Chapter 37 Declan #4
“I don’t have any experience with the eastern border, but Rangers I know who served on that side of the country talk about the border states like they’re backward, stubborn children, always squabbling. You’re right about them being useless in a fight. Who else is there?
The islands barely have roads, much less standing armies.”
“The islands may not hold great cities or armies, but they contain something far more powerful.” Atikus glanced away. “The help only magic can give.”
My head snapped up.
My brow creased.
Simmering rage bubbled deep within.
Spirits, I don’t even have a Gift.
Why wasn’t the old Mage talking to Keelan about this . . . or Sil . . . or Ridley . . . or anyone else who wore that stupid collar?
The more I thought about it, the angrier I became.
It was like Atikus was dangling the one thing I’d wanted my whole life, and I knew it would get yanked away before I could grasp it.
Atikus seemed to read my mind and snapped with the tone of a disappointed father, “Declan, look at me. This is too important to let your personal grievance cloud your judgement.”
I turned and faced the only father I’d ever known, matching his scowl. “Nothing is clouding my judgement.”
Atikus ignored my protest. “What I’m about to tell you has been passed from Arch Mage to Arch Mage for thousands of years. I may be the only person in our lifetime to know this secret beyond our own Arch Mage, which is why he ordered me to join this party.
You must guard this with your life and reveal it to no one, not even your brother. Do you understand?”
I nodded cautiously. “Go on.”
“Rea Utu, southeast of the coast of Drea, is more than the capital of a small island nation; it is the very heart of magic itself—some say the birthplace of magic.
Deep in one of the mountains that shelters the village lies a wellspring the Arch Mage believes is the source of magic and the heart of the natural world.
“There are legends about the place. Most are ridiculous and designed to scare children into their beds, but one kernel of truth weaves its way through all these stories: living in the mountain, as the protector of magic, is a person known only as the Keeper. They are said to be the wisest among us,
possessing an understanding of magic like no other.”
I huffed in annoyance. “There’s a thousand miles of land and over fifty miles of ocean between us and Rea Utu. The Kingdom Army is at our backs. How can any of this help?”
“I’m getting there,” Atikus snapped. “The Keeper doesn’t simply have a Gift; they actually commune with magic at its source. The way it was explained to me, the Keeper doesn’t actually wield magic so much as they speak to it, and it flows through them. I’m sorry.
What we know was passed down through the centuries. It’s vague and confusing.”
My head swiveled, listening for approaching enemies, my patience wearing thin with this ridiculous tale.
“Declan, the point is this. Appealing to the Keeper for aid is our ultimate safeguard when all else has failed. We are out of cards to play, and we need help if Melucia is going to survive.”
“Again, I don’t see what this has to do with me.” Acid dripped from my every word.
“Declan, for once in your life, stop being angry and listen.”
Atikus let out an exasperated sigh. “Trust the Arch Mage if you can’t trust me. Keelan and his team have a different mission. We don’t understand what’s going on with these missing women, but we believe it has something to do with the Kingdom’s recent military buildup and potential aggression.
There are too many coincidences tying things together, and Keelan is the best investigator we’ve got. You know I won’t make it on my own, and I think Keelan may need my Telepathy before his search is over. You’re all we have left. We need you to do this in my place, to appeal to the Keeper.”
“Atikus, we don’t even know for sure that war is coming—or if your Keeper is even real,” I argued stubbornly.
“Yes, we do. In your heart, you know it, even if you don’t want to admit it. Spirits, none of us wants to admit it, but war is still coming.” He closed his eyes and tilted his head back so it pressed to the wood of the tree.
Atikus looked like he aged a thousand years in that moment.
“Declan, I’ve known you since you were barely old enough to walk. I know you’re still searching for where you belong and what you should be—who you should be—but right now, I also know that this is your journey.
It’s time for you to believe that you are here for something larger than yourself and accept the calling before you.”
I stared at him with caution and disbelief—and more than a little curiosity. A moment later, I nodded. “Fine, I’ll go, but only if Ayden comes with me.”
“No,” Atikus said with finality. A distance entered his gaze, then he refocused on me. “This must be you alone. This was a secret never meant to be shared. We cannot risk another owning this knowledge . . . not even one as close to you as Ayden.”
His words fell about my shoulders like links of iron, though I couldn’t decide in that moment whether it was his implication or his refusal that nettled me more.
I blanched. “What do you mean no? You need me—”
“Declan, we don’t have time for this. You must go, or Melucia will die. Everyone you love will die. Keelan and I . . . we will die. You must go, and only you. Please, if you have ever trusted me, trust me on this.”
I gaped, searching the old man’s eyes for any sign of deceit or exaggeration, but finding only desperation and hope.
“Okay,” I said, my voice barely audible above the breeze. “Fine.”
Atikus peered up, gripping his arms in both hands.
I reached out to brace him again, to take him to Keelan and Sil, but the Mage stopped me with yet another raised palm.
“There’s more,” Atikus said.
I cocked a brow. “Really? More than you sending me across the world to chase down magic’s last hope?”
“I am not too old to bend you over my knee, Declan Rea.” In any other situation, I would’ve doubled over laughing, but the steel in Atikus’s eyes froze me in place. “What I’m about to tell you has security implications you’ll appreciate more than any of us.”
Atikus waited for me to hold eye contact before continuing.
“There’s a cave in these mountains that contains an ancient gate. It is one of a pair, the only pair known to still exist. When a person passes through this gate, they are transported directly to its twin in the mountains of Rea Utu.”
Atikus removed a folded parchment from inside his coat and handed it to me. I opened it and stared in disbelief.
“You mapped the mountains, both here and on the island, from memory?”
“Oh, son, you forget my Gift. I could draw every hair on your younger two-year-old head even today.” Atikus smiled wistfully before continuing.
I studied the sketch as Atikus spoke. “The gate is not on the same mountain as the Keeper.
You’ll likely need to go into the village for supplies, maybe even rest for the night, then head to the Keeper’s domain.
No one knows what the Keeper looks like, and some fables spin the tale they appear to each person differently, in a way that he or she will best receive their teaching. You’ll have to use your best judgement.
“Inhabitants of the island differ greatly from our people. For a tall, pasty mountain man like you, blending in will be impossible. You should expect to be watched by skeptical eyes the moment you set foot on the island.”
“Sounds familiar,” I grumbled.
“Oh, remember this, don’t tell any of the locals where you’re headed. The Keeper is sacred on the island. You’re likely to earn more enemies than friends if they find out you’re looking for them.”
“All right. Is there anything else I should know? Secret mission, magical gate, island, hostile villagers, mysterious Keeper person. Nothing else?” I hadn’t meant to sound sarcastic, but the moment was so ridiculously surreal that it flowed freely.
Atikus again ignored my snark. “Only to be careful and try to learn something while you’re there. Visiting Rea Utu has been a dream of mine from the day I first heard of the place.”
He was quiet for a moment, and a deep sadness entered his eyes.
“And son, just know that . . . that I’m sorry. Please don’t ask why. Just forgive me when you have the chance.”
I stared in confusion, expecting more.
No more came.
A half hour later, we rejoined the others. Atikus took the initiative, speaking before anyone else could start. “Declan has new orders.”
Ayden stepped forward, eyes fixed on me. I tried not to wither beneath his gaze.