by Ben Hale
"Hello, Oracle," Aloran said.
Her voice sounded like the whisper of reeds in the wind. Soft and melodic, its beauty matched the entity's features. As one of the largest entities at Tryton's, Aloran actually comprised all nine of the classroom trees, and could make her face appear in the classroom as well as inside the root chambers. She was also considered one of the kindest.
"Aloran," Tess said. "Please gate me to Siarra's Refuge."
"As you will," Aloran answered, and somehow managed to give a bow. Then the roots next to her parted, leaving a film of water between them.
Tess expressed her gratitude and stepped through. Due to the lateness of the hour she wasn't surprised to find herself alone. Order members would be on their way to the dorms by now. Eleana appeared to her in seconds.
"Oracle," she said. "Have you come to train?"
"You were right," Tess said. "I should have done this a long time ago. I want to be ready when we go after Drake."
Eleana smiled. "Then stand in the center of the room. How long have you been able to see?"
"Two minutes or so," Tess replied as she moved to the middle. "But most of the time only a few seconds, or nothing at all."
"Have you practiced?" Eleana had a frown on her face.
"Not as much as I would have liked," Tess said. "With classes, Alice, and everything else I just didn't get to it. Up until now I also lacked someone to train me. Hawk helped, but he could only describe so much."
"Then it's time for us to begin. In the Age of Oracles the women practiced using a similar method, albeit one less painful. It was Siarra that designed this room specifically to train her farsight for combat."
"What do you mean painful?"
Eleana responded by gliding to a smooth section of wall between the air and water sources. Reaching to the top of the arch between them, she touched a subtle scrollwork. There was a faint click, and then the twelve sources of magic that ringed the room brightened. A moment later a small ball of energy shot out of the water source, striking Tess in the arm.
Tess rubbed the spot. "And how is this supposed to teach me?"
Eleana smiled. "You will delve into your farsight, and seek to anticipate when the next attack will come. Any of the sources—including the light source above—can emit an energy orb. If you see it coming you will move or redirect them as you see fit. Are you ready?"
"Give me a second," Tess exclaimed, and then sought to activate her magic.
Discouraged as she was, it was slow in coming. Although Hawk had initially taught her how to use her farsight, the press of other concerns had relegated it to a lower priority. Now she wished she'd practiced more.
Guilt assailed her again, preventing her magic from flowing. Only after it had turned into grim determination did her power come. With her magesight active she could see the inherent material that comprised everything around her. Each was a distinct combination of colors and energies, and in some ways reminded her of looking through a kaleidoscope as a kid. Then she pressed forward.
The colors dimmed as her magic pushed her sight into the next few seconds. She saw her hand raise, and a moment later she raised her hand to her face to see if it was working. Her vision flickered and threatened to return, but she focused her whole attention on keeping herself ahead.
"Go," Tess said.
Three seconds passed, and then four. Then she felt a faint impact on her back. She stepped to the side and watched an energy orb sail past her. It was a small victory, but it still brought a smile to her lips.
Perhaps if I can . . .
The distraction cost her focus, and her vision snapped back to the present in time for a sound orb to sting her neck. She sucked in her breath, her satisfaction turning to disappointment. Eleana chided her for her lack of focus, and then they tried again.
For the next few hours she tried time and again to see her immediate future. Each attempt ended in the sting of defeat. Sometimes she managed to anticipate several orbs, and moved to avoid them all. She never succeeded for long, and the sting of multiple defeats she turned to her trainer.
"Eleana, what is the weakness of farsight?"
"What do you mean?" the entity asked.
She thought of the Swordsman, and how he'd made clear that every magic had a flaw. "The way I have been taught, every branch of magic has a weakness to overcome, something that can potentially be exploited by an adversary." Her mind shifted to Alice as she said it.
Eleana cocked her head to the side. "Perhaps the better question would be, what is stopping you from pushing beyond a short time?"
Tess relented with a gesture. "If you want to say it that way."
"Farsight is the collection of energies in one mind. Since energy is constantly moving, focusing on where they are going gives an oracle an indication of what is to come. But," she raised a cautionary hand, "it has been known to drive an oracle to madness. The future is constantly shifting, and can cause one to lose themselves in the effort to fulfill their desires. Also, witnessing the atrocities of men before they occur can have a similar effect if the oracle is not prepared."
"So going crazy is the weakness? Then why am I getting stuck?"
"Your mind knows what it is not prepared for," Eleana said. "Perhaps you are restrained because you are afraid of what you will see."
The words rang true. From the day that Tess had fought the fiends in the rock troll village she'd felt a deep rooted fear that it didn't matter what she did. The world was set on its course and nothing she—or anyone else did—would stop it.
On more than one occasion she'd had dreams of herself alone, flying above a Darkened Earth. Not one soul had survived the expansion, and she had failed. Each time she woke up to the knowledge that it had been a dream. But seeing into the future would be more than a dream. It would be real. And there would be no denying her fate.
But what if accepting her future would give her the chance to change it? It was a desperate thought, but one that took root. The idea continued to grow as she practiced, and for the first time her tension about the future began to ease. Whatever course she was on, knowing gave her the power to change it.
The orbs flew around her, easier and easier to avoid. The seconds turned into minutes, and then hours. Of its own accord her farsight leapt ahead, giving her a flood of images and events. One stood out above the others. She'd stepped into her farsight prepared to see any number of things.
Except the end of her life.
Chapter 40: The Horrending Hex
"Are you ok?" Derek asked.
Tess nodded, but Derek didn't buy it. He tried to hold her hand but she pulled away. The hurt in his eyes caused her to turn away. "Let's just get this done," she said.
He didn't respond, and together they looked down from their hidden vantage point. The day after her visions she'd taught Katsuo to replace Kyle. She knew she was rushing it, but had no desire to explain why.
"I know you feel bad about Kyle and Iris," Derek finally said, "but it's only been two days. We can wait."
"No," Tess said, "we can't."
He frowned. "Then why are you acting like this?"
Because I'm going to die, and it's the only way we start to win.
"Let's go," Tess said.
She signaled the other members of the Order into motion, and left before Derek could try again. If she told him about her vision he would try to stop her, and she couldn't allow that. She also couldn't bear the idea of saying goodbye. She didn't know when her vision would come to pass, but she was not inclined to wait. If she didn't do this now she might not get another chance.
"Do exactly what I say and you will get out of this alive," Tess exclaimed.
Mara, one of Tess's army, passed on the message. Nervous and chattering under her breath, the brunette girl had tried to fill Iris's shoes, but her skill did not come close to Iris’s. They would have to make do.
Tess delved into her magesight and then pushed ahead. After the previous night's practice she could look
beyond a few minutes, and she needed every second. Her heart fluttered, but she kept her nerves in check. She would not allow anyone to get hurt this time.
"Laura, Mike, count to seven and then move in. Drop the bait and then get out before the Voidling spots you. Katsuo, light them after three seconds."
Down the hill from them the couple nodded in unison, and seven seconds later dropped twin rocks down the hill. A moment later they burst into flame. Blackening the grass underneath, the boulders rolled directly at Drake. He spotted them coming and leapt into the air. The Voidling followed him, but Drake accelerated ahead. He reached the top of the hill with two fire whips, ready to rebuke whoever had dared assault him. He issued a furious grunt.
"I will see you Darkened for an hour," he yelled.
"Kent, you're up," Tess said. Mara sent the message, and a moment later an indistinct voice yelled up at Drake.
"Does captain fire-pants need new trousers?"
Drake flushed bright red, and he surged toward the taunting voice. "I will kill you with my bare hands." He nearly choked on the words.
"Have Derek hit the Voidling at the top of the hill in five seconds," Tess said.
Deep in her magic, Tess watched the events unfold before they occurred. The hill rose up like a beast's maw, and swallowed Drake's companion. The grinding of earth rumbled in the night as it closed tight.
"Sixty seconds until it gets out," Tess said, "let's make them count. Shorn, take him down."
Drake was furiously searching the shadowed stand of trees that the voice had come from, unaware that his Voidling was no longer following. With countless charms to keep them hidden, the entire Tempest team hovered in the branches above. At her order they dropped, hard.
The entire stand exploded as the fire mages struck. Then the wind mages cast a collective intake charm. The rush of wind replaced the crackle of fire as the flames were blown out—taking the oxygen with them. Shorn got to the unconscious form first, and unceremoniously heaved Drake onto his shoulder.
Other students began to congregate as the flyers streaked away. As quickly as they had come, the Order evaporated into the night. Voidlings and other battlemages arrived within a minute, but could find no witnesses to interrogate.
Tess walked with Mara to the mind school, and they gated together to the refuge. They arrived last, and found Drake unconscious at the center of the chamber. Bound in Quad's anti-magic chains he appeared singed but alive.
"Take your positions," Tess said, and flew to her spot. Quad, Benny, and Warren stood on her right. Katsuo, Shorn and Laura moved to her left. "Don't hesitate," she warned, "even for a moment. The Horrending requires our will to be greater than his. If any one of us falters, it will fail."
She looked at each in turn, and they nodded to her. Nervous excitement reflected back at her, but she did not feel it. After everything in the last five weeks she had become a different person than she had on Mt. Elbrus. Then she had reacted out of desperation and fear. Now she acted with purpose.
"He's waking up," Derek exclaimed.
Drake's eyes fluttered open. Recognizing who was around him he sneered and rose to his feet. "You have no idea—" The anti-magic chains reached their limit, and he was jerked back. He looked at them in fury. "How dare you chain me?"
"Quad," Tess said. "Do it."
He grinned, and cast his curse. Ink energy poured off his arms and coagulated around Drake, covering his body. Drake's eyes went wide in disbelief, and then the anti-magic shroud morphed into a thousand needles. Like the spikes of a medieval iron maiden, they sank into his flesh.
He screamed, but not in physical pain. The leeching curse had pierced the energy of his soul. Red and purple light streaked out of the holes in the shroud, illuminating the refuge in flickering shadows. Tess latched onto the red magic.
"This is it," she said, her voice rising to overpower the dull shriek coming from Drake's magic.
Tess and Katsuo cast their fire suppression hex, and the red lines coming out of Drake bent towards them. Reflecting like a sputtering fire, the spell began to draw the red from his body and into a floating ball. Drake began to tremble, and cried out each time the red pulsed.
Shorn and Laura cast the gravity well, drawing the purple light to them. It brightened their side of the room like a black light, causing the ones wearing white to glow. As if Drake were being torn in half, the dual magics streaked away from him and hardened into tight orbs. He sank to his knees.
"The Master will punish you for your insolence!"
His words were drowned out by the rising rush of power. Like a great river it roared out of him and hardened outside of his body. Swelling with sound and intensity, the entire refuge began to shake. Wisps of anti-magic were torn off the gathering light and streaked around the room like bullets.
"Don't stop!" Tess yelled. Dimly she was aware that Derek had shouted the same.
The light surged from Drake, ripped from his being by the Order of White. Then abruptly the flow began to ebb. The twin balls of light pulsed and spun, fighting to return to Drake. Tess ground her teeth and held on. She cast a glance at Shorn and Laura, and saw the determination in their eyes.
"Benny! Warren! You have to cast yours now!"
Shaking with fear, Benny cast his memorian curse. It failed, and he tried again. The last of the light pulled from Drake and joined the two vibrating balls of energy, and Drake wilted.
"You can do it!" Derek bellowed.
Benny took a deep breath and then cast it once more. Dark orange burst from him, and poured through the anti-magic shroud, filling Drake's frame. Drake's eyes went white as his very flesh lost the memory of magic. Then Warren took Benny's place, and his magic sealed the work that Benny had done.
"You can do this!" Tess shouted to Katsuo.
He nodded to her, his expression rigid with intensity. Tess gradually released her hold—and the floating red ball began to shake violently. Tess darted to Drake and pulled the white ethereal dagger into view.
"Tess!" Drake roared over the shrieking magic. "You don't have the will to do this! When you fail I will come for you. I will make you watch your friends and family become Twisted. You will be torn to shreds by the ones you failed to protect!"
Tess met his gaze. "I'm sorry," she said, and meant it. Unbidden, the authority of her birthright welled inside her, and she spoke with the ringing tone from her trial.
"You have used your magic to kill and harm, Drake, and I declare you unfit to wield it."
Then she plunged the horrending dagger into his chest.
It did not break his skin, but Drake issued a piercing scream as the dagger sank deep. Then their wills locked in battle through the conduit. Hatred and horror filled his eyes as he fought her. Connected as they were, Tess felt the pull of his rage, and his surge of defiance. Monumental in their force, it pressed against her mind.
She did not falter.
Endowed with the authority of her blood, she held her ground. Then she forced her will through the dagger—and shattered his. She cast the horrending hex, forcing the anti-magic shroud into his soul. The ink energy seeped into him like water being drawn into a sponge, darkening every ounce of the formerly powerful flesh. His expression froze in disbelief as the hex irrevocably closed off his magic.
The floating balls of red and purple relaxed as the pull from their owner faded. In seconds they went from vibrant energy to colored glass. When the last drop of Quad's anti-magic shroud had entered Drake's body, the two balls dropped.
They sound of them shattering echoed hollow and final. Weak and trembling, Drake crawled to the fragments of gravity and tried to gather them up. They melted away in his hands. His fingers shook as he held the last drops, but they evaporated away.
His head snapped up to Tess. "Why did you do this to me?" The venom in his voice was weakened by the ordeal.
Tess bent to pick up the horrending blade, which had fallen out after it had performed its work. She leaned the tip of the blade toward him. Eve
n though it could not hurt him, he flinched.
"So I can do the same to Alice," she said softly.
Chapter 41: Thastin's Secret
Hawk walked through the ancient halls of Thastin School for Magic, nodding to the teachers he knew. Their eyes widened at the sight of him and they gave him a wide berth. Several rushed away. He had no doubt the director would quickly find out about his presence.
As the second oldest mage school, Thastin had been built six thousand years ago, before the island had become England. Built under a massive overhang, the castle was hidden from aurens by the illusion of a cliff. Turrets, courtyards, and hundreds of classrooms looked out through the illusion onto the village of Aberock and a wide mountain lake. The predawn allowed the moon to reflect in its water. Even with the numerous orbs of light, Thastin still exuded the gloom of a castle. Long shadows loomed across the exterior, echoing the mood of the students.
The news from the auren world had dominated the youths here, and the adults. Uniformed children passed Hawk with worry lining their features. Those that recognized him stood in awe or scurried away. The castle had become the headquarters of the mages since Auroraq had been taken, but it lacked the sense of authority that Auroraq conveyed. It didn't help that the halls were noticeably quieter with the absence of many students.
Hawk tried not to judge the parents that had withdrawn their children from the school. They were afraid for their families, and didn't yet realize that there was no place to go. He took consolation in the fact that the director of Thastin was smart, and had rallied the mages not caught in Alice's takeover.
Turning away from the front of the castle, he took several sharp corners until he'd reached the rear depths. A spiraling wind lift lowered him to a different level, and he continued until he'd reached his destination.