by M. D. Grimm
“Shall we begin?”
I scream as he attacks me with magick.
Chapter Eleven
Morgorth
I slept restlessly, one disrupted with horrific images, and a feeling of dread lodged itself in the pit of my stomach. I couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong. Something was wrong with Aishe. I woke up early and didn’t bother eating. When I left the inn with his bag and my own, I was surprised to find Master Ulezander standing outside. Waiting for me.
It worried me more.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
Master Ulezander turned to me from his contemplation of the town and smiled slightly. “Nothing is wrong. Calm yourself.”
My shoulders loosened, and yet the dread in my stomach remained. “Did you return Olyvre home?”
“I did. Despite all that happened, he looked composed. Though I doubt he will want to spend time among mages anytime soon.”
“I can’t blame him.”
“He had many good things to say about you.”
I felt my face heat.
“He also had a good many questions for me.”
“Why?”
“He wanted to know what would happen to you, if you were in danger. When he found out I was your mentor, I could barely get a word in edgewise.”
I laughed. “Yeah, that’s Ollie. He probably asked me the same things he did you. I told him what I could. I guess he wanted a second opinion.”
Master Ulezander nodded.
“Did Elissya return home?” I asked.
“Yes. She asked me to tell you goodbye and that she hopes you will visit her soon.”
I smiled. “She was great, wasn’t she?”
Pride brightened his eyes. He adored his great-something niece, and it was nice to see that though she didn’t have my caliber of strength, she still had her own tricks. She was always good at the subtle things.
“Did she tell you how she caught him?” I asked.
“Lying in wait under a veil. As soon as Elorn killed Dyrc, she covered herself and followed him. When he made it outside, she conjured a rock and struck him in the head.”
I chuckled darkly. “I like that part.”
“Yes.” Master Ulezander watched me closely.
I met his gaze. “What’s on your mind?”
“Walk with me.”
I sighed. We were going to have a talk. He gave me a sharp look, and his gaze showed amusement at my reaction. We moved away from the inn and toward the edge of the town. Townsfolk ran by, all seelas. Children screamed and chased each other, mothers called out to them, men shouted good-naturally at each other. It was all so, well, normal, I guess. Simple. Strange to see, really, considering what happened at the Tower. Life went on.
“You did well. After reviewing it all, you did very well.”
His praise made me stand taller, although my feelings for him were still mixed. He’d kept so much from me, and he’d known so much about my family, but I was still grateful he’d stuck his neck out for me all those years ago. That he continued to stick his neck out.
“Thank you.” I eyed him. “I could see I worried you at certain moments.”
“Hmmm.”
I grinned.
“I’m impressed with how you handled the crystals.” He glanced at me. “And Aishe.”
I swallowed hard.
“You used Elorn’s own trick against him.”
“It helped to think like a villain,” I said, not looking at him. “I just had to think what I would do if I was going to sabotage the inquiry. The rest was child’s play.”
“How will you handle Aishe?”
I grunted. “Good question.”
Master Ulezander patted my shoulder. We reached the edge of the town, and he turned in the direction of his home.
“Have you been practicing dreamwalking and shape-shifting?”
I winced. “Yeah. Shape-shifting, mostly. I was a fasion when I got the crystal from Olyvre. I’ve been trying with the wichtln. I’d rather have all my teeth yanked out, to be honest. It would be less painful.”
Master Ulezander turned back to me. He smiled in sympathy. “Be that as it may, you’re doing it. You have the capacity to do it. Good. And dreamwalking?”
I shook my head. “Not ready yet.”
“Face your fears, Morgorth.”
“I think I’ve had enough of that.”
Master Ulezander’s expression turned blank. I could feel something behind that blankness. My gut said it was pain. Odd, I could sense it. Odder yet, I suspected it was pain for me.
“I am sorry you had to go through that,” he whispered. I looked away and nodded. He gripped my shoulder, and I cleared my throat to keep my emotions in check. “You are strong. Stronger than even I could have predicted. You did prove something to the council. When Aishe recounted how you rejected Ellegrech....”
I forced myself to meet his gaze. Intense pride shone in his eyes, and also... love? I knew what that was, now. I knew the look. It was the love of a parent, and it rendered me speechless. I suppose I always knew, since Uzzie found me, that he loved me, in his way. To see that look now, to recognize it, was overwhelming. Aishe’s parents would give their children that look. Olyvre looked at Lyli that way. This was the first time it was ever directed at me. Only for me.
“You showed them who you really are.” Master Ulezander squeezed my shoulder once before releasing me. “You showed them you are not their enemy. It is just as you said during your speech. You are not a villain, yet neither are you a hero. You’re a dark mage.”
“Time will pass,” I said, ever the pessimist. “They’ll forget. They’ll only remember I’m the seventh son of a seventh son. It’s easier.”
“I won’t let them forget.”
I smiled at the promise. “Good luck with that.”
He returned my smile. Then his magick flashed up, thrumming through the air, causing the hair on my arms to stand on end. His eyes glowed azure, and he winked at me an instant before he vanished. I assumed he teleported back home. I looked around to see the Tower was already reconstructed on its hill. Everyone was going home.
It was time I did as well.
***
I grinned as I stood in front of Geheimnis’s monstrous doors with their carved knockers that resembled horned payshtha heads. They slid open soundlessly at a wave of my hand. With another murmured word, I removed the enchantments hidden in crystals set around the other doors and windows. Aishe could now come and go as he pleased, even if it was away from me. My grin didn’t last and soon I was anxious. I dropped our bags at the front entryway and the doors boomed shut behind me. Silence resounded.
I cleared my throat. “Aishe?” No answer.
I rolled my neck, preparing for a fight, and walked farther into our home. I checked the parlors first, then the library and the armory, which were his favorite places. Then I finally detoured to our bedroom. As I walked down the hallway, I stepped over fallen paintings, ones I’d done over the years. My chest tightened and I found it more difficult to breathe. I wasn’t even angry, only anxious, worried, guilty.
I stepped on something. Frowning, I looked down. My throat closed completely and my eyes burned. The amethyst pendant lay on the floor, obviously discarded. Trembling inside, I bent and picked it up. Did this mean he’d discarded me as well? Or had he just been angry and needed to vent? I told myself I’d give him space, that I’d even let him go if he needed to leave me for a time. Though, I honestly didn’t know if I could when the moment of truth happened. Holding him against his will again would only exacerbate the problem. What was I to do?
“First you have to find him, fool,” I said to myself. I looped the pendant around my neck and continued on to our bedroom.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door. It was late in the day and still he slept. The curtains were drawn, revealing the enormous expanse of Vorgoroth, surrounding us on all sides. The sky was blue with puffy white clouds, the sun currently hiding itself beh
ind one of them.
Laid out on his back, Aishe slept, his white hair spread out over the pillow. I walked to him, drinking in the sight of him. I missed him so much. Barely a day without him and I wanted him desperately. I had to remind myself I might not get any love for the foreseeable future. Just what I deserved, really.
Well, nothing for it. I touched his shoulder and shook. “Aishe, I’m home.”
Nothing. He still slept. I frowned. He was a light sleeper, and that should have woken him up. I shook his shoulder again, a little rougher this time. “Aishe? Wake up, baby. Time to yell at me. I’ll even let you take a swing.”
Nothing.
Feeling the first embers of panic lick at my spine, I leaned over him. I felt his pulse. It wasn’t as strong as it should be. Then I noticed his skin was cold. Much too cold.
“Aishe!” I gripped his face and urged him to open his eyes. “Baby, can you hear me?”
Nothing. The dread I felt upon waking this morning merged with the recent panic until it became full blown terror. I shook him violently but got no reaction. Gasping for breath, I raced to the bedroom door. “Grendela!”
In moments she shuffled in. I jabbed a finger at Aishe. “How long as he been like this? What happened?”
She considered him, her gaze as cold as always. “I have not seen him since late last night. I had one of my kin watching him at all times, as you requested. When he came into the bedroom and shut the door, his guard stood by the door. Come morning, the guard was replaced. When we heard you arrive, the guard left.” She looked up at me. “They reported no noise. No activity.”
All night. Had he been fucking comatose all night? I knew Aishe. He would have slept as fitfully as I. What happened? I ran my hand over my hair before walking back over to him. I wracked my brain for the cause. It couldn’t be a spell from another mage. Geheimnis’s walls protected against them. All of them. He was absolutely safe inside these walls. At least, he was supposed to be.
I looked at Grendela. No, the boygles were loyal to me. They were loyal to him. There would be no cause for them to do this. They knew I’d blast them to pieces. Then how? Why?
I sat down on the bed. “Aishe.”
“His body is here but his mind is elsewhere.”
I jerked straight and swung my head around to Grendela. “Say again.”
She regarded me with her beady eyes. “His body is still and cold, yes? His mind is elsewhere. He will not last long.”
And then I knew. Dreamworld. Somehow, someway, someone had dragged my mate into Dreamworld. His mind disconnected from his body, and if he stayed in Dreamworld any longer, he would be lost forever. He would die. I would lose him. He might never even make it to the Mother’s bosom.
“Like hell!” I sprang to my feet and stalked past Grendela. “Watch him.”
I ran through the corridors, my heart speeding as if it was about to burst out of my chest. No time. I have no time. Because of my cowardice to return home, too much time had passed. There weren’t many options left to me.
I burst out of Geheimnis onto the landing outside the doors. I closed my eyes and focused solely on Muelsel, Master Ulezander’s home. I took a breath and teleported. In the space of two heartbeats, I stood before the massive fortress built into the mountains behind it. It was high in the mountains and the cold wind buffeted me. I barely felt it. My mind raced even as I ran forward, fear and desperation propelling me. Before I could enter the hall or even scream for my mentor, Kaj, an elderly servant who must be some sort of immortal since he’d looked wizened when I was a child, and never appeared to change, stepped outside.
“Kaj!”
He jumped and stared wide-eyed at me.
“Where is my master?”
“Not here.”
I tripped over my feet as I came to a jarring halt. “What?”
He winced at my shrill scream even as he saw my terror and hobbled down the steps.
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know.”
“He didn’t return after the inquiry?”
“No.”
I dragged my fingers through my hair and tugged, my breath hitching. There was no way to find him. And I was running out of time.
“Morgorth—”
Without another word, I closed my eyes and teleported back to Geheimnis. Elissya didn’t know any more about dreamwalking than I did, and I couldn’t put her in danger. I had no idea what I was dealing with but if it was... Mother forbid... a dream demon, then this could be a suicidal rescue.
At this point, I had no time or options. And this was my fault. This was my doing. Somehow, I knew it was. He was in danger and I had to fix it. I would have to go into Dreamworld. But I was unskilled, the worst sort of amateur. I needed help.
There was no one else I could turn to. I was alone in this.
Mother, forgive me.
I raced into Geheimnis, up the stairs, down corridors until I reached my destination. I stopped short in front of the invisible door leading up to the stone room. The place I kept all my stones of power, locked away good and tight. Gasping for breath, adrenaline rushing through my veins, I waved away the illusion and yanked open the door, thundering up the stairs to the solid wall that blocked entry. Forcing myself to focus, I undid the spells that kept the stone in place. I slapped my right hand against the stone and said a word inside my head, my focus entirely on the task right in front of me. I wouldn’t be able to disrupt the enchantment if my mind was chaotic. I took a deep breath as blue ribbons of energy spiraled down my arm and broke off when they hit the stone. The energy consumed the slab, turning the drab gray into a vibrant blue gem. The stone faded slightly, allowing me to see the room on the other side. I laid the palm of my other hand on the stone, and red energy spiraled down my arm, mixing with the blue and turning the stone purple. Then the stone faded, soon vanishing completely.
Staggering inside, I jogged to the small pedestal that housed numerous glittering, tempting gemstones. A dome arched over the pedestal and any attempts to disarm the enchantment without the proper spell would send each stone to a different, hidden location. It would also blast a crater-sized hole in Geheimnis, blowing up the invading mage along with it. I figured if an intruder made it this far into my home, then I was most likely dead.
The room itself was circular and simple in structure. There weren’t any decorations or flourishes. This was a vault.
My heart raced and my legs trembled, and fear that I was too late kept clawing at my mind, distracting me. With a dry throat and burning eyes, I stared at the stones. I once used Atcoatlu, the agate of time, to travel to the past and future. I had no choice then. Still, I wanted to use it, like an addict needing a fix. I wanted to use it, and it called loudly to me. Then there was Ellegrech, the emerald, a major stone of power, the one taken from my father. She called to me as well, feeling my pain and desperation. She sang sweet lullabies, made promises, sympathized with my pain. She would give me protection and security if I’d only take her up. I knew their promises to be lies yet still I heard, still I desired. I told myself I wasn’t here for them. Only one stone would help me, only one would give me any hope of rescuing him.
Drefeln. The dreamwalking stone.
I quickly and methodically removed the enchantments around the pedestal. It took too long for my liking, but I couldn’t go any faster. I forced my terror aside and focused on cold rage, allowing everything to sharpen.
Soon, the dome vanished, all the stones uncovered, and they sang madly to me. Only one caught my eye. Drefeln was small and yellow-ish gold. It was a carnelian shaped like a thunderbolt. Careful not to touch any of the other gemstones, I reached forward and, with my forefinger and thumb, picked her up. As soon as she touched my bare skin, her power intensified, as did her song. It magnified a hundred percent.
I squeezed my eyes shut as I clenched Drefeln in my hand. She sang and crooned and flashed visions inside my mind. I suddenly wanted to rule Dreamworld. I wanted to sneak into the dreams of
my enemies, those of the council. I wanted to show them terrors, make them understand. I wanted to bend them to my will. I told Suvar I had no wish to rule the world and remake it. I’d told the truth. I could too well imagine, however, how much I would enjoy playing with the minds of those on the council and the Hand. To toy with them. I could plant thoughts in their head, make them see my horrors, the pain of my childhood. I could direct them, planting seeds in their minds. They would never know it. The power Drefeln offered was intoxicating.
I ground my teeth and fought against it. I pushed the image of Aishe into my mind. I focused on him as if my life depended on it. It did. So did his. The amethyst pendant burned against my skin, the pressure of it physical proof of what Aishe and I had together, the strength of it. Our bond was scary strong and it could outlast anything. It had to outlast anything. I remembered the interconnectedness of our lives, the way we had influenced each other, made each other better. He was my inspiration and I was his. When he was a clumsy child, I gave him confidence and a goal to strive for. He gave me the confidence and the desire to fight my destiny, to avoid becoming the Destroyer. He made me see life and the world and all the creatures in it with a new light, with a new perspective. He made me truly love the world simply by being in it. Without him I would be dead, and I’d take the world with me. The battle for control took precious seconds, but I finally won.
“We find him,” I growled. “We find him. We save him. That’s it. Then you go back in your cage.”
Drefeln tried to argue with me. I thought of Aishe and knew my purpose. I was his only hope and Drefeln was mine.
I knew full well there would be an adverse reaction somewhere in Karishian once I activated Drefeln. It was the way of the Pferun Dulleriin. Some natural, yet unusual disaster, would unfold. A tsunami or a hurricane somewhere that never suffered from either. Perhaps a plague, maybe the start of famine. I wouldn’t use it for long, which would lessen the damage. The stones of power usurped the will of the Mother, and balance had to be reasserted, at a terrible cost. I knew and fully accepted my selfishness in choosing this course. I wasn’t good and no one could mistake me for being good.