Magi Legend

by Andrew Dobell

  “Okay, Angel, you’ve made your point,” Uziel pleaded.

  Angel narrowed her eyes and looked around the room, most of them avoided her gaze. She smiled to herself before dropping Uziel to the floor, releasing him from her Magical grip.

  Angel took a breath and sat back down at the table, Uziel following suit as he rubbed his neck.

  “The business seems to be doing fine, I see. No major issues for me to deal with, I presume?” Angel said.

  “Nothing pressing, no, nothing that needs your personal attention,” Michael said.

  “Good, then I have a personal project that we should pursue. As you know, I have been looking into the secretive organisation known as the Syndicate. During the last few years, I rose to a position of power within that group, and recent events have deprived it of its director. I see this as an opportunity to take control of a powerful and hidden group with influence over some of the biggest corporations and most influential people around the world. It won’t be without its risks, but I believe it’s worth it. Are you in?”

  “Of course, Angel, you need only ask,” Michael said.

  “When do we start?” Gabrielle asked.

  “Very soon,” Angel smiled.

  - Nephilim Industries, Milan

  Kylie stood in the lift as it rose through the building, higher than she’d ever gone before. She smoothed her dress down and checked her makeup in the mirror one more time, feeling sick to her stomach. The confrontation with Angel earlier had shaken her up more than she cared to admit, not least because she didn’t want to return to her life before her modelling career. The streets of East London and her parent’s council flat were worlds apart from the life of glitz and glamour she now led. She would do anything to hang onto that.

  After all, what would she be asked to do? Nothing too bad, she felt sure.

  Moments later, the lift slowed, and her stomach churned uneasily. With a chime, the lift doors opened revealing Angel and a dark-haired Italian woman. Angel smiled at her, but she saw no joy in that grin, only contempt.

  “Kylie, this is Gabrielle. She will tell you what you’ll be doing tonight. I expect to have a glowing report from her on my desk tomorrow morning,” Angel said. “Of course, you won’t be disappointed,” Kylie said, sensing the threat in Angel’s words.

  Moments later, Gabrielle led Kylie through the corridors of the upper floor, with Gabrielle explaining that they often host some very important guests who stay here for a few days.

  “We have some staying with us today, and they have requested some entertainment.” Gabrielle stopped outside a door and turned to Kylie. “You will be that entertainment. You will do anything they ask of you, and you will do it willingly and with a smile on your face. Do you understand?”

  Kylie’s heart beat like a hammer in her chest and she felt sicker than ever. Was this woman seriously asking what Kylie suspected? Surely, not. She couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing.

  “You mean, like, anything?” Kylie asked.

  Gabrielle opened the door and motioned for Kylie to enter. “Anything,” she confirmed.

  Kylie walked into the small entrance area and could hear two male voices talking. Gathering her courage, she stepped forward, determined to keep her job and keep Angel happy. She walked into the living area to see two middle-aged men with dark hair and swarthy skin talking. One wore only his underwear, the other wore only a bathrobe that he left open, revealing his manhood for all to see.

  Two girls lay slumped on the bed, naked and bored looking. On the nearby table, a bag of white powder sat open, a couple of lines of the substance next to it.

  “Another bitch comes to join the party,” said a voice to her left. She turned to see another man, uglier and fatter than the other two, standing naked close by. He had his erection in his hand as he looked at her. “Be a good girl and come here and do this for me,” he said.

  Kylie wanted to scream as she heard the front door lock behind her.

  A Council of Opinions

  Ultima Thule, Enceladus, Saturn

  Amanda stood on the viewing platform and looked up at the enormous ringed planet of Saturn that hung in the darkness above her. As she watched, she could see the slight motion of the huge gas giant and even some of the details on the planet’s surface as its gases swirled around it. She could also clearly see the rings that encircled the celestial body, although she was nearly edge-on to them, making them look more like a line across the front of the planet than a ring.

  She felt sure that no matter how many times she came here, this view would forever fill her with wonder. Seeing this colossal planet, so far from Earth, made her realise just how small and insignificant she was. The actions of the entire human race meant nothing to Saturn and the wider solar system, let alone the galaxy beyond. And yet, that thought didn’t fill her with melancholy. Instead, she knew that ultimately, the materials that made her, and all humans, came from the stars. They were birthed from the supernovae of a dying star, and whenever she remembered that she felt more connected to the universe than ever before.

  Humans and all life were literally star-children.

  No, looking up and seeing the majesty of this view only served to fill her with awe and wonder. She wished that the entire human race could do the same and maybe gain some perspective on their lives.

  “Amanda, we’re ready for you now,” said a friendly male voice from behind her. She turned to see Trevelyan standing in the doorway to the viewing platform, smiling at her.

  She smiled back and took a breath in anticipation of the meeting to come as she straightened out her white blouse and dull-green pencil skirt. She’d also put her hair up in a bun in an effort to look a little more professional. She didn’t often wear heels, but attending a Council meeting was enough of a reason to wear a pair, she thought as she walked towards the Master Magus, her stilettos clicking on the stone floor as she went.

  She’d been called here a short time ago by Trevelyan. He said that the rumours of her link to the Prophecy of Helene had become known to the Council and there seemed to be enough interest to discuss it properly, and they wanted to speak with her directly about the situation.

  Trevelyan had brought her through a Portal and had left her on the observation deck to wait for the Council to be ready.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  “I’m grand. A little worried, I suppose, but I’m okay,” she answered.

  “There’s nothing to be worried about, really. They just want to speak with you and find out your side of the story. There’re all kinds of opinions in there, so be prepared for that. But don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”

  Amanda breathed. “No bother, let’s go, shall we?”

  Trevelyan turned back to the doorway that led out to the corridor beyond, but Amanda could sense the Flux Magic that had been placed upon the door. The doorway had been changed into a Portal. Trevelyan walked through without fanfare, and Amanda followed close behind. Feeling the rush of Magic as she passed through the threshold of the Portal she found herself in a vast corridor with a high vaulted ceiling, stone pillars, and carved reliefs depicting scenes she didn’t recognise. The whole thing looked like an ornate and decorative church, but without the religious imagery.

  They’d entered the corridor through a side door and Trevelyan led her over the polished marble floor with its two-tone geometric pattern that covered the whole massive space. At the far end, a pair of equally large double doors stood slightly ajar with a man standing just outside them.

  “The central Council chamber, which is huge, as you will see, is designed for a large audience, not that we have one today. We don’t usually use this room for our normal, smaller meetings, but when we have guests, protocol states that we must meet in the central chamber.”

  “All this for little ol’ me?”

  Trevelyan smiled at her. “Of course, only the best for you.”

  Reaching the door, the man she’d noticed earlier, who wore a dark forma
l-looking uniform nodded briefly to them and gestured that they should go through.

  As the door behind them closed with a soft click, Amanda thought that the room they now stood in must be the biggest room she’d ever seen. Made from the same beautifully carved stone as the corridor outside, the space was basically a large, domed room of stone.

  The pattern on the floor was an almost endless series of concentric circles. In the centre of which, hundreds of meters in front of her, stood a large circular table on a raised dais. It was surrounded by people, many of whom were looking at her as she entered. The intense Magic and power she sensed from those gathered was nearly overwhelming. These were all very powerful Magi, and as she strode closer she sensed a flurry of Magical communication as they got a good look at her for the first time.

  Above her, the dome sat atop the surrounding wall, dotted with windows that let hazy shafts of light into the chamber. Hanging from the ceiling were many banners and tapestries with logos and crests and other decorations that spoke of the weight of history that filled this room.

  She realised that her pace had slowed a touch as she took in the majesty of the chamber, and quickly moved to catch up to Trevelyan as he approached the central table.

  As she walked towards the waiting group of people, she found she recognised a few of them, including Kai, the Japanese woman she’d met before, Victoria from the Liberty’s Children Coven, Stephen Stephen Bathory of the Order of the Dragon Coven who’d she met on her last visit, and Harry Fleming from the Arcanum. Knowing there were friends here helped with her nerves as she approached the Magi Council and the almost sizzling amount of Magic gathered in one place.

  Also standing beside the table, she could see Forrest Ward from the Magi Legion looking at her with a very stony expression. She thought she could guess what his opinion would be.

  She knew that there would be a wide variety of opinions about her and the Prophecy here today, and she would need to stand her ground under their questioning, which felt odd to think about as she still felt very much on the fence over the link she was supposed to have with the Prophecy. Outside of this meeting, choosing a side for her personal feelings on the matter would be difficult. But with Forrest there, who would likely try and discredit her, and then Trevelyan, who seemed to have an unwavering belief in her, she knew she would side with Trevelyan almost by default.

  Under Forest's withering gaze, she felt suddenly alone and vulnerable as she made her final approach to the table, and wished she had someone Maria with her. But she hadn’t seen her for a few days, and despite a few messages and attempts to contact her, she hadn’t heard anything. She wasn’t worried about Maria. She did occasionally drop off the map. Instead, she found she just craved her company even more and today, she could have used a little moral support.

  Ahead, Trevelyan walked up the steps to the table. Amanda followed his directions to stand in a gap in the arrangement of people as he made his way around the table to his seat.

  As Amanda watched, twelve people moved to sit in the twelve ornate chairs around the table, while another fifteen or so stood around behind them.

  Most of them looked at her, a few of them greeting her and smiling, others keeping their expressions neutral and unmoved.

  Trevelyan himself sat opposite and once he’d settled himself, smiled at her and then called the meeting to order.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, Council members, and our special guest, Amanda, thank you for coming today. It’s a pleasure to see so many people at this meeting. We’re here to discuss the rumours that have been spreading throughout the Magi community about our guest and her apparent link to the Prophecy of Helene. You all have a copy of that text before you that you can reference during this meeting if you need to. So, down to business,” he said and glanced at Amanda.

  Amanda nodded to him. As she stood there, she willed her nerves to settle and her heartrate to slow as she prepared for what was to come.

  “As you have no doubt heard,” Trevelyan continued, “a rumour has been spreading through the Magi community saying that our friend here, Amanda-Jane Page, is the one that the Prophecy of Helene speaks of and that she bears the marks spoken of in that text. For those of you unaware, the Prophecy was recorded about two thousand years ago, spoken by Helene, wife of Simon Gita at the Roman Magi Senate. Helene was a well-known prophet and her ability to foretell events was unprecedented, even for a Magus. She could foretell events from parts of the future timeline that were otherwise inaccessible to other Magi. The Senate tested her for days before they took this Prophecy seriously. As we know, Simon, her husband, was killed by the schemes of the Disciple Simeon Cephas with whom he had a long-running feud. This led to Helene going into hiding while Simeon tried to discredit her. Despite her disappearance, this, her most well-known Prophecy, lived on and is one of the most widely known parts of our history to this day. Of course, this means that when someone is said to be the one spoken of in this Prophecy, and this isn’t the first time, there is a great deal of interest in it.”

  “And how do we know that she is this Chosen One?” said a swarthy-skinned man to Amanda’s right. He looked at Trevelyan while pointing roughly in her direction.

  “Of course, you are right, Abra-Melin, and that is why we are gathered here today. We wish to try and discover the truth.” Trevelyan turned to Amanda then and addressed her directly, which led to the rest of the table turning to look at her as well. “Amanda, thank you for coming today,”

  Amanda nodded. “Of course, my pleasure,” she said, aiming to keep things professional.

  “You must, of course, be aware that there are some rumours that have been spread about you. They say that you’ve been marked as the one spoken of in the Prophecy of Helene, correct?”

  “That is correct, yes,” she said, waiting to be given permission before elaborating further.

  “The rumours say that you have the aura colours spoken of, that you bear a physical mark, and that you can pass into the Abyss. So, firstly, I think we need to confirm that this is all true.?”

  “Of course,” Amanda said. “I’m sure you can all see the gold and purple within my aura,” she said to the crowd, pointing to the area around her head. “I am not generating this myself. In fact, you can see that I have no Magic cast upon me at all.”

  The waves of Magic that washed over her as the assembled crowd of Magi scrutinised her soul felt like it might knock her off her feet. She’d closed her eyes against the onslaught, but as the Magic began to fade, she reopened them.

  “I’ve also been marked.” She turned, unbuttoned, and lowered her blouse briefly for them all to see the tattoo on her back and arms. The small vest top she wore underneath hid little of the tattoo, but she pulled out the photos that Gentle Water had taken of the tattoo and sent them around the table for everyone to look at while she covered herself up again.

  “I think you need to elaborate on how this came to pass,” said Stephen Bathory. “I mean, when you say you were ‘marked’, what do you mean by that?”

  Amanda nodded. “Of course. We were trying to stop the plans of an Initiated mortal called Mr Black, who was planning to use stolen nuclear warheads to try and destroy the Archons. We foiled his plan on an island in the Pacific, the details of which I can elaborate on later if anyone wants. Anyway, one of the bombs became triggered and after the blast, which we managed to shield ourselves from, a bolt of strange energy from the sky hit me and burnt this mark into my back. Once it ended, my aura had changed, I had the ability to cross into the Abyss, and the tattoo. My friends and coven mates who were there said that the bolt of energy defied examination and even appeared to blow their Magic away, much like a gust of wind would put out a candle.”

  “So, you can pass into the Abyss?” Roxana Bishop, the Scion representative on the Council asked.

  “I can,” Amanda nodded.

  “May we see?” said another Magi with an Irish accent.

  “Of course, that’s no bother at all,” she said.
With a simple act of concentration and a few pulls on the Magical energy in the room, Amanda opened a Portal above the table that looked like some kind of mini black hole, like a rip in the fabric of time and space. To a Magus, the nature of the Portal and the Magic in question were not in any doubt, they knew where that Portal went without question.

  The aura and the tattoo had been of interest, but the reveal of her ability to not only cross into the Abyss but take others there, too, created a rush of hushed conversation around the table along with a surge of telepathic talk to go with it.

  Amanda cancelled the Magic, and the Portal faded away to nothing as the conversations intensified.

  “How do we know this isn’t some elaborate ruse? A trick to fool us?” Forest said from the left side of the table.

  “You think this looks like a trick?” said Count Saint-Germain opposite him.

  “I mean, obviously, I can see with my own eyes the truth of the Magic, but we know there’s talk of a few Nomads making the Great Crossing.”

  “The Magnus Transitus. You think she’s a Nomad?” Stephen asked, indicating Amanda.

  “I didn’t say that, but what we do know is that these rumours about her have been spread by a Nomad who Amanda has had dealings with before,” Forest elaborated.

  This captured Amanda’s attention. She had no idea who had been talking about her and spreading the rumours, and to hear that it was a Nomad caused her concern. She’d invited a Nomad to her home recently. Was it Yasmin who had been doing this?

  “May I ask who?” Amanda asked almost on autopilot, suddenly intensely curious who had been talking about her.

  Forrest turned to look at her, a look of surprise on his face. He seemed offended that she’d spoken to him. He didn’t answer, he just looked at her, seemingly unsure how to respond.

  “The Nomad who seems to be the cause of all this is Angel Alergeri, who I believe you’ve encountered before,” said Trevelyan.