Chapter 7
The Entrance Hall to Castle Morana flickered in hazy green candlelight. The marbled stone beneath Mal’s feet reflected the Magical lights that lined the ornate walls.
He moved through the castle, the Dread Magic he’d become one with, cleansing the land beyond the castle walls, lingered around him, trailing him like a ghost.
Twilight was endless in The Dread Lands. He’d no idea the hour, if it was late or early. He passed the vaulted windows, looking out over the dueling area floors below. It remained empty, just like the halls around him.
He stepped inside Abraxas’ office in Castle Morana, the only light illuminating the room was a set of twin tapers on either side of the desk.
Abraxas’ quill dropped at once and he stood. “My Prince,” he said, throwing his first over his heart. “Are you alright?”
Mal smiled softly and nodded. “How are things?” He paused. “Has Maeve arrived?”
He waltzed across the study and sat in one of the armchairs opposite Abraxas’ desk. He released a hefty sigh, still riding the high of Magic he’d encountered on his journey.
Abraxas didn’t return his smile. “Much has happened since your journey into the darkness of the Dread Lands.”
Mal’s smile faded, his stomach sinking. “How long have I been gone?” He asked.
Abraxas looked down at the desk, flipping over a calendar. “You don’t know?” He tried to ask casually.
Mal shook his head. “When I am infiltrating and altering the Magic here. . . I have no sense of time. It feels like I have only been gone for hours. A day at the most.”
Abraxas whistled and placed his palms flat on the desk. He sighed and looked up at Mal. “Well, your hours were two months’ time here at Castle Morana.”
Mal’s fingers gripped the armchair as his head reclined into the backrest. The euphoric feeling of triumph slipped away as his insides sank. His eyes closed as he spoke quietly. “How much time is that on Earth?”
“It varies,” said Abraxas, opening a drawer of the desk and pulling out a glass vial filled with opal liquid. “But if my calculations are correct, about six months.”
Mal’s eyes popped open and he ran his hands over his face.
“Here,” said Abraxas, rounding the desk and offering him the potion. “Astrea made it for you.”
He leaned forward in the chair and buried his face in his hands. “Six months,” he said slowly. “Have you spoken to her?”
Abraxas paused. “No. The Double O suspended all travel and communications to and from Earth. Magic cannot cross the lines of the realms. I’ve sent my mothers jay through small Portals I make, and I’ve written Maeve. Though, I’m not sure she’s even getting them.”
Mal looked up at him. “Six months,” he repeated.
Abraxas leaned against his desk. “Can you not feel her Magic?”
Mal shook his head. “I’ve never been able to feel her if I was here and she was on Earth.” He stood and ran his hands through his hair, pacing away from Abraxas. “I knew I should have kept her here. You and Roswyn insisted she needed to be on Earth to sway the Bellator to fight for me.”
Abraxas looked down. He did not bring up the fact that Maeve had not come willingly to Castle Morana since Mal’s coronation. “I have no doubt my cousin is safe. Before the Double O shut everything down, she was playing her part perfectly.”
Mal turned back towards him. “I am not concerned with that. She’s the most powerful being occupying that realm.” He turned away once more. “I left her for six months to bear the grief of her father’s death. Alone.”
“You couldn’t have known that much time would go by.”
“I couldn’t bring her with me,” he muttered.
“She knows that,” said Abraxas. “She knows it was dangerous. She couldn’t breathe when you took her beyond the gates.”
They stood in silence for a moment as Mal collected himself. He turned towards the door and walked away from Abraxas.
“Where are you going?” He asked.
Mal didn’t look back at him as he said, “To get my second and bring her home.”