The Shadowmage Trilogy (Twilight of Kerberos: The Shadowmage Books) (45 page)

Sure he had the attention of everyone, the priest raised his arms, and breathed in deeply before speaking.

“Blessed are you, you who attend the consecration of this great city’s cathedral, dedicated to the one, true Final Faith. Your devotion is noted by the Anointed Lord herself, for she has sent her humble representative to us today. Pray silence for the Preacher Divine, Alhmanic.”

After stepping down from the pulpit, the priest turned to face the Cathedral and waited, his head bowed.

A minute passed with no movement from within the cavernous interior. The people simply stood, almost entranced as they awaited the most powerful member of the Final Faith to ever visit their city.

There was a collective intake of breath as the Preacher Divine seemed to materialise out of the Cathedral. One moment there was nothing, and then there he stood, staring imperiously across the square.

The Preacher Divine was old, with thinning white hair above a majestic beard. However, as he started down the steps, it was clear he moved with the quick and easy grace of a man both young and physically fit. Those closest saw that while his skin was hard and weathered, it was barely touched by age. His eyes were clear and roved constantly over the crowd, as if able to pick out infidels with the merest glance.

He walked with a tall gilded staff that he clearly did not need, its metal butt hammering the ground with each step. A large blue stone was mounted at the staff’s tip, grasped by silver claws. Dressed in white robes similar to the clergy on the dais, the Preacher Divine also wore a dark red cloak that trailed behind him as he walked, along with metal bracers on his arms and a thick leather tunic of exquisite craftsmanship. He gave the impression that he had fought a battle every step of the way to Turnitia but had not tired in doing the work of the Final Faith.

Mounting the pulpit, the Preacher Divine gazed down on the people –
his
people now. He nodded approvingly.

“F
RIENDS.
O
H, MY
beloved friends. You are welcome here, at the first true house of the Final Faith in the worthy city of Turnitia. You have accepted the inspired leadership of Vos into your lives – now accept the true belief of the Final Faith into your hearts. I am Preacher Divine Alhmanic, and I bring you the blessings of the Anointed Lord and all the benefits that follow.”

A few in the crowd cheered, though most merely clapped. He held up a hand again to silence them.

“This city has faced trials and hardships throughout the years. Interference from decadent aristocrats in Pontaine, misguided leaders who told you that safety can only come from that ridiculous idea, independence. Look about yourselves now,” Alhmanic said, sweeping an arm over the entire square. “Do you stand alone? Are you not here, now, with your fellow citizens? Does not the merchant rely on the baker to provide the bread on his table? Does not the baker rely on the farmer to provide wheat? And does not the farmer rely on the Vos guard to keep him safe from brigands? We are all bound, one to another. An independent city cannot function any better than a man living on his own in the wilderness.”

He paused for a moment to let his words sink in.

“This Cathedral, this magnificent building that will set your city apart from lesser settlements, brings with it a new era for Turnitia, one filled with wealth and prosperity for all decent people. Those of you who toil daily, be it in the docks, warehouses, or your own shops, will gain the full measure of your labours, a just reward for a day’s work. For those whom independence and Pontaine ruined, those who are destitute but would willingly work for the betterment of your society, you will have every chance to find the same success as your peers.”

The crowd’s interest was piqued at the mention of money. It was the same in every city in the world, and Alhmanic had given variations of this speech a hundred times. Identify an enemy or cause for the people’s hardships, then promise a better life under the Final Faith. Of course, you had to back up your promises to some extent.

“We have already trained many new stonesmiths, carpenters and other craftsman during the construction of this Cathedral – we did not only pay these men and women a fair wage, but taught them a trade so they can continue to work and to earn for the rest of their lives. And we are doing more; as a part of the Vos Empire, Turnitia is a vital port. This means we need more workers on the docks, more labourers for the warehouses, more taverns and shops for them to spend their hard earned wages, more mentors for their children, more builders for their new homes, and more craftsmen to provide everything they need. Everyone in this city can benefit from our work here.”

More cheers rang from the crowd and many reached for him with their hands. Alhmanic nodded magnanimously before continuing.

“New charities are being set up as I speak. Those out of work can draw a stipend, so long as they make themselves available for the new work we are creating. This means no one ever need starve! Physicians are on their way from the Empire, ready to administer their skills to anyone who needs them, for fees anyone can afford – the Final Faith will make up any shortfall! We will also commence building Turnitia’s first university within the year. Any hardworking citizen will be able to get an education and better themselves!”

The people before the Preacher Divine were now even more enthusiastic. Offering free money had a way of eliciting such a response, though Alhmanic knew the machinery of the Vos Empire was efficient enough to not only keep the promises he was making, but also claw back the expense through taxes. Not that the people need hear about that now, of course, nor about the nature of work that would be found for them if they wished to avail themselves of the charity of the Empire.

What was important now was the creation of a new enemy. In the end, life probably
would
get better for most of the people in the city, but they would pay through the nose for it and, as always, it would be the Vos Empire and the Final Faith that benefited the most.

“But my friends, my cherished friends, there are those who will work against us. Those who prey on the weak, the innocent, the hardworking. Liars, thieves and murderers, those who would use deception, crime or sorcery to make themselves rich at the expense of decent people like you. They grow fat as your lives become ever harder. Well, no more!

“Magic, in all its forms, has the potential to bring truly wondrous boons to an entire city, yet its practitioners lock themselves away, intent only on their own wealth. The first Imperial Decree of this new, golden era is that all magic within the city of Turnitia will be regulated. Only those with a licence may practice magic, on pain of death. This will weed out the miserable tricksters and charlatans that have plagued you for too long.”

Alhmanic doubted whether many of the people here had suffered, directly or otherwise, from rogue wizards, but practitioners were
such
easy targets. By its nature, magic was difficult for most people to understand, and so anyone well versed in its use was always treated with suspicion. After all, what was a simple labourer to make of a man who might be able to read his mind or burn down his house with a mere gesture?

“There is another blight, one that has plagued this city since its formation. Organised crime. From the pickpocket on the street to the thug who extorts decent shop owners for so-called protection, from the con man running crooked games in your favourite tavern to assassins who lurk within the shadows, everyone is affected by these malcontents.”

For a moment, Alhmanic lowered his voice, forcing the crowd to keep silence in order to catch his words.

“No longer, my friends, no longer. We will not suffer these criminals to make an easy living at your expense. I vow to you, every resource the Empire has here will be used to smash the centre of organised crime, the so-called thieves’ guild. And we will do more, my friends, much more. We will also wipe out that nest of traitors, assassins and infidels – the Shadowmages!”

CHAPTER FOUR

“I
REALLY WOULDN’T
worry about it.”

Lucius glanced at Forbeck Torquelle. His mentor was pacing the perimeter of the empty warehouse they used for infrequent training sessions, the master slowly encouraging his pupil in the refinement of the art of the Shadowmage. Forbeck leaned on a cane as he walked, and was dressed in a fine jacket and pantaloons, for all the world like a Pontaine noble, complete with tight, trimmed beard.

“Vos means it this time,” Lucius said. “Have you seen how many troops the Preacher Divine brought with him? Or the money they suddenly found to finish the Cathedral? Mark my words, they will come for you. They’ll come for all of us, thieves and mages alike.”

Forbeck sighed. “Lucius, my worrisome student, I have survived attacks from the Empire before now, and I will ensure we survive this one. Now, concentrate. You told me before you see the magic as individual threads. I want to focus on that for a while. Close your eyes...”

“He has a point,” said another voice. Adrianna rested casually against a wooden pillar. “I’ve been watching this Alhmanic, and he is top grade material. They say he has the ear of the Anointed Lord herself.”

“All preachers like to say that,” said Forbeck. “Lucius, lock on to one thread, any one you like...”

“This one has the Swords of Dawn at his beck and call. You don’t get that just by preaching to the masses. Alhmanic has clout, and is capable.”

“But he has no magic, so how can he stand up to us?” asked Forbeck. “I promise you, he won’t even
find
us. It is Lucius here who has more to worry about.”

“True, with the promises he made at the Square, he will target the thieves’ guild first,” said Lucius.

“Vos has the resources to bring wizards into the city,” said Adrianna. “They can afford the best.”

“Well, not quite the best,” Forbeck smiled.

“It
is
a danger,” Adrianna said insistently.

“All the more reason for Lucius here to gain greater skill with his arcane manipulations,” Forbeck said. “He is your friend. Perhaps
you
can get him to focus.”

Adrianna sighed and pushed herself away from the pillar to stalk across the warehouse, her heels cracking on the flagstones with every step. Lucius turned to give her a wry smile as she approached.

While they had certainly had their differences in the past, Lucius had found Adrianna’s acceptance of his presence in the city had grown over the past few months. Though the thieves’ guild occupied much of his time, his renewed dedication to learning the arts of the Shadowmage, however loosely, had earned her respect.

He still found her cold at times, and wondered just how much emotion she possessed, beyond hatred and anger bent toward any who threatened the Shadowmages. Theirs was a loose guild, devoid of the rules and regulations that the thieves needed just to function as an organised body. In comparison, the Shadowmages received few instructions from superiors, and rank was assumed with experience and skill, rather than structured with rigid promotion. Every Shadowmage pledged to aid others in training, and all swore never to openly oppose another. They worked as spies, infiltrators, sometimes assassins to anyone who could afford their services, and few contracts were turned down on moral grounds. For a true Shadowmage, the principal aim was the betterment of their skills in both magic and stealth, not the accumulation of wealth, knowledge or material power. A Shadowmage would refuse a commission if either another Shadowmage was likely to be found on the side of the target, or if the work simply did not interest him.

This made the Shadowmages’ guild incredibly difficult to penetrate or control, and that worried many within the Empire of Vos. After all, any one of them could become a target of a Shadowmage’s skill, hired by a rival or enemy from Pontaine, and there was little defence against a skilled Shadowmage. When Vos had first invaded Turnitia, the Shadowmages had been purged and driven underground. Though weakened, enough had survived to continue the traditions and, now they were regaining their past eminence, it seemed as though someone in Vos had decided they needed to be taken down again.

For his part, Lucius considered himself more thief than Shadowmage, but his uncanny natural talent in manipulating magic had caught the attention of both Adrianna and her master, Forbeck. He appreciated their trust in him, but Lucius all too often wished he could be a more regular petty magician, using magic just as an aid to thievery, rather than reaching for something greater.