Dark Mage Rises

by J. J. Green

  This time, Carina waited for him.

  “What’s wrong?” Harmon taunted. “Not used to fighting with men?”

  As he grabbed her arm and lifted his other hand to strike her, Carina drove an elbow into his thick neck. Harmon dropped her like she was a stick on fire and coughed, nursing his throat. His eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared. Ferocity drove him toward her. Carina stood her ground, waiting for the last split second before he reached her, then stepped aside, ready to kick him down.

  Harmon had anticipated her move, however. Both his arms were stretched out and though Carina moved she didn’t avoid his grasp. Harmon had her by the waist. In one smooth movement he scooped her up over his head and threw her down. When she was on the floor he proceeded to kick her over and over again, grunting with the effort. Carina curled into a ball and tried to protect herself as well as she could.

  ***

  When Harmon had finished and gone away, Carina lay still for a while. She checked that none of her bones were broken and she still had all her teeth. Then she got up and went into the bedroom. She figured she would be left alone for the night now, which meant she had many hours to work on removing bricks from the wall.

  Chapter Ten

  Pale, pre-dawn light was softening the night sky outside her bedroom window by the time Carina wiggled the final brick free. She placed it softly on the rug with all the others. The hole she’d made in the wall that adjoined the next room was narrow, but she estimated it was now just large enough for her to squeeze through. The room beyond it was dark and she hadn’t heard any noises from it, not even the steady breathing of someone asleep. She hoped it was empty and that the door leading from it wasn’t locked.

  Carina gently rubbed dust from her sore, bleeding fingers and bent down to the hole. She put her arms through up to her shoulders. This part of passing through the gap would be the most difficult, except perhaps when it came to her hips. Her head low between her arms, Carina wriggled forward, twisting her body and easing her shoulders into the narrow space. The edges of the bricks caught on her. She pushed harder with her legs, hoping that she wouldn’t get stuck. She would hate for Harmon to find her in such a humiliating position.

  The hard corners bit into her shoulders. She couldn’t move forward and neither could she move backward. Carina began to regret her impatience at trying to get through the hole. Maybe she should have removed another brick. But she couldn’t afford the time it would have taken. If she was going to escape she had to do it now while the inhabitants of the estate were asleep.

  Was Harmon asleep too? Or was he outside her door, wide awake? If he was out in the hall, he would be bound to see her escape from the next room. But he couldn’t be. The man had to sleep.

  If he was outside she couldn’t help it. It was a chance she had to take. After her behavior at Langley’s party, the woman was sure to hand her over to her even nastier cousins today. Perhaps Carina had gone too far the previous evening but her actions had given her the time she needed to break out of her room.

  That was if she could break out of her room. Carina braced her knees against the carpet and pushed as hard as she could. The bricks scraped painfully against her shoulders, but the soreness was no worse than what she already felt due to Harmon’s ministrations. The pressure built. Carina gasped. Her shoulders slipped through.

  Now she only had to bring the rest of herself into the shadowy room next door. Carina crawled forward on her elbows until her hips reached the hole. Once more, she stuck against the sides. Pulling forward with her forearms and pushing with her toes, she dragged her hips through the gap, wincing as her hip bones ground against the hard surface.

  She was in the next room. Carina lay on the floor for a moment, assessing her surroundings. The room was a bedroom like the one she’d just left. The door was in the same place too. She guessed she was in another suite similar to hers except in a mirrored layout.

  She got to her feet and tiptoed to the door. After listening at it for a moment, she gently turned the handle and opened it a crack. The next room was dark too and seemed empty. Carina walked softly into it and over to the door that led to the hall.

  Her pulse loud in the quiet of the sleeping house, Carina slowly turned the door handle, thankful that Langley wasn’t as in love with modern conveniences as her brethren. If the door had been automatic, it might only have responded to those who had security clearance on the estate’s system. A plain mechanical handle suited her fine. As Carina turned the knob as far as it would go, the door moved. It wasn’t locked.

  Now all she had to do was to get downstairs to the kitchen. If she could just have five or ten minutes to herself in there, it would be enough to make elixir and she could finally set about finding her family. Carina pulled the door toward her until the gap gave her a narrow view of the hall.

  Damn. She could see a man’s legs sprawling out. He had to be sitting down. Carina took a closer look. The legs didn’t belong to Harmon. This man was smaller and wearing different clothes and shoes. Carina opened the door wider until she could see the rest of the guard. A light-haired man she hadn’t seen before was sitting directly in front of her door. He was asleep. His chin was on his chest and Carina could even make out a thin trail of drool on his chin.

  She estimated that about twenty meters of hall lay between her and the stairway. She only had to walk twenty meters without waking the guard to reach the stairs. But she had to walk right past him.

  There was no time like the present. Dawn was rapidly approaching, and so might Harmon in order to take over from his sub. Carina opened the door and stepped into the hallway. The rugs in the Dirksen mansion were soft, thick, and perfect for muffling footsteps. Her heart in her throat she took a step toward the guard and then another, keeping close to the wall.

  He woke up.

  Carina froze. The guard sat upright and stretched. He noticed the drool on his chin and wiped it off. He crossed his arms.

  Carina was a statue, waiting for the guard to look in her direction. Or hear her breathing, or the sound of her heart thumping. How come he couldn’t hear her heart? It was loud as a drum in her ears.

  The guard adjusted his position some more and crossed and uncrossed his legs. After a few moments, his eyes closed. A few moments later his head dropped forward. Slowly, one arm slipped down his chest. It was followed by the other until both his arms were hanging down his sides and he was asleep again.

  Carina crept past him, forcing herself to go slowly and quietly when all she wanted to do was run. Without looking back, she walked to the top of the stairs. A glance down the hallway told her the guard was still asleep. At the bottom of the stairs all was dark.

  She had to hurry. The kitchen staff would probably arrive at their jobs soon, preparing a fancy breakfast for Langley and her son. Carina tread lightly down the stairs. Moving quickly through the dark, silent house, she headed toward the kitchen.

  Ten minutes. That was all she needed. Maybe five. She could probably make the elixir in five minutes if she found all she needed immediately.

  The kitchen door came into sight. She was nearly there. It wouldn’t be locked. The door had no lock.

  “Morning.” A figure stepped out from a dark room into the corridor in front of her, barring Carina’s way. He walked into the scarce light. It was Reyes. Langley’s son stood between Carina and her freedom.

  “Couldn’t sleep?” Reyes asked. “I suffer from insomnia a bit myself. Pain in the ass, isn’t it?”

  Carina stared at the young man. He looked different somehow. Perhaps it was due to the half-light, but he looked older—and much more sinister.

  “Where were you going?” Reyes asked. He glanced over his shoulder. “The kitchen? Can’t wait for breakfast, huh? I guess you must be hungry after you missed the party last night. Mother told me what you did. I wish I’d been there to see it. It sounds hilarious. I would have loved to see all their faces. Pompous, puffed-up lot, they are.”

  Carina was calcul
ating if she could close the distance between them and knock Reyes out before he had time to shout and raise the household. Probably not, but she didn’t have any other option except to try.

  “Don’t let me get in your way,” Reyes said. “If you want to eat, eat.” He stepped back and waved an arm, motioning for Carina to pass him.

  That was when she saw the gun. He’d been holding it casually behind his back.

  When he saw her look at his weapon, he said, “Oh, don’t worry about this. I’m not planning to hurt you.”

  Carina was confused. If he didn’t want to stop her, why was he armed inside his own home? And why didn’t he want to stop her? She walked toward the young man, not taking her eyes off him. If he was going to allow her free passage she wasn’t about to refuse it, but there was clearly a catch somewhere that she wasn’t getting.

  Cautiously, she walked past Reyes. He had to know she wasn’t going to the kitchen because she was hungry. He might not know how she planned to escape from there, given that there were no exit doors, but he had to know that was her intention.

  As she reached the kitchen door, he said, “You never told us your name. I’d like to know your name.”

  “You don’t have any more right to that than you did to lock me up here,” Carina replied. She opened the door.

  “You’re right,” Reyes said. “You’re absolutely right. I told Mother that. But she’s used to getting her way. They all are. I’m not like them, you know. I hate them. They’re my family and they’ve given me everything I could want but I still hate them. I wish I could come with you. Here, take this.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out folded plaspaper.

  When Carina looked at him distrustingly, wondering if it was a ruse to make her approach him, Reyes said, “It’s cash. People use it when they don’t want their purchases to be traced. You’ll need it.”

  Carina stepped over to him and took the money.

  “Good luck,” said Reyes.

  Carina took a final look at him. The gangly youth had lost his sinister aspect. He now looked forlorn. His arms drooped at his sides and his weapon dangled from his hand. Had his Mother made him patrol the house that night to prevent her escape? Was he defying the matriarch by letting her go?

  She went into the kitchen and closed the door. Reyes Dirksen wasn’t her problem. She began to search for what she needed.

  Chapter Eleven

  Ferne arrived in the early hours of the morning, just as Parthenia had asked him to when he Sent to her for the second time. She’d been terrified that her brother would get his Transport Cast wrong and appear in the room below hers. That was where Jace was sleeping after insisting that she and Darius take his bed. It was the only bed in the place, and Parthenia guessed that the ranger was sleeping on the floor in his living room. While she’d waited for Ferne to arrive at the agreed time, she’d imagined him Transporting himself directly on top of Jace’s prone figure, giving him the fright of his life and ruining everything.

  She needn’t have worried. Ferne appeared right next to the large bed where she and Darius had lain for the last few hours. Darius was sleeping heavily, entirely unaware that Parthenia had been in contact with his brother. She hadn’t dared to trust the six year old with the good news. He’d been keeping their secrets fairly well for his age but she didn’t want to rely on him.

  Parthenia hadn’t slept at all. Exhausted though she was, she’d forced herself to stay awake. If they were to be successful at leaving the ranger’s tower, they had to do everything correctly. Jace seemed like a nice, kind man, but Parthenia didn’t really know him. She didn’t know how he might react to a boy suddenly appearing from nowhere. If he were to take the elixir Ferne was bringing they would all be stuck there and Oriana would be left alone.

  Ferne’s arrival out of thin air filled her with happiness. She climbed out of bed and hugged him. He’d brought elixir as he’d said he would. They would both need to drink it to Transport themselves and Darius back to Oriana. The steps would be a little complicated but they could manage it.

  Parthenia released Ferne from her arms and whispered, “You look terrible.” He did. He was filthy and his hair was full of bits of dead plants.

  “Thanks,” her brother replied. “Have you got any food?”

  “Just a little,” said Parthenia. She’d asked Jace if they could keep some food with them that night in case they were hungry. It was an odd request considering the amount they’d already eaten—especially Darius, who had stuffed his face—but the ranger had good-naturedly agreed. She held up the remains of her dress which she’d wrapped around the nuts and bread Jace had given them.

  “Great,” Jace said. “So, how are we going to do this again?”

  “You take Darius with you. If we get separated, it’s better he’s with someone who can make elixir. I’ll Locate Oriana, then Transport myself there. Have you brought something from her?”

  Ferne handed Parthenia a few strands of hair. “Who takes the elixir with them?”

  “Oh, I didn’t think of that. Wait a minute.” She went into the bathroom and brought out a cup. “I wish I had another bottle but this will have to do.” Ferne poured elixir into it.

  “You take the rest,” Parthenia said. “Even if I can’t Locate Oriana, I’ll be able to Transport myself out of here.”

  “Okay,” said Ferne. “We better wake Darius.”

  Noises of someone moving around came from the room below. Parthenia stared at Ferne. Had they woken up Jace with their talking? She thought they’d been quiet, but the ranger’s lonely situation probably made him sensitive to the sound of other voices.

  “Quick,” Parthenia urged Ferne. “Don’t bother waking him. Just grab his shoes and go.”

  Ferne sipped elixir and ran to Darius’ side. Parthenia winced at the noise of her brother’s quick footsteps on the wooden floor. Jace would hear them for sure. Ferne grabbed his sleeping brother’s hand and closed his eyes. A few seconds later, they were gone.

  Parthenia sighed with relief. Darius was safe. Now it was her turn. She took a mouthful of elixir. Delving into the dark of her mind, she Cast Locate, focusing on the strands of hair she held, seeking out Oriana.

  Her sister was far away. Right across the continent. Carina had Transported her pairs of siblings a great distance apart, probably due to the speed of the Sherrerr shuttle as it passed overhead. But all Parthenia had to do was Transport herself to Oriana. Ferne and Darius would be there already and most of their family would be reunited.

  She opened her eyes to take another drink of elixir to Cast again—and found herself looking directly at Jace. He was standing on the stairs, his body halfway into the room and halfway below it. His bushy eyebrows were raised.

  “What are you doing? Can’t you sleep?”

  Parthenia gulped down the elixir. She had no choice about it. She would have to Cast right in front of the ranger. If she didn’t do it then she might never get another chance. She’d drained the last of the elixir Ferne had given her. If she didn’t Transport out of that place, she would also face some very awkward questions about where Darius had gone.

  She closed her eyes and tried to write the character within her mind.

  “Parthenia?” Jace’s heavy footsteps invaded her thinking. He was coming up the stairs. He was walking over to her. “Are you having a bad dream?”

  Please stop talking to me. Parthenia fought to concentrate on the character and the Cast. If she didn’t make it soon the effect of the elixir would wear off and she would be stuck there, a continent’s distance from her sister and brothers.

  She felt a hand on her shoulder. No! If the ranger didn’t remove his hand she was in danger of Transporting him with her. And that would require a whole lot of explaining. Parthenia stepped backward, breaking contact with Jace. With a huge effort of concentration, she finished writing the character. Now to leave. She had to go to her family.

  “Where’s your brother gone?” Jace asked. Then louder and angrily, he sai
d, “What’s going on?”

  A shiver of sensation passed over Parthenia and she opened her eyes. The Cast had worked. She was far from the tower and in a new place, which was in near darkness. The air was warm and moist and strange sounds were coming from all around her, as well as a strong smell of—

  “Parthenia,” Darius exclaimed. He barreled into her, almost knocking her from her feet. “I thought you’d never come. What took you so long?”

  He was hugging her so tightly around her waist he was crushing her. She gently pulled his arms away, only for them to be replaced by those of Ferne and Oriana. Laughing, crying, Parthenia gave up. She stood in a huddle with her brothers and sister for a while, just being joyful that they were together again.

  When they had calmed down a little and stepped apart Parthenia asked, “Where are we? And what’s that awful smell?”

  Now that she could focus on her surroundings, she found she was looking at rough, dirty walls made of wood.

  “We’re in a barn,” said Oriana. “It was the only place we could find to hide. But everything we need to make elixir is in here. We even found an old bottle. But it took us hours and hours to get a fire started. And now it’s gone out. I didn’t want to make it bigger in case someone noticed, and I was worried I might burn the place down. The animals hated it too. I think they were frightened of it.”

  “Animals?” Parthenia asked.

  “Yes,” said Ferne. “Come out and meet them. That’s what… well, they’re responsible for what you can smell. They’re big but they’re quite friendly once they get to know you.”

  Darius took Parthenia’s hand, and with Ferne and Oriana he led her out of the small enclosed space where Parthenia had arrived from her Transport. She hated to think what Jace would make of her disappearing before his eyes. Now not only did he know their names, he also knew what they could do. If he heard a report of missing children using their names and performing strange tricks he would have an interesting tale to tell.