The creature sat motionlessly on the stone throne; its hollow skull reflected the lamplight dully. Jorrin knew that this was his best creation so far, he took such delight in creating life, that which could never have lived without his interference. They could have been mutated with Selenemancy but he deemed it to a be heretical arts including those flame-cursed mirror witches.

He would have to do something about them. They seemed to appear too sporadically, burning them was doing no good, he would have to cut out the infection at the source. Turning away from his child, he locked the iron bound door and moved away. He would have to be careful, there had been incursions in the castles recently, but he could not let anything hurt his child.

The sanctity chain felt heavy around his neck, its eleven links putting pressure on his neck and back. Jorrin gave the lamp to the crimson guard as he saluted, hand to chest. Jorrin had to adjust his sanctity chain, it felt too tight. His page, Pordoir handed Jorrin his note case, there were tasks that Jorrin had to be about. He had ordered a meeting with the head alchemists, he had better hurry, she was not a woman to trifle with.

The head alchemist impatiently tapped at the ground with the stick that she used to judge distances. A thin woman, with pale skin, her green ruffled dress with a fringed collar that looked overly tight.

“Cardinal, I know that it may surprise you but I expected you earlier.” Her soft voice belied those around her, “I apologise, Lady Alchemist. There was a matter of interest that I had attend to.” Jorrin’s thoughts drifted back to his child on that cold stone chair.

“Oh that looming creature you have chained to that chair, I suppose that Heliomancers have odd tastes. Myself I would find something as lifeless and rigid as steel, dull to work with.” Jorrin felt his heart racing, sweat beading at his brow.

“You should not worry so, cardinal Jorrin. Devout followers of the sanctity chain such as you and I should stick together. Who knows when a mirror mage might try and kill us? I find it very disconcerting how they seem to be able to pop in and out of fresh air, but I feel like we may have made progress.” Jorrin knew that this woman was very dangerous there as something disconcerting about those pale eyes of hers. No servant of the flame should have so hollow eyes, it was unbecoming.

“What discoveries have you made?” Jorrin asked. “Well the principal power of a mirror mage is the ability to absorb and reflect objects in offensive and defensive styles. This means that it is very hard to get close to them. The creation of Flintlocks and muskets were revolutionary in this regards, but with practice the mirror witches were still able to absorb and refract the musket balls. We believe that we have found a solution.”

“Jesara, be a dear and bring me one of the shatter shots.” One of the assistants who clothed themselves in a black kimono bowed, showing respect then brought a small case. Devina opened them showing Jorrin what seemed to be ordinary musket balls.

“What is the difference between ordinary Musket balls and these shatter shots as you name them?”

“Have you ever fought a Mirror Mage before?” “I have and I have seen the illustrations that royal archivist has been studying for some time. He attempted to explain it to me once, it seems that the Mirror Mages have the ability to absorb objects, the more symmetrical they are, the easier they find to absorb them.”

“That was the main problem that we found was dealing with the symmetry of the musket balls. We used to fight with the barbed bullets but the problem with those was that we had to use specially modified firearms to use them, but we are hoping that the shatter shots will be easier to use.”

“I still do not fully understand how they work.” “Well let us have a demonstration then cardinal. Jesara, please can you find us a flintlock pistol, one of the firestorms if you would be so good. We are going to give the cardinal a demonstration of the true power of the shattershots.”

Jesara looked too young to be working as one of the alchemists, Jorrin had known Devina for a long time, she had really high expectations. Jesara came back a few minutes later with an elaborate musket. The young girl wore bright white gloves that contrasted with the butt of the pistol, putting the shatter shot down the barrel of the pistol then pushed it down with the tool, then added flare powder. Then she raised the firestorm towards the mirror that represented the mirror mage, a loud bang followed a thick smoke that temporarily hid everyone.

Jorrin waved his hand in front of his face trying to clear the smoke. The mirror shattered multiple pellets were embedded in the wall behind it. Jorrin finally understood the true brilliance of the shatter shot, with the mirror shields that the witches used was only able to absorb so much, the sheer quantity of the pellets made it increasingly hard for the mirror witches to absorb them.

“This is brilliant, Devina. Pure genius, I would never have thought to have a shot that split into multiple shots, and by the flame, that girl is an igniter. I’m surprised that she had not been inducted into the flash core, they would love to have her."

“Well the fact that I thought of it instead of you is why I am the lady alchemist not you. Jesara was a good find on my point, it seems pointless to waste such ability of the battlefield when it could be better harnessed in the lab.”

“Well I am impressed nevertheless you have great skills in this regard, consider me impressed.”

“I ask that the Burned men should be allowed to use these bullets so that we can protect the king. You never know when there might be a mirror Mage lurking in the shadows.”

“I fear there is a darker shadow awaiting you than there is for the King, a much darker one.”

“Such is the work of those who do the Flame’s work.”

Next Chapter: Call to Arms