Chasing Bloodlines (Book 4) (3 page)

He marched into the main room. Many Spirit Mages had gathered. “The Queen’s Wing has been in a terrible battle and lost their Battle Mages. I need as many volunteers as possible to shift with me to the battlegrounds and heal their wounded. We will only be gone a few hours.”

To his great relief, most of them stepped forward to make connection with him. Even a Water Mage and two Earth Mages joined. He gave them proper instructions and shifted to the army camp, dropping them in the center. Yellow-mantled Mages were an instantly welcomed sight, and they dispersed from him like ripples in a pool.

Gabriel slipped into a tent and mended the worst wounds. He could feel the tension in the room calm as he went from soldier to soldier.

“Stars bless ye, Head Mage,” a Commander whispered when Gabriel came to his cot. The man’s leg was crushed and his arm broken.

“My, my. How did you get this?” Gabriel asked as he put the bone back together.

“Horse fell on me.”

“That would do it,” he replied mechanically, distracting the man as he worked. “Have the Shalabane declared a motive, Commander?”

“Beg pardon, my lord?”

“Why are they here? Have they said?”

“Why…yes, Head Mage.”

Gabriel realigned his arm with a snap and raised his brows. “Oh?”

“I thought you knew.”

“No,” Gabriel stated with a terse tone.

“They’re here for you, Head Mage.”

He stopped his mending. “They what?”

“They demanded we bring you to them a week ago.”

“I received no word of this.”

“We refused them. Prince Balien must not have sent you a pigeon.”

“What do they want me for?” He lifted the bruises off the arm and leg.

“Can’t say, my lord.”

“You’re mended. Don’t get out of bed for the rest of the day. Healing takes a great deal of your energy, but you should feel refreshed in the morning.” He turned to leave. “What did the Shalabane say about me?”

“They said, ‘surrender the dog you call the Head Mage’.”

Gabriel nodded thoughtfully and thanked the man as he slipped out. He stayed to mend what Class Fives could not and oversee the healing for a while, but he quietly shifted back to Kilkiny Palace to find Aisling. She had not moved from her seat with the Generals.

“Lady Aisling,” he said quietly as he appeared. Several people gasped. He was covered in gore.

“Stars above,” she gasped as she stood. “Is Balien alive?”

“I…” he stuttered, and the Generals murmured. “My Mages are keeping him alive.”

“
What
? What happened?”

He clenched his jaw and fought back the emotions. “A boulder dropped on him and broke him up inside. He is mended fully but not breathing on his own. I’ve sent twenty Spirit Mages to heal your wounded. If you want to pull the army back, I will shift them here.”

“Stars bless you, Head Mage,” a General said.

“We cannot leave our lands undefended. These scum will march over our people until they reach Anatoly City,” another chimed in.

“They won’t. I will be handling this,” Gabriel said and folded his arms.

“Bless you, Head Mage.”

“It is not right for you to fight our battles, Head Mage,” Aisling cut in.

“It’s not your battle. It’s mine.”

“Just because they wounded your foster-brother…”

“They’re here for me.” Silence fell through the Map Room. “The Shalabane army asked for me to surrender to them.”

“You wouldn’t,” Aisling breathed.

“Of course not. I’m going to meet with their General in the morning, and then I’m going to remove them from your lands, dead or alive.”

The dignitaries searched for words, and someone finally replied, “Excellent.”

Gabriel nodded. “With your permission, I will leave you.”

“Is her Grace safe?” Aisling asked as he seized Void.

“Yes, I wish to keep her in Castle Jaden until I can set proper wards in her quarters.”

“Any word of Prince Virgil?”

Gabriel shook his head. “Generals, Lady Mage.” He said and shifted back to the battlefield.

Chapter 2

Gabriel returned to Jaden late that night with twenty tired Mages and a dozen soldiers who needed further care. He shuffled in to Balien’s room. The same Mages he left there hours ago sat beside the bed they had moved him to. His body had been washed and dressed, removing any evidence of his injuries.

“When did his heart stop?” he asked the Spirit Mage, watching her fingers slowly open and close as she manually beat his heart.

“About two hours ago.”

“I will take over. Fetch another Air Mage and give this man a break.”

“Aye, Head Mage,” the girl bowed, giving Gabriel her seat. He set the heartbeat-pattern and pumped Balien’s heart for him.

“Do you know what causes the heart to quit?” the Air Mage asked.

Gabriel shook his head. “It could be he was already gone by the time I got to him. His brain may not be sending signals his heart, or healing him took too much energy from him. I’ve never pushed a body as hard as I pushed his,” he put his head in his hand.

“Well, he looks fine to me,” a new voice said. Gabriel saw Councilman Markus in the doorway. “Get some rest lad, I’ll take over.”

“Please ask Councilman Lewis to find all the books he has on the heart and bring them to me.”

The Air Mage stood and gave Markus his seat. “You need some rest, too.” The Councilman added.

Gabriel rubbed his eyes. “Not tonight.”

They sat in silence once the books arrived. Gabriel hunched over flipping through pages, and Markus skimmed books for information on over-exerting a body. One book talked about electrical charges sent from the brain to the heart and explained how to check for connectivity. Gabriel followed the book’s instruction as he continued to beat the heart. To his surprise, the heart gave a flutter and slowly twisted in Balien’s chest. The beat was steady, but weak. As the night wore on, and Balien’s strength returned. Markus cut his air patterns and let Balien’s body do the work.

Hours passed, and Gabriel felt comfortable dismissing Markus. He took a bed in the adjacent room and said to wake him if Balien got worse. Gabriel held Balien’s wrist, feeling the pulse slowly strengthen.

Gabriel awoke with his head slumped on the side of the bed, pillowed in his arm, not remembering when he dozed off. His body felt worn and stiff, and as he tried to raise his head, it felt too heavy. It took him a moment to realize Balien’s hand rested atop it.

“Hello, brother,” Balien said faintly.

Gabriel took his hand up as he lifted his head. “How do you feel?”

“Raw. What did you do to me?”

“Saved your bloody life.”

“What happened?”

“Don’t you remember?” Gabriel straightened in his seat and heard his back crack.

“Shalaban was attacking…I called for retreat, then nothing. Where am I? Where are my men?”

“You are safe in Castle Jaden. Your men are fine, and I am going to finish this battle for you.”

“Nonsense.” Balien snapped

“You should have told me Shalaban came for me. I should have been fighting this battle.”

“It is not yours to fight. They were on my land.”

“You’re really, really stubborn. You’re lucky I came when I did. You nearly died.”

“Not possible.”

“They dropped a boulder on you.”

Balien smiled softly in reflection. “Thank you, brother.”

Gabriel stood, and Balien’s thoughtful expression changed to disgust. “Is that all my blood?”

“Most of it.”

“Thanks for not giving up on me.”

“Not possible. Stay abed for the rest of the day. If you will excuse me, I have a mountain of things to do.”

“So popular,” Balien sighed as he strode out.

Gabriel approached a Spirit Mage in the foyer’s desk. “The Prince is awake. Please bring him something to eat and drink, and don’t let him out of bed. He’ll try to charm and argue but don’t let him.”

“Yes, Head Mage,” the girl grinned.

He got more than one strange look as he returned to his rooms. He paused in the anteroom to inform Lael of Balien’s condition. The Secondhand had been in more than once to check on the Prince.

Robyn was in his study when he walked in. “What
happened
?” she gasped. “Lael said you were in the infirmary with a soldier.”

“He lived.” He unlaced his shirt as he shuffled towards the washroom for a blessed bath.

“Where did you get a wounded soldier?” She folded her arms and gave him the look that said he better explain himself.

He stopped halfway through pulling his shirt off. “I went to your battle lines to check in on Balien.”

“
AND
?”

“He lived.” He pulled the shirt off and dropped it.

“You were with
Balien
?” she gasped, following him. “What happened?”

He put a boot up on a bench and unbuckled it. “Shalaban has made their war personal. I will be handling it from here.” He threw the boot aside and went for the other. They were caked in rusty blood. His maids were going to kill him.

“Is that wise?”

“They came for me.”

“Wait,” she held up a hand as he began unlaced his trousers. He paused and looked up. “Continue. I forgot what I was going to say.”

“Say it from the other room,” he said and hooked his thumbs around the hem. When she was out of eyesight, he stripped and waded into his bath.

“What will you do?”

“Politely talk; rudely leave.” He said with his eyes relaxingly closed, “I want to know why they brought an entire army to your lands on my account.”

“It cannot be for peaceful reasons.”

“Ryker’s behind this.”

She peeked her head around the door. “You think so?”

“What else has he been doing with his time?” She walked in and sat on a bench before him. “Oh, please,
do
come in.”

“How many men did you kill in the Battle of the Stars?”

“Three thousand six-hundred eighty.”

“You remember that number?” Gabriel looked up from the curling white foam and fixed her with a serious gaze. “Can you kill three times that much? Six times that much? More?”

“I don’t have to kill them to get my point across.”

She nodded slowly. “Please do not do this,” she finally said.

He looked up in surprise. “I must.”

“I do not want to lose you as soon as I have found you.”

“You will not lose me.”

She crouched on the ground and laid herself on the floor, coming up to the edge of the bath. It was amusing to watch, and he could not help the grin that rose to his lips. “Please tell me more.”

“Of?”

“Of your time in the Castrofax.”

He trailed a line in the water with a finger. “Can you bear to hear more?”

“If you could endure it, I can bear to hear it.”

He chuckled softly. “You asked how I could remember the number of soldiers I killed. Nolen gave me a whiplash for every single one.”

Her face contorted. “Your back could handle that?”

“No. And it was not just the back. When my skin could no longer take a lash, he brought in a Spirit Mage to repair me; then he started again.”

“Oh my stars,” she whispered and put a hand over her eyes. “What else?”

He shrugged an arm. “Four days and three nights worth of torture. I cannot detail it all. Regardless, in the end I was healed as good as new.”

“No,” she said and pointed to her temple, “Nolen left his mark here.”

“Give me time,” he whispered, “I will be the same as I used to be.”

“I will not give up on you,” she replied and reached out to him. He stepped closer, so she could stroke his face. Ever so gently she brought him closer, carefully kissing his cheek. He cupped her chin and turned her face, kissing her lips instead. “Does it not bother you?” she whispered.

“No,” he replied and kissed her again, wrapping an arm around her back. “Not anymore.” Her hand twined around his neck, and his went for her shoulders. In one swift movement, he pulled her into the bath. She screamed and clutched his shoulders.

“You wretched creature,” she shouted. “Are you naked?”

“Yes.”

Robyn released him in a huff and marched out of the bath, dripping. She collected every fiber of cloth she could find; towels, rugs, the curtains off the window, and she threw them outside the washroom announcing, “Make clothes
now
, Head Mage.”

He leaned back in the water, letting the warmth encompass him into his tired bones. He relaxed as he planned his battle with the Shalabane, the negotiations he would make, and the patterns he would use if it came to war. It would be easier to make a statement rather than kill. Shalaban had only a few Class Six Mages, and they lacked the diversity to sidestep. Through all his deliberation, he could still not work out
why
they wanted him.

He lifted his head out of the water, “Naked, you say?” Mikelle said walking in. “You forgot this one. He hides it incase this situation were to happen,” she pulled a towel out from behind a cabinet and rushed out.

“Hey!” Gabriel shouted. “I have armies to battle, and Generals to dissuade.”

“Can’t if you cannot handle your own castle,” Mikelle replied with a nose in the air.

“LAEL!”

“He cannot help you. He’s busy.”

He rolled his eyes and shifted into his dressing room. He managed to nearly dress before he heard:

“How come
she’s
seen you naked?”

Gabriel shucked on a coat and strode out. Still tucking his shirt in, he said, “Wish I could chat, so sorry to leave.”

“You don’t know what you’re missing.” Mikelle said with a sly smile.

“STARS ABOVE!” Gabriel lengthened his stride and passed through the anteroom. “A lot of help you are,” he said to Lael.

“I try not to get involved when those two are in the same room,” the Secondhand smiled. “That’s a fancy coat.”

“I would like you to accompany me to the battle field and meet with the Shalabane.”

“Anyone else?”

“Dagan and Lewis, and possibly Mikelle if she shapes up.”

“Just Dagan and Lewis then. Let me find a nicer coat, and I will fetch them,” Lael said with a bow and exited the room.

Mikelle and Robyn walked in, arms linked with twin grins. “You called them furrows. Like in a plowed field?” Robyn asked.

“Yes, the deep ruts a plow leaves. You may call them something different here,” Mikelle said and jabbed Gabriel just inside the hip.

“Distractions,” Robyn replied.

Gabriel growled. “If you’re coming with me to battle, you’re going to have to stop talking now.”

“You’re no fun,” Robyn said and kissed his neck. “I’m going to visit Balien. Come find me when you return.”

“You,” he said to Mikelle who gave him a sly grin and left, “go get Dagan.”

Gabriel perused over Lael’s letters as he waited for his Council to arrive. Dagan arrived first with Mikelle, dressed in green as always and talking about his children. Liam, the child of the murdered Councilman Kieran, had fit in perfectly in his family with three other children. Dagan could not help brag about his babes when he had the chance, usually flicking some kind of food off his sleeves. “Lunch is a messy business.”

Lewis followed behind Lael not too long after. “Prince Balien seems to be improving, Head Mage. We are keeping him well hydrated.”

“Excellent.” Gabriel straightened. A sign his Council learned to give their attention. They fell silent. “We are traveling to the front lines of the Shalabane army. They have demanded I surrender myself. We are going to find out why. If it ends in battle, so be it. No matter what happens, we will remove them from Anatoly’s lands.”

He extended an arm for them to grab, and set the shift pattern. It took a minute for them to arrive in the center of their camp.

Gabriel wore his Head Mage cloak and a fine coat to make him look as powerful as he was. Soldiers in yellow scrambled to their weapons with the sudden influx of strangers. Gabriel pushed through them, making for a large tent of yellow and red. A few in uniforms with colored stripes appeared, but they shied away when they saw him.

“If this goes amiss, I want you to all link. I will shift and get you out,” Gabriel said quietly.

The closer they walked to the tent, the more people gathered. Soldiers with red stripes mingled with what could only have been Mages. Their colored slashes were tied across their chests. They called out Shalabane taunts of ‘Maggin’ that Gabriel could not understand. Yet, no one tried to attack.

He marched to the tent and stopped between two halberd bearers.

“I am Head Mage Gabriel, and I believe your General is expecting me.”

A soldier ducked into the tent, and a moment later, two Mages with blue slashes across their shoulders emerged and held the flaps open.