One Hundredth Magic

by Jeffrey Turner

  Atop the outer barrier, Captain Barrikar loosed one final shot at the spider. He caught it square in the back of its hind section, but the arrow merely bounced off and clattered to the catwalk on the inner wall. The spider vanished, but screams from below announced its presence on the street below. Hawkin knifed through the sky behind it, followed closely by three more flyers. Barrikar swore and turned to survey his men. One archer had been slain in the onslaught and three others bled profusely. Half a dozen more simply gaped into the distance, too shocked to even help their wounded comrades. The pikemen had fared even worse—three were dead on the wall and another smashed to the dirt amongst the Burning Men.

  Barrikar started to run for the ladders, then changed his mind and snapped orders to his men. Those that could stand returned to the wall and prayed that nothing else would emerge from the forest.

  * * * * *

  The soldiers chased the thief, and Alexander chased the soldiers.

  He kept back purposely, not wanting to draw the attention of the two pursuers. Interfering with the capture of a criminal would be risky business, so he decided to give the soldiers as brief a glimpse of himself as possible. Of course, he could always claim ignorance—who would have thought that the beautiful woman being attacked by two men in an alley was a wanted thief? Alexander supposed the explanation could be sold, but preferred not to find out.

  He rounded a corner to find that the chase had turned into a fight. The man lay sprawled on the ground, while the dwarf had both arms locked around the struggling thief's waist. Evidently Kandys had tripped the fallen soldier as he turned the corner. He sucked air noisily as he climbed to his knees. The dwarf, however, had gained a more advantageous position. Her feet pedaled through the air as she was lifted by the waist and her futile attempts to peel away the dwarf's hands were no match for his strong arms. Alexander quickly laced his fingers together and picked a spot just above the dwarf's chain vest. He clubbed the soldier once and Kandys staggered free. The dwarf stumbled but remained upright, so Alexander hit him again. This time, the dwarf collapsed.

  “Wait!” shouted Alexander. Kandys was already bounding down the alley again. The man she'd tripped, still on hands and knees, took a few crawling steps forward. Alexander sighed and kicked him in the stomach. The man's lungs emptied again as he toppled over. Alexander took off after Kandys, hoping his opponent hadn't gotten a good look at his face.

  Kandys could evidently sprint for miles and she wasn't looking back to reassess the pursuit. Though he managed to keep her in sight, for the most part, he couldn't gain any ground on the fleeing thief. They splashed through puddles of what he hoped was rainwater and hurdled mounds of garbage. A whistling shopkeeper, arms laden with baskets of beads, jumped in surprise as Kandys thundered past. The man cursed her soundly, and Alexander nearly tumbled to the alley floor as his boots fell on the fake gems and ornaments.

  He knew they were headed north and guessed that she planned to lose her attackers in Shipman's Plaza. Unfortunately, she'd yet to notice that the attackers were no longer present. Alexander was certain she'd disappear quickly in the crowds of the plaza, and he wasn't sure she'd come looking for him again after this morning's experience. Lungs burning, he redoubled his efforts. He was glad she didn't take to the roofs—in Addamantia, the building tops were a veritable highway for those of shadowy occupation. He assumed the same was true here, unless the presence of the Air Corps dissuaded such travel.

  Ahead, Kandys had emerged from the back alleys and stood in the full sunlight. Alexander thought it strange that she wasn't moving. In fact, she seemed to be staring at something hidden from his view. Also, the Huntsman was certain she had led him to Shipman's Plaza, yet the area before him was devoid of people. Stalls and booths stood empty and unattended. All manner of merchandise was free for the taking, unguarded by merchants. He registered this oddity as he burst from the alley. He looked to the left, wanting to see what had captured the thief's attention, and let loose a half-choked shout.

  The spider, towering above the largest of the merchant stalls, was wreaking havoc on Shipman's Plaza. It dashed madly to and fro, pursued by a company of frightened but courageous spearmen. Alexander now saw that plenty of people remained in the plaza. A number of bodies littered the pavestones, strewn about at random by the maddened creature. Survivors who hadn't fled in time were huddled under many of the booths. More than a few mimicked Kandys's pose, frozen in place as they stared in disbelief.

  When the tip of a spear pierced the spider's abdomen, it decapitated the owner and scrambled toward Kandys. At the sight of the monster coming at them Alexander's feet betrayed him. He stumbled headlong into the thief, throwing his arms around her as they crashed to the ground.

  The fall saved their lives. Alexander got a close-up look at the spider's abdomen as it danced over them. A pulsing red glow shone slightly from the greenish, leathery skin. It smelled of forest loam, a scent he would have found pleasant in other circumstances. The bristled hairs that covered the creature's body were matted in many places with splashes of crimson. One of its legs slammed into his shoulder as it passed. The force was so great that he and Kandys were spun around completely. The Huntsman grimaced and tightened his grip, ignoring the painful scrapes opening up on his right side. His arm went numb from the blow but the spider continued on its way without stopping to end their lives. It wheeled about and dashed for the center of the plaza, barreling over a quartet of spearmen along the way.

  “Come on,” said Alexander. His legs shook terribly but he managed to climb to his feet, dragging the unresponsive Kandys along with him. He turned her head away from the monster as gently as possible, and the thief suddenly seemed to become aware of his presence.

  “It's attacking at random,” he said. “Let's get out of here."

  “Back to the alley. There's a basement with a sewer tunnel we can use, if we have to."

  The pair retreated to the mouth of the alley, but morbid curiosity kept them from fleeing. They stood in the relative safety of the close walls and watched the spider, which had ceased its random attacks. The creature was riveted to the ground near the middle of the plaza. A lone figure stood before it, arms upraised with a pale-blue robe whipping about his body. Alexander recognized Pellorin, the wizard who'd gifted him with Nikkolynda's necklace. The Huntsman's hand went to his throat briefly, but he decided against breaking the enchanted chain. If Pellorin were here, doubtless the Prime Wizard was already aware of the threat. A troop of men carrying heavy crossbows ran past Alexander and raised their weapons to their shoulders. They refrained from releasing the bolts, however, probably for fear of missing the spider and hitting Pellorin.

  The wizard appeared untroubled by the unnatural creature before him. As it lunged forward he simply stood his ground. His arms remained raised. Before his outstretched hands the air began to waver slightly. The effect was a strange shimmering that surrounded him; it reminded Alexander of gazing down a long road in the full heat of summer. The spider lurched forward abruptly and Kandys gave a shrill cry. Instead of slashing the wizard to bits, however, the spider bounced backward as if it had slammed into a stone wall. Pellorin swayed slightly backward but quickly righted himself. The spider attacked again, and again was repulsed. Two more wizards appeared at the far end of the plaza. They wore the same robes as Pellorin, light blue with the lion's-head emblem visible even from a distance. The pair hurried across the pavestones as the spider gathered itself for a third attack.

  This time, the creature hurtled completely over Pellorin and his arcane shield. Though the clawed legs and slashing mandibles were deflected from their target, the force of the attack was enough to throw the wizard to the ground. He landed heavily on his back, and the shimmering air evaporated. The spider wheeled about immediately, head bobbing toward the defenseless man. Alexander started forward, knowing he was far too late to be of aid.

  A slender figure on falcon-like wings streaked from the sky, bending at the waist as he plunged toward
the spider. It was one of the Imperial flyers, a young man with long brown hair. As the stunned onlookers watched, the flyer reversed his position in mid-air and pounced with both feet atop the spider's head. His boots landed near or on the small pimple of eyes near the center of the bulbous head, then he was off again, winging desperately for the sky.

  The spider had shown no sign of pain when pierced with arrows and spears, but the assault on its eyes produced an immediate reaction. Pellorin, lying on the ground with one hand raised in a warding gesture, was forgotten in an instant. The spider leaped over the fallen wizard in an effort to reach the retreating flyer. It emitted a high-pitched shriek that caused some of the soldiers to drop their crossbows and cover their ears. Kandys and Alexander cringed against the wall of the nearest building but couldn't tear themselves away from the spectacle. The spider's mandibles cracked together so close to the flyer's foot that Alexander swore the man's boot was sliced open. The creature twisted in the air and crashed to the ground on one side. It convulsed madly, twitching onto its back, then righted itself and tore into a silk merchant's booth. Luckily, no one had chosen to hide under that particular structure.

  “I think it's really mad now,” said Alexander. Kandys nodded. Across the plaza, Pellorin had seized the opportunity to escape. He limped away, half-carried by two spearmen.

  The soldiers in front of Alexander fired their crossbows in one massive volley. Only three of the bolts struck, but these weapons were far more powerful than the bows employed on the walls. All three bolts broke the spider's armored hide. Unfortunately, the bolts didn't seem to penetrate deep enough. Deep furrows appeared in the pavestones as the monster slashed the ground and turned on the new attackers. Then, a clap of thunder split the air in the plaza and the sky darkened perceptibly. The spider froze in place.

  A new figure stood in the center of Shipman's Plaza. It was an old man, so stooped that it appeared his beard weighed him down. Although dark blue instead of pale, his robes also sported the lion's-head insignia. Golden light seemed to flow from the eyes of the emblems, mixing with the dark-green flashes from the amulet on the wizard's chest. The crossbowmen dropped back as a unit, though the spider remained paralyzed. Alexander heard a name whispered by a few of them: “Nikkolynda."

  “Great gods,” whispered Kandys. She was staring at the sky. Following her gaze, Alexander found that roiling clouds covered the plaza. In the space of seconds the sunlight faded to dusky illumination, as if the evening had shoved the day aside hours early. His breath caught in his throat; the Huntsman had seen displays of magic before, but nothing of this magnitude. He watched, enraptured, as Nikkolynda slowly raised one arm. A red stone pulsed in his outstretched palm, brightening the Prime Wizard's face at even intervals with crimson light. For a second Alexander fancied that his heart had altered its beat to match the strange rhythm of the stone.

  Then the spider rushed forward and a bolt of lightning flashed from the clouds, searing the air so that Alexander could smell the discharged power. He threw a hand over his eyes, which already swam with multi-colored dots. A tremendous thunderclap followed the lightning, and he wondered for a moment whether he'd ever see or hear again. When his vision finally began to clear, the Huntsman found himself surrounded by blinking, awestruck soldiers.

  The giant spider was curled up in a tight ball a few feet before Nikkolynda. A patch of black, burnt skin surrounded a hole in the creature's back, and green ichor dripped from a larger wound in the bottom of its abdomen. A horrible smell arose from the dead beast, a combination of singed hair and roasted flesh. Kandys turned away with her sleeve over her nose.

  “Wait here,” Alexander said. The thief nodded, and he trotted across the plaza to where Nikkolynda was being supported by a wizard and a bowman. A short distance away, the flyer had landed and was surrounded by more soldiers. Pellorin returned to the battle site as well, wincing slightly whenever he put weight on his left foot. He looked anxiously at the Prime Wizard, who appeared ready to collapse.

  “The problem with Hurst,” said Nikkolynda to nobody in particular, “is too many damned magics."

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “What did he mean, there are too many magics?” Alexander asked Pellorin.

  They sat in a tavern not far from Shipman's Plaza, sharing the pitcher of ale Alexander had offered the wizard after the battle with the incredible spider. Pellorin's ankle was tender but not seriously injured, and he'd leaned on Alexander's arm as they escaped the sudden downpour brought about by Nikkolynda's magic.

  Kandys remained with the Huntsman despite her obvious distrust of the wizard. Though not one of the Emperor's confidants, Pellorin remained a member of the Imperial court, and Alexander could sense the thief's wariness as they downed their ale and discussed the morning's events. Despite the early hour the tavern was doing heavy business, and occasional snippets of conversation rose above the general buzz. People described the attack of the giant spider to friends who hadn't been present and argued about details with those who had. To the Huntsman's dismay, more than a few references were made to the possibility of Addamantia's involvement.

  “He referred to the known classifications of magic,” said Pellorin. The wizard wiped his arm with his sleeve carelessly. His blue robe was torn in a few places and stained heavily with dirt and sweat. “There are ninety-nine major types of magic in the world, most related to a particular race. We humans account for four of the major classes, and elves another three. There are two types of dwarven magic, one for gnomes, one for the Burning Men, and one for scrymgers. We're not too sure about the tigri—"

  “Scrymgers can do magic?” asked Kandys, her curiosity overcoming her distrust. Alexander was lost in thought, reflecting on his conversation with Deri. He remembered her criticism of human magicians and their lack of arcane understanding.

  “They do, though in a very limited way. Still, their magic has characteristics unique to their people, so we classify it as a major archetype. Ogres, on the other hand, utilize magic in a manner nearly identical to giants. Thus, we classify them as one."

  “There's a street performer in Addamantia who claims to've learned his magic from elves,” said Alexander.

  “Possible, but unlikely. Even if he could find a willing elf to train him, the ability to cast elven magic lies greatly in the nature of the elf. It's very difficult for a man or dwarf to master even the simplest of elven magics."

  “But it can be done?"

  “Certainly. Just not easily.” The wizard craned his neck backward until the bottom of his mug pointed toward the ceiling, then set the vessel on the table and continued. “Very few wizards are skilled in more than one major type of magic. Nikkolynda is easily the greatest master of this age—he's unparalleled at three of the human styles and more than competent in the fourth. What's more, he has an uncanny grasp of the dwarven magics. A number of us believe that Nikkolynda may someday decipher the hybrid barrier."

  Alexander shook his head. Deri's explanation of the source of magic had been confusing enough; what Pellorin was saying seemed to have nothing in common with the tigri's words. “You've lost me."

  Pellorin laughed. “It loses most magicians, too, my friend. You see, though some wizards, such as Nikkolynda, have become adept at more than one magic, no one has ever merged the arts of two major classes. Doing so would create a hybrid magic and would expand the possibilities of the art infinitely."

  “You're talking about a dwarf performing human magic?"

  “No, no. I'm talking about a wizard combining dwarf and human magic, or even just two classes of the same race. For example, the wizards of the Imperial court are all versed in the semantic art. We mold the arcane forces through repetition of phrases in Halonic, a language that we believe originated with our ancestors across the sea. A second form of human magic involves the creation of amulets or charms, such as the one around your neck. The amulet's power is invoked by a change in physical state."

  Alexander reached up unconsciously to touch
the cool metal chain as he absorbed the wizard's lecture.

  “No one has ever combined these two processes. When you break that chain, Alexander, Nikkolynda will know because a similar chain he carries is attuned to yours. Such is the property of the metal—when properly formed by a master such as the Prime Wizard, one length of chain will break along with the other. Even if they're miles apart. This, however, falls completely under one classification of magic.

  “Nikkolynda's spell to gather the storm clouds was semantic, as was the summoning of the lightning. Imagine, if you would, taking the power of those Halonic words and placing them inside an amulet such as that chain. When the chain is broken, the lightning strikes."

  “Not very useful for the man wearing the chain,” Kandys observed.

  Pellorin laughed again and poured more ale into his mug. “No, but I think you see my point. It's a crude example, but an example, nonetheless. If such hybrids were possible, the limitations of magic would expand far beyond their current boundaries."

  “What about the priests?” asked Alexander. “Are they a class unto themselves?” He was still considering the differences between Pellorin and Deri's theories but decided not to pursue it with the wizard. Constant references to Addamantia were made as the people around them discussed the spider. Alexander grew more anxious with each mention of his home, and it didn't sound as though Pellorin's information, though interesting, would prove very helpful. He wanted to get Kandys alone soon to find out why she'd sought him this morning.

  “Not hardly,” Pellorin snorted. He waved to a serving girl to replenish his bowl of nuts. “Anything truly magical that you see one of those temple-shouters do can be categorized as one of the human practices. Oh, they're deceptive sometimes, adding their little chants and flourishes and ornamentation, but when you boil out the actual magic they're the same as any street magician."