by LJ Andrews
“You broke magis laws?” Was he disappointed or just asking? Why did I care so much to impress him?
“Uh, yeah. I did.”
Thane glanced at his blade, a smirk buried in the corner of his mouth. “Interesting. Well, Teagan, one of the first rules a warrior learns is to follow orders.” I swallowed hard, watching Thane inspect his blade. “First rule—you never attack from behind unless your life depends on it. It’s dishonorable.” Thane continued in his circle again. “Rule two, never abandon your fellow warriors. It would be better if you died.” Thane was at my side, and his grip tightened on his blade. The back of my neck tingled as the energy in the arena thickened.
“Rule three,” Thane continued, “your opponent should be armed. There is no honor attacking an unarmed man.” Now, Thane came behind me, and my grip tightened on my blade. I didn’t look at him, but I knew he was directly at my back. “Rule four . . .” My breath knocked from my lungs when Thane’s strong arm wrapped around my neck and dragged me to the ground, his blade tucked just beneath my jaw against my neck. “Forget all the rules whenever you’re fighting against the lindworms.”
I coughed when Thane recoiled his blade, chuckling as I dusted dirt from my hair. Raffi and Mitch laughed were laughing at me, but stopped when I used my power to fling a cloud of dirt in their faces. I looked at Thane. “I thought attacking from the back was against the rules.”
The warrior shrugged with a wink. “I guess you’re not the only one here who likes to bend the rules.” His face drew serious when he pointed at the blade in my hand. “Now, those weapons are powerful. They will serve you and connect with your mage energy. The greatest part about those blades is they will only serve the honorable. Bron cannot take them from you. They once belonged to him, but on the night of the divide, they burned him.
“They belong to you now, embrace that. But just because you are a mage, doesn’t mean you can stop a warrior with your power. We sense things, sometimes even before an opponent strikes. It helps us know what move to take. I guarantee the lindworm warriors are similar, so it will be important to understand how to truly handle those weapons.”
“Dash and I have been teaching him,” Raffi said proudly.
“Good.” Thane tossed his sword back and forth between his palms. “Shall we see how well my warriors have done?”
I hardly had time to adjust my grip on my sword before Thane struck. As if the lead warrior served as the signal, the other sparring matches between warriors began. The arena burst to life with the clang of metal, the scrape of claws on stone. Surges of mage energy whipped around the cavern as the mages entered and sparred.
I blocked Thane’s strike with the blade in my hand, but his strength brought me to my knees. To Thane, my block hardly fazed him. To me, my bones boiled under his pressure.
“How will you escape, Teagan?”
More with the questions. My mind whirled about as I considered the best way to shrug off the warrior.
Both my hands hugged the hilt of my sword. I wanted to take energy from the earth, but if I removed one hand Thane would surely crush me with his sword. Thane chuckled from above me.
“I see your dilemma,” he whispered. “What will you do? Let me fall upon you, or will you take a risk and free yourself from my hold?”
With a growl in my throat, I forced one of my open palms in the dirt. My shoulder ached as Thane pressed his sword harder, but it only took a matter of a few blinks before I was filled with the energy of the deep soil. My skin toiled in searing heat, and carefully I pushed my way to my feet. Thane still held his sword strong. He smiled when I lifted my hand and blasted a wave of energy against the warrior. He knew what I was going to do, and braced. Though I did feel bad when an unsuspecting mage absorbed my energy surge and fell face-forward.
Thane was forced to lower his blade, unable to hold against my energy. He smiled at me, but didn’t give me any time to rest. A swift strike to my middle. I cursed and jumped back. With hurried fingers I unsheathed the second blade and crossed the green steel over my head as Thane’s sword sliced through the center. I winced at the block, arms trembling.
“Fight against me, Teagan. Just you. I know you can harness your energy, but fight against me only with these blades. What will you do when you are matched with mage power when you go after the queen? Will you drain your body of strength, or will you fight like a warrior?” Thane snarled close my face.
His words fueled a part of me I didn’t know existed. I didn’t know if it was being surrounded by the fleet of warriors, or if it was being trained by the legendary Thane, but I fought back. Strength filled my strikes. Thane backed away to avoid one of the jade swords. I slashed toward his neck, but he swiftly blocked me and sent me stumbling backward with his counterattack.
Thane raised his sword, pausing for a moment. “When I raise up to strike, you are focused on my blade here.” He nodded to his sword. “But you must always be watching my free hand.” I glanced down at his second hand; it was tugging a sleek, silver dagger from his belt. My eyes widened as Thane slowed his movements. “So, if I draw my sword down and you block this strike—” He jabbed the dagger against my middle, “you leave this open for me to gut you.”
“Why do I feel like I’ve had a conversation like this before,” I asked, breathless.
Thane grinned. “Ah, as I said, you lived among us. You have been taught. Now—remember.”
He swung. I parried. Back and forth we jabbed, sliced, and stabbed until he maneuvered me into a corner.
I gasped for air, exhaustion beginning to take hold over my muscles, yet in the same breath I was motivated to never stop until I mastered Thane’s movements. “How would I block now?”
“Cut across,” he said, while having me hold his sword over his head. Thane gripped the jade swords. With swift motions, he demonstrated a proper hold on the blades, how to turn my shoulders to avoid being stabbed, and how to block each blade at once, all while shoving the opponent away from my body.
Over a dozen tries. I continually wound-up dead by Thane’s motions. Either I didn’t turn swiftly enough, or I didn’t shove him away far enough to readjust my weapons, or I kept all my focus on one or the other of his blades. Until finally, in a flash of steel, I swung, and followed with a kick at Thane. He back-pedaled a great enough distance I had enough time to shift my grip and attack him again, putting me on the offensive.
“It’s about time!” Raffi shouted from across the arena. I laughed, dropping my weapons and rolling my shoulders a few times to work out building tension.
“Well done,” Thane said, sitting on one of the boulders that lined the arena.
“Maybe, if I have twenty lives.” I slouched beside him and dipped my face in a bucket of water. The icy chill soothed my sore jaw from clenching my face for so long.
Thane scoffed. “If I’m being honest, you’re better than I thought. It seems Raffi and Dash have been teaching you well. We’ll keep working, but I’m confident you’ll be a master fighter soon enough.”
The compliment meant something to me. I smiled and settled into a short silence with Thane before Athika, Mitch, and Raffi joined us, and soon I was being taught how to accept several opponents at one time. By the end of the day, I had a new belief that no one in the cave would shy away from anything the lindworms sent our way.
Chapter 23
I stood in front of a large oval mirror in the hot spring room. The mirror was foggy and splattered in water. Wincing, I pulled my hand away from my ribs to check over the bloody gash.
Leoch’s dagger had dug into my skin.
The wound wasn’t deep, but it burned and needed to be healed quickly since we would soon be leaving to search for Gaia. Thane insisted everyone take time to tend to any old wounds or weaknesses before leaving the cave.
I cursed under my breath when I failed to place a cloth bandage properly and it tore a deeper piece away from the clotting blood.
“May I help?”
Athika stood
in the open tunnel. Her hair was braided high on her head, and she was already dressed in her battle clothing. Her shoulders draped in leather sheaths holding knives and daggers. On her waist was a long sword that was speckled with rubies in the steel.
I sighed and handed her the bandage. My back was exposed, but I didn’t mind if Athika stared at Jade’s seal. Leaning on my palms over the small table that was pushed against the stone walls, I braced as Athika disinfected the gash.
“Are you ready?” she whispered, gently placing the bandage and reaching for adhesive created by a mage out of clay. I found the clay worked better than any medical tape I’d used. “For tomorrow, I mean.”
“I’m ready,” I said back to my reflection. After a week of training with Thane and the warriors, my body was stronger. Even without trying, I noted how my muscles rounded. But it was more than a physical change. Something had happened to me here. I’d become more powerful, stronger in every way. Thane hadn’t just taught me how to fight with a sword, he’d encouraged the mage to help me use my power while battling.
“You handle your energy like the High Priest should,” Athika whispered.
“I’m just the jade mage, remember? I don’t want to put myself higher than anyone else.”
“I’ll call you the jade mage, but you are higher than the rest of us, Teagan. You’ll lead the mage tomorrow the same as Thane leads the warriors.”
“No pressure, or anything.” I tried to ignore the tension running across my shoulders the more I thought of what the dawn would bring.
“I want you to know,” Athika began once she’d finished wrapping my wound. “I truly care that you know who your mother is. I hope the reunion is everything you could want.”
“Thanks,” I said, tugging a black shirt over my head, but sensing she had much more to say.
“Has Thane said anything more about what he knows of the wyvern and mage who united?”
I closed my eyes and released a pent breath. “Are we going to talk about this again?”
“No,” Athika said, softer. She touched my arm, nudging me around to face her. “I just need to tell you . . . before tomorrow . . . I care about you, Teagan. We are both powerful, royal mages. I know you love Jade, and if she feels the same, I will always remain your loyal mage. But,” Athika stepped closer, and I felt my face flush in suffocating discomfort. “If she doesn’t, I hope you know I will always be loyal to you. I would never leave you—no matter what.”
Athika reached her hand for my face, and though I hated seeing how pained she looked, I pulled back.
“I appreciate your loyalty. I will fight for you—I hope you know that.” I spoke directly, but my voice was soft. “But we will never be more than fellow mages. I’m sorry, Athika. I will love Jade even if she told me she wanted nothing to do with me—that’s how powerful this feeling is.”
Athika glanced to the stones and nodded. “Forgive me for speaking so boldly. I’ll leave you to get ready then. As I said, I will fight with you tomorrow. You are my leader, and you will always have my allegiance.”
A crushing wave of her disappointment toppled along my chest. Sometimes the connections with other mages was agonizing. I wished Athika wasn’t hurt, yet I needed to be clear. I meant each word said and only hoped Jade knew it too.
I wandered around the cave. Most people were tucked into their personal spaces, preparing how they would for the coming morning. I heard rumbling breath from numerous warriors in full wyvern form. The warmth from the steam and flames heaving from their throats caused the air in the cave to feel muggy and sticky.
“Goodnight, Teagan,” a young boy called to me from the ledge above. His mother tugged him away with a quick wave. I smiled and waved in return. I’d spent the week getting to know many of the mage people. Some told me stories of knowing me as a child. They spoke of Gaia often—everyone telling me how she loved me. Now, when I was hours away from searching for my mother, I still didn’t know exactly how I felt about meeting her. I enjoyed the stories, but it was frustrating having no memories of anything.
I stopped into the space the warriors used to store their food. There was a funny little mage that usually prepared the food—not because he had to, but because he enjoyed manipulating energy from the plant foods.
“Johan,” I nodded, reaching for a rosy peach. Johan enjoyed nothing more than shading the fruits and vegetables in vibrant colors that weren’t natural.
“Ah, the jade mage,” Johan said, smiling so the space between his front teeth showed. “I sense a little trouble in your soul tonight.”
Biting into the peach, I ran my hand back and forth over a candle. Though my last conversation with Athika was awkward, I was glad she’d spent time in the cave teaching me more about the energy from fire. With each wave of my hand over the wick, the flame flickered and sputtered, then smoked away into nothing.
“I’m that obvious, huh?” I muttered.
“I sense it frightens you to face the High Priestess. You’ve found a peace living in your ignorance about who you really are,” Johan said, drawing a hand along his red beard.
I shot him with my fingers and clicked my tongue. “You got it.”
“What bothers you? Doesn’t it thrill you to find the truth? To reach your potential with your powers?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted, uncertain why my true emotions were spilling out to the older mage. I didn’t really know Johan, but every time we spoke I confessed everything. “Everyone tells me how much she cared for me, but if I’m being honest, Johan, I haven’t always made the best decisions. I don’t know. I never worried about making a parent proud, I guess. Now what if she doesn’t—”
“What if she isn’t proud of the man you are?” Johan offered.
“It’s stupid. That really shouldn’t be what I’m worried about.” I tossed the peach pit into an open compost box.
“Nothing that troubles a heart is not worth addressing. I will offer some advice,” Johan whispered, leaning forward on his elbows. “I would not question the depth of the High Priestess’s affection for her child. Many years I saw your interaction with your parents, young Teagan. Trust your heart, and be nothing more than who you have become. Fate is at play here, and I have a feeling tomorrow will heal many wounds you’ve carried much of your life.”
I stared at Johan, my brows lifted and I found myself speechless for at least ten heartbeats. “Thanks. That actually makes me feel better. Hey, why do you always get me to open up? I’m not one to share feelings with just anyone.”
Johan laughed loudly. “It is a gift, young Teagan. My energy comforts people—I suppose it helps others feel safe. I’m grateful you shared your heart. I hope you will find ease tonight and into the morning.” Johan smiled. “Oh, and Teagan. Learn what you can from Thane. He is not a mage, but we’ve come to respect him greatly. He will not lead you wrong tomorrow.”
I chuckled at the odd little mage.
I wandered the cave for over an hour after Johan left. My thoughts tumbled between Gaia, my friends who would stand with us tomorrow, Sapphire and Eisha, and always circled around to Jade. The empty hole in my chest only widened with each sunrise. I cursed Prince Ced, King Nag, but most of all, Bron. Jade was strong, but I vowed if they harmed her in any way, I wouldn’t stop until their heads were at my feet.
A flicker of light came from the fire pit. Peeking around the corner, Thane sat near white flames, stoking the embers and kindling. He stared distantly into the brilliant fire that looked more like winter than fierce heat.
When I rounded the corner, Thane glanced up. He tugged the robe around his shoulders over his arms and smiled. “How is the wound?”
I patted my ribs. “I’ve had worse.”
“Leoch felt badly,” Thane said, watching me take a seat across from him.
“It isn’t deep. I was the one who jumped out in front of the strike like an idiot.” Thane chuckled and looked back to the fire. I swallowed and leaned forward, lowering my voice. “You seem like y
ou have a lot on your mind.”
“I do,” he said. The white flames brightened his blue eyes even more. “Tomorrow might bring the first real chance we’ve had to find the lost mages. You must understand, we lived with these people for many years before Bron separated us. They are family. I don’t think I will be able to come back here without them.”
“We won’t have to.”
Thane grinned, but it was distracted. “Teagan, I would ask a favor of you.”
“Sure.” Thane and I had an easy way of speaking. I still teased Raffi for the way he blubbered over his leader, but secretly I could understand where the respect stemmed from. Thane respected everyone—even Mitch—and in turn simply earned furious respect from the others.
“I would ask you to fight alongside me, should it come to that tomorrow.”
Thane shifted on the boulder and tugged the cloak tighter around his shoulders, jaw clenched.
“I would be honored to fight with you,” I said in earnest. “I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve taught me. This might sound strange, but you’re the first person who teaches me, but also trusts me to use my own instincts. Don’t get me wrong, most people mean well and have taught me a lot. I don’t know, I feel like you trust me to actually do this—lead, I guess.”
“I do trust you,” Thane said. The flames danced about his face in playful shadows. “And you will lead, I have no doubt. I hope tomorrow brings you the family you lost. Gaia and you should never have been parted. I will fight to my last breath to see you reunited.”
“Thanks, Thane. I will too—for you to reunite with your mage family, I mean.”
He settled back against the wall, a tired smile on his lips. “You should sleep. We will leave before the sun rises.”
I stood slowly, wondering what Thane was thinking once more when the warrior’s eyes drifted back to the fire. I didn’t ask and crept my way to the small cave where Mitch and I had set up makeshift beds.