Chapter 14

Night fell. As the car rolled to a stop, I strained my ears, but heard nothing.

“You may remove the blindfold.”

“Where are we?” I inquired, pulling it free.

“I’m presenting you to the Council for right of Ghuardianship.”

“Now, tonight? Thanks for the heads up,” I said sarcastically. If he had at least told me we weren’t going straight to his house I might have run a comb through my hair.

Justus slicked back his brow with his thumb and scraped his fingers through his short hair a few times, a nervous gesture that wasn’t exactly putting me at ease.

The car lights illuminated the woods in front of us; tall trees stood like dark soldiers guarding a fortress. To the right was a broken wall made of stones that looked a million years old, covered with dying vines. Justus walked around to open my door and the second I got out, he immediately pinned me against the car.

I choked out, “What are you doing?”

His eyes narrowed and scanned through the darkness all around as if he were looking for someone. I trembled, uncertain if we were in danger. His searching eyes, rich and deep with moonlight, slid down to meet my gaze.

“If you’re with me then you will be looked after. It will be my duty to ensure your safety, but you must never let your guard down for even a moment.”

While Adam’s sweatshirt was snug and warm, my bare legs sure felt the sting of northern air and I lengthened the sleeves. Justus shifted out of his jacket placing it around my shoulders and when I slipped my arms through the lining of his coat, I actually got a heat flash.

“Damn, you really run on hot,” I muttered. The only response he gave was…

“Follow me.”

I shadowed behind him closely. “What city are we going to live in?”

“Cognito.”

“Really?” I laughed. “I’ve always wanted to go there.”

“You’ll find more Breed in Cognito than any other city in the States.”

Cognito was a metropolis that boasted itself as the center of the universe for artists. Supposedly, it had a very diverse crowd, not to mention it was a 24-hour city like Vegas. The cost of living was higher and from what I heard the crime rate was pretty bad, so not many people actually wanted to live there.

“Tonight I will present you to the Council. Each territory has a Council of members who work directly under the Mageri. This will make you official. It is not just customary, but it is law. To house a Learner who has not been documented is illegal and they have agreed to consider your case.”

“My case? Am I on trial?”

He sucked at his teeth and replied in a low baritone voice, “In a matter of speaking, you are. You have a unique set of circumstances for coming into the Breed that may not meet their approval. The Council has dominion over all—they will decide your fate.”

“Wait a minute.” A slice of moonlight filtered through a tree and softly outlined his jaw. “What if they don’t approve of my circumstances, do they have the authority to…to kill me?”

He showed no sign of emotion and I began to see the complexity that was Justus. “Yes Learner, they have all authority. Because our power is within you, they have the right to decide what to do with it. This is serious business, so put your childish jokes aside and speak to them with respect. It is not likely they will put you to death; we do not so hastily discard the life of one of our own. Remember, anything you say could hold weight on the decision they make. Do not speak unless spoken to. Do you understand?”

I nodded and we continued our walk. I thought about how it was like going into a pit of lions holding a juicy steak. I had fascinating information about my creation that could very well be the nail in my coffin.

In a small clearing, two women and three men were dressed in white robes. Didn’t these people realize what Century we lived in? All that ceremonial looking garb—this wasn’t a séance. I refrained from smiling and let Justus take the lead, placing my hand nervously on his back.

Justus greeted the Council with a bow.

“Bring forward the girl,” the older male in the center demanded.

Truth be told, I was too nervous to look at them directly. They were introduced from left to right: Novis, Sasha, Samuel, Hannah and Merc.

Novis was a young man no older than 25 (at least in physical appearance), lean with short black hair, wide thin lips and boyish features. Sasha was quite beautiful—young, long blonde hair and a bit of hollowness to her. Samuel was much older than the others, looking grandfatherly with a closely shaven grey beard and eyes that were such a pale liquid blue they were iridescent in the moonlight. And while physically he was the eldest, I had the distinct feeling he was not the one in charge.

Hannah was all business with her tidy hair pulled up in a classy style, tucked neatly with small pins that sparkled like diamonds. Her lips were painted a deep ruby red, which made her thick wolfish brows stand out even more. Lastly, Merc—who looked like menace incarnate. Long stringy blonde hair fell over his shoulders and he towered in height as equally as muscle. As intimidating as he looked, I was more terrified of the lack of compassion in those eyes which were penetrating. No sign of mercy, love or an ounce of anything but disgust for me. Justus picked up on it and curved his hand around my wrist.

“Council, greetings.” Heads nodded.

“My name is Justus De Gradi. I have called upon the Council to present a newly created Mage.”

“Where is her Creator?” Sasha interrupted. “You are not listed in our books as a Creator, so where did you find this little girl?”

Who the hell was she calling little girl? I inched forward but he jerked me back in place.

“Her power has come to us in a most unusual way.” I could tell he was trying to word himself carefully and hold his tongue. “There are unique circumstances to her transition. Her maker has denied her with his unwillingness to step forward and stake his claim openly. This Learner is abandoned, so I am requesting her care be placed in my Ghuardianship, officially.”

I felt the swell of the night around me and nervously shuffled my feet over the grass. I didn’t understand these customs, and I sure didn’t understand these people so I couldn’t imagine how they felt about me. But eyes fell on me with disdain and I wondered if I deserved such harsh judgment.

“Who is your maker?” Hannah’s eyes pointed at me like a spear.

I shot a sideways glance at Justus for direction; was I supposed to tell the truth or dance around it like he had? Unfortunately, I can’t read eyes.

“Are you impaired in some way?”

I snapped my head and gave her an ugly stare.

The young man with the punk rock hair leaned forward to look at Miss bobby pins. “Maybe she refuses to answer your question, Hannah.” He was grinning as if amused by my behavior.

“I’ll answer your question.”

I swallowed hard and Justus released his grip on my wrist. “I don’t know who my maker is.”

Muscles, the guy on the right that looked like he could snap a light pole, blurted out, “Do tell us, are you an immaculate conception?” I felt a blast of cold that came from his stare. I couldn’t figure out why he hated me so much, but I felt it. It was as palpable as the frosty wind on my skin.

“He never told me his name.” Justus gave me no warning or preparation of any kind as to how I should answer these kinds of questions, and how much I should divulge. I would rightfully kick his ass for it.

Justus spoke again. “Council, I have tapped into her light enough to assess that she will be a strong addition. But as it is raw and she is without any guidance, I request permission to be her acting Ghuardian. I will teach her our laws; she will be learned properly. I will bring her to the Council to measure her potential when it is time.”

“You are withholding,” Hannah implied. She was curious, observant, and a little annoyed by the look of the frown lines. “Justus De Gradi, you have made the decision to risk the consequence of concealing truth from the Council with half truths. You will prepare yourself for judgment, as no lie can remain buried forever.”

Justus acknowledged her with a nod.

“Step forward, Learner.”

The Learner stepped forward, and she was about to pee her pants.

Without looking away, Hannah said, “Novis, test her.”

Novis was suddenly in my face before I could blink. He placed his thumb on my forehead the same way Justus had at the hotel in Memphis. No permission was asked, no explanation was given. A surge built within me, humming in my ears and there was a sense of energy shifting, building, and pacing like a panther. I held my breath as my fingertips began to tingle. There was an indescribable need to release something, the same way you felt as if you were holding in a sneeze or urge to cough.

“Strong indeed,” he whispered.

Confused, I stepped back, breaking our contact and looked at Justus in panic.

“That is enough, Novis,” Hannah said. He took his position beside Sasha, mouth slightly open and looking at me quizzically before he gave a short nod.

“What did you find?”

“She is strong. As she is yet undeveloped I’m not able to fully measure. There is a shadow I cannot get around that is blocking her light.” He paused turning towards Hannah with slanted brows. “There is something I am not able to reach. But even with that said she is potential.”

Good to know that I was potential, not that I had it. Suddenly I was not a person who had abilities, I was now the ability itself.

“Very well,” Hannah said with a bored aristocratic tone. “Justus, you will need to teach her to level down, can’t even control a surge of power from measuring. We require an evaluation six months from now. I advise you to begin tonight, as she will be useless for days if you do not help her to release.” They turned and disappeared into the woods, but not before I caught Merc arguing with one of them.

I dropped to my knees. Ripples of lightning shot through my skin and it was beginning to hurt. A metallic taste on my tongue, and a sense of panic raced through me.

“Why did he do that, why can’t I make it stop?” I was out of breath, struggling to control the monster living within me.

“Learner, look at me.” Justus knelt down on one knee. “Give me your hands. Our power can be pulled, or pushed, or exchanged. But when it is not level within you—like when Novis pulled your strongest energy to the surface—you must learn to push it back down or it will consume you. Since you do not retain this skill you must release the overflow.”

“But what was he measuring?”

“Novis was pulling your power out so he could taste it; it’s a method we use to determine how strong a Mage is. Anytime that your power is increased it becomes a danger to you if you do not control it. It is the most basic thing we learn as a Mage.”

Leaning on my knees, I fell against Justus and he held me upright pulling my hands to his chest. In his eyes were small flashes of light, like fireflies. I stared at his thighs and up to his neck trying to find a focal point.

“Release.”

I scrambled backwards. “What if I don’t?” I argued. I couldn’t help but think of that look he had at the hotel after I did just that.

“Then you will sleep for a long while and be weakened. I will not raise a Learner to be a weakling.”

“What if I just release it into the ground?” I planted my hands on the dirt and he gripped them hard.

“Learner! Do not wield your power as a child. A Mage should never put himself in a situation where they are weak, let alone unconscious.”

His large hands clasped mine firmly and I let the wave take over and gave it free reign. It pulsed like light through my skin and shot out through my hands into Justus, who fell slightly back this time.

I got up and ran back to the car. Hell yeah, he scared me. When I put my energy into him, I didn’t know exactly what he was feeling. I thought about juicers, and how addictive the energy was. Whenever I saw that look on his face, I knew it to be true.

A few minutes later, he returned to the car and settled in the seat. I was shivering relentlessly. Releasing excess power stole the heat from my blood, but I felt better, like I had purged something out of me.

“Let’s get something straight, I’m here to help you. Continue to challenge me and you are only a detriment to yourself. There’s a world out there you don’t understand, one you’re going to soon find out about. Your biggest concern as a human might have been what flavor or coffee to buy, but in the world of Breed it is a completely different dynamic. There are first generation enemies from eons ago; it can be a dangerous world if you are not prepared for it.”

Justus looked tired, and not just from the drive. He rubbed an eye with his fist and yawned. “Look, I’m tired and I don’t feel like talking for the rest of the drive. It won’t be much longer, take a nap or something.”

If Justus had a formula, it would be 1% sensitivity and 99% jackass.

But I wasn’t going to pick that battle to fight, I was exhausted. There was too much I didn’t know. I knew about vampires, wizards, trolls, fairies and all other sorts of fantasy creatures, but no one ever mentioned a group of people who could harness and manipulate pure energy. Then again, he said human definitions were wrong.