Academy Rebels, page 28
part #1 of Card Mage Series
Dax’s eyes widened a hair, lost to the woman’s beauty. Long hair spilled down and over her shoulders. Emerald green eyes shined. Flawless skin nearly glowed against the mists. Tattoos of mythical creatures ran down her bare arms. She wore a short, black dress and as Dax’s eyes drank in her beauty, he saw several more tattoos along fit legs.
“Welcome travelers, to Butterpond,” the woman beamed as beautiful men and women emerged from the mists behind her.
“Greetings,” Dax said as his coterie moved to his sides, small smiles on everyone’s faces.
Men and women moved and surrounded the coterie, hands lifting up with waterskins, fresh fruits and vegetables.”
“You all must be exhausted from your travels. Follow us and we will walk you into town. My name is Charlotte and we’ve been expecting many of you.”
“Are we the first one’s here?” Dax asked, entranced by Charlotte’s spellbinding beauty.
The beautiful woman gave a mirthful laugh that could melt hearts. “Not the first, but not the last. The trials have weighed heavy on many and Butterpond is pleased to greet and help soothe tired minds and hearts.”
Charlotte led the way and stepped through a wall of mists. Dax didn’t know why, but he followed without a second thought.
The wall of white fog fell away and sunlight shined down from the sky. Dax blinked as he stepped into it. Fern, Symon, and the rest did the same, not believing what they were seeing.
The town center didn’t have a road. It was an open grass area, houses and buildings surrounding it like a village. Tables were placed about with bench seating. Food, wine, and water covered tables as people ate and drank. Cups and hands were in the air, waving to the newcomers. Streamers curled down from trees. Some people kissed and held each other. Some lay in the grass, staring up to the sky with smiles while some slept with serene comfort in their still expressions.
The sky was a deep azure blue. The sun’s warmth chased away the morning chill and Dax found his shoulders relaxing.
“Please, sit, eat, and drink,” Charlotte beamed as she lazily pointed to tables.
A nervous energy filled the coterie as they looked to Dax.
The mage’s haggard expression seemed to drift away before he looked to Charlotte.
“We are surprised at such a feast. We expected a trial as soon as we arrived.”
The woman turned and looked to the group with kindness and grace. “There will be plenty of time for your final trial tonight. We’ve been expecting more students and would rather have many more of you here instead of conducting trials continuously.”
“You gather students for their trials?” Dax asked, his head swimming.
Charlotte nodded. “We do. Our town is a small one, so we don’t have the people or resources to conduct large scale trials. Some of your fellow champions are laying in the grass, sleeping off their meals.
“Please, have your fill. Our trials are very simple so not to over exert your youthful bodies. We understand the last few weeks have been stressful.”
Dax nodded and turned to the coterie to tell them to eat, but when he looked for them, they were already at tables, drinking wine and making plates of food.
“They have the right idea,” Charlotte grinned and stepped closer to Dax.
Dax watched as Symon hefted food onto a plate and was eating some at the same time. Fern dipped her head in a full wine cup, bubbles gurgling up as she drank and drank. Zarra nibbled on a piece of meat while Vance picked up a waterskin and began to drink. Nuria sat down at a table, delicate fingers picking up a large strawberry and taking a bite.
Dax slowly blinked, a mental fog filling his thoughts. Muscles begged for him to sit down with them and enjoy the meal and drink. He took a shaky step forward and nearly fell when Charlotte's hand reached out and caught him. The woman didn’t struggle as she helped Dax to stand. A cup of wine was in her hand and she pushed it into Dax’s hand.
“Drink and relax,” Charlotte’s words coming out other worldly.
“This…isn’t right,” Dax said as he tried to cut through the mental fog. “What are you doing to us?”
Charlotte’s almond shaped eyes blinked slowly before they turned into butterflies and flew away. “Drink.”
Dax gritted his teeth, the town beginning to spin around him. The cup was pressed to his lips and he drank.
It’s the trial! I have to warn… They are…
Dax blinked and when his eyes opened, he was in a dim tunnel. The mage turned, trying to see where he was, water sloshing around his feet. The air was stale and a foul stench filled his nose.
The mage coughed as he reached into his robe for a card when his fingers touched a normal shirt. Looking down, he saw that he was wearing his raggedy clothes. A dagger was strapped to his belt.
“You don’t go there,” Dax said and pulled the dagger and sheath.
Dax’s gaze shimmered as he placed the dagger in his belt behind him and covered it with his shirt. The slum runner looked around, the stench of shit, piss, and rotten food enveloping him in a gloomy cloud.
A roar echoed along the tunnel and Dax bent his knees and remained very still. The echoes bounced along until the inhuman roar was gone.
“This is Mind Sphere magic. I’m a 2nd degree and should be able to make my way through it, I have to,” Dax muttered and started walking.
A thin beam of sunlight stabbed down in the darkness of the tunnel. Dax made his way toward it, his senses alive. Feet moved carefully, testing the water in case a small monster lurked. The razor worms liked to bite and tear. If a drop of blood touched the water, dozens would come out to feast on whatever was walking by.
The old habits, memories and knowledge came roaring back as Dax made his way along the tunnel. The thin light ahead was to a covered opening. If he made his way to it, he could be on the street in no time.
Thoughts spiraled, the slum runner trying to understand where he was. The tunnel was strangely familiar. It spoke to a distant memory that Dax had no interest in exploring.
They are trying to break me. They are trying to break all of us. I have to find the others. I have to help them get out of this mental maze.
Something touched Dax’s foot and he froze. Looking down, the dim light showed something snaking along in the water.
Fucking razor worms! Can’t kill these bastards fast enough!
Dax slowly lifted his foot, ready to drive his heel into it like he did hundreds of times before. The worms were the length of cats and not as tolerating. Dax remembered killing so many of these creatures, he felt he should have been paid for exterminating them. When his foot was high enough, he gritted his teeth and slammed down his heel.
A cry of pain echoed through the tunnel.
Dax stepped back, things writhing in the water before they emerged. Black tentacles reached up, touching his legs as he took another step back. The ends brushed against raggedy leggings before they reached out and coiled. Dax reached for his dagger when a whimper filled the tunnel and something moved closer.
The slum runner was stunned, watching a pale woman appear in the darkness. Her skin glowed white as hands reached out. The slum runner took another step back when the tentacles wrapped around him gently, preventing him from retreating.
“Dax?” the woman said as she slinked closer.
The slum runner froze as Nuria appeared, but it wasn’t Nuria. The upper part of her body was that of the mage, but her lower half was black with seething tentacles. Her eyes blinked, but not like how people blinked. The lids closed from the sides, even along her oval shaped eyes.
“Dax…it’s me,” Nuria whispered.
The slum runner shook his head, “No…NO! You’re a void spawn! Why are you a void spawn?”
“I fell asleep and now I’m here. Somethings not right, I don’t feel right,” Nuria whispered with a fearful edge.
Dax’s rapid heartbeat began to slow. “I think…this is part of the trail. We are in a mind maze. These are used to confront our true selves so…” the slum runner trailed off.
Nuria moved closer, her alien eyes blinking. “True selves? What about our true selves?”
Dax tried to pull his thoughts together. “It’s a way to see if…we believe we are worthy. I’ve…read about this…I think.”
Nuria looked around, “Why am I here, with you?”
Dax shook his head, “I don’t know. I just know we have to get out of this tunnel and to the surface. I…we need to get out of here.”
Nuria looked down at herself, “I can’t be seen like this.”
Dax reached out and took her hand. “This is a mental construct. It doesn’t follow the rules of the real world. We have to see where it leads and discover what our true goals are.”
Nuria nodded. “Lead. I will follow.”
The tentacles fell away. Dax stepped past Nuria and continued on toward the thin beam of light. Nuria’s body shifted, tentacles crawling along like bendable spider legs. She followed, black gaze on Dax as he put his hand in the beam of sunlight.
The sliver of heat warmed Dax’s hand and he looked up. Taking hold of metal rungs, he began his ascent. The thin light cut through the darkness until Dax pressed his hand to the metal sewer cover and pushed. The metal groaned before it shifted and the slum runner pushed it to the side. Hands grabbed at the edges of the hole and pulled himself up until he sat on the edge, looking around and seeing that he was in an alley.
The foul stench stayed below and Dax took in a deep, cleansing breath of fresh air. Looking down, fear clawed at his heart as he scrambled back, black tentacles coming up. Dax crab walked a few feet away when Nuria rose up and slithered onto the alleyway. Her upper body barely moved, but her tentacles curled and uncurled. Pale white skin glowed in the daylight as fear colored her black eyes.
“Where are we? Is this Hydale?” Nuria asked.
Dax nodded when a faint memory crashed into his mind. “We have to go! We have to go now!”
“Go? Go where?” Nuria said.
The slum runner reached out and grabbed Nuria’s shoulders, body shifting, his back was to the alley entrance and he pulled harder.
“We have to go before…” Dax’s eyes widened as the back alley melted into a dark hall.
“What am I seeing?” Dax asked as he watched Nuria step along the hall with several tall shadows.
Nuria’s eyes widened as she looked to the alleyway entrance, a younger Dax running in and an older man chasing him.
“I was going to ask the same thing?” Nuria whispered.
Lives and minds clashed as the pair stood facing each other, but looking over the other’s shoulder. Invisible chains held them in place as scenes played out.
Dax stared, watching Nuria walking along the dark hall. The mage laughed and touched the arms to the shadows like close friends. Sacks of gold were exchanged and scrolls passed. Nuria giggled, speaking to the tall shadows with her familiar curt eyes.
“Gather informants. Pay them well and keep them close,” a tall shadow spoke with a deep voice.
“I already have my fingers on many mages in the academy. They will follow my vision and we will report to you when the time arrives,” Nuria said with confidence.
The shadow nodded. “Good, see that you do. When the academy is broken, many more will flock to us. Be their guiding light and you will be rewarded with knowledge and power.”
“As you wish, my masters,” Nuria bowed.
Dax never blinked, staring as the scene changed and swirled.
Nuria stared, frozen to events as they played out. A younger Dax tried to flee, eyes wide and breath heavy. Legs pumped but the man chasing him was faster. A hand lashed out and clamped on the scrawny Dax’s shoulder. The slum runner ducked down, trying to slip away but the man caught his dirty shirt and held it in an iron grip.
“Let go!” Dax shouted.
The man looked down with experience, pulling Dax toward him. “You fucking thief! Think you can steal from me! I’ll beat you and bring you the magistrates.”
Dax pulled with all his might, blind panic in his eyes. Nuria watched as the young Dax whimpered, wanting to get away with every fiber of his being.
“They will fucking enjoy your ass in the dark cells. Fresh meat for a piece of trash like you,” the man chuckled before grabbing Dax’s neck and turning him around.
A dagger flashed and stabbed into an unguarded gut. Nuria could see everything from all sides. Tears rolling down Dax’s youthful cheeks. The older man’s eyes stunned, and the dagger buried in his gut. Dax pulled back the dagger and stabbed the other man again and again. Blood flowed as the man fell to one knee. Dax didn’t stop. Pulling the dagger back, he stabbed it into the man’s neck.
“Please…die quietly and forgive me,” Dax sobbed.
The man’s mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. Dax watched as the life drained from his eyes and he slumped to the floor.
Tears in his eyes, he grabbed the man and pulled. Thin muscles struggled as he slid the heavy man closer to the storm and sewer drain. Letting go, he lifted the cover and moved it to the side. Grabbing the dead man, he pulled him to the hole and kicked it until it fell in. Trembling hands picked up the dagger, wiped it across his thigh and sheathed it. The young man grabbed the storm drain lid and slid it into place.
“Fredrick! Fredrick!” a woman called out.
Dax looked over his shoulder before running to a wall and began to scale it. He moved quickly, like he had been doing it his entire life. Nuria watched as Dax moved over the edge of a roof and was gone from sight when a woman reached the alley entrance. She looked down at the large puddle of blood and let out a horrific scream.
Dax ran along the roof, tears blinding him as he ignored the screams.
Nuria’s tentacles trembled as she saw the look of painful dread in Dax’s eyes as he ran away.
Dax couldn’t move as the scene bled together and reformed into a small clearing. A blue flame rose up from a crack in the ground. Nuria was walking toward it until Dax appeared. Words were exchanged, but the mage could see and feel Nuria’s unwavering desire to gain power. She shouted back, eyes reflecting the glow of the mana flame. Arcane words spilled from her lips as Dax cried out from the back.
“I become Ikkudran’s true champion,” Nuria whispered before invoking a word of power.
Dax watched in slow motion as energy and blue flames reached out for her. Power coursed into Nuria as Dax felt it too. It surged into every piece of her body, well beyond what she could control. Mana burned at her soul and before she could do anything, her soul cracked and shattered.
Dax wanted to fall to his knees as he watched from her point of view. Something black emerged from the crack as Nuria’s soul fell away like dying leaves on an autumn day. The black thing leapt, striking her chest, a new soul filling in the empty space.
Power exploded and Dax saw himself through Nuria’s eyes.
The world around the pair stopped and sank down. Corridors branched off from a circular room as Dax fell to his knees and Nuria sank down on her tentacles. The pair faced each other, not realizing they were holding each other’s hands.
Dax looked into Nuria’s alien eyes, his heart cracking. “You’re not Nuria.”
“You…murdered a man,” Nuria said with a tear running down her cheek.
Hands did not let go as the two mages stared into each other’s eyes.
“He wouldn’t let go of me. If only he just let go,” Dax said with pain in his voice.
“I was running away. I slipped into the mana stream and appeared here in an empty vessel,” Nuria cried.
“How? How do you have her memories?” Confusion coloring Dax’s eyes.
“Her soul is gone, dead and moved on. I took over her body and her memories. She is no more, but I live,” Nuria said with a confused edge.
“They will kill you,” Dax whispered.
“They will imprison you,” Nuria whispered.
The pair stared for a long moment before they let go of each other.
“We have to work together to get out…” Dax began before pale white hands grabbed his head.
Dax grabbed Nuria’s wrists as she stared at him with alien eyes. She struggled as fingers held him in place. A word was whispered and pain exploded through Dax’s mind. Tendrils sank into thoughts, caressing them and moving on. Nuria’s eyes focused as invisible tentacles searched through Dax’s mind.
The mage cried out, trying to pull away as something dark and alien invaded the corners of his mind. Memories and thoughts jumbled until everything simply stopped.
Nuria nodded as she pulled her hands away. Dax could feel something drawn from his mind, copied and let go. The mage fell onto his back, gasping for air like he was breathing for the first time.
Nuria’s body flowed up, her gaze on the mage before shadows opened behind her. The void spawn bowed her head before the shadows engulfed her and she was gone.
Dax turned onto his side, his shredded thoughts pulling themselves back together. A long moan fell from his lips as he forced himself back to his feet. Gaining his balance, the mage closed his eyes.
This is all a mind game. They expect you to play by the rules. Fuck them. Time to cheat!
Dax focused his mind to a single point. When his heart and thoughts became one, he reached for his Mind Speak Card. Opening his eyes, he looked down at the card in his hand and smiled.
Activating the card with a word of power, energy blazed across his thoughts and soon, his mind opened.
Can you hear me?
“Dax!” Fern cried out.
“I can’t escape!” Vance shouted.
“Don’t hit me,” Symon cried out.
“Not again,” Zarra sobbed.
Dax could hear all of their thoughts and felt their pain. Following the torment, he charged down a corridor. Lanterns swung as he ran. The mage felt the tether touching all of their minds. Following the tether, he reached a door and pulled it open.
Zarra was on the floor of the cave, reaching out and sobbing as two, large gold dragons blasted at the ceiling of the tunnel. Rocks and debris came crashing down, burying them as Zarra screamed.
