The Dark Path (31 page)

"You will die." His tone was cold.

"No. You will die if you go alone. I'll come with you." Her tone made him believe she would not be talked out of this.

“You think you are ready?”

“I don't think it matters. You need someone to watch your back. Thomas is too broken to join you.” Beth's tone was flat, her eyes defiant.

"Come. I have someone for you to talk to, then we shall see." He walked quickly from the building to the main ritual circle. Beth had to jog to keep up with his pace. When they arrived, Gen walked to the center of the circle. He took his katana from his belt and drew a triangle in the sand. He withdrew the pouch with silver symbols and opened it. He took out the ruby and placed it in the triangle as before. He turned to face Beth.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"If you disturb either the triangle or the circle it is possible one or both of us will die. I can protect myself easily but adding you would be more difficult. Remember who you are." He turned back to the task at hand. He placed the strongest protection sphere he could cast around the entire ritual circle. The air shimmered with the magic. He began chanting in a language that felt familiar to Beth. The triangle began to glow a dull blue and the ruby melted. The demon once more came from the ground and stood its full height in the prison Gen had made for it. It towered around twice the height of Gen. The prison he had made didn't allow enough room for it to open its wings. It seethed in anger and bashed against the blue glowing walls. Finally, he looked down to Gen and smiled.

"Have you brought me a meal?" The demon's voice grated on Gen's nerves.

"Beth," Gen said quietly. "Meet Anhirath." He looked up at the demon. "Anhirath meet your daughter." He heard Beth gasp.

"Very funny, little mage! I have no offspring in this plane!" The demon's tone was the same but it had lost its grin.

"Beth." Gen turned to her. "What was your mother's name?" Beth didn't move her gaze from the demon's.

"Her name was Mary." Beth's anger was beginning to grow. "So you mean to tell me that this beast was the one that raped my mother?"

"Well you'll have to ask him," Gen said calmly. He could feel Beth's anger growing. He wondered if she would be able to do what needed to be done here.

"Little demon!" Beth's voice shook with barely contained rage. "Was it you that raped my mother, Mary?" The demon had a look of terror upon its face now.

"There have been so many! How should I remember one human woman over the centuries?" Anhirath's face had not looked away from Beth's gaze once. Terror reflected in his eyes. Gen had never seen such a look upon a demon before. It made him smile inside.

"You would remember her. She was beautiful! She had hair like mine! Her eyes were a bright green! Her skin was pale and smooth." Her hands curled into fists. "Show me the form you wore to trick her. Show me how you lowered her guard so that you could rape her!" Her voice carried the tone of command she had used on the elementals. The demon lowered his eyes and bowed a bit.

"Yes, Mistress." The demon shimmered and appeared in human form before them. He was a head taller than Gen and had a body that reminded him of Duncan's build. He shook his head. Now was not a time to remember Duncan. Gen could feel the anger pouring off of Beth in waves. He rewove the shield to divert that anger away from him. He couldn't afford to be affected by her emotion right now. The shield spell from the red book seemed to work well, though it was a terrible waste of energy in it's original form. Gen spent a few seconds to rework it. Beth was beginning to glow a faint red. Her hair was moving back in a wind that was not there.

"You know what I am going to do to you?" Beth's voice no longer sounded human.

"Yes, Mistress." The demon continued to look at the ground.

"Gen leave us. This is between my father and I." Beth's command carried a force that almost hurt as it reached Gen. He turned and walked through the circle. Reweaving it as he passed. He stood outside the circle and watched as Beth broke the triangle prison that had held the demon. When the prison broke, Gen expected to see Anhirath change forms and destroy the teenage girl. Instead, he backed away to the edge of the sphere that contained everything. Beth floated slightly off the ground and toward the cowering demon. Her skin was starting to grow a covering of black and red scales. She reached out a now clawed hand and began to slowly peel the skin from the demon. Gen watched Beth torture the demon for the next few hours before she finally killed him, sending him back to his plane for the next five centuries. She finally walked back to face Gen. She stood on the other side of the circle.

"Lower the circle." Her voice ripped at Gen.

"Not until you return to normal."

"This is normal now!" Her voice ripped through him again. He looked up at her face that was now covered by the small black and red scales. She was still lovely, though in a completely different manner.

"No. This is just one side of you. If you want out of that prison, you must return to the other side of what you are." Gen's tone was flat. He would not fail in this. If she couldn't control her power then he would kill her here.

"You do not follow my command!" Beth tilted her head back and roared. Other students began to gather at the sound. Gen glanced over at them. He didn't have time to deal with them.

"If you do not control yourself, I will kill you." Gen's tone was ice. He saw Beth shudder despite the power she was filled with now.

"So be it. Little mage! I will remember this though!"

"I'm sure you will." He watched as Beth screamed in pain as her face turned back to normal. Eventually, her whole body returned. Everything but her right eye that still held a red glow and her right arm. It remained covered in the black and red scales, her hand still a claw. She looked up at him, panting.

"Now will you let me out?" Her voice was human once more but carried a hint of the power.

"Will you promise not to harm these students unless they harm you?" Gen's tone was flat and emotionless. He had to know how much of her remained human.

"If they try to harm me, I will kill them without mercy. If they stay away from me, I will not touch them. They are no concern to me." Her eyes didn't stray from Gen's.

"Very well. I will hold you to your word." He lowered the shield and flinched as all the extra energy of hatred rushed out of the circle. She stumbled out of the circle falling to her knees in the grass and stayed there with her head down as tears fell upon her hands. The tears that hit her right hand steamed a bit when they hit.

"Get some rest. You will need it if you plan to go with me." Gen stood and walked away from her toward the Headmaster's office. He would see if someone else would suffer today as well.

XVIII

The Second War Begins

Gen entered the Headmaster's office. The Headmaster was waiting behind his desk. There were no books upon it. He nodded slightly when Gen entered.

"Have you found her?"

"Yes. She is in a cave to the west of the tower of Invictus."

"Thank you." Gen turned to leave.

"What will you do?" Gen turned back around. His ice blue eyes filled with the anger of vengeance.

"I will go to war."

"You know that the Schola must stay neutral in this." The Headmaster's face looked pained.

"I didn't ask for your help."

"You will fail if you go alone."

"Hmmm." Gen nodded slowly, his eyes distant. "Have you seen this?"

"Yes. You must take three others with you."

"Do you know whom I should bring?"

"You know them."

"Very well. Do you have anything else to add?"

"Bring your army. All of them." The Headmaster's voice was filled with sorrow."

"Will you help to bring them?"

"You may use anything you want from the artifact room." The headmaster took a key that he wore around his neck and held it out to Gen.

"I will leave soon." Gen took the key and walked to the door. He stopped before he opened it. "Oh. One more thing, Beth is now my apprentice. Please give me her journeyman's robes."

"Why should I let you take her?"

"She tortured and killed her father today in front of other students. If she stays here, they will eventually be killed by her. Their fear will keep them from acting correctly."

"Very well." The Headmaster opened the wardrobe behind his desk and withdrew white robes. He handed them to Gen.

"Now that won't do," Gen smirked. He chanted a few words and the robes changed to a deep blood red with black trim embroidered with silver arcane symbols along the hood and sleeves. "Much better."

As the door closed, tears ran down the Headmaster's face. "May the gods of good save us all," he whispered.

Gen walked out of the main building and toward the healer's building. He opened the door to find Thomas awake and talking with Marcus. He walked over and sat beside the bed.

"Are you leaving now?" Thomas asked. His voice was one of barely contained emotion.

"I have learned new information. It seems I am to take you with me."

"What! Thomas can barely walk!" Marcus shot up straight.

"I will heal him before we leave."

"How? The healer has done all she can." Thomas' voice was tinged with fear.

"Are you willing to sacrifice all the plants in your greenhouse?" Gen's tone was cold.

"What?" Marcus exclaimed again. Gen ignored him.

"To heal you, they will all die."

"Then they will die." Thomas' gaze met Gen's, his voice low and steady.

"Marcus, pick up Thomas and follow me." Gen chanted briefly and Thomas felt the spell, that lessened his weight, take effect. Marcus started to object but Thomas laid his hand upon his arm. Marcus bent and picked Thomas up. The healer came out of her office and hurried toward them.

“Where are you taking my patient?”

“I don't have time to wait for him to heal on his own. We need to rush it.” Gen turned toward the healer. “Come along if you must, but do not try and stop us.” The healer opened her mouth to object but closed it again at the expression upon Gen's face. He turned and walked out of the healer's and toward the greenhouse. The doors flew open at Gen's approach. He walked in and directed Marcus to place Thomas down in the center of the building.

"What are you going to do to him?" Marcus asked, his eyes full of fear for his love.

"I'm going to heal him. We don't have time to wait for him to do it correctly so he must sacrifice. This will hurt, Thomas. Prepare yourself." He turned to Marcus and the healer.

“You should leave the greenhouse.”

“You know I can't do that,” Marcus' tone was a somber one. The Healer just shook her head.

“So be it then. If you know any spells of protection. Cast them now, all of them. I don't have time to do this fancy. If you don't protect yourself, then you may die. If you feel you can't protect yourself, then leave. Decide now. We're running out of time."

Marcus glared at Gen and began to summon strong protection around himself. The Healer followed suit. Gen waited till they were done. He turned his vision inward and found his anger. He opened the lid and let it out. He found his pain and opened it as well. Power flowed into him. The air turned cold in the greenhouse. Frost began to form on the windows. Thomas shivered. Gen threw his head back and screamed words of ancient magic. His hands formed complex symbols in the air that glowed with a red light before fading out. He drew a deep breath and again, screamed words of power fueled by his pain and anger he had been storing for years. All the plants in the greenhouse turned instantly to dust. A huge ball of green energy spun between Gen's outstretched hands. He chanted softly under his breath then threw the ball at Thomas. The ball of light impacted Thomas and threw him across the room, into the glass wall on the far side. The glass spider-webbed but didn't shatter. Thomas fell to the ground and pulled himself painfully up. His robes caught fire and burned off of him. Thomas threw back his head as if to scream but no sound came out. He tore at his chest with his fingers. All of his wounds healed, leaving ugly scars. Thomas stopped trying to scream and opened his eyes. A green glow came from them. He started to laugh. He laughed maniacally then suddenly screamed and fell to the ground. Marcus dropped his spell and ran to Thomas' side. He glared at Gen. The healer stood with her mouth open, tears streaming down her ancient face. She had felt the life as it was ripped out of all the plants around her. The magic had felt raw. She had heard of transference spells of course, but never anything like this.

"What did you do to him!" Marcus screamed.

"Just wait. He will awaken soon," Gen stated without emotion.

"You've killed him!" Marcus screamed in anger.

"Quit screaming Marcus," Thomas said softly. He stood up and walked to Gen. He drew back his hand and slapped Gen full across the face as hard as he could. Gen took the slap without comment. His cheek turned an ugly red. Thomas turned back to Marcus and ran into his arms. The two embraced and kissed. Thomas finally pulled back and looked into his love's eyes. "I'm okay now. You won't lose me."