“You don’t need to repay it, being a friend and ally to us is enough.”
“Thank you,” Nefertiti said. “Well, in preparation for what might be a quick exit, I think it might be a good idea if I show you the ways out of here.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Liz answered.
Nefertiti smiled and rose from her seat. “If you’d like to follow me, then…”
- Ultima Thule, Enceladus, Saturn.
Sabine pumped Essentia into her Aegis the moment she saw the two Nomads step out of the side corridor and didn’t wait for an invitation. She pulled the local Essentia in, splitting her mind using the Multitasking effect, and sent a blast of Essentia at the nearest of the two men.
It splashed against his Aegis in a light show of pyrotechnics in her Aetheric Sight, as Tabitha and Mercy worked Magic of their own.
Sabine stepped forward as the Nomads returned the attacks. Lightning snapped along the corridor and hit Sabine in the chest, dissipating its energy through her Aegis, but causing her to stumble back. Her Aegis seemed to survive the attack mostly undamaged and she unleashed another attack at the Nomad who had hit her.
These two were probably ranked Knights, so of a similar rank to herself and Tabetha, but with Mercy, who was the rank of Sage with them, this should be a fight they could win.
She’d been fighting for the Arcadians for as long as she could remember. She’d enrolled in the Arcanum’s Black Ops division as a teenager and trained with them for several years before she went through her Epiphany and had been given the choice of leaving the Arcanum or not. She’d chosen to leave. The Arcanum, although it employed Magi within its ranks, was primarily a Riven group, so when she became a Magus, she knew she’d have to rethink about her future.
She relished this chance to let loose on some Nomads, though. After her kidnapping at the hands of Nymira, she’d been keen to get back into the fight and get a little payback. These past few hours had given her plenty of chance to do that.
Beside her, Mercy threw her Magic at the pair of Nomads, her attacks hitting them hard.
Prophecy and Legacy
Between
The white glow faded, and Amanda found herself standing on a rooftop. The building she stood on was made from rough stone and wood, with a large settlement all around it. All the buildings were squat, mainly one or two-story affairs that were built from stone, with wood used for things like doors and windows. As she looked around, her attention moved to the people who were dressed in long tunics and coats of linen, wool, and animal skins walking amidst the buildings.
It looked like something out of the Bible, maybe? Again, her Magic didn’t seem to work too well, and she was unsure where or when she was exactly, but she saw nothing that was in any way modern at all.
She noticed that she was wearing the same type of clothing that the other people were, including a headdress that fell over her shoulders.
The air was warm but dry, and if she had to guess, she thought that she was probably somewhere in the Middle East, probably in the biblical era.
She couldn’t be sure, though.
As she looked down at the street, she noticed that a man had stopped in the road below her and was looking up at her. She smiled down at him, and he smiled back. She looked at him with her Aetheric Sight and noticed he was glowing.
He was a Magus.
As she watched, he looked around and then walked between the buildings and disappeared from view. She wondered who he was, and after a moment, she heard movement behind her and saw him climb up over the side of the building.
“Hello,” she said, but it sounded different, and she realised she wasn’t actually speaking English.
“What is your name?” the man asked, again not in English, but she understood him perfectly.
“I am Helene,” she said and felt surprised at the name she’d used. She knew she was also still Sophia and Amanda as well, and suddenly it all became clear to her. Sophia, the Aeon, had come to Earth several times. She was her mother, but she was also Helene, and Amanda felt sure she knew who this man was, too. “May I inquire as to your name, kind sir?”
“I am Simon of Gitta. I couldn’t help but notice, upon looking at you, that you appear melancholy. Is there some way that I might be of assistance?”
She smiled. “Unless you are able to free me, I don’t think you can do much. I am but a slave and a prostitute, held in bondage by my masters here in Tyre,” she said.
“Then I wish to free you, if you would indulge me your time, for I find you to be a rare beauty.”
“That would be most kind, sir, but would I not be your slave, then?”
“I promise that if you give me a week, should you choose to leave, I will not stop you. I only ask for you give me a week of your time,” he said.
She smiled. “A week it is, then.”
“Excellent,” Simon said before he returned with her to her masters and bargained for her freedom.
The scene shifted before Amanda’s eyes, and they were no longer in the city of Tyre. Instead, they were in the wilderness, sitting beside a fire under the dark blue sky that was littered with twinkling stars. They looked so bright to her, so clear, and there were so many. It was incredible.
She had the sense that she’d been with Simon for much longer than a week, and she could feel that she had feelings for him. There was a love in her heart for this man who had freed her.
“Tell me that Prophecy again, Helene, I would hear it once more.”
“Of course, my love,” she said and closed her eyes, concentrating. She didn’t need Magic to recite this Prophecy. She was merely telling him of events that had already happened for her, and yet, for Simon, it was incredible.
“Many years from now, there will come a time when the Archons will be freed and will return. They will be guided by the Red Witch, and you will know these times by the mark of those above, placed upon the body of one of your own, a Magus. Mark her soul with the colours of life and death. Mark her passing into the Abyss, and see the Weavers, whose company she keeps. She will be your guide in the dark times ahead. All that I have prophesied will come to pass when Ishtar gives birth.”
Amanda/Helene sat and took a breath before opening her eyes and looking back at Simon on the other side of the fire. He was staring at her, transfixed almost.
“I wish I knew how you know this,” he said.
“It is a gift, granted to me during my Epiphany, and nurtured by your training,” she said and Amanda knew suddenly that she’d told Simon she had been through her Epiphany shortly before he’d met her. Since then, he’d been teaching her, not that she needed it. But she played along, and Simon had been impressed with how fast she had learned her Magic.
The scene shifted again, and she was walking through another city, but this one was different. They were no longer in the Middle East, and the buildings here were spectacular.
“Ah, Rome. I do so love this city,” said a man beside her. She turned to see Israel Roth walking next to her. He was much younger than she remembered him, but this was around two thousand years ago. Glancing around, she noticed Simon Gitta standing on her other side, holding her hand, and there was a small retinue of Magi walking with them.
Amanda let Simon guide her through the city as she took in her surroundings, fascinated by what she saw, until eventually they were led into a large building, where there were many more Magi.
A Riven man walked up to them in pristine Roman robes and smiled. “Welcome, you must be Simon Gitta,” the man said.
“That is correct.”
“Welcome to the Magi Senate, I trust you will enjoy your visit. Today’s session will begin shortly. You might want to make your way through and find a suitable place to sit,” the man said.
He led them into a rectangular room with seating on the two long sides of the room, facing each other with an open area between them. Amanda/Helene sat beside Simon, and as they waited, the other Magi moved into the chamber and either sat
or stood. As the room filled up, she heard Simon gasp quietly beside her.
“What is it, my love?” she asked, looking at him.
“He’s here,” he said.
“Who?”
“Peter.”
“Peter? You mean, the one you told me about?
“Yes, over there, look,” he said and pointed to a man standing at the back of a crowd at one side of the Senate building. She picked him out easily and noted that he glowed as a Magus in the same way that everyone else did.
She knew who he was, but she’d never seen him before. This was Simon Peter. The Apostle of Jesus, the Rock of Christ, and eventually he would be the leader of the Inquisition, and who was reportedly still alive today in the modern world. Simon Gitta had met him once before in Judea after hearing about him and the small group of Magi he led, who didn’t believe in the Archons, or that they were using Magic. They believed in a singular God, and that they, as chosen ones, were using His power, which was gifted to His most loyal servants. Everyone else was a servant of Satan, the great adversary, and they got their powers from him. Simon had confronted Peter, challenging these views, but it had not gone well.
Amanda watched as he sneered at the Magi surrounding him, but otherwise kept quiet. For now.
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“Nothing. For now. We’re here to demonstrate your prophetic powers to the Senate and tell them of the return of the Archons. As long as you’re still happy to do that, we will stay,” he said.
She nodded. “Of course,” she said, offering him a comforting smile as the meeting began and the room was called to order.
Simon was called forward and eventually, so was Helene, where she gave her Prophecy of the Archons.
The next few days consisted of more meetings, often several a day, as the Senate asked questions and got her to repeat the Prophecy or make other predictions. They were testing her, and throughout it all, Peter was there, watching. He came forward occasionally, asking questions, and challenging her or Simon on this or that point. She felt they handled his questions well, but she could see Simon’s anger and frustration grow as the days passed.
A more worrying development was that the mood of the Senators seemed to turn, going from either ambivalent or favourable, and shifting towards a more hostile stance. As that happened, Peter grew ever more smug.
They were a week into the meetings when Peter finally stepped forward after a challenging day of hostile questions.
“What you have demonstrated here is the usual power that any of us can use, but also a gift, a power, the origin of which is of great concern to me,” he said.
“Helene is an Arcadian Magus like everyone else here, there is nothing sinister to her abilities,” Simon Protested
“You say that,” Peter replied. “But the Senate has recently found evidence of Nomad activity, focused on infiltrating and undermining the Senate. And here you are, with a woman who claims to see the future, is using an ability that is beyond any other Magus, and demanding that we take notice of her. We have taken a closer look at Helene, and there is indeed something different about her. All we ask is that you peacefully hand yourselves over to us, submit to our authority so that we might determine if what you say is true, or if there is something more sinister going on here.”
“We will do no such thing,” Simon said.
“You’re resisting us, Simon?”
“You are not taking my wife into custody,” he said. “She is innocent.”
Amanda watched as the two men argued, with Simon defending her and getting angrier with every moment.
Amanda had heard the stories of Simon and Helene, and she knew what was coming, but being here was different to just hearing about it.
As things grew ever more heated, the Senate guards stepped in towards Simon, threatening him. Essentia flared, and the scene devolved into a fight with Peter attacking Simon with his Magic, backed up by the Senate guards and other members of the Senate.
She watched him die before her that day and felt her heart break as he passed away. But there was nothing she could do. These events had already happened, there was no changing them. She was aware of herself, Helene, using her Magic and Porting herself and Simon’s followers out of there, moving far away to safety.
The scene shifted. It was months later, and the tale of Simon’s visit to the Senate was already well known, but the details of Peter’s influence over the Senate had also been discovered. How he’d manipulated the Magi there and turned them against Simon.
With no clear right or wrong side, the focus of those interested in what had happened turned to the Prophecy itself. The ranks of the Legacy, the name that Simon’s followers had chosen for their coven, grew as the tale spread.
Helene stood before a fire. They were in a building, a house perhaps, in Europe somewhere, and the core members of the Legacy stood behind her.
“The time has come for me to leave you,” Helene said, still looking at the fire.
“Leave us?” someone said.
“I have done what I can for you. I have guided you to this time, this place, but I cannot stay,” she said, and turned to see Israel standing a short distance from her, the other Legacy members sitting nearby.
“But what about the Prophecy?” Israel asked.
“You know the Prophecy. You know the signs. You don’t need me for that, but I do have a final task for you. A final mission,” she said.
“You need only ask.”
“Following today, you must leave this house. You must not live here, but in the year 1177, you must return. The Magi I have spoken of in my Prophecy will be here, and you must protect and help her.”
“Of course,” Israel said. “But how will we know her?”
“I will leave you with this. You will find her here, near the city of the Parisii Tribe a thousand years from now. She will have hair like fire and eyes like emeralds, she will save the life of a Nomad and a Scion, she will speak with the Weavers, and she will be known as the Phoenix.”
“We understand,” Israel said, and as the assembled Magi of the Legacy bowed their heads in deference, she stepped back, and out of their universe.
- Ultima Thule, Enceladus, Saturn.
Mercy threw her Magic at the nearest of the two Nomads, her Essentia Strike swooping in and hitting his Aegis with a bright flash in her Aetheric Sight.
With Tabitha and Sabine backing her up, they doubled down on their attacks, and within moments, the trio had smashed the Nomads’ shields to pieces and delivered the killing blows to both of them, leaving her and her two allies standing over the bodies.
Mercy caught her breath and looked at her two friends. “Good work, ladies. Now, we just need to get through…” She trailed off as she heard the fighting in the far room either lessen in intensity, or move off to another part of the castle, and as it did, the Aegis that Yasmin had placed around this area of Ultima Thule, disintegrated with a brief flare of Magic.
“Aaah,” Mercy said in surprise.
“Looks like you spoke too soon,” Sabine commented.
Mercy looked back up the corridor, and then at her two friends. “I don’t know what this means. It could be good or bad, but let’s make the most of it and get to the ship.”
The other two nodded, and they ran down the corridor towards the exit.
Escape
Duat, Egypt
Liz lay on her bed, relaxing. They’d been here for another night and getting that second night’s rest had been just what she’d needed. She felt refreshed and ready to take on whatever lie ahead.
Yasmin was still after them, that much was clear from the intelligence they had from Nefertiti. She was hunting through Nefertiti’s lairs and would make it here eventually.
Here, as it turned out, was actually a Null Realm and not even in the Material Realm at all. She’d guessed they were in Egypt, but while Nefertiti had told her that some of the exits went to Egypt, many did not.
But this pr
ovided a problem, as they were unable to open a Mental Link to any of her friends in the Material Realm such as Shaun, Maya, or Gentle Water.
She wondered what had happened to them. The two days hiding here had given her plenty of time to run through all kinds of scenarios. Her biggest fear, of course, being that Yasmin might have hunted them down and killed them.
She hoped that hadn’t happened of course, and in reality, knew that her friends were nothing if not resourceful. She felt as confident as she could be, given the situation, that they were keeping out of harm’s way.
Part of her wanted to leave the Null Realm behind, thank Nefertiti for her hospitality, head back into the world and try to contact her friends. But the thought of leaving this place and the safety it currently provided was quite a scary thought.
Nefertiti was a powerful Magus and was one of the few Magi in the world who could potentially fend Yasmin off, at least, for a time. She didn’t like the idea of leaving that protection behind and possibly exposing them all to discovery by the Black Knights.
And yet, she knew that time would come.
Yasmin was hunting them down, slowly but surely, and before long, she would find them. There was no doubt about that.
In the meantime, she had been enjoying the facilities of Nefertiti’s Realm, including the hot shower to wash away the grime of their flight from Yasmin. It took several washes for her to feel like she’d finally cleaned off the stains from their fights so far, and she was not looking forward to getting dirty again.
She’d taken the opportunity to conjure herself a change of clothing, too, choosing a practical vest and leggings with sneakers. She wanted to be able to move and run when the time came.
The others had made themselves at home as much as they could. Balor stayed pretty much within the communal area, having chosen to be something of a guard for them. Maria had been making use of the library, bringing back books to read on the soft sofas. Howie seemed at home and spent much of his time in his room, probably resting like she had been. Matt, however, was the only one who didn’t seem able to relax. He paced back and forth in the main room and wandered the corridors when his pacing got on Maria’s nerves.
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