The HaRT Knight Decaverse

Heir of Magic

Chapter 10

The Black General

Fabien pulled his furs tighter around his face as the wind howled like an injured animal and covered him in a fresh layer of snow. It felt like his eyeballs would freeze as he squinted to see through the white veil that surrounded him. The feeble rays of the sun were dying out by the time the draco-equus reached the peak of the highest mountain in the world. Reaching the top of the Já Mountain was a feat only a handful of people would ever achieve. A normal person wouldn’t even be able to breathe, even Fabien’s lungs struggled to drag in-breath, and he had used Heart Tongue Magic to enhance his already superior dhaesí physiology.
Fabien leaped from his draco-equus and trudged through the snow until he found the circular disk of metal he was looking for. Despite the altitude and being covered in snow, the metal felt warm to his touch. Fabien searched the disk with his gloved fingers, fumbling over the intricate carvings until he found the button. The second he pressed it, hundreds of gears began to turn and the disk gave a jerk. Slowly it began to rise out of the frozen ground. The draco-equus made a concerned groan as it watched its master rise into the sky on the metal pillar.
“I’ll be back soon. Stop complaining. It’s not like you can even feel the cold,” Fabien said.
The draco-equus gave another groan but dropped onto a mound of snow and went to sleep.
We should kill the creature. Its blood would warm us, the voice said.
It took only a few seconds before the rising pillar lifted Fabien through the perpetual white haze above the mountains—which was, in fact, only the floor of a hollow sphere of clouds that hid the gothic structure that hung from the magical dome that separated the world of Anarchos from the other worlds in the Galactic Tree’s branches. The structure was made of white marble and looked like a fortified castle, but Fabien knew it was actually a temple of the god of knowledge.
The metal pillar lifted Fabien into the temple through a circular hole in the structure’s floor. Once inside, he stepped off, and the pillar sank back down.
The inside of the temple was well lit by torches that had no fire or warmth but were instead made from glass that produced a bright white light. Knee high creatures made of metal—brass plates, gears, and pistons—scurried through the halls as they cleaned and maintained the myriad of alien devices, paintings, and statues. One of the metallic creatures came up to Fabien and showed he should follow it.
“Your master sent you?” Fabien asked the creature.
It bobbed up and down in what he suspected was an attempt at a nod.
“Very well, lead the way then,” Fabien said. He followed the metal being as it scuttled down the long halls. As they went, they passed rooms that contained things that made the fire-less torches look mundane.
One room was full of masterful works of art depicting people that were so lifelike the real beings would seem counterfeit in comparison. Another room was alive with the sound of music. An entire orchestra played, and yet, the only thing in the entire room was a small wooden box with a brass horn. The most intriguing treasures in any of the room however, was a clockwork device that resembled a tree with moving arms that held balls of light and transparent spheres that contained what looked like clouds—a working replica of the celestial tree, complete with all ten worlds.
Eventually, the metallic creature led him into a mostly empty hall that had a domed ceiling where brass rings and glass lenses moved on their own, stopping at random intervals only to change direction and start again.
The metal creature stopped in front of a throne-like chair that stood on a raised dais against the far wall. It made a series of gestures Fabien interpreted as “Wait here,” then it scurried out the room.
As Fabien waited in the dark, he stared up at the rings as they danced around the dome. It was oddly satisfying to watch, and he lost track of the time he spent waiting. A ticking noise appeared from behind him, bringing him out of his reverie. Without turning, he said, “Hello, Adagnitio.”
“Hello, Fabien. That is the name you go by now, is it not. Or would you prefer, Abasdarhell Septimus Ravenson.” Adagnitio said in a voice that literally echoed with power. It was so overwhelming and intimidating, it seemed to rattle reality.
Fabien turned and the voice in his head screamed incoherently.
The god of knowledge wore white armor that covered his entire body and a smooth oval mask of opaque white glass that hid his face. The man beside Adagnitio wore no armor. He was tall and powerfully built and possessed an otherworldly beauty. Like all angelians, he seemed as close to perfect as was possible. His silver eyes were like mirrors and his hair, which hung to his shoulders, was as white as snow. Fabien thought of the man only as Adagnitio’s dog, or simply Dog, seeing as every time he as much as thought his name, the voice in his head went berserk. But now, being in his presence, the voice was so strong and out of control, Fabien fell to his knees and clutched at his head.
It’s him! Kill him! It’s his fault! He did this to us! Kill him! Slaughter him! Now! Tear his heart out! You will —
There was a loud rustling sound, and the voice vanished. Fabien looked up at the two ‘men’ with amazement. “You took it away. You healed me.”
“No, Abasdarhell. As I told you the last time we met, there’s nothing to heal. Nothing to take out. The stain that thing left behind is part of you. It is your darkest thoughts, inclinations, and feelings. To remove it, would be to remove your mind.”
“Then what is this? Why can’t I hear it anymore?”
“I’m actively altering your mind, but to expose you to this for too long would break you—if you were lucky, it would just kill you.”
“You didn’t come all this way to ask for a cure again, did you?” Dog asked.
Fabien could almost feel the voice try to claw free of Adagnitio’s hold. “No. I’m not,” he said, focusing his gaze on the god of knowledge. “You know why I’m here.”
“I do,” Adagnitio said. “You want what I took from you and gave to Michael.”
“Yes. Cain is closing in on it. I need to find it before him.”
“No, Abasdarhell, you don’t.”
Fabien stared at the so-called god of knowledge for a moment, waiting for him to say more, but when he didn’t, he said, “Then you will intervene—or, at the very least, send your Dog?”
“No,” Adagnitio said simply.
“No?” Fabien said, agitated.
“No. You know I don’t interfere unless I have no other choice. As for—my dog—he may not interfere either. Not in this.”
“Why?” Fabien snapped and his voice echoed through the empty room.
“Because it’s not part of the plan. Neither is you finding it before Cain.” Adagnitio took a seat on his throne, his eyeless face staring at Fabien. “That’s all you need to know.”
“Take your plans and schemes and shove them up your feathery ass.” Fabien hissed through his clenched teeth. “I should have known it was a mistake coming here.”
He turned and was about to leave when Adagnitio said, “Aren’t you forgetting the other reason you came here? Don’t you have another question you would like to ask?”
“Why? So you can say no again.”
“Actually, I won’t say no. Unlike your other request, you finding Moondrake is part of the plan.”
Fabien’s mouth almost fell open with surprise. “You’ll tell me how to find Moondrake?”
“I would have, had you come sooner,” Adagnitio said.
Fabien felt like he was being toyed with and almost lost control of himself, but before he could do something that would have ended in him being reduced to a fatty smear covered in ash on the ground, Dog said, “Time is of the essence. Adagnitio had just given me orders to bring you here to him when you arrived.”
“Yes, but it is still too late to tell you how to find Moondrake. I need you there, right now,” Adagnitio said. “I shall ensure that your steed awaits you on the ground below.”
“What?” Fabien asked and spun around to face the infuriating two men and almost fell to his death. He was no longer in Adagnitio’s temple. He stood on the roof of a tall building that looked out on a city floating in an ocean of stars. A strong wind raced up the side of the building and struck him so hard it tore his furs off and sent them flying away into the black heavens. He was on Moondrake.
Fabien shuddered. Adagnitio’s power was terrifying. To transport someone across countless miles without a word or complicated spell, but merely because that’s how you wanted it to be—there was no magic that could do that. Whatever the god of knowledge’s power was, it was clearly the reason he was known as a god.
“Halt! Who are—?” a small regiment of four moondrake guards stood behind Fabien. “Shadow-dhaesí. You’re the Black General!”
Kill them! Spill their blood! Slaughter them! the voice returned and Fabien blew out a breath as, for once, he let go of his inhibitions.
“Sound the al—”
Fabien shot across the rooftop, produced a dagger, and killed the moondrake before he could finish. The other three guards were frozen with shock as they watched their companion fall to his knees, blood spraying from the gash in his throat. Their moment of horror cost them their lives. Fabien cut the tendons of one guard’s arm and slammed his dagger into the back of his skull in one smooth move. He then grabbed the spear and drove it through the second guard’s eye. The last of the moondrake guards at least tried to fight back, but it was no use. His frantic aeroturgic attacks were wild and easy to dodge. Before the moondrake knew what was happening, he was on the ground, disarmed, and unable to move his legs due to the dagger in his back.
“You son of a bitch,” the moondrake said.
“Maybe, maybe not. I never got a chance to get to know her,” Fabien said as he kneeled beside the moondrake. He pulled the feathery arm to the side and pulled the dagger out of the moondrake’s back. He used the blade to shave away the feathers until only soft flesh was left on the forearm. Placing the tip of the dagger against the skin, he said, “Now, we need to have a chat, but first—” The dagger danced as it carved the Heart Tongue Runes into the moondrake’s skin. The guard yelled but could do nothing to stop it.
Do you think this is painful, birdy? Wait for what’s coming next.
“All right,” Fabien said when he finished the fourth and final rune. He pricked his finger and let a drop of his blood fall on each of the runes. Each time the dhaesí blood touched a rune, it activated with a fiery glow and smell of burned flesh. “Let’s start with a test question. What’s your name?”
“Why should I—” the moondrake cut off as he descended into screams of agony as the runes glowed fiery hot.
Yes! Yes! Scream! More!
“Hurts, doesn’t it?” Fabien said. “If you want it to stop, all you have to do is answer my question.”
“Korvus! My name is Korvus!” He stopped screaming. “By the love of Bennu, what have you done to me?”
Fabien laughed. He pointed at the Hart Tongue Runes on Korvus’ arm. “Let me translate these for you, shall I?” he pointed at the first rune, “This is the rune for blood. The rune next to it has a few meanings; it means fire, but in this context, it means boil.” He moved the dagger to the last rune. “This tricky bastard means truth. The one in the middle that serves as the spell’s restriction, means: does not equal. Put them all together and the Heart Tongue Spell reads: blood boils if the answer is not true. Here, let me show you again. How are you and your people hiding this city from the world?”
Korvus glared at Fabien for a second, then the runes glowed and the moondrake screamed.
“I told you, anything other than truth causes your blood to boil. Silence, is not the truth,” Fabien said and the voice in his head cackled hysterically.
Steam rose from Korvus and his skin blistered before he yelled, “It’s an Optohedral Obscuroveil. A magic device. It surrounds the entire city in a magic veil. Anyone outside it can’t see, hear, or even smell anything inside.”
The runes stopped glowing and Korvus sagged in on himself. He cried as he said, “Please. Just make it stop.”
Never!
“That’s up to you, now isn’t it?” Fabien went down to his haunches. “Where is this device?”
“In front of the palace. At the center of the city,” Korvus blurted. “I’ll take you there. I’ll show you. Please, just take these things off me.”
No! More, make him suffer more.
Fabien smiled. “Sure, here, let me help you.”
He slid his dagger’s blade beneath the truth rune and peeled away the skin, cutting out only the last two runes. With the restriction removed, the Blood and Boil runes glowed and Korvus doubled over as he screamed in agony. He writhed on the ground like a fish on dry land. His skin blistered and red froth bubbled out of his eyes, ears, and mouth. His screams became a muffled gargle and then his body exploded open like a bursting sheep’s bladder.
The voice laughed hysterically. Yes! More, let’s kill more! Let’s kill all of them!
Fabien walked to the edge of the building and smiled. “Don’t worry, there’s a lot of them between here and the device. And once we destroy the device, the fun can begin.”