As if the man’s retreat was some kind of signal, the Master called magic to his fingertips and released a whole universe of small dots to float around their heads. “What do you know of power? Have you held the glory of the cosmos in your body? Have you felt the sun melt you from the inside? Can you handle the pain of being burnt by a planet’s fiery core as you focus your will?”
Stephanie pursed her lips, hating the idea that she had to prove herself to someone like this. Of course, he took her silence as a no. He also decided to prove his point by going forward with the testing.
“This will be over quickly, and both of you—” He eyed Stephanie and settled his gaze on V’ritan as he continued. “Both of you will agree that I will never accept another human for the testing for as long as I live…whether the king grants it or not.”
He looked happy with that idea, then added, “And rest assured that I will live another hundred years simply to spite the hell out of the both of you.”
The Mage whipped around and walked to a wide, open space to one side of the cave door. She followed him and stopped when he did and watched him use his staff to raise a battle stage from the depths of the earth.
The long stone platform had Meligornian etchings down the side, but Tethis ignored it. He pointed the staff from her to the platform to indicate that she should go up.
She remained silent and simply complied, but he launched a silent magical shot before she’d reached the second step. Nonchalantly, she waved it away and it chipped small pieces of stone off the edge of the platform as it struck.
At this, she did look at the Teacher, and their eyes met grimly as he continued the attack and hurled magical bullets, arrows, orbs, and darts at her.
Stephanie continued to climb onto the platform and fended off the missiles as they came. Tethis followed, walked carefully up the steps behind her, and continued his barrage until she worked so rapidly to block them that her hand moved in a blur. Finally, after she’d successfully defended herself against a hailstorm of spiked energy orbs, he lowered his hand.
In the brief moment of respite, she drew a deep breath and waited for the next part of the test. The Teacher held his hand up and scowled. “You will allow me to test your ability to contain power.”
He pointed at a rock in front of her. “Hold it until I give you the signal. You cannot leave the circle I place around you.”
Stephanie acknowledged his instruction with a brief dip of her chin and watched as he used the staff he wielded to generate a rigid line of magic and carve a tight ring around her. “If you cannot accomplish something, you must say, ‘I submit!’ Now, prepare yourself.”
Without any more notice than that, he raised his hands and began to thrust power into her. She stood there and he observed her with a smirk as he expected to easily overcome her ability to hold the magic.
She had no doubt that, in his mind, there was no human alive or dead who could hold the kind of power a Meligornian could, much less a Master and Teacher of the Mysteries.
Rather than try to resist it, she braced herself, opened the wells inside her, and accepted every ounce of MU he poured into her.
While she had never heard of a being who could hold its own magic as well as the magic of a Master at the same time, she hadn’t heard of anyone who could trade MU for gMU either. She was also sure that Tethis didn’t have a clue about what she could do.
He certainly didn’t know that she replaced the MU he delivered with the less concentrated gMU. As she absorbed wave after wave of the energy, the Teacher’s face began to fall into doubt.
He stared as she grew stronger and more accepting. Finally, when he was almost out of power, he cut the flow and watched as she raised her head, a smile on her lips. With a frown, he continued to stare as she began to draw even more power from her surroundings.
The Master snarled with anger when she stood, spread her arms wide, and tilted her head back. He seemed mesmerized when she began to move her feet from side to side. Her body rippled like water and her arms swayed over her head as she coalesced and tightened the magic inside her.
While Tethis could not see that part of the process, he could see when her body began to glow and shimmers of bright light erupted from her eyes and mouth.
He banged his staff angrily on the boulder beside him. “Release it into the rock. Now!”
The large stone acted as a grounding rod to accept magic from any magical being and release it into the ground below. Stephanie looked at the stone and focused on it.
Once she was sure she could control the power surging within, she pushed it out. The energy arced, a wild orgy of power that reached high into the air before it pounded into the stone. She continued to direct power outwards, aware of the shocked expression on the Teacher’s face.
On the outside, she looked like a stern-faced mage, but inside, she was smiling. Little did Tethis know that she still held half as much again in the form of gMU.
The grounding stone glowed so brightly, it was hard to look at as the energy flowed into it, then over it to disappear into the soil beneath. As Stephanie steadily discharged her energy, the ground, too, began to glow until the grass smoked and the pebbles popped and hissed into nothing.
After several minutes—longer than it had taken to fill her—she finally let the last trace of MU trickle from her palms into the now glowing stone. She breathed in, exhaled the breath, and twisted her neck slowly from side to side. She felt almost a hundred pounds lighter, although magic was the kind of weight she didn’t mind in the least.
The Teacher swung his arm out to the side and pointed at V’ritan. “You. Release all your energy as well. I won’t have you tempted to interfere.”
V’ritan chuckled quietly, not at all surprised at the old man’s lack of trust. He made no protest and simply did as he was asked, walked over, and touched the stone.
He had yet to use any of the day’s energy, but the flow didn’t last as long as hers. Nor was it as bright.
When the ambassador had discharged his energy, he raised his hands to show he was done. Tethis motioned for him to step back and straightened to focus on Stephanie, sure that she was empty and without power. “Let’s see what you have now.”
The mage began to throw small rocks and propel them toward her with magic. She dodged some and used minute amounts of energy to veer the others off their trajectory.
He guided one right, then left, and caught her across the cheek. She hissed and held one hand to the cut. Blood flowed between her fingers. Anger flared in her eyes, but she controlled it.
There was no way she would allow him to make her lose her temper.
At the shuttle, the team had emerged and lined up to watch the proceedings. When the rock struck Stephanie, they moved restlessly, and Lars laid a hand on Marcus’s shoulder to stop him moving to intervene.
“Why does it look like he’s trying to kill her?” Frog asked.
The team leader tried for nonchalant, but fury edged his answer. “He’ll have to do a lot more than that.”
As they watched, their expressions smoldering, Tethis continued to lift rocks and hurl them at Stephanie. He directed the magic with one hand, while he stretched the other out to pull more energy into himself.
In the circle, Stephanie shifted, and he slammed his staff down. “You are forbidden to pull even an ounce more energy.”
Her lip twitched into what might have been a smirk, and the Teacher let the rocks he’d gathered drop to the ground. He glanced around him and finally stared at a massive rock three feet away.
“Uh oh,” Lars muttered as the Mage gave a soft laugh and gestured with his hands to guide the massive rock into the air.
Lines of purple MU wreathed it as he moved it quickly into position some twenty feet above Stephanie’s head.
She looked at it, then back at him, but displayed no fear. “So, your idea of testing me is to drain me of power and drop a rock so that I yell out and you win? How is that a test?”
His la
ughter echoed around them. “You stupid human. Do you really think I care whether it’s fair or not? I’m fed up with this sham of a trial. It makes a mockery of all that is sacred. Fair doesn’t even come close. The only fair thing to happen today will be that humans are seen as the unworthy, weak specimens they truly are.”
This time, Lars had to grasp both Frog and Marcus. “Let Stephanie handle it,” he ordered and kept his voice low as V’ritan protested.
“That isn’t part of this—” the ambassador began, but Stephanie tapped her leg with her index finger and stared at him in a mute command for silence.
Before he could respond, she looked at Tethis and smiled. “Fair?” she asked, and Lars groaned. “Here it comes.”
“All right, then. Let’s make this fair.”
He rolled his eyes and jerked his hand downward in a short crisp slice to command the boulder to descend as he released the magic holding it. He was about to turn away when the world skated around him and he slid into the circle with Stephanie.
The Mage gasped, raised his hands, and unleashed magic up and into the plummeting boulder, vaguely aware of shouts of alarm from the direction of the shuttle and the ambassador. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he brought the huge rock to a halt and held it suspended it over their heads.
A hasty glance at the girl revealed that she had her arms folded and a very satisfied grin on her face. It infuriated him beyond endurance. “How dare you? I will have your head, human.”
He might have said more but the boulder shifted inside the magic and reminded him he had more important things to focus on. With a flick of his wrist, he attempted to hurl it out of the circle and away, but it didn’t move.
He tried again and struggled to control it when it impacted an invisible boundary and bounced back. “Seluthor’s ass!”
With a sharp upward gesture, he gave it more height and tried again to flick it aside, only to have it rebound once more. “Fornication of the Gold!”
That was clearly a reference to royalty, and Stephanie giggled. He snapped an angry glare in her direction, but she remained unfazed.
“Here’s the thing,” she told him, shimmered out of existence in front of him, and reappeared on his right, smiling slightly. “Since you chose to allow unfair testing, I’m testing you. As you have finally deduced, you can’t push the rock outside the boundaries of the circle you set.”
Her smile broadened. “So, here’s how it will go. “We’ll stay inside the circle as agreed, and I’ll wait until you say that you submit.”
She put her hands out to each side and rose into the air. Tethis watched her but found no suitable words and simply gaped in frustration and disbelief.
Her smile took on a wicked twist as she continued her airborne ascent. “See, you said nothing about me staying on the ground where I could be crushed.”
Stephanie tutted reprovingly and finally touched the rock. “You really should be more thorough with your explanations, but by the looks of this boulder, there might not be a next time. Of course, that would be a shame since I’m sure you wonder where my power comes from considering you had me discharge all my MU.”
At the feel of the rock above her, she flipped upside down, set her feet on its surface, and spun it so she now stood on top. Tethis grunted as the boulder shifted and her weight made it more difficult to hold aloft. He could feel his power waning, but she remained unperturbed. “Since you don’t seem to be aware of what being a Teacher of the Mysteries means, I’m not sure I can show you how I do this. You know, since I’m from an immature species and all.”
She moved and the boulder tilted again. The Mage dropped to one knee as he struggled to control it. Frustration was followed by alarm and finally, defeat when he realized he either had to admit she was worthy or die proving she wasn’t.
Stephanie looked over the edge at him and tapped her chin. “So, I’m up here. I need no more power to pass this test. I’m very aware of how much power you have left, and I have more than enough to keep you inside the circle. What will it be? Are you willing to die for your prejudice? Unable to see the future how it transpires? Either way, you will no longer be a Teacher of the Mysteries as witnessed by the king’s right-hand advisor. Of course…” She grinned. “I could always start pushing from up here.”
The ambassador covered his mouth and fought to hide a smile as Tethis gritted his teeth, not yet willing to give in.
She tilted her head to the side and flicked her finger down to direct a tiny ball of energy into the rock. A loud crack echoed, and the Mage shouted with alarm as it plummeted toward him.
He thrust his hands up and launched a massive surge of magic into the falling boulder to stop it from crushing him. When he had it mostly under control, he narrowed his eyes, turned his head, and glanced over his shoulder. “I hardly call that proof.” He sneered, although it seemed strained.
Stephanie peered over the stone once more, her face twisted with frustrated anger. “The problem with old prejudicial idiots is they can’t see when someone might hold the power of the cosmos to save thousands of lives.”
She created multiple orbs of magic, large and small, and swirled them around the rock to emulate the universe. “When one feels the pain of a thousand suns, your useless ass seems inconsequential to the future good of the Mysteries. It might be time for you to suffer from your own idiocy.”
The boulder pressed downwards, and Tethis shook with the effort. Suddenly, he dropped to his knees and cried, “I submit!”
His hands thumped onto the stone platform in front of his knees and he fell forward, his eyes shut tightly against the expected blow. It didn’t come.
Instead, he still knelt within the circle, very much alive and unscathed. He opened one eye and glanced upward to where the boulder hovered above him. As if it felt the weight of his gaze, the gigantic rock spun slowly until Stephanie, defying all the laws of physics, hung upside down, her feet planted firmly on its surface.
She didn’t address him directly but turned to V’ritan. “Is this official?”
He nodded, his arms folded and an amused look on his face. “It is.”
After a moment, she pushed off the boulder, executed a casual half-flip, and landed gracefully on her feet. She extended her hands to curl streams of magic around Tethis, lift him up, and carry him from the circle.
Once she had set him safely on his feet, she gestured with one hand and allowed the boulder to fall. Both she and the Teacher winced when it crashed behind them.
The mage retrieved his staff and used it for support as he pushed to his feet. Sweat poured down his forehead and soaked the front of his robes. He turned to V’ritan, his expression frustrated and weary. “Would you have allowed that to happen?”
The man smirked. “What was I supposed to do? You had me release my power, remember?”
Tethis stared at him in shock when he realized the ambassador had been so certain Stephanie could pass the test that he really had surrendered his stores of MU.
The other man had truly been unable to help him and would be able to say as much if he was later questioned. He rebuked himself mentally for not realizing that the ambassador had given in far too easily to his demand and walked toward his home, his head bowed and shoulders hunched.
“On your head, V’ritan,” he conceded, his tone almost a growl. “She has passed the last of the tests and my time of teaching is over.”
Stephanie approached V’ritan, put her arm on his shoulder, and watched the old man shuffle toward the cave. She shook her head. “He needs to know.”
He frowned. “Know what?”
She walked after the Teacher and called to him. “Master Tethis.”
At first, he ignored her, but she tried again.
“Master Tethis.”
He stopped and stood perfectly still before he turned to look at the girl who had vanquished him. She clasped her hands in front of her as she addressed him. “Please. Pay attention and learn.”
To his astonishment,
she gave him a soft, sad smile and her eyes turned pitch black as she began to move her hands to produce ribbons of purple and blue energy. They twisted and spiraled to create a curtain of colors and bounding energy.
With a happier smile, she leaned into the magic and moved her entire body in a dance that reflected the universe. Her eyes remained a pure, fathomless black and her magic flickered and sparkled.
“Welcome to the cosmos,” she said, her voice pitched low although it echoed around them.
She swayed rhythmically, raised one hand, and drew downwards to pull wisps of pure black energy from the sky and weave it through the purple and blue. When the three colors mingled, she wound it around the boulder Tethis had threatened to crush her with and tossed it high.
The guys’ jaws dropped as it soared through Meligorn’s purple skies and out into space. V’ritan and Tethis gasped in astonishment when it vanished from sight. They exchanged glances and looked at Stephanie.
The ambassador’s eyes were as big as saucers, and Tethis gaped like a beached fish but she ignored them. She had long since come to the conclusion that no matter what she did, people would be shocked.
V’ritan looked at the sky and snorted. “I hope there weren’t any ships in the way.”
The Mage searched the sky for the rock’s return but finally concluded that it was gone. He stared at her. “You could have stopped it at any time.”
She met his eyes and nodded. “Yes.”
He continued to use his staff for support as he edged toward her. “You sought to make me admit my prejudices and insisted on teaching me what I didn’t want to see.”
“Yes.” She nodded again.
The old man fell silent and his hand stroked his long white hair while he looked at the ground. He stayed like that for several minutes before he slowly lifted his gaze and studied her face.
Tethis met her eyes without flinching and noted that they had transformed to their normal blue. “Thank you, Master Morgana.”
With a bow of his head, he turned away and took a few more steps toward his front door before he looked over his shoulder. “Please, come again some time. We shall speak of the Mysteries.” He focused on V’ritan and curled his lip. “But leave him behind. He can be a pain in the ass.”
Witch Of The Federation (Federal Histories Book 2) Page 53