Draconic Testament (20 page)

”Look up there.” Yaevinn said, pointing to the ceiling. “Hollow sight.” Bastion looked at the ceiling through hollow sight, and saw weak points all over the ceiling. It was quite obvious what had happened. “Someone has disturbed the fusion… dogged down here… Could it have been that Archmage? Where are we, exactly?” Bastion asked.
”Heck… I don’t know… Wow… It got down here from up on the surface, but it’s obvious he lost his mind ages ago. Why come down here, why not run rampant in the streets of a city or something? Makes no sense…” Yaevinn said. “Unless it was the Blue Magi…”
“Enough of that bullshit.” Bastion said, tired of hearing about the Blue Magi.
Bastion walked over to the body of the messenger slumped against the wall, the smell of ash and fire overtook the smell of rotting flesh, surprisingly. He rooted through the pockets, and his bags… it was obvious that the body had not been looted for valuables. The letter that was to be delivered to Varnis was present also. “Doesn’t make sense, why kill an official for no reason? They obviously didn’t want the document, they risked it being eaten or whatever.” Bastion said.
”Maybe they would come back later?” Yaevinn asked.
”You’re exaggerating, Yaevinn. This has been down here for ages. I haven’t been in Korreal long, and I'm new to Magi life, but I'm not new to logic. I don’t know why that thing was down here, but it certainly wasn’t for the sole purpose of killing the official, or us. Plus, the official likely would have been outmatched anyway, coming from a long journey and all, three Magi or so would have been enough, not as strong as hell crazy Archmage.” Bastion said.
”Fair enough.” Yaevinn yielded… “Time to head ba- Wait, what are you doing!?” Yaevinn protested as Bastion ripped the seal off of the envelope and took out the letter. “We’re not allowed to see what we risked our life for? I mean, I DID find the portal, after all…” Bastion said.
”Varnis would punish you for this!” Yaevinn said. “Plus, that has confidential information about Veronica, you can’t just…”
”Cant what? It’s Veronica, she’s practically a mystery. You’re curious too, aren’t you? She’s my friend, I want to see why she’s so… shut out. I know it’s wrong, but… hey… Curiosity is a strong human trait.” Bastion said. “Are you going to tell on me?”
”I… I suppose I won’t…” Yaevinn said. “You did save my life, after all… But, I don’t want to hear anything about it, I'm not interested!”
”I bet you are, though!” Bastion laughed, but Yaevinn sat with his back to Bastion.
”Don’t tell me anything. Read through, destroy it, and lets go. We tell the truth, but say that the letter was destroyed along with the body. When they get here, it will be believable…” Yaevinn snorted. “Can’t say I'm happy with myself, betraying Varnis’ trust though… I’ll need to make amends…” Bastion was already too interested in the letter to care.
To Lord Varnis of Korreal,
                                         We send this urgent letter in response to your request for a background search of Veronica Blay. We have uncovered the truth of her past whereabouts, and the accusation that your Ispii member had made against her to you. It seems that Veronica Blay was actually not at any Blue Magi settlement, but actually a complex to the north of where you found her, where she was residing. The man who had her was her father, Trigoma McAllister, brother to Dante McAllister and former second in command of Sanctum. 11 Years ago, he was assassinated, around the same time you found the girl. At the time of his death, there were two bodyguards with him. The Arcana of one such bodyguard was missing, and the wounds on all three were from Arcana, and once we had tracked down one of the attendants at the complex, he described a young blonde girl being the culprit of this assassination.
The circumstances of her discovery are not relevant. The Portal site that has been mentioned by Veronica Blay has now been ruled off of the investigation list. We request you apprehend Veronica and bring her to Rhenium, where she will be questioned and given to Sanctum as punishment.
Yours faithfully,
                        Marcus Flotsam of the Rhenium Council.
”Holy shit…” Bastion sighed, putting the letter in his boot, where nobody would search for it.
”Don’t want to know.” Yaevinn said, still having his back to Bastion.
”Who’s Trigoma?” Bastion asked, regardless.
”Horizon’s spit, Bastion!” Yaevinn snapped, turning around, then he sighed and gave in. “He’s an Archmage, blooded by the Overlord of Kirall at that time. He’s the brother to Dante McAllister, Blue Magi leader, but they never spoke to each other. He left Britain a while ago, visiting rarely. When Sanctum came to Earth, he was the one that introduced them to the meeting in Korreal, and was appointed second in command, which threw the meeting into chaos.” Yaevinn said. “You know, it’s odd... He was the complete opposite of his brother. He was apparently one of the most nicest people among the Magi as a whole, once... Not sure why he turned to be such an asshole. Why? Might as well tell me now.”
”It’s probably better that you don’t know…” Bastion said slightly worried. “Keep all this secret, will you? I need to talk to Veronica… She may be in trouble.”
”If she’s got anything to do with Trigoma, then you bet she is.” Yaevinn said.
”Let’s just go, it’s not what you think… just… Promise you’ll keep quiet? As a friend?” Bastion asked, and Yaevinn complied. “They’ve also crossed her claim of finding the portal off the list... I have a strong feeling that something is seriously wrong here. That makes no sense. Surely they must at least investigate it first!”
”Let’s just get back and see what Varnis has to say about this.” Yaevinn said.
”An Archmage!? Are you sure?!” Varnis exclaimed, walking back and forth. “Why would there be an Archmage, an insane Archmage, of all manner of beasts there?!”
”I don’t know, we told you already.” Bastion said. “We nearly died down there…”
”I know… I know, I'm sorry children, I…” Varnis said. “I didn’t know you’d be in such danger. But it makes no sense. The area you were below was in the middle of the woods, though.”
”Any reason that the Blue Magi might have set it up?” Yaevinn asked, making Bastion sigh quietly.
”Not that I can think of… If they wanted the letter, they’d have just taken it themselves, instead of unleashing a monster… The fact that a crazed Archmage was there… we need to examine the body, perhaps find a trace but… I have to be alone for a while, I need to think this through. Yaevinn, come back tomorrow. I need your help with something, rest up in the meantime.” Varnis says, dismissing the two. Bastion and Yaevinn leave the room, and Bastion didn’t make it three steps without Yaevinn bringing up Veronica. “What are you going to do? You know for a fact what he wants me for, I'm going to be going to retrieve that letter myself!” Yaevinn said. “She’s not got long…”
”I don’t know… I… Can I prove her innocence? Talk to her?” Bastion said.
”How are you going to prove anything? This happened ages ago! I told you she had an Arcana, man, I TOLD you!” Yaevinn screeched.
”Alright, Alright… I… I'm going to have to talk to her about this. I’ll… speak to you later.” Bastion said, and Yaevinn stopped following Bastion, leaving him to his hard decisions. Was he right in getting involved in this? Did he know Veronica as well as he thought he did? She could very well be an evil person, deep inside, and she’s kept many secrets. Theories such as these kept swirling in his head, as he went up the elevator. The smart thing to do would be to turn his back on the mysterious girl, but there were problems he couldn’t overlook. Nobody looked out for the girl, the council’s decision to overlook her claim for the portal, and of course, her father being the leader of Sanctum. If her father was the leader of Sanctum, what was with the rags and the assassination? Bastion couldn’t help but think that there was some ulterior motive for everything, and that he was only actually focusing on the small issues. That there was something obvious he was overlooking, too many elements out of place. He intended to find out if he was right.
 

Chapter Eight – A plot of his own
Sebastian Slater
”So, you went on a mission with Yaevinn, but didn’t even think of inviting me?” Veronica huffed, after Bastion had returned to the bungalow “Hmph. You have some nerve. To think you call me your friend.”
”It was for a very good reason, Veronica.” Bastion said. “It was directly to do with you and your discovery of the portal.”
”The portal?” Veronica asked, eyes lighting up. “You mean… has it been approved?”
”No… No… Actually…” Bastion said, watching as Veronica’s features turned into a scowl. “Actually… It was a mission to find a messenger who was going to deliver an official message. Some crazy guy killed him, but we dealt with him.”
”Who was he?” Veronica asked. “Blue Magi?”
”Not important, what’s important is… I opened the letter.” Bastion whispered.
”What?” Veronica asked, surprisingly nonchalantly. “You opened a official rhenium letter? Well. Aren’t you quite the rebel.”
”I opened it with good reason. Because…” Bastion began, but then he takes the letter out of his boot and hands it to Veronica, who takes it by the tip of her fingers, put off slightly. “I hid this… read it yourself. I didn’t know what was in the letter, but now that I do… I think…” Veronica could easily sense Bastion’s despair, and opened the letter to read the contents, not caring about the slight odour. Bastion watched as Veronica read the letter. The features on her face relaxed, and became more and more resigned. The contents of the letter had laid her bare, and she knew exactly what this meant for her future. She sits down on the couch, slowly losing her grip on the letter and letting it glide softly to the ground. She didn’t say anything, she just looked at the floor, for the first time actually looking vulnerable, like her walls and her guard were truly down. It was obvious that it wasn’t the crime she had committed that bothered her, but the details lost to the page, that she knew of. “Veronica.” Bastion said. Veronica turns her head towards Bastion, still looking at the ground, as if contemplating something. “I don’t think you’re a bad person, that’s the reason why I didn’t hand that letter to Varnis. I’ve been here for a month, I don’t know all that much about Trigoma, or what he wanted, or the fear that people have now that Sanctum is here, and I don’t actually care. You’re my friend, I pledge loyalty to my friends before I give them to wannabe politicians. I hate nobility, and people who think they’re in power. I think… I think you’re troubled, I think you shut yourself off from the world. I don’t know why… but I’d like to.” Bastion said.
”Would it matter?” Veronica said, calmly. She didn’t seem to have her arrogant, moody tone on anymore. That front was gone. Bastion was deeply troubled by her silent anguish. “I'm wanted for death. I thought… I could leave what happened behind me, even though It felt so close, like my own shadow… I had thought…”
”I don’t think Varnis would want to give you up to Rhenium… but I don’t think he’d have a choice. I hate to say it… but… most of the villagers… I'm really bad at showing my sympathy, but…” Bastion choked on his words “Let’s run away.” Veronica’s eyes broke it’s lock onto the floor, and met Bastion’s eyes.
“Run? Why would you…” Veronica asked.
”I care, don’t look too deeply into it, but it would make me sick if I had to hang my head and step aside as you walked to the gallows. What you did… Kinslaying… and murdering Trigoma… your… your father…” Bastion said. “I know there’s a proper reason.”
”You think running will solve anything? There’s high level Magi among Rhenium’s elite. They’d track me down and take me back in a matter of weeks, and you along with me.” Veronica said.
”On the way back, I’ve been thinking… The portal, is it really the real one? Is it the proper portal to Cazria?” Bastion asked.
”Yes. I'm certain of it, I’ve read plenty of books about portal magic…” Veronica said.
”Then… let’s open it ourselves.” Bastion said, a smirk forming on his face. “This is something I want to do.” Veronica’s mood improved slightly, hope spreading across her face. She had no reason to deny his help. If she didn’t try for freedom, then she’d die. There was no middle ground.
Middle of the night. Per Bastion’s request, the two got a couple of hours sleep, though, Bastion had to wake up a little earlier to put his plan to motion. He slipped out the door, careful not to disturb Veronica’s extra slumber, as he went forth to turn the wheels of his plan. He had thought of this long and hard on the way back from Canterbury, and he was a little excited to be leading his own path, away from the ranks of military power of Korreal. No more assigned lessons, as if he was in high school. Now, he was really going to be free. Though, in reality, he was not. He had no choice but to go along with this plan if he was to preserve Veronica’s life. He only hoped it wasn’t a mistake, he only hoped that Veronica was as he pictured her, good on the inside, barricaded by a defensive front. If not… He didn’t want to think about that now, as he was approaching where the next step in his plan was. “Yaevinn.” Bastion said, as the elven looking man looked up from where he was practically sleep walking, near a barn away from other people’s ears. “Bastion…” Yaevinn said, sleepy, dragging him round the corner out of site. “I got another Journey tomorrow, though it will be nothing like yours. Still, I need my beauty sleep…”
”Yeah, you’ll get it, buddy. So… How’s our little stonemasonry coming along?” Bastion asked.
”Here.” Yaevinn said, presenting him with two Blue Magi medallions. “and here’s the letter’s of reallocation”. Bastion took the envelopes. Inside the envelopes were letter’s of relocation to the Blue Magi territory of Split, from the Red Magi territory of Korreal. Basically, it was as though they were defecting. On the two letters, there were signatures from both Varnis of Korreal, which Yaevinn knew from the time he’d spent with him, and that of Marcus Flotsam of the Rhenium council, from the newly acquired letter in the tunnels. More importantly, the envelopes were sealed with rhenium seals. Yaevinn’s stonemasonry of both the seals and the medallions were imperative to Bastion’s plan, and he had spent the rest of the day and risked his very life on these projects. To anyone else in the settlement, this was treason. But, Yaevinn was a man of true loyalty, not blind loyalty. He knew Varnis would agree and approve of the mission that Bastion had laid out before him, but his position and the fact that their settlement was property to Rhenium would force him to send them all on their way for sentencing. “What do you think of the seal? Good huh?” Yaevinn asked. The seal was of a red man with a shield, and a blue man with a sword. “Yeah… though it looks like a really shit spot-the-difference.” Bastion said. Yaevinn cackled, trying not to attract anybodies unwanted attention by covering his mouth. “Thanks for this, Yaevinn… Truly…”  Bastion said.
”It was my pleasure… remember your promise.” Yaevinn said.
”Yeah. You’ll be there for when we enter Cazria.” Bastion said.
”Great. I can’t wait… Listen, I don’t know how much help it will be, but I’ll try to stall the delivery of the letter.” Yaevinn said
”Thanks… I appreciate it…” Bastion replied.
”Watch your back.” Yaevinn said, waving him off and leaving back to his bed for some rest. Bastion yawned, knowing that he was not fully recovered yet, but it couldn’t be helped. He had to leave Korreal, tonight.
Veronica was practically fine. If anything, she had had too much sleep. She took lead of the two, moving energetically and taunting him as he slowed down. The sight of this filled Bastion with envy. “(Should just leave the damn woman be).” He mumbled to himself, as he trudged along, holding both of their belongings. They had the odd banter as they approached the train station, waiting and boarding the train to Sheffield. Their overall destination was a small settlement called ‘Split’, which was located in the Peak District National Park, which was an area of preserved beauty. It was very large, larger than Sheffield itself, and boasted a number of 6 Blue Magi settlements. Split is the main stronghold for the Blue Magi, and it is the home of the ‘Emperor’ Dante McAllister, and his subjects, after he took it from the Red Magi, which means it has caverns. Dante McAllister was the target. The two were to infiltrate the settlement and steal the blood of Dante McAllister, whose blood was the key to opening the Voltrin portal, since he shared the blood of the Elrics. While participating in the civil war, he caught the eye of Sancterus, for his prowess on the battlefield. He had many titles on the battlefield related to his legendary visual magic, which could detect hypnosis, poison, cloaked enemies, even enemy positions. Nothing got past him, and for that, he was made into an Archmage. Several battles in Cazria was dependant on his skill, and while he was definitely not the most powerful, he was one of the most valuable, which is why he feels betrayed by Cazria. However, Bastion believed there was a lot more to Dante than was let on by his books, since he’s been living for far longer than the average age of Archmagi, and he has also managed to withstand madness from bloodlust, unlike the Archmage in the tunnels. “When are you going to bring it up?” Veronica asked, in her usual position in the first class seats of the train.
”I don’t know, I sort of don’t want to pry your personal life from you… but…” Bastion sighed.
”It’s not complicated or anything… heck, you know most of the story already. The fact that they found out Trigoma is my father… that was...” Veronica hissed.
”Start from the beginning…” Bastion said.
”In the beginning? There was… darkness. I remember constantly being in a dark room, with a small barred window revealing the forest outside. I was… I was with my mother. She had been taken captive by Trigoma… and she had been forced to have me as a child.” Veronica said. Bastion felt very uncomfortable, and guilty from asking her to reveal herself like this. “I don’t know if they knew each other prior, but Trigoma rarely left the lighthouse. That’s where he kept me. A lighthouse. He never had any visitors either, so he usually came by every day, perhaps several time. He would never actually take me from the cell, but he would treat me well. He would, talk to me kindly, give me sweets. He’d change his tone with my mother, and would often take her somewhere for a short while, then bring her back. I never really knew why until much older.” Veronica said, obviously drained. “He’d give me books to study, and tell my mother to help me with the studies if she wanted to continue seeing me. I was taught mainly healing, portal making, and possession… Understand, Magi usually become assigned and extremely familiar to the form of magic they use most as a child. For you, it’s lightning. For me, it’s usually healing, though I'm great at possession too, though I’ve never told anyone. However, Magi also usually inherit abilities from their mothers and fathers. My mother’s affinity, the name for the main type of magic of the user, is Possession. Possession is a very rare and unique form of magic, something that is usually banned. I’ve studied deeply into this topic, and I had my mother teach me in depth, saying that one day I should use it to escape, and that by learning this all at a early age, later on in life I’d be extremely powerful. Of course, my father was a great healer, and the magic from his side was definitely something to be grateful for… but I'm not grateful to him. I hate him.”
”Did he not love you?” Bastion asked.
”Would it have mattered? I didn’t ask him, nor do I care. He raped my mother and forced her to bear me, then groomed me into some sort of dangerous, forbidden Magi. He always made sure that none of his Cazrian dogs harmed me in any way, or made slurs to me, etc. He wanted me to have a strong sense of confidence, telling me I could do anything…”
”…So… I'm afraid to ask… but when I asked you, you said your mother…” Bastion asked.
”She’s dead. Yes. At the time, I had loved both my parents, even though I got hints from my mother that my father was evil. I had kept those in mind… when… One day, my father came by as normal. He opened up the cell, and got my mother out, but before that happened she whispered to me ‘Now is the time’. I thought it was just another usual procedure between the two, but…” She paused. “I heard a commotion, with screaming. It seemed like she put up a fight, but when I first heard the screaming I crawled… I crawled I-into a corner, I shut my ears. I put my hands over my ears until I couldn’t hear any more screaming… I…”
”Veronica…” Bastion said, sympathetically. “I…”
”She didn’t come back. Actually, my father decided we’d move all together. He travelled for ages, and then they crossed the sea. He reached our new little lighthouse, and once we got away from all the normal humans, is when I struck. Little did my father know that I had been possessing two of my guards the whole time, while also regaining my consciousness, something my mother couldn’t do. She had made sure I surpassed her. The guards slaughtered most people in the room, but in the end, Trigoma and his two royal guards who were very skilled remained. My magic pool had been used up… I couldn’t do much else. So I picked up an Arcana and ran forward, and that’s when Trigoma…Father… He told the soldiers to stand down, and drop their Arcanas. They did so. I stopped and asked why, but… he just smiled at me. For a moment, I was going to just turn and run away, but then I remembered my mother’s screams.” She said, and paused. “The two guards cursed me as they fell, since I was now a Kinslayer. Then my father told me he was ‘proud’. Then I killed him. I felt weak from all the death I had caused… it was a concept I had little experience of, but to commit it for the first time had a heavy effect of me. I couldn’t run, just walk and stumble through the forest. I walked for ages till I came across the little elf boy, Yaevinn. I threw away my Arcana upon seeing him, of course, thankfully nobody believed him. Then… Korreal was my home. But talking to people, seeing their friendly smiles and gestures… it frustrated me, and intimidated me.”