Magi Odyssey Read online

  MAGI ODYSSEY

  The Magi Saga

  Book 5

  By

  Andrew Dobell

  By Andrew Dobell

  Booklist

  The Magi Saga – Urban Fantasy

  When Amanda discovers she’s a Magi after being attacked by a werewolf on the streets of NYC, she’s introduced to a magical society and drawn into a hidden war for the fate of mankind.

  Magi Dawn: The Magi Saga Book 1

  Magi Rising: The Magi Saga Book 2

  Magi Omen: The Magi Saga Book 3

  Magi Edge: The Magi Saga Book 4

  Magi Odyssey: The Magi Saga Book 5

  Wasteland Road Knights – A Magi Saga Series – Post Apocalyptic

  Liberation

  Exploration

  Tales of the Magi Saga

  Uprising

  A Thoroughly Modern Witch

  Pilgrimage

  The New Prometheus - Cyberpunk

  When Frankie’s brain is transplanted into a Cybernetic body after being shot, she must go on the run from the mega-corporations who want her and her cyber-body’s designer dead.

  The New Prometheus

  The Prometheus Gambit

  The Prometheus Trap

  Prometheus Vengeance

  The Magi Saga Short Stories

  Only available through my mailing list;

  www.andrewdobellauthor.co.uk

  The Angel of Tarut: The Magi Saga Prologue

  His Love: A Magi Saga Short Story

  Casino Red: A Magi Saga Short Story

  Anthologies I am part of:

  The Expanding Universe – Sci-Fi

  The Expanding Universe 3 – Sci-Fi

  For more of Andrew’s work, including Free Short Stories and Artwork, visit my Website and Sign up to my Mailing List.

  www.andrewdobellauthor.co.uk

  Historical Accuracy

  I am not making any claims to be entirely historically accurate in this book. The historical events that take place within the narrative have in many cases been inspired by real world events, but are not meant to be an accurate representation of the real world event.

  British English

  I’m a British Author living in Britain, and I use British English.

  This means I use ‘Single Quotes for speech,’ and I spell colour with a U.

  Hopefully,this doesn’t upset anyone. 

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to the people who help make these books into what they are.

  Thank you to my long-term friend, and collaborator on my Photoshoots, Tania Claire, for her excellent makeup work.

  Thank you to my cover Model Vicki Blatchley, you were amazing.

  Thank you to my editor, Ed, for making my text readable.

  Thank you to my family, to my wife Louise and my kids for your support.

  Would you leave me a Review???

  Thank you for taking the time to read my book. If you enjoyed it, please consider posting a short review on Amazon.

  Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and much appreciated.

  Thank you.

  Andrew Dobell.

  Amanda-Jane Page

  Crossroads in Time

  750 AD

  The blinding flash of light faded as Amanda blinked away the afterglow. Her vision slowly returned, and she realised she was standing somewhere else entirely.

  A second earlier, she’d been standing on the beach of the atoll in the Pacific Ocean, about to hunt down some Inquisitors with Yoh. But now, following an encounter with a Weaver, she found herself in the middle of a damp forest.

  She was surrounded by trees everywhere she looked, and it was pouring with rain that dripped through the canopy above her. The air was cold, but Amanda didn’t really feel it. Her Magic had returned to her after its temporary suspension when the Weaver had spoken to her, and was now keeping her body at a constant, comfortable temperature no matter what clothes she was wearing.

  Had that been real? Had a Weaver actually spoken to her and sent her back in time?

  She concentrated for a moment, and her Magical senses knew immediately where she was and the current date.

  She was in Scotland, and it was indeed the year 750 in the common-era calendar. So, it was true, she had just travelled through time, going backwards over one thousand two hundred years. For a moment, all she could do was stand there in the rain and blink at the reality that was slowly dawning on her.

  As she remained still, she suddenly heard the sound of people shouting in the distance and the noises of what could only be fighting.

  Shaking her head to lift her thoughts from the fog of disbelief that had filled her mind, Amanda started to make her way through the forest. Walking over the uneven ground, she stepped over roots, around trees, and through bushes until she found herself at the top of a rise, looking down towards a more open area below with a road that cut through it that was filled with people. She could make out two forces of people, and if she had to guess, it looked like a caravan and its guards had been ambushed. People were running in all directions, swinging swords and other weapons. The attackers were dressed in browns and greens with leathers and other bits of armour. The defending group were dressed in black armour and were mainly on horseback. But what caught her eye the most was that the group in black had a Scion on their side, and it was one she recognised.

  Horlack, the enormous black-furred werewolf, was smashing through the attackers like they were nothing, his wicked claws ripping through them, spraying gore everywhere.

  There were Magi on the attacking team, however, but Amanda could tell from the level of Magic they were using that they would be unlikely to kill Horlack. They might seriously injure him, though.

  Whatever the outcome of this battle, she knew only one thing: that she could not interfere. In fact, she was here to do the opposite. She had to stop the Inquisition from meddling in history; she had to keep them away from this fight.

  As Amanda watched, she suddenly realised she needed to keep a lower profile than this, so she pulled her own Magic in and dampened it down as much as she could while still holding her defences in place.

  Suddenly, a rush and flare of temporal energy flashed into existence a short distance away through the trees, and a glowing blue bubble of Essentia expanded from nothing into a crackling eight-foot sphere that floated a few inches above the ground. It was a portal from the Time Device. She moved to get a better view, wondering if this was when the Inquisition appeared. As she watched, one edge of it fluoresced like fire and a man stepped out.

  He landed on the ground and shook his head, looking around him. He seemed quite nervous as Amanda peered at him from a distance, and as he turned, she suddenly recognised him. She ducked back to keep hidden as she continued to watch.

  It was Mr Black, her father. But he was younger. Perhaps in his twenties, maybe? He didn’t see her luckily, and as she watched, he heard the sound of the battle and set off through the trees to a vantage point above the fight below. He looked down, apparently gaining a sense of urgency about him as he pulled a roll of old parchment paper from a bag he had slung over his shoulders and unravelled it.

  Amanda pressed her lips together and nodded to herself. This was the Lazarus Scroll. As she watched, he held the scroll up before him and started to read it aloud.

  A green mist rose up around him and after a moment, started to roll down the hill at quite a pace, gathering speed as it went. Within seconds, it had enveloped the fighting below, eliciting scared screams from some down there.

  A second flare of powerful Temporal energy from somewhere behind her caught her attention.

  Amanda turned around and hopped through the trees to get a better look. She spotted a second bubble, identical
to the one that Mr Black had stepped through a short distance away, hovering just above the floor like the first one. Pausing, Amanda looked around for anything else in the area of interest but saw only trees. Looking back at the bubble, she saw four figures drop from the glowing ball of magical energy. They were merely silhouettes before the glow of the time bubble, but Amanda had seen Crusaders of the Inquisition often enough to recognise them. One of them drew a sword, but the others were all carrying high powered rifles.

  Amanda took a breath, shunted more Essentia into her Aegis and extremities before she ran through the trees towards the figures.

  She didn’t want to kill them, she only wanted to send them running back through the portal and complete the mission she was here to do.

  Sprinting to the top of a rise, Amanda leapt forward through the trees, her enhanced strength and a Magical little push propelling her over ten meters to land just before the group of crusaders. She stood up slowly.

  ‘Hello there,’ she said in a low tone.

  The one with the sword took a step back and pointed at her. ‘It’s her, fire,’ he bellowed.

  The other three Crusaders aimed for Amanda and squeezed the triggers of their high powered submachine guns. The suppressed weapons spat Essentia infused lead at Amanda in three streams of metallic death.

  Amanda’s Aegis flared as the rounds hit it, but didn’t break through. With her mind already split into several parts, allowing her to use several Magical effects at once, Amanda telekinetically grabbed the guns. She pulled them from the hands of the Crusaders and smashed them together, rolling them up into a ball as if they were foil from a candy bar, before throwing it through the portal behind them.

  ‘Ah, now, come on, let’s be fighting fair, shall we?’ Amanda said, mirth in her voice as the one with the sword lunged at her.

  Amanda ducked and spun away, her skirt flaring as she moved, before she brought her foot around in a kick to the man’s face, knocking him to the ground. Continuing her spin, she brought her elbow up into the sternum of the next man, and then lashed out with another kick, quicker than the Crusaders could react. The third Crusader took Amanda’s boot to her face and staggered to the floor. Turning around, the fourth crusader lashed out at her with a dagger he’d pulled from his webbing. Amanda slapped it sideways and followed up with a solid punch to his face, feeling his nose crack beneath her fist like an egg as she hit him.

  The man fell to his knees and howled in pain.

  Amanda looked up at the first man with the sword who was pulling himself up to stand again, despite the obvious pain he was in.

  ‘You think you can stop us?’ he asked.

  ‘I do,’ Amanda answered. ‘Don’t worry, you had a good craic at it, to be sure, but no, you’re not going to be completing your mission.’

  ‘Don’t be so surrrrraaaagggh,’ the man screamed at her as he ran at Amanda with his sword. It was so predictable Amanda almost laughed. Stepping sideways, Amanda kicked his foot out from beneath him and sent him staggering towards the bubble. With a moment’s thought, she pulled on the threads of Essentia again and gave the man a little push with some invisible Kinetic energy, sending him falling back into the bubble, where he disappeared.

  Backing up slightly to make sure she could see everyone here, she looked over the remaining three crusaders, who were all getting back on their feet, looking bruised and battered.

  ‘The choice is yours: either get back into that portal yourselves, or I put you back in there. You have three seconds,’ she said, not really feeling in a mood to give them much leeway.

  All three of the remaining crusaders glanced at each other and then moved as one back into the bubble. Amanda smiled, but waited as they disappeared through the portal. That hadn’t been as tough as she’d feared, but it might not be the end of it. So, she moved over to a tree and placed her shoulder against it, crossing her arms against the cold and wet.

  Moments later, with no warning or fanfare, the bubble flickered and wobbled before suddenly dissipating, its energy fading from view to leave nothing behind.

  Amanda raised her eyebrows. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but she felt surprised that the Inquisitors had just given up.

  ‘Well, that’s that, then,’ she muttered to herself and looked around. She could still see the glow from the other portal a short distance away and the green mist from the Magic of the Lazarus Scroll, so she headed in that direction. As she went, the green light faded away, and when the portal came fully into view, she spotted the figure of Mr Black stepping back into it. Moments later, the bubble shrank back to a pinpoint of light before disappearing.

  Amanda cocked her head to one side in thought. The other bubble seemed to disappear in a more chaotic fashion, while this one faded away in much the same way as it had appeared. She wondered what that meant, but didn’t give it too much thought.

  The forest had descended into silence again, with only the sound of the wind in the trees and the occasional birdsong filtering through the branches. Amanda looked around. The excitement was over, her job was done, she thought. But, where was the Weaver?

  She twisted around, looking all about, peering into the shadows of the trees. Was it watching her? Keeping an eye on her from some hidden vantage point? Where was it? Surely, it wasn’t going to leave her here, she pondered.

  But somewhere deep inside her, a sick, sinking feeling was starting to make itself known. For some curious reason, she had a horrible feeling that this might be a one-way trip.

  She laughed to herself. No, that was a crazy thought. The Weaver wouldn’t do that to her. That would be… well, a nightmare.

  Amanda walked to the top of the rise and looked down into the valley below to the bodies that littered the ground down there. Scanning the trees around her once more, Amanda started to make her way down the slope towards the muddy track that the caravan had been travelling along. As she approached the tree line, the whole scene came into view, including the considerable bulk of the Scion Horlack collapsed into the leaf-covered mud.

  Amanda moved slowly now, picking her steps carefully and listening out for any sounds. Was Horlack dead? She couldn’t see how that could be possible. He was alive back in the twenty-first century, so he must surely survive today, she thought. With only a second of concentration, she picked up his vital signs with her Magical sight and knew he lived. She didn’t want to mess with the timeline anymore, though, and left the unconscious Scion as he was.

  The forces on both sides of the battle had mainly been comprised of men, with just a few women amongst them who had also been fighting. The thing that struck her the most was how out of place she felt. Looking down at her now muddy velvet boots, tartan mini-skirt, and knitted sweater, she was wearing very modern clothing.

  Although the Weaver had yet to appear, she tried to reassure herself that it would show itself before too long to carry her back to her time. But, until then, she might need to blend in for a few days, something she could not do in the clothes she was wearing.

  Movement to her left made Amanda turn as she saw Horlack struggling to lift himself up. He was covered in cuts and gouges in his flesh that were bleeding badly. Looking up, the Scion spotted her, its yellow eyes boring into her.

  ‘Did you do this, witch?’ it bellowed.

  ‘Uh, Horlack, you’re awake,’ she stammered in surprise.

  ‘You know my name,’ the Scion rumbled.

  ‘Aaaah…’ Amanda said, wondering what she could and couldn’t say as she backed up, her breath catching in her throat.

  This whole time travel thing was somewhat new to her. It would take some getting used to.

  But that wasn’t the worst of it. Horlack was a very powerful Scion, and more than capable of ripping her to pieces. As she backed away, growing fear started to gnaw at her insides as the creature looked at her with pure hatred, straining to pull himself up despite being in obvious pain.

  - The Atoll, Modern Day.

  Yoh frowned. Amanda had b
een gone for a good few moments now, with no sign that she was coming back. Where had she gone? Nearby, Yoh could hear people and movement. They were the voices of the Inquisitors that were here using the time device. He felt sure he could take them on, but without Amanda, the risk in doing this, especially with no backup, had gone up significantly.

  He was not keen on wading in there and taking these crusaders on by himself with no help.

  Looking around the beach once more, another thought occurred to him. How was he going to get home?

  Lundenwic

  750AD

  ‘You will pay for this, Magus, no one attacks me and gets away with it,’ Horlack grumbled, his voice straining before the pain he was clearly in overcame him and he collapsed back to the ground.

  As his voice faded away, Amanda heard the sound of approaching horses. There was no time, so she concentrated and imposed her will onto the Magical energy around her.

  With a whip crack of rushing air, Amanda Ported from the track, back up the slope to her vantage point in the trees. Moving into a better spot, Amanda saw more of Horlack’s forces ride up into the debris of the fight and rally around Horlack. They used several horses to pull the Scion onto the wagon before covering him up and riding back the way they had come, taking Horlack with them. They were soon gone, and the stillness of the woods returned.

  With the forces of Horlack gone, Amanda Ported back down the slope again to appear amidst the bodies of the dead once more. She found one of the women that had been killed by a crushing hit to her face, laying in the mud to the side of the track. She wore clothes of wool, fur, leather, and fabric, held together with metal and wooden pins. The idea of stealing this woman’s clothes didn’t sit terribly well with Amanda, but she needed to blend in if she was going to be staying here for a while. Her grey cashmere sweater, black, grey, and white tartan mini skirt, and knee-length velvet high heeled boots would not blend in at all.