by Elina Vale
She recalled everything that had happened inside the Gates. Could she ever explain what she had suffered without giving away her identity and her participation in the Gate Run?
“How did you use the magic then?” he wondered. “Describe it to me.”
An image of the traveling gate she had created in the Run came to her mind. How much could she tell him? These Mairas were unpredictable and could become violent at the drop of a hat; it may have been wise to keep some of her secrets to herself. But she sensed that Mahox could help her to find the magic she had lost. “I don’t know how much I should tell you.”
“Why?”
She glanced around the ship. “I don’t think it’s a stretch to guess that I’m not safe here.”
“Hm,” Mahox mused. “Let’s make a deal.”
“I’m listening.”
“If I can fix you, teach you to use magic again, you will give us something in return.”
“I have nothing,” Shri said.
“You have yourself,” he said. “Our leader, Tarinna Goldring, believes in forcing her captives to join us. In the last few years, she has captured and conscripted most of our newest blood. But I know that the best and the most loyal soldiers are the ones who follow by their own choice. If we succeed in teaching you magic, you will be obligated to work for us for one year.”
“I...” Shri clutched the railing. “It’s not that I don’t want to, but there are important things I need to do on the mainland. My family is in trouble, Mahox. I need to help them. Aigon robbed me of that chance when he took me.”
Mahox stared at Shri for a while, searching out the truth of her words. “When you have finished your task with your family, you will join us. For one year, you will lend us your magic talents.”
“You would do that for me?”
“Yes,” he said. “Continue to fight us, however, and you will likely become a brood mare for some soldier on Thunder Island.”
“I’ll do it,” Shri said. “After I have helped my family, I will join you for a year. You have my word.”
“I will speak to Aigon.” Mahox nodded. “Tell me: when you used your magic, how did you make contact with it?”
Closing her eyes, Shri recalled her experiences with the raging fire. She remembered how she had created the portal. That one time, she had been in control. “I saw the sparkles... and I rearranged them,” she said.
“Sparkles?”
“Glowing lights in patterns.”
“Which patterns can you see?”
“All of them,” she shrugged.
Mahox snapped his eyes toward her. “All? That could only mean...”
“I can see all of the sparkles, Mahox. At least... I could for that one moment. When I was drawing magic, I could move the sparkles in whatever order I wished. But suddenly... I don’t know, I couldn’t anymore, and they... moved by themselves through me. Firestone thinks it’s because I’m an element senatai. Whatever that means.”
“An element senatai,” Mahox whispered, extending his arms. “Everything around us, even you and me, are made of these sparkles. Depending on your natural elements, you can command them the way you like. Let’s have a try.”
“How?”
“Close your eyes,” he said.
Shri hesitated. “This isn’t the way we trained on Senatai Island.”
“You are no longer on Senatai Island,” Mahox said. “Trust me. I am more powerful than you suspect. You can’t harm me.”
Shri closed her eyes.
“I’m going to test the edges of your fountain,” he said. “It will feel like someone is poking inside your head, but don’t resist.”
As he warned, Shri experienced something tugging inside her brain. Wind hurled around her, tossing her hair against her face, but she didn’t move.
Then, she saw it.
Her Fountain.
“Relax,” he said, as though he could sense her excitement. “Don’t reach for it yet.”
“It’s so beautiful,” she whispered. “I ... I can’t touch it. I still can’t touch...”
“Relax,” he repeated. “You can’t touch it because you’ve erected a barricade around it. Fear and regret prevent you from making contact. You must rest now, or I won’t be able to breach it, do you understand?”
Shri exhaled, allowing herself to retreat from the fountain.
“Now, I’m going to make a tiny crack in the barricade,” Mahox said. “You must allow me to do this. Do not give into fear.”
“I understand.”
“You will be able to reach through this crack,” he said, placing his hands on both sides of Shri’s head. “But you must trust me. Are you prepared?”
“Yes.”
Mahox fell into a deep state of concentration. Shri envisioned her fountain, glimmering right there for her to touch. But the second Mahox reached forward to crack the barrier, the fear of the burning fire returned. The horror she felt during her fight with Aldemar came over her, as though the trauma was happening again at that very moment, and the tiny crack snapped shut. The world became dark and cold.
She opened her eyes and met Mahox’s steady gaze. “I’m sorry.”
“Your barricades are thick.”
“I know.”
“You need to talk about what is keeping them up,” he stated. “For the moment the crack was open, the mental images I saw... what you suffered... almost seems impossible.”
“If... If I told you what happened,” Shri said, backing out of his grasp. “I don’t think you’d believe me.”
He glanced to the horizon. “I must explore the winds. We must move quickly before the winter-streams flow and winter-winds turn. We’ll resume our discussion tomorrow.”
After Jogen had shoved her back to work, and she was sewing the torn in the fabric with her cold-numbed fingers, she began to question herself again. What if Mahox couldn’t help her? What if there was nothing to be found on the Thunder Islands, and she had lost the chance to save her family? For the opportunity to find her magic, and a gut feeling that something important awaited her on the Island, Shri had bargained the only thing that really mattered: her freedom.
CHAPTER 13
SOME PRISONS WERE HARSH and cold. This prison was soft, filled with gentle kisses and sweet aromas. Javid rested on an enormous soft bed, unable to sleep after the lovemaking. He kept telling himself this was forced on him, but it was a lie. Shea had blackmailed him the first time and many times after, but today, he had desired it. He had enjoyed it. He had chosen it. Affectionate touches from both Doria and Shea, the way they made him feel... Shame burned on his cheeks. Javid despised both of those witches for the things they had forced him to do, but still, he desired their company.
He was weak.
Servants had wiped the memories of last night off the floor.
Blood.
A night filled with wines, lust, and horrible, experimental spells tested on innocent people. Everything Javid despised. Whenever Shea forced him to do this, he felt remorse the day after. This time, it had been worse. She had nearly made him kill someone. But she had him hooked with her words and hands and kisses–and she somehow commanded him with the stone.
Javid studied Shea, who slept peacefully next to him. Those mysterious lines traveling across her body were like scales underneath the skin. She was changing, not just emotionally but physically, and the stone had something to do with it. Javid was sure of it.
How easy it would be to kill her now.
She was vulnerable only when she was sleeping. He could pierce her heart, and all of this would end. He moved further from Shea, careful not to wake her, eased his way to the floor, and picked up his knife from the carpet. Sitting down again on the bed, he stared at the blade. His hand shook as he squeezed his fingers around the hilt. He wanted to use it, but he couldn’t. He knew he should kill Shea, but she had compelled him to love her. Yes, it was a combination of love, yearning, and hate, but it kept him prisoner. The bed bounced lightly, causing
him to flinch. He scratched his nails with the knife, hoping to hide his intentions.
Shea’s soft arms wrapped around him. She nibbled his ear. “What are you doing, my love?”
“Had a broken nail,” he said, tossing the blade to the floor.
Grabbing him, Shea pushed him on his back and straddled him. Her tender hands traveled down his shoulders, chest, and waist, and he couldn’t help but sigh. Her eyes twinkled, and she smiled softly, but Javid couldn’t return the smile. The stone was radiating heat, colored red as a rose. Whenever Javid looked at it, he felt dazed. What a terrible item of power. He had heard the rumors that Shea had been only a drokashai, but the previous High Master had used his last spell to provide her with the most powerful source of magic in the world.
“Can I trust you?” Her hands continued their play across his body.
“Of course you can,” he responded.
“Doria... I love her, but she has her own agendas. I require someone I can talk to. Someone who will keep my secrets and help me with my decisions.”
An idea flashed inside Javid’s mind. If he was in a position where he could influence Shea, he might one day have the opportunity to strike back at her.
“I wish only to serve you,” he said, and let his hands caress her thighs, slowly sliding them over her silky skin.
Shea smiled lazily and tilted her head. “I love your hands, my young soldier. They are sturdy but soft, and your touch is so... strong.”
“What do you wish to speak of?” Javid continued his caress.
“Mmh. I’m excited. I have ambitious plans, and one is about to take place.”
“What plans?”
“I’ve decided it’s time to let the world know who they’re dealing with.”
Javid’s hands stopped. “What do you mean?”
She let out a tiny, tinkling laugh. “I’m targeting a couple of places to show my true might. Some of my loyal senatai have prepared a spell for me.”
“Which senatai?”
“The ones who believe our order should hold ultimate power. The ones who know that the king is a fool who doesn’t deserve his crown.”
Javid frowned.
“You disapprove?” Shea asked.
“No,” he said, angry with himself for showing his true emotions. “It’s just that... You want the people of this land to love and appreciate you, don’t you? If you harm innocents, they will fear you, but they won’t love you.”
She leaned down, her breasts pressing against his chest, the stone oozing heat, and licked his cheek. “You may have a point,” she conceded, “but some will have to get hurt if I’m to prove my power and my will to use it.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Anger flashed across her face, and a tiny burst of black and red appeared in her eyes before vanishing as soon as it had come. She was about to say something when Javid placed his finger on her lips.
“You sought my advice,” he said. “I’m giving it to you. It’s up to you whether or not you listen. I promise these things you say here... I won’t repeat them to anyone.”
She bit his finger playfully. “Do you love me?”
“I do,” Javid didn’t even have to lie. In some twisted way, he did love her. And he was scared of her. How? He wondered. Didn’t I just tell her that those who feared her would not love her?
“Before long, you must share me with someone.” Rolling off of Javid, she got up from the bed and tossed her dressing gown over her body, loosely covering her nudity. She walked to the table in the center of the room, which lay cluttered with talismans and other items, and took Moongale’s sword into her hands.
Javid observed her delicate fingers dancing on the curving blade. “What do you mean I must share you?”
“You are magnificent in bed, Javid, but you are not a fitting husband for the High Mistress. I need someone with more... charisma. More maturity. A true leader." She smiled at her own reflection on the sword. "And I’ve found one.”
She was talking about Moongale. The owner of the sword.
“I must find his daughter before she slips from my grasp forever, but Firestone has hidden her well!" Her eyes took on an errant look. "There's something preventing me from finding her. She is a senatai trainee. I should be able to scout her, unless... Wait.” Her eyes flashed, and she dropped the sword to the floor. Spreading her hands at her sides like a bird's wings, her face lit up with magic. “I can scout her! Finally! She has been touched by the Black Star, and she is using magic! The stone knows where she is!”
The glorious light vanished from her eyes and she looked happily at Javid. “Something happened, I don’t know what or how, but I couldn’t scout her before! My sweet Javid, this is remarkable!”
Javid’s gut seized. He swore there was something he should be remembering. Someone he cared for... was in great danger. He could feel it, but he didn’t know who.
Shea twirled around. “Everything is happening as I planned. Let us celebrate!”
Tossing her robe onto the floor, she climbed back into the bed. Javid’s mind filled with pink haze, a mist that spread from the pulsing stone, and once again his will was not his own.
SHEA WATCHED DORIA’S eyes flickering with jealousy as Javid got dressed. She wasn’t sure if Doria was jealous of her or Javid, or maybe both. Javid ignored Doria’s leers and escaped the room. Shea smiled inwardly. Javid was still so young, so powerful and hot-blooded. But he was clever, and Shea needed his loyalty. She wanted to guide him. He would be her excellent tool and lover, her personal soldier.
Doria walked to the table and poured herself a goblet of water. Her glossy raven hair was tied loosely against her back, and her face was highlighted with crimson lips and black eyeliner. She was gorgeous, Shea could admit it. And she was a tool too. Shea had learned from the previous High Master that she needed to reward her soldiers for their loyalty. She had the perfect reward for Doria.
“Do you know that I love you?” Shea said.
Doria’s eyes widened. “I... My Lady, I love you, too”
The tables had turned. Before Shea came to possess the Black Star, Doria had been above her in rank; now, nobody was higher than Shea. Still, Doria was an extremely powerful senatai, and thirsty for influence. Shea would use her ambition against her.
“I know,” Shea said, swinging her hips as she approached Doria. The stone pulsed. It knew her intentions, and they excited it.
It whispered to her.
...Do it... Do it... Now is the time...
“But do you love me,” Shea asked, “or the power I can give to you?”
“You, of course,” Doria said. “I have my own power.”
Shea smirked. She’s attempting to play me as well.
“If I took away all the magical power you have right now,” Shea said, “would you still love me?”
“If you... took it?” Doria watched Shea cautiously. “Why would you do such a thing? Without my magic, how could I serve you?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t take your magic away.” Shea smiled, taking Doria’s soft hand and placing it on top of the stone. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t.”
Doria stared intensely into Shea’s eyes. Her hand was shaking slightly, but Shea covered it with her own.
Together they held the stone. The moment was intimate. Sensual.
“We are still young and beautiful,” Shea said, caressing Doria’s porcelain cheek with her other hand.
Doria leaned into Shea's touch.
“You are very beautiful, Doria. But time is cruel. When I think about old Aldemar and what time did to him... I don’t want to be old. Ever.”
“My lady... you are young and radiant.” Doria kissed her hand.
Shea smiled. “For now, yes, and thanks to the gift the Black Star has provided me, I will be young for a long time.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I rip, when I leech the life force from another person, I also take their strength and vigor. My aging is pre
vented by absorbing their own years.”
“How do you know?”
“The stone talks to me,” Shea said, sliding her thumb along Doria’s full lower lip. “But you, Doria, you will get old. You are approaching forty years, aren’t you? Before long, you’ll have your first wrinkles, your first gray hair. Time is a thief.”
“I understand, milady. You needn’t sleep with me when I’m old. But please...” Doria closed her eyes. Her dark lashes created shadows over her cheeks as she whispered the words. “Don’t send me away.”
“Oh no! You don’t understand. I don’t want to send you away, not ever. I want to share my secrets with you. I want to offer you tools to rip the young and remain beautiful for hundreds of years. By my side, Doria, you will always remain beautiful. I don’t abandon my friends. Loyalty will always be rewarded.”
Doria’s eyes filled with hesitation. She lowered her gaze. “I will do anything to be with you.”
Shea lifted Doria’s jaw, still holding their joined hands on top of the stone. “Look at me. The way I can give you the power to rip is simple. You must surrender to the stone and deliver it a piece of your soul. If you give it willingly, the stone will teach you its secrets.”
Doria was silent for a moment, but Shea understood what was going through her head. Only a fool would agree to such a deal without deliberation, and she was no fool. But the opportunity to make contact with the Black Star... the power it could give her...
“Yes.”
“But you must understand, when the Star has a piece of your soul, you will always belong to it, and to me,” Shea warned. “I am one with the power of the stone.”
Doria leaned forward and kissed Shea gently on her lips. “I am not frightened. My place is at your side, for as long as we live.”
