Sky Warriors: Poleuthan's Thief (Sky Warriors Saga Book 1) (32 page)

Ange nodded, ready and she sat up straight.

“Okay, close your eyes,” Amaris instructed.

Ange closed her eyes without delay, darkness existed behind her eyelids as she guessed where the exercise was heading and dived for her mind.

“Now dive into your mind,” Amaris’s voice echoed into her ears and into her mind. “Look for Showl’s piece of soul within yourself. I can’t help you find it, this requires a little soul searching. Remember, his soul fragment is tightly woven into yours.”

Her voice hushed into silence as Ange concentrated. She dived searching for something significant within herself. It was dark as she traversed past her thoughts and memories, she reached the core of her mind with ease where the energy burned that allowed her to control properties outside of what was once reality for her.

But she knew this wasn’t it and she found herself at a dead end. Then she recalled something even more significant and she plunged for the core of mana and pushed herself deep within it. It was like swimming against an unrelenting and violent tide. It brushed and burned her with heat and cold, blistering her mental presence within herself. It was an odd situation that didn’t make sense but she continued to punch through.

She plunged past the energy and found herself lost in sudden darkness and cold. She searched in confusion into the shadows as her mind sharpened to make sense of the darkness. Deep within suddenly she realized a black sun burned faintly, flaring shadowy purple light and spinning slowly. Encompassing the area the dark sun laid within was a shimmering wispy fabric, spinning and swirling with strange lights.

Dark grays and faint blacks rung through the creamy low grays of the fabric. She could sense it, it was her soul, her essence, her very being, and through its shot strands of gleaming silver white and she sensed Showl’s presence immediately within the soul fabric from these strings. As she watched they spun out in a spiral to the center, reaching for the small black sun yet staying a measured distance away.

She reached for the strings then paused, confused and puzzled by the black sun that seemed to try and swallow all the light around it. She warily reached for it, pausing uncertain, sensing danger from the burring cold concentrated darkness. Ignoring the behest of her instincts she reached for the darkness and touched it, her mental image’s hand melted into the shadows and a quake suddenly shuddered through her mind.

The blinding strands of light from Showl’s soul dived violently and suddenly as they were swallowed instantly by the sun, yanking and pulling her soul along. Her breath caught in her chest painfully as a wave of blistering cold surged from the sun and exploded outward, the warmth of her body began to vanish in less than a heartbeat as her heart stuttered in shock.

“No! Don’t touch that!”
screamed a horrified voice in her head, vibrating and shaking through her mind.

She gasped and recoiled from the suddenly blinding golden sun, withdrawing from it and it died instantly into black shadows once again, rejecting the fabric of her soul and pushed it away.

Ange’s eyes snapped open as she gasped a painful breath.

Amaris gasped as well, eyes wide open as she stared at Ange.

“What just happened?!” she nearly yelled. “I felt it! You stopped time, just for a second…” she trailed off her brown eyes dilated wide with fear. “It was so cold and still...”

Since the ceremony in the council chamber, Ange had learned that by adding her blood and Showl’s into the strange liquid that had bathed the rings, her Endowment could not affect the other Sky Warriors bound by the same blood. They were immune…

Before Ange could answer she felt something vibrate violently against the skin of her chest. She pulled up the silver chain with a metal pentagon locket that held her ring inside. Since she was untrained she was not allowed to wear it, but she had been instructed to keep it on her person at all times in case she need to contact the others for an emergency. She didn’t see why she wasn’t allowed to keep herself connected to the others but she knew it was pointless to argue.

“Ana is pissed,” Amaris groaned. “And so is Showl and Corvus, everyone else is just confused. Watch out, here they come,” she stated lamely.

The balcony rocked once again with a gust of air to their lefts but accompanied by roars, to their right, a large stone door thundered as it slammed into the stone wall and furious footsteps followed.

“What happened?” Ileana snarled demandingly.

Ange sighed annoyed, she didn’t mean any harm yet everyone was furious.
It’s not like I did it intentionally.
She groaned irritated to herself.

Suddenly Showl and Corvus were before them as well, in human form, looking every bit on edge and outraged.

“I can’t believe you were so reckless yet again!” Showl snapped heatedly. “I told you not to try and reach for your power or Endowment. You promised!” he accused.

“I didn’t know what I was doing!” Ange snapped back, flashing her hazel eyes to Showl. “It’s not like I froze time on purpose.”

“You did it by accident?” Ileana asked horrified.

Ange sighed tiredly. “Yes,” she spat crossly, losing her temper quickly.

Ileana was silent, so deadly silent Ange felt forced to look at her face. She was surprised by the troubled and thoughtful look that was there.

Ileana finally sighed, letting out a long breath as her shoulders slumped back. “This is clearly bad, you have none of the restrains a new
Dragonbound should. You shouldn’t be able to use or access your powers so easily!” she huffed perplexed. “Clearly we are going to need some help before you inadvertently hurt someone or yourself.”

Ange was about to lash out a statement when Amaris shook her head at her and Showl’s mental voice growled into her mind.

“I’m afraid you’re going to have to make a premature visit to the Tower of Ingled and seek the wisdom of the Bookmen of Valtor and hope they have the strength to seal your powers,” Ileana stated with absolute conviction.

“What!?” Ange blurted out in protest. “Seal my powers? Are you nuts? How will I be able to defend myself if the Adherent attack us?”

“We are here, we have done just fine before you arrived and we will do just as fine without you,” Ileana stated simply.

Ange felt her cheeks flush red with anger as she gritted her teeth before she insulted their leader.

“The seal won’t be permanent, Angeline. When you’re ready to use them and are able to travers the locks, the seal will disappear and you will have full access to your powers again. This is for your safety as much as our own. The Endowment can kill you if you accidently trigger it, such a power is not meant to be left in the hands of the inexperienced and unready,” Ileana explained calmly.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Showl stated flintily.

“What?” Ange protested shocked then furious. “I wouldn’t be in this predicament if you had just given me some privacy with my own thoughts!” she snapped. “Haven’t I had enough seals on me already?”

Showl visible flinched for a moment but kept his gaze steady, undeterred.

“There is no debating this,” Ileana answered with finality. “You will have your powers sealed.”

“Not even a vote?” Ange snarled. “Just like that? You’re going to order me around like some tusk dog?” she spat accusingly.

Ileana glared, obviously displeased with her comment. “As leader I must put the wellbeing of others before any single member’s personal feelings or my own. I am not doing this to harm you. You made a promise when you joined us,” she reminded sternly. “This is to protect all of us.”

Ange snarled, she could feel the heat turning her face red as she scowled and continued to glare unflinchingly at Amaris’s sister.

“I’ll write a letter and you’ll leave tonight,” Ileana stated briskly and turned away.

She quickly retreated into the fortress castle, the carved stone door slamming behind her.

Ange groaned and snarled as curses started to fly from her mouth.

“This is-”

“Shut up!” Ange snapped before Showl could finish his statement, she turned her furious glare to him. “This is all your fault!” she spat accusingly. “Why don’t you go away and stay out of my head while you’re at it!” she yelled at the top of her lungs.

Showl winced, his expression furious, hurt, and sad. He sighed as he walked away around her and followed Ileana into the palace, the stone door slammed once again, echoing in the silent area of the balcony, echoing off the stone and resonating, lingering in the still cool air and in her ears.

Ange swallowed a long breath forcefully as she turned her gaze back to Amaris, feeling suddenly crushed and aggrieved and she visibly slumped much to her disgust.

Amaris was frowning, sympathy in her gaze.

“At least before you go, we can finish your blocking lesson,” she suggested tentatively.

Ange sighed and she took a more steady breath in as she tried not to think of the sensation of having a seal blocking her from her
mana once again.

“You were on the right course,” Amaris pitched in more enthusiastically as if trying to lift her spirits. “Just…don’t do what you did a minute ago again,” she laughe
d
humorously which died quickly when Ange’s expression remained as plain as ever.

“Right…well,” Amaris continued uncomfortably, “reach into your mind again but this time only grab hold of Showl’s soul fragment.”

“But it’s everywhere,” Ange replied quietly, unfocused. “It’s threads woven everywhere, I can’t tell start from end in the mess of a webs there is.”

Amaris’s expression became confused as she exchanged a glance with Corvus as he sat down next to her.

“That’s odd…isn’t that only supposed to happen…”

Corvus nodded, ending her statement. She frowned pensively, bewildered.

Ange’s interest perked up. “Only supposed to happen when?”

Amaris shook her head. “It doesn’t matter,” she amended lightly. “Now find the thickest string and grab it, once you do think of a shield or a wall, even better think of a thick viscous liquid,” she explained with a touch of disgusted exaggeration in her voice and she waved her hands in a liquid shape. “And cover the threads in that liquid. Try it,” she insisted.

Ange frowned slightly and nodded as she closed her eyes, still wondering what Amaris’s earlier statement was, but she knew well when the Sky Warriors didn’t want to share something, they wouldn’t.

So instead she focused.

She dived in once again, against the currents of energy till she was at the same place as before, the place where the black sun burned and where her soul threaded with Showl’s soul spun like a galaxy  encompassing the physical shaped of their Endowment.

The threads of Showl’s soul were easy to pick up from the subtle grays of her soul, they blistered like silver with a sheen of sparkling icy blue. She could see no true thick cord among the strings so instead she reached for the closest, puncturing her fingers through the fabric and grabbing hold of the thread.

She envisioned liquid tar, covering the strings, separating them form herself and shielding her mind from their invasive touch, separating them from the blanket of her soul.

For
an moment she felt Showl’s resentment and anger burn to her through the string as a black cloak quickly enveloped the thread and quickly webbed out, revealing the extensive threading that weaved through her soul.

Ange smiled triumphantly as she opened her eyes, she could still feel their connection but she wasn’t sure if she had successfully blocked him.

Let’s try this out…
she thought to herself, thinking for a moment what would offend Showl or would prompt him to intrude on her thoughts.
I know! You’re a pompous, annoying, most stubborn bunch of feathers and you’re the bossiest dragon I have ever met!

Nothing.

“Yes!” Ange yowled excited.

“You did it?” Amaris asked with a relieved smile.

Ange nodded giddy as a wide grin spread across her face. “Oh, he isn’t going to be bothering me for a while,” she stated victoriously.

Amaris gave her a half smile, half worried and half understanding.

“That was easy,” Amaris noted testily. “Now, how are you keeping up the concentration? The moment you lose it, he will be hearing everything in your head. It’s going to take some practice so you can do more than one thing at a time.”

Ange frowned perplexed. “I don’t know what you mean. I’m not even concentrating on blocking him anymore,” she shrugged pleased with a wide smile. “I’m just doing it without thinking about it.”

Amaris’s and Corvus’s faces became blank with shock.

“But that’s impossible,” Corvus whispered, his white eyes becoming dark as he concentrated on her.

“Are you sure?” Amaris chipped in leaning forward. “You’re not even thinking about it? About holding the block in place?”

Ange shook her head, confused by their skepticism.

Amaris leaned back, hunching her shoulders in worry. “Just like a dragon,” she muttered.

Corvus continued to stare, his expression analytical as he scowled thoughtfully.