by Lisa Cassidy
There was a long silence. Apart from the tears that still glistened in Jenna’s eyes, it was hard to tell what she was thinking or feeling. Eventually she spoke again. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Casovar wouldn’t have kept you unless he thought you were a Taliath potential too.”
A spark of interest flashed on her face, quickly hidden. “What do you think?”
“I’m trying to read your thoughts right now and I can’t. We could try proving it by me throwing a concussion ball at you and seeing if you were invulnerable.” Alyx gave a little smile. “It’s tempting.”
Jenna huffed out a laugh of genuine amusement.
“My friend Dawn was able to read your jealousy of me once, but then she’s a particularly powerful telepath with the ability to pick up on emotion, not only thought.” Alyx paused. “I have little doubt you’re a Taliath potential.”
“So what’s this favour you want, Lady Egalion?”
Alyx rose to her feet. “I’m leaving Alistriem tonight, but I’m loathe to leave Cayr unprotected. The Bluecoats are good, but a trained Taliath is better. My father has given orders for you to be released on my say so. You’ll be given a stipend to remain at court.”
Confusion swam in her eyes. “You want me to protect Prince Cayr?”
“Two Bluecoats named Tijer and Casta have agreed to teach you to fight in secret. Tijer is on guard outside the door now. You can trust them with your life, but outside that, only you and I can know about this. If the council ever learns what you are, they’ll kill you.” Alyx paused. “My father will return to court eventually, and then he can explain what I don’t have time to about the Taliath. Until then, you’ll have to trust me.”
Jenna shook her head, gesturing to her fine dress and silken slippers. “You think I can become a fighter?”
“Better than a fighter, Jenna Casovar. A Taliath.” Alyx cocked her head. “He murdered your parents and used you for years, hiding your real worth from you and turning you into a perfect little lady. Are you going to continue to allow him to do that to you?”
Jenna thought about that for a moment, and then she stood up. “Actually, it’s Jenna Aridlen. That was my parents’ name.”
Alyx stepped closer, allowing her magic to fill the air around them. “You betray me, Jenna Aridlen, and I’ll kill you before the council can.”
Jenna smiled, eyes turning sharp as diamonds. “First lesson understood, Alyx Egalion. Never show your fear.”
Chapter 41
Crossing the border into the disputed area undetected was easy enough with both Alyx and Dawn able to steer them clear of any Shiven patrols. In a small group, they made quick time, stopping only for brief periods to rest and water the horses. In a week they reached Widow Falls, escorted over the final distance by Romney and his warriors.
Ladan was waiting for them, a small smile crossing his face when he saw Alyx. She went straight into his arms. “Hello, big brother.”
“Little sister. I am glad to see you well.”
“We actually can’t stay, we’re on our way to DarkSkull,” Alyx said. “But Papa and I need to talk to you.”
He nodded. “Come through. Tarrick, Finn, Dawn—Romney will take you to the kitchens. We’ve a meal prepared for you.”
It wasn’t long before Alyx and Garan were settled by the fire in Ladan’s study. A servant appeared with a tray of food and drink, but disappeared quickly at a sharp gesture from Ladan.
“What did you want to discuss?” he asked once the door had closed.
Alyx gave him a quick rundown of what had happened in Alistriem, including explaining about Shakar’s medal-wearing Hunters. “Ladan…” She paused, meeting his eyes. “I want you to go to ShadowFall Island.”
He frowned. “I can’t do that. I’m needed here.”
“Even so, you are a Taliath and you should be trained. Rionn is going to need you. I’m going to need you,” she said. “That is why I bought Papa here. It’s isolated enough that he should be safe, from the council and Shakar, but he can also protect Widow Falls while you are gone.”
“What makes you think anyone is even on the island anymore?”
“There is no guarantee of course,” Garan spoke. “But there were always non-Taliath teachers there, part of the community that formed the school. Some of them may still be alive. At the very least there may be records of training, maybe even something specific to Shakar.”
“This is my home, I am responsible for it,” Ladan insisted, rising to his feet in agitation. “I can’t leave.”
“Son.” The word rippled through the room, and Ladan stilled. Garan rose to his feet. “Trust me with your home. I can see how much you love it, and I will protect it with everything I have. Allow me to do this for you.”
Ladan turned slowly, his expressionless mask gone as he looked at his father. Alyx held her breath, expelling it in a rush when Ladan gave a slow nod. Garan’s shoulders relaxed fractionally. “Thank you, Ladan.”
“I wasn’t just asking for me,” Alyx spoke into the silence. “Dashan is on ShadowFall Island. If there is anyone left... he faces a long time of training there, and he doesn’t always do well when he is alone. It would be good for him to have a friend. Rionn needs both of you as fully trained Taliath.”
Ladan stepped towards her and reached out to touch her arm. “I will do as you ask.”
“Thank you.” She hugged him.
“When will you leave?”
“First thing in the morning,” she said. “Come on, let’s go join the others and spend some time together before we have to part again.”
Three weeks after leaving Alistriem, it was almost like old times as they found themselves travelling along the road from Weeping Stead to DarkSkull Hall.
“Do you think they’ll be pleased to see us?” Finn broke the silence that had been lying heavy over them all morning.
“They’ll be pleased to see Alyx,” Cario noted. “She’s their coveted mage of the higher order. They’ll be less pleased with the news we’re bringing.”
“What do you think would be the best way to handle it?” Finn asked.
Tarrick shrugged. “We ask to speak to Master Romas, and Alyx tells him everything.”
“And if he doesn’t believe her?” Dawn wondered.
“Brynn has already spoken to them,” Alyx said grimly. “In fact, he should be here waiting for us. And if Romas won’t listen... well, then I’ll let him into my mind to prove it. Whatever it takes, we have to convince the council.”
Tarrick looked back at them. “We’re just about at the gates to the bridge.”
A cold wind whipped up, blowing Alyx’s cloak back from her shoulders. The cloak had become necessary as they set out that morning—the air was icy cold, and the scudding clouds overhead warned of snow later.
“A roaring fire would be nice right about now.” Finn sighed. “I miss Rionn’s warm weather already.”
“And the sunshine,” Alyx said softly. “I miss the sunshine.”
At the sight of the bridge, they glanced at each other and spurred their horses forward in tacit agreement. The wind whipped up again as the horses moved into a canter. Leaves and other debris scattered under their hooves, the sound echoing loudly down into the gorge.
Foremost in Alyx’s mind was a hot fire and hearty meal. They’d been riding almost non-stop for three weeks dodging Shiven patrols, and the trip hadn’t been big on creature comforts.
The gate opened with a loud screeching at their arrival. Urging their horses back into a canter, Tarrick was the first to reach the end of the narrow gorge and emerge onto the valley floor. He reined in so suddenly that Finn’s horse ran into him before he could pull up. Immediately behind, Alyx desperately yanked Tingo to the right and he jumped sideways, barely missing them.
“Tarrick, what are you doing?” she snapped, focused on getting Tingo back under control.
He didn’t reply. He was staring, ashen-faced, down into the valley. She’d never seen tha
t look on Tarrick’s face before, and dread began creeping through her veins even before she turned to look in the same direction. An instant later her mind was deluged with Tarrick’s and Finn’s unshielded thoughts as both their shields crumpled under the weight of emotion, so potent she almost fell from the saddle.
“Stop!” Dawn screamed, her hand flying to cradle her head. “Shield! Please, stop!”
The flow of distressed thoughts slowed a little, enough to allow Alyx to think. But she didn’t want to think... didn’t want to see what was before her.
DarkSkull Hall was a charred mess.
Two huge chunks had been gouged in the thick stone walls of the female dormitory, and smoke curled out from inside, ribbons of it torn apart by the wind as it drifted higher. The fields had been reduced to ashes. The stone block holding the majority of classrooms was gone completely, leaving only a few foundation stones where it used to stand. One half of the stables was a charred ruin. The main hall and male dormitory building looked to be the only ones untouched by destruction.
Their friends. Howell. Grief leapt in her chest, bright and hot, and without thought Alyx kicked Tingo into a gallop towards the hall. There had to be something she could do. Help in some way... something. Surely they couldn’t be...
The first body came into sight before the steps leading up into the main hall. Tingo caught the scent and reared spectacularly. Alyx half slid, half fell out of the saddle, leaving Tingo to back away, snorting in distress.
Her stomach heaved as she dropped by the body. It was one of the masters, Dirrion, she thought, though it was hard to tell. The lower half of his body was charred black, and the look of the rest indicated he’d been dead at least a couple of days. Her stomach heaved again and she vomited onto the grass beside him. The wind kicked up, carrying with it the scent of ashes and death. Alyx struggled to her feet and drew her staff.
Any hope she had dying inside her, smothered by the rising tide of grief, she ran up the steps and through the shattered front doors. Lingering smoke clogged her nostrils, and she coughed. Over and over she scanned the area with her telepathic magic, but found nothing. No thoughts. Just deafening silence.
More bodies lay across the hall entrance, most charred beyond recognition. Alyx heard boot steps behind her. Cario, his staff raised helplessly, the same grief on his face.
“Tarrick?” she managed.
“He’s gone to check around the other buildings. Finn’s searching the bodies for any survivors.”
“I can’t hear any thoughts,” Dawn appeared, half-sobbing with distress. “There’s nobody alive, I can’t hear anything.”
Bracing herself, Alyx stepped into the hall. The last time she’d been in there, the hall had been alive with lights and music for the dance. She’d danced with Dashan, then kissed him out in the garden.
Oh Dash, I need you.
The hall was full of bodies, the intermingled scent of burning and decay sickly sweet. It looked as if the attackers had dragged most of the dead inside and left them to rot. Alyx gagged again, the contents of her stomach threatening to come up.
Ruthlessly she pushed away the nausea and continued walking through, magic attuned for anyone that might still be alive. At the sight of Mika’s lifeless blue eyes, his young body impossibly small at her feet, she broke into a run out of the hall. No.
Her boots pounded on the stone steps, breath rasping in her chest. The scent of smoke told her what she would find, but she kept going anyway, stumbling through the burnt doors of DarkSkull’s library.
Howell lay in the middle of the floor. A sword thrust had killed him, not magic—blood had pooled and dried around the wound in his chest. Behind him, the books he’d loved had been destroyed, most burned to ashes. She could taste the ash on her tongue, breathed in the particles with each tortured gasp.
She knelt by his body, ignoring the blood, and reached out to close his clouded brown eyes. They were cold to the touch and she shuddered, trying desperately not to fall apart.
“I’m sorry, sir,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
A wave of Dawn’s thoughts hit her then, both their minds unshielded with grief and horror. She’d found Rickin’s body. Alyx swayed with the force of her friend’s emotion, and scrambled away from Howell’s body, unable to look at it anymore.
In a daze, she went back downstairs, almost falling twice from not paying attention to where she was going. Tarrick and Cario stood at the entrance to the hall, Finn not far off, cradling his sister to his chest.
“This is it,” Tarrick whispered. “The future of the mage order, it’s lying dead in this room.”
“Did anyone see Brynn?” Cario asked. “Or Jayn?”
Silence met his question.
“We need to get out of here,” Alyx muttered. “I need to get out.”
A blast of cold air hit her as she emerged outside, cooling the sweat on her skin. She continued down the steps and over to Tingo, where she rested her head against his warm neck and tried to get herself under control. He snorted, but stayed still. Breathing was difficult around the lump in her throat, and silent tears streamed down her cheeks. She wanted Dashan’s arms around her so badly it hurt.
“Someone’s coming.” Cario’s voice, sharp enough to break her daze.
Alyx spun around. Dawn was pointing towards the eastern valley wall, where one of the paths led through the tree-covered slope to the south-eastern watchtower.
“Best we go meet them.” Scrubbing at her wet cheeks, Alyx hefted her staff and took a step away from Tingo.
“Wait!” Tarrick’s voice stopped her. “Do you think that’s smart? What if it’s whoever did all this?”
“Then I’ll kill them all.” Her voice came out caught between a snarl and a sob, but she’d never meant anything more in her life.
Halfway across the burnt fields, Alyx stopped and waited for the distant group of people to approach. As they came closer, she sent magic flowing through her staff. It lit up with a pearly green shimmer. Tarrick came to a stop at her right shoulder, Cario at her left. The twins hovered behind.
“Approach slowly,” she called out. “Any quick moves, and I’ll kill you where you stand.”
They did as she asked, slowing their pace and holding their empty hands out to show they were unarmed. Alyx recognised the lead figure as soon as he came into view, despite his sooty, haggard appearance.
“Rothai!”
He stopped before her, utter relief filling his face at the sight of her. “You’re alive. We saw you coming... I hoped it was you.”
She swallowed, found the strength to talk at the sight of Jayn amongst the mages hovering behind Rothai. Jayn lived! “What happened?”
“DarkSkull was attacked two days ago.” He paused. “By Shakar.”
“Are you sure?” Tarrick spoke.
“Certain.” Rothai’s eyes were terrible as they met hers. “Those of us that survived have been hiding up on the valley wall in case he came back.”
“Dawn?” Alyx asked.
“He’s telling the truth,” she replied.
Alyx allowed her magic to fade from her staff. “They’re all dead.”
Rothai’s shoulders sagged. “I know.”
“What now?” Finn wondered aloud.
“Come with us,” Rothai said. “We have food and shelter up at the watchtower, and can talk more there.”
As dusk settled over the valley that evening, Alyx stood looking down at the horror and destruction that had once been a thriving mage school. She didn’t know what to do, how to comprehend the sheer magnitude of it all.
“He did that by himself.”
She started as Rothai came up beside her. He still had the same grave face, sharp blue eyes and black hair. Before, she’d disliked him intensely. Now it seemed he’d barely survived as he fought for DarkSkull Hall. Jayn had told her earlier that without him, nobody would have survived.
“Which part?” she asked.
“See those gouges in the wall the
size of a field?” Rothai pointed. “They weren’t done by siege engines, they were caused by a single blast of Shakar’s magic. I watched him do it.”
A shiver ran down her spine at the thought of such power. Those walls had been several feet thick, and Shakar had crushed them with a single blast?
“What about the Mage Council? And Galien?”
“Galien is alive as far as I know. Romas is dead, but the rest of the council is still alive.”
“We came to warn the council, to help them defeat Shakar. But they couldn’t stop this.” Alyx stumbled to a halt. Ladan had been right. Those old men who’d sat around an ornate table in Carhall talking about how far they’d go to hold onto their power, they weren’t going to stop Shakar.
“You can.”
She spun to look at Rothai, shocked. “I don’t have anything that approaches that sort of power.”
“On the contrary. We all felt it, when you first came here. Your entire aura leaks powerful magic.” A strange intensity flickered in Rothai’s pale eyes, a stark brightness against the encroaching darkness. “You have more potential than all of us put together, Magor-lier.”
Magor-lier. She’d heard the word before—something Tarrick had said in their first year at DarkSkull. The oddness of the word had stuck with her. It was an old mage title, used by the most powerful warrior mage that led the mage order in battle.
Alyx shook her head. “Why did you call me that?”
“Magor-lier?” He looked at her with a grim smile. “Because you are the most powerful mage alive, and you are now our only hope.”
“You’re asking me to lead you?”
He gave a little shrug. “I’m not asking, Magor-lier. There is nobody else.”
Rothai turned to walk away, but Alyx stopped him with a touch. “You almost let me die, that day on the practice yard.”
“You needed to be tested.” He paused. “Needless to say you passed even more spectacularly than expected. Rest, you’re going to need it.”
Alyx remained where she was after he’d walked away, studying her hand as it glimmered with a pearly sheen. The magic was easy to summon now, and for the first time since her confrontation with Finn, the beginnings of fear trickled through her.
