Chapter 51
Reunion Opal had convinced herself that Malek was dead; seeing him now made her blood boil. She tightened her fist until her knuckles began to crack. What was I thinking? Chasing one of his students across the skies; no idea where he was going… I never wanted to return here.
Although it was dark out, Opal could still see the debris spilled across the tall grass. Something burned atop the mountain and illuminated everything underneath. Being there filled Opal with an odd sense of déjà vu. It feels like I was just here, in this stone-cluttered field yesterday.
Before Malek could say anything, Opal sized him up. She imagined a spell, not one she had read or stolen from one of Dusk’s books. One that she designed on the spot. One that would set the bastard ablaze from the inside out, burn his skin off and turn it to a fine ash. He was her enemy—in fact, all mages were now. She knew she would have to kill them all now.
Malek’s ruined my life, and he should die for that. So why don’t I kill him? Right here. Right now. Why don’t I rend the flesh from his bones?
“I thought you were dead,” Opal said to Malek. “All of you.”
“Nearly,” the mage she had chased whispered. “We escaped before the collapse. Erik had—”
“What do you want from me? Why did you seek me out? Make it good; you’ve already wasted enough of my time.” As she spoke, her eyes fixed once more on the remains of the fortress on top of the mountain. This time, the sight told her a different story. From what she could make out, the structure was split in half, with the surviving portion—the side that housed the students—still in relatively good shape. “Did anyone else survive? Any of the other students?”
“Five of us ferried ten of the younger students out during the assault. It pains me to tell you this, Opal, but Elizabeth was killed in the attack,” the student said.
The volcano inside Opal’s chest rumbled with each word. “I know… I saw her die.”
“Then you faced Erik with his amplified powers and survived,” Malek said. “You’ve become a very powerful mage, Opal. You could easily subdue what remains of the High Council, but I have come to warn you of one thing before you do.”
“Make it quick, Malek,” Opal snapped.
“Girl, there’s so little you know of the High Council, an entity that has been here for over five hundred summers,” Malek replied.
“And?” Opal goaded.
“Do you see that glow of light up there? That is no fire.”
“Looks like a portal.”
“It’s no portal either. There are things buried deep inside the basement of the fortress. Things only the archmages of the High Council knew of. That is one of them, and I’m afraid our Supreme Leader was the sole owner of its purpose.”
“And?”
“And now it sits exposed to the elements and anyone brave enough to climb to the peak of our mountain.”
Although Malek’s words chilled her to the core, Opal would not show him fear. “Your point?”
“You cannot destroy powers as strong as the High Council’s without repercussions, Opal.”
Opal crossed her arms and widened her stance. She drew a deep breath and looked right at Malek. “Is that what you wanted to warn me about?”
“No.” He sighed and looked away. “I realize you feel slighted by the High Council. Much of what Horus told you was true, but there are important details he did not share. Our kind, our abilities are passed on from mother to child. Don’t you see, Opal? It takes a woman who has magical powers within herself to bear a child with the same powers.”
“More lies?”
“Why do you think we take such interest in the female students within the High Council? You are our future.”
“My mother was no—”
“She was, Opal. I knew her well,” Malek interrupted.
Opal stepped back. Malek’s words shook her. Phantom cramps pierced her stomach. I’ve lost Karn’s baby. A child that would have been a mage… like me.
“We need to protect you and the child.” Malek pointed at her belly.
“Protect my child?” Opal repeated his words, as she tried to make sense of them.
“You carry a child bred from a man enchanted with a warlord’s soul,” the student added. “Unrefined power will certainly surge through his child’s body like blood flows through our veins.”
Truth or lies, Opal was more surprised that Malek was unaware of her loss.
“Our kind faces extinction. Your child could be a new beginning.”
“Just stop, Malek. Stop talking!” Opal snapped.
A moment of silence passed as Opal walked around in a small circle. She glanced at the two men and the top of the fortress. She looked back in the direction of Kel Tora, thinking of what had happened there.
“Opal, regarding the Rook,” Malek changed the topic. “Weakened as we are, the spells we cast on him—”
“Will he remember everything?” Opal’s heart skipped at the thought.
“In time he will. He may already have. Face-to-face contact with him now could have a dangerous outcome.”
Opal stomped her foot on the wet grass as she put her fists on her hips. How did I lose control? How did I let everything become so muddied? These two men; there’s a lust for blood on their tongues. They… they made this mess. They should pay for it.
“Opal, you cannot deny that these lands will be conquered unless we mages do something. Our enemy still needs to be stopped.”
Opal held silent while she tried to push her rage back down, cage it up, and control her thoughts. When she was ready to speak, she said, “Do not! Do not assume that I’ve rejoined the High Council.” Opal pointed a finger at both men. “What should I do?”
“Rest. The battle to come will require most of your energy. Follow us; we have a secret lair you’ll be safe in until the time arrives to strike.”
Malek sounded as friendly as she had ever heard him. Unnerved by his words, Opal took another step back. She knew the mages had limitless resources when it came to treachery. This could be just another one of their plans to manipulate, or worse, ambush me, Opal thought with another look around. I need to take control.
“I will return to Kel Tora.”
“What? What is so important that you would risk all to return to a land that has mage-hunters in their ranks, Opal?”
“I formed a relationship with the Duke of Kel Tora, and he has resources, supplies for me.”
“We should let her go,” the student urged Malek. “Be mindful of danger, Opal; it exists in many forms.”
“Meet us tomorrow night.” Malek’s face bore a clear look of disappointment.
Opal nodded. Her mind was already set to summon a magical portal. A powerful gust of wind rumbled from the mountains; it held a wintery chill that made her shiver. Debris from the mages’ home blew in a circle around the magical portal as it opened. Opal made eye contact with Malek one last time, in effort to read the man’s intentions. He has death in his eyes. He cannot be trusted, but who else do I have?
Once the portal was open, she stepped backward through it and transported herself away.