Chapter 5
The men in the barracks rose early every morning and started their day with two laps around the crater. I didn’t make friends easily in the Austrian Army, and the same still held true here. I knew most of the men, but only Charles and Edwin spoke to me regularly. I wondered how much was because of Adalina’s orders or by their own choice. Either way, I normally ran with one or both. We were the last to leave the barracks that morning, only to find Raphael waiting for me at the door. I nodded for them to go without me. Raphael was smiling from ear to ear, making him look so very young.
“I think I figured out a way to help you control your ability,” he said, clearly pleased with himself.
“I didn’t realize that I couldn’t control it already,” I said, not meaning for the reply to sound so harsh.
“Oh.” Raphael looked embarrassed, and I felt guilty for it. “I meant that I found a way to, umm….” He stuttered, looking for the right words.
“It’s okay,” I said apologetically. “I knew what you meant.”
He sighed in relief. “Follow me, I think you’ll like my idea.” His grin returned immediately and he strode towards the tower, fully expecting me to follow him. At the last moment, he stopped and turned to me.
“Maybe it would be better to do this with Magdelin,” he said and changed direction towards her home.
I was worried if he thought we needed a healer for whatever he had planned, but I followed him anyway. We had not spoken about my ability since I first arrived, so I was curious. Magdelin opened the door right away. I was surprised that we would disturb her so early in the morning, but Raphael didn’t seem to notice that it was barely dawn. I was beginning to wonder if anyone here ever really slept. Most of the men in the barracks played cards or dice until the early hours of the morning, making it difficult to sleep. But the longer I was there, the less sleep I needed as well.
“Please sit down,” he said as he pulled a chair into her small kitchen. She made no objections as he asked her to get a bowl of clean water and some old towels, as if this were a common occurrence. I started to sit and he stopped me, turning the chair around backwards. I straddled the back of the chair as I sat, my curiosity turning to worry.
“I plan to add a focusing point for your power, here on your spine,” he explained. I felt him poke the lower part of my back. “It will allow you to focus the energy around you more effectively. I also think that the focused power will reveal more abilities than you realized you had.”
“How will you add this focusing point?” I asked apprehensively.
“With a tattoo,” he said as if I should have known. “It will be uncomfortable, and you’ll feel the power converging as I complete the symbols. It’s important that you do not draw on that power. I fear that it will harm us both if you do.”
“You’ve never tried this before, have you?” I was trying to stay calm, but he was not very reassuring.
“Yes, once before. So I’m fairly certain it will work,” he said optimistically. “And Magdelin is here to make sure we all live through it.”
“That’s encouraging,” I mumbled as I pulled my shirt over my head. Raphael gasped, and I jerked my head around towards him. “What is it?”
“Nothing. I didn’t realize how much you had changed is all,” he said quickly, but I saw him glance over at Magdelin. She tried to keep her face expressionless, but she couldn’t hide her smile.
“Are you ready?” he asked. I nodded and braced myself for the pain he said was coming.
I couldn’t see what he was doing, but it didn’t take long for me to feel it. I felt him prick my skin with whatever blade he was using, and after the third or fourth cut across my lower spine, I felt the power he spoke about. I squeezed my eyes closed, trying to ignore the pain and the draw of the power pulsing through my body.
Magdelin laid her hand on my bare shoulder. Her touch was warm and soft, and I felt her push a wave of calm through me. It distracted me from the pain, but I could not ignore the power.
She whispered in my ear, “Think of other things. Your family, friends, maybe a girl that was special to you.”
Her voice helped keep me distracted. I thought of my parents and my childhood. I didn’t have many friends growing up, but my father always ensured I was busy. He taught me to hunt with a bow and traps, as well as how to fish and build a fire. He was my friend and father. A sudden surge of pain and power brought me back to Magdelin’s home. I arched my back and cried out. It felt like fire was rushing through my veins, and the air around me became so hot I could feel my skin burning. Magdelin grabbed the sides of my face and forced me to look her in the eye.
“Stop, Darian,” she said very quietly. “You can control this. Focus on the rune on your back. Pull the power back into it.”
I closed my eyes and felt the pattern on my back. I pulled the power into the patterned rune and felt the air cooling as I did. When I opened my eyes, Magdelin started to pull her hands from my face. I caught them in mine and turned her palms toward me. They were red and blistered.
“I’m so sorry!” I said with a shaky voice.
“It’s nothing that I cannot heal,” she said with a smile, pulling her hands from mine.
“Well, that worked perfectly!” Raphael exclaimed. Magdelin and I glared at him. “What? It worked exactly as I planned. Well almost, but you were able to pull a significant amount of power into the rune.” He was so pleased with himself that he missed both of us rolling our eyes at him. “That was an awesome display, by the way. I can’t wait to tell Mikel. We had no idea you could manipulate the air around you in a way that creates such an intense heat. I imagine you didn’t know it either.” He paused for a moment, mumbling to himself. “We will need to investigate that little talent further. It could be very useful.”
He started towards the door, leaving a bowl of bloody water on the table. “Don’t go too far away, I’m certain Mikel will want to talk to you.” He closed the door and was gone.
“I’ll help you clean up,” I offered as I picked up the bowl. “How are your hands?”
She held them up for me to see. “The blisters are gone and the redness will soon follow.” I started to speak and she stopped me. “There is no need to apologize. Raphael’s brilliance has done you a huge favor. If he had not come up with this plan, you would have discovered your new ability at the most inopportune time. Now, you can practice controlling the new one and perfecting the old one.”
“He may be brilliant, but he didn’t seem very concerned for your safety. I could have killed you.”
“He trusts my skills as well as your endurance and control,” she replied. “He would not have attempted this if he didn’t.”
“He doesn’t even know me. How could he be so sure that I would be able to control that?” I argued. “The power almost overwhelmed me.”
“Everyone has been watching your training, Darian. We all see how quickly you’re progressing.” She looked at me, considering what to say next. “You realize the other warriors are jealous because it took them months to achieve what you have managed to accomplish in a few weeks. Have you seen how strong you’ve become?”
I looked at her with total confusion. I was clearly missing something that was obvious to everyone else.
“Come with me.” She motioned me to follow her.
We went into a small bedroom that I assumed was hers and I stopped at the door. She pointed towards a tall mirror on her wardrobe.
“Look at yourself.”
I walked over to the mirror and did not recognize the man standing in front of me. I hadn’t seen a full-length mirror since I joined the army over a year ago, only the small saucer-sized one I used to shave. The man looking back at me was twice as large as I remembered being. I still possessed the same light brown hair, deep blue eyes, square chin and high cheekbones, but my chest and shoulders rippled with muscles. As I turned to look at the new decoration on my back, my torso flexed with muscles that I did not know were possib
le. I continued to turn until I could see the tattoo. It was very small, maybe the size of an olive. I couldn’t make out the details of the pattern, but it seemed to move with my skin, like it was alive.
I looked at Magdelin in the mirror. She was watching me with a strange expression.
“How did I become this strong so quickly?” I asked her.
“I’m not sure,” she replied hesitantly, fidgeting with her fingers. “Some believe that I have given you special treatment, but I assure you it isn’t possible. A person’s body responds to my healing naturally; I cannot force it to do any more than it’s capable of doing.” She sighed. “Adalina doesn’t help matters. She says she would give you special treatment anytime. Most of her warriors know not to take her comments about men seriously, but it doesn’t lessen their suspicions.”
I looked at myself again and could not believe the change. I was larger than several of the warriors. No wonder they didn’t speak to me. What did it mean that I could use the power I had? How did my body grow so strong so quickly? What was my purpose here? It had to be more than just a scout. I needed to find answers.
“I need to see Mikel,” I said, as I put my shirt back on.
“Yes, you do,” she agreed.
Chapter 6
As I walked towards the tower, I noticed Aneera approaching it as well from a different direction. She was wearing one of her favorite silk dresses with a large sash tied around her narrow waist. Her black hair shined in the sunlight. We arrived at the tower at the same time. I bowed slightly and opened the door for her. She smiled and I blushed. Raphael was just about to exit the tower and nearly ran into her.
“What perfect timing,” he exclaimed. “I was just coming to get the two of you. Mikel wants to talk about our newest discovery.” He looked at me and winked. Aneera grinned. I had the feeling she already knew what the discussion was going to be about. We followed Raphael up to Mikel’s office.
We all took a seat, except for Raphael. He was rocking back and forth on his heels, unable to stand still. His enthusiasm was annoying and contagious at the same time. I decided I would listen to what they had to say, despite the dozens of questions that were running through my head.
“Raphael has explained your reaction to the rune and I’m quite impressed. I worried about whether you would be able to contain it, but he never doubted you,” Mikel said.
Raphael was grinning. “How does it feel right now?” he asked. “Does it itch? Is it painful? Does it feel like you are going to explode again?” I couldn’t believe my ears; he acted as if I were a successful experiment that should not have been. Maybe I was.
“I feel fine,” I replied. “There’s no pain or discomfort. I can feel a small amount of pressure, but I’m not on the edge of burning up Mikel’s office.” Aneera giggled and Mikel suppressed a smile that I didn’t normally see on his stern face. “I still don’t understand what’s happening here and why it was necessary to put this thing on my back.”
Mikel started to answer my question. “There is someone I hope you will meet soon, who has a gift somewhat similar to yours, but hers manifested in a different way. We learned the hard way that it’s best to provide the person with a focal point, hence the rune on your back.” He pulled his fingers through his blond hair and continued, “Your purpose is more difficult to explain. I will let Aneera tell you what she has seen, and maybe that will make it easier to understand.” We all turned to Aneera.
She spoke in a quiet voice that seemed to fill the room. “As you know, the Csökkent are very active. Normally, when this occurs they are preparing for battle. What confuses us right now is that there is already a large-scale battle in Europe.” She paused for a moment, briefly looked at Mikel, then turned back to me. “My vision shows you infiltrating their castle and finding the key to stop an attack that would destroy all of Europe.”
“Nothing like dropping the fate of mankind on my shoulders,” I said sarcastically. And what did she mean by normally? She seemed to imply that this wasn’t the first time they’ve fought against the Csökkent.
“As substantial as your shoulders are, they do not carry that weight,” Mikel said solemnly. “That belongs to someone else.” I waited to for him to elaborate, but he did not. “Your task is to find the key.”
“I see,” I said. “So, you need me to sneak into some castle full of fanatics and demons, and steal a key that will likely be highly guarded if it’s capable of destroying all of Europe.” My frustration was overwhelming; I couldn’t suppress it.
“I suppose, but you make it sound much more difficult than it should be,” Raphael sighed, his enthusiasm tampered by my observation. “We have an idea where the castle is, but not an exact location.” He looked at me with a strange expression. “We will need you to go into the southern mountain range between Hungary and Transylvania. We believe the castle is hidden in the mountains.”
I was somewhat familiar with the area from my studies of European geography, but I had never been that far west into Hungary. I did have the advantage of speaking the language and would be able to blend in with the local people. “Will I be taking someone with me?” I asked, hoping it would not be Adalina.
“Yes. You can ask any of the other warriors to go with you, but your group should be no more than three,” Mikel replied.
“What will I be looking for?” I asked. “What is this key?” Everyone looked at Aneera.
“I’m not sure.” She shrugged her tiny shoulders. “I did not see what you found, I only saw that you had found it successfully.”
I took a deep breath. “Will I be taught how to travel, or will I be depending on my companions to carry me around?”
Raphael answered, “You will definitely be taught to travel. It will be important for you to be able to escape the castle, if needed.” It was at that point that I knew I had not been told the entire story. I looked at the people around me, knowing they would not elaborate. I was supposed to be the good soldier who did what he was told without asking questions. I took another deep breath.
“Show me what I need to do, and I’ll find someone to accompany me,” I said with resignation.
The traveling spell was incredibly simple. Raphael made it more complicated than it really was, but I allowed him to go through the entire explanation, and then the list of exceptions. When he was done, I practiced traveling from one side of Santuario to the other. I found out very quickly that I could leave Santuario, but I couldn’t come back inside the city. I could only arrive at the gates. I was initially frustrated, as I had not been expecting it, but I understood the precaution.
When the guards opened the gates for me, I went to find Charles and Edwin. I approached the arena, which Adalina called the Warriors’ Arena. It was appropriate, as it was where they did all their training. I watched them with admiration; their precision, strength, and discipline were impressive. Adalina demanded perfection in everything they did, and they gladly gave it to her. She stood in front of them, giving commands for formations. The Amazon warrior was one of the most imposing women I had ever seen. She commanded respect from her warriors, but she didn’t have to. They respected her strength and dedication to them, and it was obvious that her life revolved around their perfection. When they finished, I was able to get Charles’ attention. He agreed to come with me, but Edwin had already been assigned another task. I thought the two of us should be enough, as long as we didn’t encounter any large groups. We went to the barracks to pack our bags and found Raphael standing next to my bunk with two backpacks in his hands. His face reflected his guilt, and I was immediately suspicious.
“I was trying to leave these as a surprise for you,” he began. “A gift of sorts.” He grinned as he handed a bag to each of us. “The bag can hold anything,” he said excitedly. “I mean literally anything. I’m not sure you will ever be able to fill it. So, pack as much as you want; food, clothes, weapons, whatever. When you’re ready to unpack, just think about what you’re looking for and remove it from the b
ag.” He was beaming with pride and insisted on staying to watch us pack. To his credit, the bags were amazing. I could have put all my possessions in the bag, and I almost did. But if I lost the bag, I would also lose everything in it.
“These are amazing, Raphael! Thank you!” I said with a genuine smile. He held out his hand and I shook it. He smiled awkwardly, then left the barracks.
“He’s strange, but brilliant,” Charles said. “You get used to him after a while.”
“What exactly is his job here?” I asked. “He introduced everyone to me, but he never told me what his title was.”
“I’m not exactly sure,” Charles replied. “But he always comes up with clever ways to make our lives easier.”
I smiled at the explanation. “Let’s go find a castle.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was able to take us to the center of Hungary using my newly learned mode of travel. I’d been to Stuhlweissenburg with my father once, so that was as far as I could take us. The rest of the trip would be on horseback, following a map. When we arrived in Stuhlweissenburg, I was concerned about French occupation, but the latest accords allowed the Austria-Hungarian army to retreat and kept the French out of Hungary, at least for now. So, we were able to move from town to town without the threat of the French.
During our many days of travel, I learned quite a bit about Charles. He was born and raised in London. His father worked at one of tanneries and provided a modest living for his wife and three children. Charles joined Adalina’s warriors fifty years ago, after his family was killed during a brutal crime spree that spread through London like a plague.
I looked at Charles with surprise when I realized he was almost seventy years old.
“But you look like you’re no older than twenty,” I exclaimed, staring at the large man next me. “How have you not aged in fifty years?”
Light's Rise (Light in the Darkness Book 1) Page 4