Dragon Blood 5: Mage

by Avril Sabine

  “Oh, like you haven’t said the same before,” Amber said.

  “We are not discussing my behaviour right now. We’re discussing yours.”

  Amber shook head, staring at her mother. “Unbelievable.

  Un-bloody-believable. I came here to warn you. To save your lives. And what do you do? Forget it.” She turned away. “Just forget it.”

  “Amber-” Jasper began.

  “Forget it. I’m out of here.” She strode towards the door, sensing Kade and Daray following.

  “Amber.” Jasper ran after her, grabbing her arm before she could step out of the room.

  Amber shook him off. “I’m going home, Jay. Do you want Daray to take you home?”

  “Don’t go like this, Amber.”

  “Let her go,” Charles said. “Running away seems to be all she knows how to do.”

  “I’m not running away. You know my number if you’re interested. I’m just not sticking around here to waste my breath arguing.” She held her grandfather’s gaze a moment longer before she started to turn away.

  Chapter Twelve

  “What about Miles?” Kade asked Amber directly.

  She looked towards Daray. “Take Miles back to Temolae Keep for me.”

  Donna hurried towards Miles’ side, holding onto his upper arm. He didn’t even look at her. “You’re not taking him back just because you’re angry.”

  “I’m not angry. I’m disappointed. Isn’t that what you tell me? And Miles has nothing to do with it. I was given some information that might help fix him.” Amber remained in the doorway. “Or don’t you want him fixed?”

  Donna continued to hold onto Miles’ arm. “What sort of information?”

  Amber shook her head at the suspicion she heard in her mother’s voice. “This just keeps getting better and better,” she muttered.

  Gary moved close enough to Donna to place a hand on her shoulder. “Let him go. We’ve done everything we can. Nothing has helped. Let him go.”

  Tears pooled in Donna’s eyes as she slowly let go of Miles. “He doesn’t like the dark. You have to leave a light on for him.”

  Amber nodded, holding her mother’s gaze a moment longer before she nodded towards Daray who was within arms’ reach of Miles. He took hold of Miles’ arm, leading him from the room. Amber guessed he couldn’t use the Void from her grandparents’ house. “I’ll send Daray back for you, Jay.”

  Jasper nodded. “Give me an hour. I’ll talk to them.”

  Amber turned away again, ignoring her grandmother telling her mother to quit snivelling and stop being so weak. She’d barely taken a step when her phone rang. Taking it from her pocket she saw it was Rian. “Yeah.”

  “We are under attack. Knight Mages in the dungeons.”

  Just what she needed. Instead of fear or worry, weariness hit her. How had she gotten to this point? She tried to dredge up some fear. It didn’t seem right not to have at least a little. “How did they get in there?”

  “We need you back immediately. They have already rescued one prisoner.”

  “Okay.” Returning her phone to her pocket, Amber turned to Kade, taking the hand he held out to her.

  “We can’t leave through the Void from here,” Kade said.

  Nodding, Amber broke into a run.

  “What’s happening?” Jasper chased after them.

  “We’re under attack. Knight Mages.” Amber flung the front door open.

  Charles followed. “Get back here and explain yourself.”

  “Send Daray back for me,” Jasper said. “It’s my castle too.”

  Amber nodded, then tightened her grip on Kade, meeting his eyes as they stepped outside. He took her through the Void, bringing them out in their room where they grabbed their swords. As soon as she’d buckled hers on, and removed her long sleeved shirt, Amber took Kade’s hand again. He brought them out in the dungeons, stepping away from her to draw his sword, attacking the Knight Mage that came for them.

  Amber mentally searched the area, finding Crystal and Flinn already there. Daray was fighting nearby and she ordered him to fetch Jasper. Stanley and Wayne were in separate cells and the majority of the Knight Mages seemed to be around Wayne. And for some reason, she could sense numerous Pliethins. “This way,” she said to Kade. “They’re trying to rescue Wayne.”

  She raced through the fighting, coming into Wayne’s cell in time to see them unchain him. She launched a fireball at him. One of the Knight Mages grabbed hold of Wayne’s arm and pushed their fingers into the wooden cage hanging at their neck on a chain. Dodging a blade, she tried to reach Wayne in time, turning into a goshawk to fly through the crowd. As she landed in front of him, becoming human, reaching out to grab hold of him, he disappeared with the Knight Mage holding onto him. All around them they began to disappear, touching their fingers to the wooden cages they wore. Amber felt Ronan come out of the Void nearby as she threw herself at a nearby Knight Mage, grabbing at the chain his cage hung from.

  The chain broke and the man stumbled away from her. Another Knight Mage grabbed his arm and disappeared into the Void with him. She swore, glancing down at the chain wrapped around her fingers. It was all they had of the Knight Mages. They’d all disappeared.

  Ronan strode into the cell. “How could you let them get away?”

  Amber held up the wooden cage. It dangled from the chain. A Pliethin glowed inside the ten centimetre square cage. “They used these. Why didn’t you tell us they could use these?”

  “I didn’t know. There was nothing about it in my grandfather’s books.” He glanced around at the warriors in the cell with them. “Get out. All of you, out.”

  Kade, who was in the doorway, stepped into the cell, gesturing for the warriors to exit. “We’ve still got Stanley.”

  “And that should tell you exactly how useless he is,” Ronan growled.

  Rian entered the cell, Crystal, Flinn and Jasper following him, Daray guarding the door. “Or how useful he is. They did not even attempt to save him. They took the other two, but left him behind.”

  “How does that make him useful?” Jasper asked.

  “There is a chance he will want to get even with them for leaving him behind,” Rian said.

  “We should have kept them at my place. Then I would have had the chance to talk to them for more than half an hour,” Ronan said. “But you had to interfere.”

  Amber shook the Pliethin and it bounced at the end of the chain. “How can they use these?”

  “Can we all use them?” Jasper asked.

  Amber stared at her brother. Could they? She slid her fingers into the cage.

  “No.” Ronan reached for her.

  Amber stepped backwards, trying to avoid him. Everything went hazy. Another step away from Ronan who had stopped mid step had her feeling like she was pushing her way through water. “I’m in the Void?”

  “Looks like it,” Crystal said.

  “She’s still there?” Kade demanded.

  “Yeah.” Crystal pointed in Amber’s direction. “Right there.”

  “Get out here this minute,” Ronan ordered.

  Amber looked at her fingers inside the cage, pressed against the Pliethin. There was a sensation of pins constantly pricking her fingers. Should she let it go? How was she meant to get out of the Void. “I’m not quite sure what to do. Do I just let the Pliethin go?”

  “Amber wants to know if she should let the Pliethin go,” Crystal said.

  “No.” Ronan, Kade and Rian all spoke at once, moving towards the place Crystal had pointed to.

  “We don’t know what will happen if you do,” Kade said. “When people who can’t walk the Void are left in it, they rarely survive.”

  Maybe entering the Void hadn’t been the best idea. “Then what the hell am I meant to do?” Amber demanded. She walked forward, reaching for Kade. Her hand and the chain passed through him. A shiver went through her.

  “Amber?” Kade held up his hand as if trying to touch her.

  “Ye
ah, she’s right in front of you,” Crystal said.

  “Then get over there and drag her out,” Ronan said.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Flinn said. “What if my mage gets stuck in there too?”

  Crystal strode towards Amber. “Then you’ll have to get another one. I’m not about to leave my best friend stuck in the Void.” Crystal took hold of Amber’s hand. “Let go of the Pliethin.”

  Amber willingly did. The world came back into focus and she threw her arms around Crystal. “Probably not the smartest thing I’ve ever done.”

  “I want one of them,” Jasper said.

  “We don’t even know how to use them.” Amber drew away from Crystal, the cage banging against her leg. “Don’t even think about it.”

  Kade tugged her to him. “Like you shouldn’t have?”

  Amber couldn’t help smiling. She shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “Give me the Pliethin.” Ronan held out his hand.

  Amber held the cage behind her. “It’s mine. I captured it.”

  “And you were the one who nearly got stuck in the Void with it,” Ronan said.

  “It’s still mine.”

  “Don’t use it,” Ronan said.

  She met his eyes, trying to think of how to reply. She didn’t want to get stuck in the Void, but being able to use the Void without a Gold would be very useful. “Were mages able to travel the Void back before they were all killed off?”

  “Don’t try and distract me. It’s not going to work, Amber. Do not use the Pliethin.”

  “I wasn’t. I want to know. And I still do.”

  “Argue this later. We need to put Stanley somewhere more secure,” Flinn said.

  “My place,” Ronan said. “This place isn’t secure enough.”

  “We only had one cell that was protected from trackers and Void walkers. We put the unknown man in it,” Rian said.

  “They shouldn’t have been able to find them.” Amber glanced around the room. “They had no dragon blood in them. I couldn’t smell it. They shouldn’t have been able to mentally call for help. Unless there’s things about Knight Mages you haven’t told us.”

  Ronan shook his head. “You know everything I know about them.”

  “Which doesn’t mean anything,” Flinn said.

  “Grandad is definitely going to say no then,” Jasper said.

  Amber shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. We’ve got other things to worry about right now. How safe is Temolae Keep? And what about Roy? Where is he?”

  “Safe,” Rian said.

  Amber was relieved. She had enough problems without having to worry about what would happen if Roy was harmed while in her care. “Make sure he stays that way.” She mentally searched the area. None of the enemy had returned. “Alright. Take Stanley to your place. I’ll be over tomorrow to have a talk to him.” And he better talk. She wasn’t in the mood for games.

  “Hand over the Pliethin.” Ronan stepped forward, holding out his hand.

  Amber shook her head. “No. It’s mine. Look, I’m not about to do anything with it tonight. I’m tired and I still need to see if I can heal Miles.”

  “And talk to Mum. We need to let her know we’re okay,” Jasper said.

  “You can bring it with you tomorrow then,” Ronan said. “I’ll expect you as soon as you wake up.”

  “After breakfast,” Amber said.

  “Make sure you do.” Ronan held her gaze a moment then disappeared.

  Chapter Thirteen

  She sensed him step out of the Void next to Stanley and then the two of them vanished into the Void. “Jasper, you can get Daray to take you to see Mum and then he can take you home when you’re ready. You can let her know I’m okay. There’s no way I’m talking to her again tonight.” When Jasper nodded, she turned to Rian. “Where’s Miles?”

  “Several doors down from your room.”

  She held her hand out to Kade. “Can you take me to our room?” As Kade took her into the Void, she caught a glimpse of Crystal turning to Rian with a smile, Flinn glaring at them before he disappeared too. Flinn was just going to have to learn to deal with it. He didn’t own Crystal.

  Kade continued to hold her hand. “Do you want me to come with you to see Miles?”

  “No, I’ll be right.”

  He stared at her for several minutes before he spoke. “Don’t use the Pliethin. At least not on your own.”

  “I didn’t think it’d work. I mean, I wasn’t trying to make it work. Just trying to get away from Ronan.”

  “That’s all it takes. Not wanting to be in that space.”

  “Okay.” She took a step away from him, still holding his hand. Another step and she let him go, watching as he disappeared. Searching the castle she couldn’t find him and wondered where he’d gone. Was he in the Void nearby or had he gone somewhere else? Mentally shrugging, she glanced around the room, trying to decide where to leave her Pliethin.

  She crossed the room to the window and wrapped the chain around the rod the curtains hung from. Her eyes were drawn to the soft glow coming from the cage, the hum of energy reminding her of the first time she’d realised she had a connection with Kade. It seemed so long ago. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she touched the base of the cage, spinning it gently. An eternity ago. In another lifetime. A life she no longer missed. She spun the Pliethin’s cage once more before she strode from the room, mentally searching the area. Only Miles was nearby.

  Opening the door, she paused, watching him as he remained seated on the edge of the bed, staring at the lit lamp on the set of drawers beside the bed. His green eyes were nearly unblinking, his shoulders were slumped and his brown hair was neatly trimmed. Another search of the area showed they were still alone. Unless of course there was someone in the Void watching her. But she couldn’t worry about that. She had to focus on trying to heal Miles.

  Crossing the room, she stood beside him. He didn’t move. His eyes remained on the lamp. Hesitantly she reached out and rested her hand on his head. How was she meant to go about fixing him? Finding the dragon blood in him, she followed it through his system, trying to find any problems. But she didn’t know enough about the human body, especially the brain, to know what might be wrong.

  Giving up on that, she tried to heal him in general. Energy drained from her and she staggered, falling backwards as he leapt to his feet. She winced as she collided with the floor, struggling to rise. Before she could, Miles launched himself at her, lightning pooling in his hands. She rolled out of the way, sensing Daray come out of the Void. “Don’t hurt him.”

  Miles threw lightning at Daray. One hit him, but he kept coming, tackling Miles to the ground. Footsteps could be heard in the hallway and Amber jumped to her feet, mentally checking who it was. Rian burst into the room, Cooper and Elliot on his heels.

  “Let him go.” Elliot ran towards Miles and Daray.

  “He attacked us,” Amber said.

  “What did you do to him?” Elliot demanded.

  Miles stilled. “Elliot?”

  “Let him go.” Elliot helped Miles up. “Are you okay?”

  “Where are we? What’s going on?” Miles looked around the room. “Cooper?”

  “We’re safe,” Cooper said.

  “They’re dragons.” Miles gestured towards Rian and Daray.

  Cooper nodded. “Yeah, but we’re safe.”

  Kade stepped out of the Void, reaching for Amber. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded, drawing energy from one of her bracelets, still feeling drained after healing Miles. At least she hoped he was healed. “Yeah.”

  “What happened?” Kade asked.

  “I’m not sure.” She eyed Miles. “Why did you attack me?”

  “You did something to me. I don’t know what, but my head exploded with pain,” Miles said.

  “You said you wouldn’t hurt us,” Elliot said.

  “I didn’t. I was trying to heal him. And look.” She gestured towards Miles. “He’s isn’t staring off int
o space like he’s not in his own body.”

  “I wasn’t,” Miles said.

  “What do you mean?” Amber asked.

  “When the dragons learned I could split my consciousness they had me checking out the defences of their enemies,” Miles said.

  She still didn’t know what he was talking about. “What exactly does that mean?”

  “I travel with my mind while still having a slight awareness of my body and what’s happening to it. Although the longer I’m split the harder it is to focus on what is happening around my body until it’s like being caught in the dark. Everything was dark. I tried to find a way out of that warehouse, but I got lost. I had no way to get back,” Miles said.

  “You tried to kill yourself,” Cooper said.

  Miles nodded. “I was lost. I had no way to get back. I didn’t want to be stuck like that forever.” He looked around the room again. “How did I get here?”

  Ronan came out of the Void, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall near the door. “Interesting. This could be useful.”

  “Didn’t you hear him?” Elliot demanded. “He couldn’t get back. I’m not going to let you do that to him.”

  Ronan pushed away from the wall. “And you think you can stop me?”

  Amber stepped between Ronan and Elliot, facing Ronan. “Miles won’t be doing anything that endangers him. If he learns how to use his ability and wants to help us, he can.”

  Ronan grabbed Amber’s shoulder and took her through the Void before she could pull away from him. They came out in his family crypt. “Stop arguing with me all the time.”

  “Maybe I should say the same.” A message came through on her phone and she checked it, sending a quick reply to let Kade know she was okay. “And stop bringing me here. The last place I want to be,” she checked the time, “at one a.m. is hanging out with the dead.”

  “Then stop doing stupid things or you’ll permanently be with them.”

  “It wasn’t stupid. I was healing Miles.”

  “Then why’d he attack you? Rian rang Kade to tell him Miles was attacking you and to get back immediately. How did that happen if all you were doing was healing him?”