Bridgeworlds: Rise of the Magi (28 page)

“There are a dozen reasons why that would be a bad idea. The best of them is that I did not use magic.”

“Then what is it? Show me how you did it.”

Myles shook his head. The soldiers gasped.

King Alagaar pointed the hammer at Myles. “You are within my kingdom. You will do as I say, or you will die.”

Myles took two steps forward, towering over King Alagaar. The soldiers made a tight circle around him and King Alagaar. The king’s eyes blazed.

“I will not do as you say, and you may not live to see tomorrow.”

Alagaar swung the hammer at Myles’ head, but Myles was already touching the coin. He disappeared and reappeared behind one of the soldiers. Myles picked up the soldier and heaved him into the midst of the circle. The soldiers turned and chased after him but he was gone again. Alagaar screamed in rage, until he felt Myles’ arm around him and the point of a sharp knife against his throat.

Myles' low voice spoke in his ear. “I came here in peace. I came seeking allegiance, but you are a fool.” King Alagaar blustered, but Myles pressed harder on the dagger and until he felt the king's Adam's apple bob and no more sounds came from him.

“Listen up. I am leaving this place. If you try to wage war against the Magi, I will suddenly appear in your bedchamber one night while you are asleep and kill you before your eyelids open. I am but one Magi. By the end of the week, there will be hundreds with just the same skills. If you bring your people against us, we will crush you into dust. Sleep well, King Alagaar, and know that I am watching and waiting.”

Myles teleported himself to the bottom of the mountain. He waited, invisible, until nightfall. Myles made his way into the mountain of Marasimlah, through the city, and into the king’s bedchamber. There he woke the king with the point of his dagger. In the dark he whispered, “Now you know that I can do it.” Then Myles teleported himself back to Teknon. Myles slept that night in the inn, knowing that there was a monarch to the north that would have at least one sleepless night.

Myles woke the next morning and made for Phlox, the capital of Suchikos.
What got into me yesterday? Something about the king of Marasimlah just completely rubbed me the wrong way, but am I losing my mind? I don't remember ever threatening anybody like that, even when I was a serious crook.

On the ride to Phlox, Myles purposed to make the trip better than the one to Marasimlah. He wanted to give the Magi a better image and knew he needed to turn up the charm.

A huge wall surrounded the inner city. The architecture, ornaments, and clothing all reminded him of what he knew of Jewish settlements back on Earth. This city clearly had been built by the Jews who had escaped Musterion. A gatekeeper gave him a message as he entered. The note was from his Magi companions.

Master Myles,

Myles shrugged.
The less baggage the better.

Myles made straight for the palace, where it seemed he was expected. People crowded around him because Ganan drew a lot of attention. It took Myles some time to get to the palace due to the children who wanted to pet Ganan and begged to ride on him.

Myles bent down and spoke to Ganan. Ganan generally got the gist of what he meant when he spoke. The bond between them was strong. “Ganan, I want you to be on the watch from the air. When I am ready to leave or when I need you, come back to me. Stay out of sight though. Some local might shoot you down out of ignorance.”

Ganan licked him in the face to show he understood. The Kuon vaulted into the air. Myles turned and walked through the palace doors.

The meeting with this king went smoothly. Myles was given citizenship and even asked to join their armies as a general. Word had traveled already of how he had stood up to Alagaar. It seemed that Alagaar had earned himself a reputation for being difficult and the king of Phlox respected Myles for humbling "the bearded one".

Once everything was wrapped up and a deal was struck, Myles turned to his other task within the city… betrayal.

28

Queen Elizabeth

Kasey had been in Phlox for a month, trying to complete her mission. She searched for the carpenter to give him the sword, but she didn’t have a clue who he was or where he was. Since her arrival in Phlox, there’d been three attempts on her life, and it was getting a little tiring. She had been set upon in an alley the first time. Twice someone had tried to poison her. Thankfully Kasey had brought along the healing moss from Musterion, so these attacks had all failed.

Kasey and Tyree had resolved to try to help each other until Tyree found the portal to Musterion, so they searched the city together. At the city gate they spoke with the scribes about ancient lore when Kasey felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and discovered Nekar.

“Nekar! It’s so good to see you.” She tried to throw her arms around him, but he backed away as if he didn't know her. “You made it out of Musterion!”

Nekar asked, “Are you Kasey?”

“Nekar, don’t you remember me? Of course I’m Kasey.”

Tyree whispered in Kasey’s ear, “This must be Nekar from a time before you met him in Musterion. Be careful what you say.”

Nekar bowed. “The Master sent me here from Musterion to find you. He has a message for Tyree and Kasey.”

Tyree nodded his head. “I’m Tyree. How can we trust you?” Nekar responded, “Are you an enemy of the dragon?”

Tyree spat on the ground. “I am the enemy of that wretched creature.”

“Then you’ll want to listen to what I have to say, but not here. Follow me.”

Nekar led the way down several streets until he walked up to a wall and pushed on a brick. The wall gave way to reveal brick stairs leading down. Nekar grabbed a torch from the wall and lit it. They followed him down into what seemed like an underground house. It was an old and apparently unused.

“Where are we?” asked Kasey.

“We’re in the home of my brother. It matters not, though. What matters is what I have to tell you.”

His brother would have to be hundreds of years old if he was still alive! Is it possible that the founders of Suchikos are still alive? Now that would be news.

Nekar continued. “The Master warns that the Great Red Dragon is moving. He’s become active in this world because he wants the sword badly. Myles has been poisoned by the Subsurface Drakoni’s ability to corrupt the hearts of any who don’t follow the Master. Now the Great Red Dragon has appeared to Myles in his human form and planted seeds of doubt in his head about you, Kasey. Myles is here in Phlox, and he plans to steal the sword for the Dragon.”

Kasey couldn’t contain herself. “That idiot! When I get my hands on him I’m going to wring his neck. He’s so stupid!”

But Nekar shook his head. “No. That’s not the Master’s plan. You’re to let him steal the sword, and you’re not to go after him.”

Kasey slumped in disappointment. This was a plan that made no sense. “Why?"

“It’ll be a long time before you see Myles again. And when you do, he’ll need you to care for him. But he will be ready to follow the Master then, so you’ll need to treat him with great care.”

Tyree waved. “Hey, remember me? What do I have to do with all of this?”

Nekar turned to Tyree. “You’re probably the only person on Soterion besides Kasey that has a chance to take down Myles. You’ll need to knock him out from behind when you find him, or he’ll slip away.”

“Then what?”

“Bring him back here.” Nekar walked toward one of the brick walls and held the torch up to it. An archway had been built into the wall and at the top was an inscription written in Greek that said, “I am the Way.”

“After you bring him here, you’ll walk through this wall and take him into the entrance to Musterion. Once there, you’ll inject him with the moss from the wall. This will rid him of the Drakoni venom that has poisoned him. You’ll leave him there at the entrance and depart to continue your work. The Master will take care of the rest.”

Tyree nodded. Kasey, however shook her head. “I’m not letting the Dragon have that sword. This is all wrong!”

Nekar smiled. “No, you’re not giving up the sword. But he will take it, and you’ll have to wait until Myles is safely in Musterion. Then you’ll get the sword back and take it to a carpenter named Matthan.” Nekar gave her a small map. "This is where you'll find him."

“But I still don’t understand."

Nekar silenced her. “It’s not for you to understand, Kasey, but for you to do.”

Kasey muttered, “So be it.”

Kasey and Tyree met up with Iaspis, the Miyka that Kasey had saved.

They told Iaspis everything that had happened and then turned in for the night.

Kasey felt certain she was on her guard now, but it had been a long day, so she quickly fell asleep. The next morning, the sword had been replaced with a rose.

Omar was an analytical man, a man of science and logic. But when he arrived at Chliaros he felt and acted like a little child seeing the ocean for the first time. He wanted to move there and study every amazing thing.

When his party reached the top of the mountain, Omar got a full view of the city. He could see the palace at the highest elevation of the mountain. It was a great, thick, spiraling tower with other towers on each side. Below it was the nobles' district. Below that was the commoners' district. All the buildings were beautiful and had an almost Victorian look. The people were dressed in garb similar to that of Earth’s renaissance age. The commoners were friendly, and the Akana immediately took to Omar and Kleis. Omar sent Ischus ahead to the castle to announce their arrival and prepare a time for them to meet with the queen.

Omar loved traveling the streets of Loefel Meren. Bards sang and performed on almost every street corner. Ischus returned with word that lodging had been prepared for them within the castle. No matter how Ischus protested, the queen had insisted that to turn away such an offer would be a slight against her and the king. So he’d accepted.

Omar grabbed his things and made his way up through the nobles' district, where he got a good view of the palace grounds. A waterfall flowed from a spring in the face of the rock wall in front of the palace. Omar and Ischus went up the passage to the palace. The queen herself greeted them at the entrance.

Queen Elizabeth Meren was the most beautiful creature that Omar had ever laid eyes on. Unlike all of the other Miyka that Omar had met, she had chocolate brown hair and light brown eyes. Her skin was even a shade darker than normal for a Miyka. She gave off a dazzling light.

Omar bowed deeply. “Your Majesty shouldn’t trouble herself to venture outside the palace just to meet someone as unimportant as myself.”

Queen Elizabeth’s laugh was like a song. “Dear Sir, I dare say you’re not unimportant. You have every Akana in the city fighting over who will get a chance to join the Magi while you’re here. I’ve even had two Miyka approach me, wishing to join your ranks. In one hundred years only one Miyka has joined a guild. We are aristocrats, and to join a guild is to shrug off that duty and calling. So please, sir, know that your presence here is, to say the least, noteworthy.”

“You’re Majesty, I’m sorry to have caused such uproar in your kingdom. Would you have us depart?”

“Nonsense! Queen Ariana is a good friend of mine. I count her as a sister. If she has joined your ranks, then you must stay in my kingdom long enough for me to see the greatness that you have brought to Soterion.”

“Whatever greatness I’ve brought to Soterion pales in comparison to your beauty.”

“Thank you. That is enough, sir. Your compliments are appreciated, but you must know that I belong to my king and further flattery would rouse his anger.”

Omar stared at her in silence, still captivated by her beauty.

Kleis slapped him on the back and said, “Your grace, we thank you for your hospitality and humbly accept it.”

She nodded to Kleis. “Follow me, good sirs. I’ll show you to your rooms.”

They followed the queen while she led them up fifteen flights of stairs. Omar was glad that the castle servants were carrying his baggage. He wasn’t sure that he’d have made it without them. As Omar climbed each flight, he thought of the gift that he would leave for the Kingdom of Loefel Meren. Omar had built an elevator that worked off pulleys and ropes for the Magi Tower. All it required was one person to pull the rope and that person didn’t even need to possess much strength due to the leverage he had designed into the lift. He decided he would have one built for these towers too. As they ascended the stairs, Omar also admired the beautiful artwork on the walls.

“Who is the artist?” he asked.

Queen Elizabeth smiled. “I am.”

“For all of them?”

“Oh yes, this is a hundredth of what I’ve done over the past thousand years.”

“Could I buy one from you?”

I’m afraid that only the monarchs of Soterion can afford them, but I might give you a gift before you leave. We will see how things go.”

They followed her to their rooms where they all had a breathtaking view of Loefel Meren. Queen Elizabeth told them they would be summoned for dinner, which would be served on that same floor. They were all glad to hear that.

Omar quickly drew up the plans for the pulley-operated elevator, rolled up the parchment, and left his room, following a servant to the dining hall. When Omar arrived, he noticed that King Magus’ place at the other end of the long table was not set. The Queen noticed Omar looking at it and announced, “The king is not feeling well this evening. He will not be joining us.”

The table was filled with wonderful food. They all ate as they told of their journey and recent happenings around Soterion. When dinner was over, the servants cleared the table, and Omar began to explain how the Magi would interact with Loefel Meren.

“From reliable sources, I hear that you can do the impossible,” said the queen. “Many in Loefel Meren wish to learn these skills that the Magi possess. I’m worried, however, that this will affect the structure of our kingdom. How can we deal with this?”

Omar replied, “Your Grace, if you come up with a number, I’ll only accept that many of each race from your kingdom each year. I’m sure you’re worried most about losing the race of the Akana entirely, since the Magi are all about acquiring knowledge. I can speak to Queen Ariana, and I’m sure she will agree with my offer that you may retain half of those that complete Magi training within your kingdom, as long as they have their own guild hall and apartments in which to live.”

“This is agreeable to me.”

Other minor issues were brought up throughout the evening, but Omar found solutions to all of them. The queen was intrigued by the stories of what the Magi were capable of so the gathering continued late into the night.

“And lastly, I wish to give your people a gift,” Omar announced as he pulled the parchment from his satchel. They gathered around it at the table and Omar explained what it would do for her palace. Her eyes lit up as she grasped the benefits.

“Sir, this is a great gift. In return I will paint a portrait of you that you may take back to Caelsis.”

“I’m honored,” was all Omar could say.

The next day the elevator would be built and the queen would paint the portrait. Afterward Omar would leave Kleis there to recruit members for the Magi, and the queen would specify the numbers and limits. Omar would return to Caelsis when the portrait was finished, and Kleis would return when the first round of initiates had been chosen.

Omar woke in the middle of the night, stirred by the wonderful evening they’d all had. He wandered the halls for a while. He came to a place where he could see from a window into a courtyard below. He was surprised to see the queen standing down there with a falcon on her shoulder.

She appeared to be speaking to it like the Yaarma spoke a special language to animals. As he stood there, the queen caught sight of Omar through the window. Omar rushed down, entered the courtyard, and bowed deeply before her.

“Your Highness, I’m so sorry. I cannot un-see what I’ve seen, but I can promise if you explain to me what I just saw that I will keep your secret. You have my word!”

She looked around the courtyard to see if anyone else was watching and then stepped close to Omar. “And it is time I share this secret with someone, but in return you must share something with me that is a grave secret for you. That way we will share a trust with each other.”

Omar nodded in agreement.

She sighed. “My father was a Miyka, but my mother was a Yaarma. This is too long ago for anyone to remember or know, but the secret could get me killed.”

Omar, though fascinated, understood the trouble it could cause her. Kleis had mentioned it before. The Yaarma were not considered to be candidates for royalty. Omar decided that he could share his secret also. He took off his coat and spread his wings.

“How does an Akana come by wings?”

“The truth is, I’m not an Akana.”

“Then what are you?”

Omar told her how they’d come to Soterion from Earth through Musterion.

“This story is amazing. No one would believe it even if I told them. We are bound together in our secrets.”

They bade each other good night and went to bed. The next day they exchanged the gifts they had discussed the day before, but there was no further mention of their shared secrets. Omar sadly departed Loefel Meren and returned to Caelsis. The only woman he’d met on Soterion whom he knew he could let himself fall in love with was a queen who was already taken by another man. It seemed the only thing he still lacked in this new world was someone he could love.