by Elina Vale
Shea smiled. Her struggles with the world, her hatred and scheming, would take their toll, but Doria understood magic, more than Shea herself did, and her loyalty was the rock that kept Shea grounded. Now, Doria’s thirst for power and knowledge would tie her to Shea forever.
“Let’s be one, my love, forever.”
Shea opened her mind to the Black Star and let its power rush through her. Doria’s fingers cramped around the stone, and she tossed her head back, screaming in agony. Shea watched in amazement, her heart racing as Doria willingly tolerated the pain. The senatai pushed her other hand into Shea's hair and squeezed. The ensuing sting in Shea’s scalp thrilled her. She could feel the sexual tension building between them. Doria's expression was both agony and delight. The power grew, the rush was excruciating and overwhelming, hurling through their veins, through their entwined fingers, creating sparks around them. It swooshed through Doria's fingers, clutched in Shea's hair. It bound them together, and when it stopped, they both groaned and collapsed onto the floor, where lay they in a heaving, sweaty tangle of limbs and flesh.
Shea could feel Doria inside her mind. From now on, she could always know where Doria was.
When Doria opened her eyes, they were tinged with a slight flicker of red. It had worked. She leaned closer and kissed Shea passionately, tearing away her sheer robe. Shea’s heart flickered, and the stone whispered.
The first of many. It has begun.
CHAPTER 14
SHRI SAT ON THE DECK with Mahox. She secretly hoped he would have had some other methods to help her, but as it turned out, meditation was also included in the Mairas’ senatai training. Not Shri’s strength. She required action, not to sit still and do nothing.
“You can see your fountain, can’t you?” Mahox said.
“Yes.”
“Touch it.”
Shri missed the rush, the excitement of the magic, but it had been so powerful... Nobody should have been able to possess that kind of power.
“What’s preventing you from touching it?”
“I’m afraid I can’t manage it,” Shri whispered. What would Mahox think if he knew Shri had once committed the forbidden spell of ripping? He shouldn’t even know she could touch the element of ghost. When she had mention it during their first meeting, she knew that he would take it as a poor joke. But such abilities could get her tossed off the ship, or worse, killed.
“What if I can’t handle it? What if I burn the ship? What if the magic makes me do something... I wish I hadn’t done?”
“You are responsible for your own actions. You can never blame the magic. The magic is a tool; it is the caster who commands it. But yes, you are right. You need to be in control.” He stood up and gazed at the clouds, watching them travel across the sky in purple hues. “Don’t fight with the elements. Think of them as your friends. Caress them. Talk to them. You are merely a vessel for the power, and you need to direct...”
His words trailed away as he stared intently at the horizon. Shri stood up and looked too, but she saw nothing.
“What is it?”
“Quiet.” He thrust his hand up and stood silent for some time, examining the crew around him. They had all stopped their chores and watched him, waiting.
“A storm,” Mahox finally announced. “A ferocious storm, heading this way. Make preparations!”
Shri’s pulse quickened, and she began to sweat. A storm. She wallowed in the terrible images the word conjured in her head, and let her eyes linger in dark waves beside the ship. She had seen how the rough winds made the sea churn. The ocean would turn into a raving monster, devouring everything. But she had observed the phenomenon from dry land. Now, she was on a ship. In the middle of it. She glanced around, and everyone seemed to know what to do. Nobody looked scared, only determined.
Mahox nodded at Shri. “You should go below deck.”
Shri swallowed. Below... Closed in, stifled as the waters foamed around her. She shook her head. “I would rather not.”
“That’s an order,” Mahox said. “Oh, that’s right. You’re afraid of the water.”
Shri nodded in admittance. Her pride was less important than her life ending underwater. “I... I can’t swim, and I have never been on a ship during a storm.”
Mahox frowned and observed the crew running past them. “Roxana!”
The woman pulled to a halt and turned around, looking guilty. She took a few running steps to reach them. “Yes, my lord?”
“What are you doing out of your cell?”
Roxana’s eyes shifted nervously.
“Never mind,” Mahox said. “Shri cannot swim. It is your responsibility to keep her safe.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Can’t swim? Surely, everyone knows how to swim! Even all the landbounds I’ve met. Is something wrong with her?”
Shri blushed. “I’ve lived in a desert my whole life. I’ve never seen water bigger than a puddle. Where should I have learned to swim? In the sand?”
Roxana stared at her silently for a while and then burst into laughter. “Swim in the sand? Hilarious!” Her shoulders bounced with glee.
Mahox nodded. “Go on, now, the storm will be overhead in an hour, perhaps less.”
When the storm came, Shri knew she had no choice but to ride it out. Roxana didn’t seem to care about the chaos, even as it made the whole ship squeal. She had tossed Shri into her cabin and returned to her place in the dungeons. Shri lay on her bed, trying to maintain her sanity, but the rocking chandelier alone made her heart clench.
She stumbled up and walked to the porthole, peering through to view a tempest of dark waves battering the hull. The ship pitched to the side, causing Shri to squeeze the frame of the porthole. They were riding an enormous wave. She squinted, straining to look at the ominous clouds spreading from the dark horizon. The clouds were an abnormal color. They were black and purple, swirling in circles. Occasional orange lightning flashed within. This was no ordinary storm.
It was a magical storm.
It traveled much lower than a normal storm would, but it was far more intense. A magical storm... It could only suggest one thing.
The High Mistress had found her.
Whatever the cost, she had to warn Mahox.
As she opened the door, she was tossed into the hallway, against the wall. The ship squealed. The whole thing was crooked, and walking was difficult. Stumbling to the stairs, she managed to climb up. She wanted to stay below deck to be safe from the water and the wind, but she needed to see what was happening.
Three senatai poised on deck, their hands lifted high. Mahox stood beside them silently, his eyes closed. His coat flapped wildly in the wind. One strong thrust from the elements nearly knocked him over, and he had to take two steps backward to stay on his feet. But he fixed his posture and kept his eyes closed.
A bright blue light appeared, dancing on top of the water.
Shri’s heart skipped a beat.
It was a traveling portal. A big one.
Mahox gave a single shout, and quickly the deck was full of people. The light started to expand, and soon it was tremendous. Shri had never seen a portal of that size. Next, there was a flash, and a small ship appeared beside the Mairas’ floating castle. A black-robed crew stood on its upper deck.
Senatai of the Spike.
The three Maira senatai held their hands upward. In an instant, a light blue bubble covered the deck, and Shri remembered Eavan using the same protective shield. In fact, she remembered doing it herself against Doria Tamarian. Salvo from the attacking senatai hit the shield, but it didn’t break.
A noise behind Shri startled her, and she turned around to find an unfamiliar male senatai. She reacted instantly. Diving through the hatch, she fell to first deck, rolled across the floor, and then fell through the second hatch, all the way to the dungeons. Landing painfully on her feet, she felt a crack in her left leg. Roxana stood by the bars of her cage, alerted. The door was ajar. She stared at Shri, who lay squirming on the floor, re
pressing her urge to scream.
“Shri, what’s happening? Are we under attack?”
“Roxana... they’re here for me.”
“Who is after you?”
“The senatai of the High Mistress.”
“The High Mistress is after you?” Roxana cackled.
The senatai who was after Shri emerged from the hatch above. He floated down with magic, landing softly on the floor. “Come with me, Shri Moongale, and I will not hurt you. Refuse, and this ship, along with your friends, will sink.”
“Not a chance!” Shri shouted.
“High Mistress Shea will have you, regardless of what you desire.”
“Beloved Daughters,” Roxana murmured. “You were telling the truth.”
He pointed at Shri, sending a nest of black, snake-like ropes slithering towards her. They wound around her and lifted her up in the air. She struggled to break free.
“There’s no point in fighting,” he said. “The High Mistress will reshape the land under the guidance of her benevolent hand. You will help her.”
“I will do no such thing,” Shri returned. “Shea’s benevolent hand slaughters and enslaves innocent people!”
“It’s critical to make some sacrifices in order to gain something bigger,” he said. “She is offering you a chance to rule beside her, young one.”
“I will not serve her.”
“Then you will die.”
The ship trembled. Shri glanced at the ceiling. “The senatai on this ship are stronger than you know! You won’t escape!”
“My colleagues will keep the pathetic pirate-senatai occupied.” Blue light shimmered in the air as he began to summon a traveling gate.
“No!” Shri attempted again to break the invisible ropes around her. If she met the High Mistress without her magic, she wouldn’t stand a chance. She was defenseless without her magic.
Roxana leapt on the senatai from behind. The air ropes vanished, the blue light of the gate blinked out, and Shri dropped to the floor.
The senatai tossed Roxana over his shoulder and pinned her to the ground with his magical ropes. “Stupid pirate. What chance do you stand against an acolyte of the Spike?”
Roxana squealed as the vines tightened. Shri took a step forward, but the senatai thrust his other hand at her, and another black rope emerged, twining around her and pinning her arms to her side.
“Why the High Mistress wants you is beyond me,” he said. “Don’t consume your energy. You will need it in the Spike.”
Was this a way back to Ironflare? Back to the Pit? They were still there... Susu, Papa, Mother, all the innocent people. They would become casualties of the upcoming war, and if there was no war, the wicked magic users of the Spike would strip them of all hope. Maybe this was the way back...
No. No, I’m not ready yet. I need my magic.
Shri’s barricades cracked. Something within her broke.
I need to learn more to help Papa. I made a deal with Mahox. I will learn!
Her fountain broke free.
It was there, beaming it’s alluring light and calling her to grasp it. She expanded her mind and relaxed her body. The second her enemy turned his attention to Roxana, Shri circled her mind around her source of magic, discarded her fears, and plunged into it.
The energy gushed through her. Her eyes sparkled, her skin tingled. Warmth and power rushed through her veins. The feeling was glorious.
I’m drawing magic. And it isn’t burning me.
Taking a deep breath, Shri opened her eyes.
She saw the sparkles around her. They were in the ropes that held her and Roxana prisoner. With the power of her will alone, she broke the chain of sparkles and the ropes withered away like dead snakes. The senatai regarded her with surprise, but with a thrust of her hand, Shri tossed him away from Roxana, smashing his body against the wall. He dropped like a wet rag. The second the sizzling power inside Shri started to burn, she cut off the magic.
The world became the dull and gray place it had been.
I did it! Just like that, I grasped the magic when I needed it, and I stopped it when I needed it to be over!
As she knelt beside Roxana, she winced from the pain in her leg, which she had stopped feeling while drawing magic. She held her gorge as a wave of nausea came over her, but after a few breaths, she was able to hold the food down.
“Many thanks, Shri,” Roxana croaked.
A blue light flashed in the corner. The senatai had woken up and retreated.
“We should have killed him,” Roxana said, looking worried.
Shri struggled to get on her feet but the pain in her leg forced her down. “Help me up.”
“You should be healed.”
“I want to see what’s happening up on deck. If anyone here dies because of me...”
“All right, let’s go.” She grabbed Shri under the arm and hoisted her up easily. “But you should know that being in our ship means you are one of us.”
“But Jogen says...”
“Never mind what Jogen says. That man has made mistakes of his own, and he has a lot to prove. If one of us dies defending our own, it brings honor upon us, not shame. Come on, little senatai. I’ll support you.”
Together, they climbed the stairs. The emotional and physical rush of the magic had been brilliant. Shri had dominated it, hadn’t she? Everything seemed to happen automatically. The sparkles obeyed her, and she barely had to think to send her attacker flying. Nevertheless, she was disturbed. When she had drawn from the fountain, there had been... something? Something extra that shouldn’t be there. She didn’t recognize what it was, but it left a “tainted” taste in her mouth and sat uneasily in her stomach.
There was something wrong in her magic. Like a stain. Now, she was certain.
She staggered up the stairs with Roxana. The ship quivered, then lurched, and Shri stumbled, laying her weight on her healthy leg. Roxana seized her arm and held her until she regained her balance. Soon, they reached the small cabin on the deck. Staying low, they peeked through the window. Shri noted how the Maira were standing alert, weapons up but not attacking. One male senatai was kneeling, clearly struggling against some form of magic. Mahox and two others were standing quietly, staring at the sea.
“Why isn’t Mahox doing anything?” Shri whispered. “His hands are just hanging there.”
“I’m certain he’s busy. You really should trust in him.”
Shri stared in disbelief. The shield of air around the Maira ship was clearly fading away, and a dozen Spike senatai were striking it with various elements. If the magic got through, she and her allies would be doomed. These Mairas clearly didn’t have a clue about what the warriors of the Spike could do.
Restless movement on the other ship’s deck caught Shri’s attention. She saw a glimpse of something enormous in the corner of her eye. Gigantic waves, tall as the Spike itself, approached the enemy ship from both sides, like massive walls closing in on the poor vessel. Blue traveling portals flashed across the ship’s deck as the senatai fled one by one.
“HOLD ON!” Aigon shouted with his steady voice.
The Mairas crouched as one and grabbed hold of anything nailed down. Shri grabbed the window frame as the waves hit the senatai ship. The Maira ship took the full brunt of the wake, surging up with the ocean and tipping onto its side. Terror gripped Shri’s soul; she was certain the ship was about to capsize. She shut her eyes and held as tightly as she could, praying that the ship wouldn’t flip over.
Roxana gave out a fierce laugh, her legs swinging freely in the air as she clung to the door frame. “Don’t worry, Shri! This vessel will never capsize! Never!”
“Yes, it will!” Shri frantically shouted.
“The ship is built for this, and Mahox knows what he’s doing! Oh, Mother, I love the sea!”
Slowly, the ship started to straighten up, and Shri let the air out of her lungs.
When the world was upright once more, Roxana wrapped her arm around Shri, and they li
mped toward the cabin. The Mairas smiled and patted each other’s shoulders to acknowledge their victory, but soon they drifted back to their ordinary chores, like nothing had happened.
Mahox approached Shri and Roxana. “What happened to your leg, Shri?”
“There was one of them inside, senatai,” Roxana said.
“Really? How?”
“He materialized through a gate,” Shri said.
“Why did he appear below deck?”
“Why?” Roxana said. “I’ll tell you why: he said the High Mistress of the Spike wanted Shri!”
Shri gave her a sour glance, but she allowed it to fade. Maybe she could still protect her secrets.
Mahox stared at Shri. “They were after you?”
She nodded.
“Why?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered.
Mahox trained his eyes on Roxana. “And you, you shouldn’t be up here.”
Roxana nodded. “I know, I know. I had to help Shri. She saved my life down there. I’ll go back to the dungeons, senatai.”
“Quickly,” Mahox said.
Shri grabbed Roxana’s sleeve. “Roxana... Thank you for helping me.”
“It’s my duty.” She shrugged. “You are one of us, ain’t you?”
Once she was gone, Shri collapsed under the pain of her fractured leg. “How did she get out from the cell anyway?”
Mahox knelt to place his hands on her broken leg. The tingle of a healing spell traveled through her bones. “The cell isn’t locked. She is administering her own punishment.”
Shri lay on her back, staring at the clouds as they began to fade. “So, she isn’t forced to be in there?”
“Of course not.” Mahox stared at her boldly. “Why are they after you?”
“It’s impossible to tell. It has something to do with my skills.”
He frowned at her. “They came after you when we removed the ma'tera. It was hiding you from them.”
“I thought as much.”
“We can’t allow that to happen again.” Taking a black ball from his pocket, he slapped a new bracelet onto Shri’s wrist.
Right when she had found the magic, she had lost it again.
