Talia's gaze darted around the arena. She searched the faces of each man standing behind her. None of them dared step forward to help.
The giant of a man cracked his knuckles and strode toward her. Talia tried to stall.
"Sir, I've never been a fighter. I've survived on speed and thievery. I'm sneaky." She dashed away from the brute reaching for her.
Gravette moved faster than he looked. His fist made contact with her lower back and she flew several feet before hitting the ground.
"Doesn't look like you're fast enough." Gravette laughed.
Pain radiated through her body. She scrambled to her feet, directing some of the stored energy to the area where he'd hit her. Using her magic, she healed the bruising before it could reach the surface of her skin. The pain faded with it.
She ran straight toward the line of men. They scattered as she passed with Gravette close behind. She ran down the length of the stands in search of a way up.
The man gained, reaching out to grasp her shirt. Talia cut away from the wall and pivoted toward the waiting men again. She heard Gravette breathing behind her.
This time she grabbed one of the men and used her momentum to swing around him for a change of direction. She heard the thud of his body hitting the ground as Gravette plowed over him.
Her lungs burned and her legs slowed. She needed a new strategy. The maze? Talia headed for the opening in the middle of the wall dividing the arena. If she could reach the labyrinth she could hide. Take a moment to think of a real plan.
"Runt, you're time's almost up." Gravette's voice boomed behind her.
She wasn't going to make it without an energy source to pull from. Talia sent her spirit out in desperation. The first life it hit thundered toward her.
"Do it Talia!" Landry's voice scared her so bad she almost stopped running.
She fought his influence, but his mind pushed harder. Her body obeyed his will instead of her own. It pulled energy from Gravette. His strength propelled her forward. He slowed.
"Don't kill him!" Talia struggled to push Landry from her mind, to reclaim control of her own magic.
Landry didn't answer but sent her running full speed into the entry. She hit the facing wall. Pain shot through her palms and wrists as she pushed off and spun to the right. She didn't keep track of the turns. Her main concern was putting as many walls as possible between her and Gravette.
Landry moved out of her body and she stumbled. She crawled over a three-foot stone wall and collapsed into thick mud on the other side. Its coolness seeped through her clothes, but she was too tired to care.
"Where is he, Talia?" Landry's voice sounded strained in her mind.
"Are you close? Can I get to you from here?"
"Stop worrying about me. Concentrate on staying alive."
"You're right." Talia slowed her breathing before seeking Gravette's life signs. She found him several rows over, walking away from her current position. None of the other men had entered the maze.
"You surprised me, Runt." The officer's voice rumbled over an intercom speaker. "If you can live through the night I'll find a bed for you."
Bright lights flared to life. Several loud clicks, followed by the sound of large cargo doors grinding open echoed throughout the large open building. The officer chuckled.
"However, I think Gravette could use a little help."
Talia stretched her mind and located twelve more men entering the labyrinth. Each one took a different path. It seemed they planned a systematic sweep of the corridors.
"Landry, what do I do?"
He didn't answer. If she wanted to help him she would have to find a way to live through this on her own. Talia assessed the situation and cursed. Mud covered her clothes. That would leave tracks. Even though she couldn't hear Landry in her mind, she knew what he would say, "Use it to your advantage."
The mud made sucking sounds as she hauled herself up and out of the pit. The men's energy signatures helped her keep track of their location. As much as she didn't want to do it, she knew she could always siphon enough energy from them to knock them out one by one. She would need that energy to heal Landry when the beatings of the day ended.
"Hang in there, my love. I will find you."
Talia ran down a hall, following the twists and turns until the mud no longer left marks on the floor. Then she backtracked, all the while keeping tabs on the men. They moved closer, taking slow confident steps. When she reached the pit, Talia jumped in to gather more and started another trail. She heard the shout half way back to the pit for the third round.
Two soldiers had beaten her to it.
Talia closed her eyes and watched the energy signatures split to cover both paths. Ducking down an unmarked hallway, she tried to put distance between her and the men. A large pipe structure lay around the corner. Some pipes were large enough to crawl through; others a mere few inches in diameter. They were stacked on top of each other to form a jungle gym.
Talia hurried through a large pipe, making her way to the center of the structure. She searched until she found an opening allowing her to climb up. Her shoes slipped against the outside of the pipe. The sound of their skidding echoed around her.
"Crap!" She hissed and removed them from her feet, tucking them into a crevice between two pipes. Her clothes were stiff from the drying mud. Little flakes fell off to litter the area. She'd have to figure out how to hide her trail again, but for now she simply hauled herself onto the pipe and into another large one.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Landry struggled to stay conscious. As long as he stayed with Talia, he could handle the pain, but the water...nothing kept him away from the water. He'd been flipped upside down on the board. The interrogator asked a question, and when Landry didn't answer he poured water over his mouth and nose. The cloth over his face only prolonged his suffering.
It made it hard to concentrate on his wife.
The world faded in and out as he slowly drowned.
Jewel, help her.
The dragon heard his pleas and ached. Ever since her last conversation with Talia, she'd stayed close. Out of sight. Her body slept in a secret cave high on the Wizard's Mountain, but she sleepwalked the halls of the Controllers' fortress.
She'd been privy to the torture inflicted on the man she would one day exterminate. A descendant of her human flesh and blood. Did he know? Had Talia told him of the dream? More importantly, how would she regain his wife's confidence?
Dragons convened to burn a body for only one reason. It was a celebration. An invitation. A chance to become more.
Landry lost consciousness. His thoughts on his wife. The soldiers proceeded to give him enough medical attention to keep him alive.
Jewel wanted to help this man. She yearned to give him as much time as she could with his wife, but her interference on Orek would end any hope she had of assisting Sendek. And in order for the dream to come true, she would need to be in the Council's good graces, or all would truly be lost.
Two soldiers drew closer. Talia focused on the nearest one and gathered energy from him. The soldier's steps slowed, until he slumped to the ground. Trembling from the effort and the extra energy, she broke the connection and indulged herself by searching for her husband again.
He lay far below, weaker than ever. She pushed the energy toward him with all her might. She hoped it would reach him even though she couldn't touch him.
"Well, I'll be." The second soldier had caught up.
His voice carried to Talia's hiding place. After a moment of silence, a click reverberated through the pipes, followed by a second of static.
"Sir, Zimmick is down...No, Sir, I don't know what's wrong with him...Yes, Sir, I'll keep looking. He's is in sector three near the pipe maze."
Talia knew she needed to get out. She reached out and pulled from the new guy until he too passed out.
After another hour and two more soldiers, Talia huddled in the far corner of the labyrinth. Her skin stretched uncomfort
ably from the excess energy stored inside. Sweat dripped down her back but it didn't cool her the way it should have. She burned alive from the inside out, but she didn't want to chance blindly sending the energy again. Landry needed it.
"I'm so sorry. I never should have made you come to Orek." She sent her thoughts to him. He didn't answer. She slid down the wall to collapse on the floor. The concrete felt cool on her cheek.
"Luz?" A whisper echoed around her. "Where are you?"
Pushing herself up, Talia crawled to the passage and peeked around the corner. Shamaf walked down it, stopping every few feet to glance down the other corridors.
"Luz?"
She whispered back, "Over here."
He rushed to her side. "You lasted longer than I expected."
"Why are you here?" Distrust laced her words.
"With men dropping they needed more to join the search. I volunteered." He reached down and helped her to her feet. "They gave me a map of the compound. The cells and interrogation rooms are under the arena."
"Yeah, about three levels down." She nodded.
"How do you know?"
"I can feel Landry, but don't know how to get to him."
"I can help with that. Come on." Shamaf showed her a device. The screen had several glowing dots on a black background. "We can see how close the others are, and with blueprint overlay--there, now we need to get to this stairwell."
Talia followed him around the corner and to the end of another hall. It took all her concentration to keep her legs moving.
"What's wrong?" Shamaf asked.
"Huh?"
"You're moving funny. Are you hurt?"
"No, full."
"Do I want to know?"
She shook her head and kept walking.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Shamaf took out the two guards patrolling the hall under the stadium. Talia looked away as he broke the second man's neck.
"Do you have to kill them?" She shuddered.
"Unless you want this entire fortress coming down on you in the next five minutes, yes." He shoved the first man into the closet, but stripped the smaller man of his uniform before stuffing him in too. "Here, you're leaving a trail of dirt."
Talia accepted the clothes and turned her back to Shamaf. She quickly discarded the mud-encrusted trainee uniform for the soldier's. Her nose wrinkled at the smell of sweat coming from it. Looking clean was almost worse than the mud.
"Has no one here heard of hygiene?" Talia complained as she slipped her feet into the dead soldier's boots. They were too big, but better than nothing.
"Talia?" Landry's voice sounded weak in her head. "You have to get out of here."
"I'm close. I can get to you. Heal you."
Shamaf tugged on her arm. "Come on."
"Wait." Talia reached out to locate Landry. "We're close."
"How can you tell?" Shamaf stared at his sensor.
"Talia, don't. Get out while you can."
"Because he's getting very angry with me." She smiled.
"Your relationship is messed up."
Talia frowned but didn't reply. He was right in a way. They still had trust issues but even with their problems she needed him in her life. She paused near a door and tapped lightly on it.
No response. Shamaf's sensor showed one occupant.
"Open this one." Talia pointed to the door and immediately wanted to run back down the hall. She fought down the thought. Built her walls around her mind. She pushed him out the way he'd taught her to.
Shamaf stood frozen, eyes wide, with a scanner half way out of his pocket. He slowly put the machine away reaching for Talia.
"We should get out of here while we can." Shamaf spoke in a slow monotone. He blinked. Shook his head.
"Landry, get out of his head." Talia reached into Shamaf's pocket and grabbed the scanner. She slapped it onto the keypad and waited for the thumbprint to register. For a moment she wondered where he scanned it, but she didn't really care as long as it gave her access to her husband.
Shamaf dragged her away. She fought to keep her ground. They moved half way down the hall before they heard a click. The door unlocked. Shamaf let her go and shuddered.
"Don't ever do that again." He stepped back toward the door.
"Wasn't me." Talia pushed it open.
"I warned you." Landry's message sent a shudder through her.
Nothing could have prepared her for what lay inside. The room looked completely different from what she had seen in her dream casting. Instead of the ancient stone and dirt cell she had envisioned, Landry lay chained upside down on a slanted table in a stark white room. He'd been stripped down to his underclothes and every inch of exposed skin showed marks of torture. There were bruises, cuts, burns. One arm hung at an odd angle. His swollen face had squeezed his left eye shut. Dried blood crusted around his mouth. Water and blood mingled in puddles on the floor. She took all of this in during the four steps to his side.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered and touched his face.
Landry barely breathed.
"We can't carry him out in this condition." Shamaf shook his head.
"Good thing we won't have to. Get the chains off." Talia gently held his head in her hand. She closed her eyes and moved deep into his mind.
Landry welcomed her in. Together they visited all the damaged parts of his body. The stored energy flowed between them healing a punctured lung, three broken ribs and other bones. Blood vessels repaired themselves. The bruises disappeared along with the cuts and swelling. The final bit of life force brought strength back to his muscles.
When she opened her eyes, Landry appeared whole once more, but still lay chained to the table.
Shamaf stood with mouth open. "How?"
"Later, get him free unless you want to wait for company." Talia let her relief push her forward. She knew this would probably be the easiest part of her day. They still had to get out of the fortress. At least this time she had Landry beside her. He'd make the decisions and do the things she didn't like to.
"We've got to get out fast. They've been waiting for Talia." Landry righted himself, stood and reached for Talia's hair. "What have you done?"
She smiled. "What had to be done."
"I know where we can get you some clothes." Shamaf moved to the door.
"We need to make our way to the exit." Landry laced the boots he'd removed from the soldier. "Any idea if there's a smaller, less conspicuous one than the front gate?"
"Not that I've noticed, but there hasn't been time to search for one. Seems like this girl of yours attracts trouble like a begula fly." Shamaf grunted and waved his hands in front of his face but smiled. "I'm getting used to it though."
Talia scowled. "I suggest our first priority is getting off this floor. There are four or five energy signatures approaching."
Landry stretched his senses out as well. "They aren't on their guard yet, but they will be."
"I give it five minutes until they discover you're gone and sound the alarm. We could use more time than that." Shamaf looked at Landry with an unspoken question.
He nodded and pulled the gun out of his holster. "What do you call these things anyway?"
"Vibrodisruptors. Their aiming system is lousy. Tend to drift left." Shamaf powered his up and Landry followed suit.
"Thanks."
"Landry?" Talia reached for his arm.
"Stay out of sight." He kissed her on the forehead. "I mean that."
Voices drifted down the hallway. "Where's the guard?"
Shamaf stepped around the corner into their line of sight. "Sorry, Sir. I needed to check with Sulley here."
"You never leave your post, Soldier." The man in front barked. The three officers behind him looked bored.
"Yes, Sir." Shamaf saluted and walked past the men.
Landry observed a current of magic in the air. The men blinked slowly.
"Talia?" He connected with her mind easily.
"I'll slow them down for you," she a
nswered.
Shamaf passed the last man, turned and opened fire. Landry did the same, and in less than ten seconds the hall fell quiet again.
"Any of them reach for their lapels?" Shamaf checked each man for life signs.
"No." He noticed the absence of the strange energy.
"Good. These guys were pretty high up. That might buy us even more time." Shamaf bent down to grab a man by his arms. "Weird that none of them reacted. They should have at least reached for their weapons."
"Talia helped." Landry grabbed a set of feet and dragged the officer into a side room. "Let's get out of here."
"What do you mean?" Shamaf grabbed another man.
"She siphoned energy and slowed their reaction time."
Shamaf grunted. "I'd like a better explanation when this is all over."
Talia joined them as they shoved the last man into the room.
"Hey, I thought I told you to stay put?" Landry noticed her smile.
She headed toward the stairs. "I'm done with this whole fortress. Let's get out of here."
They ran up the stairs. Men scurried everywhere. Some moved purposefully, others simply wandered. Shamaf led them through the arena and out the doors. The suns had banished the clouds and Talia let their warmth wash over her.
"Which way?" Landry murmured.
He stood close to Talia, with Shamaf on his other side. The three walked deliberately across the training field toward the barracks and the front entrance. Men yelled and gathered near the front gates.
"How long since we split from Craig?" Shamaf asked Talia.
"Three days?" She shrugged.
An explosion rocked the compound. The front gates shattered into the courtyard, dust and smoke obscuring the view of who wanted in so desperately.
"Looks like he came through." Shamaf smirked.
"We still have to get to them." Talia moved in front of Landry in a protective stance.
He laughed and pulled her close, looked into her eyes and smiled. "That's cute you know."
Dawn of the Mages (The Magic Wakes Book 2) Page 23