Prologue
Deep beneath an old trades shop out of the ears of the casual customers and passersby an event was occurring. It would not do for such a thing to be known to the general public, this was a place for those with the coin to have what the law would deny them. A place to trade magic items, temptatious drugs, unique goods, and sometimes even people.
With a trader's hall for black market salesmen to set their wares with an action house near the end of the hall built to be much more spacious and with much better lighting to accommodate the wealthy patrons who indulge in the joy that such bidding games give. Rows of chairs are always filled with the eager, waiting for the auctioneer to announce the next item for sale from up on his stage.
“Can I get 15 gold coin for this rare pendant that will make you look as you once were” the auctioneer yelled “ Is there no one else? Such a gift for your woman or yourself! Then sold to 32!”
An elderly man well dressed, as most here were, made his way forward to claim his prize and drops the pendant about his neck. Then there stood a man with the features of young nobility of no more than 25 years of age. From the audience, you could hear the gasps and groans of surprise and missed opportunity. The now young man returned to his seat and so the auction resumed.
Near the back of the actioning room a man is purchasing supplies for his next big experiment, perhaps the biggest experiment he will have ever attempted in his very long life. As he haggles with the scummy merchet he happens to get a big break, for the most important missing item for his experiment has just been put up on the action. He quickly dismisses the man and moves up the action house towards the front.
“This next item ladies and gentlemen is quite unique and will sell for no less than 10 gold coin.” The auctioneer begins the sales with dramatic flare “This small girl was taken from great nobility and guaranteed by our house will grow into great beauty and maybe even magic! The death of such potential simply could not happen and so she found herself here. She simply is awaiting for one of you to claim her as…. a slave, wife, housekeeper, perhaps a toy?”
A small cradle with a small baby girl with dark hair is put on display. She moves slightly in her blanket but does not cry out or make any noise.
“And as you can see she has already learned the importance of remaining silent with a meek temperament. Can we get 10 gold as are starting bid?”
A mixture of conversations begins to stir among the gather. A middle-aged man shouts “That’s not but a baby!” and more follow, “The time it’d take to raise, I’m not an orphanage!” “Bring er back in 8 years.” and even darker words stir of those who would try to buy a small child not more than a year in age. “I take that bid on 10 coins she will be a pet for the maids till she gets ready.” “I’ll pay 12 coin, I can replace that aging maid of mine.” “13 coin! Let me take her, my boy is going to need an obedient--”
“25 gold coin!” Everybody freezes and then begins to look about for the madman who would pay such a price, walking up from the back of the auction house a man carrying a drawstring bag and once elegant but, now tattered clothes and a simple theater mask with no expression upon it. Leaving a baffled merchant in his wake he steps forward and asks “Is there any here who would contest my claim?”
Nobody speaks a bid higher and soon a burst of laughter spreads through the crowd. A man shouts out “Can a man so well dressed as you put up that money, no credit is taken at this house lad.” the laughter begins to rise a bit more.
The auctioneer speaks up “I would gladly sell this child to you but, can you show the coin?”
The madman steps forward and swings a second bag from where no one could tell and opens it to the auctioneer, his eyes go wide at the sight of the bag's contents. The madman spins around and proclaims to the assembled “I am Mad Mager and thank you for this child she will be put to great use, now I’ll be off.” With that, he jumps onto the stage, drops the 25 coin, and takes up the cradle containing his prize, and looks down at the child. She had dull blue eyes and raven-black hair. With one short theatric bow and a flash of a complex spell sigil, he was gone.
A magician had just left the house.
Four Years Later
In an underground lab, located in a remote area near a mountain range and surrounded by a snow-covered pine forest, a girl with raven hair and eyes luminously blue that they seemed to glow was running through a large cavern room with a companion with matching raven hair and eyes. Off to the side sat a young maid watching the two weave between the pillars. Soon this scene is interrupted by a voice.
“Rena! How is the day?” shouts a man cheerfully wearing a plain cracked theater mask. “Is it not wonderful?”
“I would not know, is it even day or night?” Rena replies with halfhearted spite worn down from the years she had spent in this place.
“Ah, you have caught me it is indeed the hour of twilight, but Rena you should not be so down you are lucky to be here. I remember the first tutor I brought here had her had her neck torn out. How goes her studies, well I hope.”
Stunned but used to such underhanded threats she replies “Oh they more than well, she learns faster than can be taught and there is very little left to teach.”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Is that so? …. Are you saying that I have no use for you anymore?” he takes a step closer to her and she flinches. A voice rings forth and an accompanying howl disrupts the man's action.
“Uncle Magey, you’re not being mean to Rena again are you.” the beginnings of anger spread across their faces. One that of snarling fangs and another tightened brows with a glare.
“Lillian, Rena and I were just discussing your education. Speaking of which I have a new lesson for you today.” With a small dramatic pause. “I shall teach you a magic spell.”
“Magic?” Lilian freezes up her mind pondering the new event.
“Yes, it is an easy spell. parvus in interitum.” a small rock nearby shatters into dust. “It is a simple but useful spell give it a try.” Magey projects the spell circle and holds in air between them.
“Useful….mmmm? Okay, I shall try.” Lillian begins to focus on a nearby rock and chants “parvus in interitum.” a shimmer in the air but the circle fails to condense and nothing happens.
“Try again.”
Lillian continues to make attempts but with no success and slowly Mad Magy starts to become angered.
“Why are you failing in something so simple when you have learned so much?” He asks, his frustration coming out. “I have taught you how until you’ve mastered control!”
Slowly Rena starts to move away but Magey catches the movement and spins on her and shouts “parvus in interitum” and Rena begins to scream as blood flows from a small point in her leg.
Lillians’ lunge at Magey with complete silence but he spins back around “vallus” and they smash into a wall that is not there. A grunt and a whine sound out in sync.
“parvus in interitum” Another scream erupts from Rena.
“Uncle, stop this now or I shall hate you.” Lillian yells and snarls.
“Then you must hate me but this will continue until you learn.” Magey chants again “parvus in interitum” and more screaming.
Then Lillian’s eyes flash as she burns the spell circle that's tormenting Rena into her mind and she shouts “parvus in interitum” “parvus in interitum” “parvus in interitum” She pushes out her mana and begins to weave the spell.
Lillian opens her eyes though she had not known they had been closed and looks around. There she stood in the middle of a space bigger than anything she had ever known with a large mountain and Trees along the edges of the area she stood in.
“Rena? Uncle?” but then she understood where Rena was and she was safe but still hurt. Suddenly Uncle Magey was there next to her without his mask he had a youthful face with dusty blond hair and gray eyes but a crazed expression. He had a small scrape along one side of his hand.
“That was wonderful, but I am afraid that is it for us now you broke all the wards and soon this place will be flocking with magicians. I wish you the best of luck, and a gift for you “sanitatum” will heal those nasty holes in Rena.” He projects out a new spell circle and heals himself.
Lillian's eyes flair blue and burn the new circle into her mind as it begins to fade.
With no chant that Lillian could make out, he was gone in a flash of light. Lillian ran over to Rena who was hugging her and crying, burying her hands into her warm fur.
“Rena, are you alright? Let me see I will help you, sanitatum” With an exact copy of the spell circle illuminating the darkness all the wounds Uncle Magey had given her healed quickly along with every scrape and cut. Also illuminated is the form of a large black wolf with the same blue eyes.
Rena continued to cry and Lillian was beginning to worry even more. “Why are you crying you're all better now?” as the spell finishes the darkness returns.
“It’s gone, it hurt so much.” Rena whimpers still clinging to the small wolf.
As her eyes begin to adjust Lillian looks up and sees the stars for the first time and a set of moons in the sky.
“So this is the outside, but what do we do now?” Lillian looked up at the starry sky.
As Rena calms down she wipes her tears and begins to stand.
Suddenly the area around them was flooding with light and people. As soon as Lillian stood to confront them she could not move or speak. A man in a long black coat approached and asked Rena.
“What happened here who are you people.”
Rena composed herself and spoke. “I am Rena we were held captive by a man who wore a mask named Magey. He was studying her and abducted me from the house that I was a maid of and had me teach her.”
“Her? You mean this girl here, is she dangerous, and what about that do-g (wolf?) you are holding?”
“She will be fine, the wolf is her. -- I mean pet. Are you mages?”
“Yes, we came here because we saw a massive magical energy emanate from this region.” He motions and Lillian is able to move again and looks at the mage as he continues to speak. “Perhaps this is a bad place for talking, however, let me introduce myself I am Alexander Locks and I’m chief of the Mage's Inquiry. A group that looks into magical disturbances.”
“Hey, Rena are these people alright or are they an enemy?” looking around at the gathered mages.
Shocked slightly by the question Rena remembers how Lillian would not know much as she has lived in captivity possibly her whole life. She takes a moment to consider and responds.
“They should be alright to trust they can get us out of here.” Even Rena was a little unsure of what would happen next.
“Victor, come over here we are heading back to headquarters take…. What's your name young lady?”
She stays quiet for a moment, a bit apprehensive “Lillian”
“I see.” The inspector notices a collar with the words Subject #11 engraved on it with a scratch through it and Lillian next to it, it was made from a metal of some sort. He looks back at the dog in Rena’s arms and sees the same collar on it but with just Lillian engraved on it. He also notices how alike and strange their eyes are, almost glowing in the night sometimes. “That's your pet?”
“That's me….I mean mine.” She quickly corrects herself with a cue from Rena.
“What's her name?” he pointed to the wolf, he put an extra questioning tone on ‘her’ unsure of the gender yet. Rena quickly speaks up.
“They share their name, Mr. Locks.”
“Well that must be quite the confusion, Let's just shorten this little lass name to Lily, would that be fine?” Locks asks
Lillian hesitates, the idea of having another name being foreign to her. She “sees” Rena giving an encouraging look and responds. “That’s okay”
“Good, Victor if you would take are young Lily. Let's all meet back at headquarters and get everything settled, team two stay behind and investigate the area and find out if our mystery warden is nearby. Figure out what made this damn crater if you can.”
A chorus of groans and complaints about the snow and cold could be heard. Then Victor placed his hand on Lily’s shoulder and Mr. Locks took Rena's hand and told her to hold on tight to the wolf.
Rena leans into Lillian's warm furry neck and whispers “Don’t tell them much and don’t admit to doing magic, or making this hole.”
With a flash, they were gone.