by Deanna Chase
Truth be told, I was too nervous to look at them directly. They were introduced from left to right: Novis, Sasha, Samuel, Hannah, and Merc.
Novis was a young man no older than twenty-five (at least in physical appearance), lean with short, black hair, wide thin lips, and boyish features. Sasha was quite beautiful—young, long, blond hair and a bit of hollowness to her. Samuel was much older than the others, looking grandfatherly with a closely shaven grey beard and eyes that were such a pale liquid-blue they were iridescent in the moonlight. And while physically he was the eldest, I had the distinct feeling he was not the one in charge.
Hannah was all business with her tidy hair pulled up in a classy style, tucked neatly with small pins that sparkled like diamonds. Her lips were painted a deep ruby red, which made her thick wolfish brows stand out even more. Lastly, Merc, who looked like menace incarnate. Long, stringy blond hair fell over his shoulders and he towered in height as equally as muscle. As intimidating as he looked, I was more terrified of the lack of compassion in those eyes, which were penetrating. No sign of mercy, love, or an ounce of anything but disgust for me. Justus picked up on it and curved his hand around my wrist.
“Council, greetings.”
Heads nodded.
“My name is Justus De Gradi. I have called upon the Council to present a newly created Mage.”
“Where is her Creator?” Sasha interrupted. “You are not listed in our books as a Creator, so where did you find this little girl?”
Who the hell was she calling little girl? I inched forward but he jerked me back in place.
“Her power has come to us in a most unusual way.” I could tell he was trying to word himself carefully and hold his tongue. “There are unique circumstances to her transition. Her maker has denied her with his unwillingness to step forward and stake his claim openly. This Learner is abandoned, so I am requesting her care be placed in my Ghuardianship, officially.”
I felt the swell of the night around me and nervously shuffled my feet over the grass. I didn’t understand these customs, and I sure didn’t understand these people, so I couldn’t imagine how they felt about me. But eyes fell on me with disdain and I wondered if I deserved such harsh judgment.
“Who is your maker?” Hannah’s eyes pointed at me like a spear.
I shot a sideways glance at Justus for direction; was I supposed to tell the truth or dance around it like he had? Unfortunately, I couldn’t read eyes.
“Are you impaired in some way?”
I snapped my head around and gave her an ugly stare.
The young man with the punk-rock hair leaned forward to look at Miss Bobby Pins. “Maybe she refuses to answer your question, Hannah.” He was grinning as if amused by my behavior.
“I’ll answer your question.”
I swallowed hard and Justus released his grip on my wrist. “I don’t know who my maker is.”
Muscles—the guy on the right that looked like he could snap a light pole—blurted out, “Do tell us, are you an immaculate conception?” I felt a blast of cold that came from his stare. I couldn’t figure out why he hated me so much, but I felt it. It was as palpable as the frosty wind on my skin.
“He never told me his name.” Justus had given me no warning or preparation of any kind as to how I should answer these kinds of questions, or how much I should divulge. I would rightfully kick his ass for it.
Justus spoke again. “Council, I have tapped into her light enough to assess that she will be a strong addition. But as it is raw and she is without any guidance, I request permission to be her acting Ghuardian. I will teach her our laws; she will be learned properly. I will bring her to the Council to measure her potential when it is time.”
“You are withholding,” Hannah said. She was curious, observant, and a little annoyed judging by the frown lines. “Justus De Gradi, you have made the decision to risk the consequence of concealing truth from the Council with half-truths. You will prepare yourself for judgment, as no lie can remain buried forever.”
Justus acknowledged her with a nod.
“Step forward, Learner.”
The Learner stepped forward, and she was about to pee her pants.
Without looking away, Hannah said, “Novis, test her.”
Novis was suddenly in my face before I could blink. He placed his thumb on my forehead the same way Justus had at the hotel in Memphis. No permission was asked, no explanation was given. A surge built within me, humming in my ears, and there was a sense of energy shifting, building, and pacing like a panther. I held my breath as my fingertips began tingling. There was an indescribable need to release something—like holding in a sneeze.
“Strong, indeed,” he whispered.
Confused, I stepped back, breaking our contact, and looked at Justus in panic.
“That is enough, Novis,” Hannah said.
He took his position beside Sasha, mouth slightly open and looking at me quizzically before he gave a short nod.
“What did you find?”
“She is strong. As she is yet undeveloped, I’m not able to fully measure. There is a shadow I cannot get around that is blocking her light.” He paused, turning toward Hannah with slanted brows. “There is something I am not able to reach. But even with that being said, she is potential.”
Good to know that I was potential, not that I had it. Suddenly I was not a person who had abilities, I was now the ability itself.
“Very well,” Hannah said with a bored aristocratic tone. “Justus, you will need to teach her to level down. She can’t even control a surge of power from measuring. We require an evaluation six months from now. I advise you to begin tonight, as she will be useless for days if you do not help her to release.” They turned and disappeared into the woods, but not before I caught Merc arguing with one of them.
I dropped to my knees. Ripples of lightning shot through my skin and it was beginning to hurt. A metallic taste on my tongue and a sense of panic raced through me.
“Why did he do that; why can’t I make it stop?” I was out of breath, struggling to control the monster living within me.
“Learner, look at me.” Justus knelt down on one knee. “Give me your hands. Our power can be pulled, or pushed, or exchanged. But when it is not level within you—like when Novis pulled your strongest energy to the surface—you must learn to push it back down or it will consume you. Since you do not retain this skill, you must release the overflow.”
“But what was he measuring?”
“Novis was pulling your power out so he could taste it; it’s a method we use to determine how strong a Mage is. Anytime that your power is increased it becomes a danger to you if you do not control it. It is the most basic thing we learn as a Mage.”
Leaning on my knees, I fell against Justus and he held me upright, pulling my hands to his chest. In his eyes were small flashes of light, like fireflies. I stared at his thighs and up to his neck, trying to find a focal point.
“Release.”
I scrambled backwards. “What if I don’t?” I argued. I couldn’t help but think of that look he had at the hotel after I did just that.
“Then you will sleep for a long while and be weakened. I will not raise a Learner to be a weakling.”
“What if I just release it into the ground?” I planted my hands on the dirt and he gripped them hard.
“Learner! Do not wield your power as a child. A Mage should never put himself in a situation where they are weak, let alone unconscious.”
His large hands clasped mine firmly and I let the wave take over and gave it free rein. It pulsed like light through my skin and shot out through my hands into Justus, who fell slightly back this time.
I got up and ran back to the car. Hell yeah, he scared me. When I put my energy into him, I didn’t know exactly what he was feeling. I thought about juicers and how addictive the energy was. Whenever I saw that look on his face, I knew it to be true.
A few minutes later, he returned to the car and settled in the s
eat. I was shivering relentlessly. Releasing excess power stole the heat from my blood, but I felt better, like I had purged something out of me.
“Let’s get something straight—I am here to help you. Continue to challenge me and you are only a detriment to yourself,” Justus said. “There’s a world out there you don’t understand, one you’re going to soon find out about. Your biggest concern as a human might have been what flavor of coffee to buy, but in the world of Breed it is a completely different dynamic. There are first-generation enemies from eons ago; it can be a dangerous world if you are not prepared for it.”
Justus looked beat, and not just from the drive. He rubbed an eye with his fist and yawned. “Look, I’m tired and I don’t feel like talking for the rest of the drive. It won’t be much longer, take a nap or something.”
If Justus had a formula, it would be one-percent sensitivity and ninety-nine percent jackass.
But I wasn’t going to pick that battle to fight, I was exhausted. There was too much I didn’t know. I knew about vampires, wizards, trolls, fairies, and all other sorts of fantasy creatures, but no one ever mentioned a group of people who could harness and manipulate pure energy. Then again, he said human definitions were wrong.
Chapter 15
I awoke in a cloud of creamy white sheets in an oversized bed. There was a sense of relief when I turned over and saw that I was alone; at least I knew it wasn’t that kind of night. The first thing that caught my attention was a candle flickering against a stone wall. Candles were mounted all around, but no lamps.
My toes lifted when they touched the cold floor, and I shuffled over to the wooden door. It was like something out of a medieval castle, with a long handle that clicked open revealing a dimly lit hallway. A gust of air cooled my legs as I peered around the corner. Who the hell is this guy, Bela Lugosi?
I tiptoed down the windowless hallway and past three closed doors. At the end was a giant archway that opened up to an enormous room with high ceilings and an impressive stone fireplace. No windows in here either, which made me think we were underground. While everything looked medieval, the furniture was comprised of modern black leather and oversized chairs. The same stone flooring and walls as the bedroom ran throughout, and the ambiance of the room was warm and rich with a soft amber glow illuminating the walls from a row of hurricane lamps. A soft, misshapen brown rug lay before the fireplace, whose hearth glowed with fading embers.
A steady bright light caught my eye, coming from a stairwell on my left that spiraled out of view. Next to the stairs was a heavy iron door like I had never seen before. I drifted down the steps and when I reached the bottom I raised an eyebrow or two.
The floor was a highly polished marble in uneven shades of grey and beige that stretched across a large open room with tan walls. Anchored across the ceiling were several long light panels. One side of the room sported all your basic workout paraphernalia such as punching bags, weights, and knives.
Knives? My eyes wandered over the vast collection of various weapons mounted on the wall. As I ran my finger along a sharp blade, I jumped.
“This is where you will train six hours every morning. In here I’ll teach you the basics of channeling, but it’s clearly your physical training that needs the most attention.”
I spun around and put my hands on my hips. A fifteen-minute walk home from the train was one thing, but six hours of Justus as my personal trainer? “So this is your torture chamber, is it?”
Ignoring my comment he continued, “You’ll be strength building and working on flexibility, but you will also learn to defend yourself. That is the rule.”
“Defend myself or fight?”
He lifted his upper lip, clearly irritated by the notion. “Women do not fight, but I will teach you to defend against your enemies, Learner.”
“Who are my enemies?”
“Everyone. Many Breed are highly respectful to women, but a Mage is your own worst enemy.”
“Women don’t fight back in your world—isn’t that a little Middle Ages?”
“Haven’t you ever heard of ‘the best offense is a good defense?’”
“I think you have that the other way around. Was the quarterback ever chased with an axe?” I glared at the pointed blades on the wall. “Why can’t I just zap them with a ball of light?” I wiggled my fingers only because I knew my mockery annoyed him.
Justus moved toward the punching bag and held it with his hand. “You should never put your power into another Mage. All that does is juice him up.” He lightly pushed at the bag. “You’ll be learning to manipulate energy.”
I didn’t even see him move—one minute Justus was by the punching bag and the next he was two inches in front of me. I jumped back and gasped.
“In time you will learn that you can harness it and move with it. An experienced Mage would be armed. A Learner cannot mortally damage a Mage of a higher rank, but you can slow them down enough to get away if you are clever.” He turned his back to me and walked back over to the punching bag. “You can borrow light.”
“This is a little confusing. I move things? If energy is in everything then why don’t I just smash him with a couple of trees?”
Justus bent over with his hands on his knees, laughing in that rich voice. My eyes studied the tattoo wrapped around his arm, which was striking in his tight muscle shirt. I could see every angle of it, all the way up to his shoulder.
“No, Learner, you cannot move things. You can only borrow from the sun or the light of other living beings. However…”
“Borrow?” I let the word roll off my tongue.
“Much to learn. First, we’ll start with testing your flexibility and stamina.” Justus peeled off his tank top, allowing me an admiring view of his frame before he turned away. I briefly wondered what he meant by testing my flexibility and a smile played across my face as I stared at the defined muscles on his back. Can’t blame a girl for thinking it.
“I’ll shower up while you dress.”
I so did not need that mental image floating in my head.
He strode to the bench against the far wall and I caught a glimpse of another tattoo on his back before he snatched up a small pile of fabric and turned back around. There was a gleam in his eye and a one-sided smile rose up his cheek. “This will be your training attire.”
I unfolded the bundle as he made his way up the stairs. “I’ll be back in fifteen. Be ready.”
In my hand was a pair of what looked like Lycra bicycle shorts, only they covered even less than my underwear. The top was sleeveless and tight enough to accentuate every curve of my chest, which was a little curvier than it used to be.
“Hey, wait a minute!” I yelled in protest up the stairs.
My blood boiled as I heard a chuckle coming from topside.
Three hours later.
I learned a new word: pain. Justus had a tedious routine that involved sit-ups, pull-ups, and weight resistance. Basically, my muscles turned to putty as I staggered across the room falling on the mat; my thighs were screaming.
Justus hovered, ordering me to do more, more, more. I mentally ordered him to die, die, die.
The skimpy clothing did allow me to move more freely—but I still wasn’t nimble. My Ghuardian assured that would come in time, yet why he got to wear sweats and a tank top simply irked me. That hardly seemed fair, although I hated to admit that it was motivational for a short while to have him as my focal point; Justus was built like a brick shithouse. His physique was stupendous to look at, but the minute he opened his mouth the thrill was gone.
Finally, I reached my limit as my muscles were trembling and I could no longer continue.
“I’m done; I can’t do anymore,” I panted on the mat.
My cheeks burned, my legs throbbed, and my hair was nothing but a sweaty mop halfway attached to my face.
“Are you telling me, Learner, that you have no more energy?” he asked, rubbing the bristles of hair across his scalp. Justus was a man in love with a razo
r.
Beads of sweat rolled down my temple into my hair. I glared.
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you. In fact, I’m not leaving this mat for the rest of the day. I’m going to live here and build a little castle.” I groaned, covering my face. “So you can just go about your business and leave me alone.”
“Learner, this is your first lesson.”
“What, that you can make my ass cry out in pain? Bravo. Anyone ever tell you that you’d make an excellent drill instructor? The Army is always hiring, you know.”
He bent over, hands on his knees with a straight back.
“Lesson number one: there is no such thing as tired. What you will learn is that while your body may ache from your residual human limitations, the body of a Mage can replenish. You are a conduit; you channel energy. You can will it in, push it out, and manipulate it. There are limitations, however.”
He stood up, and I winced as a shooting pain ran up my thigh. “When it comes to healing and restoring energy, you can only take that light from a Mage or sunlight. While you can take light from a human, it might require too much and could hurt or even kill them. And never take from another Breed.”
“How do you take it from a Mage?”
“They have to lend it or be incapacitated enough that you can steal it. The latter isn’t likely, as a strong Mage would have their shields up.”
“So what happens if you don’t take anything? Wouldn’t you die if you had a stab wound or something?”
“Presuming you are nowhere near sunlight, your body would just heal slowly. Each Mage has a core light; you won’t die from wounds inflicted, but you would suffer immensely. Should your head come away from your shoulders, then that is another matter.”
“If I’m in the sun, I can just lie there and heal?”
“No. That is a dangerous process which must be carefully taught. One small drop of sunlight has more energy than most people realize. Once you acquire the skill, you will learn to harness that energy and extract it properly. But remember that borrowing is just that—borrowing. It will eventually remove itself, but if you take more than you need, it will take more from you.”
