Falling from grace

• Tynan Stuart, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2006

“Magi Amae, please take your seat,” said High Magi Xalt in a cold, emotionless voice, “You are five minutes late, the session has already started.”
Amae pushed back a stray length of his long, silvery hair which had fallen out of place in his frantic run to reach the High Sect’s Sanctum, “High Magi, those in the Dark are massing at the palace doors. The guards are powerless without the Magic and are being overrun!”
“That is not immediately important,” Xalt, his ice blue eyes staring emotionlessly through Amae, indicated an empty chair, “we were beginning the discussion on how to quell the rebellion of the Darkners. Magi Bakalu has already put forward a proposition.”
“But…” and Amae gestured frantically from whence he came.
“Take your place!” The ice blue eyes focused on Amae as he felt himself being dragged down into the chair. He tried to fight it and then suddenly found himself stop. Xalt’s eyes began to quiver as he poured more of his power into the Working.
“Even you are being dragged into their Darkness,” wailed Amae when he saw the strain in his leader’s face. The other members of the High Sect focused on Amae and he felt the Working’s grip strengthened and he sat, tied to the chair by invisible bonds.
“We are one in the Light,” Xalt rarely showed emotion so the vehemence in his voice was even greater.
“You have brought us from it,” the bonds tightened on Amae.
“You have taken our Pact so you realise it is your own foolishness that has done that.” Xalt turned to Magi Bakalu, “do continue.”
“We should make an example of the dissidents,” Bakalu began, the sounds of battle getting closer. “Target their leaders so the rest will return to their place under us.” A blast of light shot through the cracks in the door as low thuds echoed from the hall beyond the door. “And so the rebellion will be crushed.”
“A good plan, Magi Bakalu,” Xalt nodded in her direction, “we shall take a vote on it.” The sound of running feet came to the door of the Sanctum and low clunks were heard from the other side of the door that separated them from the Darkness. A thud resonated through the Sanctum as something large and blunt hit the door.
“They’re here!” Amae’s cry ended in a choked scream, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as the ice blue eyes unfocused from him.
“Such newly promoted members are usually unstable.” Another thud upon the door. “Now we who Know shall defeat these rebels, these Darkners, if they manage to enter our Sanctum,” Xalt proclaimed. All the council stood as one and made a line facing the door, Xalt in the centre, and began to call upon their deepest reserves of magic. “Let those Darkners come, and let them fall!”
The Darkners did come to overthrow their masters but it was those who threatened the Abyss that found it.