Shadow Magic Page 4

  Dorian shook his head. ‘No, Asmara, just knock it over.’

  ‘And make a mess of this nice little tavern? Come on.’

  ‘Just throw it in someone’s face then. Besides, if I follow you around in a place like this it’s gonna look weird.’

  Asmara sighed, ‘fine, Bo, do you want any free booze?’

  Bo shook his head, frowning slightly. ‘If you’re having a problem, come back here, Asme.’

  ‘Fine, fine.’ and she walked off.

  ‘Excuse me, what was that about?’ Julietta demanded.

  ‘They never taught you that in your college?’ Dorian shot back. ‘Asmara’s a shadow mage, she can’t risk drinking alcohol or taking any mind-altering substances.’

  ‘Of course I know that, but why-’

  ‘Usually Bo or I drink anything she’s given... it gets a little complicated... mostly, she doesn’t want to tell everyone she’s a shadow mage and most people won’t quit pushing if you say you don’t drink.’

  ‘Yes, but-’

  ‘Just watch.’

  Julietta turned around without any subtlety and watched as Asmara sat down next to a middle-aged man with a scraggly beard. Asmara smiled disarmingly at the man and said without any hint of embarrassment ‘Hi there, do you want to find out if we could fall in love? I don’t know if we could, but I think it would be pretty fun to try.’

  ‘Oh!’ Julietta’s jaw dropped and she turned immediately back to her two companions, ‘did she really just say that?!’

  Dorian nodded.

  ‘Oh!’ Just listening made Julietta want to die from embarrassment. She snuck a look over her shoulder and saw the other man was staring at her in shock, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. But he didn’t burst out laughing. Probably wouldn’t, Julietta thought, the poor man was probably too surprised at having an exotic, attractive young woman like Asmara speak to him to think straight. Julietta turned back to her companions, suddenly feeling very confused. She had been sure Asmara was younger than her, but this was no appropriate way for a young lady to behave! But her companions did not seem concerned and in fact paid very little attention, as if this was normal. Julietta turned back a few minutes later to see Asmara turn to the man sitting next to her previous target.

  ‘What is she doing?’ Julietted demanded of Dorian and Bo after hearing the shadow mage use pretty much exactly the same line on the new man.

  ‘Looking for an anchor.’ Bo replied seriously.

  ‘She’ll probably work her way through the entire tavern tonight.’ Dorian shrugged.

  ‘Oh.’ Julietta frowned and glanced back at Asmara, who was now walking towards target number three. The first two had already succumbed and in a few minutes of conversation had somehow been found wanting. Julietta supposed this behaviour wasn’t too surprising, considering Emerré Albier, the most famous shadow mage in Mance-Jolune, had left her body at nineteen and then come back after finding an anchor, and was still alive today, three years later, though she no longer used her shadow magic. Still, surely it would be much simpler to find an anchor using shadow magic than by talking to ugly old men in taverns. Julietta spent the rest of the evening sneaking glances at Asmara, swinging between confusion (because shadow mage or no, surely she was too young to behave like this!), annoyance and offense. Most of Asmara’s targets seemed to share her disbelief, being initially stunned into silence at her approach. Most succumbed, perhaps, Julietta thought, because of the intense way Asmara said it, as if she really meant it, which she probably did if she was looking for someone to be an anchor for her. Occasionally, Asmara would return to the table with a mug of beer and pretend to drink it for a bit before passing it off to Dorian or Bo.

  As the night drew to a close Julietta saw Asmara leave with a man who Julietta thought was quite unattractive. ‘Why did she choose him?’ she demanded, incensed.

  Dorian shrugged. ‘I think she’s just trying to work her way through every man in the world.’

  ‘But he was ugly.’

  ‘Maybe he was very nice.’ Dorian smirked at Julietta who blushing, hurriedly said, ‘Asmara hasn’t known him long enough to make a decision based on his personality, she could only be judging him on appearance and he was quite ugly!’

  ‘I don’t know, Julietta, she’s a shadow mage, maybe she just doesn’t notice.’

  Julietta frowned, shadow mages were known for not being overly concerned with material things, but she didn’t think such shadow mages went around picking up men by actually talking to them. She turned to Bo and demanded, ‘well?’

  He shrugged and said seriously, his expression closed, ‘perhaps she doesn’t notice.’ After a moment he continued, his tone lighter, ‘best not let it bother you, Julietta, she behaves herself with our clients, and she’s an adult, she can do as she pleases.’

  ‘An adult? Well, so am I then!’

  ‘Would you like to join her then, Julietta?’ Dorian responded.

  ‘That’s not what I meant!’ she cried indignantly. ‘Excuse me, I’m going to bed, alone!’

  The next day Bo and Asmara went out and found a job, and the morning after the group departed Halle with a caravan bound for Sontmor. The train was much smaller than that of Mister Alleman, consisting of only three wagons pulled by two horses each, and none were enchanted. Julietta spent the best part of the morning inscribing the wagons with protection spells. Upon making a suggestion to Dorian about his inscribing the other mage scowled and suggested she pay more attention to her own work. As the group departed from Halle Julietta noticed the attitude of her companions changing. They were far more alert, and Julietta was a little unsettled to see they were the only guards.

  The wagon train being so much smaller, Julietta was able to see what Bo and Asmara were doing as she sat observing the landscape with Dorian in the second wagon. Asmara frequently disappeared, ranging ahead of the wagons and circling back. Usually she’d speak to Dorian or Bo when she returned. Every night Asmara and Bo carefully went over their route. Asmara seemed un-characteristically serious, but Julietta was learning this was her normal mien when working. She was noticing at least, that while Asmara did most of the work in planning the route and working out possible hazards, she and Dorian deferred to Bo and did not argue when he made a decision.

  They set watches every night, but with no other guards to take some of the shifts Julietta finally started to feel the effect. On her first watch, which she shared with Bo, she had had no trouble staying awake, practically trembling with excitement, much to the amusement of the older man. The watches had quickly become tiresome and boring, however she had been mentally prepared for this and did not allow herself to be disappointed.

  The first night out of Halle Julietta watched from afar as Dorian redid some inscriptions on Bo’s armour and weapon. Despite her incessant teasing, Asmara and Dorian worked well together, and after doing Bo’s armour Dorian spent the evening carefully going over the spells inscribed upon Asmara’s sword and armour. They were not properly enchanted and had to be redone every night.

  The second night out of Halle Julietta approached Bo and Dorian as they worked on his armour. She saw Dorian inscribing symbols with charcoal on Bo’s shoulder pad.

  ‘I have some tools in my bag that could greatly enhance the duration and strength of the inscription. I could show you some more powerful symbols too, Dorian, and with some practice I’m sure you could learn to use them on your own.’

  Dorian looked up, scowling. ‘Perhaps you’d like to take over then.’ he replied, ‘you are a prodigy after all.’ and he stalked off.

  Julietta opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it. She wasn’t that surprised, and here was an opportunity to prove herself. Once Dorian saw how much more powerful her inscriptions were, he would come around, and she would be happy to teach him. Julietta had quite enjoyed assisting the less gifted students at the collegium, it always made her feel so smart.

  ‘You don’t mind, do you, Bo?’ Julietta asked
politely, already reaching into her bag for her tools.

  ‘Dorian was inscribing protection into my armour. He’s already done my sword.’

  ‘I’ll redo that for you.’ Julietta said briskly. ‘Please, stay still while I work, really, it would be easiest to do this when you’re not wearing your armour.’ She pulled a bar that looked like silver, about the width of a pencil, from her bag and looked closely at the charcoal markings on his shoulder pad. Then she pulled out a white cloth and carefully wiped at the markings. When she had finished the cloth was clean and so was the armour.

  Bo peered down at his shoulder, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen it that clean.’

  ‘I’ve removed all traces of old magic. It’s best to start with a clean slate.’ She placed the silver against his armour and slowly slid it down to make a straight line, whispering under her breath as she went. The bar melted, leaving a thin, silvery unbroken line on his armour. Julietta continued, making the symbol that was uppermost in her mind. The mark glowed in the dark night air, but she wasn’t finished yet. Still whispering, with both hands, one still holding the bar, she reached out and touched the mark and then pulled back and circled his body with her gestures. She stopped frequently at the end of each circle and made a small mark on his armour. When she was finished there was one large symbol on his shoulder and the rest of his armour was dotted with little silver spots.

  Bo looked down at himself, his eyebrows raised.

  ‘That will last a few months, or a few years if the protection isn’t used. Now, your sword...’

  Later that night as she was curling into her nest of blankets, Julietta saw Dorian inspect her work. Bo spoke quietly with him, and from the look on Dorian’s face, he wasn’t happy. Secretly pleased, as she had clearly proven her skill, Julietta went to sleep happy.

  They did not leave Mercôt and enter Sontmor until the morning of the eighteenth day. The border was clearly marked by the Upper Scheldt River, which sat low in its banks this far into summer.

  On the morning they crossed the border Julietta spent most of the day looking around hoping to see some sign that they had entered the unknown land of Sontmor. They crossed the river by way of the Merciac bridge, a sturdy wooden construction, which rose high over the water, as it was designed to be passable during the spring floods. Julietta felt a flutter of excitement as the wagons clattered over the planks of the Merciac. Her excitement soon faded however. The world on the Mercôt side of the bridge was the same as the world on the Sontmor side. Though still in summer, they were far enough south that it was grey and chilly, the same as the last several days in Mercôt. If she hadn’t been familiar with her geography, and the significance of the Merciac bridge, she would never have known they’d left Mercôt.

  All around stretched cleared land and in the distance she could see farmsteads. As the wagons rolled on during the day the land became rougher, and dotted with more trees, remnants of an ancient forest. None of it was particularly interesting to her, and the watch that night was much the same as all the other nights.

  ‘I thought you said it would be difficult to have a fire.’ She demanded of Dorian as Bo cooked their dinner. They rotated between Asmara and Bo, Dorian had not cooked yet.

  ‘Not yet, we’re just on the border, Julietta.’

  ‘What happens, exactly?’

  ‘Just be patient and you’ll see.’

  After dinner he and Asmara re-inscribed her equipment. Every so often Asmara would test the inscription and the night would flare with magic that quickly died back down. Julietta watched for a few moments and then pulled a rectangular wooden box from her bag. Inside were seven glass lenses, rimmed in gold and cushioned in silk. It was all magically protected, and if you looked carefully you could see the signs woven into the silk and marked upon the wood. She pulled out a lens of middling size and held it in front of her eye as she watched Asmara. Frowning in concentration, she rotated it in her hand before pulling out a second lens. She pulled out a little clasp carefully folded against the rim and connected it to the first lens, leaving a gap of perhaps three fingers width between the two lenses. She did not say anything and silently watched Dorian and Asmara, occasionally changing the lenses around. When the two were done an hour or so later they both looked up and saw her watching.

  ‘You know,’ Julietta began, ‘I think we could learn much about shadow magic by watching you use your regular magic. The Collegium has a much better fixed lens in their Imservorium, we should visit it next time we’re in Manus.’

  Asmara smiled uncertainly.

  Julietta put her lenses carefully away and took out a leather bound notebook. Quickly she began jotting down her observations. Already she felt as though she had made new insights into the nature of shadow magic. It almost seemed as if Asmara’s regular magic was being strangled somehow by her shadow magic, as if the two did not like to live together in one person. Her regular magic was very weak, and already it was clear to Julietta that Asmara needed a regular mage to do her inscribing for her, and the best she could do was activate the pre-formed magic. It explained, Julietta thought, why shadow mages had never been seen to use regular magic before. It was clearly very difficult for them and it was quite remarkable Asmara had persevered and even discovered she could use the little amount she possessed. A normal person who struggled so with magic would not even have been taught!

  When Julietta was done she spoke again to Asmara as if no time had passed, when in fact Asmara was now preparing to go to sleep, ‘perhaps I could do some inscribing for you.’

  ‘Not yet,’ Asmara replied with a smile, ‘Dorian and I work well together, he knows how to do the inscribing so I can use it without much trouble.’

  ‘Hmm, I can see that might be a problem.’ Julietta said, still thinking she would be able to do a better job than Dorian if given the chance. She decided not to press it however; she had already taken over his inscribing of Bo’s armour, best to leave him something to do.

  ‘Get some sleep,’ Asmara told her, ‘tomorrow the track will be getting more dangerous, you want to be ready.’

  CHAPTER 4

  12 Fevror, 1352

  The next day the trees thickened into a real forest. The land became more rugged, and just after lunch the track wound down into a ravine.

  Julietta gazed up at the thin slice of grey sky visible between the rock walls towering above her. The tops of dark, green trees were barely visible, clustering against the edges of the ravine. Down at the bottom, the group was in shadow and the air was cool. Julietta pulled her jacket more tightly around her and checked her gloves again. Dorian sat beside her. With his hat pulled low over his face, he looked like he was sleeping. Julietta didn’t think so, however. He was the one who had advised her to get out any tools she would need for her magic. Thus, her gloves. Julietta had been quite piqued at his heavy sigh on seeing the white, silvery sheened gloves. They were a highly advanced sorcerer’s tool, far more difficult to use, and more powerful than wands and staves. Julietta had primly informed Dorian she was an expert in their use and that he needn’t worry about her. Julietta had frowned upon seeing that Dorian himself had no tools with him, but had decided not to say anything. Mages trained in the school of wizardry did not use tools, however Dorian was not a wizard and had been referred to as a sorcerer. There were no schools of wizardry in Mance-Jolune, and even if there were, Dorian had never attended a school. Likely the distinction between the schools was lost on her companions who had never been trained in the magical arts; Dorian, though certainly experienced, was more like a novice sorcerer, Julietta thought, who had not yet graduated to training with magical tools and implements.

  She was interrupted from her daydreaming by something tugging on her awareness. She turned slowly to look at Dorian, fear and excitement flooding through her. Dorian tilted the brim of his hat up, ‘did you feel any mages?’

  ‘No, but-’

  ‘Neither did I.’ He hopped down and walked to the front of the line of wagons quit
e calmly to Julietta’s mind. After speaking with the driver he walked back and the wagons came to a halt. Julietta climbed down off the seat to join him. The driver of their wagon watched them without expression and pulled a heavy club from under his seat. The horses tramped nervously and snorted. Julietta wondered vaguely if they would panic if there was a fight.

  Bo came up to them, ‘they’re all up front?’

  ‘Yes. Did you see anything behind?’ Dorian replied.

  ‘No. Well, Julietta,’ Bo smiled down at her, ‘ready for some action?’

  She nodded firmly, not trusting herself to speak.

  ‘Just stay behind, don’t try to be a hero in your first fight.’ And with that he strode forward, easing his giant sword from the scabbard across his back.

  As the three left the wagons behind Julietta said suddenly, ‘where’s Asmara?’ She spoke softly but was not overly concerned for quiet, she knew the bandits should still be out of earshot.

  ‘Waiting.’ Dorian said and put a finger to his lips to signal her to silence.