He woke to the hum of several voices. It was cold against his back, a hardness that wasn't right. It brought him out of the haze just enough to realize that he was surrounded by several hooded and cloaked figures. The words they were speaking didn't register in his foggy mind. They were too guttural to even attempt to understand anyway. His confusion spiked to fear as he tried to reach up with one of his hands. A sharp breath filled his chest as he looked to see his body bound to a large gray rock. It was the source of the hard, cold feeling beneath him.
Glowing against the gloom were symbols carved into the rock. They were pale blue in color and pulsing. The air seemed too heavy to take in. A crushing weight was taking over and he groaned in pain. Tilting his head back, he stared up at the ceiling. The rock walls said he was underground somewhere. Probably beneath an old house. A place where no one would think to go snooping around, like an ancient neighborhood that was too spooky to adventure through, but the thrill of doing so was always there.
The thrill, though, wasn't what filled him. Terror gripped his heart as he lay there, feeling an odd pressure against his skull. It was like someone was trying to get in, a soft voice just starting to edge into his conscious. It was sickening and his stomach twisted so violently that he gaged. The pain increased the longer he fought the increasing pressure. It had him arching on the stone as far as his body was allowed with the leather restraints. Nails bit into the soft skin of his palms.
A cry hit the air, short and strangled. He struggled against his bonds, twisting and yanking. There was no logic to what was going on, he was confused and terrified. All he knew was that he needed to get away. Far away. Something dangerous was trying to poke at him, a darkness that wasn't natural. Tears burned in his eyes, his jaw pulsing as he ground his teeth so hard he thought he'd break a few of them. A pitiful whimper fled from his lips just as something began to glow up overhead.
Above them a swirling tempest grew. The pretty blue and purple colors mixed together. It looked like storm cloud bubbling and writhing as they twisted and clashed together. From its center a hand pushed through as if trying to tear at a thin film. Once it broke free, the rest of the body fell from the strange pool of color. He landed on the stone slab, straddling the young man who was still fighting off the painful pushes of a dark presence that threatened to tear him apart.
A wild grin spread over the stranger's lips. His long trench coat splayed out behind him. Underneath it he wore a black shirt with leather straps crisscrossing over his chest and black gloves to match. His boots were tall, reaching just under his knees with the glitter of silver handles that told of knives strapped to each leg. The humming slowly ebbed away and the youth strapped to the stone altar fell still, panting heavily from the ordeal.
"My timing is impeccable," the stranger mused in a thick accent.
"Warlock!" One of the hooded figures shouted. He sounded fearful despite the way he snarled the word.
"Ooh, you're good."
The warlock stood with a flourish, his grin wider and far more deadly. His voice was sweet compared to the low hum that had filled the room just minutes before. The language was foreign, but fluid. He spoke it quickly and swept his hand out in front of him. Three of the figures were thrown off their feet and slammed into the rock wall behind them. Changing position, he stepped carefully over the young captive and made another flourishing gesture. That time he spoke two words and from the darkness, a brilliant light flooded the room. The orange fire sparked and crackled as it simply materialized from the corner of the room. It stood tall and resembled that of a wolf. It opened its maw and let out a rumbling growl that vibrated the stone around them.
"Kill them," he said and turned his back from the strange creature and the screams that erupted. Kneeling, he drew a knife from one of the places on his calf and sliced apart the leather bindings. "You're gonna be a little light headed. And the trip back isn't going to help, but don't worry."
"W-who..." his voice cracked and he coughed. The awful hacking only increased his growing headache and he moaned as he fell still on the stone slab.
"Kydyn. It's a pleasure. Truly it is," Kydyn said, a strange tone to his voice. "You're Cinder."
"How did you--"
"Easy. You're the only magus alive in this age. We keep tabs on every magus born, and you weren't really keeping a low profile. Which tells us that you have no clue what you are. That's dangerous. Lucky for you, though, I got here just in time to rescue your ass."
Cinder stared at Kydyn for a long while, trying to judge his intentions and figure out what the hell was going on. First he was abducted from his apartment --and he couldn't even remember how that happened-- then he finds himself strapped to a rock with strange people hovering over him chanting in an odd language. The lingering pressure and pain of it still lanced through his body and he had a hard time moving anything at all. Kydyn seemed to be expecting that as he hooked an arm up under Cinder's knees and then dragged him by the back of his shoulders. Kydyn cradled Cinder against his chest, it was almost a kind gesture, if it weren't for the cold glint of pale blue eyes.
"And here we go. Hold on tight. Probably a good idea to hold your breath too."
Cinder flailed for a moment but managed to wrap his arms around Kydyn's neck just as he started to mutter those strange words again. An awful feeling washed over him. It was almost like he'd been plunged into icy cold water. He gasped at first and instantly regretted it. There was no air. It burned like acid and he choked. Cinder's fingers clawed at Kydyn's shoulders in a desperate attempt to find air, but there was none. The idea that he would suffocate was a horrifying one and it took over so easily that he found himself drowning in panic. If he could scream, he would have. Instead, all he could do was pound against Kydyn's chest who he couldn't even see any more in the void they'd been dropped in.
Cinder's lungs begged for oxygen. Just as he was starting to feel faint, he could breathe again and he dragged deep gulps of the clean air as quickly as possible. Kydyn knelt down with him and clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I told you to hold your breath."
"And you probably didn't even give him a chance to figure it out, did you?" A second voice rose over Kydyn's.
Cinder was too busy getting his air back and glaring at Kydyn to take notice of who it was, or where they were. The heavy tremble through his body set in and if it weren't for that he would have decked the asshole in his face for pulling such a stunt. Whatever kind of magic trick that was anyway, he didn't know. Kydyn stood up and turned away from Cinder. Cinder glared daggers at Kydyn's back hoping he could burn holes through the prick if it were at all possible.
"Jika. You're so cruel," Kydyn said with feigned hurt in his voice. It was easy to tell that he had a smirk on his face even if Cinder couldn't see it with Kydyn's back to him. The way he lazily flapped at hand at the one called Jika, the sarcastic tone in his voice, and his head tilted off to the side said it all.
Jika snorted. "Oh please. I could be cruel to you."
"Hn. You could, but then I'd have to kill you."
Chills shot down Cinder's spine as he stared at the long black trench coat that hugged Kydyn's well-built frame. The way Kydyn had spoken told Cinder that he'd really do it. There would be no hesitation and it sent red flags flashing through him. Kydyn was not a friend, and he certainly seemed to have no qualms about killing people. After all, he did it so easily back in the dungeon like room.
Jika huffed and pushed past Kydyn. He knelt in front of Cinder, his rich golden colored skin blending well with the brown tank top he wore. It curved to his body which looked as if he'd been chiseled from rock. Short black hair spiked into a mohawk at the top of his head. Jika peered at Kydyn with pretty brown eyes that weren't dark enough to look black. "Don't listen to that asshole," he said, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder at Kydyn.
The warlock in question simply smirked as he cocked his head off to the side, arms crossed over his chest. Cinder spared Kydyn one glance before focusing on Jika. At least he seemed less of an asshole, though his stone like features didn't give much breathing room, nor any insight on what he was thinking. Cinder swallowed thickly. At least his horror had dissipated. Now he just wanted answers, even if his pounding headache begged for sleep.
"I'm Cinder," he managed, though his voice shook which caused his face to flush with heat. "What the hell is going on?"
Jika arched an eyebrow as he watched me. "Wow. That makes things a hell of a lot more complicated."
"Told you he was a fucking idiot," Kydyn said, his snide comment had Cinder bristling with irritation. Being a little more coherent, Cinder also nailed the accent. The Irish was thick, and if Kydyn wasn't such an asshole to start, it might have been hot.
"Shut up, Kydyn. You're not helping. The last time there was a magus roaming around was fifty years ago, kid wasn't even born. And times have changed. Besides, we figured that his parents hid this from him. Safer that way. Well, sort of."
"What the hell are you talking about? What's a magus?" Cinder snapped.
"This is going to be a long night," Kydyn said. He leaned against the back of a black couch, bending backwards so far that Cinder was sure he'd topple over it onto the other side.
Jika, again, ignored him. "It'll be easier to do a little test. Don't worry, it's not anything bad and I'm not going to hurt you. It'll be all you, okay?"
"Don't think I have much of a choice," Cinder muttered, eyeing Kydyn warily. The statement of him killing Jika simply because the man could be mean to him still sat heavily on his mind. Jika stood up and went to a large mahogany desk situated next to a giant window. It was pitch black outside, but the curtains were drawn back anyway. There wasn't even a moon to give light into the large room.
Jika rummaged through the drawers for a while before he came back and sat in front of Cinder with a handful of items. He spread them out on the floor space between himself and Cinder. Starting from the left, he began explaining to Cinder what they were and the purpose for each of the strange looking crystals he'd laid out. "It's very simple. This is white magic," he said, pointing to the filmy white stone. "This one is gray magic, elemental, and this is black magic."
Following the white rock was a silver one, the next one was clear, and the last was pitch black. Cinder ran his tongue along his lips as he stared at the black one with a twisting feeling of anxiety in his stomach. The memory of how he'd been strapped down, a strange pressure trying to fill him washed over him and he shivered. "Look, I know about magic, I'm not a complete idiot. I just don't know what the hell a 'magus' is. I've never heard the term."
"Do you know what types of magic there is?" Kydyn asked.
Cinder looked over Jika's shoulder to meet the hard gaze of the warlock who had straightened from leaning back on the couch. He clenched his jaw, lowering his head just a little but didn't break eye contact. "N-no. I don't."
"Each stone is tied to a different rank. A magus is neutral until swayed into one direction or another. Usual through experiences and things that happen to them, but sometimes with enough power and force, a magus can be pushed toward one side of the spectrum without consent. That's what they were trying to do to you tonight," Jika said.
"'They'?"
"I'll explain later. For now, I'll finish explaining the test then you'll take it. Gray magic is something like what Kydyn is. A warlock who is neither good nor evil, but he can be easily swayed--"
"Oh please, like that's gonna happen," Kydyn cut in.
"You're already a dick to begin with, don't make it worse by adding to your self-inflated ego."
Kydyn snickered. "Hey, at least I know what I'm good at. And that's several things," the seductive purr of his voice made Cinder shift uncomfortably especially since he could feel the warlock eyeing him. He didn't look over to confirm that suspicion, instead he concentrated on Jika who sighed and rolled his eyes.
"A warlock is powerful, second most to a magus. Where there's only one magus ever at any given time, there are only two warlocks. Most times they're not on the same team. They're able to use quite a few different magics, including necromancy as well as elemental, and making contracts. Kydyn is capable of elemental and contracts. He doesn't deal with necromancy."
"Too messy, and the smell is awful. Not to mention if you lose control over them, they can turn into demons and devour you. Sounds fun right?"
"No, it doesn't," Cinder snapped. "What else, Jika?"
"Elemental should explain itself. Mostly it's used by sorcerers."
"You're forgetting enchanters, Jika," Kydyn added.
"I don't need a stone to figure out if he's an enchanter. What I want to know is how far they pushed him. If he's tainted, we'll have to do something about it to bring him back toward white magic."
Cinder blanched. His mouth dried so fast it was like being in the middle of a sun scorched desert with no water. "What?"
Jika shook his head, "Don't worry. I know you're freaked out, but we won't hurt you. No matter what that pecker head says."
"Hey! That is an awful insult.... I thought I taught you better."
"Shut up, Kydyn."
Cinder took a breath. "Okay. So. Say I do this for you. Whatever. I still don't understand why I was kidnapped, strapped to a fucking rock, and tormented by those assholes in cloaks."
"You're a magus, idiot. They wanted to push you to black magic. If you were influenced in that direction, they'd have unleashed you on the world," Kydyn answered.
"For what purpose? None of this makes sense."
"Look, we're pretty certain your parents hid that from you. And for good reason too. Unfortunately, magus are pretty easy to influence. They were looking to make you fall into black magic. It's a deadly type of power that consumes you and turns you into a blood lusting monster. There's no controlling that. Your parent's didn't want you to get caught up in any of this. So yeah, of course you're confused, they didn't tell you that you were a magus. Unfortunately, your ignorance has made you vulnerable," Jika explained.
"How would they know I'm a magus to begin with? Maybe they just didn't know!"
Cinder's heart jumped, skipping a beat as he stared at Jika. Confused was an understatement. He knew about magic and the society that was built around it. He knew that there were people who could use different kinds of magic, but not in so much detail. Not how Jika had explained it to him, and certainly nothing about magus or why someone would try to influence him. He took a breath, trying to calm himself before he flew into a full-fledged panic.
"They knew. Children don't have a hold on their magic until they get older. And you're walking around with a target painted on your back."
"What?"
Jika leaned forward, a creasing frown on his lips. His fingers touched Cinder's chest gently, but the force of whatever he'd done knocked Cinder to the floor. He coughed hard as the air was knocked out of him. Groaning, Cinder reached up and pressed a hand against his chest. It felt as if he'd been hit by a damn truck.
"What the fuck.... Asshole," he coughed out.
"Look."
Cinder lifted his head just enough to glare at Jika. Kydyn stepped forward and returned Cinder's hard glare. It was enough to have him laying back on the floor. Kydyn gestured to his body and Cinder looked down at his chest in confusion. Sparking and rippling all across his torso were strange lines and circles. It looked like bars encasing his body. Cinder gasped, then slapped at it as if he could get it to go away. "What the hell!"
"It's a seal. Though it's got some cracks in it. Probably from tonight," Kydyn said as he knelt down next to Cinder. Grabbing his hands, the warlock stopped his struggling and quieted Cinder's retort with a single cold look. "One of your parents put a seal on you. Most likely when you were a child and first showing signs of being a magus. Smart, but foolish also."
"Anyone with a keen eye and a touch of magic can see it," Jika added. "Which is why they grabbed you."
"Why now?" Cinder asked, yanking at his arms that Kydyn still held captured in his. "Let go."
Kydyn snickered at him before releasing his arms and standing up. "Summer solstice. It's when the earth's natural energies are at an all-time high. Makes for casting magic three times easier and three times as powerful, if you know what you're doing."
"So..."
"They were trying to break that seal and if I hadn't dropped in, they'd have succeeded. And you would be one hell of a asshole to deal with. The Capitol wouldn't stand a chance against you. None of us would. Though I'd love to try my hand at kicking your ass."
"Kydyn," Jika sighed the warlocks name.
"You're an ass, and creepy as hell," Cinder shot back. He glared up at Kydyn from where he lay on the floor, jaw tight while he took in everything the two of them were talking about.
"You're forgetting extremely attractive, powerful, and thanking me for saving your life," Kydyn said as he flashed a wicked grin, his accent only made it worse.
Cinder just narrowed his eyes. "Fuck you."
"Now that's an interesting notion. Take it easy, doll. You're not ready for me."
Cinder's face ignited as he stared up at the warlock in shock and horror. He couldn't believe the man just said that. So he focused on other things instead. Like what he said about the Capitol. Cinder knew about them. They were like the government for the magic society. Imposing rules and laws, the Capitol also enforced those ideals. But why would the people who had kidnapped him want to force him into black magic?
Sitting up, Cinder stared at Jika. "Did they... want to destroy the Capitol?"
"He's catching on. Not as stupid as he looks," Kydyn said.
"Yes, that's their goal. They're a rebellion created at the same time that the Capitol came into power decades ago. Refusal to submit under the laws and regulations makes them dangerous. They've always sought to take control of a magus. It's said they managed one time and the calamity that followed was nearly the end of all life in existence," Jika answered smoothly without casting Kydyn a single glance.
"They were going to use me."
"What did you expect? A warm welcome? Of course they were going to use you. That's all their good for. Using people," Kydyn snapped.
"Yeah? And what about you?" Cinder shot back. He looked up at Kydyn with a hot glare. The anger made him shake while fear at pissing off the warlock had him shutting his mouth and not uttering another word. Especially when Kydyn uncrossed his arms and took a step forward. His cold blue eyes pulsed, purple streaked through the irises like electricity.
Jika stood up and put a hand on Kydyn's chest, stopping him from moving any further. "Don't."
Kydyn looked down at Jika's hand. Cinder's chest was frozen with fear as he watched the two of them. Kydyn turned his terrifying eyes up to his companion who didn't even flinch from the pure rage that boiled on his face. "You're lucky I have a sliver of respect for you, Jika. Or I'd be breaking that hand of yours." Kydyn's voice had deepened as he growled the words at Jika, the Irish drawl made it hard to understand what he'd said.
If the threat affected Jika, Cinder couldn't tell. All he could see was a frown on his lips before Kydyn took a step back. He shot Cinder a warning glance before he turned and stormed out of the room. Down the hallway across from them, a door slammed so hard it shook the building. Jika sighed and shook his hand as if he'd been shocked. He turned to face Cinder who couldn't find the strength to move let alone say anything.
"He's not so bad," Jika offered.
Cinder snorted. "Yeah. Okay. I'll believe that when he stops looking like he wants to tear my throat out."
"Then don't piss him off."
"I didn't do anything!"
Jika tilted his head back, eyes closing while he crossed his arms. "Don't insinuate that we're going to use you. We're not and we just said we weren't going to hurt you. Look. Let's finish this and then you can go sleep. I know you need it."
Cinder clenched his jaw as he dropped his gaze from Jika to stare at the crystals that were still laid out on the floor. "Where are you on the spectrum?"
"Me? I'm white magic. A healer basically. We're called druids," Jika answered as he sat down.
"A druid. I've always heard about druids, but never met one."
"We're usually neutral in all affairs. Usually. But I'm one of few that chose a side."
"Do you work for the Capitol?"
"Sort of. Kydyn, Lyn, and I are our own team really. We side with the Capitol on most things, but sometimes we don't always agree."
"What don't you agree on?"
"We can start with why you were captured in the first place. If Kydyn had his way, you'd have been with us a long time ago. But the Capitol didn't like that idea. They thought that having you amble around with no clue as to what you are was a better option. Said it was safer, there was less of a chance of you being corrupted, especially with that seal of yours. Too bad the idea didn't stick."
"Wow."
"Typical government. No real logic," Jika said with a huff of annoyance. "But, what's done is done. Here, hold your hand out over the crystals. Focus on them, and just let yourself go with whatever happens. Don't worry it won't be bad." He'd effectively steered the conversation away from talking about the Capitol. Cinder just sucked in a short breath and nodded. If Jika didn't want to discuss it, he wouldn't push.
Sticking his hand out over the rocks, he started with the white one. He didn't touch it, just hovered a few inches above the stone. As he sat there, he slowed his breathing and worked to clear his mind so that he could focus only on the stone and nothing else. It took a while, but he found himself relaxing. Everything drifted away, leaving his mind blank. He could see the stones but he wasn't considering them anymore. Instead, it was like he was floating listlessly.
It was like spacing out for several minutes. Cinder felt like it had been hours before he came to his senses. He couldn't remember moving his hand, or looking at anything. Nothing had processed during his zoning out. Cinder blinked and found his hand hovering over the gray stone, the crystal twisting in lazy circles just under his hand but not touching the floor.
"Well. You're not neutral anymore. We'll work on getting you back toward the lighter end of the spectrum."
Cinder pulled his hand away and the heavy feeling faded out as the stone simply fell upon the floor. "How are you going to do that?"
"First we'll start by undoing that seal. I can't do it, I doubt Kydyn could without hurting you, so we'll have to go see the Capitol. From there we'll teach you how to master your magic and channel it properly."
"You're not..." Cinder paused, fidgeting on the floor as he chanced a quick look at Jika.
The druid had an eyebrow arched as he stared at Cinder. "Won't what? Force you? No, of course not. Firstly it requires a mass amount of magic which none of us have, though if you ask Kydyn he'll probably tell you he could do it all by himself. Secondly it would hurt you and that's not what we want to achieve. It could easily turn you to black magic just by going through the pain of being forced to the other side of the spectrum. I'm not doing that. None of us are. That wasn't the point of rescuing you."
"I see. Um. Thanks, I guess?"
Jika smiled, a quick lift of his lips before it faded."You're welcome. Come on, get some rest. Tomorrow will be a very long day."
ns 15.158.61.37da2
