Mercury Mind (The Downfall Saga Book 1) (36 page)

“No. It was so bright that I couldn’t look directly at it.”

“You had it with you,” said Osmont. “We would like to study its properties to make sure that it’s safe.”

“You took it from me?”

“You must understand that we would be to blame if it had any detrimental consequences,” said Marrok. “It is standard practice for our Artificers to study a newly discovered item before we release it.”

“I’ll get it back?” asked Donovan.

Marrok studied Donovan but didn’t answer.

“By law the pendant is yours, but I urge you to let us study it before we return it to you,” said Osmont.

“W
ait, what happened to them?” asked Kort.

“I was sitting there, balanced on top of the stalagmite, and they were swarming around it,” said Donovan. “They were forcing their way up the sides and I thought it was over. I closed my eyes and must have fallen asleep.”

The four of them sat at a table enjoying their final meal at Haven. Free from the stress of exams, they’d wasted away most of Tuesday morning before packing up their belongings so they were ready to leave in the morning. They headed down to the hall to enjoy the last meal that Mama B had prepared.

“Then what happened?” asked Kort, shoveling mashed potatoes into his mouth.

“I woke up. There was a pile of dust on the ground and shards of rocks. Osmont was calling down to me from the hole in the ceiling.”

“What I don’t understand is how he managed to find you,” said Ravyn, slicing a piece of roast beef.

“He never told me. I assumed that he’d searched the whole forest until he found me.”

“If you were searching for a lost boy, would you have dug your way into an animal burrow?”

“Come on,” said Caddaric. “This is our last night together. Let’s enjoy each other’s company.”

“I’m going to miss this,” said Ravyn. “The classes, eating together, everything. In a few days I’ll be home alone with my parents. My mother will have already planned my studies for the entire summer, until I can escape and come back here.”

“I wish that I’d only have to study,” said Caddaric. “My mother will have missed me so much that she won’t let me out of her sight for the entire summer. I’ll be trapped with her in a swelteringly hot room playing music, or trying on whatever clothes she thought would look good on me when we attend the next ball. It would be a blessing to escape and quietly read a book. All of you are welcome to come and visit me at any time. I’d appreciate the distraction.”

Everyone made noncommittal noises which told him that he’d be on his own for the summer.

“I can’t wait to get back to the farm,” said Kort. “Fresh air and sore muscles. I’ll probably never read another book in my life.”

“How can you say that?” asked Ravyn. “You’ve spent the last year learning to read, just to toss it aside.”

“You know that I can’t afford to come back here. It must have been hard enough working the farm without me, let alone trying to pay my tuition on top of it.” He could see tears beginning to form in her eyes and continued in a softer tone. “This year was special. I’m never going to forget it or anyone that I was lucky enough to have met. I’ll do whatever I can to come back, but it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to. You have to understand. I’m not choosing to stay away. I don’t have the choice to come back.”

They ate the rest of their meal in an uncomfortable silence. Donovan finished off the last chicken thigh on his plate and excused himself to get a second plate of food. When he returned, everyone was mechanically eating the food on their plate.

“You know what I’m going to miss?” said Donovan. “The food. Even if we come back next year, we won’t have Mama B taking care of us.”

“Don’t tell my mom, but I finally found someone who can cook better than her,” said Kort.

“What’s the future hold for the great Donovan?” asked Caddaric.

“You’re coming back next year, right?” asked Ravyn.

“I ... I don’t know,” said Donovan. “Whoever abandoned me here left me with enough money to afford to come back. I don’t know if it will do any good. My magic is never going to be as powerful as any of yours, so it seems a waste to come back here when I could be spending that time finding my family.”

“Don’t give up on yourself,” said Kort. “I’m sure you’ll be able to create a light in a few years.”

“Ah, thanks. Right now I want a quiet break to recover from this year. Maybe I’ll find something to do in the city.”

“There’s always a spot at our table if you decide to head out my way,” said Kort.

“That means a lot to me.”

“Speaking of spots,” said Kort. “Who got the highest marks?”

“Not me. I only passed my classes because of a technicality. Who would have thought that there was a reward for becoming trapped underground by a horde of rock creatures?”

“I wish I had that option. On second thought, some things are even worse than studying.”

Ravyn and Caddaric exchanged a smile with each other before Ravyn answered. “We talked it over and decided not to let anything get in between us again, so we’re not going to share our results with anyone.”

***

C
addaric left the dorm and headed through the quad to the spot where he and his friends had beaten Donovan so many months earlier. Leaving the path, he pushed his way through a thick bush to see them all standing there. He’d asked his former friends to meet him in this spot, and they had come. Brutus, Thurl, Bodhi, Tam, and Clyde all stopped their conversation when they heard him rustling through the bush.

One of the professors had healed Tam’s leg, and the five of them stood there, relaxed as if the events from the weekend had never happened.

“There’s the man of honor,” said Clyde. “Without your leadership, many of us wouldn’t be standing here.”

“Speaking of standing, how’s the leg?” asked Caddaric.

“As good as new,” said Tam, doing a little jig.

“Thank you all for coming,” said Caddaric, stepping in front of the group. “I’m sure that you all recognize this spot. I made a mistake while standing right here many months ago. I’ve admitted my mistake, and tried to atone for it. Before we head our separate ways, I want to give everyone an opportunity to clear the air.”

“This has been an amazing year,” said Clyde. “I count you all as the best friends that I’ve ever met, and I hope that this is the start of something great. I assume that we’re all welcome to visit you with our families over the summer.”

“It warms my heart to hear that you want to spend more time with your prissy prince, but I can assure you that my family has high standards for who they spend their time with.”

“Is this about us running away?” asked Clyde. “We’re not as noble and brave as you are. You should take it as a compliment.”

“I’d rather live surrounded by true friends, than be surrounded by a bunch of sycophants who’ll leave me as soon as things get difficult.”

“You can’t blame us for being cowards.”

“No, I cannot, but I can blame you for being false. Do you know what’s worse than being surrounded by cowards? Being surrounded by people pretending to be your friends.”

“False?” said Clyde in mock innocence. He made a big demonstration of walking up to each of them in turn and demanding that they admit to their duplicity. When everyone denied it, he turned back to Caddaric. “See, none of us are false.”

Caddaric slowly walked forward until he was standing uncomfortably close to Clyde. “Do you deny pretending to be my friend in order to gain my family’s influence?” He walked over to Tam, who towered over him. “Do you deny calling me a scared little boy who would have had his teeth knocked out if it wasn’t for you? Well, I’m standing here right now, and I still have all my teeth. Is there something that you’re going to do about it?”

Tam averted his gaze, before turning and fleeing towards the dorms.

“Now, does anyone have anything to say or do before we leave?” He walked over and got in their faces one at a time, and each of them backed down and left without saying a word.

***

D
onovan climbed through their window and onto the roof. Tying a spare sheet to the gargoyle, just like he had done during the night of the ball, he carefully leaned over the edge of the roof to help everyone up.

The four of them climbed their way to the top of the roof and sat down. The night was clear. Countless stars shone down, reminding them of their place in the universe. It was a crisp night, and they were all bundled up against the cold breeze.

“Thank you all for coming,” said Donovan, setting his lute case down beside him.

“I’m glad we’re doing this, but did we have to do it up here?” asked Ravyn, who clung tightly to Kort, who didn’t seem to mind.

“None of us know her beliefs, but she was so sad and afraid, that I think she’d want us to remember the good times. The best time that I had with her was sitting right here.”

“I took these from Professor Moncha’s room,” said Kort, showing them five plain, white candles.

“How could you ruin a—” started Ravyn.

“Only good memories,” interrupted Donovan. “What did you have in mind?”

“They are so much like our own lives,” said Kort. “Small, fragile, and will only burn for a short time. Delaney has went to a dark place where we cannot help her, but the least we can do is provide her with some light in the next world.” A single tear rolled down his cheek, and Ravyn was openly crying.

“That’s beautiful,” said Caddaric. “I didn’t always help her when I had the chance, but I want to do what I can now.”

Kort stood the candles on the roof in a square. He melted the bottom of the candles with his Gift, until they stuck to the roof. He took the fifth, and largest candle and stuck it in the center.

Kort lit a candle with his magic.

Donovan reached out to grab the wick on the closest candle and lit it as well.

Ravyn and Caddaric took turns lighting their candles.

The four of them, as one, lit the final candle.

They all sat there, watching the flickering lights.

“I wouldn’t be here without her,” said Kort quietly. “I wish she hadn’t saved me.”

“She made her choice,” said Caddaric, “don’t lessen it by second guessing if it was right.”

“She never said a word, but she filled all of our hearts,” said Ravyn. “That’s something we could all learn from.”

“I never heard her talk,” said Donovan, “but I did hear her sing.”

Donovan took out his lute and began playing the same song that Delaney had sung on that distant night. His voice was choked with emotion, so he didn’t try to sing, but he kept playing until long after all of the candles had burned themselves out.

***

“B
end your elbow a bit more,” said Osmont.

Donovan and Osmont stood out in the courtyard, running through the final Vanora that they’d be doing together for a long time. Donovan made the adjustment and tried the motion again.

“Better,” said Osmont.

“What does a professor like you do over the summer?” asked Donovan.

“Research and exploration, mostly. I’m heading out tomorrow. Depending upon what I find, I may not be coming back here.”

“Where you going?”

“I meeting up with Jerel, and we’re going to be digging through the Royal Library. What we find will determine where I’m heading next.”

“Speaking of Jerel, did he find anything about Blood magic in the library?”

“Enough to convince us that we cannot unravel the symbol on your chest. At this point, Eamon is our only link to finding a way to undo it. I’m assuming that you’re still planning on trying to meet him.”

“I have to. I need to know.”

“I am going with you.” Osmont held Donovan firmly by both shoulders and stared into his eyes. “There are dangers that you’re not aware of. You need someone who knows the world to come with you. I promise not to do anything to keep you from meeting Eamon, but I’ll make sure you get there safely.”

“Okay,” said Donovan. “I’m going no matter what happens. If you’re still here, then you’re welcome to come with me.”

He released Donovan’s shoulders to shake his hand.

“Thank you,” said Osmont. “You don’t know what that means to me.”

They stopped their stretching to watch a group of older students leave through the gate. Donovan had said his emotional goodbyes to his friends, and they had left Haven earlier that morning. With nothing waiting for him outside of its wall, Donovan had decided to spend a few more hours at Haven before starting his solitary journey.

“Something has been bugging me,” said Donovan. “The morning you found me underground in that chamber. How did you find me?”

Osmont took a long time to answer.

“I saw a bright star in the sky. It led me right to you, and I don’t intend to ever lose you again.”

C
hris McCready was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. With a Bachelor's degree in in Mechanical Engineering and a MBA, he spent over a decade working in the manufacturing industry before escaping to pursue his dream of becoming a professional liar.

MERCURY MIND, his debut novel, is the first step in him achieving his dream.

T
hank you for reading Mercury Mind. It is the first book, in a five book series, about a group of young adult wizards learning to control their magic while finding their places in the world.

If you enjoyed Mercury Mind, then you can check out Tin Thoughts, the second book in the series, which will be available on October 16
^th
, 2015.

The first chapter of Tin Thoughts is included in the end of this book for your enjoyment.

The final three books in the series will be published in 2016.

T
he first note rang out into the air, loud and brash. Donovan intentionally plucked the out of tune string, and his lute let out a wail which made the hairs on the back of the neck stand up. The note pierced the conversations around the room, struck the far wall, and rebounded. When it came back to him, Donovan added a deep beat, like a horse galloping in the distance, it was a sound that was felt, more than heard, in the noisy room. He let the horse continue to gallop, letting out an inhuman scream every few strides, until most of the heads in the room had turned towards him. He silenced the strings, and the audience quieted in turn. Donovan allowed the scowl to leave his face, and smile slowly replaced it.