Whispered Spells and Elvish Steel - an Anthology of Fantasy SD Shorts

Rapture

A/N: Entry into round 4 of the Fantasy Smackdown, dystopian sci-fantasy with post-apocalyptic elements, starting line in bold, using pix 3, 5 and 8

The gravestones stood silently, row upon row like soldiers long forgotten.  They marked where the first had fallen that fateful day, claimed by the maelstrom that nearly slew them all.  Some said they had been cursed with ill favor, granted death before their time by a capricious god.  Yet, as Severn looked at them with a frown on his metallic face, he knew that in the universe turned upside down by the creation of the Rift, they weren't cursed.

They were the lucky ones.

"Thinking about death again, old friend?" a quiet voice beside him asked.  Erasing the frown with force of will, Severn looked over to find the cloaked figure of Quinn Arva, the best of his few friends in this broken place.  And, coincidentally enough, High Mage of the Shattered Territories.

"Every damn day since I was assembled, Quinn," Severn replied with a wry smile.  "It's a curse of immortality, I'm told."

Quinn flipped the hood of her cloak back, revealing a startlingly beautiful woman with raven hair, flashing eyes of icy blue and hauntingly perfect features.  She wore a quirky smile on her perfectly plump lips.

"You know, golahm aren't supposed to be so dramatic," she said dryly.  "Whoever animated you must've either had the drollest sense of humor."

"Or an overabundance of perversity," Severn finished for her, his wry smile broadening just slightly.  "Aye, I know.  I wish we could ask him which was which."  He paused to turn and look into the jumble of massive stone islands that floated through the sky above him.

"But he died when the Rift was formed and Earth was changed forever."

"The entire universe was changed that day, old friend," Quinn pointed out, summoning a small ball of pale blue light with a thought as one of those islands swung between them and the sun, throwing them into shadow.  It hung unsupported in the air just off her shoulder, giving off just enough light to break the darkness that had swallowed them up.

"If the Children of Magestorm hadn't of stepped out of the shadows and used their magic to save the world, we'd all be dead right now."

Severn fought the impulse to snort.  Aye, those that could die, would be dead.  For golahm like him, constructed from magical pieces of stone, wood and metal, he would live forever as long as the animation magic wasn't disrupted.  Then he was pushing aside his dark melancholy with an almost physical shove as he reached up and readjusted the carved piece of magical metal called mithril that he had for a face.

"But you didn't come all the way down to Skyrun and the bottom of the Rift to talk about my dramatic nature or ancient history, Quinn."  He paused to look over at her.

"Did you."

Her smile vanishing, Quinn sighed.

"I'm afraid not, Severn."  Her bright blue eyes scanned his face for a long moment.  "I need your help once more, old friend.  You and those amazing talents of yours."

Severn felt an eyebrow lift of its own accord as curiosity shifted through him.  It wasn't often that the high mage needed help.  Not only need it, but to ask for it with such a pleading tone?  Something was definitely afoot here!  And, if it served to distract him from his overbearing death wish, he was game to find out just what it was.

He gracefully inclined his head.

"You know my skills are always at your disposal, Quinn," he said before looking back up at her.  "What can this old treasure hunter find for you?"

In reply, the high mage waved her hand and a second ball of light appeared.  This one, however, glowed a pale purple.  And, before Severn could study it, it rapidly changed into an image of a metal cylinder, its surface covered with thousands of tiny arcane markings.  A metal cylinder he was very familiar with.

"The Tunguska Codex!" he exclaimed, an expression of confusion appearing on his metal face.  "But I thought that was under heavy guard at Magestorm Keep, put there shortly after I recovered it for you from the Shifter Clans several years back."  His expression tightened.

"Don't tell me the Shifters have taken it again."

A troubled expression briefly marred the perfection of Quinn's features.

"No," she admitted with a frown.  "And that's half the problem.  We don't know who took it.  Whoever did, managed to steal one of our most important relics without disturbing the guards or disrupting the wards protecting the codex."  Then she made a dismissive gesture.

"But who took it isn't the problem.  It's where it's gone.  The Magestorm Council is currently in trade negotiations with a number of upworld kingdoms.  They want our magic-driven technology in exchange for fresh foodstuffs and mineral rights.  Technology that relies heavily on relics like the Tunguska Codex to be assembled and work properly."  Quinn's frown deepened.

"Some of my colleagues think someone from the upworld has taken it.  Both to disrupt our monopoly on mage tech creation and trade.  And to try and figure out how it works."

It was Severn's turn to frown.

"Trying to get the advantage, I can understand," he began.  "But both the upworld and the downworld know that magical items can only be made to work by mageborn folk.  What did they hope to accomplish?"

"The council suspects they want to create their own magical tech," Quinn supplied.  "Technology and civilization collapsed across much of the upworld after the Rift was created.  Magical tech now often means the difference between survival and destruction.  But, as you just pointed out, old friend, our relics won't work in the hands of non-mageborn folk."

Again Quinn made a dismissive gesture.

"But again, that doesn't matter.  We'll deal with the thieves when the time is right.  What does matter is that we want our relic back.  And the golahm with the greatest ability to track magical items is you."

Severn slowly nodded.

"Well, as I said, Quinn, my abilities are yours to command.  I'll retrieve the codex for you as I did before."  He turned to look once more into the floating islands of stone that dominated the downworld sky.

"I just need a place to start!"