by Andrew Day
“Yes. He was well.”
“Joined up with some people even creepier than he was,” said Serrel.
“That’s good.”
There was a pointed silence. Kaitlin fidgeted.
Mouse put her out of her misery. “He asked about you.”
“Did... Did he now?” Kaitlin said casually, then added, “Not that I wondered.”
“Oh yes. It was practically the first thing he said.”
Kaitlin smirked triumphantly. “Was it? Well then... Not that I’m curious even the slightest bit but... Where is he now?”
“Off sharpening his knives,” said Serrel.
“But I’m sure he’ll come looking for you,” said Mouse.
“Maybe,” said Kaitlin airily. “That’s up to him. I don’t mind one way or the other.”
“If he doesn’t,” said Justin darkly. “I’m going to kill him myself. I can’t take much more of this...”
“Not that Katey mentions ol’ Vic much,” Greasy Tim said quickly.
“Not once. Not at all,” joined in Edgar, shooting Justin a glare.
“It’s all right for you two,” moaned Justin. “I have to work with her. Every bloody day it’s-”
“So Serrel,” Kaitlin interrupted loudly. “Have you heard what’s happening? No one seems to know, and anyone who does know won’t tell us.”
“Basically,” explained Serrel, “we’re going to take the city tomorrow, but first someone has to go in first and destroy the elves’ secret weapon before they use it on us.”
Edgar blanched. “Really? That’s what the elves used on us? A secret weapon?”
“But we destroyed it,” said Mouse proudly. “But someone says they have another. So Victor and his strange friends are going to take care of it.”
“Victor is?” asked Kaitlin.
“Don’t worry. We’ll be there to keep him alive, won’t we, Serrel?”
“I guess so,” said Serrel. “But don’t go around telling anyone about this.”
“Who’d we tell?” asked Greasy Tim. “Bloody ‘ell, what ‘ave you lot got yourselves into?”
“The same as you,” Serrel replied. “Can any of you honestly say that this was what you were expecting when you took the bronze?”
“To be honest, I’m not sure I thought it through enough,” said Edgar. “I mean, yes, I knew it would be violent, but this is just...” He was at a loss for words.
“I just wanted to learn how to weave,” said Kaitlin despondently. “Two years of service and then off to the College of Arcania. I never imagined I would have to actually... kill people.”
“You haven’t killed anyone, Astral,” said Justin wearily.
“I might’ve done. I don’t know where that fireball landed.”
“If it hit someone, they probably deserved it,” Mouse said to make her feel better.
“Have you two even had to... fight anyone?” Serrel asked gently.
“Oh, thank gods, no!” said Kaitlin. “In support, we just have to cast shields.”
“And the occasional fireball,” said Justin, “Which, trust me, came nowhere close to hitting anyone.”
“I don’t think I could even... do it,” said Kaitlin. “Kill someone, I mean. How would you even... How could you bring yourself to do it?”
“You don’t think about it,” said Mouse. “You just weave, and then they die.”
Kaitlin looked at her in horror. “Oh, Mouse. Did you...?”
“A few times. It isn’t that bad.”
“By a few,” put in Serrel, “she means... What was the last count? Fifteen?”
“About that,” said Mouse, with a hint of pride.
“You’ve killed... fifteen...”
Kaitlin was having trouble comprehending this. Mouse had always been a quiet little thing, and Kaitlin, as the only other girl in the group, had tried to be like an older sister to her during training, looking out for her, and making sure she wasn’t picked on or treated unfairly. This was like learning the little kitten she had been dutifully raising had grown up to become a lioness, and one that ate people at that.
“Are you... feeling all right, Mouse?” she asked.
“All things considered, I’m fine,” Mouse replied. “Seeing all of you again has made me feel even better.”
“That’s reassuring,” said Justin uncomfortably.
“Always wondered about you, Mouse,” said Greasy Tim thoughtfully. “It’s always the quiet ones. I mean, there were those sad gits you smacked the shit out of that time. Always figured you had a mean streak. Good on you.”
“Tim!” Kaitlin objected.
“Thank you, Timmy,” said Mouse.
“You aren’t the only one,” Greasy Tim went on. “You see Bull the other night? Went mental he did. That dozy elf that attacked us, and Bull just went right off, smackin’ ‘im about with his staff. You’d never ‘ave thought it. Such a easy going bloke most of the time, but there he was, really laying into that elffy bastard.”
“He killed him?” asked Kaitlin.
“No. He was still alive. I kicked ‘im in the fork to be sure. Bugger made some groaning noises. That’s a lesson the twat won’t forget in a hurry.”
“I think I may have read somewhere about that sort of thing being against the rules of conduct in war, Tim,” said Justin.
“There are rules in war? Could ‘ave bloody fooled me. Worse than back ‘ome, this is. At least no one ever tried to take a bite outta me in the city. Well, ‘cept ol’ Tosser Talbot. But, fair’s fair, I did stab ‘im a bit.”
“Why?”
“With a name like Tosser Talbot, why’d you think? He was a complete pillock, wasn’t he? Don’t give me that look, Katey,” he said to Kaitlin on seeing her expression. “It’s not like I stabbed ‘im in any meaningful way. He had it comin’.”
“I’m sure he did, but...” Kaitlin looked miserable. “I really didn’t think this through properly. This was such a bad idea.”
“Listening to Tim’s stories is always a bad idea,” agreed Justin.
“Not that. I mean...” She waved her hands to indicate the camp. “This. Joining the Legion. I don’t think I can handle much more of this.”
“We’ve haven’t done anything,” said Justin. “We haven’t even seen an elf up close yet, Astral. Compared to some people, we have it lucky.”
“I know. That’s what I’m talking about. Things are going to go bad, and I don’t think I’m going to be able to handle it.”
“Speaking from experience,” Serrel said. “I don’t think anyone really knows how they’re going to react. Then the time comes, and you won’t even think about it.”
“But if you’re having trouble, it does sometimes help to think about someone else,” said Mouse. “Like... Justin.”
“Me?”
“Imagine that they’re Justin. That will make it much easier.”
“That’s what I’m going to do,” said Edgar with a determined smile.
“What did I ever do?” complained Justin.
They looked at him.
“You have to ask?” said Mouse.
“She’s joking,” said Serrel. He looked at her expression. “At least... Let’s assume she’s joking.”
Mouse patted Kaitlin on the back. “You’ll be fine. We’ll all look out for you.”
“Sure, Katey,” agreed Greasy Tim. “Where I come from, you look out for your gang.”
“Oh. Thanks,” said Kaitlin.
Justin shook his head. “On a completely non-creepy topic that involves no violence inflicted on me whatsoever: Oh, look. There’s Bull.”
The missing member of Pond Scum came up to their shelter, his uniform muddy and soaked. His huge blank face lit up as Mouse emerged to meet him. He embraced her in a huge hug and lifted her off the ground as though she didn’t weigh anything. For the time ever, Mouse smiled and laughed happily as he spun her around, and everyone let themselves forget her previous, disconcerting comments.
When he saw Serrel
, Bull slapped him happily on the back and sent him sprawling on top of Justin. The Kaitlin fussed over them all until Bull climbed under the shelter and out of the rain, and with his size, forcing Justin and Serrel back out.
Serrel didn’t care. They were all alive and unharmed, and that was all that mattered.
Brant appeared some time later, looking for him.
“Fresh Meat? The, uh, generals are looking for you?”
Pond Scum all looked at Serrel.
“The generals?” asked Justin. “Why are the generals looking for you?”
Brant thought about that. “Commendation, court martial, promotion. Could be anything really. Most likely it’s the suicide mission they’re about to send him on. Best not keep them waiting then, eh?”
Serrel climbed awkwardly out of the shelter. He glanced back at his friends.
“I’m glad I got to see you all again,” he said lamely. “I guess I’ll see you all later.”
“Sure,” said Kaitlin, wearing an expression like she was watching him walk to the gallows. “We’ll see you soon.”
“Look out for each other, all right. Don’t do anything... stupid.”
“As if we would,” said Greasy Tim.
Serrel gave them a small smile, and then went off with Brant, back to the war.
There was a number of people waiting expectantly for him in the tent. Dillaini stared coldly at him, but Snow was there to give him a reassuring smile.
Morton sat in the corner, his face bruised and bloody, already swelling.
“Good of you to join us, Caster,” said Dillaini.
Serrel stood to attention. “Ma’am.”
“Going from information given to us from the elf and from... that,” she glanced briefly at Morton, who looked away. “I have decided to send in a small group to locate and destroy this... Illudin. Apparently your help is required.” She waved Dhulrael and the wizard forwards.
The wizard beamed at Serrel happily. “It’s good to meet you, Caster Hawthorne. I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. My name is Arch-Magus Augustus Grimm. I am in charge of our battlemage forces here in the Legion.”
“Yes, Sir,” Serrel replied.
“You don’t need to “sir” me, Caster. I’m technically a civilian. I actually work as a member of the faculty at the College of-”
“He doesn’t need your life story, Grimm,” snapped Dillaini. “Get to the damn point.”
“Apologies, dear Jadia. I do sometimes go on, deary me, yes,” Grimm said, still smiling and ignoring the glare Dillaini shot his way. “Now, Caster, when we, and by “we” I mean you, go into Vollumir, you are going to have to find the Illudin. Unfortunately, it’s quite a big city. But there may be a way to track it down, and for that, we will need you.”
“Yes, Sir. What do I have to do?”
“Good lad. You see you... Actually,” Grimm turned to Dhulrael. “Do you want to explain?”
“No,” Dhulrael replied depreciatingly. “Go on.”
“No please, be my guess.”
“I couldn’t.”
“But it was your idea, and a fine one, I must say...”
“If one of you doesn’t start talking, I’m going to have you both flayed alive,” stated Dillaini.
“Really, Jadia. So uncouth. My dear, Caster,” Grimm went on. “Have you ever performed any scrying before?”
“No, Sir. I’m afraid my training was cut short.”
“Well, in that case first things first. You know that the ether flows into and around all things, and that it can, over time, shape and distort the world around it?”
“I have heard that, Sir.”
“Well, as it happens, that works both ways. As the ether changes the world around it, its current environment changes it as well.”
Serrel thought about that. “Like the primordial ether?”
“Exactly. But also, the energy inside a mage is shaped by the mage it inhabits. Scrying allows us to track a mage, or this case a magical object, by using a sample of the ether that has been... shall we say, recoloured by them.”
“I think I understand, Sir. The energy in the Illudin, it was different from the way the ether normally is. It was changed from being trapped in the Illudin. It was... wilder, I suppose you could say.” He mulled this over. “And I absorbed some of that energy.”
“Exactly!” Grimm said happily. “And barely half a day ago. With any luck, the energy has not yet reformed itself to your body, and may still have the unique signature of the Illudin. With a small sample, I can use a seeking crystal to point you to the location of the Illudin inside Vollumir.” Grimm smiled proudly, then ruined the moment by adding, “Most likely.”
“How can I help, Sir?”
Grimm held up a small shard of clear, glassy crystal. “Can you transfer a small portion of your energy into this? A small amount, as pure energy, not weaved. Just as you would transfer energy into another mage.”
Serrel took the shard and held it in his hand. Using basic techniques, he willed a small portion of energy into the crystal, which sucked it up greedily. The clear shard quickly took on a bright red colour.
“Excellent,” commented Dhulrael. “The energy has not been altered much.”
“This should be perfect,” said Grimm, taking the shard from Serrel.
He went to the table, which was now covered in a layer of maps, the most dominant of which showed a layout of Vollumir. Grimm gently laid the shard on the table, then patted himself down, trying to find something hidden in his robes. Eventually he pulled out a small leather flask, which he unstoppered, and before anyone could stop him, poured the contents all over the map.
“Grimm!” Dillaini hissed in irritation.
“No need to fret, I know what I’m doing,” said Grimm undaunted.
The fluid was shiny and metallic, like quicksilver. It flowed across the map until it was almost completely covered. Then Grimm took his staff, a huge dark brown length of wood carved with runes and lined with gems of many colours, and held it over the mess, uttering words of power under his breath.
The pool of quicksilver began to ripple, and then before their eyes began to shrink backwards into the centre of the map. The pool arranged itself so that its borders corresponded to the outline of the city beneath it. Grimm uttered a few more words of power, and the silvery liquid began to bubble upwards. Small bumps expanded on its surface, and then reformed themselves into strange blocky shapes, the biggest of which lay in the very center, and soon sprouted a tall spike from its surface.
It took Serrel a moment to realise he was looking at a three dimensional map of the city formed out of the metallic liquid, complete with streets and buildings, with the huge fortress and its foreboding tower right in the middle.
“How did you do that?” he couldn’t help but ask.
Grimm looked pleased with himself. “Wasn’t easy, let me tell you. It’s much easier to do here than in the Empire, thanks to all the ambient energy. Anyway, let’s see where this mysterious Illudin is...”
He carefully examined the simmering map of Vollumir, muttering under his breath things like, “Where are you now? Come out, come out...”
“You see,” Dhulrael said to Serrel is his usual lecturing voice, “the ether has been seeping into the city for centuries. Small traces of its energy can be found in the buildings, and in the streets. It leaves a particular pattern in the environment. What the Arch-Magus has done is recreate this pattern in miniature.”
“It’s impressive, I’ll give him that,” agreed Serrel. “But how does that help him find the Illudin?”
“The Illudin does not have the same energy as the city. It will not appear in the recreation. He is not so much looking for the Illudin, as much as the absence of it.”
“There!” Grimm declared suddenly. “That’s where it is.”
The others gathered around and followed his pointed finger.
“Where?” asked Dillaini.
“Right there,” said Grimm proud
ly. “See?”
“I see the best map we have of Vollumir ruined by your inane spellcasting.”
“It’s mercury, it comes right off... Although you may want to avoid inhaling too deeply, General, they say it can be slightly poisonous.”
Dillaini practically leapt backwards, scowling at the wizard.
“Is that what you mean?” Serrel asked. He pointed to the spot Grimm had indicated, where the perfect lines of the tiny buildings was distorted, curving inwards away from the street where they should have been straight. The tiny street had an almost imperceptible dip in its surface.
“That?” asked Dillaini. “That’s what you want to go on? How do you know that’s not a mistake in your spell?”
“Oh, Jadia,” said Grimm with a hurt expression. “A little faith. Besides...” He picked up the shard Serrel had charged with energy, and held it in the air. He waved it back and forth a few times, slowly turning in a circle. Then he smiled, and pointed in one direction. “Yes, it is definitely that way.”
Dillaini exhaled sharply. “You mean in the direction of the city.”
“Oh, yes. I am positive.”
“A little model, and broken piece of crystal you’ve waved in the air. That’s all you have for me? Seriously?”
“You need more?” asked Grimm in confusion.
“I don’t know about you, Captain, but I’m sold,” said Snow in a surprisingly happy tone as he examined the map.
Jurgen nodded slowly. “It isn’t in the fortress,” he commented.
“No, that’s in the outer city,” said Dhulrael. “At the intersection of two main roads... Interesting. From there the Ferine can move it quickly to any side of the city, and relocate it to whichever of the gates you attack.”
“If that’s where it is,” said Dillaini. “You don’t know for certain.”
“This seeking crystal will point in its direction,” put in Grimm. “Even if it moves, you should be close enough to follow.”
Snow looked at Dillaini. “I’ve gone into worse places with less. General, Ma’am, permission to do something stupid.”
Dillaini sighed. “Very well. This is what is going to happen. The Legion is going to launch its attack on that city at daybreak. Before then, Jurgen and Snow along with a small force of their men will infiltrate the city and take out that Illudin. The Patrician will lead you through the tunnels. If it can do what you all claim, then you have to destroy it before our attack starts. If you succeed in that, then you are to move through the city, and seize control of the south gates. If you can get the gates open, then Legion can enter the city, and then there will be nothing to stop us from taking control.”