“I…had a special visitor.”
“Is that code for sex? Because I’m not always clear with your colloquialisms.”
“Don’t be vulgar. Of course not.”
“One can never be too cautious.”
He stood in the midst of a new pattern and stopped suddenly, looking down confused. His shirt was split up the center. Mikelle did not complain. He fixed it with a cloth-pattern and walked to his washroom, pulling water from the bath to coat his skin and wick away without getting his clothes wet—the most amazing and laziest way to take a bath Mikelle had ever seen.
He kicked her out, dressed, and joined her for breakfast. His eyes beamed he toyed with the new hand. “If anyone asks, it healed by itself.”
She rolled her eyes. “Speaking of bribery, I’m taking Jensen out for a ride this morning.”
“I don’t want to know what you do in your alone time—and who is Jensen?”
“Your horse.”
“His name is Smoke, and no; he’s a highly trained animal.”
“You didn’t seem to mind last week.”
“I don’t remember you asking.”
She tapped a spoon on her lips, “Neither do I.”
The sudden appearance of an Arch Mage behind warded walls worried Gabriel greatly. If Maxine had a way of getting in, any of them could. He knew he had no option meeting with Maxine, for if nothing else, he could keep an eye on her. Her motives were still unbeknownst to him. Most women’s were.
Gabriel waited until the castle settled down before shifting to the lookout spot. Maxine arrived moments later as if she had been watching, but he scanned the area and there had not been a soul nearby.
She was a beautiful woman, and he could see why she was known as a legendary seductress. Her long red dress cut low and hugged her curves. How she moved in it was beyond him. She walked up steadily, moving like gelatin, and paid him a satisfied smile.
“I hoped you would come, my lord.” She had a strange accent that altered her “r’s”, turning some into “a’s”, and dropping some completely. It was a sultry accent and easy to listen to.
“What do you want with me, Maxine? You know I commit treason being in your presence without murderous intent.”
She tittered. “I am flattered. I want much with you, none of which you will believe.”
“Convince me.”
She cocked her head. “Do you know how to break a Class Ten, Head Mage? You do. You break thei’ will, and the body will follow. Nolen started with your body. I believe life should have a balance, and I disprove of Nolen’s actions. I want to balance you. I also know you are a Creator, and I want to know the patterns you created. I want you indebted to me.” She took a small step closer with each desire until she stood so close, he could smell peppermint on her. “There are also no Class Tens left in this Age, so you know what that means.”
He frowned. “No.”
Her eyes rose, and she sputtered. “You have much to learn. Come. We will study Void tonight. Select a location you feel safe in, and we will shift there.” She took up his hand and clutched tightly with a pleased grin.
He shifted them out of Jaden, and south to a seclude field. Gabriel immediately set disparage-shift wards in a large circle around them, so no one could shift in.
“You do not trust me.” Maxine smiled.
“I have a hundred history books filled with reasons why,” he replied, walking the edge of the circle. “You said you had things to teach me.”
“And you never thanked me for healing you.” She stood with her arms folded, a hip cocked, and had a look that all women wore when they knew they were right.
“I cannot thank you,” he replied with a stony expression, then smiled, “enough.”
She bit her lip. “You are coy. Very well, we begin. You know Void uses the energy of spirits in the spirit world, yes? When opening yourself to Void, you see a version of thei’ world. The true spirit world is fa’ more wondrous than the haze we see.
“There are rules to being in Void. We never converse with spirits. We do not seek them out. Just as it pains us to seek out a deceased love one, it pains them. If you lose someone, they are gone. That is how it must be.”
“Unless, of course, you are an Arch Mage.”
She grinned and patted his shoulder. “Continuing on, to access a shift, you must be in contact with a solid surface as you surely know. But a shift cannot be completed if you are in water, such as a lake, or in the air. Contact with the earth is required. Do not, for any reason, jump off the ground while in a shift. You will be lost to the space between the spirit world. Do not take someone into a shift and release contact with them. They will slip into that same space.”
“What happens if I lose consciousness while shifting?”
“You will come out of the shift, but you could be at the bottom of the ocean, so I do not recommend shifting while compromised.
“Now, more importantly, do not ever lay a Void pattern of any kind with your mind. I assume as a Class Ten you have done this. Void is a raging, uncharted Element without a leader, and you will hurt yourself. I hope you know the legends of the Elements unless this Age forgot those as well.”
“The Element of Spirit killed Void, drawing all of Void’s powers into himself, which is why we must kill a Mage to unlock the hidden Element.”
She nodded, impressed. “I will show you the pattern I used on you last night. This is called the sleepers-pattern, and it has two variations. I can lay it this way,” she formed a flat weave with a circle in the center, “and keep a man asleep, or I can alter the circle into a hook and put a man to sleep.”
“How long will it last?”
“Ah, good question. A man should wake once shook or after about eight hours, but I can fuel the pattern and retain control of it as I did last night.”
“Yes, and I want to know what you did to my shirt.” He folded his arms. “And the rest of me.”
She gave him a sly grin that matched Mikelle’s. “I was getting a better look through the reveal-pattern.”
“That showed off my wounds?”
“All wounds healed by Spirit. It is laid like this,” she demonstrated.
“Why use it?”
“Healers use it to see where lasting damage may be where delve-patterns are not as helpful. It is also a good judge of a person’s mental capacities.”
He frowned down at her.
“You have many wounds. You must have a strong will and a high tolerance fo’ pain. It is likely you still suffer from them.” Her ghostly look of sadness changed to devious as she pinched his side. “Do not be a’feared, I did not molest you further. Now, you try those patterns.”
Gabriel seized Void and laid them. “Why does your hair turn white in Void and mine does not?”
“White hair is a sign of mastery. If you spend enough time in it, you will achieve it as well.”
“Who did you kill to unlock Void?”
She raised her thin brows. “Quite a personal question fo’ our first date. It was my husband.”
“I did not know you were married.”
“Married with two boys.”
He dropped his patterns. “The stories say nothing of that.”
“Is it important? Stories always omit the humanity of legends. People forget we all had lives before Ryker arrived.”
“How did it happen? Books say Ryker recruited you, and that was it.”
She looped a hand through his bent arm—a motion that highly alarmed him—and leaned into him. He instinctively put both hands over opposite wrists to protect them.
“I married when I was fifteen. In the Third Age we married nearly as soon as we could reproduce. He was an Air and Water Mage, a simple fisherman, but he was a cruel man. His temper was something to be feared, and I lived in terror fo’ four years. I birthed him two sons in quick succession and always feared fo’ our lives.” She walked, pulling him along slowly.
“One day I took the boys to a neighbor and went
home to wait for him. Back then Earth Mages had a pattern that could track a person’s footprints, and Air Mages could catch the scent of someone. Fleeing was never an option. The only release was death. It was never a question of his or mine, it was always his.
“I blew the cabin up as soon as he walked in, trapping him in bubble of Air. Air bubbles,” she laid one, “are impossible to escape unless one controls Void, and I held him within until he almost suffocated. When I released him, and I told him I was no longer afraid. Then I snapped his neck with Spirit.
“Ryker found me sitting on the hearth without a direction and recruited me into his army. He had a small faction at that time with a few powerful Mages, Evony and Pike being two, and together we marched on a kingdom called Echoveria. I was appointed to seduce the King to ruin his image. Within a month, the kingdom fell, and Ryker took over. After that, I knew my place.”
“As a seductress?” Gabriel accused with a raised brow.
She tittered and patted his arm. “Do not say it with such distain. It is not terrible. Most of it requires a perfectly-timed smile or an enthralling conversation, a dress revealing just enough, or an affectionate touch. Men melt far easier than they believe.”
‘That explains why she’s on my arm.’ Gabriel calculated. “It won’t work on me.”
She grinned. “I’ve noticed you are very guarded. I too have been wounded.”
“How did you get into Jaden?” he asked.
“Shhh, it is our secret. Fear not; your wards still stand. But sadly it is late, and I must return you to your people. Tomorrow we will learn more. I will meet you here at the same time.”
“I would rather go somewhere else.”
“Guarded,” she sighed. “Pick a place, I will find you. Until then,” she leaned in, put a kiss on his cheek, and vanished.
He held his breath, feeling for kinetic energy to suddenly appear, but she did not return. He shifted back to Jaden, feeling more confused and alarmed.
Chapter 18
Another specter was on the loose in Aidenmar, sinking fire into the earth, smoldering the roots of trees. Trees emerged blazing everywhere without warning. Gabriel spent most of the day shifting a group of Mages around the epicenter. They eventually found the offending specter, a short Aidenmarian man, and doused him with water until he disappeared.
Robyn’s ring had been pinging all day and more than usual. With great reluctance he finally shifted to Kilkiny to see if there was a true crisis. He appeared in the anteroom. Aisling hotly debated with two men in red uniforms and white sashes around their shoulders marking them officers.
“Gabriel!” Aisling breathed. “Stars above! Gentlemen, please excuse me for a moment.” The men bowed and stepped into the hall. “Where have you been?”
He did not appreciate the tone. Aisling may have been his birth mother, but she had never acted like one nor been a part of his life. He viewed her like one of his subordinates than a real mother. “Rather busy.”
“Doing what? We have needed you here. Did you not feel Robyn’s summons?”
“What do you need me for?” he sighed.
“Firstly, you can go speak with your Queen. Then I need you to shift an army to the coast.”
“Where are they going?”
“Kinsten Kel.”
“Then tell them to be ready in an hour. I’ll be in the courtyard waiting.” He turned away from Robyn’s door, but Aisling grabbed his sleeve. He quickly swiped her hand away.
She stared at him with wide eyes. “I do not know what transpired between you two, but there is no reason for you to be so stubborn. Even Queens make mistakes.”
“I do not need assistance with my love life, and I would be most appreciative if everyone would keep to their own meddling.”
He turned to go, but she stepped between him and the door.
“I have never meddled in your life because I know you are strong enough to handle it. I also do not encourage a relationship with the Queen of Anatoly. But now I do so because you need her. You have always needed her. Do not forget she broke into her own palace to free you with complete disregard for her safety. Her love for you has not changed.”
Gabriel hung his head defeated and pinched the bridge of his nose. He opened his mouth to grapple for words but found none. He turned around and made for Robyn’s door.
She stood with her back to him between her desk and the window, gazing out with a forgotten paper in her hand. The guard in the hall closed the door behind him, and she turned at the sound. He took a defensive stance and folded his arms over his chest.
Her face brightened. “Gabriel,” she exclaimed breathlessly. “I’ve been summoning.”
“I’ve been ignoring it.”
She nodded faintly. “Will you sit for a while? A glass of cider perhaps?” She spoke with a tone he was unfamiliar with, a tone he could only describe as a mix of remorse and care.
“I can’t stay. I’m shifting your army somewhere.”
She rounded her desk. “I cannot thank you enough. We are at war.”
That was new. “With Arconia?”
“No, Shalaban.”
“Speaking of Arconia…” he paused and looked around.
“The Prince is elsewhere.”
“I hope you two are enjoying each other’s company,” he stated with a pinched look.
She could tell he was picking for a fight, but she ignored it. She perched on the edge of her desk, a position that lowered her height even further and placed her in a subservient position. He could tell what she was up to.
“I am—so sorry, Gabriel. I overreacted in a time when you needed me and…”
“Why is Shalaban attacking?”
She gave him a surprised look. “I need you to know I regret what I said.”
“Oh no, you shouldn’t. Everything you said was accurate. I am sullied. I probably did have a choice with most of them, but I chose to lie with them rather than be tied down every night and taken against my will. I shouldn’t have told you. I should have kept the lie going in hopes you wouldn’t find out until Arconia starts Classing Eight and Nines, and by then you would have had your own to worry about. But that’s fine. In my moment of greatest need, you turned your back on me. Wait until you hear what else I did under Nolen’s control. No, no, I probably shouldn’t tell you. You might attack my castle.” The more he spoke, the angrier he got. “I’m sorry it took me longer to come to your conclusions now that you’ve had a chance to be around other suitors. You were right to choose first. We aren’t made for each other.”
“That’s not what I meant!” she said wide eyed, “Gabriel, I love you!”
“You have an odd way of expressing it. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to deal with your army.”
He seized Void and zipped into the courtyard. Gabriel paced a fuming circle as he waited for the army. That woman touched a nerve thinking she could simply apologize and all would be forgiven. Of all the things he did under Nolen’s control, lying with the Arconians was the thing he was most ashamed of. At that point his will was broken, so he did not fight Nolen’s orders. Robyn was presumed dead, and he was doomed to die within weeks. There was nothing left to fight for, and he was just too tired to try. He wished now he had.
An older Commander was in charge of the legion Gabriel was to transport east. The man gave Gabriel a look he was familiar with in Kilkiny. During his month in the Castrofax much of the palace had come to know his face and story. Now that he was free and Head Mage, he got quite a few looks of surprise.
“Star Breaker,” the man nodded with as much of a smile as wizened officers gave. “Good to see you.”
Gabriel had not heard that term in a while. Overhead the burst star still blazed by night, slowly fading with each evening. People had blamed Gabriel for the sudden celestial change, but his abilities could not reach so far. He did not recognize the man nor did he make it a habit of spending time in the soldiers’ wing. The Commander must have recognized him from the night he tried to e
scape with Robyn which resulted in a public flogging. That, or he was in Nolen’s Air Guard that Gabriel nearly destroyed the night of his capture.
“Kinsten Kel has a natural hillock barrier on the south side which is where I wager Prince Balien has camped his men. I would like to arrive south of them and march in.”
“I can articulate that,” Gabriel replied. Soldiers already assembled, some on horses and most carrying their bundles on their shoulders. Three Spirit Battle Mages in yellow mantles came to the front and gave Gabriel proper respectful nods. He recognized two from the night he was pulled from the dungeons. Both had stitched him back together as best as they were able. He motioned to the older of the two to come closer.
“Head Mage, wonderful t’ see you so well,” the man said in an Aidenmarian accent, ducking his head. “How might I be serving you?”
“I want you to report how the battle fairs, but I most importantly want to know if Prince Balien is injured. Stitch him up and send me a pigeon.”
“Of course, Head Mage, but it could take four or five days for a pigeon t’ reach you.”
Gabriel screwed his lips, thinking. “Do you wear a ring?” The man pulled a bronze ring from his thumb and willingly handed it over. Carefully, Gabriel wove a summons-pattern into the braiding and sank the hook in his chest. “Hold the ring like so,” he said and held it between thumb and forefinger, “for ten seconds. The ring will heat up when activated, and I will be sent a summons if you need me. I will arrive in minutes.”
“That is very kind o’ you, Head Mage,” the man smiled. “I will take good care o’ our Prince.”
The man returned to the ranks, and Gabriel raised a plinth of stone from the ground beneath him. “We are going to be doing something called a shift,” he began, folding his arms. “I am going to move you so fast that weeks of marching will be done in minutes. Since we move so quickly, you may get dizzy. Color and sound will elude you. I recommend closing your eyes until we arrive. Most imperative, you will need to make connection with the people around you. If you break that connection, you will die. Do I make myself clear?” The men nodded, and he moved to the center of the legion and repeated himself. He was not about to lose anyone to the spirit world.
Unlocking Void (Book 3) Page 12
