Chapter 9: Ethla

The life force of the garden flowed through me, the flowers, the trees, the bushes, the animals, we were all one. I could feel what they were feeling, and in return, they ignored me. A disrupting force walked up behind me, hindering my flow of natural energy.

“You know,” I said “If you’re trying to sneak up on me, you shouldn’t do it while I’m meditating.” I relaxed my position and turned to see the newcomer.

“I’m sorry, lady Ethla, It’s just-” the guard looked behind himself “There’s someone calling for you at the gate.”

“It’s nothing you need to apologize for, who’s at the gate?” This elven city hardly got visitors, and when it did, they weren’t for me.

“It’s the Grand Wizard milady”

I stiffened, “Xanvan of all people should know he’s not welcome here.”

The guard looked away nervously, “W-well, I was thinking you would make an exception this time, milady, because he brought a Reaper.”

“Hm, what do I care.” I turned around to continue meditating. Trying to put Xanvan out of my head, and failing. The guard had yet to move, “Is there something else you needed?” I asked, annoyed.

“I just thought you might care because she seemed to be in pretty bad shape…”

My focus wavered, causing a flock of birds to take off from a nearby tree. I turned back to face the guard, “Did you say she?”

“Uh, yeah. She’s kinda small, pale, freckled. Orange hair, braided, that’s kinda odd. But she didn’t seem to be doing great.”

A picture of the Reaper flashed through my mind, “Scy” I said under my breath. I stood and walked over to the guard, “Take Xanvan to my building and alert my apprentices, any others will wait in my room. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Then dismissed him, watching as he walked away.

I rushed down the corridor that lead to the great hall. I passed many elves on the way that stopped to bowed, but I didn’t have time to acknowledge them. As I approached the large, oak doors leading to the great hall the two sentries noticed me and immediately came to attention.

“Scion’s in a meeting at the moment, you’ll have to wait.” The one on the left said as he straightened his stance.

I ignored the guards and walked straight into the assembly room. The moment I entered the chamber Scion’s brown eyes gazed up at me from the paper he had been reading. Before the other elves in the room noticed me, Scion spoke. “This isn’t a good time, Ethla.”

Everyone looked up from the documents they were examining and tried to get a glimpse of me.

“Then make time.”

He sighed, “Everyone,” they all turned their attention back to him, “I would like to take a short break. This meeting will continue in four minutes, so please leave the room.”

I waited patiently as the elves filed out of the room, till it was only Scion and myself left.

He signaled for the guards to close the door, “What is it?” he said plainly, his eyes leaving me for the first time since I had entered the room.

“Xanvan’s at the gate.”

“I noticed, I also heard that you elected to let him in simply because he says there’s a Reaper with him.” His tone was judgmental.

I gritted my teeth, “Just because we’ve only seen one Reaper since the Purge a hundred years ago doesn’t mean he’s lying!”

“It’s because we’ve only seen one in all that time that I think he’s lying.”

“I think you’re forgetting the requirements of the deal we made with him shortly after the Purge. He’s required to bring any Reapers in need of aid to us, or the spell saving his life is broken.”

“That’s the entire reason I’m not overruling you on this. Even though I doubt his truthfulness, I must trust that he isn’t lying. However, I would like to know what he said to you specifically that you allowed him to enter so easily.”

“The Reaper he supposedly has with him,” I paused, “I think it’s Scy.”

Scion was shocked, “Silence. That’s insane. You searched the caves for days after the Purge looking for any sign that she’d made it out. For her to pop up with Xanvan is just ridiculous!”

“That’s what I was thinking. That’s why I’m allowing him in.” The doors opened and Elves began to trickle back into the room.

Scion glanced around quickly, making sure no one was listening to us. “Do whatever you need to do. If it is Silence, send me a messenger. Either way I’ll be over as soon as this meeting is over.”

I nodded and turned, before I left the room Scion called to me over the chatter in the room.

“I don’t think I need to remind you that I can’t condone Wizards living in our accommodations. If they are to stay the night any wizard is your responsibility and must stay in your room. Is that clear?”

“Crystal.” I rushed out of the room and headed towards the medical room I had told the guards to take Xanvan and the Reaper. I just hoped that everything was all right, praying that it wasn’t as bad as the courier from earlier had made it sound.

As I rounded the corner that would take me to the infirmary I instantly knew something was extremely wrong. I felt a dark power radiating from the house that was destroying the peace throughout our gardens. Yet the harder I looked for the energy causing it, the less I could sense.

Something was very wrong.

 

※

 

I slammed through the door and instantly caught the eyes of my two apprentices. “Someone has five seconds to tell me exactly what going on.”

My younger apprentice, Avery, stepped forward and handed me a common medic’s veil that covered my mouth and nose. “In short, we don’t know. But that’s mostly because the Grand Wizard isn’t being very helpful.”

“He said he would only talk to you.” Merial, my other apprentice, interjected.

I faced Xanvan, “Well I’m here now. What’s so important that you couldn’t tell them?” I motioned to the two blonde elves behind me.

He looked up solemnly from the chair he was sitting in, “It’s Madagran. He’s back.”

“Avery, Merial, you two are dismissed. Leave now.” I said quickly. As soon as the door closed behind them I turned my attention back to Xanvan, “What do you mean he’s back. He was sealed away by the best sealer the Reapers had.”

“Well apparently the seal broke. I heard rumors of his existence start up shortly after the Purge, but it was never confirmed. Until this Reaper showered up.” He gestured to the girl on the table behind me.

I hesitated for a moment, praying that Scy was safe somewhere else. Even so, there was little doubt in my mind that Scy was the reaper dying behind me. If Madagran was going to go after a reaper, she would be his target.

I turned towards the girl, only to see what I already believed to be true. ‘This is bad.’ I thought. I yanked off the emerald necklace around my neck. I placed the gem on top of her and concentrated on a natural healing energy.

The smell of fresh cut grass and sea water filled the room, and the warmth of the spring sun flared through me. A green light began to glow from the crystal and it soon enveloped the Reaper.

I turned towards the entrance of the room and called for Avery. They bright eyed elf leaned in as asked what she could do for me.

“I need you to tell Scion that I was right.” I said.

“You just want me to tell him that you were right? No other context?”

“He’ll know what I mean.” I was trying not to lose my focus. Avery departed and Xanvan and I were left in silence.

After a few minutes I turned to him, “I know how Madagran escaped.”

“How?” He asked.

“This is the reaper that sealed him away. There was probably a point during the Purge that she was gravely injured. During that time Madagran’s seal could have been weakened, making it easy for him to break through. He has probably been hunting her down for some time now, though from what I can tell this was his first encounter with her since he was released.”

“I thought reaper seals were supposed to be unbreakable!” He exclaimed.

“They are, but only to a point. A reaper has to constantly maintain their seals or else they’ll break. That’s why most reapers don’t learn that art, it’s too complex and drains a lot of magic. Normally reapers who train in the skill are perfect at maintaining their magic output to their seals, which is why they never break. But the magic suppression bands your people used during the Purge could easily get rid of their magic control, and make their seals weaker.”

“So what you’re saying is that I released Madagran from his prison.”

“That’s exactly what I’m-” I was cut off by a knock on the door. I hesitated for a moment, “Yes, come in.”

Scion entered through the door, he ignored Xanvan and turned directly to me, “I got your message, is Scy okay?’

“You sure got here quick. But I don’t know yet,” I replied, “She was extremely close to her deep consciousness when I got here, but I fixed that. Beyond that, Xanvan has yet to tell me exactly what happened. ”

Scion brushed off my comment, and, for the first time since arriving, looked at Xanvan, “Mind telling us what you did to Scy?”

Xanvan got defensive, “It’s wasn’t me, it was Madagran. I’m not exactly sure what he did to her, but a dark force is overpowering her.”

“Well,” Scion mulled, “If it was indeed Madagran, my bet would be that he embedded a dark crystal within her. Would you be able to remove the crystal, Ethla?”

“No. While I do have some crystal magic, mine is nowhere near that level. The only crystal keeper that was anywhere near that level was Abavan, but he’s been missing since the Purge.”

“Are you saying that were out of options?” Xanvan asked.

“Not quite, I’ve never seen Ethla give up quickly before. She’ll come up with something.” Scion said as he gazed into my eyes.

“Well…” I paused, looking away from Scion, “I could seal off the crystal, but it’s not a permanent solution. I’m not that great with magic like this, and something like a dark crystal can corrode magical barriers. It would only be a temporary fix, we would need to find Abavan for a permanent solution.”

Scion thought it over for a minute, “Sounds good, let’s do it.”

He motioned for me to move so he could sustain the crystal magic while I built the seal. The moment my hands left the emerald the intense heat subsided and the smell of grass and salt water faded away.

“Is there anything I can do?” Xanvan asked.

“No, Wizard’s magic doesn’t work as well on Reapers compared to Elven Magic. Scion and I will cover this. Tell Merial to take you to my chamber where you can wait with the others.”

Xanvan didn’t like my answer, but he knew that he was in my domain, any friction between us could cause major problems. So, reluctantly, he stood and left.

“Thanks for making him leave.” Scion said.

“It’s no problem, I know how much you hate to be formal. But seriously, why do we have to be so formal with each other when there are other people around?” I asked as I began to sense out the type of seal required for the barrier.

“I’ve no idea, I mean, people know we’re childhood friends. But it’s probably because upper class citizens such as us aren’t supposed to interact with each other. Except for when we attend social events, where it’s basically mandatory for us to formal.”

I nodded as I singled in closer on the dark magic. I doubted that a plain seal protecting against dark magic would hold the crystal back for long, but I didn’t know how well I could do a double rotational seal that repressed both crystal and dark magic. One mistake with the double seal and I could block all of Scy’s powers.

“This is going to be a gamble.” I pressed my hands together and began to focus, forming the double seal, “A dark crystal technically has a soul, right?”

“Uh, I think so. Why?”

“Well, if I tie the seal to the crystal then it will probably last longer.” Two magic circles formed above Scy. One shined a rainbow of colours, while the shone grey and black. The ancient runes surrounding the rainbow seal read ‘From the Crystal I give’, while the runes around the other read ‘From the Shadows I take’. Each set of characters encased a different symbol, the multicoloured seal had a crystal shape made up of multiple circles as the center. The grey surrounded three circles that were intertwined with each other.

I shifted my magic energy and the circles combined, slightly changing each or the seals. The circles now read ‘I give and I take’ and their colour shifted to a radiant light blue.

I singled out the power of the shadow crystal and borrowed some of its magic, linking it to the seal. I cut off my magic to the circles and they slowly vanished from sight, but I could still feel their energy.

Scion stopped sustaining the power of the emerald, “The crystal should be fully repressed in a few seconds.”

“Assuming I made the seal correctly.” I sighed as I sat down in the chair Xanvan had previously been sitting in. The dark energy faded away until the only magic left in the room was Scion’s, Scy’s, and mine.

“I would say that you did, but that’s just me.” Scion teased. “How long would you say till she’s awake?” He asked.

“I would say a couple of minutes, Scy’s always been resilient when it comes to things like this. I am curious, though, why she isn’t absorbing any new magic. A magician like her should always be bringing in new magic, even if she’s unconscious.”

“Well, my only though is that she could be wearing a magic dampener. It’s the only thing that explains why she didn’t just seal the crystal herself as well as why she isn’t rebuilding her magic. If I were you I’d talk with Xanvan.”

“I will after she wakes up, but until then I’ll watch over her.”

“Well, if you’re doing that” Scion smiled, “I’m afraid I have to go. I kinda snuck out of the meeting earlier without anyone noticing. But they’ve probably noticed by now, so I have to get back. However, tell Xanvan that I’m inviting him and his companions to dinner tonight, along with yourself and Scy.”

“Will do, I’ll see you later.” I said as he left the room.

“You don’t still have a crush on him do you?” A voice sounded from behind me.

I quickly turned to see Scy sitting up on the bed “My Gods Scy, you gave me a heart attack! You’re up quicker than I expected, and I’ve never had a crush on him!”

“Really, because when you were a kid you two were always together. Your mom always told me you had a thing for him.” She laughed.

“That was over a hundred years ago! Things change!” I yelled, she kept laughing. “Anyway, it’s time to be serious. I’m glad you’re okay.”

She stared at me for a moment, then smiled, “I’m just glad you’re not as bad as a sealer as your grandmother.”

I tried not to laugh, but it was hopeless.

“I mean seriously, she was the worst. I don’t even know how she was so bad. Your family passes down their powers to every generation, so why couldn’t she do something as simple as sealing!”

“Alright but seriously,” I laughed, “You should go clean off. I’ll lend you some of my old clothes so you don’t have to keep wearing those war clothes. Afterwards we’ll talk with Xanvan about getting your magic dampener removed.”

She unconsciously grabbed her wrist, “Can I kill him afterwards?”

I sighed, “As much as I’d like to say yes, I’d really prefer if you didn’t.”

“What a shame, I guess it can’t be helped though.” She slid off the bed and headed towards to door, “I’ll see you later then.”

Author's Note

Is going to a new perspective too weird?