When I stepped into the pool, the water steamed around my feet. It felt great, so I sat down, listening to Raphael laugh at my discomfort.
“I’m glad you find this amusing,” I said, clearly irritated. “Did you intend for this thing to draw power from every magical object it came close to?”
“No! Is that what happened?” he asked excitedly.
I shook my head in disgust, but I didn’t think anyone could see it past the steam that surrounded me. “I found your key. Actually, it found me and tried to merge its power with mine.” I tried to keep my voice calm. “I almost incinerated both of us.” I pointed towards Charles, who had not said anything.
“That’s amazing!” Raphael said, then started mumbling to himself.
“How is that amazing?” I was almost yelling. I could see Magdelin approaching me, her hand stretched out. “No, don’t touch me. I need to know what he’s talking about. I don’t need you to try to calm my temper.”
“Because, Darian, we have numerous magical items all over Santuario that you have never reacted to,” he started to explain. “There is something special about this key that draws you to it. It’s a good thing you didn’t touch it. We would only want to do that in a controlled environment.” He shivered, obviously visualizing my body being incinerated along with everything else. He started mumbling and pacing in front of the fountain.
I stood and stepped out of the fountain. My clothes were ruined. My shirt was gone, as well as most of my pants.
“I’m going to find some clothes.” I walked past them, angry and confused. It seemed like anger and confusion were the only emotions I could feel since I got here. As I walked towards the barracks, Adalina emerged from the Warriors’ Arena. She opened her mouth to say something, and I glared at her. She smiled but remained silent as she watched me walk the entire way to the barracks. She and I would have to talk. Her sexually aggressive behavior was unacceptable. Women should not pursue men the way she did. Hell, men should not pursue women that way either.
No one said anything to me for the remainder of the day. I assumed that Charles told them everything they wanted to hear, and I was in no mood to talk. I really needed to get away from this place and these people, if only for a short time. Then I remembered I could go anywhere I wanted with a thought, so I did.
I traveled to my parents’ home, arriving in my bedroom upstairs. It looked exactly as I left it. Sadness and grief for my parents overwhelmed me. I don’t know how long I stayed in their house, probably several hours, before I regained control of my emotions. I vowed that I would keep my father’s land. I wrote a quick note and left it on the bureau in his study, hoping that one of the servants was still coming to the house. As I was about to leave my father’s study, Mikel showed up. I glared at him but didn’t say anything.
“I really do understand what you are going through, Darian,” he began. “All of us have experienced something similar. Each of us had a life before we were drawn into this fight, a life that we were forced to give up.” There was sadness in his eyes, but it was a story he would not tell.
“What am I doing here, Mikel? What are we fighting? I don’t even know who the enemy is.” I sat down in one of the oversized chairs set next to the large bay window that overlooked the grounds.
“May I sit with you?” Mikel asked. I nodded. “Our purpose, the Council’s purpose, is to maintain balance between good and evil.” I looked at him skeptically. “I know, it sounds ridiculous, but it’s the truth,” he said. “Regardless of your faith, I assume you believe there is good and evil in this world?”
“I know there are good men and evil men. I was raised with the Roman Catholic Church, but they seemed to do as much evil as good,” I replied, knowing the answer sounded weak.
“It’s true. Evil has hidden itself within religion many times in history. It’s a true sign of imbalance, that evil is strong enough to overpower good.” He hesitated and his brow furrowed making his stern features even more severe. “We are now experiencing another imbalance. A very powerful demon has taken control of many of our world leaders or their governments and is using them to fight against one another. It’s up to us to remove that corruption and bring everything back into balance.”
“Can we not just destroy all of the demons and their leader? Would that not bring balance?” I asked, not understanding what he was trying to say.
“It’s not that simple, Darian,” Mikel replied, leaning forward in his chair. “We’ve killed thousands of demons over the years, but the Csökkent continue to summon more. The demons never really die; they just return to hell, waiting to be summoned again. Our best strategy is to prevent them from infiltrating humanity.”
“They aren’t trying to destroy us?” Now I was really confused.
“No, they’re trying to destroy humanity, not us,” Mikel explained. I was beginning to see the difference. I was not part of humanity anymore. “We have an unspoken agreement to leave balance. We will not destroy them, and they will not destroy us.”
“That seems like a rather selfish approach, doesn’t it? We would sacrifice humanity to save our own lives?”
“We do not sacrifice humanity,” Mikel said, as if he were speaking to a child. “We protect humanity.”
“I still don’t understand,” I said, shaking my head.
“It is difficult, but hopefully understanding will come to you when you need it most.” Mikel stood. “I need to return to Santuario. You should as well, Raphael has something for you.”
“I’m not sure I want anything else from him. I’m certain he has already done enough for me,” I said bitterly.
“What do you believe he did to you, Darian?” Mikel asked with hostility in his voice. I had not seen him angry before, but his tone made me pause.
“The rune he put on my back has almost cost the lives of several people already,” I said. “How has that helped me?”
“You believe the rune has done that? Could it be that the power is within you and was awoken when Magdelin healed you?” Mikel’s voice was dripping with accusations. “The rune itself is just lines and curves, nothing more. The power to activate it comes from you. Without you, it would be nothing more than a fancy tattoo.” Mikel disappeared and left me with my guilt.
My emotions ranged from anger to guilt to grief, then finally resignation. Mikel was right. Raphael had always tried to help me in his own eccentric way. I needed to accept that I was more than I used to be and that I couldn’t go back to the life I once had.
I arrived back at the gates of Santuario several hours later. The guards opened the gates for me once more, and I walked into the courtyard. Adalina was talking to several of her warriors, and she looked up as I walked by.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
I ignored her and continued walking towards the tower, meeting Aneera at the door.
“Good morning, Darian,” she said in her soft, sing-song voice. Her shiny black hair was pulled into a loose bun on top of her head, exposing her slender neck.
“Good morning,” I responded. I hadn’t realized it was morning. It was the middle of the night when I left my parents’ home.
“Aneera?” She stopped a few steps away. “Where are we? I mean, where is Santuario located?”
She smiled. “In South America, just off the eastern coast. I was wondering when you would ask.”
I entered the tower and walked towards Mikel’s office. He opened the door as I was about to knock.
“I’m glad you’re here.” He stood to the side as I entered, closing the door behind me. There were two people already in his office whom I had not met.
“This is Juana and Eli,” Mikel said.
They both nodded at me, and Eli rose to shake my hand. He was not as tall as I, but most people were not. He was very muscular, his shirt barely able to contain his large frame. His posture exuded strength, and his intelligent brown eyes projected his confidence in that strength. Juana’s lean, muscular frame was slightly shorter than
Eli’s. Her long black hair framed her high cheekbones and black, deep-set eyes.
Mikel returned to his desk and sat down. “Please describe the key to Juana.” I assumed he was directing the request to me, since no one else had seen it.
“It was a small, leather-bound book. I don’t remember seeing any writing or symbols on the cover,” I said.
“Please describe your reaction to the key,” Mikel requested. “Juana will be the one to retrieve it.”
I looked over to see her withholding a grin.
“It felt as if I were drawing the power from the book, so much so that I couldn’t contain it. I had to sever the link between myself and the book to prevent being consumed by it.” I paused briefly, uncomfortable beneath their gaze. “I’ve recently learned that I possess a rather strange ability that allows me to manipulate the air around me, which, in this particular circumstance, also affected the temperature of the air around me.”
Juana smiled. “You mean you nearly caught yourself on fire.”
I looked at her with renewed interest. It was as if she knew exactly what I had experienced.
“You could say that.” I chuckled.
“And you were able to sever the link?” she asked incredulously.
“I think it was more like I had to. It was that or death,” I replied. “I felt like I would have left a huge gaping hole in the hallway if all of that power had been released.”
“So, what did you do with the power?” She still looked perplexed. “Did you push it back into the book?”
I thought for a moment. “No, I pulled it into myself.” Mikel looked at me, noticing that I did not reference the rune. I had accepted and understood what he said, because he was right.
“That’s astounding! Have you told Raphael?” she asked. “He’ll be so excited.” She smiled at the thought and my guilt rushed forward. I had not given him the recognition he deserved, and I needed to correct that.
“I haven’t seen him since I returned a few minutes ago,” I said. “I came straight here.” Then I asked, “Are you also able to manipulate the air around you?”
“Not really the air, but something similar,” she replied. “I also tried to catch myself on fire when I first realized my ability, but I have since learned to control it.”
I turned to Mikel. “Do you think the book will react the same way to Juana?”
“I don’t think so, her ability is different from yours,” he replied. “You seem to draw power into yourself, where she uses the energy around her.”
“I think someone may have seen me as I was leaving,” I admitted. “Or at a minimum, felt the heat radiating from me as I left.”
Mikel frowned. “If they realize that you were there, they may move the book. I suppose we need to find out.”
“I can go back,” I offered. “I could pop into the room, cloaked by my ability, make sure it is there, then leave.”
“You don’t think you’ll be overwhelmed by its power?” Mikel asked.
“I’ll be ready for it this time, and I won’t stay long enough to allow it to affect me,” I replied.
“Go now and come right back,” Mikel commanded. “We’ll meet you at the gate.”
I pulled my illusion around me and disappeared, traveling directly into the room to crouch beneath the window. There was a man sitting at the desk, with his back to me. His long, black hair draped across his broad shoulders. He wore a dark cloak that reached the floor, covering his body. The book was still there on the corner of the desk. I could feel its power rushing towards me.
“I know you’re here. Your impressive power pulls from the book.” His harsh, graveled voice broke the silence. I stood perfectly still, wrapping another layer around myself. “You cannot hide from me. I know you’re here to take the book. It calls to you. I wonder what would happen if you held it? Would you be able to contain its power?”
He stood as he turned around and looked at me with glowing red eyes that contrasted with his dark, scaly skin. He didn’t possess the horns or stature of a demon, but he was obviously not human. His expression radiated arrogance and condescension, as if I were not worthy to be in his presence. I knew that he saw right through my illusion, so I dropped it and rose to my full height.
“My, you are an imposing figure,” he said with a chuckle. “How are you able to stand in the presence of this power without becoming overwhelmed? Many of the Csökkent have tried, but all have failed.”
I remained silent. He shook his head in mock disappointment.
“You would serve me well. I can give you more power than you could dream of.” He looked at me again for confirmation of his offer. I still did not speak. “Such a shame to lose someone as powerful as you. We could accomplish so much.”
He picked up the book and opened the cover. My body arched as the power surged into it. I clenched my teeth, refusing to cry out. The man across from me exuded malice and hatred. I was a plaything for him, an experiment to see how much I could take. I was so overwhelmed by the onslaught of power that I couldn’t travel out of the room. I closed my eyes and focused on the rune in my back, severing the bond that was trying to form between myself and the book. The man before me gasped in surprise. Apparently, he had not expected me to be able to separate from it. I took that moment to quickly travel back to Santuario.
I landed at the gate and collapsed. Mikel, Raphael, Magdelin, Eli, and Juana were all waiting for me. I knew I was smoldering. I looked up at Mikel, and he stepped back in alarm.
“I need to release this, now!” My voice did not sound like my own.
“I’ll take him,” Magdelin volunteered. Raphael stepped forward, but she stopped him. “He’ll kill you if you go, Raphael. I’ll be fine, I promise.” She grabbed my arm and flinched at the heat, but didn’t let go. We left the gates and arrived on a large, flat plateau.
“Leave now!” I yelled at her. “I cannot contain this, and you can’t be caught in it. Come back for me when it’s over.” I watched her nod with sad eyes as she left. I released all the power that I had consumed from the book. It flared into an enormous pillar of fire, burning everything in its radius, except for me.
When I woke, I was in Magdelin’s home again, on the same bed with the same linen sheet. My head throbbed, and my body felt like someone had drained the life from me. I tried to sit up, but my aching head opposed the movement. I could hear voices in the other room, and I was fairly certain they were talking about me in their hushed tones. I rose slowly and moved towards the door, holding on to the wall for support. I stopped just inside the door to listen.
“I could see the fire from the next plateau.” Magdelin was talking. “I imagine all the villagers did as well. They will consider it a bad omen from the gods.”
“I’m glad you listened to him and didn’t stay. You would not have lived through that,” Mikel said to her.
“Was he possessed, Mikel?” she asked. “I saw his eyes, they were the eyes of a demon.”
“No, I believe it was the power that was trapped inside of him,” Mikel replied. “I would have seen a demon if it were there.” There was a brief pause. “I’m grateful we’re not fighting against him.”
I could hear Magdelin exhale. I decided I had heard enough and moved into the room with them. Mikel saw me first and jumped to his feet. I deliberately met his eyes and saw the relief flood through him.
“Let me help you sit down.” He took my arm and guided me into a chair. I noticed that I was wearing different clothes. I chuckled, and Mikel looked at me, questioning my laugh.
“I guess my clothes didn’t survive.” I laughed again and looked over at Magdelin with a more serious expression. “Thank you for leaving when you did. I could not have lived with the guilt of killing you.”
“What happened, Darian?” Mikel asked. I described everything that happened when I arrived in the room with the strange creature. Mikel sat in silence for a long time. “I’m not sure what this means,” he finally said.
“I don’t t
hink Juana will be able to retrieve the book,” I said. “He said that several of the Csökkent died just being in its presence.” I shivered at the memory. “I think the only reason I was able to leave was because I surprised him. He thought the book would kill me and didn’t expect me to separate from it.”
“Was Charles affected by it?” Mikel asked.
I thought for a moment about our first trip there. “No, I don’t think he was,” I replied. “It’s possible that Eli might be able to retrieve it if he doesn’t have any magical abilities.”
“Eli has his strength, which is considerable, but he does not have any magical abilities,” Mikel replied. “But he’s Juana’s protector. She will not allow him to do this without her.”
“He cannot protect her if she goes near the book,” I stated, remembering the immense force of the power trying to overwhelm me.
“They are different from you and me.” Mikel looked at Magdelin, and she shook her head. “That’s a story for another day, but they may be able to do it together.”
I was tired of their secrets and meaningful looks. I could feel my anger rising to the surface, then I felt Magdelin’s cool touch on my arm. I took a deep breath. “I think I need to find Raphael. I owe him an apology.”
“I’ll find Raphael and bring him here,” Magdelin offered. “You still need rest and probably something to eat.”
Chapter 8
About half an hour later, Magdelin and Raphael arrived with food. I was grateful for the food, not realizing how hungry I was until I started eating.
I looked over at Raphael, who had a strange, blank expression on his face. I was used to his emotions being displayed openly, so his lack of expression only deepened my guilt.
“I need to thank you for the rune on my back,” I began. “I would not have escaped the castle earlier today without it.” I assumed that Mikel or Magdelin had told him what happened. “I also need to apologize for not appreciating your efforts earlier.” The corners of his mouth twitched in the beginnings of a smile, but he didn’t say anything. I cleared my throat, trying to keep calm. “I assume you know of the event following my escape as well. I would appreciate any knowledge or assistance you have to help me control the power transfer between myself and others.”
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