The Dragon Hunter and the Mage (47 page)

“You think I would do this to myself?” Eliran asked, showing him her charred hand.

“I don’t even know what that is,” Aric replied.

“There’s also the matter of you being able to mess with our minds,” Leth intervened. “As you did to our sentinel.”

“Yes, I did that,” Eliran admitted. “Had to. I was spent. Couldn’t walk any further. Under the circumstances, it was the best I could come up with. Apologies for that. However, the Runium has worn off now. I couldn’t cast a spell if I wanted to.” She showed her hand again. “I can assure you that this is no hallucination.”

“What about that mysterious Mage?” Clea asked. “We believed you back in the city, did what you aske
d‒
”

“And the Dragon flew away,” Eliran cut her off. “Just as I said it would.”

“How?” Aric asked. “How did you know that the Dragon would fly away if we attacked it?”

“Because I would take control of it and make it go,” Eliran said.

“Bullcrap!” Aric snapped. “I know you were lying. I know you can’t control Dragons, no one can. It’s impossible.”

“Yes,” Eliran replied, “that’s what I was taught as well. In fact, that’s what every student of the Mage’s Academy is taught. So you can imagine my surprise when, shortly after arriving in the desert, I saw with my own two eyes that this evil Mage I had been sent to kill was actually able to do it.” She paced along the room. “The bastard or some of his twisted friends figured it out. They cracked the secret. A thousand years’ worth of research, piles of resources invested, some of the greatest minds of the Academy dedicated exclusively to this effort, and who gets to achieve it? That wretched creature! Ava must have really forsaken us for good.” She looked straight into Aric’s eyes. “The problem was never the spells. It was the Runium. Apparently you can’t control a Dragon if the Runium fueling your spells is made from Dragon blood.”

“I thought Runium could
only
be made from Dragon blood?” Clea questioned.

“And so did everyone else,” Eliran said. “Except they broke that myth as well. The bastard managed to create Runium from human blood.
Human
blood! Even destroyed the Brewing Chamber of Nish in the process. They will have to come up with a safer process, of course. There aren’t that many Blood Houses in the world. They can’t just destroy one each time they brew their potion. But still, it’s remarkable. Scary, but remarkable.”

“They?” Aric asked. “It used to be about this Sohtyr, now there is a
‘they’
?”

“Sohtyr obviously did not accomplish all this on his own. He is part of a larger organization. A splinter group of the Academy. It’s younger, creepier sibling you could say. They call themselves The Circle of Archons. Yes, I know, you’ve never heard of them. That’s mostly because they prefer to lurk in the shadows, but it’s also our fault.”

“
Our
fault?” Leth asked.

“No, not
yours
,” Eliran said. “
Ours
, the Academy’s. We’ve known about the Circle since its inception. However, the council of Arch-Mages always thought it better to keep the Circle’s existence a secret. They feared that if the Circle’s existence was revealed to the public, the image of every Mage would be negatively affected. They also had absolute trust in the Academy’s ability to maintain the Circle under control. That’s why we have people like me. Archon Hunters. It’s a bit like what you do, except my prey is far less agreeable than yours.”

“Wait,” Aric said, “you talk as if the Academy still exists. As if you are still a part of it.”

“Yes, try not to faint, but some of us did survive the Purge,” Eliran sneered. “We’re a much smaller organization now, sure. And we have had to adapt to… our new circumstances, but there is still plenty of Runium in the black market to keep us afloat.”

Aric, Leth, and Clea exchanged a confused look.

“Any more questions?” Eliran asked. “Go ahead. You wanted to know everything. Ask.”

“Why?” Aric asked.

“Why… what?” Eliran was confused.

“Why do you hunt them?” Aric clarified. “What makes them so dangerous?”

“Are you kidding? Did you not see what Sohtyr did to Nish?”

“Assuming he exists, yes, of course. That’s not what I meant, though. Why did he attack the city? There has to be a larger move at play here. Or is that what Archons do? Go around the Empire attacking random cities?”

Eliran sighed and let herself fall back into a chair.

“I’m not sure,” she said. “When I first arrived in the desert, months ago, I thought this was just another mission. Track a random Archon down, follow his trail of magic, force him into a fight, and kill the bastard. But this one was different. His trail of magic was… random, experimental.

“Then I discovered people were talking about me.
Me
! All across the edge of the desert, townspeople were muttering my name. Eliran, the evil desert Witch who would come at night and steal your children. I figured it had to be Sohtyr. It had to be his way of letting me know he was on to me. I was impressed, to be honest. If nothing else, it showed the man has a sense of humor, despite everything. Not bad. Then came the human Runium. He killed a couple of Paladins guarding the Blood House, brewed himself a few casks of his special recipe, and destroyed the Chamber in the process. Guess who was blamed for
that
?

“Anyway, that’s when I knew for sure this was no ordinary Archon I was chasing. This one was up to something big. I had to end him quick. Sohtyr covered his tracks well, but not well enough. I found his hiding place and witnessed him taming a Dragon. I thought I had lost my mind, even considered returning home to have my mind inspected. But it was true, alright. So, I decided to experiment and stole some of his vials. Made me sick to my stomach, but I drank the human Runium. Had to be done. That was when you saw me.” She indicated Aric. “I used a simple mind control spell on a Mahari Black Dread. Worked perfectly. Finally, I tracked him back to Nish. I was hoping to finally corner him and force him into a fight. I wasn’t expecting the Dragon, however. Wasn’t prepared for it. Luckily, you showed up, and I still had some human Runium. So I got my chance to fight the bastard.”

She paused for a moment and shook her head before continuing.

“Damn, what a fight… I tried everything, gave him the wrath of Ava, but nothing got through his defenses. He, on the other hand, got me good a couple of times.” Eliran lifted her charred hand as evidence. “As we fought, however, I also tried to peek into his mind. It wasn’t exactly easy, but you could say that mind spells are my area of expertise. I did glimpse a few things. Not much, unfortunately.”

“Go on,” Aric said.

Eliran took a deep breath. “Well, it’s something about the Frostbound. That much I know. There’s something trapped in there. No,
frozen
. Frozen is a better word. Whatever it is, though, Sohtyr wants to release it, so it can´t be good. I also know that the power to tame a Dragon is key to what he aims to achieve. But that is all. I was unable to discover anything else.”  

“That’s it?” Aric asked. “It’s not much to go with. I mean, what is your plan? Search the Frostbound tunnels for whatever this thing is?”

Eliran limited herself to stare silently at Aric for an overlong moment. It was obvious she had no idea how to proceed.

“Well,” she finally said, “I am in the right place to find my answer, just not in the right time.”

“What does that mean?” Leth asked.

“The Mage Tower of Lamash,” she said. “If there is one place in the world where I could find the answers to my questions, it would definitely be the library in there. Unfortunately, the Paladins destroyed it ten years ago.”

“Not all of it,” Leth said. He looked at Aric. “There’s that walled off section we never managed to get access to.”

“So… you believe her now?” Aric asked.

“What walled off section?” Eliran echoed, a sparkle returning to her eyes.

“The library in the Mage Tower,” Aric explained. “It has a walled off section protected by a Glowstone lock. Our guess is that it was created to save the most important books from the Paladins.”

Eliran jumped to her feet. “Take me there. Now!”

“Well,” Aric said, “since you’re asking so nicely...”

Chapter 19

Fadan raced across the city as dawn crept up the sky. He ran through streets, avenues, plazas, crossed all three walls between Mount Capitol and the Docks, and only slowed down when he finally reached Sabium’s apartment, feeling as though his lungs were about to explode. He banged on the door weakly, gasping for air. His arms were limp and his legs were shaking.

“Master,” he called, knocking once more. “Open up.”

The door opened with a creak and a suspicious Sabium peeked outside. “Oh, it’s you,” the old Mage said. “Come in, come in. I found something.”

Sabium waved him inside with one hand while the other held a large, opened book.

The Prince obeyed, closing the door behind him. “Master,” he said. “There’s somethin
g‒
”

“Here, look at this,” Sabium interrupted, sitting down at his desk and sticking a finger on the page in front of him. “It’s all in Orelianus’ work. The man was a genius.”

“Master,” Fadan insisted, finally steadying his breath. “You need to
listen
to me. I have very bad news.”

“What?” Sabium asked, turning to Fadan as if he had only now realized the Prince was there. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you so pale? Is your Transmogaphon charged?”

“What? Yes. Just listen to me, please. I went to the dungeons, in the Citadel, where Doric and the others are being kept.”

Sabium’s familiar frown wrinkled his forehead further. “How the heck did you do that?”

“I was practicing dematerializing,” Fadan replied, waving a dismissive hand. “Doesn’t matter. Insid
e‒
”

“What do you mean it doesn’t matter?” Sabium interrupted. “You managed to do it? A Full body dematerialization?”

“MASTER!” Fadan cried, startling the old man and gaining his attention. “This is
important
. I overheard a conversation between the Chancellor and a Paladin Commander. They are gearing up for a large scale raid on all rebel hideouts here in the city. We need to warn your brother.”

Sabium let go of his book. “What? When?”

“Today,” Fadan replied. “I can’t know the time, but it’ll be today.”

“Today…” Sabium echoed, his eyes wandering out the tiny window next to his desk. “What time is it?”

“Early morning. The sun should be up any moment.”

“Goddess damn this,” Sabium muttered, heaving himself off the chair. “I told that fool this would happen one day.” He stormed over to a corner, kneeled, and lifted one of the floor boards

“I came as fast as I could,” the Prince said. “We should have plenty of time.”

“Plenty of time…” Sabium snorted as he stuck a hand into the hidden cache and retrieved two vials of Runium. “Paladins always strike at dawn.” He allowed the floor board to fall back into its place with a thump. “They prefer us when we’re sleepy.”

For a moment, Cassia felt transported to her father’s castle during the civil war of her youth. Doors flew open and slammed closed as officers marched in and out. Paladins frenzied up and down the corridors and staircases, barking orders and relaying messages. The Palace seemed to have been turned into the makeshift headquarters of some major operation.

It was still early. In fact, if it hadn’t been for all the ruckus outside her room, Cassia would probably still be in her bed.

She walked slowly to the great stairwell leading down to the main hall, listening to the fleeting Paladins around her.

“Tell Captain Sorba he has enough men,” a tall Major told a Sergeant, pushing him down the stairs.

“I don’t care,” a Colonel yelled from further down the hall. “Start rolling those prison wagons right now.” A group of Paladins surrounding him acquiesced with a salute and darted away.

What is going on?
Cassia wondered.

A few feet behind her, the door to Tarsus’ study burst open. The Emperor emerged with a small battalion of officers in tow.

“We’re going to need reinforcements near the fish market,” one of the Paladins said, placing a finger on a report in the Emperor’s hands. “There’s also some more resistance than expected out near the Maginus bridge.”

Tarsus nodded. “Send the reserve squads in the southern edge of the district,” he said, lifting his head from the document. “Ah, good morning my love.” He looked unusually pleased with himself. He paused to kiss Cassia’s hand and the entire column halted behind him. “You’ll have to forgive me, but I won’t be joining you for breakfast today. Busy morning, I’m afraid.”

“I can see that, husband,” the Empress replied, doing her best to sound casual. “What exactly is going on?”

“We’ll speak later, my dear,” Tarsus said, giving her hand an extra kiss. “I am needed at the moment.”

Cassia curtsied slightly and the Emperor marched away with his escort, resuming his instructions. A pale, silver haired maid crossed the group with her head low, quickstepping towards the Empress.

“What’s going on, Venia?” Cassia asked her.

The spy checked their surroundings. “Some sort of raid down in the Docks.”

“A Runium grab?” the Empress asked, doubtful. “They wouldn’t go to this much trouble for a bunch of smugglers.”

“I still don’t know who the target is. But there’s something else, your majesty,” Venia said, pausing for a moment before revealing, “The Prince did not return this morning.”

Cassia’s head jolted towards the spy, yanking her attention from the buzzing Paladins.

“There’s probably no reason to worry,” Venia offered. “He’s almost certainly in his hideout. I’ll look for him there.”

The Empress nodded stiffly but said nothing. Something felt terribly wrong.

Alman’s house stood across the corner. Fadan and Sabium huddled behind the remains of a rotting chest of drawers and checked to make sure the way was clear. The streets were still mostly empty, with only occasional early risers here and there. Above them, the stars were long gone and the sky had become a slab of gray metal.  

“I don’t see any Paladins,” Fadan whispered.

“We might have gotten lucky,” Sabium grumbled. “Come on.” The Mage took off from their hiding place, striding towards his brother’s house, but his head kept swinging from one side to the other, checking for any unwanted presences.

Fadan hurried behind his master and stood guard as he knocked on the door.

“Alman,” Sabium called, keeping his voice low. “Alman?”

Fadan’s head moved slowly as he scanned around them, looking for signs of any Patrols.

“
Alman
,” Sabium insisted, raising his voice and knocking harder.

“You think we’re too late?” Fadan asked.

“I don’t know…” Sabium replied, turning away from the door. Then, out of nowhere, he kicked the door in frustration. “Goddess damn you, Alman!”

Fadan jumped, startled at the burst of sound.

“This is why I didn’t want that fool to join the Rebellion,” Sabium muttered in irritation. “How the heck was this going to end any differently?”

“Maybe he’s not back yet,” Fadan suggested. “He might be on his way home right now. We should just wait.”

“For what, the Paladins?” Sabium shook his head vigorously. “No. Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

Hesitantly, Fadan followed the old Mage as he turned a corner and headed south towards the riverfront.

“Where are we going?” Fadan asked, having to speed up to keep pace.

“Remember when my brother said he worked for a ship-owner?”

Fadan nodded.

“It’s a lie,” Sabium said. “The ship-owner is a just a front, a cover-up for a Runium smuggling operation. Why do you think we are always so well supplied? Anyway, they have a warehouse and a dry-dock near peer twenty-one. If he hasn’t been taken yet, that’s where we’ll find him.”

Fadan gave his master a look. “Or the Paladins.”

“Or both.”

They turned into a wide plaza packed full of merchant stalls, still closed for the night. A tang of fish lingered in the air, and a large flock of gray feathered river gulls covered the wooden scaffolds of an adjacent dock. The birds’ occasional cries sliced through the lapping sound of the river waves against the shore.

The warehouse stood just a couple hundred feet down river, an enormous wooden rectangle surrounded by a sea of seemingly discarded objects including rows, rope, fishnets, and barrels. Above a vast, sliding door hung a tablet with a burnt inscription bearing the name:
Boarhead’s Saffyan Shipping Company
. It, just like the rest of the building, looked about to tumble to the ground.

Sabium knocked on the door loudly. “Alman,” he called. “Alman are you there?”

“Shh!” Fadan begged. “You want every Paladin in the empire to hear you?!”

“You said they’re hitting every rebel hideout, correct? Then they already know about this place and are on their way. What difference does it make?” He resumed his pounding on the door. “Alman!”

The door slid out of the way and a frowning Alman greeted them on the other side, a lantern in his free hand.

“What the heck are you doing?!” Alman protested. He peeked outside, inspecting the street. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Trust me, I know,” Sabium retorted, shoving his brother inside. Fadan followed them, closing the warehouse door behind him.

“And you brought
him
too?” Alman asked. “You can’t just barge in here like that.”

“For once in your life, just listen,” Sabium said, then turned to the Prince. “Tell him what you told me.”

“I overheard a conversation between Chancellor Vigild and a Paladin Commander,” Fadan explained. “There will be a raid today. They were discussing how the dungeons wouldn’t be enough to hold all the prisoners. It will be big.” 

“Morning is already here,” Sabium added. “I assume Paladins will be storming this place within the hour.”

Alman’s expression melted into one of dread. “You’re sure of this?” he asked gravely.

Fadan nodded. “I am.”

Alman wiped his forehead. “I have to warn the others.”

“I knew he would say something stupid like this,” Sabium sighed, sending his arms up in desperation. “Did you
hear
us? There’s no time!”

“You don’t understand,” Alman said. “This isn’t just another day. There’s a high level meeting scheduled for this morning. Rebellion leadership from all across the Empire are here in Augusta right now.”

“Well, that’s certainly very stupid,” Sabium said. “Why would they schedule something like that right under the Emperor’s nose? More importantly, why do
you
care? You owe these people nothing. If anything,
they
owe you.”

Alman circled them, his fingers clasping his milky hair. “They came under the guise of the Petitioning…” he muttered, then halted, straitening up. “I have to warn them. You two get out of here. Stay
out
of the apartment. In fact, leave the city.”

Sabium cursed beneath his breath, but turned to Fadan and pushed him towards the door. “Come on,” he said.

“Wait, we’re just going to leave him?” Fadan asked.