Biting my lower lip in worry, I slowly moved away from the door to take in my new surroundings. The room was so large, and bright. The sun shone in through the ceiling windows and it felt warm. A bit too warm to be wearing a coat. I shed it and took off my scarf, shoving it down a sleeve. I knew my Arcane College pin was still on the scarf, but the pin felt as stifling to wear as my coat.
The multiple levels in the library caught my attention as I continued to wander away from the door. I could easily spend years in here reading everything. The plush chairs and couches tucked into nooks and crannies made that thought tantalizing.
My sister would make fun of me if she heard those thoughts. While she enjoyed reading, she preferred fiction. She certainly would not want to be stuck inside a library either.
I noticed a group of students gathered at one of the tables in the center of this section, pouring over books and sharing notes with each other. Part of me longed for that kind of ease with others, but perhaps I had too many years of solo study drilled into me.
I did not want to disturb them so I found a terminal nearby that was attached to the EAC’s library catalog.
My hands hovered over the keyboard as I debated where to start. Emotional responses in arcane remnants that would not dissipate was such a rare thing there was barely a mention of it in the Arcane College’s library. I ran through a few keywords and jotted down the numbers for the books, hoping I would find some sort of answer.
Once I got a list that I was comfortable to start with, I realized I did not know where in this vast room to begin looking. I should stop calling it a room. It could have been a building by itself that just happened to be attached to the school.
Each section had a different color for a theme. Green was up a floor to my left and blue was to the right of it. The section of the floor I was in was tan. Looking at the list of numbers again, I realized there was no reference to the section colors.
Taking a deep breath, I headed toward the blue room where I thought I spotted someone shelving books.
Poking my head down a couple of aisles, I eventually found an older Elf. He had long white hair that hung down his back like a sheet and he dressed a little more formally than Angolon. He seemed content in his work and I hesitated disturbing him.
“Come, child, you have a question?” Soft, gold-colored eyes turned to me.
Child - I was still considered a child by Elven standards, but because of the great toll in the war half a century ago, Elven traditions had changed to accommodate the nearly missing generations.
“I’m so sorry to disturb you, sir. I’m a bit lost.” The paper remained tightly clutched in my hand.
He waved me over to give him my slip. “I’m a librarian - you are not disturbing me.” He pulled his glasses from where they sat atop his head. “Ah, many of these are in our restricted section. Why would you be interested in this subject?”
“My name is Ketayl, I’m an Arcane Investigator with the Terran Intelligence Organization. I need the information for a case. I’m dealing with arcane remnants that are emitting an emotional response.” How much was I allowed to tell him? I should have spoken with Savanas first about it.
He bowed to me, “Maewon.” I recognized the name from Rathal. He handed me back my slip of paper. “This is dark magic. Very dark. I am willing to help you, but I must first know if you are looking to learn this yourself.”
“I need to know how to disperse it. I don’t understand. I thought it was a natural occurrence.” I felt strangely satisfied that I predicted it was not, as many sources claimed, a natural occurrence. However, the discovery was quickly overridden by my concern over his words.
“Come with me, we should speak where we will not be overheard,” he said. I had a feeling Maewon was going to be a better source of information than the books I had listed.
Something else told me I was not going to like what I heard.
~*~
The word “Archmage” was on the door as we passed through and his relative comfort in the large office had me bowing and apologizing. “I’m so sorry for my rudeness, Archmage.”
“Please sit. That title suits me as much as it does a fresh student. I’m little more than an administrator,” Maewon said, putting some books down on the cluttered desk, “I fear I spend more time in the library than in here.”
The office was sparse. There were windows for walls with a view out over the port. The Naval battleship dwarfed the other boats in the harbor.
Inside of the office, large seating pillows were lain out around the floor. I settled onto one as requested and watched him pull another pillow from behind the cluttered desk.
Once settled, Maewon eyed me for a moment before he said, “Your response to my title is not one of a typical Elven mage.”
I sighed; habits were hard to break. Being privately instructed by the Magus because I was an Arcanist did not give me much to base a whole school off of. I had little chance to interact with the rest of the school during that time.
Digging into the sleeve of my coat, I pulled out my scarf and the Arcane College pin attached there. “I studied for a bit with Magus Engelil after transferring to the TIO, but I was a Researcher at the Arcane College.”
Maewon smiled; it was gentle and sad. “Engelil is a good friend of mine. I had heard whispers of one of our kind being freed. Though I am glad you decided not to show that around here - it is not a welcome insignia. I take it you are not fond of it yourself?”
Being questioned on my loyalty was starting to get irritating. I could understand though - even I was questioning where I stood anymore.
Looking down at the pin - the gold, diamond-shaped insignia only had a couple of differences from the student version. Being almost the size of my palm and the gems inlaid to create the background being the quickest to identify. It was only a Researcher’s pin and not nearly as large or elaborate as the ones that the higher ranks mages would wear. I had no emotional attachment to it.
When I first received my student pin, I was filled with hope and wonder. When I received this one, I knew very well what life I would lead at the time and felt no reason to celebrate the accomplishment.
“I fear it only brings me more trouble than I care to have,” I said. I shoved the scarf back down my coat’s sleeve.
His voice was gentle as he said, “Do not fret, child. I heard what you did for Angolon yesterday. Getting back on topic, what do you know about the art of necromancy?”
How was that back on topic? “Very basic information. Mostly that it exists and a few historical references.”
“As I told you before, it is a very dark subject. I personally witnessed the madness that will drive someone to study it. The intentions may even be noble in the beginning. I have seen these emotional responses in arcane remnants… Perhaps I should go back to the beginning a bit and explain,” Maewon said.
Beginning? Shifting in my seat, I tried to get more comfortable as I sensed a long story ahead.
“Necromancy is a forbidden art that is either discovered on the caster’s own or taught directly by another necromancer. There is a key involved though - the caster has to be highly proficient in both the arcane and the divine, for it takes the darkest sides of both and twists them, merging them into something of pure evil.”
He described it like something out of a fairytale. Though all stories have some sort of base in reality - it was simply a matter of how deep you had to dig to find it.
“During the war, someone I was close to, like a brother, lost himself to the madness. The Human contingent that had engaged my unit had a necromancer in their group. If I had known…” Maewon trailed off.
His attention was torn between his memories and the present - his eyes would lose focus and then he would look back to me.
“My friend was a healer. The death and destruction day in and day out was taking its toll on all of us, but even more so on the ones that watched friends die under their care,” Maewon paused and folded his hands in his
lap. I quickly tried to parse the information he said. I knew I could quickly jump from one train of thought to another, but it was something else to follow another’s.
Even being as young as I was in comparison to Maewon, I was old enough to have seen part of the war from a civilian standpoint. I watched it tear friends and families apart. The fighting remained outside of the area my sister and I lived, but the aftermath of the bodies returning home from the war…
To this day I was uncertain what became of our biological parents - all I remembered was being told to take Kitteren and run. Mother had participated in the war, though she refused to speak of it.
Getting up, I moved to a closer pillow and reached over to touch his arm. Maewon looked up at me and smiled, but could not hide the haunted look in his eyes. I did not like to be touched, so under normal circumstances, I would not have reached out for him, but something told me I needed to help keep him grounded.
Maewon took a deep breath and continued, “Even though I was part of the Arcane Division, my friend and I had grown up together. As much as my unit tried, we were losing ground and it was only a matter of time before we would have to evacuate our base camp. Before that could happen, he begged me to teach him about the arcane. He wanted to be able to protect his charges.”
That gave me some insight into divine casters. At least those specialized in healing. They may have spells for defense, but a well-timed fireball in a fight was an equally good deterrent.
He said, “I thought nothing of it, knowing little about necromancy and aware of certain casters in the unit that were able to cast both, but they were in support roles as their knowledge of either was limited. I quickly discovered though my friend had as much of a gift for the arcane as he did for the divine.”
This was something I knew the Researcher at the Arcane College who was dabbling in mixing arcane and divine did not. Perhaps that was why he had been unsuccessful.
“It wasn’t long after his lifemate fell in battle the experiments started. He was driven mad by the loss - he wanted to try and find a way to bring back the dead. He needed her. She had kept his balance and sanity. My words were lost to him.” Maewon’s eyes turned to the windows this time and I feared losing him to his memories.
I started to understand what he meant by the process could start with noble intentions. The loss of a lifemate was detrimental to an Elf - the bond so strong that it was like losing a part of yourself. I did not have a lifemate or anyone I was even remotely close to in that regard, so I was unable to fully relate.
“Eventually we managed to capture the necromancer. I’m still not sure how he did it, but he convinced the guards to let him speak with the woman. After that… well, he killed her and then drove forward into the fight himself. Being untrained in arcane combat, he didn’t stand a chance. It was the best possible ending at that stage.”
Taking a deep breath, Maewon returned his attention to me. “I apologize, you came here for answers to a current situation and here I am telling you about things past. However, there is something within this story to share. My friend managed to recreate the emotional responses you are curious about. I couldn’t see or understand where they were coming from. He was able to successfully create them each time. The strongest healers in our unit would not speak of what they saw, but through much effort, they were able to cleanse it. I spent a long time searching for answers in books, like you are, but to this day, I still do not know.”
That means… “You think that I’m dealing with a necromancer?”
“I’m fairly certain given just your list of books and brief description of the problem you face. I fear, however, you won’t find what I just told you in any book.” Maewon got up, straightening his clothes. “I wish I had more to offer you than old stories. I do not wish to see another, especially one so young and full of potential, go down this road. If you really require the books, however, I will not interfere with your investigation.”
I stood with him and said, “It is the past that will help guide us in both the present and the future.”
Raising an eyebrow, Maewon smiled, “It has been many a year since I have heard such wise words.” He held his hand out, palm up to me.
I hesitated before taking it in a familiar Elven greeting. “I am only repeating the lesson you taught. I think you’ve given me more than the books could, thank you.”
“Of course you will be welcome if there is more information that you require. Especially since you managed to sit through one of my lectures without falling asleep in the first couple of minutes,” Maewon said and smiled. He escorted me to the front of the building.
It was not the same bustle as before, but many students were once again wandering the halls. I supposed it would be about that time of year that classes would be wrapping up. The Winter Solstice was coming up soon and they would be taking a break for the holiday.
I again thanked Maewon as we parted at the entrance. Digging my scarf out, I took the pin off and stuffed it in one of my coat pockets. I was done with the thing.
Chapter 7
It was late afternoon by the time I got back to the office. Artemis was in the reception area again. I wondered if it was because Melody kept spoiling her or after the attack yesterday evening. At least her presence told me Retanei might be in the building. Big Black picked his head up to glance at me as I came up on the side of the desk and then put his head back down. He was curled up on a large pad behind Melody’s desk.
I paused to take my coat and scarf off and pet Artemis when she trotted over to me. I felt tired even though I had not physically done much this afternoon. I knew we would be working late into the evening so I was going to have to find more energy somehow.
My mind had been running nonstop since I left the EAC. I should get upstairs and start directing my search for more information about necromancy. If I could get even a historical point of reference, it may give me a better idea of how to dissipate the arcane remnants at least. Well, once I figured out how to disconnect whatever the power source was.
It sounded like I was going to need the advice of someone specialized in the divine. I wondered how Retanei had faired in trying to get someone.
Savanas was not going to like the information I was coming back with. I was still working out how to tell her.
I was also trying to remember where I had found the basic information from when I was copying books at the Arcane College. I had access to their restricted section since I was one of the few Researchers that actually put effort into finding information.
Fear of punishment for failure was usually a good motivator.
“Oh my…” I looked up at Melody when she spoke. I followed her line of sight, hoping it was not another puppet. Although not a puppet, I was not prepared for the sight before me either.
“Pardon me, ladies, but by chance would either one of you be Savanas Farstrider?”
I wondered if maybe I had fallen asleep during Maewon’s short lecture. In the real world, there would not have been not a male Elf with long, braided silver hair wearing full plate armor. On one arm, he carried a large shield with a golden sun decorating its face and a long sword sheathed at his hip. Instead of a helmet, he wore a circlet. His blue eyes completely serious.
A paladin would be someone specialized in the divine. Perhaps he was here for another reason. Melody did not seem to have expected him and certainly this office would have more than just this investigation going on.
I looked to Melody who was trying to hide her face behind the tall counter of her desk. She managed to sound calmer than she looked when she replied, “No.”
It was one of the few times I easily understood another’s amusement. Artemis started sniffing at him from a distance, uncertain about the metal man. Big Black had not even lifted his head. Why had he growled at me when we first met?
Standing, I felt incredibly short - I only came up to his shoulder. Giving him a formal Elven greeting, I said, “My name is Ketayl. Can I help you with somethin
g?” I noticed a large canvas bag by his feet stuffed to capacity and a bound packet of papers in his shield hand.
He tried to mimic my greeting, but could not manage the flowing movement in his armor. “Paladin Silver Blaise of the Holy Church of the Sun. I was dispatched here by my mentor who was contacted by your Director…” he trailed off, stroking the small patch of hair on his chin.
Melody and I looked at each other while he tried to come up with a name. I knew the Arcane College was behind the times, but this was right out of one of those medieval fantasy novels my sister liked to read.
“I apologize, I am unable to recall his name. I was told to report to Savanas Farstrider.” This paladin must have felt as out of place as he appeared. Kneeling before me, he took my hand and kissed the back of it. “Lady Ketayl, is it both an honor and a pleasure to meet you.”
“Uh…” That was less than eloquent. I caught Melody’s amusement out of the corner of my eye before she busied herself at her desk. “I can bring you upstairs to talk to Savanas. Does he need to sign in or anything?”
A clip board and a visitor’s badge appeared on the counter. I took that as a yes.
~*~
Through some effort I managed to get the paladin signed in and upstairs. He wore fingerless leather gloves instead of the metal gauntlets I had seen in historical texts, which made the process a bit smoother. His sword and shield had disappeared, but I had not been paying attention when it happened.
Melody entered the information into the computer almost as soon as he wrote it down. Having him follow me, I escorted the Elven man upstairs. As the elevator dinged, I stepped off first, hoping to catch Savanas’ attention.
“Ket! I was wondering when you were going to get back, Vince called…” Savanas paused, her eyes moved to the paladin behind me. She coughed and hid her mouth with her hand. “I see you’ve met our new consultant.”
Twisted Magics (Terra Chronicles Book 1) Page 7