Sorcerer in a fantasy world
Chapter 106

Chapter 106: Chapter 106

The bald druid - Selin - and likely the brains behind this whole operation, led a chant echoed by a circle of cloaked figures. At his back was the altar, a large stone slab, curved at the top, and before it a statue of a deer headed woman whose pregnant womb was split open and inside were lips. I guessed whose lips they were and that they told deceit.

Before I could say a word, Selin’s chant rose to a fever pitch.

The cloaked figures, the group of loyal Druids to Clavile, Unseelie Lord of Pacts and Secrets, slit their own throats. Mass Suicide.

I flinched at the sight. Observing death is always horrid. I felt an instinctive, or perhaps learnt, disgust at metal parting flesh and watching the stream of life giving blood stream out. Soon they breathed their last. However, despite death they stood like the living.

Then in undeath they peeled their flesh apart from the neck. Casting of their skin to the side. Their very bones bore the brand of Clavile’s lips seared into skeletons.

The space over the altar ripped open creating a hole in the dimension giving access to the strata where Unseelie dwelt. The ritual drew their blood upstream, defying gravity, and into this new sacrificial well. The Western King’s corpse rose from behind the altar hung and rotting corpse dangled beneath this crimson well, this gushing gaping hole in reality: his blood long since drained.

Whatever Unseelie Druidry they were doing pulled on something like blood magic. Powerful, with a clear, brutal cost to perform.

Only Selin was left and Agere who appeared out of the shadows to watch the outcome of the ritual. It was beyond even my powers to reverse what Selin had started. Perhaps with preparation I could, but not out of sheer reaction. Even my abilities have limits, nevermind the shock of it all freezing me stuck like a robin in ice.

Even Làidir who a moment ago had been chasing Agere like a bloodhound seemed transfixed by Clavile’s summoning.

Out of blood well first came lips, then the rest of a wide face that swallowed the sacrifices whole. Consuming seemed to shrink Clavile and he reformed into a humanoid form, but with horns protruding out his head, further he stood four metres tall and was wider than barrel. Long black hair and blacker eyes, he was too ugly in his brutish appearance though such features should have lent him an aura of all-too-human, he instead felt unhuman as all fae did.

Clavile spoke like a tuba horn, with the rhythm of jazz and as sweet as a ripe berry, "Apologies, for the state of my coming, young-ancient sorcerer from here-not, and for all the harms my followers have lashed upon your magnificence. They have been a blight upon your person, but here I am now to be your consolation. Pray, forgive and forget for I am the answer to your worst anxieties and the deliverer of hope. Accept me under your shade and I can give you the succour you long for as a most loyal follower."

"What hope have you deceiver?" Morgana questioned.

"Deceiver? A title that lies spread by the powers that be. I like all just minded persons sought to rebel to create a fairer governance for all people everywhere. I have been called hope-bringer long before slander branded me with the stigma of deceiver. They feared the change I could bring. To survive I have sought allies with foul, but great beings. But, no more. Survival is a thing of the past. Living, to be our best selves is the promise of our meeting. I can taste your dreams, sorcerer, and they are a delight!

"Taste his dreams!" Iris repeated with horror.

"Maradon wanted to take that power to unleash his terrible nightmares onto the world. But you have paradise in mind. Without me you shall fail, you know this, you have your allies but they are weak." He pointed to Làidir. "A warrior, no matter how mighty, cannot build. He gestured to himself, "But I am artist and command great magic of mine own. Merlin became a kingmaker with my aid, but you defy the gods of Rome and together we can defeat them."

The offer was too good to refuse. Everything could be taken care of... had my future self failed because he refused to accept or because he had. He’d never mentioned this, in fact, he had said little and nothing that been really relevant. I was facing this alone.

"Silence!" Làidir roared. "You twist my brother into your pawn and now you offer aid. Well there shall be none but death."

She dashed to attack Clavile, but was intercepted by her brother Agere.

The two clashed halberd and sword. Their fight resumed, swift and brutal exchanges of power, both too enduring to fail.

"Focus, Sorcerer. What I offer is more important than some sibling drama.

"You fought the tyrant Maradon, but now you listen to the sweet words of Clavile. You don’t seem to me to be one who would you let him control you like some doll. Who are you?" Morgana questioned and challenged.

"It is not so simple. If we can defeat the gods then Iris lives, you live."

"You don’t know that." Morgana protested. "You don’t know you need his help."

"I know." I insisted with a defeated whisper. I felt it, a kind of hazy intuition. If I refused then we would be without a vital ally and down a down where I lose someone. What I suspected my future self was trying to change oh so subtly. The very same outcome I had been struggling against since I got here.

If I lost them then I would return to that darkness, the same stuckness that had imprisoned my mind back on earth, I’d be alone and unmoving. Alive but without loving emerging action that had made me feel good since I’d gotten here. Despite my powers, and despite all the suffering if I meant I could be with them a little longer I would. I was right. I had to be.

"Damian, no." Iris refused with a laconic word.

"Please." let me save you I couldn’t have the courage to say.

"I am a Druid of the Seelie Court. I’ve given you everything and would follow you anywhere, but I cannot betray who I am. It would deny all I value in you and all I believe in. My life has been cast to fight the unseelie even if that means you."

"I’m right." I said.

Iris held one of my hands and Morgana held the other. They each clasped my cheek with their other hands, "Trust me." They said as one.

Umbra had remained silent and observed.

I felt Umbra hug me from behind, "You fought me when I did wrong. If I am to serve and act followingly your example then I agree with them. You can’t do this, Master. He lies." She told many truths and one final lie.

"I told you they would call me liar and speak falsely. You know this to be true." Clavile assured me.

I agreed, but just as I listened to him, so did too did I listen to my lovers.

I tried to justify what I was about to do.

"You tried to kill me." I accused.

"Oh no, I wasn’t trying to kill you. No no no. I had a pact to fulfil so I could serve you, my Sorcerer."

"What pact?"

"The one Maradon demanded we make with the Romans."

"Have you?"

"Of course. Now that the last free city has all but fallen our pact is complete." He said. "The Romans intended to target us after as I am sure you understand. Master Maradon the same though I don’t know his full plan. It seems to have died with him."

"Now you look to me for protection?"

"It is in your favour. You have the last of Seelie and the Unseelie in your camp. You can do what no other could."

"What?"

"Unite our people."

"To what end? I don’t think you do this out of compassion or belief."

"Power, my King. Together with the Druids, and the Pendragon we have the means to conquer Albion."

"The Roman Gods..."

"Won’t be a problem. I have intelligence that suggest there is a reason so few come north. We are surely a mighty prize, but they spend so little of their might against us? Arrogance...perhaps. But there is something more."

"What?"

"I know only rumour..."

I stared at him.

"The Egyptian pantheon and the other gods and great ones on the far southern continent are uniting. Mars was sent to quell Albion and secure part of their northern border before the true clash began. Athena with the same task to our cousin to the east."

"So it possible to win."

"Not easily. We could be crushed even if the Southern coalition defeat the Romans. You need me power, influence and experience."

"I know."

"What is a little revenge between close allies?" Clavile teased. "I’m too useful to ignore."

"I know."

"Damian." Morgana said.

"I know."

Knowledge, that both sides had valid points I agreed with, wasn’t merciful, at least to me. Whatever choice I made would wound me, I believed. Both required total commit, no room for compromise here between the divided Seelie and Unseelie camps.

I reached out and held Clavile’s shoulder.

I touched him gently and felt a bitter sorrow. Despising him as I did, he had filled me with hope and promise, so I was loath to slay him.

He seemed to register my intent with a wide-eyed horrified gasp. He tried to pull away.

My gentle clasp turned into an iron hard grip, I channelled more than half more source, yes my very power, into Clavile. He was no empty vessel, rather a bag of mostly mucus and water and I was not pouring water, but mana like burning gasoline that fried his being; flesh and mana body, onto dust and ether. He became nothing but the elements of reality.

I fell to one knee into pained exhaustion, gasping for air. Far simpler, but far less satisfying exchange than I’d had with Maradon. There was no irrational discharge of pleasure from the touchings of combative violence, no, only a waste of potential and a draining of my power.

Clavile was drained from awakening the catacombs and reanimating that skeleton army. He’d done it from afar, and that act of extension, before his summoning here, had already cost him much magic. It pleased me to see it. Just for once, I’d gotten the jump on one of these guys. If we had waited rather than chased then they could have spent more time preparing and recovering. We had been caught between a full Roman force outside our walls and a full Unseelie force beneath.

Slaying Clavile had been anticlimactic, but I had used up a lot of magic. I could only hope I would get the chance to rest as I was weakened and vulnerable. If I faced Mars now... I feared the thought of it.

"You killed him?" Selin said. He looked relieved, rather shocked.

I was taken aback, but all the tension seemed to fall from his body. The life from him also seemed to fade.

"He did." Iris confirmed.

"He really did." Umbra said for added effect.

Even Làidir and Agere stopped fighting to witness the event. Though judging by both of their tired exertions, they might have also stopped for a breather.

"The Unseelie are finally undone. Though the Gods of Rome bark at our gate, the world shall never be the same, for the roots of perpetual evil have been burnt and now humans have a chance to lay claim as masters of our fate. Only if the very gods from outer worlds be dealt forthwith or back to our chains shall we rot forevermore." Morgana told in chilling tones.

"Gods can be ’dealt with’ tomorrow. I need to rest." I said with pained gasp. I felt like my chest was choking me with tightness. I struggled to keep my eyes open for a fog of weariness called me to slumber.

"A moment please." Morgana said to me and then turned to the traitor druid, "Why make Tomlin attack your own people." Morgana asked Selin.

He laughed, it was a bitter croaky sound, "I wasn’t behind Tomlin. I know you weren’t. I think that leaves the Romans as the only culprit left."

Iris’ face twisted in confusion, "The romans how?"

"Ha, what do I know... what does it matter?" He sat down and slumped against the altar. "It’s over. Everything has ended." He snapped his fingers and in doing so broke his neck. He flopped dead at the statue’s feet.

The women slaughtered Agere. They left no space and time for deliberation, contemplation or the possibility of justice for him. The law of the Seelie left no ambiguity when encountering Unseelie and the modern ideas of justice on earth though old to me didn’t exist in this world.

What they did was wrong, I believed, but I couldn’t fault or call them out on it. He was too dangerous and we were too vulnerable. Once I had made our home and we had settle then I could help create a more fair and impartial system of justice and law. For, we had judged and executed Agere by the motivations of our feelings and not secured him redemption, rehabilitation of even the chance to tell his story.

I realised then, as much as I loved these people and felt some measure of happiness in this world even though it had brought me to anxiety and melancholy back on earth it had been more fair, just and equal. I loved my power and what it gave me, but this place was terrible and had wrought one disaster after another.

I felt a burdensome responsibility to try and make this place better. If not me then who?

I only had the power to secure their lives, not just the people I cared about but every living being. Their lives, freedoms, chances for justice and opportunity by some random chance of difference in power I could shape their histories. Would their stories be of hunger, violence and fear or of justice, peace and full bellies?

I was still clearing the board, but soon I would build.

For now, Agere along with Clavile were dead. Làidir looked to be injured, and psychologically vulnerable. Tara looked winded. Morgana and Iris seemed warmed up. Umbra looked none the worse either.

Agere was dead. Làidir was now alone in the world.

The traitor had committed suicide and the Western King was also dead.

We had stopped one threat. Now hopefully some rest.

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