by D. N. Leo
“And what? What will you achieve by doing that?” Caedmon asked. “Trying to get yourself killed. That’s very mature, Alyna.”
“He’s right, Alyna. You need to lead Amaraq. No one else can do it.”
“I am not a mage. I can’t do Amaraq any good.”
“You owe me, Alyna. I have never asked anything of you. But now, it’s time. I need you.” Pukak sat down on the chair behind his desk. A pile of papers on the desk fell to the floor. Alyna bent down to pick them up, trying to do anything to avoid looking at Pukak.
“Come here, Alyna,” Pukak said weakly.
She ignored him and continued to pick up the sheets of paper on the floor.
“Alyna!” She felt Caedmon’s hand on her shoulder. She stopped what she was doing and looked up at Pukak. The room was so small that when she swiveled around, she was kneeling right next to him. He tilted her face up and looked into her eyes.
“Don’t cry, Alyna. You are my family. Amaraq is my life’s duty, but you are the only family I’ve got. If you don’t want to take care of Amaraq, it’s totally up to you. After I die, you will be free to go and live your life as you wish.”
He wiped the tears falling down her cheeks.
“Forgive me, Pukak.”
“There is nothing to forgive.” He looked up at Caedmon. “It’s a shame we met you too late. I regret that I must take Amaraq to the grave with me. But trust me, Caedmon, the business is worthy of your investment. Not because it’s profitable, but because in this insane world, when we head toward the end of the third millennium without spiritual guidance, humans will be at a loss. It’s not a war between supernaturals and humans. It’s a war between good and evil.” He sighed. “Unfortunately, when Amaraq is gone, evil will win.”
“How?” Alyna asked.
“The Scorpio key we worship isn’t just a key to open sources of power. It’s a key that can open the gate that connects the world of good and evil.”
“Why is it your responsibility, Pukak?” Caedmon asked. “The world is vast. There are many with power. No insult intended, but Amaraq is merely a small tribe.”
Pukak shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s been like that since the beginning. It was handed down to me. The summoning happens only once every hundred years. Not all leaders have experienced it. I have had a long reign. I’ve lived long enough. Unfortunately, Amaraq ends with me.”
“Don’t say that, Pukak!” Alyna cried out.
“You’re right, Caedmon. We are only a mage tribe. But protecting the Scorpio key is a mission larger than Amaraq, larger than our lives. I don’t know how to handle that…”
He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.
“Oh no, please don’t leave me. I’m not ready. I’m not made for it. But I’ll take the role. I’ll lead Amaraq!” Alyna cried.
Pukak opened his eyes. “I don’t want you to do anything you might regret.”
“I’ll do it. Please appoint me.”
Pukak couldn’t sit upright any longer, and Caedmon had to help him. Pukak placed his palm on Alyna’s head. But nothing happened.
They waited a little longer, but nothing occurred.
“Is it because I’m not a mage?”
“I can turn you,” Pukak said. “I can give you the light, but I’m too weak to do it now.”
“Oh no…please don’t die. Can you wait for me? I’ll be back, Pukak. Promise you’ll wait for me.”
“I’ll try.”
She looked at Caedmon.
He nodded. “I’ll stay and watch him,” he said. “Go. Do what you have to do.”
She nodded and stormed out the door. She rushed around the corner, shouting, “Lazi!”
Her gray cat sauntered out from the dark, looking at her as if it knew this moment would come.
“Take me to Teacher.”
Lazi turned and ran. She followed right behind.
30
T he cat disappeared in front of Alyna.
It had been taking her to the Teacher. It ran, and she followed right behind it. Then it vanished.
But she kept running in the direction the cat had just vanished from.
She felt as if she had walked past an invisible curtain. She couldn’t see anything, but she felt it brush against her. Her skin prickled. Then she found herself standing in front of a temple. There was engraving on the solid steel door and on the walls and fences surrounding the temple. She didn’t, however, see any statues representing gods or any other higher power.
Maybe it’s not a temple after all, she thought.
The door slid open and then closed behind her after she walked in.
Inside was a large and empty room—dark, smoky, and rather spooky. The air was icy, and she could see her breath. She glanced around but didn’t see anything that hinted at the culture, era, or origin of the Teacher.
A distant, authoritative, and disembodied female voice said, “I am pleased to finally see you coming back.”
“I’m here to submit myself to you, as promised. What kind of creature will you turn me into?”
There was a chuckle. “You will find out when the power is with you. One thing I can tell you right now is that I will not make you a mage. You will be much more powerful than that. And you will need all of your power to face what is coming. You need to explore your power, and you must use it with care.”
“Will I remember anything about my human life?”
“Your human life ended with the car crash. I used a minor form of power to sustain your body until now. Although the power wasn’t yours to start with, it has been with you for a long time and has now become an inseparable part of you. So you will feel the same after you receive the new power.”
“Can I heal others? Give power to others?”
“Yes, but it will take a long time and a lot of practice before you get to that level. Nevertheless, you will know what to do given different situations.”
She nodded.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, Teacher.”
“Kneel. Close your eyes.”
She obeyed.
She floated into the nothingness. Oceans of energy flowed into her body. In her mind, the countryside, mountains, rivers, cities, and the faces of several people flashed before her. So many images and faces. She didn’t recognize all of them. But among them, she saw Caedmon, and not because he looked different, or because he stood out from the crowd.
She knew he was there for a reason. She wasn’t sure if what she had just seen was a flashback, a memory insert, or a projection of the future. But Caedmon’s image was so prominent it was ingrained in her mind.
After a while, the process seemed to come to a stop. She opened her eyes and found herself on the floor. She scrambled to her feet. The temple was no longer there, but the voice of Teacher still echoed in the air.
“It has been a great pleasure to give you back your power. Be careful. Don’t allow your body to be destroyed again. I will be in touch when it’s necessary.”
“Wait. What do you mean by giving me back my power?” she asked. But nobody answered.
An empty space of red dirt and industrial ruins surrounded her. Her cat lay sleeping with all four legs in the air, snoring loudly.
“Lazi.”
The cat woke and blinked his green eyes at her. He sat up and then leisurely washed himself.
She wasn’t sure where she was exactly, but she had some theories. She didn’t think she was close to the clinic.
An air motorbike zoomed toward her and hovered. The driver smirked and crooked a finger to wave at her. “Want a ride somewhere to have fun?” he asked. “I tip well. What’s your rate?”
She smiled at him. “Sure, I’d love a ride. I’ll tell you my rate when we get to where I need to be.”
She ran toward the bike, jumped up in the air, and knocked him to the ground. Lazi had settled on the backseat already before she zoomed away. She had no idea he was so fast.
“Pick your bike up in cent
ral,” she said as she accelerated, heading toward the dome of the city.
She dropped the bike in front of the clinic and raced in. Caedmon was there, and Pukak still sat in the chair. He’d promised he would wait for her, and he had.
Then she saw the expression on Caedmon’s face.
“No!”
“He tried. I could have helped if it wasn’t poison,” Caedmon said.
She darted over to the chair. “You promised me you’d wait. I have power now… I can heal you.”
She knew he couldn’t hear her. He was somewhere else. He looked as if he were sleeping. Caedmon handed her the shield of the leader, a palm-sized badge that represented the power of the mage tribe.
“Pukak said nobody needs to know you haven’t received the proper transfer of leadership. He said he had no power left anyway, so there won’t be any proof of the transfer. And you will always have his blessing no matter which way you want to lead Amaraq.”
She held up the badge. “We will have proof.” She gathered her new energy, injected it into the metal badge, and pressed it to her left forearm until her flesh sizzled.
“What about you, Caedmon? Will you stay to help us? Are you still interested in the business?” She looked at the tattooed imprint on her arm, remaining as aloof and nonchalant as possible. Part of her wanted him to stay, but the other part wanted him to go away.
“I told you I can’t get the funds now.”
“I don’t need the money. But it would mean a great deal to me if you stayed. The trial is next week, and we have so many things to figure out.”
“You need to know that I have been approached by Ethesus. They’ve made an offer to form an alliance.”
“Yes, I know. But you came back to me. That’s why I asked. Will you stay to help us a little longer?”
Caedmon nodded. “Where do you plan to hold the trial?”
“At the temple. No one needs to know Pukak has passed. I’ll announce my leadership position at the temple, before the trial.”
“I’ll bet there will be resistance.”
She nodded. “It might be dangerous. You can decline if you wish.”
“I’ll be there for you.”
“I appreciate it. Could I please have a moment alone with Pukak before we take care of his body?”
Caedmon nodded and exited the room.
She looked at Pukak, who looked to be sleeping peacefully. There had been so many times they’d had discussions in this room. She sat there, looking at him and waiting for his wise words, his guidance, and even his wicked humor about the world before the Great War.
But now, Pukak was no longer talking to her.
31
A lyna didn’t like having butterflies in her stomach. Today was the day of the trial. The senior members from every branch in every corner of the world were coming to Old Sydney to attend. Most of them would stay on for the main event next month. But some would leave early—not all branches and clubs were keen on the ritual.
She hadn’t slept at all, so she couldn’t really say she’d gotten up early. Lazi had been pacing all night, but mostly because he was nocturnal. What surprised her was the fact that Caedmon had stayed over. He’d told her it was unsafe for him to go back to his apartment because of the attack the other day, but she knew that was only an excuse. He stayed in the guest room, meaning the sofa as she didn’t have a spare bedroom.
She tied her hair up and braided a ponytail then put on a leather jacket to cover her tattooed leadership seal. As she came out to the living room, she saw Caedmon was awake. Maybe he hadn’t slept, either.
He looked at her with cool eyes that froze any anxiety she was feeling. Approached her, he said, “You’ll be fine. You’re the rightful leader of Amaraq.”
“Thank you for staying. I want you to promise me if things go pear-shaped, you’ll leave the temple immediately and not engage in a fight.”
The first rays of sunlight beamed through the glass into the room, silhouetting Caedmon and making him look like a dark angel. In her words, he was goddamn beautiful.
“It’s a simple request. Agree, or I won’t take you to the temple.”
“I can’t promise you that. But I still need to go to the temple with you.”
“Agree, or you’ll stay home with the cat. You can’t have it all, Caedmon.”
She expected him to chuckle. But he didn’t. His eyes grew intense. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Does it have to be today?”
He gazed into her eyes. “Yes, and it has to be now.”
She nodded.
“One of the things on my agenda is to acquire Amaraq, obtain the Scorpio key, and place it in a secure place.”
She stared at him. “Safer than where it currently is in a secret temple of which nobody knows the exact location? Safer than the key making an appearance only once in a century? Where would this secure place that you’re talking about be?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Well, if you can prove that it is indeed safer for the key to be there than in the temple, let’s do it.”
He stared at her. “That’s it? You agree?”
She arched an eyebrow. “Why not? You obviously have more resources than the hundreds of Amaraq branches combined. Why shouldn’t I accept your offer? I don’t have Pukak’s spiritual appreciation, but I take his word seriously regarding the safety of this world and how the Scorpio key keeps it secure from the invasion of evil. That’s his legacy, and I will protect it, whatever it takes.”
“You’re a good woman, Alyna.”
“It’s too soon to draw a conclusion like that, Caedmon.” She paused. “What are your other agendas?”
“What?”
“You said this is one of the things on your agenda. What are the rest?”
He chuckled. “They’re not important.”
She shrugged. “All right then, let’s go.”
THE TEMPLE DOOR SLID OPEN. Her stomach quivered, and her anxiety was intensifying by the second.
Following her were Caedmon and Tomkin. She knew she could rely on Caedmon in chaotic situations. But she had seen Tomkin countless times in difficult situations, and he simply turned into a mess.
More than a hundred leaders followed her inside. She knew they had many questions for her, but the timing wasn’t appropriate, so they held their silence. It worked in her favor, and she was relieved.
It was ice cold inside the temple. Pukak had warned her about this. The temple was made of ice, and the artificial lake in the center of the temple where the key was kept frozen came from a sacred mountain. The frozen water of the lake kept the air in the temple at a frigid temperature.
“Where’s Pukak?” Tomkin asked for the second time. Caedmon urged him to remain silent, and Alana pretended not to hear his question.
They approached the lake, and the chill intensified. The leaders climbed onto raised platforms around the lake. The fifty-foot-tall domed ceilings kept the cold air in. It felt as if they were in a freezer.
Alyna looked at the frozen lake. She knew that under the icy surface was the key. She approached the lake and stepped onto the raised platform in the center of the crowd.
“Welcome everyone,” she said, “and thank you for attending this summoning trial. For those who don’t know, my name is Alyna McCabe. I am Pukak’s protege. It is with my deepest sorrow that I inform you Pukak passed away last night due to natural causes. He went peacefully, and he expressed his appreciation for your longtime support of Amaraq. He would also appreciate your continuing support under my leadership in the future.”
The room hummed with murmurs.
Alyna removed her jacket, revealing her arm with the leadership seal.
“But you’re not a mage!” a male voice cried from a corner of the room.
Alyna turned in his direction. “I am Pukak’s protege. You don’t think he would have given me the light long time ago?”
“He told me he was concerned that you’re not
a mage. He worried he’d die without having a successor. He said that to me just last month,” a woman at her right said.
“I doubt he’d discuss that with anyone,” Alyna replied.
“You don’t want us to think you killed him for this leadership post!” someone else said.
“That’s a ridiculous accusation,” Tomkin said.
She felt Caedmon tugging at her elbow as the room exploded with debates, arguments, conversations. Everyone spoke at the same time, and all of them wanted to be heard. She had special power now, but Alyna knew she hadn’t yet had a chance to learn and understand her power, let alone use it. If several senior members of the tribe decided to attack her at the same time, she would be doomed.
32
A lyna had to reveal her talent and control the situation, or she would never gain respect from these older leaders, Caedmon thought. As much as he wanted to help her, he knew if she didn’t act, his involvement would only make things worse.
“Do you want to challenge my leadership by combat?” she asked.
The room quieted down instantly.
“I’ll take her!” a male voice responded. A formidable man stepped out from a corner.
Before Alyna could respond, the man attacked her. Every mage had a different talent, but all the talents centered around light energy. Caedmon could see the light energy emanating from the man. As he moved, the light haloed around him. He didn’t pull a weapon, but the tenacity in his eyes made Caedmon realize that whatever he had planned would be lethal for Alyna.
He didn’t know yet what Alyna’s power was, so he stood still and waited. In the worst-case scenario, he was prepared to jump in. As the man came closer, Caedmon switched his eudqi on in full.
Alyna’s expression didn’t waver a fraction. The man came closer, almost closing the distance between himself and the platform where Alyna, Tomkin, and Caedmon were standing. Alyna waited.
Then she raised her left arm—the one with the leadership seal on the forearm. She made a fist and pushed it through the air. A bolt of light energy emerged from her fist, striking the man like a missile. He was thrown backward like a rag doll and skidded on his backside across the icy floor. His body stopped at the far side of the room, and he lay on the floor, motionless.