"I have the charm hidden. Nobody can find it," Meza said.
"You have better keep it that way," Randall said.
•••
Cyrus saw Meza exit the front entrance of the Wizards Guild. He passed where he was hiding. He waited for a few minutes and then walked into the street. Nobody noticed him. He had his cowl over his head and rushed to meet Meza. He entered the tavern called the Boars Head and went toward the back of the room.
A large man said, "Hey, where do you think you are going?"
Cyrus said, "The goat is looking into the mountains."
The large man nodded and led Cyrus down a long corridor. The man pointed to the fourth door to his right. Cyrus entered the room.
"Hurry," Meza said.
"Will this work?" Cyrus said.
"Yes, I know in theory it should work. But, Randall knows my magical signature. If you can conjure an arcane static field, then I could locate his secret archive. I just need him to teleport there. Then I follow his spell to the location."
"Do you think he will go to the archives?" Cyrus said.
"Yes, I piqued his interest. He will go," Meza said.
"What should I do?"
"First, I want you to close your eyes. Envision the whole city. Feel the wind and the earth," Meza said.
Cyrus saw the city in his mind’s eye. He heard all the voices of the people talking at once. His mind was reeling out of control.
"Cyrus, look at me. Concentrate. Create a field of energy," Meza said.
"I can’t." A wave of intense energy began to build and radiate from him.
Meza said, "You can do it. Concentrate."
Cyrus nodded. He tried to gain control over his magic and wrestled with it. It was like catching a fish with his bare hands. It slipped out of his grasp. In his mind’s eye, he saw the scattering of energies envelop the city masking all the voices of the citizens.
"Great. When I create the location spell bring this energy over my magic," Meza said.
Cyrus saw Meza enchant his spell. He saw a bloom of magic hovering through the city. He blanketed Meza’s conjuring. Then Cyrus felt something odd. His magic seemed different. He became repulsed by this new sensation. He heard something. It was faint but started to get louder. It was a single voice, but not the voices of the people he heard before. It coiled around within him. It invaded his mind. The voice was speaking in ancient tongues weaving a maelstrom of hate toward him. Cyrus almost stopped his spell. His chest started to become hot.
"Cyrus, give me a few more minutes," Meza said. "Randall has just teleported to the archives."
Cyrus was sweating. His whole body felt raw and on edge. He tried to tighten his grip on his magic. The voice entered his skin. Other voices chanted until it was a waterfall of sounds. Meza was concentrating on his magic and did not notice until it was too late.
Meza said, "I found it. What are you doing? Stop!"
Cyrus began to chant with the voices. He was wrapped in gigantic forces. Magic spiraled around his mind.
Cyrus said, "Meza, they’re coming."
He turned to the wall directly behind Meza. The wall exploded in fragments. Meza jumped away. A bolt of lightning seared through the room. Meza responded by hurling a blast of ice through the hole. Timber smoldered with fire. Another lightning bolt sailed toward Meza. At the last moment, he erected a magical force field and the bolt bounce upwards creating another hole on the roof. Cyrus staggered. His magic stopped. Another blast of lighting struck Meza’s force field. Cyrus saw Meza straining against the onslaught. He needed to do something. He willed his magic to come to his beckoning call. Magic coursed through his body.
The voices he heard before spoke to him. He understood what the voices were saying. It was magical spells but in different languages. One of the Clandestines held up his hand and a fireball erupted heading toward Meza. He intoned a spell and a blast of energy destroyed the fireball before it hit Meza. The Clandestines were about to unleash another barrage of spells, but Cyrus was faster and sent a tornado blast into their midst. The Clandestines scattered.
Meza crawled to him and said, "How?"
Cyrus said, "Meza, teleport us to the secret archives."
The world spun in front of Cyrus, and then they were in another chamber.
CHAPTER 20
The smell of charred wood was replaced by the smell of old books and scrolls. Cyrus looked around and saw rows of books on oak shelves.
"Meza?" Cyrus said.
"Over here."
Cyrus walked down a row. Small glass containers remained against a recess in a wall, which contained different colored powders. Cyrus was about to grab an ampule when Meza said, "Look at this."
He stood over a table with a scattering of scrolls and tomes. He peered at an open tome.
Cyrus read the inscription. The book was title The Protriat Wars. He felt something odd.
Meza looked up and said, "The Clandestines have found us."
He grabbed the book.
"Cyrus this is a magical bag. We can store many things in it."
Cyrus said, "The book is too big to fit in this bag."
Meza grabbed the other tome and put it in the satchel. The book shrunk to fit inside the small bag. Cyrus heard footsteps behind them. They ducked behind a group of shelves. The Clandestines appeared down the next aisle. Meza directed him down toward the opposite direction. Cyrus held his breath.
"We need to get out of here," Cyrus said.
Meza said, "We can only teleport from where we entered from."
They snuck down another set of tables bending low to the ground. He stopped. Cyrus sensed electricity dancing on his skin. Meza grabbed him and pulled him in another direction. Books exploded. Meza veered toward a right. Shelves exploded next to him.
Meza said, "They are herding us to slaughter. We have to stand our ground."
A fireball hurled toward them. Cyrus held his hand high and shouted a spell. Dark liquid spewed from his hands, engulfing the fireball and making it disappear.
"What was that?" Meza said.
Cyrus shook his head. He did not know.
Meza said, "Duck!"
A spray of ice shards shot at them and missed. The shards made a thud noise as it hit the wall.
"This has got to stop," Meza said.
Meza stood up and shouted an invocation. Magic swirled around him and shot out in all directions. Books, wood, chairs and tables exploded outwards from where Meza stood.
He said, "Get up Cyrus!"
Cyrus followed him. They ran through the debris. Cyrus did not see the Clandestines.
He said, "I did not kill them. They transported themselves out before the spell hit. I can conjure that spell once every several months."
Cyrus heard the mysterious voices again in his head. The voices screamed in fury. Cyrus grabbed his head in pain. Meza said, "Are you all right?"
Cyrus saw the Clandestines coming. Cyrus lashed out sending tendrils of molten fire cascading toward their direction. They flew backwards. Meza looked at him with surprise. Cyrus chanted and they were transferred back to the streets of the capitol.
Meza said, "How did you do that?"
He slowly said, "What,what happened?"
"You transported us back into the city. You do not remember?"
Cyrus said, "I heard voices. And then we were here."
"We better hide," Meza said. "I know a place. We have to get there fast before the Clandestines find us."
He followed Meza through the throng of people moving along the streets of the Merchant District. Meza went into an abandoned building and down a flight of broken stairs. He knocked at a water-stained wooden door. They were led inside. Cyrus saw a group of strange men.
•••
Cyrus and Meza stayed hidden underneath the city in a series of tunnels and dwellings. The people who dwelt in the underground tunnels were called the Merlocks. These people were mostly rejected members of society, cut throats, murderers or honest people who
went into poverty. Some of them were oddities of nature, people with no hands and grossly misshapen bodies. They never walked among the streets or associated with the citizens of the capital. Cyrus tried to get to know these people. Yet, the Merlocks considered them as upper dwellers.
"Cyrus," Meza said. "I read both books we got from the archives and there is nothing about the Drakus towers or the Rathraka."
Cyrus had also read the books. They were just adventures of people during the days of the Protriat wars with later sections called the Drakus Vinnikai. He wondered if they grabbed the wrong book in their haste to defend themselves against the Clandestines. The stories in the books were at least entertaining, he thought. The Drakus Vinnikai was ruthless. He pondered why these mages wanted to destroy each other. The name of his real father, Vondra Merilus, was written several times throughout the narrative, many of the times in a bad light. Vondra ravaged the land with his evil spawn of monster warriors and killed anybody who got in his way. He commanded the skies with his dragon minions. These accounts could not be real. In his studies at the university, there had been no mention of these Drakus Vinnikai or Protriat mages.
Cyrus began to get accustomed to the underground world. The tunnels were lit by glowing moss and lichen, which grew in abundance around the stone-lined walls. It was a shame that he could not learn more about this place. It took him nearly a week to adapt to the dimness. A Merlock named Gropan let Cyrus and Meza reside with him. He was the leader of the Merlocks in this part of the city. Gropan never directly talked to Cyrus.
"When can we leave?" Cyrus asked.
"I think in a few more weeks. Gropan told me that the whole kingdom is looking for you."
"Do the Merlocks know an escape route?" he said.
"I already asked. All the exits and sewer lines have been fused with iron bars long ago," Meza said while upwards. "Also the Clandestines erected a magical shield around the capital. It would warn them if you escape."
He said, "I knew I was aware of something odd."
"Yes, I sensed this magic a few days ago," Meza said.
He said, "Why can’t they use that spell to find me in the tunnels?"
Meza said, "The spell is like a giant tent. Like a tent, the spell needs a frame or pole to hold it up and wooden pegs to support the frame. The frame is the Clandestines and the pegs are the walls of the city. They cannot move the walls to look for you."
"So, what do we do?" he said.
"I will think of something," Meza said.
•••
It was night in the upper world. Cyrus could sense it. He conjured his magical globes. He did not think the Clandestines could detect his magic when he conjured his illusions. A book lay on his lap. It did not have a title. He found the book among the things in Gropan's dwelling area. The tome was an anthology of flowers and herbs. It looked more like a guide for teachers. Nothing of interest held him. He placed the book in the magical sack.
He did not like be stuck underneath the capital. It was like being in a dark prison. He wanted to go to the surface and look at the moon. However, he quelled that idea. His mind strangely went to the Shade. Watching the Shade fight the guards made him remember about his own self-defense lessons he had when he was younger. He recalled the forms and steps that the former captain of the elite guards showed him. These were ten offensive and defensive moves linked together like a slow dance. He performed the moves with ease.
"Fancy," Meza said. "Who taught you this?"
"When I was out with the princess, we were attacked by thieves. After that incident, I was given lessons to defend myself."
Meza said, "Those are fighting moves? Bah!"
Meza ran towards him and Cyrus performed a move called fire under the earth. And Meza was flung to the far corner.
"Sorry," he said. "Sometimes I forget how lethal the moves are."
Meza brush himself off. "It is quite all right."
Cyrus said, "Darrin Master taught me how to fight. The King wanted to protect the princess at all costs. He was adamant about it. I still remember most of the lessons. I just forgot them until I saw the Shade. Some moves she is doing looks similar to the training I have received."
Meza said. "We’d better cleaned up this mess."
After they were finished, Cyrus scanned through the book The Protriat Wars again. Something was bothering Cyrus. When he thumbed through the book, he thought he saw something. If he glanced at a certain passage, the words flickered and changed. He didn't notice this phenomenon before. He thought he was tired, but realized something else was amiss. He asked Meza to look at the pages and see if he saw anything.
Meza said, "I don’t see anything."
Cyrus was not convinced. He stared at the pages. However, he did not see anything. He threw the book and he heard it clatter against the stone tunnel.
Cyrus asked, "Meza, when are we leaving?"
"A few more weeks, just be patient," Meza said.
"I cannot stand it here. I feel trapped. I can try to transport us outside the capital," Cyrus said.
"No, the Clandestines will sense us when we teleport out. I am not confident in your ability to control your magic," Meza said.
Cyrus slumped into a moldy chair. He calmed down. It made no sense to keep asking the same question because he always got the same answer.
"Cyrus, why are you using your magic," Meza said.
"What?"
"Your magical orbs are starting to get larger," Meza said.
Cyrus felt ashamed and said, "Sorry. I think the Clandestines cannot feel my magic, unless I conjure a powerful spell."
"How do you know that?" Meza said.
"The Clandestines have not attacked us when I use my Wizards sight or my globes. I have plenty of time to test my idea."
"Cyrus, you play a dangerous game with both our lives," Meza said.
"I felt it was perfectly harmless."
"Harmless, let me be the judge of that. I think you shouldn’t try to conjure any spells without my knowing," Meza said.
He said, "You mean without your permission."
"There is more at stake here than your ego. You can harm these people, the Merlocks, with your magic. You have to be responsible with such power," Meza said.
"I am just edgy. You are right. I will be more careful," he said.
Meza said, "Good. I dispatched a message to my leader in the resistance. Maybe, he can figure out a way to help us escape."
CHAPTER 21
The Shade perched on top of a tall warehouse in the merchants district. She had been searching in vain looking for Cyrus. She couldn’t find him anywhere. She was perplexed. She wondered if they escaped outside the city’s walls. She saw the magical shield covering the whole capital and was surprised what lengths the emperor would use to locate Cyrus. To perform this type of magic must be very taxing to the mages casting it. She jumped toward the next rooftop and scrambled up the building.
The perpetual fog hung in the air. She jumped along the ramparts and rooftops of the houses and shops. She heard a noise. She saw in the streets a group of ragged men surrounding a maiden. The men taunted and leered at the woman. The city has become lawless. The former King would never have let this happen to his city. The Shade smoothly landed on the ground.
"Leave her alone," the Shade said.
A tall brute with a broken tooth sneered at the Shade and said, "So, what do we have here?"
"I said, let her go!"
Something was wrong. The men stared at her and grinned. Underneath their shabby clothes were dull polished armor and swords. The hapless maiden turned toward the Shade and took off her cape. The Shade was stunned when she realized the man was the emperor’s master assassin, Davious. He took out an incredibly long sword and smiled wickedly at her. A knife flew at her. She ducked as the blade missed her face. The assassin covered the ground between them and launched a series of deadly strikes aiming at her vulnerable areas. She met the strikes and parried every blow with her weapons. She attacked hi
m on his right and left flank. The master assassin flowed with her, deflecting her attacks. The Shade jumped away, up to the building next to her. The assassin followed. They stood on the roof of a warehouse. He attacked her savagely with poison darts. The Shade deftly evaded the barrage of missiles. He disappeared.
The Shade waited, knowing the attack was imminent. She warded off a sword thrust toward her stomach. She feinted an attack to the left of Davious’s head. The master assassin moved toward his right. The Shade kicked Davious leg. She heard a sharp intake of breath. She tried to land another blow, when his sword cut her arm. She felt the pain but knew it was only a superficial wound. She thrust and cut Davious’s ribs. She heard the sounds of bows. She instinctively moved to the side. Arrows sailed passed her. She looked for the assassin but he fled. She ran toward the opposite end of the warehouse and jumped to the next structure.
The Shade sprinted into the shadows and crept behind a large awning. She heard the shouts of soldiers screaming toward her direction. She glanced toward the street and saw bowmen pointing arrows in her direction. She turned abruptly to her left, and her arm screamed in pain. A star projectile cut her and hit the wall behind. Davious was close by. She got out of her hiding placed and jumped toward the next building. Arrows flew and missed her again.
She ran along the rooftops. She didn’t know how long she could keep this up. She wanted to flee into the forest. Hopefully, she would pass beyond the shield. She started to run toward the front entrance to the city. She found Davious waiting for her. In the shadows along the other rooftops, she saw soldiers and bowmen in groups waiting for her.
"You are good," Davious said.
The Shade did not say anything. She jumped and somersaulted over Davious. He tried to lash out with his sword but missed her.
"Who are you?" Davious said.
The Shade turned toward him and said, "Let’s get this over with."
She knew she was trapped but looked for some type of opening. She attacked with a swift kick. Davious moved to his right and countered, slicing part of her cowl revealing her mask she wore.
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