas raised his hands defenselessly, “I said I’d read what I could find on the subject, but I am far from an expert on this. When She said you were ‘true’, She meant a true protector. Other Hunters might have only used their skills to hunt the animals of the Wood and the like, but you came when called and used the gifts She gave you to protect Her.
“From what I understand, the Mantle is an extension of trust. It is the Wood’s blessing on Her Hunter, wherever he goes.”
Aleksei shrugged, “I suppose that makes sense. When I fought yesterday it began to feel warm and it changed from black to red, but I didn’t really feel any appreciable difference. I was still just as tired, I was still moving just as fast.”
“Well you don’t appear to have to done too poorly for yourself.” Jonas remarked dryly.
“What do you mean?”
Jonas shrugged, his voice somber, “Of all the men sent down here, you’ve sustained few notable injuries. And yet you’ve just explained that you were in the most danger. You arrived alone and led the remains of Vadim’s failed command against the same assault, yet you have only a scratch on your face and a bruise.”
“That’s from the Wood.”
In spite of the circumstances, Jonas couldn’t help but laugh, “Well, there you have it.”
“I think some of my ribs are broken, too.” Aleksei put in after a moment.
Jonas' mirth evaporated, “That Salamander beat you up pretty badly, didn’t it?”
Aleksei nodded, “I tried to cut its throat.”
The Magus winced.
Aleksei managed a chuckle. It was amazing that something like the Salamander, which had been such an ordeal a day ago, could now be reduced to a laughing matter.
Jonas placed his hand gently on Aleksei’s chest and Aleksei felt the warmth of healing flow through him.
“So how did you finally kill it?” Jonas asked, after a moment of silence. He had finished with Aleksei’s ribs and slashed hand, cupping the Knight’s face in his hand, sending the Archanium into the soft flesh, righting what had been damaged, mending the broken blood vessels with the same ease a seamstress would mend a tear.
“Blind luck.” Aleksei muttered. “It threw me, so I ran for my sword. I couldn’t see anything; it was too dark. But I think that also meant it couldn’t see me very well. Anyhow, I found my sword and just…threw it. Out of desperation more than anything else. And then I didn’t hear it anymore, so I figured it must be dead. I got one of the rella mushrooms that grow around lembak trees, the ones I told you about that glow when you cut them?”
Jonas nodded.
“The Salamander had been rearing. I think it was about to strike. The sword went through its head, through the back of its mouth.”
The Magus stared at his Knight in amazement. “If you had any idea how much trouble Salamanders caused in the Kholod Wars…how much difficulty the Magi of the age had in discovering their weaknesses….” He took his hand away from the Knight’s face, leaning in and giving Aleksei a gentle kiss. “There you are, all better.”
Aleksei grinned, running his hand over the area where the bruise had been, “Thank you.”
“Aleksei,” Jonas said with no small amount of trepidation, “there’s something I need to speak with you about.”
The Knight frowned, “I can’t say I like your tone.”
Jonas chuckled humorlessly. “As I was leaving Kalinor, I began to think about some of the…more unusual things that have been happening recently.”
“Such as?”
“Such as the sudden appearance of the beasts down here.”
Aleksei caught his Magus' mood, “There’s something more to this, isn’t there?”
Jonas closed his eyes and after a moment Aleksei realized the man was praying. When he opened his eyes again, the Knight thought he detected tears. “Someone is seeking the Prime Key.”
“Prime Key?”
Jonas sat back on the bed and cradled his face in his hands. After a moment he looked up. “Have you ever heard of the Magus Cassian?”
“You mean the Demon Cassian?”
Jonas sighed, “They’re the same man in essence. Cassian was merely a pawn of a powerful demonic force. But he only unleashed the demon in an effort to sweep the Kholod from this world.”
“So why didn’t the demon simply come here itself? Why possess Cassian?”
Jonas shrugged, “The demons lack the magic to enter our world. When Cassian entered theirs, they were able to use him as a vessel. But they were unable to create a corporeal form, and thus were trapped within him.”
“The story I was told was very primitive, but it never mentioned anything about a key or possession. Only that the Demon was eventually defeated by the angels.”
Jonas snorted contemptuously, “The Magi of the time felt that the Kholod were a larger threat. So when Cassian grew too destructive, the angels created a tangential power called the Seraphima. By summoning this magic, the Angelus battled Cassian and trapped his spirit in a statue. That statue was then sealed away within the Cathedral of Dazhbog.”
Aleksei was becoming rapidly more confused, “Jonas, there is no Cathedral of Dazhbog. The daylight is His Cathedral.”
Jonas waved Aleksei’s words away, “A myth created to hide the truth. If no such place existed, no one would search for it.”
“So where is it?”
“Carved into the northern cliffs of Dalita, near a village called Krilya.”
Aleksei actually laughed at that, “The angels built a Cathedral to our God of Light? I thought they called us heathens.”
“Precisely. Cassian was a follower of the gods, not of the angels’ One-God. The hope was that by calling upon one of our gods, incidentally the one most similar to their One-God, the site would be blessed and rendered immune from the corruption of the Presence within. It was superstition in its highest form, but it appeased the angels.”
“Where are you heading with this?”
Jonas tried to keep his patience. It was very difficult to give someone an entire history lesson on a subject he had no knowledge of, to say the least. But he needed Aleksei to do more than just remember the things he was told. Jonas needed him to understand them.
“The angels created gates to seal away the Demonic Presence. These were efforts of both Magi and angels, so neither side could use the Archanium to undermine the other. When the gates were constructed, certain entities were sealed behind each of them.
“Part of the reason was to seal away the horrors that Cassian had brought into the world. But others were placed there as a warning.”
“Hence the return of the Lost?” Aleksei guessed.
Jonas nodded, “The Wood told you that the Lost were lesser demons. They were trapped behind the third gate. Their sudden reappearance was supposed to warn us t
hat someone was seeking the Demonic Presence.”
Jonas' face took on a darker cast. “Behind the second gate, the angels sealed away a constructed magic, something created of the Archanium, but which exists outside of it. The Mantle on your shoulders is just one such example, though it’s conjured of Wood magic.”
Aleksei reflexively reached up and brushed the markings. They thrashed at his touch, one taloned paw lifting from his skin and caressing the length of his hand.
“It has been rumored that the magic they sealed away behind the second gate allowed Cassian to feed the souls of his victims to the Demonic Presence. The remaining husks were transformed into mindless beasts. Creatures called revenants.”
“Dear gods.” Aleksei whispered. “And there’s only one gate remaining?”
Jonas nodded grimly.
Aleksei’s head was spinning with the possible implications, “What happens if the Prime Gate is opened?”
Jonas shrugged, “Whoever opens the Prime Gate receives the same power that Cassian once commanded. But the key to the Gate has been hidden for millennia.”
“Do you know where it is?”
Jonas shook his head, “That’s what I’m saying. The Prime Key hasn’t been seen in a thousand years. Even reports describing it are apocryphal at best.”
Aleksei stared at Jonas. “What? Why wasn’t it hidden away?”
“After a few hundred years, artifacts like the Prime Key become a traded commodity, used more to garner political favor than anything. There’s no way of telling what it looked like or where it ended up.”
Aleksei lapsed into silence, trying to reconcile this new information with the things he’d seen in Drava. If the revenants were being commanded by a Magus seeking such power…. A chill swept through him.
“So,” Jonas asked after a moment, “you fought off the revenants with two broken ribs and a gash in your sword hand?”
Aleksei nodded, jerked from his thoughts, “It wasn’t as bad as it sounds. I mean, I’ve broken ribs before. I got kicked in the chest by a colt when I was a boy and then I still had to do all of my chores. That hurt. This wasn’t nearly so bad. As for my hand…I don’t know, once we engaged the revenants, it burned, but it was far from my primary concern.”
Jonas marveled. He had been curious upon learning that his Knight was from a small farm. What could a farmer possibly know that could aid him in a world of magic and political intrigue? It had only taken Aleksei moments to clear any delusions Jonas had about his competency.
There was a knock at the door, and Aleksei rolled his eyes. “Gods, what do you people want?” he roared.
Jonas stood as Aleksei went to the door and tried to make himself look as composed and regal as he could. Only a very select handful of people had ever seen Jonas at complete ease and of them only Aleksei was in Drava.
The door opened and Ilyana stood on the other side, her face creased with worry.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
Aleksei frowned, “Of course I am. Why, what’s wrong?”
She shook her head, “I just thought I felt something…different in here and I–” She froze, her eyes focused on his face.
“What is it?”
“Your face is better.” she said softly. “How could you possibly….” Her eyes moved past him and she gasped when she caught sight of Jonas. “Great gods, when did you get here?”
Jonas sighed inwardly. He would have liked to remain unannounced at least a little longer, at least long enough to bed his Knight for one night. “Only moments ago. It’s good to see you again, Ilyana.”
She rushed past Aleksei and threw her arms around the prince, “Gods, Jonas, you have no idea what it’s been like here!” She stepped back, suddenly self-conscious that she had hugged the Prince of Ilyar. “We aren’t skilled enough to do this!”
He frowned, “Do what?”
She shook her head, her fine blond hair shaking out around her shoulders in a tangled cascade, “Any of it. The fighting, the healing. The shields we created the other evening were at least useful, but even that pushed us past exhaustion.”
Jonas glanced at Aleksei, but the Knight indicated that he would explain later. He looked back to Ilyana, who was now on the precipice of tears. “We can’t survive another attack, Jonas. We can’t! I still don’t know how we managed last time.”
Jonas tried to smile warmly, “Have faith. Aleksei’s not going to let anything happen to you, and neither am I. Not if we can help it.”
She smiled at him, her ocean eyes glittering with unshed tears, “Thank you, Jonas.”
He nodded and pulled her into one more gentle hug, “We’re going to get to the bottom of this, Ilyana. I promise. Give us a few days and we’ll work it out.”
She nodded and hugged him back, then turned away, “I’m going to bed. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t need anything, Lord Captain.”
Aleksei smiled gently, “Get some rest.”
She bowed her head, “Thank you. Good night Highness, Lord Captain.”
When the door had shut behind her, Jonas glanced at Aleksei, “What did she mean?”
“About the battle?”
The Magus nodded and Aleksei briefly laid out the tactics he’d used in the last fight.
Jonas arched an eyebrow at the end of the account, “I’m impressed. I would never have thought to use the Magi like that.”
Aleksei chuckled, “If we’d let our sheep just roam wherever they pleased, any number of things could happen to them. If they were in the pen, we could control them, keep them safe and keep them accounted for.
“I wasn’t about to let those things get on the other side of me. I couldn’t let them surround us, but there were few enough that I felt they could be corralled with the Archanium. After that it just became a simple slaughter job, except they were lunging for our throats.”
Jonas shook his head in amazement yet again. Aleksei’s combination of open-faced honesty and forthright directness led many to believe that he was simple, a puppet to those more devious and intelligent than himself.
Jonas, on the other hand, knew exactly what his Knight’s behavior meant; only that as he ran his sword through your gut, he would tell you exactly why you deserved it.
“So, what were you planning for tomorrow?” Jonas asked after a long silence.
Aleksei walked over to the small table and pointed to his map, “The Relvyn Wood was a stronghold during the Kholod Wars, right?”
Jonas nodded, “The Wood for the Magi’s side, yes, and the mountains beyond it for the Kholodym. There was a fortress in the mountains called the Drakleyn; it was one of their last and most powerful strongholds until about five years before the end of the War.”
“What happened?”
Jonas chuckled despite the severity of their situation, “A Magus named Elise dropped a mountain on it. She discovered a way to use sound to crack the foundation of the mountain overshadowing the Drakleyn and it crushed the fortress. And everyone inside.”
Aleksei frowned, “Well apparently there’s something left of the structure. The woodsmen here have all told me stories about seeing towers and walls high in the mountains. They claim it’s haunted or some such nonsense. But if you say the Drakleyn was crushed during the Kholod Wars….”
Jonas shrugged, “That’s the story. The reality of the situation might be very different. At the time, all that was important was that the Kholod inside were dead and that the magic of the place no longer functioned.”
“I don’t understand. How can a structure have magic?”
“The Voralla has magic, Aleksei. Why not any other structure?”
“But the Voralla has magic because it exists in the same place as the Apsis, where the Archanium touches our world.” Aleksei said, clearly confused. “Was the Drakleyn a similar such place?”
Jonas shook his head, “The Kholodym didn’t use the Archanium. I’ve never actually seen a reference to what the
source of their magic was, but it obviously held some sort of sway over the Archanium.
“They used some of it to enslave the Magi, to touch the Archanium through us. Much of their architecture was designed to convey their own magic in various ways. There are very few examples of Kholod architecture left but each structure served a purpose. The Drakleyn was one of their strongholds because it was built as a weapon. When its magic was operational, there were any number of horrors it could inflict on the surrounding area. That’s why it was so hard to attack; no one could get close enough to launch an assault before they were destroyed.”
“Well according to the locals, some part of it still exists,” Aleksei said, looking back to his map. “The mountains form a ring, and the ruins are at the back of the valley. It’s a highly defensible position because those mountains are all but impossible to climb. The only real way into the valley is through the pass in the Wood. If anyone wanted to have a place to consolidate their power, this would be it.”
Jonas considered for a long moment. He agreed with Aleksei’s assessment of the situation, but he worried about who might be hiding back there. They knew it had to be a Magus tied to the Nagavor, the destructive hemisphere of the Great Sphere, that much had already been made clear.But Jonas could only guess at what sort of powers such a person would possess. Or how his own talents would respond if he were confronted by such a Magus. The prospect did not fill him with an enormous amount of hope.
“Alright,” he said finally, “here’s what we’re going to do.”
CHAPTER 26
Old Crow, Little Sparrow
HADE STEPPED AWAY from the window, admiring his work. It had taken over an hour, but the final window of the inn had finally been boarded up.
“Here you are.”
He turned his head and smiled as Vadim approached. His Knight had been in a strange mood of late. He seemed changed. Hade remembered how angry Vadim had been before Aleksei’s arrival.
He had ranted for hours about how this was all part of the Lord Captain’s design, that he had been sent to ruin himself. But since Aleksei’s victory in the field, Vadim had been silent. His rage seemed cooled, the obsessive fire quenched.
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