Magi Legend

by Andrew Dobell

  Amanda smiled. Sophia was right. She did need them. She missed them intensely and felt very keen to return. She had failed to stop Yasmin once before, though. Could she stop her now?

  “Yasmin is too strong for me, though,” Amanda said.

  “This is true. You have yet to fully grow into your power as my daughter. I can help, but my reach is limited. I don’t know how much I might be able to help you, or for how long, but any help I can give you is yours to do with as you wish.”

  Amanda nodded. “I understand. When do I go back?”

  “Whenever you wish.”

  “Then, I would like to go back now.”

  “Of course,” Sophia said with a smile that spoke of her love. “But, before you go, I have one more thing to show you...

  - The Arkady

  Sitting in the pilot’s seat, having chosen to leave Amanda’s usual captain’s chair vacant, Maya watched as the ship powered down its Displacement Drive and Earth shot out of the void. The ship slowed and banked down towards the planet.

  “Home,” Tabitha said as she looked out the main viewer at the bright blue marble.

  “It’s good to be back,” Maya agreed.

  “Where are we going to go?” Mercy asked.

  “I was discussing that with Gentle Water earlier,” Maya said. “I think we know the perfect place.”

  “Oh,” Tabitha asked. “Where’s that?”

  Rebirth

  Donegal, Ireland

  “Gentle Water,” Liz said, feeling relief wash over her as she looked upon that familiar and friendly face.

  “Liz,” he said, looking towards her, but not quite at her. “It lovely to hear your voice again, little one.”

  She ran forward. He stood up to meet her, and she grabbed him once he was standing, wrapping her arms around him. “Oh, my God, it’s so good to see you. I had no idea what had happened to you.”

  “I here now,” he said, and pulled her close.

  “So, what happened? Is Maya here? Did Mercy find you?”

  “One question at a time, little one. We are all safe. Mercy, Tabitha, and Sabine did find us, and we fly back to Earth on Arkady. We all safe.”

  “Where are they? Are they here?”

  “No, long way from here.”

  “Where?”

  “I take you. You not worry,” he said with a smile.

  “I see you’re still blind,” she said, looking into his eyes, which were darting around as if searching for something to lock onto, but finding nothing.

  “I am,” he answered her, his voice taking on a less happy note as he answered her.

  “Oh, God, I’m sorry,” she said.

  “It okay, I am alive, and there are other ways for a Magus to see.”

  “I wish there was something I could do.”

  “Don’t worry, please. I okay.”

  “Alright,” she said and hugged him again before pulling away.

  “You still have Amanda?”

  “We do,” Liz said, sadness in her voice. Gentle Water only nodded but didn’t ask any more about her.

  Maria moved in next and hugged him as well, whispering a greeting into his ear. Balor, Howie, and Matt all said hello next, with varying levels of familiarity.

  “So, how come you’re here?” Liz asked.

  “It most obvious place for you to come to be safe. Yasmin not know about it, but I know you did, Liz, so, it just seem like obvious place to watch.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “Shall we leave?” Gentle Water asked.

  “I think that’s a great idea,” Maria answered.

  “Me too,” Liz added.

  “Very well,” Gentle Water said, and in the next instant, Essentia rushed around him as he worked his Magic.

  Light flashed, dislocation washed over her, and the air cracked. Suddenly, they had swapped rainy Ireland for the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas, and Liz found herself, along with everyone else who had been at the cottage, standing just outside the entrance to the Red Temple.

  The door opened as Liz hugged herself against the cold and looked up. Of course, she thought, it was the obvious place to come. Quiet, secluded, and as far as she knew, unknown to Yasmin. Liz had spent several months living here shortly after becoming a Magus, having lost some of her friends in the chaos over the Golden Book. Her time here had helped her mourn, and begin to move past that grief, as much as anyone ever can move past something like that.

  Coming here with Amanda seemed right. The doors opened and as she stepped through into the temple, it almost felt like coming home.

  The Magi here used their Magic to keep the harsh cold of the mountains at bay, while also using the clouds and snowstorms to hide the temple from casual view, keeping it secret and hidden.

  It was about as safe as it was possible to be while on Earth during the current troubles, without withdrawing to a Null Realm.

  Walking into the main courtyard she saw Maya, Tabitha, Mercy, and Sabine waiting for them. They smiled in greeting, and Liz stepped into a tight embrace with Maya before hugging the others as well.

  “You made it,” Liz commented.

  “We did,” Mercy answered. “We didn’t encounter too much trouble, just a fight with some of Yasmin’s followers, but it was three against two, so we handled it.”

  “Walk in the park,” Sabine added.

  “If you say so,” Tabitha remarked.

  “You’re just embarrassed that you nearly got crushed by a flying Werewolf corpse,” Mercy teased her.

  “Yeah, sorry about that,” Maya smirked.

  Tabitha sighed with exasperation.

  “Sounds like you had quite an adventure,” Liz commented.

  “Somewhat,” Mercy agreed. “So what happened to you? How did you get out of the Abyss?”

  “The same way you did,” Liz answered. “We travelled to London to see if we could find Trevelyan and find out what happened to you, but the Albion was attacked. We were saved by Nefertiti, who let us hide in her Null Realm for a few days, until Yasmin found that as well. Then we travelled to Ireland and found Gentle Water.”

  “You stayed with Nefertiti?” Maya asked, sounding more than a little surprised.

  “We did,” Maria confirmed. “She said she owed Amanda a favour.”

  “Well, at least you’re safe,” Maya said. “Come on, let’s get you inside. Balor, come with me, I know where we can put my mother.”

  Liz watched Balor walk off after Maya towards where she knew Amanda’s room had been when she had lived here. Looking around, she noticed the Arkady parked in a lower open courtyard. It seemed undamaged, if a little out of place in the ancient temple.

  Liz wandered over to a nearby wall, where she sat and looked out over the incredible landscape. From within the temple, the clouds and snowstorm outside were invisible, allowing you to see the scene beyond. It was always breathtaking.

  Finally able to relax, Liz sat quietly and enjoyed the crisp mountain air. She wondered if this was how their life was going to be now. Living on the run from the Nomads.

  Even if they somehow managed to deal with Yasmin, their lives would never be the same again with Amanda gone. She glanced up into the temple and saw Balor step out of Amanda’s old room on one of the upper levels. So many people had seen her now, including some of the most powerful Magi on the planet. If they couldn’t bring her back, then who could? Maybe it was a lost cause and they should accept that Amanda was gone for good. Perhaps, it was just a strange quirk that her Anima hadn’t left her body. Maybe it was just unusually slow to depart into the Realm of the Dead.

  It wouldn’t be the first time that Amanda had done things differently than everyone else.

  As she sat in thought, Gentle Water approached and stood close. She could sense the Essentia around his head. He might be physically blind, but his Magic allowed him to see as well as anyone else.

  “I sense you are a little lost, young one,” he said.

  “Perhaps, a little,” she said. />
  “I know we had no time to process what happen to Amanda. She gone, and might never return. This take time to adjust to, but remember, you have friends here.”

  She smiled. “I know. If she is truly gone, I’ll just need some time to deal with it. This isn’t something I can forget in a few days.”

  “I understand. I feel same.”

  Liz nodded and put her hand on Gentle Water’s, enjoying the connection it gave them.

  She hoped it wasn’t the end for Amanda. She’d been integral to her life the past couple of years, and she had trouble thinking of anyone else who might be able to stand up to Yasmin. If she didn’t come back, she didn’t know what would happen.

  ***

  The white light faded and shifted into darkness as an intense pain flooded her chest. Amanda gasped and sucked in air, feeling incredibly stiff as her eyes flicked open.

  “Ugh,” she grunted. Even her eyes hurt. They were dry and scratchy.

  She reached out and gripped the sides of her bed and concentrated. Focusing her Magic, she willed her body back to full health. She felt the Magic wash through her, melting the pain away over the next few seconds until it was almost nothing. Slowly, her breathing returned to normal, calming down and settling into a steady rhythm.

  She opened her eyes again and blinked. Carefully, she sat up and looked around. It took her a moment to realise where she was, but recognition blossomed within her after a few seconds.

  “The Red Temple,” she whispered. Her voice was a little croaky. She coughed and conjured a glass of water in her hand. She sipped it, enjoying its cool, soothing feel as she drank. Putting the glass down, she noticed the deep red stain that covered the chest of her strappy top and the tear in the fabric between her breasts where the dagger had cut through. She reached up with her hand, and for a moment, felt a phantom pain in her chest as she remembered that moment.

  But she was alive. She had survived, and she was back. She took a deep breath again and smiled to herself. She was looking forward to seeing the look on Yasmin’s face when she next saw her.

  She thought back to her experiences with the Aeon. She could remember everything that had happened, including all the strange hops through time, experiencing what her mother had done down through the millennia. She could also feel something within her, something that had changed. A deeper connection to Magic and to something… other. Something beyond.

  She closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment, reaching out to that feeling and connection.

  ~Yes, Amanda, I am here,~ Sophia answered in her mind. ~Remember, I don’t know how much I can help you, but you have reserves of strength and power you are not even aware of yet, and will one day grow into. Remember who you are, and you can accomplish anything.~

  ~Thank you, Mother,~ she thought.

  Sophia answered with a wave of love and confidence that washed through her. Amanda couldn’t help the crazy grin that spread over her face as she felt that surge of energy within her.

  Opening her eyes again, she stood up and stretched. Even though she had been healed, she still felt a little stiff. The side effects of being dead for… how long? She instinctively knew the date and time, right down to the nanosecond, as her Magic reasserted itself. She’d been dead for three days and somehow ended up here, on the other side of the world from New York, which probably meant that some of her friends were here, too.

  She suddenly felt a deep, intense fear grip her as she wondered what had happened since she had died. Had her friends survived? Were any of them dead? She felt sick and scared, she needed to know who was here and who hadn’t made it.

  She ran out of the room and down through the temple, taking several steps at once, looking left and right, hoping she might see someone she knew as she went.

  She ran past several monks who protested at her running through the grounds, but she just shouted her apologies as she kept going. She reached the main level with the large courtyard and suddenly saw a small crowd of faces that she recognised, all of them looking her way as a couple more monks called out in protest as she ran by them. She skidded to a halt with a huge grin on her face. Relief flooded through her, and tears welled up in her eyes. Seeing their shocked but happy faces was more than she could take, and she let out a sob of emotion.

  “Oh, my God,” Liz shrieked.

  “Mom?” Maya called out.

  “Mandy!” Maria gasped.

  The others had similar reactions as Liz, Maria, and Maya ran to her and wrapped her in their arms.

  “You’re alive! Oh, my God, you’re alive. I can’t believe it, I can’t…” Liz whimpered as tears fell from her eyes.

  “I love you, Mom,” Maya said, hugging her tightly. It was the most emotion Amanda had seen Maya display for hundreds of years.

  Maria just held her and pulled close to give her a big kiss. After a couple of seconds, Maria pulled back and looked at her seriously. “Don’t you ever do that to me again, got it?” Maria admonished her.

  Amanda smiled. “Wouldn’t dream of it,” she answered through tears of happiness.

  It took a few moments for the emotion to lessen and for her to work her way around, hugging people, and even then, Liz and the others seemed to cling to her as if they thought she might disappear on them at any moment.

  She reached Gentle Water last of all, and immediately noticed his milky eyes and the Magical vision he had cast on himself. He was blind, and that realisation shocked her.

  “Oh my God, what happened to you?” Amanda asked as she hugged him close, and he returned the gesture.

  “The Lazarus Scroll,” he answered.

  “He caught a hit to his face,” Liz explained. “He was lucky. It could have been fatal. Instead, it blinded him.”

  She reached out with her Magic on instinct and tried to fix it, but her Magic did nothing. “What the…?” she muttered.

  “It seems that the damage is irreversible,” he said.

  Amanda frowned for a moment before she reached out to her connection with Sophia. ~Is it?~ she asked.

  ~The Lazarus Scroll was not my creation, but was made by one like me. As such, it is beyond my abilities to help you with,~ Sophia replied, as a feeling of condolences flooded through her.

  ~Like you?~ Amanda asked back with a thought.

  ~Yes, but this is not your concern, yet,~ Sophia answered.

  Amanda frowned at that answer, but she could also sense that Sophia wasn't going to elaborate further.

  ~Very well,~ she replied, sending a thank you back to Sophia, before letting the Aeon fade away.

  She sighed. “It’s beyond me, for the moment,” Amanda said to Gentle Water. “I’m sorry.”

  “It okay, I live and am well.”

  “That is true, and it’s wonderful to see you again,” she said, pulling him in gently for another hug.

  “I wish I could say same,” he answered her, mirth in his voice.

  “You’re joking about it already? Okay, old man.”

  Gentle Water smiled.

  Amanda couldn’t help but return the smile, it was just so good to be back with her friends. She felt like she’d missed so much, though.

  “So, don’t keep me in suspense, who’s going to tell me what happened and how we all ended up in Tibet?”

  “Well, sure, we can do that,” Liz replied, “but before we do, we did just leave Nefertiti fighting Yasmin.”

  “What?” Amanda asked.

  “Nefertiti took us in, helped us, but Yasmin tracked us down and attacked her Null Realm, she’s probably still there. It was only five, maybe ten minutes ago.”

  “Where are they?” Amanda asked, keen to go and help the Egyptian Magus if she could.

  “Amanda,” Liz cut in, concern in her voice, “this is Yasmin. Are you sure you’re up to it?”

  “I’m not losing you again,” Maria added, clearly concerned.

  Amanda smiled at her friends and made sure she exuded confidence. “Oh, I’m sure. I’m quite sure I can handle Yasmi
n.”

  There was silence around her for a moment, and she knew they were all trying to figure out what was going on and why she was suddenly so confident.

  “What happened to you?” Maya asked, finally giving voice to the question they were all thinking.

  “It’s… It will take some explaining, but I know who I am now, and I know what I can do, and I have some help.”

  “Help?”

  “Not now, Liz. Time is of the essence. Where is Nefertiti?”

  Liz frowned at her. “If you get yourself killed again…”

  “Trust me, Yasmin won’t kill me again,” she answered with confidence. The words seemed to work, and Liz nodded after another few seconds.

  Amanda felt a Link from Liz pulse into her head. She opened it, and a location bloomed into life in her mind. “Nefertiti said to Port here if we needed to get back, or if we could send help. That’s all I know.”

  Amanda reached out and gripped Liz’s upper arms, giving them a gentle squeeze. “Thank you, I’ll see you in a moment.”

  “Promise?” Liz asked.

  Amanda could feel her friends’ eyes on her, especially those of Maya and Maria. “Promise,” Amanda stated, and worked her Magic, Porting to the location Liz had given her.

  Except, she didn’t appear at her destination. She felt her Magic get disturbed, and she was yanked sideways, partway through the Port.

  She found herself in a featureless black void, standing on a floor she couldn’t see. Sensing she wasn’t alone, she spun around and saw shimmering energy in the air that had a reflective quality to it, like rippling chrome that was pulsing with energy. Amanda sensed that whatever this was, it was alive and intelligent. It also glowed with powerful Essentia, marking it as someone, or something, that could use Magic.

  As she peered at it, the floating energy changed shape, and within it, she could start to make out the shape of a human torso with a somewhat feminine quality to it.

  “Greetings, Amanda-Jane Page,” it said, its voice also sounding female, with an echoing quality to it. “I am Void.”

  - Void’s Realm