Shadows Over Kaighal

Chapter 1-1

1

The initiation rite chamber had rarely been used, save for the annual initiation of the new high mage students who had successfully completed the first year of their training. Most of the time, it stood as empty as it was vast, with its circular walls, its tall windows, and its lush tapestries forgotten. Before Irtan became an archmage, he enjoyed both the solitude of that space and the view it offered. The crowd filling it now clashed with those memories of tranquility.

The assembly of most if not all High Towers’ teachers and students filled the chamber, many of them standing in the wide door leading to it, and perhaps even in the stairway. The odd melody of their hushed conversations filled the air, and though most of them avoided pointing at the crystal in the middle of the initiation circle, their gazes constantly darted toward the motionless woman inside it. Irtan doubted they recognized her, except maybe for a handful of teachers… and his own student. Pelina stood by his side, wide-eyed and paralyzed.

Yoreus stepped out, and a smug smile curved his lips when at his gesture all the whispers died out. Irtan refrained from chuckling. He still savors the feeling of power like a boy given his first training sword.

“Undoubtedly, many of you wonder about the reason for this gathering and the purpose of the crystal,” Yoreus said. “Recently, the archmages discovered a plot aimed against the High Towers, and an arcanist you see here braved many dangers to warn us in time. A group which shall not be named schemed to destroy the High Towers. In the end, the arcanist sacrificed herself to avert the spell that could outdo the Cataclysm from centuries ago and gave the archmages a chance to deal with the unforeseen threat.” Murmurs rose, and Yoreus let people stir for a while before speaking again.

Irtan had to agree that the story was good enough. The first archmage didn’t have to get into details, allowing gossip and speculation and thus letting everyone choose their own most plausible version of the events. With the passing of months and then years, the truth would get buried so deep, it wouldn’t even matter whether anyone doubted Yoreus’s explanation. A decade later there would be nothing left but a vague tale of an arcanist who helped the high mages in the time of a great need.

“Kamira, which some of you might know as a former student, diverted the attack toward herself and let us encase her in the crystal to ensure the malicious magic would become trapped with her,” the first archmage continued. “It’s the highest sacrifice, and we’re honored that, despite our differences, she was ready to give her life to save our home. And thus, in recognition of her great deed, from now on I wish to welcome any arcanist teachers and students within our walls. It’s time we worked together and ensured proper education for all those who seek magic, be it the high or arcane one.”

It seemed that Yoreus’s offer to Kamira wasn’t only a way to make her agree to what archmages had planned, but Irtan had no doubt that all arriving arcanists would be encouraged, more or less adamantly, to receive at least basic high magic schooling, thus bolstering the mages’ numbers and strengthening Veranesh’s prison. As boyish Yoreus was in his demands of respect and displays of power, he did know what to do to preserve his rule.

“I hope that all of you will work hard to be worthy of the high mage’s title in the future,” Yoreus said. “It’s the best way to show gratitude for the sacrifice made.”

A hesitant cheer rose above the crowd, and then people stirred, heading for the doorway. Irtan caught a glimpse of a Devanshari man rushing through the door, the protests of students pushed aside ignored. His face, frozen in horror, revealed his feelings, and Irtan arched an eyebrow. According to the gossip Pelina had gathered for him, Yoreus had a Devanshari in his services, pulling the strings through his own daughter, Atissa. But if this was the same man, it hardly seemed reasonable he would react so strongly to the news. Unless, of course, the first archmage had deceived him.

As others left, Irtan glanced at his student and leaned over to her. “Control your emotions. You look guilty, and you shouldn’t.”

When she looked back at him, Pelina’s expression was that of a loyal and devoted person who’d discovered her ally’s demise. “I’ve failed her,” she confessed, taking advantage of the rustle accompanying others’ departure.

This must be as close as Pelina would get to admitting she was doing Kamira’s bidding all along instead of Irtan’s, like she’d agreed. The feeling of all being lost must have pushed her into such a confession, no matter the consequences. The look on her face suggested she cared little about what was to come.

Ignoring the remark, Irtan turned his head toward Kamira. The crystal around her pulsated with energy. It stemmed both from the original circle and from the archmages’ spell cast over it. Yet there was something more. The lines of the new symbols Pelina had secretly put in, distinct only for those who knew what to look for, seeped their own magic into the crystal. Power gathered around Kamira, but it escaped into nothingness before it could condense. Irtan doubted such flow was the result of Yoreus’s spell alone.

“I don’t think you did.” He kept his voice down, but in the commotion following the announcement, nobody paid attention to one old archmage and his student. “Have a closer look at the crystal. And at the circle.” She should have noticed it herself long before Yoreus finished speaking, but it seemed her emotions had affected the arcane perception he’d had her train for the past weeks.

At first, confusion flashed on her face, as if she was back in the high mage’s mindset, but then Pelina focused on Kamira’s prison. Irtan watched, amused, as she discovered all the energy fluctuations and distortions within its flow. He doubted she understood it all or could tell their origin apart, but even to a beginner arcanist like her, it had to be clear the magic energies within were clashing.

Satisfied, Irtan walked to the door, and his student rushed after him.

“How did you know?” she asked when they cleared away from the crowd.

“I watched you putting in these symbols, didn’t I?” Of course, he’d only caught a glimpse of her work, but that was enough to suspect more. “You’re still curious what’s my play in it all, aren’t you?” he asked. Pelina proved loyal to Kamira, which left little suspicion of her being Yoreus’s agent. The first archmage wouldn’t have allowed the new symbols in the circle. Therefore, Irtan could take a chance himself. Perhaps, in return, his student would share more, offering insights into what Kamira’s plan really was. With all that transpired and all the things Kamira had said during the meeting with Yoreus, Irtan doubted it interfered with his own goals, but the more information he had, the better he could prepare for what was to come. Because one thing he was certain of: it wasn’t the end yet.

He looked at Pelina.

“Let’s go back to my quarters. I believe Kamira would be happy if you received a reward for your loyalty. Even as meager one as a handful of answers.”