Chapter 18 - Don't Do Drugs
"The Empire’s victory at the Battle of Grathbridge brought the Itrian War to its conclusion and allowed the Empire to return to the peace that it so treasures. However, the opening stages of the conflict were far more difficult. The vicious and unprovoked invasion of the Empire had shocked Her Eternal Majesty’s subjects, from the lowest peasants all the way to the highest nobles. That surprise and the Empire’s devotion to peace allowed the Republic’s forces to rapidly penetrate deep into the Empire’s territory, even surrounding and besieging Vass Karan. Fortunately, our ruler’s wisdom meant that the Empire was able to absorb the blow and rapidly shore up its defences, bringing the slathering hordes of the Republic to a halt. In particular, the rapid intervention by three of the Empire’s Archmages, who were able to reach the north within hours of news of the invasion reaching Trevayn, was devastating to the Republic’s forces, given their relative lack of magical ability. The Archmages were followed, more slowly, by the Imperial Army and the levies of the Empire’s noble houses, who started the slow process of forcing the Republic back.”
Two Thousand Years of Empire by Jahangir Amini
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Farzim was woken by a banging on the door of the dingy room he had commandeered in the Watch headquarters. With a quiet groan he opened his eyes. He desperately wanted to tell them to go away. He had had a more than trying day and it was the middle of the night. However, duty called. No one would bang on an Inquisitor’s door without good reason. Not unless they had a death wish.
Reluctantly he hauled himself out of the uncomfortable, little bed and stomped over to the door. When he pulled it open he was faced by a rather portly Watchman, awkward fear painted across his face.
The man bowed uncomfortably low. “My Lord Inquisitor, Commander Savate has requested your presence at your earliest convenience.”
Farzim repressed the urge to sigh. He prided himself on his inscrutability, an Inquisitor should never show emotion, whether anger or happiness. It helped to keep people off balance.
“Did Lord Savate say why I am needed?”
“He said Lady Mazar’s returned and that there’s urgent news for you. Sorry my lord, he didn’t say what.” There was no point questioning the man further. If Lord Savate thought it was important enough to wake him then it probably was.
“Very well. Is Lord Savate in his office?”
“Yes, my lord.” The Watchman nodded.
“Go, tell him I will be with him shortly.”
A few minutes later Farzim was striding through the corridors of the Watch headquarters, now properly dressed, albeit feeling only marginally more awake than before. Lack of sleep was a common curse for an Inquisitor, but it still caught up with even the best of them.
When he reached Lord Savate’s office he allowed himself the minor indulgence of ignoring the Watchman outside the door and walking straight in without knocking. The Watch’s commander was sitting behind his desk, looking even more exhausted than Farzim felt. Ester and a young Watchman were sprawled in two of the chairs in front of him showing a complete lack of decorum.
That being said, the Watchman looked grey and unhealthy, he was missing his breastplate and someone had bound his chest in white bandages. Ester on the other hand looked unharmed, but beyond exhausted. Her eyes were dim and her chin was almost touching her chest. Perhaps they could be excused for their poor presentation.
As soon as he entered, all three stood. Lord Savate sprang to his feet, Ester hauled herself up with visible effort and the Watchman in a slow pained movement.
“Please sit. We are all tired.” The sooner they could get this over with the better. “Lord Savate, you said I was needed urgently. Well I am here. Tell me, what is it?”
“Thank you My Lord Inquisitor.” He sank back into his chair. “Ester here returned from the Wasteways only recently. I shan’t beat around the bush. She said she’d found undead in there.”
Farzim’s heart sank. He had thought that with the destruction of the Weiryin his job was done, but it seemed Her Eternal Majesty had more tests for him. Still though, Ester might be a Mage, but she was young, very young, and clearly disobedient. Might she be making it up?
“You are sure?” He did not wait for an answer. “What exactly did you see, Lady Mazar?” He was not going to voice his doubts openly, but perhaps a bit of healthy scepticism would be appropriate.
“There were undead, My Lord Inquisitor. Two of them. Men, but there was no way they could have been alive. I tried to speak to them, but they just moaned and shambled towards us.”
“How do you know they were undead?”
“One of them had its guts hanging from its stomach, just torn out and dragging.” She shuddered violently. “The other was missing its skin on so much of its body, just raw muscle and flesh decaying right there on it. There was also magic crawling all over them, magic I did not recognise.”
“What did you see, Watchman?” He turned his attention on the other one.
“I… I didn’t see much, my lord, but I saw what she says. Men walking who must be dead. With my own eyes and all, Throne save me. She saved my life from the necromancer too.”
Farzim’s eyes narrowed. “Explain.”
Ester took over. “A man followed them in, a hedge witch.” She winced and then shrugged. “Or I think so anyway. He said he was killing the undead, but there was so much wrong with him, the way he behaved…” She trailed off for a second. “I ordered him to be brought back with us to the surface. He did not resist until Arsor and Cai were next to him and then…” She flinched and looked down, muttering something he did not quite catch.
“Arsor and Cai?”
“Two of the Watchmen I sent with Lady Mazar, Metie here was the third.” Lord Savate said.
That explained things somewhat better. Two Watchmen dead, one injured and an exhausted Mage. It seemed his doubts had been misplaced. However, it was no time to indulge in weakness.
“What happened, Lady Mazar?” As he spoke Farzim’s mind was racing. Duke Marcni was already furious about the disruption caused by the Weiryin. It had been necessary to call on the nobility’s resources as well as the city’s Mages and Adepts to hunt the creature, but the ease with which it had been caught would no doubt raise questions about that. The Duke had not said anything to his face of course, but an Inquisitor had to be able to read people and the man was not happy. News of a necromancer would add to the chaos. More days of work lost and more disruption for the city’s most important residents. It was hardly Farzim’s fault that another criminal had popped up, but he had no doubt that complaints would be racing back to Trevayn in no time.
“The man… the witch just punched straight through Cai. He was wearing armour and he just punched through it with his bare hand. I’d been ready to stop him, but disjunction did nothing. Just nothing. Then he killed Arsor before I could even think. He was just so fast. Like nothing I’d seen before. I thought I knew what Battle Mages could do, but it was just… but he could not have been a Battle Mage. Could he?”
“I doubt it. Continue.” If he had been a Battle Mage Ester would not have survived. Farzim had no doubt about that. However, it did sound like the necromancer, which was most likely what the man was, had had some combat magic training. It made it unlikely that he was truly a witch. Perhaps an Adept who had served in the Imperial Army? Or trained in secret by one of the noble houses? It could be problematic if nobles were involved, although in his experience necromancers generally acted alone. Their sheer selfishness precluded cooperation.
“He ran at me, so fast. It was like the Weiryin, just too fast to be natural. Metie tried to stop him and was smashed aside and then I managed to get a barrier between us. He could not break it fast enough and then I threw him away and then again into a wall. I think it hurt him because he turned and ran. That was all really. I failed, I did not stop him and I got the others killed.” She looked utterly pitiable. Soft. No surprise really.
To Farzim’s mild surprise the Watchman, Metie, interrupted.
“You can’t say that, my lady! There was nothing she could of done, my lords!” He looked angrily between Lord Savate and Farzim, any fear of their rank temporarily forgotten. “She bloody well dragged and carried me for two hours out of the Wasteways. She could of left me and no one would have said a word! I told her to, but she helped me. Don’t let her tell you otherwise.”
Ester shot him a weak smile. Perhaps he had been too hasty in calling her soft, it was good that she could engender some loyalty in the men. Whatever the case, Metie was right, it was unlikely she could have done much more in that situation. Without combat training, even an Adept would have been a formidable foe for her. Really, it was good news though. The fact that Ester had survived the encounter clearly said that the necromancer was not particularly powerful or skilled. That opened up Farzim’s options considerably.
“Metie is correct Lady Mazar, from what I have heard, you could not have changed the situation. It is unfortunate, but you did the right thing by returning as soon as you could. If you had died we would have been none the wiser about the necromancer’s existence.” He paused to think for a second.
They would need to move fast. The necromancer would be looking to hide himself now that she had escaped. Perhaps moving fast would be a good thing too. More disruption to the city would call into question both his own and Duke Marcni’s competence in keeping threats of that kind suppressed. Discontent and loss of tax revenue were not his primary worry, but they were nevertheless a concern. If he could deal with this discreetly and quickly then it would leave him looking good and the Empire’s position in Vass Karan as strong as ever.The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
“Lady Mazar, would you be able to take me back to where you found the undead?”
“I…” She hesitated. “I think so. I added Schemas when we passed junctions in the tunnels, so that I could find my way back.” That was better than he had expected. Perhaps she was not as foolish as she seemed.
“Were you not worried that the necromancer might follow you?”
She shook her head. He suspected that if she had not been so tired, she might look smug. “I made them so that they would show only for me. Probably anyway.” Genuinely impressive, no wonder she looked so exhausted.
“Excellent, we must go then. The longer this necromancer is allowed to live, the greater the threat. Lord Savate, I would like five of your best men to accompany us.”
Lord Savate winced at that, hesitated and then spoke slowly and carefully. “My Lord Inquisitor… Lady Mazar… She is…”
Farzim cut him off. “I know she is tired, any fool can see that. Your concern for her does you credit, but when Her Eternal Majesty calls, it is our duty to answer.”
“I will do it, Commander!” The girl actually perked up slightly at the idea of going back into the Wasteways with him. It was almost endearing, but mostly foolish.
“Do not worry, Commander, Lady Mazar. I have some methods for dealing with tiredness. Come Lady Mazar, we will pay a visit to my room and see if we cannot grant you a bit more energy before we leave.”
With that Farzim stood and headed for the door, not bothering to look back and see whether she had followed.
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Ester hesitated when the Inquisitor stood. It was getting a little difficult to think, she was just so tired. A cough from Commander Savate reminded her what she was meant to be doing and she leapt up to follow the man.
In a couple of minutes they were back at his room. Ester knew she was thinking slowly, it was like wading through treacle, but she couldn’t help it. The Inquisitor pulled the door open and went in, before looking over his shoulder.
“Well come on then.”
Ester hesitated. He was a powerful, older man. Rules didn’t apply to Mages in the same way, but actually going into his room, at night no less, seemed a step too far. Then she gave herself a shake. He was an Inquisitor. Of course it was fine.
He hadn’t waited and by the time she went in he was rummaging in a bag by the unmade bed. After a moment he pulled something out.
“There we go.” He held out a glass vial full of a deep purple liquid that somehow seemed to sparkle in gold and silver. “Drink half of this, it should wake you up for long enough.”
Ester reached for it as he pulled the wooden stopper out and then yawned deeply. What had he said, how much?
“Did… did you say half?” She yawned again.
“Hmm, maybe the whole thing would be better. Drink up, my lady.”
Ester took it and brought it to her mouth before pouring it in. She could feel the magic as it flowed in and down her throat. It tasted tingly. When the vial was empty her mind caught up with what she’d just done. She’d drunk an unknown tincture without even checking what it was. That wasn’t very clever, even if an Inquisitor had told her to. They’d have caned her at the Academy for doing something so foolish.
“My Lord Inquisitor, what exactly was that?”
He was busily rummaging in his bag and pulling out some small items. “Just a little tincture that some of us use in service of Her Majesty. It should make you feel fully awake for a while. There is a cost, you will need more time to recover afterwards, but in the grand scheme of things it is a relatively low price to pay.”
Ester nodded. That sounded sensible, although she would quite like to know how to make the tincture. Maybe she should ask the Inquisitor afterwards. If it wasn’t too much of a secret. She could feel the tincture working actually, Great Spirits it was fast! She was already feeling more energetic. Better than normal in fact. She bounced on her toes slightly. Yes, she felt fantastic!
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Ester was surprised at how comfortable she felt being back in the Wasteways. The rough, dark tunnels no longer seemed as frightening as before. Perhaps it was because she was with an Inquisitor. Although he didn’t look very intimidating, when she thought about it. She shot a glance at him, just to make sure. He looked pretty normal in fact, but Commander Savate had said that he’d dealt with the Weiryin and everyone knew that Inquisitors were powerful men. Clever too, they knew all kinds of things and he’d have summoned more help if he needed it.
She nodded to herself at the thought. Everything was looking up. The necromancer would be caught soon and then maybe she could stop doing frightening things for a while. She couldn’t really complain, she’d wanted an adventure and she was really learning quite a lot, but it would be nice not to do anything scary for a while.
Ester hesitated, sudden worry spiking through her as she almost missed a step. They were all moving very slowly. The Inquisitor was off in the lead with the Watchmen following behind. They weren’t being quiet or careful and he was certainly striding. But they didn’t seem to be making much progress. It was boringly slow, but more importantly, what if it gave the necromancer time to escape?
She sped up to walk next to the Inquisitor. Then changed her mind. That put the side of her face that had been cut in the fight with the Weiryin between them and it still looked ugly. She didn’t want that, she’d show him her good side. She quickly switched sides, smoothly moving around him.
He gave her a quizzical look, but he didn’t speed up. It was a bit frustrating really. They were on a timetable after all.
“My Lord Inquisitor,” it was important to be polite, especially to an Inquisitor, “are you not worried that the necromancer will escape? Should we not be walking a little faster?”
Ester didn’t like the way he looked at her. Her question had been perfectly simple, he didn’t need to look confused. “I think if we went any faster the Watchmen might struggle Lady Mazar.”
“Hmm, maybe they should get running lessons from Sergeant Etroan then.” As soon as she said it horror spiked in her and she clamped her mouth shut. She didn’t want the Inquisitor finding out about her training sessions, he might not approve. They weren’t treasonous, but they certainly weren’t ladylike.
“Who is Sergeant Etroan?”
She pretended not to hear his question. “I had better check on the Watchmen, make sure they are doing well.” Without another word she dropped back to the squad of five Watchmen and made a show of looking them over, circling round them as they walked.
Once Ester felt she’d inspected the Watchmen for long enough that the Inquisitor wouldn’t ask about Sergeant Etroan anymore she relaxed a bit. Her secret was probably safe. They were still moving ever so slowly though. It was getting frustrating. Still, she didn’t want to exhaust the Watchmen, that would be mean.
She had to resist the urge to scowl for a few seconds until another thought came to her. She had an expert right there who could help her improve. She was looking at things completely wrongly. It wasn’t that they were moving boringly slowly, they were giving her more time to learn!
Almost as soon as it had occurred to her she was moving back up to the Inquisitor, keeping her good side to him this time. She gave him a polite bow when he glanced at her, not even stumbling even though she was walking at the same time.
“My Lord Inquisitor, I had a question and being as young and inexperienced as I am, I was hoping to take advantage of your wisdom.” Flattery never hurt, all the older Mages loved it.
He gave a small sigh. “Of course Lady Mazar, what can I help you with?” Ester could have bounced with excitement, he was actually going to answer her!
“The Weiryin, what should I have done to kill it? When I tried to burn it it did not do anything and even doing my best I only hurt it, but Commander Savate said you disposed of it.”
“My lady I d…”
“Should I have been more physical? Thrown things at it? No that would not have worked I think. A dimensional lock? Would that do the job? Is it a thing? I can research it. Do you have any books on it? What did you do?” He was starting to shake his head. She clearly had the wrong ideas. So frustrating! “Or should it just have been more fire? Lots and lots of fire might work. Enough fire should kill most things. Right?”
Ester focused and her magic sprung to obey. A ball of white hot fire burst to life above her upturned palm. It looked quite pretty actually. She took a moment to make it grow and shrink before she looked back at the Inquisitor.
“Lady Mazar, I do not believe you should be thinking about that.”
“Oh, yes.” He was right of course. She quickly released the spell. “Perhaps fire is not such a good idea in these tunnels. So is it dimensional locks, or perhaps it is like the reverse of a summoning spell. Would that be legal? Hmm. I could ask Master Tabasi. He might have books on it. You would tell me if I was not allowed to research it though, right? I would rather not ask Master Tabasi actually, he is such an obnoxious old fart, but…” Ester realised what she had just said and gasped, horror shooting through her. “My apologies My Lord Inquisitor, I should not have said that about Master Tabasi. I have nothing but respect for his achievements.”
“Lady Mazar!” The Inquisitor broke her train of thought. “You should not be thinking about Weiryins or anything of that kind!” It was the first time she’d heard him raise his voice actually, but he was right. She felt herself flush at the thought of her own foolishness.
“You are quite right My Lord Inquisitor, my apologies.” She knew how to admit she was wrong. “The necromancer is what I should be thinking about. Oh! What do you think I should do when we find him? He is very fast. I mean, really really fast.” What would work, that was the question. In a flash, it came to her! “How about more fire?”
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Farzim edged away from Ester as two balls of fire sparked into being. One above each of her palms. On the one hand she was showing a somewhat impressive level of control and focus, particularly given she had only recently graduated. On the other hand, he could feel the heat radiating from the fire and she seemed to be enjoying experimenting with shaping and reshaping the balls.
“Lady Mazar…” For once he found himself a little lost for words. “You might warn the necromancer if you start practising fire spells now.”
“Oh, gosh, yes.” The balls of fire vanished. He could still feel her practically leaking magic as they walked though. Well, he was walking, she was almost vibrating as she flitted from place to place. Perhaps he should not have given her so much of the energising tincture, but she really had looked exhausted.
The silence only lasted a few seconds. Ester suddenly moved away, making a circuit of the Watchmen, peering closely at each of their faces, and then was back at his side again. It was impressively fast actually, was she enhancing herself? She certainly should not know how, but at this point he was not sure what to expect from her.
“How do you become an Inquisitor, my lord?”
Farzim resisted the urge to put his face in his hands. The bloody girl had already asked him about forbidden knowledge, the kind of thing that could get her executed. Now this. Fortunately for her his role demanded fair mindedness and he had to admit that this was his failing.
“I do not think that is something you should worry about my lady.” He shot a glance at her. She was a slender thing, tall for a woman, but not very substantial. Now that he thought about it he doubted she had ever taken an energising tincture before either. They were not the sort of thing that was made available to apprentices at the Academy, not unless they were training to become Battle Mages. A dose for an experienced, much heavier man, then doubled because she had looked so exhausted. If he had not just been dragged out of bed and half asleep, he would have realised at the time. As it was… He would allow her some leeway, given his error. A stern talk about asking the wrong questions rather than any real punishment.
She peered at him for a second. She might have been trying to be subtle about it, but if so she failed.
“You are right, of course. I do not think I would want to be one. Everyone tells me I am a terrible liar.” She gasped. “Not that I think you are a liar My Lord Inquisitor. Of course not.” As one of the Watchmen behind them erupted into a fit of coughing her face fell. “This is why no one likes me. I talk too much.” The admission did not seem to stop her from continuing to talk at him. “Everyone is so mean to me. I try my best but, no one wants to be my friend. They either hate me or they are terrified of me. All I want to do is serve Her Eternal Majesty, but it all goes wrong. Even Etroan doesn’t like me and I saved his life. The only person who really likes me is Caia and I think that is only because she wants me to have her babies.”
“Babies?” Farzim instantly regretted asking the question.
She nodded rapidly. “I do not want babies though. They would get in the way and they cannot read. Maybe later, but not while I am having adventures.” Suddenly she perked up, switching from gloomy to excited in a fraction of a second. “Speaking of reading, do you have any interesting books I could read? There are none at the Watch headquarters. Not now of course, that would be silly, but later when we have killed the necromancer.”
Farzim had to resist the urge to groan. His commitment to maintaining an impassive demeanour truly was being tested and the truth was he had no one to blame but himself.