Chapter 29 - Catch Me If You Can
“From the cosmopolitan capital of Trevayn to the very borders of the Empire, every subject of Her Eternal Majesty, even the few non-humans among them such as the Mehrzad, has many things in common. Loyalty to the Undying Queen. Love for their fellow subjects and the Empire. A structure and purpose to their lives. However, there is one more trait that is common across the Empire. Tenacity and determination. Her Eternal Majesty's subjects know what is right and what they must do and they will never falter in the face of difficulties, never bow down to oppression."
Two Thousand Years of Empire by Jahangir Amini
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“Wh…”
“Saig.” Ester felt the spell come together around her, frighteningly fast. He wasn't holding back at all.
“Dachaid.” In a panicked flurry she dispelled it before the fire could ignite. Her anger flared, that could have seriously hurt her!
Before she’d even finished saying her spell Mohsen was moving. In an explosion of dirt he leapt forward.
“Gan’ai’do…” Ester couldn't get the words of her spell out before Mohsen was on her.
He didn’t even stop. Just ran past her at unnatural speed and stuck his arm out.
It felt like an iron bar had smashed into Ester’s stomach, her Schema absorbed some of the blow and then gave way. In a convulsive oomph the breath was driven out of her lungs as she was lifted off her feet to slam painfully into the ground.
By the time Ester was able to get her breathing under control and her vision had stopped swimming, Mohsen was standing right where he’d started with his face back to his usual smirk. Slowly, painfully, Ester pushed herself back to her feet, doing her best not to let her limbs tremble. She didn’t think anyone had ever hit her so hard before.
“Did you find that useful Killer?”
He’d enhanced himself, like Lord Deljou. Like the necromancer. She needed to work out how to do that. Or how to counter it.
“Yes.” Her voice was raspy and she coughed to clear her throat before continuing in a more normal tone. “Again.”
Mohsen’s smirk vanished. “Very well Killer. Defend yourself.”
“Sister, please!” Tobie’s shout was ignored by both her and Mohsen.
“Saig.” Mohsen started with the same spell as before, but this time Ester was ready.
“Dachaid.” His spell flew apart. She was already moving, shifting sideways. Could he turn fast enough to follow her? “Dolox ai’diwaien.” Her second spell left her lips within moments of the first.
Ester didn’t take her eyes off Mohsen. She needed to know what he was doing. How he did it.
He blasted forward and neatly jinked straight past her spell. He was just so fast!
She started to cast again. “Tambrgh saa…”
Then, before she could finish, he was there. She tried to step away, but he somehow twisted around her, faster than she could follow. Then he had her. Two vice-like grips, one on each arm. She tried to yank them free, but she might as well have been trying to bend iron bars with her bare hands.
Magic. She needed magic. “Do…” Ester started to cast and Mohsen yanked her arms up behind her back hard enough to make her cry out. She swallowed the sound. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction!
Mohsen pulled her arms again and Ester clenched her teeth to keep quiet.
“So do you give in, Killer?”
He was holding her through her dress’ sleeves. If she could get skin contact, she might be able to do something. It would be risky, but she might be able to simply overwhelm him, or at least force him to let go to avoid her. Ester squirmed in his grip and got nowhere.
Maybe if she… Ester slammed her head back, but Mohsen just laughed as she found nothing there.
“Not giving in? You really are a slow learner.” He pulled her arms up, far enough to make her gasp from the pain and then, suddenly, his hands were gone. Before Ester could do more than bring her arms down into a more comfortable position, something impacted her back flinging her face down into the mud churned up by Mohsen’s passing.
Ester slowly pushed herself back to her feet. Her shoulders hurt from the way he’d yanked her arms. Her back hurt and her stomach hurt too. Actually most of her body was in pain.
While there’d been some flickers of magic around Mohsen, she still hadn’t been able to really see what he was doing. How then? It must be internal magic. Which made sense, but that didn’t help her to copy it!
Ester wiped dirt off her face with a trembling hand as she straightened up. She met Mohsen’s gaze with her own bubbling fury. Why had he decided to do this to her? What had she done to him?
“Ready for another go, Killer?” At least he didn’t sound amused anymore, just burning with anger that she hadn’t bowed down before him. She wasn’t going to give in though. He wouldn’t get the satisfaction. “Or have you learnt your lesson now?”This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
This was going to hurt. It didn’t matter.
Red hot fury wasn’t helpful. Rage didn’t make magic stronger. Ester took a deep breath, she needed to be focused.
“Again.” Her anger was ice to his fire.
She needed to shake things up. To change the game.
“Saig.” Mohsen cast fire. Predictably.
“Dachaid.” Ester dispelled it as he took off towards her.
This was going to be difficult. She drew her dagger and threw it.
“Cuvlug paasgian’fa.” Ester shouted the spell, bringing the blade under her control and sending it hilt first at Mohsen. Time seemed to slow as she split her focus, forcing the world to bend to her will, ignoring the sudden, pounding pressure in her head from the strain.
Mohsen jinked to the side and the dagger followed his movement, guided by her will. With a contemptuous laugh Mohsen leapt smoothly into a somersault, over the dagger. Her second spell came together without a word.
Mohsen snagged the dagger out of the air as he flew over it. Just before he hit the ground, her second spell smashed him straight out of the air, turning his graceful movement into a painful tumble churning up the dirt beneath him.
Ester instantly released both spells. Her legs nearly gave way under her from the sudden relief.
“Dolox ai’diwaien.” Somehow Mohsen had turned his tumble into a smooth roll, bringing him straight back to his feet.
“Dachaid.” He broke apart her spell and then threw the dagger straight at her. There was no magic behind it, just brutal skill.
“Do’aelt!” Ester practically screamed the word, stopping the dagger only feet from her face.
Mohsen was already moving. Charging forward again.
Ester nearly tried to knock him over again. She’d miss though and she couldn’t do two spells at once, not again. Her head was already pounding. She needed time. She needed space!
“Saig.” She gestured around herself and a roaring ring of fire appeared, surrounding her. Shielding her from Mohsen.
In a flash of light he burst straight through it, not even singed by the heat. Before she could react he was on her. Pain exploded in her stomach as he slammed his fist into it, doubling her over. Straight into an open handed slap that sent her to the ground, stars in her eyes. The fire vanished as Ester lost control over the spell.
It took a few, long seconds for Ester to get her wits back about her. Her face hurt, she wanted to throw up and she could taste blood where he’d split her lip.
Eventually she gathered herself enough to start to get off the ground, ignoring her body’s protests. First onto her hands and knees where she took a moment to wipe away muddy tears of pain before struggling to her feet.
“I can keep doing this all day, Killer. Have you learnt enough yet?” Mohsen bounced from foot to foot, his smirk back at the sight of her.
She wasn’t going to give in. Not to him or anyone like him. Never again!
Ester coughed painfully. Her lip was already swelling. “You are a terrible teacher Mohsen. Again.”
“More fool you. It will only get worse.” She prepared herself for Mohsen’s next attack. She’d fooled him once, next time she’d hit him har enough that he couldn't get back up.
“Enough!” Ester jumped at the roar, even Mohsen recoiled slightly.
Velxe stormed onto the field towards him, shrugging off Tobie’s attempt at holding him back. “What is wrong with you? Stop this!” She hadn’t thought Velxe could shout like that. He sounded more like a Watch sergeant than a floppy haired scholar.
Mohsen scowled and turned to face Velxe, then seemed to change his mind, his expression suddenly returning to his infuriating smirk. “I think this just proves my point. Killer thinks she is some kind of Battle Mage. Yet she needs a boy who does not even have the Talent to defend her from a friendly lesson.”
Velxe didn’t break his stride, marching right up to Mohsen and repeated, “What the fuck is wrong with you? Just stop it, enough is enough!”
Mohsen stepped forward, right into Velxe’s personal space, his smirk vanishing as quickly as it had come. He was the bigger man and a Mage too, but Velxe didn’t take a step back. If anything he leant forward, towards Mohsen.
“This is none of your business, boy. She needs to learn her lesson and having some milksop noble holding her hand because he wants to get her on her back just makes her all the more of of an embarrassment.”
How dare he! If Velxe wasn’t in the way she’d…
“Oh go fuck yourself you pathetic embarrassment to your Charter. She is twice the Mage you will ever be and one of the bravest people I have ever met. If you speak so dishonourably about her again then I will make you regret the day your misbegotten parents decided to send you to the Academy.”
Ester heard a gasp. Then realised it was hers.
Magic flared around Mohsen as his face twisted with barely contained rage. “I should kill you for that. Now step aside boy. This is Mage business. Get out of my way or you will be lucky to survive what I do to you.”
Velxe didn’t move. “Touch me and you will make an enemy of House Rutane. Think hard about that.”
“You think I care about…”
“Thank you, Lord Velxe.” Lord Deljou didn’t raise his voice, but somehow his calm, Trevayn-accented voice cut straight through the tension. When had he arrived? What had he seen? “Mohsen that is enough, I am sure you did not mean to threaten to kill a member of one of the Great Houses? Lord Velxe, I am equally sure you did not intend to interfere in Mage business and threaten a trainee who is under my protection?”
He walked unhurriedly towards the two of them.
Mohsen was the first to crack, ducking his head. “No Aziz, of course not. My apologies Lord Velxe.”
“Good. Lord Velxe?”
For a moment Ester thought Velxe was going to say that was exactly what he intended, but in the face of Lord Deljou’s flint-eyed gaze he wilted too.
“Of course not my lord. My apologies Lord Mohsen.”
“Very good.” Lord Deljou nodded as if they’d just been having a pleasant conversation . “Now, Mohsen,” despite his casual tone, there was no give to his voice. “I am sure you are aware that duels between Mages are illegal. Particularly when one of them is in training to be a Battle Mage and the other is not.”
Mohsen grimaced slightly. “I was just teaching her a lesson, Aziz. I hoped to show her what it really means to be a Battle Mage and perhaps discourage her from the kind of foolishness that has gotten her into trouble. She agreed to it and it was no more than a friendly exchange.”
Lord Deljou glanced over at Ester. He must have seen the tear streaks on her muddy cheeks, the blood from her lip. Yet all he said was, “Is that true, Sister?”
Ester hesitated. It technically was, but…
No. Trying to complain about Mohsen would get her precisely nowhere. She already knew how that sort of thing had turned out in the Academy and she was a Mage now. An adult who was expected to look after herself, not an apprentice who might expect to be protected.
“It is true, Brother. Lord Mohsen was kindly offering me some tuition.”
“A pity she is such a slow learner.” Mohsen’s contemptuous words yanked Lord Deljou’s attention back to him.
“Then you will be happy to not provide any further tuition to Lady Mazar, I am sure.” He waited for Mohsen’s nod before continuing. “Unfortunate though. Lady Mazar was a quick enough learner that in the third round you would have likely been dead if she had put real force behind her attack. Perhaps I should congratulate you on how well you taught her. However, given you were tagged by a new Mage with no combat training, I think instead rather more exercises shall be in order. In fact, I think it is time for the four of us to leave. There is clearly a lot of work to be done and I do not wish to wait until nightfall.” He turned to Ester and gave her a polite nod. “Sister. Lord Velxe.”
With that he headed towards the camp at a brisk pace, the three trainees quickly falling in behind him. As they moved away, Tobie glanced back and gave Ester an awkward little wave. The other two didn’t even look.