Hunter

Their departure from Centa Muis marked the official end of winter and the beginning of spring. 

Unfortunately, Lavenza and Deme would not visit Captain Kerone a third time at the imperial border. Unlike their last few excursions across the border, Lavenza decided that it would be best to head southeast this time, for a less often traveled mountain pass.

“The closest entrance to the Abyss is on the other side of the pass,” was Lavenza’s answer when Deme asked her why. “Crossing the border normally is the long way around.”

What Lavenza didn’t want to say was their change of plans was entirely her fault. The mages from the Abish Royal Academy were flowing towards Centa Muis now. With no ley line to foster their grand illusion, the only choice for many now was to sail across The Great Sea. Perhaps Archmage Halifox and even Walser (though Walser would have been unexpected) were among them. They would not forgive Lavenza for what she had done, so she preferred not risking the possibility of seeing them again.

There was no road or trail that led to the mountains. For days, they traveled wide steppes and slept beneath the stars surrounded by tall grass. Many maps didn’t even mark the pass. It was a dangerous road, unkind to new travelers, with steep inclines and cragged rocks. The arrival of spring did not help. Much of the ice in the southern mountains yet remained, and what little melted formed slippery passages that could fling the unsuspected off the mountain.

“Will Horse be okay?” Deme asked. “I doubt he’s been trained to climb.”

“The first day will be the hardest,” Lavenza replied. “If he struggles, then we can turn him back towards Centa Muis.”

“We’ll just turn him loose?”

“He’s a steed of the empress, Deme. He knows the way home.”

In truth, only experienced mountaineers and mages could traverse the mountains pass. Most of the journey up required special ladders and axes to stick to the ice, and a mountaineer had to keep half of their tools for the ultimate descent. A mage, on the other hand, versed in spatial magic could pull off similar feats, provided that they possessed enough mana for the trip.

“I’ll be climbing that?” Deme pointed at the immediate cliffs. “Venz, I don’t think—”

“You won’t be doing the climbing,” Lavenza smiled. “You’ll be doing your best to keep your stomach from churning.”

“This,” Deme groaned, “this is why you told me not to have breakfast this morning.”

“Hold your breath and count to ten. Ist Leva.”

Lavenza’s incantation transported the child from the bottom of the plains to the top of the nearest cliff. For Deme, it felt like the sharp numbing when her legs fell asleep except applied to the rest of her body. Below, the apostate placed her hand on their black horse.

When Lavenza had said that the first day would be the hardest for Horse, what she really meant to say was that magic didn’t work on animals the way they worked on people. There was only so much she could do to pacify the horse before whisking him away to the cliffs.

“Get ready, Deme,” Lavenza called. “Ist Leva Enteken.”

When Horse appeared beside Deme, he neighed as if prodded from the behind with a hot iron. Lavenza materialized in the next moment and grabbed ahold of his reins.

“It’s okay! It’s okay,” Deme shushed the horse and stroked its mane. “You’re okay. You’re okay, Horse. Lavenza. How many more of these does he have to go through?”

“Before the day is finished?” she counted. “About nine or ten more jumps to reach the top.”

“You can’t just transport us through the mountains?” Deme raised an eyebrow.

“I’m a mage, not a miracle worker,” Lavenza frowned. “If he can’t make the journey, I can store Horse in the pocket dimension for a little while.”

“Why don’t you just do that now?”

“It’s cruel to keep an animal locked inside there, even for a little while,” she shrugged. “Besides, I don’t want him to eat my stuff. There are valuable herbs and flowers in there, you know.”

“You keep your valuables out in the open in there?” Deme asked.

“The spatial dimension doesn’t work like—never mind,” she sighed. “Let’s keep going.”

They made seven more piecewise jumps before Horse grew sick of magic. At the cast of her ninth spell, the beast flinched at Lavenza’s touch and threatened to gnaw her hand off with a furious wide jaw.

“Let’s… take a break,” she suggested then. “I’ll come get you, Deme. Hold on.”

Horse’s understandable attitude notwithstanding, they had still made good progress. They had reached the pass that morning and by mid afternoon, they had almost reached the peak of the mountain. They could afford to rest for a few more hours, allow Horse some rest, then reach the mountaintop by sundown in order to make camp by evening.

“The descent should be easier than the climb,” Lavenza said. “There’s a walkable slope on the other side of the precipice. It’ll take us halfway down the mountain. After that, I’ll just cast spells the rest of the way down.”

“And an entrance to the Abyss is down there?” Deme asked.

“Not quite, but it’s about another day’s—”

Lavenza’s mouth snapped shut. 

“Venz?” Deme muttered. “What’s wrong?”

Something had arrived. 

The apostate looked down. Raw mana bloomed from the base of the mountain pass. The sheer density of it overwhelmed the local fauna. Trees and tall grass lived entire lifetimes within seconds and withered in the presence of not just raw mana, but a cold murderous apathy swirling below the surface.

Lavenza spotted a silhouette, a robed figure not unlike her in dress and style. They were visible only for a moment, and then the maelstrom of mana obscured them from view. It was not a force of nature that had come knocking on the mountain’s front door. Someone had arrived.

“Deme get down!” Lavenza bellowed.

The apostate lunged for their horse. The beast recognized the gesture and chomped down on Lavenza’s hand. She winced and continued chanting through the pain.

“Ist Kavan Enteken!” she winced.

Horse disappeared into her spatial pocket in a blink of light. Deme looked in shock. She hadn’t followed Lavenza’s instruction. The apostate threw herself at the child and pulled her close.

Pillars of light barreled into the mountain. White, black, gold, and violet rays fractured stiff granite and dislocated the cliffside. The mountainside erupted as if it were a volcano and spewed forth fire and gravel. Debris caved in on Deme and Lavenza.

Deme screamed and squeezed her eyes shut. Her hands clapped over her ears, but nothing could drown out the rumbling of loose boulders crashing around them. Deme’s eyes inched open. From what little light she could see from above, more haphazard beams scalded the face of the mountain. 

The ground beneath them lurched back and forth, but Lavenza held Deme firm. The stones tumbling down around them skidded off her ruby shield like rocks skipping off a pond.
Stray, or perhaps intentional, flashes of magic pierced through the falling debris and struck Lavenza’s shields. Her aegis held for a moment, before sputtering and dying. The residual beam cut across Lavenza’s side, scorching then cauterizing a chunk of her torso and upper arm. Stones fell through the gaps in her defense, pummeling her right arm and head. Lavenza ducked and used the rest of her body to keep Deme safe. 

“Grixys,” she groaned.

Through blurry vision and stifling pain, Lavenza conjured yet another shield. Its red panels were missing its usual luster or sheen, but it was still more sufficient for blocking out the falling debris that threatened to crush them. The problem was the magic spells being flung from below.

They were safe but not for long. 

Lavenza gripped Deme by the shoulders. The child opened her eyes and saw a Lavenza she had never seen before. One of her arms had been crushed; its hand was twisted out of shape. Fresh blood flowed from her forehead and seeped into her robes.

“Deme, listen to me,” Lavenza muttered. “Think of a safe place. The safest place you can think of. Anywhere. Anyone! Just think of it now.”

“W-What do you mean?” Deme stuttered. 

“Wherever, whoever you think of, I can take you there.”

“I thought you said you couldn’t—”

“I know what I said yesterday!” Lavenza gasped. “Just listen to what I’m saying now!”

“W-Why don’t you think of this place!” Deme stammered.

“It has to be you Deme, just trust—”

It hurt for Lavenza to talk. She clenched her hands on Deme’s shoulders to tell her that it was urgent that the child not argue and listen to her words.

Deme couldn’t think of anything, not for another few moments. The sound of magic ripping the mountain rock by rock frightened all thought from her mind. Lavenza sensed this, and she used what strength she had left to pull the child into an embrace.

“Eco Severin, Deme,” Lavenza whispered. “Eco Severin.”

The phrase reminded Deme of an earlier conversation weeks ago. Eco Severin. She hadn’t understood the words, and neither had someone else.

“Okay,” Deme whimpered. “I have someone.”

“Asta Kavan. Endetisimo. Eco Severin,” Lavenza chanted.

Everything became nothing all at once. The sound of the collapsing mountain vanished. Deme and Lavenza grew weightless and drifted through an unfamiliar space. The apostate felt exhaustion creeping in from the edges of her eyes. Darkness lingered close, but Lavenza relented to it. She was too tired. Whatever happened now, she would have to rely on the talents of one annoying acquaintance.

There was a feeling of falling, followed by a thud, and then a voice yelped in pain.

“—Fucking ow!”