The bartender looked at Jenevi in awe.
"You are correct," Jenevi said in a flat tone.
"My name is Simon," started the cloaked man. "And I want to travel with you."
Mace was the only one to burst out in laughter. After awkwardly becoming quiet, he looked at Simon with a serious expression and stated, "Sorry, but I'm already traveling with her."
Simon gave the blacksmith a glare, causing Mace to look forward. He didn't want to be assaulted at another tavern.
"The boy is right," said Jenevi with a sigh. "I don't want him to travel with me, but he's persistent. I don't need another baggage. I've already had to go through that once with his girlfriend, and it almost got her killed. You're better off just staying here in your city."
The cloaked man got off his stool and approached the young woman. He got close, but Jenevi refused to lean back. The two were nearly nose to nose when Simon whispered, "I can be persistent, too." He kept eye contact as he stepped to the side and then left the building.
"I wonder what that was about," questioned the bartender as he cleaned a cup with a rag. "Simon has been living here for about a year now. He's not a troublemaker, but no one wants to mess with him. I mean, have you seen those muscles?"
Jenevi stayed silent as she continued to look at the door where Simon walked out.
"My name is Cerso," said the bartender to Mace.
"I'm Mace, and this is Jenevi," said the blacksmith, motioning towards himself and his traveling partner. "Jenevi is going to meet the Seeker tonight."
"Really?" exclaimed Cerso. "I wish I could see the Seeker privately. He comes out of his tepee on occasion with a bunch of bodyguards surrounding him, but he never appears when there are outsiders."
Mace noticed that Jenevi was still staring at the door. He tapped her shoulder and asked, "Hey, are you okay? Don't let that guy get to you."
"It's just..." started the young woman. She turned herself back around. "I feel like I've met him somewhere before..."
CHAPTER SIX
Jenevi and Mace spent the rest of the day in the tavern sleeping in separate rooms. Jenevi's eyes opened and started to glow once it got dark. It was time to talk to the Seeker.
A knock on the door made her turn her head. "Jenevi?" came Mace's voice. "Yarock is here."
Jenevi opened the door to find Mace still standing there. He grinned and said, "You'll finally figure out who this Gaelen guy is." He stepped to the side to let her pass. Jenevi walked passed him and headed downstairs where there was a crowd of people waiting to see if the rumors about the Tenebrae Magus were true.
Upon seeing her eyes, the people of the city gasped. It was true. Their Seeker was not the only one. They made way for the new Magus as she walked through the crowd, headed towards Yarock. Mace stayed close behind her.
"So it is true," stated Yarock. He dressed in black robes. His long black hair was tied tightly into a braid that rested against his chest, and he also had white markings covering his face. "I will lead you to our Seeker now." The older man turned and walked towards a large tepee that sat in the center of the city.
The marked man pulled the fabric to the side and let Jenevi through, but stopped Mace before he could follow. "Only she is allowed entrance," he said, staring down at the young blacksmith sternly. Mace nodded his head reluctantly and stood to the side by the group of people, but he soon realized he placed himself by Simon.
Jenevi entered the dark room and was relieved when she heard Yarock deny Mace entrance. Four lit candles were surrounding one skinny man sitting on the ground. Jenevi, with her eyes enhanced, could see his long white beard that reached the floor. He was shirtless, showing a tattoo of a giant red bird which Jenevi immediately recognized as the holy Slarin. "Sit, sit," said the man in a happy voice. The young woman sat parallel to the Seeker in the dark. "Yarock told me you are a Tenebrae Magus. I didn't believe him until now."
"Why is it so unbelievable?" questioned Jenevi, eager to finally get some answers.
"Because," started the old man, leaning in close. "The Tenebrae and Lumen Magus were supposedly one of the very first to be eradicated because together, they were the most powerful. There have been no signs of either of the two until now."
Jenevi searched through her brain one more time to see if anything triggered. She still couldn't remember anything about her past. "What about you, Seeker? Why does everyone in this city worship Magus when everyone else treats them like they are demons? Are we demons? I did come out of the Forest of Despair."
The Seeker stroke his scraggly white beard. "This city was home to many Magus in the past who were good and helped the kingdom. After what we call the Eradication, the people who inherited no powers were distraught, but instead of telling false tales, they continued to see Magus for what they are: humans that were given a gift by Slarin Herself. I was the first and only born as a Magus in this city after the Eradication, and I discovered that I did when I was twelve. One of my ancestors must have been a Requiro Magus like me. Ever since, I have been treated like royalty, but I shall remain humble. We are by no means demons, child. We are saviors, as long as we keep using our gifts for good. And as for the Forest of Despair...I cannot explain why you were there. I'm just glad you made it out alive."
Jenevi let her head drop. She had a good idea on what Magus were, but she still had the one question she needed to ask. "I need to find someone by the name of Gaelen," started the young woman as she raised her head. "I don't know anything else but that. When I woke up without my memories, all I could remember was my name and this man. I was told you could help me."
The Seeker nodded his head, stroking his beard once more. "Indeed I can, as long as you do know who Gaelen is. Deep inside you, your memories are locked but are still there. I can only see what you need me to see, dear, so I can't help you with all of your memories."
Jenevi nodded her head. "Please tell me who this man is, Seeker. I must find him."
The Seeker sat upright and set both hands on top of his crossed legs. He breathed in deeply before his brown eyes started to glow almost as brightly as Jenevi's. With their eyes shining, the two were able to light up the tepee.
The Seeker stayed silent, and the young woman waited patiently until he finished. Her body felt a bit strange, like the old man was actually inside her, looking for answers. The old man's glowing eyes slowly faded away until the light from his eyes were gone. "I have found the Gaelen that you seek, and it wasn't hard to find, considering your lack of memories at the moment," the man said. "You must have strong emotions about him if I was able to find him so quickly."
"Please tell me who he is, Seeker," rushed Jenevi, eager to know who this man was.
"The Gaelen that you seek is a man of royal blood. He is the king's brother."
"Where can I find him?"
"I cannot pinpoint an exact location, but the best place to look for him is in the Strongwill City."
Jenevi quickly stood. "Thank you, kind Seeker. I will be taking my leave now."
The Seeker halted her. "Wait! You must stay and rest. You have a long journey ahead of you. The city will take weeks on a horse, so I will have people supply you with whatever you need. I'll even have them hold a feast in your honor at Arcus."
Jenevi smiled and nodded. "Thank you for your kindness."
Yarock held the tepee entrance open for Jenevi as she came out before he went in to talk to the Seeker. The villagers continued to stare at Jenevi in awe. Mace approached the Magus and asked, "Did he tell you who Gaelen is?"
The young woman nodded. "Gaelen is of royal blood. We leave tomorrow morning for the Strongwill City."
"And I'm coming with you." Simon walked towards the two but was stopped by Mace.
"How many times must we tell you?" the blacksmith inquired, holding the hilt of his sword. "We don't need you."
"Mace!" Jenevi's voice echoed throughout the city, causing everyone to jump in surprise. Mace slowly turne
d around to look at her and was about to ask what her problem was when Yarock stepped out of the tepee.
"Everyone!" started the old man with a smile. "Head down to Arcus where there will be a feast held in honor of the Tenebrae Magus!"
The people cheered and happily headed down to the tavern. Cerso gathered a few women from the crowd to help him prepare all the food. "This is going to be a long night. Good thing most of the men are out on a hunting trip," said the tavern owner as he left with a sigh.
Mace, Jenevi, and Simon stayed where they were as everyone around them left. The young woman stared at Simon, waiting for him to say something.
Finally, the cloaked man said, "I can help you locate Gaelen. I have lived in Strongwill City for two years as a lowly foot soldier and was promoted rather fast to a knight. I stayed for two more years after. I've been inside the castle numerous times and have met the king."
"Why are you all the way out here, then? It sounds as though you were living an excellent life," inquired Mace.
Simon looked down at him. "I couldn't find who I was looking for, so I left the kingdom after hearing about the Seeker from a peddler."
"And let me guess," continued Mace, folding his arms. "Yarock wouldn't let you see him because you weren't worthy enough?"
"You're right," stated Simon. "So I stayed here, hoping that I could one day get a read from him. But now... I feel like it's my duty to assist you," he looked over at Jenevi. "Well? What do you say?"
The young woman nodded her head and started to follow the people heading to the tavern. "I say we have a feast to go to, and you are welcome to join."
Mace stared at Jenevi's retreating figure with disbelief. He looked back up at Simon who was smirking.
"Looks like I'm part of the team now," said the cloaked man as he ruffled Mace's hair before following Jenevi. Mace sighed before walking off towards the tavern as well.
The adult patrons of Arcus got drunk as everyone waited for the food to be served. Jenevi sat in the corner of the bar, drinking with Simon as Mace had his arms crossed on the table with his chin rested on it.
"Who were you looking for?" asked Jenevi from out of the blue.
Simon set his drink down and frowned, staring at the wooden table. "A little girl."
"Your daughter?" questioned Mace.
Before Simon had a chance to respond, Cerso walked over with two mugs filled to the brim with ale in his hands. He set one down in front of Mace and draped his arm over the young blacksmith's shoulder. "I know that you said that you don't drink because of what happened to you last time, but this is a great occasion! Go ahead and try some of my special ale."
Mace felt the weight of Cerso pressing against him and sighed. The man was drunk. "Sorry, Cerso," responded Mace. "I don't want to drink."
Simon smirked, and upon noticing this, Mace shot him a glare. Cerso pouted and said, "Alright, fine. Jenevi can have it then. The food is almost ready!"
Once the tavern owner stumbled away, Mace shuddered. "That was weird," he said as he pushed the mug over to Jenevi who just finished her second cup. She grabbed the mug full of ale and proceeded to drink from it like it was water. She didn't even seem fazed.
Simon smiled at Mace and said, "It looks like Cerso likes you."
Mace rested his chin back on the table and said, "Yeah, probably because I'm traveling with this Magus over here."
Jenevi gulped the last of the ale and slammed the empty mug on the table. "Are you daft, boy? He doesn't like women. Anyone can see that, but apparently not you."
Simon laughed, grabbing another mug of beer. "She's right!"
Mace buried his head into his arms. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, but it did make sense. "Let's please leave as soon as possible."
Once the party died and people went home, Cerso, who was able to sober up, showed them back to their rooms and let Simon have his own. The tavern owner stopped Mace before he closed his door and said, "Hey, sorry if I said anything weird tonight."
Mace shook his head. "It's fine," he said before quickly closing the door and bolting it. He was starting to feel uncomfortable. Once he got settled into bed, there was a knock on the door. Worried that it was going to be Cerso again, Mace refused to get up and answer it.
"It's Simon," said the person from behind the wooden door.
Mace got up with a grunt, unbolted the door, and let Simon in. "What do you want?"
"I want a truce," said the former knight. "We're going to be traveling together, after all."
"To my unfortunate dismay," mumbled the young blacksmith as he sat on his bed. "Fine. Truce. Can you please leave now so I can get some sleep? Jenevi has this bad habit of leaving early without warning. I had to chase her down a few times."
"How did someone like Jenevi get stuck with someone like you?"
The blacksmith scowled. "Someone like me? I was working as a blacksmith apprentice under my father for as long as I can remember. The first time I went to drink with a friend, I got myself into a bad situation and Jenevi saved my life. She saved me once again when I was attacked by a derex."
"So you decided to stick with her because she saved your life?"
"That is correct."
Simon laughed loudly, vibrating the walls. Jenevi, who was lying peacefully on her bed, scowled. "You're going to get yourself killed, little boy!" said the older man.
"I'm seventeen! I'm not little at all!"
Simon ruffled Mace's hair. "You should have stayed in your city, boy." He left the room and shut the door behind him.
Mace fell back onto the bed and grunted, hoping the older man heard him.
An hour after sunrise, Simon knocked on Jenevi's door to see if she was ready. She opened the door and had her small pack over her shoulder.
"Is the boy up?" questioned the young woman.
"I don't think so," replied Simon. "Should we leave him?"
Mace stomped towards the two. "I think not!" he replied. "I knew you guys would think like that, so I got up earlier than the two of you."
Jenevi rolled her eyes and started for the stairs. "Let's go. We have a long journey ahead of us."
Downstairs, Cerco was already waiting for the group. "Good morning, everyone!" he exclaimed. "The people of the city didn't want you three to take off with the bit of food and supplies you have, so they gave you three horses."
"Thank you, Cerco," started Jenevi as she walked passed him. "Your generosity and hospitably was most helpful, and we are honored to have been your guests."
The tavern owner placed his hands on his heart. "My, aren't you formal!" He looked over at Mace and blushed before taking off.
Simon nudged the young blacksmith on the shoulder and snickered. "What did we tell you? Cerco has a bit of a boy crush."
When the three walked outside, all the villagers, including the Seeker, were standing before them with smiles on their faces. Yarock was holding onto the reins of two gray horses and one brown. He approached the three and said, "For the Tenebrae Magus, our finest." He handed Jenevi the reins of the brown horse and gave the two boys the reins to the gray horses.
The elder walked back into the crowd as the Seeker stepped forward. "It's good to know I am not the last of our kind," he said to the young woman. "It gives me hope that there are more out there. Some may not even know they are Maguss."
"How do I know if they possess special abilities?" questioned Jenevi.
The Seeker pointed towards his right eye. "The only way to tell is if their eyes glow when they use their power."
The young woman thought for a brief moment before asking, "Is there any way to turn my abilities off? My eyes glow throughout the night, and I can't do anything about it."
The Seeker shook his head. "I don't know, my dear, but that is indeed a curious thing. Anyways, you three better be off before the sun melts you."
Jenevi nodded, but before she was able to hop on her horse, a young boy ran up to her with a sma
ll brown sack. He had brown skin, freckles covering his face, light brown hair, and hazel eyes. He also had a small gap between his two front teeth. "Miss!" he exclaimed, pulling on Jenevi's black cloak.
The young woman looked down at the child, frowning. "What is it, child?"
"These are for you and your friends," the boy started, holding the small sack towards the dark haired woman. "My mom made this. She said the smell would repel the monsters that live in the mountains. She told me to make sure you throw it away later because it's bait for woodland creatures."
Jenevi took the sack, carefully trying not to touch the child. "Thank you, child. Tell your mother that we are most grateful."
The boy smiled widely before running away.
Jenevi tossed the sack over to Mace who caught it at the last second with a strange grunt. "Let's go," she said before taking off. The crowd of people made way as they watched the three travelers depart.
As the three headed down the rocky path, Mace held up the small sack and asked, "What's even in this thing that makes it so that those damned beasts won't bother us?"
Simon smiled and said, "Why don't you open it and find out for us?"
The blacksmith undid the black ribbons that kept the sack closed and pulled the fabric apart. Immediately upon opening, Mace quickly pulled the bag away from his nose as his face scrunched together in disgust. "What is that?" he exclaimed. The smell of rotting flesh was so overpowering that Mace had to hold his food in. He coughed a few times and then pinched his nose, holding the sack away from his body with his other hand.
"It's a deathbird," explained Simon, amused by Mace's reaction. "The only place to find them are here in the mountains, but even so, they are still very hard to come across. They're also almost impossible to kill considering their size and flight speed. Reina, Marki's mother, is a professional at capturing the birds."
"So why do they repel other animals?" inquired Mace.
"In death, these little creatures are toxic to mountain animals, and it doesn't limit the creatures by Petram City. They can sense the passing of a deathbird from a half mile away, and are careful to avoid that area until the bird has completely eroded and is covered in rocks, dirt, and carried off into the wind. I'm amazed Reina let us have this deathbird. Now she only has two."
Darkness Falls (The Dark Series Book 1) Page 7