Shadows in the Smoke - 14 - Unlimited Power!

"When the revolution first came to the then-Kingdom of Itria, it was thought that the so-called commonborn and nobleborn could work together and jointly rule the Kingdom for the benefit of all of its inhabitants. The Kingdom of Itria therefore became a limited monarchy with the King's power limited by the Congress - the main legislative body of the final days of the Kingdom, made up of the Chamber of Commonborn and the Chamber of Nobleborn. Unsurprisingly, it soon became clear that this was an unsustainable position with the King and many nobleborn immediately making moves to stymie the People's power."

The Struggle for Freedom by Bjarne Midthun

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That evening, back in her rooms, Ester found herself deep in thought. They hadn't made any real progress with analysing the poison. She'd actually done her best to help too, casting aside any thoughts of holding back ideas. It wasn't like analysing something was a military secret and as far as she was concerned, anything involving necromancy needed to be squashed as quickly as possible.

It was frustrating though, that simple smear of green paste was defying every technique she and Lena had been able to think of. Worse, she was starting to suspect that it wasn't just a side effect of however the poison had been made, or a problem with their analytical techniques. No, it seemed like a fundamental aspect of its design. That was disturbing in and of itself, but what made it even more frustrating was that she'd had no idea that that was even possible. She couldn't imagine someone like the Duke, as crudely powerful as he'd been, being able to come up with something like that.

She leant back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling. Was this what the Republic had to deal with? Ester had had no idea. Why hadn't anyone told her about this war? She knew that the Lands of the Dead were mortal enemies to all of their neighbours, but they didn't do much more than occasional raids into the Empire, if that. Or so she'd thought. It was yet another thing that she didn't know enough about. Had it been deliberately hidden from her or was everyone just as ignorant?

With a scowl she kicked the side of her desk. Not too hard though, she didn't want to damage it. Or hurt herself.

Ester huffed and sat up straight again. There was no point sitting there fretting. She needed to speak to the Ambassador and find out what was really going on. She should find Velxe too. She hadn't seen him since the welcome dinner on the first night they'd arrived in Nilrava. If he'd been lying to her about what had been going on then they'd be having words. He was meant to be her friend. If not, well he needed to know about this too. He could probably make some money off it or something.

Ester nodded to herself, she'd get a message sent to the Ambassador asking for a meeting and try to hunt down Velxe too. In the meantime, she'd keep on helping Lena with the poison. She was meant to be doing diplomacy after all and helping identify a necromantic poison definitely counted.

There was always the risk that the Republicans were lying to her, but she'd felt the necromantic magic in that poison. Whatever else the Empire said about the Republic, no one had even suggested that they associated themselves with necromancers. So she was doing the right thing. She must be.

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To Ester's mild surprise, she was summoned to Ambassador Hatami's rooms the next morning. Citizen Ina grumpily led her there before bowing and withdrawing when the Ambassador opened the doors and invited her in.

His reception room was huge, with the centre dominated by an oval table made of polished, black wood. However, likes her own room there was a certain lack of ornamentation.

"Lady Mazar, you wanted to see me?" The Ambassador pulled a seat out from the table and collapsed bonelessly into it before gesturing to Ester to join him.

"Thank you, my lord." She sat down with rather more control and crossed her legs demurely. "I know you are very busy, but I…" She thought for a second. "I had heard some concerning things and wanted to ask you about them."

"Of course, I always have time for a Chartered Mage. Have these come out of your efforts to assist the Nilrava Police? How is that going by the way?"

Ester leant back, her mind whirling. How had he known? "I, uh, yes that is correct. I had not realised you were aware of that, surely you are too busy to keep track of every member of the delegation?"

The Ambassador gave her a thin smile. "I have my sources and I make it my business to keep track of things."

"Well," Ester took a moment to compose her thoughts. "They have said some things that I had not heard before and I am not sure what to think at this point. A war with the Lands of the Dead? Surely we must have known about this, but no one said anything…" She trailed off.

"Ah. Yes. Of course." The Ambassador sighed deeply. "Could you give us some privacy? The walls have ears after all."

"Privacy? Oh!" Ester flushed. "Of course. Just give me a moment my lord." She wasn't a spy, how could she make sure they weren't overheard? Perhaps something physical? But that wouldn't stop magical means of eavesdropping. Something more conceptual? That might work, especially if she could combine it with a distraction.

She glanced at the Ambassador, who seemed content to wait patiently while she thought about it. She had the idea in her head, but she needed to shape the magic just right, she didn't want to burn through her energy draining all her magic into a deeply inefficient spell.

"Gewaaj xabehr'fa do'aelt ai'bagraig." Runes knit the strands of magic together and a low hum rose up around them. That should do it.

The Ambassador's eyebrows rose slightly at the sound, but he nodded in approval. "Thank you, Lady Mazar, now let us talk. They have mentioned their war with the Lands of the Dead to you, it was inevitable and in a way I am glad they did so."

"So it is true? They really are fighting the Lands of the Dead?" Ester thought for a moment. Everyone fought the Lands of the Dead. "I mean in a proper war."

"Yes it is true. In fact, that is the real reason we are here, Lady Mazar, although that remains a secret so I would be grateful if you did not spread it. Not that they are in a war, but that that war brings us here." His eyes flicked around the room. "As it is, I am surprised that the Republicans mentioned it to you. While it is impossible to keep something on that scale a secret, they have been highly reluctant to admit to how hard-pressed they are."

"The real reason?" Ester thought fast. "I had thought it was because Duke Marcni had been trying to provoke a war with the Republic and… Was he working with the Liche Kings? Surely that would be…"

"No, thankfully." The Ambassador cut her off. "His attempts at worsening relations with the Republic appear to have been entirely based on greed and a desire to undermine those houses more inclined towards trade with our neighbours." He frowned as he spoke. "There is something perverse about the fact that even the worst kind of traitors and necromancers are still concerned with their own wealth."

"So," Ester tried to pull him back onto the subject, "if it was not Duke Marcni, then why are we here?" Surely it wasn't just to take advantage of the Republic's preoccupation. That would be beyond immoral, not that she supported the Republic, but the fight against the undead was more important than politics.

"Politics of course." Ester felt the tension flare through her muscles, had the Ambassador read her mind. "Why has the Republic been an enemy of the Empire?"

Ester stifled her instinctive response. She didn't want to say something that could be interpreted as treasonous. "Well," she spoke slowly, "the foundation of their society is opposed to the Empire's. They have no place in their world for monarchs or nobleborn, they would want to overthrow Her Eternal Majesty." She fought to keep the disgust out of her voice at the very idea. The Empire might have its flaws, but there were limits!

"Yes, exactly." The Ambassador smiled as if she'd something profound. "Now, why are the Liche Kings enemies of the Empire?"

That was easy, although she wasn't sure she appreciated the didactic tone. "Because they want to kill or enslave every living person. Because every single one of their rulers is a necromancer." As if that needed explaining.

"Indeed. Unfortunately in the world of politics, one does not always get to choose one's friends and I can tell you this. While I am no friend of the Republic, they are at least living, breathing humans. Foolishly misguided at best, probably corrupt and malicious, but they are, at worst, humanly evil. If the Republic were to one day conquer the Empire," he paused at the borderline treasonous idea and then hurriedly added, "not that that would ever happen, life would continue. It would be terrible. Life would be worse and Her Eternal Majesty's subjects would suffer under the Central Committee's oppression, but there would always be hope. The same could not be said of the Liche Kings."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Ester slowly nodded. "I understand, my lord," but what did that have to do with the Empire's relations with the Republic? Although if she tried to think in the cynical way that some of the lords did… "Is it simply that the enemy of my enemy is my friend?"

"Partially, but that is something of an over-simplification, Lady Mazar. As I mentioned the last time we spoke, different factions of the Empire have different views on how we should deal with the Republic. Many think that the Republic is the greatest threat we face, due to its disingenuous and seductive ideology. The people of the Empire will always be united against the undead. However, the Republic can take advantage of our own malcontents." Before she came to Vass Karan, Ester would have been outraged by the idea, but now it made a worrying amount of sense. "Those factions pushed to cut off relations with the Republic, not to aid the undead. That would go against every moral principle the Empire holds, but to let both sides fight and weaken each other while quarantining the Republic's pernicious influence from the Empire."

"And that faction lost?"

He paused. "To be entirely honest, the Republic was not a subject of any great interest in Trevayn prior to the Duke's actions. It is a relatively small nation and far from the Empire's core. While there were differences of opinion on the best way of dealing with it, since its defeat at the Battle of Grathbridge no one of any significance has had enough interest in the matter to push things one way or the other."

"So the Duke changed things?"

"Indeed. He highlighted the dangers of necromancy to the Empire and, by supporting cutting off relations with the Republic, brought those factions into discredit."

"And so now we are here?"

"Indeed." Before Ester could start pressing the Ambassador for more details on why the decision had gone the way it did, he switched topics. "Anyway, I am interested in your investigations. What exactly have the Republicans asked for your help with?"

"But, why have…"

"No." The Ambassador shook his head. "I have already said more than I should. Suffice to say that Her Eternal Majesty desires better relations with the Republic while they are embroiled in this war."

For a brief moment Ester thought about pressing him harder. However, the firmness of his tone warned her off. Anyway, Velxe would probably be all too keen to explain to her if she asked him.

"I understand, my lord. They wanted my help with a poison. It had been found on an assassin and has necromantic elements to it. We are trying to analyse it to work out its source and how to counter it."

"Interesting, have you had much luck?" The Ambassador leant back and steepled his fingers together.

"No," Ester shook her head. "It is clearly magical in nature, but it is nothing like anything I have ever seen before. Beyond the very basics, such as the presence of necromantic magic, it defies analysis. It is almost like it is designed to corrupt any analytical spells so that the results degrade into meaninglessness." If it wasn't such a horrible subject matter, she'd have been more than excited to have the chance to examine something so new.

"Interesting," the Ambassador repeated. "The Republic is notoriously cagey about its internal affairs, but I have heard that there have been several unexplained deaths among relatively senior Republican officials in Nilrava recently. I cannot help but wonder if the two are linked. I shall try to find out more and would be grateful if you could refrain from mentioning our knowledge to any Republicans."

"Of course, my lord. I know how to keep a secret." A little surge of excitement ran through Ester at being entrusted with the secret.

"Excellent, in the meantime please do continue with your efforts at assisting the Police here. I see no harm in it from the Empire's perspective and engendering goodwill with the Republic will be helpful."

"Of course," Ester stood at the implied dismissal. "Thank you, my lord."

"No, thank you, Lady Mazar. If the Empire had more people as dedicated as you then I am sure all ours jobs would be much easier."

"You are too kind, my lord." Ester bowed and turned to flee before she embarrassed herself by blushing at the praise.

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After her visit to the Ambassador, it didn't take long for Ester to be escorted back to the Nilrava Police building and Lena's workshop.

The Arcanist was already there, in fact, based on the bags under her eyes, Ester wasn't sure she'd even left. Nevertheless, she sounded cheerful when she greeted Ester.

"Ester! Welcome back. I hope you had a pleasant evening after you left?"

"I did thank you, and you?" She'd actually stayed up far too late thinking about wars and poisons, but Lena probably didn't want to hear that. She'd worked through far worse during her time in the Academy anyway.

"Oh yes, it was fine thank you. Shall we get to work?" With that the pleasantries were done and the two of them headed back over to Lena's workbench. "I've been thinking about this, it's more than frustrating and I've tried all the easy solutions. However, I've still got a few ideas to try and I'm sure a bright, young thing like you will have some of your own."

"Of course." Ester was meant to be being helpful after all and seeing what ideas Lena came up with would help with finding out what Republican Arcanists could do too. "Why don't we alternate, we can try one of your ideas then one of mine until we run out?"

"That sounds like a good plan to me. So, my first thought was simply that perhaps we could solve this with brute force. Why bother coming up with a subtle solution if you have the power to overwhelm it?"

Ester raised her eyebrows at that. She'd been expecting something subtle and clever. The idea of simply breaking using brute force after hours of relying on subtlety and technique was enough to make her smile though.

"If you can't solve the problem gently, just hit it with a hammer?"

She could feel the temptation, it felt a bit naughty in fact. At the Academy she'd always been strongly encouraged to look for more efficient solutions. A small, uncharitable part of her whispered that maybe Lena was only suggesting it because Arcanists didn't have the skills to be subtle.

"Exactly. So let's be hammers. We can turn this into a small ritual. I can guide the magic, if you provide the power. Let me see now…" Lena rummaged in a small box and pulled out a stick of chalk. To Ester's eyes small hints of magic sparkled around it when Lena gestured as she spoke. "Now, we can make a circle on the floor. Just shove those crates and the chair out of the way."

Ester started shifting some of the chaotic mess that occupied the centre of the room. It wasn't like the atmosphere on the rare occasions when they'd studied rituals in the Academy. There'd been special, spotlessly clean rooms and they certainly hadn't shifted furniture to give room to draw a circle on a grimy floor.

She hadn't thought Lena would suggest ritual magic for this. With her back turned to Lena, Ester grimaced slightly. It made sense to use a ritual to combine their power, but they'd warned her at the Academy, taking part in a ritual could leave you vulnerable if the other participants were clever. It didn't help that she'd never really studied rituals in the way she had other magic. There'd been so many other things to learn!

As she stacked the crates in a corner, Lena got down on her hands and knees and started to draw a circle of rough runes on the wooden floorboards

Ester watched out of the corner of her eye and tried to work out exactly what Lena was doing. The Arcanist's precision was a little lacking, but maybe that wasn't surprising when she was sketching out runes using a piece of chalk. They'd probably do the job either way.

The array was surprisingly easy to follow. A series of runes setting out focus and channeling. There was nothing in there that looked alarming and Ester felt some of the tension leave her. She was was very conscious that she didn't have the depth of knowledge of ritual magic to work out every nuance, but there was nothing odd, or even particularly sophisticated in Lena's array.

Lena quickly finished drawing the circle and then grabbed the analytical Schema off her worktable and carried the whole thing over to dump it in the middle of the circle. Ester winced at the casual way she did it, they were engaging in a powerful magical ritual, not lugging sacks of wool!

"Alright, ready?" Lena positioned herself at one side of the circle and waved Ester to the other. "You just need to open yourself to the magic and offer your power. I assume you know how to contribute to a ritual?"

"Of course. I am ready." Despite her trepidation at the ritual, Ester couldn't help but feel a frisson of excitement at the idea of breaking whatever defences this poison had.

"Great, let's begin." Lena focused on the analytical Schema in the centre of the circle of runes and started to intone her spell. "Aibair mirk'kattreachdnak ébair schema'fa."

"Uigan mar'gränn'fa." Ester focused and pushed her own power into the ritual circle. Bright light flared from the chalk runes as magic flooded out of her. A Schema drawn on wood would have burnt itself away instantly with that amount of power, but here her own magic was constantly powering the array.

"Ébair kattreachd'val." Lena continued to incant as Ester fed strength into the circle. Magic swirled around it, to be caught by Lena's and guided straight into her analytical Schema.

Bands of multi-coloured magic started to rise once more, runes describing the poison's characteristics floating around them.

It was working! Ester could feel her magic thundering through her, Lena's will taking it and combining it with her own power, to force the Schema to override whatever magic was built into the poison.

She stepped forward, a grin growing on her face. Now they were getting somewhere!

A moment later, the green light of the Weiryd flared out with a bang, momentarily eclipsing the lights of the Schema.

Ester was left bent over and coughing as she tried to breathe suddenly acrid air, while blinking fast to clear her watering eyes.

It took a few seconds before she could stop coughing and straighten up and see what had happened.

Her eyes met Lena's over the smoking remains of the analytical Schema. The smear of poison on it had burnt to a black stain and the Schema itself was still smoking slightly. The runes on it had been obliterated.

"Well, fuck." Lena pursed her lips. "That shouldn't have been possible."

Ester shook her head, still blinking fast to get the tears out of her eyes. "What happened? Even if we over powered the spell, it shouldn't have done anything more than fall apart."

"Exactly." Lena's eyes narrowed in thought. "Whatever this substance is, there's something very wrong with it."

"I don't think there's anything left of it now either." Ester looked glumly down at the ruined Schema again. How had it done that? How would she go about making something that could do that? It should be impossible!

"Fortunately, that's not an issue, I still have some of the poison left, so we're not completely stuck. That, though…" Lena followed Ester's gaze to the Schema. "That's going to be very expensive. The Captain's going to be livid.

Ester's stomach twisted. What if they tried to blame her for this? She hadn't done anything, but Republicans were hardly friends of the Empire. Would the Ambassador tell her to pay for a new one? She didn't have that kind of money.

Lena shrugged. "Oh well, I suppose these are the perils of the job. Maybe I can get it assigned to the army's budget or maybe Secpol's."

"Secpol?"

"Security police," Lena quickly waved a dismissive hand, "they deal with certain things, I'm just thinking about budgets, nothing for you to worry about." She laughed awkwardly.

"I see." Ester didn't really, but she wasn't inclined to argue as long as no one was saying it was her fault. "So what now?"

Lena sighed deeply and looked back at the ruined Schema. "I think we call it a day. I can get a replacement in for tomorrow and then maybe we try something a bit more subtle."

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