Magi Legend

by Andrew Dobell

  “Whatever, it’s finished.” Amanda let go of Yasmin’s neck, letting her stand on her own two feet once again.

  “You’re in no real position to dictate anything to me, Amanda,” Yasmin muttered.

  Amanda looked back at her with a scowl and unleashed a powerful series of Essentia strikes at her as well as a battering ram of Kinetic energy that slammed her back into the wall. Her Magic crashed into Yasmin’s Aegis, ripping at it, but she didn’t break through. That surprised her. Yasmin had grown in power at a very unexpected rate. Amanda turned to face her a little more, knowing that a look of surprise and curiosity had settled on her face.

  Yasmin looked up and smiled at Amanda. “Not as weak as you remember, am I?”

  Amanda shrugged and shifted her expression to a more neutral one. “What of it?”

  “Nothing,” Yasmin smiled smugly.

  A roar from behind her caught Amanda’s attention, turning to look, she saw Balor throw the flaming body of Ba’al Moloch through the already buckled wall of the building. He smashed through the front of the bakery on the other side of the road, which immediately caught fire, erupting into flames around the Scion as he picked himself up.

  “There goes the neighbourhood,” Amanda whispered to herself.

  “Catch you later,” Yasmin said, and with a flare of Essentia, Ported away, along with the remaining Nomads who were still alive. Amanda looked back to the bakery, but Ba’al was gone too.

  Amanda sighed. Bound as she was by future events, her inability to put a final end to Yasmin frustrated her. She could have kept Yasmin from escaping and ended her right here, but she couldn’t, and worse still, the Nomad was advancing in power at an alarming rate. She already had that swagger and confidence that Amanda had seen back in the modern-day.

  Luckily, none of the Legacy Magi had lost their lives today, she noted, although a few of them had been hurt. But the best part of it was that they had saved the Albion Magi. Within moments they had untied them and were treating their wounds.

  A short time later, Trevelyan and a few other Albion Magi appeared as Amanda stood at the hole in the wall, watching the fire from the bakery take hold, spreading across the block of buildings and already leaping across the narrow streets.

  She could stop it with a thought, but she wouldn’t. The great fire was one of those moments that defined the nation. She’d already forbidden the Legacy Magi from interfering, lest it change history too much.

  “Amanda, I presume,” said a familiar voice from beside her. She turned to see a face she had not seen in centuries, and yet, knew well. Trevelyan smiled at her. He wore his greying hair short with a neat, close-cropped beard. She enjoyed the fact that his clothing didn’t seem much different from the style he wore in the modern-day.

  Amanda smiled back at him. “Yes, lovely to meet you. You must be Trevelyan. I’ve heard so much about you,” she said.

  “Not all bad I hope.”

  Amanda shook her head as Trevelyan looked back out the window.

  “Another fire,” he said, looking out over the city.

  “You get them a lot here?” she asked.

  “We do, and we help put them out when possible,” he said. “I’ll get the coven onto this one when we’re d-”

  “Don’t,” Amanda said, somewhat more forcefully than she’d meant to.

  “I’m sorry?”

  “I mean, you need to let this one run its course,” she said.

  “Really? But left unchecked, it could reduce the entire city to a smoking ruin.”

  “I know. Look, I can’t explain it in a way that you would believe, but…”

  Suddenly, everything stopped, and the room fell into silence. The fire froze in place, the people in the room became like statues, and beside them, floated the Weaver.

  “Perhaps I can help with that,” the Weaver said in his deep, melodious voice with its odd pitching effect.

  Trevelyan jumped and stared up at the Weaver, first in confusion and then in shock, as a look of slow dawning realisation fell over his features.

  “You’re a Weaver?” Trevelyan asked.

  “He is, yes, and I’m from the future, from the twenty-first century, in fact. The Weaver here, took me back to the year 750, and I’ve been living here ever since.”

  “What? But how? This is crazy, why would he do that?”

  “You know of the Prophecy of Helene, I believe? In fact, I know you do. You told me about it once, or you will tell me, a much younger me.”

  “Erm, well, um. I suppose, yes, I know of it, sure,” he said, clearly trying to remember its contents. “It speaks of someone, a beacon, a torchbearer when the Archon’s return, I think…”

  Amanda smiled at him, waiting for him to catch on.

  “Oh, is that you?” he said, glancing from Amanda to the Weaver. “And she will keep the company of Weavers,” he muttered under his breath.

  “Guilty as charged,” she said, enjoying this moment of realisation in him.

  Trevelyan looked around the room once more, and then back to Amanda. “Do they all know this, too?”

  “The Legacy was founded by Helene to find, protect, and help me so, yes, they know, but very few others do. I’m trying to keep a kind of low profile and not get too involved in the Magi community, but people like Yasmin don’t make it easy for me.”

  “Then we should redouble our efforts to find this Nomad and-”

  Amanda shook her head and smiled up at him.

  “Yasmin, too?”

  “I’m afraid so, she is… integral to my future, or her survival is,” Amanda answered with a shrug.

  “Lord above, what have I gotten myself involved in?” he asked.

  “We can talk about this more another time,” Amanda said, “but for now, we need to get everyone out of here, and you need to make sure no Magi interfere with that fire.” Amanda looked up at the Weaver and smiled. “Thank you.”

  The Weaver folded in on himself and as time reasserted its endless progression, everything started moving again.

  Amanda looked over at Trevelyan and smiled warmly at him. “Welcome to the club.”

  1310 AD – Paris

  “I want to build one,” Amanda said.

  “Build one? You mean, one of those?” Israel asked, pointing up.

  “An Aetheric Craft, yes. I’m going to build one.”

  “That’s quite an undertaking,” Cyrac said. “There’s a lot of stuff that needs to be done right, you know?”

  They were sitting in the front room of the Legacy House, listening to some of the adventures that Cyrac and Lux had been on, and as she sat there, listening to them talk, Amanda couldn’t help but think how much she wanted to get out there. Travel the stars and see other worlds.

  She loved Earth, but there were times when it was just too stifling. She could get involved out there in the stars, actually do something for a change, and it would keep her away from Earth and from getting too involved in the Magi world.

  The more she thought about it and heard how separate Earth was, the more she liked the idea. She stood and began pacing.

  Over the last hour of talking, she’d basically made up her mind. She was going to do it, she was going to make a ship of her own and travel the stars, but she guessed she’d need a little help to make sure she did it right.

  Amanda turned to Cyrac with a smile. “I know, but I was hoping you’d help me?”

  Cyrac looked a little taken aback by the request for help, but he chuckled and smiled before looking up at Amanda. “Sure, why not?”

  Amanda looked over at Israel with a beaming smile. He looked back at her, rolled his eyes at her, and shook his head.

  Amanda looked back at Cyrac. “That means yes, he’s happy.”

  Party Crasher

  1682 AD

  “This is beautiful, Maya, truly beautiful,” Amanda said as she walked through the palace grounds at Versailles.

  “Well, I can’t take credit for the design and the quality of the craftsm
anship, but thank you all the same.”

  “You wanted the King to move his court here though, right? You said to me a while ago that you wanted the court to move to Versailles.”

  “I did, and I have been subtly nudging the crown in this direction for a while,” Maya admitted. “First, they built the hunting lodge here, and now, Louis has finally moved the entire court here. They’re working through extensive renovations now, as you can see.”

  Amanda looked over towards the building, which had been massively expanded on from the hunting lodge that it used to be. They were still working on it and would likely continue to do so for a few more years yet.

  Still, the work that had been completed was exquisite, and it seemed like France would soon be leading the way in courtly fashion.

  “Well, it’s grand. And you live there now?”

  “I have my own hidden, private quarters beneath the palace, yes, giving me unfettered access to the royal court.”

  “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

  “Of course. I wouldn’t be doing it otherwise,” Maya agreed. “I am glad you like it, though.”

  “I love it,” Amanda confirmed.

  “So, I have a confession. I didn’t just want to show you the palace today, I actually wanted to ask if you would join me in attending a celebration here tonight. Louis is hosting a party to celebrate the official moving of the royal court from Paris to Versailles. It should be quite the affair.”

  Amanda smiled at her daughter. “To be sure, I’d be honoured,” she answered, with a smile. A thought occurred to her, and she looked back at her daughter. “Do you just want me here, or would you allow me to invite some guests of my own?”

  “Other Magi, I’m guessing,” Maya asked.

  Amanda nodded. “That’s right. I’m sure they would appreciate such an invite.”

  “Providing they don’t cause any trouble, I don’t see what not,” Maya agreed, although she didn’t look one hundred percent convinced.

  “Don’t worry, I’m not going to invite Yasmin or anything,” Amanda grinned.

  “I’m guessing they won’t have a problem getting into the party, given their Magic?”

  Amanda smiled. “It’ll be easy as pie, I’m sure.”

  Maya smiled at her modern turn of phrase.

  “Excellent, I’ll get word to a few people,” Amanda said.

  ***

  Amanda looked at herself in the mirror, turning left and then right, examining the extravagant dress that Maya had procured for her. It was beautiful but also slightly constricting. She’d been strapped into a corset and could feel the thing pulling her ribs in and threatening to make her short of breath. Above that, she wore a beautiful gold dress that included a plunging neckline, which, combined with the corset pushing her up, gave her cleavage that she had to admit was damned impressive.

  She felt reasonably sure people would be talking to her chest more than to her face.

  At her waist, where the dress was at its tightest and her waist was at its most narrow, the petticoats sprouted out and cascaded down to the floor in layers beneath the outer skirt.

  The whole ensemble weighed a tonne, and it was not terribly easy to move about in. Amanda tried sitting in it a moment ago and practically burst out of the dress. The process of bending her body constricted her lungs even more, making it harder to breathe while pushing her boobs up, so they were up to her chin.

  She would have laughed, but the dress made doing that a life-threatening proposition.

  Still, with her hair tied up in an elaborate style and the impressive gold jewellery she wore around her neck, she was delighted with the overall effect.

  Her daughter looked just as stunning, in a darker blue dress that had a similar shape to Amanda’s.

  Above them, the party was already underway, so Amanda and Maya made their way up and out into the main palace, walking arm in arm through the grand ballrooms filled with royal courtiers and the king’s guests. One of the rooms was dominated by a huge long table, filled to overflowing with food of all kinds, while servants slipped through the crowd, making sure everyone had a drink.

  People talked in small groups laughing, giggling, or whispering conspiratorially. Amanda felt reasonably sure there was a lot of political manoeuvring going on.

  Maya pointed people out as they went, telling her who they were and what their importance was to the Sun King.

  Outside in the early evening, various entertainers were showing off feats of gymnastics and dance as musicians played, filling the night with melody.

  Amanda soon spotted members of the Legacy Coven, including Israel, Aaron, Niccolò, and Romany.

  Standing with them was Trevelyan, dressed for once in the fashions of the era rather than in his Magi robes.

  She’d not seen him since the Fire of London, despite agreeing that they really should meet to discuss things.

  Amanda greeted the group warmly and soon moved towards Trevelyan. “Would you like to talk now?” she asked.

  Trevelyan nodded and smiled. “That would be good.”

  “Come then, let us walk.” Leading him off through the garden, she gave Maya a brief nod before they set off. “How have you been?”

  “I’ve been well, thank you for asking, and I’ve been thinking a lot about our conversation in London. That was my first time meeting a Weaver,” he admitted. “I’d heard tell of them, of course, but I had never actually met one. He’s, um, a formidable thing.”

  “He is,” Amanda agreed. “Enigmatic, too. I’ve seen him a few times now, but he’s not given me much to go on. I’m convinced he knows more than he’s letting on, but I wouldn’t want to try and force it out of him.”

  “Neither would I,” Trevelyan agreed.

  “How’s London?”

  “Well on the road to recovery,” Trevelyan said.

  “Sorry you had to let it burn.”

  “Had it been any other day and had we not been in the city, it would likely have been days before we’d heard about the fire anyway. It was a big one, though. It will most certainly be in the history books.”

  “You have no idea,” Amanda muttered.

  “You know, I find it incredible to think that you’re not actually born yet,” he said.

  “How do you think I feel? I’m the one living it,” Amanda answered. “I don’t know what to do half the time. Should I help out here? Should I intervene there? I never know if my actions are going to be the cause of some huge time paradox that will change the future or worse. I mean, I guess the Weaver would step in if I did anything too crazy, but still, it’s madness.”

  “So, how do I fit into this?” Trevelyan asked.

  “Well, my younger-self knows you. We meet and one of the things you do is, at a party in the city of New York…”

  “New York?”

  Amanda smiled. “A new city on the other side of the ocean in the colonies. It’s not been settled for very long, but it’s there.” Thinking about New York made Amanda think about her house, the Brownstone. She made a mental note to visit the New York colony soon and look at securing some land out there. She got the feeling that the house she ended up buying all those years ago was always meant to be hers.

  “Ah, yes, the New World. I’m aware of it, but I have yet to visit. So, what is it that I do at this party in New York?”

  “You take me to Ultima Thule, show me the original document of the Prophecy of Helene, and tell me your thoughts on it.”

  “My thoughts?”

  “You say you believe it, and in me. It was, well, it was a moment, that’s for sure.”

  “I can imagine.”

  “Look, I think you have a part to play when my younger-self first comes into her powers. By then, you’re on the Magi Council. In fact, you’re leading it, and having someone that high up in the Magi community would be very useful in safeguarding my younger-self. Some Nomads and Arcadians dislike who I am and what I did, and I think you play a vital part in those early days. As does S
tephen Bathory, another Magus who’s on the Council by the time my younger-self goes through her epiphany.”

  “That’s a lot of trust you’re giving me,” Trevelyan said.

  “I know. But I think I can trust you, Trevelyan.”

  “I shall do my best to be worthy.”

  Amanda smiled. They walked some more, talking further until they made their way back to the main Legacy group.

  The night wound on, and the group came and went as the hours passed. People laughed, enjoyed themselves, and generally had a good time.

  Later in the evening as they were walking through the palace, Amanda passed a side corridor with a couple of other Legacy Magi and happened to glance down it, spotting a figure at the far end. Amanda stopped, feeling sure she recognised the person she’d seen and stepped back, looking back up the hallway. It was Yasmin.

  The Nomad looked right at her and smiled. Had she been waiting for her?

  Amanda raised an eyebrow quizzically before she turned back to the two Magi she was with and told them she would catch up to them soon, she had something she wanted to do. They nodded and moved away, but Amanda waited another few moments to make sure no one was watching before she turned and walked up the corridor.

  “To what do I owe this pleasure?” Amanda asked, her tone even. She was on guard for any dirty tricks, but interestingly, she didn’t think there would be any.

  “A pleasure? I doubt it.” Yasmin said, falling into step beside her.

  Amanda turned and looked at Yasmin as they strolled through the gilded hallway. She looked away again. “No, you’re right, it’s not a pleasure at all. So, do get on and tell me why you’re here,” Amanda said.

  “You might not like to be in my presence, but it does look like our fates are entwined, Amanda, and I think we will probably be seeing more of each other. But I didn’t come here on a social call, although, I do need to say congratulations on your attack on my ritual in London. Very well done. Pointless, of course. I found more Magi to replace the ones you liberated and enacted the ritual a few months later anyway, but, at least you managed to save a few. Oh, hang on, but your attack caused the Fire of London, didn’t it? Ah, well, you tried to save lives, I suppose.” Yasmin grinned to herself.