The Magic Wakes (32 page)

Talia called the light to her. It filled her, healing the last of the damage from her encounter with Shishali. When her spirit pushed at the tender new skin, she concentrated on directing it outward through her fingertips. She sent the tight beam of energy toward Landry on one side and a young girl on the other. It found their outstretched fingers, filling them with light, and then jumped to the others in the line one by one, until a circle of light surrounded the city.

Talia continued the chant and time slowed. The trees joined in with a song, repeating the history of the world. The other mages joined in as they found their own voices. Talia stepped forward and the circle went with her. She walked forward, tightening the tether of light. It thickened and pulsed with their combined strength and desire.

Magic throbbed within Talia. The circle magnified and focused her vision. She looked deep within Sendek’s double suns. They were inside her; she was inside them.

Every tendril of life on the planet spun on a tether line to the core of one of the suns. The Dragumon’s tethers glowed deep purple, tied to the suns and the mages in the circle. Mentally, Talia reached out and cut the purple tethers with a flick of her fingers. First from the mages, and then from the suns. With each snip, the magic ebbed and swirled. It pulled at her energy. She shared it with those in the circle, but the pain . . . it was hers alone.

The punishment was hers too.

Each life screamed its way out of existence. Hurling the emptiness left by their extinction at Talia. She pulled more energy from the suns to fill the hole growing in her soul, but she pulled too much. The energy surged around the circle. She needed to expel it before the mages broke contact. Drawing it back into herself, she sent the light streaming into the air as she cut the last thread.

Time resumed its normal march, the morning broke, and Talia sank into darkness.

Landry sensed his curiosity as he stared at Talia. With it came a twinge of power lust. The real battle for Sendek was just getting started.

Jewel soared through the sky, but didn’t land. Instead her voice resonated in the minds of all the new mages, “The Dragumon are gone. Return to your homes and families.”

A thrill of fear shot through the crowd. They would obey. For now.

Landry was relieved to see people wander back to the camp. He gathered Talia’s limp body in his arms and carried her to Jaron’s ship. As he walked through the encampment, people stopped to watch him pass. The feelings of respect and reverence flowed from them. Landry relaxed as he recognized that the new mages had already accepted Talia as the true power behind the day’s victory. Some walked up to touch her arm as he passed.

Jaron’s ship would provide protection and privacy. And thanks to the information Jaron had passed to him, Landry could use it to its fullest potential. Once inside, he secured the airlock so no one else could enter. He placed Talia in Jaron’s bed and called Stefan.

“It’s over. We destroyed the Dragumon and you can safely move back to the city.”

“I can’t believe it’s over so quickly,” Stefan’s voice sounded so far away.

“There will be a price to pay. I’m coming home so we can talk about it.” Landry’s shoulders sagged. It would be good to go home and be with family. “Will you return to the palace today, or should I come out to the mountain base?”

“I’ll return to the palace today. I want to bring my father home to bury in the family tomb. This doesn’t feel real. How is it possible to win a war so quickly? It was relatively easy.”

“How can you say it was easy? You don’t know what we’ve been through.” The flair of anger burst from Landry as he slammed his fist on the console.

“I’m sorry, I know it wasn’t easy. I guess I’m too far from the action. Tell me about it,” Stefan soothed.

Landry sighed as the strong emotions drained away. “I’m sorry. There are going to be some long lasting consequences. Please, let’s talk when you get to the palace.”

“Will I finally get to meet Talia?”

“I hope so. See you soon.”

Landry had just enough energy left to fly home, land in the palace courtyard, and carry Talia to his quarters. He barely registered the changes the Dragumon had made during their short time in the palace. Or the piles of glittery dust scattered throughout the halls.

His footfalls echoed around him as he carried Talia toward his quarters. Relief washed over him when he reached his rooms. His arms ached from Talia’s weight, and he gratefully laid her down. Sitting on the side of the bed, he tried once again to reach into her mind. Her walls shut him out.

Landry collapsed on the couch in the living room, and that’s where Stefan found him hours later.

“Landry, you look and smell awful.”

“Thanks, good to see you too.” Landry sat up and his stomach grumbled uncomfortably.

“Why are you on the couch?”

“Talia’s in my room. She passed out at the end of the unbinding and hasn’t regained consciousness.”

“Sorry. Is this part of the price you mentioned?”

“I hope not.” Landry rubbed his eyes, and then ran his fingers through his hair before standing.

“What can I do to help? Should I send for the medical staff?”

“Not yet, I don’t think they can help anyway. This is tied to the magic.”

“Why did it affect her and not you?” Stefan asked.

“I’m not sure, but she might have carried the burden on her own to protect the rest of us.”

Stefan shook his head. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“Jaron said there is always a consequence to using magic. The magic will try and maintain balance. I should have paid closer attention to what she was doing, but it happened so fast I couldn’t stop her. If she had shared the consequences with all of us it wouldn’t have been so bad for her.”

Stefan laid his hand on Landry’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, cousin. Just let me know what I can do to help. I’ll get some rooms prepared for her.”

“She can keep mine. I want to be close when she comes to.” Landry’s voice sounded flat. “Let me get cleaned up and then we can talk about the future. The Dragumon have caused more damage than the deaths of the last few days.”

“So you implied. Take your time and come to my rooms when you’re ready.” Stefan placed his hand on Landry’s shoulder. “I’m glad you made it home.”

“Me too.”

Two days passed, and Talia did not regain consciousness. At dawn on the second day, Landry carried her into the courtyard for the sunsrise. Standing with her in his arms, he waited for that magical moment. Shrubs and flowers surrounded them, but the lights of the re-occupied city distracted him from the suns’ first glow.

Without Talia’s help locating the threads of energy, he didn’t know how to gather them. He tried to relax, but his desperation was too strong. In the end, he didn’t know if any energy found its way to her. He stood in the early morning light, listening to the birds until his arms ached from Talia’s weight. He shifted her around and headed back to his room where Stefan waited for him.

Dark circles lined Stefan’s eyes and his shoulders slumped from the weight of how to rule a technologically advanced group of mages. Landry had explained how useful the mages could be to the kingdom, but how would they keep them from becoming too powerful? It would take months, probably years to find the right balance.

“Hey. Any luck out there?” Stefan asked with a nod toward the door.

Landry sighed and headed for the bedroom. “I don’t think so.”

Landry stepped into the darker room and pulled Talia closer, squeezing her tight before setting her down. His muscles groaned from the prolonged strain of carrying her, but he welcomed the throbbing. He lay her down as the dull ache turned to sharp ripping pain, and brushed the hair from her forehead.

“Talia, you could help Stefan understand so much better than me. Come back and help me,” he whispered.

Nothing.

Landry swallowed hard and leaned in close. “I’m not giving up on you.”

With heaviness he couldn’t shake, Landry walked back to Stefan and sank into a chair. The two men just looked at one another for several minutes.

“Let the doctors take a look at her. Maybe they can do something,” Stefan fairly growled at Landry. “Just because she used magic doesn’t mean our doctors can’t fix her. You’re being stupid.”

“What would you know about it?” Landry snapped back.

Stefan’s mouth dropped open as he stared at Landry. He closed it, his lips forming a tight line and his eyes narrowing. “Nothing. Because you won’t tell me. You’ve shut me out as effectively as she’s shut you out.”

The silence that followed hung heavy between them. Stefan’s jaw twitched, and Landry gripped the armrest until he blew out the breath he had been holding.

“I’m sorry. I feel like I’m trapped in there with her, and it kills me that I don’t know how to help her.”

“Landry, do whatever it is you need to so you can concentrate on your job again. You are responsible for helping me keep the mage element under control. If that’s going to be a problem I need to know now.”

“I’m the same man I was before the mage. Nothing has changed in that respect.”

“Then prove it to me. Get out there and find that dragon. Ask what needs to be done. Take a week, more if you need, but get yourself together because I need you here.” He stood and held out his hand to Landry.

The firm grip of his cousin reminded Landry of the days when they would wrestle each other. A slow smile crept over his lips and he pulled himself to standing.

“You’ll make a good king yet. Where was the dragon last seen?”

“I’ll find out and let you know. Do you need anything?”

“No. I’ll stay in touch.”

Landry flew straight to the waterfall and set down to wait for Jewel. She circled and settled on a ledge above the ship. The soft swish of air from the dragon’s wings lifted Talia’s hair and it brushed against Landry’s face.

“She still sleeps?”

“Yes, how can I help her?”

“She used strong magic, and she fears what she has done.” Jewel stretched her neck and placed her giant head above the couple. “She thought it would be painless.”

“How can you know this? I’ve tried to reach her, but can’t break through.”

Jewel remained silent for a few minutes. “She blocks you because she fears your reaction to what she has done. Take her somewhere familiar, somewhere she feels safe.”

“So there’s nothing you can do for her?” Landry leaned his head against Talia’s.

“Time. Now I will return to the dragonkin and report what I’ve seen here.”

“Wait, what are we supposed to do with these new talents? There’s no one to train us or teach us how to use them for good.”