Mage Assassin

by Logan Jacobs

  “Yeah, I thought that was strange, too,” the blacksmith agreed. “Won’t find warlocks in the north past dark.”

  “Hmm…” I muttered and rubbed the back of my neck. “I don’t know much about warlocks.”

  “Me, neither,” Myokos snorted. “Don’t work with them if I can help it.”

  “I’ve never handled a job that involved them,” I replied. “Just went through the ledgers and dockets, and there’s nothing in there with the warlocks.”

  “Well, yeah, the Master hated those bastards,” the blacksmith chuckled.

  “He did?” I asked. “I didn’t know that. Although, I guess he never spoke of them at all now that I think about it.”

  “Too much trouble dealing with the warlocks,” Myokos pointed out. “All those odd workings they’ve got going on with the necromancers… it’s risky business over in the far south. Best to just wash your hands of the whole lot. I’d imagine the Master knew it’d be safer for you all if he did.”

  “What sorts of odd workings?” I asked.

  “You know what the necromancers can be like,” he sighed. “Greedy, twisted spell-binders. The warlocks have got all those mind-altering potions and hypnotic shit. I heard they’ve been swapping goods for the last eight years without the king noticing.”

  “Great,” I snorted, and the blacksmith smirked in agreement. “Well, thank you for the information.”

  “Sure, sure.” Myokos nodded a few times. “What are you all going to do?”

  “What we do best,” I answered. “Hunt down this bastard and kill him. In the meantime, I’ve become the Master of our Estate, and--”

  “What?” Myokos belted, and he flushed red as a huge smile came to his portly face. “Dex! That’s incredible! Now, I know it’s an awful situation, but if anyone can step up to the job, it’s you. It’s fitting, is what it is.”

  “Thanks, Myokos,” I said with a grin. “I’m still processing it all, but I think I can do the Master justice.”

  “You already do,” Myokos said with a stern look. “Master Abbot was proud of you every day you lived and breathed, and the work you’ve been doing lately is some of the best in the kingdom. You’ve got a legacy ahead of you.”

  “I don’t know about that,” I chuckled. “Right now, I need to avenge the Master. Then I’ll focus on the future, but that reminds me, I did have business with you. I need some bolts for a tricky job I’m up against.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Myokos asked as he instantly perked up. “What do you need?”

  “Something that can withstand extreme heat,” I explained. “A godly amount of heat, as well as a highly questionable brew I’ll be lacing it with.”

  The blacksmith’s eyes gleamed, and I could tell he already guessed who my next target was.

  “Well, well,” he chortled and rubbed his callused hands together. “I’ve got just the thing. Come on.”

  I followed the eager man over to the back of the large shop room, and he pulled a heavy tin out from under the table. It was coated in layers of dirt and dust, and he heaved it onto the worktable before he hustled off to a large wooden cabinet. Then Myokos dug around in there while all manner of arrows and bolts clattered out onto the ground, and he returned with a design I recognized.”

  “Will simple tungsten be enough?” I asked with concern.

  “No,” he said with a big grin. “But tungsten and Jupiter glass? That’ll withstand any temperature and any concoction you douse it with.”

  I raised my eyebrows in intrigue, and I watched as the blacksmith began wrenching the dusty tin open. Purple light seeped out the moment he pried the lid off, and I stared down into the swirling, liquid abyss.

  Purple and bright orange storms rolled around within the confines of the tin, and Myokos’ face glowed purple as he smiled and dipped one tungsten bolt into the liquid. Then he removed the weapon and let it drip for a moment, and the Jupiter glass instantly began to harden.

  It coated the tungsten from tip to about halfway down the shaft, and as it dried, the colors dulled so the metal only gave off a sleek, swirling sheen.

  “That’ll do it,” Myokos said with a nod.

  “Incredible,” I admired and took the weapon.

  The blacksmith did the same with four other bolts, and then he resealed the tin, buried it far beneath his worktable, and dusted off his hands.

  “Good luck,” the blacksmith said with a heavy clap to my shoulder. “Be careful.”

  “I always am.” I grinned. “And thanks again for the intel.”

  Then I left the blacksmith’s shop and entered into the smoky street, and I coughed a bit as I hurried back to my own estate. As soon as Mazne opened the door, Vulnus looked up from his post, and Elis put down the dagger the old man was teaching him about. Cursor was posted at the entrance of the corridor, too, and the large man sent me a nod that assured me nothing had gone amiss.

  “Anything?” Vulnus rasped.

  “Uh, yes, actually.” I nodded. “Meet me in the office in fifteen minutes, along with anyone who’s returned to the estate. I’ll fill you all in. In the meantime, has anyone given you any more information?”

  “Not really,” Vulnus replied. “Just more conversations about how to battle the titan and things like that. I’ll leave a list of what they said on your desk.”

  “Perfect,” I smiled. “And is everyone back?”

  “Nearly,” Elis added.

  “Okay, Cursor, continue to man the door then while the meeting takes place,” I ordered them. “Mazne, here’s the office key. You can let everyone in there, and I’ll be down shortly.”

  Mazne and the large man nodded, and I walked down the corridor, up the staircase, and headed to my room.

  It was nice to be back in my vine-covered quarters after the day I’d had so far. The last time I was in my room, I was just a resident assassin who’d just slain a dragonkin and found out he had to kill an Ember Priestess, but while the room stood the same, I noticed I didn’t feel like the same man who left it before dawn this morning.

  I was now the Master of the Assassins’ Estate, and I imagined I’d be moving on to another sleeping space in the estate after today.

  I headed over to my vine-covered wall, and I raised my palm to reveal my collection of blades. Then I unloaded my tampered shortsword, my long dagger, and my broadsword, and the vines slithered back over the collection as I sat on the edge of the bed with a heavy sigh.

  Silence pressed in around me for the first time in hours, and I took a minute to study the new weapons from Myokos.

  The tungsten bolts were mean-looking things, with spikes that turned downward plastered over the edge of the staffs, and the Jupiter glass glistened a dull purple with barely noticeable orange streaks. Myokos had given me five, and although I prided myself on my one shot kill record, I wondered if five bolts were going to be enough for the gigantic task ahead.

  I stood up and laid the bolts among the others in my collection, and I took a deep breath and looked out the window. We weren’t training today, so the courtyard was empty save for the deep greenish-black smog.

  As I counted three demonic shafts of smoke in the distance, I tried to embrace the brief moment of peace and quiet I had up here, but it was no use. Too much was on the table now, and I couldn’t slow my churning thoughts for anything.

  My mind went straight to the warlocks and their association, or lack thereof, with the Master. I couldn’t wrap my head around what could possibly bring a warlock to the window of Master Abbot’s office, but the notion of the culprit fleeing to the north was just as odd. I didn’t know much about warlocks, but I knew for certain I never saw them in the north past dark.

  Then I began to wonder if I’d be left following this trail for days or even weeks, and I hoped the chaos of Ignis’ wrath wouldn’t give this criminal the chance to bury himself far from our reach. I sighed as my tension only increased at the thought, but then there was a knock on the door.

  “What is it?” I asked.

/>   Vulnus opened the door just enough to poke his head in.

  “Uh, Dex… Master,” he rasped. “There’s a visitor to see you. Mazne’s brought them to your office.”

  “We’re not doing business today,” I replied. “Tell them to return in a week.”

  “Actually, I don’t seem to have a choice about this,” he said in an uneasy voice. “She kind of threatened to light us all on fire if we turned her away.”

  A grin spread across my face, and my churning mind immediately went quiet.

  “Cinis,” I whispered to myself.

  Chapter 15

  I told Mazne to hold off on our meeting for the time being, and as I entered my office, I found Cinis trailing her black fingernails in the fountain.

  The Ember Priestess looked even more ethereal outside of the Ardere, and she seemed to give off a warm glow as she looked up at me. Her dark, iridescent wings were folded neatly behind her, and her scant leather bralette and skirt showed off her toned legs and luscious curves. Her freckles weren’t glowing at the moment, but her red-amber eyes glistened with amusement as we considered each other, and she smiled the second I did.

  “Cinis, you’re looking… beautiful,” I said in earnest as I closed the door behind me. “I’m glad you’re alive. I hoped you would be able to fend for yourself, but seeing you here…”

  “It’s nice to see you, too, Dex,” she chuckled lightly, and her husky voice was even softer than I remembered. “I was worried the forest may have chewed you to pieces.”

  “Not quite,” I snorted. “Have a seat.”

  I headed to the desk and sat down while the Ember Priestess did the same, and I felt the heat radiating off her from across the desk.

  The descendant crossed her arms, tapped her slender fingers on her forearm, and gave me a subtle smile.

  “Can I ask how you found me?” I inquired.

  Cinis smirked. “Oh… you know. Just wandered around asking for the only mirror mage in town who is also an assassin.”

  My smile immediately dropped, but Cinis laughed and shook her head.

  “I jest, Dex,” she assured me. “I found you by my own means. Your secret is safe.”

  “I see,” I said as my muscles relaxed. “So, what happened at the Ardere? The last thing I saw was the ember fields going up in flames.”

  “That seems like forever ago,” Cinis sighed. “But, yes, I threatened to lead the fire imps in an uprising against Ignis, and let’s just say, he didn’t take it too well.”

  “I can tell,” I chuckled.

  “The fire imps always fancied me as more than just an Ember Priestess, you know,” she said with a cunning smile. “They admire me.”

  “Does this mean you followed through with the threat?” I asked.

  “No, most of them still live to serve and protect Ignis,” she said with some disappointment. “Someone told him before my small group even had time to storm his gates. I guess I feel foolish for trying, but I had to. Something needed to be done. Someone had to… do something.”

  “I know,” I assured her. “I understand.”

  “Do you?” she asked with some disbelief. “Look at your kingdom, Dex. Ignis will not stop this, and it’s all my fault. Aren’t you angry with me?”

  “No,” I said with a shrug. “This kingdom could have been flooded by now if I’d killed you, and if you never confronted Ignis, he probably would have found another means of accomplishing the same feat by now.”

  Cinis bit her lip and sent me a searching look, but then she nodded in agreement.

  “That’s a kinder way to look at things than I expected,” the Ember Priestess admitted.

  “So, what happened after someone told Ignis of your plans?” I questioned the winged beauty.

  “I fled before he had time to attack me,” she returned. “And now I’m on the run.”

  “Ignis is looking for you?”

  “Yeah,” Cinis replied and sucked in her cheek. “I would’ve killed him right then and there, but he was so mad… I just… had to run.”

  “You’re lucky you made it out alive,” I pointed out.

  “Pshh,” she uttered. “I could have killed him if I stayed, but my instincts were to leave.”

  I nodded slowly while she seemed determined to play this all off, but the longer I waited, a faint blush appeared on her cheeks, and she finally rolled her eyes.

  “Fine,” Cinis groaned. “You were right, okay? I should have probably planned a little better before just deciding to storm off and see Ignis right that second.”

  “Probably,” I said with a smirk.

  “I can be a little impulsive,” she muttered and looked down at her lap. “It’s the way of fire I suppose. We burn hot.”

  “A little hot,” I laughed. “So, what are you going to do now? Can I help stop the fires?”

  “Well…,” she said and looked deep into my eyes. “I have to figure that out. If I am killed, then the fields will still flood, and these fires will just get worse, too. I hate that I have caused so much destruction, but I can’t bear the thought of anything worse happening. I just want him dead, but now I’m frustrated because I have no idea how to do it!”

  Her freckles were starting to burn like embers, and she took a deep breath as I noticed her black wings begin to glow red just the tiniest bit.

  “If I go back to the Ardere, I’ll probably be trapped by Ignis’ followers and put to death,” Cinis continued. “Without their help, I can’t even begin to think on how to destroy him. Now I’m alone, and he’ll start hunting me soon enough. If I just walk off, all of this destruction will continue, and what if the forest is destroyed? What if the kingdom is destroyed? What if every being the Ardere--”

  “Hey,” I gently cut in as her wings started to smoke a bit. “It’s gonna be fine. We’ll fix this. In the meantime, you’re not alone, and you’ll stay here with me.”

  “Are you… sure?” she asked with deeply furrowed eyebrows. “Ignis is not going to stop looking for me, and if he knows I’m here, then you’re all under threat. I didn’t come here to put you in danger, I just thought you could give me advice--”

  “You’re not putting us in danger,” I assured her. “I’m handling this, but while you’re here, I do need to insist you don’t use your strongest powers within the estate.”

  “Dex, I wouldn’t really burn down your home,” Cinis scoffed.

  “You actually couldn’t burn this place down,” I clarified. “Nothing could, it’s indestructible. But this is a home of assassins. If you burn these people, they will attack you, and they are trained to kill. Then we’d sort of be right back where we began, don’t you think?”

  “Understood,” the Ember Priestess murmured as her freckles cooled, “but I can’t imagine what you mean by ‘handling this,’ because Ignis will descend on this kingdom soon.”

  “Ignis plans to descend on Ocadia?” I asked and leaned my elbows on the desk. “That’s confirmed?”

  “Yes,” Cinis said in a more serious tone.

  “How does that work exactly?” I inquired.

  “Well…” the Ember Priestess sighed, and she started toying with her long braid. “Imagine a giant, flaming, fallen god tearing through the woods and towering over the city.”

  “Got it,” I muttered. “Then what will he do?”

  “It depends,” she admitted. “Ignis’ powers are charged within the confines of his territory. This means that his powers are weaker when he leaves the Ardere.”

  “And he’ll be more vulnerable to attack,” I concluded.

  “Yes.” Cinis nodded.

  “That simplifies things a bit,” I decided.

  “How?” the Ember Priestess scoffed.

  “I don’t have to go back through the forest to kill him.” I grinned.

  “You… what?” Cinis gasped, and she actually looked scared for me. “No. Absolutely not. You are not taking on Ignis alone. You are only a--”

  “Highly trained assassin,” I chuckled. �
��I have plenty of experience with this sort of thing, Cinis. I’ve been addressing the issue since I returned to Ocadia. As long as my alchemist follows through before Ignis arrives, we’ll be fine.”

  “The safety of this kingdom relies on an alchemist?” she asked flatly.

  “No, it relies on me,” I clarified. “But my alchemist has never let me down before, and if there’s some delay in the process, every magical estate within this city is already preparing to defend the place. They won’t be able to kill Ignis, but they’ll probably buy me the time I need.”

  Cinis stared at me with wide, red-amber eyes, and I couldn’t help chuckling at how shocked she looked. Her cheeks were a little flushed, too, and I caught her looking at my lips more than my eyes after a moment.

  Then I sobered a bit so we could sort out the more important details.

  “Now, that leads me to a problem,” I continued.

  The Ember Priestess blinked herself out of her shock. “What is it?”

  “You found me,” I reminded her. “If you found me by some strange, fire entity means, then Ignis could find you here as well. This is the safety of my identity we’re talking about, and everyone within this house relies on me now.”

  “I know,” Cinis said in a sad tone. “I heard about your Master.”

  “How?” I asked in utter confusion, and Cinis smirked a little.

  “The same way I found you, actually,” she admitted. “I spoke to a pretty little siren woman.”

  Now, I was the one staring in shock, and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

  The only siren she could mean would be Ephelia, and I knew the beautiful water woman was terrified of fire beings, especially Ember Priestesses.

  “I don’t understand,” I muttered after a moment.

  “I was just as surprised as you,” Cinis laughed. “After I fled the Ardere, I escaped into the forest, but--”

  “The forest didn’t attack you?” I interrupted.

  Cinis looked amused. “Of course not, I’m a descendant of the fire deities. The forest would never risk their wrath, and besides, Hud knows I didn’t personally light it on fire.”

  “Huh,” I said with a nod. “Okay, continue.”