The Three Swords (The Ways of Mages)

by Catherine Beery

  "What is it saying?" Trevor asked softly. "I'm assuming of course that others can hear it as well."

  Jason and Kairevasigh nodded. Jason glanced at his cousin over his shoulder "If I wasn't so knee jerk honest, I would have said 'no' so you would finally have the proof you needed to know for sure that you are going insane." Jason whispered earning himself a cuff to the back of the head.

  Kairevasigh responded to the shadow in the same language. "Rim kor mi atressin. Im sormes wer goln."

  "You can understand it?" Jason asked intrigued.

  "Yes, it’s my native tongue."

  "Then what did it say and what did you say?" Trevor wanted to know.

  " Akor rili." The thing's voice said. "Forgive me. It has just been so long since one of the Ara T'an has last been here." The cousins traded a puzzled look as the winged feline turned back to Kairevasigh. "Many think that their intentions are good. But that does not mean that they are."

  "What are you? Are you friend or foe?" Trevor inquired.

  The silhouette creature turned to him. "I am the Guardian of the Table. " It replied. "I ask again, what are your intentions here?"

  "We are looking for the ones who are crying." Kairevasigh answered.

  “And what will you do if and when you find them?”

  “I guess help them find their mother.”Kairevasigh said with a shrug.

  The creature stood at her words.“Well then, why did you not say so sooner? The poor things have been trapped down here for centuries. Follow me.” It turned and continued down the tunnel down which they had been going.

  “Can we trust it?”Trevor whispered.

  Kairevasigh shrugged again.“It’s going the same way we were.”And with that she followed. At intersections it went confidently toward the passages Kairevasigh would have gone herself. Though she wasn’t sure if that was because it was actually leading them to their destination or if it was just reading her mind. Tentatively she tried to sense it with her mind magics.

  It turned to look at her.“As you probably guessed, I’m not a physical thing.”

  “Then what are you?”Jason asked warily. Trevor and he had been uneasy since first seeing it because both had heard the stories about the shadowy servants of Maltacken who had attacked the Grim’s niece on their way back from the Harvest Fair. Was this yet another one? And if it was, why and how was it under the monastery?

  “An illusion projected by the spell that protects the Table.”The creature replied.

  “What is this table you keep referring too?”Jason inquired.

  The illusion tilted its head thoughtfully. After a moment it replied“The Table is a defense mechanism for this region. I am part of it. We have been here for more than an age.”

  “But, the monastery isn’t that old. Is it? I know it has been here for centuries, since the founding of the Order, but there was nothing here before.”Jason said in a puzzled tone.

  The feline’s shadowy tail flicked in amusement. Kairevasigh marveled at the complexity of the illusion. She wondered who could have created such a thing.“Jason Carter McGill, there has always been something here.”The illusion replied.

  Jason blinked at its use of his full name.“How do you know who I am?”

  The large winged feline huffed in laughter.“You are down here often enough, young knight. It would be shameful for me not to know your name. We have arrived.”It said as it walked into a large chamber that had obviously been finished by man. It was a square room. Engraved on the floor in the center of the room were three concentric circles. Each was filled with complex glyphs. Each pulsed with soft light. “The Table.”The creature announced.

  “But, why did you bring us here?”Kairevasigh asked.“Where are the ones who need help?”

  The winged feline’s form was becoming less defined, but Kairevasigh knew that it was looking straight at her with a knowing expression, though how it had an expression she had no idea. “Open your eyes and see, friend of my master.”With that, the illusion disappeared.

  “’Friend of my master’? What does that mean?”Jason inquired turning to the young girl. She was frowning and looking around the room as if it held some clue. Kairevasigh made a gesture of ignorance.“And what table?”He said looking about the empty room.“I don’t see anything other than symbols on the floor.”

  Kairevasigh’s frown deepened.‘open your eyes and see’the illusion had said. Eyes could be fooled, the mind could be trickedthe girl rationalized. It was what her people were masters at.“Don’t move.”She told the men with her as she closed her eyes.“Are we anywhere near you?” She asked the voices.

  Their response was immediate.“YES!! You are here!” By the loudness of their voices they were right. But the problem was, Kairevasigh couldn’t sense from where.

  “They are in here.”She told her companions.“But they are hidden from our eyes. They must be.”

  Trevor chuckled dryly.“So close, yet so far.”He muttered. He stroked his black beard as he considered their surroundings.“Is it too obvious to consider that the glowing circle of glyphs a clue?”

  Kairevasigh shrugged futilely.“I honestly don’t know. I’m trying to understand how I could know who the caster is. If I knew that then I could tell you.”She turned to look at Trevor.“I’m going to go study the glyphs. Keep an eye out for some sort of trap.”The two men nodded, though it was clear they didn’t like the idea of Kairevasigh putting herself forward as a target. The problem was, she was the only one in the group who had an idea of what to expect in this situation.

  Kairevasigh got to the ground and crawled to the edge of the circle to make herself an even smaller target. As she got closer to the glyphs she realized that some of them had been covered over with a reddish gray dust that either rendered that glyph useless or had changed it from its original purpose. Inactive glyphs were dark. The interesting thing was, the hand writing looked vaguely familiar…Not daring to touch anything yet, Kairevasigh shut her eyes and‘opened’the ones of her magic. Tentatively her magic brushed against the glyphs. It was then that she realized she recognized the signature of the caster who had originally crafted them. She almost laughed. There was only one person she knew who crafted runes in Kales Amie and that person was Kaizir, an old friend indeed.

  She opened her eyes and turned to look at the two alert men.“I know who the caster is!”She said with a smile. The two men blinked at having seen her smile. It lit her face and brought out the blue in her eyes, making them that much more stunning. If she keeps smiling like that I pity the poor sods a few years down the road when she starts actually taking an interest in men.Trevor thought briefly glancing at his cousin before asking the girl who the caster was.“Yes, I definitely pity the poor souls…” he thought to himself.

  “Kaizir.”Kairevasigh answered.“He was the King of Arathin and a very good friend to me when I was with him in his time. He must have Seen something about this place when he visited and built a defensive mechanism as the illusion said....”She turned back toward the glyphs.“Though it appears that someone has attempted to alter the runes with some sort of sand. I’m going to remove it. Perhaps then the illusion of an empty room will vanish.”

  As the two men gazed uneasily about the room not liking the idea that there was something there that they could not see, Kairevasigh sank within herself. Her magic responded as she tapped into it. In her mind she was aware of the world in a much more detailed way then she had been with her eyes open. There was more in the room then one could see with conventional eyes. There was a structure in front of her that only existed for this mental sense. The other was perhaps a collection of things were also in the room, the problem was even this sense was confused as to where exactly. What was very clear was the dust marring the circle. She picked it up with her mind and brushed it off of the circle. The inactive glyphs lit up and the changed runes reverted back to their original and intended purpose.

  She came back to the world of vision already aware that both Duncan and Father Thomas h
ad come. They seemed somewhat surprised to see Jason, Trevor, and herself there. For her part, Kairevasigh ignored them.

  “We followed Kairevasigh. She said that she had heard someone calling for help. Now she says that there is more to this room then we can see. And, frankly, after seeing that winged cat thing earlier, I’m inclined to believe her.”Trevor said to catch the two newcomers up quickly.

  Before they could ask for more information the girl stood. She looked down at the glowing circles.“Cam cyn.”She said in her native tongue. A cool breeze circled the chamber. The circle of glyphs flashed and the breeze picked up. Reality seemed to be shredded away to be replaced by a similar cavern with the walls painted with red/black runes. The breeze had slowed down but it continued to rub away the evil looking runes.

  The breeze slowed down and condensed into the form of a sitting winged leopard. It was obviously the same one, just this time it had color and detail to it. It was a light gray with darker blue-purple rosettes. Its wings were also gray but dabbled with the blue and purple.“Well done.”It said in its un-gendered voice.“You have reactivated the Table.”It said nodding its head toward the black circular table now sitting in the center of the circles. Upon its surface appeared a three dimensional map of the monastery and the surrounding region within ten miles.“I am sure it will come in handy soon.”The feline said confidently. The ranger and the three monks were gazing at the table in awe. They could see the King’s Guard camp. Studying it, they could tell that the guard was beginning to move. Two other groups were just entering the map. Another thing they noticed was the ship coming up the Riverdale River.“The child can show you how it works.”The feline continued. It turned silver eyes to see that the girl was not looking at the map but at something on the other side of the room. The cat inclined its head“yes, those are the ones whom you have been searching for.”

  Kairevasigh stared at the cat before saying.“Eggs? Are those dragon eggs?”

  “Yes.”Was the reply as one of the three large eggs rocked.

  Chapter Ten–Shrouded

  Enough was enough. His favorite prey had been dragged from him one too many times.

  Stepping into a place that would shatter the mind of any created being, Savranious pulled free the tie that held back his dark tresses. From a distance they looked much like his sister’s luxurious, silky hair. But instead of hair, his ‘hair’ was long thin feathers. He shook them out speaking a single word to seal the circular appearing room.

  The room’s dimensions were defined by a slightly reflexive, clear substance that for all the world appeared to be in the middle of space. Every time he moved the image would bend. For the mind of a being that had been created, a creature that was used to the orderly laws of physics, the idea of a room in space would be enough to cause panic. But upon closer inspection that mind would shatter. There was nothing orderly about this place that was Savranious’s domain because it was the hunting ground of dreams. Chaotic nightmares slinked around the clear, thin barrier.

  Fathomless black eyes peered into the moats of bright dreams. Many of the enemies in Pershara were safe from his predatory gaze. That didn’t mean all of Pershara’s inhabitants were safe, though. With a negligent gesture he released a few nightmares toward those hapless minds. The creatures would feed off of the victim’s terror and pain. One of these, upon further inspection, was none other than King Raymond. With a merciless hiss, the Master of Nightmare sent several of his beasts to prey upon the weak king’s mind. Doubts would be fed that would cause the king to question everything around him. Savranious grinned. Perchance the king would say something stupid to the others and incur their punishment. Though, it was far more likely that the pathetic tool would just go insane. The bright side of either was that Savranious would enjoy them both.

  Content with his warm up with Pershara’s stock, the Master of Nightmare turned his black eyes toward the shattering land of Arathin. His favorite prey was there. “Jewel Al’Dap Holden…” He murmured and the walls about him rippled until an image of the woman appeared. She was riding a horse. Tilting his head he saw that she was no longer old looking. She was talking to someone, but those around her were blocked from him. He hissed at the interference before calming himself. He slow blinked as he watched his prey ride.

  A cruel smiled twisted his lips. Did the pet truly think she could get away with her behavior this morning? She had left his gift of watching her beloved dying slowly by her own hand before things got truly interesting. It had been a creation he had worked hard on just for her and the wretch woke before she could enjoy it all… Well, he was entitled to exact justice, now wasn’t he?

  Stepping closer he tiptoed two fingers about her image. “Your mind is mine, my dear.” he hissed softly. With a grasping motion he plucked Jewel from her horse.

  ***

  Arathin- the Vermair road, Marlhema

  The companions road south along the Vermair toward Jewel’s transport symbol. Everything seemed fine. The sun wasn’t overbearing as it peaked through the clouds. A gentle breeze ran cooling fingers over Jewel’s skin. She was saying something to the very curious Terana who reminded her of her younger days when every red flag rose frantically within her. Jewel could hear screaming…Terana stopped talking and looked around frantically to see what had caused the blood to flee the older woman’s face.

  Turning back to the woman Terana reached toward her “Jewel?” She asked hesitantly.

  Grim pulled his horse to a stop to look back at the frozen Jewel. “Jewel?” He said in a tone that was firm yet gentle. The others had also pulled to a stop and wondered what was happening. Milisda approached to demand what the issue was. At the same moment Jewel turned stricken eyes to Grim.

  Grim cursed and drew his sword. There had only been a few other times when he had seen his dear niece this terrified: just before a Dark Kin attack. “Form around Jewel in a defensive circle. We have company.” He directed the others. Of course, the mountain road was a horrible place for such an attack. Which was probably the point.

  Jay Dee, Jingles, and Captain Willaim were quick to follow his orders. Razyan, Terana and the others followed suit, but it was clear that there would be questions later. Pressure built on the nape of his neck as the mages in the company drew upon their power. Terana slipped off her horse to draw closer to Jewel. Russy’s fur was on end and he growled deeply at the sensed threat.

  All of this took a few seconds just before the attack came in a form that none of them had expected but had instinctively feared. Farther up the slope the fabric of the natural world rippled. It was similar to the reality near the Barrier Maelstrom. A tear appeared and some formless thing whisked out. The mind had trouble grasping what exactly it was. Only some details, like it was some dark color or black, the size of a mountain cat, had feathers, more than four appendages, and several moon-like eyes were the only things the mind could grasp before it was leaping over them.

  It hit Jewel before three mages could loose an attack. Jewel felt her instinctive shield crumble before the thing. It was on her before she could scream. Long arms wrapped around her as she was torn from her saddle. She heard shouts and a horse’s terrified scream. She and the thing rolled down the slope. Exhaustion, of all things, pulled at her. “Your mind is mine, my dear.” A voice hissed in her ear. A terrified whimper strangled itself from her throat at the sound of her tormentor’s voice. A pain unlike anything she had ever known pierced her chest before darkness coated her eyes.

  Grim ran toward the beast crouched over Jewel. Two starlit jets of dragon magic and Razyan’s emerald spell hit the beast at the same time. It bucked with a hissing scream that sent the remaining horses running, Luckily all the companions were no longer on them. The thing turned its disturbing moon dead eyes on them. The dragons hit it again and it snarled as it was thrown from Jewel’s prone body. It stood on two of its legs, feathers dripped down from its scalp down its back. It hissed at them as it stepped between them and Jewel. “Mine.” it hissed in a voice th
at made Grim’s skin crawl. He wasn’t the only one.

  “I don’t know what the hell you are, but back off.” Milisda snarled striking it again.

  It was only forced back a step. It laughed mockingly at the woman. Chills ran down Terana’s spine. This thing was evil. She was pretty sure that if she ever looked the word up, she would see some sketch that attempted to depict the thing that was standing over Jewel. Looking past it, she could see Jewel’s pale face and her sightless staring eyes. A horrified grimace had the woman’s face in its grasp.

  Terana was frozen to the spot, but luckily the others were not. Grim approached it with his sword in one hand and a strange icon in his other. It was made of two pieces of wood. One was longer than the other and the smaller piece was attached near the top of the long piece, cross-wise. She wondered briefly what it was. The thing saw in and snarled curses at Grim. Foul things that made her want to throw up. Terana heard a soft cadence and realized that it came from Grim. He was speaking softly and as he spoke pressure built on the nape of her neck and the symbol in his hand began to softly glow. The creature snarled more curses as it crouched beside Jewel. The feathers on its back stood on end. Every discernible word that fell from its maw made Terana feel ill. And the pathetic thing was that it wasn’t talking to her. “Grimedian Knight.” the thing cursed. “Put that foul thing away!” It demanded.

  “Terana.” A voice whispered softly to her. Terana’s eyes widened and a tear slipped from her eye. She had never in her life heard a voice that sounded so… words couldn’t describe it. It was pure and full of life. It was so full of mercy, grace, and compassion that her heart felt shocked and lighter than ever before. What was more, the voice had said her name with such love that she knew, knew that everything she had ever done in her life was known to the being behind the utterance but none of her wrong doing mattered because whoever it was loved her. Was proud of the good things she had done and what she could do if she just… She became frustrated because she had no idea what she could do to further please the voice. “Terana.” The voice called again.