“What just happened?!” she nearly yelled. “I felt it! You stopped time, just for a second…” she trailed off her brown eyes dilated wide with fear. “It was so cold and still...”
Since the ceremony in the council chamber, Ange had learned that by adding her blood and Showl’s into the strange liquid that had bathed the rings, her Endowment could not affect the other Sky Warriors bound by the same blood. They were immune…
Before Ange could answer she felt something vibrate violently against the skin of her chest. She pulled up the silver chain with a metal pentagon locket that held her ring inside. Since she was untrained she was not allowed to wear it, but she had been instructed to keep it on her person at all times in case she need to contact the others for an emergency. She didn’t see why she wasn’t allowed to keep herself connected to the others but she knew it was pointless to argue.
“Ana is pissed,” Amaris groaned. “And so is Showl and Corvus, everyone else is just confused. Watch out, here they come,” she stated lamely.
The balcony rocked once again with a gust of air to their lefts but accompanied by roars, to their right, a large stone door thundered as it slammed into the stone wall and furious footsteps followed.
“What happened?” Ileana snarled demandingly.
Ange sighed annoyed, she didn’t mean any harm yet everyone was furious. It’s not like I did it intentionally. She groaned irritated to herself.
Suddenly Showl and Corvus were before them as well, in human form, looking every bit on edge and outraged.
“I can’t believe you were so reckless yet again!” Showl snapped heatedly. “I told you not to try and reach for your power or Endowment. You promised!” he accused.
“I didn’t know what I was doing!” Ange snapped back, flashing her hazel eyes to Showl. “It’s not like I froze time on purpose.”
“You did it by accident?” Ileana asked horrified.
Ange sighed tiredly. “Yes,” she spat crossly, losing her temper quickly.
Ileana was silent, so deadly silent Ange felt forced to look at her face. She was surprised by the troubled and thoughtful look that was there.
Ileana finally sighed, letting out a long breath as her shoulders slumped back. “This is clearly bad, you have none of the restrains a new Dragonbound should. You shouldn’t be able to use or access your powers so easily!” she huffed perplexed. “Clearly we are going to need some help before you inadvertently hurt someone or yourself.”
Ange was about to lash out a statement when Amaris shook her head at her and Showl’s mental voice growled into her mind.
“I’m afraid you’re going to have to make a premature visit to the Tower of Ingled and seek the wisdom of the Bookmen of Valtor and hope they have the strength to seal your powers,” Ileana stated with absolute conviction.
“What!?” Ange blurted out in protest. “Seal my powers? Are you nuts? How will I be able to defend myself if the Adherent attack us?”
“We are here, we have done just fine before you arrived and we will do just as fine without you,” Ileana stated simply.
Ange felt her cheeks flush red with anger as she gritted her teeth before she insulted their leader.
“The seal won’t be permanent, Angeline. When you’re ready to use them and are able to travers the locks, the seal will disappear and you will have full access to your powers again. This is for your safety as much as our own. The Endowment can kill you if you accidently trigger it, such a power is not meant to be left in the hands of the inexperienced and unready,” Ileana explained calmly.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Showl stated flintily.
“What?” Ange protested shocked then furious. “I wouldn’t be in this predicament if you had just given me some privacy with my own thoughts!” she snapped. “Haven’t I had enough seals on me already?”
Showl visible flinched for a moment but kept his gaze steady, undeterred.
“There is no debating this,” Ileana answered with finality. “You will have your powers sealed.”
“Not even a vote?” Ange snarled. “Just like that? You’re going to order me around like some tusk dog?” she spat accusingly.
Ileana glared, obviously displeased with her comment. “As leader I must put the wellbeing of others before any single member’s personal feelings or my own. I am not doing this to harm you. You made a promise when you joined us,” she reminded sternly. “This is to protect all of us.”
Ange snarled, she could feel the heat turning her face red as she scowled and continued to glare unflinchingly at Amaris’s sister.
“I’ll write a letter and you’ll leave tonight,” Ileana stated briskly and turned away.
She quickly retreated into the fortress castle, the carved stone door slamming behind her.
Ange groaned and snarled as curses started to fly from her mouth.
“This is-”
“Shut up!” Ange snapped before Showl could finish his statement, she turned her furious glare to him. “This is all your fault!” she spat accusingly. “Why don’t you go away and stay out of my head while you’re at it!” she yelled at the top of her lungs.
Showl winced, his expression furious, hurt, and sad. He sighed as he walked away around her and followed Ileana into the palace, the stone door slammed once again, echoing in the silent area of the balcony, echoing off the stone and resonating, lingering in the still cool air and in her ears.
Ange swallowed a long breath forcefully as she turned her gaze back to Amaris, feeling suddenly crushed and aggrieved and she visibly slumped much to her disgust.
Amaris was frowning, sympathy in her gaze.
“At least before you go, we can finish your blocking lesson,” she suggested tentatively.
Ange sighed and she took a more steady breath in as she tried not to think of the sensation of having a seal blocking her from her mana once again.
“You were on the right course,” Amaris pitched in more enthusiastically as if trying to lift her spirits. “Just…don’t do what you did a minute ago again,” she laughed humorously which died quickly when Ange’s expression remained as plain as ever.
“Right…well,” Amaris continued uncomfortably, “reach into your mind again but this time only grab hold of Showl’s soul fragment.”
“But it’s everywhere,” Ange replied quietly, unfocused. “It’s threads woven everywhere, I can’t tell start from end in the mess of a webs there is.”
Amaris’s expression became confused as she exchanged a glance with Corvus as he sat down next to her.
“That’s odd…isn’t that only supposed to happen…”
Corvus nodded, ending her statement. She frowned pensively, bewildered.
Ange’s interest perked up. “Only supposed to happen when?”
Amaris shook her head. “It doesn’t matter,” she amended lightly. “Now find the thickest string and grab it, once you do think of a shield or a wall, even better think of a thick viscous liquid,” she explained with a touch of disgusted exaggeration in her voice and she waved her hands in a liquid shape. “And cover the threads in that liquid. Try it,” she insisted.
Ange frowned slightly and nodded as she closed her eyes, still wondering what Amaris’s earlier statement was, but she knew well when the Sky Warriors didn’t want to share something, they wouldn’t.
So instead she focused.
She dived in once again, against the currents of energy till she was at the same place as before, the place where the black sun burned and where her soul threaded with Showl’s soul spun like a galaxy encompassing the physical shaped of their Endowment.
The threads of Showl’s soul were easy to pick up from the subtle grays of her soul, they blistered like silver with a sheen of sparkling icy blue. She could see no true thick cord among the strings so instead she reached for the closest, puncturing her fingers through the fabric and grabbing hold of the thread.
She envisioned liquid tar, covering the strings, separating them form herself and shielding he
r mind from their invasive touch, separating them from the blanket of her soul.
For an moment she felt Showl’s resentment and anger burn to her through the string as a black cloak quickly enveloped the thread and quickly webbed out, revealing the extensive threading that weaved through her soul.
Ange smiled triumphantly as she opened her eyes, she could still feel their connection but she wasn’t sure if she had successfully blocked him.
Let’s try this out… she thought to herself, thinking for a moment what would offend Showl or would prompt him to intrude on her thoughts. I know! You’re a pompous, annoying, most stubborn bunch of feathers and you’re the bossiest dragon I have ever met!
Nothing.
“Yes!” Ange yowled excited.
“You did it?” Amaris asked with a relieved smile.
Ange nodded giddy as a wide grin spread across her face. “Oh, he isn’t going to be bothering me for a while,” she stated victoriously.
Amaris gave her a half smile, half worried and half understanding.
“That was easy,” Amaris noted testily. “Now, how are you keeping up the concentration? The moment you lose it, he will be hearing everything in your head. It’s going to take some practice so you can do more than one thing at a time.”
Ange frowned perplexed. “I don’t know what you mean. I’m not even concentrating on blocking him anymore,” she shrugged pleased with a wide smile. “I’m just doing it without thinking about it.”
Amaris’s and Corvus’s faces became blank with shock.
“But that’s impossible,” Corvus whispered, his white eyes becoming dark as he concentrated on her.
“Are you sure?” Amaris chipped in leaning forward. “You’re not even thinking about it? About holding the block in place?”
Ange shook her head, confused by their skepticism.
Amaris leaned back, hunching her shoulders in worry. “Just like a dragon,” she muttered.
Corvus continued to stare, his expression analytical as he scowled thoughtfully.
Ange fidgeted under the stare and Amaris’s obvious concern, she didn’t understand the problem.
Finally Amaris just sighed and shook her head. “Come on, you should go pack your things,” she suggested just as Corvus stood up gracefully and offered her his hand.
Ange watched as Amaris gave him a small smile and accepted his help. He pulled her up gently, her hand lingering over his for a moment before she turned away for the doors.
Ange stared after them perplexed for a moment, wondering what had her friend so worried as she jumped up from the floor and quickly followed after them. Corvus held the door for them, closing it behind Ange as she quickly caught up with Amaris.
Amused, she noted that it seemed all the male dragons were very quaint gentlemen, even quiet and dour Corvus.
They walked down the usual giant and wide path of one of the four giant hallways that had been an original part of the castle before dragons had gained a human shape. It never failed to make Ange feel like a dwarf as she stared up at the high ceiling hundreds of feet above her head.
They walked for over a minute in the echoing silence, it was deafening and the pressure assailed Ange as images flashed through her mind of the great beasts that once waked these halls. Proud, noble, majestic creatures that walked with certainty and grace even as their great heavy footfalls echoed the chamber and shook the mountain to its core.
Ange paused as she snapped out of the vision, realizing they had reached a crossroad, the hall to her right led to the chambers where she and Showl each had a separate quarter as did the other members. To her left continued the giant hallway towards the Heart of the Council, the very center of the entire palace.
Corvus and Amaris stared at her as she returned them a confused gaze.
“We’ll see you later,” Amaris smiled slightly, worried as she quickly and briskly walked away, followed by Corvus and his vacant stare.
Ange stood frozen for a moment, her gut told her something was up and she had grown to trust her suspicions.
She glowered for a moment and walked down her corresponding hallway only to stop a few feet and crouch down. The stone floor was cold as she pressed her ear against the floor, listening to the pair of footsteps quietly echo through the stone floor. She mentally counted the paces, and recalled the length of the hall before it ended in the grand chamber where any of the ten great doors could be walked through in the dome room. She and memorized how many paces it took her to reach the chamber, her friend was walking more quickly then she would usually.
She knew the pace to stop at that would signify it was safe for her to follow. She quickly jerked up, quickly reassuring herself Showl could not hear her thoughts.
Nothing.
She smiled as she quickly rounded the corner and quietly slinked her way to the grand chamber. She paused just as the doors came into sight and quickly looked around. No one was in sight.
Feeling a little more confident, she crouched and quickly stealthy moved past the closest door before rolling to just its edge were the shadows were densest. Slowly she peered into the council chamber as the voices echoed towards her, bouncing off the smooth stone walls in the nearly vacant room. All the members were gathered except for Grace, Chrysaetos, and Showl, their backs facing Ange.
“Ana, are you not being too quick with this?” Amaris’s voice echoed with concern.
“Of course not, Amaris. She is developing her mental and telekinetic powers too quickly. It’s too dangerous to leave her unchecked, she’s not ready for them,” Ileana reinstated.
“How can you know that though?” Amaris countered. “Just because it’s never happened before in history doesn’t mean we should send her off to seal her powers. Did you consider that she is this way for a reason? It can’t be a coincidence!”
“She has a point,” Adam added. “We wanted a miracle, and now that it’s here…don’t you think this will set everything back for us? It’s obvious Angeline has the potential to be Phoenix’s doom.”
“Even her physical skills are improving quickly,” Eirian interjected quietly.
“That all worries me. She’s still not well educated and her powers are developing far more rapidly than her reasoning,” Ileana insisted. “She has the potential to be everyone’s doom at the pace she is going at.”
“Ange would never betray us!” Amaris snapped immediately.
“You hardly know her,” Ileana snapped back.
“I sure as Poleuthan’s shadow know her better then you do!” Amaris spat crossly leaning over the table to glare at her twin.
Just as Ange’s anger flared, it subsided, she found herself surprised with the loyalty and friendship she had found in Amaris. She smiled touched though Ileana’s words continued to bother her.
Ileana glared back at her sister. “If she uses her Endowment even one more time, the Adherent are going to start getting suspicious. The only benefit we have is that no new Dragonbound has ever been able to do that, it’s unheard of. It may be the only thing protecting us from the Adherent from swooping in on us and investigating. They can feel it, for a split second they can feel the power of an imperium universi even if they are not immune to it.”
Ange flinched as Corvus’s eyes flickered to her for a brief moment. She froze, sure he had seen her, but the only evidence she had was the slight quirk on the edge of his lip that lasted for less than a second before he returned his white gaze to the gathered council, his face as blank as ever.
“It’s for everyone’s safety,” Falco agreed reluctantly. “I hate to do this to the girl but we have no choice. She’s simply not ready for all this power,” he stated in a logical tone.
“But she’s special!” Amaris insisted. “She’s more talented than even you or me when we were in the academy, Ana,” she returned her gaze to her sister, pleading for her to listen. “She learned on her first try how to block, she doesn’t even need to concentrate to keep it up. It took us decades to do that!”
&
nbsp; “I’m afraid I have to agree with your sister, Amaris,” Corvus said softly. “Talent does not equal knowledge on proper and insightful use.”
Amaris flashed a disbelieving gaze to her partner.
“It is in Angeline’s best interest,” Corvus gently reassured. “You wouldn’t want your friend to injure herself by accident would you? She has no experience, no sense of control or wisdom that can only come with effort and extensive training.”
“I’m telling you all, you’re making a mistake,” Amaris snarled. “The Five gave her to the world like this for a reason, we are interfering with fate and it’s going to come back and bite us in the ass.”
“Then that will have to be a risk we will have to take. We cannot afford to lose anyone,” Ileana placated wisely.
“We are going to lose someone like this,” Amaris replied back with darkness in her voice, her words hanging ominously in the air. “You think this will protect us, but I have a feeling that it will only cause us a great deal of danger.”
“Enough, Amaris. You’re out voiced,” Ileana stated with finality.
“Please, Ileana!” Amaris begged, catching her sister’s attention immediately after using her name. “I’m telling you we are going to regret this decision. Trust me. Please.”
Ileana’s face creased troubled, she scowled sadly and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Amaris. I can’t do this just because she’s your good friend.”
“I’m not saying it because she is my friend!” Amaris snapped impatiently. “I’m telling you that I feel it in my gut that this is a bad idea. A very bad idea,” she emphasized.
Ileana shook her head sadly, her mind obviously made.
Amaris spat furiously and turned away from all of them, snarling to herself under her breath.
Ange glared furiously into the room, feeling utterly betrayed and wondering how she was managing from bursting out in anger.
“Amy…” Ileana’s voice softened as she used her sister’s nickname, reassuring as she stepped after her sister and touched her shoulder. “It’s not like the seal is permanent, when she’s ready to use her powers she will break it.”
Sky Warriors: Poleuthan's Thief (Sky Warriors Saga Book 1) Page 29