The Last Oracle: The White Mage Saga #1 (The Chronicles of Lumineia)

by Ben Hale

  "Your turn!" she called.

  An idea crossed Tess's mind and she accepted the challenge with a grin. Then she summoned the water beneath her. Her transparent board began to quiver as it accelerated after Rox. The wave wasn't as large or as defined as her friend’s, but it moved almost as fast. Once she was ready, she jerked her hand ahead of her. A matching mound exploded from the lake, and Tess angled her path to hit it. She hit the crest with enough speed that her hair was whipping behind her, and launched herself into a tight flip—but stayed in the air.

  Her board and the two swells dissolved into rain as she spun three tight flips. Then she soared close to the water and created a new aquaboard. Landing on it without losing her momentum, she banked hard, sending a spectacular spray across the Rox's body.

  "Three!" Tess said with a triumphant laugh.

  "That's cheating!" Rox protested, but she was laughing. She wiped the water from her face and dried her clothing with a wave of her hand.

  "Who said I couldn't fly?" Tess exclaimed. "You want to go for four?"

  "Not likely," Rox said, and then swept a hand at the lake. "It's getting crowded, though. You want to get some dinner? I want to conserve some energy for tonight."

  Rox was right. The lake had filled with students over the last few hours. Together the girls turned toward the lakeshore as Tess asked, "What's tonight?"

  "The Magic Melee. It's a tradition at Tryton’s during the mid-quad holiday for any students that don't go home for the break. It's a night game."

  "Like capture the flag?"

  "What's capture the flag?"

  "Never mind," Tess said as they landed on the shore. "What's the Melee about?"

  "It's a free-for-all in the trees around the dorms," Rox replied. "Anyone can participate, and most that don't go home join in. I think Derek has even come close to winning before."

  "The Melee?" he asked, appearing at their side as they entered the meal hall. "I took eleventh two quads ago."

  "Out of how many?" Tess asked. Eleventh didn't sound like almost winning.

  "I think fifteen hundred kids played that time."

  So maybe eleventh was pretty good. "How do you play?"

  "You know how we practice orb skills?" Derek asked. When she nodded, he said, "You tag people with an energy orb. Once tagged, you're out."

  "No teams?"

  He shrugged as he collected his food. "Alliances typically form early in the game, but break up as it progresses. You can only have one winner, but occasionally a few friends try to tag each other simultaneously to end it. Even then it's hard to have a tie."

  Tess selected a rose jam, spongy pink ball to add to her twisted bread, and then collected the ingredients for a glazed BLT. On impulse she added a dessert scone and its toppings. She sent it through the cauldron and collected the steaming plate on the opposite side. Then she followed Derek to their table and sat next to Iris.

  "Why is it hard to have a tie?" Tess asked, and took a bite of her chocolate and strawberry wrapped scone.

  "Because the omni-glasses keep score. If you get tagged, they register you as out of the game. It's incredibly accurate at determining who got lit up first. Just remember to keep the spectacles on the entire time. If you take them off, they recognize you as quitting." He made a sour face. "I learned that the hard way."

  Tess was intrigued, despite herself. She'd never really played night games before, so the prospect of running around in the trees sounded oddly thrilling. Then again, she didn't think she would stay on the ground.

  "Are flyers allowed to fly?" Tess asked.

  "No harmful spells are allowed," Iris cut in. "After that, anything goes."

  "They say that, but getting tagged by a techno mage isn't fun," Derek said, and then added for Tess's benefit. "An energy orb by a techno mag is like a ball of static electricity."

  "Getting tagged by a fire mage isn't great either," Rox said. "It leaves a nice little burn."

  "So you've played before?" Tess asked.

  "Quite a bit," she replied. "But never on this scale." She sounded eager.

  "So when do we start?" Tess asked.

  "You can count me out," Iris said. "I have more eyes to make and a couple of students are behind so I have to tutor them." Her eyes glazed over and she lapsed into muttering.

  "Let's go, then," Derek said. "People start gathering in the north leisure hall after dinner."

  They finished their meal and walked together to the leisure hall. Tess had previously avoided the leisure halls in an effort to avoid the scrutiny she'd received early in the quad. As she entered she wished she had taken advantage of it before.

  The leisure hall resembled the dining hall, and had a matching balcony circling a lower floor. Every inch of the space was crammed with couches, huge pillows, and other places to relax. Dominating the space, an enormous frame displayed scenes from the last Tempest game.

  She frowned at that. She'd avoided Drake since he'd taught her to fly on a board, and had pointedly skipped the game. It wasn't that she wasn't attracted to him, but she couldn't seem to overcome her reserve.

  An entire side of a balcony was dedicated to techno mages, and boasted hundreds of unidentifiable objects. Another looked to be full of desks for study groups. Next to them the space was filled with games that resembled pool and ping-pong, but players moved the items with magic rather than with sticks or a paddle. Opposite them a knot of students appeared to be playing a type of chess, but most of their opponents were glass orbs. Upon further inspection she realized that the small balls had faces inside them.

  "Are all the leisure halls like this?" Tess asked, her gaze rising to see the trees through the translucent ceiling.

  "Yeah," Derek said. "I can't believe you haven't been in one yet. It's usually the first place students go to when they arrive."

  "I had other things on my mind," Tess said, shifting uncomfortably. "So why is everyone gathering on the bottom floor?"

  "They’re getting started," Derek said, and the three of them found a clear spot against the balcony rail.

  One of the senior students stood up and called for attention. The large painting behind him switched to show him raising his hands. Once the hall had quieted, he said, "We all know the rules. Tag someone with an orb and they are out. Hit them with something harder and you get suspended from Tryton’s. Every twenty minutes your glasses will give you a casualty report, letting you know how many are left untagged. After that it will flicker a one second map of everyone's location. The last one untouched is the victor." He grinned and swept a hand at Drake who was standing nearby. "And good luck to our four-time, reigning champion, Drake."

  Drake flew up to join him amid applause and whispering girls. Tess's heart fluttered but her lips thinned.

  "Last quad's game went until dawn," he said with a laugh. "Let's see if we can't keep it just as interesting, shall we?"

  As everyone laughed, he said, "Game starts at eight sharp. Then the hunt begins."

  Conversation erupted as the students began to file out. It sounded to Tess like the bulk of talk centered on who was aligning themselves with who. The exception was Mike and Laura, who stood in a large group of students in one corner. It didn’t take much imagination for Tess to guess what they were doing.

  She smiled to herself, and sent Laura a quick message asking if she could put ten marks on Drake for the win. Laura's head popped into view as she scanned the room. When she spotted Tess, she grinned and gave a nod of acknowledgment.

  "So . . . want to be on my team to start?" Derek said. "I can put up some rock walls to shield us if you want to hunker down. The ones who hunt at the beginning usually don't last long."

  Rox nodded, her eyes full of anticipation. "Sounds good."

  Tess noticed that Rox's hands were clenching and unclenching, as if she could hardly contain her excitement. At the sight Tess grinned, and had to admit she felt the same. She opened her mouth to respond, but someone grabbed her elbow and spun her about.

>   "Going to join my team?" Drake asked, and pulled her to his chest.

  Despite the certainty in his face, Tess was uncomfortably aware of Derek and Rox looking on. That and the image of Drake's expression in the Tempest arena caused her to lean away.

  "I think I'll join my friends," she said coolly. "Maybe next time."

  A few girls gasped at the refusal, but Tess didn't look to see who. A flicker of anger passed through Drake's eyes, but then he took the rejection in stride. "Your loss, Tess. Good luck with your . . . friends."

  Tess almost snapped a reply but Drake had already stepped past her and joined Shorn and a few others from his team. The group took off and flew through the door as Derek moved to her side. He muttered something offensive under his breath, but feigned a smile when she turned to him.

  "Ready?"

  She nodded, and with difficulty reined in her irritation. On impulse she sent another message to Laura, and changed her bet to Drake losing. Satisfied, she and her friends left in search of a place to prepare themselves.

  ***

  "How long?" Tess asked, her voice quiet.

  "One minute," Rox whispered back.

  Derek had actually built three hiding spots near the southwest side of the dorms. They had quietly done so while hundreds of students prowled the area in small groups. The light continued to fade, so by eight o'clock the paths were devoid of motion and light. To Tess it seemed that everyone was holding their breath, waiting for their glasses to mark the start.

  A moment later Tess's glasses switched to eight, and countless pinpoints of magic blossomed through the trees. Yells and shouts echoed in the darkness as students launched balls of energy at each other or ran for cover. At least ten stood within throwing distance of their hide, but as Derek had suggested, they waited until the initial conflict had slowed.

  The trees were filled with laughing, chattering, and whispering by those untagged. Various colored lights blossomed into sight, and disappeared just as quickly. The light mages had a disadvantage in that igniting the orbs in their hands revealed their position. If they were quick to toss it, though, it revealed their foes just as easily.

  The lake bobbed with movement as water mages surfaced to hurl balls of water at those running too close to the lake. Then they spotted each other and a storm of water erupted. The plant and gravity mages had elected for height. Purple and green orbs rained down on those without cover. Marking their positions, the gravity mages flew soundlessly through the great branches, tagging the plant mages that hadn't hidden themselves well enough.

  After five minutes the activity slowed, and Derek whispered to the girls. "It should be alright. Tag only those that are alone for now. Resist the temptation to hit someone in a group, or they will figure out where we are."

  Tess nodded, and peered through a gap in the stone that Derek had left. On the exterior their hiding spot looked like any other decorative boulder. On the inside it was more like a bunker. Tingling with anticipation, Tess waited until she spotted a healer mage stalking a sound mage. Barely visible by the orbs in their hands, she watched the healer throw her pink orb into the other’s back.

  The boy cursed and whirled, but it was too late. Stomping away in anger, he headed for the nearest leisure hall. Tess took careful aim at the celebrating healer and struck her in the back with a tiny ball of heat energy. The girl squeaked in surprise and spun, but couldn't seem to find them. After a moment she made an irritated sound and departed. On the opposite side of the boulder Rox gave a quiet crow of victory.

  "Got one," she whispered.

  "Me too," Tess said, and grinned in the darkness. She hadn't anticipated this being so much fun.

  A moment later she heard the chitterling of a small animal. A chipmunk had discovered their hide, but soon a shuffling step announced that an animal mage was following his helper. Tess struck him in the chest before he could get too close. The boy growled and left, rubbing his chest.

  A minute before the update they slipped from their boulder and moved to the second bunker, which was far more exposed. They huddled behind the walls, and listened to hurried footsteps as everyone else prepared for their position to be revealed. At 8:20 a message flashed across Tess's glasses.

  816 players have been eliminated.

  783 players remain.

  Then a map flashed across her field of vision. Hidden among a three-dimensional display of the dorms, pinpoints of light reflected the position of everyone still in the game—and many were extremely close to their position.

  "Go!" Derek hissed, and crawled out of the boulder. He rose behind some brush and bolted for their third hiding spot. Tess used her magic to fly just above the ground, and arrived a few seconds ahead of Rox.

  Breathing hard, she gathered magic in her palms and watched the exposed location they had just left. A group of six congregated on it, launching balls of light inside the walls. Then they rushed forward, peppering the space Tess had occupied only seconds before. With her blood pounding loud in her ears, Tess let loose on them.

  The barrage was completely unexpected, and half of them were out before the others knew what had hit them. By then there was nothing they could do. Exposed and in the open, they tried to dive behind the same barrier that Derek had built.

  Derek chuckled under his breath as he reached out and burst the traps he'd left behind. The two boys and the girls were enveloped in brown light, and slumped away in defeat. When the silence returned, Tess and her friends snuck back to their first hiding spot. From then on they kept an eye on both the second and the third bunkers.

  Tess soon realized that Derek's strategy was excellent. At every interval their position was exposed, but they used it to their advantage. They drew people in, and then they retreated to a more fortified location. After the subsequent skirmish they retreated again to their first hiding spot, which had yet to be discovered. After two hours the numbers were down to less than a hundred—leaving only the better players.

  As the three of them raced to their second hiding spot, two boys struck Rox in the side with plant magic. Derek hit one in retaliation, and Tess tagged the other. Rox growled, but then laughed. "I'll see you guys afterward," she whispered, and then left.

  Tess and Derek dodged into their hiding spot before they were discovered. Side by side they waited, breathing hard. After a moment Tess became aware of their physical proximity, and wondered why it didn't bother her as much as with Drake.

  "Do you see anyone?" Derek whispered, and Tess issued a negative grunt. She didn't regret her decision to join her friends. Still, she wondered how she would have faired at Drake's side—

  A barrage of purple orbs pummeled their hiding spot. Derek tried to close the gaps to buy them time, but two orbs hit him before he could. A moment later their boulder cracked like a nut as the floating gravity mages pulled it apart.

  Without thinking Tess exploded upward in a controlled spin. As she twirled she released balls of heat whenever she spotted a shadowy figure on the limbs. Most of her attempts missed, but two connected. Cursing, they joined Derek on the ground to watch the conflict play out.

  Tess soared behind a second level cabin and used its bulk to block the attacks coming at her. Breathing hard, she craned her neck to listen. A moment later a voice spoke in her ear.

  "I wish you would have joined my team, Tess,"

  She spun with orbs in both hands, but he was unarmed. His face was maddeningly close to hers, and even in the dark his features appeared flawless. Why did he have to be so attractive? His earnest expression caused her to hesitate.

  "I couldn't just leave my friends," she replied evenly.

  He flashed a dazzling smile and leaned in. Heat suffused her frame as his lips came in contact with hers, and she forgot all about the Melee. A hundred thoughts flickered through her head, but they could not contain the surge of emotion. Just as she began to kiss him back, she felt a sting of heat on her arm. She withdrew, and saw the heat orb fade away at the same time her glasses chimed t
hat she'd been tagged.

  She looked to Drake's eyes, confused and angry. He stared back with an inscrutable expression.

  "Next time," he said, "be careful which side you're on."

  The statement was made without rancor, so it conveyed a sincerity that was at odds with the words. Regardless, the tag and the warning left a cold pit in Tess's stomach.

  Drake retreated, and the shadows swallowed him. Left to her chaotic emotions, she descended to Derek's side. Together, they walked toward the leisure hall, where they were greeted with applause for lasting as long as they did. Through it all Tess forced a smile. Most of the Melee had been fun, but the ending had left her in doubt. What had Drake meant? Long after the end of the game (where Drake won) Tess considered his comment.

  And the roiling questions that refused to quiet within her.

  Chapter 23: Chained

  Breaker awoke bloody and in pain. Anger blossomed first, heightening the ache in his skull. He forced his eyes open anyway. Growling under his breath, he eased himself off the floor and leaned against the wall of his cell. The black chains that bound him clinked as he moved.

  He'd been held and questioned for weeks, and each day his captors had become more aggressive. For aurens it would have been called torture, but among mages it was performed differently. It was an attack on the mind.

  Most of the questioning had been performed by two vicious women−twins, if he was not mistaken. They had knifed into his mind and sought to take his answers by force. They had not expected such mental resistance, but they had thought of him as a surly brute from the beginning. The black-eyed man supervised every attempt, but appeared increasingly agitated by the lack of results.

  A smile split Breaker's face, cracking the scabs on his lips. He wiped the blood away, ignoring the sting as he rubbed grit into the cuts. At their latest failure to invade his mind the man had lost his temper, and had struck Breaker repeatedly. It probably hadn't helped that Breaker had been laughing in his face.

  Breaker bared his teeth in satisfaction. The mind mages had pulled the black-eyed man off, and had called him by name, Varson. It was the first time any of his captors had let anything slip. At least now Breaker knew who was in charge of this group.