Kol glared, scooting away again. He controlled his temper just fine. He wasn’t cursing, yelling, or throwing his daggers and he certainly wasn’t setting anything on fire.
“What I mostly work with is something called a spark. Have you ever heard of it?” Arius leaned over the desk.
Kol wanted to scoot his chair farther away, but settled for staring at the wall again. “I might’ve read somethin’ ’bout it. Somethin’ ’bout needin’ it to live.”
“Yes. But sparks are very individualized. By looking at sparks, we can determine the level of our mages’ gifts, and detect the magic around us in other objects. I’m sure you have felt magic before, but you’ll have trouble staying in control if you continue to let it all in at random. But when you learn to simply see it, you can really start to know what you’re working with and block out all the rest. So, would you like to see if you can find my spark?” Arius held out his hand. “It helps when you touch what you are looking at.”
Kol shrugged and took the offered hand.
Light crossed his vision as Kol stared at Arius, brighter than the flames. Just like looking at the elf. Kol pulled away at once.
“What did it look like?” Arius asked.
“Fire, but it wasn’t just orange.” Kol faced the wall, looking at the stuffed drake. “There were all sorts of colors, and a power—an energy—like lightning.”
Arius’s tone brightened as if he were personally responsible for Kol’s success. “I’m particularly good at seeing such things and determining what it means. For example, when I looked at your spark, it told me you’re half-noble, fifteen or sixteen years old, and your gift is strong enough that you probably started using it as early as two years old—stronger than any half-breed I have ever seen. You’ve been exposed to larger sources of magic before and have cast some upper-level spells.”
Kol refused to be impressed. Compared to the mind-reading dragonet it was no more than a paltry trick. “So is that wot you do? Find and categorize magical things and people?” He turned from the drake. One of the trinkets on the desk caught his eye, a winged humanoid withered with age caught in amber, the size of a dragonfly. If the elf ever ended up here, Arius would be the first to stick it in a jar somewhere and poke at it until nothing was left.
“Sounds a bit boring, doesn’t it?” Arius said, oblivious to the horror growing in Kol’s gut. “Xavian and I thought so too. By the time we took our exam, we were beyond our sponsors and shared everything we learned from the two specialties together. So while most fire sages do just what you described, I do quite a bit more.”
Kol settled his face back into a sneer. “You play with water, too?”
“Yes, and other like substances as well such as oil and ink.” Arius’s expression grew vague and he finally sat down again. “And then there is the spiritual magic we found.”
“Spiritual?”
“Elements are a natural part of this world, and are relatively easy. They’re what most wizards use, but in our studies my brother and I stumbled across some history books that explained that by combining our elemental knowledge with some principles of an ancient religion, more options for our magic opened than ever before.”
“Like wot?”
“Well, for Xavian it was healing magic—manipulating the sparks and humors of a human body, using water magic to connect with the blood where the immune systems are stored. He studied in the Healers’ Guild for years to get it right and has been teaching it to me since he came back.”
“And you?”
Arius smiled and faded from sight entirely. “Manipulating light,” said the empty air in his place.
Kol made a move for his dagger, but then Arius reappeared, still sitting in his chair and looking perfectly calm.
“I think we’ve covered enough for me to answer your questions now.” His previous enthusiasm was gone. Arius now looked completely dry, almost stern. “Question number one. How are we different from Sorren? In our gift, we are not much different. Sorren studied with me for a time and uses spiritual wind magic—weather and teleportation. Then he shared it with the king and the masters on the council to use however they saw fit. He is a battle sage now. But after studying the ancient religion, where my theories have their root, I couldn’t take such a path. I wanted to use the new magic in a way that the ancients would approve of. And though it has put me at odds with the masters more than a few times, I still feel that way and have tried to surround myself with people who feel the same.
“Which leads me to your next question, why I want to teach you. I have several reasons. First, the one I actually share with the council. Fire. Some magic doesn’t come from studying textbooks. If you continue to drain magic at random, you will become destructive. You need to be in a place where your magic can be controlled until you can control it yourself. All those who inherit the ability to sense magic, whether they plan to be wizards or not, must study in the Tower until they can block out magic completely, using it only when they intend to. That’s how you control fire.
“Second, I’m a scholar and a teacher. It’s what I do. And third, you interest me. Your gift, your background, everything is a more interesting challenge than most of the other mages here. And you hate Sorren and the rest of the council wizards, so we already have something in common.
“Anything else you want to know?” Arius was smiling again. Both transformations had been so sudden Kol now had no idea what to make of the wizard at all.
Creepy as Sorren in his own right.
“Why don’t you take some time to think about it?” Arius stood and gathered a few things at his desk. “I have a class I have to get to anyway. Xavian and I run classes with all the mages in our specialization. We just teach them the basics, though. Will you be all right on your own for a while? You can keep on the books if you still don’t want to sleep—read them or keep flying them around until I can get back to you.”
Kol frowned. How did Arius know what he had been doing? Did that mean they already knew about the elves and dragonet too? Was anything in this tower safe?
The wizard turned away. “You think you can find your room all right?”
The one right next door to his creepy wizard master? Yeah, he might be able to find that. Good luck making him stay in it though. He had to leave before he dug himself in any deeper.
CHAPTER 29
AS SOON AS Kol was back in his room, he looked for the dragonet. Maybe they could figure out how to accelerate their escape plan somehow. He ducked under the bed and grabbed a few of the scattered books. Where did that thing run off to?
Knocks pierced his thoughts. Kol sighed and opened the door to a young man in servant livery. He bobbed his head. “Lord Nikolas? Forgive me for intruding, but Lord Arius asked me to inquire if you needed anything.”
Kol frowned over his stack of books. He got a servant? What would he do with a servant? The “servant” slid one hand behind the other like someone putting a hand in a pocket.
The servant was a thief—one of The Lord’s men.
Kol made the sign back and moved from the door to let the man in, but he still didn’t believe it. Sure, he had hoped The Lord would contact him, but in the same way he hoped the dome would just fizzle out or he hoped the wizards would decide he wasn’t worth their time and let him go. Kol had always known if he was stupid enough to be caught thieving, The Lord would turn his back and let him rot.
As soon as the door closed, the man slumped into a more natural posture. “I’m Jagg.” He pointed to a jagged scar running from his elbow to his wrist. “So, The Lord is rather surprised. Guess he figured if you ever got caught by the robes, heads would start rolling.”
Kol shrugged. “They still might. Once I ’ave the magic I need to bust out.”
Jagg tilted his head. “To do what exactly?”
“Wot do you mean?”
“Let’s face it. You never were all that good at working anonymously, and now you’re at the Tower. Your face is known, and they’ll have e
very incentive to come after you again. You may leave, but you’ll be ruined for street work.”
“The Lord’s done with me then. So why send you?” Were they worried he would squeal about The Lord’s operations? Did they really think he was that weak?
“I said The Lord was surprised by the lack of violence, not displeased. He thinks it shows more maturity and foresight than he thought you had. You see, while you can’t work the street, you certainly can work here. Learn the magic. Get to know the robes. We’ll be his eyes here, and soon The Lord will be able to tell you when and where to strike to bring this whole place down.”
“The Lord wants me to be a knife?”
“Not anytime soon, but the end game is coming, and you have a chance to play a major role. But you can’t keep showing off. The more magic you gain, the more you’ll be seen as a threat. Better to play it as The Lord says. Let them underestimate your abilities, then strike fast and hard with our support before anything unfortunate happens.”
“You’ve been watchin’ me. How long? When was all this set up?”
Jagg shrugged. “Been working here for years, but The Lord told us to keep an eye out for you. After your little friend brought the robe down on you and left you to rot. Didn’t The Lord tell you that keeping that thing around would lead to trouble?”
Maybe it had, but what else could he have done? Let The Lord’s men stab the kid while it slept? After Kol had drained its magic and brought it to Cain’s attention in the first place? “He didn’t even want to be there. I told ’im to run. But you saw ’im again? Where is he?”
“The Lord offered to send it home like you wanted, but it took off.” The man’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t have any idea where it could have gone? Or how to keep it from running off again?”
“Does it matter?” The kid should run all the way to its forest and never look back.
“Only if the robes pick him up, though The Lord just doesn’t like unknown variables in general. You know that. And he has reason to believe you learned more about that creature than you shared. That can’t continue.” Jagg leaned in closer, veins swelling in his neck.
Kol shook his head. “I shared what I thought was important.”
“You don’t get to decide what’s important.” The man struck Kol across the face.
He flinched, tasting blood as his lip swelled.
“You’ll only get yourself killed,” the man said. “Just duck and strike when The Lord tells you, and we’ll see if you learn enough on the way to contribute your opinion later.”
Flames danced in his head, wind circled Kol’s feet, but if the man was his new contact with The Lord, he had every right to hit him for his tongue, just as Cain had. Just as The Lord had.
The wizards’ tolerance had made him forget himself. “I got it.” He ducked his head.
Jagg leered. “We’ll be in touch.” He straightened, bobbing his head again as he left.
The wind escaped from Kol’s chest. Books struck the wall as the door closed.
Don’t tell me you are that stupid.
Kol jerked. Blinking at him with sapphire eyes, the dragonet sat on the bedpost as if it had always been there. “You saw that?”
Of course I did. You’re my companion. I go where you go. And if you want to talk to me, all you have to do is ask.
“Maybe you should pick your companions more carefully.” Didn’t take much of a mind-reader to figure out Kol wasn’t worth messing with. Kol tightened his robe around him like a shield and sucked on his bruised lip. Couldn’t the lizard let him lick his wounds in peace?
I don’t care who raised you. But you’re not a child anymore, and if I can influence the choices you make now, I will. And I’m telling you that continuing to go along with anything that man has planned would be beyond catastrophic.
“Killin’ robes? You don’t much like ’em, either.”
There are many “robes” I find repugnant, but I would never condone a massacre. Or work for a man who has worse morals than the ones he despises. You protected the elven prince, but this man will ask you to strike targets who might be nearly as innocent to further his own agenda.
Kol shook his head, pacing. “The Lord wanted the elf killed because he knew leavin’ it alive would lead to trouble, and he was right.”
He would have sent you here regardless. He’s not a charitable man. He knows what you are. He’s always known. He took you in fully intending to use you this way from the beginning. I know you’re smart enough to see this, but you continue to reject it.
“The Lord kept me safe for as long as he could.”
From what? He told you the wizards would see your powers as a threat and kill you for the crime of your mixed blood. That has yet to happen.
Kol stopped pacing. If The Lord hadn’t been protecting him, if Redd died for nothing—He couldn’t think about that. He turned back to the lizard. “Then wot would you suggest I do?”
Leave. Learn the magic you need and leave. This place may be ripe to burn itself to the ground, but you don’t have to be a part of it. And the next time a fool hits you for having an opinion, hit them back, or I will. You’re my companion now and I take it personally.
No one cared if Kol got hit before except for maybe the elf. Kol didn’t want them to. That kind of thing always had a price tag, and he could take care of himself. “You would like that wouldn’t you? If I suddenly decided to go along with your plans for me ’stead of his?”
You asked for my advice, and I gave it. If nothing else, my history has proven I cannot force my companions to do anything. But in this situation, I believe I have every reason to be hopeful, and that The Lord has every reason to be concerned.
“And why is that?”
The dragonet shrugged its wings. Before meeting the elf, you kept yourself isolated. You thought that once others knew about your magic, they would betray you, and your so-called lord was your only protector. But when your lord wanted to kill the elven prince, you stopped it. You continue to protect him now, knowing full well your lord wants him recaptured. Your loyalty is divided, and while your lord may not kill the elf prince himself, he certainly wants to make certain you don’t meet him again.
Kol shook his head. “I couldn’t help The Lord find Drynn even if I wanted to. He only stayed with me because I had something of his.”
You blackmailed a prince of Elba? The dragonet sent the thought as if it were the lowest thing imaginable, kicking puppies or something similar.
“It’s just a stone, but people thought it might be magic. I figured I’d give it to ’em in the kid’s place, but the elf was too stupid to leave without it. I tried to work out another way to buy The Lord off, but that is when Sorren found us.”
Aldrayndallen-Falberain had the stone? Not his brother?
“Yeah, I think I still have it.” Kol moved to his trunk, pulling out his old clothes. The green stone still rested in the pocket. He put it on the desk, and the dragonet flew over to it.
What made you think it was magical?
“I didn’t, but some other people thought so. Maybe ’cause it glows sometimes.”
You idiot. Smoke trailed out of the dragonet’s nostrils.
Kol tilted his head, too confused to react to the insult. “Wot’s with you?”
The dragonet shook, and the smoke cleared. Forgive me. You asked me about the Stone Shapers earlier, and I failed to answer. Maybe if I had, you would realize the grave error you have made. The Stone Shapers are the gods who created this world and its creatures. They each instilled a stone with a piece of their power, the root of the ancient magic Arius has discovered. The stones call different bearers to use their magic and represent that god’s interest on a council. They govern the magic of this world. Each time a bearer died a new one was called.
“Then wot happened?” Kol leaned forward, listening.
A new race appeared. The humans called them elves after the forest. The elves could do things the humans didn’t understand. They brought w
ith them a new stone from their own goddess. And then one of the stones that had previously chosen all humans chose an elven girl, resulting in a war that ended with the death of the elven bearer and the rest of the elves retreated to the forest. The stones stopped shining, and the council dissolved.
Listening to a dragonet’s telepathic communication, he could almost see all these events taking place in his mind’s eye. Kol wondered if the lizard had seen them as well. It claimed to be older than anything.
But it was said that the next bearer would come from the elven bearer’s line. So her line was made royal, and the stone has been passed from one queen to the next. With the death of the current queen, we assumed the stone would go to the High Prince until he marries and there is a new queen. You have just told me this has not happened. Any guesses why?
Kol frowned, tasting blood again. “The stone glows when Drynn holds it.”
The dragonet nodded. The first bearer in two thousand years, and you steal the stone from him. Not only did you take it, but you took it here, of all places, meaning the bearer will be drawn here as well.
“Wait, Drynn, he can’t come ’ere. The robes—”
Would want to drain his magic until they killed him. The final hope for the Bearer Council’s reconstruction and you sentenced him to death.
“I didn’t know. I’d never hurt the kid intentionally. I saved ’im, I—”
Smoke trickled through the room. Oh yes, you saved him. You were threatened by the Tower your whole life; it’s only natural that you should feel something for someone whose journey there would actually be fatal. Especially since you pointed out his magic to your band to cover for yourself.
Kol stood, energy rising, flames in head. “I never meant—”
You did it anyway. Tell me, does it actually work?
The Queen's Opal: A Stone Bearers Novel (Book One) Page 28
