She Who Has No Name (The Legacy Trilogy)

by Michael Foster

  Cang stood wide-eyed with disbelief. The room was quiet, with smoke rising from scorched pieces of stone where spells had landed astray. Only Master Celios’ gurgling and final coughs of blood broke the silence, until he, too, was quiet, lying still on the floor.

  ‘What has he done?’ Cang stammered and snapped Samuel’s Sapping spell with a final shake of his leg.

  Balten had wandered onto the dais, but Cang rushed past and pushed him aside.

  ‘Get out of the way,’ Cang ordered and, with that, he forged his own Journey spell, bringing it into being around himself with impressive speed and skill.

  Samuel could no longer see the weaves in play, but he could sense the magic falling into place. He could feel the designs as if they were scars upon reality, but they were intangible to his eyes.

  ‘There!’ Cang called as he finished the final segment, and he released the spell at once. He should have disappeared along with the spell as the magic flashed from existence, but something went terribly awry. His right hand had vanished, while the rest of him remained. He held the stump before him and roared, but more from anger than anything. No blood issued from the wound, and Cang was too powerful to be worried as he turned to face Samuel, full of rage.

  ‘Do you see what you’ve done? The Demon King has escaped and we cannot follow him. Your fool friend has broken the stones at the other side. We are trapped here!’

  Several shrill screams sounded from the birthing room and Samuel felt magic at work from within. He forgot Cang and went to rush away, but the Koian woman had already come running out and was tying a sash around her waist. She had new clothes on, of the Paatin-style, and, remarkably, she looked refreshed and vital. She looked as lithe as she had in the year past and was obviously having no difficulty in moving about, despite the trauma of having just given birth.

  ‘Where is my baby?’ she called.

  ‘Your demon spawn is gone!’ Cang called. ‘Escaped!’

  She looked content with the news and came over to stand beside Samuel. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, pushing her face into his chest. ‘That’s good. Then let us go and be with him.’

  ‘What have you done?’ Samuel asked her, pushing her away so he could look into her face. ‘Where are the midwives?’ he added, looking back towards the room.

  ‘I couldn’t just wait in bed,’ she replied. ‘I needed them. If we were all going to die anyway, what does it matter?’

  Samuel had no time to argue with her. In the end, he supposed it was true; they had no time to let her rest in bed. It was only her flagrant disregard for the lives of others that bothered him.

  ‘How can this be?’ Cang said to himself, still raging. ‘What has he done? Lomar has ruined everything!’

  ‘Lomar has tricked you,’ Samuel said. ‘Eric will be back for us, but your plans are finished.’

  ‘Back? My dear Samuel, I am certain that by now your friend Eric is dead. Lomar is the most devilish servant of the Circle I have. I just can’t imagine how he thinks to profit from ruining our plans. He must realise this means doom for us all.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Samuel asked.

  ‘Who do you think kidnapped the Empress and brought her here in the first place? He was the one who secreted her away, keeping her hidden in Ghant and surrendering her to the Paatin. He delivered the Paatin Queen’s poison to your School of Magic and ensured it would thin the Order ranks. That was Anthem’s punishment for tampering with Chancellor Donovan’s affairs, and the Chancellor’s payment for services rendered. Lomar has been on top of this whole affair since the start. Why do you think he has been standing with his mouth clamped shut all this time, while we have been making revelations that would attract comment from even the most dim-witted of magicians? I will tell you why. Of all my minions, Lomar was my oldest and most trusted. He already knew everything there was to know! Lomar was supposed to carry on with my plan if I fell. See how skilfully he killed poor Master Celios? What kind of magician can do that? He has been an assassin since he was barely nine years old.’

  ‘That’s ridiculous.’

  ‘My, how you have been fooled! Balten’s task was to intimidate you when required, but Lomar was charged with befriending you. He was there from the very beginning, or don’t you remember? After I first heard rumours of your presence in Marlen, he was the first man to be sent to the scene! It was he that called in Ash and his team to do their dirty work upon your family. Lomar has been steering you all along.’

  ‘No, you lie,’ Samuel said, in complete denial of Cang’s words.

  ‘It is true, Samuel,’ Balten said. ‘If you think deeply, you will realise that he has always been leading you towards this path. Lomar is much more diabolical than he seems. He is my superior within the Circle.’

  Cang grit his teeth in anger. ‘He would have made a worthy successor, but now, he has done the inconceivable and deceived even me.’

  ‘No,’ Samuel said, shaking his head in disbelief. ‘Lomar wouldn’t do that. Ash’s men tried to kill me, too. I only got away by jumping in the river. They would have killed me, too.’

  ‘Those fools got carried away! They were supposed to catch you, not kill you, but those worthless scum were lazier than they were worth. Once Cadin had gotten his hands on you, he would have realised you were the one, but those fools were only interested in their spoils. Luckily, despite their incompetence, it ended well. Lomar arranged for you to move down from the mountains where we could keep a closer eye on you. When the time was right, we sent you to Cintar and, as you know, everything progressed from there.’

  ‘And we are stuck here now,’ said Balten.

  ‘We can still Journey away,’ Samuel suggested, still attempting to digest what he had learned.

  ‘But not to anywhere worth going,’ Cang added sourly. ‘Anywhere we can reach will still be destroyed. We need to cross the world in the next few minutes to survive. Even then, our survival will only be temporary—ten, fifteen years at the most. With Lin escaped, he will eventually come for us all.’

  There was a tiny flicker of light and a swelling of magic and they turned towards the dais as Eric reappeared upon it. He fell to the stones, spilling dark blood from his belly.

  Samuel left the Koian woman where she was and ran to his side. ‘Eric! What happened?’

  ‘Lomar attacked me,’ Eric stammered. ‘I...I don’t know why.’

  Samuel put his best healing spells onto his friend, but his magic was nothing like it used to be and the wound was awful, being a zigzag through his belly that had sliced him to pieces inside.

  Cang strode up beside the two of them. ‘What did I tell you?’ he said smugly. ‘Everything has gone to pot! What a sorry state of affairs.’

  ‘There was someone waiting in the room when we arrived,’ Eric continued. ‘Lomar gave him your son.’

  ‘Oh?’ Cang said, genuinely perplexed. ‘Who could it have been?’

  Eric only shook his head. ‘I’m sorry, Samuel,’ he said, gripping onto Samuel’s arm fiercely. ‘I never meant to argue with you. I never meant to hide anything from you.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter, Eric. Hush. Save your strength.’

  But Eric would not be quietened. He coughed up bright red blood and yelled in pain. When he could continue, he strained to push the words from his mouth. ‘I was always jealous of you, Samuel. I always wanted to be the best, to be better than you. They call you the Saviour of Cintar,’ he said, grimacing with the effort. ‘They made you a Lord, but what am I? I am only the one who always lets you down just before the end. I’m sorry, Samuel. I know it was foolish of me. What a stupid petty wish I made, to be better than my friend. I’m sorry.’

  ‘I don’t care about that. I couldn’t have done any of it without you,’ Samuel said, but Eric shuddered. Blood saturated Eric’s robes and covered Samuel’s hands. ‘Save him!’ Samuel said to Cang, looking up at the bestial magician.

  ‘There is nothing I can do for him,’ Cang said, bearing his j
agged teeth. ‘Close his eyes and leave him be. At least his wish was granted, if only for a few minutes.’

  Samuel looked back to Eric and saw that there was no life left in him. There was nothing else he could do, as he had less magic than ever before and less ability to control it. Reluctantly, he shut Eric’s eyes and gently lay him on the floor.

  ‘A senseless death,’ Cang hissed. ‘What is Lomar doing?’

  ‘What are you doing?’ Samuel said, eyeing Cang with rage. ‘Why have you done all of this? You have killed everyone with your ridiculous plans!’

  ‘No,’ Cang replied calmly. ‘It is you who have doomed us all, Samuel, setting the demon free. The world shall pay for your actions with the loss of countless lives.’

  ‘I’ve saved my son.’

  ‘Your son is a demon!’ Cang declared. ‘He would have killed the both of you the moment he could. But now we will never know. He is free and we are lost. It seems Lomar has seen fit to raise him as his own. Who knows what god-forsaken idea has gotten into his head?’

  ‘We are doomed,’ Balten said from his place beside the dais. For the first time, he looked defeated, hunching over and clasping his face in his hands. ‘After all we’ve done, it’s all been for nothing.’

  ‘Damn you, Cang!’ Samuel said, standing to face the scrawny old magician, incensed with anger.

  ‘Oh, shut up, boy!’ Cang responded. ‘Sit down and await your fate. We are all dead anyway.’

  Samuel took an angry step forward, but Cang would have none of it and sent him flying backwards across the chamber with barely an effort. He landed heavily on his back once more, grazing it upon the stones, but he was up again and charging himself with whatever magic he could summon.

  ‘Please don’t start!’ Cang called across the echoing chamber.

  ‘Samuel!’ Balten called. ‘Calm yourself!’

  ‘Stop this! Please!’ the Koian woman also chimed.

  But Samuel could not; he was overcome with rage and whispering voices were screaming for his attention. We will help you. We will give you what you desire. Let us in, they called to him in the Ancient Lick.

  ‘Yes!’ Samuel replied to them, for he was livid with fury. ‘Come to me! Help me defeat them! I will give you anything if you just help me to kill him!’

  ‘What are you saying?’ Cang called across, but Samuel did not reply. Magic began filling him from some otherworldly source—dark powerful magic that breached the ether as if from nowhere. He had tasted just smatterings of it before, but now it came spilling into him, pure in form. The vileness of it made him bend over and he emptied his stomach upon the floor, but it was a bitter-sweet feeling to have such furious power once again. As he straightened and wiped the vomit from his chin, he was grinning with madness.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Cang called out. ‘What power is that? Stop what you are doing at once, you mad fool! This is senseless!’

  All the while, the Koian woman stood with her hands over her mouth, unsure of what to do.

  ‘Stop him, Balten,’ Cang instructed.

  Balten took a step forward and Samuel raised his hand. He only thought to stop the tall magician, and that is what happened. A dark whip of magic struck out and hit Balten. It pierced his defences and the man fell to the floor, his body wracked by spasms.

  ‘Black magic!’ Cang roared out with dismay. ‘What kind of fool gives himself to demons over something as foolish as this? You will lose your soul and have nothing to show for it. What do you have to accomplish?’

  ‘I have no soul of my own to lose,’ he replied. ‘Everything I am belongs to Lin, or so you tell me’.

  He came striding towards Cang and called for more dark magic. Wild beams burst from his palms, but Cang was well prepared and turned the bolts aside with a spray of fire and vapour.

  ‘There has always been something terrible inside me,’ Samuel spoke aloud. ‘I have always tried to keep it at bay but, as you say, what do I have to lose? At least I will savour your death before my own.’

  Cang snarled and let out scathing magic of his own. It crashed into Samuel and screeched on his dark shields. They swapped spells and tussled to and fro within the chamber as they battled against each other. The Koian woman turned and fled, for she had no defence against such magics, while Balten lay motionless on the floor.

  The voices called in his head and Samuel kept saying ‘yes’ to whatever they asked of him, if only it allowed him to kill Cang. Still, it was not so simple a task and Cang was vastly powerful. Their spells filled the air with smoke and dust, yet both of them were forced to choose their spells carefully, lest the temple should be brought down on top of them all.

  They faced each other with spells designed to burn flesh, but the magnitude of Cang’s power was astounding. Even Samuel’s dark wrath was not enough and, as the minutes dragged by and the devious leader of the Circle of Eyes remained unfaltering, Samuel’s confidence waned. The voices seemed to give up their whispering as the inevitable outcome of the battle became clear. Finally, Samuel fell to his knees, exhausted, and his dark powers left him.

  ‘You sorry fool,’ Cang said, standing over him. The bony magician shook his head as he prepared a final spell. ‘You should be thankful you can die before they take you, but I’m sure Lin would find a way to get you back before too long. He could not be left without his father, or how would he return in the future?’

  But something leapt onto Cang’s back and he began cursing, twirling away as he struggled against whatever had hold of him. Samuel stood groggily to his feet and saw it was the Koian woman who had leapt upon the man. She hung onto his back and pushed her nails into his eyes. She sucked at Cang’s power and it came streaming out into her in tempestuous volumes.

  ‘Get off me, witch!’ Cang roared, but she stuck fast, and the furious magician howled in fury as she drained his very life. ‘Without me you will never learn your name!’

  ‘I promised I would kill you, demon, and I will!’ she yelled back into his ear. ‘Now die!’

  Bolts of lightning erupted from his fingers and struck the girl on his back as he twisted and shook in effort to shake her free. Magic poured out of him and sizzled upon her skin, but she would not relent. Howling, Cang finally threw himself onto his back and lay still, smoking, with the Koian woman beneath him. Samuel hobbled over as quickly as he could and dragged the stiff magician from her.

  He almost cried aloud with grief when he saw her, for she was scarred and burned all over. Cang’s magic had cut into her deeply, and parts of her body had been baked alive.

  ‘Quickly!’ Samuel told her and he dropped beside her and cradled her head upon his lap. ‘Take me! Take my life and save yourself!’

  She slowly shook her head as best she could. ‘No. You must live. You are stronger than me and one of us must live to save our son. He may be a demon as they say, but that can change...people can change.’

  ‘They can,’ Samuel admitted. ‘But you can’t die. I have only just found you.’ He looked towards the form of Balten, where he still lay on the floor. ‘Take him then.’

  But she shook her head. ‘No. You are right. I can’t take the lives of others any more. You will need him if you are to escape. I’m sorry, Samuel. I don’t want to die. I just wish we could be together. That’s all I’ve ever wanted—just to be with you. I’ve always loved you, and I had you, Samuel—I had you for just a little time.’ Tears streamed down her cheeks, tears of pain and tears of sorrow mixed as one.

  He laughed as he cried and held onto her, considering the pure ludicrousness of his life. He had truly been cursed, for nothing he loved, and nothing that loved him, could ever survive. ‘You’ve never called me by my name before,’ he told her, with tears dripping from his cheeks.

  ‘Nor have you called me by mine,’ she said softly.

  ‘You don’t have a name,’ he said, stifling the sobs within his chest.

  ‘I do...I just don’t know what it is. Samuel—’ she tried to go on, but was lost in her tears. �
�I don’t want to die without a name. Real people have names. I don’t want to be a god any more.’

  He thought desperately. ‘I don’t know what name to choose.’

  ‘Please...think of something.’

  While once he had thought of her as a freakish Outlander, now he could not bear the thought of being without her. She was the most beautiful thing he could imagine and he did not realise it until now, too late, as she lay dying. Again, he looked to the ceiling with watering eyes, desperate to think of a name for the one he loved. He strove to conceive of a fitting name, but every notion seemed foolish or inappropriate. The ceiling of the chamber seemed to be swimming before his teary vision, but he could not bear the thought of disappointing her.

  Not knowing what to say, he returned his gaze to her, but she was utterly still and she looked up at him with vacant eyes. He pulled her to his chest and sobbed, her hair spilling over his face and matting in his tears.

  ‘I do love you!’ he sobbed over her. ‘I do. I always loved you, too.’ He could hardly gather his breath and his chest stung from the effort. ‘I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry!’

  He sat for a time, cradling the woman in his lap and crying over her, when Balten spoke from beside him.

  ‘She’s gone.’

  ‘I know,’ Samuel managed to say. His voice was hoarse. Slowly, gently, he eased her to the floor and stood, wiping the tears from his eyes with his black sleeve. She had died to save him so that he could save their son, but he would not survive at all unless he could escape. ‘What do we do?’ he asked the solemn magician. ‘I need to be gone from here.’

  ‘It cannot be undone. That was the whole point. Once committed, Starfall is irreversible. Nothing can stop it and we cannot escape it.’ Balten sat down cross-legged to await his fate, still rubbing his ravaged muscles. ‘It should not be long.’

  ‘We must do something. We must try!’ Samuel said desperately. ‘She can’t have died for nothing.’

  ‘Sit down, Samuel. Accept your fate. We have prepared well. We failed here, but future generations will still have a chance. They will find the other temples that Cang has prepared. There is hope for future Ages.’