Devlin led the way back to Winston's body, three men had been standing guard to ensure no one disturbed any of the bodies. Lucian, Jaxon, and Leonard followed the mage disciples around the clearing. They were going around taking detailed recordings from which way the grass was bent, to cataloging each drop of blood.
Stacie, Devlin's third disciple oversaw the others. Her brown hair, brown eyes, small mousy stature belied her powers as a fourth-tier mage. She wore her enchanted classes, temporarily able to work in the clearing due to Devlin preparing a dozen node isolators from the cerulean tree sap, though Devlin hadn't informed them of that fact.
"Master, these bodies were missing limbs prior to... their deaths... I don't think actual body parts were used in the summoning, just the heart's blood. If you look here," Stacie gestured to a male body, "There is a single stab wound, I thought at first it was made with a blade, but... I believe all twelve had their hearts pierced at the same time with a spell. The size, force, and angle are all identical. Nearly impossible using regular means."
Devlin walked over with a grimace, even with the nodes, flight mana was draining. They remained about three inches off the ground to not disturb anything before a full analysis and recording was complete. "I agree, there are no burn marks though... so not fire or lightning. Perhaps blood from Winston to connect them all. In a moment, we will use his body to isolate his blood from the rest."
Lucian stayed back with Jaxon, Leonard was directing Amin to assist in the investigations as he was a well versed scholar. "Were you aware Winston was a mage of the fourth tier?" Lucian asked glancing over the clearing, he hadn't been paying attention to the sacrificed earlier, a few were missing arms or legs, one was missing an eye. Two who looked like siblings were horrendously burned over most of their bodies. Of the twelve, only four will fully intact... that he could see.
Jaxon watched the mages taking notes before starting to slowly remove Winston's cloak. Meticulously detailing every aspect of his state. The cloak was sticking around the burn wound, the shirt underneath looked melted to his chest into the hole from the impact.
"Jax?" Lucian promoted as Jaxon continued to stare at Winston's body, as Stacie used levitation to sit Winston up, the hole had light shine through... the edge of the heart was visible... shriveled and grey as it was.
"No, like many of the bloodline, my understanding was he was only capably of body enhancing mana and basic fire spells. Though... I am not even capable of that." Jaxon added half self-mocking, half resentful. Jaxon hadn't been surprised to hearing that even facing Lucian, surrounded by dead bodies, Winston called him an abomination. The former duke, his own father, even older cousins all called him and Monroe as such.
Jaxon took a deep breath, at least his younger brother Monroe had not been forced to endure the initiation with the church when he turned six. Lucian had stopped the barbaric ceremony shortly after Serafin's birth, a blessing Jaxon could never return.
Lucian gave a short nod, "But you can harden your skin and bones even more than I can Jax, don't listen to them. They didn't like anything that was different..." Lucian added straightening his shoulders. The former emperor had called them all cowards for trying to stop their warring state, since the old ways were slowly killing their people... best to change, but never forget.
Jaxon took a deep breath, "I'm more concerned with how he was still alive your majesty, I was there the day he was beheaded. I watched our guards drop the head in the basket with a dozen others, I stayed to watch as their bodies were burned. I scattered their ashes in the rivers of blood... over the countless bones of their victims." Jaxon was not proud to admit it, but he'd been too scared to take chances with even one of his elders surviving. So long as they were alive... the duchy wasn't safe. Not to mention... the nightmares after discovering thousands of bones... how many had been killed and buried under the ducal estate...
"Bring Monroe to the capital, it's best to keep him close until we can confirm... We will order the heads dug up and tested. If any of the others are alive... We will know." Lucian promised gripping Jaxon's shoulder. For the same reason none of his half siblings, or any of the former imperial family were allowed to live. The enchantments and wards were bound by blood... that was why death was the only consequence for crimes of the imperial family.
Jaxon gritted his teeth, "Yes your majesty." Monroe had no love for the capital, still better to keep him close for the time being.
"Majesty, someone was here before us," Leonard called as Amin pointed out an unusual pattern of blood. After several comparisons, all the mages agreed it was unique... and equally disturbing. Lucian and Jaxon walked over, each step still just inches from the ground, then they all squatted around to see the blood drawing.
Jaxon furrowed his brows, "It looks like... necromancy... soul summoning?" While he was unable to wield mana, he had studied it for over two decades. This was a particularly basic spell circle, honestly almost any mage who'd studied even the basics would recognize the pattern. If a necromancer was trying to be discrete... they wouldn't use such an easily identifiable spell.
Amin nodded, "I believe so, and not one we can trace. Its too common, its textbook perfect down to the strokes. It is also fresh, the blood is only now starting to freeze. I'd say, less than fifteen minutes ago." Amin explained glancing around, necromancers and sacrifices... even during war such abominations were rare.
Devlin narrowed his eyes, "Stacie, when did you arrive?" She should have been here over an hour ago... to have gone unnoticed... meant this necromancer could have easily hidden such evidence away. Or used a less recognizable spell... it just wasn't adding up.
Stacie gripped her notebook, "Almost two hours ago Master, and that was not here." Stacie pulled up a recording stone of the platform's edge where the blood had frozen. An image overlapped their current location, almost everything identical except a path of grass from the forest to the newly discovered circle. This circle was inches from the platform, the dripping blood from the platform already frozen. Not even a drop of blood from Winston, or the three still unnamed mages to be seen. Now at least a quarter cup of blood freshly painted the grass...
Devlin glared around to the mages, "I want memory recordings of all the mages for the last hour. This necromancer walked up, cast at least one spell, and left without any of you noticing?" Devlin and the others had only arrived in the last ten minutes... This necromancer wanted to be found.
Stacie kept her face straight as she adjusted her glasses, they recorded everything she saw, along any related thoughts into her journal. "Yes Master, I believe we should summon at least half a dozen more mages, of unquestioning loyalty, to ensure none of us have been influenced." While her fellow disciples weren't as meticulous as her, they did have their strengths.
Devlin nodded, "Gareth and Richtor will lead two three-man teams to assist you. A mage from his majesty's side, Duke Darnings, and Marquis Silas to each team." Both his first and second disciples were older than Stacie's 36, but that didn't mean they were stronger or smarter. With three of his disciples working on cooperating teams, little should get by them.
"Majesty, there is another concern." Amin announced, when he had everyone's attention he glanced at the trees. "The markings on the trees to help hide Winston's preparations... are not all Smyrnaean. At least half the trees forming the containment ward, are imbued with mana absorbers, and those that are Smyrnaean are not only ancient, but holy in nature." Amin kept his expression calm as everyone stilled, even the men standing guard.
"You're saying... the rebels are working with the Lindorm church... and foreign powers?" Lucian demanded as his blood started to boil at the thought. Foreigners Lucian could understand, even accept. Smyrna was a warring nation with 700 years of history, of course other countries would happily watch and encourage them to tear the nation apart in power grabs. But the church?
Was it not bad enough the former pope stripped the flesh from his and Jaxon's bodies? That no less than a half a dozen of his siblings, half and whole had been tortured to death in those hallowed halls? As much as Lucian hated the church, loathed, reviled, distained, there were not enough words in the common or ancient tongue. Lucian could admit, the church did help the common people... if they were not the healers of the poor, teachers of the children, investigators for petty crimes in small towns and cities, Lucian would not have just purged their ranks.
Amin saw his majesty's eyes start to narrow, not just in rage, but his pupil ever so slightly took on a reptilian diamond shape, he continued, "I am not an expert in Smyrnaean holy mana, but the few I recognize are over three hundred years old. The others are much older, the rebels may have found some ancient texts of summoning." Amin explained then glanced to mage Stacie for a follow up.
Stacie accepted the baton, "I agree, summoning mana is highly specialized, and only in our legends have I heard of the priests' summoning members of the imperial family to different battlefields to save the faithful. The mana was lost as the imperial family stopped having ascended because no human has ever survived. If a book was lost or stolen during the purge... the church might not have even noticed." Stacie added half hesitantly, she had helped in the purge, more than just ancient scrolls and books had been burned, entire towns, down to the last brick had burned rather than submit.
Jaxon took a deep breath, "What stopped the church from adjusting the summoning spell, to teleportation mana along nodes? Like what crown prince Alphonse was doing?" If someone could just summon a land dragon into the capital...
Stacie used a single finger to push the bridge of her glasses up as to not block anything she saw as she continued, "We've tried similar with... less than idea results. Not even the smallest of bugs has survived. When they travel the nodes, anything unanchored is... ripped away. More than one bug had only its legs arrive less than a few feet between nodes. Summoning is different your grace."
Leonard didn't want to get into a theoretical debate now, "Can this be repeated in the capital? Summoning another land dragon?" Not only was it getting to be below freezing as the night continued, the mages could not possibly hold out much longer.
Stacie hesitated, "Yes, but more than just twelve were sacrificed my lord, each body is... connected to fifty in total, that means for each one we see here... we are missing 49. This summoning took at least 600 sacrifices, for this kind of connection... their bodies should be close. Not to mention, they would have to find another land dragon."
Jaxon jolted, "What do you mean find another one?" This dragon had been... prepared? Then why not put the controlling spell before it arrived? Or just have it rampage along the only safe pathway? Scattering in the cerulean forest would have been suicide...
Stacie closed her eyes, "The spell already had traces of the dragon blood and scales... the mage had been drinking, and injecting dragon blood into his body to form the connection. Parts of his skin have started... fusing with dragon scale pieces. Their lives were tied together before the ceremony began, at least a year long process."
Leonard paled, "This has been being prepared... for over a year?" That meant... even if the rebels stole an ancient summoning text... deciphering it, then putting it into practice... all in less than two years?
Amin took over, "At least, this platform was moved here on short notice, otherwise Winston would have had better control of the dragon, I believe this was prepared for the capital... but the lifespan of such a spell would have only last a few hours at best, two or three. We should find the... bodies and see what we can learn from the rest of the spell circle. As of right now, we only have a few pages of a book... possibly a series of books."
"I don't believe there is any necromantic parts of the spell, if that is because of the direct contradiction of ancient holy mana, or because of other reasons... but that should not be our focus at the moment." Stacie added to ensure all their resources were directed at the most time sensitive matters first.
"Majesty, might I inquire what method was used to create the node isolators? We can compare it to the unfamiliar spells and wards, then to how the necromancer used a soul summon? That way we can rule out imperial involvement." Amin added as the duke and emperor stared daggers at him.
Lucian gritted his teeth, Jaxon's uncle should not have been aware of the tree sap method... but he should have also been dead. "Mage Devlin, mage oath Stacie Wagner and Amin Kraft to secrecy, then explain to them alone."
Jaxon watched the trio of mages, "Majesty, we should return for now. The mages can report back at the campgrounds, here we are draining their limited power."
Leonard glanced around, the dozen dead bodies was a chilling sight that would haunt him tonight, but the winter freeze had preserved them well. A funeral after finding their identities would be good, their murderers would not go unpunished.
"When the rest of the bodies are found, inform Us, and two mages are to keep watch over Winston Darning's body at all times. If it goes missing, so will the heads of the responsible mages." Lucian ordered as Devlin finished the oaths up.
Devlin nodded, "I will return with you to summon Gareth and Richtor, then take a party of trackers to find the remaining bodies."
Lucian nodded, then left the clearing to mount back up, he watched from his horse as Devlin collected memory stones from the mages, and three guards. This night was far from over. Lucian looked up at the crescent moon shining through the trees.
"Majesty, the dragon's body may have more invaluable clues... should we?" Leonard broached as they followed Devlin in a brisk trot. It would take about two hours to return safely in the dark. There was little of the battle with the dragon, just scorched earth, frozen sections from where snow had melted, then frozen, and craters. Not a drop of dragon blood, or a single scale had been left behind.
Lucian watched the trio of mages, "Not yet, first finish with what we have." As much as Lucian wanted to demand the dragon's corpse, for now Ashton was the hero who had slain the dragon. Even if they wanted answers, it was clear demanding them would not yield anything positive.
Jaxon clenched the reins, "Ashton already stated he was going to use the body for materials. No doubt the mage who created the quartz shield wards will strip it down immediately. I wouldn't expect to get anything useful, but maybe we can ask Ashton if he can share the memories from the battle."
Leonard took a deep breath, as he exhaled the warm air was quickly left behind, "An apt assessment, maybe we can barter for the memories of the spell collar from the perspectives of his... helpers as well. Especially the one who cast that final spell."
Jaxon only nodded as the wind whipped at his face, without Devlin leading the way, they would be lucky to get there by dawn. Though the freezing winds made him want to hunch his shoulders... Jaxon wasn't sure if it was the dragon blood, despite fairing better than non-royals in extreme weather, they always made him uneasy... anxious almost. As if he wasn't meant to be here. Jaxon looked to Lucian who claimed to prefer the cooler weather...