The Calling (The Andovia Chronicles Book 1)

by Tiffany Shand

I could pull you back if you need me to. It seems I have the same effect on you that you have on me when I lose control of my powers.

  Mervyn scoffed at the threat. “I’ve watched you, boy. You are a coward compared to your brother, and your powers are weak, pathetic. You won’t do anything to me. You don’t have it in you.” He gave a harsh laugh. “The only one with power here is the mind whisperer and she is almost as useless as you are.”

  Nyx put her hands on her hips. “Then why did you try to kill me? Clearly, I must be important for something?”

  Mervyn fell silent and looked away.

  Nyx moved closer to Darius. What are we going to do with him, druid?

  Darius sighed. I’ll have to use a spell on him. We don’t have time to get the information out of him any other way. When I spoke to Ambrose on the way here he said the rifts are becoming more widespread.

  She had been right about one thing. She could probably pull him back if he lost control again. Still, the spells that forced people to bend to his will were the ones he hated the most. The mere thought of them sickened him.

  I’ll use one of my father’s spells, he added.

  Nyx gaped at him. What? No. That goes beyond high magic and into the realm of dark magic.

  What other choice do we have? Your powers don’t work on him.

  What if you cast some sort of spell on him and I try to go into his mind at the same time. Maybe in that moment of weakness, I might find a way in.

  How do you know your power will work? We still know very little about how to control your abilities.

  Nyx shrugged. I don’t know. Just have a little faith in me, druid.

  Darius knew it was worth a try and began chanting a spell.

  Energy charged through the air as the spell hit its intended target. Mervyn squirmed in the corner of the chamber and whimpered as if in pain.

  Nyx walked over and touched his head once more. Curse it. It’s not working.

  Darius said the next part of the spell and walked over to her. He put a hand on her shoulder. Something jolted between them as he uttered the final verse of the spell.

  The glowing crystalline walls of the chamber around them faded until he found himself somewhere else. Crystal torches glittered on the walls, and he knew they must be in one of the servant passageways at the Crystal Palace.

  “We are inside Mervyn’s mind,” Nyx gasped from where she stood beside him. “How? He was immune to my powers.”

  Darius shrugged. “The effects of the spell must have worked and allowed you in. Allowed us in.”

  “Where are we?”

  “At the palace. We need to see this through and find where it leads us. Concentrate on what you want to see. Force him to show us what he knows.” Darius would do the same since he had cast the spell.

  They stood there waiting.

  “Do you feel like Mervyn is deceiving you?” he asked.

  Nyx shook her head. “No. His thoughts would be more jumbled if he were. Your spell must be working.”

  “Mervyn, show us what you know about the person who fractured the veil,” Darius commanded. He knew he had to stay in control or the darker side of his magic would take hold of him.

  Mervyn travelled down to the end of the hall. Darius didn’t recognise this part of the palace although he had travelled through its many corridors for most of his life, even the ones the servants used. He pulled on one of the crystal torches that illuminated the space, and a wall slid open. Mervyn peered around the corner. Glowing green light glittered around the open chamber as a black-cloaked figure stood with their back to him. Cracks appeared on the floor and the familiar green plumes of smoke they had seen emanating from the rift rose into the air.

  As if sensing Mervyn’s presence, the figure whirled around, but their face remained hidden by a veil of blackness.

  “You dare intrude! If you speak of this to anyone, you will die!” a voice hissed.

  Darius gasped as he and Nyx were forced out of Mervyn’s mind.

  Blood trickled down the fae’s face as his eyes turned glassy in death.

  “No!” Darius cried, but he knew it was too late.

  Whoever Mervyn had seen had ensured their identity would remain a secret once more.

  Darius and Nyx headed to the palace after reconvening with Lucien and Ranelle. Lucien told them they had found nothing within Mervyn’s chamber, so the four of them went to search the palace instead. After a couple of hours of searching through all of the servants’ hallways they found nothing. None of the passages they opened looked anything like the one they had seen in Mervyn’s mind.

  Afterwards, they retreated to the Hall of Knowledge so they could go over the events of the night.

  The warmth of the hall enveloped them as they headed inside. Darius usually found this place welcoming, but it did little to ease his warring emotions. He couldn’t believe they had come so close to finding answers only to fail yet again.

  Ranelle went and brought a tray of tea in for them.

  He marched off through the foyer. A beam of energy shot down and scanned him for a moment, then it winked out.

  The hall had security which made sure no one aside from the overseers and a chosen few were admitted entrance. Legend stated the hall had been destroyed, but the overseers had used their combined power and help from the druids to move it to a safe location. Here the whole hall laid hidden on a separate plane of existence away from anyone who might misuse its knowledge, including the Archdruid. Hiding the portal’s entrance in the great library had been a genius choice as no one would ever think to look for it there.

  Darius breathed a sigh of relief. “Keeper?”

  In a flash of light, the keeper appeared. It was a fae looking creature with pointed ears and wispy hair. The keeper looked neither male nor female in its features.

  Nyx gasped when she caught sight of it. “What is that thing?”

  The keeper’s long hair fell down their shoulders and it had pointed ears and catlike eyes. Its lower body was made of smoke, only the torso looked humanoid.

  “Nyx, this is the keeper of the hall. They can help people find what they are looking for.”

  Nyx closed her mouth. “Oh. Right.” She averted her gaze.

  Shelves stretched as far as the eye could see. It put the great library to shame. With its sweeping wooden columns and gleaming oak floors, this place felt almost sacred. Darius loved it here since it felt like pure freedom. “Can I get you something, my lord?” the keeper asked him.

  “Fetch me everything you can find on evil spirits and about the veil between the worlds.”

  Lucien and Ranelle trailed behind them. “You’ve already looked for that information,” Lucien remarked.

  “We need to go over everything again,” Darius said before he walked over to Nyx

  Darius listened while she told him what happened with Gideon.

  “Do you think he has my sisters?” Nyx asked. “Or that he senses my power?”

  Darius hesitated. “If you had exposed your power, I doubt he would have let you leave. As for your sisters… No, I haven’t heard of any new slaves being brought here.”

  “But he could have them?”

  “If he does, I would have heard. Your sisters are safe in Joriam.”

  Nyx breathed a sigh of relief then yelped as the keeper flashed into existence. “Good gods, do you have to do that?”

  The keeper didn’t look bothered by Nyx’s outburst. “Here’s all the information you asked for, my lord.” The keeper placed a tablet on a wooden table. “Do you require anything else?”

  “No, thank you.” Darius took hold of the tablet.

  The keeper faded into smoke.

  “Wait a minute.” Nyx bit her lip. “Can you find something for me too?” She glanced at Darius as if asking for permission.

  Ask whatever you want. He waved his hand in dismissal and picked up the tablet.

  “Yes, my lady?” The keeper materialised again.

  “Lady? Me?” N
yx laughed then hesitated. “Can… Can you find me information about mind whisperers? Their history, names and stuff.”

  The keeper bowed their head and disappeared.

  “We already looked for that information,” Darius remarked. “Someone erased it all. Likely my grandfather.”

  Nyx slumped back into her seat. “I need to know more. I couldn’t have just appeared from nowhere. One of my parents had to be a mind whisperer, didn’t they?”

  Darius nodded. “I guess.” He shrugged. He didn’t know enough about mind whisperers to know about her lineage.

  “What do you think you will find here?”

  “Someone broke through my power tonight. Now I need to figure out who and why they did it.”

  Chapter 25

  Nyx stalked into the Hall of Knowledge. It still felt strange being transported somewhere by the sphere back in the great library. Even after several weeks of living in Andovia, she was not used to the sensation, but she liked the solitude she found here away from all of the voices outside.

  Ambrose had agreed to start training her here since she could focus better than in the outside world. Nyx would have been half glad to stay here all the time if she could have. Not being subjected to anyone else’s thoughts but her own was a dream come true.

  “You are late,” Ambrose observed.

  “Sorry, I was busy. The druid and I have been flying around and checking for more rifts.” She yawned. “What are we practising today?”

  Between training with Ambrose during the day and now Gideon at night, she couldn’t remember half of what they suggested.

  “You look tired. How have you been progressing?”

  “Progressing?” Nyx rubbed her temples. “Define progress?” She fiddled with the leather bracelet on her wrist.

  Ambrose frowned. “You’re wearing that a lot.”

  Nyx shrugged. “It keeps my power under control. Plus, I never know when Gideon might summon me.”

  Gideon had insisted on her coming to see him every evening over the past few weeks. Every time he got her to test her power on different people — for what reason she had no idea. He brought someone new in every night and forced her to read their mind or use her influence on them.

  “You can’t rely on that all the time.” Ambrose motioned to the bracelet. “If you do, you’ll never achieve true control.”

  Nyx sighed. She had taken to wearing the band more often, both because it made her feel closer to her sister and because it gave her peace. She reluctantly slipped it off and set it on the table. “So, what are we doing today?” She drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair. Nyx wanted to get this over with so she could get back to helping the druid with hunting for rifts and aid the others with research. Three more people had died since the night Darius had lost control and they were still no closer to finding out who was creating the rifts or why.

  Nyx was glad the attacks against her seemed to have died down. She had no idea why, but she wouldn’t question it. The more she could focus on helping the others, the better.

  So far, Ambrose had her practising on him or, on occasion, Alaric when he was available. Ambrose liked her to wander around his mind to find answers. It had been the same routine for weeks now, and Nyx found it tiresome.

  “We’re going to try something a little different today.” Ambrose rose and tapped his staff on the floor.

  A woman appeared in a flash of light. Long silvery hair flowed down her shoulders, her eyes were azure and her skin was almost opaque. She looked so fresh, like a spring morning.

  Nyx found that odd. No one ever looked this perfect. Something was strange about her.

  “You want me to read her mind,” Nyx guessed.

  Ambrose’s thoughts were silent behind his shield. The woman’s thoughts were silent too, as well as her energy, which Nyx found even stranger. Everyone had energy around them, especially everyone she met on Andovia. Even her human tribe had different energies – she had learnt to recognise that much in her endless training sessions. Nyx opened her mouth to ask how this woman could have none, but Ambrose cut her off. “No, I want you to tell me who and what she is.”

  Nyx’s mouth fell open. “What? Why?” He’d never asked her to do such things before.

  “Because you need to learn to control.”

  The woman blinked but said nothing, that unnerved Nyx even more.

  “Are you okay with me doing this?” Nyx asked her.

  Nothing.

  That struck her as strange. Everyone Gideon brought before her was terrified of her being a mind whisperer. They trembled, screamed, or tried to run.

  This woman didn’t look at all bothered.

  Gods, this woman was strange.

  Nyx hesitated. “Are you okay with this?” she repeated. Nyx didn’t know why, but she felt like she needed to ask permission. Odd, since she always used her powers on people whether they wanted her to or not. Still, the woman remained silent.

  Say something, Nyx wanted to shout at her.

  Unless Ambrose had told her to keep her mouth shut. Perhaps this was all part of the test.

  Nyx glanced over to Ambrose and let her power roam over him. Bam. His shield had somehow become much stronger, either he had something with Darius’ blood on it or he had a new mental block that shielded him against her.

  Sneaky old goat. Nyx sat back and let her power flow free again. That was another reason why she liked the bracelet because she didn’t have to hold her power in. Her power latched onto the strange woman. Nyx braced herself for the inevitable onslaught of thoughts.

  Only silence greeted her.

  Nyx furrowed her brow and probed deeper. The woman didn’t have any shields or blocks — none that she could sense.

  “Do you mind if I touch you?”

  Again, the woman stayed silent.

  “Say something,” Nyx banged her fist on the arm of her chair.

  The woman didn’t so much as flinch or react at all. Nyx took hold of the woman’s arm. To her surprise, her fingers connected with solid flesh. She had wondered if the woman might be a spirit.

  Nyx sent her senses deeper. Who are you, what are you? Nyx closed her eyes.

  She expected to find herself in a hallway of doors or assaulted by the constant buzz of thoughts.

  Instead, only faint whispering greeted her.

  That couldn’t be natural. Everyone had thoughts, memories and feelings – things that made up who they were.

  She couldn’t make out who this woman was or feel any resistance from a shield.

  Nyx reached out with her senses to catch onto the whispering. There had to be thoughts, even if this woman seemed to have nothing but air in her head. The whispering grew louder, but she couldn’t make out the words at first.

  Come on, show me who and what you are.

  There had to be something here. She had taken her bracelet off, and her power flowed free. Was it exhaustion? Ambrose always said her emotions would affect her powers too, like when she got angry or afraid.

  Nyx pushed against the woman’s mind into blinding light. Roaring filled her ears.

  She covered her eyes and found herself somewhere else. A man with huge gossamer wings stood, using a stylus to draw glowing symbols in the air.

  She had seen the druid use runes, but these didn’t look like them.

  Nyx moved closer, surprised by the sight of the fae. He didn’t look anything like the Silvans. His ears were pointed, his eyes edged with colour.

  He drew more runes and light flared so brightly, dazzling her as he chanted strange words.

  Then a figure stood before her — the woman she had been reading.

  Nyx slumped back onto the floor, the world around her spun and her stomach recoiled.

  “Are you alright?” Ambrose made a move to guide her.

  “She’s — she’s not real.” Nyx swallowed the bile in her throat. “You tricked me!”

  “How do you know that?” Ambrose leaned on his staff.

  “Be
cause I saw the man who created her. She can’t talk — she has no real mind of her own. What is she?” Nyx frowned and flinched at the too perfect creation as it blinked at her. She looked real, yet somehow not.

  Ambrose’s eyes widened. “Wait, you didn’t see me activate the spell used to create her?”

  Nyx shook her head. “No. Why did you trick me?”

  “It was a test. Nyx, tell me what you saw. Everything.” Ambrose sounded excited.

  She shrugged. “A male winged fae.”

  “Did you see what he did or said?”

  She furrowed her brow. “Oh, I get it. You wanted to make sure I could tell the difference between a real person and this thing.” She motioned to the woman.

  “Nyx, tell me what you saw and heard.” Ambrose rose and sounded more urgent.

  Nyx bit her lip. “I told you, a male winged fae. He drew some symbols — runes — but different from your druid ones.”

  “Can you replicate them?”

  She shrugged again. “Maybe. He said something like, ‘Created in thought form, in magic and blood born.’” She tapped her chin. “Those are the words. That sounded strange at first, but now I understand them.”

  Ambrose gaped at her. “Blessed spirits, you saw her being created.” He clapped his hands. “Incredible. Yes, she is a thought form – only more advanced. They were used as servants by the ancestors. This means your power has grown.”

  Oh, joy.

  “How so?” Nyx leaned back in her chair then motioned to the thought form. “Can you get rid of her now? She unnerves me.”

  Ambrose tapped his staff on the floor and the woman vanished in a flash of light.

  Nyx breathed a sigh of relief.

  “This is incredible.” Ambrose rose and began pacing. “The spell for a faerie – that’s an old term for thought forms — has been lost for centuries. Most of them have been destroyed. She is the only one left of them we possess.”

  Nyx frowned. “How could I have seen that? I’m not a seer.” That thought made her chest tighten. Gods, she missed Domnu.

  “Whenever anyone casts a spell, they leave a mark — a trace of energy, perhaps a trace of their thoughts, which is what you sensed. Incredible.” Ambrose stopped pacing.