Reflections in the Void: Book Two of the Demon's Blade Saga

by Steven Drake

  Rana’s capture had complicated his plans. He had been counting on her to explore the city independently while he was imprisoned. He had assumed that the Golden Shield would quickly overlook whatever transgression she had committed. After all, what difference did one deserter make against a former Shade. Unfortunately, this Geoffray apparently had taken her desertion personally. Whatever this connection between them, it had completely thrown off Darien’s plans.

  As things stood, he had few options. His greatest danger was not the Golden Shield, but rather the Demon King learning of his plans. It was reasonable to assume his capture had been kept secret The Golden Shield would not want the Demon King to know he was in Trinium. Trusting this man was a risk, but he needed allies, and since no one else had even come to speak to him, he decided to take a chance. If some compromise could be reached, a way to avoid hostility, that was worth taking a chance.

  He let out a deep sigh, and finally spoke. “It is a weapon. A sword called the Star Sword. I will not explain to you why I need it, not here at least, but this weapon may have the power to defeat the Demon King. It was lost during the fall of Sarenna, and I have reason to believe that some information about the sword’s eventual fate may have escaped the destruction of Sarenna and ended up here.”

  “If you’re looking for records from Sarenna, they would be here, in the forbidden library beneath the Hall of Histories.” Traiz looked sideways up and down the white stone of the passage outside the cell, then continued, “Much of the truth about the fall of the Kingdom of Sarenna has been hidden from the people, and though I would see the truth told, I must abide by the laws of our Order. They will never let you see the forbidden texts, but I may be able to find something about this Star Sword.”

  “Well, you have my thanks, however…” the prisoner snidely smiled at his interrogator, “I doubt you’re helping out of concern for my well-being, or because you really trust my word. Why are you being so helpful?”

  Traiz smiled slyly. “You are familiar with the old expression; my enemy’s enemy is my ally. It’s no more complicated than that.”

  “And who is your enemy?”

  “Ultimately, the same as yours, the Demon King. However, the situation is complicated. The Inquisition believes that the Demon King’s spies have infiltrated the highest levels of the Order, and I would like to know who they are.” Traiz looked eagerly at Darien, waiting for a reply.

  “Sorry to disappoint, but our spies reported to Avirosa the Wraith when I was in the Order. Information was not shared between us unless it was necessary. Since Avirosa is dead, only the Demon King himself, and whoever he might have chosen to replace Avirosa would know the names of foreign spies.”

  Traiz’s face at once shifted from eager curiosity to quiet disappointment. The Inquisitor put his hand to his chin, and seemed deep in thought. Finally after several minutes, he seemed to come to some sort of decision and spoke again, “Well, that’s disappointing, but I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised the Demon King doesn’t even fully trust his own commanders. I had hoped you could simply point me in the right direction, but I suppose I can still find some use for you.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “I have a few ideas. It would depend upon the positions of the other leaders of the Order, particularly the Grandmaster. As far as I’m concerned, you’re worth far more alive than dead. We know our enemy has spies here in Trinium, it stands to reason that they’ll eventually attempt to kill you, or steal the Demon Sword, or both.” Traiz smiled and wrung his hands

  “So, I’m to be the bait for a trap. Why bother to tell me?”

  “Because I would prefer you stay alive, for practical reasons. Too many in the order think themselves righteous enough to master the Demon’s Blade, but I know better. I don’t know how you’ve carried it this long, and I’m not sure I want to, but I do know this, if you die, there will be a fight over what is to be done with the Demon’s Blade. That fight could destroy the order.”

  “Under the circumstances, I have little choice but to accept your help. I assume I will see you again if you need something?”

  “You will, but for now, we will see what happens at the tribunal. I’ll be able to gauge the opinion of the other ranking officials. Don’t make any attempt to escape.”

  “Was that all?” Darien asked, eager to end the conversation.

  “No, just one more thing,” Traiz added then reached behind his back for something. To the Executioner’s profound surprise, he produced the Demon Sword, unsheathed. This, at least, revealed the source of the Inquisitor’s strange magical aura, not the man, but the sword. A thin black smoke seemed to emanate from the blade, swirling in wispy spirals and waves, darting back and forth as though blown by wind, even though the air in the dungeon was quite still, then vanishing into nothing. More disturbing, an unfamiliar magic seemed to be drifting towards him, while he felt his own magic being pulled towards the sword. “Do you know what’s happening? The sword started releasing this… smoke as soon as it arrived. It was much worse a few minutes ago. It was so thick the blade could barely be seen.”

  “I have no idea. I’ve never seen it do this, even when I actually used it,” Darien replied, just as confused as his interrogator. “Then again I’ve never been separated from it for long before. It may have something to do with that, but that’s no more than speculation.” Darien’s mind immediately thought of Ezra. The old man would surely have some idea about what was going on. He would have to ask him whenever he next appeared.

  “Well, the effect does seem to have diminished since it’s closer to you now. Do you think it could be dangerous for it to be separated from you for too long?”

  “I can’t say, but I would assume anything that the Demon Sword does is dangerous until proved otherwise.”

  “It will be difficult to convince them to give you back the sword. Some are of a mind to kill you and use the sword themselves.” Traiz arched a brow.

  “That would be unwise,” Darien said. “You know someone that foolish?” Darien asked.

  “Some have more bravery than wisdom.” Darien didn’t need any further hint to think of Geoffray, the man who had arrested him. This Traiz must be a political rival, someone with disparate interests jockeying for position within the Golden Shield. “Your enemies will reveal themselves soon enough. Await the tribunal. Do not attempt any escape, or you will certainly regret it.” Darien nodded, and the wavy-haired Inquisitor put the Demon Sword back wherever it had been stowed before, and left. The sounds of his feet echoed in the silent dungeon, sounding softer and softer until they faded away entirely.

  He hoped that the sword would be taken back to the sheath where his homing stone was kept. The fact they had been separated meant part of his plan had already failed. All the same, the fact that Traiz had brought it to him gave him a reason to trust. After all, if the Inquisitor had access to the Demon’s Blade, he could have stolen it for himself, or taken it to the Demon King. That did not necessarily mean Traiz would be a reliable ally, but it was better than nothing.

  Alone once again, Darien wondered where Ezra might be. The old man had seemed to appear randomly, but always at a convenient moment, bearing needed guidance. Yet, the old hermit remained frustratingly absent. These two weeks sitting alone in a cell would have been an excellent opportunity for a long conversation, but the old man had failed to appear.

  Chapter 10: The Golden City

  Jerris awoke at the inn in Galbedin feeling better than he had in days. Nia had changed the character of the journey. With a guide to take him to Trinium, he no longer had to worry about getting lost or arrested, and could focus his thoughts on how to help Darien, a still formidable but somewhat less overwhelming task.

  Jerris thoroughly enjoyed the company of his attractive traveling companion. She answered his questions about magic, Trinium, and about the order, though his favorite topic was Nia, herself. She was among the order’s more talented mystics, able to track mage auras from leagues a
way, which explained how she found Jerris so easily. Her usual duties consisted of identifying and cataloguing enchanted items before sending them to the inquisition for storage, a dull but safe occupation. Nia had some offensive magic and a basic level of combat training, but lacked any experience. Jerris wondered, though politely failed to ask aloud, exactly what she would have done in the event he had been a Shade, or just someone who didn’t appreciate being chased around the city.

  Nia, for her part, asked Jerris all sorts of questions about the elves, from important topics like differences in elven magic and history to more mundane topics like etiquette and style of dress. The young woman seemed fascinated by the subject. Jerris told Nia what he knew, though having grown up with his mother and the humans of Kantu, he possessed fairly limited knowlege, and had only recently learned most of hit himself.

  The days passed easily as they trekked across the Golden Plains. Nia took care of food and lodging, for which Jerris continually expressed his gratitude. After traveling for the better part of a week, Jerris caught sight of something gleaming brightly on the horizon to the west, a dozen tiny suns rising on the western horizon.

  “Do you see all those lights? What do you suppose that is?” he asked.

  Nia laughed, a lighthearted girlish giggle that sent a shudder of embarrassment through Jerris. “You’ve really never been here have you?”

  “Well no, I said I hadn’t.”

  “Well those are the golden domes of Trinium. All the largest buildings have domed roofs plated in gold, and specially enchanted to reflect light, so that the city shines like a beacon across the plains. During the day, it gets so bright you can’t really look at it, but at night, when the moons are out, it lights up the whole city. It’s beautiful. They don’t even light the lamps. I thought everyone would have heard of that.” She giggled again, sending another round of embarrassed shudders through him. “You said this was where you were going. Didn’t you even know what it looked like?”

  “Er… Well…” Jerris stuttered and looked over nervously towards Nia, expecting to see a look of disappointment at his ignorance, something he now expected from Darien, Ceres, and even Rana. Instead, he was relieved to see her beaming at him happily, more amused than anything else, and he managed to smile back weakly. “I guess, um, I’ve only ever traveled with Darien, and he always took care of those kinds of things.”

  “You must really care about him, huh?”

  “He saved my life, more than once. He taught me about magic. I’ve been with him since my mother died. He’s not old enough to be like a father, at least I don’t think he is, so I guess I think of him like a brother. I know about his past, but he’s not that person anymore, or at least I’ve never seen that side of him. He never fights unless he’s forced into a corner. He’s always protected me, and Rana too. I have to convince them to let him go. We’re on a really important quest.”

  “My grandfather will listen. He’s the Archmage of the Golden Magi. He doesn’t have as much influence as he used to, but he knows the Grandmaster.”

  “Really? That’s good news, but what are the Golden Magi?”

  “Oh, well we’re the proper mages of the order. We study magic, make enchanted items for use in the war, and maintain the protective enchantments on the Saldean River.” Nia smiled proudly. “There’s two other major divisions, the Shield Knights make up most of the actual army, and the Shining Inquisition, who look for spies and well, I don’t know what else they do.”

  “So he ranks pretty high then? I’m lucky I met you, oh wait, no, I’m glad I met you anyway, but it’s lucky you know someone that important.”

  Nia blushed slightly and giggled again. “Well thanks. I guess I’m pretty lucky to meet the prince of the elves too.”

  “Please don’t start calling me that. I hate it. I really just want to be Jerris.”

  “Alright, well I guess I’d still feel lucky even if you were just Jerris.” Jerris heart jumped slightly at this comment, and he opened his mouth thinking to say some sort of ‘thank you’, but no words actually came out, so he managed a smile, and both of them turned back towards their destination. The bright shine of the building became more bearable as the sun climbed overhead. Soon they were able to distinguish the individual buildings. Nia pointed out the Hall of Histories, the Golden Citadel, the Assembly of the Free Nations, the Hall of Judgements, and the Temples to the Seven High Deities. There were a great many other golden-roofed buildings aside from these. Nia pointed out the one where she dwelt with her grandfather, a medium sized building that stood out due to the slightly bluish hue of its stone walls.

  Strangely enough, Trinium had no walls. Nia explained that it was because the city was supposed to be a city of peace, open to all, but Jerris could not help but think how vulnerable it seemed. Darien had taught him to think this way, to assess the surroundings, find vulnerabilities, advantages and disadvantages. In this case, it meant that once they had the information they needed, it should be easier to escape.

  “What are you thinking?” Nia asked. “You just got this really intense look on your face.”

  “Oh… uh, nothing,” Jerris stammered. “I was just thinking how lucky you are to live in a place where it’s so peaceful you don’t even need walls.”

  “Oh.” Nia seemed to accept the explanation, and Jerris breathed a sigh of relief. He could not afford to let on what Darien actually had planned.

  Unlike the earlier cities Jerris had passed through, Trinium seemed immaculate. Barely a scrap of garbage debris marred the immaculate marble street. Even the smaller houses would have been called mansions in Lagura or Galbedin. The people dressed in colorful silks, gold, white, green, blue, and every other color imaginable. Brilliant blue flowers sprouted from marble planters placed at regular intervals on every street, and even on some of the rooftops, the air perfumed by their light scent reminiscint of lilac. It was a paradise compared to the human cities he had seen before.

  “Is everyone here wealthy?” Jerris asked.

  “Hehe, no,” Nia laughed. “Everyone here works for the Order. There are barracks for the soldiers, the magi, the Inquisitors, merchants, scribes, even the workers. The Order provides food, clothing, everything the people need.”

  “Where do they get the money?”

  “Well, the kingdoms under the Order’s jurisdiction all pay taxes, for protection from the Demon King, but that alone wouldn’t be enough. The Order searches the kingdoms for children with the gift of magic, and take them in. So, basically anyone who needs a magical service has to pay the Order.”

  “So they can just take children from their homes, from their parents?”

  “I know it sounds awful, but few children manifest before the age of twelve so they aren’t that young. Magic is dangerous for the untrained. An untrained mage could kill people, even himself, without meaning to. You should know that.”

  “Well, yes, but it just seems wrong.” He remembered how it had hurt when he had been thrown out of the castle, parted from his mother, and he had been sixteen at least. He could not imagine what it would feel like to be taken away at twelve. Darien was taken from his mother too. Are these people really that different from the Shades, then?

  “What is it?” Nia asked.

  “That didn’t happen to you did it?” Jerris asked.

  “Oh, well no,” Nia answered. “My father and grandfather were both in the Order, so I grew up around mages. I manifested early, when I was ten, and I had a tutor until I was twelve, then I entered the Academy early. I’ve always lived in Trinium, well, since my father died anyway.” The last words seemed to stick in Nia’s throat, and her face seemed to darken for a moment. Jerris started to ask what had happened, when Nia stopped at an inn situated sat between two large round stone towers, the White Star. Nia arranged the room, wished Jerris goodbye, and left.

  Nia did not return until late on the following morning, and unfortunately, had not yet been able to arrange a meeting with the Archmage. With his primar
y goal frustrated for the moment, Jerris decided the most useful thing he could do was look for information on the Star Sword, so he had Nia show him to the Hall of Histories.

  It was a truly grand structure, spectacular, yet oddly laid out. Like most of the larger buildings in the city, it was circular, and several stories high. Each floor had a central rotunda, with slowly winding metallic gilded staircases arranged about the edge of the rotunda. The floor of the rotunda was made of clear glass, so that standing at the top, Jerris could see everything beneath him, all the way to the bottom, including the people going about their business. It felt more than a bit frightening to stand on a pane of glass, and Jerris couldn’t help worrying that the slightest fall would send him crashing through several stories of glass floor. Nia explained that the glass contained special enchantments to make it stronger, and that it was technically stronger than wood, stone, or even metal. The outer two thirds of each floor contained shelves filled with books on every conceivable subject, arranged into concentric circles of increasing size towards the outer edge.

  Nia giggled at Jerris’ amazement. She explained that most of the buildings had a similar layout, including the glass floors. Jerris had thought Vorog and Kadanar marvelous, and they were, but this city contained a spectacular grandiosity that spoke not of physical strength, or ancient wisdom, but a majesty which aspired to the divine. Most surprisingly, it was far larger than the library in Kadanar. If the humans could accumulate this much knowledge, how much had the ancient elves possessed, and how much of it had been lost?

  Nia left him all too soon, and Jerris was left to search through the books on his own. Getting a meeting with the Archmage proved more difficult than Nia had initially led him to believe, and the days fell into a routine of searching the library, punctuated by meals at the inn. Jerris spent much of his time in the Hall of Histories. He found all sorts of books on history from human kingdoms across the world, but nothing dated before the fall of Sarenna. When he grew too frustrated, he explored the rest of the city.