The Fenimeldiyaan: Origins - Chapter 5

 

Apollo stared around in bewilderment, not recognising his surroundings.  The featureless grey room gave no clues.  He tugged his arm away from Alberto’s grasp.  “What have you done?  Why drag us away and leave the others behind?  What sort of coward are you?”

“At least let me explain afore ye condemn me”.  Alberto grimaced and twisted his long tail of hair in his fingers.  “Me mission be to rescue all the prisoners, not only Lady Fiametta Scalani, Plinio Rodriguez and Antario Gutierrez.  As ye’ve no doubt worked out, I have powers of sorcery.  Those powers include the ability to split meself.  Ye and Gerald called them me brothers but in truth, they be pieces of meself, parts taken from the whole.  I’ve left two of ‘em at the fortress — one to protect the prisoners from Governess DeGraaw’s wrath and the other to cause distractions”.

“Splitting yourself?” Apollo mused.  “I didn’t even know such a thing was possible”.

“Only for Ascended Masters” Alberto answered.  “Those of us who have gone to the Beyond and transcended the limits of the mortal body.  Even then, tis a skill which takes a long time to learn”.

Apollo sighed.  Everything the eccentric little man said only served to generate more questions.  “So what are you?  Some kind of spirit or revenant?”

“Twould take too long to explain in detail” Alberto stated.  “For the time being, think of me as having a foot in both camps.  The part of me which ye see here be the mortal aspect but I also exist as pure energy”.  He dissipated into a haze of sparkling shimmering mist, then reverted to the figure of the little man in priestly robes.  He smiled.  “Let’s leave that aside for now.  The rescue mission be our priority.  Existential debate can wait til later”.

“Fair enough” Apollo conceded.  “So who sent you on this mission?  Who are you working for?  And where have you brought me?”

Alberto laughed.  “I volunteered.  Tisn’t exactly a popular job, going toe to toe with a powerful dark sorceress long believed to be dead.  Allow me to introduce meself.  Me real self, I mean”.  He gave a sweeping bow, bending at the knee and spreading his arms outwards, remaining there for a minute or so before straightening.  “I be Lord Andreas Alano Cesario, Spy Master for the Inner Circle Alliance of the Carpathian Way and the Vyrdigaan Order.  This place be known as the Vyrdsphere, the headquarters of the Vyrdigaan Order.  Aye, I realise ye’ve never heard of any such organisations.  Again, all that can wait.  First, ye need to know who we be up against.  Know yer enemy afore ye move against her”.

“So you’re saying that Governess DeGraaw has returned from the dead?” Apollo enquired.  “Is she one of these Ascended Masters like you?”

“Possibly” Alberto/Andreas replied.  “She lived many centuries ago and caused great suffering within the Fenian Galaxy.  Most people who do harm at least have reasons.  Ye know, long-held grudges, noble causes, that sort of thing.  Ciracea DeGraaw never needed a reason.  On a whim, she’d go out and burn down whole villages, getting pleasure out of seeing helpless people being burned alive.  She’d target random people, for example, killing a father so that she could watch his wife and children suffering.  Killing a child and watching the grieving parents.  Making a sailing ship sink and enjoying everyone on board drowning.  Anyways, the Gods of our universe decided to intervene.  They arranged for her death, but instead of allowing her to pass into the Beyond in the usual way, they destroyed her.  Dissipated her energy.  Or at least they thought they had.  Somehow, a few fragments escaped, waiting for a suitable vessel in which to be reborn.  There have been rare instances of it happening throughout history and the Gods have dealt with them.  However, this case be different”.

“Different how?” Apollo questioned.

“The Vyrdigaan Elders suspected but I’ve only been able to confirm by getting up close to her”.  Andreas screwed up his face as if tasting something bitter.  “In the past, when she’s been reborn, tis almost impossible to detect the tiny fragment of her energy embedded in her chosen vessel.  Too small to measure, unless ye know what ye be looking for.  But when she tried to drain me powers in the dungeons, I recognised her energy signature.  Tis identical to the one held on record in the ancient archives.  That means she be complete, as if the Gods had never dissipated her energy all those centuries ago.  We be dealing with a monster.  And ye know the old saying about monsters — ye have to become one in order to fight one”.

Apollo shuddered and leaned on his staff for support.  “I don’t like the sound of that.  So what happens now?”

“While we’ve been talking, I also sent me report to the leaders of the Inner Circle and the Vyrdigaan Elders” Andreas said.  “They recommend sending reinforcements.  One of ‘em will be coming with us when we go back to the fortress.  The other will stay here and lend their powers”.

Before he had finished speaking, a small plump woman materialised in the room.  She wore similar robes to Andreas and her greying hair was arranged in an intricate pattern of braids.

Andreas smiled.  “May I present me granddaughter, Lady Mazia Karina Alana Modjian-Cesario”.

“How can that be?” Apollo spluttered.  “She looks older than you.  Far too old to be  your granddaughter”.

Mazia grinned.  “Time be relative.  Looks can be deceiving.  Old on the outside, yet a child inside.  Personal alchemy”.

Her words made no sense to Apollo and he knew better than to ask for an explanation.

“Let’s go back to the fortress” Andreas suggested.  “Mazia, me dear, I’ll rely on ye to pick the best time for our arrival”.

Mazia played with her braids.  “We need to go back to the moment when Ciracea DeGraaw took over as Governess of the Broken Hill Fortress.  Her trail were fresher then, so we should be able to trace her pathways and learn more about how she managed to resurrect herself”.

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Morgan finished locking the prisoners back in their cells.  His eyes flashed with inner fire and more dark tendrils weaved themselves around the bars of each cell, adding strength to the existing sorcery wards.

“Morgan, stop this!” Gerald yelled.  “Ye be on our side, remember?”  He approached the bars, but as soon as he put his hand to them, an invisible force propelled him backwards, slamming him against the rear wall of the cell.

Gritting his teeth through the pain, he managed to stay on his feet.  He staggered to the front of his cell, making sure not to get too close to the bars.  “Morgan, listen to me!” 

Morgan ignored the appeal, turned his back on Gerald and took up position at Ciracea’s side.  “What would you like me to do now, my Lady?”

“Blast those guards to oblivion” Ciracea commanded.  “I’ve been too lenient with them, allowing them entertainment while on duty.  That stops now.  I have to make an example of them”.

Morgan nodded in acknowledgment and made his way over to the table where the card game was still in progress.  The four guards seemed unaware of his presence, laying their bets and playing their hands.  Morgan’s eyes blazed and he unleashed his powers.

The little guard dropped his cards and stood, wagging a finger at Morgan.  “No, no, pilgrim, that ain’t the way.  These men be under me protection”.  The other three guards vanished.

Morgan growled and sent out another strike.  The little guard laughed and dodged out of the way.  He made several more attempts but each time the irritating little man evaded him and mocked him.  “I can do this all day and all night, but there will come a point when yer powers will be exhausted.  A waste of yer time and energy if ye ask me, but tis yer choice”.  The little guard launched himself into the air, hovering above Morgan’s head.

Ciracea entered River’s cell.  Before she could get to the unconscious girl, a dense cloud of mist surrounded her, making it difficult to breathe.

“River, wake up”.  The mist-form version of Alberto/Andreas tried to penetrate into her mind.  “I can only hold her off for a limited amount of time afore she starts draining yer powers.  Part of me be keeping Morgan distracted, so I ain’t running at full capacity.  River, ye must resist her and strike back at her.  I’ll lend ye me strength but ye have to be awake to absorb it”.

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Apollo gasped at the sight in front of him.  He and his two companions had materialised in what he understood to be the former Governor’s office at the fortress.

Mazia let out a girlish giggle and patted him on the arm.  “Don’t worry so much, Lightbringer.  I’ve taken us outside what ye’d call real time.  No-one can see or hear us.  Watch and learn”.

A heavyset man in military uniform sat at the desk, looking up at Ciracea.  “What business do you have here?” he demanded.

Ciracea gave a cold smile and leaned over the desk.  “The business of taking over this facility.  I’ve come to relieve you of your command.  Surrender to me!”

“But I’ve not received any reassignment notification” the Governor protested.  “Where am I being transferred to?”

“To the afterlife” Ciracea hissed, sending out black tendrils which latched onto the man’s pudgy neck.  “If you believe in such a concept”.

It only took a few seconds for the Governor to choke to death.  Ciracea directed an energy strike at his body, vaporising it instantly.  She wiped ashes from the chair and sat in it.

Projecting her voice so that it could be heard in every part of the fortress, she delivered her first announcement.  “Greetings.  I be Governess Ciracea DeGraaw, the new commander of this facility.  I will see all the staff in the common room of the barracks in one hour to give you your new orders”.

“Interesting” Mazia murmured.  “Using one of me own kind to manipulate time.  One of her kind too, via a shard”.

Apollo’s forehead creased in confusion.  “What —?”

Andreas cut him off.  “Remember I told ye about the DeGraaw fragments?  One of them has found its way into a new host.  A Chronomage, to be precise.  Only a trainee, but tis enough for Ciracea to leech off.  She didn’t resurrect herself.  She used the Chronomage’s powers to turn back time and escape afore the Gods dissipated her energy.  She’s changed time so that she never died”.

“No doubt ye’ve never heard of us Chronomages” Mazia added.  “We be sorcerers who specialise in manipulating time.  Y’see, time ain’t fixed in a straight line like most folks believe.  Tis fluid in its nature.  Every moment be happening all at once.  Non-Chronomages can only experience moments in a specific sequence, thus giving the illusion that time only flows in one direction”.

“How do we stop her?” Apollo asked.

“That be the tricky part” Mazia replied.  “We have to trap her in a warded box and send her back to her original time”.