Arcanius (17 page)

Finally they came to a door with a strange marking. Tiberius could just barely make out the symbol in the darkness and thought it looked like a keyhole. There was nothing special about the building itself—it looked exactly like the dozens of other doors they had passed. Inside they found two candles lit and waiting.

“The others must all be here,” Pytor said.

“You go. I’ll bring our guest,” Ennis suggested.

The candles were long, beeswax tapers. Tiberius could see the hot wax running down the sides. The two men picked up what Tiberius thought would be candle holders, but instead the small metal plates were positioned above the flame and held in place with thin wires. The plates reflected the light down so that their faces were concealed.

“Why so much secrecy?” Tiberius asked.

“The Arcanius Brotherhood must be protected,” Ennis said. “We each know one other member, some know two, but no one knows all of us. If we are ever discovered, at least some would survive to keep the truth alive.”

“And you’re going to tell me this truth?” Tiberius asked.

“All your questions will be answered soon,” Ennis said as he stepped to the dark doorway that led into another room. “Come with me.”

Tiberius followed the old man. The candlelight was reflected down toward the floor, and Ennis held it low, so that only their immediate steps could be seen. The room beyond was dark, but Tiberius couldn’t tell the size or what was in the room. And soon they were squeezing into what appeared to be a crack in the rock wall at the rear of the building. They shuffled through the crack, which angled back and forth, before finally opening up into a larger cavern. Tiberius could see the legs and feet of over a dozen men, but their faces were all hidden in the darkness.

Once Ennis took his place in the circle, Tiberius felt a sudden prickle of fear. He realized that whatever this secret group was, it was well conceived and taken quite seriously by the members.

“We have a guest,” Ennis said. “Tiberius, son of Ageus, has come seeking answers.”

“Is he worthy?” asked one of the anonymous members.

“He has proven himself to me,” Ennis said.

“And me,” came a voice from across the cavern that Tiberius recognized as Pytor.

“Then we shall begin,” said another unseen voice.

Three stones,
common stones, yet not ordinary stones,
the voices began to chant in unison.
Each possessing a unique power. From the Four Orders came the Emerystone, a tool to help all mankind. From the Dark Orders came the Portentstone, a gem to guide the masterful. And from the Nether Realm came the Balestone, the key to enduring vengeance. Three stones, three points of the triangle, three treasures with the power to seal or to lay bare the entire world.

There was a short pause, then one of the shadowy figures cleared his throat. Once he began speaking, Tiberius could tell the man was elderly. His voice quavered as he spoke, but there was a confidence in the story being told.

“For eons the Four Orders of magic guided the mystical explorations of wizards. Knowledge was their passion, understanding was what they sought above all else. Their methods were meticulous, their aim was to help all mankind. No kingdom or ruler controlled the orders. Magic was never used to conquer armies.”

The voice paused, and from across the circle, another voice picked up the story.

“Among the Four Orders, only the most advanced reached Nativus Magicus, the magic of the elements, the vaunted Fourth Order. They sought understanding of the very nature of the universe and used their power to gain knowledge. Of all the wizards who achieved the Fourth Order, only a few mastered it. The wizard Emerys was one such master. He sought a way to preserve his power and so, after years of practice, he sealed his knowledge in the Emerystone.”

“The stone was used,” another voice began to speak, “to guide other wizards as they used the advanced magic of the Fourth Order. It held the immense power of the magical realm in check, so that the most advanced spells could be used productively. For an age mankind flourished. Sickness became a thing of the past, poverty was eradicated, and everyone throughout the vast kingdom of Valana prospered. But in the midst of this splendor, a new order arose. They called themselves the Dark Order, the secret wielders of power in the kingdom. They were not wizards, for not all who practice magic are wizards, but they sought to use magic to further their ambitions.”

There was a slight pause before another voice took up the story.

“The Dark Orders sought only what could elevate them in the hearts and minds of men. They did not practice the caution or discipline of the Four Orders but instead used magic only for themselves. In time, their greed and vanity drove a secret group within that Dark Order to steal the Emerystone. They used the magic of the Emerystone to seal up the essence of the kingdom’s most proficient seers, creating their own stone of power. The Portentstone could reveal the future, and the Dark Order used its power to defeat their enemies and rise to power in Valana.

“The loss of the Emerystone left a void in the Four Orders,” continued another speaker. “And a rift tore through the once dedicated and powerful assembly of wizards. Some lost faith in their traditions while others rebelled against their strict hierarchy of magical power. If knowledge was the key to magical power, the disenchanted argued, why were the masters of the Four Orders so slow to share what they knew? So they broke free, following the example of the Dark Orders, and began searching for magical power on their own. Some went mad, and others used their power to bend the innocent to their will. The Four Orders were forced to spend time searching for these renegade sorcerers, and many powerful wizards dedicated themselves to the Second Order, whose central purpose became to protect the innocent.

“Then came the age of decline. The splendor of the former age was lost, as the rogue wizards began to summon beings from the Nether Realm to enhance their power. There were battles between wizards that destroyed vast cities. The sacred and the archaic were no longer safe. Knowledge from times past was lost, and the Four Orders began to grow weak. A group of wizards began a quest to reclaim the Emerystone and were successful. They sought to use the stone’s power to defeat the renegade wizards, but the stone was once again lost. A rogue wizard used the Emerystone to open a portal to the Nether Realm, where he then sealed the power of a great demon into the third stone of power, the Balestone.

“The Balestone gave the bearer unrivaled power, but it also drove them mad. And in time, it too was lost. But the war between the wizards raged on, and for a time the discipline of the Four Orders led them to the brink of victory. In a last desperate act of defiance, the rogue wizards use the destruction spell all across the kingdom in one combined, desperate act. Only the power they sought to use was too strong for them, and they, like all around them, were consumed by the power of the spell. The very land was torn asunder, and many fled to the high places. In one devastating blow, the Four Orders were defeated, the Dark Orders were lost, and the renegade wizards were consumed by their own lust for magical power. The kingdom of Valana was ravaged and very nearly destroyed.”

The group grew silent. Tiberius knew that the great cataclysm had resulted from a war between wizards. And he had read enough from his fragments of
The Essence of Magic
to know that using spells when you didn’t understand them could easily lead to horrible consequences. The magic of the Fourth Order was not only incredibly powerful, it was also incredibly difficult to control. He understood more about magic and about the Balestone, but he had so many questions.

“May I speak?” he asked.

“You may,” came a voice from across the darkened cavern.

Tiberius thought hard about what he should ask. His mind was practically humming with excitement. He had never dreamed that there were men in Avondale who knew so much about magic. He wanted to sit and learn everything he could from the secret brotherhood, but he knew he didn’t have time for that. He was in possession of the Balestone, and Leonosis somehow knew of its existence and that he had it.

“Is the Balestone a threat?” Tiberius asked.

“It is a danger to the entire world,” came an ancient-sounding voice.

“Can it be destroyed?”

“Only a master of the Fourth Order could destroy the stones of power,” said another voice. “Better to find the Emerystone and use its magical strength to aid your quest.”

“What do you know of me?” Tiberius asked.

“The Portentstone revealed that a powerful wizard would use the stones of power to restore balance to the world.”

“What does that mean?” Tiberius asked.

“What do you think it means?” asked a nearby voice.

Tiberius was frustrated. He understood more than ever, but he still didn’t have the answers he really needed.

“Where is the Emerystone?” he asked.

“No one knows,” said the elderly voice from the across the cavern. “But many believe the masters of the Four Orders hid it.”

“They once had a community,” said another voice. “Far away from here. It was a large complex. Many believed the stone was hidden there.”

“It was believed that only someone who doesn’t need the stone may find it,” said Ennis.

“And the Portentstone?” Tiberius asked.

“It was in the seat of power, to the east, before the cataclysm,” said someone in the darkness. “No one knows if it still exists.”

“The earls who were at the coronation in Sparlan Citadel came back changed,” Tiberius said. “Their bodies are being used by some foul magic, but the earls are dead. Do you know what kind of magic could do that?”

“Not magic,” said a voice from across the cavern. “Only necromancy. Only a being from the Nether Realm would be able to control and use revenants.”

“What do you mean?”

“Spirit beings,” said the elderly voice. “Demons. Creatures of immense power that are not of this world. The renegade wizards summoned many such foul entities, attempting to strengthen their own magical prowess. More often than not, the demons turned on the wizards summoning them, and in most cases the portal between their realm and ours was only temporary. It was rumored that some of these beings were trapped in our world.”

Another voice spoke up. “It was believed that these spirit creatures gained strength from our pain. The more we suffer, the stronger they become. They must inhabit a body to work their foul magic in our world, but few people can survive the malevolent presence. In most instances, a person’s physical body suffers and even dies from the infestation of the spirit creature.”

“It was also believed,” said another voice, “that if one of the demons from the Nether Realm could conquer our world and harness the power of our suffering, they could open a permanent bridge between their world and ours. That is why they gave the Balestone to the renegades. It is an anchor point for their ambitions.”

“So it must be destroyed,” Tiberius said.

“It must be destroyed, yes,” the ancient voice agreed. “But the stones of power contain great magic. Destroying just one of them could endanger the entire world.”

“What do you mean?”

“Destroying a stone of power would require unleashing that power,” said another voice. The wizards of the Four Orders believed that if they simply destroyed the Balestone, the result would be devastation of such magnitude that our entire world would be consumed.”

“So there’s nothing we can do?” Tiberius said.

“Only a master of the Fourth Order could contain the magical power and subdue it,” said the ancient voice. “We have kept this knowledge through the years for just such a time as this. It is up to you to use it.”

Tiberius wanted to argue. He didn’t want the fate of the world resting on his shoulders. He felt accomplished in the small bit of magic he knew, even successfully wielding spells of the Fourth Order, but that didn’t mean he could control a power so great that it could destroy the world. His chest felt heavy, and he had trouble catching his breath.

“Magic was meant to benefit all mankind,” said the ancient voice from across the dark room. “And the Four Orders tried to ensure that wizards learned their craft in safety, but their caution became their undoing. If you are the wizard from the prophecy, then you must use your skills to save our world from tipping out of control and falling into darkness.”

“But what if I can’t do it?” Tiberius said.

“Then the world of men will fall. We will become nothing but slaves, bred only to suffer and to strengthen whoever controls us,” said the ancient voice. “There is no one else capable of wielding the power needed to drive the immortal spirit beings out of our world.”

Tiberius didn’t know what to say, and before he could think of another question, the members of the brotherhood began to chant again.

Three stones,
common stones, yet not ordinary stones
.
Each possessing a unique power. From the Four Orders came the Emerystone, a tool to help all mankind. From the Dark Orders came the Portentstone, a gem to guide the masterful. And from the Nether Realm came the Balestone, the key to enduring vengeance. Three stones, three points of the triangle, three treasures with the power to seal or to lay bare the entire world.