by Logan Jacobs
“He’s quite an amazing fellow,” Dr. Hin said cheerfully as he patted Merlin on the head.
Merlin chirped his agreement and then shoved an entire slice into his mouth.
“That’s one word for it,” I agreed.
“Well,” Doctor Hin said as he turned to look at me. He was back in medical professional mode, and apparently, I wasn’t going to get any orange slices.
“How’s the team?” I asked.
“Everyone did quite well during the overnight observation,” Doctor Hin replied. “You should be ready to leave in a few hours. I gather you’re from somewhere beyond the edge.”
“A place called Ovrista,” I said.
“I’ve read about that place,” Doctor Hin mused. “That’s where the elementalists had their stronghold, wasn’t it? Is it still there?”
“Do you mean the Mage Academy?” I asked. “That’s in Ovrista.”
“It’s amazing you made it this far,” Doctor Hin conceded. “We’ve only rarely found other survivors and most die within days if not hours. They certainly don’t show up in such good shape.”
“Maybe the sickness is retreating,” I offered.
“Wouldn’t that be something?” Doctor Hin replied with a hint of a smile. “And there must be some reason the High Mage and the Council have sent for you. I’ve never heard of them welcoming strangers with a full cabinet meeting before.”
“Tell me, how do the recon groups protect themselves?” I asked.
“The first uniforms were designed, oh, not long after the fall of the original city,” Doctor Hin said thoughtfully. “The mages who survived created it. There have been improvements through the years, of course.”
“But why not create enough uniforms for all the survivors and just leave?” I pressed. “Why stay here, hidden away below ground?”
“There were very few survivors,” Doctor Hin replied as his gaze drifted towards the window. “And many of those died within days of the first attack. Our ancestors were the ones who made it to the caves near the old port. They realized that they could recover in the caves, and the deeper they went, the more protected they were. But there was no safe way to traverse the steppes in those early days. The few who tried and made it back reported death and destruction everywhere.”
Hin paused for a moment, and then he shook his head.
“The first protective suits worked for only a short period,” Hin continued, “enough to scavenge for supplies and equipment but that was about it. It was decades before they had a suit good enough that recon teams found the western border and the canyon that now marks the edge of our boundaries. By then, we already had a thriving city and most had no interest in returning to a world at war.”
“So they moved underground permanently,” I added.
“It was rough in the beginning,” Doctor Hin admitted. “It took centuries of hard work to create the city we have today. And now, most people would rather stay here. It’s safe from the elementalists and their magic, and the sickness scares away most outsiders.”
“You’re hiding from the elementalists?” I asked in surprise.
“It was their magic that destroyed us,” Doctor Hin replied. “We’ve never forgiven them.”
“But you have elemental mages,” I said as I thought about the magic we seen so far.
“Some,” Doctor Hin admitted. “They’re usually the descendants of Augustine elementalists who survived the attack. They were critical to our survival in the early days, which is why they weren’t killed and why we still allow them today.”
“Oh,” I said as I shot a glance towards the door.
“Don’t worry,” Doctor Hin assured me. “You’re under the High Mage’s protection. Any elementalists in your party won’t be harmed. Now, you have one more dose of bitrex coming, and then I can send you on your way.”
“Great,” I replied.
I tried to sound chipper, but I was still concerned about Emeline. Even Aerin could be on the Augustine black list although she was a healer. As soon as Doctor Hin had given Merlin a last pat on the head, I darted down the hallway to Emeline’s room.
The panthera was standing next to her bed which she had covered with maps. She had her pen in one hand and a splotch of ink on her hospital gown. She jumped when I burst into her room, which left a streak of ink in her hair.
“Sorry,” I apologized as I closed the door behind me. “Have you told anyone else besides Private Kesta that you’re a mage?”
“No, I don’t think so,” she replied with a frown.
“Maybe one of the nurses or something,” I pressed.
“I might have said something to the doctor,” she replied. “He asked if I had any mage skills because he said mages often suffer the worst in the steppe. Why?”
“They don’t trust elemental mages here,” I explained. “They say it was elemental mages that destroyed Augustine.”
“But how is that possible?” Emeline asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “But don’t say anything to anyone else.”
“I won’t,” she replied.
There was a knock on the door, and it was my turn to jump. I opened the door to find a nurse standing there with one of the cups that I had learned to dread.
“It’s time for her next dose,” the nurse announced as she stepped around me.
“Oh, yum,” Emeline said drearily as she took the proffered cup.
“Right,” I said as I watched Emeline slowly lift the cup to her lips. “I’ll just go check on the rest of the gang.”
I slipped from the room and found Aerin next. She was in Yvaine’s room, along with Lavinia and Imogen.
“Look at you, stud,” Imogen teased as I stepped into the room.
“Three in the oven,” Yvaine added. “Are there any more we should know about?”
“Uh, not that I know of,” I replied. “Listen, Aerin, who all knows you’re a healer?”
“I told the doctor,” she said. “He asked and he mentioned that people with mage skills suffer the worst on the steppes.”
“Anyone else?” I pressed.
“No,” Aerin said with a shrug. “I haven’t talked to the nurses. They just come in, hand me the medicine, tell me I’m doing fine and then leave.”
“What’s up, boss?” Lavinia asked. She was on alert now, and I saw her hand automatically reach for the bow that wasn’t there.
“They don’t trust elemental mages here,” I replied. “Elementalists are the ones who destroyed the city, at least in their version.”
“Crap,” Lavinia muttered.
“But, I’m just a healer,” Aerin protested.
“And what about Emeline?” Imogen asked.
“Same thing,” I said, “She told the doctor, and we all heard her mention it last night to Private Kesta.”
“Crap,” Lavinia muttered again.
“Look, it may not be a big deal,” I said. “Doctor Hin said we were all under the protection of the High Mage, at least for now. And he also said they do have elemental mages here, so it’s not an automatic death sentence or anything.”
“Crap,” Imogen added.
“Let’s just try to avoid mentioning it to anyone else,” I ordered. “And try to avoid using your powers for now.”
“Then someone needs to tell Dehn not to pick any fights,” Aerin stated. “He’s my biggest customer.”
“I’ll keep an eye on the halfling,” Lavinia replied with a martyred sigh.
“I’ll spread the word to the others,” Imogen offered. “And make sure no one else has discussed whether we have any mages in our group.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“There you are,” a cheery voice said behind me, and I turned to find the nurse. “It’s your turn.”
“Of course it is,” I sighed.
“Why don’t you take that on back to your room?” Yvaine requested. “It’s hard enough drinking that stuff down but it’s even worse having to watch someone else do it.”
“Fi
ne,” I muttered.
I started back towards my room with the nurse nipping at my heels. I passed Cat and Maruk in the hallway who both backed away when they saw the nurse with her cup. I stepped into my temporary quarters to find Merlin hiding under the sheet and various items from my pack strewn across the floor.
“Oh dear,” the nurse said sympathetically as she took in the mess. “It seems your pet was playing.”
I heaved a sigh as the nurse handed me my last dose. I closed my eyes and slugged it back as fast as I could. The slimy cold glop hit the back of my throat, and I forced myself to swallow it.
“There, all done,” the nurse said as she slipped back into her chipper persona. She made another notation on her ever present chart and returned to the hall.
“Blecch,” I protested as I ran into the bathroom and tried to rinse the taste of sour earwax from my mouth. I thought about asking Lena for something to remove the flavor until I remembered that most of her chemicals and potions had been seized as weapons as well.
When most of the taste was gone, I turned my attention to the puca. I lifted the sheet to find him holding his frogskin and a bag of beads tight against his body.
“All right, buddy,” I demanded. “What are you up to and why is everything on the floor?”
“Mine,” Merlin replied in his best Maruk voice.
“Yes, those are yours, but why did you pull all of my stuff out of the bag?” I replied as I started to pick through the mess.
“Didn’t,” Merlin insisted. “Found it.”
“Found it,” I repeated as I froze and looked at the puca.
I dumped the rest of the bag onto the bed and looked through the contents. Everything was there except the four items that had started us on this quest.
“Where are the Shodra?” I asked quietly as I repacked my bag. “Have you hidden them somewhere?”
Merlin slipped from the bed and flattened himself enough to disappear under the nightstand. He reappeared a moment later with the pouch I kept the Shodra in. Its magic would have concealed it from anyone except the most determined thief, or someone using their mana to find it. I opened the pouch, just to be sure, and found all four Shodra still inside.
“Thanks, buddy,” I said as I scratched his chin. “Did you see who was in the room?”
The puca shook his head.
“Well, I wonder if it was just a random thief or someone with a specific mission,” I mused.
I decided to keep the attempted robbery to myself for the time being. I repacked my gear, starting with the Shodra, which went in first at the very bottom where no one else would find them. Satisfied that they were all but invisible, I added the rest of my belongings.
We were forced to stay at the clinic for lunch, which consisted of bland, unseasoned chicken and two stubs of broccoli without any sort of sauce, not even a dab of butter or a bit of lemon. Dessert was a mysteriously bland pudding that couldn’t be saved even by the sweet raisins that came with it. Both Maruk and Dehn were ready to lead us on a great escape when Private Kesta finally reappeared with two other soldiers.
While Kesta’s fellow guards were clad in the brown and gray camouflage, Kesta was dressed in a more formal uniform featuring a dark blue, high-collared jacket, a pair of snow white breeches and black boots polished to a slick shine. Her hair had been braided and several small gold rings had been woven into the pattern as well.
“You look sharp today,” Lena complimented the soldier.
“Well, it’s not every day you get to appear before the High Mage and the Council of Elders,” Kesta replied a bit shyly.
“Can we leave now?” Dehn grumbled. “This place gives me the creeps.”
“I’ve been instructed to bring you to the High Temple,” Kesta replied in a more formal tone. “The Governor, the Council and the High Mage will all be there, at the High Mage’s request. You’ll be asked questions about who you are and why you’re here. You will answer them fully and truthfully.”
“Yeesh,” Lavinia said. “You’d think they didn’t trust us or something.”
“Sorry,” Kesta apologized. “I’m required to say that.”
“We will answer all questions fully and truthfully, to the best of our abilities,” I replied.
Kesta looked confused by my addendum but after a moment’s hesitation, she nodded and signaled to the two soldiers.
“These soldiers will take the rest of your gear to quarters that have been arranged for you by the High Mage,” Kesta announced.
“Oh, how nice,” Lena replied.
“At least we won’t have to lug our gear all over town,” Dehn huffed.
“I’ll send Merlin with them,” I added, drawing a few quizzical looks from the rest of the Shadow Foxes.
Merlin merely chirped and dove into my pack.
“He doesn’t do well at meetings,” I explained.
Kesta nodded as if this made sense. The two soldiers began gathering our packs and Kesta signalled for us to follow her.
The walk from the hospital was interesting, to say the least. A crowd stood outside the building, waiting for our appearance. Kesta hastily explained that news of our arrival and miraculous survival had spread quickly throughout the community. Most of the faces looked friendly, but there were enough angry and uneasy faces to make me wish that we could have done this a little more covertly.
As we walked along the streets, more people joined the crowd, as they had done when we arrived. It was eerily quiet for such a large gathering. No one yelled anything, no one cheered or even cursed. They just followed along, staring at us like they’d never seen such strange creatures before.
I used the time during our walk to open my mana and really check the spells that kept this place alive. What I saw nearly took my breath away. There were elemental spells here. The air flow, for example, was carefully regulated by air magic and the sun in the sky was clearly the work of a fire mage. But the bulk of it, the thing holding it all together and making it possible, was manipulator magic.
I must have gasped because Yvaine, who was walking next to me, took my hand and looked at me.
“This place is filled with manipulator magic,” I whispered in her ear as I leaned in for a quick kiss on the cheek.
“It fits with what the doctor told you,” she replied quietly as she smiled at the crowd.
“Still,” I said. “It’s shocking to see it all in the open like this.”
“Just keep smiling,” she commanded as she waved to a girl standing by the side of the road. The girl smiled and waved back until her mother drew her away.
The building Kesta took us to was the most impressive place we’d seen in Augustine. It made me think of the Parthenon before the Turks turned it into a storage depot for ammunition. There were the soaring columns, the frieze of various gods and goddesses, the peaked roof topped with a golden statue of Theira, and the marble steps that led you up and away from the mere mortal realm to the heights of heaven. I tried to figure out where we were and why I hadn’t noticed this building when we passed through the door from the tunnel, and I realized we must have curved out of sight of that entrance. Which meant that Augustine was probably even bigger than I had initially thought.
Kesta led us up the broad marble steps. A few members of the crowd followed us for part of the way, but most stopped at the foot of the stairs and watched us climb towards the towering doors.
Two soldiers in formal dress saluted our arrival and opened the doors. We stepped into a temple painted in blue and gold, with marble floors, a towering statue of Theira, and more columns than any one building could need. A brilliant mage light kept the immediate area brightly lit but the places behind the columns remained hidden. I opened my mana for a moment and spotted several figures hovering in the darkness.
I turned my focus back towards the grouping in front of us. There was a dais set up before the statue covered in a blue and gold cloth that shimmered and sparkled like stars in the night sky. Nine thrones had been placed on
the dais, each one currently occupied by either a human or an elf.
We started to walk towards the dais with Kesta in the lead until a skeletal man with a thin wisp of white hair stood up.
“Who approaches us thusly?” the man demanded in a baritone so deep that the rest of us jumped, even Kesta.
“Private Karys Kesta, of Surface Force Unit Three. I come with strangers from a faraway land who seek your guidance and counsel,” Kesta replied formally as she came to a halt.
“What counsel do they seek?” the man asked.
“They seek word of the great city of Augustine and bring news of the beyond,” Kesta said.
“The great city of Augustine is dead,” the man intoned. “So shall she rise again.”
“Amen,” Kesta and the other eight people responded.
“You may step aside, Private Karys Kesta,” the old man said in a more normal voice as he sat down. “We will hear what these strangers have to say.”
Kesta saluted and moved into the shadows. I glanced at the other Shadow Foxes, and then we all stepped forward. We stopped when a female elf with auburn hair held up her hand. She looked ageless, as if she had been here at the beginning of time and would be here when the universe collapsed. There were no wrinkles or strands of gray hair, just an aura of serenity and power. I studied her aura for a moment and saw the brilliant blue of a manipulator. She was awash with its power, and I knew she was the most powerful mage I had ever met.
“I am Deneth, High Mage of Augustine,” the auburn-haired elf spoke. “Tell us why you have come to the city that once was.”
“We come here because of a vision I had,” I replied. “It was a vision sent by Theira.”
“And what did you see in that vision?” Deneth asked.
“I saw the world destroyed by magic,” I said quietly. “I saw destruction far greater than befell your city. I saw the end of life itself.”
“I don’t understand,” another elderly man interrupted. “What does that have to do with us? Are you seeking to hide from this destruction?”
“No,” I said quickly. “I mean to prevent it.”
There was the sound of fabric rustling as several of the elders turned towards each other and spoke quietly. Only Deneth kept her focus on us. I was certain she was a manipulator and that she was viewing our auras. Her eyes rested longest on me, and when she was done, she gave me a barely perceptible nod.