Chaosmage (Age of Darkness)

by Stephen Aryan

Balfruss and Tammy stood side by side on the wall, staring into the dark. Both were wrapped in silence, lost in their own thoughts.

  Last night the attack on their camp had been the worst yet. Alyssa’s plan to arm everyone who could fight had been a good one. The problem was that most weren’t ready to use their weapon to take a life. It wasn’t until Forsaken were running through the corridors of the winery that some of them had been faced with such a difficult choice. Now everyone with a weapon was being shown the basics by Zannah. Some had protested but Alyssa had overridden their complaints and told them this was how it had to be. They wanted to survive and the Morrin could show them how. The alternative was they die screaming, aimlessly waving a sword around. Alyssa told them that if they chose not to listen then their deaths would not be on her conscience. And when they came back from the dead that she would not hesitate to put an arrow in their eye. There was a steel core to the woman that everyone was only just discovering.

  Thankfully Tammy and Kovac had taken care of the Forsaken inside the camp before anyone was killed. Most troubling was the attempt to poison the well. Tammy mentioned this had been stopped by Kai.

  Balfruss shied away from that. He wasn’t quite ready to speculate what that thing was who pretended to be a man. There was something in the back of his mind, an old scrap from history, that gave him a vague notion of what Kai might be, but he didn’t pursue it.

  His meeting in the banquet hall with Vargus was starting to feel like a dream. He could remember what had happened, but the images in his mind were slightly foggy, as if he were being made to forget. With such powerful beings, anything was possible.

  So far the city had been quiet tonight and there’d been no sign of any Forsaken. Everyone knew that could change at any moment, so they stood ready. More people waited below out of the cold and those in their rooms now clung to their weapons.

  Glancing at the warrior beside him Balfruss noticed her bruises were starting to change colour and the swelling on her face looked painful. Pushing his own troubles away he unclenched his jaw and rubbed the sides of his face, suddenly realising how tight it felt.

  “You’ve been grinding your teeth for over an hour,” said Tammy, her eyes still on the city.

  “And your shoulders are so hunched they’re practically touching your ears,” he observed. She smiled and her shoulders eased. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  Tammy leaned forward, resting her hands on the wall. Frost still clung to all hard surfaces but at least it wasn’t snowing like last night.

  “Following up on the connection you felt, I visited the east part of the city, in the Dureen district. I spent half of yesterday and all of today searching the area. And in all that time I found nothing.”

  “Nothing at all?”

  “There are so many places to hide that even with help from the mercenaries, it will take two or three days to search everywhere.”

  She didn’t need to say it. They might not have two days. Two bases had fallen in two nights and after last night’s assault on the winery they both knew it would only get worse.

  “How do you feel?” asked Balfruss.

  Tammy looked at him askance at the question, but nevertheless she eventually answered. “I’m hungry and bruised, why?”

  “I can help with the bruised part if you want,” he said, gesturing at her injuries. It wasn’t the first time he’d offered but she’d previously turned him down. “But what I meant was, how does this city make you feel?” Before she looked away, Balfruss saw something in her eyes that told him she knew what he was talking about.

  “It dredged up some feelings from my past that I’d buried.”

  “Let me guess,” said Balfruss. “Rage, jealousy, even strong sexual urges have been rising to the surface.”

  “At the temple, when the fight began I started to lose myself.” Tammy gestured at the bruises on her face. “It was so difficult to push down the anger.”

  “I have an idea.” Balfruss rubbed the side of his jaw again, trying to ease the aching muscles. “It’s more of a theory.”

  “Tell me.”

  “Whatever is behind all of this, the darkness, the Forsaken, I think it’s stayed hidden for so long because in the beginning it was weak. However it was created, or spawned, it had to hide and slowly build its strength. Then it started reaching out with surrogates, slowly claiming people, changing them until they became the Forsaken.”

  “And now it’s strong enough that it no longer has to hide in the shadows,” said Tammy. “It’s built up an army and is taking the city, one camp every night.”

  “Yes, but I think I know how you can find the Forsaken.”

  Tammy sensed his hesitation and put a hand on Balfruss’s arm, making him face her. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”

  “No,” he said. She chewed it over for a minute before gesturing for him to continue. “Go back to the Dureen district and open yourself up to everything. Dig deep into those raw emotions, immerse yourself in them and feel it all.”

  “And then?” asked Tammy.

  “Use it. Listen to your instincts. Like calls to like. It is responsible for a river of blood, agony and death. It thrives on darkness and despair. Use the darkness within to guide you. Then you will find it. Or . . . ” Balfruss trailed off, not wanting to say what could happen.

  “Or it will find me,” said Tammy.

  While his idea might work there was also great risk, but from her expression Tammy was already thinking about it. If she immersed herself too deeply in that darkness, she might not be able to come back.

  There was something more that worried Balfruss, which he doubted Tammy had considered. The Forsaken transformed people, making them healthier and stronger. Up to now the most dangerous people it had claimed were mercenaries. Tammy was something else. Whatever darkness lay in her past was part of a different life. She’d moved on and buried the past, becoming a Guardian of the Peace. That meant a lot of hard work as only the best in Yerskania were promoted from the Watch to the Guardians. She was a soldier, a fighter, an investigator and she’d years of training. If she was taken and transformed, she might become a terrifying General at the head of an army of Forsaken.

  “What about your hunt?” said Tammy, startling Balfruss from his reverie. “Have you had any luck?”

  Balfruss grimaced. “Yes, and that’s the problem.”

  He’d spent most of the past two days searching for Kaine, but instead he’d stumbled across more of his students. Three of them had been on an errand before taking a winding route home. At first it had seemed more like a trap than coincidence. Wrapping himself in magic to camouflage his appearance he’d trailed them at a distance, waiting for more students to attack him from the shadows.

  “How did you follow them?” asked Tammy, interrupting his retelling. “And how did you hide yourself?”

  “It’s easier if I just show you,” said Balfruss, reaching for the Source. Whenever he did this it took him back to his time in the emerald jungle. As ever, his memories were tainted with sadness and he rubbed the tattoo around his wrist.

  Holding up his left hand Balfruss placed it on the wall. The stones were mostly grey but there were flecks of blue and white, plus a layer of frost. Weaving a fine mesh of magic around his hand and then his arm, Balfruss focused on blending it into the background. Slowly his hand started to disappear as it gradually took on the appearance of the wall. As long as he didn’t move too quickly it was almost invisible.

  After a minute he released the magic and was pleased to see a look of wonder on Tammy’s face. It was a good sign that she could still be amazed. It gave him hope that the poison of this city had not dug its claws in too deeply.

  “I used this to hunt in the jungle across the Dead Sea.” He saw the next question on her lips but waved a hand. “A story for another time.” She didn’t press him but gestured for him to continue. “There’s also an echo of magic, a pulse that comes from every person who can touch the Source. It
’s how Seekers test children to see if they have the ability to wield magic. I used this echo to follow them.”

  “Let me guess,” said Tammy. “They should have known you were following them, but somehow you can conceal yourself from them.”

  Balfruss grinned. “Exactly. It’s another form of camouflage.”

  “So where did they lead you?”

  “To their home. Nearly a dozen of them are holed up in a run-down building. They sleep in the basement, huddled together under blankets, and they cook their meals there as well.”

  “What about Kaine? Did you see him?”

  Balfruss shook his head. “I heard them talking about him, but he never appeared. Even worse, they don’t know where he is. He just shows up and gives them orders then disappears again. If they fail he kills them in front of the others as an example.”

  “Why don’t they leave?”

  “I thought it was because they were afraid. Or because we’re in the middle of nowhere. But it’s worse than that.”

  “How?” asked Tammy.

  Balfruss realised he needed to tell her everything. She wouldn’t be able to help with only half the facts.

  “During the war, did you know the Warlock had several apprentices?”

  “I remember they had a strange title,” said Tammy. “But no one ever knew their names or who they were.”

  “He called them Splinters. They were hollowed-out shells that looked like people. He imprinted himself on them, giving them a set of rules, and that was all they knew. They had no other thoughts in their heads. They were just small pieces of his mind in their bodies.”

  “By the Maker,” hissed Tammy.

  “Using magic to change someone’s mind is one of the foulest uses of the Source. To rob someone of their free will is abhorrent. The Warlock learned this ability from Kaine.”

  “And he used this power on his students,” said Tammy, seeing where he was going.

  “Kaine’s pupils never think about leaving because he’s altered their minds. It took me a few hours to see what he’s done, but all of them have been changed. Any kindness or sympathy in these children has been scrubbed clean. I showed some of them mercy, but this morning I heard them discussing how best to kill me. They don’t care or feel because they can’t. They have no free will.”

  Balfruss’s hands sought a distraction. Setting his axe on the wall he took out a whetstone and began to sharpen the edge. The rhythmic motion was soothing but it also brought back memories of his father. Every night just before sleep as they sat across from one another with a fire between them, his father would sharpen his blade. Other men drank, read or prayed. He always made sure he was ready for the day ahead and to him that meant being able to fight.

  “Can you help them?” asked Tammy. “Can you undo what’s been done to them?”

  “I wouldn’t know where to start. Even if I tried it could take me months for each one. There’s also a good chance that I’ll kill them in my fumbling around. The mind is incredibly delicate. Healing the body is complex, but the mind, that’s completely different. Especially with children, when the mind is not fully formed . . . ”

  Balfruss took out his frustrations on his axe, tilting it towards the light from the torches before working the edge again with the whetstone.

  “Kaine is playing a game of Stones with me.”

  “I’ve always hated that game,” said Tammy. “So many pieces that move differently. Trying to think ahead eight or nine steps. As a child my father tried to teach me.”

  “What happened?”

  “I used to sweep away all of the pieces.”

  “I never liked it as a child either. I’d flip the board in frustration.”

  Tammy put a hand on his, drawing his focus to her eyes. “You’re missing the point. You’re trying to be careful, to outsmart him, but ultimately you’re still playing his game. If you clear the board of all his pieces, then he’ll have to face you.”

  “Do you have any children?” he asked and felt her hand tighten on his before she let go. The answer was in her eyes as clearly as the unshed tears which she quickly wiped away.

  “Do you?” she whispered.

  “A daughter.” Saying it out loud was difficult, and it took Balfruss a while to clear the lump in his throat.

  They both knew what she was suggesting. In his heart he already knew there was no other course of action, but it was hard to comprehend.

  “Will you let me help you with those?” he said, gesturing at her bruises. Tammy looked as if she would turn him down again but changed her mind. Perhaps she could see that he needed to do something. For many years now those with magic had been treated as nothing more than living weapons. Even the name, Battlemage, was merely a shadow of what someone could accomplish with magic. Ever since he’d come back to the mainland Balfruss had felt himself slipping back into the old and familiar rut. Some days it felt as if his time in the north belonged to someone else. It was time for a reminder that it had not been a dream and that he had become more than a weapon.

  “After this you’ll be hungry and tired, but you’ll feel much better.”

  “All right. What do you want me to do?” asked Tammy.

  “Just close your eyes.”

  Balfruss put aside his axe and stepped close to Tammy until he was within arm’s reach. Reaching up with both hands he placed one on either side of her face and bent his head towards her.

  Power from the Source flooded into Balfruss, washing away all of his aches and pains, sharpening his senses and filling him with a deep joy. It was the power of creation, the fountain of all life, and he was a part of it.

  Slowly he extended a fine golden mesh of healing energy that flowed outwards until it touched Tammy. He felt her flinch in surprise and saw her head tip forward until their foreheads touched. The golden light travelled throughout her body, knitting bone, mending tissue and reducing swelling. As the Source healed Tammy they stood together, wrapped in a cocoon of magic, and for a time the city and its taint could not touch them. A feeling of peace and contentment settled over him and Balfruss felt his mind drift.

  He imagined he was back home in Seveldrom, walking through a field of long grass with the sun on his face. At the end of the field he came to a house where a familiar woman stood in the doorway, a child on her hip and another clinging to her knee. The scent of wild flowers and fresh bread filled his nose. In the real world he felt himself smile at the image.

  All too soon the glow started to fade and he gradually withdrew the net of magic. He gently took his hands away from Tammy’s face and stepped back, but she remained with her head bent forward and eyes closed. The smile on her face was not something he’d seen before. Looking more closely he saw the bruises and swelling had completely gone and he knew her cracked ribs had also been fully healed.

  Finally she opened her eyes and they both heard her stomach rumble.

  “You should get something to eat. Someone will find you if you’re needed,” he said, gesturing over the wall.

  “Thank you, Balfruss,” she answered, and he realised it was the first time she’d used his name.

  As she went down the stairs he turned back towards the city and contemplated the difficult choice that lay ahead.

  CHAPTER 33

  Just after breakfast Tammy and the mercenaries left the winery to scout the Dureen district again. All of them were armed to the teeth and Alyssa thought Tammy looked more determined than ever. She walked with purpose, as if she knew that today she would find something. Balfruss left shortly afterwards, looking equally driven, although he had the appearance of a man about to do something distasteful.

  Last night there had not been any sight of the Forsaken. The whole city had been silent and still, wrapped in a freezing fog. They’d listened all night for anything that might indicate the other camps were being attacked, but no one heard anything. Alyssa wasn’t sure which bothered her most, the silence or the screams.

  She spent the next couple
of hours organising people, assigning tasks and observing Zannah drilling groups in the courtyard. There was no wood to spare for training weapons so they had to use real steel. Alyssa had little experience with swords but it was obvious most had never held one before. Their movements were incredibly slow and clumsy but Zannah made them repeat the moves over and over until they could barely lift their arms. Then she moved on to another group while the first rested. The frost in the courtyard made their footing slippery, but it was good practice. It would be the same on the wall from now on as the nights would only get colder.

  With a shiver Alyssa pulled on a pair of gloves and adjusted the scarf around her neck. If the Forsaken didn’t kill them this winter then the cold would. At least if she froze to death she would know what to expect. She’d seen it happen several times to friends during the war. Closing her eyes she murmured a prayer to the Blessed Mother, asking for relief from the darkness that pressed on her mind. It made her thoughts bleak and she could almost feel it trying to leach all of the joy and hope from her heart.

  The familiar sound of heavy feet coming up the stairs told her it was Zannah, even before she opened her eyes. The Morrin had been awake for most of the night on the wall and up early this morning. Alyssa wondered if the others would ever appreciate all that Zannah had done for them.

  “I’m going into the city,” she said, waiting for Zannah to object. To Alyssa’s surprise she just shrugged.

  “You’ll go over the wall no matter what I say, so why argue?” As ever the Morrin was being incredibly practical.

  “I’m going to the old wood.”

  “Will you try to stop me if I come with you?” asked Zannah.

  Her question caught Alyssa by surprise because she had been about to ask Zannah to come with her. “No, of course not, but what about them?” She gestured at the lines of people training in the courtyard.

  Zannah grunted. “They have no stamina. They’re exhausted after a few hours of practice. If I push them any more today they’ll be asleep on the wall tonight.”

  Ten people kept watch on the wall, wrapped in layers of clothing and blankets. It had not yet snowed today but it was cold enough to start at any time. However, the weather would not deter them from taking their duty seriously. Several bore scars from fighting with the Forsaken two nights ago and they wore them with pride. A few even sneered at those practising in the courtyard, as if they were veterans of many wars.