Quill

727. Pyr

As the fight ended, so did the effect from the runes on the floor. The glow of the magic vanished, taking away the strength they had lent Martel. Gasping for breath, he fell back to the floor, spent after his last spell.

"Martel!" Eleanor threw her weapons aside and rushed over, turning him on his back to cradle his head. With a fearful expression, she looked down, her hand searching for his wound as well.

"I'll be fine," he reassured her. Fumbling, his fingers dug out a small jar...

726. Shadow's Lair

Hearing something behind him, Martel summoned his shield and turned on his heel. He looked down to see Rolf, one knee on the ground while supporting himself against the wall. A knife came flying through the air to strike Martel's magical protection and fall to the ground. Swiftly, Martel summoned his wall of flames to cover the tunnel before he crouched low. At the same time, Eleanor manoeuvred around him to stand in front of her companions, guarding them with her own protections, physical or...

725. Three's Company

They arranged a watch between the three of them, allowing them all proper sleep. In addition, Martel and Eleanor cast their own runes of warning around the entrance; along with those from Rolf, they would be well alerted if any enemy approached. They shared their last provisions with the bard, who greedily devoured everything they could spare.

Martel took first watch, which gave him an opportunity to study the skáld. He did not distrust the northerner; everything he had told the Asteri...

724. Rolf

Eleanor's reflexes saved her, as her own blade parried the attack. Martel could not see what was taking place, but he heard the sound of metal clashing and ran forward to join her.

Rounding the corner, he saw the mageknight engaged with an enemy swordsman, who placed his hand on the wall and mumbled something. A symbol glowed underneath his palm, and Martel felt a burst of magic. Blue flames ignited the blade of their opponent.

Preparing a devastating spell, Martel instinctively r...

723. Past the Threshold

The two adventurers looked down the dark corridor. Nothing could be seen, which only made it appear more foreboding. "That answers the question of whether we can proceed. Now to ask whether we should." Martel looked at Eleanor.

"If some deeper evil is at work in this place – that the reanimation of the dead is not caused purely on accident – it would be in this place. I assume," she added hesitantly. "I admit, I cannot quite grasp how or what, but given how far advanced the Archeans...

722. A Spectre of the Past

Eleanor raised her shield on instinct with magical speed, but the arm of the ghost went right through the metal and wood of her ward to pass through her chain shirt and into her flesh. She let out an anguished scream, and Martel felt pure terror at the sound of her agony.

Instinct and experience asserted itself. This was a creature much like the jinni they had once fought; normal steel would not avail. But unlike that spirit, Martel saw no reason why this spectre would be immune to fire...

721. Cold Welcome

The spiral staircase led them to a small room, little more than ten by ten feet. It was scarcely seven feet in height; if Martel raised his staff just a little, it struck the ceiling. To be expected, considering they were underground; no one wanted to dig out more space than necessary. As for contents, they saw none. Martel increased the light in his ruby, seeing as there was no danger of attracting unwanted attention. The increase did not reveal anything as such; the room remained bare.

720. The Fallen Tower

It took them half a day to reach the tower. Their progress was slow, moving through forest that grew dense; Martel estimated that ten miles lay between the village and the ruins. Curiously, Martel noticed animals in the surrounding trees; he reached out with his magic just to confirm, feeling the heat of a squirrel running past them. Whatever magic affected those who died in this area, it only did so to humans. For a moment, he imagined an undead army of squirrels and almost burst out laughin...

719. The Wayward Alchemist

Hearing Martel's words, Eleanor laughed, but she became silent noticing nobody else joined in. "What kind of jest is this?" she asked.

As for Leander, he became entirely still except that he slowly raised his eyes to gaze at Martel. "How did you know?" he asked quietly.

"Your consumption of herbs. The little girl, Greta, told me of everything she brought you, every summer. Enough foxglove to poison the entire village ten times over, but clearly, you don't use it for that. Nor coul...

718. A Remedy for the Past

The pair of wizards slept on the floor of Asger's home and woke before dawn, together with their hosts. While the family began the chores of the day, and Eleanor left to ensure their horses would be taken care of for the next few days, Martel sorted through his belongings. Knowing the old man was an alchemist had piqued his curiosity.

It would not be anything like his own Sindhian knowledge of the craft; Asterian alchemy was basically another form of enchantment, tying a spell into wate...

717. Any Old Village

The man being already dead simplified the situation. Martel raised a finger, and a stream of fire erupted to engulf the shambling course, immolating it. His horse whinnied, becoming skittish at the sudden burst of flames, and he ended the spell upon seeing it had done as intended. Whatever malevolent force had reanimated the dead man, it could not withstand the onslaught of even simple spellcraft like a fire ray, and the corpse fell to the ground. Martel reached out and extinguished the linge...

716. The Desecrated Thumb

Travelling on dirt roads rather than cobbled stones affected their progress, but the two mages did not mind. While a winter sojourn was never easy, especially in wild lands with few people or places offering shelter, their magical powers made up for any discomforts or deficiencies caused by the weather and their current direction. When animals strayed too close, Eleanor's arrows swiftly secured them a meal, and Martel's enchantments dispelled darkness and cold as needed.

Martel often re...

715. Golden Farewell

Martel and Eleanor spent a few more days in Engby. He visited Father Julius and the few neighbours he remembered, though other than the priest, few were eager for his company. Whether because he was a rebel, the Firebrand, or just a mage of any kind, the people of Engby had little time for Martel. The reverse was becoming true as well. Once, the small town had been the entirety of his world; now, he knew how much lay beyond. As happy as he had been to return home and see his family, Martel wa...

714. From Fire to Frost

Against the cold morning wind, Martel and Eleanor left the town to make a short journey north. Along a trail that in summertime might be overgrown with grass, they made their way until they reached the graveyard that held the dead of Engby. Unlike most of Aster, whose current practice was cremation, the people of Nordmark made burials in the style of the Tyrian tribes.

The townspeople in Engby did not go to quite the same length as the northerners; instead of a burial mound that would h...

713. A House of Silence

When the two guests emerged from their room the next morning, the smell of breakfast met them in the kitchen. Quietly, Ogion served them each a bowl of porridge, which they ate with delight; the old weathermage was a better cook than his young visitors.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Eleanor said.

"Yes, thank you," Martel hurried to join in. Their host nodded in silence.

"We shall not inconvenience you for long." She looked at Martel next to her. "I think?"

He hesit...

712. New Homes

More and more people joined them on the square, staring at the two mages. Some of them dared to approach, once Martel could extricate himself from his mother. Two young women, still in their late teens, hugged him as well. A boy, a few years younger than them, stood awkwardly until Martel pulled him into the embrace.

"Father Julius," he spoke in greeting, freeing himself once more from his relatives.

The priest bowed his head, standing outside his temple. "Welcome home, Martel." 2024-07-01 07:00:09 +0000 UTC View Post

711. Crossing a Bridge

A child sat with her feet dangling over the edge of a bridge that spanned a brook. Its timber revealed it to be newly built within the last few years; as for the girl, she was perhaps around three and occupied with placing a worm onto a metal hook attached to her fishing rod. Once complete, she threw the result into the water, only for the hook to hit the sheet of ice covering the water.

Looking down at this conundrum, clearly an unexpected obstacle to her, the little girl frowned, her ...

710. Condemnation

Soon after, all the villagers assembled in the hall that just yesterday had housed their festivities and now held a corpse in its cellar. Some sat on benches, others remain standing, but all of them kept their eyes locked on Martel.

Standing in one end, the wizard cleared his throat. "I have made my investigations, and I believe I know what happened. The dead man, Master Harold, was known to have a weak heart. Your own priestess made remedies regularly for him to ameliorate his conditio...

709. To Cure or Kill

The next morning, nobody brought the travellers breakfast. Instead, Martel and Eleanor ate some of their rations while discussing their next step. "I'll need to talk to the priestess. Assuming she's innocent, maybe she can clear up what the yeoman had in his jars and whether it killed him."

"Do you require me to be present for that? I have a rabbit I need to skin and butcher before it starts to rot."

"I can handle the questioning." Martel tried not to feel like an inquisitor as th...

708. A Midwinter Murder

The priestess's declaration caused another wave of outbursts and crying. The alderman raised his hands in despair and approached Martel. "Master mage, please, is there nothing you can do?"

Martel frowned, wondering if the old man thought magic could raise the dead. It could, but nobody would be satisfied with the result, and necromancy was frowned upon in civilised society. "I doubt it," he mumbled. He did not feel particularly upset at this man's death; he did not know the yeoman, and ...

707. The Chaos of Celebration

The residents gathered in the small square around the bonfire. Martel would guess there to be around fifty or so. From her shrine, the priestess appeared, carrying a torch. The yeoman's wife followed her; when he himself emerged from having stabled his horse, she did not join his side, but stayed near the entrance to the small temple.

Having disposed of her equipment, Eleanor found Martel in the small crowd, smiling at him before they turned their attention to Sister Catherine as she ig...

704. The Open Road

Every now and then, Martel stole a glance at Eleanor riding by his side. He had never known happiness like this, or imagined that such existed at all. Whenever she noticed his eyes on her, she would shake her head, smile, laugh, or some combination thereof.

They rarely met others. The war had suppressed travel. A courier had thundered past them one of the first days after they left Morcaster, so they assumed news were spreading of a return to peaceful times, but it would still take a wh...

703. The Last Starlit Eve

The feast was held under the Dome of Stars. Besides being the most beautiful hall in the Imperial palace, one of the few that distinguished itself from the others, it also suited the theme of winter solstice, complimenting the celebration of the Great Charter being signed.

Walking towards the hall, Martel placed his hand inside his pocket and felt the letter he had written to his mother. He had imagined that once his decision had irrevocably been made, he might second-guess himself or f...

702. First Among Equals

One of the many halls in the Imperial Palace had been chosen to serve as the Senate chamber from now on. Martel could not tell what distinguished it from a dozen others, nor did he care. It had the space, at least; nothing filled up the floor except a statue in the middle and a throne for the emperor to one side.

It had been another subject of debate whether he ought to be present. Some claimed that his appearance, if not involvement, would lend the occasion further legitimacy. Others a...

701. Two Letters

Walking home, Martel felt worn out. His visit to the Lyceum had taken an emotional toll; far more than he had expected. There was a final conversation he needed to have before tomorrow's event, though with someone absent, meaning a letter would have to do. He could wait until tomorrow morning, probably, but it would feel rushed to do it before the Senate assembled, and today seemed a day for conversations of this nature. Thus, once Martel reached his quarters, he sat down at the desk made ava...

700. Right Teacher, Right Hour

Having his measurements taken did not take long, and Martel intended to use the remainder of the day. Still uncertain for how long he would retain rule over the city, he had an important errand to run and a place to visit while he could.

For once, he would go alone; Eleanor had her own preparations to make, and Martel did not feel like dragging another mageknight with him for protection. While he was going to the one place that might conceivably offer a genuine threat to him, Martel wou...

699. Final Round

Martel had never experienced such boredom in his life. Day after day continued in the same manner with debates concerning the endless minutiae of the Senate and the Great Charter. Each word was argued over, and every phrase became a battlefield. He wondered if this was more gruelling than being besieged by Khivans, hearing their cannons unleashing their barrage against the walls. Listening to some of the delegates speak, Martel dearly wished he had the spellcraft to push their words back like...

698. Third Round

Third bell had rung, and every delegate sat around the table in the discussion chamber. Nine people on one side stared at four on the other. "I am sure he will be here any moment," Eleanor claimed.

"This better not be some ploy to get us back to the table," Giles warned them, waving a finger about in the air; Martel had to suppress laughter, knowing how inappropriate it would be, but for a moment, the magistrate had reminded Martel of being a child and being scolded by Father Julius. "I...

697. The Riddle of Two

Martel still felt the effect of last night's event when he woke up the following morning. While no marks could be seen on him, not the slightest burn on his skin, resisting fire of such intensity had taken its toll. He was glad that he would not be facing combat again today; when feeling worn this way on previous occasions, it had taken a few days before he felt himself again.

Waking up late, he spent a few hours in idle fashion, for once. Since exchanging the fortress for the palace as...

696. Something in the Air

Upon his return to the palace, Martel made sure to eat plenty for once; he wanted to be at full strength. He sent Valerius to find Eleanor, exchanging one mageknight for another; she arrived in his chambers soon after. "It has been a while since I last saw you hungry."

"I have a long night ahead of him. We both do, I suppose." He pushed his plate towards her, and she sat down opposite him.

"How so?" she asked, picking up some bread and letting it soak up some of the stew.

"I...