She’d asked for Nico, Francesco, and Danica to come on missions with her, including this last one, but despite supporting her, they’d refused. Politics was to blame. Supporting her during the meetings was one thing but going out there and joining her on one of the missions was something else entirely. Not because it might be dangerous, but because it would show them in a particular light to the other Conclave members.
Danica, being the newest conclave appointee, was especially careful how she appeared to her peers. She didn’t want to lose her seat before she’d made her mark.
Mary hated the situation she was in with Amanda. And she hated the politics that kept her from bringing the necessary forces to bear in order to take Amanda down. But what could she do?
The car skidded to a stop in the drop-off area, close to a set of double doors that led into the Inquisitorial offices. Mary climbed out, aware that her face was the picture of frustration.
“We’ll get her next time, ma’am,” Assunta said as she stepped up to her.
“Will we?” Mary asked. “I’m wondering if this is becoming a fool’s errand.”
“Nothing is a fool’s errand where the servants of Satan are concerned, ma’am.”
Mary looked up at Assunta and smiled. “You’re a good and loyal servant of God, Assunta, I have no doubt that you’ll go far.”
“Thank you, ma’am, I hope so.”
“Alright, have we got everything?”
“I think so.”
“Let’s head inside, then,” she said. As they approached, the double doors slid open allowing them entry into the lobby and its bank of elevators.
They boarded the first lift and rode it up to the main operations level where they would drop off their weapons and gear. As the elevator drew to a stop, Mary stepped closer to the doors.
With a ping, they slid open and Mary stepped out, only to look up and find she was facing a small group of people, all of whom she recognised.
It was the full Conclave of Grand Inquisitors, and they did not look happy. Mary stopped, her gaze flicking between their stony faces.
“What is this?” Mary asked.
“How many was it this time, Mary?” Marcus asked.
“I’m sorry?”
“How many died?” he clarified.
Mary frowned. She did not like the look of this at all. “Six,” she answered.
Whispers rippled through the Grand Inquisitors, and a few heads were shaking. She could see Nico standing amidst the group, his eyes averted. Francesco was there too, his face neutral and unreadable.
Danica stood near the back, her expression sad and resigned.
“Six more deaths. Six more lives wasted in this obsession of yours,” Marcus accused her.
“Amanda-Jane Page is a Witch, and a dangerous one. The Inquisition is a cause we have all dedicated our lives to, and I would gladly sacrifice my own to know that one more Witch was dead and gone, Amanda or not.”
“Be that as it may, we have spoken about this often in our meetings, and we have made it clear that wasting lives on these missions is not a good use of resources, and yet you insist on doing it.”
“I insist on fighting the servants of Satan,” Mary protested.
“As do we all, are you questioning our loyalty?” Marcus asked.
“I question your vision for the future and your grasp on the world of the Magi, Inquisitor.”
“Questioning me is questioning the Conclave,” Marcus said.
“Now, who has delusions of grandeur?”
“Mary, this latest mission of yours was not approved by the Conclave, and yet more lives have been wasted and resources lost on your personal vendetta. You have taken a step too far, Mary.”
“It’s never a step too far, not until the world is free from the threat of the Witches and Warlocks.”
“Mary,” said Nico, off to her left. “This is too much. I want to bring Amanda to justice as much as you do. She and her coven were responsible for the Vito’s death, but this is too much. The last few missions were too costly for us. You must stop. You have to let Amanda go until such a time that we can deal with her properly.”
“And when will that be?” Mary asked. “She’s not getting any weaker. In fact, I was going to report that she has grown even more powerful than we’d thought. I don’t know what happened, but we’re dealing with one of the most powerful Magi on Earth now. It would take all of us, and maybe Simon Peter himself, to bring her down.”
Marcus laughed. “Have you listened to yourself? You want to send the entire Conclave out on a mission against Amanda, and not only that but our Primarch as well? Are you insane?”
“Far from it, I’m perfectly lucid. Amanda is the biggest threat we face today.”
“There is no evidence of this. She’s strong, yes, but our reports suggest she isn’t a threat to humanity. There are, however, others that are a much greater threat.”
“The reports are wrong.”
“Oh, really?” Marcus asked.
“I know Amanda. I know what she’s capable of. She’s killed countless Inquisitors, and you know as well as I do that these Magi can be incredibly subtle. They might not appear to be a threat until they’re cutting your head off.”
“This is madness, Mary,” Marcus said.
“Mary, please, listen to him,” Francesco pleaded.
“So, you’re on his side now?”
“This isn’t about sides, Mary, this is about doing what’s right. We’re the Conclave. We have to be objective and not let our personal feelings and desires taint our actions. The whole Inquisition looks to us for guidance and leadership, and what you’re doing, this personal crusade, it’s damaging to us and to the whole Inquisition. We’ve been talking about this for months now, and we can’t let it stand.”
“You can’t let it stand?” Mary asked. “What are you saying?”
“We’re saying,” Marcus cut in, “that we have come to a decision. We can’t let you run the Disciples into the ground. We need new leadership.”
“We’re sorry,” Nico added. “You’ve left us no choice. We took a vote, and it was enough to tip the scales. We’re sorry, Mary, but you can no longer be the Grand High Inquisitor.”
“What? This is preposterous. How dare you? You can’t do this. I have been elected to the position. This is mutiny, a power grab. How long have you been planning this?”
“That’s not what this is,” Nico said.
“So, who’s taking my place? Who’s going to be Grand High Inquisitor instead of me?”
“I am,” Marcus revealed.
“Of course, it’s you. Like I said, this is a power grab. You can’t force me out.”
“We already have,” Marcus said.
“You’re also suspended, pending a psychological evaluation,” Nico added.
“Excuse me?”
“You need help, Mary,” Nico said. “You’re clearly obsessed. It’s not healthy. You can’t go on like this.”
“This is madness. Utter madness. I will not stand for this, and if I’m suspended, then fine, I resign my post. I will not serve within a corrupt organisation like this where you are all clearly threatened by me.” She looked over towards Danica. “You should watch your back in this boys club, Danica. They’ll be after you next.”
“Are you even listening to yourself?” Marcus asked. “This has nothing to do with your gender and everything to do with your leadership. Danica has a long and promising career ahead of her.”
“You wouldn’t do this to one of the others, though, would you?”
“Go home, Mary. We’ll send you your things later.”
“Oh, don’t worry, I’m going.”
“We’ll be in touch in a few days when you’ve calmed down, and maybe we can talk about your future.”
“Not interested,” she said as she turned away, pulling off her armour and webbing before dropping them and her weapons to the floor before she walked back into the lift, leaving a stunned Assunta and Augusto beh
ind her as the doors shut on this chapter of her life.
- Manhattan, New York
Liz felt the Aegis around the house drop and knew they were in trouble.
“I’m calling for reinforcements,” Maria said.
“Good,” Liz answered.
Essentia flared, blindingly bright in her Aetheric Sight as Magic surged and energy flowed.
The front wall of the house exploded out into the street. The rubble parting and falling to either side of the group of Magi standing out front, looking in at them.
She recognised them right away, having fought some of them in very close quarters before.
Kez, in her ragged cloak, stood at the front. Behind and to her left stood Nate, the fit blond killer with the blasphemous tattoos, holding a huge dagger in his hand. On Kez’s right, Anastasia stood with her hands on her hips, her long blonde hair in pigtails, still sporting the stripper or schoolgirl look—Liz wasn’t sure which—with the tartan mini skirt and white blouse. Maybe she was just a Britney Spears fan?
Behind her, Tacita, the dreadlocked pyromaniac in denim leered at them. There were three others in the group who Liz didn’t recognise, but she guessed they’d be just as lethal as the others. There was a swarthy skinned woman in black, a man in a tailored suit, and a woman dressed in some kind of black futuristic armour.
Kez smiled at them. “Knock, knock.”
Descent
The Abyss
Amanda stood at the edge of the road, looking into the dark Aetheric reflection of New York’s Central Park as the Essentia that had brought her over, faded away.
She turned and looked up at the hazy, blue-tinged skyline of New York. She could recognise the buildings, but they were twisted and corrupted, falling into ruin—a result of several millennia worth of Archon corruption. She wondered what this Near Aetheric Realm would look like without the corrupting influence of the Archons. Was it more of a paradise, or would it still be as dangerous?
A thick, cloying mist covered the ground around her while roiling clouds, that were occasionally shot through with a cascade of bright, blue-green lightning, filled the sky. In the distance, one of the huge, manta ray-like creatures glided through the air above the street trailing tentacles behind it.
She’d been here, to the Abyss many times through the centuries, but she’d never ventured very far. It was a dangerous and depressing place, and one that Amanda didn’t enjoy visiting, but she had done a little exploring from time to time. She’d also cultivated her friendship with Bramble, the Fae she’d met when she had first crossed over.
She turned and looked into the park with its dark, dead trees, devoid of leaves or life and sighed. It must have been a beautiful place before the Archons.
The Archon’s corruption didn’t extend too far beyond Earth, though. She knew from her travels to other planets that the Aetheric Realm out in the cosmos was unaffected by the Archons.
The Abyss, and the barrier that stopped the Magi from entering it, was only located around Earth itself.
As she stood, lost in thought, she heard movement in the streets behind her. She glanced back in the direction of the sound but saw nothing. The Abyss was crawling with creatures. Abyssals, Spirits, and Fae that were usually hostile and corrupted, like the environment itself. There were a few notable exceptions though, such as Bramble who had somehow resisted the creeping corruption, but they were few and far between.
Amanda walked quickly into the park and out of view of the nearby roads as she headed towards Bramble’s hideout.
She didn’t have to go too far, before she found the cluster of huge rocks she was looking for. She moved into them, careful to follow the correct sequence of turns that led to what looked like a dead end with a fairly large rock blocking her way. With a careful and subtle working of Magic, she shifted the thing sideways to reveal a cave behind it. Amanda stepped through and shifted the rock back into place, dropping the cave into darkness with only a soft golden glow coming from up ahead to guide her way. Amanda moved carefully over the uneven cave floor, making sure she had sound footing with every step.
“Bramble,” she called out. “It’s Amanda, you in here?”
She heard the sound of movement from up ahead, and as she reached the bend in the passageway, she looked up to see Bramble’s familiar figure waiting for her.
“Amanda, what brings you to my humble abode?” the Fae asked.
She was shorter than Amanda, maybe between three and four feet tall and a spindly little thing. She wore dirty rags and her hair was dark and limp. She looked mostly human in appearance, although her proportions were slightly off. She sported longer limbs and an elfin face with pronounced cheekbones and dark, almond-shaped eyes that glinted in the firelight. She also had long, pointed ears, although one was crooked, and a pair of dragonly-like, gossamer wings that hung limply from her back.
Amanda noticed that Bramble’s burned left arm seemed to be getting better, with fresh skin starting to come through as the blackened skin flaked off.
“Are you well?” Amanda asked.
“Hmm, as well as can be expected,” she answered, glancing at her blackened hand and flexing it, causing the skin to crack again.
Bramble waved Amanda forward into a broader area that served as her home. There was a makeshift bed made from scavenged blankets and other soft things, as well as various items scattered about the place. Some looked useful such as the knives and tools, while others appeared decorative. In the centre of the room, a Magical fire burned beneath a pot that hung from a handmade spit. Amanda could hear the liquid inside bubbling.
“Come, come,” Bramble said. “Sit, please. Tell me why you’re here.”
Amanda sat on the mound of rags that Bramble pointed to, as the Fae perched on the edge of her bed, looking at Amanda expectantly.
“I’ve come to ask a favour,” Amanda said.
The Fae’s eyebrows arched and a small smile crossed her features. “Oh, really?”
Amanda looked over at her with a more serious expression. “You’re not going to like it,” Amanda said.
“Depends on what it is,” Bramble said. The legends of the Fae were well known, even in Riven circles. They loved bargains and deals and favours and were always trying to turn them to their advantage. One day, this could come back to bite her on the arse, but she needed help. She’d only ever travelled to the Near Aetheric, but Tartarus was located in the Deep Aetheric.
“I need a guide. I need to get to Tartarus,” she said.
The look of glee and interest on Brambles face turned to revulsion and horror. “You want to go into the Deep Abyss?”
Amanda nodded, noting the Fae’s use of Abyss rather than Aetheric.
“Are you sure?” Bramble asked.
“A Nomad Magus is on her way there now. If I don’t stop her, she could become the most powerful and dangerous Nomad on Earth, and… and who knows what else. She wants the Archon’s power for herself, and she has the means to get it.”
“Are you sure? That’s quite a claim.”
“As sure as I can be.”
“This will be dangerous, Amanda. The Deep Abyss is not to be travelled lightly.”
“I understand, but I have no choice, I have to get there.”
“You will owe me a life debt if I do this, if I put my life at risk for you,” Bramble warned her.
“I understand,” Amanda said. She wasn’t sure what that meant, but if Bramble helped her, she would be only too happy to return the favour someday.
Bramble looked at her for a long, silent moment. She seemed to be weighing up what Amanda was asking her to do, and maybe she wondered if Amanda knew what she was getting herself into, but after a moment, the Fae nodded and stood. She moved around to stand close to Amanda and offered her hand. Amanda glanced at it, and then up to Bramble’s face and her deadly serious eyes. She took the Fae’s hand in hers. It was like holding the hand of a child. They shook, and suddenly Bramble smiled.
“Good thing I know a
way there that avoids most of the really bad areas, then,” she said with a little excitement in her voice.
“I knew you could help me,” Amanda smiled back.
“When do we go?” Bramble asked.
Amanda smiled. “Now, please,” she said.
“Very well, then. Let’s go,” Bramble stated and headed back the way Amanda had come. Amanda followed, out past the rock that blocked the entrance, making sure to put it back into place once they were through.
“This way,” Bramble directed her and moved deeper into the park itself.
“So, how do we get into the Deep Abyss?” Amanda asked.
“The Deep Abyss is all around us, like the Near Abyss is all around you when you’re in the Material Realm.”
“Oh,” Amanda said. She guessed that made sense. She’d travelled around the Near Abyss for a while, and although she had wondered where you went to reach the Deep Abyss, she’d never really had the desire to go there.
Aetheric lore was difficult to come by on Earth, and Abyssal lore even harder. Few people really knew how to navigate it.
“Travelling in the Aetheric Realm, as you call it, is not like travelling in the Material World,” Bramble said.
Amanda was aware of this. Space and time worked differently here, and things didn’t fit logically together. You could walk down an alleyway here, in the reflection of New York, and end up in the reflection of Tokyo at the other end. But not always, as someone else doing the same thing might stay in New York, and if you tried to backtrack, you could end up somewhere else entirely.
A lot of the way you moved through the Aetheric was based on intent, and where you wanted to go, but if you weren’t careful, things didn’t always go to plan. The Realm and its denizens seemed to relish tricking explorers or offering them the wrong path.
“I know, I’ve done a little exploring myself,” Amanda said.
“Then you know how dangerous it can be for the unwary traveller.”
“To be sure,” Amanda said, thinking back to the various fights she’d ended up in with Abyssals.
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