The Armor of Light

by Karen E. Hoover

  At first people were terrified. Several women screamed when he first appeared, but then he took up a curious child into his whirlwind. Kayla almost stopped pulling power from the flute, but Brant had slowed and softened his miniature tornado so that the boy was only lifted from the ground and spun around a few times before Brant caught him in his arms and returned him to his mother. The giggling boy immediately tried to scramble down and go back to the funny blue man, but seeing the adventure the young boy had, the other children had lined up for a ride.

  Brant stole the show. It made Kayla proud to see. Her heart panged for a moment—he would have been such a wonderful father. But there was no point thinking of it now. What was done was done.

  The show continued, ending with the duet of Graylin and Kayla in song and with flute, though this time she used her silver flute alone. Finally, the travelers announced that they would be in town the remainder of that day and the next for any repairs or potions needed, and that was the end. It seemed much faster than the last time, and probably was because of the missing people. Less people meant less chaos—easier to keep things simple, and definitely less to do.

  Finally hungry, Kayla headed to the inn and found a table near the fireplace, though the hearth was not burning at the moment. A young girl of probably twelve came to take her order, and Kayla did as she had the last time, asking them to bring whatever leftovers remained in the kitchen from the lunch rush, as well as a pitcher of cider.

  As before, a plate of bread and butter arrived with the cider, though this time there were three different types of bread—a white, a medium brown, and a very dark. She guessed white flour, whole wheat, and rye, and found herself delightfully pleased to be right. She ate the bread and drank the cider and looked around the room. Being several hours past lunch, there were few people in the dining area, which suited Kayla just fine.

  A tall, thin woman walked through the doorway and paused, scanning the room, her eyes stopping on Kayla. She walked gracefully across the room, pulled up a chair, and seated herself.

  Kayla was so surprised, she didn’t know what to say to the woman who was so bold as to seat herself at a table uninvited.

  “You have been very hard to find, young lady.”

  For a moment, Kayla was afraid this woman was one of the shadow weavers, but her next words both alleviated that fear and created a new one. “I am Mistress Shiona of the Council of the Magi. We have heard rumors regarding the Sapphire Flute and C’Tan’s attack on the court of Dragonmeer. I have also heard that Duke Brant travels with you, and I have many questions. May we speak?”

  Kayla didn’t know how to answer, but she realized that things had just caught up with her. If the Council of Magi was involved, there would be no escaping this. She was going to have to tell the truth of C’Tan’s attack to someone outside her circle of friends. She would have to explain Brant’s death and the change the flute made in him when even his parents didn’t know.

  Oh, boy.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Ember swam through the stone, dragging DeMunth behind her until she broke through the wall and onto a main pathway, startling several girls into squeals. The girls scrambled and ran the opposite direction back toward the bathing rooms. Ember couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. If she had known that was all it would take to get people to leave her alone, she’d have walked through the walls ages ago. Then it dawned on her that she hadn’t known she could walk through walls until just before she met Mahal. She had many things for which to thank him the next time she saw the Guardian. She was about to tell DeMunth about her new ability to travel almost instantly from one place to the next when he grabbed her by the hand and took off at a run.

  “Come on,” DeMunth said, seeming to get his bearings and dragging Ember down the paths that led to the central areas. He ran through the eatery, past several classrooms, and then turned down a corridor Ember hadn’t noticed before. It took them to another portal. Ember really didn’t like portal travel. It made her slightly nauseated to be zipped along like that, but she had no choice as DeMunth ran straight forward and then into the buzzing space between the pillars. Ember felt herself pulled along at extreme speeds, then she stumbled out of the next portal and into an empty cavern. She and DeMunth raced again as soon as she got her equilibrium, and before she knew it, they had entered another portal. This one lasted longer, and when they stumbled out of it, DeMunth let her sit and rest for a few moments before he pulled her along again.

  The last portal was the longest yet, and when they exited, Ember tripped and nearly fell flat on her face. DeMunth caught her just before she hit and turned her so that she fell on her side with him. They lay almost nose to nose for a long second, gasping for breath, when she became very aware of just how close they were. Without even thinking about it, she reached a hand out and caressed his soft brown hair, pushing it back from his face so she could see his beautiful green eyes. His arm brushed up until it lay along the side of her head, his thumb flicking along her jaw line as he brushed her curls back. And then, with their hands on the backs of each other’s heads, they slowly drew close until their breath intermingled, and with a sigh, their lips met.

  Ember had thought their first kiss a fluke—some things could only be that beautiful once. Never twice. But here she was with her lips pressed against DeMunth’s, and the world faded away. She completely lost herself in him with a single kiss, but this time when she saw the chain that joined them, she remembered what Mahal said and was not afraid. Instead, she loved that they were bound. She didn’t feel as if her freedom had been taken away—she felt that DeMunth was almost an extension of herself and it thrilled her in a way nothing else could. She wanted to spend forever with this man.

  He pulled away, as if suddenly realizing they were on the floor in the middle of a crisis and had a job to do—which they did. She just hadn’t wanted to stop kissing him to do it. Ember sat up with a sigh and pulled her knees to her chest for a moment, trying to gather herself together, and she’d have been lying if she didn’t admit her knees were a little wobbly when she stood. DeMunth was that good.

  She followed him as he raced down the stairs and into the room where Ember had received her birthing day gifts from her father. She heard the voices before she came around the last bend and tried to slow DeMunth to warn him, but he wouldn’t stop. As they rounded the last corner, Ember came into full view of her family and half the staff of the mage academy.

  DeMunth stopped suddenly, Ember slamming into his back, as Ezeker turned. She rubbed her nose, then stepped out from behind him. Ezeker’s eyes grew wide, then narrowed in what looked to be anger, though if so, it was a look Ember had never seen on his face before.

  “Where in the world have you been, young lady?” Ezeker’s voice rose above the rest of the room, which momentarily quieted as they turned in the direction he was facing. A gasp came from Ember’s right, then her mother swept her up in her arms, alternately crying and yelling at her.

  “Where have you been? I’ve been looking all over for you, and was so worried something had happened. Don’t you ever do that to me again, Ember Shandae! Do you hear me? Never again! Oh, I’m so glad you’re safe!” Her mother went on and on, until Ember was able to untangle herself and start talking.

  “I’m okay! Really, I’m okay. There were some things I had to work out and I think I finally did, but we need to give you a message. We’ll tell you everything, but you need to let me talk.” Ember looked across the room at Ezeker, who still looked angry and ready to burst any moment, so she hurried on as quickly as she could.

  “After I left, I was drawn toward a light that led me into a spherical room. You wouldn’t believe this place. Ezeker, you know how you always said the birthplace of the keystones was somewhere inside these mountains?” She waited for Ezeker’s cautious nod before she continued. “Well, you were right. I was there! There was a light in the stone, and I walked right through the rock and came to this room that looked like a
giant ball had been cut out of rainbow crystal. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.”

  “You saw the birthplace of the keystones?” Ezeker asked, the anger fading with his awe.

  Ember nodded. “I did. And more than that. I found a teacher. The only person still alive who could show me how to use white magic.”

  Stunned silence followed.

  “Ember, there is no one left alive who could have taught you. We’d have known—” Ezeker started, then realization made his eyes wide and his mouth form into a silent “O.”

  Ember nodded. “The Guardian Mahal brought me there and taught me. He was the one who told me to bring the shadow weaver to him. I would never have done so otherwise. We were just going to question him and then take him back, but the shadow weaver ate the magic from the walls somehow and disappeared. Mahal told me to come here and give you a message. He said that S’Kotos is trying to destroy the mage academy and has nearly succeeded. He said that within a day, the time would be upon you.”

  The whole room burst into an uproar at that, completely ignoring the fact she had just told them her teacher was one of the Guardians. Ezeker raced to her side while the others talked amongst themselves. Ember noticed one of the professors and a couple of the guards in the corner talking, though they weren’t Rahdnee or Brendae, thankfully. They kept glancing at Ember. Lily was there too, and she just stared at Ember as if unsure what to do.

  “Ember, did he tell you anything more? How is S’Kotos to destroy the mage academy? What is coming? What can we do?” Ezeker asked, his hand on her arm shaking and squeezing more with each question until Ember winced in pain.

  “I don’t know, Uncle Ezzie. He just told me to warn you, then he disappeared. I’d tell you more if I knew.” She wanted to tell him about the traitors in their midst, but with so many people in the room, she wasn’t sure who she could trust. That would have to wait until they were in private.

  Ezeker was quiet for a moment, his lips pursed in thought, then he took Ember by the arm and dragged her back toward the portal. “Take me to him,” he said, slightly breathless from the race up the stairs.

  “He’s gone, Uncle. I told you that,” Ember said, trying to pull out of his surprisingly strong grip.

  “I don’t care. Take me there. Take me to the sphere of the keystones. Perhaps it will give me answers if he truly is gone.”

  “I’m coming too,” Marda said, and the look on her face made it obvious she was not to be argued with. Ezeker gave a sharp nod before racing up the stairs, then, without even bothering to pull aside the tapestry, he pulled Ember into the portal, right through the cloth. It was a strange sensation, almost a tearing, as they moved through and went back the way they had come. Ember wasn’t sure how much time had passed since she had left the crystal sphere. She knew Mahal would not be there, and was frustrated with Ezeker’s stubbornness. They needed to be working on a solution, not going on tour.

  After pulling Ezeker, her mother, and DeMunth through the rock and into the sphere, Ember was exhausted. What energy she’d built up from the delicious meal was nearly depleted, but it was almost worth it to see Ezeker’s face as he walked around the room, his fingers trailing along the different colors of stone and feeling the indentations where the keystones had once been.

  Ember wiped the sweat from her brow. It sure was hot in here. The stone had always seemed so cool before, but now it was as if she were sleeping too close to the fire. It was odd. It must be from all the exertion, she thought. I’ve never had to pull three people through stone. Helar, before yesterday, I’d never pulled anyone through stone, including myself.

  Marda stood in the middle of the room and turned in a circle, taking everything in, then slowly walked to the blue vein and touched the rod-like void. “The Sapphire Flute,” she whispered, then moved on to the green. “The Emerald Wolf,” she continued. “The Armor of Light,” she said at the yellow, glancing at DeMunth and moving on to the orange. “The Hidden Coin.” At the red, she named the one Ember could not figure out. “The Ruby Heart.” At the purple, she fingered the half-sphere void. “The Amethyst Eye.” Then looking around and up, just as Ember had, she pointed to the ceiling. “The Crystal Mallet. They are all here. This truly is the birthplace of the keystones.”

  Ember had never heard her mother sound so reverent, but she understood the feeling. This was a holy place. A sacred room. She was glad it had been protected from sightseers all these years. Obviously someone had found it at some point or the rumor it was here wouldn’t have been so prevalent, but if so, it had been long enough ago that no one remembered the story or who it was.

  DeMunth knelt and hummed softly, bringing the magestone to life around them once again. The pitted etchings where the Shadow Weaver had stolen the magestone and turned it into dust smoothed when DeMunth sang, as if he had the power to not only heal the stone, but almost to replicate it.

  Ezeker came to her, Marda still lost in the ambiance of the room. “Ember, thank you for bringing me here. This room is magnificent, all I ever dreamed it would be and more.” His eyes were misty, though he tried to blink it away. “But you need to know that freeing the Shadow Weaver as you did has put the academy and yourself in grave danger.”

  Ember hung her head. “I know, Uncle Ezzie.” She met his eye then. “But whether you believe it or not, Master Mahal truly asked me to bring him here. He hadn’t known the dark magic was on our world and believes it is that which corrupted S’Kotos. I’m sorry the prisoner got away from me. I didn’t know what he could do, and the master left me alone to handle it.”

  Ezeker put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “I’m not placing blame here, child, but you need to be aware. Now,” he said, changing the subject. “You look exhausted. How much magic have you used today?”

  Ember tried to quantify, but her brain was so tired, she couldn’t process the numbers. She finally gave up and admitted, “A lot.”

  Ezeker harrumphed, then wrapped an arm around her and guided her back to the wall. “I’m going to ask you to perform one more feat of amazing magic, this walking through walls thing, and then I’m sending you to your room for an extended night’s sleep. DeMunth will bring you supper and guard you through the night. That’s not a request,” he said when he saw she was about to object. “It’s late enough in the evening that you can go to bed without anyone thinking the worse of you for it, and rest and food are the two most important parts of regaining your magic. While you sleep, the council and I will come up with a plan to thwart S’Kotos.”

  “Uncle Ezzie—” Ember started, wanting to tell him about the traitors in their midst, but he cut her off.

  “I don’t want to hear anything about it. You rest and come talk to me tomorrow, okay?”

  Ember supposed it could wait another day. She really was exhausted. Taking each other by the hand, she gathered what energy she had left and pulled them back through the wall and into the hallway before she nearly collapsed. DeMunth picked her up and carried her to her room. She was asleep in his arms long before he reached her room.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Kayla spent an uncomfortable hour explaining to Mistress Shiona of the mage council what happened at Dragonmeer, the part she had played in drawing C’Tan to the Domanta family home by breathing on the flute, and how she’d tried to lure the evil woman away and save Brant at the same time.

  After that, she told her all about Brant’s death at the hand of Jihong, and Niefusu taking his brother back to his homeland for justice, if he still lived. And then she told Shiona about the flute taking Brant into itself and changing him, using him as a tool, and how he helped to fight the Ne’Goi.

  “Ne’Goi?” Shiona asked. She sounded startled and slightly terrified. “The Ne’Goi have returned?” At Kayla’s nod, she continued, “Oh, this does not bode well.” And then realization crossed her face. She let her head fall forward to bang against her fist repeatedly. Muttering under her breath, Kayla overheard her say, “Why did I not see th
is? How could we not connect the two? The shadow weavers are the Ne’Goi! It’s obvious.” She pounded her forehead a few more times then stopped, resting her head on her fist.

  Kayla was concerned. She didn’t know if the woman was crazy or distraught. One thing was certain—something was terribly wrong, and it had much to do with what Kayla had just told the councilwoman. She remained quiet, eating her food when it came, but barely tasting it. She ate until her stomach stopped rumbling, then pushed the plate away, keeping only the pitcher of cider. Finally the councilwoman sat up and met Kayla’s eyes. “You must come with me to the mage academy and address the council,” she said.

  Kayla pulled back. “Why?”

  “Because no one else knows what you know. None other has seen what you’ve seen. So many things you’ve seen,” she added more softly, placing her hand over Kayla’s. “So young to see so much.” She pulled back away and straightened herself. “The council needs to know about C’Tan’s attack on Dragonmeer. They need to know about the Ne’Goi. They need to know how the keystones are adapting and using your Brant to do their bidding. And the most important reason—the Wolfchild is there, and the keystones are collecting around her. One is there already, and finding you seems like a manipulation by the Guardians to gather you together. We knew this day would come, and I believe it is here.”

  Kayla felt the truth of the councilwoman’s words like a hammer in her heart with each revelation, but when she told her that the Wolfchild was at the mage academy, Kayla knew she had to go. It wasn’t a matter of choice or desire. She’d been seeking the Wolfchild since she’d been given the flute. And now she not only knew how to find her, she had a guide.