The Gift of Madness (The Lost Prophecy Book 7)

by D. K. Holmberg

  Jakob shook his head. “The Urmahne faith has been nothing but a fabrication. It was established by the Conclave to maintain that balance. I think even those earliest members of the Conclave didn’t fully understand their purpose.”

  “And you understand that purpose?” she asked.

  “Better than I did before. Coming here…”

  Roelle waited for him to finish, but Jakob did not. What had he discovered in the brief time that he’d been here? The temple had a sense of power within it, was that what he picked up on? Or was there something else? Did he detect something about the Deshmahne that she had not?

  “What would you ask of me?” she said. “How can we help?”

  “We?”

  “If you intend to find stability, the Magi are willing to help. You said that we would be required.”

  “And you will. I think the Magi—and perhaps even the Deshmahne—will need to create the stability when all is done.”

  “And where should we go?” Would he have her remain in Paliis or was there somewhere else that he thought she needed to travel? Anything beyond the borders of the southern continent would require time—unless Jakob was willing to transport them the same way he had before.

  “I haven’t been able to see that.”

  “Do you anticipate that you will?”

  He looked over to her. A frown parted his mouth. “The battle is coming. When it does, it will be greater than any the world has known for centuries. I suspect it will be greater than even what the Magi faced during the ancient threat. We all need to be prepared, because if we’re not, the world will suffer.”

  The words had something of a prophecy to them, and she wondered if it was something Jakob had glimpsed along the fibers.

  He studied her a moment, and then nodded, stepping off to the side. He closed his eyes, and in a burst of power that Roelle could feel though not see, he disappeared.

  What did Jakob need from her?

  He didn’t even seem to know. That troubled her almost as much as the sense of prophecy he had about a coming battle. What would her role in it be? She had trained to fight, and she was a warrior—as were all the Magi apprentices who worked with her. They, too, would have some role in the coming fight. Roelle only wished she knew what it was, and how Jakob thought they could be useful.

  What happened when one of the gods didn’t know what they should do?

  Chapter Sixteen

  The tavern floor was dusty, the wide room hot and humid, carrying a stink of stale ale and sweat. Far too many people crowded into the tavern for Roelle’s liking. Thankfully, there was no fire in the hearth. A few lanterns hung on hooks along the walls, casting flickering light. There was a somber quality to the tavern that was matched by those inside it.

  She sat across from Selton. Her friend watched her blankly. When she’d finally found him, he had been visibly relieved to have her back but had spoken little since. Likely, he blamed himself for what happened, though had she not gone with Brohmin, she likely would have never regained her connection to her abilities.

  She was healed, whatever that meant for her remained to be seen.

  She had regained most of her strength, but her Mage connection remained somewhat different. Power surged within her whenever she reached for it, and she swore that she could see it shimmering around other Magi when she looked. So far, she had not been able to tell whether there were any ill effects from her prolonged time within the temple. Maybe there were none.

  “And Jakob simply came to you?” Selton asked.

  Roelle nodded. She fingered the hilt of her sword. As she did, there was a sense of reverberation within her. It was comforting holding the sword once more. She had been tormented within the temple, though her torment was not what she had expected. It was more about a cleansing, a sense of purification, and one that was strikingly different from what the Magi used when they healed others.

  “Jakob came, and he still searches for the High Priest.”

  “The Deshmahne claim he has not returned,” Selton said.

  Roelle glanced up at the serving woman who brought two massive mugs of ale and set them on the table in front of them. A tray of bread and cheese was set down between them. She smiled, and the serving woman flashed a smile in return. The normalcy of Paliis still surprised her. Roelle wasn’t entirely certain what she had expected when she came here, but it was not this. It was not finding people who seemed happy with their place in the world and happy with the Deshmahne priests, rather than scared of them the way Roelle had expected.

  “That’s what I hear as well. But Jakob searches for Raime, and I get the sense that finding him is what he’s most concerned with right now. I don’t know what will happen when he does find him, but Jakob seems concerned that there will be some great battle and is convinced that we will have to play a part in it.”

  “I take it from the way you say it that you’re not as convinced,” Selton said as he tipped back his mug of ale, taking a long drink. When he was done, he wiped his arm across his face, a sour expression on his face. “I think you could have chosen a better place to meet.”

  Roelle looked around her. Most of the patrons were other Magi warriors. But there were other outsiders here, enough that the Magi didn’t stand out as they would otherwise. It seemed as if few locals frequented this tavern, and that granted a certain level of anonymity that Roelle preferred. It was better to be in the shadows, at least not noticeable, rather than drawing attention to them, however welcomed they might have been to the city.

  “I don’t know; this place is fine.”

  Selton coughed. “Fine? Their ale is warm as piss, and the food is at least several days old,” he said, lifting one of the chunks of bread and squeezing it. The crust fragmented, crumbling onto the tabletop. The sour expression crossed his face again. “And they look at us as if they would be happier were we to leave.”

  “I think they look at you trying to determine how much food you’re going to eat,” Roelle said.

  Selton frowned. “Make jokes, but the rest of us are ready to move on.”

  “To where?” That was the question for her. She had no idea where they needed to go, and until they had some idea of where they would be needed, she wasn’t prepared to depart. Besides, there was a benefit to her remaining here. She could use the time to understand the Deshmahne better.

  The High Desh had offered healing when she had feared there was some other motivation. There had been no request for any compensation, nor had the priest asked for anything else. More than that, there had been no attempt to restrain her from leaving. She had expected there might be, but they had allowed her to depart with nothing more than an invitation for her to return and continue to understand them.

  Had they misjudged the Deshmahne so greatly?

  She didn’t think they had. There was no doubting that the Deshmahne had attempted to attack her and the Magi warriors while they sought the Antrilii. But then, those Deshmahne might be different from the Deshmahne who remained in the south.

  “To wherever this attack is going to take place. Isn’t that what we need to do?”

  Roelle shook her head. “I don’t know what we need to do. I’m not sure what purpose Jakob would have for us.”

  “Why do we need to wait for what purpose he has for us? Wouldn’t we decide what we must do?”

  “Selton, you don’t understand—”

  Selton shook his head. “I understand perfectly well what you and Lendra think he is. What I don’t understand is what that means. This is a man you traveled with. He was nothing more than an apprentice historian, and now somehow he is one of the gods?”

  “You saw how he transported us to Paliis,” she said. Roelle hadn’t expected Selton to struggle with Jakob’s role, but she agreed that it was strange what had happened to Jakob. She wasn’t entirely certain what it meant. He was a god… somehow.

  “I saw. Just because I saw it doesn’t mean that I understand it. There have been countless things ove
r the last few months that I’ve seen and have no explanation for. Why should this be any different?”

  They fell into an uneasy silence, and Roelle sipped her ale while Selton drank his more vigorously. Roelle looked around, noting the other warriors. All had been with them from the start. Since they’d come to Paliis, thankfully they had not lost any more. Most of the warriors they’d lost had died during the groeliin onslaught, and there simply wasn’t anything she could have done differently. The Antrilii had lost nearly as many.

  The Antrilii.

  Was that what she needed to do?

  They had come to Paliis trying to prevent the Deshmahne attack, but she felt as if they had abandoned another task they were particularly well suited for. The ability of the Magi warriors to see the groeliin is what had gotten them this far. Other than the Antrilii, only the Magi could see the creatures, which meant they were the only ones who could help the Antrilii end the threat. They could do nothing to stop it by remaining here.

  “What happened to you in the temple?” Selton asked softly.

  It was the first time he’d asked her of that. The relief on his face when she had reappeared had been striking. How worried had he been for her? What had the Magi been doing while she was within the temple?

  Roelle closed her eyes, thinking back to when she had entered the temple with Brohmin, thinking only that he would help her find a way toward healing. “Brohmin claimed I was tainted by the dark teralin, the groeliin poison still affecting me, and that there was only one way that I could be restored.”

  “I remember.”

  “I think… I think I didn’t know whether to believe him at the time, but with who he claimed he was, what choice did I have?”

  “What choice? Roelle, you’re a Mage warrior. You’ve led Magi to reclaim the purpose we once had. You’ve shown the Magi how we can serve, and because of you, we destroyed nearly ten thousand groeliin. I think you had every right to choose what you thought was best for you.”

  “I thought it was best to find some way toward healing, especially as nothing else seemed to work. Had I done nothing, I would not have been any use to the warriors.” Her voice trailed off, and she looked up. That had been the most troubling to her. Losing what she thought was her purpose. Feeling as if that part of her had begun to fade is what had bothered her the most. She had been willing to die rather than continue to live that way. She wouldn’t have been able to serve the Magi warriors, and certainly couldn’t have led them.

  “And if something would have happened to you?”

  “If something had happened, the warriors would have been well served with you leading them,” she said.

  Selton held her gaze, and then he sighed. “I’m glad that you returned. You seem… healthier than you have in quite some time.” Selton glanced around the room before his gaze settled on her again. “If Jakob is the god you claim, why wouldn’t he have been able to heal you completely?”

  “I think Jakob is still coming to terms with his abilities.” Though when she saw him in the temple, it seemed as if he had fully come into his abilities. He spoke of prophecy and traveled with little more than a thought. Both of those abilities were godlike. What more might he be able to do? He had changed so much already, not just his physical features, but his demeanor. He was becoming one of the gods, and that meant she needed to serve however she could. “You should have seen him, Selton. When he came to the temple…” She shook her head. “There was so much power. You could feel it. I’ve never been around anything quite as impressive.”

  “And if he fears the High Priest?”

  It was a good point. If Jakob feared the High Priest, given all the power that he possessed, they needed to fear him. Somehow, she would have to offer Jakob help, though she wasn’t certain how. What could she offer to him when she barely understood her own role?

  Stability.

  That was what Jakob had sought; though she didn’t know what it was that he’d seen in Paliis that made him think there was a lack of stability. What had he witnessed before coming to the temple? There wasn’t anything out in the city that would draw such attention, and if there were, the other Magi warriors would have known about it, and would have intervened.

  Unless it was something he saw when he reached the temple.

  The temple certainly was impressive. It was comprised entirely of the strange metal teralin, and charged in the way the Deshmahne preferred, giving them that strange dark energy. It was nothing like the teralin of her sword.

  What might Jakob have seen that made him think that stability was the answer, and how might she and the warriors be able to help? That was what she had to determine, wasn’t it? If she could understand it, she could be a part of helping, regardless of whether Jakob was willing to accept it.

  It had to do with the High Priest, and perhaps it had to do with the groeliin. If that were the case, then she could help.

  Could she convince the Deshmahne to assist her?

  And then what?

  Stability.

  Roelle had no clear idea how she was going to achieve that stability, but the answer might come from an unlikely place. She’d tried to convince the Deshmahne to help her in the fight against the groeliin once before, and had failed that time. This time, she thought she had a better chance of succeeding. It wasn’t that she was trying to convince a single soldier to help. Now, she had the ear of one of the Desh, priests who sat high within the Deshmahne religion.

  Would it matter? Would the Desh do anything to help against the groeliin? Was that the kind of stability Jakob wanted her to find? He hadn’t been clear, but then again, she had the sense that he didn’t entirely know what he was going to do, either.

  If she could prevent the High Priest from using the groeliin against the Magi, and find some way to bring an end to the constant battling, didn’t she have to do it?

  “You seem like you made up your mind,” Selton said.

  “Not sure that I’ve made up my mind, but I think I’ve identified something we need to do.”

  “And what is that?”

  “Return to the hunt.”

  Selton studied her a moment, and a smile spread across his face. “Good. That’s something I think the warriors can get behind.”

  “First, I think we need to find help.”

  “What kind of help are you looking to get?”

  “The same kind of help we once tried to recruit and failed.”

  “The Deshmahne?” Selton asked with a hushed voice. “They didn’t help the last time. Why do you think we can trust them to help this time?”

  “The Deshmahne seek to honor the gods with a demonstration of their power. I think this would be a great way for them to truly demonstrate it, don’t you?”

  “What happens if it takes us too long to reach them?”

  Roelle shrugged. “We’ll do what we can. Hasn’t that always been what we’ve said? We may not be able to stop the groeliin entirely, especially if the Antrilii could not with their years of attempts, but this at least feels as if we’re doing something and serving in some way that makes us useful.”

  More than anything, that was what she needed.

  Not just her, she decided as she surveyed the tavern. The Magi filling the tavern all had an idleness about them and all needed to take on something more. The Magi needed to be fulfilled. Without some way of feeling useful, how would they feel fulfilled?

  “Roelle?” Selton said.

  She looked back to her friend and met his gaze.

  “It’s good to have you back.”

  She sighed and forced a smile. It was good to be back, but she still felt as if there was something more they needed to do, if only she could discover what that might be.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The return to the Tower brought him directly into the hall with which he had an increasing familiarity. It was strange to him that he should be so familiar with the Tower, and perhaps stranger still that he should feel so at home here. How much of th
at was because of the visions he’d had and the time he’d spent walking back along the fibers versus the time he’d spent here over the last few days?

  Why had the fibers guided him to Roelle? She had not been harmed. When he had viewed her strand along the fibers, he had thought she was in danger, but that wasn’t the case at all. At least he knew she was well, and now that he knew where to find her, he could complete the next part of what he intended, and ask her for assistance.

  The library within the Tower was empty. He had expected to find the others here, but they were not. No one was here. The only other person would have been Novan, but he’d left him in the northern mountains to meet with the Antrilii.

  Jakob sent out his ahmaean, searching the Tower for the others. They were somewhere within. He detected a faint pressure of ahmaean much higher in the Tower.

  He would leave them. There was no harm in them exploring the Tower. They had every right to understand it. If it was to be their home, they should explore.

  He wanted to reach Scottan and take him to Roelle to see if she could help him with regaining some of his ability, but seeing as how everyone in the Tower seemed content, Jakob decided that maybe there was something else that he could do.

  He focused, and then shifted.

  When he appeared, he was surrounded by a dark mass of branches, shadows streaming toward the forest floor. The forest felt old and had a damp, earthy quality. It gave him a sense of comfort, but there was a moment when he felt the forest push against him.

  It was a strange sensation, realizing that the forest had an awareness of his presence and that the forest might not like that he was here. He pushed back, forcing his way in, and the pressure against him eased back. It reminded him of what he felt when trying to change the polarity of teralin. Perhaps they were related, though he didn’t have the sense that there was any teralin within the Old Forest.

  Flickers of movement in the trees caught his attention, and he strode forward. Within the trees, he would find Anda. It’d been far too long since he’d seen her, and considering the pressures and stress that he felt, he thought that she might help him relax.