Chapter 12

Koji sat across from Sylvia on the deck of the gondola. Over their heads was a wooden canopy that kept the sun off their heads. Meanwhile, the boat was rowed through towards Behalan’s Silver District, transporting them to their next mission for the Order.

“It’s called the Silver District because a lot of the nobility live up there,” Sylvia had explained after they had received their assignment from the three High Lords. “Along with rich merchants and bankers. Well, they used to, anyway.”

“What do you mean, used to?” Koji had asked.

“A great many of the merchants and some of the upper class citizens of Behalan have been leaving over the past decade or so. A lot of them used to be in the magical or arcane business, and once the Order started taking over, they abandoned Behalan for other places.”

“Don’t you want them back?” Koji had wondered.

“Well, it is true that the departure of the people of the Silver District did hurt the economy for a while, but the Order managed to keep everything in the city running well enough. Besides, Behalan is just the first step. One day, the Order of the Unbroken Path will spread all throughout the kingdom of Firosa, and humanity will be ushered into a new golden age.”

Sylvia’s face had taken on a wistful, almost hopeful glow when she had said that, and the sight lingered in Koji’s mind even now, almost an hour later. He decided then and there that he wanted to make her smile like that again.

“So, we’re here for one of the merchants’ old haunts,” Koji recalled from the briefing back at the High Lords’ meeting chamber. “They think it’s being used for some kind of magical purpose?”

“That’s right,” Sylvia said, peeking outside the gondola’s canopy for a moment. “It should be a fairly low risk mission. We’re meant to do a bit of scouting, and if we see any interlopers, we are to retreat and return with more soldiers.”

“They’re sending a big hero like me on a mission like this?” Koji chuckled, only half-joking. The High Lords had been dropping constant praise onto him at every possible opportunity, and it was clear to Koji that they valued him very much for their cause. All the compliments hadn’t hurt his ego either.

“If it’s not beneath your standards,” Sylvia joked back with a wry smile. “You are the Order’s best hope for securing Behalan. I’m honored to be able to work with you.”

“Yeah… same,” Koji hoped Sylvia didn’t notice his cheeks coloring as heat rushed to them. He quickly changed the subject. “It’s pretty quiet outside. Are we almost there?”

“I believe so. The Silver District is nowhere near as populated as the other districts of the city. We should be arriving at our destination very soon.”

Almost seven minutes later by Koji’s count, the gondola bumped to a stop at a pier. Without a word, he and Sylvia disembarked from the boat, leaving the oarsman behind.

As the pair left the docks behind, Koji was surprised to see that they had walked into a much more opulent set of streets than he was used to. There were numerous fountains scattered here and there, though not all of them were currently working. There were beautifully trimmed bushes and trees placed tastefully on the sides of the roads, and large mansions stood proudly at regular intervals, surrounded by gardens.

However, Koji also noticed that there were very few people up and about, and those that were appeared to be workers trimming lawns or cleaning one of the fountains. As he and Sylvia walked along, he saw that more than a few of the mansions were boarded up and closed off, looking as if nobody had set foot inside for many years.

Koji could feel the eyes of the workers following them as they went. It was an unhappy feeling, and Koji almost wished he and Sylvia had come wearing disguises. As it was, they wore the emblem of the Order openly, and if the history lesson had been any indication, the Order was responsible for the gutting of the Silver District.

“Seems like they don’t want us around…” Koji muttered as he walked, keeping his head low.

“A necessary measure,” Sylvia replied, though not looking too pleased either. “I do not agree with how things turned out, but if humanity is to prosper, then magic must be eradicated. If these people couldn’t live with that, then we don’t need them here. Maybe some of them will come to their senses and move back someday.”

“Yeah, maybe…” Koji said, more to have something to say than to answer Sylvia.

Finally, they arrived at an especially large manor house. It was built from dark red stone, with white painted windows and a tiled roof that looked to be plated with some kind of metal. It had two side wings and a sizeable garden. The front walk was overgrown with weeds and ivy, and the main gate was locked with a chain.

“Here we are,” Sylvia looked up at the manor house. “People have been reporting strange lights and movement from inside recently, but only at night. We should be safe in the middle of the day.”

“If you say so,” Koji said, feeling unconvinced.

“Come on, you’re a great hero, remember? Whatever might be in there is no match for you,” Sylvia teased. “Let’s go.”

They climbed over the fence and approached the main door. It was locked with another heavy chain, and the lock looked fairly old.

“What do you think?” Koji asked Sylvia after they were done examining it.

“I don’t think any magic cultists would come in through the front entrance…” Sylvia rubbed her chin. “There must be another way in, a less conspicuous one.”

Fighting their way through the overgrown shrubbery, the two of them headed around the back of the mansion, finding another door. This one was half hidden under an awning and more wildly grown flora.

“Look,” Sylvia pointed. “The lock is old, but it’s been recently opened. See how the rust has been scraped off around the keyhole? I think this is our way in.”

“It’s still locked, though…”

Sylvia smirked. “Come on, stop thinking like a civilian and a little more like a soldier.”

With that, Sylvia drew her sword and wedged the tip between the lock and the door frame. She pushed on the weapon, and after a couple of seconds’ resistance, the door sprang open. A gust of musty air came out from the darkened doorway.

“See? Simple. Now, onward.”

Sylvia entered the house with Koji hot on her heels. Both of them had their weapons out now, and as their eyes got used to the darkness of the house, Koji was able to see something on the floor.

“Look,” Koji nudged Sylvia’s arm, keeping his voice low. “Footprints in the dust. Someone’s been walking around here.”

Sylvia nodded. “Let’s see where they lead.”

It was an eerie experience, trekking through the empty house. Koji felt the skin on the back of his neck and hands crawl slightly, as if he was doing something unacceptable. He longed to make a light with his power, but something told him that he should try to stay stealthy for the time being. The carpet muffled his and Sylvia’s footsteps, but Koji could not shake the feeling that they should not be in here, and he fought the desire to turn around and go back the way they had come.

Come on, Koji. You’re a hero of the Order. An empty house should be nothing to you.

The footprints in the dusty carpet tracked over to a closed door. However, it was not locked, so they were able to gain entry easily. It appeared to be some kind of study, though there were just the bare essentials of a writing desk and a host of empty shelves lining the walls. The footprints led towards the other end of the study, where there was another door.

Sylvia opened this one. It swung wide soundlessly, revealing a small space with a metal ladder in the center. It extended upwards into the ceiling, where it kept going into a dark square hole.

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” Sylvia breathed. She sheathed her sword and slung her shield onto her back, then began to climb the ladder. Koji followed suit, taking note of how the ladder’s rungs were not dusty at all like the rest of the house.

After reaching the top, Koji and Sylvia found themselves in what looked like an attic space. It was almost fully dark in this room, but Koji could make out a small window that was covered with a set of wooden shutters. He went over and pulled them open, revealing a barred glass pane about a foot wide both ways.

He heard Sylvia gasp, and turned around to face the now illuminated room.

Carved into the wooden floor was an elaborate magic circle about a meter in diameter, filled in with arcane symbols and runes. The circle looked to have been done recently, and Koji understood little of it, but what caught his attention the most was that in the center of the circle was a small wooden statue of a hand. It was life size, and was carved standing in the middle of the circle, its fingers clenched in a fist. It looked very realistic and almost seemed as if it could move.

“What… what is this?” Koji asked Sylvia after a while. “Is it magical?”

“Without a doubt,” Sylvia said decisively. “We’ve found all we need. A removal team is needed to get rid of… whatever all this is.”

“But what is it for?” Koji asked, stepping around the circle and looking at the wooden hand. “What does it do?”

“Koji, I’m not sure that we should be-”

Sylvia’s voice fell silent as Koji’s foot stepped onto the carved circle. The entire carving lit up with a pale blue glow, and a faint humming sound filled the air. It almost sounded musical, like a song one would hear in a fancy elevator back on Earth.

More importantly, the wooden statuette of the hand in the center of the circle began to shift and contort, its fingers and palm opening and rotating on the wrist stump.

Sylvia drew her sword and hid behind her shield, but nothing harmful happened.

The wooden hand settled in a position that looked as though it was laying flat, palm facing up. Now Koji could see that there was an indentation in the palm, about the size of a coin. The circle continued to glow, and the humming did not stop.

Koji shook himself out of his trance and took his foot off the circle. However, nothing changed.

“What sorcery is this?” Sylvia asked. She stepped closer and poked the wooden hand with her sword. “I have never seen anything like this before. It reeks of the arcane.” She examined the hand for a while longer, then a curious look came over her face. “Maybe if we use it, we could learn something of the enemy’s plans. I wonder what would happen if…”

She reached into her coin purse and took out a silver piece, and before Koji could say otherwise, she placed the coin onto the hand.

Immediately, there was a change. The wooden fingers closed around the silver piece in a fist, and the entire magical circle glowed a deep, ominous red and the humming stopped. Then a deafening roar sounded all around them, as if they were standing in the middle of a furnace.

“What did you do?!” Koji shouted, his face lit up red from the magic circle. “Wait, do you smell that-!”

Sylvia smelled it as well. “Smoke. Something here is on fire! We need to get out of here now!”

She ran over to the ladder, but as she looked down, the entire space below was engulfed in searing crimson flames. The metal that the ladder was made of was heating up quickly and Sylvia knew there was no getting out that way.

Koji ran over to her and saw their exit was now ablaze. Sweat began forming all over his body as the fire grew more intense.

“What are we going to do?!”