“She’s there,” he said, pointing into the shadows.
With her enhanced vision, Amanda picked her out of the darkness easily.
She’d been ripped apart.
If Amanda had to guess, it looked like a Magical attack, but she needed to be sure. Concentrating, Amanda pushed her vision back in time, looking for the moment of her death. The world around her moved backwards at high speed as if she were rewinding a film on a TV.
Suddenly, Claudia was standing up and facing a Magus Amanda knew all too well. It was Yasmin, taking the Scroll from Claudia before working her Magic and killing her.
Amanda cancelled the effect and looked up at Israel. “It was her. It was Yasmin.”
1311 AD – Deep Space
The Arkady slipped through space, gliding silently as if she weren’t moving at all, but Amanda knew better.
She sat at the helm of her new Aetheric Craft, its holographic displays giving her all the data she would ever need, including a map of the Sol System and the ship’s location within it. She’d already tested the Pulse Drive, which was similar to conventional thrusters, and moved her at fast, but sub-light speeds. She’d manoeuvred the ship around Earth, zipping out to the moon, taking the Arkady in an orbit around it a few times before firing up the Displacement Drive.
Although a conventional Antimatter Photon Drive and a Gravity Drive had been installed, the ship didn’t really need any engines. They were merely backups.
Instead, like all Aether Ships, it was The Core—a Magical item embedded in the craft, but controlled from the helm—that made the ship move. The Pulse, Displacement, and Flux Drives were not drives in the conventional sense. They were terms that referred to the different Magical effects that propelled the ship through space.
When Amanda brought the Displacement Drive online, The Core created a time dilation effect on the ship, but not on Amanda, that made it move a lot faster. Suddenly, the ship was capable of going up around ten times the speed of light. It was fast, but still really only good for in-system travel between planets.
She boosted the ship through the solar system for the next after an hour, passing Jupiter and Saturn as she made her trip.
Flying through the Sol System had been Magical, but now she needed to test the Flux Drive. This added another layer of Magic on top of the Displacement effect that did two things. It started to Port the ship forward at many hundreds or thousands of times a second, and also, if needed, allowed it to slip slightly into the Aetheric Realm, where distance was not always as it seemed.
This moved the ship forward at an incredible rate, allowing for interstellar travel.
Amanda set a course for Proxima Centauri and fired up the Flux Drive.
Hunters
1812 AD
Amanda stood at the window, looking out over the city from one of the upper floors of the building.
Moscow burned.
The city was awash with flames that were tearing through the mostly abandoned city, sending endless plumes of thick, acrid black smoke rising into the air above the orange glow of the fires beneath.
The sight before her reminded Amanda of the fire of London and the ferocity of that conflagration. What was it with Yasmin and fires? Looking down towards the river, she saw a huge mass of soldiers mostly on foot, although a few officers were on horseback, moving along the bank
History would have much to say about Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, calling the battle that had preceded their entrance into the city a Pyrrhic victory. As she watched the army march along below her, she was able to pick Napoleon out of the crowd on his white horse, wearing a thick coat as he tried to shield himself from the cold.
Amanda pulled her own coat closer. She was too far from the nearest fires for her to feel any benefit from the hot air they created.
She watched the army march by before she heard a crunch behind her. Turning, she saw Siobhan stalk into the room in her huge Werecougar form, standing upright on her digitigrade legs. Anthony Deniau, in his Weretiger form, followed her in, dragging a man into the room by his throat and throwing him to the floor.
Anthony lunged forward at the man and roared. “Tell me where Koschei is!” he shouted.
The man glowed in Amanda’s Aetheric sight, marking him as a Magus. Clearly terrified, he looked around the room for help. His eyes locked on Amanda and he backed away from Anthony, moving towards her.
“Help, please, I don’t want to die,” he pleaded with her in Russian.
“You’re talking to the wrong person, to be sure,” Amanda replied, also in Russian. “Answer my friend’s questions, and maybe you’ll survive this.”
The Nomad’s face fell as he looked back up at the powerful Weretiger that was looming above him. “Okay, alright, I think I know where he is.”
“You think you know?” Anthony asked.
“Look, I’m pretty sure, okay? Koschei doesn’t exactly get involved with us or the Arcadians, you know.”
“This better be good,” Siobhan added.
The Nomad visibly gulped as Anthony bared his claws at the man.
It had been thirteen years since the attack by the white Weretiger in Paris, who they now knew was called Sergei, but was better known as White Fury. He’d transformed Anthony into a Scion that day and created a sworn enemy in the process. Sergei was a Scion who owed allegiance to Yasmin. That much was clear from the way he’d been used as a diversion to allow Claudia, a mole placed in the Legacy Coven, to steal the Lazarus Scroll for Yasmin.
Since the Great Fire of London, Amanda had made it a priority to try and keep an eye on Yasmin. She did her best to track her and map out her and her coven’s influence. It worked to a point, and as a result, Amanda often had a reasonably good idea of what Yasmin was doing. But not always.
Her investigations into what Yasmin’s plans for the Lazarus Scroll might be led her to believe that she seemed to be trying to figure out how to use the Scroll. She was hunting down and visiting anyone she could find who knew more about the artifact. She seemed particularly interested in translating it.
Koschei was the latest figure in the Magi world that Yasmin was looking to speak to.
Amanda wanted to find Yasmin, and Anthony wanted to find Sergei, so when Amanda heard that Sergei had been seen with Yasmin in her hunt for Koschei the Lich, Anthony was keen to go with her to find him.
Of course, nothing was ever that easy, and when they Ported in they found the city in flames. It seemed to be the way of things when it came to dealing with Yasmin. Chaos and death followed her everywhere.
“We think he lives in a house outside the city,” the Nomad informed them.
“You think?” Anthony asked.
“I’m pretty sure…”
Anthony looked up at Amanda his face filled with meaning. She knew what he wanted and stepped forward.
“Drop your Aegis,” Amanda said to the Nomad.
“Sorry, what?”
“Drop it, or I’ll break it. It’s in tatters anyway,” she said, no doubt from Anthony and Siobhan’s attacks.
The Nomad cursed before shaking his head with a sigh. As she watched, his Aegis fell away.
Amanda pulled on her Magic and delved into the man’s mind, hunting for confirmation of what he’d just told them. She soon found the information and the reasons why he thought it was accurate. Basically, he’d heard it from several separate sources who’d been reliable about other things.
Amanda nodded. “He seems to be fairly sure, and it’s the best lead we’ve had so far,” she said.
The Nomad nodded. “See, I wasn’t lying. I wouldn’t do that. I’m helping you. So, can I go?”
Anthony looked up at Amanda. She looked back at him and shrugged. “Your choice,” Amanda said and waited to see what he’d do.
Anthony looked down at the Nomad, and in a sudden movement, slashed at him with his claws. The Nomad was dead within a few seconds, his blood leaking over the floor as Anthony stepped away calm, focused, and all business.
He looked up at Amanda and Siobhan. Amanda didn’t say anything, she could sympathise with his position. He was angry and desperate for revenge on Sergei for attacking him and turning him into a Scion.
Sergei had effectively ended Anthony’s life. Amanda and the Legacy Coven had done their best to support him and aid him in his adjustment into the hidden world of Magi and Scions, but it was never going to be smooth sailing the whole way.
“What?” Anthony asked as he looked between the two women. Siobhan shifted back into her human form, shrinking as the honey-coloured fur on her body melted away and her bones snapped and popped back into their human shape. It only took a few seconds and was clearly painful, but she eventually stood naked and smoothed her hair back away from her face.
“Nothing,” Amanda said.
“We’re not judging,” Siobhan added as she pulled a curtain from the floor and wrapped it around herself. “Least of all, me.”
“Good,” Anthony stated.
“This lead seems like the best one we’ve had, so remember, this is not just a revenge mission. If Yasmin is there, I don’t want you charging in and getting yourself into trouble,” Amanda said, turning to Anthony. “I will deal with Yasmin and Koschei. If the opportunity presents itself, then I have no problem with you taking your revenge on Sergei, but remember, do it together. He’s older and stronger than either of you, but if you take him on as a pair, he’ll be at a disadvantage. Also, I’ll try to help, provided I’m not already occupied. So, stay with me and don’t rush in, understand?”
Both Scions nodded their agreement.
“Alright, let’s go,” she said, pulling on the threads of Essentia and Porting the three of them beyond the outskirts of town to appear just outside the gates of a large property in the countryside, the location of which she’d pulled from the mind of the Nomad.
Looking up, Amanda could see the remnants of what had once been a substantial Aegis surrounding the property, but it had been ripped asunder, leaving the area unprotected.
“There’s Magic here,” Siobhan stated.
“Yeah, I can feel it, too,” Anthony seconded her.
“The edge of the Aegis is right in front of us,” Amanda nodded, “but it’s been ripped open. Come on,” she said, stepping forward.
Moving through the gates, the house soon came into view. It was old and had not been looked after, sporting broken windows and vines creeping up the exterior. Ahead, four figures stood talking in front of the house, deep in conversation.
Amanda recognised two of them right away, spotting Yasmin and Sergei in his white Weretiger form beside her.
Looking closer, she realised she recognised one of the others as well. Standing next to what she could only describe as a walking corpse was a man in a long dark coat. It took her a moment to recall the name.
It was Demitriov, the German Nomad who had attacked her in The Jade Palace. She also remembered Yasmin stepping in to help her to stop Demitriov’s attack.
Every now and then, she’d come upon a link to her younger years in the twenty-first century, and it was always something of a surprise, and a moment of connection and revelation. Seeing Demitriov rekindled some of those memories and emotions, and made her pause for half a second before she continued on striding towards the four figures. They spotted her approach early and broke off into two pairs—Yasmin and Sergei on one side, while Koschei and Demitriov were on the other.
As she approached, she remembered how Demitriov had spoken to her as if they’d met before, which, of course, now made sense. She wondered if this would be the only meeting they would have before the modern-day.
Amanda spoke through the Link with Siobhan and Anthony. ~Remember I said that Yasmin should survive?~ she reminded them. ~I also need the man in the dark coat to survive, too, understood?~
They both answered in the affirmative.
“Amanda, we meet again. How wonderful,” Yasmin greeted her.
“Who’s this?” the walking corpse asked. Amanda looked over at him, and a shiver went rippling along her spine. This must be Koschei. He was not an easy person to look at. He looked like some kind of zombie. His skin was a dirty brown, yellow, and green that had shrunken to his face, while his lips had peeled back to permanently show his teeth. The Lich’s eyes were a cloudy, dead-looking colour and his joints cracked as he moved.
Amanda could see the Magic that coursed through his body, keeping him alive. If this could be called living. Most Magi were long-lived, but some were not, and for those who would otherwise live an average human lifespan or even just a few hundred years, you eventually had to make a choice of either accepting your death or taking steps to live on.
One of those methods was to become a Lich. It was Necromancy, of course, and seen as a crime amongst the Arcadians. But if that wasn’t a concern, then it was one way to keep living.
She’d heard of Koschei before. He’d been around for a long time and was one of the more successful Liches around.
“You took the Scroll, didn’t you?” Amanda accused Yasmin, wanting to get straight down to business.
“Eh, so what if I did? You lot weren’t doing a lot with it.”
“I want it back,” Amanda said.
“Oh, I’m sure you do, but you know what? I’m not done with it, not yet,” Yasmin answered her, smiling smugly.
“Who do you think you are?” Koschei yelled at her.
Amanda looked over. “Apologies for the intrusion, but I have business…”
“So do I, and you have no right to charge in here,” he ranted.
Amanda glanced over at Yasmin, who seemed to be enjoying the spectacle.
Yasmin’s appearance had probably already annoyed the Lich, but having more Magi and Scions arrive was not likely to improve his mood.
“Hey, I didn’t mean to… In fact, no, forget it, I’m not apologising to you,” Amanda said, wondering why she was playing so nice with this Lich. He was a Necromancer and she owed him nothing. Besides, she wasn’t here for him, and neither were Anthony and Siobhan.”
She realised she wasn’t the only one having an argument though, as she glanced at Anthony, who was hurling insults at Sergei. The two Weretigers stood face to face, with Anthony backed up by Siobhan. It looked like a fight might break out at any moment between them.
“…be bothered with… See, you weren’t even listening to me,” Koschei continued.
Standing a little way behind the Lich, Demitriov leered at her.
What an odious man.
Without warning, Essentia rushed out from Koschei as he attacked her. Energy splashed over her Aegis, causing it to fluoresce in her Aetheric Sight. Amanda stepped back, fracturing her mind using the Multitasking effect as Koschei struck her again and followed it up with a string of Lightning strikes and further Essentia hits.
Amanda immediately flushed more Essentia into her Aegis, strengthening it following Koschei’s withering onslaught as Demitriov joined in and threw some Essentia at her as well.
He wasn’t anywhere near as powerful as Koschei though, and with a sudden and powerful Essentia hit of her own, she ripped his Aegis to shreds.
Demitriov staggered back, surprise etched on his face. Amanda hit him again with a Kinetic Ram, sending him sprawling over the ground. Meanwhile, the rest of her minds threw as much Essentia and destructive energy at the Lich. The air flashed with light as her Magic slammed into him with a series of deafening booms.
Close by, she spotted Anthony and Siobhan in a deadly fight of their own with Sergei. Their claws flashed and thick red blood flew, while Yasmin calmly looked on.
She was probably quite amused by all this.
The Lich fought back, sending more Magical strikes towards Amanda. But her powerful connection to Essentia kept her Aegis strong. Simultaneously, she threw a barrage of attacks at the undead Magus. Koschei flailed as he tried to fend her off, but he just wasn’t up to it.
His Aegis buckled and flickered until it couldn’t handle it anymore and
burst. A final Kinetic blast sent him sprawling to the floor.
“I yield. I yield to you, please, no more, you win,” Koschei said, looking up at her.
Amanda paused, her hands crackling with Essentia. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, you win. Just, no more, please,” he muttered.
Amanda glanced over at the Scions and saw Anthony and Siobhan standing over the torn-up corpse of Sergei as they caught their breath. They were all covered in blood, but Sergei himself was quite dead.
“You coward,” Demitriov yelled. Amanda looked up to see the Nomad approaching. He looked down at the Lich in disgust. “I have nothing more to learn from you,” he spat, before turning to Yasmin and going down on one knee, his head bowed. “I pledge myself to you, my Baal,” he said, before looking up at her. “If you’ll have me.”
Yasmin’s grin was entirely too smug for Amanda’s tastes. “Oh, do you now? Well, then, I accept. Especially, since I seem to have lost one of my Black Knights today,” she said, dismissively waving towards Sergei’s corpse.
Demitriov stood, a smug grin of his own on his face as he looked back at Koschei.
“My business here is done,” Yasmin said, and with a last smile back at Amanda, Yasmin Ported away with Demitriov.
Amanda sighed and looked back over to where Koschei lay. She walked over as Siobhan and Anthony moved to join her. Koschei merely watched through milky eyes. It was difficult to read the Lich’s expressions, but she wondered if he was afraid.
As she got close, she crouched down to bring herself more level with him. “I need to know what Yasmin wanted from you,” she said.
“Of course,” Koschei answered. “She wanted help with a translation, and I gave it to her.”
“A translation?” Amanda asked. It was a strange thing for a Magi to need help with.
“She had an Artifact, it’s known as the Lazarus Scroll, and it’s been missing for hundreds of years. It was last seen in Constantinople but was lost in the siege of the city during the crusades. I was surprised to see Yasmin with it.”
Magi Legend Page 107