Law of Shadows, page 32
“No!” I answer without hesitation.
The man prostrates himself even further. “Please! We have no other place to go!”
Tina steps forward and regards the people in front of us with displeasure. “Didn't we distribute you among the other clans? We had a good reason for doing that.”
One of the women speaks up, “Please. We tried to do as we were told, but the other clans are shunning us. It's hard to live with the stigma of being a former Hammon. Instead of living our lives under the scorn of others, we retreated to Atlantis and are biding our time in this dreadful place. Then we heard that Gavin was caught, so we hurried to come here. We thought that there might be a chance for a new start if someone like you accepts us.”
I snort. “Then you should have stood up for your clan! A family is always what its members make of it. Looking away doesn't exempt you from responsibility!” They look a little hurt, but I couldn't care less.
It's Sely who speaks next, “Ahem, do you remember about the time when I told you that not all Hammons are bad people? I remember them. They are cowards, but not evil.”
So you are saying that I should take in the bottom feeders? I raise both eyebrows and turn to face Sely. “Do you want to tell me that you forgive them? That I should take them in? No!” I point at Cecilia and Tina. “It's bad enough that they are coming and going as they please.”
Sely raises a finger. “But the fact remains that our clan has only three adult members. With them, we would be up to fourteen. That's still a small clan, but at least it can be called a proper clan.”
Tina joins her. “I think she has a point.”
I glare at the other clan-head until she decides to take two steps backwards. Then Tina takes a third one to make sure that she is out of my arm's reach.
The other woman also goes to her knees. “Please. Rotting away in this dead city is the worst. We would do everything to join the Bathomeus. Your clan has always taken in the clanless since long ago.”
I hiss. She is trying to play me with my clan's own traditions. But that can be done in two directions. And I know of a way to make sure that they don't even think about joining me. There is one thing I can ask of them to make sure that they turn around and run the other way. “And look where it brought my clan. If you want to join the Bathomeus, then you have to take a blood oath to Sely and me.”
The man who is prostrating himself looks up. “That's nothing short of what Gavin did to his women!”
I smile. “Nobody is forcing you to take the oath.” I point at the path which leads to the street. “There is your way out.”
But the woman surprises me. She is a brunette with a few freckles on her face. Unlike the man, she uses a fingernail to slice her own palm without hesitation. Then I sense her forcing her own magic to form the oath. “I, Leila, swear loyalty to Magnus and Sely Bathomeus. I'll give my life to protect the Bathomeus.”
I think that I never looked so baffled in my entire life. But that woman really swore a blood oath to me, someone who has to be at least a few hundred years younger than herself. I could order her to commit suicide and she would have to do it! How stupid can someone be? She doesn't even know me.
The others mumble between themselves, but they also slice their palms and take the same oath. Even the man who isn’t happy with the situation.
I shake my head, still not understanding. “Just why the fuck did you do that? I could be a worse monster than Gavin for all you know.”
The woman points at Sely. “Because you took her in and she seems to be happy enough. At least her little sister is praising the Bathomeus on Twitter. Annia is doing a lot of advertising for you. It must be better than this!” She spreads her hands, indicating all of Atlantis and the black sky.
I must admit that I would also be depressed if I had to live here for an extended period of time.
Leila points at the man who talked first. “That's my uncle, Thomas. Just call him Tom.” She turns around and indicates two men and a woman. “The Rerecht family, Rudolf, Sandra and their son Alex...” She continues introducing people.
As if I would care about their names!
What it comes down to, are two couples with a child, though Alex is already an adult. Then one couple and one man and one woman who are solo. According to them, the two singles lost their relatives in the battle which finished the Hammons as a clan. The lone boy is an orphan, but the Rerechts are taking care of him.
Sely clears her throat and pats my back. “Don't worry. Fiacre and I will take care of all the complicated stuff.”
I am too shell shocked to answer. Why would anyone take a blood oath? And worst of all, a blood oath to me! Does that mean that I am responsible for them?
44. ~Ride~
“Those who own many things don’t share a lot.”
A memory of the Old Ones.
Carinthia
Sely
I step through the doorway and gesture for the others to follow. Magnus doesn't even try to hide his sour expression. Our new clan members are smart enough not to comment on the situation. They silently enter the entrance hall. Some even sigh in relief when they see the sky and the garden through the window.
That makes me wonder how it must be to spend a few weeks in Atlantis. There is vegetation and light, but no real sun. The sun's light doesn't reach the bottom of the ocean, so the big airbubble around Atlantis makes it seem like the sky is an eternal black nothingness.
I study the eleven people who are looking at me for further instructions. For some reason they avoid eye contact with Magnus. I study him and notice the red glow in his eyes. It doesn't seem like he is in the mood to introduce them to their new surroundings. Seems like I am the one who has to deal with them. It’s only fair, since I was the one who spoke in their favour. I quickly return my attention to my new charges. “Don't you have any belongings to bring with you?”
Leila shakes her head and answers with a voice that sounds entirely too cheerful. “All our belongings were confiscated when the Hammons fell. We carry everything we own on our bodies.”
Magnus rolls his eyes. “Bottom feeder and broke.”
Leila is the only one who doesn't allow her head to droop. She is strangely unconcerned by the loss of her belongings. Maybe the simple fact that she got out of Atlantis is enough for her?
A loud crash and screams from outside draw my attention. I walk to the main entrance and open the door to find out where the noise is coming from.
The pretty garden area in front of the mansion is a mess and there is Lindwurm, doing her best to trample everything in sight. She is running around, hunting Oilell. Fiacre chases them with a desperate expression on her face. “Not the roses! Not the roses! Argh! That box tree was ninety years old!”
It almost looks as if they are... playing? Annia and Kath are sitting on Lindwurm's massive head and are squealing in delight about being able to ride on the wyrm. They don't look like they are aware of the destruction which their little ride is causing.
Magnus walks past me and I notice that his eyes are glowing bright red. He strolls at a leisurely pace right onto Lindwurm's playground and into the wyrm's path. Oilell uses the chance to hide behind Magnus and Lindwurm comes to a sudden stop when she notices him.
Fiacre uses the chance to climb up the wyrm's foreleg. Then she runs across the neck to where Annia and Kath are sitting. She yanks them to their feet.
Magnus points at the three of them. “Grounded! Grounded! Grounded!”
Fiacre gasps. “Why me!”
“You were supposed to have an eye on them!” He looks at Lindwurm and points down the hill to where a large forest aisle was ripped into the underbrush. “Pond!” The wyrm snorts and lets her head droop, but complies and slithers back to her pond. Fiacre quickly takes Annia and Kath under her arms and jumps off the huge creature.
I approach them and watch as Lindwurm disappears between the trees. “I didn't know that she allows people to ride on her.”
“Neither did I!” Fiacre twists my sister’s ear, which causes loud complaints. “That's why I was too slow to react when they suddenly got the idea to climb up.”
“Wyrm are horrible pets! She tried to eat me!” Oilell complains.
Magnus closes his eyes and rubs his temples with slow circular movements. “My weed field!”
Only then, I notice the small grove with crushed plants. It was well hidden, just a few metres into the forest. I thought that my quest to get rid of the stuff was a complete success. Apparently it was not!
Magnus turns around and heads back to the mansion. “I am going to play cards. You guys know what that means!”
Leila and Tom approach me and give Magnus a wide berth on his way back into the mansion. The other new additions to our clan stay close to the mansion and are eyeing the forest with wary expressions. Leila bows to Fiacre. “I think we haven't been introduced?”
“Ah, yeah...” I turn around. “Annia, Kath, Fiacre and Oilell. These two are Leila and her uncle Tom. Their group will join our clan.” I indicate the rest of the newcomers.
Fiacre and the kids look nothing more than surprised, but Oilell's expression is a really strange mixture of bliss and terror. I've never before seen something like it in my entire life.
“Is there a problem, Oilell?” I ask.
The brownie tries to nod and shake her head at the same time. “It's so wonderful that there are finally more people. They will feed my friends to the snake. I can already feel my power increasing. That cursed initiation ritual!”
Her words make little sense, but I can guess what she is trying to say. I pat the brownie's shoulder. “I am sure that we can simply buy some animals to which you don't have an emotional attachment.”
Fairy
Gardener
I watch as Winter has another one of his raging fits.
“Why won't these humans go to war? How can spineless creatures like them be so numerous? What else do we have to do?” He reaches for a tree's branch and it is immediately covered in ice. I wince and resolve myself to repair the damage once the maniac is gone. There is nothing worse than people who don't have their emotions under control.
Maybe I can find a way to make him go away before he ruins my grove. “But they are already fighting. Haven't several countries declared martial law? Some are even trying to force every supernatural to register themselves. That's already very close to prosecution.”
He shakes his head. “That's not enough! We need more chaos. A situation which allows us to attack openly. I am so tired of all our lurking in the shadows. We fae are living like rats in a hole and only come out to snatch a few humans here and an unwary supernatural there. It's beneath our dignity!”
I nod, even though I don't understand what he is talking about. “That's right! We fae deserve better! Why should they be allowed to live according to their nature, while we are not? We have to hide our traditions and they can do as they please. It's not like we haven't been on this Earth for long enough to deserve our place in their midst. Maybe even a place at the top.”
Winter nods feverishly. “Exactly! Exactly! So why aren't the humans acting according to our plans?”
I sigh inwardly. How can someone like him have such high status? “It's their nature. That's how they survive despite their weakness. Even if some do something stupid and die, others survive because they didn't follow their fellows. It's a basic survival strategy.”
Then I try to reason with him. “We already accomplished a lot by turning the general opinion of several of the biggest countries against supernaturals. Our goal is almost accomplished. All we have to do, is to take action.”
He turns to look at me. “The others said that it isn't time. We have to wait.”
I shrug. “What do the others know. They are too unimaginative. Though I am sure that you already saw a possible solution.”
He furrows his forehead. “Solution?”
I snort to show that I don't believe him. “Oh, come on. I noticed that you are already bringing your people into position. A bird sang a little song to me. Winter will be the first to grab the power for himself. The power that drove us into Fairy.”
Reaching up, I scratch my chin as if a sudden idea formed just now in my mind. “But then again, the one who has it should have enough power to change the status quo. Even among the fae. Maybe if we strike early and grab it before the Old Ones get their wits together...”
Winter bites into his lower lip. “Yes. Why should we wait? Once they go to war for real, they'll surely protect it even better! Our best chance to get to it is right now! But I'll need more preparations for such an endeavour. There is absolutely no room for failure.” He turns around and leaves.
I walk to the damaged tree and run my hand over the bark, soothing it with my magic.
“Idiot...”
45. ~Enchanter~
“One last spell to end it.”
A memory of the Old Ones.
Carinthia
Magnus
Sely takes a peek into my workroom. “Magnus? Why don't you come out of your room? The others are all waiting at the table. Oilell roasted a really tasty beef fillet.” It's the first time that she visited me in here. It’s located in the mansion’s basement where I can conduct my work in peace.
Half of the room is a large storage area with long rows of storage racks. They are filled with countless items. All of them enchanted. It’s a given that, as someone who fights with magical tools, I'd need a large reserve of my consumables.
Many people choose to fight with only their own power. There is value in being strong without having to rely on proper equipment. But my cards and dices have often won a fight which I should’ve lost without them. So I’ll never give up on enchanted items.
I grunt. “Just allow me to finish this card.”
When she realizes that I am working on new enchanted items, she enters the room to take a look around. “Whoa, you have quite a lot of equipment for enchanting. Don't tell me that it's your speciality? After I saw you fight, I thought that you specialize in force magic.”
She studies the shelves with enchanted items. Boxes, cards, cubes. Most of them are items which people come across every day.
I shrug and add some glue to the upper side of the magic card. The card is a common shock spell and I found it funny to turn it into reality. “I am not bad at force magic. Placing an enchantment on an item needs a lot of control, which is an aspect of force magic. Most people who are good at force magic, are also good enchanters. The required talents for both traits are very similar.”
She picks up a little box. “Chewing gum? Seriously?”
I draw in a sharp breath. “Please put that down. Those can blow up the whole mansion!”
Sely furrows her forehead and very carefully places the chewing gum back on the shelf. “Why would you enchant chewing gum with an explosion spell!?”
I clear my throat. “Because nobody expects it. The last time I used them, I fed one to a fae and sent her back to Fairy.”
“That's devious.” She nods, appreciating the idea.
I concentrate on my work. Before Sely entered the room, I had detached the card's front and backside from each other. Then I'd used a special technique to add a little magical circle to the inside of the card. All I have to do now, is to attach the two halves to each other and place the correct enchantment on it.
Sely halts in mid step and studies the device on the table next to me. “Are you serious? You are using a 3D-printer to print magical circuits into your cards!?”
“Don't laugh. It's a special technique. If I add enough metal to the filament, it becomes conductive and carries enchantments much easier. The spell doesn't dissolve with time like it would normally.” I press the two halves together, satisfied that there is no excess glue on the edges. Then I weigh down the card with a heavy tome which serves no other purpose than to weigh down my cards while the glue dries.
I smile at Sely. “Enchanting items isn’t only about creating the most powerful weapons. The strongest trait of an enchanter is that he can turn anything into a weapon. Unless my opponents know me well, they would never expect that a thrown dice could spell their doom. The same goes for the doormat over there.”
Sely tilts her head and studies the item. “What will happen if I step on it?”
“You will most likely lose your foot. The mat is enchanted with a powerful disintegration spell. I advice not to test it.” My eyes wander to Sely’s belly. She is showing now. Not much, but anyone with an eye for detail can see her pregnancy by now. “Are you sure that you don’t want to check on it? If we know the gender, we can choose a name.”
She snorts. “I want it to be a surprise. And as for the name, we can choose that anyway. What do you think of Helmut if it’s a boy, and Kaia if it’s a girl?”
“Maybe Hatlix if it’s a boy, Eleanor if it’s a girl?” I suggest. I am not really into this hypothetical approach. My only reason for mentioning the names was a small hope to learn the child’s gender. I don’t understand why Sely wants it to be a surprise.
“Eleanor is acceptable, but using your grandfather’s name is just bad taste.” She turns around and heads for the door. “Come on. Oilell can’t keep the food warm forever.”
On her way out, her eyes stay stuck to a small pedestal. On top of it lies an orb, pulsing with a faint light. “Is that the orb from our banner? What’s it doing here? I thought you would protect something so important better.”
I get up and walk over to the pedestal. “Depends on how you see it. The real thing is hidden deep down in the mansion’s dungeon. This one is a weak copy which I made. I wanted something like a personal power stone, small enough to carry it around. The real one emits so much magic that it’s hard to wield. Certainly not an item for practical purposes. More like a doomsday device.
“The poweroutput of this one is much easier to wield, but I never managed to hide the stray energy emissions. Inside the reality marble it’s no big deal, since the whole area is saturated with magic. In the real world, it’s a very different matter. It’s as if you're carrying around a damn foghorn, combined with a flashlight. Every supernatural in the territory who can sense magic will know that something is on. Until I’ve solved that issue, I don’t want to use it.”
