Magus (Advent Mage Cycle)

by Honor Raconteur

  "…I'm sorry," I croaked out, "what?" I could not have been more astonished if he had announced that the Earth Mage had turned the sun into a pink parasol. With ruffles.

  Overlyten, I think, said that line in such a deadpanned way just to get this sort of reaction from me. He was enjoying my discomposure far too much. "He encased him in a magical crystal, a crystal that kept him alive while the healing charms had a chance to work."

  "And then…what?" Eagle prompted, completely engrossed in the story.

  "And then every magician was ordered to the Isle of Strae, and never came back," Overlyten replied, splaying his palms in a helpless shrug.

  The full implication of this statement hit me like a bolt of lightning. I nearly fell out of my chair. "You mean this Captain of yours is still in there?!"

  "Yes." Overlyten leaned forward, intense and pleading. "Magus Rhebengarthen—please get him out."

  ~*~

  I simply couldn't believe what I was seeing.

  Deep within the bowels of the castle, within a dark room that had never seen sunlight, was the most ancient magical craftsmanship that I had ever laid eyes on. The crystal was a good eight feet long, standing upright, and was thick enough to where it would have taken two men to reach around the width of it. There, suspended inside that perfectly clear crystal, was a man. He was as still as death, and if not for my magical sense telling me otherwise, I would have thought he was.

  "Magus, meet Captain Riicshaden," Overlyten said softly.

  Riicshaden wasn't the large, bulky warrior that I had envisioned. He was of a normal height and a slim build. The muscles that I could see on his arms spoke of strength, but more built for speed and endurance than anything else. He was still in the black and silver uniform of Jarrell, ripped and bloodstained from battle. They apparently hadn't even taken time to change him into clean clothing.

  "Is he still alive?" Overlyten enquired hesitantly.

  My eyes never left the crystal. "Yes."

  "Rain and drought," he whispered in amazement. "Can you free him?"

  Maybe? "I hope so," I answered honestly. "Allow me to study it, please."

  "Of course, of course." He backed away a few paces, supposedly to give me room to work.

  I strove to ignore my audience, turning my mind to the problem at hand. Night was still outside the castle, as we hadn't known how to get him down the very narrow staircase without destroying said staircase. I described what I was seeing to him, ending with, "Any Jaunten knowledge you want to share?"

  "I think my mother heard about this, but she never saw it. I don't know more than you do."

  "That's helpful, Night. Thanks." My mental "voice" dripped with sarcasm.

  "You're the all-powerful Advent Mage, you figure it out."

  "Now that was low."

  "Stop stalling."

  I sighed, wondering what I had done to deserve such abuse. He was right, though. I was stalling. I felt completely out of my depth, and I was deathly afraid of making a mistake and accidentally killing the Captain. It would be really pathetic if Riicshaden had managed to live for the past two hundred years, and then I kill him trying to get him out of the bloody crystal.

  That would hardly do wonders for my reputation.

  "Garth?" there was an odd tone to Night's voice.

  "Yes?"

  "Captain Riicshaden is talking to me."

  My jaw hit the floor so fast it bounced on the stone tile. "WHAT?!"

  "Magus?" Overlyten exclaimed in alarm.

  I was too flabbergasted to say anything to him. "What do you mean, he's talking to you?"

  "Just that. I checked to see if he was awake or not, and he responded. He's requested that you get him out, even if it kills him. He says that he's tired of being trapped in there."

  I felt the blood drain rapidly out of my face, leaving me cold and shaken. Great ancient magic, he was aware in that bloody thing?

  Overlyten is not a patient man. When I didn't respond, he reached out and grabbed my shoulders, nearly shaking me. "Magus, what's wrong?!"

  "He's awake," I whispered.

  The Dom froze, as if he were a statue. "He's what?" the question was dangerously calm.

  "He's awake. He requested that I get him out, even if it kills him." What must it be like, to spend two centuries so thoroughly trapped that you couldn't even twitch a muscle? That must have been maddening. I would have gone insane.

  My fears suddenly didn't matter. I had to get him out. And I had to do it now. I nearly shoved Overlyten out of the way, intent on my purpose. I put both hands against the crystal's surface, feeling the warm texture against my skin. How to do this…?

  The crystal itself was nothing remarkable, but made like every other crystal in existence. It was the power imbued in it that made things interesting. Earth power was there in abundance, which wasn't surprising, considering who made it. That power was tied to a ley line, which was unusual, but again, not unexpected. The Mage's spells would not have lasted this long without some help. There were healing spells put into the crystal as well. I've seen similar spells, so I recognized the feel of it. It confirmed what I had been told.

  I wasn't sure if that spell would complicate extracting the Captain or not. Chatta would know, but she wasn't here. I'd have to guess, and under the circumstances, guessing wrong was very hazardous.

  Taking a mental step back, I thought about it logically. The healing spell on that crystal was nearly gone, so Riicshaden was probably completely healed. At least, after two hundred years, I should hope he was completely healed. It was safe to remove him from the crystal in that sense. But how to extract him…?

  I examined the crystal again, carefully feeling out every nuance. A half-formed idea started swirling around in my brain. I almost dismissed it as ludicrous, but the more I thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

  "My lord?"

  Overlyten appeared at my side like a puppy expecting a treat. "Yes?"

  "Be ready to catch him."

  He lit up, as excited as any child during a celebration. "You can do it?"

  "I think so. Just be ready to catch him, if he falls your direction."

  "Right." He scooted over a foot, arms spread in preparation.

  I said a quick prayer that this would work then I made myself focus. Crystal, in essence, was rock that was so compressed by heat and pressure that it turned into this sheer, transparent material. In theory, all I had to was put it under a different kind of heat and pressure, and it would melt again. The problem was controlling that heat and pressure so that I didn't bake the poor man trapped inside.

  I started from the top, working my way down, influencing the stone to melt. Rivers of liquid rock flowed down to the floor, like wax would from a candle. This was a very nerve-wracking process. Was I hurting him? I had no way to tell, and didn’t want to lose my focus by talking to Night. Just melting the rock, however, without taking any precautions was too dangerous. But what to do…?

  I almost froze when an idea plopped into my head. Busted brass buckets, that just might work!

  No, forget that, it would work. Riicshaden didn’t deserve my doubts right now.

  Because this was a construction of an Earth Mage, I found it easy to manipulate it. I braced my feet, and placed the palms of my hands firmly against the facets of the crystal. I concentrated on the face of the battered warrior trapped inside, and imagined I was holding him in my arms instead of the crystal. I blocked out everything else around me; I became the crystal, holding his body in a protective embrace and keeping him alive. When I was satisfied that my focus would hold, I slowly extended a shield around the both of us.

  Yes…yes, it worked! He had a shield around him now protecting him from heat and magic.

  Still, I was worried that the process was taking too long. I sped it up, and soon Riicshaden's head was clear. Within seconds, his torso was free, then his knees.

  It was at that point that he toppled forward. Overlyten leapt forward to catch him, su
pporting the body until he was completely clear. Then I reached out, pulling his feet free of the crystal and helping Overlyten carry him a few feet away. No one wants to stay around melted rock, not when it was hot enough to scorch skin. Once he was completely free, I dropped the shield.

  I was about to suggest taking him upstairs when Riicshaden's eyes opened, and he looked at me. They were bright with unshed tears. "Thank you, Magus."

  I grasped his shoulder, squeezing gently. "My pleasure, Captain. Welcome back."

  ~*~

  Riicshaden wouldn't hear of staying indoors. After being cooped up in a dark room for two hundred years, I didn't blame him. I carried him up the staircase myself, and out into the main courtyard. By the time we stopped, I was very grateful he wasn't the large man I had been picturing—I was winded as it was. Being a blacksmith’s son, I wasn’t any stranger to carrying heavy objects. I think it was climbing up three stories of very steep stairs that got me.

  When we were finally in the open, I settled us both on a stone bench that was under the shade of a tree, only partially exposed to the sunlight. We were attracting a lot of attention, just sitting there, but Overlyten was taking care of it. He drew his people away, and I had no doubt that he was already telling the story.

  Riicshaden wasn’t very strong because of his long confinement, so I kept a supportive arm around his back to keep him upright. He lifted his face to the sun, eyes closed, and I think that if he had been capable of it, he would have purred in contentment.

  "I've missed the sun," he whispered.

  The curiosity was eating at me. I just had to ask. "Were you really awake all that time?"

  "Most of the time, I slept," he admitted. "Whatever spells were put on the crystal encouraged me to do that. But I woke up whenever people came into the room. I heard their voices."

  If he had remained sleeping most of the time, I could understand why he was still sane. Awake for two hundred years would not have kept one's sanity intact.

  After another moment of sheer enjoyment, he lowered his head enough to talk to me. "Your Nreesce, Night, is a very nice fellow. He was telling me all sorts of stories to keep me distracted while you worked. I'd like to thank him."

  "Of course. I'm sure he'd like to meet you in person as well." A suspicion entered my mind and I asked hesitantly, "What stories?"

  Riicshaden's smile was far too innocent. "Oh, minor things really. He told a great many of his early days with you."

  I groaned. That brat! He loves embarrassing me.

  The Captain started laughing. "It's not that bad, I promise. He really does love you, I could tell. You're good friends."

  "He's one of the best friends that I have," I admitted. Sourly, I added, "Although there are days when I'll swear just the opposite."

  That set him into chuckling again. "I like you, Magus. Do you mind if we drop the formalities?"

  "Not at all," I assured him. "Call me Garth."

  "And I'm Shad, thank you for the gift of your name."

  "There you are!" Xiaolang appeared from behind us, Night at his heels. "Night said that you'd done it. Welcome back, Captain."

  Since I knew everyone, I did the introductions. "Shad, this is Captain Xiaolang of the Red Hand Squadron, and Night. Night, Xiaolang, Captain Riicshaden."

  Xiaolang and Shad exchanged polite bows, and then Shad lifted a hand and placed it against Night's nose. "I'm glad to meet you in person, Night."

  Night pressed into that palm, tail flicking happily. "Me too. How are you feeling?"

  "A little tired, but I don't want to go inside," Shad admitted.

  "I don't blame you." Turning his head to me, he flicked both ears thoughtfully. "I think he needs to eat, Garth, don't you?"

  "Not a bad idea," I concurred. "Shad?"

  He was already nodding, perking up slightly in excitement. "That's something else I've really missed. Food," he sighed dreamily. "Can I have beef stew, some steak pie, apple crisps and a big tankard of mulled apple cider? Oh, and some hot biscuits with butter and jam on them."

  Either he was really hungry after two hundred years, or the man has a hollow leg. "I think you better start out easy first. The beef stew is probably the best food to eat."

  "Kill joy," he grumbled.

  ~*~

  Shad had his beef stew, and was finally convinced to rest, after a lot of persuasive arguing. Even with all of the healing spells on that crystal, being trapped like that for so long had taken a toll on his body. It would take time for him to build his strength up again.

  Xiaolang and I settled in a room near Shad's. Overlyten had insisted that we stay in the castle, and close to Shad, just in case something went wrong. I don't know what he expected me to do if something did go wrong…I'm not exactly a healer, after all. But maybe he thought that because I was a Mage, I could do anything.

  Yeah, that was probably it.

  I wasn't going to turn down free lodging for the night, however. And I did want to stay near Shad. He needed someone to watch his back. The entire providence, it seemed, wanted to catch a glimpse of the revived Captain. It was proving challenging to keep people away long enough for Shad to sleep.

  The room I was in now was large, comfortable, and obviously meant for guests. There were two over-stuffed beds on either side of the room, with rich canopies hanging over them. I threw myself onto one of them, wriggled around comfortably, and prepared to doze off.

  "Garth?"

  I mentally groaned. I wasn't in any mood to talk to Xiaolang. "Yes?" I answered reluctantly.

  "I think we should take Shad with us."

  Huh? Okay, this sounded somewhat important. Maybe I better pay attention. I opened my eyes so I could look at him. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, idly rubbing his hands together. "Why?"

  His eyes never left his hands, still slowly moving against each other. "He's not…comfortable here. Not anymore."

  And Xiaolang would know. "Has he said anything?"

  "No," he denied with a brief shake of the head. "I just sense uneasiness from him. He was well-known before, during the war, but now his fame is overwhelming. He'll never be able to live here comfortably, Garth. He's just too famous."

  I thought of all those times I had run into someone that knew me only as the Advent Mage, and immediately understood what Xiaolang meant. People with hero-worship are never any fun to deal with. "Then I can understand why he wants to leave. But why do you want to take him with us?"

  "A few reasons," Xiaolang answered slowly, as if he were having difficulty putting his thoughts into words. "One, he can teach my team and me how to actually fight against magic."

  That was a valid point all by itself.

  Xiaolang wasn't done, apparently, because he kept going. "Two, I'd feel better having one more Chahiran on the team. There are times when we'll need to infiltrate an area, and right now only you and Eagle have a prayer of blending in. It would be better if you had one more person with you, just to watch your back."

  Two valid points. I nodded, to show that I was agreeing with him, and to encourage him to continue.

  "The last reason is more selfless," Xiaolang admitted. He was smiling ruefully when he spoke. "Shad is far more comfortable with us than with anyone else here. Part of it is because we're not treating him like some sort of warrior-angel descended from the heavens, but I think part of it is because of what we are."

  "A soldier and a Mage," I said in dawning realization.

  "Before being sealed up in that crystal, that was the people that he was around the most—magicians and soldiers. We understand him in ways that no one else can, Garth, and vice versa. I think if we offer the invitation to join us, he'll jump at it."

  Stated that way, I could see Xiaolang's point. "I agree. I wouldn't mind having him along," I added. "It's nerve wracking enough bumbling around in enemy territory with only seven people. Another person would make me feel a little better."

  "You and me both," Xiaolang muttered under his breath.

 
"Will you ask him in the morning?"

  Xiaolang bent a perplexed look on me. "Why do you think I should ask?"

  "It will come better from you." I couldn't offer a reason for that, it was just a hunch I had. "Because you're both soldiers."

  "Your logic is a little shaky, Garth, but I'll ask him." Shaking his head, he finally rolled comfortably into the bed. "Where's Night?"

  "He volunteered to keep watch over Shad tonight." It had surprised me how quickly Night and Shad had become friends. That actually had something to do with how I felt about the Captain. Night was an excellent judge of people. Every person that he's liked on sight like this inevitably became a very good friend.

  "Good, someone needs to keep the rabid fans at bay." With a large yawn, Xiaolang flopped onto his belly. Three seconds later, he was snoring loud enough to wake the dead.

  I yawned myself, closed my eyes, and let the mattress swallow me whole.

  ~*~

  "Can't I get up now?" Shad whined pitifully. His puppy eyes in my direction would put any dog to shame.

  "Can you stand up by yourself?" I replied dryly.

  "Er…"

  "Then no, you can't."

  "Spoilsport." Shad slumped, actually pouting. He was still in bed this morning, because obviously his body hadn't miraculously recovered overnight. I hadn't expected it to.

  Obviously he had.

  "But I'm bored!"

  Just as obviously, he didn't deal well with confinement. Most active people didn't, but still, he was driving me up the wall. If I didn't find some way of distracting him soon, I was going to strangle him. "What if I move you outside?" I suggested out of sheer desperation.

  "Okay!" He lit up in an expectant smile.

  I subdued a put upon sigh, and helped him get out of the bed. Shad could—sort of—stand now, he was just very wobbly. And his legs tended to give out from underneath him at random moments. He put one arm around my shoulders for support, I wrapped an arm around his waist, and then we shuffled our way outside.