48. Uncovering The Truth

When Lukas returned to Esther’s, Penelope wasn’t in the clinic. Instead, the vet invited him into her house, leading him to the familiar green patch with the armchair. Penelope sat with Bass in her lap, drinking tea that smelled absolutely awful. The discoloration, burns, and cuts were all gone. However, she still appeared frail and pale, like she was a chronic patient on a bad day.

“I believe you owe me a conversation,” Penelope said, looking at him weakly.

“Did you tell her anything?” Lukas asked Esther.

The vet shook her head. “Not for me to say. The secrets are yours to share or keep. And your friendship, working relationship, or whatever this is, is between the pair of you.”

“I’ve been waiting for you,” Bass said. “Penny knows only what I know.”

“And that has left me with a whole lot of questions.” The sorcerer’s expression didn’t waver. “There is something I must know, regardless of whether you’re going to tell me the truth or not.” She hesitantly glanced at her familiar, stroking him with her free hand. “Elvis. Was he a real person?”

Lukas took a couple of steps backward, moving out of the bright green into the surrounding shadows. He created a high-mass, mage clone. “Meet Elvis.”

“Hello again,” the clone flashed a wide grin.

“So, he’s a copy of you playing a different role?”

“A fragment of my soul is in him,” Lukas explained. “He is me, but not at the same time. No inhibitions, no fear, or hesitation. The clones are me without everything that holds me back and all restraint. Maybe they’re who I am on the inside or wish to be. Maybe they’re whatever piece of me the soul fragment carries, a part of my psyche that lives in the background.”

“That’s…a long, complicated, and far deeper answer than I was expecting,” Bass commented. He hopped off Penelope’s lap. “I’m heading to the markets. The tigress should be out, and it's been a while since we’ve seen each other.”

“You know we’re leaving as soon as the investigation is done, right?” Penelope asked.

“Even more reason for me to have all the fun while I still can.”

“You’re welcome to still travel with me.” Penelope refocused her attention on Lukas after her familiar departed. “But I need to know more. Your ability. The mysterious identification powers.”

“The latter comes from a soulbound relic. I got it almost the same time as my shard ability. It wasn’t something I wanted or intended. It just happened. Unknown power is concerning, though. I picked my Mind Pillar ability in the hopes it will help me sever my connection to it.”

“Unknown relics of power are always a cause of concern. You haven’t felt any odd urges. Have you?”

Lukas shook his head. “Not yet.”

Penelope stared at him for a moment, as if trying to gauge how much of what he was saying was the truth. 

“You already know what my Body and Mind Pillars do. The real Soul's ability started as Arcane Clone. Now, it's Shadow Clone and permits the summoning of the Shade’s Mantle.”

“So, you rip your soul to pieces to make loyal, suicidal copies of yourself who go about doing your bidding?” Penelope asked, brows furrowing. Her expression and tone betrayed her concern. She looked at Esther. “That can’t be good for him, can it?”

“I’ve studied his soul. It's strange. Different. Maybe coming back from the dead did something, making it more resilient than most. I imagine the damage is going to add up over time. If not his soul, his mind will suffer.” Esther looked at Lukas. “You need to look into mind healing magic in the near future. I fear what you’ll turn into given enough time.”

“I assume you didn’t want to tell me because you believe that the power of this cloning ability lies in everyone not knowing about it?”

Lukas nodded.

“Does anyone besides us know about it?”

“No. Also, I see you as my path to the conclave and powerful magic, and teachers. I want to walk forward as equals and not as an asset.”

“You’ve been treated as a tool all your life, and you’d rather not be one anymore,” Penelope stated. “I can respect that. Much of my life has been in pursuit of the same goal. When one awakens their draconic magic, everyone wants to turn them into a weapon and no longer see them as a person.” She smiled. This time, it reached her eyes. “You might be surprised how well I understand you. Thank you. I know all I want and need to know. But if there are more secrets, don’t hesitate to share.”

“Maybe given enough time,” Lukas said. “You, the conclave, your purpose is still unknown to me. I don’t quite know your or the conclave’s purpose, allegiances, or much about you. I only have what you say and rumors to go off. Give me time, and maybe I’ll tell you more. For the time being, I’m happy to remain colleagues for as long as we can tolerate each other.”

Both women rolled their eyes. 

“Let’s move on to more important things,” he continued. “The clones have been at work. I’ve had them investigating the docks, Mister Grey, Stefan Santana, and the research center. Things aren’t quite how I predicted.

“The Grey Rats aren’t directly involved. Not as an organization, at least. However, members of their organization have been dropping like flies. El-Two found—”

“El-Two?” Penelope interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s the silly way he names his clones. Lukas-One, Lukas-Two. He shortens it to El and a number.”

“Understood.” The sorcerer gestured for Lukas to continue.

“El-Two managed to catch up to one rat moments before death. He had the same contract tattoo. There have been a few guards who died the same way, too.”

“So, whoever is behind all of this is tying off loose ends, trying to cover their trail,” Penelope said, eyes moving past Lukas and staring at nothing in particular. “Santana. Research Center. Docks. Any leads from those?”

“Stefan has been lying low and doing nothing but his job. He looks scared. I don’t think he was under contract; maybe he served as a middleman. It seems like that’s the kind of job he does best.”

“I bet he’s terrified that they’re going to try to silence him,” Esther said.

“The clones found nothing in the research center,” Lukas continued. “However, there was the transfer of biomass containers out of the secret docks. Unfortunately, obstacles appeared. We lost the trail and failed to find out where the vehicle carrying them went. We also found the underground network for moving slaves from the docks to the black market, but nothing tying that thread to the Elder Wyrmkin.”

“But the same could’ve been used to bring them and their things into the city?” Penelope asked, still frowning. Lukas could see the gears turning. 

“Correct. I suspect the same. It’s likely Kelpie—Mister Grey’s late number two—her underlings and a bunch of guards coordinated the effort. They were paid well but had to accept the contract tattoo in exchange. I’m confident that Mister Grey didn’t know. There has been a rotating roster of clones stalking him. He is heartbroken and investigating this personally.”

“You did well.” Penelope downed the rest of her tea. “Surprisingly well. I suppose you have a clearer understanding of why you keep the clones a secret now. Such investigations would be impossible if they became common knowledge.” She paused, studying him for a moment. “The soulbound relic of yours. It concerns me. Much like your doubts with the conclave, I have doubts tied to it. Such things don’t function for free. They want something or have another agenda.”

“It could be tied to the Keeper of Knowledge,” Esther said. She looked between the pair and continued when both appeared confused and unsure. “He’s a primordial entity living in a realm outside of time and space, collecting and safekeeping knowledge, ensuring it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Many wizards strive to commune with him in the hopes of gaining an iota of his grand knowledge.”

Perhaps Silverspine stole it from him. She isn’t a creator. Invader, thief, and dominator are more her wheelhouse. Thanks, Esther. I appreciate the cover.

“Perhaps.” Lukas shrugged. “It isn’t the most forthcoming. The journal has been growing, though. I think my arcane growth or the growth of the pillars is tied to the progress. Initially, it only had Inspector’s Compendium. Now, it has a small storage space, no bigger than a lockbox.”

“I’d be careful about what I store in there,” Penelope advised. “The last thing you want is the journal or the power behind to steal anything valuable or its master's desires.”

Fuck. I didn’t think of that. Can Silverspine confiscate things I store within? Can she see the contents? The ritual leather is in danger.

__________________________

One of Lukas’s teachers was in recovery. The other was busy with all of her patients. Figuring out his new magic and abilities was all on him, for the time being, at least. He believed that the odds of things going ‘tits up’ during or after the auction were high. His departure from Iskander was going to be anything but easy. Lukas needed to be stronger for what lay ahead, and it was on him to get where he needed to go.

Thanks to the clones, he had a head start. Memories of what they did and how they did it, the process, physical and mental strain, and everything was still fresh in his mind.  Now that he had had an ample rest and had recovered from the stress of the delve, it was time to embrace everything he picked up.

First, he ripped a hand-sized piece from the Shade’s Mantle. It floated into Lukas’s hand and hovered in place. He didn’t compress it into a sphere. Instead, shaping and manipulation helped him stretch and twist it into a solid spike. The surface texture changed, skipping the liquid phase. One second, it was intangible and like a drifting scrap of light fabric; the next, it looked like burnt metal. 

The clones had taken the same path. They hadn’t bothered turning Shade’s Mantle into a more neutral form before hardening pieces. Instead, they had flared the creation and straight away hardened and weaponized it. They had pushed themselves far too hard, and two of them died from the strain instead of external stimuli. But, now their experiences were the best teachers. 

He threw the spike, using his arcane manipulation skills to control its release and launch trajectory. Lukas needed more practice before adding power to the mix. The spike flew fast and true. It struck the nearby wall, ten feet away, with a loud thud and embedded itself.

Lukas froze, eyes darting back and forth. He stood in a secluded corner of the docks where several cargo containers sat, but there was little foot traffic. The spot gave him a clear view of the extremely busy secret docks where a clone was working to gain more information. Given the sudden influx of armed individuals, he believed the likelihood of El-Four dying was high. So, he stuck around, ready to create another and ensure anyone trying to flee didn’t succeed without their face unseen.

Much to his relief, no one seemed to have heard him. He didn’t expect the attack to hit so hard or so loud. He pointed his open palm at the spike and exercised his will. The burnt metallic spike softened, losing tangibility and releasing itself from the surface. It hung in place for a moment before floating toward Lukas. Unfortunately, it didn’t return to Shade’s Mantle as he hoped. Instead, the scrap dissipated, fading from existence. 

He grinned. It was progress. Lukas now had a ranged attack. A projectile. The ability to attack or manipulate things from the backlines would allow him to function as a true mage. He still had a long way to go, and Lukas had ideas of how he wanted to proceed.

The next experiment he ran was condensing Shade’s Mantle, wrapping it tightly around himself and hardening all of it at once. It worked, but left his head and eyes hurting. He also extended, encasing himself in a solid coffin of shadowsteel, losing the ability to move. The shadows lost tangibility a second later. The drain on his magic stores was too great.

Perhaps just an emergency defense for now.

With enough practice, Lukas was sure he’d learn only to harden sections of it and create more flexible armor. He also needed to remember to leave sections around his face intangible for easy breathing and vision. 

Taking anything larger than a hand-sized scrap from intangible to steel was the most Lukas could currently manage without stressing himself. He needed something simpler and lighter for the time being. Manipulation helped loose parts of the mantle to his arms. Lukas coiled them into a pair of tentacle-like lengths. He didn’t take them all the way to the hardness of rigid steel but more to that of thick cloth. 

Lukas whipped, slashed, and pulled, making the lengths dance. They cracked and sang audibly, moving through the air. Next, he added manipulation to the mix, taking command of the ends and using them to control the creation. Once satisfied with his control and sure the drain and strain were manageable, he made a few tweaks. Lukas hardened the tips further, turning them into a pair of blades attached to the ends of the straps.

Now, these are going to be useful.

Lukas could envision eventually manipulating shadow strings with steeled tips, ripping through anyone who got too close. He also hoped to figure out how to stretch and extend the mantle or take control of shadows unattached to himself. Perhaps launch a shadow spike or sphere to create a distant pool of controlled shadows, and then turn them into spikes, tethers, or more to assault his foes.

The tangible straps moved from Lukas’s arms to his shoulders. They danced in unison, moving completely synchronized. He thought of them as one and controlled them accordingly. The ability to manipulate them individually still felt far away. He was considering turning them into a tail or a powerful and long appendage capable of devastating enemies. It wouldn’t just benefit him but also the clones.

El-Four’s death put an end to the practice. His memories threatened to overwhelm Lukas for a moment. The clone had crept onto the caravel-class ship, following the crew moving large, heavy crates from the dock to the deck. He had crept into the lower levels, hoping to investigate the cargo. A familiar figure gave the clone pause. He glimpsed a woman. The shape and her voice were familiar. Lukas had encountered her in the secret meeting. She stood arguing with a man wearing a captain’s hat, animatedly pointing at a caged child.

Unfortunately for El-Four, her arcane senses successfully penetrated Silencing Shadows in close proximity. She spun on her heel, launching a bolt of violent violet energy. It struck the clone’s torso, and incredible pain followed. He just about managed to dispel himself before death took him.

It was tempting to make another clone and send them back in to find the woman and see her face. But chaos poured from the vessel and spilled onto the secret docks. He doubted a stalker clone had the current mastery to infiltrate the mess and instead send one to the high ground in the hopes he’d successfully gather more information. Meanwhile, Lukas left his hiding place and joined the crowds departing a just-docked ship, Shade’s Mantle pulled under his clothes. They were rowdy, shoving each other and bumping shoulders. It was uncomfortable, but the perfect mass of faces to get lost in.

It took far longer than if he just used low mass and Frar to speed out of the area, but he didn’t want to use magic in case the mysterious woman was close behind him. So, he took it slow and remained patient. Relief hit him like a sack of bricks when he left the port for familiar ground where he could easily disappear. Lukas found a narrow, deserted alley and manifested Shade’s Mantle. Then, he took to the roofs and sped away, eager to report what he had seen.