Star Mage (Book 5) (2 page)

Talis stiffened at the Builder’s condescending tone, but held back a retort and instead considered the wisdom in Master Goleth’s words. If there were a Dark Lord still in the Jiserian Empire, the Nameless, as his followers called him, then perhaps Talis should fear the threat. Too often he had underestimated his enemies, and he wasn’t about to do so again.
 

“What if we can help you ensure freedom for your family?” Mara said, and Talis was surprised at her willingness to help. He knew she was trying to appeal to the man’s emotions.

“You simply don’t stand a chance fighting against them. Take me to the village northeast of Ishur, that is all I ask of you. Any more would risk your lives and the lives of those in your city. Do you have much preparation needed for the journey?”

“Who said anything about fighting?” Talis sent the man a mischievous grin. “Call me your apprentice and let me search around for this master. If his followers are still as dangerous as you claim, then what other choice do I have? It seems like only a matter of time before the Jiserians discover that Naru is filled with living people and they’ll return to conquer and destroy. Our only hope is to seek out this master in the purpose of either striking an alliance or somehow dissuading him from harming our city.”

Master Goleth scoffed and shook his head dismissively. “You are so naive. Brave, but stupidly so. Are you so eager for your own death? Instead of rebuilding your beautiful city, my advice for you is to run and escape far from Jiserian lands. Go and find a nice quiet corner of the world to live and thrive and grow old in peace and die. In the south you’ll find nothing but and darkness and torture and death.”

“But is it feasible to pretend that I am your apprentice? Could you convince them?” Talis said, his voice insistent.

“It is possible…though unadvisable. I could claim you as a practitioner of magic from Vellia, a boy who begged to return with me and study under my tutelage. Your face is unknown in Ishur and likely the masters of my Order would believe me. And you
have
been craving to learn the spells of creation and elemental assembly. But I would warn you to speak nothing of what I have revealed to you…not once. And if trouble arises then escape and flee back to your city.”
And not in dragon form
, Talis told himself, certain that a magical portal was the safest way out of Ishur.

“I’m coming also,” Mara said, her eyes narrowed in a way that Talis knew was useless to argue against, though he hated the idea of her coming on such a dangerous journey into the heart of their enemies. “Don’t shake your head, Master Goleth. I know girls are allowed in the Jiserian ranks. I’ve encountered more than a few sorceresses.”

The Builder’s face crinkled in confusion. “But I had assumed that you did not possess the magical gift?”

“Can’t your magic be taught?” She retorted, a stubborn expression fixed on her face. Talis knew from experience that magic could be taught, but it had taken him many difficult years to cast spells outside training dreams. And he had only been admitted into the Order of the Dawn since the gift of magic existed in his family lineage.

“It is a difficult and painful thing to learn magic—at least the way we Jiserians teach the art.” Master Goleth stared at the southern Nalgoran Desert, and Talis studied a look of expanding anguish forming on his face.
His lessons in magic must have been terrifying and agonizing.
“I would not wish such torture inflicted on one such as yourself.”

“You think me a simple, weak girl?” Mara scowled at the Builder, her face tensed with some fantastic rage that surprised Talis. “You have no idea of what torture I’ve been through at the hands of Elder Relech. That monster forced me to kill countless innocent people and the gods only know what else he imparted inside my mind during his
lessons
as he called them. I know Princess Minoweth’s dagger tainted me all the while, but I also know that through that experience something hardened inside of me and formed a deep well of strength in my heart.”

Mara exhaled forcefully and clenched her face and a twist of harsh emotions seethed inside. “There is still magic inside of me from Elder Relech and the cursed dagger—I can feel it burning and itching and screaming to release from my fingers. I don’t trust myself around blades because I see them and my hands crave to stab and cut and maim, as if some dark magic is waiting to release from each slash. I have no choice but to learn magic and tame whatever it is in that I’m feeling inside. Can you help me? Otherwise I’m afraid I’ll lose my mind.”

“Why didn’t you talk to me about this before?” Talis said, his voice low and fearful.

She turned away from him to stare out at the Nalgoran Desert. “I didn’t want you to worry about me or think me an evil person. I wanted you to believe me healed after separating from Princess Minoweth’s dagger. But how can I ever truly be free of that curse? I remember everything, every feeling and dark desire. It’s like the Princess is somehow inside of me still. I truly believe I need to channel that rage into something productive, like the learning of magic.”
 

With an intense stare she fixed pleading eyes on Master Goleth. “I trust you and know you won’t do anything to hurt me. Can you teach me of your magic? I’ll gladly humble myself as your apprentice if you can assure me that I’ll study under you and no one else. Will your Order allow this?”

“Only if you both swear a blood pact to our Order, and pledge your life in the defense of the Jiserian Empire and the Nameless, who is the Lord of All, and the true Emperor of the Dark. Only then will you be admitted into the Order of Rezel.”

Nikulo had kept his distance from Talis and Mara over the last few days, hoping to avoid the inspecting eyes of his friends. He knew he couldn’t keep the truth from them for long, especially from Mara, who had a keen sense of his moods. With the dark dreams that had plagued him since their return to Naru, he avoided family and friends, and anyone that knew him too well.

A mug of ale raised to his mouth provided him with temporary relief from the reality of his sleeplessness. A few more drinks and he’d pass out into a blissful, dreamless sleep. He glanced around the dark and dreary tavern, seeing drunk men living in a world of suffering and sadness.
Likely loved ones slain in the attack on the city,
Nikulo thought
.
He hadn’t lost anyone in his family, so why was he suffering as them?

He wondered why the pain and the nightmares had struck him with such a torrential ferocity. Was there something different about Naru since the plague? Or a simpler explanation: there was something vastly different about himself since he’d returned?
And maybe that something still haunted his mind.
The voices and the eruption of many stabs of pain across his head, especially around his eyes and temples. Never in his life had he experienced such quick bursts of crippling agony.

Even with the ale the pain was still there lodged in the background, numbed but present and speaking dark words of malice. The feeling was like a musician playing a vengeful tune inside his skull, and the musician’s instrument was a collection of sharp needles jabbing notes into his brain.

“Another ale for ya, sweetie?” The buxom barmaid bent over his table, revealing wrinkled, leathery cleavage that caused Nikulo to look away in disgust.

“I think I’ve had enough.” Nikulo was sick of this filthy tavern and he slapped down a few copper coins and stood to leave. Why had he decided to come here in the first place? The fog over his mind cleared for a moment, and he remembered that this was the only tavern he had yet to visit, and likely the last place Talis and Mara would look to find him.

You can’t hide from them forever,
Nikulo thought.
Soon enough they’ll find you and then what will you tell them?
Maybe he could just join a caravan and travel west to the Ursulan Coast. He could always claim he was going to help find Talis’s family and let them know that Naru was safe for their return.
But would they ever be safe in Naru, so close to the Jiserian Empire?
The voices told him that they weren’t sheltered. They droned endlessly about how exposed they were to more Jiserian attacks.

Nikulo staggered over to leave and paused awhile to rest against the wood until the dizziness went away. The world seemed to tip sideways and as he opened the door, the crisp, cold air invigorated his mind enough for him to make his way outside and down the dark alleyway. His bladder demanded immediate attention and he obeyed, relieving himself in a hurry.

“Ah, gods!” shouted a voice from below. “Why’d ya piss on my face?”

Blinking, Nikulo gaped down at the man sleeping in the darkness. He yanked up his trousers and fought to keep his balance. “Sssoo sssoorry.” He reached into his coin purse and handed the pissed-on man a silver coin and hobbled away, mumbling slurred apologies along the alley until he reached a small square filled with chatting people.
 

His stomach complained as the smell of roasted meat wafted into his nostrils. He realized he hadn’t eaten all day.
How the hell is that possible?
he asked himself. Perhaps some food would bring stability to his steps and get him home safely. Where was home these days? His befuddled brain refused to provide any insights. Was he staying with a brown-haired girl he’d met at a tavern, or with friends he’d gambled with, or perhaps an old witch who bartered in blood?

He slumped into a chair at a table serving slices of pork slathered in oil and herbs and stinking of garlic. A tall man with jutting bones and shifty eyes brought him a plate of meat and chunks of burned potatoes. Nikulo produced another silver and the man went to hand him change, but Nikulo shook his head and found the world spinning perilously in reaction to his movement. The man seized him by the shoulders to steady him.

“Eat up. Might want to slow down on the drink, young master.” The man gave him a sad stare as he turned and strode over to another table.
Damn him
, thought Nikulo.
All he sees the one of the saviors of Naru all drunk and pathetic. What does he know of my torment?
 

Then another voice spoke in Nikulo’s mind, a sinister voice that sounded like one of the Naemarians. “
Kill him, kill the fool who dares look at you like that. Why are you still stuck in this city? Go west, go and find your power and free yourself from the pain; leave your family and friends. They’ll never understand what you must become.”

He covered his ears in a lame attempt at stopping the voices, and found eyes staring at him as a yelp of pain escaped his mouth. His head lowered in shame. All he could do was to shove the roasted pork and potatoes into his mouth, wishing he had more ale to wash down the food. Each day since they’d returned, the pain had proved progressively worse, until now there seemed truly few reasons to stay. Would the pain really subside if he left Naru? The Naemarians promised him it would.

Off in his addled mind he heard a familiar voice, “At least he’s not dead.” He raised his eyes and squinted at Talis and Mara staring down at him with concerned and troubled expressions on their faces. How were they able to look so kindly on him in such a horrible condition?

 
“Go away. I don’t want you to see me like this.” Nikulo lowered his eyes and returned to his food, and sighed malcontentedly when he heard them drag over chairs and sit next to him.

“We’re leaving for Ishur with Master Goleth,” Talis said, the tone of his voice sounding like their journey was a punishment. “We wanted to see if you’d join us.”

Nikulo scoffed at that. “Fly down and visit with our enemies? Sounds like a perfect idea.” He let out a wet belch that smelled like ale and garlic pork. “Count me out.”

“What’s happened to you?” Mara placed a hand on Nikulo’s arm and he stiffened and found the urge to punch her in the face. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you. Where did you go? We haven’t seen you in days and your parents are really worried about you. They said you had a fight and you stormed out and vowed never to return. What’s going on with you?”

“I won’t ever return. I have no need for parents anymore. Now leave me alone, I told you I don’t want to see you.”

“We’re not leaving,” Talis said, his voice low and determined. “Not even if you force us.”

Nikulo shoved the table and sent the food flying, standing furious over them. “Can’t you stop bothering me!” he shouted, and aimed a finger at Talis. “Go off south, go on to Ishur, I don’t care! Just leave me alone, will you? I’m tired and drunk and this pain is killing me.” He seized his scalp and pressed his fingers hard until the agony subsided for a moment.

“You’re gravely ill!” Mara came close and pressed a blissfully cool palm against his forehead. “When did the pain start?”

“The day after we returned. It woke me from the most hideous nightmare I’ve ever had and has never left me since.” Nikulo pinched his eyes shut and seethed as a vast, jolting pain stabbed into his brain and caused his arms to tremble and shake. “I’m afraid it’s slowly driving me insane…”