“I’ve been to some of the meetings of the Elders,” he shrugged.
“No you haven’t; we’re not allowed.” She eyed him suspiciously.
“Let’s just say they don’t see me,” Jerrick said with a gleam in his eye.
“Okay…How do they not see you?” Briahnna asked.
He sat down gazing out to the sea and Briahnna joined him on the sand, fire blazing behind them.
“I followed Lord Braxton after our evening meal a few weeks ago,” he said. “Remember? He and his family joined us?”
Briahnna nodded.
“He and your father spoke of a meeting with the Elders that evening because they had all arrived in Estreed the day before, so I followed them.” He looked at her, gauging her response. “They meet in the Council Room near your father’s quarters.”
Briahnna raised her eyebrows. The room was large with a balcony and twelve chairs surrounded a table in the center.
“You’ve been hiding on the balcony surrounding the council room,” she said and he nodded.
“Lord Braxton is getting angry with the King,” Jerrick said. “They’ve heard that it’s the Kingdom of Thornhold. They say that Thornhold has found a way through the forest and has been kidnapping magiks.”
“How do they know who it is?” Briahnna asked, astonished.
“They don’t know for certain. They have just heard rumors, and your father won’t do anything without proof.” He started drawing in the sand as he spoke. “It would make sense. Thornhold has the power of speed and agility, so they could be in and out quickly without being caught. Apparently your father has been in correspondence with the King of Thornhold, however, and King Estrod denies knowing who could be infiltrating the wall. Obviously a mage has to be helping them. Who else could penetrate the magic of the forest?” He continued drawing in the sand. “And since we’re the only kingdom with magiks, they have to find out if the mage is actually living outside of Mageia and helping them, or if they are being helped from within. They’re not sure who is powerful enough to disrupt that kind of magic.”
She thought about this as she watched his fingers moving the sand around. “My father is trying to find out what is really happening…Why is Lord Braxton angry with him?” she asked.
“I think many of the Elders would have him declare war on Thornhold,” he said, looking up at her.
She was taken aback. “Why would we declare war on them if we do not know that it is Thornhold for certain? They obviously don’t have enough proof, so what makes them think that it is Thornhold?”
“The magiks they are taking are located to the south of us, near their kingdom.” He watched her, gauging her response.
“That’s insane…That is no reason to declare war,” she said.
“I get the impression that some of the Elders want one kingdom with one rule.” Indecision coated his voice. “They think that all four kingdoms would be better off under the rule of the magiks.”
She nodded, not seeming to be surprised. “They just want a reason to go to war, so that we can start taking over the other three kingdoms?”
“Do you think that there should be one rule, one whole kingdom?” he asked.
Briahnna felt his wall slam between them. He was blocking her from knowing how he felt about it, and she shook her head in dismay. “You think we should be ruling all of the kingdoms.”
“Don’t you think it would be better that way?” Jerrick asked.
She sat in thought, answering him with a simple, “No,” then got up and distinguished the fire on her way back to the palace.
He stood up and ran after her, grabbing her hand and opening up to her again. They always found comfort in each other, even if their opinions differed. She looked at him and smiled.
“You need to teach me how to block you,” she said, raising an eyebrow.
“No way!” he protested.
With a look of indignation, she asked, “Really, Jerrick? You think it’s fair that you have complete access to my feelings, but you can take away my access to yours anytime you want to?” She shook her head and pulled her hand free of his.
He sighed. “I don’t know if I can teach you. I just did it…it was fairly easy for me to accomplish.” He looked at her and gave her a lopsided grin. “I’m not sure that you could even do it.”
Mouth dropping open in disgust, she threw him back with a blast of wind.
“Hey!” he laughed, standing up and dusting himself off. “I wasn’t trying to offend you. It’s just that I’m good at hiding my feelings. I’ve done it since…” he thought for a second. “Well, for as long as I can remember. I’ve always had to keep my feelings in check. When you’re raised as a thief, you have to hide who you are. I don’t think you could ever really hide who you are. You…” he grinned, “as your mother always says, ‘wear your heart on your sleeve.’” Briahnna laughed at him mimicking her mother with his hands on his hips. “I don’t need a connection with you to know you’re angry with me, Briahnna,” he said in a stern, motherly tone.
“Oooookay,” she exaggerated. “So I can’t let my feelings show through. Is that it?” she glowered at Jerrick.
“All right, all right. I’ll try to teach you.” He pinched his eyebrows together. “But don’t get mad at me if you don’t get it right away. I have a feeling it’s going to take a lot of practice.” She punched his shoulder.
“You have to shut your feelings down,” he said, giving her a hard stare. “We feel each other’s most predominant feelings. You have to take those feelings that are at the forefront of your thoughts, and shove them to the back. It’s like placing a big wall in front of them,” he said, having a difficult time describing how he blocked her.
Briahnna scrunched her eyebrows in concentration.
Jerrick snorted, rubbing the back of his head as he shook it, and closed his eyes. “I don’t even have to read you to know that you’re determined. Get the goofy look off of your face,” he commanded with a grin.
She grinned back then straightened her face with a deep breath.
Jerrick concentrated on what she was feeling. “You’re questioning whether or not this is working.”
Exasperated, she let her breath out. “I thought I wasn’t feeling anything,” she whined.
“Well, it was a harder feeling to find.” He thought for a moment. “Maybe you just need to find a feeling that is difficult to decipher, and shove that to the front. Do you get any feeling from me when I block you?” he asked.
She eyed him. “It’s like I get shoved in the head with a wall of indifference.”
“That’s it then,” he said. “Indifference isn’t really a feeling…well…more like maybe a feeling of …a stubborn ‘I don’t care.’ It’s a forced feeling.”
She straightened her face again and concentrated on not caring…and not caring…aaand not caring. She let out a whoosh of breath through her teeth.
Jerrick smiled looking down, and then he looked back up at her. “Except, you do care,” he grinned at her with a twinkle in his eye.
“I can’t help it!” she exclaimed, exasperated once more.
“It’s okay,” he assured her. “It’s a good thing. You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t care.”
She looked deflated, so he gave her a bit of encouragement. “You’ll get it,” he said. “You just need to practice.”
Briahnna raised her eyebrows and gave him a small smile at his determination to make her feel better. He shrugged.
Jerrick led Briahnna into the palace and to the council room, showing her where he hid within. And from then on when there were meetings with the Elders, Briahnna would join Jerrick on the balcony.
Chapter 8
“You’re late,” Briahnna whispered, watching Jerrick sit next to her.
“I just got back.”
“How was home?” she asked him.
Jerrick looked at Briahnna through the corner of his eye and then gazed down at the council being held. “That’s not my home
.”
Briahnna sighed. “Well, what do you do whenever you have to go there?” Her curiosity was peaked. Jerrick had been going back to his parents estate every two weeks or so to stay over night and ‘take care of things.’
“The advisor of our estate has been helping me go through…” Jerrick hesitated. He hadn’t spoken about his parents since they were killed, “things that were left behind. It’s a lot of work. He thinks I need to start learning my responsibilities as Lord of the estate, even though that’s not happening for a few years.” He shrugged. “I guess it can’t hurt.”
They both turned to the raised voices of the council.
“We must act now!” exclaimed Lord Kirtzene. He lived in Westbrook, one of the cities located in the southeast of Mageia. “We need to let the other three Kingdoms know that we are not to be trifled with.”
“I will not go to war based on rumors and accusations,” King Rinald said calmly. “We need to think logically here.” He paused. “You all know that Jerrick of Tristeil was taken about thirteen years ago.”
“What does that have to do with our current situation?” Lord Braxton growled.
“The entire seven years he was missing, we were left alone,” Rinald said, trying to force the Elders to stop and think. “The night he returned with the band of thieves was the first night in seven years that our forest had been compromised.”
There were gasps in the room, including Briahnna’s. She looked at Jerrick to see if he was surprised too, but his gaze was locked on the council below.
“How do you know this?” Lord Archibald asked. He was one of the Elders actually in favor of peace.
“Why wouldn’t I know?” King Rinald answered. “If there were any instances during that time, they were not reported.”
“You think it has something to do with these thieves?” asked Lord Kirtzene.
“I’m just saying that we should make sure we have all of the facts before we decide to put millions of lives in danger,” Rinald answered. “Obviously we were all unaware if this, so I have to ask, how much more unaware are we?”
Lord Braxton snorted in disgust. He was one of King Rinald’s biggest opposers. “Yes, we were unaware of that coincidence. However, there is one fact that still remains: our people are being taken! We cannot ignore it any longer, and Daniel cannot track every magik in the kingdom! This band of thieves may be behind some of the kidnappings, but they are only a small group. From what Jerrick has told us, they kidnap children, not adults, and someone has taken both. We know that Thornhold still buys and sells slaves. Logic tells us that they are to blame. They need more workers, but are running low on people to sell, so why not try one of the other kingdoms, specifically ours because we are closer than any of the others.”
“That is faulty logic, Lord Braxton,” said Archibald from across the table. “In years past, Hyperborea has taken our magiks from us for their gain. Who’s to say that it is not the Hyperboreans? They have always been a power-seeking kingdom, and though they do not have magic, they do have technology. Are we certain that they are not using their technology to pass through the forest?”
“Technology could not penetrate our forest,” Braxton said, slamming his hands on the table. “The magic surrounding the forest is a shield. Only a magik could break it.”
“Fine,” Archibald said. He leaned closer to Lord Braxton. “Then a magik could also be helping Hyperborea enter our kingdom just as easily as a magik could be helping Thornhold.”
Lord Kirtzene spoke up, “I agree with Lord Braxton. Hyperborea is too far north. The area of infiltration has always been to the southeast of us. And if we’re to blame technology, Thornhold is pretty well rehearsed. It has to be Thornhold.”
Many of the other Elders nodded and grunted their agreement with Lord Kirtzene. King Rinald looked around at the few allies that he seemed to have.
Lord Archibald shook his head. “For all we know, that could be a ruse that Hyperborea is using to make us believe that it is Thornhold. Just like King Rinald has said, he has been in contact with the King of Thornhold, and King Estrod claims not to have knowledge of any slaves being taken from Mageia.” He exhaled, “We do not have enough proof. You all must see that.”
Lord Greenwald, who seemed to still be undecided, spoke up, “Even if we do not know who is taking our magiks, we need to let the other kingdoms know, by some course of action, that we are not taking this lightly. If there is a magik helping one of these kingdoms, then he or she is able to come in and out of the border crossings without incident. We need to keep those who belong here, in, and those who do not, out. I propose that we close the trade borders throughout the forest.” Both exclamations of approval and disapproval traveled throughout the room.
Briahnna noticed that Lord Braxton sat back in his chair with his eyebrows raised in approval.
King Rinald looked at his hands folded on the table. “If we close the trade borders, not only will we have Thornhold angry at us, but Hyperborea and Ravinia as well. We could be looking at more than war with Thornhold. The Ravinians rely on our border to trade their goods, and I am afraid that it is a large source of income for them. They are only farmers.”
Lord Braxton leaned forward. “Exactly, they are farmers, able to provide themselves with what they need most. We cannot worry about another kingdom’s loss. We need to worry about our own people and their safety. Maybe with the border closed, it will buy you more time to find out who is actually behind all of this.”
King Rinald gazed steadily at Lord Braxton and nodded his head. “We will close the borders. I suggest you all get your land ready to till and plant. We will only have our own resources to rely on for a while. I will have a proclamation distributed throughout the kingdom telling everyone of our decision.”
Jerrick stood to leave as soon as the king made his announcement. Briahnna began to stand as well, but he placed his hand on her shoulder. “No, you can stay. I’m tired. I’ll see you in the morning,” he said, and then he left without another word.
Jerrick had been blocking Briahnna since he left the day before. He always blocked her when he left, and she wondered what he was up to.
. . .
Jerrick casually waited around the council room doors after the meeting had ended. Lord Braxton eventually emerged and saw him. He gestured with a small movement of his head for Jerrick to follow him, and after looking around cautiously, Jerrick followed.
Chapter 9
Mageia shut its borders down, and magiks were encouraged to practice using their magic defensively. Twice a week Samson, Abriel, Abigail and Cassandra practiced defensive magic with Briahnna and Jerrick.
Using her magic defensively was something Briahnna had a difficult time with. She didn’t like using her powers against people, well…unless provoked by certain boys. Jerrick, Samson, and Abriel took it in stride attacking each other at every corner.
Briahnna ground her teeth together eyeing Samson. He seemed to think it quite funny to use his powers against her.
“You do know that you have more power than all of them put together, don’t you?” Jerrick asked smiling down at her. She sat on her haunches atop the earth that Samson had used to knock her to the ground.
“You do know that you don’t have to hover around me constantly don’t you?” she asked, mocking his voice.
He grinned. “I’m not hovering.”
Briahnna glared up at him and stood up brushing herself off. “Fine, then you’re shadowing me like a puppy! Are you going to lick my face too?” Jerrick’s eyes lit up and he winked at her. Briahnna scowled. “I think you get a kick out of this, watching me being attacked.”
He rolled his eyes, rubbing the back of his head in frustration. “Can I please give you at least a little bit of advice without you yipping at me? I just want to help!” Even though it was just practice and they weren’t supposed to use their magic full force, Jerrick hated watching her get attacked, and she knew it.
“All right,” Briahnna said, r
esigned. She could feel his relief.
“I’m not completely helpless, you know,” she said, annoyed that he felt a constant need to protect her.
“I know” He winked. “That’s why I’m helping you, not fighting for you, Bumble Bee Bri.”
She rolled her eyes and tried not to swoon every time he winked at her.
Jerrick’s knowing smile widened and he winked at her again. “Okay, my little open book, let’s do this.
“You’re holding back,” he said simply.
“Well…” she paused, frustrated. “Darian told us that we’re not supposed to use our powers full force.”
Jerrick was looking around for a target. “Samson’s tough. He’ll be fine. Okay.” He was looking at the pond about a hundred feet away from Samson. “You’re going to use the wind to throw him into the pond.”
“What?” she screeched. “He’s too far away, and he’s not small by any means!” “You can’t be timid, you have to want this.”
“I do want this! He keeps attacking me,” she whined. “But what if he doesn’t make it into the pond? That could really hurt him.”
“He will,” Jerrick assured her. “You just have to have a specific target as you harness the wind. When you use that much force, whatever you are trying to do will happen as long as you know exactly what you want to do. That is why you have a target. Once you harness that force and have your target in mind it’ll happen. If you act timid and are afraid of hurting him you’ll just push him into a bush or onto his backside.”
“I am afraid of hurting him,” she said.
“Don’t be. He’s going into the pond. He’ll be fine,” said Jerrick. “Now do it.”
Briahnna concentrated on her wind, looking up at Samson and thinking about the pond as her target. Concentrating on the frustration she felt with Samson constantly attacking her, she threw her wind at him. He stumbled backwards onto his backside and laughed.
Briahnna screamed in frustration. “This is ridiculous!” she said, turning on her heel toward the palace. She was finished with these dumb exercises that seemed to be playtime for the boys. Bri looked at Jerrick. He was headed in Samson’s direction, and she decided to ignore the two stupid boys.
Spirit (Legend of the Dragons Book 1) Page 6
