Mage- The Guardian's Oath
Page 31
“I cannot. Zantos would have to leave of his own accord.”
“I’ll force him out!”
“You can’t.”
“I’ve done it before.”
“You’ll kill Charlie.”
No.
Charlie cackled, his grin twisted. “You’ll never win. I have control.”
“Get out of him!” I pounded the ground, desperate to tear him from Charlie and tear him into nothing.
Charlie screamed and clutched his stomach. “Clara … He hurts.” He grabbed me, his big brown eyes sparkling with tears, his hands too tight on my arms.
I didn’t move. I couldn’t.
“Please,” he sobbed.
“Charlie …”
He winced and bowed his head to the ground.
I couldn’t …
I couldn’t let him suffer.
I forced my energy at him, propelling him back. His horrified eyes met mine, and then he disappeared through the Void.
The Gate closed.
Unchecked grief escaped me in a strangled cry. First Lallana. Now Charlie. They were gone. Because of me.
Darkness closed in.
Whispers sang over my sobs.
The scent of lavender tinged the air, and someone touched my shoulder. “Clara.”
I peered up.
Lallana smiled, her blonde hair draped over her shoulder.
Smoky, purple threads curled and faded around me.
“I’ve been trying to catch you for ages,” she said.
“Lallana, I’m so sorry.” Tears streaked my cheeks, and I buried my head in my hands.
“Don’t be silly,” she gently pulled my hands away. “The Seeker killed me. It wasn’t your fault.”
“But if –”
“It wasn’t your responsibility to keep us safe. We were your Guardians. We always knew our lives might end like that.”
I gaped at her. “You were a Beast?”
She smiled, and memories of my childhood with her flooded back. “We had secret training for years before we found the arch. I died fulfilling my own oath, just as Charlie lives fulfilling his.”
My heart jolted. “Wait, Charlie’s alive?”
“He is. But Esté is right. He can never return.”
Another tear slid down my cheek. “You’re sure?”
“I’ve seen the other side. I just can’t remain there until you let me.” She stepped closer. “I need you to know it wasn’t your fault. Any of it. I’ve been waiting to tell you that.”
I held out my hand. “I miss you.”
“I know. I miss you, too. But your journey isn’t over.” She reached out, then hesitated, her hand inches above mine. “Could you just … when I’m gone … think of me sometimes?”
My fingers grasped her hand. “I will never forget you. That’s a promise.”
Warmth spread up my arm, and light grew, engulfing her in white.
Peace and excitement overpowered my grief, and a single word whispered through the brightness, “Goodbye.”
Darkness pressed in.
Smoke billowed at my will, and the crystal cave sharpened into view.
Esté and the Dalrene crowded the tunnel entrance, their eyes fixed on me.
“What are we doing here?” I asked. “I didn’t,” – I peered around – “I didn’t make myself come here.”
“No,” Esté said. “He did.”
The skin below my crystal tingled, and the pendant glowed.
I gawped when it rose from my chest.
Charlie’s string snapped, and the crystal floated across the room, pausing in the centre of the seven stones.
It grew brighter, forcing me to squint under the glare.
Then, the light faded.
Someone crouched on the rock. A dark-blue cloak draped over his shoulders, and a mess of black hair reached to his eyes. He straightened, eyes on me.
“Who are you?” I whispered.
“I am the Keeper of the Dark,” he said.
I touched my chest, missing the weight of the crystal and the comforting feel of Charlie’s fraying string.
“Each time you mastered a gift,” Esté said, “part of it was absorbed into him. You needed all seven for him to come forth after conquering Zantos.”
The Keeper approached and held out his hand. “I believe this belongs to you.”
I stared at Charlie’s string, curled on his palm. He tied it round my wrist, the edges rough against my skin.
“I experienced everything through your eyes,” he said. “I, too, grew very fond of Charlie. I helped to close the Hellion’s prison Gate, and I brought you here so I could be born.”
My fingers ran over the string, and my heart ached. “Thank you.” I spun to Esté. “Open the Void.”
His eyes widened. “Whatever for?”
“Charlie’s alive. I’m not going to leave him out there. I’ll find him. I’ll free him.”
“You have no idea where the Void will take you.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
Sil reached for my arm. “Clara –”
I stepped back. “I won’t be dissuaded. My mind is set.”
Esté frowned but raised his hand regardless.
The Void opened in the rock, a twisting pool of grey and black.
My gaze strayed over my mentors. “Thank you for all your help. I hope we meet again.”
Nothing could hold me back.
Mind on Charlie alone, I turned and stepped into the Void.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Erin and the team for helping me smooth out the rough parts and to Alex for the best community I could imagine.
A big thank you to all the friends who provided feedback on unfinished drafts: Dawn, Tristram, Hannah, Gordon, Cally, my parents, Renee, Elise, and all the others.
Thanks to my former librarian, editor, associates, acquaintances, teachers, and to the disinterested professionals for giving me the courage to carry on.
Special thanks to my parents for helping me find the ‘write’ path and always trusting that I could do it.
A big thank you to my children for the joy you bring to my life and the inspiration when I was stuck, and a special acknowledgement to my wonderful husband, Callum, for letting me talk longer than is reasonable and for picking your brains over a plot you’ve heard a thousand times. Your support in the days you gave me just to write and every other moment was invaluable.
And finally, thanks to you, reader, for reading this book. And hopefully the next. And the next.
Sophie Edwards is the author of The Nephilium Lands. She has worked in many fields and gained qualifications in Hairdressing, Childcare, Photography, and is now undertaking a BA(Hons) in Creative Writing. She lives in the UK with her husband and three home-schooled children, with the beginnings of a grass-fed farmstead in the back garden. Mage: The Guardian’s Oath is her debut novel.
You can find out more about Sophie at:
www.facebook.com/SAEdwards91/
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