HBWnovel Chapter 51: Tales and Tails
Chapter 51: Tales and Tails
Toren Daen
I mentally turned the page of my book, nearing the end. It hung in the air in front of me, a white outline holding it aloft. Nearby, another book floated in front of an invisible reader, drawing an odd stare from the random people who walked by.
I was in the West Fiachra Library, reading up everything I could find on the Relictombs. I’d discovered a lot of useful information over the past few weeks: the average placement of exit portals and convergence zones, signs a zone might contain a relic, and protocol for certain scenarios.
This last book, however, had been filled with nothing but conjecture. Maybe the Relictombs could create relics on the fly. Maybe the zones used to house intelligent life. Maybe the ancient mages were still operating the Relictombs from the shadows.
Granted, it was a book on theory, not proven fact. I was running out of resources here.
Nearby, Lady Dawn’s shade read through another text about the cosmos. She didn’t seek out many different tomes as I browsed the library, even though she was spoiled for choice.
I turned a page of her book with my telekinetic rune, having long ago gotten an intrinsic sense for when it was needed.
I sighed, floating my book down to the table in front of me. The hardwood was covered in pages of scrawled notes, a litany of information I thought important to write down. This was what I did most of the morning each day. In the afternoons and evenings, I ventured into the Clarwood Forest to adapt to my new abilities and weapons.
And it was almost time to actually apply for an ascender’s badge. As I’d read in my books, the test I would take would differ depending on whether I registered as a caster or striker.
That was something I was still debating. My spellform was that of a caster, but my abilities revolved around fighting in the close and medium range. I could be either-or, but I was leaning toward striker.
“What makes you so intent on these Relictombs?” Lady Dawn asked from over her book, meeting my eyes. She remained quiet most of the time, but I guessed my single-track focus of the past few weeks was bound to raise curiosity in even the most patient of asura.
I need power if I am to fight the Anchor, I replied over our link, organizing my notes with the assistance of my telekinesis emblem. I’d gotten far better telepathic communication; masking my emotions and conveying exactly what I wanted. And even if I wasn’t aiming to fight such a powerful foe, I need a safer place to practice my abilities. The Relictombs provides the best place for that.
Lady Dawn tilted her head. “I fail to see how this warrants such intense re
Lady Dawn couldn’t go far from my body, but I didn’t need her to travel too far. My bond was invisible to mortal eyes and incorporeal, giving her a superb advantage in surveillance. She gave me a hint of mental affirmation before leaving through the crowded streets. I could almost imagine her vaguely condescending stare as she did as I requested. An asura wasn’t a spy, after all.
A few seconds later, Lady Dawn’s voice brushed against my mind. “Several mages watch from different stalls,” she said. “All appear to be sentries, except for one. They are not wearing anything that could identify their allegiance.”
I respectfully declined to buy the merchant’s faux drug, moving back to the winding streets. I made sure to make my movements unhurried and calm. I had only sensed one of the mages. Thanks for spotting them, I affirmed my bond. Are they following me now?
Silence for a moment. “They trail through the crowd from afar. They don’t have a direct line of sight.”
They’re good, I thought with trepidation. So they weren’t tracking me by sight. Mana signature, then? I wondered to myself. Considering some of them might be sentries, the possibilities were basically infinite. Damn.
I tried to take several turns as I wandered over the canals of West Fiachra, changing my course north. There were more mages as you moved northward, as that was where the Fiachran Ascender’s Association was located. Hopefully, the effect on the ambient mana would help confuse whatever tracking method these mages were using.
That had worked before for a few of the tracking teams I’d had to shake in the past. These men, however, were competent. No matter which direction I chose, they seemed to follow me from a far distance.
It wasn’t just respect that I’d earned destroying Blood Joan. I’d earned interest, and I was quickly becoming sick of it.
What are they trying to do? I thought, grinding my teeth as I crossed a bridge over a canal. They aren’t getting any closer, just keeping a ways away. Are they trying to track me back to the Rats’ base in the Cistern?
Shaking those thoughts off, I finally made a decision. I cut off toward one of the canal tunnels that dug through a hill nearby. As I entered the path, the sunlight was replaced by dim lighting artifacts, casting everything in low shadow.
I bent my knees, enveloping myself in my telekinetic shroud. Then I jumped straight up, twisting midair. As I soared, I flared my mana toward my emblem.
My feet impacted the roof of the tunnel, twenty feet above. But I didn’t fall. My boots stayed latched to the ceiling, two small pulling forces emanating from my soles and keeping me anchored to the arched tunnel bricks.
I walked along the ceiling, suppressing my mana signature to the best of my ability. Before I got my emblem, doing this wall-walking would have quickly drained my mana reserves and mental strength. But now I could latch onto walls with my telekinesis like a magical Spiderman.
Four mages entered the tunnels several minutes later. They were unhurried, their steps confident. I spied them from above, staying lashed onto the bricks as I hung upside down.
My enhanced eyes allowed me to make out their features. They weren’t wearing the traditional mage’s clothing that exposed their runes, but now that they were close I could get a better sense of their cores. They were certainly following me.
Their steps slowed as they noticed I wasn’t in the tunnel. Inquisitive eyes were turned to one of the sentries, who began to work their spellform.
Nope, I thought, letting out a pulse of mana. You’re not taking my element of surprise. All heads turned to me with speed, doing a one-eighty to look up at the ceiling behind them. There wasn’t fear in their postures, only a wary caution.
“I don’t appreciate being followed,” I said from my perch on the ceiling. “But as skilled as all of you are, you should know entering a tunnel after your target is always a sign of a trap.”
The mages shuffled as I called them out. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about, my lord,” one said, taking a step forward. His eyes were resolute and unconcerned. “My friends and I were hoping to catch one of Fiachra’s famous riverboats for a tour. We heard that they could be hailed from these tunnels. If we gave any offense, I apologize.”
Part of that statement was true. The exits of the tunnels were often used as a pickup spot for transport for people wanting to ride the boats along the canal.
I pushed out with my killing intent, altering my voice slightly with sound magic. “You have given offense,” I said, narrowing my attention on them as I hung like a bat. “You’ve been following me since the library.”
The pressure made a few of them shudder, the lighting artifacts around me flickering as I pressed with force.
The lead mage's hand was lingering near his waist. Reaching for a weapon that was usually there, maybe? “We don’t want any trouble, lord mage,” he said, his eyes darting toward the lighting artifacts. It seemed that had unnerved him slightly. “If there is any way–”
Another one of the mages let out a shuddering breath. “We were sent to protect you,” they interrupted, causing the other eyes to flicker to him. He gulped from my full focus. “You drew some attention, Toren Daen. Bad attention.”
It seemed they weren’t keeping up the facade as before. The lead mage–a man with deep, seaweed green hair–grunted in irritation, glaring at the sentry who’d spoken, but he didn’t try and deny his words.
I narrowed my eyes, running through what they’d just said. Protect me from what? And why?
“I can handle myself,” I decided to say. “I have a lot of eyes on me. Why don’t you tell me why you think I need your protection?”
I was taking their words with a pinch of salt, but it was always worth it to hear out the opposition. Besides, when I usually caught the people tailing me, they fled after the first confrontation. That these men tried to stand their ground was novel.
The sentry’s face went carefully blank. “We can’t tell you,” he said. “But Blood Joan had powerful backers. You are not as safe as you believe.”
“And who wants me to be safe?” I asked, a bit of a sneer in my voice. “Excuse me if I don’t believe the words of my tails.”
The lead mage, who I recognized was a striker from the flare of his mana around his body, grit his teeth. “Our employer is intent on keeping you safe, Toren Daen, but threats will not be taken lightly.”
I briefly considered my options. I could fight these men. Considering what I felt from the striker, I could probably defeat them without casualties, too. But I’d been tracked so often these past few weeks that if I tried to apprehend every man who tailed me, I’d have a list of captives as long as I was tall.
Ultimately, it wasn’t worth pushing.
I let my telekinesis fade, dropping to the floor below without a sound. “I don’t want to kill any of you,” I said with finality. “I don’t care what your employer thinks of threats. Keep following me and I’ll leave your bodies to float down the canals.”
I pierced their leader with a stare, making sure my intent was loud and clear. Then I swept out of the alleyway, leaving the mages to awkwardly stand beside the water.