The Stone of Elsira

by Scott Kennedy

  Xenos directed his gaze once more at Zupher; this time a stern look formed on his once expressionless face.

  “Our environmental sorcerer, Oriel, is but an apprentice. There is no adept mage in that school. I want to you infiltrate his quarters this evening, completely undetected. I then want you to reveal yourself to him. You must then calm him down and make him sleep. To find his quarters look for a large wooden door to your right once you are in the main foyer. Once you open the door, walk through to the end of the corridor and turn left to enter the apprentice’s quarters. Oriel has blonde hair and grey eyes. I will be watching you throughout the time you perform your admission task.”

  Zupher nodded.

  “So that means I’ll be able to pass the forcefield?”

  “Yes, but for now, only once. Pass your test and you'll have permanent access.”

  Xenos handed over two scrolls to Zupher.

  “The scroll in my left hand will allow you to pass the forcefield once. The scroll in my right hand will temporarily hide your aura from the rest of the Arcane Society’s members. When it comes to how well you hide yourself physically, that is up to you.”

  Xenos put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small band.

  “You shall begin your task in two hours’ time. Oriel always retreats to his living quarters at 21:00 to read. Wear this band when you begin; it will allow me to observe you. If you are successful you are to wait in Oriel's quarters and I shall come and collect you. If you fail and are detected by another member, you are to leave and never return.”

  Xenos turned around and retired into the sanctuary.

  Chapter 10

  The Archmage

  Zupher sat down quietly and meditated. He was faced with a tough task. He had to manipulate the mind of a mage of the Arcane Society. This was going to be no easy feat, like the manipulation of a mindless beast. This was going to be an attempt at manipulating the mind of a trained person in magic. Zupher repeatedly visualised the upcoming scenario in his mind wherein he successfully identifies a weakness in Oriel, exploits it and then sedates him.

  “I am stronger than him. His mind will bow to mine! I am in no doubt of my power!” Zupher continuously repeated these affirmations until he got into a trance-like state. He then repeated his visualisation of a successful spell on Oriel one last time and sat down in silence for the rest of the time that remained. As soon as the two hours had passed, Zupher read the incantation on the scroll for passing the forcefield and then walked up to the second door; he then read the second scroll to muffle his aura and put on the band Xenos had given him. He slowly opened the door and had a brief glance of the inner foyer of the Arcane Society. No one was nearby to see him open the door. He quickly dashed behind a large piano. Zupher moved his head slightly past the top of the piano to get a better glimpse of the foyer.

  The foyer was a large, circular shaped area. The floor consisted of shiny, ebony tiled rocks. There were twelve impressive silver chandeliers hanging throughout the circumference of the foyer with one large golden chandelier with sparkling gemstones in the centre. There was also a massive statue in the centre of the foyer that especially caught Zupher's attention. It was of a man with his right arm stretched out holding a sigil, with a staff in his other hand. A large dining table stood in the upper left-hand section of the foyer. A fireplace with exquisite wooden furniture was in the upper-right section. The bottom-left section had paintings and desks with quivers. The bottom-right section where Zupher was, had a variety of musical instruments. He noticed that most of the mages were seated by the fireplace and were listening to an elderly man telling a story. One other mage was sitting alone at the dining table, eating, and another was painting by the art section.

  Zupher crept in the shadows by the circumference of the foyer and eventually reached the doorway that led towards the living quarters. He didn't encounter any problems; the mages of the society in the foyer were all pretty fixated. He opened the corridor door that led to the living quarters very slightly and slipped through. The corridor was full of interesting paintings – beautiful scenic paintings of nature and of mages. There was even a painting of the Northern coastline of Adlok and of the Royal Council's Longhouse in the central district. Zupher gauged that it was probably the former headquarters of the Arcane Society before the Royal Council had taken over. There were also two other paintings of unfamiliar cities. He stopped in his tracks to take a closer look at one of them, when suddenly the door to the foyer opened. He moved behind one of the pillars in the corridor as quickly as he could. A short woman wearing purple passed by, slowly, and proceeded toward the end of the corridor and turned right. Zupher's heart thumped in apprehension as he shifted his position by the pillar as she walked by. The woman was completely oblivious to Zupher's presence. Zupher was relieved at evading detection and after a full minute, headed towards the end of the corridor and turned left towards the apprentice quarters.

  Zupher then walked straight ahead, turned right and could see three doors from both sides. He gathered his thoughts and focused on sensing the aura of his target. After a few minutes he received a light sensation, however, still being new to aura sensing, the sensation was blurry and incomplete. Zupher couldn't read the type of mage Oriel was and how powerful he was, but he could definitely pinpoint his location in the area of the living quarters.

  He opened up the second door on his right and walked into the room. He saw a blonde-haired boy sitting on a couch, reading a book. Zupher then tried to close the door and make as little noise as possible. As he closed it shut, the door made an unexpectedly large thump. Oriel stood up to investigate and looked Zupher straight in the eye.

  “Whh...”

  Just before Oriel could speak a word, Zupher projected his psyche into Oriel’s mind. Zupher found himself transported into a circus. A show was about to start and it was a full house. Oriel was one of the performers in the circus. Zupher was looking for signs of weakness, vulnerability and fear in Oriel. Throughout his performance, Oriel had heavy eyes and shed a tear right at the end. At this moment, a psychic message hit Zupher and he realised Oriel's greatest, most vulnerable weakness. He was very concerned as to how the other members of the society saw him. He wanted to been seen by them in high and genuine regard, but often tried to be someone he is not around them, because he fears the person he truly is. Zupher approached Oriel's subconscious figure and stared deep into his eyes, fully conscious of his psychological vulnerability, and willed him to sleep.

  Zupher's consciousness emerged out of the now sedated Oriel. Zupher then walked over to a chair in Oriel's room and waited for Xenos. After a short while Xenos entered the room and looked at the lifeless body of Oriel on the floor.

  “Impressive. Seems that you indeed have some useful talents. Please, follow me; we shall head over to the foyer and introduce you to the rest of the mages. After that we'll head over to the Archmage and you'll officially become a mage. Zupher gave back the band and followed Xenos into the main foyer.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen we have a new mage, Zupher!”

  Xenos's voice changed from its deep gloomy tone to a more spurring and pleasant tone. The mages sitting in the lounge stood up and approached Zupher. The first mage to reach Zupher was a middle-aged woman who had a rather strange appearance. She had pale yellow eyes, and a tanned skin that looked rather thick and leathery. Her ears had mildly pointed tips.

  “Zupher, Good Evening. My name is Bellona, adept mage in Destruction Magic.” Bellona was well-spoken and had a strong grip with warm hands.

  A tall, lean man with dark-brown hair and a tight leathery black jacket came up to Zupher and shook his hand.

  “Evening lad, I sense you're an Illusionist. I am too. Name’s Racer, adept mage in Illusion.”

  Racer had a cool and familiar feeling.

  The elderly man who was speaking to the rest of the mages that Zupher saw when he first entered the foyer, approached Zupher and shook his hand.

  “Evening son,
my name is Earl, adept Summoner. I have had many experiences in life and am always willing to offer advice and a listening ear.”

  Earl smiled at Zupher and walked away.

  A dark-skinned girl, a few years older than Zupher approached him and gave him a hug.

  “Hi there, my name is Najla, apprentice mage in Summoning.”

  Najla had a quirky aroma to her.

  A boy in his late teens, wearing long black robes approached Zupher.

  “I'm Falion, apprentice in Enchantment, good to meet you.”

  Falion was soft spoken and didn't make much eye contact with Zupher.

  The last member in the foyer walked up to Zupher and shook his hand. She was the shortest and youngest mage of the Arcane Society.

  “Hello Zupher, my name is Dahlia, apprentice in Herbal Alchemy and Healing.”

  “We'll be off to see the Archmage now. You can come back here afterwards to talk more with your new family.”

  Xenos and Zupher walked left towards a large door and proceeded to the Archmage’s quarters.

  They were now in another, shorter corridor.

  “The first door to the left leads to my quarters; the second door to Freya's quarters – the second Master Mage. The Archmage's quarters are situated to the right. Let us proceed.”

  Zupher followed Xenos into the Archmage's quarters and was struck by a feeling of awe. The room was not furnished or luscious like the other rooms Zupher had seen, but was rugged and uncut. There were multiple clusters of pure white mushrooms growing throughout the room and glowing cyan-coloured reeds lit up the room. The energy in the room made Zupher feel like he had entered his astral form again. The Archmage was sitting down in a meditative posture in the centre of the room as Xenos and Zupher walked in. He was dressed in a long blue-hooded robe.

  “Lord Aegeus I have a young Illusionist with me who has passed the admission test excellently.”

  “Come forth child.” The Archmage's voice was powerful and efficacious.

  Zupher stepped forward closer to the Archmage and noticed that he was sitting in the centre of a circle, enclosed by glyphs.

  “Sit down child, before me.”

  Zupher sat down and looked at the mysterious Archmage, who still had his eyes closed.

  “My name is Aegeus, Archmage of the Arcane Society. What is your name child?”

  “Zupher.”

  “A beautiful name. It has a familiar tone to it. So tell me Zupher, what do you know about the Arcane Society?”

  “I know that the Arcane Society is originally from Adlok, but relocated here after dark forces had taken over the city. I am originally from Adlok myself, but commenced on a quest; a quest to join the Arcane Society. I am so honoured to finally be here before you. On my way here I spoke to a woman, Elsje. She said that she was a mage here for over forty years. She told me about the admission task and a few of her experiences. Otherwise I do not know much.”

  “Very interesting, and we are honoured likewise to have you here at the Arcane Society. Elsje was a very valuable member and we were all sad when she left us. Xenos is strict when it comes to recruiting new mages and rarely says that a new mage has passed his admission test excellently. You were informed correctly about our order originally being from Adlok. We had to abandon the city seventy-five years ago to ensure the survival and continuation of the order. Today Adlok, Havenridge and Grimlok are lost cities. Every now and then I send my adept Illusionist, Racer, into one of the cities to scout for potential recruits, but that is as far as we go in terms of interaction with the cities. Presently, our order primarily focuses on the theory and practice of magic. As you have likely gathered, each mage in our order has a preferred school of magic that they enjoy the most. Knowledge in ourselves, nature, and in the arcane is what we strive for. Occasionally villagers will seek out our order and ask us for help. This realm can be dangerous, when you live outside of the city walls, you may learn that the hard way. The villagers pay us with resources for our services. Once an official mage of the Arcane Society, you'll assume the rank of apprentice and be under the training of Racer. You'll train mostly in Illusion Magic, but will also learn about the other schools during your moments spent in the general training hall. You will receive assignments every now and then. They could be a contracted mission from a villager or a mission in the interest of the Arcane Society. You will live here, in the sanctuary.”

  The Archmage slowly opened his luminous cyan-coloured eyes and looked deep into Zupher’s eyes. “Zupher, shall I anoint you as a mage of the Arcane Society?”

  “Yes!” Zupher said without a glimmer of doubt.

  The Archmage raised his right hand out at Zupher, with his fingers spread out. A cyan-coloured aura started to radiate from his hand. Zupher then felt a burn on the right side of his neck. The Archmage closed his mystical eyes again.

  “It is done, you now bear the sigil of the Arcane Society. I look forward to hearing good stories of you.”

  Zupher stood still in awe.

  Xenos folded his arms.

  “Zupher come, it is time for us to leave.”

  Zupher and Xenos walked out of the Archmage's quarters.

  “I forgot to mention earlier that the Archmage is not to be disturbed. If you wish to consult him, you must first come to Freya or myself and present your reasons. He spends most of his time in meditation and only comes out of his quarters to discuss major missions.”

  Xenos turned towards the entrance of his quarters.

  “Now you better head over and further acquaint yourself with the other mages.

  Before Zupher could give a reply, Xenos had already made his way to his quarters.

  Chapter 11

  Muriel

  Zupher headed back to the foyer and found Earl, Najla, Bellona, Racer and Dahlia seated by the fireplace.

  “May I join?”

  “Certainly. Please.”

  Zupher took a seat on one of the unoccupied sofas and smiled. He noticed that the woman who had passed him earlier in the corridor was seated amongst the other mages.

  “Good evening milady. My name is Zupher, apprentice mage in Illusion.”

  The woman let out a light chuckle.

  “My name is Fae, adept mage in Enchanting. Lovely for you to join us here in the Society!”

  “Tell us more about yourself son,” Earl asked.

  “My full name is Zupher Cordak. I am originally from Adlok, a city situated in the far North. I pretty much gave up everything to seek out and join the Arcane Society. Now that I am here, I have no regrets whatsoever and look forward to all the adventures that lie ahead!”

  Racer seemed to be the most interested person out of the others.

  “How did you learn of the Arcane Society?” Racer asked, leaning slightly forward in anticipation.

  “My grandfather was approached by you, I believe. The Archmage told me that he sends you to scout the cities for potential recruits from time to time. Unfortunately my grandfather was murdered not too long ago, just before I left Adlok, in fact. I learnt of the Arcane Society through his journal. He originally planned for both of us to join.”

  Racer's expression lit up.

  “Ahh I remember that day! Very interesting I must say; that was my first time ever in the city of Adlok. Usually we don't go there because of the long journey to cross the Great Forest. It is in a very sad state, I must say. I did not hear one positive word of it from the locals. I am sorry about your grandfather; he had huge potential to become a mage. Fortunately you're here now, and word has it that you’re an exciting prospect.”

  “Fae told us about how you sedated Oriel. We were all trying to figure out a way to shut him up, without using magic. We're forbidden to use magic that interferes with a fellow member’s will or that causes harm to him or her. Fortunately it was part of your admission to use magic. That annoying little scamp had it coming I tell you,” said Bellona. The rest of the mages laughed.

  Zupher remained quiet, because unlike them, he
knew about Oriel's subconscious secrets.

  “You have the most unique appearance I have ever seen,” Zupher said, looking over at Bellona, who responded, “I am half Elven. I was born in the eastern, Elven lands, where humans are prohibited access. The elves see humans as lower beings that bring nothing but disharmony to nature. Apparently the relationship between elves and humans wasn't always like this, but after the fall of the three cities, the process of declination in relationship began. An elf mixing with a human is incredibly rare, even during the days when elves and humans were friendly with one another. My father was an explorer and set out on an adventure into the Elven lands, despite the risk that it presented. To cut a long story short, he basically met my mother there. They had me in secret and I grew up for the first nine years of my life in the countryside of the Elven Kingdom before my father eventually decided to take me back to his village. We were friendly with a few of the local elves, however, toward the latter years of my time there, the risk of being discovered by the Elven Guard increased significantly, so my father decided we'd be better off to leave my mother behind and return to his village. My Elven blood gives me a natural feel and understanding of magic, so when my father told me of the Arcane Society, I joined soon after and have been here for over thirty years.”

  Xenos appeared from his quarters and walked towards the entrance of the sanctuary.

  “I wonder where he is off to, at this time?” Earl asked.

  “Yeah I must say. It is rather late and there are no ongoing missions at this point,” Fae exclaimed.

  Moments later Xenos reappeared with Muriel at his side.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen we have a new member, Muriel!”

  The rest of the Arcane Society's members were dead still in shock. It was the first time ever any of them had seen two people being admitted on the same day. Zupher broke the silence.