PART ONE: VALE

The Way of the Mark

Tenet #1

“Honor followers of The Way of the Mark. When meeting another mage, always offer to share one spell in greeting.”

Tenet #2

“Keep the histories and pass them on to your apprentices. Share stories of mages past to protect yourself from The Weakness.”

Chapter 1

I knelt under the relentless desert sun, staring out at the parched land stretching on for miles in every direction, the view entirely devoid of green. On the distant horizon lay the jagged peaks of The Broken Mountains, a reminder of a time long past; I recalled expansive forest once covered those mountains, often blanketed by snow. A wave of complicated emotions welled up inside me as I saw the brown smudges of the mountain range before me.

Would they kill a mage on sight? I wondered to myself, taking a ragged breath. Either way, I had no choice. I couldn’t give up now.

I could tell from here, those bare ridges only carried the colors of brown and gold now. More urgently though, I knew the city of Vale, now referred to by many as “the last real city,” lay in the mountains’ shadow.

The air smelled different here. It was a chemical stench, the acrid scent of worked oil and machinery, alongside the low, persistent hum of humanity hanging over everything. I hadn’t seen another person in months of searching, and the solitude felt strange — more strange than I could articulate. I felt more alone than I ever had before. But now, with every step, I grew closer to being surrounded by humanity again. Vale wasn’t just the last real city; it was home to “the Motorized,” persecutors of The Way, and here I was, walking right into their arms.

A telltale line of smoke rose from the base of the tallest mountain ahead. Eagerness shuddered through me, mingling with a rising fear. The Motorized would kill any mage on sight, yet this was also the chance I’d been seeking for years. I had to risk everything I’d fought for my entire life to attain. Questions haunted me: Was I the last mage alive? Would I carry all I’d learned to the grave?

I would find someone here, or it would be over. Finally.

Haste could be my downfall, taking with it everything I had learned in a lifetime of training and searching.

I took off my worn black hat and wiped my forehead with a tattered rag. It dried instantly, though the sweat ring around the brim of my hat lingered. My hands worked some moisture from the rag into my dry, cracked skin, which felt as parched as the land appeared.

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Looking up, I saw a crumpled form lying on the desert floor some yards ahead of me. I’d missed seeing it before as the sand-colored cloak helped the form blend into the terrain. Replacing my hat, I stood up and moved cautiously toward the body—it was a man. Kneeling down, I put my hand on his shoulder to roll him over.

Suddenly, the man leaped up like a jackrabbit, scurrying a few yards away and crouching, wild-eyed. His long, tangled hair and dusty beard made him appear feral. A jagged scar marred his left temple.

I raised my hand.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” I said. “Are you thirsty?”

His face changed, revealing a desperate thirst.

“I can get you water,” I said.

He nodded, almost imperceptibly.

Slowly, so as not to startle him, I drew a small metallic cup from my leather bag and picked up a fist-sized rock from what might have once been a creek bed.

The man watched me like a mouse watches a hawk.

I closed my eyes, seeking out the faint hum in and around the rock, the universal synergy present in all matter. I attuned myself to this gentle thrumming. All mages of The Way began their training by learning to sense this innate and magical potential.

Then I felt it — the familiar source of magic, the Well. Opening myself to it, magic flowed into me, ready and available for what came next. Bumps rose on my arms as the hair on the back of my neck stood up. Casting a spell was still exhilarating, even after all these years, despite the weight this action now carried.

With a focused breath and a moment of concentration, I swiped my left hand over the rock, unlocking its form and draining it of its matter. The rock’s very essence shifted.

I opened my eyes just as the rock snapped out of existence, its matter now at my disposal. The man’s eyes widened in shock as he glanced from me to the aluminum cup.

With a practiced wave of both hands and a downward slap with my right hand, I sent the swirling matter from the rock into the cup, weaving it into a new form. I concentrated for a moment, feeling the familiar internal rush as I did so, a feeling I’d known thousands of times before.

I could trigger the final transformation in any number of ways, from the flick of a wrist or a clap of my hands, to a few specific words, depending on how the spell had been crafted. This time, for this particular spell, I spoke the words I’d learned long before under my breath,

“From bitter to sweet,” I said.

Suddenly, the metallic cup overflowed with water as the rock transformed. I handed it to the man, who took it greedily, slurping it down.

A few drops spilled to the desert floor, the dark stains disappearing instantly.

The number of others who could perform this spell had grown increasingly small, and the spell felt more powerful than ever before. As a result, the rock transformed into more water than it should have. I wondered idly who had died to make it so.

After draining the cup, the man handed it back to me. I replaced it in my bag and stood, looking out over the plains.

“Are you from Vale?” I asked.

He nodded.

“Can you show me how to get there?” I asked, hoping to coax him back to the city, where he could find help.

He shook his head, fear flashing in his eyes.

I looked up, hearing something. Several dark shapes approached from the west, the direction of Vale. Someone had spotted us.

They were likely soldiers — Motorized fighters armed with steam-powered scopes. What had they seen?

I shuddered at the thought. The Motorized I’d encountered in the past were not known for their subtlety. Would I be able to greet them without arousing suspicion, or would the array of rare matter in my pack betray me? I would have preferred to sneak into Vale and get my bearings first.

But I had no choice now. I had to introduce myself eventually.