The Shadowmage Trilogy (Twilight of Kerberos: The Shadowmage Books)

by Matthew Sprange

  Mounting the pulpit, the Preacher Divine gazed down on the people – his people now. He nodded approvingly.

  “FRIENDS. OH, MY beloved friends. You are welcome here, at the first true house of the Final Faith in the worthy city of Turnitia. You have accepted the inspired leadership of Vos into your lives – now accept the true belief of the Final Faith into your hearts. I am Preacher Divine Alhmanic, and I bring you the blessings of the Anointed Lord and all the benefits that follow.”

  A few in the crowd cheered, though most merely clapped. He held up a hand again to silence them.

  “This city has faced trials and hardships throughout the years. Interference from decadent aristocrats in Pontaine, misguided leaders who told you that safety can only come from that ridiculous idea, independence. Look about yourselves now,” Alhmanic said, sweeping an arm over the entire square. “Do you stand alone? Are you not here, now, with your fellow citizens? Does not the merchant rely on the baker to provide the bread on his table? Does not the baker rely on the farmer to provide wheat? And does not the farmer rely on the Vos guard to keep him safe from brigands? We are all bound, one to another. An independent city cannot function any better than a man living on his own in the wilderness.”

  He paused for a moment to let his words sink in.

  “This Cathedral, this magnificent building that will set your city apart from lesser settlements, brings with it a new era for Turnitia, one filled with wealth and prosperity for all decent people. Those of you who toil daily, be it in the docks, warehouses, or your own shops, will gain the full measure of your labours, a just reward for a day’s work. For those whom independence and Pontaine ruined, those who are destitute but would willingly work for the betterment of your society, you will have every chance to find the same success as your peers.”

  The crowd’s interest was piqued at the mention of money. It was the same in every city in the world, and Alhmanic had given variations of this speech a hundred times. Identify an enemy or cause for the people’s hardships, then promise a better life under the Final Faith. Of course, you had to back up your promises to some extent.

  “We have already trained many new stonesmiths, carpenters and other craftsman during the construction of this Cathedral – we did not only pay these men and women a fair wage, but taught them a trade so they can continue to work and to earn for the rest of their lives. And we are doing more; as a part of the Vos Empire, Turnitia is a vital port. This means we need more workers on the docks, more labourers for the warehouses, more taverns and shops for them to spend their hard earned wages, more mentors for their children, more builders for their new homes, and more craftsmen to provide everything they need. Everyone in this city can benefit from our work here.”

  More cheers rang from the crowd and many reached for him with their hands. Alhmanic nodded magnanimously before continuing.

  “New charities are being set up as I speak. Those out of work can draw a stipend, so long as they make themselves available for the new work we are creating. This means no one ever need starve! Physicians are on their way from the Empire, ready to administer their skills to anyone who needs them, for fees anyone can afford – the Final Faith will make up any shortfall! We will also commence building Turnitia’s first university within the year. Any hardworking citizen will be able to get an education and better themselves!”

  The people before the Preacher Divine were now even more enthusiastic. Offering free money had a way of eliciting such a response, though Alhmanic knew the machinery of the Vos Empire was efficient enough to not only keep the promises he was making, but also claw back the expense through taxes. Not that the people need hear about that now, of course, nor about the nature of work that would be found for them if they wished to avail themselves of the charity of the Empire.

  What was important now was the creation of a new enemy. In the end, life probably would get better for most of the people in the city, but they would pay through the nose for it and, as always, it would be the Vos Empire and the Final Faith that benefited the most.

  “But my friends, my cherished friends, there are those who will work against us. Those who prey on the weak, the innocent, the hardworking. Liars, thieves and murderers, those who would use deception, crime or sorcery to make themselves rich at the expense of decent people like you. They grow fat as your lives become ever harder. Well, no more!

  “Magic, in all its forms, has the potential to bring truly wondrous boons to an entire city, yet its practitioners lock themselves away, intent only on their own wealth. The first Imperial Decree of this new, golden era is that all magic within the city of Turnitia will be regulated. Only those with a licence may practice magic, on pain of death. This will weed out the miserable tricksters and charlatans that have plagued you for too long.”

  Alhmanic doubted whether many of the people here had suffered, directly or otherwise, from rogue wizards, but practitioners were such easy targets. By its nature, magic was difficult for most people to understand, and so anyone well versed in its use was always treated with suspicion. After all, what was a simple labourer to make of a man who might be able to read his mind or burn down his house with a mere gesture?

  “There is another blight, one that has plagued this city since its formation. Organised crime. From the pickpocket on the street to the thug who extorts decent shop owners for so-called protection, from the con man running crooked games in your favourite tavern to assassins who lurk within the shadows, everyone is affected by these malcontents.”

  For a moment, Alhmanic lowered his voice, forcing the crowd to keep silence in order to catch his words.

  “No longer, my friends, no longer. We will not suffer these criminals to make an easy living at your expense. I vow to you, every resource the Empire has here will be used to smash the centre of organised crime, the so-called thieves’ guild. And we will do more, my friends, much more. We will also wipe out that nest of traitors, assassins and infidels – the Shadowmages!”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “I REALLY WOULDN’T worry about it.”

  Lucius glanced at Forbeck Torquelle. His mentor was pacing the perimeter of the empty warehouse they used for infrequent training sessions, the master slowly encouraging his pupil in the refinement of the art of the Shadowmage. Forbeck leaned on a cane as he walked, and was dressed in a fine jacket and pantaloons, for all the world like a Pontaine noble, complete with tight, trimmed beard.

  “Vos means it this time,” Lucius said. “Have you seen how many troops the Preacher Divine brought with him? Or the money they suddenly found to finish the Cathedral? Mark my words, they will come for you. They’ll come for all of us, thieves and mages alike.”

  Forbeck sighed. “Lucius, my worrisome student, I have survived attacks from the Empire before now, and I will ensure we survive this one. Now, concentrate. You told me before you see the magic as individual threads. I want to focus on that for a while. Close your eyes...”

  “He has a point,” said another voice. Adrianna rested casually against a wooden pillar. “I’ve been watching this Alhmanic, and he is top grade material. They say he has the ear of the Anointed Lord herself.”

  “All preachers like to say that,” said Forbeck. “Lucius, lock on to one thread, any one you like...”

  “This one has the Swords of Dawn at his beck and call. You don’t get that just by preaching to the masses. Alhmanic has clout, and is capable.”

  “But he has no magic, so how can he stand up to us?” asked Forbeck. “I promise you, he won’t even find us. It is Lucius here who has more to worry about.”

  “True, with the promises he made at the Square, he will target the thieves’ guild first,” said Lucius.

  “Vos has the resources to bring wizards into the city,” said Adrianna. “They can afford the best.”

  “Well, not quite the best,” Forbeck smiled.

  “It is a danger,” Adrianna said insistently.

  “All the more reason for Lucius here to gain greater
skill with his arcane manipulations,” Forbeck said. “He is your friend. Perhaps you can get him to focus.”

  Adrianna sighed and pushed herself away from the pillar to stalk across the warehouse, her heels cracking on the flagstones with every step. Lucius turned to give her a wry smile as she approached.

  While they had certainly had their differences in the past, Lucius had found Adrianna’s acceptance of his presence in the city had grown over the past few months. Though the thieves’ guild occupied much of his time, his renewed dedication to learning the arts of the Shadowmage, however loosely, had earned her respect.

  He still found her cold at times, and wondered just how much emotion she possessed, beyond hatred and anger bent toward any who threatened the Shadowmages. Theirs was a loose guild, devoid of the rules and regulations that the thieves needed just to function as an organised body. In comparison, the Shadowmages received few instructions from superiors, and rank was assumed with experience and skill, rather than structured with rigid promotion. Every Shadowmage pledged to aid others in training, and all swore never to openly oppose another. They worked as spies, infiltrators, sometimes assassins to anyone who could afford their services, and few contracts were turned down on moral grounds. For a true Shadowmage, the principal aim was the betterment of their skills in both magic and stealth, not the accumulation of wealth, knowledge or material power. A Shadowmage would refuse a commission if either another Shadowmage was likely to be found on the side of the target, or if the work simply did not interest him.

  This made the Shadowmages’ guild incredibly difficult to penetrate or control, and that worried many within the Empire of Vos. After all, any one of them could become a target of a Shadowmage’s skill, hired by a rival or enemy from Pontaine, and there was little defence against a skilled Shadowmage. When Vos had first invaded Turnitia, the Shadowmages had been purged and driven underground. Though weakened, enough had survived to continue the traditions and, now they were regaining their past eminence, it seemed as though someone in Vos had decided they needed to be taken down again.

  For his part, Lucius considered himself more thief than Shadowmage, but his uncanny natural talent in manipulating magic had caught the attention of both Adrianna and her master, Forbeck. He appreciated their trust in him, but Lucius all too often wished he could be a more regular petty magician, using magic just as an aid to thievery, rather than reaching for something greater.

  Standing in front of him, Adrianna wore a pained expression.

  “Please, Lucius, he will keep us here all day if you don’t do as he says.”

  “There are worse ways to spend an afternoon,” Lucius said, but dutifully closed his eyes and concentrated on the threads of magic.

  “Now, take a deep breath, and open your eyes,” said Forbeck, “but keep the magic in your vision.”

  This was an exercise Lucius had been made to practise many time before, and he had become somewhat proficient at it. While using magic in battle or on a thieves’ mission, he had grown used to summoning the arcane power in a split second. However, doing it slowly, while training, had always been more difficult. Perhaps it had something to do with the lack of adrenaline, maybe it was simply because his life was not at risk.

  Gradually, it had dawned on him why Forbeck continually repeated exercises like this, concentrating on elements of the craft that, in theory, he could already do quite easily. By performing the actions slowly, consciously, he could study the magic more closely. It was like duelling; there were people who were natural talents in the use of a blade, and could be quite formidable fighters. If, however, they were taught to slow down their actions and actually study what they did and why, they could be rebuilt as far superior warriors.

  In the end, magic was not that different from combat. The source of the power just came from elsewhere.

  “Create fire.”

  Lucius held up a palm and a swirling ball of fire sparked in his hand, then steadied.

  “Good,” said Forbeck. “Now, pass it to Adrianna.”

  Adrianna waited patiently as Lucius willed the fire to, slowly, lift from his hand and cross to hers. He felt a mental nudge as her magic briefly brushed against his own. Their eyes met, and she gave him a slight nod. He realised they were both thinking the same thing; a year ago, this amount of control would have been beyond him. Today, however, Forbeck wanted more.

  “Nice. Now, let Adrianna pass into the shadows.”

  Lucius took a deep breath before starting the new conjuration. He had wreathed himself in darkness many times while working with thieves, and it was something all Shadowmages could do. To pass that ability onto someone else, however, was quite difficult.

  In his mind, he saw the threads spinning around the single strand that fed the natural forces sustaining the fire in Adrianna’s hand. He could see wisps of energy spiral off that strand as his spell continued to pull energy away. Concentrating, he slowed the other threads down so he could pick the grey, almost colourless strand that governed the magics he used to hide himself from others.

  Plucking the thread, he suddenly became mindful of controlling the conjuration he already had manifested. A break in concentration could either snuff out the flame or cause it to swell in intensity, searing Adrianna. He felt his forehead grow wet with perspiration.

  “Steady, Lucius,” Forbeck said softly.

  Lucius visualised draping a cloak of raw arcane power around Adrianna. Before him, her outline turned indistinct and pale.

  Lucius could also feel Adrianna’s presence in his mind, a vessel that contained a solid core of magic, potent and vivid. He felt the warmth of her arcane power breathe through him. Adjusting his control of the shadow cloak that he had spun around her, he reached out to brush against her presence, feeling the magical energies respond to his touch.

  Looking up, he saw Adrianna staring at him, wide-eyed, mouth slightly open in surprise. She then smiled wolfishly, and he reddened in embarrassment. Though he had known Adrianna for years now, he had never had a moment with her that was so intimate.

  The cloak of shadows fell from Adrianna and the ball of flame spluttered as Lucius’ control was disrupted by a flood of emotion.

  “Concentrate,” Forbeck said, apparently unaware of what was passing between his two students. “We have a long way to go yet, Lucius.”

  The next exercises took a while to work through, as Forbeck pushed his levels of concentration further and further. Every time Lucius’ mental control failed, Forbeck would start him again from the beginning.

  First, Adrianna’s cloak of shadows was brought back into existence. Then Lucius was commanded to flood his muscles with power, greatly increasing his strength and physical endurance, before he created an invisible shield that he had to manoeuvre to deflect small stones that Forbeck pelted him with. He was told to cast his mind around the warehouse to locate the nearest vermin – and then suck its life out with the most vile of death magics.

  Each new task required a new strand of energy to be pulled, teased and shaped, even as Lucius tried to maintain the other conjurations. He was not always successful, and he received a particularly painful lesson when his shield failed and one of Forbeck’s pebbles caught him on the temple. Even then, he was proud that of all the spells that failed from the break in concentration as his world spun around, the flame in Adrianna’s hand was not one of them.

  Finally, soaked with sweat, Lucius thought he had achieved what Forbeck was searching for. With the ball of fire, stone shield and cloak of shadows, he had three spells running simultaneously, and he felt he could keep them going for at least a minute or two longer. However, Forbeck still wanted more.

  “Feel the magic flow through you, Lucius. Reach out with your mind, and search the remaining threads. You have always felt their presence, but I want you to become ever more familiar with them. Imagine a time when you can control any number of them. Don’t see them, feel them.”

  Reaching out, Lucius could clearly visualise the spinning
threads, three of them static and stable as he continued to draw upon their power.

  He brushed against each thread, drawing a murmur of satisfaction from Forbeck as he passed over two of them, triggering a tremor in those forces that Forbeck could feel. While Forbeck was a far more accomplished Shadowmage than he was – would likely ever be – the master was limited to just a few forms of magic, as were all Shadowmages. It was Lucius’ ability, perhaps unique, to feel all forms of magic that had drawn Forbeck to him.

  The threads that he was still taking power from felt taut and straight, while the others seemed to snake around his fingers, ready to be moulded and forged. Slowly, Lucius made his way from strand to strand, sensing each one’s energy and potential. He reached out for the next and felt... nothing. An empty place that should be filled. All he could feel was darkness, and a chill cold swept over him, freezing his mind. Lucius stared straight into a void, a region of absolute, utter nothing.

  Crying out, Lucius fell, the conjurations forgotten.

  Lucius came to and opened his eyes to look up at Adrianna’s face, her expression a mixture of curiosity and concern. Her hand was brushing his brow, and his head lay in her lap.

  “Are you alright?”

  Lucius frowned, trying to recall what had happened. “I think so.”

  “You gave us quite a scare,” Forbeck said. “I’ve never seen a loss of concentration do that before – not to someone as proficient as you.”

  “No, it wasn’t that,” Lucius said. “It was something else. Something cold and dark and... I don’t know how to describe it.”

  Adrianna helped Lucius to his feet.

  “Try,” Forbeck said.

  “I just saw nothing. No, that’s not right. It was an empty space. I reached for a new strand, one that, somehow, I knew should be there. But it wasn’t.”

  “Have you used this strand before?”

  Lucius thought hard. “No. Never. But I just felt as though it should be there. It’s like... someone takes a book from your shelf, but you cannot remember which book they took. And yet you still know it is gone. Does that make any sense?”