As Talia looked to both sides, she saw the other men and women stepping into the clearing. This line of people stretched for miles, all the way around the city of Joharadin. As the first light of morning spilled over the horizon, Talia opened her arms wide and began the chant. In her mind’s eye, she watched the others raise their arms as the words swelled and repeated.
Talia called the light to her. It filled her, healing the last of the damage from her encounter with Shishali. When her spirit pushed at the tender new skin, she concentrated on directing it outward through her fingertips. She sent the tight beam of energy toward Landry on one side and a young girl on the other. It found their outstretched fingers, filling them with light, and then jumped to the others in the line one by one, until a circle of light surrounded the city.
Talia continued the chant and time slowed. The trees joined in with a song, repeating the history of the world. The other mages joined in as they found their own voices. Talia stepped forward and the circle went with her. She walked forward, tightening the tether of light. It thickened and pulsed with their combined strength and desire.
Magic throbbed within Talia. The circle magnified and focused her vision. She looked deep within Sendek’s double suns. They were inside her; she was inside them.
Every tendril of life on the planet spun on a tether line to the core of one of the suns. The Dragumon’s tethers glowed deep purple, tied to the suns and the mages in the circle. Mentally, Talia reached out and cut the purple tethers with a flick of her fingers. First from the mages, and then from the suns. With each snip, the magic ebbed and swirled. It pulled at her energy. She shared it with those in the circle, but the pain . . . it was hers alone.
The punishment was hers too.
Each life screamed its way out of existence. Hurling the emptiness left by their extinction at Talia. She pulled more energy from the suns to fill the hole growing in her soul, but she pulled too much. The energy surged around the circle. She needed to expel it before the mages broke contact. Drawing it back into herself, she sent the light streaming into the air as she cut the last thread.
Time resumed its normal march, the morning broke, and Talia sank into darkness.
Chapter 36
The power surged through Landry. The ebb and flow pulsed with the rhythm of Talia’s heart. He watched her cut the Dragumon’s ties through their shared connection; saw the darkness moving into her body.
Talia, what can I do? He pleaded with her.
She didn’t respond and he wasn’t sure she heard him. A massive amount of energy entered the circle of mages, causing his entire body to shake. Talia pulled the energy inside herself and expelled it upward into the morning light.
The connection broke when Talia crumpled to the ground. The power drained away, leaving Landry weak. He stumbled to her side. Nothing appeared wrong, but when he held her hands, he didn’t feel the electrical spark he had grown accustomed to. He probed her mind and found only thick walls barring his way.
The other mages drifted toward them, and Landry realized with Jaron gone they no longer had a clear leader. Talia had earned that title, but he needed to do something to hold her place in this new hierarchy.
“What happened to Talia? Do we know if the spell worked?” The teen girl who had stood on the other side of Talia looked down at him.
“Talia used a lot of her energy to make this spell work. Magic has a price and she has to heal herself now. It may be a while before she wakes.” It was mostly truth, he just couldn’t be sure it was all of the truth. Landry expanded his mind toward the city, looking for Jewel.
“I could see things as we performed the unbinding. The Dragumon are gone, it worked.” This came from a man who looked to be in his late twenties.
Landry sensed his curiosity as he stared at Talia. With it came a twinge of power lust. The real battle for Sendek was just getting started.
Jewel soared through the sky, but didn’t land. Instead her voice resonated in the minds of all the new mages, “The Dragumon are gone. Return to your homes and families.”
A thrill of fear shot through the crowd. They would obey. For now.
Landry was relieved to see people wander back to the camp. He gathered Talia’s limp body in his arms and carried her to Jaron’s ship. As he walked through the encampment, people stopped to watch him pass. The feelings of respect and reverence flowed from them. Landry relaxed as he recognized that the new mages had already accepted Talia as the true power behind the day’s victory. Some walked up to touch her arm as he passed.
Jaron’s ship would provide protection and privacy. And thanks to the information Jaron had passed to him, Landry could use it to its fullest potential. Once inside, he secured the airlock so no one else could enter. He placed Talia in Jaron’s bed and called Stefan.
“It’s over. We destroyed the Dragumon and you can safely move back to the city.”
“I can’t believe it’s over so quickly,” Stefan’s voice sounded so far away.
“There will be a price to pay. I’m coming home so we can talk about it.” Landry’s shoulders sagged. It would be good to go home and be with family. “Will you return to the palace today, or should I come out to the mountain base?”
“I’ll return to the palace today. I want to bring my father home to bury in the family tomb. This doesn’t feel real. How is it possible to win a war so quickly? It was relatively easy.”
“How can you say it was easy? You don’t know what we’ve been through.” The flair of anger burst from Landry as he slammed his fist on the console.
“I’m sorry, I know it wasn’t easy. I guess I’m too far from the action. Tell me about it,” Stefan soothed.
Landry sighed as the strong emotions drained away. “I’m sorry. There are going to be some long lasting consequences. Please, let’s talk when you get to the palace.”
“Will I finally get to meet Talia?”
“I hope so. See you soon.”
Landry had just enough energy left to fly home, land in the palace courtyard, and carry Talia to his quarters. He barely registered the changes the Dragumon had made during their short time in the palace. Or the piles of glittery dust scattered throughout the halls.
His footfalls echoed around him as he carried Talia toward his quarters. Relief washed over him when he reached his rooms. His arms ached from Talia’s weight, and he gratefully laid her down. Sitting on the side of the bed, he tried once again to reach into her mind. Her walls shut him out.
Landry collapsed on the couch in the living room, and that’s where Stefan found him hours later.
“Landry, you look and smell awful.”
“Thanks, good to see you too.” Landry sat up and his stomach grumbled uncomfortably.
“Why are you on the couch?”
“Talia’s in my room. She passed out at the end of the unbinding and hasn’t regained consciousness.”
“Sorry. Is this part of the price you mentioned?”
“I hope not.” Landry rubbed his eyes, and then ran his fingers through his hair before standing.
“What can I do to help? Should I send for the medical staff?”
“Not yet, I don’t think they can help anyway. This is tied to the magic.”
“Why did it affect her and not you?” Stefan asked.
“I’m not sure, but she might have carried the burden on her own to protect the rest of us.”
Stefan shook his head. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“Jaron said there is always a consequence to using magic. The magic will try and maintain balance. I should have paid closer attention to what she was doing, but it happened so fast I couldn’t stop her. If she had shared the consequences with all of us it wouldn’t have been so bad for her.”
Stefan laid his hand on Landry’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, cousin. Just let me know what I can do to help. I’ll get some rooms prepared for her.”
“She can keep mine. I want to be close when she comes to.” Land
ry’s voice sounded flat. “Let me get cleaned up and then we can talk about the future. The Dragumon have caused more damage than the deaths of the last few days.”
“So you implied. Take your time and come to my rooms when you’re ready.” Stefan placed his hand on Landry’s shoulder. “I’m glad you made it home.”
“Me too.”
Two days passed, and Talia did not regain consciousness. At dawn on the second day, Landry carried her into the courtyard for the sunsrise. Standing with her in his arms, he waited for that magical moment. Shrubs and flowers surrounded them, but the lights of the re-occupied city distracted him from the suns’ first glow.
Without Talia’s help locating the threads of energy, he didn’t know how to gather them. He tried to relax, but his desperation was too strong. In the end, he didn’t know if any energy found its way to her. He stood in the early morning light, listening to the birds until his arms ached from Talia’s weight. He shifted her around and headed back to his room where Stefan waited for him.
Dark circles lined Stefan’s eyes and his shoulders slumped from the weight of how to rule a technologically advanced group of mages. Landry had explained how useful the mages could be to the kingdom, but how would they keep them from becoming too powerful? It would take months, probably years to find the right balance.
“Hey. Any luck out there?” Stefan asked with a nod toward the door.
Landry sighed and headed for the bedroom. “I don’t think so.”
Landry stepped into the darker room and pulled Talia closer, squeezing her tight before setting her down. His muscles groaned from the prolonged strain of carrying her, but he welcomed the throbbing. He lay her down as the dull ache turned to sharp ripping pain, and brushed the hair from her forehead.
“Talia, you could help Stefan understand so much better than me. Come back and help me,” he whispered.
Nothing.
Landry swallowed hard and leaned in close. “I’m not giving up on you.”
With heaviness he couldn’t shake, Landry walked back to Stefan and sank into a chair. The two men just looked at one another for several minutes.
“Let the doctors take a look at her. Maybe they can do something,” Stefan fairly growled at Landry. “Just because she used magic doesn’t mean our doctors can’t fix her. You’re being stupid.”
“What would you know about it?” Landry snapped back.
Stefan’s mouth dropped open as he stared at Landry. He closed it, his lips forming a tight line and his eyes narrowing. “Nothing. Because you won’t tell me. You’ve shut me out as effectively as she’s shut you out.”
The silence that followed hung heavy between them. Stefan’s jaw twitched, and Landry gripped the armrest until he blew out the breath he had been holding.
“I’m sorry. I feel like I’m trapped in there with her, and it kills me that I don’t know how to help her.”
“Landry, do whatever it is you need to so you can concentrate on your job again. You are responsible for helping me keep the mage element under control. If that’s going to be a problem I need to know now.”
“I’m the same man I was before the mage. Nothing has changed in that respect.”
“Then prove it to me. Get out there and find that dragon. Ask what needs to be done. Take a week, more if you need, but get yourself together because I need you here.” He stood and held out his hand to Landry.
The firm grip of his cousin reminded Landry of the days when they would wrestle each other. A slow smile crept over his lips and he pulled himself to standing.
“You’ll make a good king yet. Where was the dragon last seen?”
“I’ll find out and let you know. Do you need anything?”
“No. I’ll stay in touch.”
Landry flew straight to the waterfall and set down to wait for Jewel. She circled and settled on a ledge above the ship. The soft swish of air from the dragon’s wings lifted Talia’s hair and it brushed against Landry’s face.
“She still sleeps?”
“Yes, how can I help her?”
“She used strong magic, and she fears what she has done.” Jewel stretched her neck and placed her giant head above the couple. “She thought it would be painless.”
“How can you know this? I’ve tried to reach her, but can’t break through.”
Jewel remained silent for a few minutes. “She blocks you because she fears your reaction to what she has done. Take her somewhere familiar, somewhere she feels safe.”
“So there’s nothing you can do for her?” Landry leaned his head against Talia’s.
“Time. Now I will return to the dragonkin and report what I’ve seen here.”
“Wait, what are we supposed to do with these new talents? There’s no one to train us or teach us how to use them for good.”
“You will learn to be wise, or you will destroy yourselves as effectively as the Dragumon wished.” Jewel spread her wings and with a deep inhale lifted off the ground.
The rush of air pushed Landry back a step, and Talia’s hair whipped at him this time. He squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again, Jewel circled high above. She crossed the light of the suns, opened a portal, and disappeared.
Landry set course for Gneledar, and Talia’s childhood home. Although not as large as his suite in the palace, the cottage impressed him with its comfort. It looked and smelled like Talia. Clean, orderly, and decorated in earth tones.
The open living area included a small dining area with a food metabolizer and one seat at a small round table pushed against the wall. A faded blue couch faced the opposite wall. He saw the computer console built into the coffee table and knew the wall was her view screen.
A short hall led to two rooms and a bath. The first room was full of books, computer disks, and electrical panels, sheets of thin metal, welding equipment, and star charts. The other room was Talia’s bedroom. Decorated in soft greens and rich browns, it was an extension of the forest on the other side of the large windows lining two walls. The furniture was sparse, just a bed and one small nightstand with an old-fashioned lamp. One door led to a closet with a dresser in it and another door led to the bathroom.
The bathroom was also uncluttered with the things he thought a woman would have lying around the house. There were no bottles of perfume or make-up. He found the simplicity comforting.
Several times during the day, he tried to spoon soup into Talia. And he talked to her. He told her all about his childhood and growing up in the palace. He told her about his schooling and why he had chosen to follow his father into the military.
When night came, he carried Talia outside and up the trail above her home. There was a tree along the trail with a wide branch low enough to sit on. He leaned against the trunk and cradled Talia in his arms. Maybe the trees would be able to reach her if he couldn’t. He continued talking to her.
“I’ve never let anyone get close to me. I thought,” Landry ran his hand through his hair causing it to stick up, “I thought love would make me weak. Then I met you and I knew from that first moment. But I tried to ignore it.”
Landry buried his face in her hair and breathed deeply. The palace nurses had found the shampoo she liked that smelled like mint. The scent carried the ache deep into his chest.
“Talia.” Her name hurt, but he said it again. “Talia, I love you. Let me keep you safe. You shouldn’t have to suffer the cost alone. Let me share it with you. Come back to me.”
She didn’t move, but there was a stirring in her mind. A flutter that teased him before it disappeared. He sat up and moved them gently to the ground, laying Talia out beside him and resting her head in his lap while he leaned against the tree.
“Where did you go?” He brushed her face with his fingers and reached for her with his mind. Her mind remained empty, but something had changed.
He closed his eyes and looked around with his spirit self. Talia’s mind was dark, but small flickers of light burst into being before fading out of sight. He follo
wed them until he found her. A small huddled mass inside a thick-walled box. Landry touched the box and a rush of emotions burst out of it.
Pink affection, bright white hope, but angry reds of fear and gray sadness surrounded them and pushed them back into the box.
Talia was a hostage inside her own body.
Landry opened his eyes and reached for her hand.
“Don’t let fear keep you from me. You’re stronger than this.” He massaged her hand in his until the hope within her gained strength. The walls in her mind weakened. He pushed them gently with his mind, seeking a way in.
A crack branched across the wall and Landry heard Talia sigh. The walls turned to water and collapsed on the small spirit girl hiding within.
Talia, the teen, lay shivering and wet. She had all of her insecurities and fears wrapped around her. Landry knelt and pulled a scarf of loneliness from her face. Her eyes were scrunched shut, but she stretched her legs and arms as he unwrapped anguish, defeat, and guilt. And she changed. She grew older, regaining the confidence from her successes. She grew to take up residence in her body once again.
“That’s my girl, come back to me. Let me see those beautiful eyes again.” Landry let his fingers trace her arm, her shoulder, up her neck to her face. He outlined her eyes, slid down her nose to her lips. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Talia, please. I need you.”
The electricity built between them again. Soft whispers sounded in his mind, but he couldn’t make out the words. Her eyes fluttered, but they didn’t open. Her fingers responded with pressure, tightening around his hand. He kissed her lightly on the lips and when he moved away she spoke to him in a scratchy whisper.
“Landry?” When no other sound came, she spoke to his mind. I can’t open my eyes. Nothing works.
“Be patient, you’ve been unconscious for four days. Take your time. I’m just glad to have you back. There’s nowhere we need to be, just rest.”
“Water?”
“Just a minute.” Landry carried her as quickly as he dared back to the house, and placed a glass of water to her lips. It was wonderful to see and hear her swallow on her own again. He swallowed with her each time, his fingers always somewhere on her skin. Her face, her arms, her hands. She sighed as he lay her back down.
The Magic Wakes Page 24