Zara gave him another appraising look. He looked older than Alex, maybe in his late thirties. Despite the relative youth, there was a wisdom about him, a steadiness that most men didn’t gain until they were gray.
“Are you a Light mage, then?” she asked.
Drake didn’t answer, but held out his hand, palm up. A glow suffused the entire surface. Then, a moving, twisting geometric pattern rose and danced in the air, hovering a few inches above the palm. The Light entranced her. It was bewitching.
“I never knew it could do that!” Zara said. “I’ve only had it blast out.”
Drake smiled. “A matter of practice and control. It’s nothing.”
The Light faded.
Alex crossed the distance between them. He spoke quietly, but not enough so that Drake couldn’t hear. “Drake is a powerful ally, and we need his help. He can test you to see what abilities you have and at what strength. That will give us a better idea of what you can do. Are you okay with that? Anything we can learn will be helpful as we try to figure out our next steps.”
She frowned, hugging herself again. The dynamic was different with Drake there. She longed to embrace Alex and let him comfort her as he had last night, but it didn’t feel right in front of the Light mage.
“It won’t hurt or go wrong in some way? I want to know as much as I can about this magic, but I wish you could test me.” Zara whispered the words, keeping the conversation between the two of them.
Alex shook his head. “It doesn’t work like that. I can't do it. Otherwise, I would have tested you already.”
She huffed. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”
Drake directed her to sit on the edge of the bed and told her to relax.
Zara tried to calm herself, but her thoughts squirmed like worms exposed to the light. The harder she tried, the more turbulent her mind became.
“Here, let me help,” Drake said. He knelt in front of her and looked into her eyes.
A feeling of peace swept through her, sweeping her concerns to the side until there was only stillness and calm. It was all-encompassing, reaching into every corner of her mind and quieting her unrest, her lingering concerns over everything that had happened.
It was the opposite of the terror that had filled her at the restaurant the night before and caused her to run into the trap. There was one tiny part of her that rebelled about how unnatural it felt, but the rest of her was too relaxed to care. It felt good to not care.
Drake stared into her eyes. His were a deep, electric blue, and they appeared to burn with an intensity she’d never seen in a pair of eyes before.
No, that’s not true. Alex’s eyes had looked the same way that first night, when she’d regained consciousness to find him kneeling beside her and looking into her eyes.
She couldn’t look away, that blue filling her vision until she couldn’t see anything else. She floated in a sea of energy and could feel it crackling around her. If it weren’t for the supernatural calm that filled her, she would have been scared at the burning brightness that enveloped her.
Her mind felt strange, like it was under observation. Her hair prickled at the sensation as shocks of electricity flowed through her—not painful, but not comfortable.
It didn’t take long before Drake sat back and she rose out of the cobalt abyss. The forced calm faded.
“It’s as we suspected,” Drake said. “She’s a Beacon. Not just any Beacon, either, but the strongest I’ve seen in an age. In every single Light ability.”
Alex nodded, no surprise on his face, but his voice carried unspoken volumes when he replied, “How is that possible?” It sounded like a continuation of a prior conversation—Drake’s eyes darted to Zara and back to Alex and he didn’t answer the question.
The imposed emotional state had faded away, allowing Zara to care enough to join the conversation.
“What is a Beacon?”
Alex sat beside her on the bed, but not as close as he had the night before. Zara resented the space he’d put between them. “There are two levels of Light mages. The more common type has access to one of the seven Light abilities and have a wide variation in their strength. Some have barely enough to affect the world, and some… well, some can do things like heal a man on the verge of dying.”
“There are seven abilities? Healing is one… is calling the Light another, or is that something all Light mages can do?”
He shook his head. “No, it’s another ability. A Light mage who is a healer can’t call the Light.”
It didn’t take her too long to connect the dots. “I can heal and I can call the Light. That’s what makes me a Beacon?”
“That’s right. The top tier of Light mages were called Beacons of Light. They had access to all seven of the abilities, in varying strengths. Most had only two or three that are very strong and specialized in those. The Beacons anchored the Light side of the balance of power and ensured that the Darkness didn’t take control of the world.”
“You talk about them like they don’t exist anymore,” Zara pointed out. “My father must have been one of these Beacons, right?”
Alex looked to Drake, who nodded. He took her hand. “The Light suffered a major tragedy twenty-five years ago. The Beacons from every country had gathered in one spot for a grand meeting unlike any the world had ever seen. We’re still not sure why they had done so, but the Darkness found out about it and it proved too tempting a target to resist. The Beacons were ambushed and slaughtered, and until now, there was no sign that any of them had escaped the trap.”
Zara didn’t even know any of those people, but her heart burned at the loss. They were her people, and she’d never even had a chance to know them. No wonder she felt so alone in the world.
Drake spoke up, his musical voice playing the words like an instrument. “Our best guess right now is that your father must have been one of the strongest Beacons alive, and he’d met your mother and conceived you. Then he’d been caught in the trap, but you escaped because the Darkness didn’t know about you.”
She rubbed her arms where the Dark mages had grabbed her last night. Bruises were coming in. “Until now.”
Alex nodded. “Until now.”
It was a lot to absorb. Not only could she do magic, but she was the strongest Light mage on the planet? It sounded like a fairytale.
“What about Drake?” she asked. “You’re not a Beacon?”
Both men froze but recovered fast enough that she doubted what she’d seen.
“I’m no Beacon,” he said. “Just someone who’s lived long enough to pick up a few tricks.”
Living long enough to learn about her abilities sounded immensely appealing to Zara.
“What do we do now? We can’t afford to live in a hotel, and it feels like wherever we go, the Dark mages will be after us. After me.” She couldn’t hide the bitterness in her voice.
Alex looked to Drake. “Do you have any ideas for where we could go? The best I could think of was to leave the city and find a small town with no Dark foothold.”
Drake shook his head. “No, that’s not the best choice. Zara needs to be around other Light mages to grow in her powers and receive the proper training. The Light has been shattered and scattered ever since the great ambush, but I know of a small enclave in the city. It’s not that far away. I’ll take you there now.”
“There are others in the city?” Zara asked in wonder. How long had she been living this close to people who may have helped her?
Drake nodded. “There are about thirty Light mages there, hidden from the Darkness in their compound. They will be glad to take you in and give you shelter.”
For the first time in what felt like too long, a sense of hope spread through Zara.
Zara wasn’t as drained as she’d been after the fight, but the short nap she’d gotten hadn’t been enough to fully recharge her batteries. When Drake suggested that they leave immediately to travel to the enclave, she resisted the suggestion, her body and mind wanting n
othing more than the sweet oblivion of sleep.
“Now is the perfect time to walk the city streets,” Drake said. “Dawn is one of the strongest parts of the day for the Light. The balance shifts between Light and Dark, a natural ebb and flow that follows people’s actions. Dawn is a rebirth of the day and a time of pure intentions.”
The light had grown outside the window as they had discussed things, and the sun was just about to peak over the horizon and start another day in the city that never sleeps.
“He’s got a point,” Alex said. “We aren’t likely to meet any Dark mages at this time of day, and even if we did, they’d be weakened and Drake could easily take care of them. I’m still not sure about this plan, though, Drake. Putting ourselves under the power and into the mercy of others, even Light mages, doesn’t strike me as the best idea. We don’t know them.”
Drake gave Alex a look. “I’ve worked with these mages for years. You can trust them.”
Alex’s eyes widened.
Interesting. Looks like Drake has secrets from Alex. I don’t think I like that.
There wasn’t much they could say—neither Alex nor Zara had any better ideas. The thought of being surrounded by other Light mages who could protect them was very appealing. Sleep could wait if it meant she would be safe again.
Despite the early hour, there were quite a few people on the streets after they checked out of the hotel. This was Manhattan—it was never as quiet as the dangerous neighborhood up in the Bronx that she’d called home until forced to abandon her apartment.
I’ll never see anything in that apartment again.
There had been nothing valuable—she owned nothing valuable. But her heart broke at the loss of the pictures and mementos she kept of her mother. If she wasn’t sure that going back would spell certain doom, she would have given anything to get her things back.
Half the men walking the streets wore suits—clean cut financial types. Zara had always envied them and what she’d seen as a life of ease and luxury. She’d never imagined they were up this early every day.
A loud clang behind her made Zara jump, and she turned, ready to fight.
It was a man putting out a garbage can. She flushed and turned back to Alex and Drake, who’d waited for her.
“It’s okay,” Alex said. “Drake will prevent us from walking into a trap. We won’t get caught unawares this morning.”
“More of those tricks?” Zara asked. He nodded. “He has to teach me those. I’m tired of turning a corner and running into men much bigger than I am.”
Alex looked her up and down with a raised eyebrow. “I think almost all men are bigger than you are.”
She shrugged. She was used to how tiny she was. “Doesn’t change how much it sucks.”
Despite the reassurances from the men, Zara’s senses were on overdrive as they walked north. Every sound had her looking for the source, not wanting her safety resting on someone else’s vigilance.
The wary regard stopped when they came alongside Central Park.
She couldn’t stop looking at it. Having spent her entire life in the city, she didn’t think she would ever be taken aback by something she always knew was there, but she’d never actually seen it with her own eyes. She rarely came to Manhattan—it was too expensive to do anything, and she was too busy making a living and fighting for every dollar.
It’s so big. And gorgeous.
It didn’t seem right that there was such a large stretch of wooded land in the middle of one of the densest cities in the world.
No wonder it’s so expensive to live around here.
She would have walked in the park every day if she could. Instead, she lived on a block with more factories than apartments, and the concept of parks there was laughable.
When she bumped into Alex because she wasn’t watching where she was going, she shook herself loose. Somehow, she felt like a tourist in her own city.
Drake signaled them to follow him as they left Central Park West to go up a side street, but he didn’t bring them far. They slipped into a small alley behind the massive building on the corner.
There was a small gate set into the wall surrounding the building, and Drake fiddled with it for a moment before it swung open.
This is the enclave? It’s huge!
“Quietly,” he said, gesturing them through. He closed the gate behind them and spun the lock closed.
They had barely turned before bright Light streamed into their faces. The intensity was blinding, but it wasn’t as overwhelming as the Light Zara had called the night before.
“Who goes there?” The voice was rough, and it was impossible to see the speaker through the Light shining between them.
There were at least three shapes there, but that was all Zara could make out. She fell into a crouch, her hands coming up, but she paused. At least these men were using Light, not Darkness.
“Is that you, Trent?” Drake called to the challenger. “It’s Drake. I’ve brought new friends.”
The light faded, not completely, but to a level that wasn’t so blinding.
“Drake?” The man stepped through the Light. “It’s been at least a year! It’s good to see you.”
The two men clasped arms.
“This is Alex, and this is Zara. She’s just come into the Light and needs protection and training.” He turned back to them. “This is Trent. He’s a guard here. Welcome to Lighthaven.”
Chapter 7
Alex strolled through the wide hall outside his room. Lighthaven was a large house, a veritable mansion fronting Central Park. His real estate knowledge was lacking, but the place must be worth a fortune.
It was a large ‘U’-shape, the three wings surrounding a central courtyard. Three stories tall, it was a cavernous place with a sad emptiness to it. Draconel had said there were only thirty mages in Lighthaven at the moment, but it could have easily housed a hundred.
Even as an angel, other than Heaven, it was rare for him to set foot in a place so pure, so anchored to the Light. Such places rarely required a Guardian. He was surprised to find that he could feel it even in his mortal form. It wasn’t obvious, but it was there in the comforting sensation of peace filling him as he walked the hall.
They’d been there for a full day. After staying awake for the entire night, Alex had fallen into a deeper sleep than he’d known was possible. It was only the second time he’d slept as a mortal, and the first had been spent on an uncomfortable couch. Sleeping in a comfortable bed, surrounded by the Light, had been a remarkable step up.
An alcove in the hall drew his attention, and he folded his arms as he cocked his head.
This is new.
He had spent little time among Light mages, and not in a gathering place of theirs. The alcove was a perfect place to have a religious display. Instead, the alcove was a direct homage to the Light.
An altar held a crystal lattice, a gossamer web of lines that formed an eye-catching helix. Lights were placed so that the crystal trapped the light and it gleamed along the length of the sculpture as though the Light itself danced in the air.
It was simple but complex, and fitting. There were no other frills in the alcove, just the altar with the sculpture, but Alex didn’t find it lacking. Staring at the tribute and feeling the Light around him, Alex could sense Heaven in a way he hadn’t since his judgment.
“What is that?” Zara asked. She’d crept up beside him, and he fought to keep from flinching. “It looks like the Light that Drake had summoned when you introduced us. It’s amazing.”
I need to pay more attention to my mortal senses. They’re my only connection to the world for the foreseeable future.
“It’s an altar to the Light. I’ve never seen one before, but there’s nothing else it could be,” Alex said.
They stood together, looking at the altar. Alex almost took her hand in his, but he fought the impulse. No need to complicate things. She was safe now, and that was what mattered.
Zara hummed a gentle song
so softly that he could barely hear it. Alex had heard her hum the tune before—it was almost a reflex whenever she was lost in thought.
He resumed his walk down the hall, and Zara joined him.
“Drake said this place has been home to a line of Light mages for generations,” she said. “But where is everybody? It feels like there should be more people than there are.”
She’d picked up on the same thing he had. “It’s been like this for the past twenty-five years,” he said. “The Light has been losing the balance to the Dark ever since the Beacons were lost. They were the anchor, and without them, everything has tilted further to the Dark.”
Zara’s brow furrowed. “But you said there were lots of regular Light mages. Shouldn’t there still be tons of those around?”
“Many of the lesser mages were caught in the trap as well. That’s not the only problem, though. Magical abilities are passed down genetically, but the power is diluted if Light mages have children with normal humans. Beacons having children was one of the most reliable ways of ensuring the magic continues. It sounds callous, but the breeding stock for the Light was slaughtered, and that’s had a tremendous effect on the numbers and strength of Light mages.”
She frowned. “If blood is so important, then how come I’m so strong if my mom wasn’t a Light mage? Does that mean my father was just that powerful?”
It was another one of the lingering issues that Alex couldn’t answer. Why had the Light filled her to such a degree? Draconel had said she was the strongest Beacon he’d seen in an age. Genetic flukes were possible, but they were rare.
“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “There’s no doubt that your father must have been a powerful mage. It’s possible that the Light itself has become desperate, and with no other vessels to channel its power, it has endowed you with even greater power than you would have had otherwise.”
It was an imperfect explanation, but he needed to tell her something. The only other explanation was that she didn’t know everything there was to know about her mother.
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