‘That’s no threat; you’ll just remake it better than before,’ he said with a shrug before wrapping his arms around me in a rare display of affection. ‘It was the only way I could think to bring you back. Your eyes were glowing emerald again, and since Irsha isn’t here–’
‘You took it upon yourself to slap me silly,’ I finished with a sigh.
‘It’s not like that, Drah’sa. I remember that look from our time in Wiosna. The times you got that look in your eyes, it… It broke my heart whenever you withdrew into silence like that,’ he said.
I pulled away, looking at him with a frown. ‘You didn’t see her?’ The confusion on his face made me turn to the mages. ‘You! Did any of you see the woman in the mist?’
‘No,’ Ciesko answered, and the others shook their heads. ‘I think I can speak for everyone when I say there was only apillar of fog threatening to engulf you.’ His words, but more so the calmness in his voice, told me the rest. It was a mirage, an illusion designed to lure me into touching that… freezing void.
The wave of anger was so overwhelming that my hands began shaking. This thing, this abomination, took my most traumatic memory and used it against me. Whoever created it would pay for forcing me to watch my mother die again. I grabbed Tova, using a little more force than necessary to pull myself up. Unsettled aether swirled around me as I approached the shattered remains of the box.
‘This wasn’t Mlot’s doing. He can build the device, even carve the sigils on its surface, but he couldn’t devise such vile…’ I looked at the battle mages who’d followed me. ‘Tova thinks it’s a portal spell, but to what?’
‘We agree with Master Tova’s assessment. There’s a possibility it’s a portal to the void between the worlds,’ said the tallest before introducing himself. ‘I’m Ansel, captain of the battlemages. I’m told you managed to hold it off alone. Impressive.’
He offered me a warm smile, but I didn’t smile back; I just couldn’t. ‘So the fae are involved… somehow.’ I bit back a curse.
‘Possibly, or someone perverted a fae portal spell, only opening one side,’ Ansel said, glancing at Ciesko. ‘We know how portal spells work even if no human’s ever opened one.’
Tova huffed in the background. ‘Too busy playing with dragons,’ he said, but his concerned glances at me told me he was trying to deflect their attention.
‘How does it even work?’ I muttered, grabbing a pair of slightly warped forceps and digging through the crumbling mess until I retrieved a piece of the disk. ‘How is the spell activated without a fae mage present?’
‘I believe I might have the answer, my lady.’ I looked around, noticing the artificer from before. ‘I believe the secret’s in the alloy.’
‘Careful,’ I said when he took the piece from my hand.
‘It’s inert now that the sigil is broken. I think the cube siphons stored aether from magic users. Then, when the power reaches critical mass, it opens, activating the disk, which then connects to the void.’ He looked at Tova.
‘I agree. This could cause a terrifying number of casualties.’ My friend looked at the scraps and reached for the forceps. ‘Whoever invented this alloy is both a genius and a madman, but the craftsmanship is clearly dwarven.’
‘I’ll have every available artificer, summoner, and enhancement mage working on it,’ the mage said as Tova passed him another piece of broken metal.
‘We need to inform Riordan.’ I looked around, confused at his absence. ‘Wasn’t he with you, Tova?’ I asked, but my friend shook his head.
‘He was, but went back to the palace. I agree, though. We need him to help make sure there aren’t more of those devices in the city.’
Ansel smiled nervously under my scrutinising glare, but I needed a plan, something solid… A search party.
‘We need at least two primal mages, preferably with fire and frost abilities, and a dwarf for each search party. Tova wasn’t affected by the box, so dwarves are our best bet to avoid activating it.’ Even Tova looked at me funny when I took charge.
‘Drah’sa, they know what they’re doing. And I did react; it made me itch, remember?’ His gentle reprimand made me self-consciously rub my neck to cover the blunder.
‘I’m just trying to help.’ I nodded to Ansel. ‘Sorry, I’m not trying to step on your toes, but we’re dealing with an unknownthreat. If Mlot’s placed any artefacts in the city, we can’t afford to not take action.’
‘No offence taken, and you’re right. I’ll request assistance from a trusted dwarven mercenary troop I know. Master Orenson effectively demonstrated how to neutralise the threat with an axe,’ he said, moving closer. I held in my sigh, seeing the all too familiar curiosity in his eyes.
I was Ciesko’s pet vivamancer and had encountered gossip and stares ever since my identity was revealed. Some did more than stare. Several psychic mages had attempted to slide into my thoughts, and a few healers had overstepped, casually placing their hands upon me to examine my aether.
Even those with the purest intentions still treated me as a curiosity, and those without pure intentions? They wished to dissect and discover the secrets of a reborn remnant of ancient times.
I stepped back, gently shaking my head. Ansel smirked but respected my boundaries, allowing me to focus on the task at hand.
‘Tova, could you stay here? Let me know what you and the mages discover later. I’ll go and see Riordan. He needs to know what’s going on,’ I said, and he nodded. When no one voiced any objections. I gathered my things.
Ansel stepped in front of me as I headed to the exit. ‘Would you mind if I escorted you to the gates? You must be struggling after staring into the void.’
I looked at the hand he’d casually rested on my arm, then fixed him with a glare that made him snap his arm back. ‘I’m sure I can find my way, but if you insist,’ I said, walking past him.
