by Dan Oakley
Something scratched my cheek. I opened my bleary eyes and saw I was face down, lying on a bed of coarse grass and leaves. It took me another moment or two to process the fact we were no longer in the Market Square.
I pushed myself into a sitting position and looked around for Maureena. At the same time, I attempted to get my bearings.
Maureena was close to me, on her hands and knees and panting heavily. I guessed the magic had taken a lot out of her. We were only a few feet away from Bess, who was grazing happily at the edge of the small copse.
I scrambled to my feet. We had a head start on the inquisitors, but we weren’t out of danger yet. They would soon be looking for us.
“Can you walk to Bess?” I asked Maureena, kneeling beside her.
She tried to speak, but the only sound that left her mouth was rasping breaths.
I scooped her up in my arms, realizing for the first time how frail she was. Within a few strides, I was at Bess’s side. Carefully, I helped Maureena onto the back of the mare then put the reins in her hands.
“You should go,” I said. “Get as far away from here as you can. I’ll stay and keep them distracted.”
Maureena shook her head resolutely. “No,” she said between panting breaths. “It’s you who should leave, Tomas, you have your whole life to live. Mine is nearly over.”
I urged Bess onwards, deeper into the copse. I figured our best chance of escape was through the shelter of the trees, which would give Maureena longer to flee the village before she was seen.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get far. Another flash of blinding light stopped me in my tracks and made me shelter my eyes. Bess whinnied and tensed beside me.
I blinked as my vision slowly reverted to normal. When I saw the figures in front of me, I blinked again.
How could this have happened?
The inquisitor, dressed in the red cloak, stood in front of us, flanked by four burly men. Maureena gripped my shoulder, and Bess shifted nervously, sensing the threat.
This didn’t make sense. There was no way they could have made it here to intercept us unless they’d used magic themselves. And judging by that flash of light, magic was exactly what they’d used. But it was supposed to be outlawed. Why would the inquisitors, of all people, be using magic?
I put my hand on the hilt of my sword. “Stand aside, and nobody will get hurt.”
The inquisitor chuckled. “I have to hand it to you, young man. You certainly don’t lack confidence.”
The hired thugs beside him laughed heartily, which only made me angrier.
“You used magic to get us,” Maureena said. Her voice was faint and raspy. “You’re persecuting us for using the same tools as you just used. It’s hypocrisy.”
The inquisitor raised an eyebrow. “I suppose you could look at it that way.” He shrugged.
Maureena placed her hands together, linking her fingers, and began to mutter some sort of chant, using words and phrases I didn’t recognize.
The inquisitor stamped his foot. “Stop that immediately!”
Maureena continued to chant and didn’t open her eyes.
“Subdue her,” the inquisitor screamed.
I pulled my sword, ready for an attack, but the thugs didn’t rush me as I’d expected. Instead, one pulled a thin, blue rope from a brown sack tied to his belt.
He threw it at Maureena. In the air, the rope seemed to come alive, glowing bright blue and looking more like an angry snake than a cord.
The moment it touched Maureena, it clamped onto her, whipping itself around and around her torso as the blue glow grew brighter.
“What is that?” I demanded, reaching out to pull the glowing, blue strands from Maureena’s body.
Touching the rope was a mistake. There was a snap, and pain engulfed my hand. It felt like I’d stuck my hand into a roaring fire. I swore and pulled my hand back.
“It’s a magic suppressor,” the inquisitor said, gleefully. “And if you carry on like that, you’ll be getting one, too.”
I didn’t want to point out my weakness, but there didn’t seem to be much point in him bothering to suppress my magic. I didn’t even know how to use it. Maureena had often told me how powerful I could be with the right training, but right now, I was like a lion without teeth and claws. Why hadn’t I agreed to listen to her lessons?
Maureena’s eyes met mine.
“Does it hurt?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No, there is no pain, just an empty blankness when I try to draw on my magic.”
“Why are you doing this?” I asked, rounding on the inquisitor. “Just let us go on our way, and we’ll never trouble you again.”
“I’m sorry. But that’s not how things work around here. There’s a reason all magical incidents are reported to the inquisitors.”
“Because you want to suppress us! Because you’re afraid of us!” I was fast losing my temper.
The inquisitor cocked his head to one side and smiled as though I amused him. “No, that’s not it. We use you.”
“You use us?”
I looked at Maureena, who looked as confused as me.
The man nodded. “Magic is a precious commodity. Without it, the kingdoms would grind to a halt. We would have no long-range jump drives on the ships, and our defense systems would be so depleted we would be under threat from the other star realms.”
“Then magic isn’t outlawed?” I wondered if he was trying to trick me. My whole life I’d been told magic was wrong, dangerous and should be reported to the authorities.
The inquisitor shrugged. “I suppose that depends on your point of view. If you’re a stupid peasant from Terrano, then yes, we tell you it’s outlawed because then you will report every incidence of magic to us. Then we can identify each and every mage and bring them into our service.”
“But why lie about it? Why not just employ mages?”
“Because if history has taught us anything, it’s that you magical types can be quite temperamental.” He rolled his eyes. “Some need a little persuasion to join our fight and serve the kingdoms.”
I gaped at him, feeling as though my whole world had shifted. I’d grown up believing there was something wrong with me, that I was a criminal, and now this man was telling me it had all been a lie fed to the people of Terrano so the kingdoms could identify mages.
I tightened my hold on my sword. “I hate to tell you this, Inquisitor,” my mouth twisted in anger as I spoke, “but I’m one of those temperamental mages, and there is no way we are coming with you.”
He sighed heavily but didn’t look particularly concerned.
I raised my sword. “I’ll give you one last opportunity. Let us go. If I have to kill you to gain our freedom, I will.”
He shook his head. “I should have placed a wager. I knew you were going to say that. So predictable. Unfortunately for you, we have someone who possesses more powerful magic. You do not stand a chance.”
He waved his hand in the darkness; beneath the tree canopy a movement caught my eye.
I watched the object approach, terrified that they were about to unleash a monster on us. When the figure came closer, I saw it was a young woman with bright red hair, wearing a dark purple cloak decorated with silver suns, stars and moons.
She didn’t look like much of an adversary. She was short and slight. Her hair was chin length, and she’d tucked her red locks behind her ears.
It looked like I could defeat her with one hand tied behind my back, but appearances could be deceptive. If the inquisitors had so much confidence in her, she was clearly a powerful mage.
I didn’t attack but waited for her to make the first move.
“Be careful, Tomas,” Maureena whispered in my ear. She was still sitting on the back of Bess, who shuffled irritably, disgruntled by the sudden new arrival.
The mage walked toward us slowly, with a bored, disinterested look on her face. When she reached us, she lifted her hand.
I held my breath, but instead of cast
ing a spell all she did was stroke Bess’s soft muzzle.
“My advice, for what it’s worth, is to do as they say,” the young female mage said, her voice high and clear.
“What if we don’t do what they say?”
“Maybe you could strike a deal?” she suggested, looking at me and then Maureena.
She reached out and put a hand on Maureena’s arm. “I don’t want to hurt either of you.”
It looked like a concerned gesture, but Maureena flinched under her touch.
The mage stared at us for one last moment before turning and walking off to stand by the inquisitor’s side.
“She is very powerful, Tomas, and well-trained,” Maureena whispered. “I felt it in her touch. We cannot win.”
We were now desperately outnumbered. Not only by sheer number but also by magic. I couldn’t give up. There had to be a way out of this, a way I could save Maureena at least. I kept going over the mage’s words — maybe you could strike a deal.
I stepped away from Maureena and approached the mage and the inquisitor. The goons surrounding them raised their swords in case I was crazy enough to attack.
The inquisitor held up a hand to make them pause. “Good. You’ve seen sense. You’re prepared to come with us? Yes?”
“If I did come with you…” I broke off and looked over my shoulder at Maureena.
Guessing what I was about to do, she shook her head, her eyes filling with tears.
“I have one condition… you leave Maureena here unharmed to live in peace. She is an old woman who has never harmed a soul. Her magic has only been used for healing.”
He narrowed his eyes, and his nostrils flared as he exhaled. “And if we agree to that, you’ll come with us peacefully?”
I nodded.
“No,” Maureena insisted. “You should leave him and take me. He knows nothing of magic. He refuses to learn and hates everything about it. He just wants to live a normal life.”
The inquisitor smiled. “What an interesting conundrum. Of course, both of you have your benefits.” He turned to the mage. “Which of them is stronger?”
The mage inclined her head and walked up to Maureena. She put both hands on either side of the old woman’s head and took a deep breath. She kept her hands in place, nodding softly, as though she could somehow read the magic inside Maureena.
After a brief pause, she lowered her hands. “The woman has a strong, stable magic. Maybe seventy percent on the Movium scale.”
I’d never even heard of the Movium scale.
“Well trained, although not in combat, mostly in healing. She has a good capacity for runes, though. Could be very useful.”
With that, the mage left Maureena’s side and stopped in front of me.
“Your turn,” she said with a smirk. She was far shorter than me, so she waved her hand to prompt me to lower my head.
I gritted my teeth, feeling like I was being weighed up and assessed like prized cattle. But I did as she asked and felt her cool fingertips against my temples.
Almost immediately, her eyebrows shot up. I heard her take a sharp breath.
I had surprised her.
Was that good or bad?
All my life, I’d wished the curse of magic would leave me, and now I was hoping to be more powerful than Maureena so they would let her go and take me instead.
After another moment, the mage flinched and pulled back as though I’d struck her.
Her eyes widened, and she took a couple of steps away from me.
“Well?” the inquisitor demanded. “Does he have enough magic for us to bother with, or not?”
The mage’s gaze never left mine. She swallowed hard. “I cannot get a proper reading.”
“What does that mean?” the inquisitor said sounding exasperated.
Still staring at me, the mage said, “It means that this man has a magic unlike anything I’ve encountered before.”
Chapter 5
“Is that good or bad?” I asked, genuinely perplexed.
As soon as I’d spoken, I grimaced. I could have kicked myself for showing signs of insecurity in front of the mage and the inquisitor.
The mage seemed to have recovered from the shock she’d received trying to read my magic and smirked at my transparent eagerness.
“Only time will tell,” she said with an enigmatic look.
“Well, which will be more valuable to us? Who do you suggest we take?” the inquisitor asked, frowning.
“Why don’t you just take them both and have done with it? You’ve only paid us for the day, and it’s getting late,” one of the goons said.
The inquisitor turned slowly, fixing the man with a stare. The massive lump of a man appeared to shrink as he trembled.
He gulped, took a step backward and held up his hands. “It was just an idea. Sorry. None of my business. Forget I said anything.”
The inquisitor turned away, his cloak swishing. “We are not monsters. Serving the kingdoms is an important task, but we are prepared to be flexible in our negotiations.”
That was an odd word choice. I didn’t see how this was a negotiation in any way. Either Maureena or I would be ripped from the only life we knew without a choice.
Why didn’t they just put up a few posters around every town in the kingdoms, advertising jobs for mages? Surely that way they’d get more cooperation and less resistance. Why lie to everyone and make them fear magic and the people who used it?
There had to be a reason why mages were unwilling to serve the kingdom, but I tried not to dwell on that. Right now, my priority was getting the inquisitor to choose me over Maureena.
She was the only person in my life to show me love or kindness. And in turn, she was the only person I’d ever loved. I saw her as a maternal figure. She was the grandmother I’d never known.
Only weeks old, I’d been left as a foundling on the doorstep of the village bakery. The baker and his wife had taken me in. At first, perhaps they doted on me as a helpless infant, but in time, they came to realize I was different. As the years passed, they began to regret taking me into their home.
The baker wasn’t an evil man. He worked hard and had nine other children to care for. Getting up and opening the bakery at four each morning took its toll. His wife had a quick temper and a sharp tongue. Though she didn’t spare her other children from her nasty outbursts, she couldn’t get rid of them. Me, she could, and she had no regrets when she pushed me out onto the street as soon as I’d turned eleven.
The baker had known nothing of her plans, and when he found out what his wife had done, the poor browbeaten man had given me some roubits, some warm clothing and a basket of food, then he left me to make my own way in the world.
If it hadn’t been for Maureena, I wouldn’t have survived.
“Now, mage, do your job,” the inquisitor said impatiently. “Which of the two is more powerful?”
“The man,” she gestured to me. “He has a lot of power. Some of his magic I don’t understand…perhaps that’s because he’s never been trained. The woman would be useful, but if we compare raw power, I think the man offers more potential for long-term use.”
I wasn’t particularly comfortable with the way she described long-term use as though I were an implement or a tool rather than a person.
But since her findings made the inquisitor more likely to let Maureena go, I didn’t object.
“Right, we’ll take you.” He peered at me. “What is your name?” the inquisitor asked looking me up and down.
I could feel Maureena’s eyes burning into me, but I didn’t dare look at her. A giant lump had formed in my throat. Curse it.
The last time I’d felt this helpless was the night Maureena had found me alone, wandering the woods, hiding from the howling wolves. I hadn’t cried since the baker’s wife hit me with a broom when I was five years old. I wasn’t about to start now.
But knowing I was abandoning the woman who’d sacrificed so much for me, tore at my heart like a savage animal.
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“My name is Tomas,” I said dully.
“Last name?”
I shrugged.
For official purposes, when I’d lived in the village, I’d used the baker’s last name, but I had no claim to that. Truthfully, I wanted no association or reminder of the family who’d thrown me out and abandoned me so cruelly.
“I do not have a last name.”
The inquisitor rolled his eyes. “Everyone has a last name.”
“Not me.”
The inquisitor slapped a hand against his forehead. “Just for once, I would like one of these missions to be straightforward.” He sighed in frustration. “All I’m asking for is your last name.”
“And I’m telling you I don’t have one,” I said firmly.
“He was a foundling, taken in by a family in the village. They abandoned him when he was still a boy, and he found his way to me. Tomas doesn’t know his last name,” Maureena explained.
All of them looked at me — the inquisitor with piqued interest, the goons with smug smirks, and worst of all, the mage with pity written all over her face.
I gritted my teeth. I didn’t need sympathy from people like this. In the same way as I didn’t need the baker and his family, and certainly not the parents who’d abandoned me as a baby. Kin meant nothing to me. I was given to those people by an accident of birth. Maureena was my real family.
“Well, I suppose we can solve that problem at a later date,” the inquisitor mused. “So, Tomas, are you going to come with us willingly, or do we need to use a suppressor on you?”
“I will come willingly just as soon as you release Maureena.” I sheathed my sword.
The inquisitor nodded at the mage, who raised a hand, and after a snap of her fingers, the glowing, blue rope dissolved into thin air.
Maureena slid from the mare’s back and hobbled over to grab my arm.
“What kind of things will you expect him to do?” she asked the inquisitor. “Will he be in danger?”
The inquisitor shrugged. “I’ve no idea. He won’t be on any missions for a while at least. He’ll need to go through basic training first.” He waved a hand as though the details bored him.