The Ways of Mages: Starfire

by Catherine Beery

  Jay Dee swore and threw one of her darts with practiced ease. It bounced off of the target creature’s shell, even though Jay Dee had struck a jointed point. Grim struck the same creature with his sword. The sword screeched, but the creature was unharmed. It raised its preying mantis arms and made to strike the horse. Pressure touched the nape of Grim’s neck before the creature could strike. Wind whipped in a cyclone around the companions. The creatures were buffeted around. The spider-mantises were flung about like leaves in a tornado. They clawed at each other. But, none perished.

  “Hardy things, aren’t they?”Jay Dee observed grimly.

  Thomas nodded in agreement.“I think it time we find a way to leave.”He looked at Jewel.“Could you do that wind trick, but instead of swirling them around, could you cut a path through them?”

  Jewel nodded, already speaking the words. The cyclone remained, but a blast of wind cut a path away from the lake. The horses were reluctant to move where the companions wanted them to go. Jingles had no such trouble and led the way. Suddenly there was a crack of thunder. Jewel and the others looked up.

  “That’s strange…”Jewel muttered.

  Jingles screamed and ran back toward them. Jewel’s wind plow had died and the creatures were coming. Jingles slashed at them, making tinging and screeching sounds with his long knife. One creature snarled and gripped the knife. Eyes wide and wanting no part in a game of tug of war with the beast, Jingles let go. An action that saved his life, for the beast pulled hard. It had expected a bit more resistance. Instead it was knocked over by its own force. It was an almost comical sight as it tripped over its legs and landed in a tangled heap, the long knife trapped in its preying mantis claws. It made angry chittering sounds and broke the blade. Jingles gulped.

  Jewel tried to blast a path again, but her spell was absorbed the storm over head. Pressure built on all their necks to the point of severely uncomfortable. The creatures made loud, hungry clicks and clanging sounds as they ran into each other. Black clouds broiled overhead. One of the sudden storms that the Nirami’s Grave was infamous for played over the lake and its shore. An unfortunate happenstance, because every spell Jewel and Grim tried failed. Even the cyclone keeping the beasts from them failed…

  Chapter Twenty-Nine -A Sword Born of Dreams

  "No one takes the Niram's Grave lightly. For the Grave does not suffer fools." An Arathin Proverb

  Jewel struggled to raise a wind wall again, but found the effort pointless. She had never felt so powerless when it came to magic. A feeling she did not appreciate after centuries of being the strongest in Arathin. It had not been a thing she had told everyone she had met, but its truth had become more solid over the years. Now she was helpless. What she truly could not understand was why the Nirami was doing this to her. She knew the magic of the Nirami’s Grave. It should recognize her as well.

  The monsters rushed toward the companions as soon as the wind lessoned to the point where they could. With a cry, Jewel raised a shield that kept the creatures at bay. Mercifully, the wild magic around her let the shield be. The creatures stabbed and clawed at the pale purple wall. Each hit rippled over the dome. It made Jewel flinch.

  “Damn, this isn’t good.”Jay Dee said glaring at the creatures hammering on the shield.

  “I couldn’t agree more, m’lady.”Willaim said. Jay Dee raised an eyebrow at him for using her title. He flushed slightly, but most of his and everyone else's attention was on the impasse they were at.

  “Can’t we just walk with the shield protecting us?”Jingles asked.

  Jewel nodded and began to move. Or she tried to. Something that normally would not have caused a slight hesitation ground to a halt. Jewel couldn’t move the shield. It was stuck where it was. When she tried to force it to move, she began to lose control of it. The wild magic outside began to eat away at it. But that same magic left her shield alone when she didn’t try to move it.

  “Well this is frustrating.”Jewel growled.

  “What is?”Jay Dee asked.

  “I can’t move it without the wild magic tearing it apart.”

  “So we’re stuck here?”Jingles groaned.

  “It looks like it.”Jewel replied. Jingles swore...colorfully.

  “Jewel,”Grim said his eyes staring at a point over the lake,“can you see it?”

  The whole group turned to see. The mist was swirling over the still smooth waters. It coalesced into the form of a small child. A child so dirty that one couldn’t tell whether it was a girl or a boy. Jewel’s eyes widened.“You.”She said breathlessly.

  The Nirami’s Child smiled at her.“Aunty. I brought you help.” Jewel blinked. If it hadn’t been for the Nirami Child’s interference she wouldn’t have needed the help. But before she could voice any of this a strand of glowing mist formed in the midst of the creatures.

  The glowing mist formed into a ghostlike image of a man whose appearance was pale with a bluish tinge. What Jewel could see, he had short, mussed hair. The hair was some pale color, perhaps a blond. He wore black pants that were loose enough to allow free movement, but tight enough not to be baggy. His chest and arms were bare. Only a belt clung diagonally over his chest, a sword hilt peaking over one shoulder. From what Jewel could see, his skin appeared to be a sun kissed gold. The man stood in the midst of the creatures with his head bowed. After a moment he looked up and opened his eyes. Eyes, from this distance, that appeared to be a rich, navy blue. He did not appear to see the companions in their shield. But he did see the monsters.

  Face expressionless, he reached to the sword that was peeking over his shoulder. Its pale brass hilt winking in the light cast by the frequent lightning’s of the storm above. With a fluid movement he drew the sword, its ebony blade a wicked shadow. The ghostly figure succeeded where the companions had not. The creatures died as he moved past them. They tried to take down the man, but he was like the wind of death. Too quick to be impaled on razor claws or slashed. Too swift to be evaded. His shadowed sword whispered like a cool breeze. The entire fight was near silent. Near, because the monsters were chittering.

  A great swam of the beasts tried to overwhelm the solitary fighter. But he simply wasn’t there. He appeared on the opposite side of the cluster of creatures and continued to cut through their unprotected flanks. There were times when the companions could no longer see the man themselves, but they did see where he had been. There were always trails of the dead monsters.

  The companions stared slack jawed as the man appeared to grow bored with swinging his sword. With a lazy, yet imperious gesture, he sent a score of monsters into the lake. The beasts screamed, their shells hissing in the water, turning a rust red.

  “Two notes to self, stay off his bad side and throw water at spider-mantises.”Jay Dee muttered softly. Grim snorted, but said nothing.

  “How is he doing that? Our weapons couldn’t even put a dent in the beasties.”Willaim said scratching his head.

  “His power is too subtle for them to block.”A child’s voice said. The Child stood within the shield with them. The companions glanced at each other worried.“It helps toothat he is dreaming and there is nothing they can hurt.”The child continued.

  “Wait, he isn’t really here?”Jingles demanded.

  The Child shook its head.“Yes...and no.”

  “Why did you bring him here?”Jewel asked.

  “So you will know him, Aunty.”The Child turned away from watching a monster massacre. The Child’s eyes met Jewel’s, eyes deeper than the deepest well. They were bottomless, ageless.“Aunty, when we first met I told you that you were a child lost in time and space. Since then, you have learned and you have waited. Now,”The child glanced at Grim and the others,“the time has come. There was a prophecy, Aunty, that you heard when you were young. Do you remember it?”

  Jewel glanced at the others. She then looked toward the ghostly man who was still cutting through the monsters. Then she thought. She had been privy to many prophecies in her time. There were the verses th
at the Nirami whispered to Arité. Those mostly discussed the spark of hope that Arathin had. There was another that the Seers of Razyan’s Keep had written, but unfortunately had been lost in a fire. Then there had been the first one she had heard an age ago. She nodded. “I remember it. It went something like this '“When the blood of Kings, Mages and Dragons mix in love and lust will the beginning meet the end. The Alpha and Omega will face and the stronger will prevail'. Why do you ask?"

  "I ask, Aunty, for many reasons. The most important is to tell you that there is an older version. Those in that other place know it now, as well."

  "Others? You mean Duncan and Trevor?" Grim asked.

  The child looked at him a moment before turning back to Jewel. It saw the questions in her eyes: 'What older version?' being the main question. There was also the pain. Was Gawin part of the 'others' the child had mentioned? The child looked into Jewel's eyes and Jewel could see the swirling magics that gave it form. Telecy granted it a form. The other power now called maranagave the illusion power. Both the stars and the darkness of night swirled in its eyes. "The original version of the Jaitu Du Munde or the Way of the World is this: 'The way of the world is tied to the Three. It is done in threes. When the blood of Kings, Dragons, and mages mix first in love then later forced in lust will the beginning meet the end. What once was broken will be re-forged. The two that were shattered will meet their Breaker and upon that Sword’s edge will faith be tested. The Alpha and the Omega will meet face to face and the stronger will prevail. But their strength depends upon the Three of Three: The Fulcrum, the Star’s Sword," the child paused and looked at the ghostly form of the man. He had finished destroying the creatures and was now cleaning his blade. The child looked back to Jewel and continued, "and the Catalyst.'

  "Time, Aunty, is running short. A race between the Light and the Dark. The Light has a head start, but that will soon end in two months’time."

  "What happens in two months’time?" Grim asked.

  The child met his gaze. It cocked its head as if trying to figure out what it should say and what it should not. Eventually it came to a decision. "The Child of Darkness will enter this world."

  At the child's words, Grim felt a stab of pain, guilt, and shame. Had it truly been seven months since he had been in the dungeons of Mortia? The puppet lover of Altana? "Is the mother Altana?" He asked. Perhaps it was not his child that this being before him talked about.

  The look in the child's eyes was enough of an answer. Grim squeezed his eyes shut before looking down at his hands. Jay Dee and Jewel reached out and touched his shoulders. Jay Dee, who had fished him from the sea after he had escaped from Mortia moved closer to him. The horses were not too sure about this move, but they only stamped once in complaint.

  "Thomas, it is not your fault. What happened was beyond your control."

  'I tried, but I failed..." The big knight began. He had tried to resist. He had had the feeling that Altana had succeeded in getting what she wanted, but he hadn't focused on that. Instead he focused on getting away.

  Jay Dee forced him to look at her. "You did not fail. You got away, as quickly as you could. You succeeded in getting away."

  "The Child of Darkness was going to come. It had been Written. Either it would have been by you or by another." The child helpfully pointed out.

  "You mean by my uncle Raymond?" Thomas asked. "Why didn't Altana choose him? He had the right blood, and she wouldn't have gone to the expense of capturing me." So I would not have to feel this shame. The last remained unsaid.

  The child's lips twitched in an almost smirk. " 'the blood of Kings'" Was all it said. Grim glared at the child demanding a better answer. The child shook its head before adding. "You will have to ask Altana that." The child turned back to Jewel. "The threads of time are moving. As you need to. You must find the Three of Three. You need to find him." The Child said pointing toward the glowing figure who was staring out across the lake. The Child waved a hand, and the man disappeared. "You must find him in reality. He knows who the Child of Light is."

  "The Child of Light?" Jewel repeated blinking. "Where will we find him?"

  "To start, you must go to Razyan's Keep. You must get there by this time next week"

  "But.... that is on the other side of the country. It will take at least three to get there and that is if the weather is good and if we gallop the horses to death."

  Crossing its arms over its chest, the child tapped its foot impatiently. In an assertive, if childlike, tone it pressed "Aunty, you must find a way."

  "We were going to visit Arité. She could help us with traveling." Jewel tried to reason.

  The Child raised an eyebrow. "Aunty," The child began in a tone that asked if Jewel was actually using her brain. "Mommy cannot help you with this. And it will take you too long to reach her."

  "Not unless you help me."

  "What transportation magic does she have that you don't?" The child asked imperiously. With that the child was gone. As were the bodies of the monsters. The black storm clouds above drifted toward the mountains of the Nirami's Grave. And stayed there.

  "So... are we going to listen to a strange child or are we going to keep to our plans?" Jay Dee asked from her place beside Thomas.

  Jewel gazed toward the mountains of the Nirami. She desperately wanted to see her old friend. But..."No one takes the Grave lightly." She whispered. "For the Grave does not suffer fools." Jewel closed her eyes, head bowed. After a moment, Jewel raised her head and turned her mare toward the west. The others glanced at each other before moving to follow, Jingles happily on his own two feet.

  The knight glanced at his niece then north to where the storm clouds boiled. "What was that you whispered?"

  Jewel sighed. "It is a Broken Arathin proverb. Crossing the Nirami is a risky business even in the best circumstances."

  "And knowing this, you were going to lead us there anyway?" Jingles asked.

  Jewel nodded. "The Grave knows me. The Grave also serves Arité, who would have commanded our safe passage. But now the Nirami's Child, the persona of the wild magic itself, has told us to go to Razyan's Keep. If we try to visit my friend now... we will be lucky to change our minds." As if to underscore her point, the storm lashed the ground with a huge flash of lightning. The charge in the air was so intense that it danced along their skin. And they were on the other side of a vast lake from where the storm had struck.

  "Yes, I think we should do what the dirty child had told us to do." Willaim said quickly.

  ***

  Arathin- The Kikel Varcressi, Sheyestiva

  Kaishan's eyes opened. He was resting his head on his arms. He shifted slightly and the papers under his arms crinkled. With a start he sat up. He stared blankly at the papers requiring his attention. Kaishan did not remember falling asleep. But he had. He could still remember the storm and spider/praying mantis like creatures. The hunter within stirred slightly in disappointment. The monsters had proven to be too easy to be a challenge. Even though there had been hundreds of them. It had been almost frustratingly easy to eradicate them....

  It had also been a dream. Kaishan leaned back in his chair and stretched, linking his fingers above his head. The late afternoon light came through the window and shimmered on the golden hardwood of his office floor. It reminded him of how the storm light in the dream had glinted off of the still waters of that vast lake. Thoughtfully, Kaishan turned his head to the map decorating the wall over his black lacquered desk. The ink lines of Sheyestiva and Marlhema glistened slightly. His eyes fell upon a detail of Northeastern Marlhema: a large lake. Colloquially it was known as the Lake of Ghosts. Why did he have a dream on the shores of that lake? He had, in the course of the Shadow War, only flown over it once. And the monsters? He had never seen...A troubling thought pricked his conscious mind. A vague memory of creatures like that teased him. Same monsters, same ease to dispatch, but a different field.

  This vague memory was not the first he had had over his life. He had had ma
ny. Only one, though, was a reoccurring dream. He had been in a city of white marble and domed roofs. Gold lined many structures. A vast library had rested within the heart of the city. A river had run around the city, guarding it. Kaishan had the feeling that the city had been magical. A man would then appear. One with auburn hair, golden eyes, and skin a dark sun bronze. The man had said something. Something about a sword. Not just any sword but a special one. One that he had to be willing to become part of so he could guide those to come in the fine arts of swordmanship so they could better protect others. In the dream, Kaishan had known what this entailed and had, indeed, agreed to it. Agreed because he had felt called to it? Whatever that meant, Kaishan didn't know in the waking light. In another often visiting dream, there had been king who had been fighting against a dark entity. The king would not listen to him no matter what he said or tried. Then Kaishan would wake up in a cold sweat and panting.

  He told no one about the dreams that visited him like old friends. Nor did he tell about the ones he had had with the young woman. The one who soothed and moved him like no other. The one who was also a dragon.

  Kaishan's hand clenched. The last time he had seen her, he had not been asleep. He had been in the Nirami's Grave and leaving the cave he had woken up in. He hadn't seen her at first till she had touched his wing. It had been her mind, somehow. And he had tried to capture it. Tried to get her to tell him where she was. But then something had interfered and he had lost her. He had been so close too. The only consolation he had was that he had part of her first name; 'Ter'. A Marlheman word that meant 'Star'.

  Star...Kaishan gazed broodingly at the map, focusing on Marlhema. "Where are you?" He asked softly. She had escaped him twice. She would not escape him again if he had anything to say about it. And once he had her he had some questions to ask, like how the hell had she connected to him? Dragons did not have the magic to do so. The other and, if he were honest with himself, the more important question was why did she seem to care about him? Nobody in their right minds did. He was a killer. A living weapon. He didn't need anyone to care about him. And yet...