Chapter 30 Lex
Lex
Something about Rohak’s movements unnerved me tonight.
It was like he was on edge, constantly fighting a demon only he could see.
The fact that the need to release his magic was so desperate it pushed him from bed in the middle of the night had my hackles rising.
Not for the first time, I wondered how he was able to draw so much power for so long without any consequences.
After his return from Hestin, he’d seen more withdrawn; deep shadows cast beneath his eyes at all hours of the day, and he’d taken to barricading himself in his office here at the Academy. I wasn’t going to complain—I liked having Rohak close—but his mannerisms were odd, and I worried for him.
Which is why Ilyas and I agreed to accompany him to the training yard. I wasn’t necessarily concerned for my own safety, even though Rohak was the most powerful Destruction Mage in recorded history, but I was concerned for his safety.
If he needed someone to pull him out of the embrace of his magic, Ilyas and I would do our best to ensure that happened.
The training grounds were predictably empty at this time of night, the cadets asleep in their quarters, and instructors either also asleep or planning lessons for the following day. Most of my plans were finished, and I was in desperate need of a distraction—both for my body and my mind.
Sasori was abruptly called away to the manor this morning by one of Lord d’Refan’s personal guards.
That part wasn’t concerning, because they were from the same territory, Lord d’Refan often consulted her on various aspects regarding Samyr, especially since Sasori came to Vespera much later than Lord d’Refan.
What did concern Ilyas and me was her flippant dismissal of us when she was called; there was no discussion, no forewarning.
She simply packed a small day bag and left our rooms without so much as a goodbye.
Sasori was always a bit standoffish and cold—over the years, I’d attributed that to her natural personality, simply heightened by our Forced Bond. But her attitude had grown increasingly worse over the past few months, ever since Rohak asked me to be his eyes and ears in Vespera.
Obviously I’d told my Vessels of our assignment as they would have to follow me wherever I went, hear what I heard. But I was starting to second-guess my open communication with both Vessels as well as Sasori’s trustworthiness.
If she and Lord d’Refan were growing close . . . what did that mean for us? The thought of having to pick between my Vessel and the man whom I admired and trusted more than anyone else caused acid to burn in my throat.
She wouldn’t make me do that.
I shook my head free of the troubling thoughts as Ilyas and Rohak worked to set up a variety of targets for Rohak’s magic.
Rocks, straw bales, and wooden structures were readily available, and Rohak could easily disintegrate them with little harm done.
One of the Earth Mage cadets would simply have to construct more of each tomorrow during their training.
It was a win-win situation, in all honesty.
The training yard was large and partitioned into sections based on each magical affinity, with one long open section in the middle.
This portion was used to simulate battles, allowing Mages to attack while others stayed out of harm’s way in their element-based sections.
There was a large obsidian platform on the far edge of the yard, made for instructors to stand upon and watch as Mages learned to hone their magic.
At one time, it was Rohak who stood upon that dais; now, the instructors rotated through classes with their group of cadets.
My time would come soon enough, even though I’d just started a new cycle of cadets—the first part of their training was all in the classroom, learning magical theory.
It was dull, but important.
Rohak removed his cloak, tossing it to the hard-packed earth as he made his way into the center of the yard. The tension was high in his shoulders, and I watched as a small tendril of the ashes and embers of Rohak’s magic snaked out of his skin.
My eyebrows hit my hairline as Ilyas and I took that as our sign to scamper to safety.
Rohak never lost control like that over his magic—it must be riding him hard right now.
The targets were positioned at the far end, near the base of the raised platform, and Rohak took ten large steps away from them before turning and stretching his hands out in front of him.
The movement was unnecessary; Mages didn’t need to wave their hands to activate or guide their magic, but many had quirks or motions that helped us concentrate and pull from our Vessels or crystals.
Immediately, power sprang to Rohak’s hands, burning so bright that it lit the entire training yard.
With little coaxing, the diaphanous strands of magic coiled away from Rohak’s body, floating toward the targets at an alarming speed.
Within seconds, his Destruction Magic curled around the boulders, disintegrating them to less than dust in an instant.
Rohak didn’t even move his hands before the wisps turned and whipped toward the hay bales, devouring without compunction.
I reluctantly pulled my eyes from the awe-inspiring display to carefully watch Rohak’s face and body for any tells of distress or discomfort. Sweat beaded on his brow, and the muscles in his arms seemed to shake with the force of his magic.
Is he still holding back?
His lips peeled back in a snarl, exposing white, clenched teeth as the muscle in his jaw feathered and jumped. Rohak’s normally styled black hair stuck to his forehead, and his eyes were squeezed closed—in pain or concentration, I couldn’t tell.
He cried out, a sound that was swallowed by the cracking of timber as his magic leapt from one target to the next, and Ilyas moved to spring from the safety of our barrier.
I put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “No, I’ll go.”
Ilyas turned his ocean-blue eyes to me, worry etched deep in his gaze and in the set of his brow.
“I cannot risk you, Lex.” There was pain in his voice, but it was covered with a healthy dose of fear.
Ilyas fears Rohak right now.
I shook my head. “It has to be me, Ilyas. He knows me. Trusts me. If you go to stop him, I don’t know what he’ll do.”
Before Ilyas could respond, I touched my hand to the Mage Orb, immediately retracting the barrier before stepping onto the training yard.
Rohak’s magic had yet to wane; it even appeared stronger than before, the strands thicker like Rohak had lost control.
I watched in terrified fascination as his magic jumped from the logs to lick along the columns that separated each of the elemental holds.
It took longer, but soon Rohak’s magic had consumed the four points and the Mage Orb that created the section reserved for Pain Mages.
Shit. He’ll destroy the whole training field if he can’t rein it in. And, if his magic still wasn’t satisfied at that point, it would come for the two living things in the arena: Ilyas and I.
I didn’t think twice, I closed the short distance between Rohak and me in a sprint, stopping just next to him without touching his skin. Who knew what would happen if I placed my hand on his shoulder.
“Rohak!” I shouted, trying to draw his attention and disrupt his concentration, but it was like I wasn’t even there. His eyes were clouded with embers, his soul lost to the pull of his Destruction Magic.
Fuck, this is worse than I thought.
I stepped to the side, still in Rohak’s peripheral but far enough away from the deluge of magic.
It was loud here, this close to him, and hotter than I anticipated.
It’d been years since we’d had a Destruction Mage cadet at the Academy.
The cadet wasn’t part of my group, so, apart from the few times I’d seen Rohak release pieces of his magic during battle, this was the closest I’d ever been to Destruction Magic.
No wonder they were the most feared Mages in Elyria.
“Rohak!” I shouted again, cupping my hands around my mouth to no avail. I combed my hands anxiously through my hair, leaving it sticking on end, when I saw it: a trickle of blood from Rohak’s right ear and a twin stream from his right nostril.
Holy fuck. Mage Sickness—it’s going to eat him alive.
Without any thought, I did the most idiotic thing I could think of—I moved in front of Rohak’s outstretched hands, almost directly in the path of his magic. I held my breath, praying to any god that would listen, that this was not my end.
I felt the tickle of power against my tunic as shards of his power ripped at my clothing, consuming without thought. The feeling moved to my neck and face, and I screamed in pain as pieces of my flesh were ripped from my body.
Instantly, the heat evaporated, the feeling of claws digging into my body stopped, but the pain remained.
I doubled over, palms flat on the dry earth as I heaved shuddering breaths through my lungs.
There were splotches of angry, red skin on the back of my hands and a few areas that looked like they were burned beyond recognition, and I wondered what my face looked like.
Fuck, that hurt.
“Lex?” Rohak’s broken voice whispered. “Oh, fuck, Lex.”
The thundering of heavy footsteps sounded next to me, and I was scooped into Ilyas’ strong arms, his ocean scent washing over me in waves, calming the depths of my soul. I clung to his neck with one arm and buried my face into his chest.
“How could you?” Ilyas snarled at Rohak. I patted his chest to get him to stop, but the pain was wreaking havoc on my system, and I was unable to choke any words out. “You were killing him! You need to figure out how to get a lid on that power, General. Or you’re going to regret it.”
Rohak was silent, but I could feel the fury and sadness wafting off of him, my power aching to use his emotions to fill our own reserves.
“Take him to the manor. Use the back door. Third door on the left will be the healer we have on staff. Tell her I sent you and to use whatever she needs to heal him.” Rohak’s voice was wooden and dead, devoid of all emotion.
My breathing came in panting gasps as I fought consciousness.
“It’s . . . okay . . . General . . .” I wheezed and felt Ilyas vibrate with barely restrained violence.
“It is certainly not okay,” his voice echoed with fury. “Think about what I said, General. You might also want to get that bloody nose looked at. Seems like your power is doing more than just killing other people.”
With that, Ilyas strode fast away from Rohak. My head bumped against his hard chest, and I lost the battle with consciousness.