Myr

  All materials have what are called fundamental properties. Iron, for example, melts at a consistent temperature. Heat propagates through the substance at a constant rate. There were many fundamental properties, like corrosion rate, malleability, compressive strength, and tensile strength.

  Since this was a constant fact of nature, it could be defined in runes. Even further, each definition was unique for each substance. The Occularum of Thermal Conductivity Transformation demonstrated the process of transforming this fundamental property of iron.

  Nature transformations required three circles, not including the source. The outermost circle was for stabilization. This process wrapped the material that was to be enchanted in a cocoon of force that counters any force or movement: push, pull, expansion, contraction, or any form of heat exchange. The larger the material, the stronger it had to be. It took five bindings in total to power the circuit.

  The next circle performed the transformation. The runes described in copious detail the material being transformed, the specific fundamental property of that material, and the fundamental property that it would now adopt. In this case, I created runes for the iron to adopt the thermal conductive property of wood, making a sliver of iron that was difficult to heat.

  The innermost circle defined the process of removing a fundamental property from the material; only in this state could the new property be established. I wasn't actually sure what invisible waves of death were. But apparently if at any point the Magus feels themself getting warm, then they are already dead. The stabilization should prevent this, but a weak animus and not enough energy in the stabilization circle would result in this.

  Materials like to remain as they were; changing a fundamental property was tantamount to changing how reality affected them. While an enchanted sword was still steel, if the runes that governed how the universe affected it were changed, then the universe would bow to the runes. Giving steel the weight of air or the malleability of leather.

  This transformation required an absurd amount of energy and a strong animus as its foundation. Holding that mental projection of the new material, its properties, how the universe would affect it, and finally, how the material would behave was difficult, to say the least. But nothing compared to the real test of a magus.

  Reality tends to fight back when you try to change it. Explosions and the leaking of invisible waves of death were most common to weak animus incapable of standing against the lashing.

  As a precaution to the waves of death, the piece of iron I was attempting to enchant was but a small shaving, not even the size of a grain of rice. It took fourteen focused bindings in total to power the entire process. The fact that I was able to accomplish it showed that my animus grew even further.

  The circles for enchanting were drawn into dirt, being powered by my amulet. On a wooden plank was the small sliver of iron.

  ‘Alright then, let’s try not to die from an explosion or waves of invisible death.’

  I opened my mind, made each binding, and increased the strength, prioritizing the stabilization circle. Immediately, I felt it, the world fighting me as I tried to change the nature of the iron. I was attempting to transform the thermal conductivity native to iron into wood. My amulet was draining precipitously. Still, I pushed the strength higher, trying to complete the transformation.

  Something was battering against my animus. I remembered being lashed as a child. Each lash caused my back to arch, rippling away from the source of my torment. Now I felt it again. Something was lashing my animus, trying to get me to stop what I was doing.

  Knowing that I had limited energy, I cut the power to the inner two circles and then finally the third, as the book suggested when approaching failure.

  I knew the enchantment would fail; I simply wanted to gauge the amount of energy needed. It seemed to be anywhere from thirty to fifty times the amount required to shape the same volume of iron.

  After two weeks of study and failure, it was the first taste of some success. My animus was still lacking, and energy was being wasted due to my inexperience, medium, and lack of understanding. But time and resources would correct those errors. That, however, led to my next problem, which was energy. I simply didn't have enough.

  The book described the battering of the animus when the enchanting process begins. It seemed the greater the amount of material, the more you had to fight against the universe itself. With a sigh and a smile, I stood and stretched. Carrying all the loot from the dragon was certainly taxing, so I opted to bury most of the teeth and scales and resolved to retrieve them at a later date.

  Now the only things I had with me of value were my energy rings, old magical tools, a few royals, the odd scroll, which I still wasn't anywhere close to deciphering, a few trinkets like my small notebook, and the Occularumns. While I read through both, I focused on heat conduction since it seemed slightly easier than hardness.

  I turned and walked onto a large stony outcropping, staring out at the massive expanse of shrubbery. For weeks, I secluded myself from the empire and any human interaction, surviving off the land. The hand crossbow was quite interesting; it fired a bolt not larger than my index finger, but the ring increased the speed and applied a massive amount of rotation, making it effective at puncturing any non-enchanted armor.

  The most incredible benefit was the loading speed. The entire bow was designed to push the bolt through the ring. All the force was generated by the ring itself. I imagined someone skilled with the weapon could seat a bolt and release it in a second. Perhaps even less since the draw was so light, but spending time trying to master the weapon was a waste.

  ‘I have done it, learned every form of transformation. Everything from this point on is just practice and experimentation.’

  Though I reveled in my own vainglory, there was an undercurrent of melancholy. What was next after this? At nineteen summers, I was famous throughout the empire. I murdered nobility, learned magic, got involved with a gang and a depraved baroness, killed a dragon, and stole a fortune from one of the wealthiest men in the empire.

  “I’ve accomplished so much in a little under six years. Now what do I want to do with the rest of my life?”

  It was a decision I avoided since I always had some new form of power I wanted to learn. But with every transformation under my belt, the last thing for me to do was develop mastery and create my own unique arcane formulae and bindings. I had several ideas. Such as detaching a sphere of influence from the arcane circle, using the principles of dual bindings to create an expanded arcane circle with an unfocused binding, and, of course, flying, with reduced gravity.

  Speaking of the reduced gravity circuit, that was quite useful. I could run at least half again as fast as my previous top speed. I could outsprint any man, and with my weight significantly reduced, it is only as tiring as a vigorous jog. I found that around a 50% decrease was the sweet spot; anything beyond that, and traction as well as resistance from the air becomes a problem.

  It was certainly possible to fly using a precise stream of air from my hands and feet, but without practice, I wasn't sure if it was feasible. A large body of water came to mind as a safe way to practice, though, given that not even Heywood achieved such a feat, it was either impossible or not worth the effort.

  Regardless, my path lay in two directions: north with the Andregi or south to either Helios or Ferosia.

  “What is that?” I mumbled, looking off into the distance.

  I could see dark figures. From the top of the outcropping, I could see for miles in all directions. It took another minute before I realized there were people on horseback.

  There were seven of them in total. A lightning bolt of terror shot through me as I noted they were in armor. The sun glinted off the dark metal.

  ‘No, it couldn’t be. How could they have tracked me here?'

  I sprinted back to my small camp, gathered all my things, and hopped onto my new grey mare.

  I visited a single village only, not an hour's ride away from where I met up with Caan and Nara, to change horses; that was hundreds of miles away. I did everything I could possibly think of not to leave a trail.

  ‘No time for regret; where should I run?’

  Bringing up the map of the area in my mind, I considered my course of action. There was a massive collection of rocky formations to the west that would certainly cause them to lose my trail. I had investigated it beforehand and figured it was a decent escape route.

  ‘Head straight through it, then turn north, skirt around the base of the mountains, head east, and turn back south.’

  My horse thundered across the terrain; while she was small, her stamina was impressive. The odd pillars of granite were hundreds of feet tall and continued for miles, making an odd forest of stone.

  It was more than sufficient to break the line of sight with my pursuers. Navigating the stone forest and rocky ground should allow me to lose their trail. I rode west for an hour before I turned north. Then I spent another hour riding out of the stone forest. The endless white expanse of the Grasian mountains loomed in the distance. Eventually, I turned east again, essentially making a massive arc, intending to skirt a few hundred miles west of the Dalianar forest.

  Heywood

  I examined the site of Myr’s camp with my squad while I waited for an update. Most of it was cleared away. Chasing her into that forest of granite was a waste of time.

  Finding the remnants of runes drawn into the dirt, I slowly determined she was practicing enchanting. It would seem that her potential was increasing. To even attempt enchantment at such a young age with no guidance… Myr was either a genius in the making, or her animus had grown even further, allowing her to brute force the binding, an inefficient way to do magic, but a binding was a binding.

  “She’s turned east,” a voice said, reminding me how unfortunate a man I was. I turned to Namura; her continued inadequacy grated on me. She hasn't even progressed her Animus enough to do fourteen simultaneous bindings, even with some of the best teachers and instructors.

  “Tell me, Namura, will she turn north or south?” I asked casually. I could not see her face behind the visor of her armor, yet her eye betrayed her nervousness. She stiffened, knowing it was a test.

  She responded too quickly, and I braced myself, knowing she would fail. “North, it offers the greatest safety. I believe the clans would accept her.”

  I remained silent. “Did you even read Lord Ser Kewell’s report?” Namura flinched, but I continued speaking. “Myr is a creature in pursuit of power; she’s progressed enough to attempt enchantment.” I let a bit of disdain for Namura's own failures seep into my voice. “Clearly, she realizes how much energy the process takes. Could she create a source to provide enough energy even for a simple enchantment in the north?”

  Namura sighed and said, “No. At least not without significant difficulty.”

  “Then why exactly would she go north? Never project your own biases onto your quarry.” I reprimanded. “To be a successful magus, you must throw yourself into it wholeheartedly. Without hesitation, without compromise. That is the difference between you and her.” Myr was younger by a year; how could I not make the comparison?

  I turned my back to her and mounted my battle charger. Hoping that the endless comparisons to Myr would shame her into progressing. I made the mistake of looking back at her, cowed and weakened by my words.

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  The lashes didn't work, nor did the threat of a horrible marriage to a man over thrice her age. Was there nothing that could push this child to greatness?

  ‘Blessed Anier, what have I done to suffer so?’

  Ignoring the girl, I turned to my men and said, “We break into two teams and force her south, cutting off her line of escape to the north.”

  The three men and two women, all in form-fitting black armor, all responded, “Yes, my Lord.”

  Myr

  I traveled east for three days, crossing over 100 miles, pushing my horse. But at the very least, I was assured that they were long behind me. Even if they picked up a trail, I should be far ahead of them.

  I sat in a wide, flat field while my horse grazed to rest and plotted a route south. North would be safer, but I’ll be damned if I get trapped in that resourceless icy tundra. I plotted resources, and those were south.

  Ferosia and Helios had significantly less imperial influence. Once I got out of Duchess Chass’s lands, I’d be home free. And the wide, flat grasslands to the west of the Dalianar forest would be perfect for fast travel.

  “What?” I screamed as I saw riders coming from the north. Same black armor, same large horses.

  ‘No, no, no. How? Even if they could track me, they should be far behind. Sure, their horses were probably faster and hardier, but there was a limit.’

  The rider was at least 10 miles away, and there were only two of them.

  ‘Can they really track me with such accuracy? No, if they could track me with such skill, how could I escape from Heywood for so long? I even visited villages during that time. I don’t understand what’s going on here. This was clearly to cut off an escape north. It’s like they knew where I was and where I was going.’’

  An idea popped into my head, ‘Magic? Is that even possible? I suppose it could be, but how? If they could do that, then I would be long dead, so what’s the difference?’

  I pushed my mind back to all the times I've been on the run, trying to find an answer to this question. I methodically compared every difference, no matter how minor, and found the obvious conclusion.

  ‘The Occularums… I have them in my possession.’

  A cold chill crawled up my spine. “Could they be tracked? Is that even possible over such a large distance?”

  I frantically reached into my pack and pulled one of the books.

  ‘If there was a way to track the books, they had to have an arcane circle. But I’ve read them from cover to cover, several times. There was nothing to even suggest….’

  I stared at the gold cover. From burning it, I knew it was just wood under the layer of gold. It was a single sheet folded over a wooden cover.

  Uncaring if I damaged the book, I grabbed my dagger and forcefully peeled away the folded gold covering.

  “Dammit, Myr. You fool, why didn’t you check for something like this?” I didn't know that it was even possible to create a binding that could stay active over hundreds of miles. But there it was, an arcane circle carved into the wood of the cover. Just at a cursory glance, I could tell the circle was pulling on something. The golden layer was just to hide it. I wasted time writing down the sequence of runes.

  I looked back at the riders, dropped both Occularums to the ground, and incinerated them. Not trusting that there weren't any other hidden circles.

  ‘That was the trap all along. They baited me with power, getting me to do their bidding. I accepted it without hesitation, giving them the perfect means of tracking me. So far from any civilization, no one would know about my death. The perfect solution to my growing popularity. Was this always the plan, or was the dragon someone else's plan modified to use and be rid of me in one stroke? Most likely the latter.’

  I stared up at the sky. “This is what real organization can do. I can’t escape north, and I can’t outrun those riders.”

  I mounted my horse and sped her south.

  ‘There are only two riders, meaning the rest are waiting to ambush me. In this flat expanse, there is nowhere to escape, no place where I could throw off their trail.’

  I thought about my map, trying to find a way through this.

  ‘Doesn’t matter where I go now. If the others can track those two riders, then I’m riding into a trap. Think, Myr, Think.’

  I knew Heywood was waiting. And them catching up to me would mean my death. I wanted to be angry, but it was what I deserved for my own foolishness. Now I have to salvage it.

  ‘North was cut off; west or south is an ambush from the rest of the Magi, but east…’

  I started laughing; the idea was madness.

  “Well, Heywood, let’s see how badly you want to kill me. I’m willing to bet everything on this last play. I wonder if you are.” I said to no one. Then I turned my mount to the southeast.

  Heywood

  As expected, Myr didn't immediately flee north, giving us the chance to send forward riders to cut her off, driving her south. Whatever mount she had couldn't compare to imperial battle chargers. Namura flinched, making it enormously obvious that a binding broke.

  “The bindings have been broken,” Namura said, stating the obvious.

  “That is unfortunate. What of Uriel and Nelson?” I asked Namura.

  Looked at her wrist and performed the required calculations.

  ‘Still too slow.’

  “Still heading south as expected… Wait, no, southeast...odd.”

  It was unfortunate that Myr realized we had to be tracking her location via the Occularums. But it didn't matter; with those two on her trail, she won't slip the net. West, north, and south, she had no means of escape. However, expecting her to do what I want or what I believe she should do was folly.

  Myr didn't want to be trapped under any circumstance. She knows facing us would mean death; even she knows we're boxing her in; she would fight to the bitter end. But she would never face us head-on. So what was her alternative to fleeing again? Without a doubt, Myr would throw her pride away without hesitation if it meant getting ahead. So, considering that, what would she do?

  “No, she wouldn’t.” I shook my head, remembering the woman who killed near two-thirds of the people she had spent protecting and nurturing. “She would; that’s why she turned southeast,” I said loudly.

  “Everyone!” Helmeted heads turned to look at me.

  “To the Dalianar forest. We have to cut her off before she enters.” I didn't have to see their faces to know that it sounded like madness. No one, not even the most arrogant and self-serving magus, would step foot into the forest. Perhaps you could survive a few hours or days, but death always came. That’s why the magisterium forbade any magus from entering.

  “Would she really, Father?” Namura asked. I nodded solemnly. “Could she survive?”

  “Not even in my full kit do I believe I would survive,” I said.

  I turned to Mason; he was the only non-magus but the best shot with the Heavy Arcane Crossbow. “Ready your crossbow in case we can’t catch up to her.”

  He nodded and tapped the massive crossbow on his back. With a yell, I spurred my battle charger to greater speed.

  Myr

  The two riders were still on the trail, and slowly the distance was closing. I was heading directly east at this point, crossing the massive expanse of grassland; only a few miles away was the Dalianar Forest.

  However, there was another group approaching from the west on seemingly fresher horses. Their speed was far greater than my own. My horse was blown, and now it was a game to see if I would reach the forest before they reached me.

  It wasn't long before the five fresh riders blew past the two that were trailing me. They closed the gap with terrifying speed.

  ‘A mile away from the forest and they were, what, two or three behind?’

  Staring at the dark figures, I wondered.

  ‘Is Heywood amongst them? Most likely.’ Worried about long-range weapons, I pushed some energy into my protection amulet. I kicked my horse trying to force her forward.

  The Magi closed the distance significantly. I double-checked how close I was relative to their approaching speed and smiled.

  ‘I’ll be inside the forest; unless they had magic that was in the range of a quarter mile, they would have to follow me inside. Towards what everyone in the empire believed was certain death.’

  Heywood

  ‘Damn that child; she’s determined to enter. At our speed, we won't be able to catch up to her before then. And knowing Myr, she won't hesitate to set the entire forest ablaze to cover her escape. This cannot be allowed to happen, even worse if this information spreads throughout the empire... She needs to die before she reaches the forest. ’

  “Mason, can you take her out?” I asked the mercenary.

  “Quarter-mile shot.” He contemplated for a moment. “Easy. But I will have to dismount and use different bolts. The explosive ones are too imbalanced for long range.”

  I nodded. “Take the shot; we’ll keep riding.”

  “The mount or woman…which is the priority?” He asked.

  I contemplated for long moments.

  ‘Even on foot, she would reach before us. If he goes for the mount, she could be injured, allowing us to catch up. No, I need certainty of death.’

  “The woman, but if you can take the mount in a second shot, do so,” I commanded.

  Mason stopped his mount while we continued.

  Myr

  My attention was mostly on the forest; the expanse of massive trees was dense, and if I had to burn everything between me and them to create an escape, I would. If it resulted in a forest fire, then so be it.

  Still as fast as they were, I was going to make it inside. With them, death was a certainty; with the forest, only a possibility.

  ‘A high probability of death, most likely, but not 100%. It would have to do. Let us hope that my last remnants of luck are enough to save me from dea….’

  I screamed in pain.

  In a single instant, nearly half the energy from my reservoir was drained, but it wasn't enough to stop the long crossbow bolt that was currently sticking out the front of my armor. Somehow, from nearly a quarter mile away, someone fired a crossbow with enough force to bypass my armor and protective amulet and pierce cleanly through my upper abdomen. Somewhere below the right ribcage.

  I stared at the tip of the bolt sticking out of the front of my armor with a kind of detached horror, my blood coating the tip of the bolt. Each jolt from the horse's movement sent a fresh stab of agony through me. Forcing pathetic cries of pain from my mouth.

  ‘No, keep going. Don't stop. I will never stop.’

  I bit back the cries. Forcing my mind to focus on riding.

  ‘They’ll try for a second shot. My amulet isn’t strong enough to stop it. That had to be a crossbow like Morah’s, meaning he needs a few seconds to seat another bolt. I need to throw off his aim.’

  'I won't stop; I'll never stop, not until every last bone is broken and every drop of blood is spilled from me. You'll have to earn my death, Heywood.'

  I fought through the pain, forcing my mind to focus.

  Heywood

  I watched the spurt of blood and jolt in Myr's body as she was shot with a bolt. Mason’s skills were second to none. Well worth the price.

  ‘A kill shot would have been better, but a gut shot was still a death sentence. No, more than likely she had something to deflect away arrows and the like. In that case, it must have diverted the path of the bolt.’

  “Do we continue, Father?” Namura asked. Clearly, she noted Myr getting shot with the bolt.

  “Yes, we continue until the forest line. Perhaps Mason can cripple her mount before then.” As soon as I spoke, Myr unleashed a massive cone of fire behind her. It only took me a few seconds to deduce that she wanted to obscure her form, making it harder for Mason to properly aim. A decent strategy, but Mason was the greatest crossbowman in the empire.

  He loosed another bolt. While Myr was obscured completely, her horse wasn't. As expected, the bolt connected the right flank of the mount.

  It veered to the left and right wildly, in pain and shock. Myr fought for control, but clearly the horse was a lost cause. Without hesitation, she leapt off the horse, abandoning it. The way in which she fell was too slow. Without even the slightest hesitation, she continued running with the bolt sticking out of her abdomen. Sprinting faster than anyone could naturally. Once again, she unleashed fire; now her form was completely obscured.

  ‘In a single moment, even through the pain, she didn’t hesitate to keep going. Such a strong will…if only she were my child. Why, dear Anier, do you show me what I lack most? I knew she had learned the basic gravity manipulation, but to control it precisely while injured was impressive.’

  I looked over to Namura staring at Myr’s in fascination and a small amount of envy. ‘Yes, comparison steals joy, does it not? Do you finally see, child, the difference? Could you have kept your bindings active and maintained proper thinking, planning, and reacting under these conditions? This is why I brought you; this is the lesson.’

  “We can’t catch her.” One of my men said. As Myr crossed into the forest.

  “Aye, but with that injury she’s already dead,” I said. I was mildly disappointed that I didn't get to land the killing blow. The horse fell over dead. “Come, let’s investigate the horse.” I watched Myr’s sprinting to disappear into the forest.

  ~

  I went through the saddlebags, finding a few magical tools, pots, pans, and lights; My heart leapt as I found the scroll.

  “Father, is that?” Namura asked, looking terrified.

  “Yes, child, a crimson scroll. It is Anier’s blessing that Myr never had the chance to decipher it,” I said. Then I drew a circle into the ground, after quick binding, the scroll slowly disintegrated into nothing.

  “Some things should stay buried. And I’ll not risk another eruption.” I said. Namura nodded in solemnity.

  I took a deep breath and looked into the thick forest. I wouldn't have bet on the survival of the greatest magi of our time in that forest. The magical beasts will tear her apart within hours or days. Yet Myr has beaten the odds before, either through luck or sheer will. Will it hold out this one last time? I would set up watches, but the political fallout of a battle in the forest was too much risk. Even if, by the blessing of the goddess herself, she survives. She would flee south, far from our influence.

  ‘I want to say her survival was impossible, but with that child…Maybe that priest was right and she does have the blessing of Anier.’