Chapter 31
“W-w-what?” Remy shook his head, sure he didn’t hear correctly. Keeper of All Magic? I can’t be…my parents would have told me.
“Babe?” Carson saw the blood drain from his mate’s face before Remy’s body began to shiver.
Taking a throw off the back of the sofa, he wrapped it around his mate, pulling him tightly to his side.
Though he wasn’t sure it would work on a warlock, Carson sent out his alpha power, hoping it would soothe Remy.
“What do you want me to do?” Hunter asked, concern evident in his voice. “Does Remy need a doctor? I can call Mac and ask him.”
“No, not yet,” Carson said, rubbing Remy’s back while murmuring soothing words. When his mate had calmed down, he asked, “Babe? Better now?”
Nodding, Remy muttered, “Sorry.”
“Nothing to apologize for, babe, it was a shock to me too,” Carson said.
“You believe her?” Remy asked, his voice wobbling in disbelief.
“I have to…Oracle can’t lie,” Carson explained.
“But...but…I’m a low-level magic user,” Remy replied. “My parents would have told me. She can’t be right!”
Glancing over to Oracle, Carson said, “My mate has a good point.”
“Remy,” Oracle said softly, “all magic users the Fates have chosen to be the Keeper of All Magic have little magic. Why that is, I cannot tell you. Your parents only found out when you made your first light sphere. ”
“Why didn’t they tell me?” cried Remy.
“My guess is that they were trying to protect you,” Oracle said. “I am sure they were afraid of what would happen to you if the Witches’ Governing Council found out.”
“They were,” whispered Remy, remembering his parents’ reaction when they found him playing with the light sphere.
“I get it that telling Remy about it when he was a child wasn’t a good thing to do,” Carson said, “but why not when he was older?”
“For the same reason,” Oracle replied. “Remy had not claimed his Fated Mate and until that happened, his life was in danger.”
“My parents only told me not to do it because it was dangerous. I thought they meant I could hurt someone,” Remy murmured, leaning heavily against Carson’s side.
“No, they feared you would become a target if it was discovered,” Oracle said.
“Why? Just because I could make light spheres didn’t give me more magic.”
“Didn’t you tell me you used it to locate Henri?” asked Carson. “Maybe there are other things you can do with it.”
“I don’t think so…that’s the only thing I ever did with it,” Remy said, biting his lower lip.
“If I understand Oracle,” Hunter said, “then what you can do is rare, and I bet there are tons of assholes who’d like to possess it. Since there isn’t any other way to acquire your ability, your value to someone who wants it is through the roof. ”
His cousin was right, Carson thought. “Is that why the Governing Council wants my mate?”
“No…” Oracle replied.
“Mystia told me they want to remove my magic,” said Remy.
“When did you meet Mystia?” asked Carson.
“The night before you arrived. She put a spell on me and my brothers.”
“What kind of spell?” growled Carson.
“She hid us from the Governing Council guards,” replied Remy. “She said they were searching for me to lock me up and strip me of my magic.”
“Is that true?” Carson asked Oracle.
Sighing, Oracle said, “Yes, Mystia believes the Governing Council wants to put an end to the power the Keeper of All Magic has over them, but she doesn’t know exactly why.
It began when the members of the governing board were informed that the previous Keeper of All Magic’s health was declining and that a new one would soon be born to take his place.
“A plan was hatched and put into motion by a few of the members of the board that seemed reasonable to the rest of the members. Laws were passed that would identify every low-level magic user by requiring birth certificates to include information about who they were…which would then be accessible to the Governing Council. This allowed the rogue members to overcome the first hurdle…”
“Finding all low-level magic users,” Carson said.
“Correct…once that law was passed,” Oracle continued, “it was easy to get the rest of the members to agree to ha ve all low-level magic users tested when they came of age. If they could not make a light sphere, they were then forced into a life of servitude.”
“Why weren’t the magic users allowed to return to their families once they failed the light sphere test?” asked Fionn.
“It posed too much of a risk to the leaders,” growled Carson.
“Yes, it did,” Oracle nodded, “by stripping away the low-level users’ rights to have any contact with their families, no one would find out the real purpose behind the discriminative laws.”
“So that’s why my parents claimed I died shortly after my birth,” said Remy.
“Exactly,” Oracle concurred. “Not everyone supported these new laws…your parents among them…so they did what they thought was morally right. By filing a false death report, they were protecting you and keeping you from a life they felt the Witches’ Governing Council had no right to condemn you to.”
“If they didn’t want to strip me of my magic, then what did they want me for?” asked Remy.
“To keep you from finding your Fated Mate. Without one, you could not become Keeper of All Magic and they could then force you to make light spheres to be used for their personal gain,” Oracle replied.
“When you showed your parents the first one, the unscrupulous members redoubled their efforts to find you. But they never thought a false death certificate would be filed and for that to thwart them.”
“So now that Remy’s found his Fated Mate, what’s next?” asked Hunter .
Smiling, Oracle replied, “He is now the most powerful magic user on the earth. All of Hecate’s magic now resides in him for him to use as he sees fit…including the disbanding of the Witches’ Governing Council if he so chooses.”
“What about the laws condemning other low-level users to slavery?” asked Remy.
“It’s up to you because your word is final,” Oracle said. “You are the Ruler of the Mystic Realm which means each magic user must obey you and abide by your decisions.”
“So, I can abolish those laws?” asked Remy.
“Yes, you can,” Oracle said. “And you can also return low-level magic users to their families and require compensation to be paid for their years of free labor.”
“What about my brothers? Are they safe?” asked Remy.
“Yes, any magic user that dares to threaten them will regret it,” Oracle said.
“How?” Carson asked, keen to be assured his family would be safe.
“Because you are Remy’s Mystic Guardian,” Oracle replied. “The mark on your back identifies you as such. No one will ever be able to harm your mate or his brothers.”
“How come?” asked Hunter. “Does his wolf possess magic?”
“Not quite,” Oracle said. “A Mystic Guardian has a unique set of powers to protect the Keeper of All Magic from any attempts to control, injure or kill him and he is as powerful as the Keeper, but in a different way.”
“And I have those abilities now?” asked Carson .
“Yes, as soon as Remy’s mark appeared on you, the powers were activated,” Oracle said.
“What can Carson do?” asked Hunter. “They have to be pretty intense if they match Remy’s.”
“While Remy is the Keeper of All Magic, a Mystic Guardian is the destroyer of all magic, able to remove a magic user’s powers permanently.”
“Holy moley!” Fionn exclaimed. “Let me get this straight, Remy can give someone magic and Carson can take it away?”
“Yes,” Oracle said.
“Will it work on all kinds of magic?” Remy asked.
“Yes, just as no one has magic as powerful as yours, no level of magic is immune from Carson’s power,” Oracle explained.
“Can a magic user cast a spell on Carson to block his power?” asked Remy.
“No…a Mystic Guardian is impervious to all kinds of magic,” answered Oracle. “It would be foolhardy for any magic user to try because the Guardian also has the power to kill if the Keeper of All Magic is threatened by anyone.”
“How can I make sure Galen, Eamon, and Rune are safe if I’m not with them?
For instance, when they go out with Mrs. B?
” asked Carson. “I’m sure magic users know the Keeper of All Magic is protected so I don’t see anyone trying to target Remy but the boys could be kidnapped and used to force my mate to do what’s demanded of him in order to save his brothers. ”
“There are a number of options you have,” Oracle replied, “but the easiest might be for you to cast a field around them to prevent anyone from using magic on them.”
“Anti-magic,” Remy murmured, “my parents taught me about that.”
“Yes, as your Mystic Guardian, that is exactly what Carson can do. When the Fates were given this task, they insisted that the Keeper have someone to protect him from other magic users’ greed and jealousy. It is the reason you could not become the Keeper until you found your Fated Mate.”
“Anti-magic is the one thing most feared by all magic users,” Remy said.
“And rightly so,” Oracle agreed. “Once the Mystic Guardian removes someone’s magic, there is no way for it to be restored.”
“Not even by Remy?” asked Hunter.
“No, not even by the Keeper himself,” Oracle said.
“Holy shit, cuz,” Hunter smirked, “you should be dressed in a long, black coat with a hood…you are one bad-assed dude.”
“Hunter’s right, Carsy,” Remy murmured, “with one minor correction…you are my bad-assed dude.”
“Always, babe,” Carson replied, kissing his mate.
“What happened to the old Keeper? Did he die when Remy was born?” asked Fionn.
“No, because he had all of Hecate’s magic which could only be passed on to the new Keeper when he claimed his Fated Mate,” Oracle said.
“When Remy claimed Carson, marking him as his Mystic Guardian, the old Keeper died along with his Mystic Guardian. That was the moment, Remy became the most powerful magic user on earth.”
There was awed silence in the room, before Carson asked, “What about the Council guards who are searching for my mate? Do they know about it or is there something we should do to…I don’t know…announce it?” asked Carson.
Oracle smiled. “As much as you might prefer to do it by announcement, in this case, a visit to the Witches Governing Council is necessary. Not only will it serve as official notice of who you are, but as the new Keeper of All Magic you might want to issue orders for any changes to be made regarding the members, laws, or even the existence of the council itself. However, I will notify them that I have completed my task.”
“Are there any others who have anti-magic abilities?” asked Carson.
“No,” Oracle replied, “only the Mystic Guardian possesses it.”
“Oh, right…that makes sense.”
“Carsy, why do you want to know?” asked Remy.
Shrugging, Carson replied, “If there was, I thought I could find out how to use my power. According to Oracle, there’s a bunch of stuff I can do and before we meet with the Governing Council, I should at least know how to protect you.”
“Maybe Mystia can help,” Remy suggested.
“The Keeper is right, Carson,” said Oracle. “Mystia has an extensive library which contains the book you need.”
“What about me?” asked Remy. “It would be helpful if I understood the role the Keeper has in the magic world. ”
“I believe you will find what you need there also,” Oracle said, smiling.
“That’s a real hel…” Remy began to say before he was interrupted by the front door slamming open.
“Reeemmmeeee!” Eamon screamed, “Gally got hurt…he’s bleedin’.” Running into the living room, he flung himself into his brother’s arms. “Reeemmmee, Gally’s dyin’ I killing him…I’m sorwy…I sorwy,”
“No, you didn’t, sweetie…where is Gally?” Remy asked, trying to calm his brother down. When Eamon didn’t answer, he looked at his mate. “Mrs. B took them to the house south of here for a play date. Could you go…”
“On my way,” Carson replied, rising quickly, heading for the door.
“Do you need any help?” Hunter asked.
“I’ll let you know…please stay here and keep my mate safe.
” After seeing his cousin nod, Carson ran outside, finding the path to take him where Galen was.
Fear flared in him, giving wings to his feet.
I can’t lose Galen . No, please, please…
he’s just a little boy…please! Rounding a bend, he saw Mrs. B holding Rune in her arms while struggling to keep a patch of gauze on Galen’s forehead.
“Hey, Mrs. B,” Carson called, slowing down so as not to scare Galen. “I came to help.”
“You are a lifesaver,” replied Mrs. B. “Galen tripped over his brother and cut his forehead. Is Eamon home?”
“Yes, he is,” Carson said, kneeling down in front of Galen. “Hey, buddy, can I look at your forehead?”
“Am I dyin’? Eamon said I was dyin’,” Galen cried, tears streaming down his cheeks .
Lifting up the gauze, Carson found a small, deep cut and was relieved to see the bleeding was already slowing. Pressing it back against the wound, he asked, “Galen, can you put your hand over the bandage for a minute?”
“O-o-kay,” Galen sniffled.
Carson pulled his shirt out of his pants and tore a strip off the bottom of it.
Placing his hand on the gauze patch, he said to Galen, “Okay, I got it now.” Then he carefully wrapped the shirt strip around the boy’s head over the gauze, before tying the ends to keep it in place. “There, now you look like a pirate.”
“I do?”
“Yup, let’s go show Remy.” Scooping Galen up, Carson headed back to the cottage.
“Am I goin’ to have a scar?”
“Do you want a scar?” asked Carson.
“Yeah…pirates always has scars,” Galen said, touching the bandage. “Will it be big?”
“No, buddy, not that big,” Carson smiled.
“But big enough to see, right Carsso?” asked Galen.
“Yup, big enough to see.”
“Cool! Wait until Eamon sees it…he’s gonna want one. He always wants what I have.”
“That’s because he wants to be like you.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yup. I used to follow my older brothers around because I thought they were cool.”
“Did they mind? Sometimes I wish he didn’t. ”
“I can understand that. Sometimes, you just want to do something by yourself.”
Galen’s eyes widened. “You know?”
“I do,” Carson said. “Being a big brother is a lot of responsibility.”
“What’s sponsibilty?” asked Galen.
“Well, Eamon feels safe with you…he knows you will protect him…”
“I do…I always protect him,” Galen said, solemnly.
“Yeah, I know you do because you’re a good big brother,” Carson said. “That makes you responsible.”
“Uh-huh, I’m sponsibilty,” Galen smiled.
“Like a captain should be. Let’s go show your brother you’re okay,” Carson said, opening the front door of the cottage.