He was out of ideas and reserved himself to wait it out. Then he felt someone press something to his lips, “Drink.”
He made out the word, but it sent a spike of pain through his head. That was progress.
As the pain faded, he opened his mouth and gulped down a sweet and sour liquid. It was a rather pleasant reprieve from the onslaught of pain and nausea. As the liquid went down his throat the relief spread and washed away his headache.
With the headache gone he opened his eyes and sat up.
“Take it easy killer,” said Liam as he put a firm hand on his chest.
His brothers voice was another comfort, so he laid back down, “What happen?”
“You zeroed your mana, twice I believe,” said Liam.
“Gwen,” said Lucas as he glanced around. He was no longer at the arena, and instead found himself in his own bed. That meant a lot of time must have passed.
“Gwen’s fine,” said Liam, “Everyone’s more worried about you.”
“I’m fine,” said Lucas as he tried to shift out of bed, but he stopped himself before he passed out again.
“Still they’re worried,” said Liam. “Speaking of which, uncle wants to talk to you. And it wouldn’t hurt to pop in on mother.”
“I said I’m fine,” replied Lucas as he desperately searched for some other topic, “How was your match?”
“You’ll be happy to know I forfeit,” said Liam.
“Did you say forfeit?” asked Lucas not sure if he was so out of it that he miss heard that.
“Long story, I’m sure you’ll hear all about it,” said Liam then he stood up, “Listen I’ve got to go make sure Val’n is okay, but we need to talk later. I’ll stop by.”
As Liam walked out of the room Lucas took a deep breath and tried to get out of bed again. This time he pulled it off without losing his lunch. But standing up was such a big task that he forgot where he was trying to go. Heck, he didn’t know why he got up in the first place.
No matter, he quickly fell into his usual routine and stumbled into his closet. Without looking he snagged a shirt and a pair of pants. He tugged on the pants and felt around for the nearest belt but then he remembered he knocked over the belt rack. Instead of bending over to search he felt around with his foot. First, he felt a lump of some sort, not a belt. Probably some other article of clothing. He flicked that away and kept searching. Within a few seconds he bumped into a solid block. Something like a shoe. Well fuck, that idea was getting him nowhere fast, so he dropped to his knees feel around. As soon as he was on all fours, he remembered the knife.
The damn enchanted butter knife. The one object in the world that held the secret to his family’s translocation spell.
Belt or not, he jumped to his feet and ran to his enchanting table.
Empty.
Blank.
Nothing.
There was absolutely nothing on the enchanting table. No half-finished projects. No broken trinkets. And most important no fucking butter knife. Then he remembered his brother’s words.
Uncle wants to talk to you.
That meant uncle William found the knife. He knew the spell. He knew Lucas hid the spell for almost a decade. It was time to run. Time to escape. No. It was time to hide. But how… there was no how. He was trapped on his uncle’s estate, helpless, powerless. His uncle knew everything that happen on this estate. If he tried to leave, he’d lock down the entire place. There was only one way out.
He had to face his uncle head on.
Lucas took a deep breath, pulled on his pants, slipped into his shirt and in the process found that he was holding a belt in his left hand. How’d that get there. Did he forget picking it up?
No, impossible. He didn’t forget.
His mind must not be working right. Overusing his mana always caused some confusion but this felt different. Yeah it was different, it didn’t cause memory loss. And that’s what this was. Almost like his mind got turned off for a few seconds. Don’t panic. Slow down. Need to slow down. Finish getting dressed and slow down.
He worked the belt through his pant loops, one at a time. At least his fingers maintained their dexterity. The next thing he knew he was attaching his spellrod to the belt.
Crap, that confirmed it. He was loosing chunks of time. Like his mind was jumping forward. Slowing down what he was doing wasn’t going to be enough. He had to stop completely before he did something he regretted and didn’t remember it.
He laid down on his bed and decided to check his auraband. That was the best way to keep track of what was happening.
Lvl. 5 Human Male: Lucas Santi
Exp. 2,134/2,441
130/130 Health.
53/300 Mana.
93/93 Stamina.
Transcendent Blessing
Mana type – Spirit
Inherent Ability – Transcend
Well at least his mana capacity increased. At the cost of mana regeneration rate but it was best not to focus too much on that. Stick with the positive. If he was going to talk his way out of this confrontation with his uncle, he had to stay positive and regain his mental clarity.
To do that he had to regen all of his mana, so he laid back and watched his auraband. Tick by tick he counted his mana as it increased. That was a mistake, because on instinct he calculated his mana regen rate. The first calculation he took was twenty-five mana per minute. That seemed pretty good all considering. The thing was when he checked it yesterday, he was closer to thirty per minute. That was not in itself bad because mana didn’t regen at a linear rate. Yesterday he tracked it when it was close to zero. The closer the total was to zero, the faster his regen would be, then as it reached its maximum, the regen rate would slow down.
He kept tracking it and by the time his mana hit its maximum there was no noticeable decrease from the day before. That was good. The damage he caused was less than half of a mana point per minute. Almost nothing. He sucked in a relieved breath and let it out nice and slow. Then he checked his spellrod and forced himself out of bed.
No dizziness, no confusion but most important no weird jump in time, “Time to face the music.”
When he reached the door he stopped for a moment, gripped his spellrod and worked up the nerve to go confront his uncle. The walk through the halls was a blur, but not because his mind was frazzled. This time it was his nerves, he was so focused on where he was going that he couldn’t keep track of the space between.
About the only thing he could do was keep himself moving. So much so that when he reached his uncle’s study, he didn’t bother to knock. He just opened the door and slipped inside. Not because he intended to be sneaky but if he didn’t keep pushing forward, there was no way he would have the confidence to keep going.
Uncle William was behind his desk reading some stack of paperwork. He didn’t look up until the door shut. From out of nowhere his uncle raised his spellrod. Damn he was quick; Lucas didn’t even have time to flinch.
“Oh Lucas,” said William, “I wasn’t expecting you. Come have a seat,” then he flicked his spellrod. One of the seats in front of his desk jerked out with a squeak.
This was not the welcome he was expecting. Unless he didn’t find the butter knife. No, he must have. Maybe he hadn’t deciphered the spell yet or maybe he wanted Lucas to admit to it. Shit, he was no good at reading people. But he was good at keeping his mouth shut. Right now that was all he could do.
Lucas walked over to his uncle’s desk, pulled the seat closer and sat down without saying a word.
“I heard about that little stunt you pulled,” said William.
Stunt, which one. The one with Val’n Dare, or with Gwen. Did it matter. No, it did not. Neither required a response.
“Gave me a bit of a scare,” said William, “But I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you,” said Lucas as he searched his uncles face to figure out his motive but he again, he was not good at reading people. It could have been pride, or an attempt at concern. Dammit, he really
sucked at reading people. Then his uncle did something that froze him in his seat; he stood up, walked around the desk and sat in front of Lucas.
“I know we haven’t spent much time,” said William then he leaned a little closer, “just us. That’s my fault really. It’s been so much work since your… my… Since Waylon left us. Anyway, point is I’m sorry I haven’t always been there to guide you like I was for your brothers.”
“It’s okay,” said Lucas. Actually, it was great, it gave him the freedom he needed to learn what he had.
“No, it’s not okay,” said William then he stood up and walked back to his seat behind the desk. Then he thought, maybe his uncle didn’t know. It seemed like he felt sorry for some reason. It was like he brought Lucas here to apologize, not to accuse him or coax something from him. He seemed like he was legitimately trying to be nice.
Once he was seated again William leaned forward with that look he gave before a big speech, “I blame myself for what happen today, you should have never pushed so far. See our family has a unique Blessing. One with immense power but that power comes at a price.”
“It is like playing with fire. If you are not careful,” said William, “you get burned.”
“Mana scaring,” said Lucas.
“Yes, but that’s only part of it,” said William, “You were too young to remember your grandfather.”
“I remember him,” said Lucas before he knew what he was saying. Fucking nerves, always making you do stuff you didn’t want. Shut your mouth, Lucas.
“I’m sure you do,” said William, “But the man you knew was not the same as the man he was. Your grandfather was a great man with a sharp mind. One of the best, he could see something once and remember it exactly. Even years later. If you ask Magister Tempo, he was a prodigy. But because of that he pushed himself. From a young age he reached beyond his ability. Maybe even from the time he was your age, and do you know what happen?”
He didn’t want to say it, but Lucas knew what his uncle was about to say, “His memory.”
“Yes, the healers call it dementia,” said William then he hung his head in a moment of true sadness. That was not an act, “Transcend gives us the ability to enrich mana and channel massive amounts of magic. But our mind still has a limit. Going beyond what your mind can handle will cause lasting damage.”
That’s what happen after he woke up. He wasn’t confused, he was losing his short-term memory. Or he was confused because he lost his memories, not because his mind was recovering. This time was not bad, the gaps were short enough that he was able to piece together what happen. What if instead of losing a few seconds he started to miss minutes or hours of time.
He could lose an entire day, or forget he even met someone. That sounded an awful lot like the grandfather he knew.
“I didn’t know,” said Lucas, more to himself than to his uncle.
William smiled but he looked at Lucas with glossy eyes, “Neither did I. It was your dad who first realize what was happening,” then he shook his head and sat back, “But don’t worry. It takes years of overuse to cause lasting damage, and while you’re not at Waystar I will begin mentoring you to control it.”
“You’ll mentor me,” said Lucas.
“That’s right, I’ll have you slinging spells faster than both of your brothers in no time,” said William, “But don’t worry I’ll go easy on you.”
Don’t worry. Shit he was about to have a nervous breakdown. His biggest secret was missing, and on top of that he could be the one that hid it. But because he was literally losing his fucking mind, he’d never know what he did. If that wasn’t bad enough, his uncle was going to teach him. How in the world was he going to hide his skill.
To make matters even worse, there was a knock on the door and a venerable crowd of people walked in. If didn’t hyperventilate, he was about to have a panic attack from all the surprise bullshit.
God damn, he hated people.
Chapter 13:
Lucas spun around to see who was there. The door opened and in walked his brother Liam. A few seconds later Magnus Creed followed him into the room with his spellrod drawn and glowing. That was a surprise, but the real shock was that Val’n Dare came in a couple steps behind him. Val’n strode into the room with his usual smooth athletic gate. Behind Val’n was Magnus Slade. Slade also held his spellrod at his side and had it fully charged.
His uncle straightened his back and stood up. Lucas couldn’t help noticing how close his uncle’s hand was to his spellrod and remembered how quickly he drew it earlier.
“Gentleman. Put your rods away and have a seat,” said William as he walked around to the front of his desk.
Liam kicked one of the seats out from the table and flopped into it like he was falling into his own bed. Then he nudged the seat next to him, “Val’n.”
While Val’n took his seat, Creed shot a look at Slade then the two of them took up seats on opposite sides of the table. The move was far from subtle, they were flanking Val’n so at least one of them would be out of his line of sight at all times. His brother’s position made a lot of sense all of a sudden. If they did attack Val’n, Liam would be in the line of fire as well.
There was no way he could know what happen between Liam and Val’n since Gwen’s match but whatever it was, they had become allies of a sort. That didn’t make sense. And why the fuck were Creed and Slade let him in here but still acting like he was a threat.
“Greetings, Val’n Devos from the house of Dare,” said William, “I see you’ve become acquainted with my nephew.”
Val’n twisted his head in agreement, “Your nephews, have proven to be both capable and honorable.”
“As I expect,” said William, “What I did not expect is you.”
Val’n placed both of his hands on the table and intertwined his fingers, “This was the Val’ken’s intention.”
“You admittingly entered our country uninvited, knowing full well you break the Three Ring treaty?” asked Creed.
Before Creed finished speaking Liam kicked the bottom of the table, “Really Creed, are you the house historian now. Shut your mouth before you show yourself to be an even bigger fool.”
Creed jumped to his feet and knocked his chair over, “I’m the fool, I’ve defended this country since before you were born boy.”
Liam sat up straight and looked like he was about to draw his spellrod but he was too slow. Creed snatched his and was instantly blasted in the chest by a mana blast. The one who fired it was the last person Lucas expected. Their uncle William. Shit Lucas didn’t even see him draw and not only did he blast Creed across the room, he already had his rod leveled at Slade, “Sit down and shut up. We’re having a conversation, either contribute or,” then William flicked his eyes at Creed unconscious on the floor, “Your choice Magnus.”
Slade stowed his spellrod, “I meant no disrespect, Promagnus. But I must urge caution in these matters,” then he glanced at Val’n, “I sense deception.”
Before uncle William could answer the door slammed open. Everyone in the room except for William flooded the door with mana bolts. And Lucas of course, he was too slow, surprised, or scared to do anything. Shit probably all three.
Magister Tempo was not surprised, he absorbed the onslaught of mana bolt with a solid barrier as if he’d expected the onslaught and walked in the room without a care in the world, “Sorry I’m late,” then Tempo looked Slade in the eye, “I had to attend to an urgent matter.”
“Magnus,” said William, “Make sure Creed gets to a healer. I’m not sure how hard I hit him.”
Slade pulled his eyes off Tempo and looked at William, “Excuse me Promagnus?”
“Take Magnus Creed to a healer,” said William, then he lowered his voice, “Now.”
He didn’t like it but Slade was a good solider, he obeyed with out anymore complaints. While Slade collected his companion, both Tempo and William took seats at opposite ends of the table and waited in silence while Slade carried Creed out of
the door. As soon as the door shut William tapped his auraband and sealed the room.
The moment the room was sealed Liam’s back stiffened and he glanced at Val’n with what could only be described as seething hatred. Even Lucas could read that.
“I apologize for the theatrics, Prince Devos. The politics of our country sometimes interferes in matters of importance. My family does their best to circumvent such things, but we are few in number,” said William.
“No apology is necessary I am familiar with the nuances of ruling,” said Val’n, “But before we proceed, I must correct your inference that I am a prince.”
Tempo leaned on the table, “Pardon?”
“Val’n means protector, not prince,” said Val’n, “I protect the house of Dare.”
“Your father is the Val’ken is he not?” asked Tempo.
“He is,” agreed Val’n, “But the Val’ken has many sons. I alone am Val’n.”
Tempo started to ask another question, but William cut him off, “We are not here for a linguistics lesson. Val’n Devos, you would not have traveled so far without reason. What is the reason?”
“Our fleet has lost eleven ships in the past six weeks,” said Val’n then he fished something out of his pocket, “One of our captains escaped what he described as a phantom ship, he had this in his possession,” and tossed a square of cloth on the table.
Liam picked up the cloth, took one look at it and passed it to his uncle, “Blackmore.”
“A phantom ship?” asked William as he threw the cloth back on the table.
“I have seen a great many things on the open seas. But I don’t know if this is ghosts, monsters, or just some form of sorcery. That latter is why my Val’ken sent me here to determine if your people can help,” said Val’n.
“Why not just ask for our help and avoid all the drama?” asked Liam.
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