Sterling (16 page)

I laughed in disbelief. “So then why don’t you eat?”

“It would not be polite.”

“You know Justus, you may be hard around the edges but you’re soft in the middle.” I had a sense about him, something you picked up in the little gestures people made, or comments. Somewhere inside of that rough and tough exterior was a human being. If I was going to live with this man I needed to know there was a human in there, even if he wasn’t.

I sipped my icy drink and the brain freeze hit so fast I palmed my forehead waiting for it to pass. There was a low ominous laugh that sounded like the intro to a classic horror movie.

“I hear those are most uncomfortable. So tell me, why would you drink more—glutton for punishment?”

“Haven’t you ever had one?” He shook his head and I smiled. “You’ve got to be kidding me.
Try it
. Go on.” I waved the cup in a dare at his face. “I don’t have cooties.”

Justus snatched the cup from my hand and frowned, looking at the sugary concoction undecidedly. Fingers slowly wrapped around the purple straw and his lips pulled in the first taste. I waited eagerly and saw approval on his stony expression. His smile was becoming—not the arrogant one perfected—but a genuine smile.

“What did I tell you, good right?”

“You are not dressed appropriate for this climate,” he observed while savoring a little of the juice in his mouth.

“Last trip to the thrift store and they were pushing out the summer clothing, Adam lent me the sweatshirt.”

He grumbled as I tore open a bag of trail mix fishing for a raisin.

“Where’s your piercing?”

A thick hand rubbed across his jaw and his answer was silence. I had a feeling my comment in the bar had gotten to him. He never wore that piercing after that night.

“Hmm. Mind if I change the music?”

“Do as you wish, peaches.”

The annoyance in my gaze was flashing. “Quit calling me peaches.”

“Yes, on second thought you aren’t as sweet.”

“Why don’t you just call me Zoë?”

“You are no longer of the human world, that is past. You are Breed, and every Mage born is bestowed a name by their Creator—that is our custom. Until such time you go by Learner, your title.”

“You mean the only one who gets to name me is that monster? And what if he never does, I go the rest of my life being called Learner? Nameless…no identity?” I wrung my hands together angrily.

“Calm yourself, Learner, before you overload the circuits in my car. I knew I should have brought the Honda.”

“What
is
a Learner?”

“It’s the name for a newly made Mage who requires learning on their abilities—a novice. It is the basic definition for any Mage who is not yet ready for independence. Your independence is largely determined by your knowledge, strength, and ability to acclimate.”

“If we don’t work magic, why are we called a Mage? Isn’t that supposed to be a sorcerer?”

He scoffed at the comparison. “We do not practice alchemy, Learner. Mage is an old name—humans never understood the magic so through stories they fabricated our gifts. In ancient times we were not so hidden from the human world, we have learned since then the value of secrecy. There are some we trust with truth, but betrayal is not taken lightly.”

The way Justus spoke of humans was odd; it was as if they were aliens he didn’t understand, although he was more than willing to take those aliens to his bed for some probing.

“If the name isn’t correct, why keep it?”

“The word has always been ours,” he said matter-of-factly. “Human definition holds no meaning in our world, you will soon discover that you belong to the Breed. You probably already noticed a difference in how you feel around humans, deep down you know that you do not belong. Over the years we have been called many things: lightwalkers, channelers, even years ago some tried to change to Conductors but that never quite caught on.”

“I don’t ever want him to claim me, Justus. That means I’ll always be called Learner.

“If he refuses his claim or dies, the Council will name you. If he dies…I will remain your Ghuardian.”

“Like a stepfather?”

He laughed, “Something like that.”

“How much longer?”

Justus shifted in his seat trying to stretch out his thick legs. “Tonight. We’ll be there tonight.”

I twirled the straw of my drink and focused on my feet trying to keep my attention anywhere but the road, but I felt his stare and cocked my head to the side to find him staring at me hopefully.

“What?”

“May I have another taste of your cherry?”

Chapter 14

Night fell.
As the car rolled to a stop, I strained my ears, but heard nothing.

“You may remove the blindfold.”

“Where are we?” I inquired, pulling it free.

“I’m presenting you to the Council for right of Ghuardianship.”

“Now, tonight? Thanks for the heads up,” I said sarcastically. If he had at least told me we weren’t going straight to his house I might have run a comb through my hair.

Justus slicked back his brow with his thumb and scraped his fingers through his short hair a few times, a nervous gesture that wasn’t exactly putting me at ease.

The car lights illuminated the woods in front of us; tall trees stood like dark soldiers guarding a fortress. To the right was a broken wall made of stones that looked a million years old, covered with dying vines. Justus walked around to open my door and the second I got out, he immediately pinned me against the car.

I choked out, “What are you doing?”

His eyes narrowed and scanned through the darkness all around as if he were looking for someone. I trembled, uncertain if we were in danger. His searching eyes, rich and deep with moonlight, slid down to meet my gaze.

“If you’re with me then you will be looked after. It will be my duty to ensure your safety, but you must never let your guard down for even a moment.”

While Adam’s sweatshirt was snug and warm, my bare legs sure felt the sting of northern air and I lengthened the sleeves. Justus shifted out of his jacket placing it around my shoulders and when I slipped my arms through the lining of his coat, I actually got a heat flash.

“Damn, you really run on hot,” I muttered. The only response he gave was…

“Follow me.”

I shadowed behind him closely. “What city are we going to live in?”

“Cognito.”

“Really?” I laughed. “I’ve always wanted to go there.”

“You’ll find more Breed in Cognito than any other city in the States.”

Cognito was a metropolis that boasted itself as the center of the universe for artists. Supposedly, it had a very diverse crowd, not to mention it was a 24-hour city like Vegas. The cost of living was higher and from what I heard the crime rate was pretty bad, so not many people actually wanted to live there.

“Tonight I will present you to the Council. Each territory has a Council of members who work directly under the Mageri. This will make you official. It is not just customary, but it is
law
. To house a Learner who has not been documented is illegal and they have agreed to consider your case.”

“My case? Am I on trial?”

He sucked at his teeth and replied in a low baritone voice, “In a matter of speaking, you are. You have a unique set of circumstances for coming into the Breed that may not meet their approval. The Council has dominion over all—they will decide your fate.”

“Wait a minute.” A slice of moonlight filtered through a tree and softly outlined his jaw. “What if they don’t approve of my circumstances, do they have the authority to…to kill me?”

He showed no sign of emotion and I began to see the complexity that was Justus. “Yes Learner, they have all authority. Because our power is within you, they have the right to decide what to do with it. This is serious business, so put your childish jokes aside and speak to them with respect. It is not likely they will put you to death; we do not so hastily discard the life of one of our own. Remember, anything you say could hold weight on the decision they make. Do not speak unless spoken to. Do you understand?”

I nodded and we continued our walk. I thought about how it was like going into a pit of lions holding a juicy steak. I had fascinating information about my creation that could very well be the nail in my coffin.

In a small clearing, two women and three men were dressed in white robes. Didn’t these people realize what Century we lived in? All that ceremonial looking garb—this wasn’t a séance. I refrained from smiling and let Justus take the lead, placing my hand nervously on his back.

Justus greeted the Council with a bow.

“Bring forward the girl,” the older male in the center demanded.

Truth be told, I was too nervous to look at them directly. They were introduced from left to right: Novis, Sasha, Samuel, Hannah and Merc.

Novis was a young man no older than 25 (at least in physical appearance), lean with short black hair, wide thin lips and boyish features. Sasha was quite beautiful—young, long blonde hair and a bit of hollowness to her. Samuel was much older than the others, looking grandfatherly with a closely shaven grey beard and eyes that were such a pale liquid blue they were iridescent in the moonlight. And while physically he was the eldest, I had the distinct feeling he was not the one in charge.

Hannah was all business with her tidy hair pulled up in a classy style, tucked neatly with small pins that sparkled like diamonds. Her lips were painted a deep ruby red, which made her thick wolfish brows stand out even more. Lastly, Merc—who looked like menace incarnate. Long stringy blonde hair fell over his shoulders and he towered in height as equally as muscle. As intimidating as he looked, I was more terrified of the lack of compassion in those eyes which were penetrating. No sign of mercy, love or an ounce of anything but disgust for me. Justus picked up on it and curved his hand around my wrist.

“Council, greetings.” Heads nodded.

“My name is Justus De Gradi. I have called upon the Council to present a newly created Mage.”

“Where is her Creator?” Sasha interrupted. “You are not listed in our books as a Creator, so where did you find this little girl?”

Who the hell was she calling little girl?
I inched forward but he jerked me back in place.

“Her power has come to us in a most unusual way.” I could tell he was trying to word himself carefully and hold his tongue. “There are unique circumstances to her transition. Her maker has denied her with his unwillingness to step forward and stake his claim openly. This Learner is abandoned, so I am requesting her care be placed in my Ghuardianship, officially.”

I felt the swell of the night around me and nervously shuffled my feet over the grass. I didn’t understand these customs, and I sure didn’t understand these people so I couldn’t imagine how they felt about me. But eyes fell on me with disdain and I wondered if I deserved such harsh judgment.

“Who is your maker?” Hannah’s eyes pointed at me like a spear.

I shot a sideways glance at Justus for direction; was I supposed to tell the truth or dance around it like he had? Unfortunately, I can’t read eyes.

“Are you impaired in some way?”

I snapped my head and gave her an ugly stare.

The young man with the punk rock hair leaned forward to look at Miss bobby pins. “Maybe she refuses to answer your question, Hannah.” He was grinning as if amused by my behavior.

“I’ll answer your question.”

I swallowed hard and Justus released his grip on my wrist. “I don’t know who my maker is.”

Muscles, the guy on the right that looked like he could snap a light pole, blurted out, “Do tell us, are you an immaculate conception?” I felt a blast of cold that came from his stare. I couldn’t figure out why he hated me so much, but I felt it. It was as palpable as the frosty wind on my skin.

“He never told me his name.” Justus gave me no warning or preparation of any kind as to how I should answer these kinds of questions, and how much I should divulge. I would rightfully kick his ass for it.

Justus spoke again. “Council, I have tapped into her light enough to assess that she will be a strong addition. But as it is raw and she is without any guidance, I request permission to be her acting Ghuardian. I will teach her our laws; she will be learned properly. I will bring her to the Council to measure her potential when it is time.”

“You are withholding,” Hannah implied. She was curious, observant, and a little annoyed by the look of the frown lines. “Justus De Gradi, you have made the decision to risk the consequence of concealing truth from the Council with half truths. You will prepare yourself for judgment, as no lie can remain buried forever.”

Justus acknowledged her with a nod.

“Step forward, Learner.”

The Learner stepped forward, and she was about to pee her pants
.

Without looking away, Hannah said, “Novis, test her.”

Novis was suddenly in my face before I could blink. He placed his thumb on my forehead the same way Justus had at the hotel in Memphis. No permission was asked, no explanation was given. A surge built within me, humming in my ears and there was a sense of energy shifting, building, and pacing like a panther. I held my breath as my fingertips began to tingle. There was an indescribable need to release something, the same way you felt as if you were holding in a sneeze or urge to cough.