Mage- The Guardian's Oath

by S A Edwards

  Charlie took my hand. “And you stand out a mile in the white. Come on. You can change over here.”

  The material consisted of a dark green tunic, brown trousers, and low boots, perfect for trekking through the forest, and they fitted well.

  The murmurs of the waiting Mage reached my ears when I pulled on the boots. “Couldn’t help … Too quick … He died …”

  My mouth turned dry.

  Most of the Mage were in Beast form when we returned to them, and they scattered at a nod from Custos. “The Seekers are close,” he said. “Can you keep a fast pace?”

  “Who died?” I asked.

  “Clara –”

  “Who was it?”

  “Ruben.”

  My chest fell numb. Ruben. The Elder from home. He had always been so sweet, so small, so much like family. And now …

  “It couldn’t be helped,” Custos said. “He knew the risks when he went to help you. His age didn’t help.”

  “I can’t believe it.”

  “He is at peace. Now, move.” He nudged my arm.

  A light breeze rustled the canopy and silver light filtered through the cracks and pooled on the floor. Fireflies flitted between them, their orange glow mesmerising in the darkness. Memories of Lallana’s incident with Ruben flooded back to my mind. She hadn’t meant to trip on his robes, but the resulting consequences were enough to humiliate her into the forest, just in time to see the arch appear.

  “What happened back there, in the Old City?” I asked, desperate to take my mind off Lallana.

  Custos glanced off through the foliage. “It used to be the Main City, before the war.”

  “The war?”

  “Back in the Dark Ages. There never used to be Mage. Everyone lived in the old land, across the sea. Then, the comets collided. Seven parts fell – one from each comet – and created the land we live on now. The Capitals were created on the land of that power: Refiner on the fire comet, Preserver on the ice, Beast on the forest …”

  “What has this got to do with the Old City?”

  “Conflict rose. Mortals grew envious of the power wielded by Mage. Some Mage felt they should be in control of Mortals, that they were better than them. You’ll find that some still feel this way, even now.”

  “What happened?” Charlie asked.

  “War. Those that fought against freedom were caught and banished to the old land.”

  My brow furrowed. “Couldn’t they just come back?”

  “There is one way in. One way out. And the pass is heavily guarded. I believe you have heard of the Praesidio?”

  “The creature guarding the Healer Capital?”

  He nodded. “And there is no magic in the old land. There are no Gates. Not many know of the Gates, but they are fundamental. Without them, there could be no magic, no healing, no advances. Parts of this land would be locked, impossible to access.”

  My thoughts roamed to the Forbidden Pass and the danger contained within. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.

  *

  My feet ached, and my body screamed when we finally stopped. The sun was high, and having walked all night, fatigue churned my stomach.

  Tents perched between the thick trunks. The material blocked out the sun’s rays with glorious shadow, beckoning to me.

  “Are you hungry?” Custos asked.

  I shook my head and stifled a yawn. Dark rings hung under Charlie’s eyes, mirroring my own feelings.

  Custos led us to one of the tents and held back the flap. Two mats with thin blankets stretched toward the back, and as uncomfortable as they appeared, I fell on to one gladly.

  Charlie clambered on the second, but Custos lingered at the entrance. “We will escort you to the Dark Capital as far as we’re able, but in the weeks we’re together, you will be tested in the gift of the Beast.”

  I blinked. That thought hadn’t occurred to me, though it should have. Every gift was required, and the Beasts were Mage.

  Custos continued, “Rest now. We leave at nightfall.”

  “Why?”

  “We travel better in the moons’ light.”

  My back met the mat, and I stared at the roof, feeling safe for the first time in over a month. Even if the Seekers did find us, the Beasts, combined with my power, would destroy them in a heartbeat.

  I smiled with the thought and drifted off to sleep.

  *

  “I still don’t see why we can’t travel in the day,” I muttered and tugged my pack further over my shoulder.

  I’d forgotten how terrifying the Beasts appeared in the darkness. Every now and then, their bulky figures passed through a patch of moonlight in the distance, and my neck prickled.

  Charlie grinned down at me. Even in the shadows, his dimples stood out on his round cheeks, though it was difficult seeing him as the same, small, innocent boy I had grown up with back home. Still, with all the walking and the strain on my body, I wondered how he could keep up so easily and yet never seem to tire. Every step ached, and my knees wanted to buckle, though I grew stronger each day.

  Only a small group had been chosen to accompany us to the Dark Capital. Custos was among them. The others moved on to re-join the other Beasts in patrolling a larger area of the forest and helping to prepare for a coming war.

  The chosen Beasts didn’t travel with us much, though, taking shifts at patrolling the surrounding area. Apparently, they had sharper hearing when in Beast form. I suppose I wasn’t surprised.

  Fourteen days into the journey, my body was just getting used to the change in sleeping pattern: resting through the day, walking all night. The thought of reverting back to the day when this was over wasn’t appealing.

  The forest had grown darker, and the undergrowth thicker, the further in we travelled. Patches of moonlight filtered through the trees but became rarer. Even so, the path remained as clear as noon. A welcome advantage of their gift.

  They had a strong sense of smell, too, though I hadn’t noticed any change in my own.

  “That’s because you don’t remember a difference,” Custos said. “You smell the forest: the trees, the bushes, the dirt beneath your feet. Once your gifts activated, the smells would have become stronger, but to you, it still smells like home.”

  Two Beasts lolloped toward us, one darker than the other, and moulded back into human form. My old teacher, Griff, frowned at me.

  Griff hadn’t been particularly friendly since we re-joined the Beasts, but it was expected. The toughest of all my tutors, he had trained me in hand-to-hand combat and was easily the harshest of the lot.

  “Your test begins now,” Custos said.

  My brow furrowed. “You’ve given me no training. The other Elders went through –”

  “My dear, you have had more training from us than with any of the other Elders.”

  “When?”

  “Those that resided in the village with you were Beasts.”

  I peered at Charlie. Not everyone. Even if Lallana had been a Beast, she wouldn’t have known until she turned 18.

  “All your physical training was the same that we undergo in our first year,” Custos said. “The combat, the heavy lifting … Even your knowledge of the world outside was to help prepare you for this moment.”

  I barely knew anything of the world, despite all my reading. Had I known more, I wouldn’t have made the mistake with the Council. But that didn’t matter now. I was much stronger than before. “Okay, what do I have to do?”

  Griff’s lips twitched, and his eyes darkened. “You fight.”

  The patrolling Beasts bounded toward us and spread out, their breathing heavy.

  My shoulders tensed. “I have to fight all of them?”

  Custos chuckled. “No. Just one.” He gestured to Griff.

  I relaxed. “Is that it? He wouldn’t stand a chance.” Not with my power.

  “You misunderstand,” Custos said. “You cannot use any other magic, only that of a Beast. Without that alone, you won’t master the gift.”
>
  Griff shuffled away.

  I bit my lip. Combat wasn’t my strength.

  Charlie squeezed my hand. “You can do it. I have faith in you.”

  The Beasts surrounded us, creating a large makeshift ring. Their shuffling feet marked a circle in the dirt and kicked up the dry scent through the night air.

  Custos joined them but remained in human form. Charlie stood by his side.

  “The fight is to the death,” Custos declared.

  My breath caught in my throat.

  “Begin!”

  38

  Griff faced me from the edge of the ring.

  The Beasts watched in motionless silence.

  “I can’t kill him,” I said.

  Griff chuckled, his eyes dark. “You won’t have to.”

  I glared at him and slipped off my pack with shaking hands. It thudded onto the ground.

  He smiled, his eyes dark, and dropped his own against a stone. “Are you ready, little one?”

  A shiver of dread slithered down my spine. “Let’s get on with it.” Kicking away my bag, my hands rose in front of my chest.

  Griff shook his head. “Your stance is incorrect. I taught you better than that.” He turned sideways, left arm bent forward in front of his face, right fist held back near his chest.

  He stood light on his feet for a man his size, and I couldn’t help but admire the ease with which his movements flowed. They always had. An advantage he was sure to use.

  My breathing amplified, and my body tensed.

  The Beasts moved in unison, silent, watching for the first move.

  Griff circled.

  I mirrored his movements, remembering our sessions together. He was rarely knocked off his feet, and even then, it had been with his consent.

  Anger flared in my chest. How was I supposed to beat him? Custos couldn’t have chosen a worse opponent.

  Dry dirt curled up beneath my feet. My fist swung.

  He stepped aside, grabbed my wrist, and twisted.

  The momentum carried me forward. Losing my footing, the ground collided with my shoulder and side.

  My teeth clenched.

  Griff smirked. “Your fear is badly hidden.”

  “I’m not afraid of you.” My voice shook, and frustration rippled through my blood.

  “Yes, you are. You’re right to be. You were my weakest pupil.”

  A growl rumbled, deep in my throat. I may not have excelled at combat but did in other things. The power was mine. I could destroy him in a heartbeat. If I could just figure out how to beat the most qualified person I knew at combat. My heart sank at the thought.

  Springing to my feet, I ran for him and kicked at his stomach.

  He sidestepped in a flash and gripped my ankle. He knocked my grounded foot from under me.

  I slammed to the ground. The air was forced from my lungs.

  “Now you’re angry.” He laughed.

  “Shut up.” I pushed to my feet, struggling for breath. He had to be beaten. But how? Without my magic …

  “You hid in the forest at home, wishing for something better,” he said. “Never thinking you had anything worth having. Never willing to have responsibility. You got free but look at you now. You’re a mess.”

  “I said shut up!”

  “You are weak.”

  “No!”

  He laughed. “You rely on a fifteen-year-old for your comfort. He’s in danger because of you. Lallana died. Because of you.”

  I cried out in rage and raced to him, hands outstretched. His throat was in reach. If he stayed still a moment longer …

  My body shuddered. Heat cut through me. Fur brushed my cheeks, and my hands transformed into paws.

  I leapt.

  He stepped forward and jabbed at my throat.

  The breath hissed through my teeth, my knees buckled, and I crashed to the ground.

  My head knocked against a rock. Pain spread through it. Dust curled up around me, musky and thick, and my normal form returned.

  I glared at Griff, fighting the growing nausea, and touched the cut on my forehead. Blood clung to my fingers, glittering in a streak of moonlight. I snarled, a sound a little like the growl of the Beasts. Fury boiled.

  The distance closed between us, and I jabbed with my fist.

  He knocked my arm away, struck my stomach, and then spun. His arm jabbed against my throat, pushing me backward.

  My back hit the ground again. Pain shot through my head. I lay still, my chest heaving. Then, I staggered to my feet.

  “Give up,” he said. “You don’t have what it takes.”

  Tingles poured through my body, power screaming to be released. I sank to my knee, relaxed my fists, and dropped my head.

  The Beasts shared a grumbling murmur through their ranks.

  Griff’s feet and legs filled my vision. The tassels on his boots swung when he shifted, but I didn’t move. Lallana’s face swam in the forefront of my mind. Rage coursed through my veins.

  Griff sniffed. “Time to finish this.”

  He strode forward and reached for my hair.

  My palm slapped his hand away. Stepping in, my hip met his, my arm collided with his throat, and I spun.

  He dropped to the dirt.

  Grabbing his wrist, I tugged him to his back. My knee dug into his body. My fist pounded his cheek.

  Anger drove me on, filling my body with a burning even the Refiners couldn’t match.

  I punched once, twice.

  The Beasts roared and stamped, shaking the ground.

  I paused. What were they doing? Surely, they weren’t so sore about him losing the fight?

  Leaves drifted amidst the commotion.

  Every eye was on me.

  Charlie stood in front, his face pale.

  I peered down at Griff and froze.

  Ice, sharp as a sword, protruded from my knuckle and pressed into his neck. A drop of blood oozed from the cut. His eyes were fearful, wide, glued to me.

  Silence fell.

  I sucked in a breath, unaware I’d called the ice forth. My teeth clenched. He deserved it. Everything he’d said, it undermined me. Lallana. He blamed me. But I was strong. This proved it. To the death.

  No.

  I squeezed my eyes shut. Murder wouldn’t prove anything. He was a fool, but this was wrong.

  My fist shook. A test. This was a test.

  I opened my eyes.

  The ice shattered, transformed into snow and drifted to his body. I clambered off him, pushing to my feet.

  He sat with clammy skin, and his fingers touched the tiny cut.

  “I won’t kill you,” I declared.

  The skin beneath my crystal tingled, and then changed to a deep green. It glowed in the darkness, its light gleaming on the dust and the faces of the watching Beasts. Power surged through me. Then, the colour faded, and it became clear once again.

  Griff stood. I half-expected him to attack again, but instead, he smiled. The Beasts shuffled and morphed back to their human selves.

  Charlie streaked to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. “You scared me. I thought …”

  “Charlie, I …”

  Custos paused before me, his eyes glistening. “I believe you had us all concerned for a time.”

  “I don’t understand. I didn’t kill him. How did I pass the test?”

  “The emotion of a Beast is anger,” said Custos. “You controlled it. You showed mercy. Nobility. That is the trait of a true Mage. A true guardian.”

  “I used my other magic.”

  Custos placed a warm hand on my shoulder. “You already had him beat. All that was left was to control your anger.”

  “I almost killed him.” My fists shook. These tests would take my goodness, all because they weren’t willing to just teach me.

  “No.” Charlie pulled away. “Custos wouldn’t have let you take his life. He can sense your desires. He’d have stopped you.”

  “Then, why did you fear?”

  “Be
cause if you failed, you would have become Corrupted.”

  “And how is it you know this? How is it that everyone around here except for me seems to know everything, and I’m kept in the dark?”

  “It’s the only way you can pass your test,” Custos said. “If you knew what was expected, your heart’s desires wouldn’t manifest.”

  “Rubbish. If you’d stopped me, I wouldn’t have killed him. No crime committed. No Corruption.”

  Custos lowered his hand. “My dear, you don’t have to commit a crime to become Corrupted. You simply need to fail.”

  39

  “Explain that to me.” I grabbed Custos’ muscled arm. “How can they be called Corrupted if they don’t commit a crime?”

  “There are two ways to become Corrupted. You commit a crime before the first year is up with impure intent. Or you fail the final test. You join the Corrupted, and the mark sears your arm. Once the choice is made, there is no turning back.”

  “Couldn’t the test be retaken?” To be given the label of Corrupted just for failing a stupid test wasn’t fair.

  “Only the corrupt fail. Now, Clara, don’t dwell on it. You still have much ahead of you. Rest now, while you can.”

  *

  The next few days were quiet. We continued much as we did before, sleeping through the day, journeying in the night. Charlie remained faithfully by my side, but the Beasts gave me a wide berth.

  My tent door flapped in a scattered breeze, and irritation buzzed through me. I had passed the test. What reason could they have to avoid me?

  Flames flickered across my palm and cast a low light on the hard fabric. The warmth was comforting, mesmerising with the way they danced across my skin. I let them die, and snow whirled in their place. The flakes were perfect, each a different shape and gleaming with a light of its own.

  Charlie shivered and stirred on his mat.

  I replaced the frost once more with flames.

  His gaze settled on me.

  “Sorry,” I muttered. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”

  He frowned. “What’s wrong?”

  I didn’t answer and continued to stare at the orange light. Flickers of mesmerising blue darted along their base.

  “I know something’s bothering you,” he said. “You’ve been off since the test.”