The Wizard of Time (Book 1) (12 page)

“Take us now!” Marcus said. “Make the jump, Boy, while there’s still time.”

Chapter 10: St. Fillan’s Stones

Gabriel didn’t wait to ask questions. It didn’t matter where and when they jumped to, as long as it was far away from Apollyon. Gabriel reached out with his time-sense toward the stone. An image filled his mind of a hut and a forest and green hills. He willed his magical energy through the pocket watch and toward that place in time. Then the blackness encircled them, the white light filling everything, and they suddenly stood in the little field at the edge of the forest that Gabriel had seen.

“Jump again, Gabriel,” Sema said.

“Before he can follow,” Ling hissed.

Gabriel knew they were right. A True Mage with Apollyon’s power could sense the distortions in the fabric of space-time and follow them to their destination even without a relic. The only way to lose him was to make repeated time jumps.

Gabriel used the stone in his hand again and jumped. And jumped again. And again. The stone did not seem to have moved much in space. It was always the same low mountains in the background, the same streams, the same lake, the same green hills and sparse forests. Sometimes a house became visible for a moment, sometimes a cluster of homes that indicated a town, sometimes nothing but a field of low grass with grazing sheep. Gabriel felt safe when he saw the sheep for some reason and stopped there.

“Do you think that’s enough?” he asked, looking around. He noticed the others had reverted to their white tunics and pants. He looked down and saw that he had unconsciously done the same.

“I doubt anyone could follow those jumps,” Marcus said, catching his breath.

“My head is spinning,” Ling muttered as she staggered away.

“Very well done, Gabriel,” Sema said, patting him on the shoulder with one hand while pressing the heel of the other to her temple.

“Where are we?” Gabriel asked, holding up the stone as he looked around at the flock of sheep wandering away over the dark green hillside.

“Scotland,” Marcus said, taking the stone back from Gabriel. “Glen Dochart. Home of Saint Fillan and his healing stones. This one is my talisman.”

Gabriel found that all three mages were staring at him. “What?” he said, unsure of why he was the focus of attention.

“You stopped that fireball, Lad,” Marcus said. “Do you know what that means?”

“Not really,” Gabriel said. “It was just a fluke. I wanted to duck or use magic to jump away, but there wasn’t time.”

“Mages can only use one kind of magic,” Sema said. “A Time Mage can’t wield fire.”

“And you threw that fireball back at Apollyon without even moving your arms,” Ling said. “That takes Wind Magic and I could feel you use it.”

“I just did it without thinking,” Gabriel said.

“Which is probably why no one noticed before,” Sema said.

“The boy’s so strong in Time Magic, who would think to look?” Marcus said. “Even if they did believe.”

“Believe what?” Gabriel said.

“The prophecy,” Ling said. “The damn prophecy.”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” Gabriel said, looking from face to face and trying to figure out if he had done something wrong. Why else would they seem so concerned?

“You caught and then threw a fireball,” Marcus said. “Only one kind of mage could do that, Lad.”

“A True Mage,” Sema said.

“I can’t be a True Mage,” Gabriel said. “There are only six True Mages.”

“Yes,” Ling said. “One for each magic.”

“Three for the forces of Grace and three for the forces of Malignancy,” Sema added.

“But the Prophecy speaks of a Seventh True Mage,” Marcus said.

“One who is different,” Ling added.

“One who is unique,” Sema said.

“One who can use both kinds of imprints,” Marcus said. “One who can stand between the forces of Grace and Malignancy and wield them both.”

Gabriel said nothing, his mind a flurry of thoughts, a windstorm raging inside his head. He was a True Mage. That’s what they had said. That’s what catching the fireball meant. He could use all six magics. He would be a True Mage like Councilwoman Elizabeth, and Akikane, and Nefferati.

But he was more than that. If what they said was true, he could also use tainted artifacts, objects with negative imprints, like the True Mages of the Malignancy. Like Apollyon. The windstorm picked up speed and the world seemed to spin. His knees buckled and he sat down in the short grass. Ling and Sema knelt down beside him, placing a hand on either shoulder to steady him. Marcus looked down at him, his face a mask of seriousness, but his eyes gentle.

“Do you know what this means, Lad?” Marcus asked.

“I can use all magics and any artifact,” Gabriel said.

“If the prophecy is true,” Ling said.

“That’s easy enough to verify,” Sema said.

“That’s not what I meant,” Marcus said. “The boy needs to know.”

“Know what?” Gabriel asked. What could be worse than being half Malignancy Mage?

“Apollyon saw you,” Sema said. “He’ll know what you are.”

“Being able to use both Grace and Malignant imprints makes you very special,” Ling said.

“Don’t try to soften it for him,” Marcus said, looking Gabriel directly in the eyes. “You’ll be hunted, Boy. The Council will love you, oh yes, they’ll fawn over you like a prize peacock, but they won’t be the only ones who’ll want your favor. You’re valuable, Boy. Grace magic in one hand, Malignant magic in the other. Your power could tip the balance. Could end the war. One way or the other. And Apollyon knows it. He’ll be looking for you now. Searching.”

“I’d never help the Malignancy,” Gabriel said, fighting the icy feeling in his stomach, letting the anger well up in his voice.

“We would never think that you would,” Sema said.

“But if Apollyon gets a hold of you, he’ll try to persuade you,” Ling said.

“And he is a powerful Soul Mage,” Sema said. “He can be persuasive even to those who hate him. And he has other methods, as well.”

“If he can’t win you over to his side,” Marcus said, “he’ll try to kill you.”

“Great,” Gabriel said, his anger evaporating, overtaken by the icy fear in his stomach. “I think I’d like to go back to the bus at the bottom of the river now.”

“There’s no point in frightening him needlessly,” Sema said, glaring at Marcus.

“I said Apollyon would try to kill him,” Marcus said. “I didn’t say he would. Hell, we’d all lay down our lives to protect the Seventh True Mage. The whole castle would.”

That didn’t make Gabriel feel any better. He was no longer helping fight a war between wizards; he was at the center of it. His actions might not only endanger himself, but all of the Grace Mages and the Council, and with them, the whole of the Continuum. The windstorm in his head stopped. All the trees of his mind had already blown down. He could barely think. He focused on his breath. He had to see. He took out his pocket watch. He looked down at his hands; one closed around the watch, the other open, palm up. He reached for the magic within and focused it through the pocket watch, willing the image in his mind into existence. A small ball of mandarin-colored fire appeared, floating above his hands.

“Teresa’s going to be so jealous,” Ling said. “It took her a whole hour to manage that.”

“The lad is a quick study,” Marcus said.

“He’ll need to be,” Sema said.

Gabriel let the flame wink out, but held on to the pocket watch. It was true. At least part of it.

“We should go back to the castle,” Ling said. “Maybe we can contact Councilwoman Elizabeth or Akikane before anyone sees us.”

“It might be too risky,” Sema said. “The spy at the castle may not know about Gabriel.”

“We can’t sit on our asses here in Scotland,” Ling said, her temper rising again.

“We need a plan,” Sema said, forcing authority into her voice.

“Those always work so well for us,” Marcus said, reaching out a hand and helping Gabriel to his feet.

“We need to find Ohin and the others first,” Gabriel said. “They may be hurt. We can’t wait for the castle to send out a rescue party.”

“I agree,” Marcus said.

“We don’t even know where in time or space they got thrown by that booby-trapped dagger,” Ling said. “They could be anywhere.”

“I don’t think so,” Gabriel said. “One of the daggers was gone, so I think they were thrown somewhere along the timeline of the dagger. Which means they’re probably near the temple somewhere in time.”

“That makes sense,” Sema said, sounding reassuring, “But we don’t know when.”

“If we can go back to just after the trap was sprung,” Gabriel said, “I might be able to sense the time stream they followed and track them to their destination.”

“You’re very gifted for your age,” Ling said, “But even I know that takes a great deal of power for a mage.”

“And we would have to travel to a time after we left,” Sema added. “A time where we were sure that Apollyon would be gone, as well.”

“Ten minutes should be enough,” Gabriel said.

“I’m no Time Mage,” Marcus interjected, “But ten minutes is a mighty long time after the magic of the jump is enacted. No offense, Lad, but I doubt even Ohin would be able to sense the time stream that long after.”

“If it could be sensed,” Ling said, “Apollyon would have been able to follow us.”

“Every jump makes it harder to follow,” Gabriel said. “As long as Ohin didn’t jump again, we could find him.”

“Gabriel,” Sema said, placing a hand on his cheek. “You’re just not strong enough to work this kind of magic.”

“Not by myself,” Gabriel said. “Not with just my pocket watch.”

“Not with all our artifacts,” Ling interrupted.

“But if what you say is true,” Gabriel said, “I’d have access to all the imprints and power I need to track the time stream and follow Ohin.”

“You can’t do that,” Sema said. “It might be dangerous.”

“The daggers,” Marcus said. “They might still not be enough power, though.”

“Not the daggers,” Gabriel said, taking Sema’s hand. “The temple.”

The others were silent a moment. They knew he was right. The imprints on the temple were enormous. Far greater than all of their artifacts combined. It held all the negative imprints accumulated through decades of human sacrifice. He could only tap that power if he really was the Seventh True Mage. If he did, he would be touching the very darkness that he was trying to fight.

“It is a plan,” Ling said.

“And it just might work,” Marcus said.

“It’s too dangerous,” Sema said. “We don’t even know for certain that he can use negative imprints.”

“You’re right,” Gabriel said. “We need to find a tainted artifact so I can test it.”

“That’s madness,” Sema said. “You need more study before attempting something of that nature.”

“And who’s going to teach me?” Gabriel said, feeling defiant. “You can teach me Soul Magic, and Ling can teach me Wind Magic, and Marcus can show me Heart-Tree Magic, but none of you can teach me how to use a tainted artifact. I’m going to have to learn it on my own. I don’t like the other alternative.”  He could see by their reactions they knew he was thinking about Apollyon.

“Just because you can use tainted artifacts, doesn’t mean you should,” Sema said. “You don’t know what it will do to you.”

“She has a point,” Ling said. “From all we know, use of tainted objects affects the mind of the user. They’re called Malignant Mages for a reason.”

 “Exactly my point,” Sema said, raising her voice.

 “I understand that it’s dangerous,” Gabriel said, “but we have to try.”

“We could go back to the castle first,” Sema said. “There are more experienced mages who could find Ohin.”

“It’s my responsibility,” Gabriel said, “I’m his apprentice.”

“It’s not your fault,” Sema said.

“I don’t think that it is,” Gabriel replied, his voice getting firmer as he spoke. “But it’s still my responsibility. And since I’m the only Time Mage here, we’re going where I say we go.” 

A deep silence fell over them. Gabriel could tell by the look on Sema’s face that he had just crossed some invisible line. Her eyes narrowed, but she didn’t speak.

“You’ve been spending altogether too much time with Teresa,” Ling said with a scowl. “Her poor attitude has rubbed off on you.”

“The lad has a point that is hard to argue with,” Marcus said. “He’s our ticket home.”

Sema still had not said anything. Gabriel held her stare. He knew he had affronted her, that as the eldest in the group and the one with the most experience, he should have deferred to her judgment, but in his heart, he knew he was right to try to find Ohin as quickly as possible. He no longer felt that he could trust anyone at the castle.

Sema licked her lips and squinted.
“Do you think I could not make you take us back to the castle?”
he heard a voice say in his head. It was Sema’s voice, but her lips had not moved. His eyes widened. He reached out for the magic within himself and focused it through the pocket watch still in his hand.

“You could try.”
  He thought the words as clearly as he could. Sema’s eyes now widened. She cocked her head slightly, and then, surprisingly, she laughed. Before he knew what happened, Sema had grabbed Gabriel and pulled him into powerfully strong embrace. He was confused, but happy. He found himself smiling and hugging her back.

“No wonder you want to find your teacher so badly,” Sema said. “You’re just as stubborn as he is.”

“What was that all about?” Ling asked, looking the two with curiosity.

“A private discussion,” Sema said.

“Wonderful,” Marcus said, clearly seeing what had happened. “Now they’ll be whispering about us all right in front of our faces. Trading quips with their lips sealed.”

“I do not stoop to such behavior,” Sema said. She looked at Gabriel. “I’m sorry. I should not have threatened you.”

“Neither should I,” Gabriel said. “I’m sorry as well.”

“Now that we’re all sorry to one degree or another,” Ling said, “Let’s move our asses and get this job done.”

“We need to find a tainted object first,” Gabriel said.