His words sank in. “You fought a berserker?!” I cried.
“No!” he said quickly. I knew immediately he was lying; I don’t know why he tried. To give him credit, he was generally pretty good at it, but somehow I always saw through him.
“You fought a berserker!” I repeated. “Here? In… in the arena?!” A flare of terror rushed through me.
“That’s not the point,” Danio said.
“You could have been killed!” I could feel myself slipping, threatening to erupt, this time from fear instead of pleasure. “How… how are you not dead?! A berserker…”
“Hey, hey!” Danio bent down and put his hands on my cheeks, holding me still and forcing me to look at him. “Cool down, I’m okay. See? I’m fine. You need to calm down before you set something on fire. Preferably not me.”
He was right. I knew he was right. I forced myself to take a couple of deep breaths. He was okay; whatever happened, with a berserker of all magics, Danio was okay.
I noticed a few light grays swirling in at the edges of his irises and focused on them, concerned. Was his shoulder hurting? I started to pull away, but he kept a firm grip, unwilling to release me until he was sure I wasn’t going to erupt. A wisp of steam curled into my line of sight and I realized in alarm that the pain graying his eyes wasn’t because of his shoulder.
Danio was too stubborn to let go of me, even if I was burning him, so instead of wasting time trying, I closed my eyes and did my best to quickly calm back down and lower my temperature.
“I’m okay,” I said finally, opening my eyes. He held my gaze for a moment to make sure, then released me.
“Okay,” said Danio. He took a step back and shook out his hands, sending up a small cloud of steam.
“Let me see.” I reached for one of his hands to examine it, but he pulled it out of my grasp.
“I’m okay, you didn’t get that hot.”
“Hot enough,” I muttered.
“The point you were missing,” he said, casually walking to the bathroom. “Is that Reave doesn’t remember. He talked with me about it and doesn’t remember at all.” Danio paused and ran the water over his hands. For a moment the rising water vapor intensified and he winced, then it stopped and he turned off the water. “And did you notice how it looked like he had a headache?”
“Yeah, I thought that…” I gasped. “Memory potion!”
“I think so.” He sighed. “Let’s get back to Tom and TS and see what… Think I’ll shower first.”
“Is your shoulder okay?”
“Yeah.” Danio grinned at me. “I just figure I shouldn’t smell like fire elemental.” He pulled me against him and kissed me. “One more thing to fucking worry about.”
I hugged him hard. “Go shower. I love you.”
He smiled and kissed me one last time. “I love you too.”
Chapter Three
Jen
The first time I saw Thomas clearly was a shock. I was walking down one of the hallways one night with a few blood casters and we passed a group of people who were standing around talking. I didn't pay much attention to them until I heard a familiar voice and looked.
There he was.
His hair was quite a bit longer than it had been almost seven months ago, although I suspected he had somehow gotten a haircut or two while here; it was similar in length to when we first met and I felt a lump in my throat.
I stared at him for a moment, longing to just rush over and hug him and tell him I was here and warn him about Alaria… Instead I had to force my eyes away and keep walking. As I did, I realized with alarm that if the potion didn't work to change my smell he'd know it was me. I wasn't really sure if I hoped he would or not.
Rak and Shannon both assured me that I smelled nothing like myself, but it had been a few weeks since I took the potion. Serana claimed it would last six months but I hadn't asked her if the effects would fade slowly or not; I wished I had. Then again there were a lot of things I wish I had asked her.
I watched Thomas out of the corner of my eye as we walked by. If he noticed my scent, he didn't so much as flinch. And then it was over.
I stared down at my feet, fighting the urge to look back, and ran right into somebody.
“Oh, sorry!” I gasped.
“It was my fault, sorry,” replied a deep, gravelly voice.
I froze and looked up at TS, heart pounding. For a moment I just stared at him, then quickly cleared my throat and reminded myself that I couldn't afford any suspicion, especially not with several blood casters standing around me.
“I’m sorry, sir,” I said, forcing myself to avert my eyes. I skirted around him and hurried down the hallway.
I felt as if I was holding my breath, waiting for someone to mention my reaction to TS. To my great relief, nobody said anything. I reminded myself that I needed to be even more careful.
After that little incident it was just another day, one that was beginning to blend in with all the others. Much to my frustration I had barely even seen Alaria; she spent most of her time following Reave around.
Our schedules rotated a bit; I woke up and reported to Kayla or Malcolm and they sent me either to serve food or to clean somewhere. Our wands were to remain shrunken down and tucked away in a secret pocket in our outfits at all times for, as Alaria said, emergency use only. She made it quite clear that if an emergency that involved use of our wands arose we were required to use lethal force to deal with it. If there were any non-humans left alive, we could expect the same force used against us.
When we weren’t working, we were expected to stay in the lower levels of the castle and out of sight. We took different shifts; some of us were up at night, some in the daytime, but there were always blood casters somewhere in the castle, keeping an eye on things. We were supposed to report any suspicious non-humans and I dreaded hearing that someone had caught the others; I was positive that they would be trying to find a way to escape somehow.
The only change in the monotony was the fight once a week. I was relieved that none of my friends were in the second fight, but it was brutal and shocking nevertheless. It was stressful enough to be watching; I couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Thomas and the others to know that any one of their names could be called.
The third fight night was the worst. There was a casualty during the very first round. Malcolm brought all of the new initiates down into the recovery room to see how bodies were handled and once it was taken care of, he started showing us how to manage other things in the recovery room.
I went through the motions as I was instructed but was still reeling from the shock of it all. I didn't think twice when Malcolm directed me to a cupboard and asked me to pull out a couple of logs and bring them to someone from the second fight. I nearly dropped them when I realized it was Charlie.
My alarm quickly turned to relief; he was just sitting in one of the chairs, looking tired but not worse for wear. His opponent had been badly burned and Sarah was sent to let him feed from her. For one terrifying moment I thought they had actually put Charlie against a vampire, but when the other man opened his mouth I saw the short, stubby fangs – a sure sign of a dhampir – and felt a little more relieved.
I stepped back and watched everything quietly as Charlie quickly burned his way through both logs, then dusted off his hands and left. I forced myself to turn away, aching to go after him…
With that another blur of the days between fights started all over again. I began to hear some frustration from the other newcomers that we weren't doing anything to speak of with blood magic or arcanism; they were reminded sharply by Kayla this was a six month probation period and not to expect anything until we had proven our loyalty to Alaria. The others were annoyed but seemed more understanding after that.
I soon learned that blood casters rotated in and out of the castle every few months. Some were at different points of their six-month initiate period, the start dates of which seemed to be random, and others were full disciple
s who had already completed their trial and joined Alaria’s inner circle; one of them I was pretty sure I recognized from Mystic Cay and I was thankful I was in disguise. The disciples pitched in with the same work as initiates, although it was clear we were expected to do the bulk of the dirty work. I got the impression that they were here not just to keep an eye on the non-humans, but to supervise us as well. It was one more reason why I hadn't yet dared to try and let the others know I was here, even though I was increasingly desperate to do so.
After we started to settle into a routine, I heard that Alaria was calling new people one by one to meet with her. When it was my turn, I didn't think I had ever been more nervous in my life, not even when I was walking into the meeting with the blood casters.
Kayla led me into a room where Alaria was sitting by herself. She looked at me with a smile I'm sure she thought was pleasant, but it sent chills up my spine. She waved her hand at Kayla, who bowed and left.
“Abigail, right?” Alaria said, gesturing for me to sit near her.
“Yes, Mistress Alaria.”
“Well then, Abigail,” she said, fixing me with a piercing gaze, eerily reminiscent of Serana and yet somehow more threatening. “Tell me about yourself.”
I hadn't expected this. Nobody said what they spoke with her about but I never imagined some sort of a get-to-know-you chat. I hadn't had any personal conversations with other blood casters and for a moment, I panicked, wondering just what I was supposed to tell her. Then Ember’s advice about telling the truth whenever possible so that you had less to remember came back to me. I decided that maybe some of the truth couldn't hurt. Besides, for all I knew Alaria would know if I was lying.
“Well," I said nervously. “I was actually raised by non-magics. I didn't know that I was a witch until I was twenty-one.”
Her eyebrows raised just slightly. If her expressions were anything like her twin sister’s, she was actually somewhat interested in what I was saying.
Encouraged I went on, “I was fortunate enough to discover that I was a witch before my magic faded.”
“How old are you now?” she asked.
I winced; I hadn't thought this part out very well. “Twenty-seven.” I admitted. One of her eyebrows arched higher and my stomach churned nervously. Not only had I just revealed to her I hadn’t been a witch for very long, I had also let slip that I was under thirty, which was considered an adult for magics. I hoped that I hadn't just inadvertently ruined things.
“And how did you come by…” She gestured around. “All of this?”
“Um…” I said, trying to balance the truth with what I knew would appeal to her. “Well, since I was behind other magics my age I tried very hard to learn as much as I could. I caught up a little faster than I expected, but I'd still…” I shrugged. “I'd like to be stronger.” She nodded when I paused. “I mentioned it to someone and she told me about… blood magic. I hadn't heard of it before. She said if I wanted true power… so I started looking into it. I honestly haven’t been a blood witch for long,” I added nervously, hoping it was the right thing to say. “Anyway, I was directed to a blood wizard named Morgan Fletcher; he told me I should go to a place called Mystic Cay to study.”
“When was this?” she asked sharply.
I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm and hoping I was making the right choice. “It was last spring. I um… I took a little while to think about it, but when I tried to make arrangements I was told I wouldn’t be able to go there anymore.”
“Indeed,” she said darkly. “Would you like to know what happened?”
I swallowed hard and nodded.
“A witch came to my island without my permission and started sneaking around. She killed two of my initiates.”
“I hope you killed her,” I said, praying my disguise was enough. Luckily she had never seen me, she only had a vague description.
“Oh, yes. Would you like to know how?” she asked, lips curling into a sadistic smile. I nodded again and her smile widened. “I used my considerable powers to sink the entire island with her still on it.”
“You can do that?” I asked, suppressing a shudder at the memory of the island cracking apart beneath my feet. Inwardly, I heaved a sigh of relief; unless she was lying for some reason, she truly believed that I had died on the island.
“Yes,” she said. “And that's just with regular blood magic!” My eyes widened. “But you want something more, don't you?”
“Yes,” I said. “I want as much power as I can get.”
“Why?” she asked.
“I… I don't know.” I acted like I was calmly thinking about it, while frantically trying to come up with an excuse. “I suppose it's because I grew up with non-magics and read about powerful witches and wizards in books and always thought it was just fantasy…” In all honesty, that actually wasn't too far from the truth. “Now that I've discovered magic is real and I can use it… I want to learn everything I can.” That actually wasn't far off from the truth either.
Alaria nodded, almost as if she approved of the sentiment or at least understood it. “Why were you raised by non-magics?”
“My mother married a non-magic,” I said, trying to look scornful. “And didn't have a permit from MES.” I spat the word as if I didn’t think much of MES either and caught her mouth twitch slightly into a smirk. “I was still a baby when she was killed by a vampire,” I lied, making it clear that I held quite a disdain for vampires as well. “I was raised by my non-magic father. He died when I was young and I ended up being raised by a non-magic stepmother. So, I was pretty far removed from the magic world as I grew up.”
She nodded along. “That must have been difficult. What about your family now?”
“My non-magic family?” I asked, trying to sound indifferent. “I moved to a different state and haven't looked back. As for my magic family…” I shrugged. “I don't know who they are. I just assume since they haven't tried to contact me, they're not interested.”
“Well,” she said with a smile. “We're your family now.”
I did my best to smile back. “A much worthier family, if you ask me.”
She laughed at that. “Yes. Let us hope that you are worthy as well.”
“Let's hope,” I echoed.
Alaria studied me for a moment and I tried not to fidget. “It must be difficult,” she said at last, “for you to bow to these filthy vampires, considering one killed your mother and stole several years of magic from you.”
“I look forward to the day I can sacrifice one of them,” I replied. “Besides, if I had started learning magic at the same time as everyone else, maybe my path wouldn't have brought me here, to a much greater magic.”
“I like you,” she said, with a sickening smile.
I forced myself to return the smile, glad that she liked me, but also repulsed by it.
There was a knock. Alaria lifted her head sharply and narrowed her eyes at the door.
“Enter,” she snapped.
Kayla slowly walked in. “Mistress Alaria,” she said with a bow. “There is a matter I need to discuss with you.”
“Discuss it then.”
Kayla looked pointedly at me.
“It is not something you can share in front of my initiate?” Alaria asked, obviously daring Kayla to say it wasn't.
“With your permission, of course, Mistress. It seems…” Kayla glanced at me again and I felt a nervous knot twisting in my stomach. “It seems that one of the initiates has taken a liking to the non-humans.”
“A liking.” Alaria repeated. Her tone sent a chill up my spine. Kayla nodded. “Who?”
“Sarah,” said Kayla.
“Explain.”
Kayla cleared her throat. “She has been seen serving meals to the same group of non-humans two days in a row, every time they come to the dining hall. She seems to be paying particular attention to a dhampir. They converse and she spends several minutes at the table. Once she even sat down with him. I just caught her in a h
allway speaking to him. Alone.”
“Bring her.”
“I will return shortly with her, Mistress,” promised Kayla.
Alaria turned to me as she left. “We pretend to serve these beasts, but make no mistake we are not here to befriend them.”
“I don't intend to,” I told her.
“Good. It will not be tolerated. We do not seek out the same non-humans, we do not hold friendly conversations, and we do not spend too much time speaking with them. We certainly do not engage with them alone. Otherwise, there is a punishment.”
“Rightly so,” I said, trying to sound as casual and detached as she was.
It wasn't long before Kayla returned with Sarah.
“You wanted to see me?” Sarah asked.
Alaria looked at her for a long, uncomfortable moment. Just as Sarah started looking nervous, Alaria spoke. “I hear there’s a dhampir you’ve got your eyes on.”
“Oh, Adrian? No, my lady. We just talk.”
“What do you talk about?”
Sarah shrugged. “Just… different things. We have a lot in common.”
“You have nothing in common with a dhampir!” Alaria shrieked, calm façade suddenly shattered. She rose to her feet, face twisted with rage. “Kayla!” she snapped. “Arrange for this Adrian to fight a vampire in our next fight. One of the ones who has a history of winning his battles violently.”
“No!” Sarah cried in horror. “We were just talking! I haven’t told him anything, I swear.”
“Yet,” Alaria growled dangerously, “you take issue with the idea of his death?”
Sarah paled. “No… Mistress. I… I won’t speak to him ever again.”
“No. You certainly will not.” Alaria turned to me with a sadistic smile. “Once you become an arcanist, you will be able to combine your different abilities to achieve remarkable effects. Even without a wand.” Her smile widened as she turned back to Sarah, furrowing her brows in concentration. “Kayla,” she said, without taking her eyes from Sarah. “Send for my other initiates. I want them to see this. Tell Malcolm I want to find Adrian the dhampir, I want to know everything about his interactions with Sarah and any other non-humans, and let Morgan know I will have at least one body for him to deal with.”
Rise of the Arcanist Series: Books 1 - 6 Page 66
