Magi Legend

by Andrew Dobell

  “Doubtful, but she’s an intelligent woman. It wouldn’t take much to guess that we might come here.”

  “She might not be after us,” Balor added. “This might just be her next target.”

  “Makes sense,” Mercy nodded. “If she thinks she has the power to bring down the Arcadians, taking out the Council would be a wise move.”

  “And if she catches us here?” Tabitha asked.

  “Two birds with one stone,” Balor said.

  “Shit,” Liz cursed.

  “Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Trevelyan interrupted. “It might not be her.”

  There was another, much louder and closer explosion. Trevelyan ran out of the door, followed by Stephen, Forest, and Stella.

  Liz looked at Maria, who shrugged.

  “Let’s see who’s come calling,” Liz said and led them out of the room in time to see the far wall of the lobby explode. The Council Magi before them conjured a force shield and kept the debris at bay as several figures ran, jumped, and in one notable case, floated into the room.

  Yasmin, with her Magic crackling around her and the green Orb glowing on her chest, glided in, several feet off the floor.

  Liz’s stomach flipped as she looked up at that smug angular face and saw only her mentor’s murderer. She felt the hate rise within her, but underlying that, there was fear, not only for her own life but also for Amanda’s vulnerable body.

  She would not allow Yasmin to desecrate her further.

  Part of her wanted to rush forward and attack Yasmin, to show her that they would not be cowed or stopped, no matter how powerful she was, but the rational side of her mind knew that would be instant death.

  As she watched, Trevelyan and Stephen let their Magic fly as they attacked the Nomads. Beside them, Forest and Stella joined the struggle, unleashing their Magic on the aggressors.

  Seeing the Legion Magi fight alongside the Council against a mutual enemy shed new light on Forest and Stella Ward. Suddenly, she saw them as allies, people on the right side of the fight, even if they did hold some unflattering beliefs about her and her friends.

  They were Arcadians, and that was what was important.

  Stella was furious and rushed forward, only for Yasmin to turn her attention to the woman and blast her with an unstoppable wave of Essentia and energy attacks that hammered Stella’s Aegis, breaking it down until it eventually collapsed.

  Stella died within moments of her Aegis failing.

  Forest roared in fury and agony. Liz could feel his pain and anguish and recognised the same feelings within herself. She knew how he felt at that moment, and she wished there was something she could do to help him.

  Essentia flared all around them, and several other Magi started to appear in the atrium. Liz recognised most of them as Council Magi, including Kai and Count Saint Germain. Some of them spotted Liz, but they all moved towards Yasmin and added their strength to that of Trevelyan’s in the fight against the Nomads.

  Watching in fascination and horror, Liz suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder.

  “Liz, what do we do?” Tabitha asked.

  Liz turned and looked at the blonde woman with her cat-like eyes and blinked. “Right, yes, um,” she stuttered as she looked around her at Maria, Balor, and the others. Through the door behind her, she saw Amanda’s body laid out, defenceless and knew there was only one thing they could do. “Balor,” she said to him, “grab Amanda, we’re leaving.”

  Balor nodded and rushed back into the room before returning to the group with Amanda over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift. It wasn’t the most dignified way to carry her, but it was practical and left one of Balor’s arms free.

  “Maria, can you Port us to the ship?”

  “Of course,” she said, and reached out with her Flux Magic. Liz felt Maria’s Magic rush through her, and the beginnings of the feeling of dislocation fill her up, only for it to fade just as suddenly and fall away.

  “Maria?” Liz asked.

  “Yasmin’s surrounded the castle with an Aegis, we can’t Port out without breaking it first.”

  Liz frowned. “Which, she’s bound to notice.”

  “We can’t stay here,” Tabitha said.

  “So, we move,” Sabine suggested. “There must be corridors back here that are inside the Aegis. Let’s see what we can find.”

  “Do it,” Liz agreed. “Lead the way.”

  Sabine nodded and set off towards a nearby archway that led to a corridor beyond. They jogged through it but hadn’t gone far when there was a flare of Essentia and a group of Magi appeared before them. The woman at the forefront of the group had dark hair and swarthy skin, giving her a Mediterranean feel. She wore black clothing and a wicked smile.

  “Going somewhere?” she said, her Italian accent colouring her words.

  Liz stopped and took a backwards step. “Nomads?” she whispered to Maria beside her.

  “Yes, that’s Raphaella Tanzi. She’s been known to infiltrate the Vatican.”

  “Wonderful,” Liz said, and looked back over her shoulder to see Kez, Yasmin’s right-hand woman leading another couple of Nomads into the corridor behind them. Without really thinking about it, Liz and the others split and moved to either side of the group, surrounding Balor, Matt, and Howie, who stood in the middle. Maria stood beside Liz as they faced Kez.

  “We wondered where you’d taken Amanda,” Kez said with a cruel smile.

  “Well away from you,” Liz answered.

  “Not far enough, it turns out,” Kez answered, as her Essentia flared and lashed out. Kez’s Magic hit Maria and Liz’s Aegises. Liz was forced to pump more Essentia into her shield to keep it erect.

  Maria opened the Link to Liz as the Magic flew. ~Merge your Aegis with mine, concentrate on repairing it, and let me deal with Kez,~ she suggested.

  Liz sent an affirmative thought back, and reached out with her Magic, effortlessly merging her Aegis with Maria’s and extending it out to cover Balor, Matt, and Howie as well, who were crouched behind them, trying to keep out the way.

  Balor cradled Amanda’s body in his arms, doing his best to protect her.

  Liz felt a rush of pride and emotion to see him doing what he could to protect her.

  Kez blasted them with more Essentia, forcing Liz to concentrate on the shield, and it took all her concentration to keep the Aegis fuelled and working. She sensed that Maria was helping too, using one or maybe two of her Multitasking minds to aid Liz.

  Having just edged into the rank of Knight, Liz was only capable of splitting her mind into two parts, although she’d recently found that with some concentration, she could sometimes manage three.

  Liz glanced behind her to see Mercy, Tabitha, and Sabine taking on Raphaella and the two other Nomads. They were holding their own, but the struggle was intense.

  Liz knew they couldn’t keep on like this. They were being pushed to the limit. She noticed Balor move and pass Amanda over to Howie and Matt, who took hold of her between them.

  “What are you doing?” Liz asked.

  “They can keep her safe, and you need some help,” Balor answered.

  Liz looked at the two Riven men and saw Howie, who was bigger and stronger than Matt, heft Amanda up onto his shoulder much like Balor had first done. “I’ve got her,” he said.

  “Okay,” Liz answered.

  Balor nodded and then leapt past Mercy, Sabine, and Tabitha and barrelled into the Nomads, his claws flashing.

  After a moment, Sabine moved up to stand beside Liz and added her Magic to the defence against Kez, allowing Maria to go entirely on the offensive.

  Movement behind Kez caught Liz’s attention, and after a moment, as one of the Nomads there fell, she saw Forest Ward throwing Magical attacks at Kez.

  The onslaught from Kez lost some of its potency as she defended herself while the other Nomad with her turned and attacked Forest. Maybe we’ll get out of this after all, Liz thought, but there was still the issue of getting out of the castle entirely. Esc
aping this fight was one thing, but Yasmin was the real enemy here, and avoiding her would be the real trick.

  Essentia bloomed behind Liz. She felt Astral Magic reach into the Material plane. Liz turned to see energy flare and a figure emerge from the glow. She was slender with very short, spiky blonde hair, wearing black and grey robes that gave her a mystical look.

  Liz paused, unsure of what to do for a moment. She’d never seen this person before and wasn’t sure if she was a friend or foe. The woman looked left and right, peering at the Magic crackling around her before she looked down at Liz.

  She frowned.

  “Where’s Amanda?” she asked.

  “Who’s asking?” Liz answered noticing the boys had kept her concealed. She prepared herself to pull her Magic from the Aegis to attack the woman. She glowed in her Aetheric Sight, marking her as a Magus, and a powerful one at that.

  The woman nodded, apparently understanding Liz’s trepidation. “I’m Crystal, an ally. I traced her here, but…”

  Liz looked at her for a moment and considered telling her to get lost and that Amanda wasn’t here, but she sensed no malice from the woman, and the name seemed to register in her mind.

  Had Amanda told her of someone called Crystal who she’d met during her time travel? It felt right in her mind and her gut instinct told her that the woman was on the level.

  “Okay, yes, she’s here,” Liz said. “Howie?”

  Howie turned and revealed Amanda’s upper body that was hanging down his back.

  “But, you’re a little late if you wanted to speak to her,” Liz continued, unconsciously putting some spite into her words.

  “Damn it,” Crystal cursed. She looked down at Amanda, and then at the situation around her with Liz and the others fighting the Nomads. “Okay, let’s get you all out of here,” she said, and Essentia started to reach out to them all.

  Liz felt a Pulse of Essentia flare in her mind. She knew it was Crystal and opened the Link.

  ~Reach out to everyone you want to bring with you, I’ll do the rest,~ Crystal said.

  ~Understood,~ Liz answered, and then expanded the Link with Crystal to Maria, Voodoo, Balor, and the others. As she did it, and Crystal’s Magic flowed out to them all, she looked to her right and saw Kez turn and attack Forest with a renewed focus, destroying his Aegis before her superior Magic started to tear him apart.

  As the Astral Magic flared, Liz bid goodbye to Forest. He might have been something of an idiot as far as she was concerned, but when the time came, he stepped up and did the right thing, giving his life for the cause.

  The Astral Magic grew and the scene inside the castle disappeared as she felt herself being pulled through the Null Realm and into the Aetheric.

  She wondered where they were going.

  - The Arkady, Ultima Thule.

  The Werewolf leapt at Maya, its claws raking at her as it attacked. Maya parried the attack, but the creature knocked her into the ship. She landed on her back.

  Jumping on her, it clamped a hand around her neck before swiping at her again with its other claw, slashing her face. She felt blood pour from the cuts as the thing roared at her.

  It went for her again, but this time, she caught the thing’s wrist in her hand, her claws biting deep into its flesh.

  She smiled wickedly at the beast. “My turn…”

  Beginnings

  Between

  The flare of white faded and the world around her grew dark until it was entirely black.

  Amanda couldn’t see Sophia or the Weaver until she suddenly sensed a presence in her mind, a sense of being very close to someone. But as she let that feeling flow through her and fill her, she realised that it was probably the other way around. Sophia wasn’t inside her mind, she was inside of Sophia’s.

  She could look around, take in her surroundings, and even move around as she wished, but the movements didn’t feel entirely hers. It was difficult to fully comprehend, but she didn’t feel the need to do so, either.

  She was safe and could still feel the love and protection that Sophia was bestowing upon her.

  “Where are we?” Amanda asked.

  “This is the beginning of your universe. The start of all things. I have seen it many times. Watch,” the voice said in her head.

  Out in the void of nothing, energy flared. Energy so incredibly powerful it was staggering to think about. It exploded, suddenly and violently, sending energy and matter out into the void.

  As she watched the void fill with matter, she realised what it was.

  “It’s the big bang,” she whispered.

  Amanda felt a feeling of warmth and an affirmative thought envelop her.

  The energy and matter filled the void and over time, she found she was watching the formation of galaxies, and then within those galaxies, stars and the systems of planets that encircled them.

  Sophia moved in towards one system, and together they watched a star burst into life as the interstellar gas collapsed in on itself. The burst of light was intense and rippled out into the accretion disk that surrounded it. She was watching the process sped up, as if on fast forward, but it was still amazing to see.

  Slowly, larger objects formed in the disk, and she saw the slow birth of what soon became apparent was her home. The solar system.

  And within it, Earth.

  “This is incredible,” Amanda said.

  “I never tire of seeing this. It’s one of the most beautiful sights anywhere,” Sophia agreed with her.

  Looking back, she could see the growth of the third planet out from the central star as it slowly picked up more and more mass as it moved around the disk.

  The vision faded, and the glow of white light slowly took its place, leaving her hanging in white nothingness.

  “There have been many important moments in the history of the Magi,” Sophia said. “Their early fight against the Archons and their tyranny was a struggle for survival, both for the Magi and humanity. Early in that fight, some of the Magi looked beyond Earth,” Sophia explained as the view changed, and she found herself hovering over a range of mountains, their peaks covered in snow. She floated, descending to the ground until a settlement in the upper reaches of the mountains came into view, and she soon stood amongst a handful of buildings.

  The buildings were well-made for such a remote location. She sensed Magic and knew that many of the people here were Magi. Her view slipped into one of the buildings where she found a gathering of people, mainly Magi, wearing clothing that was both ancient and well-crafted. These were Magi items.

  The group was talking in a language she didn’t know, but after a moment, understanding filled her mind and she knew what they were saying.

  “There are other worlds like this one, and they’re uninhabited. Not just around this sun, either. The stars you see at night, they are suns, like ours, and they have planets like this one,” said one man, who was dressed more practically than the others.

  “You heard Zarr Aristax,” said another man, referring to the first. “We don’t need to stay here. We don’t need to suffer under the rule of the Archons anymore. We can leave this place, move to other worlds, away from this oppression. The Archons rule this world, it’s lost to us. Let them have it.”

  “I can’t believe that,” said another. “Are you so eager to admit defeat, Valkris? We can win this fight.”

  “I agree,” said a female Magus. “I have knowledge of an artifact, a Magical Orb that grants great power. I believe it can be used to kill the Archons.”

  “Nonsense, Lilith,” said Valkris. “No, I say we leave this world behind. Let the Archons have it,” they deserve it.”

  “But what of Humanity?” another woman asked.

  “We’ll take some with us, of course. Humanity will live on, free, amongst the stars,” Zarr answered.

  “And we leave the rest here to die? I cannot do that.”

  “You’re sentimental, Voress.”

  “Perhaps, but I won’t leave people her
e to die.”

  “And what if the Demiurge returns?” Lilith asked.

  “He won’t return. His wayward children rule this world now. Putting your faith in some absent god is folly. I’m for leaving,” Valkris answered.

  “Besides,” said another, “the Demiurge is out there somewhere. He’s not on Earth, and you won’t find him here. You have more chance of finding him out there, amidst the stars.”

  “Yes,” Valkris answered. “Tempus understands. What about you, Zentus? And you Pala? Imperia, Arctor, Trax? Are you with us?”

  The Magi who Valkus addressed looked at one another and nodded, slowly at first, but as a broader consensus was reached they grew more confident, much to the dismay of Lilith, Voress, and a few others.

  The view shifted, and Amanda saw the creation of the first Aetheric Craft, built from wood, rope, and a host of other materials that should never work in deep space. But when the Magical core was enchanted, the ship became so much more. That first ship became a template and they created many such crafts, until they were ready for their trip to the stars.

  They left soon after, leaving some of their friends behind as the first Magi travelled to the stars.

  Her view pulled away, shifting back to the white glow she had been in before.

  “They were the first Magi to leave for deep space?” Amanda asked.

  “That’s correct. They were the pioneers, and they left the Magi on Earth to the whims of the Archons.”

  “The Magi on Earth fought them, though, right?”

  “They did. They fought long and hard, and Lilith even managed to kill one of them, as she said she would. But the Archons fought back. They would not relinquish their power so easily.”

  The view shifted once more, the white glow fading away to reveal the opulent interior of what Amanda could only imagine being an ancient palace of some kind. She was deep in the past again, as much as ten thousand years ago, and found herself looking at a human female and something else that looked quite inhuman.

  “So, today is the day?” said the woman. She was a raven-haired beauty, with soft pale skin and dark eyes that you could easily lose yourself in. She wore dark robes that were open at the front, revealing the swell of her breasts with only a black loincloth held in place by ornate golden chains.