Ange turned her eyes on Richard, concerned.
“You alright?” she asked as she sat down on the bed, it was not soft but quite stern, very different from the one she had become accustomed to.
He scoffed at her question, his eyes lighting up sarcastically.
“I’m fine,” he stated.
Ange frowned and looked him over. His white long sleeve shirt was clean as was his pants, he seemed in good health yet something was wrong.
Finally Richard sighed after several minutes of uncomfortable silence and the sound of the mechanical objects in the room.
“I suppose I am still reeling about my parents’ deaths,” he admitted quietly. “Do you miss yours?” he asked, his eyes seeking comfort as he gazed at Ange. “They must have been shocked to see you go off with a fable.”
She swallowed hard and looked over at Felis who was curled up, sleeping.
“I never knew them,” Ange replied as she turned her gaze back to him.
“Oh,” he replied with echoing surprise. “I’m sorry.”
Ange smiled faintly. “Don’t be, they don’t matter.”
“Of course they matter!” he snarled instantly, his body jerking forward as he glared at her.
She gazed at him impassively, cold.
They stayed in a deadlock stare for a minute when he flinched and quickly looked away.
Ange blinked her eyes, trying to calm herself down before the tension in the room got the better of her.
“I can’t believe you mean that,” he hissed, his hands clamping together as he rested his elbows on his legs.
She smiled coldly. “You don’t exactly grow up caring when your parents drop you off in the dead of a cold night on the day you were born without even a name and on the door of some crappy orphanage that later dumps you into the streets to rot,” she stated offhandedly.
Richard winced visible, grimacing as he looked up to meet her gaze again, they swirled with emotion.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered softly.
Ange shrugged, not interested in compassion or pity.
“This mark has always set me apart, now I know why,” she replied simply as she pointed to her chest.
Richard nodded.
“So when did you get here?” she asked changing the topic of conversation.
Richard snorted. “A month after the…incident. I didn’t get to salvage much from the house but it was enough to get me to Reudine and from there convince a fishing ship to drop me off near the Shivering Sea with my own boat and some supplies. The captain was kind enough to teach me some navigational skills using the stars. After a week of rowing and letting the currents take me where they would…I finally found it. Just like my grandfather’s journal described it.”
He pulled out a small leather bound book from his pants and rubbed the old material as he gazed at it fondly.
“It describes the wall of mist, the barrier that protects this island. If it detects even an ounce of superior mental capabilities…it allows the person to pass through without harm unless he or she is one of the Adherent, and if not it just harmlessly turns you about.”
Ange frowned. “Don’t you mean magic?”
Richard snorted amused. “Magic implies illusion, or trickery. The Bookmen don’t like it if you use the word around here. They say magic implies power that breaks and ignores the laws of nature and that is something that does not exist.”
“They wish,” she thought snarky as she leaned back.
“Then what do they call it?”
“Well, it depends what you’re are trying to do. But psionic would be an overall term.”
“Pie…what?” she tried repeating flabbergasted.
He chuckles amused. “Psionic, hasn’t anybody mentioned that word to you?” she shook her head and he continued. “Well, another term would be simply psi and that is divided into two categories, called passive psi a and active psi. Psionic abilities are all powers pertaining to using the mind in extraordinary ways, whether in manipulating the physical world or using the senses to perceive beyond normal means.”
Ange stared astounded. “So, turning water into ice and moving it…”
“Would fall under an active psi ability, that action is better known as psychokinesis or telekinesis, manipulating matter or energy with the mind. But of course you need mana, or energy to be able to change water by cooling it, or taking energy from it to slow the molecules to change its state. Your mind is just the conductor that controls and directs the flow of energy, your body is the battery, but of course you knew this.”
Ange frowned and nodded even though she really didn’t ‘know’ what he was talking about, detecting she was digging into a subject she was not ready for just as Showl had insisted. But she was curious and curiosity had always been her weakness.
“So I can take the energy in the water to freeze it rather than use my own energy…” she wasn’t sure how that worked or if that’s how she was doing it before.
She turned and gazed at the window, seeing and sensing the liquid that was there. She stared at it hard and thought carefully, instead of delving into her source of energy she focused on using it like a magnet, to pull the energy from the water. A straining occurred between her mind and the water as she concentrate, through the link she felt heat pull through, the water on the window started to freeze slowly, crystalizing over the glass as a small amount of energy pooled into her current existing energy. It was hardly noticeable and made little difference.
The window began to creak and moan and she let go of her breath, relinquishing her hold and the ice stopped spreading. She smiled satisfied.
She turned to look to see Richard staring at her horrified.
She frowned. “What?”
He glanced at the window before returning her gaze. “Did you just do that?”
She nodded and sighed. “That’s why I’m here, they want to seal my powers,” she quoted sarcastically. “I’m apparently too inexperienced for them.”
“What! How did you do that? Did you apply energy to negate and push out the existing energy to cool it or did you…”
“Absorb the energy?” she finished for him plainly. “Yeah…that’s what I did,” she sighed expecting an outburst as she looked up at the ceiling.
When nothing happened she looked back down to see a wide smile across Richard’s face, her right eyebrow rose incredulously.
“That amazing! Unbelievable!” he nearly shouted. “Do you know how many years it takes to learn to pull energy form other objects?”
“A lot?” she replied clueless.
“Decades!” he nearly yelled. “Only Scolaris Asmanth is able to do that out of all the Bookmen and some of them are only a few years younger than him and have been studying just as long!”
Ange’s lips puckered up interested.
“I’m curious…”
She glanced at Richard as he muttered and placed the journal back in his pocket, a mischievous smile accompanied his eyes dancing alight with curiosity. “Want to see something spectacular?”
Ange smiled deviously, itching for a little rebellious behavior.
“Is it going to break some rules?”
He shrugged innocently. “Just a few, unless we get caught.”
Her smile widened. “Then what are we waiting for?”
She jumped off the bed and quickly unsnapped her armor, yanking off all the pieces and retrieving her regular boots to replace the armor ones. She was done in a minute.
Richard was looking in the hallway, glancing about warily before nodding to Ange with a smile. She followed quickly and glanced back at Felis, who seemed to be ignoring them as she curled up more tightly. Ange smiled at the owl-cat’s indifference and closed the door behind her quietly.
Richard was already back to the stairs and quickly climbing them, Ange shot after him, exited for a little interest and trouble, she made sure she was rigorously blocking Showl so he would be unaware of their plans.
They walked up tw
o flights of stairs when Richard paused and Ange noticed there were no more stairs to climb, at least not in this section of the building. He quickly led the way down the hall and if Ange’s estimates were correct, they were approaching the center of the complex, to the tower.
She was right, the hall turned and ended before a door against a rounded wall. This stone door wasn’t simple, it was carved with thick runes and scribed symbols along its length and Ange noticed cogs poking out from under some of the carvings along with rods and other inputs that made it part of a complex device.
“How do we get in?” she asked baffled. Not even the riches nobles had doors this complex.
Richard leaned towards the door, his muscles taunt as he glanced back with an impish grin. “All we need is a little bit of…calor” his hand hovered over the center of the door where a large copper colored orb glittered above the carvings level as he uttered the word. A rune inscribed on its surface began to glow red hot and a snap resonated through the air as the cogs began to spin and spouts of steam shot from crevices.
“Heat,” he finished with a satisfied grin and stepped back as the sound of large hinges and locks snapped and the door opened. “Come in.”
He walked into the room as sol-gems in the ceiling were revealed, lighting the large room.
Ange looked about fascinated and confused. The room was large and round, at its center was a large circular platform raising up from the floor. Carvings cut into the circle. At the center of the room was a circular depression with a clear crystal center and small symbols spelled around the rim. From the center circle shot out ten lines that ended at ten other circular depressions each with a different color crystal and were connected with grooves in the shape of a decagon.
Intricate lines were carved into the platform and long phrases written in the dragon language, marking many of the lines and Ange was able to pick up a few words here and there as she followed the lines of two over lapping pentagons in the shape of a ten sided star starting from the center.
She found the platform fascinating, as she continued to study it her vision began to blur, certain words began to glow and lines seemed to lift off the surface as if revealing the secrets of a complex puzzle. She frowned and closed her eyes and shook her head to clear her vision of the strange aberration.
“It’s an elementum circuli, or element circle, it tests young mages and reveals their element by using their energy to detect their affinity and then constructing an illusion of the element within the appropriate circle.”
Ange nodded and looked over at him over by a wooden tall cabinet by a strange desk with a metallic device holding a large orb with a clear crystal set into it.
“What element are you?” Ange asked curiously.
Richard shrugged. “The same as all my ancestors before me, I’m affiliated to metal,” he winked. “But I’m also affiliated to fire,” he added proudly as he boasted. “It’s not common for mages to be attuned to more than one element.”
“Cool,” Ange whistled.
He smiled excitedly. “Want to try it?”
Ange frowned, not understanding his enthusiasm. “Why? I’m the Dragonbound of Ice, I already know my element.”
“Come on! You’re not even the tiniest bit curious to see how it works?” he asked persuasively.
Ange grimaced, admitting she was curious and the longer she stared at the raised circle the more her blood boiled and her gut insisted that she do it.
She smiled and walked onto the platform, observing the carved floor as she made it to the center and spun around to face Richard.
“Let’s see this baby give us some action. Crank her up!” she grinned positively thrilled as she gave him a thumbs up.
Richard grinned pleased by her reply. He reached for the orb set into the center of the table, as he turned it a mechanical whining filled the room.
Ange looked down as the panel she was standing began to emanate a powerful glow, the lines stretching out from the center glowed vibrant white as the words suddenly burned brightly as well. Her mind began to race and she felt almost lethargic. Somehow she was going through the elements as each circle began to glow.
Fire. Light. Electricity. Earth. Metal. Air. Nature. Water. Ice. Darkness.
The glow intensified furiously within each circle and suddenly they each erupted violently.
A column of blue flames burst up blistering against the roof and crackling fiercely behind her. A column of lights that refracted all the colors of the spectrum was next. The third circle continuing to her right was howling with wild strikes of blue lightning charging up to the ceiling and bouncing off the walls violently. Directly to her right in the next circle continued to grow spires of dirt and minerals. In the next metals of every shade and property spiked out cruelly and sharply. Directly in front of her twisted a violent storm of wind and she felt her breath escape her in fear as she quickly averted her eyes to the next circle. Thorny vines whipped out, blooming with leaves and flowers but appearing no less fierce as they took the shape of a dragon’s roaring head, moving. To her left twisted up a whirlpool of violent dark water, rushing and screaming darkly. The next column was of ice and it was larger and more chaotic than the other elements, including the wispy shadows that distorted the last of the space.
No space existed between the elements, they had her locked in, threatening to swallow her, a piercing scream escaped her throat and Showl’s alarm suddenly cut through her mind with panic. She fell to her knees, recoiling form the threatening forces as her heart hammered in her chest.
Suddenly they were gone. Not a trace existed, they had simply vanished.
Ange panted heavily, frightened as she turned to see one of the robbed men that had greeted her and Showl staring at her with utter shock as his hand rested on the orb. Richard was staring completely bewildered next to him.
Ange swallowed embarrassed yet disturbed as she rubbed her arms and stood up, taking a steady breath as she met the gray eyes of the older man. He stepped around the table, a strange expression of rapturous awe took his face and Ange felt chills crawl up her skin.
He fell to the floor before the platform, his hands splayed out before him as he groveled.
“Thaumaturge!”
Ange stared shocked, frozen in place.
“Impossible.”
Ange looked into Richard’s blue eyes as he hissed the word, surprise, fury, and jealousy burned in his gaze as he stared at her accusingly.
Ange looked uncomfortably away as other people filed into the room, confused. Showl rushed up to her and embraced her quickly, protectively, shielding her with his body from the other people.
Ange was still far too disturbed to even think about what was going on, her mind continued to play the columns of elements threatening to consume her.
“It’s alright my little thief, I am here,” Showl’s voiced soothed, breaking the petrification that had taken over her mind and washing her fear away with his strength.
She let out a heavy breath and pushed herself away slowly as Showl kept an arm around her stubbornly as she looked to the robbed figures that had walked into the room, there were more Bookmen present now.
“An all elemental thaumaturge! It has been over a millennia....” muttered one of the women.
The man that had fallen to his knees rose up and tuned to the others. “It is the Five granting us favor, we have finally someone worthy to lead, to protect the ancient knowledge and take Talesin’s place!”
The assembled scholars were silent with shock, Asmanth stepped forward, composed as ever.
“Dracoligatus Angeline…it seems you are destined to keep astounding the world,” he met her eyes with his old blue eyes and she saw something ominous, secretive in his eyes but also the awe the others had.
“With this revelation we cannot proceed with the ritual,” stated the other man that had greeted them at the dock, his curly old hair was a little wild just like the look in his gray-blue eyes.
“Most certainly
not!” snapped the green eyed woman instantly, her eyes fiery and fierce as she stared around, challenging anyone to deny her.
Asmanth sighed as he spoke sadly. “I’m afraid even now we must proceed, this new information is irrelevant. We must comply with Lady Ileana’s wishes.”
“Comply?” scoffed the green eyed woman. “Surely once she knows of the young thaumature’s significance she will retract her request.”
“I’m afraid this will only strengthen her resolve that this ritual must take place,” Asmanth replied.
“Then we refuse!” she continued heatedly. “We cannot in good collective consciousness seal a thaumature’s powers, the mere thought is blasphemy. We must help culture this mind, help it realize its full potential just as Valtor would desire and had once done with Talesin himself. Even if it means we must become enemies of the Draconis Concilium for a while, in time they will forgive and thank us.”
Asmanth gave the woman a dangerous and pointed look. “We cannot claim to know the will of Valtor as we cannot refuse Dracoligatus Regina Ileana’s decree. The Draconis Concilium rules over our choices as well and that is not about to change. You forget your place Herra, you have not seen the fury and wrath a single fully trained dragon and dragonbound can rain down upon the world, much less four of them from the original ten.”
Herra fell silent though her eyes still burned with defiance.
“You must at least try, inform Dracoligatus Regina Ileana of this development,” spoke the grey eyed man, his voice insisting.
Asmanth nodded. “I shall.”
“Come.”
Ange glanced up at Showl, surprised by the strain in his thoughts as he gently nudged her towards the door. The Bookmen stepped aside, each one bowing in respect as she walked by and she wondered if she should feel giddy or frightened by the treatment, she only felt bewildered and was more than happy to get away from the circle.
They walked down the stairs quietly and made it to her room without further incident, when she opened the door, the room was warm and Felis was gone. She frowned wondering how the owl-cat got out of her room when the door had been closed.
Sky Warriors: Poleuthan's Thief (Sky Warriors Saga Book 1) Page 32