Dissident (Forbidden Things Book 1)

by Nikki Mccormack

  Ten miles outside of Terral’s valley, on the far side of a small village, Myac pulled up.

  “Adept Ladon!”

  The adept maneuvered his mount forward and inclined his head. His darker coloring betrayed some unfortunate Caithin or Kudaness lineage, but he was the strongest adept in the group behind Myac himself.

  “Yes, Lord Myac?”

  “Ladon, did you come into Emperor Rylan’s service before or after the prince’s banishment?” Myac investigated the other man’s ascard strength while he spoke.

  Ladon’s eyes narrowed in response to the invasion, but he made no outward complaint. “After.”

  “Can you mask your ability?”

  Ladon’s gaze turned distant and Myac felt him constructing a barrier to hide his ability from outside prying. When he was done, Myac could barely sense the man’s inner aspect. It would take someone much stronger than Ladon himself to detect the barrier without knowing it existed.

  “Good. You will stay behind until the prince’s army passes through. This is his easiest route outside of the main roads and he’ll want to avoid those. Follow them. Let them catch you. Do whatever you must to convince them you’re merely a scout and willing to change sides. Do not, under any circumstances, let them know you’re an adept.”

  Ladon looked doubtful. “The prince isn’t known for his mercy.”

  “If you let him know you’re an adept, he will kill you. As a scout, he won’t consider you a threat. I’ll create a link between us to alert me when you’re nearing the capital to give the emperor early warning of his son’s approach.”

  Ladon eyed him skeptically, but nodded.

  “Good.”

  Punching through the other man’s barrier, he fastened a tendril of his inner aspect to Ladon’s, weaving it in so the other man would be unable to break the connection. Ladon paled before the assault, perhaps upset that Myac broke through his barrier so easily.

  Myac sneered. “Remember, Adept Ladon. Anyone with an inkling of ability is probably stronger than you in some skill. We each have our specialties. You should always expect to be surprised.”

  Ladon inclined his head. “You speak wisdom, my lord. I would do well to remember your words.”

  Myac hesitated. He hadn’t expected such respectful deference. It tasted sweet. If Ladon survived, he would recommend him for a higher ranking. Better yet, if all went according to plan, he would appoint the man to a higher position himself. Emperor Terral wasn’t going to argue with him.

  “Follow me.” He gestured to Ladon and rode back along the ranks until he found a soldier of similar build. “You will exchange clothing and equipment with Adept Ladon.”

  Under Myac’s scowling regard, the man dismounted. The two men exchanged clothes and equipment as ordered. When they were through, Ladon appeared to be a soldier like any other. If his masking held, he wouldn’t be discovered before battle was engaged, at which point it would no longer matter.

  “I’m counting on you, Adept Ladon. I don’t expect you’ll disappoint. Until the prince passes this way, I suggest you work on perfecting your masking.”

  Myac motioned the rest of the soldiers onward, leaving the adept alongside the road in his disguise.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Indigo glanced at Andrea’s door on the way out. Her new schedule required her to arrive earlier and stay later, so they no longer walked to the academy together. She stepped into the cool morning street alone and spotted Caplin loitering conspicuously in the shadows of the next residence like a hopeless thief.

  He motioned her over with a quick wave. “I’ve gone through academy files and talked to your instructors. I have enough information to convince my uncle, but I don’t know about the headmaster. King Jerrin is reviewing the list this afternoon. If I get his approval, I’ll present it to Headmaster Serivar tomorrow.”

  His covert whispering and the nervous darting of his eyes brought a fond smile to her lips.

  He frowned. “This isn’t a game, Indigo.”

  She worked to look satisfactorily serious. “Can you let me know if the king approves the list before you take it to the headmaster?”

  “Certainly.”

  “Good. If you take the list to Serivar at the end of noon break tomorrow, I’ll be there. I can help convince him.”

  “That might not be the best idea.” His eyes swept the area for anyone taking an interest in their conversation.

  Her ascard senses would warn her long before he noticed anything. “Trust me. I have some leverage.”

  His brow screwed up in puzzlement. “Whenever I think I have you figured out, you do or say something unexpected. You never cease to amaze me.”

  “If you only knew.” She ignored his searching look. “Let me know what the king says.”

  “I will.”

  She placed a hand on his arm when he started to turn away. “Thank you.”

  “Of course.” He took her hand and clasped it for a moment before walking away.

  His voice and manner hinted at more than friendly concern. She shook her head. She had to be wrong. Life was complicated enough without that.

  Attend to one thing at a time. She squared her shoulders and resumed her solitary trek.

  *

  Serivar snapped to attention when she entered his office. “I’m glad you’re here. I wanted to speak to you about the feast. I almost called you in yesterday after the prince departed, but I thought you might appreciate the longer break.”

  “Yes.” She shut the door and sat across from him. “The young man, Ian, he’s the creator and exceptionally strong.”

  “He seemed young to be that skilled. A bit of a prodigy perhaps?” He smiled at her then in a way that made her uneasy. “I didn’t realize you were such a political asset.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You got on quite splendidly with Prince Yiloch and Captain Adran.”

  Deception, like many things, came easier with practice. “Lord Caplin is a friend. As he was acting escort to the prince, it makes sense that I would have spent time around them.”

  “Perhaps,” he allowed, but his perplexing smile persisted. “Yet you are the only woman the prince danced with more than once. Not that I could blame him, you looked remarkable.” He dropped his gaze and fidgeted with a scroll on the desk. “Something my wife was rather sensitive about. I apologize for that. We’ve had our rough spots lately.”

  “No harm done.” Yiloch’s appearance had blown the incident from her mind.

  “Where did your fiancé vanish to during your dalliance with the Lyran prince?”

  She tensed at his choice of words. “Jayce drank too much at supper and wasn’t feeling well.”

  “And you weren’t taking care of him?”

  “Why should my evening suffer for his poor judgment?”

  Serivar frowned.

  She matched his expression. “You should be happy to see my relationship failing. Imagine how much you could teach me without Jayce competing for my time?” She meant the comment to be sarcastic, but Serivar brightened. Before he could pursue whatever disturbing thoughts ripened behind that look she said, “I have a question for you.”

  “You haven’t assuaged my curiosity yet.” She gave him a severe look and he conceded. “Very well, ask.”

  “I’ve been thinking about our lessons. Much of what you’ve taught me has obvious aggressive applications. I feel as if I’m becoming dangerous and I don’t like it. What are you training me for, Serivar?”

  He didn’t correct her lack of formality. “The strength of your connection determines how much of your inner aspect you can manipulate at one time, but the strength of the inner aspect itself determines your developmental potential. People with average strength can learn to do many things poorly or a few things very well.

  “Take your friend Andrea. Her inner aspect is average and she has a natural affinity for working with soft tissue injuries. If she trains exclusively to those skills, she can become adept i
n that area of specialization. However, the inner aspect changes when trained to a specific purpose so she won’t be able to extend her ability to much else once her training is complete.

  “With each new skill that is learned, a separation takes place to the inner aspect, molding a portion to that skill. If you continue to develop that skill, more of your inner aspect is allocated to it. Because of the unusual strength of your inner aspect, you have the capacity to learn hundreds of skills, each with the potential to reach the adept level most people achieve with only a few skills.

  “Another often overlooked factor that limits an individual’s ability is their acceptance of what is possible and what they can do. Some people harbor too much doubt, thereby unwittingly limiting themselves. Anytime I’ve told you that you can do something, you’ve tried and tried until you succeeded. That’s a rare gift. I don’t know your limits. This is a discovery process for me as much as for you and yes, many things I’m teaching you do have aggressive applications. That doesn’t mean you will be asked to use them that way.”

  “It doesn’t mean I won’t.”

  “There’s always a chance, but this is part of what you are now. If you don’t wish to continue…”

  She swallowed a surge of sour resentment. “No, I will continue with the lessons. I’m afraid something bad could happen if I lost my temper.”

  “You must be disciplined enough to prevent that.”

  She hated him for putting responsibility on her, even though he was right, perhaps more so because he was. “I’d best get to class.”

  “This afternoon then?”

  “Yes.” She stood.

  “So what did you talk about with the prince?” Curiosity sparkled in his eyes. “I’d love to know.”

  “Dancing and customs. Trivial things.”

  He looked unconvinced.

  She smiled and walked out. Let him regret the day he encouraged her to lie.

  *

  That afternoon they worked on her ability to sense his ascard use until she could detect the initiation of the slightest connection. He then showed her how to block physical ascard attacks. Several hours passed with him making unannounced attacks while she reviewed earlier lessons. He blasted her from her chair the first time. From that point forward, she sensed and blocked him with near perfect accuracy.

  When he gave up, sweat beaded on his brow and his hands resting on the table trembled. It took effort not to gloat over how tired she wasn’t. With each passing day, hours of controlling ascard took less and less out of her.

  “Indigo, you’re remarkable. It’s unfortunate that you’re also so stubborn.”

  “If I were any less stubborn, I wouldn’t have gotten this far.”

  “Granted. Won’t you tell me, after all I’ve taught you, what happened when you disappeared?”

  “I don’t remember.” That was still the easiest lie of all.

  A scowl started to form then melted away. Perhaps he was too tired to be irritated with her. “Then tell me why the prince found you so fascinating?”

  Her pulse quickened. Had he found some connection between the two subjects? “His creator reacted to my investigation. Perhaps he mentioned it to Prince Yiloch.”

  He stiffened. “I hadn’t thought of that. I shouldn’t have allowed you to attend. If he—”

  “Or perhaps he likes attractive women. It doesn’t matter now. In the future, it might help if I knew more about masking my ability, especially when poking around that of others.”

  “You’re right. I should have focused time on that in your training instead of leaving you on your own. We’ll spend time on masking tomorrow. Today, I thought I might let you go early.”

  “Tired?” she teased.

  “Don’t get arrogant.” His proud smile mitigated the warning in his tone. “Have a good evening, Indigo.”

  “You as well, Serivar.”

  Their focus on information gathering and defense, though obviously a ploy to ease her mind after their morning talk, served its purpose. A brighter mood lightened her steps on the walk home.

  Outside the residence, Caplin and Jayce sat on the steps chatting in the fading light of evening. She forced a smile for Jayce, who remained wary and distant since their fight, and nodded politely to Caplin.

  Caplin nodded in return. “Lady Indigo, I was telling Jayce that the king signed off on my list of soldiers and healers for the coming campaign. Things are going smoothly, other than Andrea, who’s still furious with me.”

  As far as the public was concerned, a unit of soldiers and healers were heading south to resolve fighting that had broken out over a territorial dispute. Such minor military actions weren’t uncommon and the truth had to remain secret until the attack on Yiroth started.

  She sat between them. “What happens now?”

  Caplin’s gaze dropped to his boots and he dusted a spot of dirt off one. “I’ll present the list to Headmaster Serivar tomorrow afternoon for approval.”

  She allowed herself a private smile, knowing Jayce couldn’t see it from his vantage.

  Caplin looked into the street and paled. She followed his gaze. It was near suppertime and the evening streets experienced a lull in traffic. Among the few pedestrians, she spotted Andrea coming toward them.

  Caplin rose to greet her and she gave him a thin smile, turning her cheek to his kiss.

  “How are you, my love?” He offered a sweet smile.

  “I’ve been better.” She took a step away from him.

  “Andrea.”

  Her look was ice.

  He clenched his teeth then turned to Jayce and Indigo. “I’ll see you both later.” He spun and stalked away.

  Indigo ached to comfort him, but she didn’t dare follow. Andrea stormed into the building, tears welling in her eyes. Jayce sat a few minutes more then went inside. Alone, Indigo drew up her knees, laid her arms across them and rested her head there.

  So much had changed, and very little for the better. Her lessons were the best part, except she couldn’t tell anyone about them. That, and the unshakable feeling that she was becoming a weapon, undermined pride in her accomplishments. She’d come to Demin to learn to heal. Now she knew how to destroy as well. Not only did she know how to, she was good at it. It didn’t feel right that they would give Serivar free reign to train her this way if she were so powerful.

  If Caplin’s interest in her were more than friendly then Andrea’s treatment of him would aggravate that. It made her wary of joining his healers, but she couldn’t stay here with Jayce. If he attacked her again, she would hurt or kill him to save her own life. The consequences would be dire given the confidentiality of her lessons and her shaky social status. Going to Lyra would only postpone her problems, unless she died. It was war, after all. If she survived, she would ask Caplin for help terminating the engagement and contend with the consequences then.

  What about Yiloch?

  She’d be lying if she pretended that he didn’t influence her desire to go to Lyra, but being near him without being able to touch him might be worse than having him beyond reach.

  What do you think of this mess, Father? Have I done anything right or am I burying problems beneath bigger problems?

  Melancholy outweighed hunger. She stayed on the steps and watched night creep in. Foot traffic increased after supper, nightlife kicking into action. Some acquaintances from the academy stopped to exchange a few words. In time, traffic lulled again. The stars and moon strolled across the sky. When the streets emptied and cool night air had her shivering, she went inside.

  When she crawled into bed, Jayce rolled over, putting his back to her. It wasn’t like him to turn away. Then again, it wasn’t like him to leave her on the steps unsupervised.

  She turned her back to him and drifted to sleep.

  In the morning, he didn’t speak to her. She liked the silent treatment, even if she wasn’t sure how she earned it. It allowed her to brood in peace.

  Andrea, who looked as if she hadn’t slep
t at all, came out early and walked to school with her. They each held their own council, as if the melancholy from the night before waited at the steps, embracing them when they passed. When they met at noon break, bright sunshine contrasted a sullen mood and wetness shimmered in Andrea’s eyes.

  Indigo relented, breaking the long silence. “He’ll come back.”

  Andrea picked at her food. “Why must he go?”

  “He’s a captain in the royal army. This kind of thing is always possible. It’s an honor for him to be entrusted with such a mission. You should be proud of him.”

  Andrea frowned, unconvinced. “Why now?”

  “Politics have no care for love.” She placed a comforting hand on her friend’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine. Wait for him.”

  “I’m sure you’re right.”

  Indigo smiled and Andrea managed a tremulous smile in return.

  “I’ve got to go.” She stood, but waited until Andrea looked up at her. “Would you rather send him to battle with the confidence of your love or this sorrow?”

  A tear escaped down her cheek. She wiped it away and resumed picking at her food.

  Indigo nodded to herself, satisfied she’d at least given Andrea something to think about, and made her way to Serivar’s office. She needed to arrive before Caplin, but not by too much or Serivar would start her lesson before Caplin arrived. Down the hall from Serivar’s office, she spotted Caplin chatting with a healer. She made a point of meeting his eyes before going in.

  Serivar had a scroll unrolled on his desk. She shut the door and waited while he finished reading it. He had looked up to acknowledge her when the knock came and his gaze snapped to the door.

  “Come in.”

  Caplin stepped in, bowing to each of them. “Lord Serivar, I apologize for interrupting. I have the list of healers King Jerrin approved. I need your endorsement.”

  Serivar snatched the scroll, smoothed it on his desk and began skimming names.

  “Apologies, Lady Indigo,” Caplin said, supporting the illusion that his timing was coincidental. “This should only take a moment.”