Mage Assassin 3 Chapter 1

The roofs of the market buildings creaked familiarly as I followed my prey through the streets, and he ended up right where my intel told me he would be headed: the city centre.

His name was Sievni, and he was a fire being, although his kind could pass for short, hefty humans as long as you didn’t look too close. This made him easy to lose track of in the crowd, but his shock of electric-orange hair made him easy to catch sight of when he emerged and disappeared into the low, cave-like doorway of an alchemist’s shop.

I knew this particular area up and down thanks to several past jobs, and it only took me a few moments to climb the ivy-covered gate around the back of this particular alchemist’s shop. Instead of jumping down on the other side, I leaped up onto the roof. Then I glanced down the chimney and saw there was no fire lit, so it was likely that nothing toxic was brewing.

I hoisted myself up and slipped feet-first into the rough stone chimney. Then I inched down with my back against one side and my feet against the other until I reached the roomy smoke shelf near the bottom. Now I was perfectly placed to sit and listen in.

“Well, do you have it?” Sievni asked. His voice was nasally and peevish, and he sounded like he was in a hurry.

“As promised,” a man answered in a low tone. It seemed like he was just as eager for the Voltid to leave. He didn’t sound too shocked to be conversing with the fire being, though, so I guessed they’d been in contact before and were in the stage of some final transaction.

There was a faint series of clatters and jingles as the alchemist handed him something. He grunted under its weight and stumbled a few steps.

“Good,” the fire being cackled. “This will protect me from any physical attack?”

“From any unseen physical attack,” the alchemist corrected. “It is intended to work as a defensive device, to be worn along with things like armor, and, er… skin. It is not meant to replace them. This will stop a knife in the back, for example, but if you enter willingly into a fight, it will cease to be of use to you.”

“Very well, very well,” Sievni grumbled. “Here, the payment is in my pocket.”

At the unmistakable sound of coins clinking inside a leather pouch, I knew I’d heard all I needed to hear. These alchemists didn’t let buyers so much as breathe the same air as them without charging good money for it. Their meeting was over.

I left my perch and braced myself against the rough stones to climb back up the chimney. When I climbed out the top, I was covered in soot, but I set off immediately on the Thieves’ Highway. From there, I skipped and sailed easily over the tiles and gaps between the buildings toward the edge of the city.

There was a reason for my speed today. This job was different for me. It was personal. I wasn’t going to let that cloud my judgment, but I had to admit it added some length to my strides. Cinis needed me, and I wasn’t about to let her down.

Her future as the ruler of the Ardere was at stake.

Which meant all our lives were at stake. Even a few rogue fire beings were a threat to our neighboring kingdom. This Sievni and his three fiery accomplices planned to undermine Cinis’ rule and put their own regime into place, and even if they didn’t immediately succeed, things could quickly get out of hand. Fire beings could be a bit… chaotic.

From what Cinis told me, this small band of them, who were called Voltids, thought Ignis had the right idea. They wanted fire beings to conquer and prove themselves supreme. They knew Cinis wouldn’t stand for that, so they needed to get her out of the way. But if they killed the Ember Priestess, the Ember Fields would flood and unleash destruction on everyone, including the Voltids themselves, so they had thought of a way to get her to step aside: They were planning to stage an attack on the innocent fire beings in the crowd at Cinis’ coronation in hopes of scaring her into giving up the crown.

Despite the thickheadedness of Voltids, Cinis had warned me that their kind was sneaky and brutal, and they had a knack for creating chaos. Sievni had already started to sow the seeds that could inflame old wounds and anger that had simmered in Ignis’ previous followers. Based on what I learned, I wouldn’t be surprised if he succeeded in raising up a tyrant who would bully the fire beings into following suit.

I knew Cinis would be the perfect queen, and the overwhelming majority of the Ardere’s fire beings supported her. In fact, the lead Voltid I was tracking, Sievni, was the only real exception. Even the other three of his kind who were involved in the plan had been threatened and blackmailed into following him on this. After watching them over the last few weeks, I’d decided they posed no threat on their own. I planned to keep an eye on them, but taking out their leader was my first and most important step.

Since I'd followed the Voltid all this way, I knew it would be less than half an hour before he was back within the bounds of Hud and on his way to the Ardere. That meant I had to move quickly to handle my own side of things, so I quickly leapt to the next rooftop and then skipped over a few more as my boots slipped only a few times on the heated shingles.

A blast of wind almost made me stagger as I landed on the final roof of the Thieves’ Highway, but I crouched low on the rough shingles and kept my feet. Then I leapt from the low building and slid neatly down the canvas roof of a market caravan to land behind it.

No one looked twice as I joined the usual throng of people milling through the market stalls.

I threaded my way through the stalls with a brisk but casual stride. Using the Thieves’ Highway to cut across the city had given me a head start, but I still needed to keep up the pace if I wanted to find someone to mirror before I headed off Sievni in the Forest of Hud. I meant for this job to be as quick and clean as it could, considering the nature of my target. That meant getting into position ahead of time… If Hud allowed me to, anyways. I had no idea how it would act toward me at this point.

I needed the extra time in case it took me a while to find the right person to mirror, and this was one of the times when I needed to be choosy about it. It was important for the person to be as strong as me physically, or stronger, since this situation might involve an all-out fight at close range with a merciless, rage-driven fire being. I also needed the person to have a hair color that wouldn’t immediately draw the eye amidst the shady greens and browns of the forest.

In terms of concealing my identity, mirroring was only a half measure at this point, and one I might not have bothered with this time if there were no other reasons to do it. But if I didn’t succeed in this kill, then the unique nature of my weapons would reveal that I was working with Cinis.

She’d been the one to supply me with the new set of arrows.

The arrowheads’ main component was a mineral that could only be found in the most remote corners of the Ardere, and its deadliness against these beings was a closely-guarded secret. Only fire beings knew about it, and very few of them would want to kill this little bastard badly enough to share the knowledge with a human to do it.

I couldn’t let me or Cinis come into question over this one. Not with her coronation coming up, and not when I’d be in attendance as myself.

Mirroring struck me as a necessary precaution in this case.

A tall, sandy-haired man crossed in front of me to browse at one of the stalls. I eyed him speculatively for a moment and decided he fit my needs. We were almost exactly the same height and build, but his hair and his bland, friendly face didn’t stick out the way mine did.

I couldn’t do anything about my differently colored eyes, but hopefully the rest would be enough.

I made note of the portly shopkeeper crouching down to stock the lower shelves, and then I strolled over to stand beside the man like I was looking for something specific at the same stall. I stood on my toes and leaned forward like I was looking over the counter to see if a shopkeeper was around, and when she stood abruptly, I was perfectly placed for her bulky frame to collide with me.

The sandy-haired man was quick to stick out an arm and keep me from toppling over as I careened backward.

“Damn,” I muttered and steadied myself. “Sorry about that. Thanks for the help.”

“No problem,” he returned with an amiable chuckle.

Then he shook my proffered hand and moseyed off.

The shopkeeper glared at me for chasing away her customer, but my apology died on my lips as the need to morph urged me into motion. I hurried off and ducked behind an empty stall just as my mirror magic took over. My body stayed nearly the same, but the skin on my face tautened and prickled as my features changed.

When all was done, I left my hiding place looking like the sandy-haired man and strode off toward the outskirts of town.

I slowed my walk and looked skeptically at the trees when I reached the forest’s edge. The leaves stirred ominously as I stepped forward, but nothing barred my way. I let out a breath under the forest’s cool shade, though this calm acceptance unnerved me a bit, too. Then I thought of the way Hud had seemed almost eager to help me along when I went to free Ephelia from the Water Goddesses’ pond.

It was almost impossible to tell what the dark forest had in mind, and I decided to stay on my toes in case it was simply eager to fuck with me today.

Then I gave my head an impatient shake and turned my feet toward the path to the Ardere. I knew from my intel that Sievni would head straight back there as soon as he finished at the alchemist’s shop.

And I’d be waiting.

My original plan had been to find a spot up in the trees where I’d have a good shot at Sievni, but also could easily drop down and attack if something went wrong. However, after hearing the conversation between Sievni and the alchemist, I was sure any attack I tried on the Voltid would be deflected by some type of magic.

Unless he attacked me first.

The clearing I’d chosen was a good place for what I intended to do.

I needed the forest’s solitude for this job, but I didn’t want to be too closely hemmed in by trees. I didn’t think the stubborn forest would be set ablaze easily by this fire being, but I was sure it would be pissed if any sparks got too close. Especially with the memory of Ignis’s destructive, fiery rampage.

The blaze was seared into my memory, and I was just a short-lived human. For a forest as old as Hud, that might as well have happened yesterday.

I chose a tree on the side of the clearing, about midway through. It looked thick and sturdy, even up in the upper branches that jutted out overhead to join the others in the clearing’s leafy canopy.

“I need to climb you,” I informed the tree a little awkwardly. I kept my tone respectful but my words direct.

The tree didn’t move, so I took a few steps forward.

Then the unexpected happened. A thick, knotty vine descended slowly in front of me. It was almost like the tree was being careful not to startle me with any sudden movements.

“Thank you,” I murmured, and I was stunned at this apparent offer of assistance. Then I grabbed hold of the vine and carefully tested its strength, and it felt sound. I braced my feet against the trunk and leveraged myself up into the lower branches, and I kept my cloak over my bow so it didn’t catch on anything.

Just as I had planned, I found the perfect spot in the branches, almost directly above the clearing, and I arranged myself so I could quickly reach the forest floor after my shot was deflected.

Once I was in position, I ran my finger gently over the edge of an arrowhead. It was dark and razor-sharp as obsidian, but stronger and rougher, even when sanded down. Its darkness was shot through with a jagged iridescence, almost like a geode.

Because they were incredibly rare, I had only three of these new arrowheads. Two were mounted on arrow shafts, and another, larger one on a spear. I had laid that on the ground right outside the clearing, and I’d covered it with a light layer of leaves and debris to keep it concealed. I needed it down there in case an altercation took place.

The lightweight wooden shaft had been blackened in some way so it was almost charred-looking in color, but it was sturdy even without the steel wiring that coiled around it. The spear wasn’t usually my weapon of choice, but Cinis had insisted on it, just like she had insisted on the arrowheads themselves, and I’d come to agree after learning a little more about these fire beings.

The Voltids had tough, leathery skin that was incredibly hard and thick like a protective shell. I’d been told that if you got close enough with a normal blade to stab one of their weak spots, then you were close enough for them to turn you into kindling with a touch of the hand.

That’s where their fire powers were concentrated, but it was also one of their weak points. Anywhere with joints was more vulnerable because the flesh was slightly softer to allow movement. Other than that, they might as well have been made of stone. Except for two tiny, deep-set eyes, even their faces were impenetrable.

I was grateful for how much attention Cinis had paid to my weapons, especially now that I knew I’d likely need all of them. Voltids weren’t known for their intelligence, but they had their own type of cunning. Sievni would be suspicious if I didn’t try to attack him by surprise first. After that, however, I was sure I could goad the hot-headed fire being into attacking me. If the alchemist’s words proved true, then this would allow me to kill Sievni without the defensive magic interfering.

Or so I hoped.

I completed my treetop preparations and stilled myself to wait.

I smelled the Voltid before I saw him. It was a choking, sulfur-like odor that made me wrinkle my nose. Appearance-wise, he easily could pass for a human at first glance, even at closer range. That must be why he made it through the city centre unchallenged.

Now that I knew what to look for, though, I could see subtle signs of what he was, like the blackened, singed-looking ends of his frizzy orange hair. And some not-so-subtle signs, like the burst of blue flame that erupted from his mouth when he let out a mighty, echoing belch.

I took advantage of the lingering noise and shifted to aim my bow. Then I waited for the perfect moment and loosed my arrow.

About two feet away from him, it bounced back with a deafening BANG like it hit some sort of invisible forcefield.

I gathered myself and vaulted down the back side of the tree to where my spear lay waiting. Then I snatched it off the ground and shook the debris from it as I moved toward Sievni.

He let out an ear-splitting screech when he saw me.

“Human,” he hissed through his teeth. “How dare--”

Then my spearhead winked under a panel of sunlight that had made its way through the canopy. I saw his head jerk toward it, and his eyes widened. I chose this moment to send a violent jab at the crook of his elbow, and his small, dim eyes lit up with fury.

That was good. And even better, my test jab hadn’t been deflected by whatever had stopped my arrow.

“You are her pet, aren’t you?” he shrieked. “You work for the false queen! Do not lie, human!”

He spat the last word like it was a curse, and I let him talk while we circled each other. The Voltid was clearly itching for a fight, and I could tell that my silence would enrage him more than anything I could say right now. Plus, it would buy me a little time to assess his weak points.

“The fire beings will never bow to someone who consorts with humans,” Sievni snarled. “You creatures would be nothing without us.”

Flames jetted from his outstretched finger as he pointed furiously at me, and I felt a wave of heat when he stomped toward me.

Then I raised my spear, but the wiring suddenly became scorching hot. I bit back a scream as it seared my hand mid-jab, and its point scraped harmlessly across the Voltid’s thick, hardened skin.

“Shit!” I growled as I was forced to release my grip on the spear.

The spear thudded to the leafy ground, and I kicked it aside into the shrubs where I was sure Hud wouldn’t let the Voltid venture to if he tried to make a grab for the weapon.

Then I narrowed my eyes on my opponent, because this bastard somehow managed to heat my weapon without even touching it or throwing flames my way.

I didn’t think something like that was within a Voltid’s abilities, and clearly Cinis didn’t, either. I knew she wouldn’t have been careless enough to send me with a weapon with a metal grip if she had known.

Sparks spewed from Sievni’s nose with his snort of contempt, and I could see the flame flickering in his throat when he laughed full in my face.

I backed away hastily and tried to figure out what I could do to end this now. How could I fight a crazed fire being without any of my weapons?

There had to be a solution. There needed to be. If I allowed him to escape, he was a threat to Cinis. He already had plans to destroy her, but now he knew, or at least suspected, that she’d hired someone to end him as well.

And if he escaped me now, it wouldn’t be long before he realized Cinis had one man in particular around who she would trust to oversee this job.

Me.

In my mind, I saw my Ember Priestess’ face, and Ephy’s along with it, and I didn’t doubt he would make an attempt to end at least one of them if he found me out. Killing Cinis would be out of the question, but my beautiful siren was much more vulnerable than the priestess.

I felt a surge of defiance at the thought. Fury, desperation, and determination seemed to pool in my chest all at once.

But before I could make or plan a move, Sievni came to a sudden halt. A queasy expression passed over his blunt, angry face.

And then, without warning, he exploded.

His thick, leathery skin parted with an audible rip. Blood sprayed everywhere, and bits of viscera splatted against the trees, the ground, and me. The trees all recoiled as if in disgust, and all I had time to do was close my eyes as pieces thudded wetly against my face and chest.

Quick reflexes were normally a source of pride for me, but a living being exploding in front of me wasn’t exactly something I was prepared for.

I opened my eyes and stared around. All that remained of the furious Voltid was a few scraps of torn clothing, some pooled and splattered blood, and a scattering of his internal organs. The forest was quiet again except for the muted plat, plat of blood dripping from branches and the rustle of a tree brushing some brains off itself with a branch.

One of the blood-soaked shrubs shook itself like a wet dog.

“What the fuck just happened?” I muttered to myself, and I crossed the clearing and bent to hover my hand over my discarded spear.

No more heat. The strange enchantment had died along with Sievni, and this confirmed to me that the lowly Voltid had managed to acquire magic outside his usual range of abilities. But how?

I grasped the haft and stood tiredly, while I wished I had something to clean the gore off my face. Mazne would have a heart attack if I walked into the estate like this. I eyed the large, fanlike leaves of a nearby shrub, but it seemed to sense my gaze and swelled up like a pufferfish with its thorns bristling.

“Okay,” I exhaled.

I was about to start home, but suddenly another sound registered with me: the familiar trickle of a forest creek.

I frowned and moved instinctively toward the sound. There was no creek here, I was sure of it. Even the tiniest offshoots of the river still avoided being anywhere even remotely near the Ardere.

But it was there. A small creek wound its way through the forest toward me as if it had been seeking me out. I bent to examine it more closely. There was no creek bed underneath, and no bare ground or rock was worn away by water.

I ran my fingers through the crystal-clear creek. It was cold and sweet against my skin, and I couldn’t resist cupping my hands to cleanse some of the gore from my face. Nothing had ever felt better. Then I cleaned my spear next and found it spotless after one dunk in the water, but I hadn’t even wiped it yet. It was almost like the water was trying discreetly to help me in the same way Hud had quietly offered me a vine to climb up.

The bubbling, crystalline surface twinkled innocently under my suspicious stare.

This day was getting too weird.

I straightened up again, gave the creek a final glance, and headed toward my estate.