the woman that travels with her?’
‘She too is hidden.’
Tyrfing and Durnus sighed as one. They had secretly been hoping for some good news from Heimdall. If anyone could find Farden’s child, it would be a god who could watch a blade of grass growing from a hundred miles away, a god who could see the shadows slinking back to their holes at dawn. If he couldn’t see her, then nobody could. This was dire news indeed. They sipped their wine.
‘What of the other gods?’ asked Durnus. ‘Can they be of any help?’
Loki sniffed. ‘Are we no use to you?’
‘Loki,’ growled Heimdall.
Durnus looked in the direction of the younger god’s voice. ‘That is not what I meant. I know the prayer is strong at the moment, and therefore so are the gods. What I meant was are any of you capable of helping physically, in battle?’
Verix shook her head. ‘If we were, we would not have come here on a ship.’
Loki looked out the window again. ‘No, we would have fallen from the sky as brimstone and fire instead of slipping down a shaft of moonlight.’
‘That’s a shame,’ said Modren, eyeing the younger god.
Heimdall leant back in his chair and spread his hands over the velvet. It felt so foreign to him. ‘What Loki and Verix mean is that if we could have, we would have. We would not waste time with ruses such as these.’ He rubbed his eyes. ‘What have you done to find her? I have seen some of your efforts already.’
‘Everything in our power,’ replied Tyrfing. ‘We’ve sent countless messengers, trackers, ships, hawks, and mages into the wilds, chasing every lead we’ve ever had. Every time, she disappears like smoke.’
‘And we’ve lost plenty of good mages because of it too,’ said Modren. The gods and goddess looked questioningly at the Undermage. He elaborated, narrowing his eyes. ‘The only clues we ever get are the dead she leaves behind. The maimed, skinned dead that they are. She and that old crone seem to make a point of actively hunting down our best mages, and then taking their Books. I hope they go mad, and save us the bloody trouble.’
‘She is hunting Written?’
Modren nodded. There was bitterness in his eyes. He rubbed his knuckles together. ‘Almost always. But she isn’t picky, either. If a normal mage gets close enough, she’ll kill them all the same. I’ve lost more mages to that little bitch than I care to count. That’s why I’ve recalled every single Written to the city. I intend to keep them here too, sirs,’ he said.
‘Why Written?’ asked Loki.
‘Because we’ve become stronger,’ Tyrfing answered. By his side, Modren nodded. ‘We’re more dangerous than we’ve ever been. I think she must be worried.’
‘Picking us off on our own, rather than facing us as a group.’
Loki looked confused. He frowned. ‘And how is that possible?’
Heimdall hummed. ‘The magick in this world is getting stronger by the day. Like a storm brewing or a season shifting. Even Evernia is puzzled by it.’
Loki’s frown got even deeper. ‘Why haven’t I felt it?’
Verix closed her eyes and sniffed the air again. ‘Because you, like I, have never travelled here before,’ she told him. ‘Do you think it is her?’
‘Are you serious?’ asked Modren. ‘One little girl, affecting the whole of Emaneska’s magick? That’s ridiculous. I spent the all of last night watching ten year-old farmhands flick through beginner’s spell books and cast spell after spell. Half of them had never even seen a spell book before last night. Yet here they are, a mere handful amongst the thousands of people that flood into Manesmark every day, all showing signs of magick in their blood, keen as daggers to be a mage. Young, old, rich, poor. One man set fire to his wife’s dress just by singing a song that he swore he’d never heard before. Just the other day, another turned a chicken inside out. I, for one, find it very disturbing. The magick is simply tumbling out of these people.
‘She too is hidden.’
Tyrfing and Durnus sighed as one. They had secretly been hoping for some good news from Heimdall. If anyone could find Farden’s child, it would be a god who could watch a blade of grass growing from a hundred miles away, a god who could see the shadows slinking back to their holes at dawn. If he couldn’t see her, then nobody could. This was dire news indeed. They sipped their wine.
‘What of the other gods?’ asked Durnus. ‘Can they be of any help?’
Loki sniffed. ‘Are we no use to you?’
‘Loki,’ growled Heimdall.
Durnus looked in the direction of the younger god’s voice. ‘That is not what I meant. I know the prayer is strong at the moment, and therefore so are the gods. What I meant was are any of you capable of helping physically, in battle?’
Verix shook her head. ‘If we were, we would not have come here on a ship.’
Loki looked out the window again. ‘No, we would have fallen from the sky as brimstone and fire instead of slipping down a shaft of moonlight.’
‘That’s a shame,’ said Modren, eyeing the younger god.
Heimdall leant back in his chair and spread his hands over the velvet. It felt so foreign to him. ‘What Loki and Verix mean is that if we could have, we would have. We would not waste time with ruses such as these.’ He rubbed his eyes. ‘What have you done to find her? I have seen some of your efforts already.’
‘Everything in our power,’ replied Tyrfing. ‘We’ve sent countless messengers, trackers, ships, hawks, and mages into the wilds, chasing every lead we’ve ever had. Every time, she disappears like smoke.’
‘And we’ve lost plenty of good mages because of it too,’ said Modren. The gods and goddess looked questioningly at the Undermage. He elaborated, narrowing his eyes. ‘The only clues we ever get are the dead she leaves behind. The maimed, skinned dead that they are. She and that old crone seem to make a point of actively hunting down our best mages, and then taking their Books. I hope they go mad, and save us the bloody trouble.’
‘She is hunting Written?’
Modren nodded. There was bitterness in his eyes. He rubbed his knuckles together. ‘Almost always. But she isn’t picky, either. If a normal mage gets close enough, she’ll kill them all the same. I’ve lost more mages to that little bitch than I care to count. That’s why I’ve recalled every single Written to the city. I intend to keep them here too, sirs,’ he said.
‘Why Written?’ asked Loki.
‘Because we’ve become stronger,’ Tyrfing answered. By his side, Modren nodded. ‘We’re more dangerous than we’ve ever been. I think she must be worried.’
‘Picking us off on our own, rather than facing us as a group.’
Loki looked confused. He frowned. ‘And how is that possible?’
Heimdall hummed. ‘The magick in this world is getting stronger by the day. Like a storm brewing or a season shifting. Even Evernia is puzzled by it.’
Loki’s frown got even deeper. ‘Why haven’t I felt it?’
Verix closed her eyes and sniffed the air again. ‘Because you, like I, have never travelled here before,’ she told him. ‘Do you think it is her?’
‘Are you serious?’ asked Modren. ‘One little girl, affecting the whole of Emaneska’s magick? That’s ridiculous. I spent the all of last night watching ten year-old farmhands flick through beginner’s spell books and cast spell after spell. Half of them had never even seen a spell book before last night. Yet here they are, a mere handful amongst the thousands of people that flood into Manesmark every day, all showing signs of magick in their blood, keen as daggers to be a mage. Young, old, rich, poor. One man set fire to his wife’s dress just by singing a song that he swore he’d never heard before. Just the other day, another turned a chicken inside out. I, for one, find it very disturbing. The magick is simply tumbling out of these people.
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