by Ben Hale
Kate drew her weapon and pointed it at Hawk. Tess leapt to her feet at the same time Jack drew his weapon and also pointed the muzzle at the surprisingly calm Hawk.
"You will have nothing to do with my daughter—or my family," he growled. "And I never want to see you again. Is that clear?"
"Dad!" her voice was a harsh whisper, and she threw a nervous glance down the hallway.
"Not now, Tess," he said. His gaze didn't shift from Hawk. "Is that clear?" he repeated.
"Jack, do you wish your daughter to be with you? Or alive?" Hawk's words were quiet as he met Jack's unflinching expression.
"Both," her mother said fiercely. "Let's go, Tess."
"But—"
"Now!" They barked in unison.
Tess stood frozen between the opposing forces. How could she even begin to express that she agreed with Hawk? To say so out loud would betray her parents, but at the same time not speaking might get them killed.
She turned to Hawk, hoping that he would solve it for her. His expression was expectant as he met her gaze. With a start she realized that Hawk was once again allowing her to choose for herself.
From the moment she'd met him, Hawk had been forthcoming in every respect, and consistently prompted her to make choices on her own rather than decide for her. For better or worse, he expected her to decide her own fate.
"No," she said, turning to her parents. They blinked at her, their eyes widening. Tess took advantage of their surprise. "This isn't like anything you are used to—no matter what you did for a living. The mages that destroyed our home have proven their willingness to kill on numerous occasions. I have witnessed it, and I won't see you die because of me."
"But Tess—"
She rounded her dad, afraid that if she stopped she wouldn't be able to continue. "No, Dad. They can melt your guns into pools of liquid metal, and snap your bones with a gesture. They are prepared to unlock an army that was built to destroy all life on this planet—just to ensure they are obeyed."
Her mom had lowered her gun, and her expression was wounded. "Honey, we can protect you."
Tess cringed at the note of doubt in her voice, but forged ahead. "You can't. I know you will do everything in your power . . . but it won't matter. Everything you think you know, every tactic I assume you have been trained for, will mean nothing when you come up against them again."
Her tone had gradually quieted, but her need to express the truth only made it more intense.
"You will not survive, and I could not live with myself if you died because of me. This is not something you can do right now, and I need you to understand that." She raised her chin. "Hawk is right. I need to go with him."
Her dad had lowered his gun, but his expression betrayed the conflict he felt. Anger, worry, and fear battled for supremacy on his features. Then he tightened his jaw and reined them in. His gaze flicked to Hawk, and he ground a single word out.
"Why?"
"Because you are aurens—or non-mages," Hawk said, his expression apologetic. "And the ones who came after Tess want to make it seem like non-mages killed her. As long as she is outside a mage city they will continue to come for her."
"Why can't we simply disappear?" Jack asked.
"There is nowhere to go," Hawk said. "They could track you using technology you don't know about, and magic you have never heard of. It will only be a matter of time before they find you—and when they do . . ."
He gestured at the ice figurine that Tess had made, and a current of fire issued from his hand. In seconds the ice had melted into a pool of steaming liquid.
Her dad locked eyes with Hawk, and the tension seemed to mount. Finally her dad issued a furious grunt. Without taking his eyes from Hawk, he asked, "Tess, does he speak the truth?"
"Yes," she said.
"And do you trust him?"
"With my life."
Her dad faced her, and there was a deep anguish in his eyes. "Then I will concede—but only until the threat has passed. Are we agreed?"
Tess was torn by her father's agreement, and could see the damage she'd done in his eyes. Then she recalled he worked for the CIA, and wondered if this type of thing was normal for him.
"No!" her mom burst out. "There's no way I will agree to this! How can he expect us to just let her go after what's happened?"
"I don't think we have a choice," Jack said wearily.
Kate tightened her jaw, but didn't argue. Tess could see the defiance in her eyes, and it sent guilt blossoming within her.
"I'm sorry, Mom," Tess said. "I wish there was another way."
Kate’s fierce gaze transferred to Tess. Then she wilted. "Me too," she whispered.
"I promise to call every night," Tess said, and threw Hawk a look expecting denial. Instead Hawk nodded.
"If you don't," her mother said, "I will find you. I don't care where you are."
Tess thought of the secret mage city of Auroraq floating in the sky. In the face of her mother's anger she was inclined to think that no amount of magic would stop her.
Tess moved to embrace her. "I love you, Mom," she whispered into her ear.
"I love you too, my daughter," she whispered back.
They separated and Tess moved to hug her father. The embrace was rough, as if her dad was unwilling to let her go. "Sorry about the house," Tess said.
To her surprise he issued a tense laugh. "It's not the first that your mother and I have left in ashes," he said. "And don't worry. Anything truly valuable we keep elsewhere."
Tess grinned, but on the inside she felt only turmoil. Who were her parents? The revelations in the last few hours had left her reeling. As she contemplated them, her dad turned to Hawk.
"So what happens now?"
"I have one of my men outside. He will take you to a safe place within the city. Then the two of you need to return to your normal lives. For the time being he will stay with you to keep you safe."
"Is he a mage?" Jack asked.
"Of course," Hawk said. "And someone I trust. He is a Rayth—a soldier, like your country's Special Forces. I am confident that, given your interrogation skills, you could get information out of him. That will be unnecessary. I have instructed him to answer anything you ask—within reason."
Her dad gave a small smile. Tess caught a wealth of insight from his shift in expression. Anticipation at getting some answers, confidence that he would know how to ask, and the steely determination necessary to break someone were all evident in that single look.
Then Jack reached for his wife and drew her to his side. Tess was struck by how normal they appeared, standing there hand in hand—and how fragile. Would she see them again? Would the Harbingers go after them to get to Tess? She shivered, and forcibly removed those thoughts.
"Be safe," her parents said.
"You too," Tess replied.
Their faces rigid with emotion, they stepped from the alcove and disappeared from view. Tess waited a full minute before she rounded on Hawk. "Who's going to protect them?" she demanded.
"Breaker," he replied.
Tess sighed in relief. In the previous term the talented stone mage had been imprisoned by the Harbingers, manipulated into summoning Hawk to a trap, and then watched Hawk blast the Harbinger base into oblivion. Of anyone that Tess knew, he would be the most cautious and prepared. He was also the father of her friend, Rox.
"Will they be safe?" Tess whispered.
"I can't promise they will," he replied quietly. "But I can promise I will do my best to keep them so."
Tess blew out her breath and turned to him. "So where to now? The next term at Tryton's doesn't start for another few days. Am I supposed to just hide under a rock until it does?"
Hawk shook his head as his eyebrows knit together. "I think it's time you learned more about what we do."
"Who's we?"
He led the way from the room, and once they were outside he answered with a question. "Do you recall me saying that you weren't the only one trying to prevent a
war?"
"Of course."
"In light of recent events I think it's time you met the others."
"Who?"
"The Guild of Light," he replied. "It was founded by me, Commander Braon, your ancestor, Siarra Elseerian, and a few others. It has endured time, wars, and countless attempts to destroy it. Its purpose is to guard the peace, and prepare."
"Prepare for what?"
His gray eyes held her fast. "You."
Chapter 4: The Guild
Tess climbed into the air above the dark stand of trees. As with every time she flew, her heart thumped with excitement. The moment was dampened by her tumultuous emotions. She'd chosen a side contrary to her parents—right after telling them they weren't her parents.
When they had departed the shop, Tess had felt a piece of her heart tear free. She would have given anything to stay by their side. Seeming to sense her mood, Hawk had remained silent as they walked to a darkened stand of trees to leave the city. Hawk had shifted into his true form as Tess hovered a few hundred feet up.
As she pondered the events of the last few hours, she was struck by an odd sense of tumbling downhill. Four months ago she had been steeling herself to take summer school. Then she'd learned she was a mage—and an oracle, gone to a mage school floating in the sky, and fought a battle alongside rock trolls against an evil from another age. Yet it didn't feel like the conflict was ending. Instead she felt as if the world was rolling down a mountain, and picking up speed toward a precipice.
She shivered as a chill breeze flowed past her. Then she caught sight of a massive shape rising among the trees below, and a moment later two great wings unfurled. The phoenix launched itself off the ground in a whirlwind of sparks. Feathers of burnished gold, red, and orange were muted in the dark. Still, the impression of raw power shimmered across the regal body.
At the end of the previous term—less than two weeks ago—Tess had finally learned Hawk's true identity. He was Newhawk, the druid from ten thousand years ago—and Reiquin, his joined one. They had fought in the Second Draeken War alongside her ancestor, Siarra Elseerian. Two-thirds of the earth's population had been slain in the single battle, but Draeken had ultimately been defeated.
Follow me. Hawk's voice resounded in her head as he led the way skyward, but he didn't say any more. For an hour they flew in silence, rising higher and higher toward the north. The breeze carried a crisp chill, contrasting with the drafts of warmth from Hawk. Faded white clouds dotted their passage like giant cotton balls. Nothing broke the stillness, and time passed slowly.
They had been flying toward a massive dark cloud for some time. Huge and forbidding, it nevertheless bore no rain cascading beneath it. Tess smiled as she recognized it for the city of Auroraq.
Come close to me, Hawk advised. Techno mages have a field to stop unexpected visitors, but it is not designed to detect me.
Tess recalled how Iris had once mentioned something similar, and swerved closer to Hawk. At that proximity she could feel the heat radiating off the feathers, causing her to wonder how innate his magic was.
The cloud enveloped them in silence, and Tess felt as if they had crossed an invisible barrier. A shield of intangible energy passed over them, causing the hair on her neck and arms to stand on end. It was gone before she could examine it. A few seconds later a stone cliff came into view. Hawk banked his way upward and began to change shape. Shrinking and shifting, he became a man just as he reached the wall that bordered the city.
He sailed over it and landed on the opposite side dressed as before. Tess alighted next to him, impressed by how smooth his transition had been. Her lips twitched as she realized he'd probably done it a thousand times.
It had only been three days since she'd left, but the city felt different somehow, darker and shadowed. She hoped that was just her perspective. The first time she'd arrived at Auroraq she'd come in a glass sphere launched by a tornado. Soaring above the mage city she'd thought it beautiful and full of light.
Shaped like the petals of a flower, four points extended from a circular section known as Sentre. A towering structure pierced the sky at the heart of the city. Boasting sixty-three floors, the Spirus contained the Magtherian, and held most of the offices that governed the mage world.
Tryton's Academy of Magic filled Southpoint, and aside from Sentre, was the only place she had been. This time Hawk had led her to the very tip of Westpoint, so she examined the elegant residences with interest.
One home was built entirely of colored water, while the one across from it was a multi-level house nestled in the branches of a giant tree. Adjacent to it, another house was fashioned of white granite and quartz, but the stone shifted into different shapes as they passed.
Lit by lamps hanging from purpose-grown trees, the street would have felt warm and inviting under normal circumstances. Instead it left Tess feeling like eyes were watching from every shadow. She sighed, knowing it was impossible for the Harbingers to have tracked their path. Still, her nervousness did not abate.
"May we speak as we walk?" he asked.
"About what?" Tess asked. She fell into step beside him as he led her down a darkened street.
"The Second Draeken War," he replied. "There is much we need to discuss."
She grunted. "Is this about how the Harbingers took the Sword of Elseerian?"
"Yes."
"What are we going to do about it?"
"Before we discuss what to do, it is important for you to understand what we face. For now, hold your questions until I finish the tale."
There was a rumbling sigh, and then Hawk began, "Roughly twenty-six thousand years ago, Draeken was born at the end of the Age of Oracles. Although we did our best to learn of his upbringing, Siarra and I discovered little about his life leading up to The First Draeken War. The little we do know was that he was as gifted as an oracle, but troubled.
"By means that are unknown to me he opened a portal to another realm, and began to create an army there. As it neared completion, he set out in search of the generals who would prepare the way for his advance—and lead his forces. Stealing powerful artifacts from throughout the world, he further cursed them, and then used the items to subvert four individuals. Over time these creatures become known as the four horsemen.
"The First Draeken War began with his invasion, but ended early. Without explanation the entire fiend army disappeared. We credit a hero named Lakonus for the feat, and it is believed that he managed to close the portal, sealing the army back where they came from. It is widely accepted that the victory cost him his life. Ten thousand years passed, and the war was all but forgotten. Then the signs began to occur once more.
"Siarra warned the races to gather. She then set out with another hero on a journey to slay Draeken. Forced to unite, the races of the world defended their lives, and many thousands died . . .
The tone to Hawk's words had become bleak, and Tess swallowed as she imagined witnessing the war. It seemed inconceivable that the man beside her had been through such a conflict, and had lived to tell about it. Then Hawk continued with a sigh.
"There are hundreds of stories I could tell about that war, but only two are important at this time. Siarra's brother killed Draeken, once again closing the portal. The fiends disappeared as they had before. Their leader was gone . . . the army was not. It has been long rumored that the sword used to slay Draeken, the Sword of Elseerian, can unlock the portal again after ten thousand years."
Tess shook her head. "But when the portal was opened by Ranson, only a few thousand fiends came out. You made it sound like Draeken's apprentice, Ducalik, had killed them."
"Yes," he said. "But the question is . . . how?"
She shuddered. "You mean the Dark."
"In all the millennia of my life, I have never witnessed such an evil," he said. "And it's imperative that we understand the enemy we face. To that end I believe there are a few assumptions we can make about the Dark.
"First," Hawk said. "Since the fien
ds and the Dark both came through the portal, it would seem that they coexisted in the other realm. It would further make sense that the Dark was the source of power that created the fiends."
"I thought Draeken created them," Tess said.
"It was believed that he did," Hawk replied, "but the nature of how he did was never discovered."
"Perhaps that's for the best," Tess replied.
Hawk conceded the point. Then he said, "The question then is, why did the Dark not emerge during the two Draeken Wars?"
Tess looked at the homes they were passing, considering his question. "Was Ducalik present in either conflict?" When Hawk shook his head, Tess said, "Then it would seem the reason for the Dark's expansion and Ducalik are related."
"That's the conclusion I came to," Hawk said.
"But if Draeken harnessed the Dark to create the fiends, why didn't he use it before? He would have, wouldn't he?"
Hawk cocked his head to the side. "If he could, yes, which implies . . ."
"That he couldn't control the Dark," Tess said. Her chest had gone tight at the realization. "So Ducalik did—"
"What Draeken could not," Hawk murmured.
"So what do we do?" Tess asked. "Once the Harbingers release Ducalik it will be too late. Ducalik himself said what would happen: 'The Dark will consume the planet'.'"
"Hope is not yet lost," Hawk said. "Our advantage right now is time. My sources say that they will wait until the ten thousand year anniversary before opening the portal once more. That gives us until shortly after Christmas until they will enact their plan."
"That's it? Four months?" She felt a chill unrelated to the wind as she said it. Again she had the odd feeling of the world were tumbling toward a cliff. "So right at the first of the year?"
"Mages don't count time like aurens," Hawk said. "But the event will take place around the auren New Year, correct."
"But the Harbingers already have the Sword," she said.
"Then it's imperative that we retrieve it before they can use it. If we control the Sword, we stop the war. Failing that, closing the portal will be our only option."