Law of Shadows

“There isn't even a single secret that's kept with the intention to protect others.”

- A memory of the Old Ones.

***Carinthia***

***Magnus***

“She ate that poor lady's dog! It's a public relations disaster!” Eva complains.

I roll my eyes. “Really? Lindwurm eats a single pet and you call it a disaster? What about the people we lost?”

Her face shows pained displeasure. “That too!”

I dismiss the matter with a gesture. “Be glad that she didn't eat one of those voyeurs who came to watch the aftermath of the carnage. I'll never understand why the humans like to watch the sites of accidents and violence. Lindwurm gets her food on a rope. The dog's leash made her think that the woman was offering her a tasty treat.”

“The woman is in the hospital because she had a heart attack!” Eva goes on.

I chuckle. “That's hardly Lindwurm's fault. I even told the people that Lindwurm isn't just a pet. Listen, I'll explain everything when I see that stupid reporter the next time.”

Eva covers her eyes with both hands and groans. “That's exactly what I am afraid of. I'll do that. Just make sure that it doesn't happen again.”

“Sure. You are our woman who is in charge of public relations. Do whatever you deem necessary,” I reassure her.

Eva nods and leaves the room. I am sure that she'll find her way outside. If not, one of the spirit guardians is following her.

As if I could promise that Lindwurm wouldn't do what she wants. Lindwurm isn't just any pet and certainly not an oversized dog which can be trained to do some stupid tricks. It may look as if I am the one who is giving her commands, but there is a lot of negotiating involved. In her own way, Lindwurm is very smart. She has the intelligence of a small child, so she understands when I am telling her that something is bad for her health.

Lindwurm already ate the dog and nothing bad happened to her. If I go now and tell her that eating dogs is bad, then I'll lose credibility with her. She may not listen to me the next time when it's really important. The gawking human who came to watch the scene is at fault for standing there like a sheep.

I lean back on the living room's sofa and sigh. At least we are all back at home.

Cecilia joins us in nothing more than a bathrobe. Her hair is still wet after washing off the grime and blood. “That was refreshing. I already feared that the people of this time and age don't have any good fights! And I am proud of you, Sely. Your approach was a lot more 'hands-on' than I am used to in battles, but you certainly stood your ground.”

That reminds me of why I interfered at all. I turn to Sely who is sitting on the sofa next to me. She looks a little embarrassed. “Yes! Why did you join the battle? You are carrying our child. I came very close to completely losing it when I saw that! I am so glad that you weren't hurt.”

She crosses her arms in front of her chest and scowls. “I am not even showing yet. Aside from a little morning sickness, I feel fine. You were late, so I decided to lend a helping hand!”

Fiacre follows Cecilia into the room. She also cleaned herself up, but at least she had the decency to put on some casual clothes. I suddenly feel very aware of the fact that I am in the same room as three beautiful women. Okay, two are a little older than me and one is my aunt, but once I thought about it, it's very disturbing.

I focus on a spot on the wall. There must be something I can distract my mind with. Something like, “Let's talk about something else. Fiacre and Cecilia, you weren't there, but at the gathering I fought and killed Emil.”

“You already gave us the short version,” Cecilia urges me on.

“Yes. During the fight, I lost it and gave in to my rage. When I do that, my vision narrows down and my physical abilities are greatly enhanced-”

“He is also enveloped by a red aura,” Sely adds helpfully.

As if I would forget to mention that. “I am not doing it consciously and I am certainly not casting a spell. Tina thought that I was using a spell called 'Berserker'. She also had the theory that I found a way to cast it instinctively, like wild magic. And that it might be dangerous if it goes wrong. Do you have any thoughts on that?”

Fiacre shakes her head. “I've never heard about such a thing. I always thought you devised the body enhancement on your own. But if what you say is true, then you should have researched the matter long ago! We are talking about your body.”

I shrug. “It only happens when I am angry. And to be honest, so far it has saved my ass in several life or death situations. The thought that it could be related to wild magic never crossed my mind.”

Cecilia tilts her head in thought. “It's hard to say for sure without actually seeing it, but my sister might overreact. It could be a natural ability of yours, unlocked by the ordeal you had to go through when your cousin tortured you. Natural magic is quite different from wild magic. What we are afraid of, is magic in an uncontrolled state. Many don't realize the difference, but natural magic isn't uncontrolled. We could try to analyse it in the training room.”

I shift uncomfortably on the sofa. “That might be a bad idea. I am not particularly reasonable when I am in that state. And what do you mean by a natural ability? I've never heard of such a thing.”

Her expression turns smug. “Those are the benefits of having an old mummy like me around. It's extremely rare, but our kind is able to develop, or should I say unlock, certain abilities when we are exposed to extreme situations. I've known a guy who could read minds. He grew up with a clan of real savages while he himself was rather puny. Anticipating his opponent's thoughts and moves was his only chance to survive.

“The concept isn't that unreasonable. Take your wyrm as an example. A creature like her could never exist on land, let alone be able to take flight. If she wasn't constantly using gravity magic to counteract gravity, she would be crushed by her own weight. She is certainly not casting a traditional spell to do so. Her body found a natural way to channel magic in order to achieve a beneficial effect.”

That sounds better than the theory about wild magic and a lot more reasonable. If my ability had felt like wild magic, I would've done something about it.

She continues, “Furthermore, how do you think we Old Ones developed magic and spells in the first place. We didn't just pop into existence and know all the spells that exist. The world forced us to study and observe in order to survive. We watched our prey and other creatures, noticing their impressive abilities. Especially magical creatures. We also developed the ability to read the energy patterns of those creatures. This ability was very useful to hunt in the dark, but the first spells weren't cast by an Old One.

“By copying the energy patterns of other creatures, we learned their effects. After a long time of study and failure, we gained the knowledge and understanding of which patterns do what and how to combine them with each other. It was learning by doing. So if magical creatures can develop such natural magic, then why shouldn't we be able to?”

I furrow my forehead, still not completely trusting her explanation. “So why aren't there more cases of people who develop such a natural magic, or an ability as you call it? And how can we discern such an ability from the dangerous version of natural magic, wild magic?”

Cecilia pouts. “For the first question, I have no good answer. I wish it would be so simple as to beat a random person within an inch of his life to awaken an ability, but it isn't. Apparently, there is an inherent affinity for an ability and the situation that forces the ability to the surface has to match.

“The telepath I mentioned, he might have never developed his ability had he fallen into a lake and drowned. The person in question must be exposed to matching circumstances.

“But who wants to risk his life for such a purpose? Without knowing how to check ones own preposition, we have to blindly devise extreme situations. With the amount of possibilities to cause someone mental stress, gambling one's life again and again to maybe gain an ability doesn't strike me as a smart thing to do.”

She shakes her head and crosses her arms in front of her chest. “There might also be other unknown factors. I am an old hag, even by our standards, and I've seen less than fifty people with a genuine ability in my entire life. I myself was in more than one life or death situation, and I don't have an ability. No Old One ever dies a pleasant death, so that alone tells me that the requirements to gain an ability must be very situational.”

Sely tilts her head. “But haven't you talked to those other people? Aren't there similarities in how they developed their natural magic?”

Cecilia smiles. “It's not like they gave me a detailed story of their circumstances. Who would want others to gain the same power? I wouldn't be able to trust what they told me.”

For a moment she just stands there, considering her next words. “On the other hand, discerning natural magic, or in other words an ability, from wild magic is fairly easy. We just have to get close to you while you are using it. If the spell matrix is contained within your body, then it's natural magic. If it's outside your body, then it's wild magic.”

She clears her throat. “The important point about wild magic is that a functioning spell matrix is formed without any form of containment. Once it unravels in an uncontrolled manner, the effects are equally uncontrollable and unpredictable. That doesn't happen if the magic is contained within yourself, or within an object.”

“I guess having an elder around isn't so bad after all. Though there is still the issue that I feel uncomfortable about testing my circumstances without someone who deserves my rage. When I lose control, I do it quite literally with a haze of red in front of my eyes. In particularly bad cases, I wake up afterwards and don't have any memory of what I did,” I explain.

Sely studies me for several long moments. Then she starts grinning and performs an obscene gesture with her hands. “You mean like in our first encounter when you tore off my clothes and ravished me until my mind went blank? There might be a possibility to focus your energy on something other than killing and destruction.”

I quickly glance at Cecilia and then at my aunt. Both of them look at me as if I am to blame for something. “I think we shouldn't risk your health over an unproven theory. Apart from that, I never before tried to forcefully activate my ability. There might be repercussions which we aren't aware of.”

Sely purses her lips and strokes her hair which is running down her shoulder. “Then I'll keep your outstanding performance from that time in good memory.”

It takes me a long moment to put any meaning to her words. “Do you want to say that I didn't manage to please you since!?”

She shrugs.

I raise a finger, but stop myself in time from saying something stupid. “I know what you are trying to do, but it won't work.” I point at the other two, “Especially not with them watching!”

Cecilia raises both eyebrows. “But I would have to watch in order to confirm-”

“No.”

She tries again, “It's not like I am not well versed in the various techniques-”

“No.”

Fiacre clears her throat. “Theoretically she could even join the action. She isn't-”

“No!” Sely cries in outrage. “I can watch his magic in the act.”

“Finally we are on the same page.” I hug Sely. “Just to make it clear! That will never happen.” Although, why not? It's not like Cecilia looks bad. There are plenty of clans which think of polygamy as normal. Just because it's a Bathomeus tradition, it doesn't mean that it has to stay that way.

Suddenly the door bursts open and Annia storms inside, holding hands with Kath. “Have you seen the news?”