Magic's Genesis- Sword of Wilmamen

by Rosaire Bushey

  Grettune spent the rest of the day with her husband and Krieger, making plans for another night in the city and waiting for an emissary from the Dynast who did not come. Even Absuwan didn’t return to provide his translation services.

  Despite Krieger’s misgivings, they continued to leave their quarters each night and walk among the markets and shops, widening the circle they traveled with each passing evening. After several days they recognized and were recognized by more people who gradually stopped staring and greeted them warmly as they passed.

  “Have either of you noticed that we have attracted the attention of the palace?” Krieger asked several days after their initial foray into the Dar’Ahlmon evening. “They are very good, but I’ve counted at least three who seem to be following us.”

  “What do you think we should do, Krieger?” Perryn’s question came calmly and to his credit the wielder didn’t look around to try to spot the men Krieger warned of.

  “I think we should do nothing that might indicate we know they are there.” Grettune could see that Krieger relished the challenge of outthinking an opponent. “For now, they are only watching, and I’m sure relaying what they see back to the palace. We just need to behave ourselves and they’ll reveal their hand soon enough.”

  Krieger was correct. It was nearly a week later, however, before the hand was played and when it was, it wasn’t at all what Krieger expected.

  “We’ve been summoned to meet his Eminence, the Dynast of Dar’Ahlmon,” Krieger said as he put down an envelope that had been delivered that afternoon. “It appears that we will also be leaving this place and will be lodged in the Golden Palace.”

  “You don’t look happy about this turn of events,” Grettune looked to both her husband and the spy, her own displeasure evident on her face.

  “I’m not.” Krieger stood and paced along the table. “They are trying to find out something that simply following us is not answering for them. They want us closer. Alas, there is nothing for us to do but obey the summons. We are, after all, here to do a job.”

  Grettune placed her hands across her stomach and felt the child there and wondered if her first child would be born in Dar’Ahlmon.

  Codex of the Prime Wielder

  Magic and Distance

  On a more practical application of magic, there has been discussion between the three human wielders and the bobcat Kimi, as to whether there is a distance where magic may be used successfully – as much as there is with an arrow. To this we know for certain, there does seem to be a distance at which magic potency deteriorates. The further one travels from this distance, the weaker the magic becomes until it is all but useless. Regardless of the distance and potency, however, the effect on the wielder remains the same.

  So far as our trials have been able to tell, the maximum distance for fully potent magic is about the same as that distance a skilled archer can hit a target with consistency – about three hundred yards. After that distance, magic remains moderately effective until about 12 furlongs; with potency being reduced again at a distance from 12 to 24 furlongs. At a distance from 24-40 furlongs, magic is ineffective for any tactical advantage. Some small magic may linger at this distance, but effects other than surprise are minimal. After 40 furlongs, any practical magical effect is unnoticeable and magic potency is unremarkable.

  The discovery of this limitation has made Haustis very happy, for it provides a weakness that may be exploited in the event of a wielder who would use magic for the sake of darkness. While powerful, a wielder is still susceptible to weapons as is any other person, if they are not shielded against them. For now, however, we keep news of this discovery silent. The power of the wielders in Wesolk has brought a conciliatory peace to the area. Any mention of a limitation of magic’s power may lessen that peace before it has an opportunity to grow.

  Privately, I believe there may be a method whereby the distance limitation can be extended, however I will not share this theory until I can be sure it is true. Even if I can provide this, Haustis urges me to keep such information private and not include it in the Codex. I have told Grettune that I want all knowledge relating to magic to be contained in the Codex so that future wielders might benefit and use their powers for the greater good.

  Lydria

  21 - Wae Ilsit

  While Lydria’s magic kept Wae Ilsit alive, he required time to recover from malnourishment, but he was made well enough to talk to his daughters after they took him from the dungeon and brought him into the light.

  While Hokra, Relin, and Kimi scouted the town and an area of forest to the south, Lydria dug a hole into which she moved and buried the remains of the Qorghal.

  When she was finished, Lydria joined the others at a fire Haustis had made and smiled warmly at the Eifen chief who was being held by his daughter and fed small bits of meat and water.

  “I’m am glad you have come, daughters, for in truth, I was very close to joining my own father had you waited longer.” Wae Ilsit’s words confirmed that Haustis had told him of the fate of Drae Ghern.

  “Wae Ilsit,” Lydria started formally, indicating she was about to ask questions that were not personal in nature. The chief smiled at the title and raised his bony hand to stop her before she began. “I am Wae no longer, wielder. My people are gone, and I have no one left to lead, but I guess that is what you want to speak of.

  “On the advice of the spirits, we did not travel together. We broke into three bands – a band that went west directly; another that went north up the western edge of the great lake to a point south of Steven’s Folly, near where Relin had made his first camp before turning to the west; and the group I led, who decided to go south and then west. Drae Ghern led the group that headed directly west, and the northern group, the largest of the three, was led by Fehgri, or as she should more properly be called now, Wae Fehgri, as she leads all that is left of our people.”

  “Then did no others of your group survive?” Lydria’s question had barely left her mouth before she could feel her own heart quicken in anticipation of the response.

  “They may have, I do not know,” Ilsit told them. He was tired and needed rest, Lydria knew, but she needed to know what he could tell her. “When we came upon the Qorghal they did not fight immediately as we had thought they might. Instead they encircled us. When we fought, they defended themselves and lost many, many of their kind, but there were always more. Eventually, despite few losses of our own, we had no choice but to yield. They took us here, where they bound us and threw us in the lowest cages.”

  Ilsit paused and his frail body was wracked with the pain of remembering.

  “Father, there is no need to tell us more, rest until you regain your strength.” The words of Haustis were reinforced by the soothing magic of Lydria, and within heartbeats Ilsit was asleep in his daughter’s arms.

  Lydria left Haustis with Pars and set off to search the rest of the area for the missing Eifen. When she got back Haustis drew in a sharp breath, Lydria’s collar was ablaze with a light she’d never seen before.

  “Ilsit is the only survivor,” Lydria said between clenched teeth before turning on her heel and heading back into the dungeons.

  Minutes later Lydria appeared from the dark doorway leading to the dungeons dragging a webbed Qorghal behind her. The noises it made drown out everything else, but every time he opened his mouth Lydria smiled. Haustis could see a small trickle of blood running down her half-sister’s neck from her ear. Whatever was making the Qorghal scream was almost certainly coming from Lydria.

  Arriving at the fire where Ilsit still sat, Lydria threw the Qorghal onto the ground, using nothing but her own muscle and the pain that ran through her as fuel. “I don’t need magic to gut you like a fish,” she snarled at the creature who was visibly shaken and scared, doing his best to scramble away, but finding his web tighten around him as he moved until he lay still, his eyes round and staring at the glowing blue band around his captor’s neck.

  “Where are the ot
hers?” Lydria nodded toward Ilsit so the Qorghal knew she was talking about the Eifen and not his own people.

  “They are dead. And by the rules of our people, this one should be too.”

  “Why isn’t he then?”

  “The coming of the owl-ears is a sign and it was a sign that was proven when our god dropped from the skies on wings of viridian. Two great beasts made tribute to our god by piling high those Qorghal who did not kneel before our lord. The rest of my people took a knee quickly and our lord laughed, so grateful was he to see us at long last.”

  “Describe your lord.” Lydria fairly spit out the last word. She knew who their lord was. It could be no other, but she wanted it confirmed and a part of her was hoping the Qorghal would provide a name she did not know.

  “He wears a dark cloak and his face and arms are red like the storm sun. He commands the giant beasts and they do his bidding.

  “Did he give you a name?” The Qorghal was taken aback for a moment, before realizing Lydria expected an answer.

  “The gods do not favor us with their names. He is our lord, and that is all we need to know.”

  “Where did your people go?”

  “They follow our lord to a new home, to the south where he will provide, and we will be free to do as our nature intends.”

  “What else did he take?”

  At this the Qorghal snapped his mouth shut and looked away, defiance finally expressing itself.

  Lydria kicked the smaller man in the chest and was satisfied when she felt and heard a bone snap. He sucked in air and winced at the pain but did not cry out. When Lydria asked her question again, he spit blood and kept his mouth closed.

  Before Haustis could say anything, Lydria snapped her fingers and a strand of web uncurled itself from the Qorghal and attached itself to a strong tree limb high above before winding the kicking body up so that he hung suspended several feet above Lydria’s head.

  The screaming of the Qorghal had drawn Relin, Kimi and Hokra back from their patrol and taking in the situation Relin quickly approached Lydria who told him what the Qorghal had said and in whispered tones what she had found in the dungeons.

  Kimi, who knew Lydria better than anyone there, could sense her anger and what she intended for the bound creature above them. “Before you do anything you’ll regret, consider, Lydria. Consider what your father would do and what he would spare you from. Once you go down this path, it will be very difficult to return. If it is your intent to murder this creature, then you owe it to yourself to do so with clarity of thought and mind. If you can justify it then, so be it.”

  “They didn’t just kill the Eifen, Kimi. They made a game of it. What they did was too cruel to explain. Tell me, how can a people who would do these things be allowed to continue to exist? And if you say, it should not be me, then tell me, who? I know my father and I know he did things too terrible to tell me. He would wake up screaming at night, and he would cry until morning. When I asked, he told me that sometimes only evil can eradicate evil; and so long as our intent is good and our purpose righteous, then a few tears and bad dreams are worth the lives of the innocent.”

  Kimi silently put his paws on Lydria’s shoulders and stared into her eyes before licking her face with his overly large bobcat tongue. “In all the world, I will not judge you.”

  Drawing a deep breath, Lydria looked up at the Qorghal once more. “I offer you one last chance to tell me what your lord took from this place.”

  If she expected an answer, she was disappointed, but before she could make good her threat she reached up with her sword and cut the web holding the Qorghal to the tree. The sound he made when he hit the ground caused Pars to turn away. With several broken bones, the Qorghal cried out in pain, but almost immediately stopped as he struggled to breathe. Lydria raised the creature off the ground and moved with him into the forest, away from the campfire and the eyes of her friends, and she bound him again high in the branches.

  She was by herself now. Hokra had held back the others who started after her by simply stating that this was something she needed to do on her own. Even Kimi understood and for long minutes they all watched the woods where Lydria had gone waiting to see who would come out.

  “To prove I am not like you, I will heal your wounds, but you must tell me what I need to know.” A soft yellow light enveloped the Qorghal and he gulped in breaths as if he could store them against being injured again. But he made no move to speak, mutely staring at Lydria as one who understands his time is at hand.

  Lydria expected his reticence and part of her was excited that he didn’t tell her what she wanted. The images of what had been done to the Eifen were seared into her memory and she knew what she planned would do nothing to remove them.

  “Were you involved in the atrocities that were committed in the dungeons below to the Eifen held captive there?” Even as she asked it Lydria knew that the Qorghal was guilty. Asking made her feel only slightly better.

  “I was a jailer. I was not ‘involved,’ it was my idea. For generations my people simply killed but in the last few weeks we’ve learned much about the Eifen owl-ears. And who are you to talk about involvement as I sit dangling from a tree?”

  The Qorghal continued his tirade, the last pitiful gasp of a dead man, but Lydria stopped listening after he had said it was his idea. She had turned her back on her captive and looked through the undergrowth, finally discovering what she needed. With her hands cupped in front of her she stood under the Qorghal and showed him her prize.

  “It’s been said that the gods who made these lands made your people for one purpose only – to kill, and that in all the time since your arrival to Eigrae you’ve fulfilled your purpose with no one to oppose you. The Qorghal have always been the hunter, but never hunted. I think it’s time we change how the game is played.” Leaning in so that she seemed to speak into her hands, Lydria whispered words the Qorghal could not make out or hear entirely, but the sound of her voice caused his stomach to clench and his eyes didn’t move from her hands.

  When she had finished talking, Lydria lowered herself to one knee and emptied the contents of her hands into the grass, stood up and stepped back. “This is your last chance.”

  The words the Qorghal said didn’t matter. Lydria assumed he threw a curse at her in his own language, but that didn’t matter either. Her collar began to glow, dimly at first and then with the intensity of a blue sun a light filled the space around them. The Qorghal stared at Lydria for a moment before movement below him caught his attention. On the ground something grew and continued to grow and the Qorghal’s voice came out in a hoarse whisper, “what have you done?”

  Within a minute, where a pair of small wolf spiders stood on the ground, two enormous spiders stood, their bent knees approaching Lydria’s chest. They didn’t move but stared at Lydria as her collar shone brightly in their multi-faceted eyes.

  “Hello, my friends. Do you smell the food above you? This is what we call a Qorghal. There are many of them who have fled these woods for a new home to the south. In return for the gifts I have given you, I ask only one thing in return: the Qorghal are to be your food of choice. You are not to eat humans, or Chag Ca’Grae, or Eifen or any other thing that walks on two legs. You will make your homes away from things that walk on two legs and you will hunt the Qorghal and show no mercy upon them.”

  The spiders said nothing but bent their front two legs further and appeared to bow.

  “You may eat.”

  The screaming of the Qorghal followed Lydria as she limped back to her friends. By the time she arrived, the noise had stopped, and her friends nodded, not in approval perhaps, but in understanding.

  Curled up by the fire, the others went about the business of setting up a camp and preparing food. Lydria stroked Kimi who lay with her silently and let her know she was loved.

  22 - The Last Haustis

  The spirit world that Lydria entered with Haustis was different than when she had visited before. It was paler
and hazy, like walking through a dense fog, and the sounds were noticeably duller as well.

  “The spirit world is leaving us,” Haustis told her. “I am the last Haustis. This new magic that you wield spells the end of the old magic of Eigrae, just as the spirit world must have ended another form of knowledge many generations ago.”

  Haustis didn’t appear sad, but Lydria could tell that her half-sister was sorry to see her time as Haustis so short. The spirit world was a key part of the Eifen and their culture would change without the Haustis as part of it. The tall ebony woman turned and smiled and picked up her voice as they walked through a landscape that was like nowhere either had ever been. “It is not so bad, sister. I will never have to make the choice to leave a family I love to maintain my place as Haustis. And, there is still something yet to do. I think the spirits will not entirely abandon us until we have achieved what we need.”

  Haustis had encouraged Lydria to sit with her. When the wielder had returned from the woods and said nothing but gone straight to her bed, Haustis had said nothing. She asked no questions and gave Lydria the space she knew was needed. But the group was at a crossroads, and decisions needed to be made. Their search for the Sword of Wilmamen had ended; they arrived too late to rescue the blade from the clutches of Wynter, and now they needed to decide whether to return north or continue south.

  “What are you expecting to find, Haustis?” Lydria’s question was neither annoyed nor impatient. It was flat and dull, much like Lydria’s eyes and collar. There was no spark in her.

  “I do not know. Perhaps we shall find a sign like to what Relin found in the spirit river, but I do not really expect such an obvious display this time.”

  They walked through a leafy forest path for the entire morning, the dense fog lifting only slightly as they climbed a small hill. There were no animals in the world they inhabited, and no breeze to rattle the tree branches or to shift the mist. But it was not wet, and it was not cold, it only existed, its beauty hidden by the white cloud-like fog.