5. Johann

Chapter five

Johann

I stared into a rippling pool of water. Images shifted as rapidly as I could blink. My brow creased in concentration—and frustration—as I gripped the rim of the silver basin and tried to keep up.

"Johann, you were never very skilled at scrying." The gentle voice was followed by an even gentler hand on my shoulder. "Why don't you let me help you?"

I looked up, and the water's surface stilled. The man who stood before me looked like every Mage in every children's storybook I had ever read. With his velveteen robe with golden trim, the snowy beard flowing past his belt, his weathered skin, and omniscient, twinkling eyes, he could have been one of a hundred men of legend. He was likely the source of many—though few would ever know it.

I smiled and gripped the hand still resting on my shoulder. "Gareth, it is good to see you. Thank you for coming so quickly."

"Your message left little room for debate. A new Mage? It has been many years since we added to our number. The chickens will cluck over this." Gareth grinned and wiggled his bushy brows. "It has taken how long for our new Mage to discover her power? Ten, twelve years?"

"Sixteen."

"So long as that?" Gareth whistled, shifting his gaze to the bowl. "Did you find her?"

"You know how I bloody hate scrying. Give me a good battle where I can hurl fire or lance someone with ice. This . . ." I waved a hand at the bowl. "This feels too much like research."

Gareth chuckled. "Step aside, Grand Mage. Watch as your humble servant shows you the power of research ."

I grinned as I stepped aside, and Gareth stepped up to the bowl and gripped its sides. It was odd, seeing the age spots and lines that crisscrossed my mentor's hands. He had been the first of Magi to greet me upon my magic's arrival a thousand years ago. Even then, he looked ancient. Where his hair was the color of untouched snow, mine still ran inky as night. Where his skin sagged, mine remained taut across corded muscles. While I appeared as a man of thirty summers, Gareth could easily be my grandfather, perhaps great-grandfather, to mortal eyes.

And yet, I only saw my friend before me.

As Gareth's gaze reached the pool, a crisp, steady image snapped to the water's surface. Only a ripple disturbed the vision.

"Stone house. Young couple, both wearing the blue smock of a physiker. Snow covers the ground." Gareth released the bowl, and the image winked out, leaving water so clear I could see the silver of the basin's bottom. "I'm sorry, Johann. I can feel them somewhere west of us, but that is the best we are going to get. That house could be in the capital, on a farm, or in any of the villages dotting the coast."

A gong sounded from somewhere far above, startling both of us.

"Looks like the others are arriving. Thank you for trying, old friend," I said, patting Gareth's shoulder. "Walk with me to the Chamber to greet our brothers and sisters."

I led Gareth down a series of hallways to stand before a set of gleaming double doors. A stylized rendering of the Phoenix stared down from deeply etched bronze. Magic flowed along its lines, and its emerald eyes glowed in greeting.

I placed my palm on a metal plaque to the right of the door. The Phoenix's eyes pulsed, and the doors swung inward.

Gareth stepped around me and entered.

"As long as I've lived, this never gets old." His voice was filled with childlike awe as he took in the Chamber.

A massive hall stood empty before us, as long as a dozen homes pressed together. Massive columns the color of the ocean's depths stretched skyward. Liquid magic flowed upward along marbled lines, giving the columns a sense of life and perpetual motion while casting a mystical glow about the room.

Ten high-back chairs stared across a vast circle of gold inlaid in the floor. Within that circle was a square of pure silver. The square contained another circle, again of gold. The symbol glittered and swirled as my foot breached its outer perimeter.

Gareth stepped forward and placed a hand on the back of his seat, a monstrous gilded throne with ornate carvings and plush violet cushions.

"I love this place, but that circle makes my skin crawl," Gareth said, more to himself than to me.

The lilt of a woman's island accent replied from a recess at the far end of the hall. "Good t'ing yer chair sits outside it."

Gareth and I spun to find a frail woman with graying hair bent over a gnarled walking stick. Her cane looked more like driftwood plucked straight from the beach than a well-carved staff. She wore a dress so vibrant she looked like a walking fruit bowl.

Her broad smile and hearty laugh beckoned us both into her waiting embrace.

"Isold?, it's been far too long." Gareth shuffled to wrap the wiry woman in his arms and was rewarded with a cackle filled with warmth and affection.

"Last time I checked, ya can Travel t' the isle, Mage Gareth. No need t' wait fer the Grand Mage t' summon t' see me."

Gareth stepped back and bowed. "You are right, as usual. It would be good to see your beautiful home again, as well. I will try to make the journey more often."

"Do we get hugs and promises, too?" Gareth looked up as two men and a woman strode through the doorway. One of the men towered above the others, his hawkish nose entering the room long before the rest of him darkened the doorway. The other man was almost as unremarkable as his simple worn cloak. Both men sneered as their eyes found mine. The woman wore a smug smile. Given her rapacious reputation, it was a wonder she wore clothing below that grin.

"Of course, Tasha." Gareth stepped toward them, his arms outstretched in greeting.

"I wasn't serious, you old fool. Step away," Tasha snarled as the trio brushed past him to stand by their seats outside the circle.

Gareth cast a glance in my direction, but I only shrugged and offered a wan smile. Our family of Mages was as dysfunctional as any household to ever live.

Before I could dwell on that thought, more entered and underscored the point.

Amicus Sunshadow, leader of the pirates who stalked the northern coast of both the Kingdom of Spires and Melucia, waddled in. He stood only four and a half feet tall, and could barely wedge his wide ass into his seat. Scars lined his cheeks, and his hooked nose was curled almost as much as his surly lips.

Beside Amicus marched the barrel-chested military expert among the Mages, Elric Suther. Medals pinned to his black uniform coat tinkled with each of his purposeful strides. Twin swords with pearl-tipped handles crossed above his head from their scabbards on his back.

Elric scanned each Mage as if assessing the odds of putting them in their graves rather than chatting amicably.

A thin man with shoulder-length black hair followed behind Elric. The tall man's face was ageless, though I knew Danai Thorn to be the youngest among us, a Mage of fewer than two hundred summers. His eyes were lowered in deference as he scurried to his seat.

Only a few greetings were shared. Gareth might call this a family, but it was one with deep fractures and embittered rivalry. Few among us enjoyed the others' company.

Nine stood behind their seats.

A moment passed, then a dozen, then a dozen more, as silence itched like ivy's poison.

"Where in the void is Kels?? Who does that bitch think she is, holding us up like this?" Tasha groused. Her eyes scanned the room as though searching for hidden assassins.

"Forgive me, sister." The pleasant tones of the final Mage to enter echoed throughout the hall.

All eyes turned to the doorway.

Kels? Rea glided into the room as gracefully as any queen, her back straight and chin high. She wore a gown of gleaming gold emblazoned with the Phoenix across her chest that complimented her rich skin. She radiated power, yet none could miss the warmth in her eyes or her smile.

As Kels? took her place, the seat opposite mine outside the circle, I nodded and everyone sat. Tasha winced as magic flared and the gilded doors slammed shut.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice." I met the gaze of each Mage in turn.

"It's not like we had a choice. You laced your call with so much Compulsion we'd still be curled in a ball if we'd tried to resist," Tasha said.

"I never was very skilled at simpler magics." I chuckled. "Forgive me, sister. I am confident you will appreciate my urgency shortly."

I smoothed my robe, staring into the circle glowing before us, then spoke with the reverent tones of my office. "That a new Mage was born over a decade ago is not news. Each of you felt her birth. However, it appears we need to make room for another chair around our circle. Our new Mage's powers have manifested."

The orderly gathering devolved as the Mages began chattering over each other. Before I lost all control, I rapped my gilded staff against the marble floor, snapping their eyes back to mine.

"Thank you." I paused to allow the last of the conversations to die out. "We have attempted multiple scryings to locate our young sister but have only been able to garner fragments. First, she is west of our present location. That much we could sense through the currents. Second, an image of her caretakers appeared in the water. They were both wearing the blue smock of full physikers. I need not explain how rare it is to have one physiker in a household. Two is beyond remarkable. We Saw her home. It was made of gray stone, which indicates an upper-class home. Snow covered the sill of a window. Pieced together, I wager our Mage is in the capital of Fontaine."

When no one spoke, I continued. "It is imperative we locate her quickly. I felt her powers rippling the currents yesterday. The poor girl will have some very confusing and uncomfortable experiences over the coming weeks and will need our guidance."

"I will go. No need to trouble anyone else." Tasha stood, as if she intended to leave that moment.

I raised a palm. "No offense, Tasha, but I was thinking this might require . . . how should I say it? A gentler hand?"

Gareth barked a laugh, earning a sharp look from Tasha, and amused glances from most of the others.

"That rules me out, too, Tash. Don't be angry." Elric fiddled with one of his combat ribbons. "Who did you have in mind, Grand Mage?"

I stood and extended hand. "Kels?, I suggest you Travel to Fontaine and locate the girl. Find her, but do not approach or speak with her. When you return, we can decide how best to make our initial approach. She will be confused, and likely frightened. Ten Mages showing up on her doorstep would be overwhelming. We will need to think carefully to avoid a repeat of Danai's disaster."

Danai, who normally sat quietly when the Mages gathered, snorted aloud.

"Something funny, Danai?" Amicus asked.

"‘Danai's disaster.' It sounds like a play the mummers might put on in a tavern." He shook his head. "You lot scared the life out of me. I know you meant well, but having nine Mages light up like fireworks is an image I'll never get out of my head. I thought you were going to fry me to a crisp."

"It took us a week just to get you to sit and listen," Gareth said, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "I've told that story in a hundred inns over the years. It works better as a comedy than a drama."

A ripple of laughter made its way around the circle.

"I'm glad you were amused," Danai said, crossing his arms and staring at the far wall.

"Come now, child. No harm came to ya," Isold? soothed. "Ya have t' admit, ‘twas—"

I cleared my throat. "Can we look forward, please? Anyone opposed?"

I looked around the room for dissent, but no one spoke.

"Good. Kels?, you should leave immediately. You should not have too much trouble scrying for her once you arrive in the capital. The rest of us will wait here until you return."

"Seriously?" Tasha leaped from her seat and raised her arms. "You want me to sit around and wait for her to come back?"

Ignoring Tasha's protest, I rose and turned to Kels?. "Come back quickly, please."

"Yes, Grand Mage." She inclined her head, then vanished.