The Mage's Limits: Mages of Martir Book #2 (19 page)

And despite knowing full well just how awful and evil Jakuuth's plans were, Darek could not help but feel excited about the prospect of learning how to become a Limitless. He was sure that he had heard that term somewhere before, but he could not recall where. At the very least, he knew that the teachers at North Academy had never taught him about the concept, not even his own mother.

Rather than heading down to the prison yard itself, Jakuuth led Darek and Aorja into another entrance that Darek had not noticed before. It was a blank, metal door located about halfway between the top of the prison's walls and the prison yard below, with nothing to indicate that it led anywhere special.

The door opened with a loud creaking noise, like the hinges had not been oiled in years, as Jakuuth, Darek, and Aorja entered. They had entered a metal hallway well lit by orbs of light trailing along the ceiling, which revealed that the hallway was cramped, dirty, and smelly. There was even a fist-shaped dent in the right wall, although neither Jakuuth nor Aorja offered to explain it, perhaps because they didn't know how it had gotten there themselves.

Darek wished that Aorja was in front of him, rather than behind him. He didn't want to look at her so much as he didn't like having someone who hated him where he couldn't see her. She technically didn't need to come at all as far as Darek could tell, but she had insisted upon following them because she wanted to make sure Jakuuth would be safe.

Not that he needs the extra protection,
Darek thought as they walked.
He could probably kill me with both hands tied behind his back and his eyes gouged out by a chimera.

“Where are we going?” Darek asked. “I mean, where exactly?”

Jakuuth didn't look over his shoulder as he said, “We're going beneath the prison. There's too much noise and chaos outside for me to train you properly. I am going to teach you how to exceed your limits in a place where we can have enough silence to allow us to concentrate.”

“Right,” said Darek. “How long will this training take?”

“It depends on your individual strengths and weaknesses, of course,” said Jakuuth as they walked down a short metal staircase to a lower part of the hallway. “Some of the prisoners caught on quickly, others took much longer. With me as your teacher, it should not take very long to complete your training in time for the invasions of North Academy and World's End.”

Darek glanced over his shoulder at Aorja. She wore an ugly, mean-looking scowl, but she didn't have her wand out pointing at him at least. That was good, although that didn't mean Darek felt safe enough to try anything down here.

“So is Aorja a Limitless as well?” Darek asked, addressing this question to Jakuuth.

“I'm right here,” Aorja snapped, before Jakuuth could say anything. “And yes, Jakuuth taught me how to be a Limitless. He even made me one of his trusted lieutenants because he was so impressed by my loyalty to him.”

“That is true,” said Jakuuth. “Aorja was one of the first to become a Limitless, hence why I consider her an important—although certainly not expendable—member of the Army.”

Either Aorja didn't catch the 'certainly not expendable' part or she didn't care because she said nothing about it. If Darek had been in her position, he would have been worried if he had heard Jakuuth say that about him.

Then again, Aorja is downright insane,
Darek thought.
She probably interpreted it as meaning something else entirely.

“I will answer any other questions you have once we are actually beneath the prison,” said Jakuuth. “For now, we walk in silence.”

Ten minutes of walking in silence later, descending deeper and deeper into the bowels of Rock Isle, they emerged into a wide-open, though incredibly dark, room. Like the rest of the prisoner's interior, this room was plated with metal on the walls, ceiling, and floor. It was apparently completely empty, although the smell of rotting meat and ikadori peach juice told Darek that this room must have at one point been a storage room, though it seemed like the prisoners must have eaten all of the food if its absence was any indication.

The trio walked down the metal staircase leading from the room's entrance down to the room's floor. Jakuuth walked with a much heavier step than either Darek or Aorja, because every time he stepped on one of the metal steps, it sounded like a hammer clanging against a metal sword fresh from the forge.

Once they reached the bottom floor, Jakuuth gestured toward the middle of the room. “Go over there, Darek, and we can begin your training.”

Darek did not move right away, however. “I still have some questions about what being a Limitless actually means.”

Jakuuth frowned, as if he did not want to waste time talking, but then he nodded. “Fine. Understanding what it means to be a Limitless is the first step in breaking through the ceiling; therefore, ask whatever questions you might have about it and I will do my best to answer.”

“All right,” said Darek. He crossed his arms over his chest. “I was always taught that every mage has Limits to the magical energy he or she can use. Those Limits vary from individual to individual, obviously, just like anything else, but those Limits are there and they are very real.”

“Ah, yes,” said Jakuuth, rolling his eyes. “The Pillar of Energy, also known as the Sixth Pillar of Magic. I assume you know that it was added much later after the rest of the Pillars were decided by the First Council of Martirian Mages five hundred years ago, yes?”

Darek shook his head. “I didn't know that.”

“Yeah,” said Aorja in disgust, brushing a few stray strands of hair out of her eyes. “They didn't teach us that at North Academy because they didn't want us to get too uppity or powerful, not because they were concerned about our health.”

Darek looked at Aorja in surprise. “How do you know that?”

“She knows that because she knows me,” said Jakuuth, placing a hand on his chest. “The reason I was exiled from the school was because I claimed to be both the Son of Grinf and a Limitless, which are as factual as stating that the sky is blue and the sun is bright. They didn't want me teaching the other students things they didn't approve of.”

“Really?” said Darek, scratching the back of his head. “But why would they do that?”

“It's obvious,” said Jakuuth in a bitter voice. “The Magical Superior is an ego-centric control maniac who thinks that because he is powerful and connected to the gods, that means that whatever he believes or says is true. Because he is too weak to breach his own Limits, he thinks no one can do it and so discourages his students and teachers from ever trying it.”

“Spot on,” said Aorja. “I always knew that the Magical Superior was nothing more than an ancient blowhard. Always.”

Darek did not agree with that characterization of the Magical Superior at all, but knowing how dangerous it would be to disagree too strongly, he said nothing. Besides, the seeds of doubt had already been sown in his mind and he was beginning to wonder if there was any truth to Jakuuth's claims.

“North Academy has a reputation for teaching students how to be the best, but that is only from within the Limited worldview,” said Jakuuth. “The Limitless have always been a minority, at least since the time that the Sixth Pillar was added after the First Council by Limited too weak to break through their own Limits. Every other magical school teaches the Sixth Pillar to its students, which is why so many mages are weak and ineffectual despite drawing upon the powers of the gods themselves.”

“They burn Limitless literature,” said Aorja. “You can't get a job teaching the secrets to Limitlessness in any school because no one believes it can be done.”

“Then how did you learn how to do it, Jakuuth?” said Darek, looking at the false Son of Grinf with confusion. “If you didn't have any teachers to teach you or books to read, I don't see how you did it.”

Jakuuth looked up at the ceiling as if it were a bright, open sky. “I am the Son of Grinf, of course. My divine side has a clarity that most mortals lacked. I knew that I was not Limited to whatever arbitrary power level that my teachers or anyone else designated me because my father is not Limited. I searched out a teacher, an old woman living by herself on the obscure island in the south known as Destan, where I learned everything I needed to know about how to become a Limitless.”

Then Jakuuth sighed. “Sometimes, I miss that old woman. When I escaped from World's End two months ago, I went to Destan, where I learned she had died ten years previously. She was one of the few mortal mages who continued to practice Limitlessness, though she chose to live in seclusion to avoid the wrath of her fellow Limited mages.”

Darek had no idea who this old woman was, but he thought it was kind of sad that she had been forced to live that way just because the other mages didn't agree with her. Darek wanted to ask what her name was, but then he realized it was a useless question and so disregarded it.

“But I don't think I have actually defined what being a 'Limitless' means just yet,” said Jakuuth. “A Limitless mage is a mage who believes that, contrary to the Sixth Pillar, we mages do not have any actual Limits except the ones we place on ourselves. We believe that any mage, with hard work, can learn to break through the 'ceiling' and grow to previously unimaginable heights of pure magical power.”

“So that's what being a Limitless means?” said Darek. “Breaking through the ceiling? But isn't that dangerous?”

“Only if you're an idiot who has no idea what they're doing,” said Jakuuth. He placed one hand on Darek's shoulder and looked him straight in the eyes. “All those stories of mages falling into comas after breaking through the ceiling? Simply examples of mages who, due to a lack of training, did not understand how to achieve Limitlessness.”

Darek almost shuddered under Jakuuth's touch, but he stayed still so as to not arouse the suspicion of Jakuuth or Aorja. “I tried to break through the ceiling earlier today, during my graduation. I ended up falling into a coma.”

“I know that,” said Jakuuth. “Not because I was there, but because your obvious interest in becoming a Limitless led me to conclude that about you. The only types of mages, in my experience, who are interested in becoming Limitless tend to have a history of doing it by themselves, often with disastrous results, until they find a teacher or book that shows them the proper way to do it.”

“I knew it,” said Darek. “My mom, Jenur, got onto me about it when I woke from the coma, but I knew I had been doing it wrong.”

Jakuuth's frown turned into a scowl. “Yes. Jenur believed in the limits of magical power back in our younger days as well. I suppose it was too much for me to expect her to have changed her mind over the years. Combine her stubborn nature with living and teaching in North Academy all day every day and I doubt she can be convinced that it is possible even if you showed her how to do it.”

“Some people are just so dumb,” said Aorja. “Especially Jenur. So shortsighted and narrow-minded.”

“Hey,” said Darek. “Mom's not that shortsighted or narrow-minded. She just doesn't know any better, that's all.”

“Stop arguing, you two,” said Jakuuth as Aorja opened her mouth to respond. “You will be working together very closely from now on, which you can't do if you're constantly nipping at each other's heels.”

“Yes, Jakuuth, sir,” said Aorja in a reluctant voice. “I won't argue with Darek anymore.”

“Good,” said Jakuuth. “Now, Darek, do you have any other questions or should we begin the training now?”

A memory flashed in Darek's mind, a memory of when he broke through the ceiling earlier. He remembered how amazing he had felt, at least for a short period of time, and then he remembered that mysterious skeleton that had appeared and spoken to him briefly before he fell unconscious.

“When I broke through the ceiling today, I saw … something,” said Darek.

Jakuuth raised an eyebrow. “Something? What might that something be?”

“A skeleton,” said Darek. “At least, I think it was a skeleton. It looked like a skeleton, but it talked and acted like a person. Do you know what that might have been?”

Jakuuth stroked his chin, looking somewhat distressed by Darek's question. He clearly knew what it was or at least had a sneaking suspicion, though he appeared reluctant to say anything about it if the way he turned his body away from Darek was any indicator of how he felt.

“Seeing that skeleton when you break through the ceiling is rare,” said Jakuuth. “Even among Limitless, it's not something you see every day. As for what it is … it is one of the few mysteries of Limitlessness that even I do not know the answer to.”

Darek did not believe that for a second. No wonder Jakuuth considered himself the Son of Grinf rather than the Son of Hollech; he was a terrible liar. His body language clearly said that he knew exactly what Darek had seen and refused to talk about it, though why, Darek couldn't imagine.

He was tempted to push the issue, but he decided that it was not very important at the moment. Maybe later, after he had grown closer to Jakuuth, he would ask again.

Assuming I don't just kill him, of course,
Darek thought.
Remember, Darek, that's the whole reason you're here. You're supposed to kill him because without his leadership, the Limitless Army would fall apart completely. Just keep your eyes open for a good opportunity to attack.

“Now, then,” said Jakuuth. Once again, he gestured toward the middle of the room. “Go stand over there. I will give you further instructions once you are positioned correctly.”

Darek did as Jakuuth asked, walking over to the center of the room, which was difficult to find at first due to the low light conditions of the room. Once he was positioned where he needed to be, he looked back toward Jakuuth and Aorja and asked, “What next?”

“Next, we begin training you to become a Limitless,” said Jakuuth. “Draw your wand. You will need it to perform the next step.”

Darek did so. “Done.”

“Good,” said Jakuuth. “Now, we need to work on defining your Limits.”

Darek frowned. “Defining them? Why should I define my Limits if I am going to break them?”