In his office, Warlock sat with his head down. The room was appointed with a richer color scheme than previously, his tapestries and curtains were a deep, almost purple, magenta with a gold filigree of runes along all the edges. His carpet was a thick white plush with a silver circle running around the room and encircling his desk, the chairs, and his small end table.
At the moment a thin sheen of purple rose from around the silvered circle and formed a bubble of pure energy, keeping Warlock’s body safe as his mind controlled bodies far away from his own. Without warning the sphere started to flicker and fade, the purple energy ending in the silver ring, which slowly faded to its original color.
With a slow deliberate movement his head lifted and his eyes opened. He smiled wide as he stood up and glanced around the empty room. Running a hand through his hair he slicked back some wayward locks before turning to glance out the window.
“Those children are wonderful,” He said aloud to himself, his smile still wide as he surveyed the vast expanse below him, “I can admit that even the Amazons were formidable, for a lesser race.”
As he stood watching the few Magia coming and going below in the courtyard, a loud gong sounded in his room. Without looking back or making any show of acknowledgement, the door behind him slid open.
Slowly turning around he glanced at Sean and Simon both kneeling on the floor before his desk. Sitting he waved his hand, “Rise.”
Both stood and faced him. He sat with arms resting on the armrests of his seat and fingers arched, “So everything was a success?”
“Yes my lord,” Sean said with a nod.
Simon nodded, “We have Calvin in the red room ready for your presence. An apprentice is keeping him sedated.”
“Good,” Warlock said, shutting his eyes and sending his magic senses through his tower. His quick scan showed apprentices teaching and expanding their knowledge of necromancy. He mentally shuddered to think that the High Council and the lord High Seneschal had almost destroyed his family’s history.
He breathes deep and brings himself back to task and finds Calvin in a room. The other mage is strapped to a table with intravenous tubes running through his arm with blueish liquid running into his veins. The female apprentice next to him stood with her one hand working a spell over his body and the other holding a book with arcane writings inside.
With a slight smile, Warlock sends his astral body one more place before coming back to himself in the office. He opened his eyes and looked at the two standing before him. With a wave of his hand he creates two images on his desk. Both are replays of his fights earlier, “Tell me anything you see.”
The pair start to watch the video as the gong goes off again. The door slides to the side and a young male apprentice walks in with a tray of food. He gets to the end of the desk and stands, tray out and head bowed, “The meal you asked for my lord.”
“Very good Carson,” Warlock said, indicating a spot for the young man to set it down, “Please tell your boss that I would like a pot roast for supper.”
The young Carson bows deeply with a “Sir” before walking out and slowly shutting the door. Watching the closed door, Warlock smiles before turning back to the two men in front of him, “Your opinions?”
Simon looks up and says, voice low, “These pests may become a problem if we leave them alone.”
“They may already be,” Sean added, one hand stroking his chin in thought, “My sister and the Amazon princess made short work of your vessel, my lord, and my sister still hasn’t used her deadliest weapons.”
“So you noticed it too?” Warlock asked, setting his fork down to point at one of the holograms, “The Princess is near a <
He points to the other hologram, “And the Cursed gentlemen, despite my completely burning away the memory of them ever meeting before have once again come together. They still work like a well-oiled machine. I can’t imagine if the Demoan one of the trio was found again.”
“My brother is,” Sean pauses in thought, “A pest. He may act the fool but it’s plain that while outmatched he was never in any doubt of his success.”
Simon scowled at the image of Razor getting blown through the wall and taking the full brunt of Herro’s attack. Warlock glanced at him and he took a deep breathe before responding to his lord’s obvious question, “That Prince is a nuisance. The charisma, the power, all of it. I think he could lead an army against us even if they knew they were in for certain defeat.”
“A charismatic leader yes. A flair for the theatric that I actually enjoy,” Warlock said with a grin as he speared a piece of meat and put it into his mouth and chewed slowly.
Sean smiled, “A kindred spirit my lord? In an Amazon?”
“Yes,” Warlock replied. He continued eating in silence for a little bit before continuing, “It is a pity he is an Amazon. Not even a Maghi-Dan.”
“A Maghi-Dan?” Simon asked, eyes narrowed in confusion as he looked at Warlock. The buff man crossed his arms as he watched the replaying hologram.
“A Maghi-Dan, yes,” Warlock said waving his hand before slipping mashed potatoes into his mouth. With his eyes closed he silently chewed and swallowed before opening his eyes and looking at the man in front of him.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“They are a special Breed of Amazon. We once classed them as cross-breeds or the tainted.” He started in full lecture mode, “They are rare among the Amazon’s, once in a generation usually, who have magic equal to that of a Magia. A Maghi-Dan can use spells from any school and class as long as they learn them obviously. Their abilities are almost as limitless as a Magia’s with magic.”
Simon nods in understanding, “I can see your point. He may even be worthy of me crushing him myself.”
“Patience,” Warlock holds up a hand, “It is too soon for that. I think we need to wait and see what develops from this, then we strike.
“Also,” Warlock Continues, “That your father can get a real Martine Gunblade made for your brother is worrisome.”
“Yeah. All of us got a weapon and Herro wanted to take after me,” Sean said, holding his sword’s scabbard, a lesser design than what he was used to.
Nodding Warlock looks at the empty sword’s scabbard and back to Herro slashing and attacking close before Razor was blown in, “He has managed to get good with it.”
“Good?” Sean huffed, “It’s a focus. A created focus to help a lesser mage. Not like my Blade of the Warmage. It is a purely physical offensive weapon, I need no focus to channel my spells.”
“But what would you do in a magic diffuser sphere, Sean?” Warlock asked with a blank face.
Sean laughed, “I would use the sword like it was meant, as a slashing implement of death. I do not need spells to be dangerous. I would not argue having my Blade back.”
“Very true,” Warlock clapped, “Just what I was looking to hear.”
Tearing his gaze away from his brother, Sean asked with almost a growl, “What next my lord?”
“Next my dear boy.” Warlock said, standing and spreading his hands on the desk, “Let’s say this was a pop quiz.”
A smile creeped along his shadowed face as he glances at the holograms with all four framed in the image, “So next, is the mid-term. I hope you studied children.”
Back at the warehouses, Razor opens his eyes with a groan. Blinking a few times he brings a face into focus above his own.
“I thought I survived the battle.”
“What?” Herros voice came from beside him somewhere.
“Well I thought I survived, but I must be in heaven because I see an angel.”
Herro snorted as he glanced over to where Razor’s voice came from, “Well it must be hell for me, I see a demon.”
“I ain’t an angel honey,” Tsukiko said with her slight southern drawl, a smile on her face, her hands glowing slightly as Razor sat up. She put her hand on his chest but didn’t push, “Take it easy darlin’. Y’all are healed but still tender.”
“It really is hell,” Herro muttered, causing Razor to glance over at him. He smiled as he saw Summer almost bear hugging him to her chest as she forced him to use her chest as a pillow. Razor let out a laugh that made Herro’s face turn bright red.
Summer, noticing her brothers gaze, replied with a smile, “After everything we went through, I am concerned for my mate. So suck it.”
“Honey, ya squeeze him any tighter and I’ll have to revive him again.” Tsukiko said, running her hands along Razor’s shoulders as she spoke, “I said ya both need tah take it easy.”
“How easy are we talking?” Summer asked with narrowed eyes.
Waggling her hand, Tsukiko replied with a depressed tone of voice, “Tomorrow at the earliest, but I’d say a couple days at least.”
“What!?” The grip on Herro’s chest tightens as Summer gasps, “but that’s way so far away.”
“Oh you’ve waited longer before,” Razor said with a loud laugh, “Besides you don’t know if he’s any good anyway since the two of you haven’t done anything yet as it is.”
Summer almost whined, “But this time is different. And the fear of losing him creates all sorts of … urges.”
“Whoa whoa,” Herro said with his face a bright shade of crimson, all the way to his ears, “Listen, I know you have urges, but we need to take things, you know, slow. In case.”
“You are such a gentleman,” Summer said, her eyes sparkling as she loosened her hold and started to trace circles on his back with her fingertip.
“But,” She continued with a purr, “You deserve a reward, even if I don’t need a gentleman.”
A shiver ran down his spine as he swallowed hard and struggled to get the next words out, “No, it’s fine. We can just chill all day until I’m healed up. Say a couple …. Years.”
“Oh we’ll chill all right,” Summer said, her voice still sultry.
With a shake of his head at his sister, Razor stood and met the officers from his troops as they came to find him.
“Okay,” Razor said after returning from meeting with his troops. He watched them burn the corpses with a pyre and rites said as the deceased were turned to ash, “So I’ve got a question.”
“What’s that hon?”
Razor puts his arm around Tsukiko but turns to face Herro, “I know you Magia have all sorts of potions, but how did you know that one would do the trick?”
“True!” Tsukiko exclaimed with a smile, “That was great thinking brother. A greater incendiary potion to completely incinerate the corpse.”
“Yeah, About that,” Herro started, feeling weird from the smile and the compliment from his sister.
Tsukiko tipped her head slightly, “Yes?”
“Well,” He continued sheepishly, “I am surprised it worked. I didn’t know if it would actually explode.”
The Amazon’s stared slack jawed as Tsukiko rolled her eyes, “Just where did ya get the potion?”
“Oh it was my own.” Herro said matter of factly.
“God hon,” She stopped rubbing Razor’s shoulders as she spoke, “Y’all are lucky not to be blown to kingdom come with him.”
Herro smiled a bit and let out a laugh, “Actually it was a failure. It was supposed to be a bigger explosion. Much bigger.”
“What?” Razor asked, his eyebrow twitching slightly, “So you’re saying I could have died?”
“Well yeah, but you didn’t.”
Opening his mouth to retort, Razor closed it and took a few deep breaths before speaking, “I was trusting you to have my back, not blow it up!”
“Well you didn’t get blown up,” Herro countered, “And you were already ready to sacrifice your life right?”
Throwing his hands out, Razor laughed, “Ha! Yeah of course, but Death by a vanquished Enemy, not death by a Friendly potion!”
“Can you imagine what my tombstone would look like then? ‘Here lies Razor, killed by his sisters mate. A potion did him in. HA!’,” he muttered to himself.
Herro looked confused, causing Summer to turn his head towards her, “Love of my Heart, It’s not that simple. Razor has strange ideas of what his death should be.”
“Yeah,” Razor said standing and throwing his arms out and posing dramatically, “and it will be an epic told for ages. My tombstone will be a monument to my great victory that came from my sacrifice. It Will Not be from a silly fight in a back alley warehouse, caused by an ally.”
“Don’t be a drama queen. There would have been time for some countermeasure on your part. At most, you would have lost a limb.” Herro suggested, wincing slightly at the dry serious look Razor gave him.
Razor’s voice came out flat and almost monotone, “You are right. A limb, who needs all four. Definitely not me.”
Tsukiko pulled his arm and caused him to glance down, “I know my brother is a nutcase, but it’s over. The mission is complete.”
“And think,” Summer put in, “It was flashy.”
Smirking, Razor sank back down and pulled Tsukiko into his chest, “I guess it was that. You know Herro, you actually are right. Surviving an explosion that leveled a city block and walking out having only lost an arm would have been a good start to my legend.”
“So,” Tsukiko sank back into Razor and looked up at him, “As I said, it’s done. So who all needs to be notified?”
“Oh, my Dad, but he already knows and is going to hold a debrief for us if you guys want to listen. He can’t get away from the palace right now but is open for a telecom.”
Herro looked at his sister as she wondered aloud, “I wonder if our dad would want to know. He has been searching for Warlock too.”