“Eburscon may be difficult.” She paused. Something kept her from revealing that the Alliance alchemist was possibly dead and certainly banished. “But I learned some useful things, concepts like how to gather celestial dew.” She held her breath, and her eyes fixed on Tarom.
“I’d like to think I can add more to your knowledge of alchemy.” He bowed his head and led them back to the foyer. He motioned his hand in the direction of a second archway. “This room represents the Earth element, which guides my friend under the Taurus stars. Please tell me what happened to him.”
Lyra stepped inside a room decorated in restful terra cottas and browns. “He was attacked by a cimafa and rider. He fought hard and so did Yasqu, the bronze dragon with me today. In the end, the stealth dragon stole Cullen’s mind aura.”
Tarom frowned and shook his head. “Oh, Cullen.” He let out a long sigh. “To remain in that state is a fate worse than death.” He shook his head slowly from side to side, then looked at Lyra. “Were you injured?”
“No. He and Yasqu protected me.”
“I see.” His countenance shifted, eyes narrowed and face drawn. “So you caused this misfortune for my oldest and dearest friend? Now it makes sense,” he snapped. “Cullen would not have made such a serious misstep acting upon his own good judgment.” He stepped away from her. “You are indeed shrewd to manipulate a master like Sire Drake. I have no intention of helping you—”
“I realize it is my fault he was injured. They were trying to steal my soul, but took his instead. We love each other. I never wanted to hurt him.” Trapped by the truth, she was forced to plead and felt her chances of gaining Tarom’s help slipping away.
“If that be, then show me your half of the lovers’ jadestone pair you each wore last summer. It no longer fastens your cloak,” he said with an indignant sneer.
Lyra suddenly felt overheated, and a line of perspiration formed along her upper lip. “I…a man tricked it from me.”
“You tramp. I know mineralogy far better than you supposed. There is only one way for someone to steal a jadestone.” Tarom raised an open hand to strike her.
Hands up to protect her face, she felt the air move, but he didn’t hit her. She peered between her fingers.
He reached toward her, and she flinched. “Be still. I’m not going to hurt you,” he said with a rough voice. He took hold of her right hand and examined the bloodswear scar on her index finger. Letting go, he removed a large purple gemstone ring from his own finger to reveal an identical mark. Holding his next to hers he said, “Few bear the bloodswear. The Imperial Dragon has placed a serious responsibility upon you. You have my respect. Please forgive my rash behavior.” He bowed at the waist and rose to meet her gaze.
Lyra peeled off her cloak and pushed up the sleeves of her cabled sweater. “I…I cannot tell you the details of the quest I have accepted since you are the alchemist to the Black Dragon. May I sit down?”
“Yes, please.”
Lyra sank onto one of the beige sectional sofas in the center of the room. She ran her hand along soft suede-like fabric and rested against a thick pillow. At least that display of rage told her if Tarom was a rider, he certainly wasn’t the one who stole Cullen’s aura. She wanted to know if he was one of the others, but asking might spark more conflict and prevent him from teaching her.
“Allow me to get us some water.” With the wave of a hand, he produced a tray with a pitcher, two glasses, and a dish, setting it on a large coffee table. Perched on the edge of the opposite sofa, he poured her a glass, which she accepted, but waited for him to drink first. After he set a dish of water on the floor for Kenzo, Tarom drank freely, and Lyra gladly gulped hers down.
The cool water steadied her nerves. “I’m expected to perform a task for the Imperial Dragon and also find and bring back Cullen’s aura. To do these, I’ve been carefully trained in many crafts, but still need instruction in fascination. I’ve read all I found in Cullen’s library on the topic, but I need some demonstration of the processes.” She looked him square in the eyes, ignoring trembles that shot through her. “Because I couldn’t defend myself against fascination, I was tricked out of my jadestone. I don’t know what I said or did, but my heart remains true.” She waited calmly for his response, fully prepared to leave and continue her path without his help.
For a minute, he stared at the ice in his glass and set it on the tray. “Fair enough. I will teach you for the sake of my friend and, considering my position, ask no details of your quest. Knowledge will only torment me, tearing me between two loyalties, when I must honor my independence for my own well being. In turn, I expect your silence while in the Dark Realm about any association with me.”
“You have my word.” Lyra nodded and scooted forward on her seat.
“Are you ready to begin now or do you wish to have a meal first?”
“No, let’s get started.”
“Very well.” He removed his cloak and tossed it over the seat next to him, its undulating hem quieted without an owner. Underneath, he wore a crisp white tunic over black leather pants. Other than his ring, the only jewelry he wore was a long pendant set with a large amethyst—strangely like the one she’d seen before on many elusive men. What connection did they have—Tarom, Eburscon, Revelin, Symar, the cimafa rider? Tarom avoided allegiance. Why did he wear a symbol of belonging?
He looked over to the tiger owl, listening attentively perched on the back of Lyra’s seat. “Sire Kenzo, may we use you as a subject, so I can instruct Lyra as she practices? There will be no pain or harm.”
“Yes, I’m honored to help her.” Her friend stepped along the back, a few feet apart from her, so she could face him.
Tarom joined them on the one couch. He held his hand in front of Lyra. “We’ll do a practice drill first. Lyra, you have read texts. What is the first step?”
“Channeling power through my eyes.”
“Correct. Use my hand. Move your power along your nerves, to your spine, and then into the area of your vision. After that, extend it onto my hand. I can determine by the sensation if you’re proceeding properly.”
Moving her power outside of her body didn’t work well with powerballs. Lyra hoped this would be different. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, searching within herself for the vibrations of her outer aura. Gathering a quantity equivalent to what she used to form a small powerball, she transferred it to all nearby nerves. Those tissues acted as a road system and transported the power more easily than she expected. Once the mass ebbed behind her eyes, she hesitated. Opening them, her vision was clouded, and she felt dizzy. She held the back of the sofa for support.
“There will be initial discomfort. Steady yourself as you need, but slowly continue. You’re doing well,” Tarom said with a deep, calm voice. He moved his hands momentarily, but Lyra couldn’t clearly see what he was doing. In this vulnerable state, she hoped she could trust him.
She focused on the foggy image of his hand. She wanted a clearer view. Then, she noticed the circular pattern of his bloodswear. He had removed his ring. The mark pulsed with energy, an easy target. Her power pressed against her eyes. Considering the leap to his hand gave her a jittery sensation, like preparing to jump across a wide stream. But, the pressure grew sharp and urgent. She clenched the cushion, tipped her head slightly forward and jumped her energy across the gap.
Tarom’s hand recoiled slightly. He moaned and held it still with the other.
To her surprise, rather than the separation she expected, like with a powerball, the energy stayed connected to her as though by a thread. It allowed her to experience what happened inside his hand, feel his pulse and minute muscle contractions.
“That is perfect. You may now withdraw. Slowly reverse the process.”
Removing her power was much easier. Her head ached, but it passed quickly.
“Quite impressive. You were able to channel a great deal of strength, as much as I normally work with. Now, to use your assistant. Lyra, please take
a smaller mass of power since he is your friend. Otherwise, it will smart and overtire him.” He placed a hand on Kenzo’s back. “Has your master or anyone used fascination on you?”
The owl shook his head.
“You will feel a momentary jolt when she enters your mind, then it will be like a humming inside you.” He looked to Lyra. “Proceed.”
Afraid to hurt her friend, she blinked to focus more clearly. Following the same steps, she checked and rechecked the amount of energy she initially gathered to be certain it was less. She opened her eyes and located the big, blue ones of the owl. She jumped her energy across with only a moment’s hesitation. Inside his mind, she moved cautiously, both to examine a completely new dimension and to not cause him pain.
“Describe what you read.” Tarom asked quietly.
“His thoughts shifting second by second, a constant play back and forth between fear and resolve to serve.”
“Look deeper. Those are only emotions and could be determined with simple clairvoyance.”
“He thinks how he is willing to die to help me save his master, but really wants to stay alive to be a part of all the things I do in the future…that he forgave me for his master losing his aura.”
“Excellent. Now carefully remove yourself. Go slowly. Take your time.”
Immediately after her energy slipped back into place, she reached out to her friend. “Kenzo, are you all right? Did I hurt you?”
He blinked at her a few times with a blank expression, then wriggled from head to toe like a dog shaking water off his fur. He gave a snap of his beak and tilted his head. “I’m fine, a bit tired. Don’t want to fly far. But it didn’t hurt.”
“What did it feel like?” She scratched under his neck feathers until he relaxed completely.
“Like Tarom said, a buzzing.”
“I’d like to feel that.” She leaned forward. “For me the jump was much easier the second time. Like with other skills, once I knew the sensation, it was easy to reproduce. If only I could get the hang of powerballs the same way. Kenzo, outside, did Gea send her flame to explode my bad powerball in mid air? I was afraid to ask her.”
He nodded.
She shook her head. “I’ve done well with every other craft. I don’t understand.”
Tarom poured a glass of water. “Lyra, we each have our strengths and weaknesses. The best of us have many strengths, as you certainly do. I’m sure you know Cullen’s inadequacy?”
“Transformation. He grumbles about having to practice it.”
“Yes, and I’m equally poor with powerballs. If you remember last summer, Cullen rendered me almost helpless without my staff.”
“I want a staff and asked for one. I loved using Cullen’s when we combined our powers.”
“You will earn yours, I feel certain,” he said with a smile. “I feel like I’ve cheated my dear colleague. He would have reveled in teaching you these skills. He is as adept as I in the craft. You and I are each out of our element with the energy of this room.” He twirled the water remaining in his glass. “Mine is water. Yours is fire. Opposites, but both taxed by this Earth energy. Let’s have some lunch and continue in our own rooms, where we’ll perform fascination on each other.”
Lyra wondered if allowing him inside her mind was wise. So much information could be used in the Dark Realm to block her efforts on the quest.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Fire and Water
With a wave of Tarom’s hand, trays of fresh bread and bowls of steaming potato soup appeared on the massive glass-topped coffee table. “A meal from the Earth, fit for this room. Enjoy.” He buttered a hunk of bread. “I have not yet explained how this room represents that element. Forgive me.”
Lyra tore bites of bread and placed a plate on the floor for Kenzo. Inhaling the dill-scented vapors from her bowl, Lyra nodded to the low table in front of them. “I’ve been noticing this display table, filled with hundreds of gemstones. Mineralogy is an area of study that fascinates me, one I intend to learn more about.”
“As far as I know, this is a complete collection of all the gems in Dragonspeir that store magical energy. Of course, all matter stores energy in the form of central fire, but these also contain varying amounts of celestial fire.”
Lyra’s first spoonful of hearty soup tasted rich with cream. “The magical stones I’ve received fascinate me, how they operate…their beauty.”
Tarom scanned the case, moving trays aside. “Here are examples of black amber or jet, like in the Scribes’ necklace you wear.”
Lyra touched her fingers to the settings arranged in a butterfly design at her throat. “Yes, that prevents Guardian-level beings from commanding me to perform magic for them, called…trajecting. Is that like fascination, how they do that?”
“Yes, on an extreme level, over unlimited distance, and it is manipulation rather than reading. Fascination has many uses. If used with enough power, it is possible to kill using the craft.”
“And I question whether using fascination on each other would be a good idea,” she said with a forced smile.
“We must set parameters, of course.” He sat back, allowing his eyes to study her fully.
Lyra placed her empty bowl on a tray and changed the subject. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was, until I tasted your delicious soup.” She scooted along to another seat on the couch to examine the display.
“More?”
“Yes, please.” She accepted the extra helping and pointed to a small red stone. Its fire burned in her eyes. “What is that one? I’m drawn to it.”
“And for good reason. Rubies are associated with the source of all fire, the sun. You should avoid this stone. Wearing one would exacerbate your good fire sign qualities into evil.”
With considerable effort, she moved away and finished a second helping of soup.
Tarom pointed to another gem. “There is an opal. I know you possess one of those, which rendered you, Cullen, and Tama invisible under my nose in the Black Dragon’s lair last July.”
“Yes, I just learned that was a gift from Gea. Unfortunately, it was stolen from me along with my jade.”
He scoffed. “Not a particularly smart thief. Those operate only when passed along maternal family lines. Now I’m curious to know who would be skilled enough to steal a jadestone yet so foolhardy to think he could command an opal. Hmm.”
She wondered if he bluffed or actually didn’t know who took her brooch. “Thank you for lunch. I’d like to take a restroom break before we continue our lesson.”
“Certainly.” He rose and led her through the far end of the room, down a short hall to a bathroom. “Join me in the fire room when you are ready.”
As soon as Lyra closed the door, she materialized Cullen’s box. After enlarging the book about advanced fascination, she located the chapter on mental shielding. Finding the exact paragraph, she read it twice, then practiced the method of moving aura power to block access to specific memory threads. She reversed the steps, selecting the thoughts to protect first, then covered them with her aura—much quicker. After using the toilet, she practiced once more while washing her hands. After a deep breath, she opened the door and walked to the red room.
“I think we’ll start with me performing fascination upon you. Is that acceptable?” Tarom asked, seated on a red leather settee.
“I’d rather do the opposite, try my skills on you first.” Many answers to questions she didn’t dare ask might be discovered while she read his mind. If he went first and discovered she guarded thoughts from him, he might not give her a turn at all.
He raised an eyebrow, but stood. “In that case, we’ll change rooms, so I have the support of energy from the water element room. I think the recipient needs to be favored, as a safeguard.”
The décor included a range of blue shades. Two large aquaria separated the front sitting area from Tarom’s laboratory.
One aquarium held tropical fish, not too remarkable to Lyra, being from coastal Florida. The other enclosed a w
orking model of the water cycle. She took a long look at the details as she passed by to sit in on the circular sectional.
He made himself comfortable, and she sat on the edge of her seat, turned toward him. Kenzo hopped to a perch behind her.
Lyra’s hands shook, and she clenched a throw pillow in her lap. She intended to use novice skills against a master and hoped her unique scribal powers would make a difference in her favor. Closing her eyes to center herself, she gathered a mass slightly larger than the one used on Kenzo. Then she mentally checked the list of information she wished to find in Tarom’s mind. From there, she followed the procedure as before. This time, there was no hesitation before jumping her energy to his eyes. Certainly he was familiar and could withstand the process.
His thoughts were organized differently than Kenzo’s, almost like a maze. Passing down corridors, Lyra periodically sampled his thoughts. If the topic came close to what she needed, she probed deeper. Her energy twisted and turned inside his mind, so much it felt like she became interwoven as a part of him. That idea made her shake inside. She paused to steady herself and then resumed her examination. A few regions held no information, apparently parts he blocked from her.
Tarom fidgeted in his seat.
She needed to withdraw, or he might suspect she studied him for a purpose. Trying to retrace her path proved difficult, but soon she recognized the energy trail of her aura and slipped out smoothly.
Her subject relaxed, tilting his head back against the cushion. After a few minutes, he looked at her, his face slightly drained and eyes wide. “You are more capable than expected. You have a natural gift in this craft. You should rely upon it.”
“It was interesting to compare the pathways of the two minds. A good experience.” She smiled with confidence, storing what she discovered into the regions already prepared with a covering of her aura.
He held the edge of the sectional to help him stand, obviously weakened. “Let’s trade roles in your room now.”
Lyra led the way back to the red room and seated herself on the settee. For a moment, she considered faking an illness to excuse herself. If so, he would likely force fascination on her at some other time without consent. Better to be prepared. She took a deep breath and added more aura over her secreted topics.
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