She looked down at her lifeless body. It couldn’t end this way. She couldn’t die. Not because she loved her own life, though she did, but because there were others who would suffer if she died. She couldn’t let that happen.
A passage opened to the realm of light and she felt a strange tug toward it. It was gentle and reassuring, beckoning her to a place of safety.
Then she thought of Alexander and pulled back with an effort of will. She couldn’t be dead. It wasn’t acceptable. There had to be another way.
Isabel frantically reached out to the light and drew it to her. To her amazement, it obeyed. A cloud of white light floated to her disembodied soul and enveloped her with its power. She focused on her body and moved her soul and the light back to her lifeless self.
A moment passed and then there was darkness. She gasped as the pain slammed back into her. She was back in her body, pain coursing through her. This time she was more determined than ever. She called forth the anger she had worked so hard to nurture and control. It came with an effort at first but the more she focused on it, the greater it grew until she was able to sit up out of sheer spite.
She took another breath and opened her eyes. The pain ebbed briefly before it slammed back into her with renewed intensity, but she met it with growing fury. She focused on her anger, fed it until it overshadowed the pain.
With a fierce battle cry, she gained her feet and steadied herself. She drew another breath and closed her eyes. Focusing on her fury, she embraced the pain and laughed at it, mocked it, challenged it to do its worst. It had already killed her—what more could it do?
After several hours of facing the pain and smothering it with her deliberate rage, it succumbed to her will and faded away, leaving her exhausted and elated at the same time. She collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
As she began to wake the next morning, just before she was fully conscious, she saw the ocean of potential spread out before her, beckoning with its infinite possibility. It called to her with promises of rapture but she was wary of it and responded with sudden, all-encompassing love for Alexander. Her feelings overwhelmed the promise of rapture offered by the firmament and she woke with a connection to the source of creation intact and under her control.
Magda opened the door an hour later to find Isabel sitting cross-legged on her bed. With a word, Magda dispelled the magic circle and stepped up to Isabel, placing a hand on her forehead and muttering under her breath.
“You have succeeded,” she said with a guarded smile. “You will be ordained into the Reishi Coven tomorrow.” Magda’s expression turned deadly serious, sending a flutter of nervousness through Isabel. “I have grave news. Abigail has been injured.”
Isabel shot to her feet. “How?” she demanded urgently.
“She fell from her wyvern into the ocean,” Magda said. “Kallistos retrieved her from the water before she could be pulled under by the weight of her saddle and brought her to safety but she has not yet regained consciousness. It’s been three days.”
“Wait. Her saddle came free of Kallistos and she fell with it?” Isabel asked with a hint of anger.
“I’m afraid so,” Magda said. “Her saddle straps were cut so they would give under the stress of flight. Someone tried to kill her.”
“Who?” Isabel asked with deadly calm. Her blood ran cold and she restrained the fury that was building within her.
“The handler responsible for her saddle killed himself before we were able to question him,” Magda said. “We don’t know if he was working alone or with someone else.”
“Why would he want to kill Abigail?” Isabel asked. “Did he have any connection to any of the Sky Knights that fell in the battle that brought us here?”
“No. We’ve been unable to find any connection,” Magda said. “I assure you that our investigation is ongoing.”
“Take me to Abigail,” Isabel commanded.
Magda nodded and led her out of the room. Isabel’s mind raced as she walked through the halls of the fortress island. She kept coming back to Gabriella. There was no one else, except maybe Warrick.
Abigail was asleep in her bed, breathing deeply. If not for the lurid purple and yellow bruising all across her face and shoulders, she would have looked almost peaceful.
When Isabel entered, Mistress Lita stood from the chair at the side of the bed. Wren stirred from the chair in the corner of the room. When she saw Isabel, she started crying anew and rushed into her arms.
“I’ve been so worried about both of you,” Wren said through a sob. “Are you all right? Did you survive the mana fast?”
“I’m fine, Wren, save your worry for Abigail.”
The waifish girl looked up with a smile of relief even though her eyes were red and swollen from crying.
Isabel looked at her sister and a lump started to form in her throat. She swallowed hard and took a seat at the side of the bed. She looked up at Lita questioningly.
“She had several broken bones and significant bruising when Kallistos brought her to the hangar. Knight Raja said that her saddle came loose and she fell into the ocean from several hundred feet. We have mended her bones and are administering additional treatments to heal her bruising. She has not regained consciousness since she was injured.” Lita looked down at her sadly. “Isabel, she may never wake up. Such trauma can be fatal even if healing is administered.”
“Is there nothing else you can do?” Isabel asked.
“We have done all that is within our power,” Lita said. “All we can do now is wait and hope.”
“There may be something I can do,” Isabel said.
Magda frowned with concern. “What exactly did you have in mind?”
“I’m not sure yet,” Isabel said as she placed her hand on Abigail’s stomach and summoned feelings of love for her sister. She worked her feelings into a great intensity and then opened a connection to the firmament. The rapture called to her and tugged at her will, but the love she was feeling offset the draw of limitless possibility. She opened the portal to the realm of light and formed an image in her mind of the light of life flowing into her and through her hand into Abigail. With focused will and a clear image of the outcome she desired, as well as the mechanism for creating that outcome, Isabel released her vision into the firmament and commanded the firmament to obey.
Intense white light of radiant purity flowed from her hand into Abigail. Magda and Lita both gasped at what they were witnessing but Isabel ignored them, focusing on sending love and light into her sister. Several moments passed before the spell ran its course. After a few moments, Abigail opened her eyes and murmured something unintelligible.
“Hush, you’re safe,” Isabel said. “You’ve been injured, but you’re going to be all right.”
Abigail looked over at Isabel and gave her a small smile before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.
“Isabel, come with me,” Magda said with a slight edge to her voice. “Lita will look after Abigail.”
Isabel gave Abigail’s hand a gentle squeeze and left the room behind the triumvir.
“Explain how you did that,” Magda demanded bluntly.
Isabel shrugged. “I called on the light from the realm of light to heal her.”
“How is that possible? The realm of light is only accessible from the aether,” Magda said.
Isabel shook her head. “When Alexander was bonded with Chloe, I surrendered my body to her so that she could spend a night with him. It was the price the Fairy Queen demanded in exchange for her consent to the bonding. The next morning a fairy named Sara was born of Alexander and Chloe’s union. She came into this world from the realm of light through a portal within my mind. I discovered during the mana fast that that portal still exists. I can call on the light if need be. In fact, it saved me from the trial of pain.” Isabel left out her experience with Desiderates. She still wasn’t ready to reveal her ability to control the wyverns.
Magda stood with her mouth aga
pe and shook her head in disbelief. “What you are saying is beyond anything I have ever heard of and I am well versed in the magic of light. If this is so, then you are already a far more powerful witch than many of our coven.”
“Then I will be well suited to stand with my husband,” Isabel said with satisfaction.
Magda actually laughed. “Indeed you will. Be cautious with your newfound power, Isabel. Go slowly and learn well before using your magic. It’s dangerous, especially for one who has so recently made a connection with the firmament.”
“I’ll be careful, but not at Abigail’s expense,” Isabel said. “If I have the power to help her heal, then I will use it.”
“Very well, but remember, normal healing is always better than magical healing even if it’s much slower. Go and tend to your sister. I’ll come for you in the morning to introduce you to the coven and ordain you as a Reishi Witch.”
After Magda left, Isabel went out onto the balcony to reflect on all that had transpired in the past week. It was clear from Abigail’s injury that the fortress island was still a dangerous place. She needed to make plans to get to Alexander as soon as Abigail was ready to travel.
Slyder floated up to the balcony and landed on the railing. The bird gave her a reproving look. She hadn’t made contact with him for a week. She touched his mind as she stroked under his chin and reassured him that all was well. He leaned into her affections and she took solace in his unquestioning loyalty.
Abigail woke several hours later, with Isabel at her bedside and Wren still curled up in a chair in the corner of the room.
“What happened?” Abigail asked.
“You fell from Kallistos,” Isabel said gently. “He pulled you out of the ocean before you could drown but you got beat up pretty good. You’ve been out for three days.”
“I remember falling and then nothing but cold and darkness,” Abigail said. “How could I have fallen? My armor was strapped into my saddle.”
“Your straps were cut,” Isabel said.
Abigail tried to sit up but Isabel stopped her gently with a hand on her shoulder. “The handler responsible for your saddle has committed suicide. Magda said they are investigating. One way or another, we’ll find out who did this.”
Abigail’s eyes suddenly opened wider and she looked at Isabel intently. “Is the mana fast over? Are you a witch?”
Isabel smiled wearily and nodded. “It’s over. I survived. And I have to say, if I had any idea what was involved, I never would have let Alexander go through with it, let alone do it myself.”
“That bad?” Abigail asked.
“More difficult than I ever imagined,” Isabel said quietly. “I actually died for a few minutes.”
Abigail, Wren, and Lita all looked at her with shock and alarm.
“Are you sure?” Lita asked. “I remember my trials and it felt like I was dying.”
Isabel nodded humbly. “I was floating in the aether over my body. I could see that I wasn’t breathing and then a passageway to the realm of light opened and tried to draw me in.”
Lita’s eyes went wide. “How can that be? You should have been unable to resist the pull of the light.”
Isabel shrugged. “I drew the light to me and used it to revive my body. I’m not really sure how, but it worked and I was able to finish the trial of pain.”
“Is that how you were able to heal Abigail?” Lita asked. “I’ve been a healer for many years and I used all of my power to help her, yet I failed to revive her.”
Isabel nodded with a loving smile for her sister. “I called on the same light to heal her. I’m just glad it worked, even if I don’t quite understand it yet.”
Abigail gave her hand a squeeze and smiled her thanks. “So I guess that means we can get out of here as soon as I’m ready to fly.”
“Magda said I’ll be ordained into the coven tomorrow,” Isabel said. “Once I’m recognized as a Reishi Witch, we can return to Alexander.”
Abigail leaned back against her pillow and closed her eyes. “Thank the Maker, there’s no telling what kind of trouble he’s gotten himself into by now.”
Isabel chuckled softly. “You get some rest. You still have a lot of healing to do before you’ll be ready to fly.”
Abigail nodded and her breathing became deep and rhythmic as she drifted off to sleep.
Lita insisted on staying with Abigail through the night just in case there were any problems. Wren wanted to stay as well, but Isabel told her to go home and sleep in her own bed. She left begrudgingly.
The next morning, Wren was in the sitting room of their suite when Isabel emerged from her bedchamber. She poured her a cup of hot tea without a word. Isabel smiled at the young woman as she sat down in front of the steaming cup.
Not long after dawn, Isabel heard Lita protesting from within Abigail’s chamber. Before Isabel could reach the door, Abigail emerged, still looking bruised and battered but on her feet in spite of Lita’s obvious disapproval.
“I’ll be fine,” Abigail said. “I can’t stay in bed forever. The sooner I’m up and on my feet, the sooner I’ll get my strength back.”
“I wish you would take it easy,” Lita said. “You’re still weak and your bones are not fully mended.”
“I agree with Lita,” Isabel said.
“Me too,” Wren whispered.
Abigail looked around like everyone was conspiring against her. “I’m fine,” she said. “I just want to sit down and have breakfast like a real person instead of spending my day in bed like an invalid.”
Slowly and carefully she made her way to the table with the aid of Lita’s arm and sat down heavily with a grimace.
“Just don’t overdo it,” Isabel said. “If you push too hard, you’ll injure yourself again and we’ll be here that much longer.”
“I know, I’ll be careful. Now, tell me about the mana fast,” Abigail said.
They spent the next hour talking about their experiences over the past week. Wren went and got them breakfast and then sat listening to their accounts with rapt attention while they ate. Not long after breakfast, there was a knock at the door.
Wren opened it to admit Magda.
“How are you feeling?” she asked Abigail.
“Much better, thank you,” Abigail said. “I should be ready to ride within the week.”
“Perhaps, but I would suggest you allow yourself more time to heal before you get back on Kallistos.”
“You and everyone else,” Abigail said. “I’m not as fragile as I look.”
“I have no doubt,” Magda said. “That fall would have killed most people. You are lucky to be alive.”
“So I’ve heard,” Abigail said as her mood darkened. “Any idea who tried to kill me?”
“Not yet,” Magda said, “but the investigation isn’t complete.”
“Any chance they’ll try again?” Isabel asked.
“Possibly,” Magda said, “which is one reason I’ve asked Lita to remain here.”
“Good enough,” Isabel said.
“Isabel, the others are ready,” Magda said.
***
She led Isabel to the plateau and the circular amphitheatre in the center where the witches cast the spells that required the combined power of many. Isabel remembered seeing the place through Slyder’s eyes when she first learned that Alexander was on Ithilian.
They wove through the throng of women who had all come to witness the ordination of a new witch of the Reishi Coven. At the lowest point was a broad pedestal surrounded by a seven-foot-wide circular walkway. From there, stone rings of increasingly larger diameter stepped up toward the plateau surface above. Each ring was occupied by progressive ranks of witches, with those of the highest rank standing on the lowest step and those of the lowest rank standing on the top ring of stone.
Cassandra and Gabriella stood next to the pedestal as Magda led Isabel to the center of the assembly. Cassandra wore an unreadable and noncommittal look, but Gabriella was openly contemptuous.
“Step up onto the pedestal,” Magda commanded.
Isabel complied without a word.
The three triumvirs joined hands in a circle around the pedestal and around Isabel. The crowd fell silent.
“Today, we ordain a new member of the Reishi Coven,” Magda said in a clear voice. “Isabel Reishi has survived the mana fast. From this day forth she is a sister of the Reishi Coven. So mote it be.”
There was a cheer from the assembled women. Isabel felt an outpouring of love and acceptance from her new sisters as they smiled and clapped for her. Through the din of it, there was one voice of discord. Gabriella was laughing with forced glee. The clamor of the women all around died down but Gabriella continued to laugh. Isabel caught the look of concern on Magda’s face and felt a tingle of dread race up her spine.
“Ladies, please hear me,” Gabriella said.
The noise died down and the women of the coven gave her their attention.
With a menacing smile, Gabriella turned to Isabel and gave her a murderous look. In that moment Isabel knew that she was responsible for the sabotage of Abigail’s saddle. Her blood ran cold and rage began to boil quietly within her soul. Gabriella would pay for her crimes, one way or another.
“I challenge Lady Reishi to single combat,” Gabriella said as if she was springing a trap.
The whole coven erupted into turmoil. Magda and Cassandra looked at Gabriella with alarm.
“Quiet!” Magda commanded. Silence came quickly. “You have no right to challenge Isabel. The challenge is only for the station of triumvir. It’s never been used for any other purpose.”
“Oh, but you’re wrong, Sister,” Gabriella said calmly. “Coven law clearly states that any member of the coven may challenge another for station or title. I challenge Isabel for her title as Lady Reishi.”
Mindbender Page 24
