by J B Forest
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Seth directed several of the younger mages to monitor the new soldiers as they were outfitted with clothing and provisions for the journey into the human world. They would not be given any weapons until they were well away from the Fae Dominion and were needed on the battlefield in the human world. He did not want to take any chances that the newly transformed soldiers would take the initiative to act on their own and rebel against their Unseelie superiors. This possibility was very unlikely since they all seemed submissive but Seth was not prone to foolish overconfidence. Now that the minions had increased awareness, they gained the ability to think through simple processes. There was always the possibility that some of the transformed minions might have a more heightened mental capacity than the others. They would have to be watched closely.
Seth left the staging area and made his way to the main laboratory. Rahim was trying to refine the spell that allowed them to enter the astral plane and access the portal to the human world. Mogran did not trust many people with the knowledge of this spell so only he and Rahim were allowed to work on this effort. This knowledge was dangerous in many ways and Seth knew that ultimately, they would have to pay the price. The Master did not like to share power and knowledge of this spell definitely equated to power. He had a feeling that his time was limited and knew that he would need to devise a plan to ensure his own survival sooner rather than later.
“Rahim, have you made any progress?” asked Seth as he entered the laboratory. Rahim looked up from the parchment that he was studying as the senior mage approached.
“None so far,” he responded. “The Master wants us to transport the soldiers through the astral plane without alerting the Seelie or other races. That task will be nearly impossible unless we transport only a handful at a time. Any mass transport will cause a vibration during the rift that is sure to be noticed by others.”
Seth nodded in agreement. “You are correct, we will have to minimize the amount of vibration and hope that no one figures out the cause. We cannot afford to draw out the transport process. It will leave both us and the troops too vulnerable. We need to be able to transport them in one or two groups.”
“What is the Master’s time schedule for transport?”
“The troops should be ready for transport within the next few days which does not leave us much time to find a solution. The departure should occur during the next double full moon cycle to optimize our chances for success.”
The two mages settled in to resolve their dilemma. Transporting people through the astral plane was not difficult now that they had the spell. However, every time a rift was created, vibrations were felt throughout Inner Space. The vibrations grew in intensity with the size of the group going through the rift. They realized this anomaly when they experimented with a group twenty or so minions. The minions were given a strong sleeping draught and transported into the plane and through the portal for only a brief period of time. The mages noticed the vibrations almost immediately. They transported a smaller group shortly thereafter and found that the vibrations were not as noticeable.
None of the subjects were ever aware that they left the Fae Dominion when they awoke. The draught might prove useful when transporting the larger group to avoid any panic among the ranks. Immobilizing the minions/troops during transport would also allow Mogran’s lieutenants sufficient time to organize themselves upon arrival in the human world before the larger group regained consciousness.
“I made a note to have a larger batch of the sleeping draught made and ready for distribution just before the transportation process begins,” Seth murmured to Rahim as he scribbled in his parchment tablet. “Dispensing the draught to the minions will minimize any risk of panic and allow the lieutenants time to organize themselves on the other side.”
“Good idea. Do you think we will be allowed to travel with the troops? I have always dreamed of traveling to other worlds. Ever since we lost our access to the astral plane, I wondered what it would be like to be able step through and travel freely.”
“It is not as easy as it seems and you must remember that without the spell most Fae and members of other races inhabiting Inner Space cannot travel through the plane without serious consequences. I have seen the results of failed attempts to travel the plane with my own eyes.”
Rahim looked up with an unbelieving gaze. “I thought those warnings were tales spun by the Seelie royalty and the Elves to discourage us from astral travel. After the banishment, it seemed to all be a web of lies.”
“I lived in the Seelie domain before the days of the banishment. A friend of mine who thought as you do – that the stories about the dangers of astral travel were just meant to keep us from invading other worlds – tried to enter the astral plane without the benefit of spells or other enchantments. He returned completely disfigured and totally insane. It was as though parts of his body were crushed flat, his torso was only half the depth of a normal Fae. He did not survive long after the attempt.”
“I guess that is something you would never forget,” Rahim replied soberly.
Seth shivered at the remembered nightmare. The friend that he spoke about was actually his younger brother. At the time they were both aspiring mages in the Seelie court, apprenticed to one of the junior mages. His brother’s talents were much better honed than his, but his arrogance was his undoing. Seth grimaced inwardly. His own arrogance was the cause of his demise and untimely capture by the Unseelie prince. It seemed that both brothers had fallen victim to this family trait.
Seth still struggled with the idea of thwarting Mogran’s plans but he knew that any actions at this stage would be premature and only result in exposing himself. He needed allies and there were none that he could rely on in the Unseelie domain, especially not Rahim. In fact, he worried a little about sharing the story with Rahim and reminding the mage that he was not an Unseelie Fae. But it was too late to do anything about that and he hoped that the mage would focus more on the lesson from the story.
Seth had to admit that Rahim might have a point about accompanying the minion troops to the human world. It might be an opportunity to forge a plan to impede Mogran’s progress. There was an outside chance that he might meet some potential allies. He would just need to convince Mogran that it was in his best interests to send him with the troops. Convincing Mogran that someone else’s ideas were in his best interests was always tricky. Many had fallen to the iron hand of Mogran in vain attempts to bend his will. Seth also knew that Rahim would not hesitate to turn informant and report any unusual behavior to Mogran if he suspected anything.
He suspected that Rahim endured in his role as second to Seth because: 1) he was acutely aware of Seth’s superior natural skills, and 2) the right opportunity to move against him had not yet presented itself. Seth also did not underestimate Rahim’s abilities. His natural abilities were not as powerful as Seth’s, but Rahim was extremely bright and his analytical abilities more than compensated for any lack in natural talent. Despite their enmity, the two worked well together. There were times when Seth actually enjoyed attacking challenges with the other mage. They approached the same problems from different perspectives and were able to find solutions more quickly than a half dozen of the others in the cadre combined.
“I am sure that the Master will want one of his senior mages to accompany the troops and ensure that nothing goes wrong with the transformation spell,” offered Seth. He paused to allow the thought to sink in and then continued. “However, one of us will need to remain here, – the responsibilities of the senior mage is too great to allow both of us to travel to the human world.” Seth could see the struggle in Rahim’s eyes. The opportunity to travel away from the Fae Dominion was enticing but the role of the most senior mage was something that he had coveted for a long time.
“You are correct one of us needs to ensure that things do not fall apart here as well. That is a grave responsibility,”
“We should discuss it with the
Master, but right now we should direct all of our efforts to perfecting the spell.”
The two mages worked on the spell for many hours before retiring for the evening. Time was short but both agreed that they could accomplish more if they were well rested. Seth began think about the best way to approach Mogran about accompanying the troops to the human world on the way back to his quarters. He was sure that Rahim would be happy to remain behind and assume the role of senior mage. He smiled as he remembered the mage’s reaction when he mentioned the fact that one of them would need to remain to lead things. Rahim was so excited that he nearly began to foam at the mouth. Seth figured that Rahim would be more willing to cooperate if he felt he was gaining the advantage. Allowing Rahim to assume his responsibilities suited him just fine if he had the opportunity to break away from Mogran’s iron grip.
He arrived at his quarters, entered and shut the door quickly. He ignited the torches that were placed along the walls of his rooms mentally. He could never get accustomed to the darkness of the Unseelie Domain. He had learned to tolerate it over the years but he never enjoyed the darkness and it always kept him in a dour mood. As a result, he maintained as much light in his personal quarters as was safely possible. He was convinced that being able to retreat to the confines of his well-lit quarters, helped him to keep his sanity.
He made sure that the heavy tapestries hung over the windows were in place so that the light could not be seen from other parts of the castle. He reclined on his bedding and drifted to sleep amidst plans to secure a place in the human world expedition.
The mages were so focused on their work to minimize the rift vibrations the next day that they were equally startled when Mogran blew into the main laboratory. He could usually be heard well down the corridor because he was typically preceded by the loud commands that he issued in his wake. Today he seemed distracted.
“Will the minions be ready to transport through the rift by moon rise tomorrow?” he asked as he closed the door with a forceful slam.
“Moon rise tomorrow?” Seth asked hesitantly. “I thought the plan was to proceed at the next double full moon cycle. That is still three days from now.”
“I decided to accelerate the schedule. The sooner I have my people in place in the human world, the sooner I can begin to assert control over the human king, Cruim. There is no sense in waiting just to perfect a process here or there.”
“I planned to check on the provisioning process this afternoon, however, I will go now to ensure that things are going smoothly and that the minions will be ready,” replied Seth.
“Good. What problem do we have here that keeps my two senior mages so focused?”
Seth and Rahim had previously agreed not to bother Mogran with the vibration problem. They both agreed that it would be something to resolve without inviting his wrath at a potential failure in his grand plan. The two mages looked at each other carefully and Rahim spoke up quickly.
“We were just double checking the measurements for the quantities of the elements used to mix the potion for the rift spell. No need to take any unnecessary chances, right?”
Seth was amazed that his counterpart spoke in response. Normally, Rahim would have allowed Seth to respond and commit himself in case anything went wrong. Maybe he was using this as an opening to lobby to remain as senior mage while Seth travelled through the rift. It was an interesting turn of events to see Rahim assert himself rather than wait for Seth to take the ‘fall’.
Mogran did not seem to notice, he waved his arm in the air in dismissal. “You mages are consumed with making things perfect. The process worked without problems each time we tested it. I want you to put all of your energy into ensuring that everything is ready to transport the minions through the plane tomorrow.” He turned on his heel and began to walk out of the laboratory.
“Master,” Rahim called out.
Seth could not believe what he was hearing. Rahim had never been so assertive in all the years they worked together.
Mogran stopped in his tracks and slowly turned to face the mage. His annoyance was evident on his face. “Yes?”
Rahim hesitated and then stuttered, “Do you think it would be useful to have one of us accompany the minions to ensure that no problems arise with the transformation while in the human world while the other remained here to run your laboratories and deal with any problems here in our domain?”
It was a bold move, but Rahim did well to solicit Mogran’s opinion rather than offer it up as his or Seth’s.
Mogran paused, he seemed less irritated. “I had not thought about that but it is a good idea. Well done Rahim, you shall remain to oversee things here. Seth, you will travel with the minions to make sure that nothing goes wrong.” Mogran smiled to himself, this might be his opportunity to dispose of Seth. Although he depended heavily on the senior mage, he knew too many of Mogran’s secrets. Rahim seemed to be ready to step into the senior mage position. He rubbed his hands together and smiled at the two mages.
“Proceed with the preparations and make sure that everything is ready for departure tomorrow. Seth, I am counting on you to make sure nothing goes wrong in the human world, otherwise heads will roll.” He enjoyed seeing that his words made the senior mage shiver with fear.
“Rahim, I look forward to working more closely with you, it is long past time that we became better acquainted.” With those words he turned and walked out of the laboratory leaving the two mages dumbfounded.
It took several seconds for Seth to recover from the shock of what had just transpired. He turned to his colleague and said, “Rahim, I have never seen you speak up so forthrightly to Mogran. You usually leave that to me.”
Rahim smiled and said, “Well I figured that I might get my chance to travel out of the domain if he thought it was his idea. However, remaining here as senior mage is even more appealing to me. I hope you are okay with that decision.”
Seth knew that Rahim wanted the chance to assume the reins as senior mage as soon as he mentioned the idea the day before. He was not fooled by his little ploy. It still was surprising that he asserted himself so boldly in Mogran’s presence. Maybe he felt that if he had a chance at the top spot he needed to change his mode of operation. Regardless, it did not bother Seth, he got what he wanted out of the deal; he was just operating on a more accelerated schedule.
“I had not really thought about traveling to the human world, but someone has to go. We will have to invoke the spell based on our progress thus far and hope any vibrations during the rift do not attract any unwanted attention.”
“We should shut things down here and get to the provisioning area as soon as possible to make sure the preparations are near completion,” offered Rahim.
They spent a short time completing the documentation of their progress, extinguishing flames under chemicals and then left to make their way to the provisioning site in the bowels of the tower. Seth braced himself for his journey below, he managed to minimize the amount of time spent in the ominous depths but in his capacity, it was inevitable that he would have to spend some time in these lower extremities. The Unseelie were not affected in the same manner. The darkness was their haven, although the evil that permeated within was sometimes too much for all but the most hardened. Mogran thrived on these feelings, but Seth could see that even Rahim seemed slightly uncomfortable in the deepest areas of the castle.
The provisioning area was located a few levels above the main dungeon where the transformation occurred. The main room contained a large open area with smaller partitioned sections curtained off on the sides. There was a flurry of activity as a variety of junior mages directed the new ‘troops’ to their various stations. Most now wore uniforms that consisted of simple black tunics, leggings, and moccasins. Mogran’s crest was emblazoned in red in the upper left portion of the tunic and each minion carried a red sporran tied around his waist. No weapons or armor were visible in the room.
“They are making good progress,” noted Rahim.
; “Yes, we may be able to meet Mogran’s schedule. The junior mages in charge have done a good job. This was no small feat.”
Rahim nodded in agreement. He was about to make another comment when they were approached by Jerard, the mage in charge of provisioning. “Seth, Rahim,” he bowed in formal greeting. “What brings you down to this chaotic place?”
Seth smiled at the young mage and said, “we came to check on your progress and see if we could lend a hand.”
Jerard stepped back in surprise. “Lend a hand? No offense, but there are so many people down here already and so much confusion that I fear your presence may only serve to make things more chaotic. My colleagues are not accustomed to working side by side with the senior mages; they may get a bit nervous.”
“I appreciate your candor but we received new orders from Mogran. He wants the troops transported by moon rise tomorrow. We are here to help make sure that everything is ready for that deadline.”