The Apprentice Stone (Shadows of Time Book 1)

by Darrell Newton

  Sébastien stepped up next to him and looked down at the stone. “What’s that?” he asked.

  “Here, I can make your back feel better.” Francisco placed the stone on Sébastien’s neck.

  “It heals?”

  “Yes.”

  “If you have such a miracle maker, why do you not heal more? Why stop with me?”

  “I would heal everyone worth healing except—”

  “Except Angelo would not permit you.”

  Francisco blinked. Sébastien was right.

  “Francisco, you should know by now that your loyalties are misplaced. Angelo is using you; he cares for himself more than you.”

  Francisco pointed up the stairs. “He’s fighting for me.”

  “He’s not fighting for you. He’s fighting to get you, and he doesn’t care how many innocents he kills to do it. Did you see anyone dead upstairs in the kitchen?”

  Francisco hesitated. There were the two kitchen slaves at Angelo’s feet.

  Sébastien placed his hand on Francisco’s shoulder. “You would heal more innocents if it weren’t for him. You would—”

  Francisco shrugged off Sébastien’s hand. “You don’t know him.”

  “I know that you would bring justice to those deserving it, if it weren’t for him. Justice to Jabir and the other guards. Justice to all the slave traders and to some of the other Almohads.” Sébastien took a step closer and looked down into Francisco’s eyes. His eyes were sincere and tender. He spoke softly. “You would bring justice to the streets of Toledo and to your uncle.”

  Francisco took a step back. “How… how did you know?”

  “I know Angelo is not to be trusted.”

  “You don’t know him.”

  “I know him better than you.” Sébastien took a step back and held his arms out to his side. His clothes melted; his face melted and shimmered. Had it not been for Angelo’s command, Francisco would have run out of the cellar.

  Chapter 52

  Miyuki

  Fez, North Africa

  Local Date: 4 Rabi‘ath-Thani 609

  SORE AND WINDED, her right eye swollen but healing, Miyuki kept her focus on the African Key’ari’s eyes. His moves were unfamiliar, brutish but effective. With his apparent stamina, she wasn’t sure if one tap of her stun-tachi would be enough. He feinted to the left, but his center of mass didn’t follow. She stepped forward and bore down hard on him with the blunt end of her stun-tachi.

  “Ah!” he growled. Direct hit to the arm, but his sleeve was in the way. No skin contact. No stun. A bad bruise. He snarled. With kinesis-enabled reflexes as fast as hers, he grasped the stick in two gloved hands. Her stun-tachi slipped from her grasp, and it flew off to the side against the wall, out of reach.

  Another sword, a curved scimitar, lay on the ground next to each downed Key’ari. They glowed with an Avar-Tek signature—both behind the African.

  He charged.

  She threw herself to the side, rolled out of his way. A stun-stick next to the date wagon. She ran for it.

  He was there. The Key’ari. Around from the other side. She tried dodging. He saw it and plowed into her. Up off the ground she flew and hit the house. He pressed. Hard. She couldn’t breathe. His hand around her throat, the other punching. He hit her hard. Her wounded eye, recently healed, now bleeding and swelling. She knew another hit was coming. She tried a knee to his groin. Out of reach. Focus. Focus! She grasped at his fingers. Gloves. Can’t grasp.

  Drop! Angelo cast.

  She let her knees give way and slid down the wall. As soon as she lay on the ground, the wall felt like it was down. She opened her eyes.

  The Key’ari pulled back his leg to kick her and lost balance. He fell against the wall. Grunted. Turned. The wagon rolled, lifted off the ground, and fell towards him. Dates fell. The back of the cart hit him with full force in the gut. It missed Miyuki. He retched. Not a killing blow, but disabling. Gravity shifted to normal. Breathless, he pushed the cart back, stumbled down half-kneeling. He gasped and looked up to see Angelo standing next to him. He lurched back, not soon enough. Angelo tapped his forehead with his stun-tachi.

  All three Key’ari lay unconscious on the ground.

  Miyuki pushed herself up on one arm. Thank you, sensei, Miyuki cast. Still trying to catch her breath, she had to cast it. She nodded towards his stun-tachi. A fine choice of blades.

  Rest, Angelo cast. Francisco is safe.

  Will you—

  Yes, he cast, I will ask him now. Rest.

  She lay back and allowed her internal healing stones to work. With her tongue, she felt a loose tooth and tasted the copper tang of blood. If it weren’t for her healing stones, she would be laid up for a week or two.

  Chapter 53

  Francisco

  Fez, North Africa

  Summer, Year of our Lord 1212

  SÉBASTIEN’S FACE AND CLOTHES CHANGED. He wore a silver suit that covered him from head to toe. He pulled back his silver hood and smiled. He looked like a northerner with long light-colored hair, held back in a braid with two smaller braids that hung down before his ears. He was the same height and strong build as Sébastien, but his eyes were blue and he had a scar that ran on the left side of his face from his forehead through the middle of his eye to his cheek. If Francisco hadn’t seen so many miracles recently, he would have thought it was a trick of the darkness or the summer’s heat, but this seemed like something Angelo would do—one of his Sittiri genie tricks. The blonde man looked familiar: the jongleur, on the crusade, the one in red with his arm in the sling.

  “My real name is Ceolwulf,” Sébastien said without a French accent. “I know Angelo because he tried to recruit me. He did to me what he’s trying to do to you, but I was saved at the last minute. You don’t know him. He will abandon you as soon as you decide to become a Sittiri.”

  “Are you Sittiri?”

  “I almost was, until I realized there was a better path. The Key’ari offer so much more.”

  Francisco pictured Guter, the Key’ari scout, the tall man with fierce eyes, the one he killed. A bad man—no, an evil man.

  Ceolwulf took a step closer. Francisco took a step back. “I’m trying to save you some heartache here, Francisco. I’ve gone down this road and can tell you of the dangers. You’ll find out soon enough the Sittiri hold to antiquated and restrictive laws. The way of the Key’ari is so much broader. Angelo and his ilk will prevent you from bringing true justice, and they’ll keep you from healing innocents unless they give you leave. You’ll no longer have a will of your own. They love pain. Angelo let the enemy capture you. He could have gotten you out at any time, but let you wallow in the squalor. Do you hear that outside? You can’t tell me the Sittiri don’t believe the ends justify the means.”

  “I’ve seen him heal Lope out of compassion.”

  Ceolwulf stepped closer. Francisco stepped back, slipped on dates, and quickly recovered. “Compassion, was it?” Ceolwulf asked. “Did he get anything in return?

  Francisco didn’t answer but admitted to himself, We got our freedom.

  “Angelo forces his students to think his way or not at all. You have your own sense of justice. You rescued that ugly girl. I can see in your heart that you’ve done this before. If you join the Sittiri, you give up your right of self-judgment. Not so with the Key’ari. We are not like them; we are like you.” He stopped advancing. “Why do you keep backing away from me? If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already. I want you to join us.”

  Again, the picture of Guter crossed Francisco’s mind. He shuddered. “You want to capture me.”

  Ceolwulf laughed. “Capture you? I want to free you! Angelo, now he’s the one who let you be captured. He could have gotten you out at any time,” Ceolwulf held his hand out before him, “but let you wallow in this squalor. Do you hear the fighting, the cries of anguish? The Sittiri are willing to sacrifice everything to get you, even innocent lives. So much for Sittiri justice and mercy.”

  �
��Angelo says they need me.”

  “Need you? Of course, Angelo needs you like a royal hunter needs one more venison carcass to fill his king’s table. You will only be another cadet if you join the Sittiri, and no one will know your name; no one will care if you’re even there. But with the Key’ari, your talents are unique and necessary.”

  “What talents?”

  “Healing and fighting. You can do both without restriction. Pain and sorrow can be avoided and evil men destroyed.”

  Francisco stood thinking. The fight continued outside but had quieted.

  Ceolwulf stepped forward and spoke gently. “You can heal, but there will be no end to pain if evil goes unpunished. You are one of the few who can bring healing and justice.” He held out his hand palm up. “Let me show you. Give me the stone.”

  The stone. My stone. My father’s stone and the stone of my great grandfathers. I just got it back. The stone Angelo stole from me. The traitor!

  Francisco handed Ceolwulf the healing stone.

  Chapter 54

  Miyuki

  Fez, North Africa

  Local Date: 4 Rabi ‘ath-Thani 609

  WINDED AND PARCHED, Miyuki focused on getting her breathing under control. Her oc-lok switched back to normal mode. She felt the tingling, itching sensation of her healing stones working. Although she couldn’t make out the words, she heard Ibrahim yelling in the house and Francisco talking with Sébastien or someone else in the cellar. She listened for arriving pods: a rush of wind, the snap-pop of static, and a high-pitched pulsating hum on the edge of hearing. She heard none and relaxed.

  Something isn’t right, Angelo cast. They could have killed Francisco in the fields. He was more vulnerable. Why attack now?

  Miyuki heard sandaled footsteps on the back porch. She opened her eyes and sat up. Ibrahim, carrying a book, came out of the house and approached them. His face was a mix of consternation and barely concealed anger: his lip trembling in a sneer, his eyes darting around the courtyard, flashing from unconscious body to body. He clenched and released his fists, clenched and released.

  Miyuki pushed herself up and stood next to Angelo.

  Angelo held up his hands toward Ibrahim. “Go back. It is not safe.”

  Ibrahim refused and walked up to Angelo. He held the book out for Angelo to take.

  Angelo didn’t take it. In a voice deeper and with more authority, Angelo said, “Return and—”

  Ibrahim thrust the book into Angelo’s hands.

  Angelo took it. His eyes rolled back. He fell to his knees. Miyuki grabbed him by his elbow and small of his back to keep him steady. She felt slight muscles spasms under the coarse fabric of his jellaba-shaped-verisuit. Why would—

  Ibrahim touched her neck.

  Searing pain shot down her spine. She dropped to her knees and then to the ground. She lay next to Angelo facing Ibrahim, her mouth agape and eyes wide. She tried activating her kinesis implant to overcome the paralysis, but it didn’t respond. She had dedicated her whole life to self-discipline to set the world right. The greatest gift she could have received from the Sittiri was her kinesis implant and now, in her greatest time of need, she couldn’t use it. I should have attacked Ibrahim as soon as Angelo started going down. She felt a trickle of saliva slide down her cheek but was unable to swallow or wipe her face. She screamed with rage but made no sound.

  Ibrahim stepped back. His clothes and face melted and shimmered to reveal Eden in a verisuit and with a self-satisfied smile. He held out his hand, palm up, and he watched as a brown beetle flew off and hovered above him. “To outwit a brain, to bring a heavy to his knees, and to make your slick friend here tremble: that is a feat worth recording.” He tapped his forehead. “It takes another brain for this, does it not? Ah, but I must be satisfied with this as a rhetorical question, for you are struck dumb.” Eden sniffed and held out his hands to indicate the wreckage of battle. “Lest you see this is a display for my own vanity, I must explain. This was done not for you, but to allow your former recruit, Ceolwulf, time to complete his task.”

  Chapter 55

  Francisco

  Fez, North Africa

  Summer, Year of our Lord 1212

  CEOLWULF TOOK THE HEALING STONE. He pulled a box from his pocket. The box fit into his palm and he placed the healing stone on it. Part of the box lit up with glowing symbols. Francisco leaned over to get a better look. He took in a sharp breath when he recognized that five of the symbols were hungry marks. Ceolwulf waved his other hand over the box and wiggled his fingers as the symbols changed. “You weren’t captured at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa,” he said. “Angelo rode with you unconscious on his horse into their supply camp before it was overrun by the Spanish. He took your stone and surrendered.” He waggled his fingers again. “Did he ever tell you that you can use the stone for justice as well as healing?” He handed Francisco the stone. “It’s now a poison stone.”

  Francisco dropped it.

  Ceolwulf bent over and picked it up. “It won’t be activated until you give it a command. But when you do, it will poison the one holding it, and they will die within seconds.”

  Francisco took it with a trembling hand.

  “Your uncle deserves it, does he not? I know that Ibrahim and Jabir do. They won’t release the slaves unless they’re forced to. This is the only way the slaves get their lives back. I am giving you your freedom and the ability to set things right at the same time. Bring justice to all the slaves, not just yourself as Angelo would have you do. Give the poison stone to Ibrahim and speak the command.”

  Francisco rubbed the stone carefully with his thumb. It feels the same, looks the same. There are no hungry marks. He looked up at Ceolwulf and asked, “What’s the command?”

  Ceolwulf smiled. It was a sincere smile, not forced. He leaned over and whispered in Francisco’s ear, “Let justice be served.” He backed up and explained, “The stone releases the nanite poison immediately.” He gave Francisco a moment and then said, “Come. Your future awaits.”

  Chapter 56

  Miyuki

  Fez, North Africa

  Local Date: 4 Rabi ‘ath-Thani 609

  WITH LINGERING THOUGHTS of frustration and rage, Miyuki willed her limbs to move. Nothing. Her heart raced, her muscles ached, and she shivered with freezing hands and feet but sweated like she had a fever. Her mind was clear, but she couldn’t even cast her thoughts to Angelo or update Temporal. Where is the back-up? What is delaying them? All she could do was move her eyes and blink.

  Eden had returned to the house and brought the real Ibrahim out with his mouth gagged and his hands bound behind his back. Blood flowed from a cut on his eyebrow. Eden forced Ibrahim to kneel next to Angelo.

  Ibrahim lifted his chin and tried to say something through the gag. Eden slapped him hard on the back of his head, and Ibrahim lurched forward. He straightened up and, with watering eyes, glared at Eden.

  At the edge of her vision, Miyuki saw someone coming up the cellar stairs. Ceolwulf followed by Francisco. She recognized Ceolwulf’s image from the nexus file and remembered Angelo’s report about how he had tried to kill Francisco. He’s a level three with a barutis, a brute. Where did he come from? Did a pod land in the cellar? Francisco is not injured, thank God, but why would he follow Ceolwulf? If he were a prisoner, Ceolwulf would follow him.

  Ceolwulf and Francisco stepped up next to Eden. Francisco looked around the yard, his eyes darting from body to body. He studied Angelo and then looked at Miyuki. Why doesn’t he try to fight Eden? He sees his master on the ground. He fought for me when he thought I was a slave, but why doesn’t he fight for Angelo?

  Eden smiled.

  Ceolwulf looked at Francisco and waited.

  Francisco looked down, took a deep breath, and looked at Angelo. “You were the one who took my healing stone,” he said. “You were the one who surrendered me to the enemy. You were the one who brought me into slavery.”

  Miyuki watched Francisco for signs of turning on Eden
. His face remained placid. She wished she could ask him what he was thinking. She wished she could speak. She would ask him, “What did Ceolwulf tell you? What is your allegiance? It is your choice, but do you know what you are doing?”

  Francisco held out the stone in his open palm and looked at it.

  Eden sniffed. “Ah, Angelo, he will make a fine Key’ari just like Ceolwulf, will he not?” He turned to Francisco and nodded toward Ibrahim. “Go ahead. Bring justice where the Sittiri won’t.”

  Still looking at the stone, Francisco said, “I have seen evil in people’s eyes and in what they do. I wish that people were only all evil or all good.” He looked up at Angelo. A tear fell from his eye. “But in the hearts of all of us live both evil and good. And I am not skilled enough in healing or blade to discern between the two.” He tossed the stone to Eden, and yelled, “Let justice be served.”

  Eden caught it out of reflex. His smile faded into a sneer, and he chortled. “Fool, I have a toxeesis. Poison stones don’t work on me.”

  “Yes, Commander,” Ceolwulf said. He held a black programing module in his hand and had typed something into it. “Unless someone turns off your toxeesis implant.”

  Eden gagged. He dropped the stone as if it burned his hand. His legs wobbled and he fell to the ground, convulsing right in front of Miyuki. She felt her limbs relax and sensed her implants reactivate.

  Ceolwulf turned to Francisco. “Good choice,” he said and ran toward the slave pen. “I never liked the musa fretr.”56

  Miyuki, with stiff joints and aching muscles, tried to trip Ceolwulf as he ran past her, but her legs barely moved.

  Several events happened at once. Angelo stirred and tried to push himself up. With dark circles under his eyes and trembling arms, it looked like he had been sick and bedridden for a week. Francisco knelt next to him and helped him sit up. Ibrahim tried to push the gag from his mouth with his shoulder but only managed to lose his balance and fall over. Frothy foam bubbled from Eden’s mouth, the white of his eyes turned dark, and dark blotches appeared on his skin as if blood was leaking beneath it.