Mage of Shadows

by Austen, Chanel

  I didn't have any more time to think as they began to move towards me, and I tensed with flames at the ready, prepared to do to them as I had inadvertently done to their friend Two-Bit- but this time on purpose. Just as I was about to cast down the fires of hell, I faltered in surprise because of what happened next.

  "That's enough."

  A new voice rang through the night like a melody, especially when compared to the guttural edge of my current opponents. We three all turned to view the source, located some ten feet away on the street; our fight had relocated at some point to the perimeter grass outside of the dorm. I felt my twin balls of fire dim, my mental grip slipping in surprise at the voice of this new speaker.

  She walked forward with grace, visibly elegant in her every deliberate movement. Her features were defined and etched with the authority that came with the maintenance of real power. A sharp jutting nose, full mouth, and heavy, beautifully dark eyes that looked to be able to capture souls with nothing but a glance. If not gorgeous, she held herself with such confident grace that I was unable to look away, awed.

  The flame in my heart quieted, and I unconsciously forgot it was there.

  "You," A delicate, thin finger singled out my opponents, "Will leave. Aberrant or thug, Kraven knows that this campus is not his to invade whenever he pleases."

  Willard bristled, "This boy," He spat, "Is not one of yours, witch. Furthermore, he is responsible for the deliberate attack of Lord Kraven's men."

  "They attacked me!" I insisted, when her eyes fell on me. Technically, it was true.

  She nodded and turned to look at the other two again, "He is under our protection, Aberrant. Soon, he will be one of us. I speak for Vivek Shah, and moreover, I speak for the Archanos Triumvirate. Your master will not have this one."

  "Politics!" Willard hissed, enraged, "You deny my master his justice simply because he is an Aether! Lord Kraven is not ignorant of the boy's ability, you will not-"

  Willard's rant was forced to a halt as the new User gathered her power to glow as brightly as a miniature multi-colored star, blinding all three of us temporarily in the light of her absolute power.

  "You," Her voice was soft, "Will not. You will leave now, Aberrant, before I lose my patience." Her aura of power subsided as she let go of most of it, returning to a normal state.

  For a few moments there was absolute silence, but for gnomish Edgar's whimpers and Willard's raspy breathing. My apparent savior did not move or speak again, nor did she look at me.

  Willard straightened abruptly, and looked at me one last time, "This is not over, Aether." He spat, then stalked away in the direction that they had come from, "Follow me, Edgar!" The fat man waddled behind him obediently, still whimpering and patting at his burnt shirt as if he didn't understand that it wasn't on fire anymore.

  "See you later, Willy!" I couldn't ignore the temptation to call after them, "Nice meeting you! I'll kick your ass anytime you want, buddy!"

  He didn't turn or respond, but I saw him stiffen. Soon, they had both disappeared back into the darkness.

  I turned to see the other mage had somehow transported herself quietly to stand directly beside me. I jumped a bit in surprise, "Whoa!" Verily, I was a verbal genius of untold proportions, stand in awe and worship, mortals.

  She didn't respond, but looked amused.

  "Uh… who are you?" I managed to ask, "I mean, I'm guessing you're a member of Archanos…"

  The girl nodded, "Yes, my name is Yasmina. And you're Nicholas Stratus." The dark eyed girl smiled, "Ruark has told me about you, as has Vik, as has Carmen… you've managed to attract a fair deal of attention for a newbie."

  "Uh, thanks." I managed to say, chuckling weakly as the adrenaline died down and weariness began to settle in, "I'm a pretty popular guy, I know. It must be my innate animal magnetism."

  Yasmina was quiet for another moment, and up close I could see her sleek hair was done up in a complicated twist of knots. The hairstyle fit well with the way that she held herself, and in a strange way it reminded me of Danae. Authoritative, possibly a bit haughty… but at the same time, she seemed softer. Not hardened steel, but tempered glass.

  She shook her head, "You," and to my surprise, poked me in the forehead while sighing, "Are an idiot."

  "Ouch," I said, genuinely hurt, "I was pretty good against them, right? I mean, I had them against the ropes."

  "Maybe." The female mage agreed, "Aberrants are known for their insanity, not their tactical ability. Your Aether abilities surprised and angered them; you might have been able to win if you struck to kill in the next moment."

  "What's an Aether?" I asked blankly, really wishing that people would stop coming up with new words that seemed to have no purpose but to leave me completely in the dark, "For that matter, what the hell is an Aberrant? Weren't those mages?"

  She looked at me sharply, as if I had said something surprising, "You don't know." The girl said softly, more to herself than to me, "You don't know…"

  Woe and behold! Something else that I didn't know. The list of things that I was apparently unaware of was growing astronomically, seemingly by the day. Perhaps even by the minute.

  "…What don't I know?"

  I could tell that Yasmina was going through some kind of internal debate. The girl walked away from me and stared out into the darkened street, apparently at nothing. It was several long minutes later that she finally responded.

  "Imagine a Normal mind," Yasmina began her lecture, "It is a beautiful construct built of synaptic pathways that run assuredly all the way until death. It is ever-changing and growing, yes, but there are certain pathways it will never take, certain options that would never be explored."

  She paused, and I waited patiently for her to continue.

  "For example, pathways such as the neural connections which allow the ability to access magic. Now imagine someone perverts this Normal mind into something that it was never meant to be. Pushes the paths to grow new, supernatural connections. It works, yes, but the cost is the sanity of the victim. They gain the ability to throw magic around using brutish strength, but finesse is never possible. Morality disappears. A mind-slave is made, born to serve those that created him. That's what an Aberrant is."

  My horror built to a terrifying crescendo as she finished the explanation, "You can create mages out of Normals?" I whispered almost inaudibly, "How is that possible?"

  "The success rate is not very high." She responded grimly, "Most cannot bear to be Pushed in such a way and simply die. The ones that survive… well; let's just say the Aberrants that you just faced were some of the sanest examples of those that do manage to make it. Most are little more than slobbering beasts, more instinctive beast than man."

  I had never heard of something so sickening done with magic, but unfortunately it just reflected my woeful inexperience. I had almost forgotten the second question that she hadn't answered.

  "And what is an Aether?" I asked, "He- that Willard guy- he called me an Aether."

  Again, she was quiet, debating. For a moment I figured she wouldn't answer me at all, but then she said, "An Aether is a mage who has the innate ability to control an element."

  I was confused, "Then all mages are Aethers." I replied, puzzled, "We can all use the elements."

  "No." The dark haired girl replied firmly, "All mages can use elements, but only an Aether has the ability to use one almost effortlessly. You are an Aether of Fire. It's… a rare talent."

  While it was true none of my friends in high school had my ability to manipulate fire, it was never so pronounced that I thought anything of it. Then again, it was only in the fight with those two mages back in Virginia, fighting for my life, that I really showed any prodigious skill. I had just thought the danger had pushed me to the next level. Maybe it had been something else, but…

  "I can't control it well, you're wrong about that." I decided bitterly, "I almost killed that thug that attacked me a few weeks ago. I'm no Aether, or whatever."

&nb
sp; "You almost killed a man with fire, on accident." Yasmina replied dryly, "There are master mages with decades of experience that couldn't do the same. You are an Aether, Stratus… with all the responsibilities that come along with that." She sounded almost saddened by it; I feared the reason why.

  I couldn't stifle a yawn, my eyes drooping dangerously low. It was Friday, too, which meant I had lab in just over three hours. I was surprised I hadn't dropped to the floor after using so much power in the fight. Yasmina looked over when I made the weary noise, her dark eyes peering at mine.

  "You need coffee," The girl decided for me, "Coffee and donuts."

  "I need sleep."

  "Sleep," Yasmina said seriously, "Is for the weak."

  "That's me," I said, raising my hand above my head in jest, "I'm weak, good night." I turned to begin walking back to UT, but she caught my arm in a firmer grip than you would expect from a compact girl who was only pushing about 5'6.

  "You're right," The ponytailed witch agreed amiably, but her expression was still serious, "Sleep is for people who can afford to remain weak. Now come with me. I was planning on meeting someone in thirty minutes or so anyways." She let go of my arm and began to walk away, still conveying the same confident grace that I would expect of a professional dancer.

  I gulped nervously, a professional dancer that could probably toss me around like a ragdoll with her mind. Yeah, I wasn't going to disobey.

  It was a quiet uneventful walk to the 24/7 Tim Hortons open on campus. It was fortunate, since even the sun hadn't woken up yet, and probably wouldn't rise for at least another hour. I wished forlornly that I had never left my bed, nightmares schnightmares. Schnightmares is a word, or it should be.

  "Who are you meeting at five in the morning?" I wondered aloud, just as Yasmina pushed the swinging door open, making it jingle cheerfully as it welcomed us inside. She confidently walked up to the counter to address the too-happy-for-5-AM cashier, ignoring my question.

  "I'll take a small coffee, black." Yasmina said as she stared at the menu, "My friend will have three espresso shots, and three chocolate glazed donuts."

  My jaw dropped, "I'll have what?"

  The dark haired girl smiled innocently, "Do you prefer honey dipped?"

  "I try to stay away from processed sugars."

  "What are you, a girl?" Yasmina retorted, "Be a man, Stratus." Turning back to the cashier, who was watching with nonplussed amusement, she said, "Exactly as I ordered. Nicholas will be paying too." And with that, she began to walk off, presumably to get us a table.

  I could only stare after her, "Why do I have to pay?" I protested. Yeah, I had a job now, but I wasn't made of money… now I sounded like my father. This girl was obviously bad for me. She was making me think responsibly, of all things.

  "The gentleman always pays for the lady." My companion replied demurely as she walked away.

  I glared at the floor and muttered, "I don't see any lady here…"

  "What was that?" She stopped and turned to look back at me, eyes glittering dangerously, and I could've sworn I felt a subtle magical shift, though Yasmina would deny any such action.

  "Nothing," I managed to squeak. Why did it feel like every User I met had the pre-requisite ability to scary the crap out of me?

  "Cash or credit?" The cashier asked me sweetly. Absolutely no one was on my side today.

  A little while later, I was sitting down and staring at the three espresso shots and donuts, "Shots, shots, shots." I muttered. I don't think these were the kind of shots that Lmfao were talking about. Beggars couldn't be choosers though.

  "That's a stupid song," Yasmina said as she sipped her own coffee and stared idly out the window from our table that rested against the wall.

  I rolled my eyes and downed the first one, cringing at the too-bitter taste, "God," I coughed, "I really hate coffee. Why can't I put any sugar in?"

  "Sugar is for children." The girl replied, "Coffee is a sophisticated adult drink. Besides, that's why you have donuts too. They pair well together. And stop making that face, didn't your mother always tell you it would get stuck that way?"

  "My parents are Greek." I said with gritted teeth, "They immigrated here right before I was born. They know pretty much nothing about American sayings."

  "I've seen 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding?'" The mage girl said helpfully, "It was very funny."

  I leaned back in my seat and rolled my eyes as I took a large bite of donut, reveling in the sugary goodness. Maybe the donuts hadn't been such a bad idea, after all. I took another bite before mumbling, "It's nothing like that."

  She wrinkled her nose in disgust, "Don't talk with your mouth full. If your mother didn't teach you that, I'm telling you now. You have horrendous table manners."

  I held out to her my cupped palms as if to present her something, "Do you see this?" I said seriously, showing my empty palms, "This is where I would keep a fuck, if I gave one."

  "Vulgar." Yasmina commented, unimpressed, "I can see why Vik and Ruark like you. Immature, which is no doubt why Carmen feels sorry for you." She leaned in as if to tell me a secret, "Don't joke or talk like that in front of Danae, she'll probably toss you into a wall- if you're lucky."

  "She could try." I boasted, "Didn't you see how I handled those Aber-things? I'm seriously getting a hang of my abilities, finally. I'm barely even tired."

  Yasmina smiled wanly, "You are no doubt getting stronger," She admitted, "But you are years away from challenging Danae Lincoln in a fight."

  She was probably right, I could still remember Carmen easily tearing magic from my grip with only a thought, and she was only Danae's trainee.

  I down the second shot, feeling jittery but getting used to the horrible taste, "Why am I drinking all this coffee, again?"

  "Caffeine," Yasmina said slowly, as if speaking to a particularly slow child, "Gives you energy. You just expended a lot of energy."

  "Sleep gives you energy," I disagreed, "Caffeine just pushes your body to give it a little boost- I'm going to crash later."

  "I guess you need a little lesson." Yasmina sighed, "It's not unexpected. Stratus, where does your ability come from? How do you control it?"

  "With my mind." I responded immediately, all magic flowed through the mind like a specialized filter. The connection to the environment was there, as was the capability to wield it.

  "Yes, from the brain." Her eyes turned to stare out into the still dark of the slowly dying night, "Do you know what the brain lives off of?"

  "…Energy?" I replied blankly.

  "Glucose." Yasmina corrected, "Energy derived from glucose, which in its more complex form is packed into carbohydrates. That's why you have three donuts to eat. It won't completely do away with magical exhaustion; you're still going to have a headache very soon. But it will help you get through the day. Did you ever wonder why pretty much every skilled User is skinny?" Although we were far from the cashier at the register, she kept her voice low and avoided actually saying the word mage.

  "I honestly didn't think about it." I admitted, "Until recently, I hadn't met very many Users. You're saying it's because we use a lot more glucose?"

  Yasmina smiled, "Now you're catching on. It's more pronounced when you're throwing around magic every day, especially. People normally only use ten percent of their brains. We use a bit more than that."

  "How much more?"

  Yasmina's smile turned mysterious, "A bit." She repeated.

  "…Right."

  There was silence as 5 AM came and passed, the minutes marching by unmarked. Yasmina seemed unworried, but I noticed her checking her phone's screen more often. Deciding it was now or never, I broached the subject I had been too afraid to touch thus far.

  "Yasmina," I asked quietly, and she looked up at me, "Who did it? Who killed Emily?"

  Her stylized eyebrows twitched in surprise, she hadn't been expecting the blunt question. I could see the same uncertainty on her face as when I had asked her what an Aether was. She was debating
whether or not to tell me anything, or to lie, or to just tell me the truth. Despite her excellent show with the Aberrants, she didn't seem to have much of a poker face.

  "You're better off not knowing." Yasmina finally replied quietly, "What would change? Her death was ordered from above. Whoever pulled the trigger was just following orders."

  "…Was it Vik?" I had to ask.

  Now she seemed agitated, I wasn't sure if it was because I was getting closer to the truth or because she just didn't like putting up with incessant questions that she didn't want to answer.

  "What does it matter if it was? Vik doesn't control Archanos. Archanos controls Vik." She breathed deeply, as if trying to calm herself, "Archanos controls all of us."

  It was rather depressing to listen to all of these powerful, smart, and sometimes even likeable Users talk like this. It was if Archanos was quicksand, as soon as they had stepped in it they were dragged down with dogged consistency. None of them, barring Vik, appeared to have hope or anything good to say about the situation.

  Had they all once been like me? Young, naïve, idealistic? Was this my future?

  We all want to think we're special, that we're above corruption and manipulation. That we do things because they're not only the best path for us, but because it's the right thing to do. No person looks in the mirror and sees evil staring back. We're flawed in the way that doesn't allow us to see our own flaws. It's the greatest imperfection in humanity, the ability to deny or play down our own inadequacies.

  We are some seven billion humans, all the personal heroes of our own bell-curved ballads. Some surpassed a century, while others die in infancy, never really beginning.

  The bell above the entrance door had tinkled happily a few times, and sleepy looking customers shuffled in, sometimes taking a seat or other times leaving directly after receiving their orders. So when it rang yet again, I didn't think much of it until I heard the steady confident tapping of shoes that were definitely nicer than mine approaching our out-of-the-way table in the corner. Yasmina's smile was another giveaway that whomever she had been waiting for had arrived.