I was blind, not fully in control of my body, and surrounded by six warriors and four magicians.

  I was also on fire.

  I’d had better days.

  I could only cast my spells against targets I could sense, and I also had to be able to sense the rune containing my spell. The Aether was everywhere, even between the pages of my spellbook, my ring sight was useless here.

  If I were a normal Magi I’d have already lost the fight. I could remember what had happened, I’d assume this attack was along similar lines to how the warlocks had captured me in the first place. Magi were powerful, but we were more vulnerable than most other magic users.

  I, however, had more senses than sight to rely on, and I could navigate by touch without my body responding to my command. I was, unfortunately, still mortal when it came to my ability to formulate and respond.

  Something whistled past my face as something else bounced off my skin with a pleasant chiming sound. The knights with their swords. I didn’t know what the chiming did, and I wasn’t about to find out. I needed to regain control of this situation.

  Dispelling Key

  Something turned, stopped, turned harder, and something else broke.

  I stood suddenly straighter with a deep breath as my body came under my autonomous control.

  Mesmerizing Word

  “Sleep.”

  Six swords clattered to the floor, as did a number of bodies including all those I could feel with my ring. I couldn’t count on the spell slowing a magician, as they could have made any number and kind of bargains, though it was rare to find more than one creature willing to enter a pact.

  Transmuting Shadow

  The Aether immediately around me turned to shadow. The Aether touching the shadow was turned to shadow in turn, as was the air. The shadow spread faster than fire through the room, devouring Aether and air alike. The remnants of my robes were immediately snuffed out. Breath was torn from my lungs. The flaming lance, which I could feel but not see in the alternating blinding whiteness and perfect dark, died.

  Then air returned in a thunderclap, staggering Attar and causing my ears to ring. A moment later the light off my body scattered the shadows in every direction, restoring my sight, though not my night vision.

  My ring could now see a bubble around me, however, which would be enough to forewarn me on any new attacks.

  Another flaming lance appeared, but this time I saw it as it entered the edge of my vision. It was fast, but no faster than a sword swing.

  I raised my own lance to parry, but the strange view—through my ring rather than my eyes—failed me and the lance slipped past my guard. The flaming projectile struck straight between my eyes, and carried out the other end, doing no damage, but leaving my forehead warm. I’d already learned my hair was fireproof, but it was still disconcerting to see it flutter away from my skull at the tip of spear in a circle, even though not a single strand was harmed.

  My eyes stopped blinking away the light of the Aether and I could now make out my sole foe.

  Her robes were as red as Marian’s had been until this nameless magician had burned them away. Her eyes widened as I focused on her and she frantically made a gesture of some kind.

  Handcannon II

  A crushing weight flattened me to the floor around the same moment her head should have exploded. At the same time, something in reality snapped. My right hand rippled at the index finger and thumb, and my fingerprints smoothed away into nothing as though from a burnscar.

  The seed which missed spring would still sprout in the next rain, should its core hold true.

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  Handcannon

  She twisted at the last moment, some intuition that caused the shot to hit her jaw instead of temple. The magician collapsed regardless, and was still.

  Whatever pressure she’d struck me down lasted a moment after her death, then, reluctantly like a dog relinquishing a bone, the pressure eased and vanished.

  Attar was behind me, his ogress and four mercenaries were in front of him.

  I rose unsteadily, “Is she dead.”

  “She’s dead. The others are asleep.”

  My Handcannon II spell was gone. My fingers looked weird. My leg was on fire (figuratively now that it had been extinguished). I was breathing hard.

  “Wasn’t... expecting an ambush,” I hadn’t exerted myself in the slightest. It was shock taking my breath away. Part of my mind noted the phenomena while the rest continued to panic.

  “You’re amulet didn’t work?”

  “They couldn’t hurt me.”

  “I heard something sizzle when the lance struck your left leg.”

  Right. That was why it was stinging so much.

  Heal III

  That would take care of it. Eventually. It wasn’t the instant relief of a stronger spell, but I wanted to pace myself.

  “What do we do with them?” Attar asked, carefully stepping around Marian to stand by my side with his minions.

  “Marian’s attacked us twice unprovoked,” I raised my lancegay, “And yet, I don’t think I have the strength to kill her in her sleep.”

  “Take their weapons and bind them?”

  “If we bind them they will die. If we take their weapons, they will probably die. But they at least have a chance.”

  “Better chance than we had. Better chance then they gave us.”

  I brushed the remains of Marian’s robes off my skin, “I suppose I should give thanks I am invisible. And they should give thanks I’d feel wrong stealing their clothing while they—“

  Attar stood from where he’d been unwinding Marian’s fouta and held it out to me, “She had her chance.”

  The action woke Marian (of course it did) and she cried in alarm. This in turn caused another of the magicians to stir, this one wearing green robes. No one else woke.

  Attar lowered his cutlass to Marian’s throat, “Either of you make another sound and we’ll finish what you started.”

  “Why did you attack us? We’ve offered you no harm,” I asked.

  Neither woman spoke.

  I was starting to develop a dislike for the Empire. They were clearly sent to the Bleak Fort to discover a path to Elysium. Undoubtedly that was only part of their mission, but still. Why were they trying to be so secretive about it?

  I took the offered fouta and wrapped it around myself. I considered grabbing one of their packs in retribution, but I didn’t want to risk waking another of the knights for an unknown prize. An unknown prize which might be vital to the survival of the knights. I wasn’t feeling particularly friendly towards them at the moment, but I’d rather be an executioner than condemn someone to death.

  That said, there were customs to be maintained.

  I walked over to Marian and carefully used the edge of my dagger slice the back from both her shoes. I then removed both, and tore them to pieces with the destructive tip of the lance.

  It would have been proper to prick her toes with the lance as well, but I worried the wound might kill her, so I took my dagger again and ointment and stabbed her through a thin lair on the base of her big toe, heel, and three equidistant points along the ball of her left foot. The wound shouldn’t get infected, nor be enough to kill her, but it would be a reminder of her treachery with every step.

  I then sent Attar to guard the other mage while I moved to Marian’s head and gathered her long red hair in my hand. A few quick cuts left her shorn. Attar did the same with his cutlass to the unknown mage, though the cruder blade did a rougher job.

  I then steeled my heart, for to speak properly I could only speak true, “Cross us again, and we will kill you. This I swear.”

  It was an ugly thing to see fear in the regard of those before you. It was for the best they couldn’t see my own sorrow and disgust. I didn’t trust either emotion to be faithful to who I wanted to be, even if they were who I was.

  PushII

  I pinned both women by their sternum to the ground. They would still be able to stand if they put the effort in, but I didn’t want to risk more force or a vulnerable spot. Killing them now wasn’t my goal.

  Attar tensed when he noticed his mage flatten into the floor but I called him off, “Come on Attar, my spell will hold them until I wish for it to end.”

  I turned without a further word, leaving my back exposed to the two captive mages. Neither struck. I would have seen it coming anyway. Attar followed after me shortly after, swords of our foes in hand. It was high time we were back among friends.