by Jake Kerr
“Yeah. I’d say being invisible is very powerful,” Naomi said. “I could feign invisibility by creating an illusion that the person is something else, but that’s sophisticated and would take a lot of preparation.”
“You are that accomplished at illusion?” Mister Ali sounded stunned.
Naomi nodded and slid her hair behind her ears. “Okay, let’s assume that the staff does contain a magical creature.” She quickly turned to me. “I’m not saying that for certain, but I believe this highly likely.”
“Mister Ali said as much,” I replied, glancing at him as he nodded.
“So what does that tell us?” Absent-mindedly, Naomi moved her hands and an inky black swirling ball appeared in her hands.
“That’s beautiful. What is it?” I asked. I had been used to her calming herself by creating detonations and other destructive magic. This was something entirely different.
Naomi squeezed a hand, and the ball disappeared. “It’s the Hammer of Jamshid.”
“Impossible!” Mister Ali replied. “That spell hasn’t been cast in centuries. Only Jamshid himself mastered it.”
She created the ball again. “Yeah, it’s a tough one.” Naomi shrugged. “But enough about this—” She squeezed her hand and the ball disappeared. “We were talking about the staff. So here’s my thought: The creature that was imprisoned in the staff is really smart and really powerful. It has been probably thinking of every loophole to get out of his prison, and in that process he’s figure out ways to limit the power of the staff. That it took this long tells me that you’re probably safe for quite some time, but who knows?”
“Do you think it’s coincidence that the creature was able to stop the single most powerful use of the staff?” I asked.
“No, Tommy.” It was Mister Ali. “Something changed. I disagree with Miss Naomi. If there was a flaw in the imprisonment of the creature, it would have freed itself ages ago. Something about his prison has changed. Or at least its circumstances.”
“But what could it be? Nothing has changed. Magic is even rarer in the world today than it ever has been. Are there even that many magicians left?” I replied, thinking of how the magicians in the Citadel of London had been replaced by soldiers.
“There is the appearance of the Angel of St. Petersburg.” It was Arkady, leaning against the arch. With the stress of our entrance behind him, he looked calm, even amused. I didn’t like his look. He was too handsome, with his black hair short but unkempt in the way of Hollywood adventure heroes. I finally noticed his outfit, which I wanted to call ridiculous but had to admit looked impressive—he wore a black trench coat that was buttoned all the way up and looked mysterious.
“Arkady! Please come in. Yes, perhaps you can be of help here with your perspective.” Naomi seemed happy to see him, a contrast to their clipped and matter-of-fact conversation earlier. He walked in with long purposeful strides. Naomi turned to us. “Arkady is a master illusionist. His spells are very powerful and he casts them extraordinarily fast.”
Arkady sat down next to Mister Ali. “The young lady exaggerates,” he replied, bowing his head slightly. I looked from one to the other. Their attitude toward each other was completely different in the relaxed circumstances of the study. Naomi had moments earlier said I was her only friend, but I found doubt growing inside me. I may have been her friend, but was Arkady something more?
“We have met,” I replied, trying to hide my bitterness.
“Indeed. I apologize for my mistrust. To be clear, I admire how you help the cause with your severing of magic and technology.”
“The cause?” I asked.
Arkady glanced at Naomi. She paused before replying, “Yes, that. Oh well, I may as well explain what I’ve been doing for the past year.” Naomi looked over at me and smiled. “Cain gave me this castle to preserve and rebuild magic in England.”
10
THE LAST BASTION
“Cain?!” I exclaimed. “You’re working for Cain?” I couldn’t believe it. Naomi was basically the anti-Cain. Her personality alone would have driven him crazy within a day of them working together.
“Sort of. Cain’s a practical man, and when you and I returned to England he kept tabs on both of us. Of course he sent magicians and others to try and stop you, but after you left me, he sent Master Behnam to me to discuss preserving and nurturing magic.”
Mister Ali nodded. “Yes, that sounds like Cain. He is in a constant battle to keep magic relevant with the English government, if for no other reason than to maintain his power.”
“It isn’t about power for him. At least I don’t think it is. He seems sincere. I’ve talked with him, and he badly would like to halt the slow death of magic. So he gave me Dunnotar Castle. He’s relocated practically every magic book he could get his hands on to here.” She waved her arm in a sweeping arc. “The magical knowledge in this castle is extraordinary.”
Naomi sighed. “But unread books are just pieces of paper. He had me work with Master Behnam to recruit magicians to relocate here as both a place of study and a safe haven. It was a compelling idea with war raging. Still, there aren’t many magicians left.”
“How many are there here?” I asked, looking around and trying to imagine how many could live in the castle that seemed an impressive size and was full of millennia of magical knowledge.
“Two. Arkady and myself.” My jaw dropped. I had expected two dozen, maybe ten if things were really bad. But two?
“There are only two magicians left in England? What happened to Behnam?”
Naomi laughed, but it was full of bitterness. “No, Tommy. Including Cain, there are three master level magicians left in the western part of the world. There were ten, but seven have been killed in the war, including Master Behnam.” Naomi shook her head. “It was worse in Russia. Right, Arkady?”
He nodded. “Yes. The government was not happy with magicians. Magic was part of the Tsar’s world, not for the people. We were hunted and killed. I escaped and am grateful for the home Cain has made for me here.”
“Three?” I couldn’t believe it. Magic really was dying in the world.
Naomi nodded at me as Mister Ali spoke up. “I’m sorry, Arkady. That sounds terrible,” He looked at Naomi. “So what have you discovered in the past year?”
“Good question, traitor.” I winced. On the one hand I was happy that Naomi was back to her normal teasing self, but I also knew that Mister Ali would take the insults personally. I hoped that Naomi would let up soon. “The answer is simple: It’s a lost cause. Magic is dying.” I was shocked at Naomi’s comment, but even more so at the nonchalance in her voice. “Despite that, I’ve spent the last two years dedicating my life to magic.” She shrugged. “I don’t even know why any more.”
Before Mister Ali could reply, Arkady spoke up. “Naomi is modest. She will lead us into the future by example. She simply awaits the opportunity.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“She is the heir of Jamshid. Her power can rule nations. When the time comes she will inspire the world to return to magic and away from machinery.” His comment about my helping in their fight against technology was starting to make sense.
“Nonsense!” Mister Ali exclaimed. “Such arrogance. I remember the last person to claim such, and his name is Cain. He is a governmental bureaucrat now. To compare a girl to Jamshid? It would be offensive if it weren’t so sad.”
I tensed, because I saw the battle between Naomi and Mister Ali unfolding in front of my eyes, and I knew it would not end well. Naomi called him a traitor, and there was at least some truth to that. Mister Ali’s attitude was one I couldn’t understand. I was always disappointed in his outdated belief that women couldn’t do magic. Had he not seen her spells up close? Still, I kept my mouth shut. Naomi could certainly handle herself.
“Listen, traitor. I would never compare myself to Jamshid. I’ve been telling Arkady to stop saying that about me. It’s kind of tiresome actually. I have no interest in r
uling nations or fighting battles for them. You can ask Cain. He’s been practically begging me to join his battles.” The idea of Cain begging anyone sounded preposterous, but it somehow seemed possible when involving Naomi. She created a spell in her hand. It was different, a luminescent ball of many colors. It was quite beautiful. Mister Ali’s eyes went wide when he saw it. “All I want is to make magic. That’s all.”
“Is that Gate of Duzakh?” Mister Ali stared at Naomi’s hands.
“No, this is the Key of Nar Marratum.” Naomi closed her hand and the ball disappeared. “It is much simpler version of the Gate spell, which I haven’t mastered yet.” She looked at Arkady. “And I assure you that Jamshid mastered the Gate of Duzakh spell. So to be clear I am no Jamshid, nor his heir.”
“The last magician to cast the Key of Nar Marratum was Merlin.” Mister Ali shook his head.
“No. Although they were most likely contemporaries, Taliesin is the last magician to have cast the spell. In fact, his notes are where I found the critical missing piece to cast it.”
“Impossible!” Mister Ali replied.
“No, really. He kept notes.” Naomi laughed. “Okay, enough. Can we get back to Tommy’s problem?”
“Tommy, I understand the need for a place like this, but I’m afraid they are hiding their failures with lies and exaggeration. We won’t find help here.” Mister Ali stood up.
“Please, Mister Ali.” I held up my hand. Despite his apologies and humility, he was still the stubborn Mister Ali from my past. I couldn’t think of anything else to say that wouldn’t insult him or outright contradict him. Of course, Naomi didn’t have any such reservations.
“You have some nerve to come into my home and call me a liar. Putting that aside, what is your goal here? I presume you are actually helping Tommy this time instead of betraying him.”
Mister Ali clenched his fists and I could see the muscles in his jaw working. He eventually replied calmly, “I am Tommy’s eyes. I can see through illusion, and I will be his guide through the illusionary perils that await him.”
“Even this?” A snake slid out from under the couch Mister Ali was sitting on.
I jumped back, and Mister Ali looked at me. He frowned. “She cast some remarkable illusion, didn’t she?” I nodded as the snake wrapped around his leg and climbed up his body.
“Interesting. You don’t even see that, do you?” Naomi sounded excited.
“No. I have the gift of total sight.”
Naomi nodded, and the snake disappeared. “That’s valuable, for sure.” She created the black ball again, almost without any attention to it at all. “So why did you betray Tommy and his grandfather?”
“I thought we were talking about helping Tommy?”
“Actually, we were talking about you doubting me, but we’ll get back to that. I want to hear about your traitorous ways first.”
Mister Ali sighed. “I saw the rise of technology. I knew that it would be a blessing for the magical creatures. They would no longer suffer at our hands if technology took their place. So I took it upon myself to hasten the disappearance of magic.” He shrugged. “I was wrong. I have already apologized to the Archmage. I certainly did not intend for anyone to get hurt.”
Naomi turned to me, and the sympathy and concern on her face surprised me. I expected her to push him even harder. “Is that good enough for you, Tommy?”
“Yes,” I replied. “I trust Mister Ali. He had an idea, and it spun out of control. In hindsight I don’t even know if it was a bad idea.” I rubbed my thumb against one of the runes on the staff.
“Well, that’s good enough for me.” She snuffed out the spell and then cast it again. “Mister Ali. You are a friend of Tommy’s, so I’ll make this very simple for you. You don’t have to believe I can cast the Key of Nar Marratum. The wonderful thing about magic is that even if you don’t believe it, it still works. And you know what?” Mister Ali shook his head. “The fact that people don’t believe in it is one of our greatest advantages.”
Mister Ali didn’t reply, so I saw my chance to take the chaotic and dangerous conversation to safer ground. “So, Arkady, you mentioned the Angel of St. Petersburg.” Naomi and Mister Ali both turned toward him. Apparently this was new even to Naomi.
“It was but a rumor as I fled Russia. I left via ship through the Baltic Sea, departing from St. Petersburg. There was word of a woman who led a small group of White Army loyalists. They were well-armed and made significant progress within St. Petersburg, building it up as a beachhead against the Red Army, which was pre-occupied with the Germans.”
"All of that didn’t draw my attention, but as I was fleeing I did my best to look out for fellow magicians, and everyone spoke of the woman leading the White Army. They said she led the battles from the front, and that nothing could hurt her. There was rumor of her cackling laugh leaving her opponents in fear as the bullets bounced off her and the grenades caused her no harm. They called her the angel, as she protected those behind her.
“I tried to find her, but I had no time, as my ship to freedom left shortly after I arrived.”
“What does this have to do with the staff? She could just be a master shield magician,” I replied.
Mister Ali, Arkady, and Naomi all shook their heads. “No, Tommy,” Naomi said. “Even the most powerful magical shields eventually fail, and they fail quicker when under sustained attack. As much as I hate to admit it, machine guns are very powerful against magical shields.”
I was unconvinced. “So this is either a fanciful story or some kind of super powerful magical shield.”
Arkady shrugged. “It could be but a story. The White Russians have been defeated for many years. Those that remain are desperate zealots.”
Mister Ali’s firm and commanding voice broke in. “No.” I looked at him. He nodded his head and looked at me. “I am a fool, Tommy. I took it as a legend, but clearly it is not. The woman is wearing Babr-e Bayan, the great coat created by the legendary warrior Rostam. It was said to resist fire and blades. Our myths tell us that Jamshid took the coat and made it invulnerable to all attacks. This cannot be a coincidence—the appearance of a woman who is invulnerable to attack and the staff losing power.”
Mister Ali looked at all of us, the firelight flickering in his eyes. “The second artifact of Jamshid has been found—the Coat of Invincibility.”
11
NAOMI AND I MAKE OUR OWN PLAN
I looked at Naomi, and she looked at me. We smiled at the same time. “I’m thinking that my mission should start in St. Petersburg,” I stated.
“I wholeheartedly agree.” She opened and closed her hand, the glimmer of spells flickering through her fingers. Her excitement was palpable, and I knew why. She had been isolated for two years doing nothing but studying magic. She had progressed enough that others were calling her the Heir of Jamshid. Now it was her turn to actually utilize her powers. The thought both thrilled and frightened me.
As for me, I wanted to find answers about the Staff. We all embraced Mister Ali’s theory without question. It made too much sense, and finding out more about Jamshid’s artifacts became my goal—the Staff, the Coat, and the yet still hidden third artifact, the Cup.
At that moment the seed was planted, a seed I couldn’t share with anyone: I wanted to wield all three artifacts. I certainly wasn’t a magician like Jamshid, but if I could wield all three of his artifacts I was certain I could make a difference in the world, perhaps even bring worldwide peace.
And the first step was St. Petersburg.
“I think this is a wise decision, but it is risky. Artifacts are dangerous things.” Mister Ali scratched his chin. “One of them alone has changed the nature of history in the West. Two or three? I fear the effect of such power. Plus, we must be aware that the other Archmage may want to do the same thing as us.”
I stared at Mister Ali. He had zealously defended my title from those that would use it without respect, and here he was passing my title along to someone else. �
�Archmage?” I asked.
Mister Ali nodded. “Indeed, Tommy. I think it is clear. Wielding an artifact of Jamshid is no longer something you can claim as your own right. Plus, it provides us with the proper perspective. We are dealing with someone whose power is formidable—we cannot hurt her.”
Naomi stood up. “It's late. There are rooms with warm beds down this hall. We can decide on a plan tomorrow.” She mouthed the words we’ll talk as she stood up and turned to lead everyone out.
My quarters were in a corner of the castle, and I could hear the wind howling against the stone on two sides of the room. The Scottish weather treated the walls as little more than conduits for its damp miserableness. Even the fire in the fireplace couldn’t seem to catch into more than a flicker. I sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the fire, the only warm spot in the room.
There was a light knock on the door. “Come in,” I said, and Naomi walked in. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail, but otherwise she looked no different than she had earlier. I patted the floor next to me.
She sat down and crossed her legs. I watched as the flickering firelight illuminated her face, making it difficult to read. She rapped the floor with her knuckles. “Like the comfort of old times. The only thing missing is Djinn chasing us.” She smiled without looking at me.
“Or magicians.”
“We never had much trouble with them, did we?” I thought back to our escape from the train station in Persia.
“I guess not.”
“So what’s the plan?” She dropped the question with a suddenness that made it clear that it was all she really wanted to talk about. She was already thinking ahead. I had to smile. Naomi hadn’t changed that much.
“I think that you, me, and Mister Ali should go to St. Petersburg and ta—” I stammered as I had almost said “take the Coat,” but I wasn’t ready to share with others that it was my goal, even Naomi. “—See if the Archmage with the Coat will join with us.”