A Deepening Knowledge (A Life of Magic)

by Matthew Mitchell

  "Evil? Evil you call it?" Maxius spun around, "Evil is when a father attempts to have his son killed. Evil is when the son is cast aside for simply being himself. Evil is you. You old fool." He stepped forward. "Reap the destruction that started when you betrayed your own blood."

  Magic seemed to suddenly fill the room. All four families of magic swirled and churned the air. Like wild creatures being chased and driven the magic whipped around us.

  "Ott! Shield fully! Everyone!" Stain's voice rang out with full authority as my master. "Protect them!"

  I pulled hard and fast on my magic. I cast a shield that covered everyone but Stain. He threw up his own shields. Preparing them against the onslaught of magic bearing down upon him.

  Maxius looked over at me and sneered, "Finally found a poor boy to follow every order. Too bad he can not help you." Maxius wrapped his magic around Stain's shields. "Goodbye father. You betrayed me, you chose the kingdom over your own son." The magic surrounding Stain grew thicker and thicker. Bands of magic formed, squeezing harder and harder. I could see Stain's shields start to strain. They grew smaller and smaller until Stain must have been kneeling inside his shield.

  "Ott! You have to do something!" Conium cried out.

  I looked around and nodded. "Raven. Remember how you got past my shields?"

  She looked up, startled. Nodding she pulled out a small dagger.

  "Oh look. They are going to try to save the old man." Maxius mocked us.

  "Stop now Maxius. Stop or we will stop you." I said this calmly and forcefully.

  "Oh you will now." Maxius turned his attention to me. "With that little knife? And your magic? I have defeated you before, boy."

  "Now!" I yelled for Raven.

  She stepped forward and threw the knife. Maxius stood there, knowing that his shields would protect him. The knife flew across the room and struck his shields, slowing slightly.

  "NO!" He yelled and flinched. The knife struck him, biting deep into his shoulder. "How did you do that!" All of his magic flickered and faded.

  Stain stood up, looking much older. "You always did underestimate your enemies."

  "We are not done father. I will lay waste to everything you hold dear. You will survive to stand in the midst of nothing but ashes and ruins." Maxius pulled the knife out and threw it down. "I will destroy everything." Magic swirled around him and suddenly he was no longer in the room.

  * * *

  "What do we do now?" Conium walked over to Stain.

  Stain sat leaning against a wall, exhaustion and grief heavy upon him. "First we need to work the magic to get all the people back." He stood up and looked around. "Ott, I need you to find a unique item. Maxius had to have a trip spell set up. If he had been here when the spell was cast he would be transformed also. You need to use your mage sight to see if you can find the echos of the spell. It will have spread out over the city from one central point."

  "What can I do?" Raven stepped forward.

  "We all need to eat. If we let our bodies fail then we fail." Stain pointed. "A small kitchen is through that door. I imagine there is plenty of food in there." He turned to Conium. "I need you to get to the vault. Make sure it is still secure."

  Conium nodded and left the room.

  "The vault?" I asked.

  "It is where I have established a safe room for magical items and spell books. Things that should not be in public use. Weapons are in there also." He looked worried. "If Maxius penetrated the vault then we are in much worse trouble."

  "How do I find this item he used for the spell?" I felt like I was lost.

  Stain smiled wearily, "Think of the capital like a pond. When you throw a rock into a pond it makes ripples. The larger the rock the more ripples. This spell would have been a massive amount of energy pouring out into the area. We should be able to see the ripples of the magic. I would suggest a high point." He looked around. "If you go down that hallway there is a tower in the corner of the building. It is almost the highest point in the city." He turned. "Be aware of your surroundings. Maxius could have set traps or attack at any point."

  "What are you going to do?" I worried about Stain.

  He smiled, "I will stay here with the rest of our friends and rest. Keeping my shield in place was hard. He has grown stronger than I could have ever imagined."

  I headed the direction he had indicated. Stopping at the door I turned, "Is Maxius really your son?"

  Stain looked up with tears in his eyes, "He is."

  "I am sorry Stain. We will figure it all out." I felt bad for my master.

  He nodded, "It is all a mess now. We will survive. See if you can find that item."

  I left the room and found the stairs. They climbed high into the tower. Finally reaching the top I looked out over the city. It seemed just as desolate as before. Focusing I called up my mage sight. The city seemed to change. Small magics were all over the city. Little burst of energy pulsed and shone from all corners of the capital. I looked closer and saw that there was a tinge of energy over the entire city. Like a smear of blood. I focused on that smear and it grew sharper. Like Stain had said ripples showed up, expanding out from one area. In the lower part of the capital a tower stood tall, shadowing all other buildings. This is where the ripples spread out from, the starting point of the spell. I raced back down to tell Stain. Rushing into the room I saw that Raven had found food. Conium was still gone.

  "Did you find it?" Stain handed me a roll.

  I took a large bite and nodded. "It seems to be a large tower in the lower part of the city."

  Stain looked surprised yet nodded, "That makes sense. He would have had a problem gaining access to the upper city but would need a high point to cast the spell." He stood up. "Eat and drink. When Conium gets back we are going to that tower." He walked over to Tag and Evins. "You two need to get to the royal stables. We need speed and I need to know you are safe."

  Tag and Evins nodded, "I need to know I am safe also." Tag quipped They headed out a large doorway and we could hear them talking as they moved down the hallway.

  Raven sat at a window eating. I joined her and looked out.

  "It looks so dead. As if no life is out there." She stated this with worry in her voice. "What if we can not reverse it?"

  Stain walked up behind us. "I know the spell Maxius used. He put much more power into it than I have ever heard of being used, but we should be able to reverse it."

  Conium walked in at that moment. "The vault is broken. Everything is gone." She had the sound of panic in her voice.

  Stain's expression fell. "Then we are in grave peril. We need to reverse this spell and then capture Maxius before he can use any of the vault's contents."

  * * *

  We carefully made our way through the city. At each turn we stopped and looked for danger. We each held shields at the ready, prepared for an attack or a trap to spring. The silence in the city was unnerving. It seemed as if there was not a single thing moving through the entire city. Not even rats or birds could be heard.

  "Where did all of the people go?" I finally asked Stain as we entered another part of the city. Work shops opened from each building.

  Stain stopped and looked around. "They are here. We just can not see them. There are two ways he could have worked this spell. Either every living thing transformed into a new physical form or they became incorporeal Either way they are here waiting to be rescued." He continued down the path, looking into each building as he passed. "The spell is very powerful and versatile. He would have had to spend a lot of time building up the energy to perform the spell."

  "How are we going to reverse such a powerful spell?" Raven asked quietly.

  Stain smiled, "When you perform such a spell you are going against the natural order of things. It takes a lot of energy to do that. To return things to the way they were takes less energy but also we will share the load. Instead of one mage we will have four mages working on the spell."

  Conium stopped us. "We are almost th
ere. Let me go ahead and check for traps." She rushed off ahead and darted into the building which housed the tower.

  We stood there waiting, keeping an eye on the streets. After what seemed an eternity Conium finally returned.

  "It seems clear. Keep an eye and ear open though." She led the way up into the building, climbing higher and higher into the tower.

  Stain stopped us below a trap door. "This is the last floor before we climb into the bell chamber of the tower. Let me go first and I will call you all up in a moment." He climbed the stairs and lifted the door. Light streamed in like water. After a few moments he stuck his head down through the hole. "Come on up. It seems safe."

  We all climbed up the stairs and into the bell chamber. A massive set of bells hung from the rafters above our heads. Looking around I could see footprints and marks that showed that people had been here recently.

  "Over here." Stain's voice came from the other side of a large bell. He was kneeling down and looking into a box. "It looks as if this is the object he used for the spell." Lifting out a large object wrapped in cloth he held it out. "I can still feel the spell wrapped up in the crystal." He pulled off the cloth and was left holding a massive orb of black crystal. It had been polished to the point of reflecting light like a sword. He set the orb down on the floor. "This is what we are going to do. Conium, you and Raven are going to provide protection. Ott and I are going to work the spell. There is still a lot of energy here so we will be fine. Ott, I want you to channel your magic, all four families, to me when I tell you. Just remember your lessons, relax and pour like a pitcher."

  Conium and Raven stepped backwards and cast shields around themselves. Raven had her wand in one hand and a knife in another. She looked fierce.

  I prepared myself to the best that I could and waited for Stain to call on me. I pulled deep on my magic, stirring it up and gaining a hold on it.

  Stain sat on the floor, his eyes focused on the orb. I could feel his magic reaching out and down into the structure of the orb. Feeling and probing the spell that laid within the depths there. "Now, Ott." Stain whispered this, as if he struggled to speak.

  I focused all of my magic to Stain, pouring it onto him like water on dry ground. It sank into his very being where he channeled it and changed it to manipulate the spell within the orb. The orb started to glow, a dark sullen pulse deep inside it. We held that moment for a lifetime in mere seconds. Suddenly the orb pulsed brighter and brighter. The pulses came closer together. Finally the orb shone solidly and a shock wave of magic whipped outwards from it's very center. I could feel the magic wrap around me, passing through me on it's way outwards.

  Stain looked up as the spell finished, "It seems as if he is more devious than I realized." His eyes rolled back into his head and he crashed to the floor, unconscious

  "STAIN!" Conium cried out. She raced to his side and grabbed his head. "What happened?" She directed this to me.

  "He cast the spell and once it finished he passed out." I reached down and touched Stain's hand. It felt cold to the touch.

  Raven walked over and looked down, "Was there a trap set in the orb?" She bent over to pick up the orb.

  It seemed magically empty now, just an orb of crystal. "There must have been something." I was distraught.

  Raven set the orb back down. "We need to get him out of here. If the spell worked then we should be able to get him some help." She opened the trap door in the floor and headed down it.

  Conium and I picked up Stain and headed down the stairs. At the bottom we found Raven leaning against the wall, struggling to stand.

  "I feel dizzy suddenly." Raven stammered this just before passing out and sliding down the wall.

  Conium looked at me, "Do you feel dizzy? Light headed? Anything unusual?"

  "Does scared count?" I looked around worried about an attacker.

  We set down Stain and Conium grabbed his hands. Lifting one up she turned it over to reveal that his palm was red and blistered. She turned over Raven's hand, it looked the same. "There must have been a poison on the orb. They both touched it and now are out cold." She sounded annoyed. "Let me see if there is anyone in this building and we can get them both taken to the upper city. We can take them to Stain's rooms. He should have the ingredients I need to make an antidote. Go up and get the orb, be careful not to touch it or the cloth that had been around it. Use magic if that is the only way to move it." She went downstairs where we could hear movement.

  I went back up to the bell chamber and looked around. The orb sat where Raven had left it. The cloth where Stain had dropped it. I walked over to the box the orb was in originally and laid it beside the orb. Using my boot I pushed the orb into the box along with the cloth. Bringing this down the stairs I saw that Stain was already moved and Conium was directing some men to move Raven carefully down the stairs.

  "I have the orb." I stated this calmly.

  Conium looked up and smiled. "I knew you could do it. Carry it back with us. We have a wagon downstairs, ready to take all of us to our destination."

  We headed down the stairs and out onto the street. The difference was startling. Where before the streets were empty and stark there was a river of teeming life. People and animals rushing to get past one another.

  "It worked!" I exclaimed.

  Conium nodded. "It did. You two did the job. Now let us see if we can take care of our two friends."

  * * *

  Three days later and Conium had finally found the antidote for the poison. Both Stain and Raven woke up. Stain was cranky that he had failed to anticipate such a trap.

  "Why did the poison even affect us?" Raven asked, "I thought we were immune to poisons."

  "Because it was based on a healing potion, one that causes sleep." Conium spat out. "It was amplified to the point that you would have slept for years instead of days."

  "I should have known to check. The orb felt oiled." He sat in a chair because he refused to lay in his bed anymore. "I can not believe I did not check that."

  "You need to quit worrying about it and focus on getting better." Conium stated this clearly and forcefully. "The more you fret the longer it is going to take your body to purge the toxin. Especially at your age."

  Stain shut his mouth and looked at her. "At my age? And what is that supposed to mean?"

  Conium smiled and pointed at him, "You are the oldest person I have ever met. I can not imagine such an ordeal is good for you. I worry that you will not be back to your old self for many days, maybe even weeks."

  Stain looked at her and smiled, "I think I will be just fine. Now, someone go get the king. We need to talk."

  "Nobody has to come get me, you crazy old man." The king walked in and sat down at the table.

  I had met him when we brought Stain and Raven back for treatment. He took charge and had men carry both to Stain's quarters. He made sure we had everything we needed, telling us to take care of Stain and to wait on everything else. Everyone in the keep had left us alone as Conium worked day and night to figure out what the poison had been and made the antidote. The only ones to disturb us had been a servant from the kitchen bringing food and drink on a regular basis.

  "Well, it is about time you woke up." The king leaned back in his seat and grabbed a fruit from the bowl on the table. "Let me tell you a few things then I will sit here and listen to your tale."

  Stain nodded and took a deep drink of the concoction Conium had whipped up. It was supposed to bring strength back to those who had suffered an illness. He grimaced at the flavor but keep drinking.

  The king sat silently a moment and then stated, "The last communication I had from your group was when you were at the fire school. Gias is quite confused as to how you escaped his realm, a neat trick that. Since then we have discovered that enemies have been moving. A contingent of soldiers attempted to blockade our trade routes down river, my brother-in-law no less. I dealt with that yesterday. A spell was cast over the whole capital that caused each and every creature and per
son to transform into insects. I can tell you this, that was an experience I do not wish to relive ever again. I have it on good authority that there has been movements against all of the major magical strongholds, however due to your warning, each and every one of them have held strong. The exact nature of the attacks can be discussed later." The king leaned forward, "A few of my advisers are petitioning for a full out war. The problem is we do not have a singular enemy to attack. Each group seems to be from different regions. Even my brother-in-law was acting independently from his king. So that just about catches you up with me." The king looked over at me and smiled. "I also finally got to meet your apprentice. I think I make him nervous."

  I grinned and blushed. It was true, I had never met anyone like the king.

  Stain sighed, "I think I need to share my story, however I am exceedingly hungry. So we eat and later I will tell you what else has transpired."

  The king nodded, "As you see fit. Call on me when you are ready." He stood up and walked out of the room.

  "And why did you not want to fill in the gaps right now?" Conium chastised Stain.

  He looked at her and frowned. "I need to check a few things before I let him know what else has occurred We all need to eat. Ott, tell Raven to come eat." He reached over and pulled a rope that rang a bell in the kitchen. A few moments passed and a servant appeared.

  "You rang sir?" The young man stood waiting.

  "We shall need food for a meal. Nothing complicated, just good food. Have the cook send up enough for six people and extra portions of fruit. Also send plenty to drink, I feel like I am dry to the bone." Stain talked to the servant in a friendly manner.

  The servant smiled and nodded, "The cook has a meal ready for your group. I will have it brought up right away." He turned and headed back to the kitchen.

  Stain grinned, "It is good to see him growing up and staying out of trouble." He looked at Conium. "Remember when you brought him to me and demanded I do something with him?"

  Conium blushed, "I could not imagine you letting a boy starve on the streets."