Obsidian Alcatraz: An Evalyce Novella Read online

  Table of Contents

  Skycity of Port Jericho, 10000 ft above the Aeryth Ocean, Year of the Jade Bull, 2114 CE

  Skycity of Port Jericho, 10000 ft above the Aryth Ocean, Year of the Jade Bull, 2114 CE

  Jerachi Mines, Lower Echelon, East Ward, Port Jericho, Year of the Jade Bull, 2114 CE

  Jerachi Mines, Lower Echelon, East Ward, Port Jericho, Year of the Jade Bull, 2114 CE

  Firefly Alley, South Ward, Port Jericho, Year of the Jade Bull, 2114 CE

  Shadowylde Lane, Hunters' Quarter, North Ward, Port Jericho, Year of the Jade Bull, 2114 CE

  Argoth, 10000 ft above the Aryth Ocean, Year of the Jade Bull, 2114 CE

  Skycity of Port Jericho, 10000 ft above the Aryth Ocean, Year of the Jade Bull, 2114 CE

  Obsidian Alcatraz

  An Evalyce Novella

  J. Aislynn D' Merricksson

  Copyright (C) 2015 J. Aislynn D' Merricksson

  Layout Copyright (C) 2016 by Creativia

  Published 2016 by Creativia

  eBook design by Creativia (www.creativia.org)

  Cover art by http://www.thecovercollection.com/

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author's permission.

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  This book is dedicated those who are my life-blood

  and strong, loving support:

  To Brother Wildfire and Mercurius Greyeyes, my deepest inspirations.

  To Jonas Merricksson, twice lucky one, my callowayla.

  To Beth Finley, who inspired me to open the door to De Sikkari.

  To Michael Calabrase, Goshen, my soul-mate and nemesis.

  To Chris and Brandi Gore, anamcara and truest of friends.

  To John and Sam Owens, my steady and strong support.

  To Anish and Tania, who helped make this possible!

  To my family of heart and soul,

  To my blood-family and

  To my bond-family-

  There are far too many of you to name here! I love you all the same, each and every one.

  In loving memory of Nina Clark

  who taught me my own Dance

  and fostered in me a love of learning.

  May the One who is All And Nothing

  forever guide your steps.

  Nasmala!

  Skycity of Port Jericho, 10000 ft above the Aeryth Ocean, Year of the Jade Bull, 2114 CE

  The scent of blood hung heavy in the air. Cadi sighed and pulled out her pouch of gravening dust. Pouring a bit into her hand, she blew a breath out and the sparkling dust adhered to the surface of the door before her, revealing a tangled criss-cross of fingerprints. Once visible, the fingerprints were easy collect onto slender glass slides. It would be up to Jupiter, the Magisterial Artificer, to decode them.

  Cadi kyl'Ursaal was a Magister, part of a group of magi found in nearly every major city around De Sikkari. These magi specialized in processing the scenes of violent crime and in catching the criminals. Ironically, they bore the name once given to the magi guardians which had themselves been culled from criminals sentenced to death.

  That was before Kalla sin'Solidor, Empress Kalla of Dashmar, had set a new standard. The Dashmari had formed their own school to train their magi, the dashhuygin, and revived a lost method of acquiring a protector- that of bonding an elemental in a partnership. Unlike the magisters, who would perish when their magi did, the elementals merely returned to their own plane of existence. Now there were three more Kanlons, in addition to Cryshal and the Dashmari way had become the norm for most magick-users, save Argoth's Technomancers who never used magisters to begin with.

  Cadi herself had been trained at Tirithaal Kanlon, located in Ne Ramerides and she was unique in that she had no elemental partner. Though the young Mage had undergone the ritual several times, no guardian had ever presented themselves. Over the years she'd learned to deal with it, but it still hurt. Being a guardianless misfit among the Magi meant being creative. Cadi had taken it upon herself to train with the Harriers of Arkaddia. More than once, those skills had kept her alive in her demanding line of work, where a magick drain could be down-right lethal.

  The young, raven-haired Mage finished processing the door and tucked the slides into her pouch. She'd already processed the rest of the outside. With a deft hand she directed her magelight through the wards protecting the scene and into the building. Inside, more magelights bobbed, softly illuminating Cadi's partners patiently working the far end of the room.

  “All done. Where do you want me to start in here?” Cadi asked. Rolf's black-furred ears twitched back at her, though the Dashmari Magister didn't look up.

  “That end, please, Cadi,” Rolf said. “It's too strong for us over there.”

  Cadi moved the light towards the opposite end of the room. She already knew what awaited her there. She'd been the one to process the body for the Wraiths to take away. The body had lain in a sea of blood, now congealed in a tacky mess upon the floor. Her two Dashmari partners, highly sensitive to scents, could just barely tolerate the thick coppery smell and that only by employing magick to help. Fresh blood brought out the hunting instincts of the wolf-kin.

  Starting from where Rolf and Viktor had begun and moving the opposite direction, Cadi began processing the remaining half of the room. Time passed. Rolf and Viktor departed with their own evidence, leaving Cadi in the care of two Crows, as the city guards were called.

  Cadi yawned, thankful she was almost done, then paused. Something glittering darkly in the recesses of a corner caught her eye.

  “What do we have here?” she mused, holding up an inky black stone. It looked to have been a pendant of some sort, but no chain was in evidence, unless it had been collected by the Dashmari Magisters. Cadi stared at the stone, captivated.

  “Lady Cadi?”

  The Magister jumped as one of the Crows stuck his head in the door. She absent-absentmindedly tucked the stone in a pocket of her uniform and looked up.

  “Yes?”

  “Are you almost done, Lady?”

  “Almost, Alphonse. I promise.”

  He nodded and withdrew, leaving Cadi to wrap up her work.

  * * *

  Cadi stared at the obsidian pendant, wondering again why she hadn't turned it in with the rest of the evidence. She held it up to the light, marveling at the fact that it turned an opaque grey color when held against the backdrop of light. Cadi gasped as the stone grew warm in her hand. Energy boiled within the opaqueness, swirling in a dizzy iridescence that sucked the Mage into its depths.

  Let me out! A plaintive, slightly mad voice cried out in her mind.

  “Who are you?” Cadi asked.

  Come and see. The hypnotic swirl of energy grew stronger and the Mage abruptly found herself in another world, in a dimly lit forest clearing surrounded by dense fog. A small bonfire burned in the center of the clearing and beyond it the shadowed form of someone or something shuffled forward towards her. Firelight gleamed off glossy black feathers and an ebon beak as the crouched figure moved closer.

  Cadi backed away slowly, but the creature didn't seem inclined to chase her. It stopped and cocked its
head to the side in a puzzled manner, then straightened to its full height. Cadi's eyes widened as she looked up at the figure that now towered above her own rather diminutive frame. The plumage shifted, revealing a man beneath the glossy coat. He raised an arm overlaid in feathers and Cadi could see paler human fingers below a covering of longer bird talons. He pushed the hood back so that the bird's beak pointed skyward.

  At first glance he looked to be Arkaddian. His skin held the same rich coffee tones as the Plains warriors. Though she could see little of his hair beneath the hood, what she could see sported more red in it than was typical of the Arkaddians' reddish-brown hair. Scars peppered his face; perfect, purposeful ones near thin lips turned up in a slightly mischievous grin and random ones splashed along his cheeks and forehead, adding to the Arkaddian air. Mismatched eyes of moss-green and mahogany regarded her for a long moment before he tilted his head again in bird-like puzzlement and took another step forward. Cadi took another one back.

  “Who are you? Where am I?” she asked, trying hard to keep the fear from her voice.

  You still lie on your bed. Your mind is within the stone.

  Who am I? Who am I? I am one long lost and forgotten. His voice once again held a slightly plaintive note. My people are gone. I think… they never were…

  “That is not an answer,” Cadi accused. “Why are you trapped here?”

  In another world, long ago, I was deemed a threat. I was bound in a volcanic cavern. Bound hand and foot because the Great Ones couldn't face bitter words… Harsh punishment for speaking unpleasant truths… and a propensity for harmless trickery.

  One day, everything changed. He gave a bitter laugh. It's ironic actually… they thought I would bring about the end of the world. Instead, it was the little ones of Midgard who brought about Ragnarok and the next thing I know, I'm trapped in here. Free of my bonds but still trapped…

  Cadi blinked. “You were trapped in a volcanic cavern? This stone is volcanic glass… obsidian… but who are you? And what is Midgard?”

  Midgard was the realm of the humans where I came from. There were other realms too. Realms of the giants, realms of the gods, realms of the dead. All connected by the Great Tree. Things are not the same as once they were. I have sensed the presence of some of the Great Ones, but none I knew. And I could not get any of them to hear no matter how loudly I called

  As for who I am… I have many names. Sly One, Trickster, Sky Traveler, Wild-fire. A son of giants and blood-brother to the Great Ones. He moved slowly towards Cadi again, his form shrinking so that by the time he stood before her he was no taller than a human male. My name is Loki and it would be much appreciated if you would release me from this cursed prison.

  “I wouldn't even know where to begin to do such a thing, even if I didn't think it a bad idea,” Cadi said.

  A bad idea…?

  “Who am I to overturn the judgment of the Great Ones?”

  Great Ones long since gone. Tell me, Magister, how often in your history's past have people been unjustly imprisoned? Seeing Cadi's indecision, he pressed forward. I can tell you how to release me. Set me free and I can promise, you will not regret it in the least, he said, with a look that would melt even an ice mane's heart.

  Cadi scowled at him and shook her head. “Why me? Surely others have held the stone before now?”

  They couldn't hear me. Some Magi who bore the stone over the years found they could channel their own magick through it and amplify it. They stole my strength, my power…, Loki muttered darkly. I cannot say why it is that you can hear me where they could not, except that you are the first magickally gifted person to hold the stone who does not have a familiar to call. Perhaps that is what has left your mind and heart open to hear my voice. Please, set me free from this prison.

  Cadi sighed. “I can't believe I'm considering this… Fine, how do I set you free?”

  You must shatter the stone.

  “That's all? Simply shatter the stone?”

  That's all.

  “Very well… send me back and I'll set you free.”

  She twitched a slight grin as his face lit up like a child at Solstice. He snapped his fingers and Cadi found herself back in her own body, gazing at the stone. It was still warm in her hand. The Magister carried it to her worktable and wrapped it in a cloth, then went in search of a hammer from her toolbox.

  Tapping the stone lightly with the hammer to mark its place within the cloth, Cadi drew back and swung the hammer against it.

  The hammer bounced off, jarring Cadi's arm.

  The Magister hit the stone again, this time adding magickal strength to her blow. Again the hammer bounced off.

  “Just shatter the stone… easy enough… yeah right…” she muttered, tapping her serryslym ring. The iridescent metal shimmered and flowed out, expanding and covering the hammer. Serryslym was a mage metal that could be willed into different forms. Once the form was taken it became stronger than even diamond. Magisters wore rings and bracers of the material and could form them into myriad weapons, limited only by the Mage's imagination. Cadi swung the serryslym covered hammer again and this time was rewarded by a sharp crack. A final swing fully shattered the stone.

  Delighted laughter filled the air and Cadi turned to find Loki standing behind her, still dressed in the raven cloak. She grew alarmed as he swept her up in a hug, twirling her around. His skin was fever-hot against hers, almost too warm to be comfortable.

  Thank you!

  The demi-deity disappeared, leaving Cadi with the fading sound of laughter. She sighed and shook her head, hoping that she'd made the right choice in freeing him.

  * * *

  Cadi's eyes flew open and she lashed out instinctively in the dark, willing her serryslym ring into a dagger as she did. Something caught the blade, immobilizing it and a hand grabbed her wrist. Amused laughter filled her mind and the scent of spicy woodsmoke filled her nose. She scowled and conjured a ball of mage-light, illuminating Loki's hooded face.

  “What are you doing?” Cadi hissed.

  “Aww, you're cute when you're irritated,” he said, releasing both her blade and her hand. She scowled at him.

  “And you're infuriating.”

  “At times,” the raven-man allowed. He settled into a crouch on the floor as Cadi sat up.

  “I figured you were gone for good,” Cadi said. Loki gave her a wounded look.

  “You think too little of me, my dear. I simply wished to stretch my legs so to speak. And go visiting. Alas, I did not manage to find any who knew of me. I seem to be the only one who remembers the old world at all,” he said wistfully. “Now I'm back to repay your kindness.”

  “Go visiting…? You've not been gone that long…,” Cadi said sleepily. She checked her chronometer. “I've only been asleep for two hours.”

  “Time has little meaning for me.”

  “I see. What will you do from here?”

  “Thought I'd stick around a little while. A guardian is what you've wanted is it not?” he asked. Reaching out, he brushed his hand against her cheek. Cadi yelped as pain bit into her ear and her eyes widened as alien chaotic thoughts tumbled into her mind. He withdrew his hand and she reached up to run her fingers over the thin smooth hoop now firmly affixed to her upper ear.

  “I've no people, nor any true home here just yet and certainly I have all the time in the world.” He gave Cadi a sly grin.

  “And how am I supposed to explain how I acquired a guardian overnight?” she asked.

  “Tell them you did the ritual yourself. It is possible to carry out alone. You decided to give it another go and were rewarded this time around.”

  Cadi gave him a skeptical look. “And what kind of elemental are you supposed to be, then?”

  His form rippled and shimmered, shrinking down and leaving behind a cinnamon-plumed raven. He fixed a bright eye on her.

  “I think a firecrow works well.”

  “A firecrow. Of course.”

  “You don't like this form?
What about a fox?” His form shifted. “Or a kitsune?” The fox grew two more tails. “A sabretooth?” The kitsune became a cinnamon-furred cat. “Perhaps a falcon?” The sabretooth became a falcon. Even in these forms the scars on his face were present.

  “I'm seeing a pattern here…” Cadi said dryly. “You like the color red. I leave the choice up to you.”

  The falcon regarded her for a long moment before shifting back to the initial firecrow form.

  “I am a child of fire-giants. The epitaph of 'Wild-fire' is quite accurate. And it is time for you to sleep. We can speak more when you wake,” he said as Cadi worked to stifle a yawn.

  “Is that why you smell like woodsmoke?” she asked as she lay back down. The firecrow cocked its head.

  “Do I?” he asked, shifting back to his human form.

  Cadi muttered a sleepy affirmative.

  “I guess it would be that, then,” Loki said. He touched her on the forehead, “Sleep now, my dear. Morning will be here soon enough.”

  The demi-deity watched the sleeping Mage a long moment, wondering at his choice to be her guardian. Few humans from his previous world had ever woken within him a protective streak. Most had seen him in a darker light. But then, he knew what it was to be a misfit, not quite belonging anywhere. Perhaps this new world would offer him chances the old one hadn't. It was a sobering thought and one he thoroughly enjoyed. They did not know him here. He could reshape himself anew.

  The others hadn't understood him at all, nor fully appreciated what he represented. Most only saw that he was different, that he was of giant blood, the enemy of the Great Ones. He'd won the friendship and bond-brotherhood of the greatest of the Great Ones and gained access to the realms above, but he'd found no true acceptance there. Those Great Ones had forgotten the truth behind pure chaos, forgotten that it was the only thing that could bring new growth. He'd shaken them from their stupor and they hadn't liked that, not one bit. He'd grown more and more bitter at the stagnation that had overtaken the Great Ones and their refusal to see it and they'd imprisoned him for it.