The Young Mage Ch. 06

Fiona nodded.

"You need to come with me tomorrow. The king is holding some kind of a meeting and I need you to tell him everything you told me. I have a really bad feeling about all of this... The scope of the cult's operation, their reach... Something big is happening," Fiona said gravely.

"Yes, truly dreadful business... but now I want you to tell me more about the Elves. What kind of clothing do they wear? Do they throw good parties?" Charlotte asked with girlish curiosity.

Magnus sighed. This was going to be a long day.

***

The large meeting room was just as Magnus remembered it. Four separate entrances and exits, walls adorned with imposing tapestries that depicted former kings of Vistania in their most memorable moments, and a large, ornate table that dominated the room. But more than that, this room was a place of one of the most dramatic moments of his life. His eyes strayed to the spot where he had seen Fiona lying in a pool of blood, many months ago. A small shiver ran through his body, but also a flash of rage. The Illusionist was still out there. He had a score to settle with that son of a bitch.

"He is living on borrowed time..." Magnus mouthed, squeezing Fiona's hand lightly. Her eyes had been glued to the spot for several moments before she turned to give Magnus a grateful smile. But there was no time for reminiscing.

"Thank you all for coming here today," King Tristan said in a determined voice. His gaze went over all the participants of this gathering. And what a gathering it was. Magnus saw Lanaya, Sela, and Voron, the deadly elven scouts he had the honor to call friends, incline their heads to the king. They were all wearing their simple scout garments, but they held themselves with the grace humans couldn't possibly match. For a brief moment, they glanced towards Magnus but their faces kept their solemnity, and only Sela gave him a barely perceptible smirk.

Next to them was a man who held himself as a soldier. He was dressed in simple formal attire, but it was obvious to Magnus that the man was a high-ranking military officer. But the biggest surprise was the presence of Simon, the historian Magnus had met on his way to Charobny. Simon gave him a brief smile of acknowledgment before his face became solemn once again. And finally, there were two senior royal mages flanking King Tristan. Magnus remembered the man and the woman from the dramatic events during the Royal Ball when he had been apprehended.

"I am sure you all heard some of the grave tidings that have been happening lately..." the king continued in a serious voice. "My own trusted advisors and friends, Duke and Duchess Girault were murdered in their very mansion. That alone would have been a cause for major concern, but I am afraid it gets worse... much worse," the king said, turning his gaze to Fiona. "Lady Fiona, would you be so kind and share your findings with the rest?"

Fiona nodded. Taking her time, she told them all about the events in Ashad, the assassinations, and her discoveries. When she finished, there were questions coming from all sides, but she waved them off.

"Please, listen to Magnus' story first. I think it puts things in an even more dreary perspective..."

As all eyes turned to Magnus, he cleared his throat and overcoming his stage fright, told them about the events in Charobny. He kept the part of his sister being mind-controlled to himself. There was no need to share that information and put her into the spotlight. He wasn't sure if Lanaya knew the full truth, but she corroborated his story nevertheless.

"She found me in the basement of the mansion!" Simon chimed in suddenly, and then thinking he was overstepping his position, blushed and hesitated until the king gave him a reassuring nod to continue.

"They kept me there for three days, questioning me and beating me..." Simon said, making a grimace and touching what was likely a sore spot on his ribs.

"They caught you snooping?" Magnus asked.

"Well... yes. I told you I was going to investigate the cult... but I had no idea who I was dealing with. Soon after I started asking questions, I noticed someone following me. It didn't take long before I asked one question too many..."

"I think you can all see now how serious is the threat we are facing here. The regent and the prince of Ashad, the Duke and Duchess Girault, King Sion of Fluvia even, gods have mercy... I heard of some ill tidings from Nessia as well, but my spies were unable to confirm them..." the king said, taking time to look everyone in the eyes.

"Sons and daughters of the Goddess are their victims too," Lanaya said with anger in her eyes. Her lovely melodic voice seemed to be in contradiction with the expression on her face but Magnus knew better.

"What do you mean?" the king asked.

"We are now sure that this cult was behind the sneak and malicious attack on my people. I assume it was done to weaken us and to sour our relationship with humans... But the Goddess was looking over us even when we thought that everything was lost," she said, giving a warm smile to Magnus, her blue and green eyes shining like two distant stars. Magnus felt entranced for several moments until the sound of Fiona clearing her throat brought him back to reality.

"So, am I the only one who thinks that this is all part of a bold master plan to grab power, maybe even over the whole continent?" the king asked. Most of the group looked at each other, unsure what to say.

"Your Highness, if I may..." the officer said in a deep voice.

"Commander Keren, of course," the king said.

"Thank you, Highness. As a soldier, I must ask - how can they hope to take power in all these countries? Stirring trouble is one thing, but to conquer and hold all of the countries, it would take an enormous army... Where can they find such an army? Sure, there are mercenary armies out there, but their number is minuscule compared to the combined size of all our armies, and certainly nowhere near large enough to hold all this immense area." The commander's gaze went over all the faces of the present company as if daring anyone to question his logic.

"Hmm... you make a good point," the king conceded.

"What if this is even bigger than we think?" the female mage said in a calm and measured voice. Magnus glanced at her, taking in her face which looked more handsome than pretty. She seemed to be around forty or so, which translated into mage years meant that she walked this world for more than a hundred years... and she still didn't have a single grey hair on her head.

"Lady Irina, what do you mean?" the king said.

"What if the enemy army isn't coming from the main continent at all? What if powers from the eastern or southern continent are involved?" she said in a grave voice.

A long silence followed. There hadn't been a war between the continents for more than a hundred and fifty years. The last time it happened, the Old Empire ceased to exist and it gave birth to several new countries. Some parts of the empire, like the Free Cities to the east, refused to unite with any of the new countries. They cherished their newfound freedom after a period of oppression under the Old Empire.

"If I may be allowed once again," Simon said timidly, "I believe we should focus on the most obvious question..."

"The Remaker, you mean," Fiona said.

"Exactly, Lady Fiona. Who is he? What is he?"

"The way Lord Hawkins spoke about him, I had an impression that this Remaker was a... divine creature," Magnus said with some hesitation.

"The book I confiscated from the cult in Ashad also refers to Remaker as some kind of a godlike being..." Fiona added.

"A God? A Demon Lord?! It seems absurd..." Lady Irina said.

"Err, why?" Magnus asked.

"As far as we know, there is an agreement between Gods and Demon Lords that prevents them from crossing onto our plane, an agreement that hasn't been broken for millennia," The male mage said in a deep voice. He also seemed to be at least forty, although Magnus could see a few greys in his auburn hair. Perhaps a decade or two older than Lady Irina?

"Lord Anodar, do we know that for certain?" the king asked, and then as if remembering something turned towards the group. "Forgive my lack of introductions, please," the king said apologetically, "Wizard Anodar and Sorceress Irina are the most senior among my royal mages. They have my full trust."

Lord Anodar gave a slight nod to the king before continuing. "I believe so. There would have been some written traces left if something of that magnitude ever happened."

"I agree with Wizard Anodar. There is nothing in all the writings I have ever seen that would suggest such a cataclysmic event," Simon said firmly. Magnus couldn't help smiling at the confidence the young man started projecting as soon as the conversation had shifted towards history.

"Perhaps a High Demon? It can't be such a big deal then, can it?" Magnus suggested.

"They have a touch of divinity in them, but they aren't technically considered divine..." Lord Anodar said, his face pensive. Then he suddenly focused on Magnus. "What do you mean not a big deal?" There was a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Well, I've already fought one..." Magnus said awkwardly.

"What are you talking about?" Lord Anodar said, his eyebrows shooting up.

With some hesitation, Magnus told him of the events in the Elven lands, omitting any unnecessary detail. Wizard Anodar stared at him in disbelief.

"This is true," Lanaya said in a voice that dared anyone to suggest otherwise.

"Huh... That was quite some tale, Magnus..." Lord Anodar said, looking at Magnus as if he were seeing him for the first time. "Remarkable as this feat was, I believe I should clarify a few things. What you fought was Somna in her spirit form."

"What does that mean?" Magnus asked, perplexed.

"High Demons are very powerful beings, Magnus. With enough power and a proper ritual, they can be summoned onto our plane but only in their spirit form. In that form, they can't truly be hurt, but they are also significantly less powerful..."

"Oh... You mean that the cult could be trying..."

"Yes... I believe that the cult might be thinking about summoning a High Demon in the flesh... As far as I know, such an attempt would require immense power and human sacrifices even... it would imply opening an actual portal between the demon plane and our plane, not just a summoning..." Lord Anodar finished, seemingly afraid of his own conclusion.

"Well, that would possibly explain where their army was coming from," Fiona said after a short period of solemn silence.

"Through the portal?" Simon asked, his eyes going wide.

"Indeed. If you open a portal powerful enough for a High Demon to pass, what stops lesser demons and other servant races from stepping through as well?"

"Hmm... it is possible, but that would mean that they would need to keep the portal open for quite some time, which doesn't seem realistic to me. Every minute the portal stays open would require a huge amount of magical energy... and some sacrifices too..." Lord Anodar said.

"Hmm, yes, I suppose you are right..." Fiona said, nodding. The group was once again silent for several moments until Simon, who had been staring at the floor for some time, raised his head and looked sharply at Fiona.

"Lady Fiona, if I may... You mentioned something from that book you found - The Remaking -, something that struck me as unusual..."

"You mean the lack of description?"

"Exactly! I know it might seem like a trivial thing to some of you, but I find that fact absolutely perplexing..."

"Why?" Magnus asked.

"Because in every text I ever read there were descriptions of the God or Demon Lord or High Spirit or High Demon who was being mentioned. I can't remember ever reading one that was without at least some rudimentary description... So why is there no description of this 'Remaker'? It is strange, to say the least!"

"It is strange..." Lady Irina said, nodding.

"Maybe they omitted the description on purpose, so no one could recognize that the Remaker was in fact some specific High Demon?" Magnus said.

"It could be... That would certainly explain why they kept the description out of the pamphlets, but why would they omit them even in the book itself? That book was clearly meant for the highest members of the cult only. We found only one copy, and to this day, I don't think anyone else has found another?" Fiona said, giving a questioning look to the rest of the group. Everyone shook their heads.

"We have... visited many of their posts in Charobny and in Vistania... We never found this book," Lanaya said.

"So why keep the description and the details even from the highest members of the cult? It makes no sense to me..." Fiona said.

"All right!" the king finally said. "Whoever or whatever this Remaker is, it doesn't change the fact that this cult needs to be stopped. I've already given orders for the cult to be outlawed in Vistania and as Lady Fiona said, Ashad has done the same. I will send a letter to King Liam of Nessia to warn him about the cult's actions. That leaves only Fluvia..."

"Your Highness, if the cult was planning operations of such magnitude, it stands to reason that they have some stronghold, some base of operations?" Commander Keren said.

"I agree. If they are really going to try to open a portal to the demon plane, they will do it in some secluded place, far from the cities and towns, otherwise, every mage in a radius of a hundred miles would be able to sense such immense discharge of power..." Wizard Anodar said.

"If such a place exists, it will be in Fluvia," Lanaya said with confidence. "All the intelligence that daughters and sons of the Goddess managed to gather always pointed towards Fluvia. We focused our search on the towns and cities, but it is possible there is some base of operations far from the cities."

King Tristan nodded in agreement but it was obvious that this conclusion didn't make him happy.

"Therein lies our problem, I am afraid," the king said after a moment. "Any action or even suggestion I would make towards Fluvia right now would seem like an act of opportunism... This is such a frail moment for Fluvia, with Queen Eliana probably struggling to maintain order and consolidate power. Any initiative such as this one where I would request a search for the cultist stronghold could be interpreted as an act of aggression... I could be starting a war!" the king said in frustration. He started drumming his fingers on the table nervously.

"You Highness, I could take a unit of the Elite Guard across the border and search for this stronghold and then take it out. We wouldn't be wearing uniforms or insignia," Commander Keren said.

Lord Anodar shook his head. "I know how capable the Elite Guard is, commander, believe me, but I suspect that you would be wiped out, easily. This cult preaches about mages taking their rightful place and ruling the world. They probably have a good deal of mages in their ranks and it would take just one mage of respectable power to deal with your unit."

Commander Keren opened his mouth for an indignant reply but then stopped himself and reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"Damnation!" the king exclaimed, slamming his fist on the table. "I see no solution for this problem. I can't risk going to war with Fluvia, especially right now..." he said in obvious frustration.

"There is a solution," Lanaya said after a moment. Her melodic voice seemed as calm as ever.

King Tristan looked at her hopefully. "There is? By the gods, let's hear it then."

"We form a team from your elite unit, my scouts, and a couple of mages. Sons and daughters of the Goddess are resilient towards magic and with the help of the mages, we should be able to take out this enemy stronghold and stop their plans. We would split the team into smaller groups to avoid detection and to make the search go faster. Once we find the stronghold, we gather our forces and take it out," Lanaya said with calm confidence. "I would split my scouts into each group so we can communicate between groups more efficiently."

"It is a very bold plan but it could work, Highness..." Lord Anodar said after several moments. Commander Keren was nodding in approval as well.

"Well, if you are all willing to take this risk..." the king said, looking around the room. Magnus' and Fiona's eyes met and then they both inclined their heads, followed by Lord Anodar and Lady Irina.

"Then it is settled. May the gods watch over you all. I might not be able to help you once you are in Fluvia's territory, but I surely won't forget the service you are doing to my country," the king said placing his hand on his chest. Inclining his head lightly, he then turned and left the room, his royal mages following in his footsteps.

The silence that followed was soon broken by Sela, who approached Magnus and Fiona with a big smile on her face.

"Ah, my favorite human!" she exclaimed and leaned in as if to kiss him but then grabbed his ass instead. Magnus glared at her but her girlish laugh soon melted his scowl.

"Good to see you too, Sela," he said after a moment. "I'd like you to meet Fiona, my former Mistress."

Sela turned towards Fiona who was chuckling at the exchange. "Ah, so you are the one who taught him... everything. I love you!" Sela said, embracing Fiona and kissing her on the cheek.

"It was my pleasure," Fiona said with a smirk.

"Oh, I bet it was."

"Magnus!" Voron said, approaching. They embraced briefly and patted each other on their backs. "I hope you didn't go rusty on the sword?"

"Ha! Believe me, I had plenty of chances to use it... I am looking forward to some sparring, though," Magnus said with a smile.

"I'll be ready to kick your ass any time you want," Voron said with a grin. Magnus was about to retort but then Lanaya glided to the group, her eyes fixated on Magnus.

"E'arin Siann..." she said, the sound of her voice just as enchanting as her beautiful face. She touched a loose strand of Magnus' hair and smiled. "I see your hair is back to the color I love..."

Her scent and the proximity of her body felt overwhelming and Magnus found himself resisting the impulse to bury his face in her neck and taste her exquisite skin...

"Yeah..." he said in a raspy voice and after a moment composed himself and cleared his throat. "I want you to meet Fiona, my former Mistress."

There was some strange tension in the air as Lanaya's eyes strayed towards Fiona. Magnus watched the two women sizing each other up like duelists before a fight. It seemed strange to him. He was about to speak when Voron broke the awkward moment.

"It is good to meet you, Lady Fiona," he said, taking her hand and kissing the tips of her fingers, the way it was done in high nobility circles. Magnus felt impressed by his friend's knowledge of etiquette.

"The pleasure is all mine," Fiona said, inclining her head and giving a brief smile to Voron.

"My name is Lanaya. Any friend of E'arin Siann is my friend as well," Lanaya said, extending her hand. Fiona shook it after a moment of hesitation.

"Nice to meet you, Lanaya."

Their handshake lasted for a couple of seconds, both women holding each other's eyes.

"Well!" Sela said after a moment, "As Lanaya said, we will be splitting into groups. You will be in my group, won't you, Magnus?" she said, making an innocent face.

"Err, sure, Sela..."

"Good! That is settled then," she said, grinning at the faces that turned towards her.

***

"So... dangerous times are ahead of us, it seems..." Magnus said.

"It seems so..." Fiona replied, coming out of her thoughts.

They were walking down Highfort's main street towards Charlotte's mansion, arms linked together.