Chapter 24
CHAPTER
Nicron and his fellow mages led us through the forest until we reached a dirt path.
“It won’t be long now,” he assured us.
I felt stressed. I wasn’t easily bothered by anything, and even becoming a part of the Ashen Corps didn’t make me nervous or uncertain; I knew I had what it took to be one of them.
Here, though? Mey and I were newbies at everything concerning magic, since I had rejected mine for so long and she had no idea she even had it. But not only that, most of the people we brought with us had none, and the mages didn’t know about it. Would they kill them if they found out?
The thought alone put me on edge, wanting to keep close to the rest of the group.
We crested a hill and our eyes met with the ‘camp’ that waited down below on the other side.
It was more of a village, at least in my eyes, with a large building at the center, and a myriad of houses built around it.
Some open spaces that looked like shooting ranges, but the people were firing magic at the targets instead of bullets.
The architecture of the buildings was fancier than anything we had seen, a different material that looked smooth and tough compared to the rough and ramshackle buildings back home.
“Wow,” Nate exhaled behind me.
“We’re far away from home,” Lionel murmured quietly, not sure if it reached Nicron’s ears or not.
I swallowed. They considered this their camp. It made me wonder, how did a village or city look in their eyes?
Nicron turned, eyes on me. “There,” he pointed towards the central building. “That’s our base, where our leader will meet with you, fire mage.”
I nodded, but I saw in the corner of my eyes, how Lionel flinched at the words ‘fire mage’.
“You’re put into categories depending on your type of magic?” Lionel asked carefully.
Nicron gazed at him. “Sort of… although, your friend here is one of a kind.”
Lionel stiffened at the words, but he never glanced at me, as if refusing to let himself do it.
Instead, I peeked over at Malakai who was watching the towering building in the middle.
His magic was one of a kind too, or at least that’s what I gathered.
I had never seen or heard of blood magic, and when I asked if he was going to show it off before, he had told me ‘they couldn’t handle it’.
I’d assumed that this was what he had meant, that it was foreign to them as well.
Their interest in me was obvious, but I wondered what it meant for us all.
Would they want to use me, or craft an alliance with me because of it?
It wasn’t as if they couldn’t produce fire, everyone knew how to make campfires after all. They simply couldn’t control it. And neither could I, at least not in my current state.
“Did he know?” I heard Lionel’s low voice next to me as we walked. “The Lieutenant.”
I glanced over at him, but his focus was straight ahead. “He figured it out.”
Lionel clenched his teeth, clearly not happy about it, but I was done lying. He went back to being quiet again, and I felt uneasy about not knowing what he was thinking.
We continued down the slope, noticing that they had no barbed wires around the village, but stone fences, with a thick layer of vines covering them.
Once we passed them, we saw others running around. Children playing, creating snowballs and mud balls, water and a surge of air, as they played with each other. They looked genuinely happy.
“Do you have magic beyond the elements?” I asked.
Nicron turned slightly as he continued walking. “No, there is no other magic besides the elements.”
I nodded slowly. Maybe blood magic was a demon thing.
I saw a woman smudging something into a crack in her house, then freezing it with ice. She was hardening the material faster by chilling it, the display made my jaw drop.
“Can we get a tour?” Ashley gasped, trying to decide where to look first.
“After you’ve been approved, perhaps,” Nicron chuckled low.
“Look,” Mey gasped, as she pointed towards a man who used his water powers to nurture his garden. Nate smiled at his sister’s reaction, patting her head.
Finally, we arrived at the stairs leading to a platform surrounding the main building. Two guards were posted outside the double doors, and another pair stood at the very top of the stairs.
I wondered if it was in case someone broke in from the outside, or if it was meant to keep the villagers away too.
As Nicron took the lead, the guards saluted him and opened the doors without exchanging a single word.
His two fellow mages gave him a glance, nodding, before they took a different path.
“Follow me,” Nicron waved at us.
Inside was a large rug, stretching from the doorway all the way to the end of the hallway.
They had paintings on the walls, beautiful stone flooring, the likes of which I had never seen before, in a light grey color and the walls made out of the same material.
The ceiling was high, our footsteps echoing down the hallway.
Plants had been spread out along the way, adding color against the pale walls.
“Maybe you should take the lead,” I whispered, giving Malakai a faint nudge.
“Getting cold feet, are we?” he asked, as if finding amusement in my lack of confidence.
“You’re the… squad leader,” I muttered dryly.
“Tell you what, I’ll take care of it… in exchange for one thing.”
“What?”
“Say ‘please Malakai, help me’ three times,” he taunted, sending a challenging glance towards me.
“Please, stop being a jerk,” I snapped and he responded with a mocking laugh.
Nicron stopped at the double doors at the far end of the hallway, looking back at us. “Our leader is beyond these doors.”
Malakai placed a hand on my shoulder, his grip firm. “Stay close, kitten.”
I nodded, as I felt my pulse racing. Nicron opened the doors himself and he strolled in ahead of us.
“You’re back awfully early, aren’t you, Nicron?
” a voice echoed in the chamber. Stepping inside, I was taken aback by the beauty of the room, almost forgetting why we were here.
The rug continued up to the center of the room, where a table was placed with a few figures seated on chairs around it.
They had beautiful dark curtains around the full-sized windows, which were open at the moment, letting the chilly air inside.
In the ceiling was a large chandelier, and from the looks of it, it was made out of pure gold.
Perfectly carved statues of different sizes decorated the otherwise bare walls, along with a few plants with vividly colored flowers hanging from them which were placed in vases in corners. Shelves stretching all the way to the ceiling were stuffed with books.
“I picked up some strays along the way, sir,” Nicron’s answer cut through, returning my focus to the situation at hand.
“Oh?” the voice mused, as the figure placed at the edge of the table rose to his feet. The man looked regal, with his golden hair styled neatly backwards, only a few unruly strands hanging forward. His light brown eyes looked me up and down, as if evaluating me on the spot. “More refugees?”
“Sort of,” Nicron scoffed, before he looked over at me. “But a gem amongst them.”
“Do tell.”
Malakai shifted, a slow step forward, as their eyes swept towards him. No threats, no words, but he placed himself right next to me, crossing his arms over his chest as he claimed the space around me.
It was as if he was silently saying ‘don’t underestimate us’.
A smirk spread on the lips of the man in charge and Nicron nodded slightly, as if admiring Malakai’s reckless taunt.
“A fire mage,” Nicron continued.
The man slowly stalked around the table, leaving the others around it to wait for him in silence. Nicron waved at us and I took a step forward. Malakai followed, even though Nicron glared at him.
“Welcome,” the blonde man smiled. “I’m Michlael, and I’m in charge of this base, Runora.”
“I’m Ethalyn,” I said, my voice slightly shaking, but I hoped they didn’t notice. “The fire mage… And these are my friends.”
“Show me,” Michlael ordered, his voice soft as if begging, but firm enough to relay that I had no other option.
No pressure then. I pressed my lips together as I brought up my hands. Malakai’s eyes burned beside me, making sure I was aware that he’d make sure I would be punished if I failed.
“Don’t be shy,” Michlael added, unintentionally interrupting my focus and adding more nerves to my fuel instead.
Shit.
A moment of hesitation, as I looked back at Lionel, his eyes were fully focused on me, but I couldn’t read his expression. Was he as eager as them, or pained to be reminded of my lies?
I saw how Eve placed a hand on his arm, and he bent slightly as she whispered something to him. It was all I needed, my blood boiled, pain emerging as I witnessed what my betrayal had led to. They were closer now than before, hating mages together, hating me, together.
I ignited in an instant, as I turned forward again. Tears threatened at the corners of my eyes, but I kept them at bay, focusing on the anger, fueling my flames as they climbed up my arms.
“Fascinating,” Michlael exhaled, his eyes widened in surprise. “A rare gem indeed.”
“Why?” I asked, my anger also making me foolishly brave to question.
“Because we haven’t had a fire mage in a few decades,” Michlael confessed, his voice lowering. “With all of the elements at our disposal… we’d be able to create new things.”
“Like what?” I asked carefully.
He tilted his head at me, and I knew I was pushing it but I did it anyway. “Fusing all four elements into a single material creates something more powerful than anything found naturally. It could be used for a number of things, impenetrable shields for example.”
My flames diminished a bit, but kept burning. “So you’ll accept us?”
Michlael took a deep breath as he studied me and began playing with his fingers against his chin. “Hmm…” He slowly walked back and forth, as if thinking. “While you are rare indeed, I prefer to not favor one above another. We Aetherions wish to let everyone have a chance to prove themselves.”
Aetherion, that’s what they called themselves?
“What will you have me do, then?” I pressed on.
He scoffed at my eagerness, as a lazy smile played on his lips, while he looked back at the others surrounding the table. They nodded, as if they were communicating in silence.
“Here, we go through a rite of passage; succeed and you’ll pass,” Michlael continued.
Shit, I can’t put the others through that…
“I’ll do it, alone,” I answered, straightening myself as if to intimidate him.
He looked a bit baffled by my reply, but he merely pouted while thinking about it, before he shrugged. “Sure.”
“When do I start?” I asked, trying to push on before he regretted his decision.
“Tomorrow,” he nodded. “You all look tired and starved… Nicron, won’t you show our guests to the dining hall? While they eat, find rooms for them at the inn to freshen up… then, you are all welcome to join tonight’s ball.”
“A what?” Mey’s eyes widened and she didn’t realise her words slipped out before it was too late. But Michlael merely chuckled in response to her.
“Yes, you had perfect timing; we’re holding our annual ball tonight, just upstairs. We put on a magical show and dance all night, celebrating the gift of life.”
No words were needed, I saw Mey’s eyes beaming with curiosity—this definitely seemed like something she’d dreamed of doing.
“Nicron will see to it that you’ll receive clothing for the occasion as well,” Michlael smiled, drinking in Mey’s enthusiasm.
“Of course, sir,” Nicron answered politely, as he began walking towards us, signaling with his hand for us to turn around.
“Thanks,” I stammered, not sure if it was needed or not, but it felt right.
Malakai grabbed my arm and pulled me along, as if I had dwelled too long already.
“Food, food, food!” Ashley began chanting once out in the hallway.
“Finally something besides potatoes… right?” Nate asked, hesitant.
“We have lots to choose from, I’m sure something will fit your taste,” Nicron sneered at him.
“Do you know anything about the trials?” I whispered to Malakai.
“No,” he answered flatly. “But you’ll get through them all the same.”
“How can you be so sure?” I frowned.
He glanced down at me, a slow vicious smirk appearing on his lips. “If you don’t, you’ll have to deal with me, sweetie.”
I furrowed my brows at him and he snapped his teeth together, telling me he’d devour me if I failed. A shiver went down my spine as I pictured it in my head, and I nodded slowly. “Yep, I’ll get through them.”
Something moved at my other side and when I glanced my gaze collided with Lionel’s who looked silently back and forth between us. I opened my mouth to explain, but he averted his eyes before giving me a chance to speak, continuing away from us.
Shit.