Michael Foster - She Who Has No Name

‘My Journey spell,’ Eric whispered with sudden realisation.

‘Of course. Again, opportunity and chance have blessed us with the knowledge of a spell lost for Ages. Our only chance of surviving lies in you transporting us away from here.’

‘But I can’t.’

‘Of course you can!’

‘Not so many of us. I can only take one or two with me at the most.’

‘We can take as many trips as you wish, boy. Everything is ready, so we can now leave at your leisure. The only trick will be focussing on our destination, as we will need to Journey somewhere far away, where you have never been.’

‘That’s not how it works. The spell will only take me to places I am familiar with. We could return to Cintar. That would be simple.’

‘Cintar will be destroyed, dolt, or haven’t you been listening? This valley will be struck directly and the eastern side of Amandia will be turned to molten rock and ashes. TheWest will be blasted with hellish winds and buried in poisonous soot for a thousand years. Nothing will survive. I will help you visualise where we need to go, far across the world. I have constructed a chamber just like this, in the land of Euda. I had it constructed for just this purpose. There, protected, we will weather the storm and emerge to rebuild civilisation from scratch. We will lay the foundations of a better society, free from the evils that haunt us now.’

‘Is that why you have done all this?’ Samuel asked. ‘To make yourself a king?’

‘Of course not. I have no need for power or riches. I barely understand what such things are about any more. This wretched quest of mine has consumed my very being and all I seek is an end to it all. Then, I shall pass the responsibilities of overseeing mankind to any who are suitable to take them.’

Eric nodded dumbly, as if accepting their fates. ‘Very well. If we have nothing else to do, let us go. If time is as short as you say, we should be away from here while we can.’

‘But wait,’ Samuel said. ‘My son is about to be born. I will goandsee how much longer it will take.’

‘I’m afraid that’s not possible, Samuel,’ Cang said. ‘We are not taking your woman or the child in her belly.’

‘What is that?’ Samuel stated, in disbelief. ‘I am not leaving them behind.’

‘Then feel free to stay, Samuel. You have served us well, but we need you no more. In fact, you ceased being useful some time ago and have only complicated matters by returning here. By killing the Paatin Queen,you may have allowed her to escape her destruction, but it matters not. We will find her in the end. You have served your purpose and can come with us if you choose, but you must leave the woman and child behind. That is the reward for your service,’ Cang said.

‘What manner of nonsense is this?’ Samuel said angrily. ‘I will not leave them here to die. They are coming with us.’

‘I’m afraid not,’ Balten said, stepping in.

There was an awful silence.

‘Why would you condemn them to die?’ Samuel asked, incredulous at their intention. ‘Has everyone gone mad?’

‘It is not worth arguing over. Time is of the essence,’ and Cang looked at Eric, for the first time showing some urgency on his face. ‘Time is fleeting. Make your spell, boy, or we are lost.’

‘How can I?’ Eric stammered, but Cang stepped over and guided him firmly into the middle of the stones.

‘All you need to do is focus on a room identical to this, but coloured blue as the desert sky. Focus on that and your mind will find the place we seek. The circle stones here and at our destination are cut from the same source. Use that, too, to guide your spell. In all the world there is only one such place unique as that. It should only take you a moment.’

Cang then hurried out of the raised circle and Balten and Celios followed, leaving Samuel alone with his friend.

‘What should I do, Samuel?’ he asked.

‘Go,’ Samuel told him. ‘I will follow. Damn this lot and damn their plans. We will make do.’ And he moved out from the circle of stones, beside the others.

‘I feel theDemonKingapproaching!’ Celios called out, looking around with alarm, as if the door to hell could open anywhere about him.

‘Very well,’ Eric said and closed his eyes. He began knitting the spell, weaving a lattice of magic around himself. The power that went into the thing was not enormous, for it was a masterpiece of efficiency, based on precision rather than brute force. Samuel took careful note of all around him, and he noted Cang’s eyes darting about as Eric moulded his spell.

‘It’s done,’ Eric said, standing in the middle of the spell, as it slowly revolved around him. ‘I can feel the destination. I only hope everything is as you say, or this will be the last time you see me.’

‘I’m sure you’ve done well, young Master Pot,’ Cang said, circling the spell and ogling it with interest. ‘I never would have guessed some of this. It is intricate,as I expected, but some of the design seems confounding. The concepts are beyond my understanding. You are truly talented.’

‘I don’t know how it works,’ Eric said. ‘It just does. Let me test it.’

And with that his spell fell inwards and Eric disappeared.

‘Wait!’ Cang called after him but he was too late. Eric had gone.

‘It’s coming!’ called a strained voice from the side chamber. It was the Koian woman, calling out in pain.

Samuel ran to the room and went to her side. The bed sheets were wet and the three Paatin women there were helping as best they could. One waswaitingbeside the foot of the bed, where the sheets had been rolled up, with her handspoised readyas if to catch something. Master Celios rushed in beside Samuel and began gawking at the labouring woman and Samuel had to push the man back towards the doorway.

‘It is coming! Push now,’ one of the midwives said, gesturing to the Koian woman with her hands. Taking her prompting, the Koian woman puffed and panted, then paused, before pushing again with all her might as the midwife instructed.

‘It is coming! It is coming!’ Celios echoed with glee.

Samuel tried to quieten him, but he kept jumping and clapping like a senile fool,and so Samuel did his best to ignore the man as he danced and cavorted just outside the doorway.

The Koian woman continued puffing and shouting intermittently, crying out so as to fill Samuel with alarm. She strained and sobbed until, unexpectedly, the chief midwife stood up and she helda newborn infant in her hands, wet with fluid and covered in streaks of blood. She immediately set the child onto a towel beside the bed and began to gently clean it off. The Koian woman took great breaths to recover her strength and closed her eyes with utter relief.

Samuel went beside the midwife to look at his child and he could see that it was a healthy boy. There was no aura of life around it, just as with himselfand the mother, but he supposed it was natural that the child should also share their common traits. Looking to the midwife, Samuel felt bewildered, for that woman,too,had no radiance of power about her and Samuel looked around to the others in the room, for he realised his magician’s sight had left him entirely. Everything in the room suddenly seemed dull and grey and he could not see the natural energy in anything around him.

‘What’s happening?’ he asked aloud, but Master Celios’ crazed shouts in the doorway interrupted his thoughts.

‘He is here! He is here!’ Celios cried. ‘The king is here!’

‘What are you talking about, you fool!’ Samuel asked, turning to the man furiously, for he could tolerate Celios’ ranting no longer.

‘My Lord has arrived! Lin is here, reborn to rule the earth! Don’t you understand, yet, you stupid boy?’ Celios cried out, mocking him. ‘The moment we have been waiting for has arrived!’