Mindbender (22 page)

Isabel was shocked. It could only have happened during the wyvern attack off the coast of the Reishi Isle. She felt deflated as she imagined how she would feel if Alexander had been killed.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” she said quietly and sincerely.

Magda cleared her throat.

Gabriella struggled to hold back her tears.

“Abigail, will you take the mana fast?” Magda asked.

“Not yet,” Abigail said. “I still have a lot to learn about my wyvern. I should concentrate on that before I take on another challenge.”

Magda smiled. “That is wise. I will hold the vial of Wizard’s Dust for you until you are ready. Alexander asked that I deliver a message of love to you both. And he gave me this necklace for you, Isabel, as proof that I had indeed spoken to him.”

Isabel smiled radiantly at the medallion of Glen Morillian. It had been a family heirloom for generations. She thought she’d lost it forever when the wyverns snatched her off the surf surrounding the Reishi Isle.

***

They returned to their quarters with a renewed feeling of hope and optimism. Isabel was a bit worried about the mana fast. She remembered the screams she heard coming from the tower when Alexander had undertaken the trials and hoped that she had the strength to survive. Alexander would never forgive himself if she died during a mana fast that he made possible.

Wren was waiting for them with dinner when they arrived. She didn’t ask any questions but Isabel could see the curiosity burning within her deep-blue eyes.

“It seems that Magda has gone to see Alexander,” Isabel said. “He convinced her to administer the cure for my poison. The healer should stop by this evening. I only hope that the magic Mage Gamaliel gave them works.”

“I’m sure it will,” Abigail said. “He knows how important you are to Alexander. He would have sent the most powerful magic he could.” Abigail sat down at the table with a sigh. “I’m glad to hear that Alexander is well. I’ve been worried about him.”

“Me, too,” Isabel said. “I can’t wait to see him.”

“I’m still not sure how I feel about the whole Reishi bloodline thing,” Abigail said. “It doesn’t seem possible that we could be related to Phane.”

“I know, but it has opened up a few opportunities,” Isabel said. “Do you remember how Commander P’Tal fought? He was terrifying. And now he’s protecting Alexander.”

“That seems strange to me, too,” Abigail said. “How do you change allegiances just like that?”

Isabel shook her head slowly. “I don’t think he did. I think he was loyal to the Reishi all along, and now that Alexander has bonded with the Stone, Commander P’Tal has found his true master.”

“I hope you’re right,” Abigail said. “It does make me feel better to have him watching over Alexander instead of hunting him.” She chuckled at a sudden thought. “Can you imagine how mad Phane must have been when he learned that Alexander bonded with the Stone?”

Isabel whistled. “I feel sorry for anyone nearby.”

Wren served dinner as she listened to their conversation with rapt attention. She was always eager to learn more about the workings of the world around her and she had become emotionally attached to her two charges.

Abigail gave Isabel an appraising look. “Are you sure about the mana fast? You don’t have any training with magic.”

Isabel shrugged. “What choice do I have? I won’t forsake Alexander and I would be able to help him more if I had magic of my own.”

Wren’s eyes widened. “You’re going to take the witch trials?” she whispered with awe.

Isabel nodded somberly. “It would seem so. The triumvirate thinks that only a witch can be married to the Reishi Sovereign, so they won’t let me return to Alexander unless I survive the mana fast.”

“Is it dangerous?”

Isabel nodded again. “I’m told that it’s very dangerous, but it’s the only way I can be with my husband, so I’m going through with it no matter the risk.”

There was a knock at the door. Wren admitted three witches. The first carried a small box of carved bone on a wooden tray. The other two carried bags of healing supplies.

“I am Mistress Lita, the chief healer for the fortress island, the Reishi Coven, and the Sky Knights. These are my attendants. Mistress Magda has instructed me to administer the magic sent by the Ruathan Guild Mage. Before we begin, I have a few questions to help me ensure the most favorable result.”

“All right,” Isabel said. “Please, come in and sit down.”

They seated themselves around the low table in the middle of the sitting room and Wren brought a kettle of hot tea.

“I’m told that you were poisoned,” Lita said. “Was magic administered to slow or stop the effects of the poison?”

“Yes,” Isabel said. “Master Alabrand, an alchemist, gave me a healing draught, then the next day he gave me another made with fairy dust under the guidance of a fairy named Chloe.”

Mistress Lita blinked and then frowned. “I thought the fairies were creatures of story and legend. Perhaps there is a more plausible explanation.”

Isabel leaned forward to emphasize her point. “I was married in the Valley of the Fairy Queen. They are real. Chloe is my husband’s familiar. She guided Master Alabrand in the making of the healing draught that has stayed the poison within me for the past several weeks. However, the power of the magic is failing.”

Mistress Lita’s eyes widened and she cleared her throat. “Very well. Mistress Magda told me to accept your word and so I will. I do not fully understand the magic of this item,” she gestured to the small, ornately carved bone box, “but I have been assured that it was provided by the Guild Mage of New Ruatha as a cure for your condition. Do you know of this mage?”

Isabel nodded. “He’s a friend.”

“I’m always wary of using magic that is beyond my understanding,” Lita said. “Perhaps we should explore other treatments first.”

“Do you have any healing magic more potent than fairy dust?” Isabel asked.

Lita shook her head slowly.

“Do you have power that exceeds that of a master alchemist?”

Again Lita shook her head.

“Very well then, how do we proceed?” Isabel asked.

Lita looked at her for a long moment as if searching for another argument that might prove persuasive before she nodded.

“First, you must ingest a healing draught. Then you must read the word on this piece of parchment aloud three times. Finally, you must break the seal on the box and open it. Once these conditions are met, the magic will be released and rid you of your poison. I must caution you, there may be other effects that are not known. This magic appears to be very old and there is no way of knowing what its true purpose is.”

“I understand the risks,” Isabel said. “Mage Gamaliel wouldn’t have sent an item that would harm me. Proceed.”

Lita placed the tray with the box before Isabel, handed her a wax-sealed piece of parchment, then placed a vial of syrupy-looking liquid on the tray.

“Open the healing draught,” Lita said. “Once you drink it, you will begin to feel drowsy. You must speak the word on the parchment three times and open the box before you succumb to the sleep of the potion. We will remain in attendance until you wake.”

Isabel took a deep breath and shared a look with Abigail.

“I’ll be right here,” Abigail said.

“So will I,” Wren whispered.

Isabel opened the healing potion and quaffed it. She quickly took the parchment and broke the wax seal. She felt a little tingle of magic dance over her skin. For a moment the word was unreadable—the language it was written in was long dead. But a second later it shimmered and Isabel could read it and pronounce it clearly.

“Desiderates,” she said deliberately. Isabel wondered what the word meant. “Desiderates,” she said again. It almost sounded like a name. “Desiderates,” she said one final time.

All eyes were on her as she broke the wire seal on the carved-bone box. She was starting to feel the effects of the healing draught as she lifted the lid and gently tipped it back. She blinked at the contents of the little box. It looked like liquid light swirling around under its own volition. She had only seen a light so pure one time before, during the birth of the fairy Sara, Chloe’s daughter by Alexander. The light of that experience had been so pure and radiant that it rivaled the darkness of the netherworld for sheer intensity.

She was looking into the box as the drowsiness from the healing draught threatened to overcome her when the light started to swirl as if it had awakened. It abruptly flowed up out of the box and expanded into a glowing cloud of shapeless, undulating light, floating before her over the table.

Just as suddenly, it flowed into her and she fell back against the couch from the intensity of it. Everything around her was engulfed in bright white light as pure as true love. She felt like she lost consciousness for a moment before she awoke. Scintillating white clouds floated all around.

A man in white with long hair and a beard stepped out of the cloud and smiled at her.

“My name is Mage Desiderates. You have invoked my final spell.”

“Where am I?” Isabel asked a bit warily. The place was so unlike any she had ever experienced that she was starting to wonder if she’d passed into the realm of light.

“You are within your own mind,” Desiderates said. “Do you not understand the nature of the spell you have invoked?”

“Not really,” Isabel said. “I’ve been poisoned. The Guild Mage sent a carved-bone box along with a piece of parchment. His instructions were to drink a healing draught, read the word on the parchment three times, and then open the box. The magic was supposed to cure me of the poison that threatens to kill me.”

“I see. Perhaps if I knew more I could suggest the proper course of action. May I search your mind for the information I need?” Desiderates asked.

“I don’t understand,” Isabel said.

He nodded sagely. “When it became apparent that I was dying, I chose to cast a final spell in the hopes that I could still be of assistance to those who served the light. I was once an arch mage of great power. I spent many years studying magic, always seeking to expand the realm of possibility. Quite honestly, I’m delighted to see that my final spell was indeed my greatest accomplishment.

“You see, rather than die and allow my essence to pass from the world of time and substance into the realm of light, I chose to harness the power of my soul and my connection to the firmament within the constructed magic of the box. When you read my name aloud three times and opened the box, you activated the spell. I am here to provide you with that which you need most before I pass from this world.”

Isabel blinked in surprise. She stared at the old man for several moments before she remembered to close her mouth. “I’ve never even heard of such magic. How could this be possible?”

He smiled somewhat smugly but with good nature. “As I said, I was a very powerful wizard. There were those who doubted me, to be sure, but I never doubted myself. And here we are.” He chuckled. “I would very much like to point out my success to a few of my contemporaries, but alas, I suspect that they are all long dead. Time didn’t intrude into the vessel that I have occupied but I sense that many years have passed since I walked the Seven Isles.”

Isabel wasn’t sure what to do. This was so far outside the realm of her expectation that she feared she might miss an opportunity if she simply asked him to heal her poisoning.

“What are the limits of your power?” she asked.

“For our purposes, only the boundaries established by my conscience,” Desiderates said. “I can do nearly anything you need but I would caution you, once my magic is expended, I will fade into nothingness, so it would be wise to choose carefully.”

Isabel frowned. “What do you mean fade into nothingness? Won’t you pass into the light?”

“That is unlikely,” Desiderates said. “I have no passage through which to travel to the realm of light.”

“So you did this knowing that you would forfeit your soul?” Isabel asked with a bit of alarm.

“Indeed, child, I did just that,” Desiderates said with a gentle smile.

“But why? Why would you do such a thing? Your soul is forever. You can’t just throw it away.” Isabel was becoming more distraught the more she understood the cost of undoing her poisoning.

“Be calm, child,” Desiderates said gently. “You bear no guilt in this matter. I have done this freely, in part to be of greater service to the light, in part to expand the possibilities of magic, and in part to win a wager.” He smiled with satisfaction at the third point.

Isabel looked at him with bewilderment. She started to wonder if all that time trapped in a box had driven Desiderates insane.

“I was once challenged to create a wish spell. I took the bet and lost but never stopped trying to achieve this greatest of magical accomplishments. At the end of my life I realized what must be done and the cost to myself of doing such a thing. I lived for four hundred and thirty-seven years during the reigns of Sovereign Constantine and Sovereign Darius. I spent my whole life in the pursuit of magical knowledge. I counted both Constantine and Darius as my friends and they both consulted me on matters of magic. In fact, it was Constantine that bet me I couldn’t accomplish my goal. I have lived well and for all of my years, desire for greater accomplishment was the driving force of my life.