Magi Legend

by Andrew Dobell

  “You’re sure?”

  “Pretty sure, yes,” she answered.

  “All right, hold on,” he said closing the link. Less than a minute later, Israel appeared in the lobby. “It’s early, Amanda.”

  “If the King is going to act, he’ll do so early. I doubt we have much time, we need to find Ulrich and see what he wants to do.”

  “Are you planning to save the Order?” Israel asked.

  “I don’t know, but one of our own is a member and might be in danger. Also, I don’t know how or even if the Disciples are involved in this, but if they are, Ulrich might be dealing with Magi as well.”

  “I see your reasoning,” Israel said. “So, what’s the-”

  The door to the house slammed open, and Ulrich stumbled inside looking like he’d just taken a beating.

  “Shite,” Amanda cursed.

  “Ulrich,” Israel called out.

  “It’s the king’s guards, they’re arresting the Order,” Ulrich said.

  “It’s started already?” Amanda asked.

  “Started? It’s been happening since before daybreak, most of the Order has already been moved to the Conciergerie.”

  “The King’s palace?” Israel asked.

  “Maya’s there,” Amanda said.

  “That’s your daughter, right?” Ulrich asked.

  “That’s right.”

  “Do you think she could get us into the dungeons? We might be able to liberate a few of them,” Ulrich said. “I’d scry the area and Port in and out, taking one at a time, but it would take a while and would be noticed by the Disciples.”

  “It would. We need to do this quickly and quietly, but liberating the entire Order is going to raise some questions with the Riven,” Amanda said. The Disciples would cause problems if they noticed a Magus Porting in and taking people out.

  “Amanda’s right, we can’t interfere too much,” Israel said. “But, if we can free a few, maybe the Order can live on in some form.”

  “I have some friends within the Order, men who see things the way I do, who distrust the Disciples and who were working with me against them from within the Order. If I can just free them,” Ulrich suggested.

  “And these men have been arrested?” Israel asked.

  “They have. I saw them being taken. I only escaped because of the grace of God.”

  “Your Magic you mean?” Amanda said, deadpan. She liked Ulrich, but many of his quirks reminded her of the Inquisition and the way they viewed Magic. It was something that never really sat comfortably with her.

  “As you say,” Ulrich replied.

  “Then they should be at the palace, or nearing it,” Israel said.

  Ulrich nodded.

  “Okay, we’ll Port in there, find the prisoners, and rescue your allies in one go, alright?” Amanda said.

  “Perfect,” Ulrich said, smiling at her.

  “Let’s go, then, what are we waiting for?” Amanda asked.

  “Nothing. I’m ready. Ulrich?” Israel asked.

  “Ready,” he agreed.

  Amanda nodded and concentrated, enveloping Ulrich and Israel in her Magic and Porting them all across the city and into Maya’s quarters.

  They were empty, as Amanda had anticipated. The moment she arrived, Amanda sent a Link request through to Maya. It was accepted, and Amanda heard Maya’s voice in her head.

  ~Mother?~

  ~I’m back. I’m in your quarters with Israel and Ulrich,~ she sent.

  ~You’re here? Alright, tell Israel not to get mud on my rugs this time.~

  ~That was one time,~ Amanda replied incredulously as she shooed him off the rug he was standing on.

  ~He made a mess. Anyway, the arrests have been going on since daybreak, and the Order has been brought to the dungeons.~

  ~We know. We were hoping that we can free a few of those who Ulrich trusts.~

  ~You’re meddling in Riven affairs, Mother,~ Maya warned her.

  ~I’m helping a friend. We can’t and won’t free all of them or even most of them, but if we can get a few out of there, then maybe Ulrich can keep the Order from disappearing completely,~ Amanda explained.

  ~I understand,~ Maya said. ~I’ll make my way to the dungeons. Port to me when I say.~

  ~Will do,~ Amanda said, and left the Link open, turning to Ulrich and Israel.

  “So?” Israel asked.

  “Maya will help us. She’s making her way into the dungeons now. We’ll Port to her when she tells me it’s safe,” Amanda said, looking at Israel and then Ulrich. She noticed that Ulrich was still wearing his white surcoat with the distinctive red cross on his chest. Amanda frowned. “I think we need to get you changed.”

  “Excuse me?” Ulrich asked.

  “Well, you can’t go swanning about the palace with that on, can you? You’ll be arrested in moments.” She walked towards him and reached over to help him.

  Ulrich backed off and battered her hands away from him. “Don’t touch me,” Ulrich said.

  “What?” Amanda asked.

  “The Latin Rule dictates that a Knight of the Order may not touch a woman,” Ulrich said.

  “Oh, don’t be so silly,” Amanda protested. “Let me help you.”

  Once again, Ulrich backed off, holding his hand up to her. “I’m sorry, but I cannot. Even now, with the looming threat of the end of our Order, I must stick to the Order’s tenants.

  Amanda backed off, holding her hands up in surrender. “Alright, okay, sure. I’ll go find you something a little less conspicuous while you sort yourself out,” she said and left Ulrich to the problem of removing his surcoat.

  She soon found several plain brown cloaks and robes, two of which she handed to Israel, who then passed one to Ulrich. Amanda shook her head slightly at Ulrich’s pig-headedness, but she couldn’t think too badly of him. At least, he was sticking to his morals in the face of the destruction of his Order.

  A few moments later, Maya spoke to her through the Link as Amanda pulled on her own cloak.

  ~I’m here, and it’s quiet where I am, Port to me now,~ she said.

  ~Understood,~ Amanda said and turned to the two men. “Ready?”

  A feeling of calm and seriousness descended over the room as she spoke and both men nodded.

  Amanda nodded back and reached out with her Magic, Porting the three of them across the palace to the dungeons.

  They appeared in a dark, poorly lit tunnel of bare brick standing beside Maya. Amanda stepped up to her daughter and spoke through the Link.

  ~Hey.~

  ~Mother,~ Maya greeted her and fixed her with a serious look. ~Are you sure this is a good idea?~

  ~Honestly, no, but it feels right, and I want to help members of the Legacy.~

  ~All right, I’ll follow your lead,~ Maya answered, and then spoke aloud, “The prisoners are along these next few corridors.”

  Amanda turned to Israel and Ulrich. “Okay, come with me. Let’s find these allies of yours, but keep things quiet,” she whispered.

  “Just you two go,” Israel said. “I’ve had an idea for keeping them safe that I want to work on.”

  Amanda nodded. “Sure.”

  Ulrich followed her to the next junction where they turned right. There were strong wooden doors set into both sides of the corridor, and what looked like a wider section up ahead. Moving along the dim hallway, Ulrich approached the first door and looked inside. He peered in for a moment before shaking his head and moving on. Amanda followed, creeping from door to door and peeking through some of them after Ulrich had looked in.

  Inside each, were several men in white or brown surcoats with the distinctive red cross emblazoned upon them. Some of them were chained to the walls, others were unrestrained, but most of them were nursing wounds or bruises of some kind. Few people talked, but there was plenty of pained moans and even some crying.

  Up ahead, Amanda spotted a couple of guards. One of them turned and peered up the corridor towards her and Ulrich. Amanda focused and pulled on the local
Essentia as she reached into their minds and changed their curiosity to thoughts of acceptance, and the certainty that she and Ulrich had every right to be there.

  The Magic was subtle and carefully used. She didn’t want to alert any nearby Magi to her presence.

  Her Magic complete, the guard looked away with a shrug and paid them no more mind. Amanda smiled to herself and looked over at Ulrich, who was waving at her and pointing into one of the cells.

  Stepping over, Ulrich directed her attention to a man inside. “Him, over there, sitting in the corner,” he whispered.

  Amanda nodded and used her Multitasking effect, splitting her mind into as many fragments as she could. One of those minds then used more Magic to place a set of senses in the room, watching that Templar.

  “I’ve got him. Who’s next?” Amanda asked. She wanted to Port the group as one, rather than do lots of separate workings of Magic to try and mitigate the amount of Essentia she would be pulling on, but she needed to keep track of who each of Ulrich’s friends were until that moment.

  Amanda followed on behind Ulrich, moving from door to door, looking into each cell to try and find his allies. By the time they’d reached the end of the corridor and passed by the first set of guards, Amanda had tagged several people. They moved through into a more open area with rows of manacles chained to the wall, each of them with a Templar or other prisoner connected to the Order attached to them. There were so many of them, Amanda thought, as well as more guards. Amanda repeated the psychic effect on these guards too, and they soon lost interest in them. Ulrich picked out a couple of people in here before they moved down another guarded corridor.

  Partway down, Ulrich stopped and moved closer to one of the doors.

  “Grand Master, they got you, too?” he whispered.

  Amanda turned, surprised by his sudden outburst. He hadn’t spoken too loudly, but he was still being reckless. Amanda glanced up the corridor towards the nearest guards. They were looking down at them but didn’t seem too worried or concerned for now.

  Amanda turned back to Ulrich. “Ssshh, keep it down,” she hissed at him.

  “Sorry,” he said to her as a face appeared at the barred window set into the door.

  “Ulrich? What are you doing here?” the man asked.

  “I’m getting a few of you out,” he whispered.

  “You’re, running?” the man asked.

  “I’m saving the Order,” Ulrich answered.

  The man inside the cell smiled. “The Order is finished. Philip wants it destroyed. But you’re welcome to try, my brother.”

  “I can get you out as well, take you to safety?”

  “No, my place is here, with the Order. I shall defend its honour with my dying breath. But I wish you well, Brother Ulrich.”

  “Very well, Grand Ma-”

  “No, I am merely your brother now.”

  Ulrich nodded, his face solemn. “As you wish, Brother Molay,” he said before stepping away from the cell. Amanda followed and nodded to the man he’d been speaking to. The man nodded back and watched them go.

  “We’re leaving him?” Amanda asked as they moved away.

  “We are,” he said, his voice level and calm.

  Amanda glanced back at the cell door, but the man had gone. She was impressed by the Grand Master’s sacrifice; it was the right thing to do.

  The pair of them walked through the next few corridors uncontested and found a few more of Ulrich’s allies. “All right, let’s go back to Maya and Israel,” she said and led the way around to where they had left them.

  “Did you do it?” Maya asked.

  “I’ve them tagged, the next thing is to pull them out of here,” Amanda said. “But I’m not sure where to take them.”

  “Take them to the House. I have an idea I’ve been working on while you were wandering the tunnels. I think it should work well,” Israel said.

  “Oh, really? Care to share?” Amanda asked.

  “Let’s get them out of here first,” Israel said. “I have to say, I’m surprised. I would have thought you would have come up against a bit more resistance than that.”

  “I agree,” Amanda said. “I thought the Disciples would have been here.”

  “Actually, I think I know where they’ll be,” Ulrich said, realisation and concern etched on his face. “I should have realised.”

  “What now?” Amanda asked, her voice low.

  “It can wait, let’s do this first.”

  “To be sure. So, I’m guessing none of these men have experienced Magic before?”

  “Most have not, no,” he said.

  “Alright, this should be fun,” she said, and closed her eyes, concentrating and focusing her many minds on the task at hand. Within moments, her Essentia flared, and they all appeared in the garden of the Legacy House, along with fourteen other men.

  There were shouts of shock and surprise from them as they looked around. Some were worse than others. A couple of them started to get a little hysterical, saying it was the work of the devil. Several others took the opposite angle and began to praise God, getting down on their knees and thanking him for deliverance.

  Ulrich stepped forward. “Brothers, please, calm down. I know this is a shock, but by the grace of God, I have managed to liberate some of you from King Philip’s dungeons. Our Order is on the brink of annihilation, brought low by those who wish us ill. As a Knight of the Order, I cannot sit idly by and allow them to destroy us. I must act. And so I have taken matters into my own hands.

  “It is my belief that the Disciples of the Cross are to blame for this atrocity,” he said. As he spoke, the Templars calmed. At the mention of the Disciples, some of the group jeered the name, clearly sharing Ulrich’s view. “But we will not die today. Our Order shall live on. We shall survive this cowardly attack on our brothers, and we shall remember their names.”

  The group of men had been quiet, listening intently, but now cheered Ulrich’s words. “I have worked with these good people, enemies of the Disciples, like us, and they have freed us, and given us new life. We face an uncertain future where allies and friends might be in short supply. These people have freed you today, but this is just the beginning. We have a long journey ahead of us,” he said to more cheers.

  Amanda stepped up beside Israel. “So, what’s the plan?”

  “They can’t stay here, or in France. In fact, I think staying on Earth might be difficult for them,” he said.

  Amanda raised her eyebrows and knew what he was talking about. “You’ve found someone to take them?”

  Israel nodded. “It will be a new start for them and somewhere that the Disciples will not follow,” he said.

  “That is true,” Amanda smiled and looked over as Ulrich walked over to them.

  “Amanda, thank you for helping us, but I must ask for your aid once more. I have an errand to run, and I think I will need your help.”

  ***

  With a snap of air, Amanda and Ulrich appeared inside another poorly lit, subterranean room. They were in the corner, hidden by shadows, and looked out over the tops of wooden chests and boxes that were stacked randomly around the room, and they were not alone.

  Three men stood in the middle of the room, holding torches and directing others who looked more like knights or Crusaders with their swords and chainmail.

  These knights were smashing open the crates and chests, spilling their contents over the flagstone floor and generally ransacking the place. The careless and indiscriminate nature of the search reminded Amanda of the sacking of Constantinople.

  The moment they appeared, Amanda noticed that the three men directing the looting seemed to notice something and began looking around the room.

  “Someone’s here,” one of them said.

  “Watch out,” said another.

  One of the knights closest to Amanda spotted them in the shadows and stepped back in shock.

  “What the?” he said.

  Amanda had come prepared, though. With a tho
ught and a flick of her wrist, the knight closest to them was hit by an invisible battering ram of Kinetic energy and was thrown across the room with a scream.

  Amanda stepped forward, leaving the shadows and everyone looked over at her.

  Focusing on her Magic, Amanda released a general wave of Kinetic power that swept through the room in all directions, knocking everyone else off their feet. The Magic flared and hissed as it crashed into the Aegises of the three Magi in the middle of the room, but they fell, too.

  “Go,” Amanda said to Ulrich, who then sprinted from behind her over to the side of the room.

  A couple of her minds focused on the Riven knights, lashing out at them with powerful Kinetic strikes, knocking each one unconscious in turn. Meanwhile, Amanda focused the bulk of her Multitasking minds on the three Disciple Magi, who were picking themselves up and seemed to be muttering prayers to their God for aid. Essentia flared from them as they strengthened their defences, but Amanda didn’t wait. She lashed out at them with several simultaneous Essentia strikes, pummelling their Aegises. The weakest Shield cracked and faltered almost right away, allowing Amanda to follow it up with a quick adjustment to the man’s mind, causing him to fall to the floor unconscious before he even had a chance to try and defend against it.

  “Brother Conti,” one of the two remaining Magi called out.

  “Leave him, Mauro,” said the other. “Focus on her.”

  “Listen to your friend,” Amanda said and hammered them again, cracking Mauro’s Aegis in her latest attack.

  He panicked and did his best to repair the damage. “Ah, she’s got me!” Mauro yelled.

  The third man, who seemed the least scared, ignored the yells of his compatriot, focusing entirely on Amanda. He was channelling large amounts of Essentia into his Aegis and return strikes that crashed into Amanda’s Aegis.

  He was strong, she thought as she glanced over at Ulrich, who had opened a disguised door and was pulling items out of the hidden compartment.

  Amanda focused on Mauro for a moment and lashed out at him with her Essentia strikes.

  “Marcus,” Mauro yelled as his Aegis finally failed, leaving him open to attack. Amanda lashed out again. She didn’t try anything fancy and just threw him across the room. As she looked back up at the final Disciple, Marcus, she realised she’d seen this Inquisitor once before. It was hearing the name that triggered the memory. It was the same man she’d seen in Constantinople, the Crusader who had been limping away from Horlack, aided by his fellow knights.