by Kade Cook
“Even, Caspyous?”
Kaleb cannot help but chuckle. “Yes, even Caspyous. Be better than him and let his sins go. You must learn to forgive for your own good. It might be a good idea to face him and the fear head on. It is not like he is getting out anytime soon. This would be the time to do it.”
“But I don’t know how to forget what he tried to do.”
“I never said anything about forgetting—that stuff you keep to remain strong and alive.”
Chapter Fifty-Five
I See Fire
A flicker of red catches her eye as the Egni Elder approaches the deck. Tea time is over, and it is time to get back to training. “Good morning,” he cheers out.
“Morning,” they both reply.
The sinking feeling in her stomach releases strangely at the thought of training—a better focal point than the one she and Kaleb had been discussing.
Arramus claps his hands together and rubs them. “Kaleb, it is nice to see you back and feeling better.”
Gabrian glances over at her friend, unaware that he had been ill. He hadn’t said anything to her about it.
“Yes, much better. Thank you for asking, Arramus.” He smiles, picking up his tea, and sips at it, flashing Gabrian a wink.
“Alright, Miss, whenever you are ready,” Arramus cheers, moving his attention to address Gabrian.
“Oh, um, yeah, can I have just a second?”
“Sure thing, I will meet you at the center mark.”
“Great. Thank you. I will be there shortly,” she hums, waiting for him to take his leave then turns to eye Kaleb. “Why didn’t you tell me you were ill? I thought you were just avoiding me.”
A crooked grin tips his mouth. “I was, but last night remedied that.”
“Oh,” she says, “but why were you avoiding me?”
“Because after you slipped into that trance, you looked at me, and you knew what I was. I saw it in your eyes. The fear of what lingers inside of me. You saw past the human form, and I was unsure of how to approach the subject. I wanted to know my next move in case your reception to my secret was unfavourable.”
“What were you going to do if it had gone another way?”
Kaleb stands, clearing the table of tea cups and grins at her. “Doesn’t matter now, does it? Don’t you have a lesson to get to?” he says, edging toward the door.
“Hey, you are avoiding my question.”
He gives her a wink over his shoulder. “Yes I am.”
“Ugh.” She sighs. “Kaleb.”
She gets up to follow him but a large arm waving from the center of her lawn flags the fact that her few minutes to finish up are over. She smiles, returning the wave, and heads to the center, calling out her dislike of Kaleb’s vagueness over her shoulder. “I am not done talking about this.”
A faint reply starts Gabrian on her trek. “I didn’t expect so.”
Leaving the warmth of the deck, she jogs toward the center mark of the training area, baggy clothes flapping in the breeze. Irritation already starts to nick at her nerves. Seriously, can’t they train in something more streamline?
“Sorry about that. I just had something to discuss with Kaleb.”
“No worries, Miss.” The heavy look of frustration he had carried at the end of their last session is gone, void of existence. Today is a new day and a great time to put things into perspective, and since she found the cheat booklet in her secret room, maybe today’s lesson might not go as badly as last time.
“So, what am I going to be doing today?”
“Same as last time, only this time it won’t hurt,” he hums. “I think.” He chuckles, rubbing his hands together, then turns them palms up. “Now place your hands over the top of mine.”
She shrugs and steps in front of him, doing as he asks.
“Ready?”
“Sure, ready as I will ever be.”
“Just relax. I am not going to blast you into a ball of inferno.”
“Like last time you mean?”
“That was a slight oversight on my part. Sorry about that.”
“Mmhmm.” she teases, eyes wide with a pinch of fear.
“I just want to see if you can accept the ignition from me. I brought a fire extinguisher this time in case it gets out of hand.” Arramus nods his head to the left and grins.
“What? This is not a great way to settle my nerves.” Gabrian searches the ground for the extinguisher.
“Just kidding. It will be fine.”
“Can I have your word on that?”
Rolling his eyes at her, he sighs and flashes a grin. “Okay, ready? Here we go.”
She nods, losing her sarcasm, and focuses on the Elder. The center of his eyes brighten and light up like embers in the ashes. Small warm tingles itch the palms of her hands as Arramus engages his Magik. His eyes swirl backwards—a trick to engage her mind into paying attention.
Her palms grow warmer and warmer. She lowers her lids, feeling the soft heat flowing between their hands, and releases a low hum. “Whenever you are ready,” she says, waiting for the sting of fire to bite.
A low chuckle jars her eyes wide as Arramus takes a step back.
“What the—” she reflexively waves her hands, but he grabs her wrists. With a grin painted on his lips, he holds her hand in front of her face so that she can see the Magik burning in splendor at the tips of her fingers. “It is beautiful,” she coos, enchanted by the orange glow.
“Sure is, Miss. Welcome to Egni.”
Chapter Fifty-Six
Unorthodox Training
The next few weeks are more of a blur than anything else. Between the all-day training sessions, and after supper study time in her secret room, Gabrian is starting to learn so much. The books are playing nice and showing most of their hidden words. Even the invisible blockades have pushed back some and allowed her entry farther into the halls. Not much but some. It has been a steep learning curve, but she is starting to enjoy it. Now, if she could just stop sleeping, everything would be perfect.
The nightmares have arrived again and show no signs of leaving anytime soon. Even after hours of brutal, intensified training they find a way to creep into her slumber and deny her any rest—or peace, more like it. Dark hours filled with the same horrors of Caspyous and Cimmerian’s hatred as well as her blood-filled evil and monstrous acts against her loved ones. Last night’s episode involved Jarrison and Sarapheane being shredded apart because they could not reach the Veil in time to escape her.
Every morning, she wakes to Tynan holding her down, trying to sooth her screams, and the fear in his eyes grows darker as the days pass. At least she is not setting things on fire—only a few ripped pillows and shredded blankets are victimized.
On the upside of things, Matthias is granted access to the grounds to train her in hand-to-hand combat during the mornings before his classes. It is a welcome distraction to flush out her jittery nerves from the night terrors. Each afternoon, Gabrian is acquainted, met to bind, and trained with all the rest of the gifts in the Fellowship. She manages to keep her own special gift under wraps, thanks to Kaleb’s tea, and only explores that avenue under his supervision on occasional night treks.
All the elements are addressed except Cimmerian’s Derkaz gift. That kind of Magik is a one-on-one interaction due to its sensitiveness and need for minimal distraction—and the fact he is still incarcerated. She knows she will have to face Cimmerian soon to do it. Even though his act against her was not as malicious as Caspyous’, he still managed to destroy her, and she would have to deal with being in front of the man who sent her to Erebus. This alone is enough to trigger the nightmares.
Maybe Kaleb is right. Maybe it is time to try the forgiveness thing. If it will help her in the long run, then it is worth the short-term suffrage. But that will have to wait for just a bit longer.
Today Gabrian’s testing begins. It is decided that it is time she learns to defend herself against the forces she has summoned. She is not sure if it is th
e tea or extra circular study sessions in her secret room, but it feels like she is gaining control of her new world. Probably a little of both, and either way, she is glad to have it.
Having thrown the flowy and annoying cloth gi in the trash, Gabrian opted for her own kind of training wears. More sleek and snug, easy to maneuver without flapping sleeves that could slow her down or catch on fire. Crouched in the center of the training area, dews of perspiration bead on her brow, and Gabrian waits the next trial. Her eyes are pinched and senses on high alert. The first couple of tests are just a warm up. She knows they will progressively accelerate as she learns to respond.
Her skin tingles as the first strike comes. She dips to the left, feeling the heat of fire as a streak blasts by her. Grabbing hold of the flame, she spins within its momentum, absorbing its power, and wills it into ice. Whipping her body around, Gabrian thrusts the melded Isa Magik back at her opponent in a handful of jagged edged frozen daggers, sending them slicing in Arramus’ direction. Shifting quickly, he avoids the icy shards—pushing out a wave of flame to wash over them as they pass, turning them to liquid.
“Nice try, Miss, but I am fire. Those icy claws will never scratch me.”
Gabrian purses her lips, scratches the edge of her pixie-length hair, and watches the dust at his feet puff into the air as he marches around, gloating. A grin crawls onto her lips, and she rubs her hands together. A new plan hatches, and she is ready to try his hand. “Okay, again. This time I am ready.”
“Alright, here it comes.”
His hands face the sky as two spirals of fire spin off and shoot straight at Gabrian. She slips between them, catching them both in her hands, and thrusts them back from where they came, in swords built of long slim pointed ice. She flips her palms outward.
“I told you that won’t—” Arramus starts to complain just as the ground rumbles beneath him. A cloud of dust whips around his feet then climbs upward, cloaking his stumbling form. The Eorden Magik blasts his eyes with its tiny bombardment of ammunition, blinding him. His entire body shakes, and he falters to his knees. The earth beneath opens and consumes him in a thick layer of pebbles and sand, burying him alive in her strike.
Gabrian lowers her hands and tucks them on her hips, listening to the Elder curse, coughing out the grit and dirt lodged in his lungs. He rises to his feet, dusting off the debris, and rubs the grit out of his eyes.
“I win?” she chirps at him with a smirk.
Coughing up what sounds like a lung, he replies begrudgingly, “Yes.” Another loud cough. “You win.”
“Next!” she cheers out, feeling the joys of her victory over the Egni Elder.
Arramus takes his leave just as another Elder steps into position, grumbling to him over his shoulder, “Watch her. She cheats.”
“Hey, now, don’t be a spoiled sport,” Gabrian taunts him as he goes.
One by one, they test her ability to defend and offend, and one by one she figures the best counter action to display. Each one of her successes builds her confidence until Ethan takes his turn and steps into the ring. Her lips quiver, unsure of how this will play out. The only gift she knows that can outplay a Borrower gift is that of the Schaeduwe. Borrowers can only attack the auras, but the Shadow Walkers have none which makes them tolerant to the Boragen threat.
Are you ready? Ethan hums to her silently.
She nods, having no idea what to do.
Ethan’s eyes darken. The hazel of his irises are no more, the pupils dilating to consume his eyes in blackness. A shiver runs down her spine as she watches her dearest friend transform into something eerie and dark, wondering if this is what she looked like when she stole life essence. She weakens in his pull. Feeling him draw harder at the life force, Gabrian stumbles, unable to push him away, unable to hold onto her soul.
Fight back Gabrian, Ethan’s words bounce through the hollows of her mind.
I’m trying, she hisses back.
Lightening in the distance dances across the sky, catching her eye. This is a light of hope, not despair, as the air thickens with wild energy. She closes her eyes and draws in a deep breath, searching for the familiar sizzle, and holds her hands outward at her sides. It is different from the everyday household power. This one is cleaner and more eager to be beckoned.
Slender snakes of the sky’s Magik whip across the distance, meeting her demand, and crackle around her. Gabrian feels the intensity build within and lifts her hands up, watching the electricity construct a nest of pure power in her fingers. Spinning and binding, it materializes into a mini electrical storm. Darkened clouds rush in above her and release a loud crack that shakes the ground beneath their feet.
Eyes of the group volley back and forth then up to the sky, feeling the tingle of electricity in the air intensify. Something completely unanticipated is taking place. The hair on their heads begins to rise and stand on end. Whispers hiss over the training area.
“What the—” Ethan breathes out just before Gabrian claps her hands, releasing her hold on the Magik, and pushes it forward. It flares out in a wave of white, blinding him as it strikes him and everyone else close by.
The air surges with heat, and she grins, knowing it’s a direct hit with Ethan and that he will recover quickly. “I might not be able to stop you, my friend, but I sure as hell can slow you down.”
A white sizzling chain of light plummets from the skies, snapping loudly as it strikes Gabrian’s tiny form. Her body lights, throwing her across the grass, and she quakes on the ground as the remains of electricity sear through her entire body, leaving her nothing more than a smoking gun. Horrified Elders rush to her side. Kaleb and Vaeda step around the huddle to create barriers, using their earthly gifts to urge the skies to move along and carry their own Magik with them.
“Gabrian, Gabrian,” Tynan yells emerging from the shadows, laying his ear on her chest, and presses his trembling fingers to her neck, waiting. “There is a pulse,” he hisses, lifting her into his arms.
Ethan hobbles to the blackened center and hovers over the two. He stumbles but steadies his footing and lays his hands on her, gauging her energy level. “Gabrian, can you hear me?”
Tynan pushes everyone but Ethan away from her and cradles her gently in his arms, the tears already streaming down his cheek. Her body lights. Small sparks of the lightning strike bite at Ethan’s and Tynan’s skin from her as the smoky streams of her own Boragen Magik swarm around her. Her mouth falls open and a stream of it enters. Her eyes open but are unresponsive.
“Gabe, please, honey. Please be okay,” Tynan whimpers out.
She blinks and jerks upright, drawing in a loud gulp of air—eyes wide and wild. “Holy crap, that was some blast,” she croaks out, her voice sanded and hoarse. “Did I win?”
The crowd exhales the breath they had been holding. Tynan pulls her in tight and kisses her forehead as the others unclench and unleash their fears in a bout of grateful laughter. “Yes, Gabe, honey. You win.”
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Sickly Sweet Visit
Screams fill the darkness as well as a crackling light just as Tynan reaches Gabrian’s side. Her pixie long locks are damp with fear as she reaches out and clings to her uncle’s large form.
“Are they getting worse?”
She nods in in his arms, hearing her heart pound from within her trembling shell. Her wide eyes search the darkness for her mirror, desperate to see her face, and hoping it is not the horrific thing she becomes in her dreams.
“Oh, Gabe, I wish I could help you make them go away.”
Gabrian pulls his warmth in closer and mumbles into his shoulder. “You can. You can take me to the Hollows in the Covenant.”
He slips back from her and crooks his brow. “The Hollows? Why on Earth would you want to go there?”
“I need to find forgiveness. It is time to deal with my demons.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“I will make it happen.”
“Tha
nks, Uncle Ty.” She looks away, rubbing the soft flat stone on her wrist. “Can we make one pit stop on the way?”
“Sure, Gabe. Whatever you need.”
**
The slow beep that had kept the small Vindere youngling company is silent today as Gabrian peeks her head through the opening in the doorway of room 231. Already awake and reading a book, Rachael’s sweet smile welcomes her friend.
“Is this a good time?”
“It is always a good time to see your beautiful face. Get in here.”
Sauntering across the space between them, Gabrian sinks into Rachael’s outstretched arms and falls into her friend—grateful for her forgiveness and trying really hard to forgive herself. “How are you feeling?” Gabrian pulls away and settles on the side of the hospital bed.
“I’m great, still a little weak, but other than that perfect.”
“Good,” is all Gabrian can say. “I know it is early, and I am not going stay long. I just wanted to see you.”
“Well, I am glad you popped by. I heard the Elders have big plans for you.” She grins and clasps one of Gabrian’s hands with delicate icy fingers. “Silver Mage, so I hear?”
“Yeah, something like that. They are suffering from some kind of delusional high expectations.”
“Don’t put yourself down like that, you are special, Gabrian. Embrace it like the workaholic I know.”
“That is my plan. I am hoping to razzle and dazzle them all so they will release me from house arrest.”
“Yeah, I heard about that too.” Rachael bunches her nose, her body shivering, and goosebumps rise across her arms. “Sorry about that.”
“It is fine,” she hums, scanning the room. Lifting from the bed, Gabrian fetches a folded white blanket from the back of the visitor’s chair and lets her Egni Magik sink over the cloth. A delicate hue of her crimson gift spirals out in snaky streams, warming it, then Gabrian drapes the heated fabric across Racheal’s shoulders. Rachael purrs as the warmth coddles her chilled body.
