The Headmaster was sitting at his desk, listening to the report of an officer of the Magus Knights. He stroked his long white beard in a deliberate manner as the armored man spoke. Behind the Headmaster stood Lisa, the stern young woman whose brown hair was tied into an equally stern looking bun.
"...taken to the holding cells in the upper dungeon.” The man finished his report.
“So the Guard acted on its own?” The Headmaster spoke.
“Yes, sir. We deemed it prudent to act right away upon our confirmation of the situation.”
“Hmm… Ethiem? Are things truly as he said?”
“Y-yes, Headmaster…” A thin and nervous-looking man stepped out from behind the officer. He was a head shorter than the officer, with a hunched posture which made him seem even smaller. He kept wringing his hands and glancing around anxiously with beady eyes. He gave the impression of a small rodent.
Stuttering, he continued. “I was s-soulwalking, like you suggested earlier. To help me to g-get over my fear. N-ne-near the eastern gate. I was in the birds’ body flying near the walls when I s-saw them walking up to the gate. They came from outside the city, so I-I thought they didn’t know ab-ab-about the lockdown… but after stopping for a minute, they j-just walked right in! I s-severed the connection and ran to the Mageguard immediately to t-tell them…”
“So the barrier is intact, and no alarm wards were tripped. The only reasonable assumption to make is that help must have come from the inside…” The Headmaster mused.
Lisa interjected. “Sir, I cannot imagine that anyone among the Academy instructors would betray us. Certainly not Alyssa! It just seems-”
“Unbelievable? Yes. Yes, I think so as well. However, we cannot dismiss the facts. The event that a group of people made it through the activated gate unscathed and for the most part undetected, is one that must be treated with the utmost importance. The fact that it is possible poses a severe risk to this Academy.”
He turned to face her. “Enact a temporary curfew. Have all classes end early, and send the students to their dormitories. Form an investigative squad and gather all the information you can about the background of these intruders and the methods they may have used to breach the gate. Also, sweep the grounds for any more of them that have eluded us and place a squadron of guards at both of the gates. Delegate to Julius as you see fit.”
“Yes sir. If the prisoners are not cooperative, shall I have them tortured?”
“No! We will not resort to such tactics. To the best of our knowledge, these people have yet to harm anyone, and nothing has been stolen. Do only as I’ve instructed for now.”
“Understood.”
With a word of assent, his competent assistant left the office. The other two men excused themselves shortly thereafter, leaving the Headmaster alone in his study. He placed his hands upon the desk in front of him, standing up with a sigh. Turning, he strode over to a tall window at the rear of the room. It faced west, looking out over many miles of pristine Academy grounds. At the end of those grounds, a gleaming white wall extended to the north and south beyond the periphery of his vision. It separated the school from the territory of the city of Acoria. The town itself lay far below, shimmering like a jewel in the noonday sun. He skimmed over it, however, barely paying it any heed. His gaze was focused at a point beyond it, far to the west.
Near the edge of his vision, beyond the walls of Acoria, a dark forest stretched out towards the horizon; an expanse of deep green that has remained untouched by civilization since time immemorial. As he watched those distantly swaying and ancient boughs, he muttered to himself in a grim voice.
“I pray this was not their handiwork.”
- - -
Standing alone in a sparsely furnished cell, Jordan was furiously glaring through a slit in the heavy, barred door, yelling furiously into the corridor.
“I demand to be told why we are being held captive! On what grounds were we brought here?”
He was met with silence.
“I know you’re there! Listen up, you philistine brutes! I was read no charges before being thrown in here! Is this the way the Academy operates nowadays; capturing travelers without reason and incarcerating them indefinitely?”
A voice finally responded, in a soft whisper. “Hold your tongue. You are being held in Judicium, the upper level. There is no communication while held here, either with the outside world or with other prisoners. Be silent and await your judgement.”
“What sort of nonsense is-”
With a tap, a panel was slid over the opening in the door Jordan was using to speak, cutting him off from the outside. Out of frustration, he banged on the door several times, but was rewarded with nothing but an aching fist. Still fuming, he turned and walked to the rear of the small cell and took a seat on his cot, where he took a few long breaths to calm himself.
He had been separated from his party. Once they had been surrounded, Jordan hadn’t even had the time to gather his wits. Faced with an overwhelming superiority in numbers and strength, he did the only thing he could and complied with the demands, laying down his weapons. He, Naomi, Miriam, Lokias and Xanthe were quickly bound up and taken to the south wing. Once they entered the main tower, they had been divided up and taken to separate locations.
He had been strapped to a chair and interrogated for nearly an hour. No, he did not know the Academy was under lockdown. He did not understand how he and his party had passed through the eastern gate. He was not under the employ of any forces or individuals who meant Islemerith harm. After answering all the questions truthfully over and over, the interrogator had ordered him to be taken to his current cell.
He did not know where the others were, but he could only assume that they were in a similar situation.
The most important question in his mind was whether or not Elazar and Tavick had been found. If they were still at large, they were likely in a more dangerous situation than the rest of them. He simply prayed Tavick would keep the boy safe, beyond all else.
Jordan sat and waited. After what seemed like hours, the door finally opened. Framed by the light that was pouring in through the frame were silhouettes of armored men.
It was the Mageguard of Islemerith.
The one in the middle was helmetless, a dark-haired man sporting thick eyebrows and carrying with him a heavy atmosphere. He stepped inside, flanked by the two other guards.
“Prisoner, you’re coming with me to answer some questions.”
“Like hell I am! I’ve already told you all I know! Where are my companions? I demand to see them! We were imprisoned without just cause!”
“Your friends have been brought no harm, thus far,” he said. “As for seeing them, that is out of the question. Cooperate now, Jordan Lionbreeze, and that along with your history of meritorious deeds will earn you and your group a reduced sentence. Impede the investigation and upon my word you will never see the light of day again. Understand? Take him.”
The Mageguard stepped in and lifted him up by the arms. Jordan struggled, but shackled and bound as he was, he had no hope of breaking free. Shouting angrily the entire way, he was dragged down a hallway and through several doors before arriving at a room with a metal door and a guard stationed outside.
The dark-haired man rapped thrice on the metal door, which then creaked slowly open. A dimly lit, circular room that was revealed. He was brought inside and directed to stand in the center next to a raised dais upon which rested a flat, shallow basin of water.
Jordan squinted his eyes, trying to examine the borders of the room, but it was shrouded in shadow and difficult to make out. As he was studying his surroundings, the two men released him and left through the same door they entered, slamming it shut behind them.
Only the dark-haired man was left, standing with his arms crossed and his back to the door. The shadows played twisted patterns across his face as his twin eyes of coal glimmered through the dark, staring in silence at Jordan.
“The lion has arrived,” A calm, deep voice spoke from the shadows.
Startled, Jordan looked around, but he couldn’t make out the speaker.
A shrill, elderly voice rang out, “To my eyes it is a stray cat that has wandered in from the street!”
“He must look into the Pool,” said the last speaker, in an ancient and cracked voice.
These voices swirled around Jordan, echoing off the walls and disorienting him. He stared at his feet for a moment to calm himself until his head cleared. When the sounds faded he slowly lifted his head. What lay before him was the basin of water. Taking a step forward, he peered into its stillness.
“Who do you serve, Lionbreeze?” Said the first speaker in his deep and commanding voice.
Jordan opened his mouth to reply but found, startlingly, that he was unable. He tried lifting his head but couldn’t do that either. He was frozen, staring at that pool of water which had begun pulsing with an otherworldly light. He felt his vision getting sucked into its depths, as if a hole in reality had opened up in the middle of that water and he found himself diving in until he was swallowed whole. His other senses were cut off one-by-one until he found himself amidst a miasma of swirling chaos where up was no different from down and emotions were colors. In a realm where time was meaningless, he couldn’t say how long he was in that place… a second or an eternity: it was the same.
But suddenly, he was ripped free from that disorderly world when a man calmly said, “It would seem his heart is true. He has not lied, and does not regard himself a traitor.”
Jordan staggered backwards and collapsed, sprawled out on the floor while gasping for air. He was sweating profusely. Lifting his hands, he found them shaking.
“What… was that?” He groaned, but was paid no heed.
“He wasn’t made a servant knowingly, at least. More specific measures should be carried out to assure ourselves that he hasn’t been manipulated by others,” said the sharp-voiced man.
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"The concern with this relic has always been its lack of precision. Bring the other captives here, one at a time, so we may test them. As for the cat… take him to Torl.”
The man who had been standing quietly by the door took a hurried step forward. He said, “Magistrates, remember that Headmaster Berillius forbade the torture of the prisoners.”
"Hmph, forbade? With just his authority that is in name only? That imbecile would have us all thrown into the gullet of the Malgol for his foolishness! Placing pride above discretion is a fine recipe for disaster. You would do well to not follow in his footsteps, Julius.”
The man’s brows furrowed. “Is this the judgement of the council?”
“The council so moves.”
“The decision is made. Have Lionbreeze taken to the Torl for examination.”
Face an impassive mask, Julius strode over to Jordan and lifted by the arm with less effort than one would take lifting a babe. He took him from the room where he was met by the two guards who remained outside. Having lost his earlier ferocity after the events that transpired in the room, Jordan complied with his captors, and was taken through a series of underground tunnels, past many doors and winding passages, ever downwards.
After some time, he spoke up.
“Where am I being taken?”
Julius tightened his jaw. Jordan, thinking he would be scolded, was surprised when Julius answered his question.
“It’s better you are not told. Dreading would only make it worse. This Academy has many secrets and dark truths… at least one of which you will discover today.”
He glanced down at him out of the corner of his eyes, and Jordan saw a hint of remorse there.
“This is not my will or that of the Headmaster’s, you must understand. The council made a ruling and neither I nor he can overturn it.”
Then he turned his head away as he spoke for the last time, “Those three are not men easily defied. The only consolation I can offer is this: it is unlikely your companions will suffer the same fate as you.”
His complexion still pale from earlier, Jordan gave a small, humorless smile. “Small comfort.”
They did not talk any further, and he was taken the rest of the way in silence but for the clank of boots on hard stone. Flight after flight of stairs they descended, until Jordan thought that they must have burrowed beneath the very roots of the mountain which Islemerith stood upon.
As they progressed, their surroundings grew ever dimmer and more unkempt. This was an area which Islemerith did little to maintain, it would seem. They walked until finally they stood before an oaken door. It was remarkable in that it was almost entirely unremarkable, much like the hundred other doors they had passed along the way.
“Wizard Torl! The council has sent you a prisoner; Jordan Lionbreeze - the leader of the group that infiltrated the Academy.”
They heard a thump from the other side of the door, and it slowly creaked open, revealing a dark room that didn’t let out a hint of light. A bent old man greeted them. His hair was oily and unkempt, and his robes were tattered and worn. Upon seeing them, he gave a sinister smile. What few teeth that were left in his mouth were crooked and yellowing, displaying a lifetime of neglect.
He spoke in a raspy voice. “Yes, yes, excellent to see you again, captain. I was told of your coming… please, come in.”
The guards entered the room with Jordan. Julius remained where he stood, and when the old man turned to look at him, Julius instead spoke directly to the guards.
“Hurry and bind the prisoner, we’re leaving at once.”
“Are you sure, captain? Might I not entreaty you and your men to stay for tea? It gets ever so lonely down here with only my own company to keep.” Torl gave an almost sincere appeal.
Julius grimaced, but did not otherwise reply. After securing Jordan to a stone chair in the dark room, the Mageguard hastily made their exit. Jordan looked up, and his last sight of the outside was of Julius’s receding back. The door was then slammed shut, plunging him into dark silence.
There was the sound of an incantation, and a single light came to life- a candlestick held by Torl. The old man began shambling around while excitedly muttering to himself under his breath. After some time, Jordan finally spoke.
“Are you going torture me?”
Torl paused in his actions, glancing up at his captive.
“Oh no, torture? Heavens no! Who told you such nonsense? I am no torturer. I am but a scholar. A seeker of truth.”
“Is that so?”
“Indeed! I study a cryptic and mysterious magic. Those who reside above don’t like it, no. It’s why they put me down here… but they don’t understand it, either!” He snickered.
Jordan began to have a bad feeling about the situation. Simple torture he could understand, but magic… magic was unpredictable.
Wavering slightly, Jordan said, “I’ve already told all I know to the wizards. I swear this on my life. I’ve shown far more truthfulness to them than they have to me.”
“Oh yes, very good. You are a man of integrity, I’m sure! I won’t insult you by suggesting that you lied, oh no...” he gave a chuckle, his insidious laughter crawling under the skin.
“Then-”
“But none of that matters to me. “I simply require suitable subjects for my experiments. And you… you’re quite suitable.”
Jordan froze in his restraints, last sliver of hope fading at Torl’s words. A cold stone dropped into the pit of his stomach. He’d heard of the atrocities committed by wizards in the days of old, during the Heretical Wars… vile experiments that used humans as their test subjects.
“You are fearful, yes? I can see it in your eyes. Hehehe… there is no reason for worry. You are going to be utilized in the name of progress, is that not a reason to rejoice? Tell me… what do you think the success of our Empire is based upon?”
He slowly adopted a mocking tone when Jordan did not answer. “The works of the wizards in service to the Argent Will? Perhaps you think it the strength of the emperor and the achievements of his forebears that brought about our sprawling civilization which unites the four great realms?”
Jordan stared blankly at him, unsure where he was going with this.
Torl snarled at him, spittle flying as he flew into a sudden rage. “Such conceit! I see it in your eyes. You think me mad! I’d happily teach you of the true past of our empire… but to a cat trapped in a cage with no exit, it would only be an exercise in futility. I’ll have you enjoy your ignorance until the end.”
With that, he stomped away into a side room to continue whatever preparations he was doing, taking the only source of illumination out of the room. Jordan strained his eyes, but try as he might, he couldn’t make out any shapes in the darkness. He was left to brood over his fate alone. As he sat in the darkness, he wondered what had happened to his companions; where they were now and what was being done to them. He prayed they weren’t in a situation like his own.
- - -
“Have they left?”
From underneath a leafy shrub, two heads cautiously emerged. The first was young and fair, sporting a look of concentration mixed with apprehension upon his face, while the second was grizzled and hairy, with plenty of wrinkles in the corners of his eyes as evidence of years of laughter. There was little mirth in those determined eyes now, however. The receding sound of marching boots could be heard in the distance, growing ever fainter until it was completely silent.
“Aye, they’ve moved on. It’s safe now, lad.”
Sure now that the surroundings were clear, Elazar and Tavick emerged from their hiding place. Elazar pulled out a length of string from his pocket. Tied to one end was a ring that gently swung in a strange pattern. The pendulum tugged in a particular direction, defying the forces at work in the world and insistently pulling the string away from the boy.
“It looks like Lady Xanthe was taken to the southeastern tower,” Elazar said, eyeing a particularly wide tower that sat the far southern edge of the cluster of Academy buildings, somewhat separated from the rest.
He continued, “It’s off limits to students. When I attended here, the other students said that the Mageguard locked monsters up in that tower and that they would let them loose on the grounds at night to hunt… I didn’t believe it, but I guess that it really is a prison of sorts. Do you think the others were also brought there?”
“Hmm… can’t you cast that spell to find them too?”
Elazar shook his head bitterly. “This auramancy cantrip only works with objects that are strongly linked to the person I’m looking for. I’m not skilled enough to use something like a strand of hair; there has to be a strong emotional tie. This ring is an heirloom of Lady Xanthe’s family that’s been passed down for hundreds of years... I don’t have anything like that for the others.”
“Right, right…” Tavick scratched his head. “Then there’s nothing for it but to break into this tower of theirs and look for ‘em the old-fashioned way, eh?”
Elazar noticeably paled. He gave the burly man an uneasy nod, and then, as if noticing how unconvincing he seemed, slapped his cheeks once and nodded more vigorously. Tavick looked him over and then just shook his head, smiling softly.
“Boy, you’d best stay here, hidden. I’ll head to the tower and give it a look-over. If it seems safe enough I’ll come fetch you. Otherwise… well, it wouldn’t be my first time breaking someone out of jail.”
Elazar stared at him, mouth opening dumbly for a minute before he finally found the words to argue.
“Tavick, what are you saying?! This isn’t some stroll through the park, that tower is likely filled to the brim with the Mageguard! Even a B-rank couldn’t possibly sneak in there unnoticed. Not only that, I also heard that the captain, Julius Therentor, is a-a tenth circle mage! And you want to go in alone? Tavick, you can’t!”
The man gave Elazar a gentle look. “I’ve got to, lad. If we can’t escape through the guarded gates and get help from the Guild, our only bet is t’ join up with the rest. Once we’re together again we’ll figure a way out.”
“Figure a way out? Through the Mageguard? Break out of the Academy…” he trailed off.
“No, no… it… it this shouldn’t this way in the first place. This is wrong. Everything is all wrong!” Elazar clasped his head in his hands. “The Academy isn’t supposed to just imprison people! Why are they our enemies? I-I… how are we supposed to fight them?”
His knees began to shake as he was overcome with the dawning realization of just what it was they were up against. Tavick placed a firm hand on his shoulder, but it did little to help as the boy teared up and steadily became more and more incoherent.
“Boy, don’t-”
“What are we thinking anyway, trying to oppose the Academy? We’ll just… we’ll just fail and be captured too! That would probably be for the best, though, wouldn’t it? They’re not going to kill us, they are followers of the Argent Will! It’s just a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding… we should turn ourselves in, explain everything! We can’t get caught by them or it’d end worse for us, so let’s just-”
“BOY!” Tavick’s abrupt shout stunned him. The man’s hand suddenly felt icy cold on his shoulder and a chill swept through Elazar’s body, instantly clearing his mind of the fog of panic that was enveloping him.
“Calm down, boy,” Tavick said. “It’ll be fine.”
With wide eyes, Elazar stared at the kindly cleric. “Tavick, I… thanks. I’m sorry.”
Tavick huffed out a laugh, “Better? Don’t worry so much. You lost your head for a moment there, but don’t mind it, it ‘appens to the best of us.”
Elazar absently touched his shoulder where Tavick had gripped him to cast the mind-clearing spell. ‘An abjuration?’ he thought. He still sensed the tingling aftereffects, making him feel as though he were submerged in a cool pond. He felt remarkably clearheaded. He let out a sigh.
“No… it doesn’t, Tavick. The ‘best of us’ don’t lose their cool whenever a dangerous situation arises. They don’t abandon their friends from fear.” He gave a bitter smile, “I’m just a coward… but what sort of excuse is that?
“This is what’s going to happen. I’m going to go with you, Tavick, and break our friends out. The Adventurer’s Guild can grant us asylum if we make it out of here, and afterwards I’ll take my leave of the party. No need for me to keep dragging the Sunset Griffin down with me. Let’s head there now, before I change my mind again.”
Elazar turned to head down the path towards the tower looming in the distance. It took Tavick a moment to notice where his friend was going, and he quickly started up after him. Shaking his head, Tavick thought to himself, ‘The boy is still growing up. He doesn’t even understand what it is he’s truly frightened of.’
“Lad,” he called out, leading Elazar to turn in response. “You give yourself too ‘ard of a time. We’d be sad to see you leave, y’know. And if I’m guessing right, I’d wager Miriam would be the saddest of us all.”
Elazar quickly turned his face away without giving him a response, hiding his reaction to his companion’s words. As the young mage walked away however, Tavick thought he could see a slight blush creeping onto Elazar’s cheeks. He chuckled softly to himself, following along closely behind him.
He was evidently too amused by his friend’s reaction, because he almost slammed right into him when Elazar suddenly stopped in his tracks before taking even five steps down the road. The boy was staring straight ahead, all color gone from his face. Alarmed, Tavick looked up to see what had frozen him to discover a figure standing in the path not ten paces away from the two.
It was an elderly man wearing a cloak of midnight blue. He had a long silvery-gray beard and hair that stretched nearly to his waistline. His fingers were wrapped around a gracefully carved wooden staff as tall as he was and crowned with a blue gemstone that gleamed serenely in the afternoon light. His very presence caused a powerful aura to fill the surrounding air, stifling the two friends and making their movements feel sluggish and delayed.
What captured their gazes, however, were his eyes. As soon as the two looked into his pair of calm blue eyes, all their defenses crumbled. Their bodies stopped listening to their commands. Their hands fell limply at their sides, and even their breath stopped as they momentarily forgot how to inhale.
The man spoke. “Elazar... so you were here, too. Along with Tavick Hamond, this makes you the final two invaders of Islemerith, no?”
Elazar shuddered and gasped as he strained to move his lips. His eyes were wide as he struggled to break free of the binding that ensnared him, but his efforts proved useless against its intangible might. After a short few seconds he gave up, gasping out the name of the one obstructing them.
“Headmaster… Berillius...”
The Headmaster stroked his beard with his free hand for a moment, gazing at the two in a contemplative manner. Then he lifted that same hand.
“We shall talk later. For now, sleep... Evithsu Mai.”
He pointed at the boy, and Elazar’s vision grew blurry. Though he fought with his all against the spell, within mere seconds his world had turned to black.