The Blood King’s Apprentice

by David Alastair Hayden

  Kurine lightly touched his elbow and he winced. “Are you really okay?”

  “Just sore. It’s nothing I can’t deal with.”

  Kurine examined his arms and hands. “The wounds may be healed, but you’re going to have some nasty scars left over from this.”

  “I think by the end, we all will,” Iniru said.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  After a subdued meal, a short bath and a change of clothes, Turesobei returned to his room and reexamined the original scroll and his translation. Now that he knew what to look for, it only took a few minutes of focus to spot the shadowy character in the midst of the others.

  “The spell locates you in another place that you will be in and takes you there. And somehow these characters are the coordinates, like on a map.” He shook his head. “I don’t get how anyone, even a Kaiaru, could figure out something like this and make it work.”

  “Are you going to translate the other characters you didn’t know about now, master?” Lu Bei asked.

  “I deciphered the first two. That’s all I need.” He picked up the scroll. “I know what they represent. They’re energy patterns. And I know these particular patterns well.”

  “You can’t do it again. Certainly not on instinct. And certainly not today. Please, master.”

  “Lu Bei, we’re going for a ride.”

  “This is folly, master.”

  Turesobei shrugged. “Like Awasa said, there’s always a risk with magic.”

  He recited the teleportation spell again, but this time he filled in the missing parts. Not with spoken words, but with feeling and visualization. He was jerked forward into a tunnel of light. He recognized the experience. It was exactly like the trip through the gate into the Nexus, only much shorter. And the tunnel they flew along took them swiftly, and thus safely, through the Wraithspace.

  He reappeared inside the Workshop, alive and unharmed.

  Lu Bei pumped his fists. “Woo-hoo! You did it, master! You—oh, it’s you.”

  Lu Bei had nearly collided with the Blood King.

  “I had a feeling you would try again soon.” His eyes were a languid green. “Have you always been this reckless?”

  “No, but I learned how fast. I never would have defeated the Deadly Twelve nor made it to the Nexus without taking risks.”

  The Blood King sighed. “I suppose so.”

  He was fortunate this personality was in control. Otherwise, he might have been enduring more torture. It was always a gamble.

  “I wasn’t taking a big risk this time, though. Once I saw the first two characters I had missed, I knew the teleportation spell led to the Workshop. Thanks to those endurance sessions, I know the energy patterns in here perfectly.”

  “Do you have any understanding of what the characters represent or how they function and interact with the others?”

  He shook his head. “And I’m probably not going to no matter how much I study. Because this magic is probably far beyond even most Kaiaru.”

  The Blood King’s eyes shifted to emerald. “This is a magic that I developed myself. It would take even Chonda Lu months to understand it.”

  “So to do what you need me to do, I’m going to have to work a lot of magic I can’t understand. That means I’m going to have to base my castings on instinct and feeling instead of knowledge and experience, right?”

  “You do have limitations we must work around. That takes time. And the more you know, the less you must depend on instinct. You see, I had expected to explain the basic concepts of the teleportation spell as you figured things out. I simply underestimated your intelligence, your connection to Chonda Lu, and your unrelenting arrogance.”

  My arrogance?! Turesobei blinked in shock but kept his voice even. “So, I’m going to be using a version of this spell to teleport to the heart stone locations within each realm?”

  “Exactly. Since the heart stones and the gates are in the same location within each realm, the only difference is each realm’s point along the timeline. That will be the only variable to change in the spell, which will make things far easier for you.”

  “Don’t I need to study the stones, or at least see one first?”

  “Yes, but you are still not ready for that.”

  How difficult could looking at those stones be?

  “Should I practice my spells now?”

  “No. You are going to start working on mastering your dragon today.” The eyes twitched to orange for a moment. “And I doubt that you will find it pleasant.”

  Turesobei suppressed a groan, and not a little dread.

  “The first objective is for you to conquer your fear of the dragon. The second objective is to recognize and know—to truly know—that your dragon is separate from you. The third objective is to project and wield your dragon.”

  “I thought the dragon was part of me.”

  “When Hannya becomes the Earth Dragon, her entire body morphs and her kavaru forms the dragon’s heart. But it is different for you because of your special destiny. There are protections in place that keep the dragon from fully integrating with you.”

  “That’s why my entire body rises up into the dragon’s form?”

  “Indeed.”

  “But whenever I transform into the dragon I lose myself, and each time it becomes harder to change back to being me again. I feel like if I transform one more time, I’ll never be myself again.”

  “Your dragon is essentially a somewhat intelligent parasite. Naturally, the dragon wants to be a dragon, so it will do everything it can to stay one. Whenever you give it control, it fights to keep that control. It does not want to cease being any more than you do. And because it is a primal force, you cannot reason or argue with it. It does not understand compromise and is therefore extra difficult to deny.”

  “If it’s a parasite, does that mean I could get rid of it if I wanted?”

  “Once mastered, you could release the dragon. Of course, I have no idea why you would want to give up access to so much power.”

  “I’d like to think that one day I will settle down and not need the power of a dragon.”

  “You can never have too much power. Now, I need you to transform into the Storm Dragon.”

  “Wait. I didn’t understand what you meant when you said I needed to learn how to project and wield the dragon.”

  “I meant exactly what I said.”

  Turesobei chewed at his lip. “Sorry, I don’t get it.”

  Purple flecks danced in the Blood King’s emerald eyes. “Currently, you access the storm energy to cast related spells. Or you lose yourself to the dragon so that it may fight in your stead. This is not the most efficient use of the power. A better use is to project the dragon out from you. Give it form and make it fight for you. That way you will not have to worry about losing yourself, and you will be free to cast your normal spells, fight with your sword or do whatever else needs doing.”

  “Oh! So it would be like unleashing a demon against my enemies? I had no idea that was possible.”

  “Nifty,” Lu Bei said.

  The Blood King muttered an impatient curse.

  “So why do you want me to transform into the dragon if the point is for me to learn how to project it outward?”

  “Did I not say that you must first conquer your fear and truly understand that the dragon is separate from you? The best way to do that is from inside the dragon. Now transform.”

  Lu Bei changed into book form so he wouldn’t transform as well. Turesobei closed his eyes and tapped into the Mark of the Storm Dragon. He tried to open the channel all the way, but it was hard to do when he wasn’t in danger. And the Blood King was right. He was afraid of the dragon. He couldn’t stand the thought of losing his identity. He took a deep breath and opened the channel wider.

  “You are taking forever. Do I need to bring one of your girlfriends in for a bit of motivation?”

  With a surge of anger, Turesobei opened the channel and transformed. He rose up within the b
ody of condensed storm, tucked into the fetal position. His dragon eyes locked onto the Blood King and with a flap of his wings he dove toward his enemy. Only to end up skinning his hands and knees on the stone floor, with the Blood King towering over him.

  The Blood King walked to the other side of the room. “Again.”

  It took considerable effort and goading from the Blood King, but Turesobei managed to open the channel all the way once more. He transformed, rushed the Blood King and crashed onto the floor in human form.

  “Again.”

  On the fifth attempt, he managed to hold back while in dragon form and not immediately charge the Blood King.

  “Excellent. Now, try to—”

  The Blood King’s voice angered him, so he unleashed a bolt of electric fire and charged. The bolt struck a defensive energy shield and dissipated. The Blood King waved a hand, and Turesobei ended up sprawled out on the floor.

  “Again.”

  On the seventh attempt, he managed to not attack and stayed in the dragon form for a quarter of an hour while mostly maintaining his identity. But eventually the dragon took over and he ended up on the floor again.

  “I’m gaining some control,” Turesobei said, massaging his knees.

  “Again.”

  Turesobei envisioned the dragon projecting outward as he transformed this time. He focused his intent on it. But the result was the same: he turned into the dragon, controlled it for a while, then attacked the Blood King.

  At some point, he collapsed with exhaustion. “No more…I have to rest.”

  The purple-eyed Blood King groaned. “Meditate a few hours on what you experienced today. Then spend the rest of today working on spells. Tomorrow, we will practice this again. And I want you to bring one of your friends with you. Not Motekeru or the hounds.”

  “Why?”

  “Does it matter? I said it, so you will do it.”

  “Of course, master,” Turesobei said through gritted teeth. “Only without knowing why, how can I choose the right one? They all have different capabilities.”

  Malice flared in the Blood King’s now-orange eyes. “I would bring the one you would miss the least should something terrible happen.”

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Worried, Turesobei half-heartedly studied spells. After all that talk about him needing every member of the team, surely the Blood King wouldn’t let one of them die. Still, the Blood King was unpredictable at times, and he was obviously still mad about the teleportation attempt.

  Turesobei had to make an awful decision.

  He couldn’t bring Iniru or Kurine. Both had already been resurrected. And he couldn’t ask Shoma, he just couldn’t. That left Awasa and Zaiporo.

  Four hours before dawn, he tapped on Awasa’s door. Dripping wet and wearing only a towel, she slid the door open.

  She bit her lip. “Oh, hello.”

  He’d prepared himself to say he was sorry for waking her in the middle of the night. “So…uh…you’re taking a bath…this late?”

  “I only finished my mudra studies an hour ago. And since I don’t need sleep anymore, I take long baths to relax. Come in.”

  He closed the door behind him and a shiver ran up his spine. He felt as if he were entering the lair of a seductive demoness. He regretted leaving Lu Bei behind.

  “Er…where’s Motekeru?”

  “In the Library. Scanning the shelves to see if he can find a book we can read. He spends a few hours there every day.”

  “Whenever you bathe?”

  “Not necessarily. His Library trips are random. I think he gets bored when there’s nothing to fight.”

  Motekeru would stay in here while she bathed? That was weird.

  Awasa had her back to him. She glanced over her shoulder and batted her eyes. Then she dropped the towel. He spun away, blushing.

  She sank into the water. “You can turn around now.”

  He peeked out of the corner of an eye to be sure. Then he sat down far enough away that he couldn’t see anything.

  “So you didn’t come here to share a bath with me…?”

  He gulped. “No.”

  She laughed. “It’s so much fun making you squirm. So what’s up?”

  He explained the situation. “It’s not that I care about you the least, but—”

  “You do care about me the least. And I don’t blame you. Besides, I’m the logical choice.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay with it?”

  “You don’t have a better option, and I’m not offended.” She dipped her head into the water, came up and slicked her hair back. “So you can’t become the Storm Dragon the way Hannya is the Earth Dragon?”

  “Because of my special destiny. Basically, it’s a parasite and I’m its host.”

  “Could be worse. My parasite is an evil warlock.”

  “Seems we have something in common, huh?” He stood. “Thank you, Awasa.”

  “Wait.” She waved a hand. “Sit down and chat a minute.”

  “Okay. Sure.”

  “I’ve gotten to know Kurine a little. I like her. A lot more than I like Iniru.”

  “Of course you would say that.”

  “True. But honestly, I do like her. Kurine’s everything I wish I could have been: cheerful…flirty…brave…self-confident.”

  “Iniru’s all those things, too. Except cheerful. And lately she’s less confident.”

  “Iniru’s haunted. You see that, right?”

  Turesobei found himself telling Awasa, of all people, what Iniru was going through. He even told her how he felt like he’d betrayed Iniru by kissing Kurine. All his relationship problems poured out of him. With her forearms on the edge of the tub, Awasa listened intently.

  When he finished, she exhaled. “Whew! You sure you don’t want to hop in the tub with me so you can finish complicating things as much as possible?”

  He stared at her dumbfounded.

  “That was a joke. Obviously, more girl problems are the last thing you need.”

  He relaxed. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Other than throw yourself into your studies more than you have to?”

  “I can’t face them,” he said. “And I can’t tell Kurine no. She gave up everything for me. Of course, I could never give up on Iniru either.” He put his face in his hands and groaned. “I just don’t know what to do.”

  Awasa leaned back in the tub. “I’d start hitting things, then I’d be a bitch to everyone, and then I’d turn evil.”

  He stared at her blankly for a few moments, then laughed. She chuckled along with him.

  “What was your point?” he asked.

  “That you shouldn’t do that.”

  “I don’t think that was likely to happen.”

  “Sorry, that’s the best advice I can give. I’m not experienced in matters of love. I think I’ve already proven to you how bad I am at that. You’d be better off talking to Motekeru.”

  “I tried. I don’t know how to make his advice work for me.”

  “Why don’t you stick to working hard, only without avoiding everyone completely. Otherwise be yourself. Be calm. Breathe. Live in the moment.”

  “You got that from training with Hannya, didn’t you?”

  She nodded.

  “How’s that going?”

  “I can deflect minor spells and banish tiny demons. More importantly, I’m calmer and have more control over the malice in me. I like Hannya, by the way. A lot. It’s hard to imagine her betraying you.” She splashed water at him. “Now, go! Get some rest.”

  As he opened the door, she added, “Thank you for sharing your troubles with me and for treating me like a normal person.”

  Chapter Forty-Four

  As they walked through the Courtyard the next morning, Awasa said to him, “Remember when we had tea in my family’s garden, before you went to save Iniru?”

  He smiled sheepishly. “I asked you to the dance at the Autumn Festival.”

  “I wish we could have
gone.”

  She had tried so hard then to be nice to him. She was trying hard again now. “Tell you what: next time there’s an Autumn Festival, I am taking you. Regardless of who I’m with. We owe each other that dance.”

  Awasa paused and wiped a tear from her cheek. “Turesobei…thank you.” Brow furrowed, she stared at the teardrop on her finger. “I would like that very much.”

  They met the Blood King in the Workshop. His eyes burned blue-white, signaling a better mood than Turesobei had expected. This version of the Blood King would be intensely demanding but ultimately fair.

  “Turesobei, change into your dragon form. Awasa, follow me.”

  The Blood King and Awasa stood on the far side of the room. Turesobei transformed. His dragon eyes locked onto them, and what little control he had achieved the previous day vanished. The dragon remembered Awasa and how she had attacked it with Sumada.

  The dragon sped toward her.

  Turesobei crashed into the floor.

  Awasa was holding Fangthorn in one hand, and with the other, she held a warding mudra. Turesobei gave her an apologetic look and picked himself up.

  “Again,” the Blood King said.

  Five times Turesobei transformed, and five times he charged them. Awasa had been the wrong choice, and he could tell from delighted glint in the Blood King’s now-orange eyes that he’d known Turesobei would choose her. That made Turesobei angry, which led to five more failures.

  “I think it is time for a change of pace,” the Blood King said. His eyes had changed to pale green. He was bored now. “Girl, you will wait on the steps. Turesobei, center of the room. Summon a fire globe, please.”

  Awasa sat cross-legged on the far left of the bottom step, placed Fangthorn across her lap and held her hands in complex mudras Turesobei didn’t recognize. He knelt in the center of the room, facing the steps. He summoned the fire globe and the Blood King summoned the four columns of flame. As always, the fire energies vanished from the center of the room.