Dawn of the Mages (The Magic Wakes Book 2)

by Charity Bradford

  "Thanks."

  Talia nodded and rolled under a bush. She wanted to hide from everything, but she curled up facing the Controllers' fortress. It loomed in the light of the moon and stars, unmovable and impenetrable. She needed sleep, but she wanted to find Landry inside all that stone filled with men.

  Is he sleeping? What if they're hurting him right now? She tried to push those thoughts out of her mind. She rotated to her back, stretched her legs and breathed slowly in through her nose and out her mouth. Talia had used this trick for years after nightmares of her own death. It calmed her heart rate.

  She closed her eyes and pictured Landry. Remembered how his mind connected with hers. Another deep breath, then she pushed her spirit out of her body and into the night. Finding Landry was easy after that. Their connection drew her to him.

  He rested in a cell three floors under the ground. Talia almost didn't recognize him. New scabs covered his swollen face. She knelt beside him, tried to touch him, but her hand passed right through. Her mind noted the absence of emotions, and she sighed. They would have hindered her mission to help him.

  She tried to speak to his mind, but he had retreated to a small corner of his brain to survive the pain. Talia didn't think the Controllers would give him the time needed to heal before their next interrogation.

  She lay beside him and merged with his body, letting her dream self fill his limbs. The pain ripped through her. He had broken bones and cranial bleeding. She fed him the rest of her stored energy. His body reacted greedily, soaking it in as his cells regenerated and repaired the damaged bone and tissue. He didn't regain consciousness, but he slipped into a peaceful sleep.

  Talia had almost reached her body when the scenery changed. The rock and brush covered landscape fell away until she floated above Orek once more.

  "Jewel?" Talia spun around looking for the dragon. She hovered in her human form. "Why are you here?"

  Jewel laughed. "You've been calling for me."

  "It's too late. They have him."

  Jewel raised a brow. "Oh? Show me what you fear."

  Space disappeared and the two women stood in a charred and bloody battlefield on Sendek. Talia knew it was Sendek because the suns burned closer to the planet.

  Talia closed her eyes willing herself not to see. "Please, I don't want to see this dream again."

  "The first time you saw this moment you called to me for help. Is this why you call me now?" Jewel placed her hands on either side of Talia's face. "My child, what did you think I could do?"

  Talia opened her eyes and looked into another pair as blue as Landry's. The likeness released all her fears. They spilled out of her soul as tears.

  "Save him. Please, save him."

  Jewel kissed Talia's forehead and embraced her. "I don't know if I can. I'll need to know more. Explain how he got here and what you saw."

  "That dream isn't coming true yet. He's still on Orek and the Controllers have him."

  They returned to orbit around Orek. Talia wiped her face dry with the sleeve of her shirt, glad to be away from the other images.

  "Then you know you'll be able to save him from them. What about the dream about Sendek?"

  Talia shuddered and noticed she retained her full range of emotions. How could that be? She gasped. I've always felt emotions when dreamcasting with Jewel.

  "Tell me," Jewel prompted again.

  "I don't know how he gets there, but I can feel him dying. His eyes have turned black." She saw Jewel tremble beside her. "He won't let me come to him, and then..."

  "Yes?"

  "I don't know. Don't make me remember."

  "If you want me to help, we have to know all of it." Jewel studied Talia. "Forgive me, child."

  The dragon rushed into her mind, digging through memories until she found the dream. They watched it play out together. A great battle raged. Dead and injured men littered the side of a mountain and filled the valley.

  Landry lay curled in pain, tied to a stake. His eyes swirled from blue to black and blue again. He yelled Jewel's name into the sky. Others held Talia back.

  "Why does he call for you?" Talia asked with a trembling voice.

  "I don't know."

  They watched as the smoke filled sky glowed brighter until a portal opened. Several dragons flew out and circled above Landry.

  "It can only mean one thing." Jewel shut down the memory, but it was too late.

  Talia screamed as the dragons sent fire raining down on her husband.

  "They killed him! You killed him!" Her emotions drowned out all logic. Fear, sorrow, confusion, and anger. As she considered her husband's present suffering, with a worse fate in his future, the anger exploded. "I believed you were good. That you wanted to help us."

  "Talia, it's not what you think. If he--" Jewel reached out to her.

  "No! Stay away from me. The Dragumon didn't kill me, and I'll find some way to stop you from killing him."

  Talia pictured her body under the scrub brush by the Controllers' fortress. In a blink she hovered above it. Her body called her spirit back and she woke with a startled cry.

  "What is it?" Shamaf whispered close by.

  "Nothing. Nothing." She choked back the sobs. Her body ached from the loss of energy, but it didn't compare with her broken spirit. She had trusted Jewel, liked her even, and now to know she would take away everything hurt beyond words.

  Shamaf slipped away at dawn, returning an hour later with food. Talia gathered more energy from the suns during his absence. Shortly after she'd returned to her hiding place, Landry spoke to her mind.

  "You can't come in here. Promise me you'll leave and go back to the ship. You can fly home without me."

  "Never."

  "Talia, you must. I don't see a way out of this. At least not a good one."

  "Hold on. Shamaf will think of a plan."

  "He's still hanging around?"

  "Yeah, he wants you to lead his revolution. Remember?" She heard Landry chuckle in her mind, making her glad she'd tried to joke with him.

  "Some leader I'm turning out to be."

  Shamaf returned at the same time Landry's guards did. The connection shut off, leaving Talia to worry once more. Shamaf lay out some form of meat and bread.

  "Where did you get the food?" she asked.

  "There's a house about two miles away. They're sympathetic to our cause. We might have a way to get inside thanks to them." He continued to eat without looking at her.

  "How's that?"

  "About a week ago two Controllers came by to collect taxes. Mintas decided he didn't want to pay taxes. He still has the uniforms and nothing to lose. It's only a matter of time before more soldiers come for him. He heard another division of trainees is coming in tomorrow. We can slip in with them. Getting out will be the hard part." He finally looked up.

  Talia couldn't read him the way Landry would have been able to, but his eyes were bright and he licked his lips. He looked hungry to get inside the fortress, learn what he could, and perhaps test his own cunning. It could be helpful or it could put them both in danger.

  "What time tomorrow?" She accepted it would be her last chance to reach Landry.

  "Noon. We can sleep here if you want, but right after sunsrise we need to get to Mintas' house if we want to slip in with the new soldiers at the crossroads." The eagerness in his voice matched the gleam in his eyes.

  "All right, let's do it."

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  The next morning started overcast, and Talia couldn't gather extra energy. She and Shamaf jogged to a small cottage deep in the forest, as run down as his had been. Talia appreciated a roof over her head until she met Mintas. He stood a head shorter than her, plump, beady eyed and covered in dirt and grease from head to boot covered foot. He didn't look at people, but through them.

  She let Shamaf do all the talking and soon found herself dressed in the navy blue uniform. It fit snuggly around the chest, suggesting it hadn't been a woman's uniform originally. To comp
ensate she borrowed a length of dirty fabric from Mintas and bound her chest as tight as she could. The constriction made it hard to get a deep breath, but at least the shirt finally looked right.

  "You should cut your hair." Shamaf held up a pair of cutting sheers.

  "My hair?" Talia touched it with trembling fingers. "You're right. If we live it'll grow back. Do it."

  "Turn around."

  Talia's heart raced when he lifted her hair. They were one step closer to her husband. She felt a gentle tugging as he sawed away the length. The swish rang in her ears. I'm coming Landry.

  After five minutes, Shamaf walked around and worked on the hair in the front.

  "All right, I think that's good." Shamaf stepped away.

  "A definite improvement if you ask me," Mintas barked.

  Talia ran her fingers through her hair. It curled a little around her ear, but no longer reached her collar. At least she wouldn't have to worry about it flopping in her face. "Let's go then."

  They kept to the trees for the first mile and then strode out onto the road close to a crossroad. Shamaf led her to a shack built beside the left fork.

  "We'll wait here until they arrive. Let me talk, but if they ask your name, tell them Luz. It's a common name." Shamaf watched the road.

  "Luz. Got it."

  Twenty minutes passed before a familiar buzz drifted to them on the breeze, followed by a trail of dust. The division approached.

  True to his word, Shamaf talked to the head Controller and they were swallowed into the mass as if they belonged. Talia concentrated on breathing evenly and relaxing her hands that kept balling up.

  The man next to her chatted. He had large eyes and spoke so fast she could barely keep up. He reminded her of a treeb the way his gaze darted left, right, up and behind. Shamaf stayed close on the other side. The crossroads lay three miles from the fortress, and Talia relaxed during the brisk walk.

  This isn't too bad, I can do it. I'll get inside, find Landry and somehow get him out. Then the building came into view. It loomed so large and solid. The doors opened and Talia knew she'd never be able to open them on her own. She hoped Craig would come through. If he could gather enough dissenters and bring them to the fortress, they might have a chance.

  "What are you doing?" Landry's voice pounded in her head.

  Talia stumbled, but Shamaf steadied her.

  "Watch your feet son." Shamaf glanced at her from the corner of his eyes.

  "Don't come in here!" Landry sounded desperate.

  "Hush, I'm coming to get you." She hissed at him and built the strongest mental barrier she could around her mind. It wouldn't keep him out if he really wanted in, but he understood the hint.

  They passed through the doors and no one pounced on them. Talia relaxed a little more and entered a large courtyard lined on three sides by two story buildings made of concrete cinder blocks. There were no windows, but doors lined the length of the buildings. The courtyard itself was a muddy mess dotted with targets, blinds, and various other obstacles that she assumed were used in training.

  "These are the barracks. This division is assigned the upper level of C building to my right. You will find all supplies in the locker at the foot of your bed. Pick a bunk and head to the mess hall found through that door there." The man pointed to a hall like corridor in the middle of the wall opposite the entry they had walked through. "Dinner is in five. Miss it and you'll wait until breakfast to eat." He turned and strode away.

  The sea of men turned and pushed their way into the doors of the barracks. Talia wanted to run, find Landry and get out, but Shamaf kept his hand on her elbow. He led her to a door closest to the front entrance.

  The room was stark, filled with beds and a trunk at the foot of each one. A set of enclosed stairs led to the second floor. The walls pressed in on her, the stench of the sweaty men clogging the stairwell. They pushed their way up with half the men, while the other half pushed their way down.

  The air smelled better at the top of the stairs, which opened up into a room like the one below. Men claimed beds all over and Shamaf grabbed the two nearest the stairs. For some reason no one else wanted those. Talia shivered with apprehension, but reminded herself she wouldn't be here long.

  "Let's get down to the mess hall for dinner." Shamaf pushed her back into the stairway.

  One of the biggest men Talia had ever seen lounged on her bed. Shamaf nudged her before she could speak. The room pulsed with tension. A glance around showed a crowd of men and boys trying their best to be invisible.

  Shamaf whispered in her ear, "Someone decided you're too weak to be a soldier."

  "Who?" A tremor ran through her stomach threatening to eject her last meal. How could she be too weak? They hadn't even run any tests or drills.

  "Don't know." He looked at the men in the room.

  "What do I do?"

  "Find another bed."

  Talia walked the length of the room to confirm what she already knew. All forty beds had been claimed. Some of the men stared at the floor as she passed, others watched her every move. Did they expect her to challenge them for a spot? What would happen if she did? Or didn't?

  The answer to that question stomped up the stairs and onto her floor. An officer glared at the room. Dressed in battle fatigues of black and grey, he marched down the aisle barking insults at everyone while staring at her.

  "Where is your bunk recruit?" He yelled inches from her face.

  Talia tried to mimic the response she had seen from entertainment vids. She deepened her voice and shouted back, "I don't have one, Sir."

  "You don't have one? Then why are you here, boy?"

  Talia didn't know what to say. She stood as straight as she could and squeezed her hands to keep them from shaking.

  "Perhaps you thought you'd join the Controllers for a few meals?" The officer walked around her. "We don't feed worthless runts."

  She flinched as he hissed in her ear. Every muscle tightened with the desire to run.

  "Are you a runt, boy?"

  "No, Sir!" she croaked.

  The man stopped in front of her with a sick grin on his face. "We'll see about that."

  He turned and looked at the other men for the first time as he strode back to the head of the stairs. Talia wondered if he saw the same thing she did. A ragged bunch of half-starved and scared men. All of them were the same. Well, not all. Shamaf and the big man were definitely in a league of their own. She jumped when the officer bellowed again.

  "Everyone down to the arena. Now!" He disappeared down the stairwell but his voice carried to the end of the room. "Last one there joins the runt in the games."

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  Men pushed their way toward the stairs determined not to be the last one to arrive. Shamaf let them pass, waiting for Talia. Her hands shook and her head pounded with the sound of feet stumbling down the wood steps. She bit her tongue to keep from crying.

  For a moment she considered reaching out to Landry, but the sight of Shamaf tall and stoic beside her put a stop to that. The two men were a lot alike. Neither of them believed her capable of defending herself. She would show them.

  When they stepped outside, Talia stretched her soul outward in search for some energy to draw from. The cloud cover still blocked the suns, and other than the men around her there wasn't much natural energy. Sparse patches of trampled grass and a few scraggly bushes didn't have enough life left in them to offer. She briefly touched the tree on the other side of the hill. It had grown taller and the ground pulsed with its call to the others, but it wasn't ready to feed her a steady supply of energy strong enough to heal her if needed.

  The crowd headed for a massive stone enclosure at the back of the compound. Concentrating, she called as much energy as she could from the suns. A small section of clouds broke up and three or four beams of light streamed through. She wrapped their strength around her as she stepped inside. The roof and thick walls added another layer between her and the small hope she had o
f surviving.

  The soldier stepped away from Landry, giving him a moment to catch his breath before the next round of beatings.

  "Where is the woman? Give her up and the Bargoron might let you live." The man wiped the blood off his hands. Another soldier handed him a towel.

  Landry could barely breathe. He had another cracked rib digging into him, and possibly a collapsed lung. The pain radiated in alternates of dull and sharp. He could bear it a while, but the constancy would soon make it intolerable. He'd need to disappear into his memories soon.

  His interrogator snarled. "Where is she?"

  Landry wondered the same thing. He allowed himself a brief moment to reach out for her. She had come closer than before. Anxiety and fear surrounded her, but as he let her emotions wash over him, her courage pushed all else aside. She resolved to fight.

  Heaven help the people in her way. Landry smiled.

  "I'm glad you find this amusing." The soldier loomed over him again. "Let's get back to it then. Bring in the waterboard."

  Florescent lights lit the central floor of the arena. The empty stands were left in shadows. The grounds contained two sections. One side consisted of a dirt patch for sparring and the other half consisted of a twelve-foot wall with one entrance in the center.

  "Welcome to the Labyrinth. Line up!" Several other men dressed in the same black and grey fatigues joined the officer. "Our runt is going to prove he deserves to be here."

  Think, think! Talia shifted her weight back and forth. The big man from the barracks walked into the arena.

  "Sorry, I tried to be last." Shamaf whispered beside her.

  "Gravette, you're the last to arrive so you will join the runt." The officer rubbed his hands eagerly.

  Gravette smiled and flexed his muscles. Talia knew she'd been set up from the beginning.

  "Runt, you'll fight for your life to prove you deserve a bed and food from the Controllers."