Chapter 87

“Nemesis you say?” Morgana asked me at the debriefing session.

“Yes, either Abi or me, though she was looking directly at me,” I replied.

“Must be some sort of Daoine Sidhe prophesy we’re unaware of. I’ll ask Verenestra though,” Morgana mused.

“Yes, my Mage. Though as Abi has said, ‘to know the path is to deviate from it’, which is why prophesies are obscure and only make sense afterwards,” I chuckled.

“True,” murmured Abi with a slight smile.

“Well done on using Hokken’s sanctum to get you out. It seems to have opened a doorway for us in that several other Azuran units have made attempts to ‘abscond’ across the valley with varying results,” Morgana added. “Our observers have been busy along with the Seers we have to use to keep the portals hidden.”

“We have tried to show several Mages, including you, how it’s done. So far only you and Simon have successfully managed it,” Abi semi-apologised.

“I know, and the Council is not happy about Simon or I endangering ourselves any more than the Seers,” Morgana sighed.

“I’m surprised Mage Julia can’t do it, but that leads to the same issue,” I added.

“Mage Julia doesn’t have the time to study the variables involved; of all the Council Mages she’s actually the busiest,” Abi explained.

“That’s true enough,” Morgana agreed. “Once you have a department like this up and running the way you want it, it more or less takes care of itself; mostly due to Róisín’s background work. Whereas Julia has to go through reams of intelligence summaries on a daily basis as the world turns ... well, several worlds in her case.”

“She must enjoy it though?” I asked.

“Yes, she’s a natural busybody,” Morgana chuckled. “Though no need to tell her I said that.”

“She has her hobbies too. It’s not all work with her,” Abi added.

“Hobbies?” I asked.

“She likes mountaineering. Does it with a Null amulet on; free soloing I think it’s called. Your invention made it possible for her,” Abi explained.

“Hell of a risk,” I murmured.

“She’s very good at it. Being a Mage takes a lot of risks out of life she says. So now you gave her a way to add real risks,” Abi replied.

“Never thought my Null amulets would be used to make Mages less risk averse,” I chuckled.

“We’re human; it’s a way of making life exciting,” Morgana added.

“True, where’s the risk in falling off a mountain knowing you can float?” I chuckled seeing the point.

“Yes, for all she can remove the amulet if in trouble, it means she can’t unconsciously use her powers to assist her efforts,” Morgana agreed.

“Sounds like fun,” I chuckled.

“Makes life worth living, a little risk and adventure,” Morgana chuckled.

“I have Mage Roxanne for that,” I replied.

“She says you’re getting better,” Morgana noted.

“True, I can now manage a full ten seconds of combat before she floors me,” I said with a grin.

“That much? You are getting better,” Morgana chuckled.

“Yep, we then go over it in slow motion and she shows me the countermove and we practice that until I get it right. After that it’s a case of muscle memory and speed,” I admitted.

“Well, you have time. How’re the Mage duelling sessions going?” Morgana enquired.

“Much easier, I can keep her at bay for nearly half an hour now and have landed a couple of sneaky blows in too. Still, 90% of the time I lose, but it’s easier to learn the counters for that,” I replied.

“Yes, though I rather doubt you’ll find many willing to challenge you,” Morgana admitted. “You’re too good for almost all journeymen of your rank and an actual Mage or High Mage would look stupid challenging you; particularly as they’d stand a good chance of losing.”

“Róisín, Brianna and Imelda give it a go occasionally and Abi refuses as she doesn’t want to make me look poor,” I chuckled.

“I can do things you can’t, John. It wouldn’t be fair,” Abi replied with a smile.

“True, no one takes on a Seer,” chuckled Morgana.

“Surprised you aren’t running the Council,” I mused.

“Why would we do that? We have enough to do as it is,” Abi replied with a grin.

“Besides, the explanations can make you very uncomfortable when asking why they did what they did,” Morgana laughed.

“I’ve given up asking,” I chuckled. “I found I slept better.”

“Wise man,” Morgana agreed.

“Sometimes we do it for fun,” Abi added.

“You have a sick sense of humour then,” I chuckled as her grin grew wider.

“As it is, I need you and Róisín to visit Murias and liaise with Ferrimoot, he’s sending an expeditionary force to Finias to see if they can bring out any survivors as the Tuathan’s have abandoned that world. He believes there may be some still alive outside of the cities needing help,” Morgana stated.

“Still chronically short of Mages?” I asked.

“Yes, John. Though you’ll be working alongside several Æsir Seiðkonur under Freya,” Morgana added.

“So, a search and rescue mission?” I asked.

“Yes, John. There won’t be many. The Nephilim were quite thorough, but Ferrimoot feels obliged to try as the Tuathans won’t,” Morgana explained.

“A good cause. I’ll pack my bags ... and my armour,” I replied.

“Do that, John. Oh and I’ll want a report on how Ferrimoot’s politics are shaping the Murian outlook on life ... or rather Mage Julia will,” Morgana chuckled.

“Work, work, work,” I sighed. “You take all the fun out of smiting the unrighteous, my Mage,” I finished with a chuckle.

“At least you get to go play,” Morgana replied with a wry smile as she picked up a report on Mage Rinku being ‘uncooperative’ with a Council Mage’s aide.

Murias felt a lot different from the last time Róisín and I had been there. There was a sense of fun about the place that was made more self-evident by the lack of the public morality police.

“Oh, we put them on the front lines,” chuckled Ferrimoot after our initial greetings. “Few survived; many indeed had wounds to their back.”

“No doubt caused by running away from the enemy,” I stated straight faced.

“That’s amazing, John! That’s exactly what I said when I heard about it,” Freya said with an outright laugh.

“First thing that popped into my head,” I chuckled. “How is marriage treating you?”

“He’s a lovely man, far more gentlemanly than most Æsir,” she replied with a happy smile.

“With a spine of iron when needed,” Róisín added.

“Oh, most definitely, but only to his enemies,” Freya noted.

“I’m mostly harmless,” Ferrimoot chuckled.

“As am I,” I replied with a grin that grew wider at the looks of sheer disbelief I was getting.

“Well ... anyway,” Ferrimoot coughed slightly. “The Mazdani have pulled back and left few if any Nephilim alive. But they did have the courtesy to report to me that they’d spotted the signs of several Tuathan survivors, hence this mission.”

“So we’re the hunting dogs?” Róisín asked.

“Pretty much so. Locate them for us and let us bring them in if that’s what they want,” Ferrimoot agreed.

“Who’s in charge?” I asked.

“Officially, Freya; unofficially, Kordanta, who’s there to make sure they’ll obey Freya,” Ferrimoot chuckled.

“Take it you think there will be issues?” Róisín replied with a grin.

“Hope not, but Kordanta will gut any bastard who back answers my Lady. Said he wishes he was three decades younger so he could challenge me for her hand,” Ferrimoot replied with a proud grin.

“He means it too,” Freya added with a grin of her own.

“Hopefully he’ll knock a little sense into any hotheads you have,” I chuckled.

“I hope so; we’re trying to evolve Murian society into something the Æsir can accept as equals and allies, but too many of our young men haven’t a clue as to how to behave in polite company ... well, in what used to be the upper classes,” Ferrimoot explained.

“Well, we’ll help as I’m sure will the Æsir Seiðkonur,” I stated.

“Oh, they’re looking forward to it,” chuckled Freya.

“Been a while since I maimed anyone either, John,” Róisín added with a grin.

“Minor powers excepted?” I asked.

“He didn’t count,” Róisín giggled.

“He bloody well did,” I chuckled. “I thought Mage Simon was going to faint when Morgana explained the details in Council session.”

“He did turn rather pale,” Róisín agreed with a grin. “Anyway, I meant humans.”

“Just try not to decimate the army or destroy its morale,” Ferrimoot chuckled at our byplay.

“Of course, Wind Councillor,” I agreed formally.

“John, Róisín! Good to see you,” Kordanta called out as we entered the barrack block where he was inspecting a unit of infantry.

“You too, my friend. These part of the force going with us?” I asked, noting the stares Róisín was getting, dressed as she was in form fitting Mage armour.

“They are ... or may be if they can drag their eyes away from your partner,” Kordanta growled.

“I’m not wearing a dress,” Róisín snorted, knowing exactly how the Murian society ... or rather parts of it, thought how women should dress ... and behave.

“Never said you should,” Kordanta chuckled. “Vaniralla Freya certainly won’t.”

“Truly a warrior woman,” I replied with a grin.

“Murian women should take note ... or rather the so called elite should. We’ve already formed two women’s auxiliary units from the free women; damned vicious fighters too, as they’ve never learned restraint,” Kordanta replied, looking very satisfied.

“We brought along a few score armour sets for those you think might need it. The Æsir have their own supply,” I added.

“Can you adapt?” Kordanta asked.

“Yes. Got a set for you too,” Róisín replied.

“Thanks, best give them to the auxiliary, they’ll be the most exposed on the planet when they’re treating the sick and wounded. A lot of rogue Nephilim survived,” Kordanta nodded.

We spent the next few days adapting Mage armour to the units Kordanta had allocated before there was a final parade through the streets of Versim, the Murian capital. It was a sensational wake up call for the people there as the female auxiliary looked both stunning and seriously intimidating in their armour, toting their modern Earth weaponry as opposed to the rather scruffy looking Murian regulars. There were also massive cheers for Vaniralla Freya and her party of Seiðkonur dressed similarly to the women, but also having two axes or a longbow strapped to their back as well as the modern arms. I did note that some sections, were scowling at the parade and suspected that they were only there as it would have been political suicide not to be.

At the end of the parade a portal had been formed and the troops were marching through it and on to the world of Finias where our mission could begin.

The first thing I noticed about Finias was the silence. It was almost oppressive. No bird sounds, nor animals, broke the silence and the whole area had a feel of being twisted by the events of the previous years. Other than the encampment there were no life signs to be detected and the people who were there seemed to huddle together as if seeking the comfort of company.

“The Nephilim certainly left their mark,” I remarked to Freya.

“Yes, John. The whole planet gives an impression of being psychically scarred,” she replied as we scanned a series of maps.