Awaken (The Mortal Mage Book 1) Read online

  “We’ll let you know if we find out anything,” Effie said without pause.

  Do we even have a new city guard yet? He could’ve asked, but there was a more important question on Desil’s mind.

  “What did the headmaster do?”

  “He’s gone against the king and must be brought in.” The men started to leave.

  “How has he gone against the king?”

  Desil’s last question went ignored. He turned to his mother. “You know him; what could he have done?”

  She chuckled dryly. “Any number of things. But any action would’ve been done with good intentions. Given the state of Ovira, this is probably over a disagreement of politics. I’d rather not worry about it, or I might find myself involved. This is Basen Hiller, after all. Bastial hell, Desil. I’m glad you didn’t meet with him.”

  But Desil wasn’t relieved.

  Effie had grown into a powerful fire and sartious mage during her time at the Academy, then honed her skills even more when she became an instructor at the elite school after her three years as a student were finished. The last time she’d fought was while she was a student, before she’d met Desil’s father. But the stories she’d told Desil made it clear that her role in battle had always been commanded by others. She’d gone into the school never expecting to fight, only to spend most of her time doing exactly that.

  Desil understood her wish to stay out of it and to keep him out of it as well, but what was the point of all his training if he spent his life helping her manage a tavern in which she didn’t need his assistance? What was the point of all their traveling throughout Ovira? His mother and father had introduced him to Krepps, even taught him some of the harsh language of the lizard-men. They’d taken him all the way to Merejic to see the Elven village, through a jungle filled with creatures so strange and threatening it had taken all of his courage to keep from telling his parents he wanted to turn back. There was no point to his extensive training under their tutelage if he couldn’t use what he’d learned.

  Desil couldn’t shake these thoughts, not that he tried. Whenever his chores were finished, he returned to the lake to swim and climb. He often stayed late into the night, spending some of the time on his favorite ledge, where he was now. There was no chirping of crickets, no howling of wolves. Kayvol was as quiet as it was boring. He made a circle with his thumb and first finger and held it over the town, encapsulating every meager home. It looked tiny next to the lake, almost vulnerable, as if one powerful rainstorm could cause the water to swell up and swallow everyone who had spent the last three years making a life here.

  With the headmaster having gone against the king, Desil tried to think of what he should do now. He needed to find out more. He supposed he could go to the Academy tomorrow and find the recruiter he’d originally spoken to. She should know something about what would’ve been covered in the meeting.

  Desil noticed movement below him. Someone emerged from the trees and headed toward the water. No one came from this direction—from the northeast. There was no human settlement that way, only Krepps.

  Could this be the mage from the Academy who Desil had been communicating with all this time? The figure was shrouded in shadow. He had to get closer for a better look.

  CHAPTER THREE

  While climbing down toward the person, Desil had no way to get a glimpse until he was almost at the base and could look behind him. It was not the female mage he’d been communicating with through memories, he soon saw, but an older man standing with his arms folded and looking straight at Desil.

  “Who in god’s world are you?” asked the man. “And what were you doing halfway up the mountain?”

  Desil jumped down the last bit of mountain and approached him. Something about this man was familiar.

  “Headmaster?” Desil asked in a whisper as he made out the man’s face. “Is that you?”

  “Do we know each other?”

  “We met four years ago, when my mother, Effie Elegin, took me to the Academy to see her old friends. She introduced us.”

  “Oh, you’re Desil!” The headmaster smiled wide. “I’m glad to run into a friend here. You have a good memory to recognize my face in the dark.”

  “I never forget a face. What’s happening? You weren’t at the Academy, and the king has men looking for you.”

  “He isn’t just looking for me but my wife as well. I can’t tell you what we’re doing in case psychics question you.”

  In the silence that followed, Desil realized that this was how he would get involved. He had little idea what the headmaster, Basen Hiller, had planned, but in his heart Desil knew he should be part of it.

  “I apologize for not being there for our meeting,” Basen said, “but a betrayal forced me to leave abruptly.”

  “What were you going to tell me?”

  “It’s too much to get into right now, but I just wanted to talk.”

  “That’s it?”

  The headmaster smirked. “Sometimes the biggest decisions we make start with talking.”

  “Like now.”

  “Exactly. We were to discuss the Wind Knights. As the son of Effie and Wade, I assume you were told all about them?”

  “I was.”

  “Good, but unfortunately there’s no time to talk about it further.”

  It had been years since Desil had discussed the Wind Knights with either of his parents. The Wind Knights had no known leader and no affiliation with the king. The identities of their members were kept hidden, though it was well known that all were at the top of their professions. Every psychic, mage, chemist, and swordsman of tremendous power was rumored to be part of the organization, but Effie and Wade had explained to Desil that this wasn’t true. Many had declined the offer to join, like his parents, and others couldn’t be trusted enough to be recruited.

  The Wind Knights put Kyrro above all else. If there was a threat to the territory that the king’s men either couldn’t or wouldn’t resolve, it was likely for the organization to step in. It came together after Kyrro had suffered from centuries of corrupt kings. The Wind Knights would make sure the current king, Fernan Estlander, and every monarch who followed him didn’t abuse their power. It was a comforting thought to Desil, but even his parents weren’t sure what the secret organization would do when war broke out between Kyrro and Tenred. Desil believed their choice would come down to how the fighting began. If the rumors were true that Fernan was the instigator, he might have to go to battle without the support of the most powerful people in his territory.

  As Basen looked in every direction, Desil assured him, “No one comes to this part of the lake at night. There’s nothing here for them.”

  “All right, but give me a moment to figure out how to proceed. Psychics make this quite difficult. In the meantime, you should consider whether you want to risk getting involved.” Basen put his hand over his mouth as he looked at the ground for a while.

  Desil took that time to think about what he wanted to do. He supposed it depended on what the headmaster asked of him.

  “In our meeting, I was going to inquire about your abilities,” Basen said. “I was told you take more after your father than your mother. Is this true?”

  “In regard to my abilities, yes.”

  “I see.” Basen gave no indication whether this was good news. “All right, I need someone’s help and you’re probably better than most I could’ve run into while coming to the lake for water. Are you interested?”

  “Yes.”

  Basen grinned. “Good. Leave for the Academy a few hours after sunrise to find my daughter, Leida. Her mother and I weren’t able to tell her anything before we left. She should be at the Group One training grounds for mages by the time you arrive, and she should’ve already been questioned by psychics about me. If so, tell her about this meeting and bring her to this exact spot. But if she hasn’t been questioned by psychics, tell her to ask a guard of the king about my disappearance. They will question her while she still knows
nothing. Afterward, make sure she comes to this exact spot. She will be confused and ask you questions, but the only information you can give her is how to get here. Do you understand?”

  “I do.”

  “After she’s been questioned, bring her here,” Basen repeated. “Don’t tell her this, but I won’t be anywhere near here by then. I will, however, leave a message for her.”

  “Where?”

  “It won’t be written but felt. I don’t suppose you understand what I mean?”

  Chills ran down Desil’s back. She’s the one. The headmaster’s daughter was the mage he’d been sharing memories with in the lake.

  “I understand completely.”

  *****

  Desil decided not to tell his mother about seeing Basen. She would advise Desil to do as he’d agreed—tell Leida Hiller what her father said—and then no more. But more was exactly what Desil anticipated doing, and if Effie found out everything, psychics could get the information out of her while Desil wasn’t there.

  In the morning, he helped her prepare the tavern for the few patrons who tended to come in early, all the while trying to think of another excuse that could get him to the Academy. He often went for food ingredients because the school had the most extensive gardens and farms in all of Ovira. He’d routinely see others from the cities doing the same. Apparently the profits of the school went back to the king, who paid the salaries of the staff and took care of the upkeep of the Academy. In exchange for attending, every student signed a contract to fight for the king if he requested their assistance. Death was the only expiration date for the contract.

  Two people entered the tavern. Desil recognized the intimidating glare of the large swordsman as belonging to the man who’d helped him outside the castle. Kirnich walked in behind a beautiful woman with black hair, who appeared younger than Kirnich but older than Desil, perhaps in her mid-twenties. Kirnich nodded in Desil’s direction as a greeting, and Desil nodded back.

  “Have either of you seen the headmaster of the Academy, Basen Hiller, or his wife, Alabell Kerr?” the woman asked.

  Desil’s heart jumped. There was something about her dark eyes that told him she was a psychic. It meant she could feel his nerves as strongly as he could.

  “You.” She pointed at him. “What’s your name?”

  “Desil Fogg.”

  “My son and I were already questioned yesterday,” Effie complained. “We don’t know anything.”

  The woman looked at Kirnich behind her as if expecting him to do something. He shook his head. “Not them. I like the boy.”

  She let out a grumble as she looked back, then she made a fist and slammed it on the table. “You’re being asked again! Now tell me what you know.”

  Desil and his mother gave no reaction to her threat.

  The woman sighed. “It’s much better when you do it,” she told Kirnich.

  “I know.”

  She approached Desil, ignoring his mother for the moment. “The king is my father, and you may have already guessed that I’m a psychic. If you lie, you will regret it.”

  Beatrix Estlander, Desil realized. They’d never met, but he felt as if he already knew her from all the things he’d heard. The king had many children, all adults now. Beatrix was the most well-known among them even though she was the middle child. Her older brother, the prince, was supposedly handsome like his father, but that’s all he was. The people hoped Fernan would rule for many years, not just because he was a good king, but because they dreaded his son taking his father’s place. Beatrix was the only psychic of the family and a graduate of the Academy, where she’d received the Worender Award for her mastery in psyche. Desil didn’t know what she’d been doing with her time since then, but word was that she’d been trying to be more involved with her father’s politics. To see Kirnich with her meant he was higher in rank than Desil first realized.

  He would be a fool to lie to her. Fortunately Basen hadn’t told him much.

  “I saw the headmaster last night along the northern side of the lake.”

  “You?” Kirnich asked in surprise.

  But his alarm didn’t compare to Effie’s. She gasped and asked, “You did?”

  “He was collecting water as if he would be traveling. I don’t know what he’s planning.”

  “Did you speak with him?” Beatrix asked.

  “Yes. He told me to go to the Academy and bring his daughter back to the same spot. He would leave a message for her there.”

  “And did you?”

  “I was supposed to wait until a little later.”

  “What else?” Beatrix seemed to be in a rush now.

  “That’s it.”

  Kirnich pushed a chair out of his way, moving close until his mouth was right in front of Desil’s eyes. “Why you? How are you involved in this?”

  Desil could pretend he wasn’t afraid, but what was the point? Kirnich was a beast of a man who was probably used to intimidating people a lot tougher and bigger than Desil. He shrunk away as he answered.

  “I’m not involved. We met by chance. He thought he could trust me because we’ve met before.” This answer didn’t seem to be enough to pacify Kirnich’s accusing stare. “The headmaster knows my mother quite well,” Desil added. “She went to the Academy at the same time as he did, so he knows he can trust me. I know nothing more.”

  “You’d better not,” Kirnich threatened. “I don’t want to find out you’re helping the headmaster. I’ll still arrest you for treason, even if I do like you.”

  “Go see Leida Hiller like you told the headmaster you would,” Beatrix said to Desil’s surprise. “I don’t care if you tell her about the message. We’ll find it before then. But tell her to come to the castle first. She is not to speak about the headmaster to anyone but me. Do you understand? No one else.”

  “I do.”

  “I will be at the castle to question her by evening. If she does not show up tonight, she will be arrested for treason.”

  This must mean there was a rivalry between Beatrix and the other troops of the king. Why else would it be important that Leida spoke to no one but Beatrix? The question now was did Beatrix only want to impress her father or was there more to this competition to find the headmaster?

  Desil was fortunate that both Basen and Beatrix wanted him to do the same thing with Leida. She would turn herself in to a psychic before she knew more, and Beatrix would find no message by the lake.

  “I will tell the headmaster’s daughter what you told me,” Desil assured.

  Beatrix left in a hurry. Kirnich was right behind her, but he stopped at the door to turn and point at Desil. “Don’t get more involved.”

  Desil put up his hands in a gesture that said he wouldn’t.

  Effie had her hands on her hips by the time they were gone. “Do what you promised, but make sure that’s it. I have no idea what Basen’s up to but it’s clearly dangerous. I don’t want you involved.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Before Desil had left the lake, Basen had given him a description of his daughter.

  “She’s medium height with red hair.”

  “Can’t you be more descriptive?” Desil had requested.

  “She’s the only one in her group with red hair. If you don’t find her, just ask someone. Everyone knows her.”

  The sun beat down on Desil as he rode toward the Academy, the heat making every gust of cool wind refreshing. He’d been to the school many times before, but until yesterday, his visit with his mother had been the only time he was allowed through the farms and gardens on the eastern side to see the rest of the campus. At three square miles, the Academy was bigger than the capital. It had taken the entire day to visit every section of the school with his mother four years ago.

  Desil rode his horse to the eastern wall, the gate already open for visitors like him. The two guards of the Academy there recognized him and didn’t bother to ask his name or purpose as they did to most others. Hopefully they would still trust him a
fter he passed through the gardens and farms and kept on riding to the classrooms.

  Unlike yesterday, he noticed everything now. Most of the people he passed were around his age. It was a welcome change from Kayvol, where every woman and man was old enough to be his mother or father. Many times he’d imagined coming here to seek out the mage who visited the lake, but it was just a fantasy to pass the time. There would’ve been no way to find him or her, and even if Desil did, what could he say? “Come visit me at the Magic Tavern so we can talk about our abilities and see what we can do together.” It sounded ridiculous. Even he wouldn’t trust someone who told him that.

  But now he knew who this mage was and finally had an excuse to speak to her.

  There were only six main roads in the Academy, three east to west and three south to north. Desil had taken the middle road west from the gate. He passed rows of identical houses with red, thatch roofs and clean white walls. The inhabitants here were not the students but the farmers and gardeners who sold to the citizens of Kyrro, like Desil. These men and women worked for the Academy, therefore for the king, though their contract was vastly different from that of a student or instructor. They had no training in fighting and wouldn’t be obligated to join a battle even if enemies attacked the Academy.

  The houses went on for nearly a mile before a break in the road. Desil stayed on his course, remembering the classrooms ahead from his visit with his mother. There weren’t many people along the way as he passed by more housing just like the last. Effie had told him the farmers and gardeners in this section didn’t sell to citizens. Everything produced went back into the Academy in an endless cycle. Half a mile of farms stretched out to his left, hundreds of grazing animals separated by fences.

  Everyone who saw Desil riding on horseback gave him curious looks. As he came to the next break in the road, he dismounted. It was partially to give his horse a rest but mostly to give himself a reprieve from the attention.