“Bloody hell!…Avin!, Aviiiin!!…where’s my room! Where‘s my bloody room!” The voice bellowed, reverberating through
the remaining corridors, and reaching a crescendo as it arrived at Sil’s door, cloaked in the flesh of a man called Gant.
He was about Avin’s height, but more muscular and an obvious fighter. Riani yawned and smiled at the same time.
“Hello, I’m Riani.” Avin stifled a grin and stood up to greet Gant, it was good to see him and they could very much
use another fighter.
“Oh pardon me everybody, I didn’t get an invitation to the sleep in!” he exploded.
“Shut up Gant” yawned Sil, and slowly got out of bed to join them. “We’re in a lot of trouble”.
“Yes, I can see that“, he said more quietly “ it seems that the caterer’s let you down with the ale, “
his voice began to gain in volume again,
“a pity I wasn’t here. I had a stock of fine Sintanian beer I was in the process
of trading for a small fortune…oh wait a minute where was it now? Oh yes! I remember.
It was…in my bloody room!” He bewailed, fixing Avin with an accusing stare.
“Mat’s dead” said Sil flatly.
Gant’s demeanour changed immediately. The theatrics forgotten, and the lost profits already written off,
“How?” he asked putting a huge arm around her. Sil related everything to him.
“and so today we need to collapse the rest of the Keep.” she finished.
“ We’re waiting for Jan, but if he doesn’t make it back soon we will just have to try and warn him from somewhere else.
I wasn’t even certain where he’d gone. He tends to change his mind a lot where destinations are concerned.”
Gant hugged Sil with both arms. “We’ll see to ‘em. ““Elite?” my arse! We’ll see to ‘em Sil”.
Riani was touched, and also a little disconcerted to see the big man displaying such tenderness and aggression at
the same time. Despite Gant’s convincing bravado, she had her doubts about how easy it would be for four of them,
or five with Jan if he turned up, “see to” something like the Order of the Elite.
She couldn’t think of an advantage that they had over them at the moment.
She had not been at the top of the class in strategy lessons, or any lessons for that matter,
but so far the cards had fallen unfortunately for them.
They were discovered, ridiculously outnumbered, besieged and faced fighting a magic technique that they had only
just found out about. Not to forget that though they were known to the Elite, none of them new much about the
enemy. Except one. It was technology that might give them an edge, and only one of them knew anything about
that too. Riani felt uncomfortable. Sil was the key in this. She looked at her, brave and clever and beautiful
and grieving. It wasn’t the time to probe, but soon. Soon Sil would have to tell them what she was
keeping from them.
A strange high pitched sound began to emanate from the small box that Sil carried around with her, a small red
light flashing on and off. She had left it on the table. Freeing herself from Gant, Sil rushed to grab it.
She spoke into the machine, “Jan? It’s a code 3”.
“What’s code 3?” asked Avin, Gant and Riani almost in unison as Sil signalled them to hush, as she listened to the
little box, her ear right up against it. She flicked a switch and the light died.
“It’s something I agreed with him. Only he and I have one of these, and though we can sometimes speak, the contact
doesn’t always last very long. We needed a shorthand code. Code 3 means be here in an hour or meet us in Est.”
Avin nodded approvingly, at Sil‘s communication device, and about the destination. “Est, yes, we have a place
there, nice safehouse as it happens, and could hide out for a while. A very good idea Sil…and… I wanted to say,
you were right about the security.”
Sil looked grateful for the admission,
“Thanks, but knowing what we know now, I don’t think it would have made any difference.
They would still have tracked Riani and caught us, or one of us, unawares somehow, sometime.”
She saw a light flicker on the control panel, “Jan’s here” she said as the far corner of her room started to glow.
She flicked a switch and a bookcase revolved around to reveal itself as a portal, similar to the one
that had dispatched Riani less than a week ago.
The door opened and Riani got her first glimpse of the last of their party.
Not a very imposing looking character. His features had a furtive look about them, slightly resembling those of a ferret, elfin and sharp.
He was slight of build, cropped red hair, and wearing scruffy blue trousers and a short sleeved tabard sporting a strange glyph.
On his back was a leather pack, bulging with what looked like thick black cord hanging out of it in places.
He was not much taller than Riani, and about her age.
She recalled the mistake that she had made in misjudging Avin on first impressions and decided not to make that mistake again.
He walked out of the portal rubbing his head,
“I hate that contraption, can’t we adjust it again Sil?
It’s still producing a kick in the head like a mule when you arrive anywhere.”
Riani was feeling a little superior. Of course they couldn’t adjust it. Was he mad?
It was magic from the Ancients. She had to stifle her surprise when Sil replied,
“I know Jan, sorry, I know its out of kilter, I’d get on to it, but there’s no time for tinkering, however much I
enjoy it.”
“Guessed as much” said Jan acceptingly. He looked at her searchingly, “It’s bad, isn’t it?”
Sil nodded, and Jan was introduced to Riani and briefed on their situation, and told in the process about the loss
of Mat. He looked at Sil in disbelief , then realizing that it was true, walked over to hug her.
Tears were in his eyes as he said as calmly as he could,
“OK. Got it. This place is rubble waiting to happen then.”
He took himself off to a corner and just sat there, quietly remembering his young friend.
All of them liked the Keep, for Avin, Jan and Gant it had been home for a long time. Sil had liked it enough to
want to come back to save it. Mat had died for it. Riani had only been there a few days and could hardly
believe that she would never see her fairytale home again. She realised she had started to love it a little, after
all it had saved her life a few times in less than a week. She looked at the small party of warriors.
These were people she had never thought could exist, let alone accompany, be one of.
Master mages, warriors and users of technology, travelling in the Portals as if they were a scheduled coach run.
If what she had just heard meant what she thought it did, then the Magemasters back home were all treating
as magic a thing that was really technology,
in Riani‘s simple understanding a far higher level of magic than could be made by any of them.
The Portals were technology and Sil could adjust them, perhaps Jan could too.
Another puzzle piece fell into place. Sil was a very scarce commodity.
She was worth a lot to someone wanting to use the Portals.
They were definitely after Sil. She kept quiet, letting this new idea sink in.
“Get your things together everyone” Avin broke the silence. “We’re going. There’s no point putting it off.
We should be able to hide in Est and try to work out what they are after.
All we’ll find out here is how long it takes them to swarm us.”
“Two at a time maximum” Sil stated, “I’ll go last”.
“No Sil” said Riani courageously deciding to challenge her.
“I don’t think you should do that. I don’t think you should be alone.
I think that the Elite Order want you and your Technology.”
Instead of the argument that she had expected Riani was pleasantly surprised when Sil considered what she had said and nodded.
“You and Avin, then Gant , then Jan and me. I need to make sure the place blows.
One of you might not be quick enough with the buttons” she explained.
Avin was already in the tube beckoning to Riani,
“Don’t be sick all over me will you?” said Avin, smiling,
“Don’t hurt yourself on my sword in the crush” she returned, enjoying the light banter.
The last time that she had walked into one of these things had been a very different experience.
Even crammed in close to Avin and with feeling alone an impossibility, she felt fear at the idea of travelling this way again.
She took a deep breath and waited for the ribbons of light to start.
“Its better not to look at them “ Avin told her, putting his arms around her shoulders, and drawing her
face towards his chest so that she could not see the lights that would sunder her.
She closed her eyes.
By the time she opened them again she was lying on a bed somewhere.
She had a terrible headache. She sat up in a panic. Where were the others.
She exhaled loudly with relief when she saw them all sitting at a table a few yards away eating.
They had all got out.
“Where are we?” she asked. “Est” Sil replied, leaving the others to bring her water to drink.
She sat down on the bed next to Riani.
“You’ve been asleep nearly ten hours. You don’t seem to have much tolerance for the portals,
it seems they have a greater after effect on you than on most.
We were all worried about you. Anyway, we are all in Est and in the dormitory room of an Inn called The Pumpkin.
Its ours for the week. I know the landlord and he asks no questions.
Hopefully he answers none also.“ Sil handed her the water.
They were in a long dormitory containing about ten beds with long tables separating the two rows. Riani noticed
that the sheets were very white and smelt like summer. “You are none the wiser are you?” Sil smiled kindly.
“Not much“ Riani admitted. “I think we are in another world, not my world. Are we?”
“All worlds are your world.” Sil said, almost gravely, and then pausing to think for a moment she continued.
“Riani, it isn’t that anyone wants to keep anything from you. Its just that we don’t know how to tell you about it.
In years to come you’ll find this explanation simplistic and wonder at me for giving it, but I’ll try.
There are many worlds. Some are little more than rocks. Some are inhabited by basic and undeveloped life forms and
some are little different from the one you know. Some have inhabitants that look very different to
ourselves. The place you call the Northern Edge was not the world you knew for example. It is on a world we call
Minthrall. These worlds are separated by space. Where we are now is situated in the world you knew,
we call that Tinvarth, but…it is far away from it in a way other than distance.
it’s a bit like where we are when we are in neither the portal or our destination…almost.“
Riani took it all in, trying to understand.
“Sil, I know they are after you, the Elite I mean, but I also think there are many things that I might understand
about them that you aren’t saying.”
Riani felt comfortable enough now to voice her concern. Sil regarded the dishevelled and earnest Riani kindly.
“You are right. Believe me, if I thought it would help I would say. It won’t, and I can’t.”
“Alright” Riani had to accept that. “I just hope you know what you are doing. If we lose you, everything you know
will be lost too.”
“I know that” Sil responded a little too quickly, “but you’ll not lose me to them.”
Their attention was diverted by two men entering the dormitory.
Riani was still dizzy from the travelling and had to peer closely to get a look at them.
Just two men in travelling cloaks, but she was feeling sick again and sensing danger.
A feeling she couldn’t explain told her that they were no friend or ally.
Sil was on her feet . “No magic, weapons only” she yelled.
The two men stopped still and raised their arms.
“Peace!” said one of them standing in front of the other.
”Peace… please. Must we brawl like street scum? We want to talk to you, that is all.”
Gant was towering above Jan, both with drawn weapons and standing next to the table, Jan grasping a short sword,
and Gant steadying a broadsword. Avin had moved to stand between the visitors and Sil and Riani.
Riani tried to locate a weapon but could not. She was still too dazed to fight anyway.
“What do you want you force sucking parasite?” asked Gant, with little real interest in the answer showing in his
deep voice. His eyes spoke of nothing but vengeance for Mat.
The Speaker lowered his hood, ignoring Gant, and addressed only Avin. His face was almost purple, blood vessels
broken, angry and dark red protruded in ridges over his face, and also his hands. The other was in the same
condition. They looked alien, inhuman somehow. The sight of them made Riani’s flesh creep.
“You know that we have things to discuss.”
Avin eyed the speaker for a few seconds.
“Go on” he said coldly
“My name is Hirn, my colleague here is called Poul. Your arrival here is fortuitous, we noticed you on our way to
…retrieve an object. It seems we use similar routes of travel“
The pendant. A pity. Avin would have liked to imagine the sanctimonious Hirn on Rintar climbing a half mile high
active volcano with the smell of bad eggs as a source of oxygen.
“We are members of the mage Order of the Elite. Our message is simple. You have something belonging to us.
Give it back, and you will not hear of us again. We will disappear into the realm of your Legends as far as you are concerned.”
Avin shrugged, “Thanks to your attack on our home, there is very little that we still possess. I know each and
every item and where it came from. Nothing we have is yours.”
The speaker’s eyes glowed a vibrant red and his disfigured face twisted into a visage of pure threat.
“That one” he snarled, pointing towards the two women “is ours.”
Riani for a frightening moment thought that they meant her, but seeing Sil’s face now, white and scared she knew
otherwise. She had not imagined it possible that Sil would be that afraid of anything.
To Riani’s surprise Sil grabbed Mat’s sword from under her bed and walked towards Avin.
“If you wont cut this filth down I will” she looked at Avin for confirmation of his intention.
Hirn continued his efforts a little less venomously.
“Sister mage” the placating tone sounded false and hollow coming from the man, “and Wife” he added, staring
meaningfully and directly into Avin’s eyes, as if claiming a possession of Sil as her husband, that outranked his
as her brother. “Your broken vows will be forgiven, I…we all… understand the temptation to stray back into
our forsaken families. There is not one of us that has not at least been tempted back to the familiar,
even I.
No punishment awaits you, only our welcome, and our love. We come to bring you home.”
Sil made a move towards him the sword raised high, but Avin held out his arm to block her way.
To her complete surprise he addressed Hirn fairly pleasantly.
“We know all about it, you strike no discord with your tale here. It’s an old and a tired one, and I think it would
be easier for you, emotionally and physically, to just consider yourself divorced as of now.”
The lie tripped easily from his tongue and the others took this as a cue, and any surprise they were feeling remained
filed in their minds for explanation later.
Hirn threw back his cloak revealing dark purple robes, they were almost black.
From his belt hung some small boxes that looked similar to the ones that Sil used.
Riani didn’t like the way this was turning out.
Damn this dizziness. She was useless to them.
“A demonstration is in order I feel”
Hirn spoke with a superior diplomatic flatness, and as if addressing children in a remedial class.
His hand hovered over a button on the metal box of his belt.
Sil stood still. Frozen. Riani could see that she was quivering.
Her left leg was shaking involuntarily.
Hirn spoke directly to her, “Your last chance with dignity, Wife.
I had almost forgotten how beautiful you once were, and I almost regret this.
Don’t make me do it.” He took a pace forward and held out his arms towards her.
Riani sensed something odd, a real and genuine emotional yearning was emanating from him.
She felt pity for him.
“One more step, Hirn and I will kill you” Sil managed to utter, but her voice shook and her tone was unconvincing.
He sighed and pressed the button. Sil‘s form was becoming unclear and fading in and out of focus.
“She has no doubt told you some tale or other, but I doubt all. Even her appearance is a lie.”
Hirn spoke the words almost regretfully.
Sil’s pale and lovely face began to redden, and her bare arms slowly began to reveal the same broken veins that
were visible on Poul and Hirn. In a few moments she had lost any resemblance to the woman who had stood
there earlier. She looked kin to Hirn indeed, moreso than to any of them. Her skin was showing undeniable
evidence that she too had taken the force of many other mages, her face a mass of ridges and craters.
Her once beautiful hair was thinned, with patches missing completely, and completely grey.
“We can absorb any defensive spelling, absorbing a glamour, however well constructed is easy.” Hirn stated needlessly.
It was plain to all what had been done.
He seemed to be surrounded in a violet glow for a second, as his body consumed the energy from Sil’s glamour spelling.
“Ahhhh” he sighed with exaggerated pleasure, seeking eye contact with her, when he had it, he fixed her with a stare
as if claiming her from times long past.
“You always taste so sweet my love.” His tone was one of a lover.
Then he seemed to change key. “It has been some time since you fed my dear, and I imagine you are feeling a little drained now.”
Hirn signalled to Poul.
“Feed her” he commanded disdainfully.
Poul cast a minor spell causing a kind of ward to appear, except that it was shaped in the form of a red rose.
Poul guided it slowly towards Sil.
“No!” she cried, “I will not, I will not!”.
“I don’t know how many of you have ever seen the results of our kind being deprived of our food.”
Hirn had adopted the manner of a lecturer to a mage class now,
“The process we undertake begins with us as an augmentation of our magical energy, an addition to our strength and
magic essence, but becomes a food over a long period of time, doesn’t it my dear? It has some unpleasant after
effects, as you can see. Our appearance has to alter. Our human shape is required to adapt to accommodate
superhuman levels of force. These must be kept at an optimum level, and ingress of force can become an almost daily
need. We can literally starve without it.”
The ward changed, glowing red, and now had the appearance of a green serpent coiled to strike her.
“Probably to tempt her to absorb it to protect herself “ thought Riani.
For Sil very different memories were evoked.
Sil had fallen to her knees, “ I won’t!” she shrieked.
The thing floated closer and closer to her and her mouth began to slaver and foam,
her eyes bulged in an impossible swelling, and soon her whole body was shaking.
From the more prominent red veins in her forehead a pulsing and a throbbing started,
it echoed throughout her whole body, an undulation under her flesh, as if the force inside her was trying to absorb the
intangiable reptile without Sil‘s permission.
As if something other than herself within herself wanted this food.
She was a most pathetic sight, obviously desperate for the energy being offered to her, only her will preventing
her from absorbing it. Riani could see a battle going on inside Sil that none of them could possibly understand.
She hoped that Sil could win it. She focused hard inside herself, offering Sil her own strength, such as it was.
If Riani had been able to stand without falling she would have simply touched the ward and stopped this, why the
hell didn’t Avin? He was within inches of it. Why didn’t he do something? She remembered his words to her when she
had challenged him in his study on their first meeting.
“You didn’t need me to.”
Sil found the strength to stand up and raising Mat’s sword touched the ward gently with it.
Poul’s look of surprise as the energy returned to him was brief, but obvious to all.
“Seems she’s not hungry” Avin said in a matter of fact voice.
Then without further discussion he hurled Riani’s dagger at Poul.
It caught him in the chest sending him staggering backwards.
Using the seconds inbetween Poul healing himself , and then trying to set fire to them,
Gant laid him low with the broadsword and finished Poul’s part in the drama forever.
His body simply disappeared. Hirn stood motionless, shaking his head and smiling sadly.
He touched a button on his belt and an amber aura seemed to surround him.
“He’s shielded with tech” gasped Sil, weak, and still on her knees.
“No weapons, no magic, either will just bounce straight back at you.”
Gant slowly lowered the weapon, but never took his gaze from Hirn.
“An idea of what then would be useful!” Jan returned, adopting a defensive position and wishing he knew what he
could do to fight this man.
“Dear Sil, “ Hirn almost sounded awed, but there was again venom in his voice “How I envy you your willpower.
Think on this though, love. How long do you think these backward thinking clowns will tolerate your presence?
Even with another glamour spelling, I doubt they will be able to adapt their ideas of beauty to still include you.
Not now they have seen your true appearance. I, or one of us, will take your illusion away from you again and
again and again, until you have no essence, and no choice but to feed or die. What sort of a life will that be?
You were always vain you know, always.
You will soon be begging for a place in my household again, and I … though I have cause to, will never turn you away.
You are my wife and I love you.”
Riani felt confused emotions coming from him, he actually did feel something for Sil. As she realised that,
she was aware that this empathic understanding was a new skill happening within her. She could do nothing but
observe and try to learn how to use it.
Sil had staggered to her feet again, and had slowly moved to within easy reach of Hirn with Mat’s sword now.
“We both know that that is useless through this shield” he shook his head again patronisingly.
Sil with almost slow motion speed pushed the blade deliberately and firmly through the shield to no resistance.
Hirn had not expected that, and could not cast a spelling while the shield was still operating. He fumbled at his
belt for the button to turn it off, they were probably all dust once he did was Riani‘s thought.
The minute he touched it Sil thrust the blade deeply into his heart.
“Seems one of us knows more than the other, husband. Heal that!” she spat the words out venomously.
Hirn managed to find another button and was gone as if through a portal.
“Missile! “ warned Gant, seeing the orb rolling through Sil’s legs towards Avin.
“Fly free little bird” chuckled Avin and sent it to join Riani’s pendant on Rintar.
Gant sat back down, satisfied that nothing else was incoming, and swigged the rest of his ale down in one gulp.
“Nice safe house in Est you said? Right. At least the sheets are clean.” he muttered wryly.
Avin guided the sobbing Sil over to the table, Riani made her way over there too, and they all sat around it,
waiting for someone to say what they all knew had to be said, or ask what they all knew needed to be asked.
Riani was the youngest and newest member of the group. She didn’t feel it was her place, but she said it anyway.
“Sil, you need to tell us everything. From the first time you absorbed magic, your first contact with the Elite
and, forgive me if I’m wrong, but you’ve given them the “technology” haven’t you? If you have, we need to know
what, and how to counter it. If you know how they can track us, we need to know that too, else we will be running
until we can‘t run any further, all they have to do is follow us until we’re exhausted, and I won‘t be prey.
Please tell us what you’ve kept back.”
“I don’t know why you‘re all still able to bear being in the same room as me. Gods, I feel so ashamed…” she sobbed
uncontrollably, shame and desolation pouring out of her like waves. Her swollen and damaged face
resting in hands of the same angry red hue, a similar random pattern of broken blood vessels protruding from her
hands and arms in thick ridges of wrongness.
“I love you, you’re my sister and you’re in a lot of pain. I can‘t put into words how proud of you I was, at what
you fought inside of yourself just then, and that you won.” said Avin, his voice betraying for the first time in
her hearing deeply felt emotion.
Riani was moved almost to tears by his simple and truthful declaration.
“You‘ve been a friend, and like a sister to me. I don‘t know how you got yourself into this mess, but you aren‘t
facing it alone.” was Jan’s response, though his eyes showed that the revelations about her past had confused him,
they also held much compassion and a willingness to understand.
“You’re an ugly old boot for sure at the moment, and I don‘t fancy you at all like that” boomed Gant,
“but you should see some of the women I’ve woken up to without their makeup and corsets.“
He shivered dramatically as if from the memories, “I can live with it, until you get chance to put your face on.”
Riani put her hand on Sil’s shoulder.
“We all saw who you are inside too remember? I won’t forget what sort of strength fights at my side.
Its time to tell us everything.”
Sil nodded, Gant filled everyone’s tankards with ale, and she began her long overdue story.