by Josh Webb
"Wow I don't think I've ever heard you beg, love." Her insane husband said in surprise, his expression quickly turned into a sinister smile. "But I think it suits you. As wonderful as your newfound submissiveness is however, I'm afraid I'm enjoying myself too much to stop now." Frederick turned his attention back to Markus. "Get a good look at him right now love, because he's about to be..." Frederick's eyes suddenly bulged and he stopped talking.
It took a moment for Rosalind to figure out what happened. While Frederick was talking, Markus had raised his right hand slightly, making it flat. The blonde-haired magi had aimed the fingers of his right hand at the bottom of Frederick's sternum and conjured up a violent burst of wind. He shaped and condensed it into a blade, impaling Frederick. The blade of wind penetrated his chest and extended at least one foot out of the tattooed necromancer's back. Frederick's blood sprayed everywhere, getting all over Markus' face and chest. The blonde-haired aeromancer was glaring at Frederick coldly.
"Left yourself open." Markus stated simply.
"You...bastard..." Frederick cursed, blood pouring from his lips.
"Instead of gloating you should have made sure I was really out of commission. Too bad for you." Markus told him, with that he made an upward stroke with his right hand. The windblade he had conjured sliced Frederick in half from the middle of his chest all the way to his head. The immediate area was showered with Frederick's blood and viscera as his body crumpled to the ground. His grip on Markus' neck was finally released and the blonde-haired aeromancer fell to his knees.
The barrier around Rosalind vanished and she wasted no time in running to Markus, catching him before he fell face-first into the blood-soaked floor. Her arms were wrapped around his waist and his chin rested on her right shoulder. The blonde woman hugged him tightly.
"What a moron...he just liked to hear himself talk." Markus said, exhaustion evident in his tone.
"Save your strength." Rosalind gently admonished him. They sat in the embrace for a few moments. Rosalind found that Markus' body was surprisingly warm, it felt good in contrast to the coldness of the dungeon.
"What a day huh? You know when I woke up this morning...I never imagined I'd spend it fighting like a hundred ghouls...then killing your husband..." Markus stated in a surprisingly casual tone, Rosalind couldn't help herself, she laughed.
"Yeah well, I didn't imagine spending it trying not to get sacrificed by said husband. Then saved by someone who I thought hated me." Rosalind replied.
"Rose..." Markus said, his tone turning serious. "I could never hate you." The sincerity with which he said those words shocked and touched Rosalind to her very core. A single tear ran down the right side of her cheek as she closed her eyes and hugged Markus even tighter. Rosalind suddenly found her head full of things she wanted to tell him, but she couldn't sort through it enough to form a coherent sentence.
"Markus...thank you so much!" She finally said, hoping those few words could convey what she truly felt at that moment.
"All in a day’s work." He responded simply. They stayed like that for a few moments, if someone walked in on them now it definitely would look very strange. Rosalind and Markus on their knees with her arms around his waist, sitting in the middle of a large pool of blood courtesy of her husband's dead corpse.
"You mean the world to me Markus, you know that?" Rosalind confessed softly, she received no response though, her answer was some light snoring from Markus. He had fallen asleep from exhaustion. Under normal circumstances she would have been offended, but the man deserved a break after everything he did. So Rosalind just smiled and continued to hold him and that was the state Nobellus, Markus' master, found them when he arrived on the scene.
**********
Present Day 2235 A.D.
Midas City
Rosalind allowed herself a small smile as the incident finished playing out in her mind. Back then she had thought that Markus was unstoppable. Frederick had also served as her second magi master as well as her husband. He was said to be able to at least challenge Nobellus, widely known as the strongest magi in Havenway. For Markus to be able to kill him was quite the feat.
The smile on the blonde woman's face quickly returned to a frown as she remembered how that changed three years ago.
**********
Three years ago, 2232 A.D.
Havenway, located in what used to be Michigan.
"Open your eyes Garret." Rosalind asked her little brother, who was only twelve years of age. His clothes were in tatters and bruises and cuts littered his body. The worst wound was a deep gash on the top of his head, which had caused blood to flow down his face. His crop of brown hair was a mess and his skin was deathly pale. "Open your eyes please." She pleaded quietly, despair beginning to creep into her tone.
No one had seen it coming. Nobellus, Havenway's most powerful magi and guardian of the city for more than thirty years had assaulted the very thing he once defended. One moment everything was normal and the next he had begun destroying buildings and massacring people left and right. Rosalind herself was still in a state of disbelief that this was all happening.
Markus had attempted to stop his former master, but their resulting battle was tearing the city apart. As far as Rosalind could see there was rubble and dead bodies. She herself was kneeling in what used to be her parents' living room, the house like so many others was reduced to pieces from one of Nobellus' and Markus' clashes of sorcery. There were small fires all around her and her brother, shooting black smoke into the air and making the night seem darker than what was natural. Rosalind closed her eyes and held her little brother tight, tears began streaming down her face.
"Garret...please...just open your eyes for your sister..." She pleaded, but she got no response from him. He still wasn't moving and the truth began to sink into her that he would never open his eyes again. Garret was dead, he was lost to her, as were her parents. She was all alone now.
That thought alone was too much for her to bear and Rosalind screamed her sadness to the heavens.
**********
Present Day, 2235 A.D.
Midas City.
Just thirteen days after that fateful night over three years ago, the once-great city of Havenway was reduced to ruins. Thousands were slain, most intentionally by Nobellus and some accidentally by Markus who tried to stop him. Her family had been some of the lives lost that night. Markus was defeated by Nobellus eventually, yet he somehow managed to survive. That alone caused Rosalind's blood to boil, if Markus would have died with her family she could forgive him. But he didn't, instead of dying with the people he had accidentally murdered, he lived on.
To Rosalind, this was beyond forgivable. Why did Markus, who was partially responsible for Havenway's destruction, get to live while her family, who's only crime was trying to survive, was rewarded with death? It was as if the Savior above was mocking her and the few survivors of Havenway.
Disgusted with the tragic turn of events she had set out to the west, eventually meeting David Watkins and helping to build Midas City as a haven for fellow survivors. The city itself was only in its infancy, having been in existence for about a year now. It was rapidly growing though, thanks to David Watkins, Sheriff Wallace, Vice-Sheriff Garlow and finally, herself. She was even forming new friendships with them and had even taken on an apprentice in Marie when she had discovered her potential in sorcery.
Just when things were looking up for her, Markus once again reappears like a bad omen. Promising destruction to another city that she had begun to call home. Even if he meant well, trouble followed the blonde aeromancer like a magnet. The last thing she needed was some necromancer to target Markus while he was here and subsequently get Midas City destroyed just like Havenway.
"Lady Rosalind Hearth?" The voice of Mayor Watkins’ aide brought Rosalind out of her meditation. The hoodie-clad woman stood up from her spot on the floor and turned her attention toward the aide, a young woman with dark hair in a ponytail. "The mayor is ready to s
tart the meeting." The aide informed her, Rosalind nodded at the young woman as she walked by her.
"Thank you." She told the aide, Rosalind had to convince the mayor that it was in the city's best interest to banish Markus from there. They hadn’t dealt with a major attack for a while and she'd prefer to keep it that way. Plus just seeing Markus again stirred up a bunch of old hate and feelings and not all of them were bad, much to her frustration and dismay. His close proximity was threatening her usual cool head and she didn't like that one bit.
As she entered the mayor's office she immediately noted that he wasn't alone. Marie was seated at one of the two chairs in front of his desk. Rosalind frowned, she thought this was going to be a one-on-one conversation between herself and the mayor, what was her apprentice doing here?
"Ah Rosalind, now that you are here we can begin the meeting." Mayor Watkins said. He was seated at his desk his elbows resting on it and his fingers interlaced in front of his face. His chin rested on his thumbs as he waited for Rosalind to take the one free seat in his office.
Chapter 13
"If I may ask David, why is Marie here? Shouldn't this be a meeting between just us?" Rosalind asked the middle-aged man. Marie frowned and David closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again.
"Normally it would be, but your apprentice has had recent contact with this Markus. I would like to hear her input as well." The mayor answered, Rosalind seated herself at the other free chair in front of his desk.
"If it's information you are looking for then I'm all you need for that. I have known Markus for over twenty years now." Rosalind informed him.
"While this may be true Rosalind, your recent interactions with Markus from Marie's report have made me suspicious." Mayor Watkins replied, Rosalind's icy blue eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean?" The platinum-haired woman inquired.
"This is just an old man's gut feeling, but it seems to me that you have some sort of personal vendetta against Mr. Markus." The old mayor stated.
Rosalind knew it might come to this. She was normally calm and composed, but seeing Markus again had reopened old wounds she had thought healed. Lying to the mayor would only hurt her at this point.
"Yes. I do have a vendetta against him. He's responsible for the destruction of Havenway, my old home." The clairvoyant magi admitted, at the mention of Havenway, both Mayor Watkins and Marie's eyes widened in surprise.
"You're originally a magi from Havenway!?" Mayor Watkins asked incredulously.
"The City that stood for more than thirty years?!" Marie added, her surprise matching the mayor's.
"Yes I am, so is Markus. We were both magi that once defended that great city." Rosalind confirmed, Mayor Watkins had recovered from his surprise at that point, his gaze calculating as he looked at Rosalind.
"If that's true, you must have been there when the city fell to one of its own. There have been only rumors since it was destroyed three years ago, tell us what happened there." The mayor requested, Rosalind hesitated for only a moment before she complied.
"As I'm sure you're aware David, prior to its destruction, Havenway had existed for over three decades. It was a city that prospered like no other thanks mostly to a large supply of fresh water and the exceptional magi who protected it." Rosalind began, "Among those magi was Nobellus, Havenway's most powerful magi. You've heard the stories I'm sure." The mayor nodded.
"There are tales of Nobellus repelling entire armies, but I always thought those tales were exaggerated." Mayor Watkins stated, Rosalind shook her head.
"They aren't I assure you. Nobellus' power was the greatest I've ever seen, but he was much more than just the city's defender. He was its heart. When he wasn't busy repelling invaders he was helping the lorekeepers to teach the children how to read and write. He would go out and search for food even if he just finished a fierce battle. He would give the very clothes he was wearing if someone wasn't properly bundled for the cold weather. Nobellus was completely selfless." The blonde-haired woman informed them. "But that changed three years ago..." Rosalind trailed off, lowering her head, her usual stoic expression fractured and both David and Marie could see the sadness in her eyes.
"What changed three years ago?" Marie prompted.
"Havenway was assaulted...by Nobellus himself." Rosalind replied.
David and Marie were completely caught off-guard by that answer.
"Havenway's strongest magi turned on the city itself? Why!?" Mayor Watkins exclaimed. Rosalind just shook her head sadly.
"I don't know, I'm not sure if anyone really knows. He attacked us, destroyed a good portion of the city and was going to leave." The platinum-haired magi began gripping the armrests of her chair tightly. "But Markus wouldn't let him leave, he had lost a lot of friends during Nobellus' assault and wanted to avenge them. So he challenged Nobellus..." Rosalind's eyebrows furrowed in anger and she gripped the armrests even tighter. "...Their resulting battle left almost nothing of Havenway, among those casualties was my family."
"Rosalind..." Marie started, but she didn't know what to say. Rosalind felt tears beginning to form in her eyes, but she forced them back.
"My mother, my father, and my little brother all died during their battle. Markus himself was mortally wounded, but he survived somehow as you are all well aware." The hoodie-clad magi said the last part with a hint of bitterness in her tone. "After their battle, myself and the other survivors were forced to flee from the city ruins as Havenway's enemies got word of its destruction. I journeyed west and eventually found you David." Rosalind finished.
"So that's why you suddenly attacked Markus here." Mayor Watkins stated, leaning back in his chair. Rosalind's face hardened.
"I've never forgiven Markus for what happened that night. As I journeyed west I wished that every necromancer I killed was him instead. If he wouldn't have challenged Nobellus my family would still be alive." The co-founder of Midas City told them icily.
"I see." Mayor Watkins said. Gazing at her in thought for a moment before turning to Marie. "Ms. Livingston, you have had the most recent contact with Markus what do you think?" Marie shifted in her seat, slightly nervous.
"I don't doubt Rosalind's information about him, but from what I've seen, Markus doesn't seem that bad. Sure, he can be annoying as hell sometimes, but he saved my life. He could have just left the cannbials to eat me, but he didn't." Marie turned to look directly at her master. "So I think you should give him a second chance. He's obviously a strong magi and he could be a big help to the city if he decides to stay." The teenage magi pleaded to Rosalind.
The photomancer looked at her apprentice, amazed that she had grown attached to Markus in such a short time. He had that effect on people though, he was a hard person to dislike and an even harder one to hate. Rosalind's face softened as she felt her own hatred for Markus weaken slightly, there was a time when she had loved him once. The moment passed though and the co-founder of Midas City once again had on her stoic mask.
"While that may be true for the short term, it wouldn't hold up in the long term. Eventually Markus would destroy this city, even if he didn't mean to." Rosalind replied.
"Are you certain of this Rosalind?" Mayor Watkins asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.
"It's what I believe." The hoodie-clad magi said, Marie shook her head.
"Why are we even arguing about this anyway? He told me he was leaving to search for the same man that annihilated my team, that's why I brought him to you in the first place Rosalind. I was trying to assist him with your clairvoyance." The teenage magi argued. "If you hadn't of jumped him I think he would have left peacefully." Anger rose within Rosalind, but she quickly fought it down.
"You weren't there Marie, you didn't see the broken and bloody body of my little brother as I held him in my arms." The older woman told her, Marie held firm though.
"And you weren't there when the cannibals had stuck me in a cage and told me how they were going to start their dinner with my legs so I could
watch." The younger woman shot back.
"Enough." Mayor Watkins stated, getting both of their attention. "We need to come with a decision on what is to be done with Markus. Rosalind, what do you suggest?"
"I'd have to say banishment." Rosalind suggested, Marie instantly stood up from her chair.
"Come on! Couldn't we at least just have a few deputies keep watch over him while he's here? Hell when Janine gets back from her mission she could do it, she can't sit still for five minutes." Marie quickly said, Mayor Watkins eyes raised slightly at the mention of Janine's mission.
"How did you know Janine was on a mission Ms. Livingston?" The middle-aged man inquired.
"One of the deputies informed Kendal about Janine forming a search team while he was interrogating Markus. Kendal left with the search team to find her." Marie answered. The mayor closed his eyes and rubbed his temples sighing.
"This does not bode well." He announced.
"What was Janine searching for anyway?" Rosalind finally chimed in.
"The Southern Scouting team didn't report in yesterday so I sent Janine to investigate." The mayor informed them, resting his chin on his thumbs once more. "But now it's been over a day, she should have at least sent a messenger back to me to inform me of her progress, but there has been no word."
"No word from Janine? Then it must be someone with sorcery." Rosalind responded grimly, Mayor Watkins nodded.
"That's the same conclusion I came to, but the question that remains is..." The middle-aged man paused, he looked like he was trying to burn a hole through his desk with just his gaze. "...Is this someone just a random feral magi? Or is it a genuine necromancer?" A chill went down Marie's spine. What if it was the same man that had wiped out her team? What if the man Markus was looking for actually was Nobellus? No wonder her team had stood no chance against him.