“What’s this have to do with me?” she asked.
“Nothing – yet everything. You remember when I asked about the awakening? There were groups of Mages who hid their offspring with humans. Fearful they would be discovered, they blocked their children’s powers. Sometimes it didn’t quite work and some began to show latent talents, small things no one would pay any attention to, unless you knew where to look.”
“So what you’re saying is I’m one of these…children? And when Keaton found out I could do magic, he decided to enslave me?”
“No. I’m saying someone found out about you. Someone put a compulsion spell on that bag to set your powers free. The fact that you survived the spell told them you had a lot of power.
“So I figure they sent the MoonSkin to rough you up, only they didn’t cover all their bases. See, a young Mage’s magic is brought out by strong emotions, and when the MoonSkin went after Roo…he signed his death warrant.
“He didn’t finish what he’d been sent to do, but your boss is smart. He sent back up. If you hadn’t happened upon the Gate, you’d have been done for. I don’t think the pouch was the real package you had to deliver. I think you were the package and they didn’t count on you fighting back.”
“So what do we do now?”
“I think I should examine the pouch to see if I can trace the spell back to its owner. Or at least get some idea of what kind of Mage put it on the pouch.
Kayla thought about it. “If you think it will work. Let me see if I can find the bag. I think I remember putting it in my jacket pocket. If I didn’t dislodge it in the fight, it should be there.” She walked out of the room, not bothering to see if he followed. At last, she found the room where she'd put her stuff after her bath. She went to her coat and searched the pockets, pulling out the small, nondescript bag. Some of its glow had worn off, leaving her with the feeling of revulsion in the pit of her stomach.
Turning, she found Gannon behind her and thrust the bag at him. “Here.” Glad to have it out of her hands, she wiped them clean on her jeans, still unable to rid herself of its slimy feel.
“Can I take it? It might take some time to discern what I can from it.”
“Sure, no problem. Let me know if you find anything.” She walked him to the door, just wanting him to leave. She felt wary of the whole business. Roo leaned against her and Gannon took the hint.
“I hope you sleep well,” he said and closed the door behind him.
* * *
Kayla stumbled up a blind alley, running from something she could not name. It felt familiar. It had chased her before. She ran and ran. She couldn’t dodge it.
Nyx appeared, curled around her leg, moved away and morphed into a human. “There is nothing to fear. We are here. We will help.”
“Who are we?” she pleaded as he disappeared.
She struck the wall. Pain shot throughout her body. She flew up against a building. Hovering there, she spun, looking for what chased her, but saw nothing in the darkness. Looking down at the alley floor, she saw herself lying there, covered in blood. The sturdy form of Gannon came through the wall, knelt beside her, then moved up the alley and back again. She watched as he picked her up and took her back through the portal, then came back for Roo.
She sat down, put her pack on the floor, and waved to a few of the regulars before she nodded to Mable, who finished taking the order of a man near the end of the counter. Kayla could feel something familiar about him, but she shrugged when she couldn’t place it. She stared at him, boring holes in his head, until he turned and she saw his face.
“Nyx,” she whispered.
“We are always here,” he said and disappeared.
He turned and smiled at her. “Hey,” he said.
She lay on her bed, and pulled him close. Cuddling around him, she kissed him, nipping and tugging at his bottom lip.
He laughed softly. “Slow down, sugar. We have all night.”
Kayla sat up in bed, pushed her sweat-drenched hair from her eyes and cried. What the hell had just happened? Her dreams were a mesh of things she didn’t understand...Nyx, a man running from something…Gannon…it was all a confused mess. The last part, who had that been, she thought, rubbing her lips. She lay back again and tried to go to sleep. Troubled, she tossed, until giving up near morning.
13
Upon waking, Gannon grinned and stretched, mentally checking the Gates. Whatever had tried to break through had gone.
Then he remembered the pleasant dream he’d had just before waking. He smiled, having not had one of those kinds of dreams in longer than he cared to remember. He got out of bed and grabbed the bag. Hefting it, he thought it would be a good place to start Kayla’s training.
He stepped out into to the hall and frowned, smelling something cooking. He changed directions, heading for the kitchen instead of Kayla’s room.
Standing in the doorway, he watched her pad around barefoot. It felt good to have a woman in his kitchen again. Glad for her company, he went in and leaned against the counter before she became aware of him.
“What’s all this, then?”
She looked over at him, beaming. “Oh nothing. Just felt like cooking is all. I haven’t done it in so long. It feels therapeutic.” She cracked another egg and added it to the pan.
“You seem to be in a good mood this morning.”
“I’m trying to be. I had odd dreams last night and I’m trying to figure them out.” Her smile faded.
“Wanna talk about them?”
She shook her head, quiet for a moment before turning back to her pan.“Did you find who put the spell on the pouch?” she asked, nodding at the bag.
“Aye, I have, but I thought maybe you’d like to find out for yourself. The best way to learn is by doing.”
“Now what would give you a fool idea like that?” Tossing the spatula down on the stove, she crossed her arms and glared at him.
“I think you’ll need to learn everything I can teach you about your magic. You need to be able to defend yourself against someone trying to enslave you. I could leave you clueless. Then the magic will start to eat at you, until it controls you, or you kill yourself trying to do something too hard. Is that what you want?”
They stared hard at each other until she turned away. “All right, what do I need to do?”
“First, why don’t we have breakfast?”
* * *
Kayla turned back to the stove, self-conscious now that she knew he was watching her. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and pushed the eggs around the skillet.
“Hey, Jubi, do you want something to eat?” she asked the pot of flowers next to the sink.
“Nah.” The dark head popped out of the petals, covered in yellow powder. “I’ve already eaten, but thanks for thinking of me.” He dove back into the leaves. She laughed at him, then spoke over her shoulder, “Gannon, this is almost done. Why don’t you go sit down and I’ll finish up? You want some coffee?”
“Sure do.”
“What kind?”
“Raspberry truffle, if you know how to make it.”
“Yeah, I can find my way around an espresso machine.” She got out plates and dumped the eggs onto them just as the toast popped up in the toaster. She slathered butter and honey onto them and set the toast onto the plates, then took them to the table. She put Gannon’s plate in front of him and went back to the counter to get the rest of Roo’s breakfast made. She set the bowl of rice and tuna on the floor next to the counter and hit the button on the coffee bean grinder.
She measured the grounds into the basket and tamped them down and then placed the small shot glass under the spout and hit the button, watching as the thick brown liquid poured out, capped with soft froth. It had been a long time since she’d done this and she felt awkward.
She dumped half a shot into a cup for herself and poured the rest into one for Gannon. A shot and a half is plenty of caffeine for anyone. She quelled an excited squeal when she found his huckleberry syrup and po
ured it into her cup with trembling fingers.
“Problems?”
She jerked, almost pouring in too much and glared her displeasure at him. “No, it’s just been awhile since I’ve done this.” She topped the coffees off with frothy milk and brought them back to the table.
* * *
“So, you like to cook?” he questioned after a long moment, to break the silence.
“Yeah, I haven’t done it in a long time, though. I’m surprised I still can.”
“Why’d you quit?”
The air chilled and he saw her shoulders tense.
“Sorry. Wrong question.”
“No, it’s ok. I stopped years ago. I don’t really remember why. I guess it’s been since my run-in with the Mage Hunters. That was about three years ago, I guess.” Her face blanked as something brushed the edge of her mind. She shook it off.
“So where do we start?” Kayla asked, impatient to get it over with.
“Have you ever meditated? Calmed and stilled your mind?” he asked around the piece of toast in his mouth.
She thought about it for a minute. “Once, a long time ago, I would have. At times, I wish I could find that calm center again, but these days I just muddle through.”
“Then I think we should start there, giving you a place of calm in the storm of thought. I want you to visualize a place where you felt safe, where you were content.”
“What kind of place?” she asked, irritated that she couldn’t think of one right away. She couldn’t understand why she needed to in the first place.
“It could be anything — a boat on the water, a rock you used to sit on, your bed when you were a child. All I want is someplace you felt safe. When you’ve found it, I want you to describe it to me, where you sit, what you smell, the sounds you hear, so it’s firmly in your mind.”
She took their dishes to the sink while she listened to him talk. He got up and leaned against the counter.
“Let’s go to the gym,” he suggested.
“Okay.”
They walked, elbows brushing, down the hall to his gym; she loved the hard sleekness of the floors and the gleam of mirrors, though they showed her an image she didn’t want to see.
She turned her back on them and focused on him while they sat down opposite each other.
“Why do I have to do this?” she whined.
“Because when you’re working magic, you need to remain calm and stable, even in a turbulent environment. This teaches you to find your safe place, to still your mind, so you can focus on what’s in front of you. So begin.”
She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Letting the images flow, shifting through them, she came upon a waterfall where she’d often snuck off to, when she became tired or worried as a kid. She could hear the roar of the water on a hot summer day. The mist sprayed her as the wind blew. She tried to still her mind, grateful to be a part of it all.
The nature, the smell of the moss on the ground, the tree that gave her shade flowed through her mind. She took a deep breath and stretched out on the deck someone had built. The roughness of the unfinished wood scraped her skin when she moved. The birds singing and the light, the glorious light filled her, the light her world now lacked.
She opened her eyes and realized they no longer sat in his gym, but in the very spot she’d pictured. “How could this be?” she asked him as joy filled her.
“It isn’t important how we got here, but now that we are, I want you to close your eyes and clear your mind. Think of what you want to know from the bag you hold.” He placed the pouch in her hand. She closed her fingers around it, held her breath, and just let herself feel.
She began to describe it to him. “Overwhelming darkness, my lungs feel as if they will implode the pressure is so intense.”
Her eyes filled with fear. “This is bigger than me. It’s bigger than both of us and I don’t know how to stop it, or even identify what’s causing this unrelenting anxiety.” She shoved the pouch back at him.
Walking to the edge of the deck, she tried to let the sound of water calm her beating heart. She felt his presence behind her and he put his arm around her shoulder.
“It alright. The first time is the hardest, but it’s a lesson I thought you should learn. There’s always something bigger than you, badder than you. All you can do is try your best to stand in the way of evil. If you drop the sword, hopefully there’s someone standing behind you to pick it right back up again.”
It wasn’t what she wanted to hear, but she knew he was right. Maybe it’s time to take up the sword again, she thought.
“Can you take us back now?” she asked, hating that this had intruded on her peaceful spot. The light didn’t seem as bright, somehow. Realizing that this too would pass, she moved on.
“I guess we should complete the run and find out who held the other string,” she suggested.
He’d taken them to a combat circle.
“What’s this then?” she asked.
“I agree with you, but first I think it’s time to get some practice in before we go. You need to be able to defend yourself until I can fully train you,” he said, twirling a band of darkness around and around in his hands.
An unidentified terror hit her in the pit of her stomach. “What’s that?”
“This is what a slave collar looks like before it fits the Mage’s neck. Once it attaches to the Mage, it binds their powers, only letting the person in control of the ring use them. It makes them into weapons.”
The nudge in the back of her mind hit her harder. A fine sweat broke out across her body. She needed to figure out what happened to her every time she, or someone else, mentioned the Mage Hunters.
“So, what you’re saying is that they took people who could manage their power responsibly and enslaved them, then gave that formidable power to people who would use it without respect for the power they wielded?”
He nodded.
“So why didn’t the Mages just stand up and kick a little ass?”
Not answering the question, he held up a box. “This contains the collar. If you see one, run.” He set the collar back into its protected box. “The box shields it from stray magic.”
Sighing, he walked across the room. “There’s a man by the name of Connor, a brilliant man, born a half blooded Mage on his mother’s side. The full bloods treated him with scorn. The academies wouldn’t let him attend; no one knows for sure what happened next. Unable to take the ridicule, he vanished. People thought they’d seen the last of him, so what he did between then and inventing the collar is still a mystery.
“He caused an uprising. People fled into the Drifts, some to the world beyond the Gates, bringing pain and destruction in their wake. People who hadn’t believed in magic had it forced on them and made the whole mess worse, as far as I’m concerned.
“There was widespread panic until eventually Connor came out with his invention. People decided that they would cage what they didn’t understand and Connor ‘flew under the radar,’ as they say, having so little Mage-blood that he was considered a human with gifts. Much like you probably grew up believing about yourself. My suspicion is that the people Connor made the deal with are out for blood.”
Lost in thought, Kayla decided that grappling with Gannon was preferable to spending the day chatting. She threw a left hook, catching him off guard. They sparred until they were both out of breath.
“You’re pretty good with hand-to-hand. Where’d you study?” he asked when they stopped.
“Oh, here and there,” she said coyly, not wanting to give away the masters who had taught her forbidden arts.
He set his staff aside and wiped the sweat from his brow with one of the towels hanging from a rack. “Now that we’ve warmed up, why don’t we get serious and practice some magic?”Standing next to her, he pointed towards a distant practice post held firmly in the ground. “Close your eyes and visualize the post. I want you to see it engulfed in flames.”
“Ok,” she said doubtfully
. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and focused on the post, seeing it in all its detail. Her brow furling in concentration, she saw smoke begin to swirl around the post. Then she imagined it engulfed in a true blue flame, heat rippling in waves. She whispered, “Fire.” At Gannon’s gasp, she opened her eyes.
“Put it out before you burn the place down!” he shouted and ran to get a bucket of water.
“How do I put it out?”
“The same way you started it. All magic starts and ends the same.”
Faster this time, she saw the flames extinguish as she imagined water flowing over the fire. When she opened her eyes a second time, she saw that the fire was out. She looked at Gannon in shock.
“How? What was that? How did I do that? Did you douse it?”
“No, I hadn’t filled the pail before it went out. I think we’ve had enough for the moment. I need a shower and some time to think about your training. After we’ve gotten cleaned up, we need to do some recon on the building that you were supposed to deliver the package to. Maybe we should locate Keaton and have a few words with him.”
“Sounds good,” she said with relief, glad that the training was over for now, still uncomfortable with her new powers. Happy to find them already back at the apartment, she remarked, “You're going to have to tell me how you do that sometime. That’s one magic trick I wouldn’t mind learning.”
He frowned at her. “No one but me is supposed to be able to shift the world to suit my needs, but you’re right. It is something that we’ll need to go over. I’m going to go take a shower. Why don’t you relax or take a bath, whatever? I’ll see you in half an hour to go over some things.”
14
Yes. Why don’t I go take a bath, Kayla thought. The events of the last few hours had disturbed her and she wanted something familiar around her. She called Roo, inviting him into the bathroom so she could pet him and talk to him as she bathed. He made a good listener. She set off humming, glad that Gannon’s tub was so large she could submerse all the way under the water.
Unbound (Kayla Blackstone) Page 7