Whisper of the End

by Held, Maximian

  “Well, that hurt.” She snarls, spitting out a glob of blood. Kearika stands, with small arc of silver lightning dancing along her skin.

  “Caius.” She says shortly.

  “I am on it.” I reply, concentrating on my magic. I close my eyes, exhaling deeply as I do. The world goes black, lit only by the present magic. Kearika and I glow strongly, outlining the area around us. The man has a gentle silver glow about him, it encapsulates his entire body. No weak points, so this was made by someone who is not a complete amateur.

  I was not expecting to fight someone protected by magic, our wards are not setup to handle coming in contact with another ward. Two unattuned wards coming in contact set up a feedback loop, they tended to explosively rebound off each other. Altering the wards to avoid that is simple enough, but it left you more vulnerable to mundane threats.

  But why make Kearika vulnerable when we can just strip his ward away? I examine his ward through my aether sight, studying its construction and form. There are patterns and shapes underneath the ward, giving it strength. I know these.

  This is just like Alaric’s knife. This man is a Zauberei. I snap my fingers, a sliver needle streaks from my fingers into the judge. With a pop his ward collapses.

  “He’s a Zauberei, be careful.” I say, watching the judge for any other tricks. How could they have convinced a judge to work with them? The skin on my fingers turns black, feedback from using my body as fuel for the spell. I have to do it this way, otherwise I would not be able to affect him.

  Kearika doesn’t reply, instead she dashes back towards the judge, this time tripping him to the rough ground. She picks him up by the front of his robes and punches him straight on, knocking his head back against the stone. He goes limp, Kearika shakes him a few times before giving me a nod. Kearika searches the judge, pulling several pouches off of him.

  “He doesn’t seem to have one of those knives. Where is it? These Zauberei always have some kind of weapon on them.” Kearika reports, now rifling through his bags.

  “Does he have a necklace on him?” I ask.

  “Yeah, he does. Some sort of octagon, I’ll get it off of him.” Kearika replies, pulling it from around his neck. The chain snaps and she hands me a fist sized piece of silver. The center of it has a hole melted clean through it, cooling metal has run down the front of it, still glowing orange from the heat. One mystery replaced by another.

  “His ward was coming from this amulet, which is troubling. Either the Zauberei have some very talented mages or are forcing mages to enchant items for them. Neither of those options are good news.” I say, watching the amulet glint in the firelight.

  “We’ll find out when he wakes up.” Kearika says, dragging the judge towards the fire.

  “If he really is a Judge Caius, these Zauberei are a much bigger than threat then we’ve been giving them credit for. I’m going to scout around, see if he brought any friends with him. Let me know when he wakes up.” Kearika says over her shoulder as she stalks out of the cave.

  ***

  Sometime later the judge wakes up with a groan.

  “Kearika, he’s awake.” I whisper, sure that she’ll hear me.

  The drain she is putting on me is quite intense. I could really go for a drink, or a long hunt. Kearika glides in from the rain, her wet boots making no noise on the stone. She looks completely normal, but I know she’s practically bursting with aether now.

  Kearika lifts the judge by his throat with one arm, her bare skin giving off a gentle blue glow as her muscles strain under the weight. The continuous flow of aether from myself to Kearika is pleasantly warm, instead of the arctic chill I have always felt. I suppose there are benefits to this change.

  The judge squirms in Kearika’s grasp, futilely struggling against his bindings. Kearika drops him unceremoniously to the floor, he lands awkwardly and tumbles to the rough ground.

  “Who are you?” Kearika growls at him, picking him up and shaking him by the shoulders.

  “Judge Decius, from the Laurel Province. Unhand me at once, or face the fury of the law.” The judge spits out, glaring at Kearika with his steel blue eyes. Laurel? That is on the other side of the sea!

  “As you wish.” Kearika says, dropping him to the ground again. Decius gives another groan, he lays still for some time before speaking again.

  “You must know that kidnapping a Provincial Judge is unfathomably stupid. You’ll never get away with this, they will look for me and they will find me.” He growls.

  “The standard procedure for finding and rescuing a high-level government official like yourself is a Diviner and a War Mage. They will start by trying to teleport you back, and if that fails they will come get you directly.” I tell him, enjoying his puzzled expression.

  “Yes, how did you know all of that?” Decius asks.

  “Because I am a Tower Mage, and this is my Protector.” I nod at Kearika.

  “What are you doing on Duras? Laurel is on the other side of the sea.” I ask him.

  “I received a letter from a colleague of mine, who requested that we meet in the capital. I was on my way there when you bandits attacked, and now I’m here in this cave with you!” Decius spits out, pulling at his rope bindings again.

  “Kearika and I did not attack you, except once you came into our cave unannounced. Speaking of which, Kearika how did you know he is a Zauberei?” I ask her.

  “He has their mark, in the embroidery on his sleeve. See?” She picks shows me the gold embroidery on the robe sleeves.

  “I just see gold spirals Kearika.” I tell her. She sighs and pulls out the knife we took form Alaric, pointing at the patterns on the hilt of the knife. They do look similar.

  “I see the similarity, but that alone makes no sense. The sleeves of a Judge’s robe are layered with defensive enchantments. These designs have no such magic, and none of the telltales that should be there.” I tell Kearika.

  “What do you mean?” Kearika asks me.

  “I got to examine an old judge’s robe during my training. Gold thread is excellent for enchanting clothing, the embroidery is used to form protective patterns. Defenses against mental interference or compulsion, that sort of thing.” I explain.

  “These patterns look similar to the protective ones, but they do not have any traces of magic in them. Each robe is made by the Tower, and I cannot sense the identifying mark we leave on each one. They are all unique.” I say, pinching the cloth between my fingers.

  “So, what do you think happened to him? Is he really a Judge?” Kearika asks me.

  “There is no way to know without spending some time digging around in his mind.” I reply, continuing to investigate the fabric.

  “Which of course brings about a lot of risks. I could get lost, trapped or worse.” I tell her. Like what happened to poor Laroc.

  “You’re not going to do anything to me! I demand that you release me at once!” Decius shouts. What a bothersome man.

  “I liked him better when he was knocked out.” Kearika says, glaring at Decius and cracking her knuckles. He glares up at her, not backing down in the slightest.

  “So, what do we do Caius? I think we should wait for the rescue team to come find him. Then we can get back to the Tower with them. The six of us should be able to handle anything the Zauberei throw our way.” Kearika says.

  What are the Zauberei playing at? They kidnap a judge, brainwash him and send him out to our cave? How does this help them? Getting the judge here means they already know where we are, so finding us is not their goal.

  That means that we are not their target, the rescue team is. Killing a War Mage would be a significant blow to the Tower, there are only a handful of them after all.

  “Copper for your thoughts?” Kearika asks me.

  “Hmm? Oh, sorry for drifting. I was trying to figure out what the Zauberei are playing at. I think they-” I begin say.

  “-plan to ambush the rescue team.” Kearika finishes for me. “You getting your magic back mean
s our bond is working again.” We are whole again. The thought brings a fleeting smile to my face, which Kearika returns.

  “We need to warn the rescue group; can you send them a message?” Kearika asks me.

  “I doubt it, I do not know them personally.” I reply, furrowing my brow as I think.

  “What does that have to do with anything? You’ve sent plenty of messages to people you don’t know!” Kearika replies exasperatedly.

  “That was before you gave me that transfusion!” I snap back, Kearika gives me a cross look. Her presence becomes abrasive in my mind, a feeling similar to sand getting trapped in your clothing.

  “That transfusion saved your life you know.” She replies.

  “I am well aware, but that does not change the fact that my magic will work differently now, or at least until the effects end.” I tell her. I am surprised she cannot feel the difference.

  “You’ll be dead once the mage arrives!” Decius yells from the ground. Kearika crouches down to his height and shushes him. Decius opens his mouth to speak but Kearika raises a hand to slap him and Decius shies away. Kearika gives him a smile and stands back up.

  “What do you mean Caius?” She asks.

  “I am drawing my aether from your ancestors now, like your soul shamans do. Your people’s magic would be best described as ‘familial’. It works best when used on people and things you know. The better you know something, the better it works. It barely works, if at all, on the unknown or the unfamiliar.” I explain to her.

  “So, essentially your magic would be strongest when used on me because you know me, but you can’t contact a mage you’ve never met?” Kearika asks.

  “Pretty much. I also cannot take us anywhere I have not been before, nor can I take us back to the Tower. The wards and protections on the grounds would stop any sort of teleport from this kind of magic.” I tell her.

  “It won’t matter what magic you have bandit!” Decius shouts at Kearika and I. Gods he is annoying.

  “Would you just go back to sleep already?” Kearika snaps, backhanding Decius. He goes limp on the floor once more.

  “Finally.” She sighs.

  “Anyway, we have no way of contacting the War Mage, which is a problem.” I tell her.

  “Why? They’re a mage, when they show up we just flash your badge, no?” Kearika asks, poking Decius with her foot. He gives no response from the floor, not even a soft groan.

  “Probably because they will just blow us away the moment they see us. It is not like a War Mage to ask questions first, they are more like a force of nature. Whole towns have been levelled as ‘collateral damage’ when they get released” I tell her.

  “What.” Kearika says flatly.

  “War Mages have almost nothing in common with the average human, or even other mages for that matter. They have one purpose, and one purpose only: to annihilate the enemies of the Tower. They have been enhanced and rebuilt for just that purpose.” I tell her.

  “Wait, rebuilt? What in the frozen hells are you talking about?” Kearika asks me.

  “War Mages are mages who have suffered a traumatic injury and lost their Protector as well. If the Tower believes they will not recover and will not take on another Protector, the offer is made to make them a War Mage.” I say.

  “How do you know all of this? I mean, I’m supposed to protect you and I’ve only barely ever heard of War Mages. They’re almost like a myth to the Protectors, I’ve certainly never heard of one ever being used.” Kearika replies.

  “How many Aegieomancers do you know of? How many of us do you think there are in the Tower?” I ask her.

  “How should I know? There are over four thousand Tower mages Caius! Just get to your point.” Kearika snaps, clearly short on patience for my normal methods.

  “There are 25 of us, most of which are far older than I. I helped one of the elders with creating a War Mage once, I wove the initial magic that kept her alive through the rest.” I say placatingly, holding up my hands. I can still hear her screams at night. Still see her bones twisting under the aether’s touch, becoming liquid as we shaped them.

  “So, what should we do? What if this mage doesn’t feel like talking and goes straight for the fireball like you keep suggesting?” Kearika asks, frustration evident in her tone.

  “Well, I cannot defeat them alone. It is beyond not a question of being beyond my skill set, but my power. If I had more time to acclimatize to the transfusion, I might be able to fight them to a standstill. As it is, I do not have enough experience with the nuances to rely on my magic. However, I believe we can neutralize them if we work together.” I say, trying to sound self-assured.

  “You said ‘neutralize’ so I assume you’re going to tell me that they’re impossible to kill or something equally horrifying like that?” Kearika asks me as she digs through her pack.

  “Well, we should try to avoid killing them if possible. War Mages are too valuable to let one go to waste, we may need them against the Zauberei.” I tell her, peering over her shoulder into her pack.

  Wait.

  “That is, it!” I exclaim, Kearika jumps as I shout in her ear.

  “Deafening me isn’t going to make this any easier Caius!” Kearika snaps, rubbing her ringing ear.

  “I know what the Zauberei are planning! They must be planning to attack whatever province the War Mage gets pulled from. We need to stop the War Mage without killing them, or the Zauberei will finish off whoever is left.” I say excitedly, trying to think of a way to actually accomplish that.

  “I know that. Whoever survives will be so weakened that the Zauberei actually have a chance at killing them.” Kearika says.

  “It is worse than that, if we kill the War Mage it means one of the provinces will be missing its most powerful guardian. If we die, then the information we have about the Zauberei dies as well.” I say.

  “Well, we’ll just have to do our best about the whole ‘not dying’ bit then.” Kearika says cheerfully.

  Chapter XXIII - Kearika

  Duras - East of Ba’tshish

  19th of Telod, 1873 MD

  Caius and I have spent the last three hours preparing, I would have liked more time. Caius had gone stock still a few minutes ago and whispered: “They are close.”

  Now we’re crouched in the opening of our cave, nervously peering out into the surrounding woods. The rain has stopped at least. I check over my equipment one more time, running my hands along all my pouches and dirty tricks. Don’t kill the War Mage Kearika, we’ll need them. Unless they’re going to kill Caius or I, then we get them first.

  “Caius, if you don’t at least try to calm down, I’m going to throw up from how nervous you are.” I rebuke him softly, glancing over to see how he’s doing. His hood is down and he’s looking paler than normal. He’s hands are worriedly toying with his badge, twisting and pulling at the crystals.

  “I am sorry Kearika, it is just something is still bothering me about Decius.” He says, glancing over at me.

  “Like the fact that he still hasn’t woken up yet? Because I didn’t hit him that hard.” I reply, staying focused on the woods.

  I wish we’d have gone with my plan instead of Caius’s. My plan had been to have Caius fuel the enchantments he’d placed on me and just beat on the War Mage until they stopped fighting back. Better to show them the badge after they can’t move anymore. Oh well, at least it’s Plan B.

  “No, like the fact that he thinks we kidnapped him. His memories have clearly been tampered with, and extensively judging from the lingering effects.” Caius whispers to me.

  “So? Why do we care if his head got searched, he’s just a Judge. Laws are public knowledge Caius.” I tell him, my ears perking up at the sound of something in the distance. Lightning? The skies are clear though. With the rain gone it’s shaping up to be a lovely, warm day.

  “He knows more than that Kearika! Provincial Judges know how to enter the Tower, the passphrases through the wards. They are buried under layer
s of protections, no one should be able to get to them. But no one should have been able to mess with his head in the first place!” Caius hisses, and his rising panic washes over me.

  “The Zauberei hunt mages, as far as we know they don’t have any mages working for them, let alone some sort of powerful Mentalist that can break all those wards. Could it be tortured out of him?” I ask.

  “No. The enchantments render the judge physically incapable of speaking the passphrase, and they suppress them below his level of awareness. The judge only knows about them when he needs them.” Caius says softly.

  “Well, then we have nothing to worry about. They probably just tortured him for a few days, couldn’t get anything and set him loose to find us. Maybe they’re hoping we’d kill him, so they could get some support from it or something.” I tell him.

  There’s that noise again, not lightning, more like a humming. I can see something through the leaves, something wreathed in flames. I guess that’s our War Mage.

  “Well, there you go. Go get their attention, I’ll be here behind this nice sturdy rock.” I tell him, nudging him with my elbow.

  Caius shoots me a dirty look, but gets up and shuffles out of the cave. The War Mage nonchalantly floats towards him, little tendrils of fire reaching out and burning the foliage around him. Somebody is showing off. Caius seems to be calming down at least.

  The two of them stand separated by a dozen feet or so, staring at each other. One a short, robed mage who enjoys reading and the finer things in life. The other an apparent incarnation of destruction, floating in a ball of agitated magical fire who presumably ate small children on his off days. Time to get ready for Plan B. I rise to a crouch, bracing myself to run full tilt to Caius’s rescue.

  “Dan?” Caius asks in surprise, surprise evident on his face even from this distance. What?