She stood up and with her head held high, carried her plate to the counter and walked out, not even glancing our way.
The Guards around our end of the room burst into laughter and I jumped up, “Wait a minute, Baby, you know I was kidding.”
As I left the room I heard the Guards’ laughter all the way down the hall.
***
It had been two days since the incident with Gavin and I’d only seen him once. Hate and fear had rolled across his aura at the sight of me. I was sitting in the Guard Mess hall when Allen Denton walked in and approached me.
“You’ve been summoned to the Archmage’s office,” He said with some satisfaction. He’d said it loud enough for the few Guards present to hear it. I guess I was about to be an example.
Rage boiled inside me, under the surface as I stood and followed Denton out the door. I felt dread as I followed the man to the elevator and quietly rode up to the upper level where the senior Mages all had offices.
He showed me to the door and said with an arrogant sneer, “He’s expecting you.”
I opened the door and walked into a very opulent office. The desk was of some beautiful wood and it was huge. The Archmage sat in a chair behind it with power rolling around in his aura.
“You are new to the Academy, Colin,” He looked at me with dead eyes, “But even you should know better than to threaten my son.”
“He threatened my girlfriend,” I returned evenly.
“Did he?” surprise flowed across his aura.
“Neglected to tell you the entire story, I see,” I returned.
The Archmage sighed, “Be that as it may, no one threatens my son, and especially not some jumped up Guard. I don’t think you really understand who I am.”
He dropped his screen and I could feel the waves of power rolling off of him. I’d never felt anything so terrifying in all my life but the rage was beginning to surface.
“So basically you’re saying that what your son wants, he gets.”
He looked at me with those dead eyes and gave a small nod.
“That’s fine with me,” I answered, “He can have anything he wants.”
My eyes were smoldering and I was seeing him through heat waves, “Except what’s mine.”
“I don’t care about you, I don’t care about your son, and I’ve never said one thing out of turn to the man. But because the lady decided to be with me, he feels he must try to take her.”
“I’m not here to compete with him or you or anyone else. I’m here to learn to kill Demons. Who’s in charge of this place? You or the spoiled brat causing problems?”
I dropped my screen also and faced the Archmage squarely. My rage speaking now, “I know you’re strong, but I wonder how much of that you can handle without flaming out. I know for a fact I can use every ounce of what I have and if that’s the way you want it, bring on the fire! You’ll know I was here.”
I had no idea if I could actually back my words, but my rage was in charge of this one. I turned my back to the most powerful Mage in the world, who was fuming, and walked out of his office without another word.
Chapter 21
I entered the dome with the two swords gifted to me by my mother. Rage still boiled in me so I went to the end where the shielded dummies stood and drew them. My anger seethed as I began the Dance. Fury fueled by the sheer absurdity of the situation.
Had I really just threatened the Archmage? What the Hell is wrong with me? Where does all this rage come from?
I danced the blades faster and faster Pulling the Source as I sped up more and more. My swords began to glow with the Soulfire coursing through my body. Faster and faster I spun until finally with a scream of pure fury, all of the power pouring into me surged down my blade and screamed across the space between me and the targets in a razor sharp arc.
It destroyed three shielded dummies before weakening enough to be absorbed by the Dome shield. Power fluctuated all across the shield as it dissipated.
I stood dead still in shock staring at the splintered dummies as the shields began taking their shape once more.
A voice rumbled from behind me, “Damn, Son.”
I turned to see Kharl standing with five other Guards who were staring at me in awe.
“Your meeting with the Archmage went that bad?” he asked.
“You could say it went bad, but it would be an understatement,” I returned sadly.
“Tell me.”
***
“You did what?!” Kyra looked at me like I was an idiot. Which I probably am, by the way.
I’d followed Kharl back to the Guard barracks out in the front of the mountain the Academy is carved into. We were sitting in the quarters shared by Kharl and Kyra. The subterfuge that we were using about my parentage meant that they were a “couple”.
I don’t think it bothered them at all, having spent the last eighteen years together.
She stared at me like I was a strange experiment that might have to be destroyed.
“I know,” I shook my head, “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“I said don’t make waves not Hey why don’t you threaten to rip the Archmage’s son a new one and while you’re at it, tell the Archmage, the most powerful Mage in the world, to piss off. Friggin Rourkes, they’re all the same,” she began pacing around the room, her hand to her forehead, “Jump right in the deep end, no clue how to swim, just jump right in!”
Kharl was looking at me like I had never really seen before. With the respect of one man looking at his equal. Not that Kharl would look down on anyone, but I was that crazy kid he was raising. Now he looked at me with more respect than I’d ever seen him give anyone but the Elites and Gregor.
“Oh, calm down,” He rumbled, “He said what everyone else wants to say and doesn’t have the nerve to. The truth, something we’ve always been advocates for.”
“But you’ve made a powerful enemy in the Archmage. One day, the repercussions will be felt. He’s a hater, son, and he’s got patience. The son doesn’t have patience, he’s the one to worry about for now.”
He sighed, “Well, on a lighter note, some friends of yours will be here next week to start training. Maybe they’ll be able to curb your enthusiasm to take on the Mage Academy, single handed.”
“You’ve seen Trent, you big ox, he’ll probably ask to roast hotdogs in the fires as the Academy burns to the ground,” Kyra snorted, “and while everyone’s not looking the girl will probably stab someone.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying, they’ll curb his enthusiasm. I mean, I’m pretty sure that’s less severe than what this one’s already done.”
“You’ve got a point,” Kyra returned. “I could just beat the shit out of Gregor, ‘interesting times’, he said.”
Chapter 22
“You had a meeting with the Archmage, didn’t you?” Paige asked, “I heard you went up to his office and everyone felt it when he dropped his screen. It was about the other day wasn’t it? It would have been better to leave it alone.”
I nodded.
“What was that you did in the Dome afterward? Some of the Guards told me you did something with a sword and destroyed three dummies right through the shield.”
“I was venting some of the frustration from my meeting with that self-righteous bas... the Archmage.”
She looked at me for a few minutes but I wasn’t about to tell her what the Archmage had said to me in his office. She might just do what they want to protect me and I couldn’t live with that. I know how I am and I would do something monumentally stupid if that happened. It’s not that I’m a jealous person, but she doesn’t want to sleep with Gavin. If she wants to, she’s free to do what she wants. But to be forced by someone else or even circumstance is unacceptable and I would probably kill Gavin Price, damn the consequences.
“On a different note,” I changed the subject, “Did you get a chance to draw any of the shields we talked about?”
“I drew the personal shield exactly
like yours,” she reached into a black satchel she carried and pulled out a stack of papers, “and I started on the fireballer. I found some things in the archives, but no diagrams, there were just descriptions. There were surprisingly few papers in there about Mage skills. You would think there would be more. Everything has been passed down over the years by instruction alone. I don’t think new things are discovered very often because of the danger of experimenting with the Source.”
“I think it was what Greyson Kent showed the first mages,” I said, “Think about it, it was in the 1200’s so if you wanted to create a strong weapon, what would you base it on? Maybe a catapult, throwing huge balls of fire.”
“That makes sense, but you would think there would be some change over the years,” she returned.
“I think there are some new things, I bet most Mages have skills that other Mages don’t know. Like a personalized skill that only you know. We need to talk to some of the other Mages and discover some of these things so we can do diagrams of them too.”
“I can’t see their things to draw them, Colin.”
“I can see them. If I learn these skills I can show them to you. You can draw diagrams and every Mage can learn.”
“I’ll talk to some of the Mages, you talk to some of the Guards. I bet they’ve seen all sorts of things you might be able to use for this. Some of them are over a hundred years old and I know they’ve seen a lot.”
“Do you think a Guard could make the personal shield? It doesn’t require a Pull and I can see great benefit for them. I’d like to take your diagram to the Guard barracks today and see if I can get some volunteers to try it.”
She nodded in agreement, “Oh, Yeah, the Guard will definitely be able to use it. They learn as much focus as we do and they manipulate their streams to knot them like they do. I would almost guarantee that, at least, some of them could use the shield.”
She pushed the papers away from her and looked at me, “It looks like we have a couple of hours before reporting. What could we possibly do to pass the time?” she said with a finger twisting a curl of her red hair.
“I’m sure we’ll think of something,” I answered with a smile and leaned toward her. All the worries of the Archmage and his son, shield making, and Mage craft faded as our souls began to intertwine.
***
“Today we will test your proficiency in the use of shields and the fireball. We will be testing speed and strength of both.”
I’d spent the last few months practicing and a few weeks ago I’d had an epiphany. If I can carry around a personal shield ready to be activated, why can’t I carry a fireballer and a few different kinds of shield as well? The answer, no reason whatsoever. I designed three different shields with a portal to feed each one. They all had the same size feeder tendrils. Each could be used separately, or all could be used together to add to the strength. It all depended on the situation. If I was completely on defensive I could use all three. If I need less I can use one or two at a time and conserve the energy for offense.
When I Pull I channel the energy before it reaches the shield so it doesn’t explode out like the one at Morndel. Or I can let it do just that if I so desire. I like it, it’s fast and strong.
“We’ll start with Darrel.”
Darrel stepped forward.
“First make a shield when I say go,” Nora stated, “3...2...1...go.”
Darrel projected his shield from inside of himself. He wasn’t quite comfortable with making them from his stream yet, but he was working on it.
“Very good,” Nora approved, “Now we’ll try the fireball. First I want a standard shot, then I want a power shot.”
We call the shot where you use all the power you are comfortable with a power shot. Darrel brought his fireballer up. This he had gotten the hang of now. When his portal opened the fireballer was active. He’d designed two of them, one for a standard and one for a power shot. The standard rolled with power for a second and his fireball shot true.
He closed the portal to that one and opened the powerballer and power flowed through it to roll around inside the shield for a few moments until a much more powerful fireball screamed down the range to hit the shielded dummy. It was a strong shot and took a moment to dissipate.
“Excellent, Darrel, a great improvement,” Nora smiled and glanced at me. There was an approval in her aura as she looked toward me. Most Mages don’t share their skills with others and she could tell that I had been working with Darrel and Paige both.
“Paige,” Nora turned to her and motioned for her to start, “First, a shield.”
Paige, like me, had designed her shield with a portal and raised it in an instant. It was a powerful shield for someone with a small stream, and Nora smiled.
“Very good, let’s see the fireballs.”
Paige had done the same as Darrel and designed two fireballers and she let fly with the first one. It was a standard shot and flew true. Next she let fly the powershot. It rolled for a moment before it shot true as well. It was much more powerful than the first but it had taken some time to build up.
“I see a massive improvement there Paige,” Nora said with another glance at me, “Gavin.”
Gavin took his place and projected a shield much like he’d done before. Then he let fly his fireball. It was perfect like always. His power shot rolled in his shields more than he was comfortable with, but he refused to be beaten by someone with less power than himself, so he pushed himself. The powershot shot true and he sneered at Darrel as his was stronger.
If Gavin would try to be halfway human, I could show him the stream shields as well but he wouldn’t even look at me. Much less try to learn something from me.
Nora called several more names and critiqued their performances. Most of the trainees did well, without incident.
“Colin,” She motioned for me and I stepped forward. I’d spent some time with Nora, going over the shield techniques and she was familiar with my shield by now but I had added the triple shield since then and she was surprised when I raised them. First I raised the outer shield then number two and pushed it out to slam into number one. Then the third to do the same.
Her eyes widened and surprise rolled across her aura, “You’ve been experimenting again, I see. That’s the strongest shield I’ve ever seen, Colin. And it seems that you’ve fixed the speed issue. Very good. Now let’s see the fireball.”
I opened the portal to my number one fireballer and Pulled. My fireball flew true and I opened the powerballer. It rolled for almost fifteen seconds before it ruptured and roared downrange to slam into the shielded target dummy. It was about like the first one I’d shot several months ago.
“That’s not any more powerful than the first time, Colin, you’re holding back. We need an accurate read on your powerful attacks to know where you need to be in the Mages. Now do it again and don’t hold back.”
I frowned, I had already alienated half of the trainees because of the first one and I had enough problems with Gavin already. But I guess she was right so I opened another portal and shut the powerballer. This was something I was experimenting with. I had created a triple shielded fireballer. On the side with the rupture, I had also formed a rifled barrel.
With a small shrug, I Pulled fairly hard and sent it into the fireballer. It rolled inside the shield for a full minute before rupturing and hurling down the rifled barrel. It had enough force to push me backward almost ten feet. Once again I broke several dummies through the shields before the shot weakened enough to be absorbed into the shield. Power surged across the dome as it was absorbed into the shield and I heard several gasps behind me.
“That’s more like it,” Nora looked at me, “Now you get to come in after the tests and show me exactly how you did it. Was that a gun barrel on the front of it?”
Paige was looking at me with one eyebrow raised. I hadn’t shown that one to her yet. I glanced at the others and saw fear flowing around their auras and Gavin’s ever present hate as wel
l.
“Yeah it’s a rifled barrel to put a spin on the projectile. Makes it shoot farther faster,” I answered.
“Interesting,” Nora said thoughtfully, “Interesting, indeed.”
Chapter 23
“I’ve got something you may be interested in, Master Yueh,” I said after sparring with the Weapon master, “It’s something I think any guard can do but I wanted an opinion from you, first.”
“What might that be?” he asked, “I hear your innovations are quite, interesting, to say the least.”
I grinned and went over to the folder I brought with me. I pulled out the sheet with Paige’s diagram for a personal shield. It showed a person from three angles. The shield was very detailed, Paige does very good work and her memory is amazing. I handed the page to Tien. He was quiet for a moment and looked up at me in surprise.
“Even if I didn’t know you, Colin, this one act would prove, beyond a shadow, that you are more than any other Mage to ever walk these halls,” he said quietly.
My face turned red, “It’s not just me, Paige Turner made the illustration and Darrel Barnes has been right there, working with us.”
He looked at me, “Never has a Mage done something like this for the Guard. Not even Gregor Kherkov and he’s been a friend of the Guard for many years. This will revolutionize the way the Guard does everything. I don’t know if you truly understand the scope of what this is.”
“Yes, I do,” I answered with a steady gaze. “It will save lives and make us better at destroying the Demons. I don’t have much practical knowledge of fighting the Demons but what I have learned showed me what it would have meant if I had been using one of these.”
I motioned toward the ugly scar down the left side of my face. As I had gotten to know the Guard, I had seen many of the scars from their battles. A wounded Guard is not as deadly as a healthy one, if you want to look at it coldly.
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