The Summoner and the Seer: Darklight Universe: Book 1

by C. Gold

  The emperor jumped up, and the guards drew their weapons. He waved them off but his eyes never left Radcliff’s face. As he walked down the steps, Amira watched, her heart pounding through her rib cage, as the man’s face grew deathly pale. Step by slow step he approached and then halted right before the wizard.

  “Radcliff?” The emperor whispered and stretched a shaky hand out to touch the wizard’s face. His once bold voice was now wavering and tentative. “I thought you were dead.” Amira watched in stunned disbelief as his eyes teared up.

  “You ordered my execution,” Radcliff accused as he took a step back out of the emperor’s reach. His icy cold stare and stiff posture sent a clear message to stay away.

  A look of pain flashed in the emperor’s eyes but with the next blink, the arrogant, royal façade was back in place. “Guards, leave us!” he barked. His frosty gaze followed each one as they left the room. When the last person exited, the emperor’s face crumpled. He took two long strides and caught Radcliff off guard with a crushing embrace. Soon after, his shoulders heaved in time to his sobs.

  Radcliff stood there rigid, awkward, and uncertain of what to do. When he looked at Amira seeking guidance, she shrugged and stared back with her own wide-eyed astonishment. This wasn’t at all what she expected. Last she knew, this man ordered Radcliff’s execution, yet now he acted like he’d found his long lost son.

  The group stood there uncomfortably for several minutes until the emperor regained control. Reluctantly he disengaged, keeping his hands clasped around Radcliff’s arms. He looked at the wizard as though he might vanish. Then he gave a tentative smile. “How is it you are still alive?”

  “I made a deal with the council.” Amira would have to carefully skirt the truth to avoid drawing the emperor’s ire. “His life for Westspire’s reparations.” Radcliff had a surprised look on his face, but surely it was somewhere in his journal after all the times her role in his past had come up?

  The emperor interrupted her silent pondering. “Come, let’s go to my private meeting room where it is more comfortable.” He gracefully spun around and led them to a room behind the mammoth throne.

  “I apologize for the display,” the emperor said once everyone was inside and the door shut. “It’s not every day a man I considered my own son returns from beyond the grave after a thousand years.” He pointed them to rather comfortable looking chairs and everyone sat down.

  Amira caught the glint of another tear forming as he rubbed his eyes and decided to set the man straight before he wondered about the wizard’s lack of reaction. “You should know that Radcliff doesn’t have any memories of you or what happened. In fact, we came to get them restored.” She figured it was better to be up front and state their goal now to see how he reacted. If he could be convinced to help, then this should be easy. Then Amira thought of Kira. Ok, less difficult, she amended.

  The emperor frowned and studied Radcliff. “But you thought I gave the order?”

  Radcliff crossed his arms. He still looked unsure of the man. “Amira told me everything she knew.”

  The emperor stood and began to pace. “Well, your facts are inaccurate.” He thrust a finger at Amira. “We were both betrayed by Archmage Andurel, although I didn’t know it at the time.” He paused to look at Radcliff and his voice cracked when he said, “Andurel claimed you died in an accident.” The pain from remembering flashed briefly across his visage but in the next breath his fists clenched and his eyes glowed with simmering anger. “I should have questioned him sooner.” He grew louder. “I should have had his head!” Then his voice lowered to a whisper. “At least I got his accomplice,” he said with vicious satisfaction. He turned to Radcliff. “She was your lover at the time.”

  Lover? Amira clenched her jaw. This was news to her. Suddenly she hated the woman for having what she could never have and then betraying it away.

  “She confessed to everything… eventually.”

  The emperor’s sadistic grin sent shivers down Amira’s spine, while at the same time she felt a jolt of gleeful satisfaction when she realized the woman was tortured. Does that make me a bad person?

  Radcliff frowned but didn’t seem affected and Amira felt a swell of sympathy for him. He obviously had no idea about her. On the one hand that was good, on the other, what would he feel when he regained his memory? Would he mourn her? The sharp spike of jealousy at that thought had her seeing red.

  The emperor shook himself free of the past and once again donned his regal mask. “Andurel may have escaped, but I tossed Candlass in the dungeon after he confessed to altering Radcliff’s mind. He should be able to reverse the spell.”

  “The sooner done, the better,” Ekewaka said.

  “I’ll have it all arranged for tomorrow. I wish I could speak with you longer,” his gaze lingered on Radcliff, “but I have to meet with my general about our defenses.”

  As the emperor stood, Amira cut in. “Speaking of that. You should evacuate the city and shelter them in this fortress.”

  He frowned. “And why is that?”

  “I saw the creatures climb a cliff much higher than your wall.” She expected the emperor to dismiss her like everyone else, but he surprised her.

  “All of my men are imbued with my stone magic. They will be able to hold the walls. But I will begin to evacuate the non-combatants.” He strode over to the door but paused. “Also, I will have Enden find you guest quarters.” Then he was gone.

  Enden still hadn’t lost his condescending look as he guided them through the long, winding halls, but he found wonderful quarters for each of them. Amira walked into a room fit for royalty and she supposed they must be for high ranking guests. The first thing she did was request a bath.

  A servant must have come in while she was bathing. A clean tunic and pants were laid out on the bed. The material was like none she ever encountered—Black and soft as a baby’s skin. The left shoulder was adorned with a gold embroidered mountain. As she finished dressing, her hand brushed up against the staff.

  The emperor stands with his feet spread, muscles bulging. “I can’t hold them out for much longer.” Blood is dripping from his nose.

  She can feel the horde outside the dome like a palpable weight pressing down. The packed room is only one of many filled with refugees. It smells of sweat and fear. Nobody makes a sound, not even the babies. Somehow they all know sound will draw its attention. She feels it searching, stretching, and then it brushes up against her awareness.

  “You will be mine now!”

  The evil presence drills into her mind. Amira throws up what shields she can and remembers the bond. It can save them. She turns around and sees Radcliff bolstering Ekewaka’s efforts with a force of his own.

  “Radcliff, I know a way to save us. We need to bond.”

  His face contorts with anger and he sneers, “Bond, with you? I’d rather die.”

  At that moment, the walls burst, sending chunks of rock in all directions. One misses Amira by inches. The horde pours in by the thousands but Amira only sees the tall, hideous monstrosity with the burning red eyes. “Got you!” it says in her mind.

  A new presence speaks in her mind. “Without the bond, this will be.”

  As she dropped out of the vision, Amira threw the staff across the room. “Leave me alone!” Her hands were shaking, and she was gasping for breath. She backpedaled as far away from the staff as she could until her back hit the wall. Sinking to the floor, Amira hugged her legs and rested her head on her knees. “What am I going to do?” she thought as she rocked back and forth.

  It was a long time before Amira stopped shaking and she could think again. The first thought she had very nearly sent her scurrying back into a comforting, mindless state, but she refused to be a coward and faced it head on—the staff talked to her. Her heart did a double flip, and she felt like throwing up at the admission, but she couldn’t deny the three recent visions. All hinting at a bond she was reluctant to form. But why? Why would an object be interested
in her fate in the first place? Then she recalled the way the land was stripped of not only life, but also magic. The staff wanted to survive then, and for the staff to survive she needed to bond with Radcliff. But that still didn’t answer why she needed the bond.

  She slowly got up and approached the staff. With a less than steady hand she bent down and picked it up. “Ok.” She felt stupid talking to an inanimate object, but she continued anyway. “Tell me why the bond is so important. Otherwise, I refuse.” Amira didn’t really expect anything to happen, so when the staff began to glow she almost dropped it. Gritting her teeth and hanging on with both hands, she waited to see what it would do.

  Instead of speech or a vision or a powerful display, she was instantly granted what felt like a memory. Then the staff stopped glowing. She got the impression it was diminished in some way and frowned with concern. Even though the thing annoyed her, she appreciated the fire it called down upon those abominations. What if it lost its power and couldn’t regain it? Amira kicked herself. What did it matter, she was used to having no magic? At least this way, it wouldn’t interfere with anymore visions. She was on verge of feeling better until she recalled the last vision without the staff. It was the one that sent her out after Radcliff. Hazy at best and came nearly too late. Her stomach sank to her toes. What if the staff somehow amplified her natural ability? Without it, she might miss seeing something vital.

  Enough delay. It was time to see what the staff sent her. Amira set it off to the side and sat down on the bed. She focused on slowing her breathing and setting aside her thoughts. When her mind was finally calm, an image began to take shape. At first it was vague but slowly began to sharpen. She was back in the void from the cave. This time she saw a vile darkness completely blocking a ball of light and knew it was the source of visions. As she watched, a stray beam of light escaped through a tiny rift. She felt her essence move into the beam and saw a future where she was already bonded with Radcliff and they were standing before a huge stone structure. She didn’t know what it was for, only that it was vital to their survival and the bond was the key. Another beam shot out the other side. When she intercepted it, this time the world was engulfed in darkness and she knew it was because they hadn’t bonded. But why was the bond needed? Amira felt an echo of her own frustration in the memory. Apparently, whatever was in the staff didn’t know either.

  So the bond was vital and must be completed. Amira decided she would talk to Radcliff but then an image of his face repudiating her in that vision made her waver. Was that part of the vision really true? It felt wrong at that point, but could she risk the world on a hunch? It was clear the bond needed to happen before his memory was restored. But could she live with herself if she took advantage of his ignorance?

  Unsettled, she went looking for Radcliff and would make a decision after speaking to him. She finally found him standing alone in one of the many alcoves that littered the mountain. This one opened onto a balcony with a panoramic view of the city below. The wizard stared outward but his eyes were glazed. She had never seen him look so sad. Amira took his hand in hers and relaxed into his shoulder when he didn’t pull back. “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t want to become him,” Radcliff replied with painful honesty. “I’ve read the journal, and everything points to a terrible person.” Then he turned to face her. “What was I like when we met?”

  Amira’s heart was squeezed by a giant fist of her own making. I reduced him to this. “I only saw you once at your sentencing.” She paused to pick through what to say. The truth? Her first and only impression? Her anger? “You stood proud and defiant.” A definite truth. “And you were brave.” Indeed, he didn’t flinch as they ordered his execution. “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?”

  “For doing this to you. For—”

  “Shh. Speak no more about it.”

  “Why don’t you seem to know my role in this? It’s come up a few times.”

  He gave her a sad smile. “I only live a day. You’re a beautiful woman. A man needs his dreams.”

  “But—”

  “No buts.” He put his fingers to her lips. “Each night I choose what to say and shape my thoughts for the morrow. I choose to read how smart and talented you are. How kind.”

  Amira began weeping. She couldn’t help it. “I’m not really. Kind that is.” A kind person wouldn’t have sentenced him to torture.

  He wiped her tears away with his free hand. “The past doesn’t matter and the future is uncertain. But one thing I am sure of. This is the last night of my existence and I want nothing more than to spend it with you.”

  She should warn him. “Radcliff,” she mumbled underneath his fingers. “You need to know—”

  “I don’t need to know anything else except the answer to one question.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Can I kiss you?”

  I need to warn him. Amira stared into his eyes and her resolve went out the door. She nodded. The feel of his lips gently brushing hers washed away all thoughts of warnings and awakened her blazing hunger for more. His warm hands pressed against her back and caressed her like she was precious.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her hands through his short hair.

  He tightened his embrace and groaned with pleasure as their bodies pressed together. Running his tongue against the seam of her lips, she opened for him and he plunged in, devouring her like a starving man at a banquet. Their tongues danced and tangled together. He tasted like warm sunshine on grass.

  When they finally came up for air she saw the blatant desire in his eyes and felt the evidence of his arousal pressed against her. “Spend the night with me?” he pleaded.

  Amira fought her way through her roaring desire so she could once more to bring up the bond. “I need to tell you something.”

  “It can wait until morning.” To convince her, he kissed her again, harder.

  As she returned the kiss, he swept her into his arms and carried her down the narrow passage that led to his quarters. He gently lowered her back to the floor next to his bed and ran his fingers up and down her sides. His eyes were darkened with lust as he began unfastening her tunic and slipped it off one shoulder, then the other. Then he removed her pants and stepped back to look at her fully. Amira stood before him and felt desired as his eyes soaked her in from head to foot.

  “You’re beautiful,” he murmured. A shaky hand touched her breast and circled her nipple. Then he cupped her breasts and leaned in for a kiss.

  Amira’s blood turned to fire as need scorched her insides from top to bottom. She began to remove his clothes, needing to feel his bare skin now. The tunic came off without interrupting their kiss. She pressed her palms against his exposed chest and ran her hands over the muscles carved from daily spear fighting. She smiled when she remembered how bad he was at it even now. Her hand lowered and made contact with his belt.

  He gasped at her light touch and pushed away long enough to strip off his remaining clothes. Then he picked her up and placed her carefully on the bed. His warm, hard body pressed against her soft one as he slowly lowered himself on top. As he worshipped her body, Amira moaned as wave after wave of pleasure coursed through her. There was no longer a past or a future, only now. As her soul opened and reached out to her lover, his surged forth to meet and join them as one. His pleasure, his feelings came rushing through their newly forged link sending them spiraling together into a blazing inferno of ecstasy.

  After hours of lovemaking when their bodies finally gave out, they were twined together, inseparable. Amira rested her head against Radcliff’s heart and sighed with happiness. He played with her hair.

  “Is it always like that?” Radcliff’s chest vibrated as he spoke.

  “Hmm?”

  “It was like I could feel what you feel.”

  Amira’s heart raced as what he said cut into her drowsiness. Now was the chance to explain.

  He chuckled. “If I knew that spell existed,
I’d have done this much sooner.”

  “It’s not a spell…” Her confession trailed off at the faint rumble of snoring. Feeling worse than ever, she carefully untangled herself from the sheets and slipped free. Quietly gathering her things, she struggled to hold it together. Why couldn’t I just tell him? Surely, he’d have agreed and I wouldn’t… what? Feel guilty? Amira snorted at her own self-delusion. Because even if she did explain, he lacked the full understanding of just what had been done to him. But he would know when he got his memory back. No, this was the last time she’d be with him like this. The last time he’d look at her with something approaching love.

  She fondly brushed her hands through his hair one last time before creeping back to her own bed. Only then she did she allow her thoughts to rush in. One louder than the rest. Oh gods, what have I done? Then she cried.

  CHAPTER 20

  The Fight to Remember

  Rapid knocking woke Amira from a deep sleep. Yawning, she rubbed her eyes and cursed at the light coming in through the small window. It was well past sunrise. Throwing off the blanket she called out, “In a minute,” and threw on yesterday’s clothes. A quick glance in the mirror made her wince. A red-rimmed, tangled haired woman stared back. Worse, her eyes were haunted and guilt-ridden from last night’s betrayal. She looked away. How can I face him? But she refused to let him go without her.

  When she cracked the door open, Leilani was on the other side.

  “We’re leaving in five minutes.”

  Amira was envious of how tidy and alert the warrior woman looked. “Thanks,” she said before closing the door and rushing through the rest of her morning routine. She didn’t have time to brush out her hair, so she just re-braided it and stepped outside.

  Radcliff was already in the hall. She felt his tension through the bond and wondered if he could feel her shame and what he might make of it. Hesitant, she stepped next to him unsure of what to say.

  “I know all about last night,” he whispered as they were joined by Elden and two of the emperor’s guards who took up the lead position. They began walking down one of the longer corridors. “I woke up, and you were gone. A journal makes lonely company by the way.”