Magi Legend

by Andrew Dobell

  “Welcome. Thank you for joining us,” Shaun interrupted. How she got into the bedroom was of little consequence to Shaun, and it didn’t mystify him as much as it did Vanessa. A Magical Artifact could accomplish that with little trouble.

  The assassin offered a small bow in response as she stopped in the doorway.

  “How may I address you?” Shaun asked. Curious to find out her name or something he could use to find out more about her.

  “I am known professionally as Black Lotus. You may address me as such, Shaun-san,” she said.

  Shaun nodded. “Thank you. Please, if you would come over here.”

  She stepped forward, her hands clasped behind her back as she walked over to the window.

  Shaun gestured outside. “The house on the far side of the junction. A Magus by the name of Amanda-Jane Page lives there with two others, they are friends of Yoh’s and he visits most days.”

  She looked intently at the house before looking at the feeds from the cameras. She pointed to the images coming from the alleyway behind the house. “A rear entrance?” she asked.

  “Yes, and Yoh’s favorite. He usually Ports into the alley and enters the house from there.

  “You don’t know where he resides?”

  “I’m afraid not. He’s a capable Magus and has managed to cover his tracks quite well. This is the only place we know he frequents.

  “And the layout of the house?”

  “We only know parts of it. Ben, get Black Lotus a copy of the map.”

  Ben nodded and tapped away on his laptop for a moment until the printer spat out a copy. Ben handed it to the assassin.

  She took it from him and looked at it for a few moments, glancing at the house a couple of times before handing it back to him.

  “Arigato, Ben-san,” she said, thanking him in Japanese.

  “Err, that’s okay,” Ben said, unsure how to reply but taking a guess anyway.

  “Domo, you have been very helpful. I shall await Yoh’s arrival in the alleyway.”

  “Of course,” Shaun said.

  Black Lotus then walked to the door and left the apartment.

  “I thought she might just vanish,” said Vanessa.

  Shaun smiled but said nothing. Instead, he picked up a laptop and sat in one of the soft chairs as he logged into the Dark Web and navigated to where he needed to be.

  He saw his post from a few days ago, asking for anyone to contact him who might be able to help narrow down the timeframe of when Amanda bought the house and hoped that this search would be just as fruitful.

  Within a few minutes he’d discovered that Black Lotus worked for an organisation in Japan that did wet work. Their forte seemed to be assassinations, contract killing, body disposal, and other dirty work. As one of their premiere assassins, Black Lotus travelled the globe, taking on contracts of all kinds, killing Riven, Initiated, Scions, and even a few Magi. The general consensus seemed to be that she was probably a Scion and that she used a range of Magical items that her organisation procured for her from the powerful Magi they worked for.

  But Shaun couldn’t find her real name or her connection to Yoh anywhere. He supposed he might never know, but he already felt better now that he knew a bit more about her. He logged off and closed the laptop.

  All they could do was wait.

  - Summary of the Laws of Necromancy, by Louisa Hunt.

  Within the ranks of the Arcadian Magi, Magic that interferes with the natural order of death, the Soul, and with the Spirits of the dead, is known as Necromancy.

  All living creatures have within them an Energy we refer to as the Anima Mundi, and it’s this that gives us life.

  We know that this energy, upon death, eventually ascends to a higher plane of existence, and the Arcadian Council decrees that interfering with the natural order of this is wrong, dangerous, and can be punishable through expulsion from the Arcadian Ranks (thus becoming a Nomad by default), or death by execution.

  Examples of Necromancy include, but are not limited to:

  - Bringing someone back from the dead who’s Anima Mundi has departed their physical body.

  - Forcibly removing an individual’s Anima Mundi before the death of their body.

  - Replacing an individual’s Anima Mundi with that of a Shade (Anima Mundi that had departed a dead body).

  - Creating a zombie by forcing a Shade into a dead body.

  - Binding one’s own Anima Mundi to your Magically animated dead body, thus becoming a Lich.

  Vendetta

  Greenwich Village, New York

  Liz pulled the pint, slowly filling the glass she held while the customer waited for her. She’d been working behind the bar at The Jade Palace for a nearly a week now, making drinks and talking with customers. It had been precisely what she’d needed to do—getting out the house, away from the Magic of her other life, and mixing with ordinary people. Talking with people who had everyday problems and weren’t being hunted by psychotic wizards was a welcome release for her.

  Even though she worked in the main bar, she almost never saw Yoh or Stella, because they rarely came to the front of the building. It was primarily, a precautionary measure to limit their chances of being spotted, but she supposed it had kept them hidden for this long, so who was she to cast judgement?

  As she pulled the pint, she looked down the bar to the young man sitting at the end. He saw her looking and smiled. Liz smiled back.

  His name was Jason and he’d been in here every day for the last few and always made it a point to talk to her. She’d seen him before, but when he came in the other day, he’d flirted with her. Touching her hand and looking her in the eyes for a moment longer than he needed to. He was polite and she enjoyed the attention and thought he was handsome and well dressed.

  Yesterday, he’d been there at the end of her shift, and afterwards, they went for a drink. She’d been unsure if she should go, or if she needed this kind of attention right now. Liz had thought back to her friends, to Stephen and Ben. Ben had been her first boyfriend. She’d even kissed him before a Nomad had killed him in cold blood.

  That had been over a year ago. Maybe she’d never fully get over it. That kind of thing could easily scar you for life. But as they chatted and drank, Liz realised she might actually be enjoying herself. They laughed and talked about all kinds of things. The differences between British and American cultures came up often, frequently ending with them breaking down into giggles.

  Towards the end of the night, they even had a dance and indulged in a few gentle kisses.

  When she saw him today, there’d been a hint of awkwardness, but it passed quickly and they went back to talking openly again as she served people.

  Before long, her shift was done and her manager informed her she could go home whenever she wanted.

  After she put her things in her locker in the backroom, she pulled on her coat and stepped back into the bar to find Jason waiting for her.

  “I really enjoyed last night. Are you sure we can’t go out tonight? I know a great place we can go,” he said with a charming smile.

  “I know. I did too, but I can’t right now. I have some things to do, but maybe tomorrow? I’m off tomorrow, so we could head into town, have a day together? What do you think?”

  “Sounds great. I’ll call you tomorrow, late morning probably,” he replied, opening the door and allowing her to pass through first.

  “Great. I’m looking forward to it.” She’d sensed the slight disappointment in his voice, so she leaned in and kissed him gently. “I gave you my number, right?”

  “You did. See you tomorrow.”

  They hugged, and she watched as he turned away and walked down the street.

  Feeling happy, she turned and walked over to where Amanda sat on her bike waiting for her.

  “Well, well, well, found yourself a guy, have ye?” Amanda teased as she handed Liz her helmet.

  “His name’s Jason, and, I don’t know. Maybe. He’s nice. I like him,” she
answered, pulling on her helmet.

  “He’s a good looking lad, to be sure.”

  Liz climbed on behind Amanda.

  “Yeah, I noticed.”

  “Bleedin’ right, ye did. I saw you kiss him,” Amanda said as she checked traffic and pulled out onto the road, doing a U-turn to head back to her house.

  Liz didn’t answer, she was too busy thinking about how it felt to kiss him. She thought back to the dance last night when the slow music had come on, and she’d put her arms around him.

  He’d slid his hands down onto her bum and pulled her closer to him as they moved to the music, enjoying each other’s kiss and touch.

  After all the bad memories, it felt great to have a happy one. Liz’s thoughts drifted, and she thought about the night ahead and her plans.

  “Training night tonight?” she asked Amanda.

  “That’s right. We’ll spar in the gym and talk about some Magical theory.”

  As much as she’d enjoyed last night, and as much as she wanted to spend more time with Jason, she couldn’t help but look forward to something a little more routine, something familiar that she could lose herself in.

  She looked up at the passing buildings as they sped through the city, enjoying the rush of air and the sense of freedom that the bike gave her and she wondered if this concrete jungle might ever feel like home.

  ***

  “Well done, Padawan. That was great, you’re really coming along,” Amanda said, trying to catch her breath as she pulled Liz in for a rough hug.

  “Thanks.” Liz smiled up at her.

  Amanda enjoyed seeing Liz looking a happier and more optimistic. After the past year and a half, she deserved a bit of happiness in her life. Something she could smile about. Seeing her step out of The Jade Palace earlier this evening and looking so happy as she’d kissed that boy, had filled Amanda with pride. Liz had come a long way and she’d healed so much. She seemed to be a much tougher person now.

  They wiped their faces with their towels and sat on the bench at the side of the gym on the third floor of her house. The entire storey was just one large open space with crash mats on the floor and Japanese décor around the walls. A curious mix of oriental and western themes filled the space. Weapon racks were in one corner, gym equipment in another. The stairs from the floor below and up to the roof were at one end of the room, made from dark varnished wood.

  Amanda used this room every day either on her own, teaching Liz, or being taught by Gentle Water. Her sessions learning Magic with her mentor had become less frequent, and they were on more of an even footing than they had been back in those early days in Ireland when everything had been new. Now, Amanda didn’t need much tutoring, she knew how to advance her abilities in Magic, knew the ranks she had not achieved, the effects she could not yet do, and she knew how to reach them.

  So Amanda and Gentle Water tended to stick to martial arts training. She had become a capable fighter, picking up the art form very quickly. She wasn’t that far behind her mentor in ability these days, although he always seemed to have a new trick up his sleeve.

  She knew there was a big difference between a sparring session and a real fight, though. Her memories of the train and how Angel had pretty much only used Magic to defeat her, played on her mind when she thought about confronting someone like Lucian. Sometimes, how well you could throw a punch counted for nothing when it came to the Magi.

  She’d built her confidence back up since then. Assisting Xain and the boys in their raids had been great for that, and she’d ended up in a few fights on those missions. She always had back up, though, and most of the fights were against Initiated or not very skilled Magi.

  Coming face to face with Lucian had been something of a step up from that.

  “So, we’d been talking about Time Magic earlier,” she said.

  “Yeah. It sounds great. So, when I get strong enough, I could go back in time and save my sister?”

  “In theory, you can. In practice…”

  “No?” Liz asked.

  “Almost certainly, no. That would change the timeline and cause a paradox. It’s the old, ‘if I go back and kill my father before he has me, then I won’t be born, but if I’m not born then I can’t kill my father,’ paradox and so on.”

  “Aaah, yes, I’ve heard of that. I think the boys talked about it once.”

  Amanda knew she was referring to Stephen and Ben when she said ‘the boys’. Her way of talking about them without saying their names helped keep the grief at bay.

  “Also, there’s the small problem of the Weavers.”

  “The who in the what now?” Liz asked.

  “The Weavers. They police the timeline. Little is known about them other than their name and that when Magi get too cocky with Time Magic, they show up and that Magus disappears. It doesn’t seem to make any difference how powerful the Magus is. Novice or Arch Magi, everyone’s fair game.”

  “They’re not Magi or Scions, then?”

  “To be sure, no one knows what they are. You just be sure to use Time Magic sparingly and carefully. Anything to do with going forward or with our current timeline generally seems okay, but going back in time… you do that at your own risk.”

  “Ah, okay. Well, now that you’ve scared the bejeezus out of me, I doubt I’ll be using that Magic any time soon.”

  “Speeding up time, slowing it down, pausing it, or looking back or forward through time is all good. I haven’t heard of anyone bringing a Weaver down on them by doing any of those things. But yeah, you’re not alone in being a little nervous about Time Magic. Gentle Water says most Magi avoid it entirely, just to be safe.”

  Liz nodded, and they both sat back again, Amanda resting her head on the wall behind her.

  “So, how long have you known Jason for, then?” she finally asked.

  “Hah. I knew you wanted to ask me about him. I knew this was coming.”

  Amanda smiled, wondering if this is how a mother felt when her children started dating. “Sorry, I’m just protective of you, I guess. I want to make sure you’re okay.”

  “Yes, Mum!” Liz answered.

  “Sorry,” Amanda replied with a smile.

  “It’s okay. I understand. But to answer your question, just a few days. I’ve seen him in The Palace before, but he only started talking to me a few days ago.”

  “And he’s nice? Do you like him?”

  “I do, yes. He’s…”

  Amanda sensed a flare of Magic—powerful Magic—somewhere close by, with a signature she didn’t recognise.

  Amanda darted from the bench and ran across the gym. After a few bounding steps, she Ported two floors down into the foyer at the front of the house. She stopped and listened with her enhanced senses.

  A noise from the back of the house caught her attention, and then a sudden, loud bang echoed through the house making her blood run cold. If she was right, someone uninvited was inside.

  Amanda quickly used her Magic to set her mind to Multitasking. Her secondary mind checked her Aegis and then started pulling in Essentia, preparing for the potential fight ahead.

  As she turned and ran down the hallway towards the rear of the house she heard Liz charging down the stairs above her. She used her hands to keep from hitting the walls as she careened around corners at speed. She felt sure the bang had been the back door, slammed open by something. She knew Yoh had been due here any time and he always used the back door. He even had his own key so that they didn’t need to keep opening it for him, but Amanda knew Yoh’s Magic, and she knew the typical sounds he made as he entered and this sounded nothing like it. Something was wrong. Could it be Lucian again? They’d not seen him since her encounter on the pier. Is that what he’d meant by his little speech? Is this how he’d hurt her?

  A couple seconds later, she reached the door to the utility room and burst through it, but stopped short and gasped. Yoh lay on his side, across the threshold of the backdoor, only his upper half having made it inside. A deep crimson
stained his grey jacket and seeped onto the floor beneath him.

  Then, Yoh moved. A painful grimace on his face as he looked to see who had entered the room. At least he was alive, she thought.

  “Don’t…” He struggled. “Be careful,” he managed before the pain caused him to curl up, gritting his teeth.

  Amanda nodded silently, heeding his warning. The attacker was close and might want to finish the job. Amanda’s Magical sight took in the room, everything looked as it should. The Aegis around the house that covered the door looked intact with Yoh safely inside it. The room seemed otherwise untouched. She stepped down the two steps and into the room, looking about her carefully. Apart from around Yoh himself, the Essentia here seemed untouched, undisturbed by anything. She looked back at Yoh, her confidence growing.

  Something on his chest glowed with a serious amount of Essentia and as she looked, she could see that the flow of magical energy through his body—the flow that kept people alive—had been disrupted. It seemed to move in fits and starts, almost juddering through him rather than flowing cleanly.

  With a drumbeat of footsteps, Liz reached the doorway behind Amanda. Amanda held her hand up, one finger extended to get Liz to slow down and take a moment. Liz hesitated for a second before cautiously stepping into the room. She stifled a scream, covering her mouth with her hand when she saw Yoh’s crumpled form on the floor.

  Yoh moved again, raising his arm and pointing through the door.

  “Outside...” he gasped.

  Amanda nodded, choosing to stay quiet. Her fists clenched, she edged towards the door but could see little from where she stood so she pulled on the threads of Essentia and worked a little Magic, sending a second set of senses outside. She couldn’t see anyone from her vantage point just outside the door, but she needed to be sure.

  “One moment,” she said Porting outside and appearing in the alley a short distance from the door. She stood at the corner of the house so she could see either way.

  They seemed to be clear of anything untoward. She could see Yoh’s feet poking out of the door to her right, but nothing else. She went to move back towards Yoh, only for something to glint in the meagre light to her left, catching her eye. Stepping back, she looked harder and noticed glass on the ground. That was odd.