BOOK ONE

She hated it when they ran, it added to the paper work. This one was a skilfully runner especially for a

Goblin, gracefully avoiding passers­by with ease. He had already vaulted two fruit carts and slid under a

one of the larger carts that carried pallets of clothing. She wasn’t making much ground and her shoulder was hurting after a collision with the second fruit cart, which put her in a foul mood.

“Stop running!” She bellowed her voice hoarse and broken with breathless exertion. Her chest was beginning to hurt; she could hear her heartbeat in her head the rub­dub getting ever louder the longer she ran. I only want a friendly word, she thought. The Goblin bolted left down one of the many alleys that sprouted off the main street between buildings that got closer together the higher up they went.

Lyrissa turned down the alley that ran perpendicular to alley her quarry had gone down. She hoped that whoever this Goblin was would let up a little thinking he had lost her. To be honest all this running was wearing a little thin now. When she reached the end of the alley she turned right onto another packed street. 

The street was busier than the first. citizens were busying themselves at the market stalls that lined the either side of the road. There was no way to get up speed with citizens standing shoulder to shoulder even the centre walk way was blocked, she cursed as she slide to a stop knocking a Orc to one side. He grumbled angrily clearly unimpressed with being knocked. Lyrissa shot him a look daring him to say something, anything.

She was disappointed when he caught a glimpse of the black and red uniform its hem covered in blue runes of her order. He promptly stopped moaning and went about his business head down. Clearly a smart man, she thought. Citizens knew better than interfere in official mana business.

She realised it was hopeless trying to get a line of sight at ground level. What she needed right now was higher ground. She looked around and decided she had two options: the roof tops or anyone of the lamp posts that were dotted down the streets. If she wanted to catch the suspect the roof tops were out of the question. 

Lyrissa moved her right hand in a subtle motion making the runes on her strong hand glow blue small streaks of blue lightening crossed between the runes. The energy left her hand when she touched the post. 

The street blurred the sounds and smells faded, replaced with the smell of gas. The lamps were the perfect conduit; she used the gas in and around the lamps to jump between them looking down on the street, she shifted formlessly an unseen spectre looking for the suspect. Who quite frankly couldn’t have gotten far on foot especially on such a jam packed street.

Up ahead she noticed a faint shimmer similar to the kind seen on a hot day. It bared all the hallmarks of someone who is touched by mana and that someone was using it to get away from her. Without getting closer Lyrissa wouldn’t know what had been cast. Though she would wager it was a minor glamour, helping the runner change his appearance. A simple parlour trick effective on the untouched and somewhat less effective against someone like her.

The dizziness was a side­effect of the spell, reforming would make the world come back into focus; sounds slowly filled her head like building to a crescendo the change in form made her feel nauseated she was fighting the urge to vomit it was almost overwhelming but she held it together thanks to training and sheer force of will.

A Old female goblin squeaked in surprised as Lyrissa materialised right next to her.

“Goodness you gave me a fright young Demonling.” she said, nervously giggling.

Lyrissa walked off not acknowledging the goblin’s comment. She didn’t have time for pleasantries right now.

“Such a rude Demonling,” Lyrissa heard the woman say under her breath. Not as quietly as she had thought. Another time Lyrissa would of shot back a snide remark, but right now she had important business that needed addressing.

Slowly she approached the shimmer. Just by looking at it she could tell it had be a rushed and weak glamour casting. Clearly someone who was in a rush but equally someone who clearly knew what they were doing. The shimmer is fading, she thought. Time was running out if she didn’t find out which way the goblin went he would be lost in the crowd and more annoyingly lost to Lyrissa. She hissed in annoyance.

She crouched for a moment cursing her luck there had to be something, some clue to where he had snuck off to. If she could see his face she’d know him, glamour’s affect the mind of the untouched making them see a different face, but for someone touched the face would be out of focus. It was ill an prepared citizen who tried to use one on a touched member for public. It drew more attention to you.

She knew that the man would be keeping his back to her. Purposefully avoiding facing her, he would have known she was touched because she was in the uniform of The Order and only the touched can join them. He wouldn’t have needed to see the fade before to know he was being chased by a touched one. The uniform was enough evidence.

She held out her strong hand the runes reacted to shimmer which she expected being this close to magic would active any magical or arcane item. The runes pulsed blue like a heartbeat. The shimmer was fading but that didn’t mean she couldn’t use it to her advantage. She closed her eyes and touched the shimmer.

In her mind’s eye she could she could see a light blue trail rolling out of the shimmer like a mist rolling along the floor. She hoped it was strong enough to point her in the right direction. At the best she hoped it would lead her right to him, though she wasn’t holding out much hope for that. She turned and followed the flow of magic from the shimmer. The stronger the magical scent the more visible a casting flow appears. This one was fading going from pale blue to white to almost nothingness meaning that the glamour used was poorly cast.

She opened her eyes the casting flow imprinted in her mind. It seemed to fade out of existence about thirty paces from where it was cast. Not to far from where she had materialised earlier on. That helped with the immediate direction the man had gone, but was virtually useless after the thirty paces. This was frustrating she stood there hands on hips, frowning she removed her hood the sun so bright in her eyes that she was forced to shield them placing a hand over her brow. 

The sudden flash of pain came as a shock. She dropped down to a knee, the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. She spat on the floor and wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket. She slowly looked up from her kneeling position she could make out a silhouette the sun playing hell with her vision.

“ I told you, you were a rude young Demonling.”

The old Goblin? She thought. “Why?” Lyrissa touched her mouth again anger slowly building.

“I do not like being chased, and you my friend are becoming an annoyance.” She moved her hands across her face, her yellow eyes turned red her skin turned a dark shade of green, “ So me and my client would appreciate it if you could see to it that you stop.”

The goblin’s face had changed back to its natural masculine form with long hooked nose, narrow curled mouth brimming with off colour white teeth. His posture had changed to he was taller, his shoulders back with a sense of confidence that you did not see in goblins as a race. In his right hand he was holding a cane, obviously the one that had just hit her in the mouth.

Lyrissa smiled. “ Funny I was thinking you were the annoyance.” spitting on to the floor again her purple blood moving between the stone work on the floor. Lyrissa felt the runes on her strong hand hum into life, “ You should know two things goblin. One I will get you, and two I never stop chasing."

With a movement of her hand she shot a bolt of mana from her fingertips. The goblin shifted his weight the mana bolt flew over his shoulder smashing into one of the market stalls sending fruit, wood and cloth into the air, citizens nearby screamed, ducked and began running for whatever cover they could find.

Window shutters slammed shut a barrel lip moved slowly as someone tried to peep and see what was happening.

The goblin made a run for it, darting through a gap created but the crowd dashing for cover. Lyrissa leapt to her feet now towering over even the tallest citizen by a head, the runes on her clothes had began to glow a deep red magic snaking between each rune like smoke. “ Out of my way citizens.” her voice was powerful and carried through the same gap in the crowd as the goblin.