The Three Swords (The Ways of Mages)

by Catherine Beery

  Dawn sunlight trickled down into the training courts to flash off of Reshan’s blade. Worry flickered in Reshan’s eyes. He was retreating. Swords clashed again.

  …The wasteland returned. Thunder rolled. Heat washed over his skin; marana tinted with something far more familiar. Kaishan looked up into the roiling sky. Fire. A column of fire reached toward the earth. Kaishan backed away from it. He looked and could see more of the fiery funnels in the distance. Aghast, Kaishan kept backing, and consequently slipped into a river.

  He had heard people try to describe rivers that ran through battlefields by saying ‘the rivers ran red’ or ‘the river was more blood then water’ but more often than not, it was an exaggeration. This wasn’t. Kaishan had fallen into an actual river of blood. It flowed sluggishly in a wide bed. Its metallic scent filled the air. Taking its time in the flood was a human cadaver. Kaishan couldn’t tell if it was man or woman. A crow landed on it. He noticed other things in the impossible river. Bits and pieces…

  Repulsed, Kaishan climbed back onto dry land. Charred ash was crushed beneath him. Beneath his hands he felt the earth shudder. Screams, nonhuman screams blasted over this waste. Instinctively, Kaishan covered his ears. It didn’t help much. The earth shook harder and harder.

  “Look.” The voice whispered. A hand touched his shoulder. Kaishan started and looked up. In the distance the earth was heaving upward. Bedrock screamed as it was forced up. Many of the fire funnels danced over its heaving surface. Boils rose upon the earth’s skin. Other funnels formed, twirling the rock like a child’s toy. “The Nirami’s Grave.” The voice named the rising mountains. And it was. Kaishan could not deny it. That tortured, scarred, rising, twisted rock could only be the Nirami’s Grave.

  Kaishan glanced at the old woman next to him. She watched the screaming rock without expression. Without looking at him she asked. “Are you proud of your ancestor?”

  “Ai!” Reshan’s voice cut through the memory. Kaishan looked to see Reshan lying on his back with Kaishan’s sword to his throat. Glimmering in the distance, Kaishan saw Reshan’s sword. “I yield! I yield! Do you kill me?!” His little brother asked gasping.

  Kaishan stared, panting, into Reshan’s eyes. They were wide in shock. Mortal fear rippled in their depths. Kaishan had seen this look once before. Long ago. Kaishan couldn’t move. Couldn’t.

  The woman’s voice from the memory whispered accusingly. “Do you like the blood of kin upon your hands?” At her words, for a split second Sheyev’s face flickered briefly over Reshan’s before fading away. I already have it on my hands. Does it matter? He thought at her.

  She didn’t answer. Which, to be fair, was answer enough.

  Kaishan lifted the sword away from Reshan. Calmly he sheathed it. Then he offered a hand to Reshan, who hesitantly accepted it.

  “So what did I do to require you to put me back in my place?” Reshan asked, brushing himself off.

  Kaishan raised an eyebrow. “Nothing. That is the risk you run when you spar with me. I become absorbed in the Dance. “

  Reshan shook his head ruefully. “Whatever. You still put me in my place. Wherever that is.” Reshan added as he walked away. He was still shaking his head. Kaishan silently watched him head toward the baths. Reshan was shaken, but knowing Reshan, that wouldn’t last very long. He would just say it was water under the bridge, long gone and irrelevant. Reshan one of those who could be scared within an inch of his life and just shrug it off. Kaishan would have to as well. And do what he could to keep control of himself.

  Just as he was focusing on resisting the pull of the old woman, reality flickered again.

  The storm that started the rise of the Nirami was starting to fade. The old woman still watched it. This time, Kaishan studied her. And knew her. She was the one who had forged this link between them. But why had she?

  She turned toward him, her black and silver veined blue eyes cold. “Do you repeat history, Kaishan Varcress?”

  “My lord?” Kaishan blinked back into reality and turned to see a bowing serving girl.

  “Viya?”

  “His Imperial Highness commands your presence, sir.” Was the timid reply. She glanced up at him. And he knew, from her expression, that she had seen his bout with Reshan. Knew that she feared him. It was an expression he was used to seeing.

  Kaishan nodded. “Be on your way.” He dismissed her and immediately headed to his father’s council chamber.

  Silence fell as he opened the doors. The Lords all bowed to him. He nodded and approached the table. Across from his father he bowed low.

  “Ah, Kaishan.” The Emperor gestured for him to stand. “Thank you for coming.”

  “It’s my honor to come.”

  The Emperor smiled. “I have a mission for you. We need to begin to spread our influence in Marlhema. We will start by gathering the Cursed. Once you have begun that, you can start infiltrating that Council you described.”

  Kaishan bowed. “I have already started the infiltrating, Im emavzés creno.” my Imperial Father.

  “Ah.” Emperor Shantév clapped his hands once and smiled. His gaze hungry on the map of Marlhema before him. “Excellent. Continue then.”

  Kaishan took that as the dismissal it was and bowed again. He left the room in its silence.

  Two and a half days later, seven Sheyestivan eagles passed through the Nirami’s teeth. Like the shadows the dragons had named them, they struck and left. Towns in the north west of Marlhema fell before them like slaves before their master.

  It was easy.

  As easy as it had been five hundred years ago.

  The Sheyestivans circled high, surveying their work before landing near the middle. It was late afternoon and they only had to wait until sunset. While most of the men grabbed some rest, Kaishan stood watch. His cold eyes focused on the nearest town. Smoke heralded the attack. He wondered how long it would take the dragons to react this time. Would they even remember? And what about the one named Star? Where was she in this country?

  Steadily time slid by. The sun dipped behind the Vermillion mountains. Red, orange, and pink ribbons were swathed over the domed sky. Night’s robe settled closer. The others woke and still they waited. Any second now they would hear the cries of the Cursed.

  The wind was silent.

  Reshan approached Kaishan. “What went wrong?” He asked.

  Kaishan shook his head. “I don’t know.” With a thought as to where he wanted to be, Kaishan disappeared from Reshan’s side. He stood in the square of the closest town. The people still there cried out at his sudden appearance. Then they disappeared into the shadows. Many corpses covered the ground.

  “Where are the Cursed?” Reshan asked as he too appeared.

  “Look around.” Kaishan ordered. As the rest of his men appeared he commanded them to search the other towns. He and Reshan stayed to check this one. Many of the people they had struck were dead of their wounds. Some were not. One such was dragging himself off of the ground. When he saw Kaishan he cursed. Suddenly he yelped and melted into the eagle. With a hiss, he shifted back into human form. Though, he was still covered in feathers.

  “Stop.” Kaishan told him. The lad froze.

  “That makes two.” Reshan observed. Kaishan saw him coming down the street beyond the feathered boy. Behind him stumbled a little girl. She stumbled because her feet were those of an eagle. “It’s kind of like Searten.” Reshan glanced at the stilled feathered boy. “At least they still can be controlled.”

  “Hmm. What of the rest?”

  “Dead.” Reshan answered. “What do you think happened?” He asked. Before Kaishan could respond, the other Sheyestivans returned. Their reports were similar to what Kaishan had already seen. Kaishan studied the feathered lad and bird footed girl thoughtfully. His gaze then slid to the dead. A woman with a rent skirt that partially hid a claw mark scurried back into the shadows.

  “They found an antidote.” He murmured softly.

  “What?” Reshan asked.


  “The dragons must have developed an antidote.” Kaishan repeated louder. His mind jumped to the solution quickly. “Foreigners are probably going to be our best bet.” With that, Kaishan shifted into his eagle form and took wing. The others followed his example. The survivors hunched upon themselves and prayed to what spirits may be listening.

  Three days later, the fishing fleet returned home to the picturesque harbor town of Qwincha. The repairs from the storm a couple months back were mostly finished. Life had picked up a normal rhythm again. Today was like any other day. There was the noise of people packing up shop, of last minute haggling, and fishermen cleaning out their nets.

  A perfectly normal end to a normal day.

  And so it would have been if it hadn’t been for the shadows that descended. Seven great eagles swooped into the streets busily trying to empty. Screams and shouts echoed out toward the sea. The sun set and the screams became the cries of the Cursed.

  Mindless, blood thirsty, hungry.

  Doomed.

  Chapter Nineteen–Warnings of War

  Arathin- Ronair, Marlhema

  A fortnight later found Illion attending a council meeting as he had been for many years. It was one of the ways the dragons had kept an eye on their country. The humans around him didn’t know that he was a dragon. They only knew that he was Lord Illion. Glancing down the tables to where the Wizard Razyan sat he had to amend his previous thought. The young wizard knew who and what he was. Finally, he thought to himself as he settled more comfortably in his chair. He had always liked the young wizard. Had always wanted to help him learn the truth about what had happened to the dragons.

  The Moderator of the Council stood up and faced the various lords and guild leaders. It took a moment, but eventually the leaders of Marlhema settled into their seats. Illion caught Razyan’s glance. The young man’s look said it all thus it begins…Illion nodded ever so slightly.

  “I have a grave report for the ears of this Council.”The Moderator said in his carrying voice. Council Lords frowned at this wondering what the man meant. The Moderator looked down at the scroll in his hands before taking a breath and continuing.“Word has come that villages and towns have been attacked along the entire eastern coast.”

  “Attacked? How so?”the General of the Marlheman Council asked.

  “Destroyed. Merchants sent the reports saying that there was an attack, but there are no people. No bodies.”

  Murmurs filled the hall as the lords tried to process what the Moderator had said. Illion sat frozen in his chair. He had known that it was coming, but knowing and actually hearing it were two vastly different things. A chill shivered down his spine. The enemy had made their play. Was this terror anything like what his father, now deceased, had felt as a young boy? Illion looked sideways and met Razyan’s emerald gaze. Like him, Razyan had picked up on the haunting similarities to what Illion had told him of the final months of the Dragon Kings.

  They could not afford to ignore the signs this time.

  Illion stood silencing the murmurs. Typically at meetings he never said a word to the Council. But now he stood, his stature and usual silence earning him the Council’s attention. He looked about his fellow lords. Some were puzzled. Others mildly concerned over the reports. Others were pale, fearing the unknown. Picking up on the haunting reality of finding a town that had obviously been attacked, but devoid of people.

  “Before I say my piece, I have a question: in the reports is there any mention of livestock or animals in the area?”

  The Moderator frowned before looking down at his notes. He nodded“It had been noted that there were no animals in the vicinity of the ruins.”

  Illion closed his eyes. Animals always seemed to know when terrible violence had occurred. They didn’t want to be anywhere near it. Opening his eyes Illion addressed the Council“I beg you, my fellow Council Lords, heed these warnings. Heed them and prepare. War is returning to these lands.”

  “I should have known that you were a war monger.” Lord Carisda muttered as he stood to confront Illion and speak to the Council.“These towns are along the coast. Pirates are known to raid.”He looked at Illion contemptuously.“I ask you, Lord Illion, do you really think we should commit our resources to a fruitless endeavor to wage war on buccaneers? For little settlements that were probably smuggler nests anyway? Who probably didn’t even have names?”Lord Carisda finished as he sat back down.

  Before Illion could reply, another lord stood up. Lord Tanar.“Excuse me, Moderator, but were the towns burned?”He asked.

  “They were not.”The Moderator said after looking at his notes.

  Lord Tanar nodded before turning the rest of the Council after a brief glance at Lord Carisda.“As you all know, I am the Lord of Carrean which is near the region where these attacks are taking place. I am well aware of what a pirate raid is like and it has been my experience that when pirates pillage, they burn what they cannot steal. My Lord Carisda, these towns were not burned. From what I have heard here and from my own people, these towns are ghosts.”He turned to Illion.“My Lord Illion, do you know who has committed these attacks?”

  Illion nodded.“I do.”

  The weaselly Lord Raten laughed.“Oh really?”He shared a laughing look with his ally Carisda,“From where? Who?”

  Razyan leaned forward in his chair to get a better look at the quarrelsome lords.“Have you ever heard of the Shadow War, my lords Carisda and Raten?”He asked in a very polite voice, but Illion and those who knew the wizard well could tell that the title had been in lower case.

  Illion continued his answer to Lord Tanar“The enemy is the same. The Sheyestivans are returning. Another term for them would be Searean Bre.”

  There was a beat of silence before Lord Carisda snorted.“Please, don’t bore us with fairy tales.”

  Illion sighed. He had known from the time when the nurture shield had appeared over Plarn that he would need some way to convince the humans that the Shadow War was not some story. Luckily, his people had the proof he needed, a talon from one of the Searean Brewho had died during the war. Since becoming aware of Terana’s arrival in this time, he had carried the talon with him to these meetings, always dreading this day’s arrival. Illion pulled the wrapped claw from his satchel. He placed the parcel on the table in front of him so everyone in the room could see it. Many lords frowned as he began to unwrap it. Razyan leaned forward.

  “I understand that events that happened long ago can seem little more than tales today. But I must ask you,”He said glancing at his fellow Council members before turning back to his task,“does this look like a fairy tale to you?”With a final pluck at the cloth, the talon was revealed. There were gasps and murmurs. Razyan’s eyes widened and Carisda and Raten sat motionless. Illion picked up the talon and held it aloft so everyone could see it better. The talon was nearly a foot long and made of a shiny black obsidian-like material; like chitin.

  He spoke into the silence.“I have not seen the eagle this came from, but my father had.”

  “But how?”Lord Tanar asked quizzically.“The Shadow War is said to have happened five hundred years ago.”The well respected lord shook his head.“There is no possible way your father could have seen it.”

  “My lords.”Razyan said rubbing his forehead wondering how they could not be seeing the obvious. Granted, he already knew what Illion was before this meeting, but he was sure that if he hadn’t he would have been able to guess. The man gave enough hints after all. Razyan stood up and spelled it out for them.“Illion is one of the dragons. You know, the people who ruled Marlhema over five hundred years ago?”

  The council chamber was silent for a full breath before pandemonium broke loose. Lords were asking questions over each other, arguing over who knew what. Razyan wondered briefly if some of them had lost a bet or something. The Moderator had to slam his gavel several times to bring something resembling order back to the meeting.

  The Moderator met Illion’s gaze.“Is this true, Lord Illion
?”

  Illion, who was still standing, nodded.“It is. I am the Steward of my people. I am also your friend.”

  “It isn’t possible.”Lord Carisda denied standing once again.“Any one of us could say that we were a dragon. How can we believe what he is saying?”He said gesturing at Illion.

  Illion struggled not to roll his eyes. Down the line of tables, he saw that Razyan made no such effort. Illion settled for a sigh. He held his hand before him and called forth his power. Star blue magic pooled and flared in his hand. Its warmth was a gentle pressure on everyone’s neck.

  Even though he hated wizards, even Lord Carisda had to admit that he knew no human mage had magic that particular color. Nor did a human mage’s eyes burn silver when they used their magic.

  Illion was a dragon.

  “My friends, you have long had faith in what I have advised over the years.”Illion said letting his magic fade.“I ask you to trust me again. To trust that I am telling you the truth. The enemy that slaughtered our people five hundred years ago is returning. They used the same tactics now that they used then. They are turning our people into monsters known as the Cursed. Though this time they are limited to the coastline. We need to work together and prepare for their attack. Do not make the mistake that they have forgotten Marlhema. They haven’t. They still want still want our lands and our annihilation.”

  ***

  In the shadowy doorway into the council chamber, behind illusions of an empty hall that none could feel, stood Kaishan and Reshan. The two brothers listened to the Lord’s talk about the numerous attacks on the coastal habitations. Reshan grinned at Kaishan when their puppet Lord Carisda inquired if they should be waging a war against pirates. Kaishan nodded grimly. Carisda may be one of their puppets, but they were not now pulling his strings. He was a quarrelsome man by nature. Which made him easy to manipulate.

  “They are spreading doubt nicely.”Reshan spoke to him over the telepathic bond the brothers had.