Magi Legend

by Andrew Dobell

  “Thank you,” he answered.

  “We need an easier way in here though. Clear some of this foliage. Get Max and Miguel to help you.”

  Assunta turned back to the door and examined it again. There didn’t seem to be a handle anywhere. There was what looked like a button or two, and there was a small hole in the upper middle part of the door as well. She looked closer and the only thing that popped into her mind was the possibility that this might be a keyhole.

  But who had the key, or was it here on the island somewhere?

  Ignacio had climbed out of the clearing, and she could hear him calling on his two teammates.

  She pushed against the door with her hand. It didn’t move. This would take some time, she thought and turned to see Ignacio return with Max and Miguel, machetes in hand. They wasted no time in choosing the lightest section of foliage and started to hack at it, clearing a way through. Assunta spent the next twenty minutes inspecting the door, pressing things, trying to make the exposed mechanisms move, and just generally searching for clues while the three Knights cut their way through to her.

  Finally, with a path cut through the wall of branches, Assunta decided to give it a break and take a walk, leaving the Knights to clear more of the space before the doorway. She wandered out onto the beach and back into the sun and made her way around the island. She wondered what on earth that door could lead to, and whether it was Witch Magic or Divine Grace from God above. The feel of the energy around it seemed quite pure and reminded her of the Divine Energy that she and the other Inquisitors wielded against the Witches.

  She wanted to report back to Mary with something big, something juicy to prove herself to her mentor. Mary had elevated her to the position of Inquisitor Knight from the ranks of the Crusaders partially due to the manifestation of her Divine Gift, but also because Mary, like herself, believed that the Inquisition needed more female members.

  The organisation still felt incredibly sexist with the vast majority of those in positions of power being male. The fact that Mary had somehow risen to the highest rank within the organisation, the first woman to do so, was an incredible achievement, but they couldn’t be complacent. They needed to continue to push for greater equality within their ranks or risk losing more of their numbers to the Witches. She knew several who had grown so disillusioned with the near-constant promotion of men far less capable into higher positions that they’d defected.

  She understood the frustration and had been overlooked many times herself, but Assunta could never defect. God chose those he felt served him best, and she felt confident that as she proved herself to those in power, she would continue to rise in the ranks.

  She walked over to a collection of rocks that rose from the sand and sea and spotted a place to sit. Placing her boots next to her, she sat and enjoyed the feeling of the cool water on her feet and the powerful sun beating down on her, warming her forehead.

  After a few moments of enjoying the sun, she looked down, lowering her face into shadow to relieve her skin from the heat building up there.

  She opened her eyes and looked down into the water around her feet and the glittering light reflecting off the top of the ripples.

  Something appeared to flash beneath the water. She tilted her head to make sure she wasn’t imagining things. Sure enough, something seemed to be down there.

  Leaning forward, she reached down into the water and pulled the gleaming item from the sand. Three inches long, it was a curiously shaped bit of metal on the end of a chain.

  Assunta couldn’t believe her luck as she realised what she was looking at. This must be the key for the door they’d found, just here, laying on this beach, waiting for her.

  Rising from the rock she’d sat on, she picked up her boots and walked back to camp where she dried her feet and pulled on her shoes before heading back to the door and the secrets it held.

  Her three teammates were still there and had cleared plenty of undergrowth. They stepped aside to let Assunta in and watched as she approached the doorway. Lifting the key, she pushed the end into the hole where it fitted perfectly.

  “You found a key?” Ignacio asked.

  “It appears so,” Assunta said and turned it. It clicked once to one side before returning to its original position. Assunta waited, but nothing happened. She frowned and wondered if she’d done something wrong, but felt sure she hadn’t. She pulled the key back out, whereupon the sound of movement from the mechanism inside the door started up. Then a beat later, the door slid to one side.

  So, that’s how it works, Assunta thought and smiled to herself as she marvelled at the powerful energy that flowed from the other side of the door. The energy had a particular feel to it that she recognised as temporal energy.

  The room beyond the door was pitch black, only a small part of the floor just inside the door could be seen and seemed to be made from the same kind of metal as the door.

  Assunta stepped forward.

  “Careful,” Ignacio cautioned.

  “I will be,” she said, and cautiously lifted her foot and stepped over the threshold into the darkness. The moment her foot hit the floor, recessed lights flared into life, bathing the room in a soft, cool glow. The room was made entirely from metal with sections cut away, exposing the mechanisms beyond. It looked as though someone had cut a doughnut shape from the inside of this rock and lined the walls in this strange metal. In the centre of the room, a circular platform rose up a couple of feet from the floor, with a similar platform descending from the ceiling above, mirroring the one below it.

  Assunta could feel the energy of the Divine almost tearing at the timeline, and felt confident that this must be some kind of time device. As she neared the platform, she could see a control panel on a metal pedestal. Only two controls were obvious to Assunta, one of them seemed to be another keyhole, and the other a fairly large button.

  Assunta looked behind her and saw the three faces of the men peering inside, watching her with looks of fear and curiosity etched on their features.

  “What is it?” Ignacio asked.

  “Looks strange to me. Alien, maybe?” Max suggested.

  “Alien?” asked Miguel, scepticism drawing his eyebrow up.

  “Well, it doesn't look like anything I’ve ever seen before,” Max answered.

  “But why does it have to be alien? More like some kind of weird government place, no doubt linked to the Americans,” Miguel said.

  “Have you ever listened to yourselves?” Ignacio asked, interrupting them. “It’s probably the Witches, right, Assunta?”

  “I’m not sure,” she said. “It’s strange.” Lifting up the key, she inserted it into the control panel. It slid in easily, clicking into place. Turning it, the key clicked to one side and stayed locked into the hole. Around her, a hum of power grew within the room, and she could feel the energy quickly build up while a soft light glowed from beneath the button.

  “Let’s see, shall we?” she said and pressed it.

  Bursting into life, a blinding light hovered between the two platforms on the floor and ceiling.

  Assunta fell back against the chamber wall in surprise.

  Starting life as pure brilliant light, it quickly grew into a massive ball of flickering blue energy that filled the space in the middle of the room between the platforms. When it finally settled, the massive ball of energy was about eight feet across and its surface roiled and flickered with blue and white energy.

  Sitting up, Assunta stared at the sphere of energy, while the Knights outside uttered expletives that were both unbecoming of an Inquisitor of their rank, and also understandable, given the situation.

  The energy that this thing generated was intense and almost unbearable and yet, she couldn’t help but stare at it, fascinated by this curious development.

  “I think Mary will be interested in this,” she said to herself.

  To High Inquisitor Damask

  I am writing to request your presence at the atoll at your earlie
st convenience. We have found something that we believe you will find of great interest.

  I hesitate to say more in a message such as this that can be read by others.

  I await your contact.

  God be with you.

  Assunta Belloni

  Warsaw Whispers

  Warsaw, Poland

  Walking along the street in Warsaw, Demitriov pulled his long leather trench coat closed to keep the warmth in. As a Magus, he didn’t usually need to do this, but whenever he was out in public, he kept his enchantments to a minimum and only used his Magic to smooth over the ripples in the local Essentia he created with his presence.

  The Arcadian Magi were sneaky, and when he went for one of these walks, he didn’t want some upstart apprentice causing him trouble, trying to prove himself to his masters by taking on a Nomad such as he.

  Demitriov enjoyed getting out of his underground Sepulchre and either wandering the streets or stopping by one the places he frequented around the city. It helped him think, and it felt good to get some fresh air.

  Today, he headed towards one of his regular haunts, a greasy café that served a wide range of foods, most of it likely to cause a heart attack just by looking at it, but he loved it.

  The front of the shop looked as run down as the rest of the block. Its dirty windows with rusted metal bars made it look more like a prison than a café.

  The cheap neon sign in the window declared the place to be open, so he stepped through the front door, which set some bells that hung above it a ringing.

  Demitriov saw the two Magi immediately upon entering. They glowed brightly in his Magical sight, and they weren’t hiding their nature. They were also the only customers.

  Demitriov paused for a beat in the doorway as he considered his options. He’d taken care to hide his Magical nature to the best of his ability, but it wasn’t full proof, and there was a chance that they’d recognise him for what he was. On the other hand, if he left right away, they might suspect him.

  As he made a show of scanning the seating and checking his watch to hide his indecision, one of the Magi glanced up at him, and looked away, paying him no further mind.

  Demitriov didn’t like the idea that there were two Magi, probably Arcadians sitting in his favourite diner. He’d hoped to sit in here and kill a few hours in thought, just to relax and have some time to himself. The Magi hadn’t picked up on his nature yet, but the longer he stayed, the riskier it would become.

  But he was inside now, and they had apparently not realised who he was. Plus, the man behind the counter, the owner, was a friend. A Nazi sympathiser and someone Demitriov liked. Without further pause, Demitriov found a seat not too close to the other Magi. The owner, Ludwik Ząbek, a man almost as wide as he was tall, and with an almost permanent frown on his face, glanced up and nodded to Demitriov. Demitriov nodded back and sat down. Ludwik knew what he wanted to order as it was always the same thing, and Demitriov always got it for free.

  Sitting back in his chair while he waited, Demitriov closed his eyes and used his superior hearing to listen to the hushed conversation the other two Magi were having.

  “…so I have no idea if it’s true, but I did some digging through some recent reports on the Pentagon database, and it seems like some kind of nuclear test had been detected. A few survivors were found there as well. So, something happened. But that’s not the interesting part.”

  “Oh, really? A nuclear explosion possibly caused by Magi is not the interesting part of this story? This just keeps getting better!”

  “Have you heard the rumours of the Chosen One?”

  “Chosen One? No, not in real life. That only happens in films with a plot so cheesy that you could cut it up and eat it. I mean, come on, a Chosen One?”

  “No, I swear, it’s true. You’ve heard of the Prophecy of Helene, right?”

  “Who hasn’t?”

  “The new Magus that killed Lucian in New York, they’re saying it’s her.”

  “That was never confirmed, though. The Council says they killed him.”

  “Don’t believe everything the Council tells you. They’re just trying to protect her. No, it’s the same girl. They’re saying she’s the one talked about in that Prophecy; they’re saying that this Amanda-Jane Page is the Chosen One.”

  Demitriov’s eye’s snapped open.

  Amanda? Had he heard that right? He couldn’t believe it. He’d not heard that name for so long, and now here it was, appearing out of nowhere to haunt him once again.

  He hated that bitch so much that just hearing her name made his blood boil, but what was this talk of being the Chosen One?

  He moved his eyes and looked over at the pair of Magi sat to his left, whispering under their breath.

  “The Chosen One?” said the sceptical Magus.

  “Well, in the Prophecy, it talks about signs or markers that will let you know who that person is, and apparently, she has most of them.”

  “You’re going to have to remind me of the Prophecy, I can’t remember exactly what it says.”

  “I thought you said you knew it.”

  “I know of it, sure, but I’ve not memorised the damn thing. It’s the one that says the Archons will return, isn’t it?”

  “That’s right, it also speaks of a woman who carries a physical mark. She has an aura with the colours of life and death in it, and the ability to pass into the Abyss too.”

  “And she can do all of that?”

  “I think the only one they missed out is the one about being friendly with the Weavers. That’s not been mentioned.”

  Demitriov had heard enough. The fact that Amanda had once again appeared out of the woodwork after being gone for so long would have been enough to catch his interest, but with rumours of the Prophecy as well, he simply had to do something. But he needed to know where Amanda was these days. Where could he find her and hopefully, finally, kill her? He stood up and walked towards the two Magi.

  “Where are you getting this information, Artur?”

  “The Dark Web. You know, the usual places,” said Artur.

  “And you believe it?”

  “Why wouldn’t he believe it?” Demitriov asked them both.

  “Excuse me?” asked the sceptical one.

  Demitriov looked down at him and cocked his head to one side, he sensed the Magic within this Magus as it just started to stir. Demitriov was ready though and brought all of his strength to bear in an Essentia strike that hit the Magus with a power that saw his Aegis shatter. Coloured flares and crackles of light spilt out from the Magical blast, lighting up the café while the other man, Artur, looked on in terror.

  Demitriov wasted no time and followed up the Essentia strike with a direct attack on the man’s body itself, which the Magus did his best to resist. His Magic pushed back, trying to cancel the effect, but some started to get through, and his body began to pull itself apart where he sat. The man screamed as he lost the battle of wills and his Magical resistance faltered under Demitriov’s unrelenting attack. Breaking through, Demitriov’s Magic ripped the Magi’s body into shreds and covered the fake leather seat in gore.

  Artur looked on in horror, apparently rooted to the spot. He looked up at Demitriov, and then to the door, only to see the enormous form of the owner standing there, locking it from the inside.

  “Thank you, Ludwik,” Demitriov said. “Now, Artur is it?”

  Artur nodded, a vigorous nod of someone fearing for his life and hoping that his compliance will save him.

  “So, tell me, Artur, where can I find this, Amanda?”

  - Paris, France.

  Royston sat back in his chair and reread the note he held.

  He felt consternation at seeing Demitriov’s name. It was too early, but for the time being, it was all hearsay.

  Two Arcadian Magi had disappeared in Warsaw, Poland, and the main suspect, due to the proximity of his rumoured Sepulchre, was Demitriov, or one of his coven.

  At this delicate time, someon
e like Demitriov could really make things go askew. He’d pass the information on, of course. She’d know what to do.

  Three’s a crowd?

  New York

  Amanda padded over the carpet towards her front door, her bare feet keeping her movements practically silent as she opened it, already aware of who was on the other side.

  Amanda gave Celest a huge smile and a hug in greeting. “It’s wonderful to see you, Celest. How have ye been?” Amanda asked.

  “I’m great, thanks, how about you? I’ve heard some curious rumours recently.”

  “Yeah, I’m the Chosen One,” Amanda said, no longer feeling quite so shy about it. Why should she? She could pass into the Abyss for pity’s sake, who else could do that? Everything that the Prophecy had said about her seemed to be coming true, all the Magi seemed to believe it, even the Council appeared to be convinced, including Forrest of the Legion.

  She hadn’t been keen on the attention at first, with all the people coming up to her and wanting to talk with her. But they hadn’t meant any harm, they just wanted to see her.

  “The ‘Chosen One’ indeed,” Celest said, tilting her head to one side slightly as she said it.

  “Yup, that’s right,” Amanda said with a smile. “I’ve become quite famous with all this going on. I’ve had a few of the local covens come round to see me. I’m happy to entertain them, of course.”

  “And you’re dealing with this okay?” Celest asked.

  “Oh yeah, it’s all grand. It took a little getting used to, to be sure. But I’m good now.”

  “So, what does this all mean, then? What can you do?”

  Amanda went through it with Celest, happy to open up about it and tell her what had happened. They moved into the living room and sat talking for a while, Amanda going through the recent events while Celest listened and asked questions.

  By the end of it, Celest seemed a little off with her. She wasn’t sure, but the friendliness she had shown upon first arriving seemed to have been withdrawn somewhat. Amanda didn’t know what was going on in Celest’s life, though, so it could be anything.