by Logan Jacobs
Then, for no apparent reason, the second mage dropped his spell. The ball of mana disappeared, and he looked down at his ribs, where a line of blood had formed. A second line formed even as I watched.
“There’s someone here in an invisibility cloak,” the secretary warned.
I saw her scan the room, then grin as she must have spotted Imogen’s mana. That momentary switch in focus cost her. As she loosed an attack on the ladona, I sliced through her shield and charged forward. I smashed into her just as she released her spell, and drove my blade straight into her heart.
I heard Imogen cry out in pain, and the room filled with a sickly smell. Merlin howled, and I glanced up in time to see him latch his teeth around the last mage’s throat. The mage tried to create a mana blade of his own, and I clamped down tightly on his mana. Merlin and I both held on until I saw his mana fade for good.
I finally looked around the room we were in. We were in a hallway, and now that the sounds of battle had died down, I could hear voices nearby. Professors and students, it sounded like. The invisibility cloak had slipped from Imogen’s shoulders, and I could see her slumped against a wall.
I ran to her side, and pulled the cloak off. There was a trail of blood from a head wound, and bruises starting to form along her shoulder blades.
“Imogen,” I called urgently. The voices were getting closer, and I didn’t think getting caught here with three corpses was a good idea.
“I can move,” she said huskily. “Just help me up.”
Merlin had bounded over, and he nuzzled up against the ladona. I tried to help her stand, while Merlin provided an assist, but she struggled to stay upright.
The clatter of the crowd was nearly on us, so I pulled Imogen into another doorway, and covered us both with the cloak. Merlin quickly changed into a mouse and scurried out of sight.
“Oh, by the stars!” a voice cried out.
“What? What is it?” someone else asked.
“Quick, someone needs to fetch Maderel,” an angry voice added.
There were some more screams and threats, and then I heard what had to be one of the professors start to issue orders. Someone was dispatched to find Maderel, while others were dispersed to check school property for any signs of additional dark magic. Another group of mages checked the bodies in the hall for booby traps. Everyone else was told to return to their rooms and remain there until further notice.
The pandemonium finally diminished, and when the mages charged with checking for traps finished their work, I picked up Imogen and walked as quietly as I could behind them. We reached the lobby without difficulty, but the area was packed with students and professors. So much for returning to their rooms to await further instructions.
There was a crowd in the doorway, blocking our exit. I knew there were other smaller exits scattered around, but we didn’t have time to backtrack at this point. If Maderel wasn’t already back, he would be here soon.
I closed my eyes, and thought about the great inky blackness again. I pictured it snuffing out all the lights in the room, and covering every surface. The screaming started up again, and I opened my eyes to a velvet blackness. Fire mages tried to light new mage balls, but the darkness simply swallowed them whole. A few people tried to move, but it was impossible to see anything without using mana to guide your way.
I wove through the crowd to the doorway. The pack of people that had blocked it had dispersed, most into the sunlight outside. I cut through them, shoving people out of the way. In this large a group, no one noticed that they couldn’t see the person who had pushed them aside.
When we were finally clear of the Academy grounds, I found a quiet alleyway where we could stop for a moment. I set Imogen down on a stoop, and Merlin bounded up a moment later, back in hound form. I checked and rechecked the alley, but the only life forms around were a few rats and mice. All the people had probably gone to investigate what was happening at the Academy. I lowered the cloak, so I could get a good look at Imogen.
“I think I cracked a rib or two,” she said through gritted teeth.
“We need to keep moving,” I replied as I glanced around the alley. “Maderel may already be back at the school. And when he sees the bodies, he’ll know what’s happened.”
“We can’t go through the gates like we’d originally planned,” she hissed as she tried to stand up.
“Well, you’re certainly not going down the wall,” I pointed out. “Sit still. I can’t heal you completely, but I may be able to help.”
I let my mana flow into her, and I saw her own mana start to glow silver in response. Imogen groaned, but I could feel her strength returning.
“I feel better,” she said as she made it to her feet this time. “There’s one more option we can use.”
“The tunnels,” I guessed.
“Not the ones you’re thinking of,” she replied. “There’s one that runs under the wall. The guard uses it to move supplies and weapons from one point to another during a siege.”
“How does that get us out of the city?”
“There’s a small branch that connects with the underground river that provides water to the city,” she explained. “It’s so the city engineers can keep an eye on the water level.”
“Won’t that just lead us to a cave or something?” I asked as I started to walk slowly along the alley while Imogen limped alongside.
“Yes,” she replied with a grimace, and we stopped for a moment. “But that cave has an exit. We won’t be exactly where we need to be, but we’ll be out of the city. Assuming everyone else made it out of the city, we can use that paper of yours to tell them where we are.”
“How far is it?” I whispered. A man and a woman had appeared in the alley, and I could hear the excitement in their voices as they talked about the reappearance of dark mages in the city.
“Let me figure out where we are,” she whispered. I pulled her into a hug, and nuzzled her neck as I swayed in a slow circle. The two interlopers walked past us with only the barest of glances.
“That was well done,” Imogen laughed quietly. “Follow me, I know where we can access the tunnels.”
We moved as quickly as we could without drawing attention to ourselves. Imogen guided us along a dark and twisting collection of alleys and side streets for nearly twenty minutes, before we found ourselves at one of the waystations that dotted the city. They were small, squat buildings, barely big enough for two people to sit down in. They weren’t manned most of the time, but provided a handy spot for a guardsman to get out of bad weather, fill out a form, or take care of one of the other endless chores that couldn’t be tended to while walking around the streets of the city.
“There should be an entrance in there,” she said.
“Are you sure?” I asked skeptically.
“Trust me,” she replied with a wink.
We waited for a slow moving cart to plod out of view and a pair of drifters to return to an alley before we darted across the street to the waystation. It was empty, and the door unlocked. We stepped inside after another furtive glance up and down the street.
The place smelled musty and unused. Dirt coated the floor and the one windowsill. Someone had left a sweater behind, which was now faded and moth eaten. Imogen tapped her boot against the floor until she heard a hollow thud. She smiled at me, then knelt down for a closer look at the floorboards. After a moment, she found a small lever, and half the floor sprang open. A pair of wooden stairs disappeared into yet another pitch-dark hole.
“This is getting to be a habit,” I grumbled.
Imogen pulled the still-lit glow stick from her pocket and held it up. She started down the steps, with Merlin close behind. I sighed and followed after her, pulling the trap door closed over my head.
We descended so far below the city that the air became stale, and the winter chill gave way to dry stagnation. I was about to suggest that we return to the surface and take our chances in the sewer when I saw the glimmer of mage light ahead. I s
aw the glow stick reach the bottom of the stairs, and then Imogen’s profile came into view a moment later as she peered cautiously into the tunnel.
“It’s clear,” she called to me.
I made it the rest of the way down the stairs and joined her on the landing. We were in a tunnel that had been carved from the bedrock. The walls hadn’t been smoothed down, and the floors were dirt, but the tunnel was wide enough for a cart to pass without scraping the sides. Mage lights floated at regular intervals, and stacks of polished and well-maintained weapons lined one side.
“Impressive,” I admitted.
“It rings the entire city,” she said. “And they have regular patrols down here, so we should probably get moving.”
“How far to the other tunnel?” I asked as we started walking.
“It’s just ahead,” she replied.
I nearly missed the turnoff. The entrance was so narrow and black that I thought it was just more wall, but Imogen stepped through without hesitation. I exchanged a quick look with Merlin, and then we followed after her.
The narrow tunnel was barely wide enough for one person to walk through, and there were no handy mage lights. Imogen held up the glow stick again, and we stumbled along for about fifteen feet, before it widened out again. There were still no mage lights, but we could walk side by side, at least. The air was fresher in here as well, and I thought I could hear the sound of water dripping somewhere ahead.
We ended up in a large cavern, with a large lake spread out before us. Mage lights had been placed near a small dock, and a boat and various bits of equipment sat nearby.
“There’s a path that will lead us to the surface,” Imogen said as she started to walk along the edge of the lake.
“I can’t believe this is down here,” I observed. The lake was huge, and I couldn’t see the far edge of it, even with the mage lights that burned brightly along the shore.
“It’s why they built the city here,” she replied. “If you think about it, there really isn’t a good reason for Ovrista to be here, much less able to be the major city that it is. But this lake provides plenty of water, even during a siege.”
“Not to mention a handy escape,” I added.
We traveled in silence for the rest of the trip. Even with the glow stick, it was hard going. There was a path, but it was littered with rocks and holes, and both Imogen and I stumbled more than a few times. I could tell the ladona was in pain again, and I did my best to help her. She nodded her appreciation, and continued on with gritted teeth.
When we reached what looked like the far end of the lake, the path began to veer upwards. We climbed over boulders and shimmied around stalagmites. I was panting hard by the time I finally felt a wisp of cold air from the surface.
The path ended at a crevice. I could see gray daylight just beyond, and hear the wind as it blew outside. Merlin darted ahead and changed into his hawk form as he leapt through the opening. I heard his joyful cry as he took flight, finally free of the dark cavern.
I could just squeeze through by standing sideways and dropping my head to my chin. With only a few new scratches, I half-stepped, half-stumbled back onto the surface of Evreas. Unfortunately, I had no idea where we were. None of the surrounding area looked familiar.
“That was a climb,” Imogen said as she stood next to me and gasped for breath.
“Um, where are we?” I asked.
“About three miles from the inn,” she replied. “But the road to Gilamar is just over that hill. So send the Shadow Foxes a message and tell them to pick us up by the side of the road.”
I pulled out my pen and paper. There were messages from Aerin, Yvaine and Maruk saying they had made it out of the city and were heading towards the inn. Emeline, Lavinia, Dehn and Lena were also accounted for. I sent a reply stating that Imogen and I had taken an alternate route out of the city, but we would meet the carriages on the road to Gilamar.
“At the old post road,” Imogen added as she watched me write the note.
“At the old post road,” I murmured as I sent my p.s.
A heartbeat later Aerin wrote back ‘See you soon.’
“Are you okay to walk to the road?” I asked as I tucked my pen and paper back into my pack.
“I can make it,” Imogen insisted. “Though I’ll certainly be glad to see that healer again.”
We set off, cutting as direct a path as we could. Most of the land we walked across looked like it had been farmed at one time, but the earth was slowly reclaiming it. Young saplings sprouted in the fertile soil, and long grasses whipped against our boots. I could hear field mice moving among some old cornstalks that lay across the ground, and a badger marched across our path as we clambered over the remnants of an old stone wall.
The hill was more of a gentle rise, for which I sent Theira a grateful thank you. When we reached the top, I could see the junction of the main road east and the old post road just below us. I grinned at Imogen, and we made our slippery way down the slope.
We arrived at the intersection before the carriages, and so we stood there by the side of the road like a pair of hitchhikers. All I needed was a sign that said ‘Gilamar’. Merlin eventually returned, dropping down next to us in a flurry of feathers before changing back to his puca form. He had a mouthful of something furry, which he quickly swallowed, and followed up with a burp.
My fingertips started to go numb, and I was giving serious thought to testing out my fire magic when we heard the sound of harnesses and the whinny of horses. Imogen and I glanced at each other, and then I looked at Merlin.
“Make sure it’s them,” I told the puca as my hand drifted towards my mana knife.
He nodded and changed back into his hawk form. He took off, flying low in the direction of the travelers. He was back quickly, and he settled onto my shoulder in his puca form with a happy chirp.
Three carriages soon appeared, and I recognized Rezo at the reins of the lead carriage. He stopped next to us, and Yvaine stepped out of the carriage.
“Are you okay?” she asked as Aerin stuck her head out from the carriage.
“Imogen was injured,” I replied. “And Maderel does have manipulators working for him. Other than that, we’re fine.”
Aerin had already stepped behind the ladona when she heard me say that Imogen was injured, and I soon heard the tinkling of chimes and felt the warm golden glow that always signaled that the elf was at work.
“Manipulators,” Yvaine murmured in awe.
“Maderel’s secretary for one,” I replied.
“What?” Aerin asked in disbelief.
“And two others that we killed on the grounds of the Academy,” I added. “But who knows how many others. And I’m pretty sure Maderel is one as well.”
“But you said you checked his mana,” Aerin protested.
“I did,” I sighed, “But obviously he’s found a way to conceal it. It must have something to do with learning elemental magic, because that’s what I see when I look at him.”
“Madame,” Rezo interrupted. “Perhaps we should hold this discussion inside the carriage.”
“He’s right,” Yvaine said with a nod. “We all made it out, but I’m certain we’re being followed. We should keep moving.”
Imogen and I piled into the first carriage with Aerin and Yvaine. We’d barely sat down when Rezo snapped the reins, and we were off again. I gave Aerin and Yvaine the abridged version of our escape, and promised to fill in the rest of the story whenever we stopped. Merlin was dispatched to check the road behind us, and he returned periodically to keep urging us onward. Yvaine was right. We were being followed by someone, and I was willing to bet that it was more of Maderel’s personal mage army.
An army of manipulators.
Chapter 16
We made impossibly good time on the road to Gilamar, thanks to Emeline and Lena, but still our foes followed hot on our heels. My best efforts to slow them down with thick, slushy mud or icy roads made little difference. Dehn and Lavinia even set
up spikes buried in the road along the way, which barely gave our followers pause.
The horses started to flag, and Yvaine had Rezo stop and let us out. Lavinia would lead us crosscountry to Gilamar while Rezo continued onward to the next town. There he would rest the horses and then turn around and return to Constello lands.
Merlin kept watch from overhead, and for a while, our followers continued their pursuit of the carriages. It bought us enough time to stop and rest and swap stories of our dramatic escape.
The farmers, I learned, had indeed staged a sit-in. The council members had called for the city guards to remove them, which had set off, if not an outright brawl, at least a schoolyard fight. Other people who supported the farmers began to turn up, and the city hall was soon inundated with hundreds of people carrying signs and ringing cowbells. Council members had looked perplexed, but Maderel had grimaced and pushed his way through the crowd to make good on his escape. That was when Lena and Emeline had started Plan B.
Convinced that the city was under attack from dark mages, the council members had turned on Maderel. Maderel had apparently taken in what was happening, and informed the council that it was not dark magic, but probably more supporters for the farmers. The council hadn’t bought it. When Maderel attempted to leave again, the guards were ordered to hold him.
Maderel had used air magic to push the guards away, which had sent the already terrified crowd into full-on hysteria. Maderel had finally forced his way outside, but another wave of protestors had arrived. Maderel’s path was blocked once again, and the frustrated mage had threatened to burn down the city hall and everyone in it. That hadn’t gone over well with the gathered masses.
He was saved from an inglorious end when a small group of mages arrived from the Academy. They had spoken to Maderel and then cleared a path through the crowds. That was the last any of the Shadow Foxes had seen of him.