by Ben Hale
"Are you certain that the horsemen are dead? And Draeken?"
"Yes—but I cannot say whether our foe will create more. That is why you and I will fight this from two directions."
"I won't be searching for the Sword?"
"Leave that to me and the Guild. We will use every resource to discover more about their plan, and find the Sword. You have other tasks, ones that may prove far more important in time.
"In the last few months you have learned much, but there remain magics to master. While you do that, your task will be to find four items, relics that may tip the balance." He grunted in amusement and annoyance. "Your roommate certainly has a penchant for finding information."
Tess gave a sour laugh. If anyone could find things out, it was Iris. Still, she wanted to fight—especially with how close the Harbingers had come to killing her parents.
"So I'm supposed to go to class and do research?" The sarcasm in her voice caused him to stop and face her.
"Do you feel it coming, Tess?"
She thought of her sense that the world tumbling was downhill. Her lips tightened into a thin line. "Of course. That's why I want to fight."
"I have no doubt you will get your chance," he replied. "But I need you to think. At every turn the Harbingers have been ahead of us. They have infiltrated the Magtherian, auren governments, and civic organizations. They have killed hundreds that have defied them—and then covered it up. In spite of our best efforts we have been unable to ascertain their reasons for doing so—or exactly who is part of their organization. Rest assured we will do everything in our power to retrieve the Sword before it can release Ducalik—or the Dark. But . . . what happens if we fail?"
"We will have to fight them," Tess said.
"And?" Hawk prompted.
"We must be ready for that," Tess said. Her eyebrows knit together.
"When a battle looms, you gather your forces," he said, "and prepare your leaders." He stared at her meaningfully.
"You mean I need to be ready," she said, and then sighed. "But what are these relics I need to find? And what do they have to do with any of this?"
"I don't know," he said. "I just know that you will need them."
Tess frowned in confusion. "I don't understand."
He pulled into a shadowed alcove between two trees and touched a rune on his cloak. Utter silence blanketed the area. The rustle of leaves, the sound of birds, all was gone in an instant.
"What did you do?" Tess asked. Her voice sounded overly loud without the ambient noise.
"It's a muffling spell," Hawk said. "After recent events I thought it was prudent we speak without the chance of prying ears."
"Is this information that important?"
"It is," Hawk said.
The shadows lit his features in an odd pattern, making his words seem even more serious. Tess swallowed and nodded. "Tell me."
"Siarra's mother, Ianna, prophesied of you. What I share now represents the entirety of my knowledge regarding your role. Anything else I know is based on assumptions that Siarra and I put together."
"Why would this be so important?" Curiosity burned in her voice.
"Because it gives us clues as to what you must do," he said.
She nodded in the shadows. "Let's hear it."
Hawk's voice took on the ring of solemnity. "In an age of suspicion and corruption the fiends will be released once more. Marking the end of our line a young woman will be born. At her touch magic will be unbound, and be known again as truth. She is the only one who can ultimately defeat the darkness . . . and unify the world. She will be . . . The Last Oracle.”
Tess felt an icy wind curve around her torso as her heritage was mentioned, but Hawk was not finished.
"In truth I know little of her time. It is far in the future, too distant for more than glimpses—but I have foreseen that she will need help from us. Four talismans she will require. The Crest of the Oracle is the first, the thief will steal the second, and the troll king will bear the third. The fourth she will have to find on her own, for I know not its location."
Hawk fell silent and Tess didn't respond. Such a small statement, and yet there was a wealth of information in it—and the weight of responsibility. "So Ianna knew about the Dark?" she asked first.
Hawk hesitated, and then said, "Perhaps. I must admit I never considered that when Ianna mentioned the darkness she was speaking literally."
Tess avoided the part about her destiny, for now. She had heard the gist of it from Hawk before. Instead she turned to the second half, the part about the help Tess would need. "Four items I will require?" she quoted. "That's not much to go on."
"I know," Hawk said. "Siarra and I spent years trying to figure out what they were. I will send you a message with the little we put together, but I don't know if it will help. We came to believe that only you would be able to puzzle out the answers."
He frowned, and then added, "For now you should focus on the first, the Crest of the Oracle. Siarra was very specific in that regard. The other items will be easier to find if you gain the Crest and unlock it first."
Tess released a long sigh. The subtle reminder of her calling, along with the specific assignment, had eased her inclination to fight. "I will do as you ask."
"Good, then it's time you met the Guild," Hawk said, and released the muffling spell.
The ambient sounds burst across her ears as they stepped from the tree's shadow. A moment later he turned down a side street of crushed white stones that led between two houses. The one on the left looked abandoned, and was by far the worst on the street. Bordered by the empty house on one side, and a high hedge on the other, the path led to the backyard of the home.
A hedge circled a small garden in one corner, and wrapped around a towering oak. Hawk stepped through the only gate and strode to the back of the tree. Then he summoned fire to wreath his hand and placed it against the trunk. There was a groaning of wood in response, and then the roots began to move.
Rising and twisting, the roots of the tree lifted out of the ground to form an arched opening. A set of stairs descended into darkness beneath it. Hawk gestured for her to go first, and when she did, he followed. Of her own accord she lit a ball of flame as the roots ground to a close behind them, plunging them into darkness.
Tess glanced at Hawk, but he motioned her forward. The staircase was a spiral of old gray stone, giving the feel of a castle's turret. She touched the wall at one point and found it to be clean, but weathered with age. After a few more rotations the stairs came to an end facing a wide, ironbound door.
Light spilled from the opening onto the stairs, and Tess stepped through into a large, castle-like hall. Illuminated by a quartet of massive iron chandeliers, the hall boasted a roaring fire and countless tables and chairs, several of which were occupied. Spotting her, a girl bounded to her feet and closed the distance in a rush.
"Tess!" Iris exclaimed as she enveloped her in a crushing hug. "I'm so glad you made it—and look, there is someone you should meet—"
"Iris," Hawk interrupted. His tone held a warning that Iris ignored.
"—Your mother!" Iris said.
Chapter 5: Mother
Time froze as Tess watched a short, striking woman rise from a chair by the fire. Her hair was blonde, contrasting with Tess's brown, but her features were unmistakably similar, and sharply beautiful. Dressed in a rather simple, light colored dress, the woman shifted self-consciously, betraying her nervousness.
"Is it true?" Tess asked haltingly.
The woman swallowed as several emotions passed over her face. Then she nodded. "Yes, although only by blood, not by deed."
Tess was vaguely aware of Hawk chastising Iris for blurting out information that she wasn't supposed to know, and Iris ignoring him as she talked into thin air. Others in the room had gone quiet. In her peripheral vision Tess searched their faces, but did not recognize any of them.
All these thoughts flittered through her mind as she stared at her birth
mother. What was she supposed to think? What was she supposed to do? The moment had been thrust upon her like a sledge hammer to her chest, and she couldn't seem to gather a conscious thought to speak.
"I know this is . . . sudden," her mother said, worry beginning to crease her eyebrows at Tess's silence.
Tess opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. Was she even breathing? She couldn't be sure. It felt like everything in her mind had frozen in shock, rigid with disbelief. As if from a distance, Hawk stepped between them.
"Alice, Tess, come with me. Iris, you stay here. You can talk to Tess later." He then gestured to Tess and led her down a hall. Alice followed behind them.
Although she knew them to be underground, the corridors still felt like a castle. Torches were bracketed in the walls, their flames white and smokeless. On either side ensconced doors were closed, their wood equally as old and faded as the stone around them. After descending another set of stairs, Tess quickly became aware that the subterranean building was larger than she had anticipated.
Hawk came to a halt and opened an ironbound door which led to a small receiving chamber. A white fire burned in the hearth, warm and bright. A trio of paintings graced the other three walls, but their surfaces did not move, revealing their age. Most of the paintings in the mage world had been enchanted to include a memory.
Tess sank into one of the four high-backed chairs that were in the room. Once Alice had also sat, Hawk said, "Tess, I'm sorry for how you were told about Alice. I intended on preparing you tonight to meet her tomorrow. I don't know how Iris found out."
"It's Iris," Tess said, as if that explained everything.
Hawk grunted, but didn't disagree. The glint in his eye betrayed how furious he was. It should have been a consolation, but it wasn't.
"She's been through a lot in the last few hours," Hawk said to Alice, "but be honest with her. She deserves the truth."
Alice nodded, and then Hawk departed, leaving them alone. Tess stared into the fire, unable to meet her gaze. After a moment of silence Alice said, "I'm sorry you found out like—"
"Why did you give me up?" Tess blurted, and then regretted it. And where did the anger come from? She had given zero thought to her real parents since she’d been told she had them. If anything she'd denied the truth to the point of forgetting it. A frown spread on her face. Realizing her expression could be misconstrued, she let out a breath and smoothed her features.
"It's a long story," Alice said.
Tess leaned back into her chair and gestured to her.
Alice gave a small smile and turned her gaze to the fire. "When I first met your father he was handsome, charismatic, and extremely popular. He flew for the Tryton's Tempest team, and dominated the league when he was captain. Within two years of graduating we were married, and I got pregnant soon after. Three months later I discovered that he wasn't alone when he worked late.
"I assumed, as any wife would, that it was another woman, but when I followed him it was far worse. My husband—your father—was a Harbinger. Rumored to exist, the group had been plotting to take over the auren world for some time. From what I overheard that night they had begun to succeed.
"Once I understood what my husband was involved with I fled to our home, and for five months lived in terror that he would find out that I knew. I considered leaving, but I had nowhere to go. In that time he sensed me pulling away, and sought to know why. Two weeks before you were due to be born I couldn't stand it any longer, and I confronted him.”
Alice shuddered, and passed a hand over her face before she could continue. "I had never seen him so angry, and I feared for my life. He said the Harbingers were going to ensure that mages lived the way they should. He said mages were destined to rule the aurens. I screamed that I would leave him . . . and he went quiet.
"He stared at me as if he were afraid, as if my words had hurt him. I knew then that he had a design for our daughter. I demanded the truth, and he shared it. From his own father he'd learned that he was a direct descendent of Siarra Elseerian, and that he believed you were going to be the oracle of prophecy. I pretended to be mollified, but inside I was sickened. His expression was dark with anticipation, and I had no doubt that his intentions were for you to join him. I pretended to listen, but inside I was terrified.
"The moment he left the house I ran—but your father had told his friends to watch me, and so they followed. Fortunately for me Hawk had been tracking my husband for some time, and saw me leave. He helped me to escape, and advised me to raise you in hiding. I disagreed. I wanted to confront my husband again, and force him to see the truth. I left you with Hawk and went back to convince your father to escape with me."
"Why?" Tess asked. She'd gotten lost in the story, but couldn't imagine why she would go back.
"Because I loved him," Alice replied. The fire reflected in her eyes as she said it. "And I hoped I could persuade him to forsake the Harbingers." Her eyes hardened. "He turned me over to his friends . . . who stripped me of my magic."
"They can do that?" Tess asked. Her eyes widened at the thought. She couldn't imagine going back to walking now that she could fly, or seeing nothing after everything she saw with her mage sight. On impulse she blinked into her mage sight and scanned Alice. None of the colors she'd learned to associate with magic were present.
Alice bobbed her head once. "It's the most severe punishment of our people, and reserved for killers, rapists, or child abusers. Your magic is taken, and then you are cast down to the auren world. After that you are watched, and if you commit similar crimes you are executed. It doesn't happen often. There are only a handful of mages with the power to take magic like that, and one of them is a Harbinger."
Tess fell silent at that information, and stared into the fireplace. Hawk had been insistent that the mage world was the way everything was supposed to be, and Tess believed him. They had never talked about how mages dealt with justice, though.
After a few moments Alice resumed her story. "After they took my magic they left me somewhere in Florida. Within days Hawk arrived and helped me find a likely family for you. Their own daughter died soon after birth, so your replacement was deemed a minor miracle. We both knew that if I raised you the Harbingers would know. They never stopped tracking me, and I worried for your safety. Afterword Hawk brought me here, and I have been helping the Guild ever since."
Tess looked to her. "Why didn't you ever come to find me? I am sure you could have if you wanted to."
Alice sighed and looked away. "To be honest I was afraid to—for myself as well as the threat of giving you away. Hawk kept tabs on you, and so I knew that your adoptive parents were doing well. And when you came to Tryton's I wanted to let you get settled before I confused you with my presence. I'm sorry that I am doing it anyway—but you should know that I am proud of you. I never imagined how powerful you would become, and there is so much I believe you could accomplish."
Tess wanted to believe her, and to embrace this woman as part of her family, but she couldn't get her body to respond so readily. She compromised by nodding slowly. "I . . . understand your story, Alice . . . but I need to think. Until five minutes ago I didn't even know that you were alive."
Alice visibly withdrew at her comment, but nodded. "We can meet here after breakfast. Your room is up the stairs and four down on the right. I believe you are sharing it with your roommate from Tryton's."
"I'll see you tomorrow, then," Tess said, and rose to her feet. In three quick steps she was out the door and leaning against the wall.
How was she supposed to deal with this? She had a family, and very good one. She had no doubt that her parents loved and supported her. Now this woman had exploded into her life with the force of a bomb. What did she want? How would her own parents react when they found out that Tess had met her?
She felt a sudden yearning to talk to her mom, to ask her advice. On impulse she rushed up the stairs and down the hall to the door Alice had indicated. No one answered her kn
ock, but Tess could faintly discern someone arguing inside. Relieved to hear Iris, Tess opened the door and stepped in.
The chamber was small and homey, and contained another white fire glowing in the hearth. The room held two pairs of bunk beds, and had the feel of a ski loft. Iris sat on the floor by the fire, talking into thin air.
Dressed in black jeans, a blue, button-up top, and her customary leather jacket, Iris's clothing was stylish and well-fitted—and veined with faint purple lines. Although Tess had never asked her, she was fairly certain that Iris's clothing helped focus her magic. Even her hair had purple in it, and the color was vibrant against the black.
"Iris," Tess breathed, and moved to sit next to her.
"Hang on, guys," Iris exclaimed toward the fire, her eyes glazed over. "No Wanda, you can't connect the urtian with the sound infused resatone. If you don't believe me try it—and enjoy it blowing up in your face."
Tess grinned and felt like she was home. Iris was a techno mage, a powerful one. Like all of the mages that bore her ability she was constantly distracted by the endless stream of information. On numerous occasions Tess had gotten the impression Iris was watching YouTube or playing video games—without so much as a Smartphone. Still, the girl had saved Tess's life, and had been an enormous asset during the last term.
"Hey Tess," Iris said, but her eyes kept flicking to the side, as if there were other things she wanted to do. Abruptly she burst into a laugh and then reached under the bed next to her. "I almost forgot," she said, "I wanted to show you something I have been working on."
What she pulled out resembled a beanie, but it had what looked like a threaded purple tail out the back. The material of the hat was ink black, and bore a distinctive purple swirl down the side.
Iris sighed as she put it on, and for the first time looked fully at Tess. "I've been working on this for years, but still can't make it function the way I want."
"What is it?" Tess asked. She was slightly disconcerted by the full attention from Iris.