Chapter 8: The Lonely Shadow and the Iron Maiden

Chapter 8. 

Exhaustion guiding his actions, Jakob started to hallucinate. Well, that was the only reasonable explanation. Have I lost it, he thought to himself as within his range of vision silver cloth flew through the air like snakes curling through the grass. The cloth was weird, different, unusual, glowing with an otherworldly purple light as it coiled through the air. 

I must have gone crazy, he thought to himself as the strands of silver cloth wove around the mage, ensnaring him. Senses were muted, but yet also enhanced in this vivid hallucination. While Jakob couldn't hear the sounds of the mage as he struggled, he could hear the sound of murmurs coming from the cloth as if it was telling a tale of its formation. He could smell the ripple of a forge almost as if, just outside his vision the village blacksmith was forging a hammer. That couldn't be right. Jakob thought annoyed and confused, the forge isn't open during the night. 

As exhaustion welcomed him into his arms, Jakob could have sworn that he saw red autumn leaves ripple through the air. But it's winter, was the last thought of confusion, as his eyes closed. 

Jakob started to dream.

At first there was just darkness. Nothing could be seen. Out of the darkness, pulled from shadows, coming into focus the dream took shape. The ground, stained brown with specks of mud, was the first thing that Jakob noticed. Small flakes of snow balanced on tiny piles of dirt; within a moment they were blown away to float through the sky. Moving as much as a corpse, sprawled like a spider, a body lay on the ground. A red scarf stuck out against the dark, brown cold environment.

Wait, paused Jakob as he released. 

That's my scarf, recognizing the worn-out red piece of fabric. That's me, He realised, as the clothes came into focus. Am I dead? Jakob thought as he floated in the shadows, gazing upon his unmoving body.

Across from Jakob's body, on the other side of the village square, encased in silver cloth that glowed an eerie purple, was the mage who had killed his family. However, the male mage wasn't the mage that pulled Jakob's attention. 

Running towards Jakob's unmoving body was a familiar figure, hair as red as the fires that had burned his house, Acantha. With one hand she checked his pulse and the other carefully wrapped him in a cloak. Something was different about Acantha. 

What was it? It wasn't the eyes that shone with a steely, yet comforting gaze. 

What was it? It wasn't the silver circle of silver runes that was wrapped around her wrists, pulsing with a hidden light. 

Wait, wrists, where were her bracers? Her skin was as pale as the small flakes of snow floating from the heavens. 

Could it be? Thought Jakob, as he looked at the man encased in the silver cloth. Looking at Acantha, then back at the male mage again, a point of realisation dawned upon Jakob. 

That metal cloth must be Acantha's bracers, he thought in astonishment. 

She must use the metal for protection, like she always said. Jakob realised as he recalled the many questions he had asked about Acantha's bracers.

Turning from Jakob's body, Acantha rose to her feet and approached the male mage. With a single word, the cloth changed shape revealing the mage's face while keeping the rest of his body ensnared in the metal. 

What are you doing? thought Jakob, He can cast a spell to get free!

Sure enough, as soon as the metal moved to reveal the mage's mouth, he started to chant, casting a spell. 

Now you've done it, thought Jakob clenching his jaw waiting for the mage to break free. Nothing happened. This shocked the mage almost as much as it shocked Jakob. The mage began chanting another spell, seemingly preparing to cast a spell of death.

Unfazed, showing about as much worry as a puppy, and with a slight grin on her face, Acantha stood in front of the mage. The spell cast by the mage failed again. With delight from Jakob, a shade of worry creeped its way into the mage's face.

"What have you done?" The mage asked in a voice that made Jakob smile.

"I've blocked your magic" Acantha said as if she was talking to a worm. "You see, those bands that are wrapped around you are engraved with a rune circle that can stop whoever they wrap around from using magic."

Wow, thought Jakob was impressed. Acantha knew exactly how to beat that mage, it made his fight earlier seem so pathetic at how easy she had not only captured the mage, but stopped him from using magic as well.

The mage gulped as Acantha continued to speak. "Who are you, what element and why are you here?" she said, interrogating the mage.

The mage paused considering her request, breaking into a smile he finally replied. "The Master sent me, an air mage, to capture the World-killer." The mage said with the same smile he had when he had strangled Bjari. "But…" He paused, a wicked grin on his face. "At least I killed his family." 

A sudden surge of pain and anger pierced through Jakob's dream. The mention of his family ignited a visceral reaction. He wanted to scream, but he remained a silent observer within the dream, or vision.

Acantha froze in horror. 

Ice flooding through her veins. 

"You…" she paused, looking over at the burning house. "You killed Bjari and Asta?"

She swallowed, and repeated the question, tendrils of anger creeping into her voice, "You killed Bjari and Asta?" Lacking any kind of empathy, the mage laughed. With a crack like a whip Acantha had punched him square in the jaw knocking him out. "I'm so sorry Jakob," Acantha said, voice breaking with pain, as she turned her head to look at his body. Tears trickled towards her chin as Acantha reached into her pocket. 

Acantha wiped the tears from her face, Pulling out a small glass vial filled with a weird yellow liquid. With one hand she uncorked the vial and the other brushed strands of hair from her face. The moment the liquid encountered the air it blossomed, forming a cloud the colour of the sunset. 

What is this? Thought Jakob as he watched the middle of the cloud ripple like water. Colours shifted like wet paint, coming into focus a face appeared in the middle of the cloud.

"Identification," the person in the cloud said with as much emotion as a rock.

"Acantha Ironvein," Acantha replied, giving a form of what looked like identification.

"Confirmed," said the face after a couple of seconds, "What can I do today to help you?"

"I need a collection on an air mage, killed two people, injured a third. He is restrained, I need to tend to the injured so I will need a collector to take him,"

"I've dispatched some collectors to your location. They should arrive in a couple of hours,"

Acantha nodded then waved her hand through the cloud, breaking up the communication. What was happening? Jakob thought stunned and shook at this new world that he had never experienced. 

"Let's get you inside," said Acantha, as she walked over to Jakob's body. The dream faded into shades of black as her arms touched his.