“But you don’t know how long is required. You’re just making assumptions,” Lara said. She looked determined. Alrion just felt weary.
“You’re right. We shouldn’t eliminate it completely. As tiring as it sounds, I’m starting to warm to it. I can picture Wraith’s face when I am healed. It will be a sight to see,” Alrion said.
“We should consult with my mother. Alrion, I know you’re tired. But this can’t wait. We need to know if this strategy will work. Otherwise, we need to come up with something else,” Vincent said. Alrion knew his father was right, but he didn’t want to move. Summoning vast amounts of energy, he sat up once more, then stood. His left leg wavered a bit, but he stayed up.
“I swear the Blight is messing with me. I don’t know how you’re walking around, Alyx,” he said. He took a few steps and felt his strength return. It wasn’t much, but at least he was solid on his feet.
“Please be quick. Good luck,” Lara said.
“Of course,” Alrion said. He let his father open the door and he charged back into the freezing cold.
The walk over to the grand hall was agonising. Alrion just wanted to nestle into the snow and sleep. It looked positively inviting.
“Easy there,” Vincent said. He gave Alrion a steadying hand.
“Sorry, that patch of snow there looks thick and soft,” Alrion said, half-joking. His father chuckled.
“That particular patch does look especially warm and cosy,” Vincent said.
“Sounds like you want it now. I saw it first!” Alrion said.
“Once you defeat Wraith, it’s all yours,” Vincent said. He paused before the great doors. “Are you ready?”
“Yes. I’ll fall through if you don’t open them soon.” Alrion smiled and waited for his father to push back the doors. They stepped into the relative warmth and Alrion felt sleepy.
Stay with it, he thought and pinched himself. The room had emptied out once more. Only his grandmother sat at the far end of the room, peering once more into the water before her.
“Approach!” she said, her voice carrying across the empty space. Alrion walked steadily over, his father staying close and sneaking lots of worried glances.
“I won’t fall over here, don’t worry,” Alrion whispered. But he wasn’t as confident as he sounded, and it didn’t look like his father bought the act. As they approached the giant throne, Alrion saw a chair had been placed before it.
“Sit, Alrion. I know you are tired,” Jovana said. Alrion didn’t think twice and rushed over. The comfort was initially overwhelming. He looked up at her suspiciously.
“Of course you’re exhausted, you’ve been training all day. I can see that you have almost achieved your goal. You’re very close to not disappointing me.”
“Uh, thank you,” Alrion said. He looked at his father.
“You are very kind. We thank you again for your understanding and help.”
“You are family after all. Did you think anything else would happen?” Jovana said. There was silence.
“I see you have come to ask for help? Spit it out then,” she said.
“Yes. We wanted to find out how long it would take Alrion to replenish his Soul power after curing himself. Enough to cure someone else,” Vincent said.
“I’ve been thinking of this myself. To answer your question, several hours at least. Partially because it is his first time, and partially because he will need every fibre of his being infused with Soul power to even consider expelling the Blight from another being. No matter what wizard tricks he uses to do it,” Jovana said. She gave Alrion a stern look, and he wilted. Hours were no good. Even speeding that up to an hour would be way too long.
“Thank you for your time. That tells us what we needed to know,” Alrion said. He started to rise, but heard Jovana clearing her throat. He looked up at her, puzzled.
“I told you I was thinking about it already. Why haven’t you asked what can be done to speed up the process?” she said.
“Well, even an hour is way too long. I just presumed,” Alrion said but was cut off immediately.
“You presumed to know better than me? The greatest Mystic that has ever lived, and the one who built this place?” Jovana stood slowly, looking down on Alrion. He suddenly felt very small.
“Surely even meditation cannot make that much of a difference,” Vincent said.
“Who said you could only use meditation?” Jovana said. Her voice had a dangerous edge to it. Alrion started to speak but his father silenced him with a touch.
“What else could be used?” Vincent said. Jovana started to smile.
“It seems that you can learn, eventually. You’re looking at it,” she said, pointing to the small stone water fountain before her.
“You’ve witnessed the pool in the training room. This source is purer and more potent. With the right focus and application, you could be recharged in minutes.”
“How many minutes?” Alrion said.
“At best, between five to ten. Will that be fast enough?” Jovana said. Alrion looked at his father.
“There’s a lot riding on it. It’s up to everyone else. I think we need to let them make that decision,” Alrion said.
“I think you’re right,” Vincent said.
“You’re not going to consult me? You don’t think my Mystics will be involved in holding that creature at bay while you ready yourself to cure it?” Jovana said. Alrion’s jaw dropped. Vincent just laughed.
“I’m so sorry mother. Time and time again we keep underestimating you, even when you remind us. Of course, we need your blessing to even consider such a plan. To be honest, we wanted to consider it ourselves first, before even bringing it to you.”
“I know that. It’s your only choice, if you want to get on with your quest. That man will never stop until you take away his power.”
“You’ll help us?” Alrion said. Jovana looked down into the water for a long time.
“If your friends agree that it can be done, I will support you in whatever your plan requires,” she said finally. There was a sadness to her face, which Alrion was surprised by. As soon as he thought to comment on it, it was gone.
“We have some planning to do. I’ll advise you as soon as we have something,” Vincent said.
“Go now. Time is shorter than you think,” Jovana said, pointing to the door. Alrion didn’t like the warning in her voice.
29
SACRED GROUND
“You must stay here, no matter what you hear,” Vincent said. Alrion nodded. He was back in the grand hall. The night had passed so quickly that he felt like he had just blinked and come back.
“Wraith is close?” Alrion said.
“We believe so. Preparations are underway now. But forget about all that. You have an important job to do. Meditate and prepare, you need to be ready.” Vincent held out his hand. Alrion looked at it oddly and shook it. His father’s grip was strong. He saw something pass quickly over his father’s eyes.
“What was that?” Alrion said.
“You’re a man now, and I wanted to treat you as such. I believe in you, and I know that you can do this. We’re all putting our trust in you.”
“Thank you. I don’t feel confident right now, but I’ll pretend that I am. But I was more asking about your eyes.” Alrion pointed. Vincent gave a small laugh.
“Here I am making some gesture and you’re just noticing something else. I took a look at you through Soul-enhanced eyes.”
“And?”
“You look a lot better. The infection is still a mess, but it seems to have mostly consolidated into the one area. It will be hard, but you will succeed. I know it.”
“That’s actually good to hear. You can’t stay here encouraging me the whole time, I’m sure they’re waiting for you.”
“They are. See you soon,” Vincent said. He gave a quick wave and marched out. Alrion turned to see Jovana watching him.
“Should I just sit down somewhere?”
“No. You
need to practice with the source. Come up here.” Jovana stood and stepped aside, making space for Alrion in front of the pool of water. He carefully walked up the steps, and stood beside her. He stared into the water. It seemed to have layers to it. The surface seemed crystal clear, but it became darker the deeper you looked.
“This is unusual. Why is the water like that?” he said.
“That’s not the water, that’s a feature of the fountain it sits within. It aids with seeing.”
“Seeing?”
“I am all-knowing, but how do you think I am so well informed?”
“Because you can see things in the water?”
“I don’t stare in here because I’m senile!” Jovana said. Alrion shrugged.
“I still don’t know half of what’s possible. How does the Soul power help you see things?”
“It’s a special property of blending your own power with that of the Source. Imagine that the water becomes a mirror, showing you that which your eyes wish to see but cannot.”
“You can see great distances?”
“Oh, and more. But we don’t have the time to properly instruct you now. And in your current condition it would not work properly. For now, you need to acquaint yourself with the water.” Jovana rolled the sleeves up on her robe and placed both hands above the water.
“You too,” she said. Alrion did the same, placing his hands close to hers.
“Now, the first thing we will be repeating is the first exercise you were taught. Feel the sensation in your hand and run it back to your heart.” She closed her eyes and concentrated.
Alrion closed his eyes, and tried to push away all his feelings. He couldn’t worry about what was about to happen. He had to focus on the here and now. With some difficulty he managed to recreate the sensation in his hands and slowly moved it along his arm and to his heart. It seemed a bit easier than the first time.
“Good, you’ve been paying attention. Was that easier or harder?”
“Easier. Is it due to the water?”
“No, well an insignificant amount may be. It was easier because you have been training yourself and reinforcing those pathways. Now, try again, but have your hand touching the surface of the water ever so gently.” Jovana demonstrated, placing one hand down carefully. She just touched the surface of the water with her hand. She closed her eyes and Alrion nodded. It was his turn.
He followed her example very carefully. The water felt cool, but at the same time had a warm tingle to it. But he didn’t worry about that so much. He started to repeat the exercise, but found it very different. His hand felt like it was almost on fire, rather than the light tingling from before. Moving the feeling down his arm was different too. It felt like it was easier to get momentum, but harder to control. He gasped when it reached his heart.
“Good. Feels different, doesn’t it?”
“Much stronger. Harder to control.”
“Exactly. Now one final example. This time fully submerge your hand.” Jovana demonstrated once more. She was less careful this time, just plunging her hand under the water. But she did only use her hand; her arm was out of the water. After she closed her eyes Alrion tried himself.
Even though he knew the water was cold, it felt hot. It was the strangest sensation. As he began the exercise once more he was so shocked he almost pulled his arm out immediately. His whole arm was aflame with the Soul power, and directing it was incredibly difficult. But he focused his mind and contained it. With great trouble and persistence, he managed to push it along into his heart. But he also felt a spark within his stomach. He fell back with the shock, pulling his arm out of the water completely.
Jovana grabbed his arm roughly, steadying him. She was a lot stronger than she looked. Alrion just stared at her in confusion.
“I must admit, you’re better than I thought. But even the control you did exert was not enough. You activated two gateways at the same time!” Jovana nudged him back until he was seated in the chair. She stood in front, looking him over. He noticed the strange flash over her eyes too.
“This is good. You will be able to contain the power. So, tell me, what did you think about that?” Jovana stared at him intently, waiting for an answer. He closed his eyes and thought. It was too distracting watching her watch him.
“The more contact I have with the water, the more of the power I absorb. But it is a lot harder to control. I’ll need to balance the control and the speed of absorption if I am to use it effectively,” he said. He opened his eyes and saw a smile on her face.
“You’re smarter than your father. That’s a relief. I’d prefer it if you learned more on your own, since that’s the most effective method. But I’ll need to feed you a few more pointers.”
“I’m ready.”
“As you are probably figuring out, I’m going to ask you to repeat all your activation exercises. This will help reinforce your Soul power and give you practice with the source. When the time comes, you will flood yourself and direct it all at that infection. It will most likely be agonising, but you will defeat it.” Jovana gestured for him to stand and she sat down.
“That sounds easier.”
“It won’t be. But it will be faster. To complete the activation, you must not use the water. It will complicate things.”
“I understand.”
“Good. Now, after you are cured, you will want to replenish yourself as fast as possible. Balance is the key. Directing a torrent of power will not be effective. Save that for when you are desperate. We will give you the time you need to do it properly.” Jovana stopped talking and sat back in the chair. She seemed weary.
“I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused,” Alrion said. Jovana laughed. A loud cackling that rang all over the room.
“Don’t be sorry, there was no other way for it to happen. It will be an honour to have you succeed in my presence. Now, go back there and continue your exercises. You need to be ready for when they come.”
“I will be,” Alrion said. Against all odds he had a plan and the means to succeed. He couldn’t let anyone down now. For the first time in a long time, he felt like the Blight was being held back. He was in control. And he would make sure that was how things stayed.
Vincent left the hall quickly.
That went well. Alrion doesn’t suspect just how close they are. Although surely my mother knows, he thought. He almost ran to the entrance of the Mystic settlement. Marla was standing out front but there was nobody else.
“Are we ready?” Vincent said.
“Yes. My Mystics are spreading out throughout the space. Lara will join us soon and can relay messages quickly.”
“You don’t have other ways?”
“We do, but it’s important to keep things simple. We also don’t know what the situation is with Freyda. I’d rather not risk giving too much away.”
“That seems wise. Here’s Lara now,” Vincent said. The thief ran along the snow with ease. She pulled up quickly, then took a moment to catch her breath.
“The Mystics are in position. I just need to report in when the party starts.”
“Good. Alrion is working with my mother. He will be ready.”
“Do you think we will see a large number?” Marla said.
“No, I think it will be a more focused group. Shade Wizards, Wraith, and Freyda. Maybe some Trackers?” Vincent said.
“That would play to our strengths more. Provided we can be effective at negating the wizards,” Marla said.
“Amplifying your speed will be key. I hope your combat training is still fresh,” Vincent said.
“You’d be surprised. All of us require it frequently. We are targets, even though people don’t know who we really are. Just being women is enough. We see to ourselves, and are often posted as Healers. To many we look like easy marks.”
“Those that heal can also harm,” Vincent said.
“Only when required. We will do what is required, don’t you worry.”
“I’m not, I’m ju
st nervous with all the waiting,” Vincent said.
“Oh, I love the suspense. And every moment we wait, Alrion gets more time. Maybe I’ll take a nap,” Lara said, laughing. Vincent appreciated the gesture, although he saw that the laughter was a bit forced. She was right though. As tense as it may be, waiting was for the best. He dug his feet in and tried to think of other things.
“They’re here,” Marla said softly. Vincent peered into the distance but couldn’t see anything yet.
“Look properly,” she said. He realised what she meant, and reached for his Soul power. He wondered if it would ever feel natural, but assumed it would in time. By channelling it into his eyes and focusing on the distance he could see the colours around much more vividly. The landscape was not as bleak and white as he had thought. What captured his attention however was the procession heading towards them. It was a long column, all heading in single file. He had trouble discerning what they were. All he could see were dark shapes.
“I can see them now, but not any details. Is that me, or are they just that far away?” he said.
“A bit of both. You can increase your focus and definition with practice. Right now, you are probably getting a lot of different sensations all at once. You can be more selective with what you see in time,” Marla said.
“It’s like I’m pouring the paint on, but you’re selectively brushing in exactly what you want to see?” Vincent said. He was struggling to find a way to describe it. Marla laughed.
“Never heard it described like that, but that’s fairly accurate.”
“Whatever you’re doing to your vision must be extremely potent, because I still can’t see anything,” Lara said. She started to walk off.
“Lara, trust me they’re coming. Just stay close please,” Vincent said. Lara slowed down and waited a few paces beyond Vincent. She was peering into the distance.
Minutes passed. Agonising minutes. Vincent looked again and again, and had trouble discerning any features on the shapes that were advancing.
“I think they’re purposefully approaching slowly. Maybe they’re wary of traps,” he said.
Spark of Truth (The Hidden Wizard Book 3) Page 23