Lone Survivor: The Sorcerers' Scourge Series: Book One

by Michael Arches

  Over a few minutes, the cut closed from each end and finally disappeared. Then the kitten began to purr. He didn’t understand what had happened, but he somehow knew he could trust me.

  I set him in Diana’s lap. “All better now.”

  Diana snorted and cleared her throat. “I admit you’ve surprised me. There was a remarkable emotional charge as your healing power blossomed. What’s the meaning of the catnip?”

  “This power comes from the Great Mystery Spirit of my people. As for the catnip, I have no idea what it means, but I smell it every time I heal an animal. It’s a medicinal herb, of course. I’m crazy about the fragrance.”

  Diana put the kitten back in the box. He tried to climb out without avoiding putting pressure on the injured leg.

  “I hadn’t expected such an intense experience,” she said. “Laura didn’t warn me about how powerful your Osage healing ability is. But you’re getting weaker as you perform that magic.”

  “I do feel drained afterward. Laura doesn’t know. She hasn’t touched me during a healing, so she probably doesn’t understand what happens any more than I do. Maybe my grandfather knows. I simply enjoyed the feeling of contentment and strength that fills me.”

  Diana leaned back in the soft sofa, and, seeing her relax, I did the same.

  “On the whole,” she said, “you have a remarkable natural talent for tribal magic. I’m certain Samuel’s recommendations will help you with that.”

  “Thanks. Truth be told, though, it seems to work pretty well already.”

  She nodded. “As for fighting magic, you have quite a ways to go before you can challenge Pestone. Unfortunately, you demonstrate some glaring weaknesses with your attack spells. Your ward is good, but we need to make it much stronger. In addition, your magical core needs to be disciplined. I adore disciplining the weak.”

  No surprise there.

  She rattled on, “It’s always best to start at the beginning, especially when you don’t grasp the fundamentals. You lack mental focus. Of course, eliminating Laura as a distraction would be more helpful than anything.”

  I bit off a reply. Diana could kill my relationship with Laura before it could develop. “She supports me and helps me relax.”

  Diana snickered. “I wish you could see the fear on your face. I’m not going to insist—assuming you make progress here. Otherwise, I’ll separate you two until you can focus your mind.”

  I tamped down my annoyance. “Fine.”

  “Tell me how you meditate.”

  I explained how Tess had taught me to count to focus my thoughts and live in the moment.

  “Sound practice,” Diana said. “Particularly the ‘living in the moment’ part. Nevertheless, I think you’ve proceeded as far as you can with counting. We’ll train with a candle instead. I’ve always loved flames, perhaps because I enjoy burning my enemies. Using your magical core, focus for five minutes on the candle. Don’t try to understand what fire is. Simply experience how it flickers. I’ll meditate with you.”

  Diana lit a candle, and we stared at the flame. The scent of vanilla filled the air, and it made me drowsy. Half the time, I focused on the candle, but the rest of the time, other ideas popped into my head without my noticing them taking shape—ideas like wondering what could be more boring than watching a flame.

  Diana whispered, “Focus your magical core on the candle, no matter what happens around you.” She rose from the sofa and turned on a CD of piano jazz. Then she sat again and put her hand on my back.

  A few minutes later, she switched the music to Black Sabbath. Once more, she checked my concentration.

  After we’d listened to most of Evil Eye, Diana said, “Okay, that’s enough. Your inner peace has vanished, and your frustration is blossoming. I know you consider this beneath you, but it’s crucial to everything else we might accomplish. You have to be able to focus on what you want to achieve, no matter what distractions arise. Magic is the process by which we impose our will on the world, and it requires strength of purpose.”

  “I’m trying, but it’s been a difficult week. Actually, it’s been an outrageous week.”

  Diana snapped, “Self-pity is a particularly unattractive trait. Time is too short for you to indulge.”

  Diana was a real piece of work, but my family deserved payback. So did Maggie. “I’ll do whatever it takes to learn how to protect the clan.”

  “I’ll hold you to that promise,” Diana said. “I want you to meditate with a candle each day for two thirty-minute periods. Build up the distractions until it’s as noisy as it is now. You have a long road ahead before you can face the bastard who attacked our mutual friend.”

  Diana obviously didn’t coddle her disciples.

  “You’re the boss,” I said.

  “Get used to it.” Then she led me to the door. “One last thing. Spend time with Viola, just to make sure she isn’t lonely while she’s here.”

  She closed her door before I could refuse.

  Alone in the hallway, I let out a long breath. What the hell?

  Diana might be a great witch, as everyone claimed, but she was as weird as they came.

  Viola? Our Fearless Leader wanted me as a son-in-law, and to hell with Laura?

  -o-o-o-

  I WANDERED TO THE lounge to relax, maybe to sip a beer next to the fountain. There, I found Laura and Crystal chatting together. Laura looked radiant, and it took me a moment to figure out why.

  Her sandy-brown hair was now light blonde, and her skin was almost white.

  Crystal stared at me with much friendlier eyes than the last time I’d seen her.

  “Welcome to our cozy little coven,” Crystal purred.

  She poured me a glass of red wine from a carafe on their table and motioned for me to join them.

  “Thank you.” I bent over and hugged each woman before sitting down.

  We talked about Maggie’s attack, but they didn’t know anything new. Eventually, I asked, “What kinds of magic are you working on?”

  “We’re lightening her complexion,” Crystal said. “Isn’t she radiant?”

  “Of course, but she’s always been radiant.”

  Crystal frowned. “You cannot honestly say that you prefer her old look. Men love blondes.”

  This was a no-win proposition. I searched Laura’s face for a clue, and she seemed to enjoy my predicament.

  “Actually,” I said, “I don’t see much of a difference. I’m always dazzled.”

  Laura burst out laughing. I guessed that meant I’d screwed up, so I tried to change the subject. “At least you’re not meditating on a candle. Boooorrring.”

  The two women lost their grins.

  Finally, Crystal said, “I’m sure Diana has a good reason for that,” although she didn’t seem convinced herself, judging from the uncertainty in her voice.

  We talked about how stubborn Diana could be, but then Crystal interrupted. “Listen, I heard recently that Portland is raising funds to hire a fighter. Either you or Tess could be tempted away soon.”

  Laura laughed. “Don’t hold your breath on Tess going. She isn’t leaving her mom, me, and Diana. As for Ian, if he keeps winning, we won’t be able to afford him.”

  “I’m still the newbie,” I reminded them.

  The longer I stayed in Boulder, and the longer I could learn from both Tess and Diana, the better. I still had to take on Cantor and the slayer in charge of the Rocky Mountain States, and that wouldn’t be anytime soon.

  -o-o-o-

  CRYSTAL WANDERED OFF, AND I relaxed with Laura. I told her about meeting Diana’s daughter.

  My sweetie froze. “What’s she doing here? She’s supposed to be involved with some sculpture workshop this week in Paris.”

  I shrugged. “News to me. I’ve hardly talked to her.”

  “Did Diana fix you up with any meetings with her spawn?”

  I wasn’t the most intuitive guy, but something was obviously pissi
ng off Laura. “What’s wrong?”

  “Answer the question first,” she fired back.

  I put my arm around her. “Diana told me to get together with Viola while she’s here to make sure she doesn’t get lonely.”

  Laura snorted. “You’re so blind. Diana went crazy after your first fight, lusted after your magical gift, and failed to get it. Now she wants you and Viola to become a couple. The bitch won’t leave you alone.”

  I tried to defuse the situation. “Sorry, but I’m a one-woman kind of guy, so you’ve got nothing to worry about. And I thought you liked Diana.”

  She took a deep breath and nodded. “I admire her, but I also know her weaknesses. For example, Viola. The only thing Diana wants more than a super kid is a super grandkid. She’ll swear it’s a complete coincidence that her daughter showed up out of the blue the day after your second victory, and you’ve already met her. I know better.”

  -o-o-o-

  Friday, September 13th

  AFTER BREAKFAST, I HEADED to the barn and helped Herman mow the last cutting of alfalfa for the season. It needed to dry for a couple of days before we could bale it and store it out of the weather.

  I was driving a tractor when Diana drove up on an ATV. For some reason, she waved a newspaper at me. As I approached her, she pointed to an article on the first page. “Have you seen this?”

  The headline read, Will OK’s Witch Be Extradited?

  I groaned. If nothing else, this had to remind Pestone and the other sorcerers that I was around.

  Diana nodded. “The official extradition request was just filed in Judge Eastwood’s court. I think I’ve talked the county sheriff and the district attorney into arguing against the request, but Eastwood will make the final decision. He’s very traditional, and I know he hates me. So, he hates you, as well.”

  I glanced at the article and handed the paper back to Diana. “I’ve kept a low profile, just like you said. That reporter somehow got my cellphone number, but I’ve ignored her calls.”

  “Good,” she replied. “This is her way of pressuring you into giving her an interview. She knows you’ll want to get your side of the story out.”

  “Should I talk to her?”

  Our high priestess shook her head. “That’ll only keep the story alive longer. The paper’s website now has hundreds of comments from people desperate to find you.”

  My stomach began to churn again. “Is this ever going to end?”

  “Who knows?” Diana folded the paper and stuffed it into a saddlebag. “It’s like one of those media circuses. They hound some poor celebrity for a while. The feeding frenzy only ends when another scandal catches fire and pulls everybody’s attention that way.”

  “So, we hunker down for who knows how long?”

  “Exactly. We’ll let Nicky handle the judge. He wants you to know you could be summoned into Eastwood’s courtroom at any moment.”

  Now that she’d delivered the bad news, I expected her to let me get back to work.

  Wrong.

  “By the way, you’re having lunch at noon with me and Viola. Dress in business attire.”

  I started to object, remembering how upset Laura had been, but Diana glowered. “That is an order, not a request.”

  Chapter 16

  I TOOK A SHOWER and dressed up before I wandered into the dining room a few minutes before noon. I’d texted Laura to let her know Diana’s order, but my beloved hadn’t responded. I was catching fire from both sides with nowhere to hide.

  One blessing—I spotted Tess surrounded by a dozen kids eating lunch. I spoke to her for a few minutes and caught up with her goings-on.

  As I was about to leave and find Diana, Tess said, “I’m going to see Maggie right after lunch. Want to come?”

  I nodded. “How is she?”

  “Laura says nothing’s physically wrong with her, but her mind is still unsettled. She can’t remember what happened.”

  “Maybe that’s for the best. I have to each lunch with the queen and her princess. Then we’ll see how Maggie’s getting along.”

  Diana and Viola were sitting together near the fountain, and Laura walked up to them right before me. She pretended to adore Viola and showered her with compliments.

  I headed to the cafeteria line to get food, and by the time I arrived at the table, all three women were fawning over each other. I sat, ate, and tried to stay out of the crossfire.

  The air seemed to crackle with electricity, but they were all smiles. Viola acted like a nice gal, but her face was pinched. She looked as uncomfortable as I felt.

  Laura acted submissive to Diana without letting our Supreme Leader coax more than a dozen sentences out of me. After we’d finished eating, Viola took Laura to the guest apartment to see some new art she’d brought for her mom.

  After they vanished, Diana frowned at me. “So, you had to bring your mother to our little lunch?”

  I put my hands up, palms forward. “I’d prefer that my girlfriend not strangle me in my sleep. That’s just the coward in me.”

  “Cowardly is right.”

  We headed to Diana’s office for my next training session.

  When we were sitting on her sofa, side by side, she said, “Now, back to magic.”

  Something had been turning over in my mind since the day before. “You told me you didn’t recognize my healing magic. Maybe that was because the Great Spirit is protecting me from my tormentors. If so, why do I have to learn Celtic magic?”

  Diana snorted. “The way I heard the story, you used a ward to keep from being electrocuted by the last sorcerer’s red lightning. Is that correct?”

  “Yeah.”

  Diana’s eyes narrowed. “Where was your Great Spirit then? You saved your own testicles. No fairies or magical braves descended to deal with that threat. Look, the gods let their followers get hurt and die horrible deaths all the time. It’s up to us to look out for ourselves and each other.”

  I stood and paced. “Okay, I get that. It just seems like, every way I turn, there’s more trouble. I’m wondering whether I should just hide out in the mountains.”

  Diana pointed at the sofa cushion next to her. After I sat down again, she elbowed me in the ribs. “You would find those remote peaks extremely cold for the next six months. If you prefer that alternative, fine. Walk back out that door—all ties binding you here will be dissolved. But if you’re going to stay, you’ll devote all your free time to training to fight.”

  She was a tough lady. “I have been devoting myself to training,” I insisted. “Show me how to make my magic stronger, and I’ll use it to help the whole clan.”

  Diana leaned back and relaxed. “Celtic fighting spells are based on the power of the Mórrígan, the goddess of battle. The closer you get to her, the stronger you’ll become. We’re lucky she’s on our side.”

  I knew about the triple goddess from Grandma Norrie. The goddess’s powers included making war, foretelling the future, and promoting fertility.

  Diana said, “Your problem is that you won’t be able to learn magic, no matter where it comes from, until you’re able to concentrate.”

  “Fine,” I said. “But I’d also like to mix things up a bit. Too much meditation turns my mind to mush. What about teaching me more spells?”

  “Until you learn to focus, you won’t receive much benefit from other training.”

  I understood that, but staring at candles for hours a day was impossible.

  Diana tilted her head. “Let’s approach this in a different way. You like horses?”

  “Of course. Hercules and I are best buddies.”

  “Good. Then, let’s think of your magical core as a powerful wild stallion. He’s never been touched by human hands, and he wants to behave as he always has.”

  I smiled. “Don’t we all?”

  She pretended not to hear me. “He’s much bigger than you. More impulsive.”

  I remembered our full-out gallop be
fore breakfast. “Right. What does he have to do with meditation?”

  “We’re getting there.”

  I was already tired of hearing that, but I kept my mouth shut.

  “You already know something about him and his moods. He makes you ride him bareback, of course. He won’t accept a bridle or saddle.”

  “I love riding bareback.”

  “You’ve ridden him hard each time you fought a sorcerer. Luckily, he did exactly what you wanted. He kicked those monsters hard in the head.” Diana frowned and shifted on the sofa to face me squarely. “Also, luckily, your stallion loves helping other animals.”

  “He’s great, and I adore him.”

  “The problem is, he’s much stronger than you are, and he’s used to his own ways.”

  I began to see where she was going.

  Diana’s eyes lit up. “You’re catching on? Finally! If you want to run with the thoroughbreds, you have to become more perceptive.”

  My face warmed as I realized she was right.

  “How are you going to put a bridle and saddle on your stallion? You need to be in charge, not just along for the ride.”

  I leaned in. “But, like you said, he already does what I want.”

  “There will be times when he will not be so inclined.” She pulled her hands back, like she was pulling on a horse’s reins. “At present, you cannot count on him when you face real trouble.”

  It clicked. “Ah…right.”

  Diana grabbed my chin. “So, it’s finally sinking in? You control him through the force of your will. You strengthen your will by training your mind. You train your mind by staring into candles. Do you see the light yet?”

  I slid away from her on the sofa. “Yeah, but there’s got to be an easier way.”

  “Sorry, Farm Boy, there isn’t. Your stallion’s lazy, just like you. Neither of you work to your full potential.”

  I sighed. The woman always seemed to be three steps ahead of me. “Damn, I’ve got a lot to learn, don’t I?”

  “Yes, but if we both do our parts, your mind and your stallion’s will become one. You won’t be riding him. You’ll become the magical stallion. Then you won’t have to search for magical kernels or conjure anything. Your body will react as quickly as you’ll decide what you want.”