The Mage's Limits: Mages of Martir Book #2 (5 page)

Durima winced when he said that. She could just imagine what it would feel like to have those sharp crystal claws cutting through her body. It made her shiver as if she was still outside in the cold wind.

She tried to think of some way to beat Erich. Unfortunately, without knowing the full extent of his own fighting abilities, coming up with any sort of tactics against him was essentially useless. Even if he wasn't as good of a fighter as he made himself out to be, those Mican crystal claws might more than make up for his lack of fighting ability.

Then there was the fact that Gujak was already captive, according to Erich. If that was true, then Durima had even less reason to fight against him. After all, even if she managed to defeat Erich, his three dozen Soldiers were still around and could easily take her down if they wanted.

Seems like I'm screwed no matter how you look at it,
Durima thought.
If I fight him, I will probably die. If I try to run, I will undoubtedly die. And if I do either, Gujak will most assuredly be killed. This is one of those un-winnable situations I always try to avoid yet always find myself stuck in.

“I'm waiting for your answer, Durima,” said Erich. “Any day now.”

In an attempt to buy some more time, Durima said, “Why did you wait so long to go after me and Gujak? You knew where we were, but you didn't bother us for a whole year; why is that?”

Anger flashed in Erich's eyes. “That is none of your business, murderer. And if you keep asking those kinds of questions, I will retract my previous offer and end your miserable life right here and now.”

Durima took a step back, even though she had nowhere to run to. No doubt the rest of his Soldiers were hiding in the shadows nearby, ready to strike her down the minute she tried to escape. For a moment, Durima almost considered using the ethereal to escape, but then she remembered that the ethereal could not be accessed underground.

“What if you're lying?” said Durima. “About Gujak? Maybe Gujak got away and you decided to hide down here and lie to me about your capturing him so you could trick me into going to the Katabans Council.”

“If you are truly naïve enough to believe a lie as ridiculous as that, then allow me to show you undeniable proof of my claims,” said Erich. “Men, bring in the other murderer.”

Behind her, Durima heard two sets of footsteps dragging something between them. She looked over her shoulder, despite knowing that it left her open to an attack from Erich, and was horrified by what she saw.

Two more Soldiers stood in the entrance behind her, carrying Gujak between them. His head had been bashed in, his right arm, the one that had grown back after Uron had ripped it off a year ago, was broken at the elbow, and he was so still that she might have mistaken him for a corpse if she hadn't known better.

“Gujak,” said Durima, reaching out to him.

“See? We captured him, just like I said,” said Erich. “Again, you have two choices: Resist or surrender. Choose wisely.”

Durima's claws dug into the palms of her hands as she stood there, looking from Erich to Gujak and back again. Seeing Gujak beaten so badly had shaken her more than she realized. He looked barely alive, like he was hanging onto his life by only a few thin threads, and he was clearly not faking it.

Because Durima knew that she couldn't win, she let out a deep sigh as her shoulders slumped. “All right, Erich. I give. Take me and Gujak to the Katabans Council, where we will accept whatever punishment they choose to give us for our crime against the gods.”

Chapter Four

D
arek couldn't move his body. It felt like his limbs refused to budge, no matter how much his mind told them to move. His body was like a prison, a prison he couldn't escape from, and that terrified him greatly.

It didn't help that his eyes were closed, making it impossible for him to see anything. He remembered breaking through the ceiling and the euphoria that had resulted, as well as that eerie skeleton that had spoken to him mysteriously, but his memories ended there.

I must have fallen unconscious,
Darek thought.
Maybe even fell into a coma. I've never been in a coma before, though. Is this what a coma feels like?

With great effort, Darek forced his eyes open, which was the only part of his body that he seemed to have any real control over right now. He blinked several times as he looked up at the white ceiling directly above him before realizing that he was in the medical wing of the Arcanium.

Of course I'd be put here,
Darek thought.
Where else would I be taken? Outside?

Though the sheets covering his body were comfortable enough, Darek wanted to get up and walk around. He wanted to know how long he had been out and what everyone else was doing. Part of him was nervous that the teachers and the Magical Superior were angry with him for risking his life like that, but he decided that he could take whatever rebukes they tossed at him. It couldn't be any worse than what he felt right before he broke through the ceiling, after all.

“You're awake,” said a voice to his right, a voice he remembered well from his childhood.

Turning his head to the right, Darek saw his mother sitting on a chair next to his bed. Like always, she had dark, curly hair, although he was starting to notice her first gray hairs appearing here and there. She wore the gray robes of a necromancer and looked so worried that Darek felt ashamed of himself for worrying her so.

“Hey, Mom,” said Darek, trying to smile, but he was so weak that even that small gesture took a lot of effort. “What are you doing?”

“Waiting to see if you were ever going to wake up again,” said Mom. She leaned forward, her worried frown turning into a stern scowl. “Listen, Darek, I know you are an adult and have been for quite a while now, but do you know what I saw when you broke through the ceiling?”

Darek groaned inwardly.
Uh oh. I know what's coming.

“I saw a cocky teenager thinking he could do what every single responsible adult in his life has ever told him not to do,” said Mom. “You know, that thing we repeatedly told you would at best put you in a coma for years and at worst kill you?”

“But I didn't fall into a coma or die,” said Darek. He hated having to explain himself like this, as it made him feel like a little kid again, but he hated seeing Mom so worried and wanted to assuage her fears. “I'm alive and well. See? I'm even talking with you.”

“I know,” said Mom. “It's a miracle from the gods that you didn't die there and then while everyone went crazy after your statue exploded and you fell onto the floor. I think it must have been the Magical Superior's healing magic that saved you because he acted well before any of us did.”

Darek winced. “Sorry for worrying you. I didn't mean to. I thought—”

“Thought what?” said Mom. “That you, a student who was supposed to graduate today, could achieve what even the most experienced mage never even dreams of doing because it is so stupid and dangerous?”

“I just wanted to see if I could up the limits of my powers,” said Darek, speaking as quickly as he could so Mom couldn't interrupt him. “That's all. What's wrong with wanting to become stronger?”

Mom sat back in her chair, looking like she had been struck by thunder. “But why, Darek, would you ever want to become stronger? We already worked out your limits years ago, when you first began your formal training as a student. Why would you ever want to test them? Who do you think you need to be that powerful to fight?”

Darek hesitated for a moment, but, seeing no point in hiding his true motives from Mom, said, “Uron.”

Mom looked around as if she thought someone was eavesdropping. Then she leaned in again, like she wanted to share a secret with Darek.

“Now I have never met or seen Uron before, Darek, but from what you and the Magical Superior have told me about him, even Skimif was barely a challenge for him,” said Mom. “Skimif said that the gods would deal with him. Why in the world would you ever feel the need to prepare to fight him?”

“Because Uron is a threat to Martir in general,” said Darek. “I don't want to be powerless against him, even though I know we mages are no match against his power. I felt like the only choice I had was to break through the ceiling; that way, if he ever comes here again, I would have a better chance of defeating him.”

“Well, did it work?” said Mom. “Do you feel more powerful or are you just the same as you've always been?”

Darek did not know the answer to that, so he felt his energy levels to see if he could spot any increase in power. Unfortunately, his energy levels were still quite low; not low enough to put him in danger of breaking through the ceiling, perhaps, but not high enough for him to determine if his limits were the same as before or not.

“I don't know,” said Darek. “I'd like to think it worked, but right now I don't feel very different from how I did before I tried to break through the ceiling.”

Mom threw her hands into the air in exasperation. “See? You almost killed yourself for something that didn't even work.”

“Well, where is everyone else?” said Darek. He looked around the medical wing. “Is the graduation ceremony still going on? Is it over yet?”

“The ceremony should be over by now,” said Mom. “After you fell unconscious, the Magical Superior ordered me and Junaz to take you here. Eyurna was just here looking you over and casting some healing spells to help you recover, but she left when I told her I could look after you just fine.”

“So I missed my own graduation ceremony, then,” said Darek. “That sucks.”

“And that's another bad thing about what you did,” said Mom. “Your fellow graduates are probably eating at the Graduation Dinner even as we speak. I thought about leaving to grab some food for you, but I decided I'd rather stay here and chew you out for being so stupid instead of rewarding you with the no doubt delicious food that Dovor prepared for everyone tonight.”

That made Darek feel even worse than he already did. He always looked forward to the Graduation Dinner every year, as all students were invited and the food served was always the best he had all year. His stomach growled as he thought about all of the goodies that Dover, the school chef, had probably made.

And I missed it,
Darek thought.
Missed it because I was dumb enough to try to transcend my own limits. There probably won't even be a cup of Mican pudding leftover for me.

“I should probably go and tell the others that you're alright now,” said Mom. “Everyone was worried, especially Jiku. He's probably at the Graduation Dinner right now, but I'm sure he'll be thrilled to hear you're going to be okay.”

Darek nodded, but he still felt miserable about his utter failure. He had hoped that the inherent risks in breaking through the ceiling would have been worth it, but now, he thought it was just a useless stunt that had worried everyone and almost gotten him killed.

That was when Darek remembered the skeleton. He looked at Mom again and asked, “Mom, did you or anyone else see a skeleton talking to me after I broke through the ceiling?”

Mom frowned. “A skeleton? No, of course not.”

“But it was standing right next to me,” said Darek. He gestured at his shoulder. “Even touched my shoulder. You sure you didn't see it?”

“Darek, I think you must be have been hallucinating,” said Mom. “I've heard that mages who break through the ceiling and survive report seeing all sorts of strange things. You were probably just imagining it.”

Darek wasn't so sure about that. That skeleton had been real. He knew it. Where the skeleton had come from or what its true identity was, he didn't know, but he was still as certain of that skeleton's existence as he was of his own body.

Guess I probably shouldn't worry too much about it right now,
Darek thought.
There's no way I am going to find out about the skeleton sitting here arguing about him with my mother. I should probably take it easy and let my body recover. Maybe later, I can do some more research into it, if there's time.

Mom stood up as if her seat had caught fire. “Did you feel that?”

Snapped out of his thoughts, Darek looked at Mom in confusion. “What?”

“That pulse of energy,” said Mom. She reached for her wand. “Divine energy.”

Then Darek felt it, too. It was a familiar feeling, one he had not felt in quite some time. It was like a heavy mist falling on his shoulders. Just feeling the energy flow through the room was enough to bring back agonizing memories of that horrible night in the graveyard a year ago.

It can't be
him
,
Darek thought. He tried sitting up, but his body was still too weak.
He's not supposed to be here. I mean, I knew he was going to come back sooner or later, but I thought maybe he had forgotten about our deal. If I can just—

“Darek Takren,” whispered a familiar voice in his ear. “Long time, no see.”

Darek looked to the right side of his bed. A huge, hulking figure, with ghostly pale armor and equally pale skin, towered over Darek and Jenur. He didn't have legs; just a wispy, ghost-like tail that writhed like a snake. His fingers looked like they were made out of metal and his eyes glowed blue like fire.

“The Ghostly God,” said Darek, though he said it in a whisper, because he was so afraid of the deity who hovered before him.

The Ghostly God nodded. “I'm glad to see you remember me, Darek. I thought that you might have forgotten about me since I haven't spoken with you in a year, but I see your memories of me are as fresh as the morning dew. That is good.”

“So you're the Ghostly God I've heard so much about,” said Mom. She hadn't drawn her wand, likely because there was no way she could fight a god, but she didn't cower underneath the Ghostly God's powerful gaze, at least. “You're a lot uglier than I expected.”

The Ghostly God rubbed his index and thumb together, creating an annoying screeching sound that made Darek wince. “And just why should I care about your opinions? Who are you, another useless teacher?”

“Useless?” said Mom. “My name is Jenur Takren. I am Darek's mother as well as one of his teachers.”