going on here?” A melodious voice asked. Selissa turned around and was met with the sight of the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.
The woman approached them slowly, looking more like she was floating than walking. She was dressed in lavish blue and white robes clearly showing that she was higher ranked than the guarding mages. She had beautiful long, blonde hair and striking blue eyes, making her look like the paintings she had seen of angels.
Selissa could only stare in awe. Not only was the woman that beautiful, but everything about her screamed powerful. She was obviously not an average mage.
The guards immediately straightened when they saw her.
“Archmage! We’re sorry for disturbing you, but we have a rather uncommon occurrence… I’m not sure exactly what happened, something might have gone wrong with the spell or maybe…” The guard started blabbering, clearly nervous about not being able to give an explanation to the archmage.
“What happened?” The woman cut him off. The guard immediately shut up and looked embarrassed.
“When I checked this woman for magical influence, the spell told me that she possesses divine magic.” He said. Selissa didn’t understand a word of it. What did he mean by divine magic?
The beautiful woman’s eyes widened in surprise. “Divine magic?” She asked shocked. The guard merely nodded.
“Anyone mind telling me what’s going on?” Selissa asked impatiently. She was not really fond of anyone talking about her like she wasn’t there.
The other woman turned to her. Piercing blue eyes watched her carefully. “What is your name?” She asked her, voice chiming like bells.
Selissa was caught off guard at being addressed by the archmage, and it took her a few seconds to answer. “Selissa, my lady.” She answered, placing her hand over her heart and bowing slightly. The other woman smiled at her.
“I’m Serendia, one of Var’Nori’s three archmages. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She said. Her smile was dazzling. How could one person be so beautiful?
Serendia turned to the guards. “I will take care of this.” She turned back to Selissa. “Please follow me.” She said.
Selissa hesitated. “What about him?” She gestured to Alassane, who surprisingly had kept quiet through the whole episode.
“Your companion may come with us.” Serendia said, nodding at Alassane in acknowledgement. Alassane returned the gesture, all the while watching her warily.
Serendia turned to leave and motioned for them to follow her. Shooting a look at Alassane, who seemed unusually tense, Selissa hesitantly followed her.
The archmage strode purposely through the city, radiating a grace that was far beyond human. Selissa felt like a bumbling fool next to her. Alassane, however, didn’t seem to be at all impressed by the mage. The tenseness never left his shoulders, and his mouth was set in a grim line.
She wanted to ask him if he knew what all this meant, but decided against it. She would wait until they were alone. Instead she decided to seek some answers elsewhere.
“Could you please tell me what is going on?” She asked Serendia. The mage cast a look at her over her shoulder.
“I am not quite sure myself. This is very unusual…” She said thoughtfully.
“What is unusual?” Selissa asked. She was getting annoyed with all these vague answers. She had never liked mages, and her opinion of them was not getting any better.
Serendia held her eyes for a long moment, a thoughtful expression on her face. “I will explain the best I can when we arrive.” She said. Selissa accepted the fact that she wouldn’t be getting any answers at the moment.
The rest of the trip was spent in silence.
13
Serendia’s destination turned out to be a marvelous building in the middle of the city. Like the rest of the buildings in Var’Nori, it was built in white stone and looked like a blend between a castle and a temple. Huge spires towered above them and Selissa had to crane her neck to see the top.
Before the entrance, a huge stairway ascended towards enormous, gate-like doors. Before it, a statue of the archangel Maiya, the protector of magic, was placed. It towered above them, watching them like an unmoving guardian.
Serendia walked up the stairs which led to the main entrance. “This is where the council of the high-ranked mages in Var’Nori resides.” She explained as they ascended the stairs.
The entrance was guarded by two mages wearing the same robes as the guards at the city gates. They bowed as Serendia passed them and nodded at Selissa and Alassane.
The interior of the building was no less impressive than the outside, but Selissa had no time to study it. Serendia didn’t slow down and walked with determination through the labyrinth of hallways.
Finally she stopped at a door and led them inside. They entered a lavishly furnished room, filled with endless amounts of books and scrolls. She motioned for them to sit down on a couch in the middle of the room.
“If you will excuse me, I will have to see for myself that the guards really were right.” She said, while watching Selissa. Selissa was anxious to get some answers to what she was talking about, but reluctantly nodded her consent.
Serendia lifted her hand and the same soft blue glow surrounded them, as it had the guard’s hand earlier. She led it towards Selissa and let it hover over her skin. Soon the blue faded into a brilliant light. The archmage’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“How can this be?” She whispered to herself.
“How can what be?” Selissa snapped. This was starting to get on her nerves.
The mage retracted her hands and stared at Selissa, as if she was a strange creature she had never seen before. Selissa shifted uncomfortably under her stare, unnerved by the intensity. Finally Serendia decided to answer her.
“This spell is designed to track magic. Blue is normal, non-harmful magic. If it turns red however, it senses demon magic. For it to turn completely white should not be possible…” She said.
“Why shouldn’t it be possible?” Selissa asked.
Serendia looked at her seriously. “Because white is divine magic. Only celestial beings possess such magic.”
Selissa stared at her stunned. ”Celestial beings? Like angels?” She asked in disbelief. Was she serious?
“Yes.” Serendia answered, apparently not understanding much more than Selissa did. “Only something like an angel would cause such a reaction. I have never seen anything like this.”
In her mind, Selissa saw the statue of Issara. She remembered all the stories she had heard about the archangels. Such powerful beings were so far above her. How could she possible possess such magic?
She looked at Alassane, who still hadn’t said a word. He was staring into the air, deep in thought.
“It is possible for humans to be influenced by divine magic. Sometimes the angels wish to protect certain humans and give them their protection. But the spell wouldn’t have reacted so strongly had you only had a spell cast on you. It was far stronger than that.” Serendia continued. A frown made creases in her perfect face.
Suddenly someone chuckled. “That girl is no angel, that’s for sure.” A sarcastic voice sounded. Alassane had finally broken free of his trance and was watching them calmly.
And he’s back… Selissa thought, while rolling her eyes. She shouldn’t have worried about him.
Serendia frowned at him. “If she’s not an angel, why would she possess such powerful magic?” She asked him. Alassane met her eyes, disinterest on his face.
“You’re the mage. You tell me.” He said.
Selissa resisted the urge to kick him. Insulting random innkeepers and vendors was one thing. She was not sure it was a good idea to insult an archmage.
The only sign that Serendia had been offended, however, was a small twitch of her lips. She ignored Alassane and instead turned back to Selissa.
“I will do my best to get to the bottom of this. I ask you to stay in the city for now.” She said.
/> Selissa and Alassane exchanged looks, but didn’t object.
ℓ
“When did my life stop making sense at all?” Selissa asked as she and Alassane made their way through the streets of Var’Nori. They had just left Serendia and were now walking around aimlessly.
“It will only get worse.” Alassane said. “Trust me.”
She huffed. ”My, thank you for cheering me up!” She said. Even if it wasn’t technically Alassane’s fault, it still helped taking it out on him when she was annoyed.
He made an irritated sound, before opening his mouth to say what was without a doubt some scathing reply. “You really should—“
He was cut off by loud shouting nearby. They both stopped dead in their tracks and turned towards the uproar.
People were flocking together and a woman was screaming.
“Help! Somebody help him!” She cried. Selissa wasted no time running towards her, pushing people out of her way as she went.
The woman who was shouting was lying on her knees, a man cradled in her arms.
Selissa froze in shock when she saw the scene before her. Images of the murdered boy at the temple flashed through her mind. The sight of this man reminded her eerily of that time.
The ground was soiled with blood. Clothes hung off the man’s body where they had been ripped apart. Deep wounds covered every inch of visible skin and his arms and legs were hanging limply from his body.
Selissa kneeled slowly next to the wailing woman and put her fingers to the man’s throat. His eyes were rolled back into his head and at first she was certain