Michael Foster - She Who Has No Name

He would have continued examining the marvel of himself, but Alahativa began wailing and she disturbed him from his task. ‘What kind of man are you? What demon has taken you? Anthem, what have you created?’

‘This is not my doing, woman!’ he told her gruffly. ‘I have never seen anything like this before.’

Samuel gathered his words and passed them from his throat, echoes riding the air. ‘No. I have made myself. I would like to rejoice at these discoveries, but that must wait. What I have learnt from your own mouths has deeply upset me. It seems, Grand Master, that you have kept secrets from me all this time. You have been tending to me all this while, hoping only to harvest my son. I am bitterly disappointed.’

‘It is not as simple as you make it seem, my boy. My goal has only ever been for peace for Amandia. We killed the Emperor and I believed our work to be done, but it seems that was only the start. The world is in peril, not by gods or demons as Celios had raved, but from man himself. We need to stop these infernal wars before civilisationitselfis destroyed. This madness has spread like a plague, leaving only death and suffering in its wake.’

‘Yet you have surrendered Cintar to the witch. She will not spare its occupants. She will kill every last soul within its walls. How does that end this madness you speak of?’

‘But millions more will be saved. I know the cost is high but,in return,she has given us your child-a babe that will grow into a king-a magician beyond all others, even beyond what you are now, who can quell armies with his will. No nation will dare affront another and magic will finally bring peace to everyone. Such a prize is beyond value! It is immeasurable! I had no intention to harm you, Samuel. I had no part in the kidnapping. I only sought to pair you together and see what would result. When I arrived here,I thought you were dead. I only wanted to make most of the situation. The arrival of the Koian woman seemed too good to be true. The answer to all our problems had been delivered to our very door!’

‘How can I believe anything you have to say? You forsook her without a second thought. You did not hesitate at the mention of this wretch’s axe.’

‘I’m sorry, Samuel. I have been blinded by my goal. I am so close to achieving the world I always imagined that I have sunk to such shallow methods. It is my life’s dream.’

‘And you will never see its realisation.’ He turned to the Paatin Queen. ‘Give me the rings.’

She glared at him. ‘Never!’

‘Then I will take them. I cannot allow them to be used by the likes of you. I will take them to Cang, so the world can be kept from harm.’

‘You have no say in the matter,’ she said defiantly. ‘These rings are not yours to demand.’

Samuel struck out, calling forth his newfound power, and sent a piercing beam of magic at the woman. She had her protection in place, rippling from her finger, before Samuel’s spell could reach her. His brilliant ray of death spat and hissed, stopping in the space directly before her eyes.

‘You need more power than that to harm me, Samuel,’ she said with a teasing smile.

‘As you wish,’ Samuel said and pressed his beam in towards her. She had the power of her Argum Stone at her command and her defences would otherwise have been considerable, but to Samuel it was not at all difficult to overwhelm the woman. He felt as if his power was limitless; that, should he call for it all at once, he could slice her head clean off.

Alahativa’s smile vanished as she shuffled backwards, but the beam followed her, digging in through her shields towards her.

‘Stop it, Samuel!’ she bawled. ‘How can you do this? We were lovers, once! Does that mean nothing to you?’

‘You are a vile witch, filled with evil and selfishness. Everything you have ever done has been for your own reward. I feel nothing for you.’

He felt satisfaction at the thought of her death, and he pressed his magic further upon her. The beam was inches from her face, when Anthem stepped in between them. Samuel’s spell was deflected as the old man thrust it aside and the magic arced away, carving a path of destruction along the palace walls and ceiling. Cushions and curtains turned to flame at its touch before Samuel could dispel it.

‘Come to your senses, boy!’ the old man commanded. ‘What you are doing is folly!’

‘I must take those rings and return them to the Circle,’ Samuel replied.

‘Are you bereft of your wits? Have you fallen to the wiles of them yet again? Their stories of disaster are nothing more than air and wind. We have real threats to face! I will not listen to talk of nonsense.’

‘Nevertheless, I will have the rings. It is obvious now that the Order and the Circle have little difference. If anything, the Circle is more to be believed, or did you not realise that women can use magic after all?’

‘Of course I knew, but it is forbidden. This is a law above all others. No woman can be allowed to use magic.’

‘And who is responsible for killing them, for no other reason than this? Is that what happened to my mother?’

‘That has never been part of my role, but it is possible. The Order is tasked with maintaining the old Laws,establishedlong before we even existed. We have kept a vigil upon the landto ensurethat no witches should come to power. I admit that some have been overzealous in their task, but the safety of society must outweigh the concerns of a few.’

‘To what end? How can such murder possibly be justified?’

‘See for yourself?’ and he gestured towards the Queen. ‘This one has raised an army and caused chaos upon the land. Women are not to be trusted with magic of any form.’

‘Then why do you now protect her? You should be pleased that I see to my duties, as a faithful member of my Order.’

‘Calm yourself, Samuel,’ Anthem told him. ‘Can you not see what is happening? Don’t be overwhelmed by your hate. Do you not remember what became of Master Ash?’

‘My hate is justified. I have every reason to despise you and what those of your kind have done. Ash was no Master. He was ignorant of the powers the Staff of Ancients had granted him. I have reached a stage of understanding that I doubt even you can comprehend, Grand Master,’ and he spat out the title with unbridled disdain.

‘Confounded fool! Have you not learned? All manner of dark forces wait to overcome a magician made silly by the power of his magic. Already I feel the taint of black magic within you. It has begun to corrupt you and it will continue until you are nothing more than its servant.’

Then Samuel felt something tickling at the edge of his perception. Looking down, he found a sliver of magic had been worked around his leg, sucking at his energy like a hungry leech and passing it back towards the old man. He blasted the thing apart with a thought and raised his gaze back to Anthem.

‘I know all your tricks, old man. Now, stand aside and let me at the witch.’

‘Calm down before you do yourself some harm!’

There was nothing but rage in Samuel’s heart. He had trusted the old magician-had loved him as a father figure-but now he wanted to force him into battle and defeat him as he had secretly desired since his early days in the School of Magic. He was not interested in the Paatin Queen. He could come back for her at any time and defeat her at his leisure, such was her insignificance.

He could feel a demonic smile creeping across his face as he called for more power.

‘No, Samuel!’ old Anthem cried, and sent forth a shower of spells of his own.

Vines and creepers exploded from the floor and snapped around Samuel’s legs and arms, encircling his body until he was a mummy of tightening growth, but the plants turned black and turned to cinders with the barest of efforts, and Samuel stepped free. A torrent of fire then billowed out from the old man and Samuel did not even bother to protect himself. He revelled in displaying his power to the old fool. As the flames surrounded him and ate at his body, his magic succoured him, replenishing the meat beneath his blackened flesh as quickly as it was burned away. His bones glowed red beneath his skin like logs at the core of a wildfire, but magic saturated and supported him. He could not be harmed.