Welcome To The Age of Magic

by C M Raymond et al.

  “He's as bad as the fat one,” Lilly said. “They're all bad, but those two especially, and her.” An image accompanied her words of a woman with abnormally red hair and lines about her eyes.

  “Donna was here?” Julianne asked.

  “Yes. They call her the Master’s Voice. We haven’t seen her for a while, though.” Lilly’s face screwed up ferociously. “I hope she’s dead.”

  Julianne recognized the tone and odd phrasing as a thought not of Lilly's own, but something repeated. Aloud, she asked, “Who is the leader we saw just now? The one in gold?”

  Lilly shrugged. “August, probably. He’s the only one I’ve seen in dark blue. Fatso caught me once before, said August would string me up by my toenails and make me kill all my pets. Said he’d make me like it, too.”

  The hard pebble inside Julianne flared, just slightly, imagining what had been said to the young girl. “Don't worry, Lilly. We won't let them take you again.”

  Marcus reappeared and hustled the girl out of the room. “Have you got everything? Quick, run downstairs and wait with Annie. I'll be there in a moment.”

  Suddenly alone with Marcus, Julianne let her eyes fall. She didn't know what had come over her earlier. Maybe a residual effect of the remnant? No. She knew that wasn't true.

  “Marcus, we don't have time for any of this. I just didn't want you to go without…”

  “I understand.” He stepped forwards and folded her in his arms, a brief hug that was over all too soon.

  “Stay safe,” Julianne whispered. “And keep them safe, too. Someone has to survive this mess… in case I don’t.”

  Marcus squeezed her arm, then left without another word.

  36

  Julianne stood at Annie's front door, waiting. The visitors were close enough to sense now. She ran her mind over the soldiers, all controlled by mental force. Their shields weren't as strong as the mystics, but for now, they were enough.

  Her mental magic caressed the two columns of men, slipping over the tightly shielded space between them. At this distance, she was virtually powerless except for her ability to touch them. Soon, though…

  Julianne reached out to her comrades. Danil and Bastian were a short distance away. They would join the fight last, after Julianne dismantled the shields they used and freed the farmers turned soldiers. They would be their second line of defense, turning against their keepers once the bonds of slavery were loosened.

  That was the hope, anyway. She was working on a theory and a feeling, something that didn't often lead her wrong but could have devastating consequences tonight.

  There's always a first time, she thought to herself. Julianne took the last few moments of quiet to ease into a short meditation. She bathed in the connectedness, reaching out to touch the universe around her.

  The old timbers in the house groaned with anticipation, and the leaves outside rustled excitedly. Julianne could almost feel the heartbeat of the world flutter with anxiety.

  Then, it happened. A flare of consciousness off in the distance. One of the mystics had slipped in their control of a guard, releasing the shield just long enough for Julianne to slip beneath it.

  Quickly, she read the man's recent memories. Tarik had been dragged from his bed, ensorcelled into obeying despite an injury in his shoulder. He and the other men had quickly donned armor and weapons and marched out of the town to await their masters.

  They'd been given no rest and no explanation. That didn't matter. Tarik’s only desire was to obey, any semblance of resistance long since stripped by constant cycles of fear and reward.

  When Julianne estimated they were only a half-mile down the winding path, she struck. Blasting through Tarik’s mind control link, she replaced it with her own.

  Before applying any force, she sent a simple question.

  Are you willing?

  Tarik twitched his head, dazed.

  These monsters, those who call themselves Master. They killed your people. Took you as a slave. Will you stand for that?

  She watched as his mind slowly woke.

  Who are you? He wondered. Have I gone mad? Did they finally break my mind?

  Do you feel broken, or do you feel ready to fight? Julianne asked him. Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for the freedom of others?

  When he straightened his shoulders and gripped his spear tighter, she felt it. These bastards took my people. I am willing.

  He surrendered his will to her, allowing her full control of his body. The New Dawn guards were nothing but a show. They had all the power they needed to control the population in their minds.

  Though a strong man, his only experience fighting had been with obstinate sheep on shearing and dipping days. Julianne, however, had spent months with the Arcadian guards.

  She used his body like a weapon, harnessing a strength she personally didn't have. The spear he carried whipped out at the head of the nearest mystic, taking him down in a single blow. The woman next to him screamed, the blood spatter on her face black in the moonlight.

  Pain blossomed in Julianne's shoulder as she felt his arm dislocate from the socket at the force of the blow. Ahh, that was the injury. She pushed the sensation away.

  A guard stabbed forward with a sword but Julianne pulled Tarik back, and he missed. Holding the spear out between them defensively, Julianne feinted once. The farmer flinched, then lunged, only to take the brunt of Tarik’s head straight into his nose.

  Julianne's head rang as she suffered the same sensations as Tarik. She let out a scream as she plunged him into the center of the scrambling mystics, swinging the cudgel left, then right, then jabbing it forwards into someone's belly. A blow struck him from behind, but Julianne forced him back to his feet, dropping the weapon from blood slicked hands.

  Tarik reached out for the nearest mystic and wrapped his fingers around her neck. He squeezed, life flowing from his wounds as his consciousness faded.

  Thank you, my friend. Julianne watched through his eyes as the woman fell in a heap, and as all went dark, felt the thud of Tarik’s body following. Your sacrifice was noble and brave. Your people will know you as their hero. As his soul dissipated, Julianne pushed a wave of loving calm to send him on his way.

  A disconnected part of her mind searched the army as they wailed and yelled. Three were dead—four including Tarik—and the shields of seven mystics were shattered. As Julianne tried to force herself into one of them, she was suddenly shoved back as their defenses snapped shut. Three had re-fortified themselves, but four were wide open, or at least had flimsy shields erected that Julianne would be able to breeze past.

  Alec! Desiree, link with me!

  Please, no, don't shut me out!

  Julianne watched as they scrambled, three of the vulnerable mystics grabbing hands as their eyes regained their white glow. She sat inside the mind of Trini, a narrow-faced woman who sneered as the man who held her hand kicked another mystic who begged to be joined to them.

  “Don't be an idiot, Henry. It only works with three.” Trini seethed, sick of having to deal with these idiots. If not for them holding her back, she knew she’d be at Master August’s side by now.

  Unwilling to make herself known just yet, Julianne used her magic to feel her way along the woman's mind. Though she couldn't sense the magic another person cast, it was never magic alone. A whispered word, a mental image, a feeling—all that and more could accompany a spell.

  What Julianne felt was a reluctant surrender, a stepping back as Trini allowed another inside her head as she built her shield. Julianne could tell Trini wasn’t happy with the process. She felt the men she worked with were beneath her, unworthy of touching her superior mind.

  Julianne pulled back as far as she could without losing contact, staying as still and quiet as she could.

  Trini’s consciousness separated as she entered the minds of two others. The shield strengthened, wavered, and fell.

  “Concentrate, you idiots,” Trini snapped.

  “It's not
us, you dumb cow. It fell apart at your link.”

  Julianne's mind raced. If what they were doing only worked with three minds, as they'd told poor old Henry, it was likely her presence that held them back.

  She had learned as much as she could without exposing herself, and it was all she needed. Julianne send a tendril of frustration into Trini’s mind, feeding her anger at the men beside her. Fanning it, Julianne nudged Trini towards the small knife she kept in her belt.

  Julianne exploded fury inside Trini’s mind, and the New Dawn woman grabbed the weapon. It had been a gift from Trini’s father, more ornament than a real weapon. Still, when Trini thrust it into Henry’s cheek, it did the job.

  Julianne increased the pressure on the woman's mind. Trini held the short knife pointed at her own stomach.

  No. No, please.

  Julianne planted her resolve, pushing against the other woman’s desire to live. Too far for direct control, Julianne dragged up the image of the man she’d just stabbed, flooding Trini with guilt.

  She barely responded. Gritting her teeth, Julianne searched the woman’s mind, trying to find her motivation. There. Trini was ambitious, proud, and shallow. She was also fearful. The people she was involved with were harsh masters and dealt out punishments like candy.

  Trini fought against the terror that built as images of those punishments flashed through her mind. “No, no… They wouldn’t, not to me.” she murmured. The words were a lie. She was now a weak link, a gaping wound. The only thing they could do to fix that wound was to cauterize it.

  They would not do so kindly. Trini sobbed, then plunged the knife between her ribs. A painful death, but a fast one. A kinder one than she’d have been given if she’d survived this battle and made it back to her people.

  Julianne slipped away as it pierced, bubbles filled Trini’s lungs. She had missed the heart; it would not be a peaceful death.

  Bastian, Danil, do what you can to break their shields. They operate in groups of three—take one down, two more will follow.

  How? Bastian asked. While they're up, they're impenetrable.

  Think about what makes you lose focus. Do that to them, one hundredfold. Julianne sent the image of a tapestry that hung in the initiates dorms. It showed a woman, hand out, warding off anger, fear, fatigue and pain. The four symbols defined the things most difficult to overcome when using mental magic.

  So… piss them off, make them cry, wear them down, then punch them, Bastian sent. Got it.

  Jules? Danil’s sending held a note of caution.

  There are two exposed. You and Bastian need to take them. I'll give the rearick a heads up and take a moment to gather myself.

  Danil replied with a jab of warning and Julianne took it to heart. She'd used a dangerous amount of energy already, and the fight had barely begun.

  She ducked away from the door and signaled to Bette, who was hidden outside by a window. Julianne scurried over and whispered instructions to her.

  “Cause as much havoc as you can. Ten wounded is better than two dead. Once they lose focus, their shields go down in groups of three.”

  “Aye. Shoot many, shoot well. I like the sound of that.” Bette grinned and ducked back down, darting off through the shadows towards Garrett by the barn.

  37

  “Wait,” Lilly called from behind Marcus.

  He turned, ready to scoop the girl up and carry her if need be. Instead of the tired child he expected to see, though, Lilly stood tall, her eyes sparkling with green light.

  The bushes nearby trembled and Marcus tensed.

  “Easy, boy. Girl knows what she’s doing.” Annie touched his arm reassuringly and then gripped tighter when a large bear ambled onto the goat track they followed.

  Marcus sucked in a hissing breath when it approached the child. Instead of running or cowering, she grinned. “Thank you, Snuffy.”

  “Snuffy?” Marcus asked, heart still racing.

  “I don’t know how to say his bear name with words. Snuffy suits him, though. He likes to smell things.”

  As if to prove her words, Snuffy rose on his back feet and sniffed at the air. Then he dropped back down, and Lilly climbed on his back. “It’s ok. He won’t hurt you. He said he’ll carry me a little way, but he doesn’t like people. He’ll go before we get there.”

  Wondering how things had gotten so weird so fast, Marcus looked at Annie. “Get where?”

  At least the old woman had the decency to look abashed. “Some secrets just aren’t mine to tell,” she said.

  They walked on, their progress made faster by the heavy animal that forged ahead, snapping stray branches to clear the path for Marcus and Annie.

  “Was she always like this?” Marcus asked Annie quietly.

  She nodded. “Goddess blessed her early. Even as a kit, the animals looked to her. She’d walk through the forest attracting the biggest beasts around, and not a one ever hurt her.”

  “Seems like a handy gift to have,” Marcus said.

  “True. Until you’re damn near run out of town by those who are jealous or don’t understand. People round these parts might worship Queen Bethany Anne, but damned if they don’t pick and choose how they apply her teachings.”

  “So, you believe the Queen Bitch is a Goddess?”

  Annie nodded. “Oh, not like in those kids’ fairy tales. We’re backwater, but we’re not stupid. Still, seems sure enough Bethany Anne had something to do with the gifts that appear every now and then, if the stories had even a grain of truth to them.”

  “Huh.” Marcus pushed a branch out of his way before it snapped back in his face.

  When Marcus looked back up, he saw Snuffy had stopped. Raising his head, the bear sniffed again, hackles raising as he let out a low, menacing rumble.

  “Lilly?” Marcus called in a low voice. “You need to get down.”

  Lilly shook her head, face pale. “No. Snuffy said I’m safer up here. He said I have to hang on, though.”

  “Hang on to what?” Marcus asked.

  Before Lilly could answer, three remnant dropped from the forest canopy above. One landed on Marcus, sending his weapon flying down the embankment beside him. He kicked hard and the remnant thumped back to the ground.

  It sprang to its feet faster than Marcus could. He scrambled backwards, keeping an eye on the bush his magitech device had caught in. If he could just get down there…

  A body flew across the path, tumbling into the remnant that bore down on Marcus. He darted a look back just in time to see Snuffy thump back down onto all fours, Lilly clinging to the thick fur on his back.

  The bear whipped his head to one side and let out a screaming roar, spittle flying at the remnant Annie was warding off with a thick branch. The bear lunged, taking the remnant’s head in its giant mouth. He shook it like a playful dog.

  After the remnant’s body had flown into the bushes, Snuffy casually dropped the soggy head from his mouth. He looked to Marcus and flared his nostrils angrily.

  Marcus, now sure the bear did Lilly’s bidding, looked behind him. The remnant that had tumbled into the brush was right behind him. It was holding his weapon, but like a spear instead of a shooting weapon.

  Marcus dodged the first attack, ducking as the remnant swung the magitech staff. He looked up as something cracked above him and almost lost his head to Annie’s tree branch. The remnant was halfway down the slope before Marcus realized what had happened.

  “Damn, Annie, you’ve got one hell of an arm on you.”

  “What do you expect?” she called down after him as he went after the remnant. “I raised two boys with no Pa to teach them how to play catch.”

  Marcus found the fallen remnant. It staggered back up the hill, clearly dazed by the blow to its head. Marcus had no trouble dispatching it with his boot knife. On his way back, he spotted the magitech weapon and picked it up, sighing in relief as he hefted its weight in his hand.

  Marcus nodded thanks to Annie as he reached them. “You ok up there, Lilly?
” he called.

  “We’re ok,” she called back, leaning down to cuddle the bear. “Snuffy kept me safe. He doesn’t like the mad people.”

  “Err… Thank you, Snuffy,” Marcus said warily. He gave the bear a halfhearted wave.

  “He said you’re welcome.” She paused, eyes glowing green as she frowned. “Well, why didn’t you tell me that? Silly old bear.” Her eyes cleared. “One of the mad people bit Snuffy on his front paw. He said it’s not very bad, but it does hurt. We might have to slow down a bit.”

  Marcus looked at the bear, whose beady black eyes watched him closely. He warred with himself for a moment, then heaved a sigh. “Will Snuffy let me look at it? Those bites can go septic pretty quickly.”

  The bear lifted a paw and Marcus saw it was matted with wet blood. He dribbled some water over it from his flask.

  “Here,” said Annie. She handed him a small tin box. It reeked of the stuff Bette had dressed his wounds with earlier.

  Tamping down the fear and nerve, Marcus explained to Lilly that he wanted to apply some cream to the injury, then bind it. The girl’s eyes lit up again as she relayed the instructions, then nodded for Marcus to begin.

  He’d never doctored a bear before, but he soon realized that with Lilly’s firm hand to guide it, his patient was better behaved than some of the soldiers he’d worked with.

  Once he was done, Snuffy gingerly dropped his paw to the ground and tested his weight on it. Apparently satisfied, he bumped Marcus’s hand with his nose.

  “Uh, you’re welcome?” he said hesitantly.

  “I think he likes you,” Lilly giggled.

  They kept on for another hour, their pace a little slower, but still faster than Lilly could have walked on her own. Eventually, the bear stopped again, sniffed, and slowly stood up.

  “What is it?” Marcus asked, slipping into a defensive stance and looking around.

  “Nothing’s wrong,” Lilly said as she slid down’ Snuffy’s back. “We’re close now. Snuffy can’t come any further, or they’ll get scared.”

  “Scared? Who?” Marcus looked to Annie for an answer, but she just tapped the side of her nose.