A Long Time from Home Ch. 24

That also meant, that the Tenebris sitting in the room almost had to be Sabia Quintus Lartius, the younger sister of Magus Dominus Lartius. She had been reported missing about the same time as the city had been closed and while thousands had suffered the same fate, the disappearance of a Tenebris was noticed.

It took me a moment to compose myself and retract the mirror again before I reached out with my mind and carefully examined the area. In the room on the other side of the living room where the two women was sitting, another pair of mind-patterns emerged. Smaller and brighter, they were most likely Baylon children. A discreet scan confirmed not only that, but also that they had somehow escaped the Disease, so I returned my attention to the two women.

Their mind patterns told me they both had the diminished Centrum Potentia typical of someone that had survived the Disease. That was actually good news, as those who survived wasn't contagious once the Disease had run its course and were immune after that.

Using an Ars Mentalis trick, I gently probed them with my mind, doing a quick scan of their brains to see how much damage they had taken from the disease.

With the damage the Disease had done, they wouldn't be able to cast anything but the lowest of spells, but at least they haven't been driven insane by the pain as so many others, and with just a little luck, we might be able to get them out of here.

Reaching out with my mind, I found Varro. "< Didn't you say that Magus Dominus Lartius was married to a cousin of yours? >"

"< Yes, I did >" He replied, curiosity and hope filling the link. "< Have you found her? >"

"< I think so >" I sent him a mind image of the middle-aged woman. "< And while she have had the Disease, it's gone now >"

"< Yes! That's Laura! >" Exclaimed Varro over the link, reminding me that the Varro clan had been hit hard by the Disease, losing many of their best mages, and finding one alive after so long was a minor miracle. "< Did you scan her? >"

"< Yes. She appears to be sane and there's more >" I sent with a mental chuckle.

There was silence for a few heartbeats, but then he sent. "< You found her kids as well? >"

"< Well, I can't confirm that it's her kids, but there're two Baylon children there as well and a Tenebris, that I guess is Sabia Quintus Lartius >"

This time, he didn't even answer, but with the enormous sense of relief that flooded through the link, it wasn't necessary.

"< Just get over here >" I sent.

"< On my way >" He answered.

"< Good. I'll scout a little ahead to see if there are more people hiding in here and then I'll come back >"

"< Good idea. I'll see you later >"

Closing the link, I quietly walked further down the hall. While I haven't told Varro a lie, it wasn't the truth either. We did need to make sure, that the area was safe, but the main reason was to give Varro some alone time with his lost cousin. If she had been here since the city went into quarantine, she would need a serious update on events.

Considering how many of the Varro clan that had fallen to the Disease, that was best done in private, so she could any question she wanted, without an outsider like me being present.

The smell of food suddenly reached my nostrils, causing me to stop and scan the area around me. Much to my surprise, the rooms to the left of me was filled with people. Forty of them to be precise. All of them were human of various ages and genders, and from the way the patterns were distributed in the room, I guessed that they were sitting at two large tables. Considering the smell of food in the air, I guessed they were having dinner.

There was no doubt in my mind that I had found the Servants Quarters and out of the about one hundred and fifty servants that had been in the Ordo Ars Magica quarter, I guessed that only the humans, being immune to the Disease, had survived.

With the wards surrounding most of the compound, they couldn't get out, but ghouls and insane mages couldn't get in either, making this quarter a safe place. As most Baylon compounds, there were magical items that created food and drink, enabling them to survive, though they had to be bored to tears in there.

It also complicated the situation a lot, since we were always supposed to rescue people, as long as it didn't interfere with the goals of the missions. In other words, we needed to find a way to get both four Baylons and forty humans out of the city, before it went up in flames.

"< Are you coming back? >" Asked Varro, happy feelings flowing along with the mental communication.

"< Yeah, but I found forty humans further up the hallway. I guess they're the former servants in here. >"

"< The more, the merrier >" he sent back. "< But good feelings aside, we have a problem and I think it's a big one >"

"< Do tell >" I sent as I started to walk back.

"< The reason that they're still here, is that they can't get out. >" Sent Varro. "< Yes, I know it's flaming obvious, but the point is that when Magus Dominus Lartius became sick, he recognized it and placed barriers to seal his wife and their two children in along with his sister. In theory keeping them out of danger >"

"< And we can't remove the barriers >" I guessed with a grimace.

"< Exactly. They're so powerful that the Magus Dominus couldn't get through them and we're working with a deadline here. The city will go up in flames in two days... or rather one-and-a-half day by now >"

"< Yeah, I know >" I replied.

The problem with having the city go up in flames was not the conflagration itself, but air. Creating a fire the size of the city, consumed all the breathable air in the area and anybody inside the city would choke to death, even if the building they were in was secure against fire and heat.

It wasn't a problem for Varro and me, since we had spells and tricks to get away, but the people in here couldn't get away and without magic or mentalis neither his family members nor the forty humans had any safeguards against lack of air.

"< Any secret passages we can use? >"

"< Good thinking, but no. Those were warded off as well >"

"< Then we really have a challenge ahead of us >" I concluded.

"< Yes we do >"

I turned a corner and saw Varro standing outside the door to the Magus Dominus' quarters, quietly talking with those inside, with Sage Narses body floating in the air behind him.

Varro introduced me, causing his cousin to look at me with a wide smile. "We have heard a lot about you over the years, Inquisitor Emilian... or should I call you Spectre, as Decimus usually does?"

Not only did the smile make her look younger than I thought she was, but it also lit up a face that was rather good looking to begin with.

Removing the scarf from my face, I bowed slightly, as I returned the smile. "Since you already know who I am, just call me Ivah... Oh, and don't trust everything you've heard about me. Decimus Varro here have been known to tell stories with only a loose relation to reality."

Despite the situation, that made her laugh. "Oh, I don't know about that. I've always found him to be a truthful young man."

Before I could come up with a witty come-back to that, Sabia Quintus Lartius asked, "You're a Mentat, as far as I remember. Is that correct?"

I looked over at her. She was standing by the wall, leaning against it as she studied me. The first I noticed, was that her eyes were sparkling blue, which was a huge contrast to the black skin and white hair. She was also better looking than I had expected, with a finely chiselled face framed by the white hair.

"That is correct." I answered. "Varro here is the magic specialist, so if he says that the barriers around this place can't be breached by magic, he's right. I'll see what I can do with Ars Mentalis."

She nodded slightly. "I hope you're very good, because the barriers Magus Dominus Lartius have set, are some of the strongest, I have ever seen."

Unlike dark-skinned humans, Tenebris was not the result of a reaction to the environment and thus all their skin was black, including their tongues and the insides of their mouths, which made it an odd sight to see them talk.

"I doubt, I'm good enough to dispel anything a Magus Dominus have set up." I admitted. "Do you know what kind of barriers we're talking about?"

She nodded. "It's an anti-teleport barrier, combined with an anti-life barrier, made with a ritual that increased the duration to at least two years."

That made Varro whistle softly. "That's a lot of power."

I nodded in agreement. The anti-teleport barrier would stop any attempts to use powers to get through the Life-barrier, which in turn prevented any living thing from go through the barrier. It was a powerful combination and at the moment, I didn't see a way around it.

On the bright side, it was a barrier and not a ward. Barriers just stopped whatever they were designed to stop, while wards usually fried anyone trying to break them. That made testing them a lot less dangerous than testing a ward.

"Varro, can you get hold of the boss and tell him about the problem here?" I asked. "The building prevents me from doing it myself."

"Sure." He said with a nod and cast a spell before his eyes glazed over.

As he was doing that, I looked at the two women. "Boredom aside, are you in good health and mood?"

Laura Varro smiled again. "Yes, and thank you for asking. It took some time getting used to not having any significant powers, but we're getting used to it."

"As far as one can get used to being worthless." Mumbled Sabia Quintus Lartius, tears forming in her sparkling blue eyes.

"Good thing, you're not useless, then." I said mildly.

"You don't get it!" She almost shouted. "I. have. no. powers. The only spells and tricks I can do are petty magic!"

It wasn't the first time I had heard that claim from a survivor of the Disease and the better Mages or Mentats the survivor had been before, the harder it had hit them.

"I know." I said calmly. "I scanned you both earlier. However, unless you're going to claim that the Disease also took your knowledge and skills, that's simply not true. You're more than your ability to wield the Ars Potentia. You're a person with hopes and dreams, likes and dislikes, skills and knowledge. That you have lost your ability to use the higher arts, doesn't change that at all."

Both women were looking at me with wide eyes, causing me to continue. "You're not the first to survive the Disease without going insane and you're not the first to lose the ability to use powers. I've seen some of the others and I know that it feels like the end of the world, but trust me when I say, that it is not."

With perfect timing, Varro returned from his magical communication. Unfortunately, it wasn't good news. "Sorry, but there's on-one available, that are skilled enough to dispel a barrier put in place by a Magus Dominus."

Mentally, he added, "< Which means that they don't want to risk one of the few powerful mages on a rescue mission >"

"< Have you told them about the fire and the kids? >"

"< Yes to both, but the kids are not a problem. I scanned them and Magus Dominus Lartius placed them in a magical coma so strong that they're not even breathing, thus preventing them from getting the Disease. Lack of air will not bother them, and the compound here will protect them against the heat and fire. >"

"< Clever. If he hadn't gone insane and tried to kill us, I think I might have liked him >" I commented with a mental sigh. "< But right now, I wish that he hadn't been so skilled >"

"< Likewise >"

"So, what do we do now." Asked Laure Varro softly.

"We test and try the barriers." I answered. "With the limitations on them, there's usually some way around them that the creator didn't think of."

Activating an Ars Mentalis trick, I used telekinesis to lift one of the chairs inside the room and then carefully placed it back on ground. The barrier didn't stop Ars Mentalis. Not that I had expected it, but it was still good to be sure about it.

"< You have a plan? >" asked Varro, seeing the chair move.

"< Not one you're going to like >" I sent back. "< So let's try some other options first >"

"< Good idea >"

"I'll need to go check something." I said out loud and walked away from the door, while Varro asked a question.

Finding a few rats didn't take long and instead of trying to catch them, I used an Ars Mentalis trick to place them into a coma, allowing me to handle them without having to take special precautions. Then I walked back to Varro.

He lifted his eyebrows, when he saw the rats, but got the idea. "Going to test the barrier?"

"Yes." I looked at the two women. "Please move aside."

Holding it by the tail, I tried to teleport it inside the room, but as expected, nothing happened. Then I tried every other Ars Mentalis trick I knew of that could move something from one place to another, but no matter what I did, the rat stayed in my hand.

There was one simple test we haven't tried and with a flick of the wrist, I threw it at the barrier.

It went right through, landing inside the room halfway towards the chair.

"What!" Exclaimed Varro in total surprise. "That can't be right!"

"No, it can't." Agreed Sabia Lartius. "That shouldn't happen."

"But it did." Said Laura Varro drily.

"Throw it back." I suggested. "It might be a one-way limitation."

With a nod, she walked over to the rat, picked it up and threw it towards me.

Like the first time, it passed the barrier unhindered.

"Varro." I said slowly. "Do you have any spells, that can analyse that barrier."

He shook his head with a sigh. "No. Barriers are not part of my learnings."

Holding the rat by the neck, I cancelled the trick that had placed it into a coma and as soon as it woke up, I threw it towards the barrier again.

This time, it hit the barrier with a squeak before it hurriedly got to its feet and ran away.

"So," said Varro, still looking in the direction the rat had ran. "The barrier stops living creatures, but only if they're capable of thinking or moving."

"Well, that's one way of defining 'life'." Commented Sabia.

I nodded as I considered it for a moment and then asked the two women. "May I use an Ars Mentalis trick on you?"

"Sure!" Laura said, followed by a nod from Sabia Lartius.

"Good. If this works, you're get out, but you can't go back. Anything you want to take with you out of here?"

"I can think of a few things." Sabia said with a little smile.

"Good. Go pack a light bag. Then come back and sit in front of the barrier."

They nodded and walked into one of the other rooms.

"Are you going to place them in a coma?" asked Varro quietly.

"Yes. I don't know if it works on higher life-forms, but let's give it a try."

He nodded and we waited in silence, until the two women returned, each carrying a small bag.

"Can we sit here?" asked Laura and pointed at a place in front of the barrier, without being too close to it.

"That's fine." I answered and a moment later, they were sitting next to each other on the floor. "Please don't resist this."

They nodded and a heartbeat later, I used an Ars Mentalis attack, that sent both women into a coma, causing them to tilt over on the floor.

With a satisfied nod, I simply used telekinesis to take hold of the two women and tried to pull them out of the rom and into the hallway. Unfortunately, the barrier stopped them at the doorway.

"Well, that didn't work." I said with a sigh.

"Shit!" Said Varro. "What about the option you said I wouldn't like?"

"We kill them and drag them out. Then we revive them."

"Are you out of your flaming mind?" He almost shouted. "That's my family you're talking about."

"The barrier detects life." I answered calmly. "And after a person dies, there's some time where they can be revived without any damage to them."

As always, a calm voice of reason calmed him down somewhat. "And you can do that?"

"Yes. I've even done it before. Someone tried to poison Yang Jia some years ago and she died while I was busy removing the poison, but I restarted her heart and it worked out fine."

He was silent for a while, but then sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this but do it. I can't think of any other way to get them out."

I nodded and went to work.

It wasn't a pleasant job, and I was immensely grateful that the two women were in a coma, since that would make it easier for me and painless for them.

Using the same Ars Mentalis trick, I had used in Alashiya to stop Paula Flavia Pulcher from casting spells, I simply choked them to death. Mostly because lack of air was the least damaging way of killing them and the less damage they had taken, the easier I could revive them.

Varro was monitoring them with a spell and when he said that they were dead, I pulled them through the barrier. This time there was no resistance, and I went to work immediately, using the same Vis power I had used to revive Jia, when she was dead from the poison attack.

Laura Varro's heart started beating on the first try and a moment later, she was breathing again, so I moved over to Sabia and gave her the same treatment.

First time there was no reaction, so just to be on the safe side, I used some of the few Ars Magica Healing spells I knew. The first to stop the body from deteriorating in any way, while I was working and the next to prevent her soul from leaving the body. Both spells would grant me some much-needed time.

Then I used the Vis Power to shock her again, but while the heart started to beat a few times, it stopped again.

"What's wrong?" Asked Varro, his voice thick with emotions.

"For some odd reason, the heart won't start." I said, as I did a quick examination of her body to see if there was any damage I had overlooked. There wasn't.

Think about her outburst from before, I connected with her mind and instead of just doing a superficial scan, I read her emotions, finding a soul-crushing despair of having lost her ability to use powers. It was so bad, that she didn't want to live, preferring death to living without power.

"Tits of the Goddesses." I cursed. "She doesn't want to live!"

"Suicidal?" asked Varro. It wasn't the first time we had encountered this and rescuing people who just killed themselves later really sucked.

"Fortunately, not." I said slowly. "But at some level, she knows she's dead and she will prefer to stay dead." I took a deep breath. "Now, please be quiet. I need to fix this."

He nodded and I reconnected with Sabia's dormant mind.

Messing with a person's mind is always dangerous. At least if you care enough about the person not to change anything important, like their personality. Carefully, tenderly even, I eased some of the despair away and built a desire to use skills instead of spells, where it was possible.

Next, I looked through her memory to find something she was willing to live for. Fortunately, that wasn't hard to find, as she loved her parents. However, before I used that, I needed to know if her parents were still alive, so I broke the contact and asked Varro about it.

"Only the mother." Said Varro with a grimace. "Her father was a healer and died at the start of the epidemic."

"That'll have to do." I said and went to work again, implanting the thought, that she had to live so she could see her mother again.

Then I waited a bit for the changes to take effect and tried the Vis-power again.

Same result. The heart beat a few times, but then stopped.

I clenched my jaw. "Stubborn woman!" Thinking it over, I cancelled the spell that kept her in coma. Now it would no longer be painless, but I needed a few seconds where she could hear me.