The Unmage (2 page)

Timo swayed and would have fallen if his mother hadn’t been clutching his arm so tightly. Brothers and sisters, all of them dead, and he hadn’t even known they’d existed.

“They did not die by Guild Council order,” Rorik said.

He faced his accuser calmly, so calmly that Timo knew he’d known about this, about these deaths, all along.

“Of course there was no order,” Santos said. “Just as there was no order to kill my children when I went mad. But they’re dead all the same. I’m surprised you were able to save Timo.”

“He’s my son,” his mother said. “Of course he was safe.”

“You knew?” Timo said. He shook his mother’s hand off his arm. “You knew that I had siblings and yet you let them be killed?”

“No,” his mother said. “They all died accidentally.” She lowered her voice. “We can discuss this later, in private.”

“So you can tell me more lies?” he replied. He looked across to Santos Nimali. Pain lined his face. He was telling the truth, Timo was sure of it. “And my brother—Giona you said his name was. Does he know of me?”

“Of course he does,” Santos said. “He wanted to come but someone with power needed to stay behind with Kara and Reo’s children.” Santos smiled. “Your niece and nephew.”

“You have a whole family wanting to meet you,” Kara said. “You are welcome anytime you wish to visit.” She directed her gaze at his mother, at
their
mother. “Or stay. You can live with us for as long as you want to. Santos has been offering to take you on as his Apprentice for years. He’s getting desperate now that Giona has completed his Journeyman training.”

“He’s never going to visit you,” his mother said. “Let alone stay.”

“I’m not sure that’s your decision to make, Arabella,” Santos said. “In a few years, Timo will be of age.” Santos smiled at him again. “He will
always
be welcome on Old Rillidi.”

Timo looked across at his sister. Just a few steps separated them. If he took those steps he could change his life. But his mother would not let him go without a fight. His eyes moved from Kara to her husband. And if his mother tried to hurt Kara, Reo would kill her, or die trying. His new life would start with death instead of hope. It was less than two years until he was sixteen. He could wait that long, couldn’t he?

A long, green trail of mist detached itself from Santos’ left hand. Timo tried to ignore it as it slithered across the floor towards him. It wrapped itself around his mother’s legs and started winding its way up her body. Timo took a step away from his mother when it slid down her arm towards him. It pooled on her hand, wrapping itself around her arm faster and faster, before it suddenly disappeared. Startled, Timo looked up directly into the eyes of his sister, Kara. She gave him one tight nod, that was all, a movement so small that it was barely noticeable. But it told him that she knew. Knew what his mother didn’t want to know,
was afraid
to know because it would put him in danger. That he could see spells, see magic. That he had . . . what had Kara called it? Unmagic.

“Now you’ve seen the boy,” Rorik said. “I think we can conclude this visit.”

“One more thing,” Kara said, and Timo held his breath. She wasn’t going to tell, was she? “Acting Primus Rorik, you seem to have some malevolent spells about you. If you wish I will try to undo them.”

“Malevolent . . .” Rorik paused, his face white. “Someone has cursed me? Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Kara said. She glanced over at Santos and smiled. “I have quite a lot of experience lifting curses. Valerio Valendi was very thorough with Santos.”

“I’d accept her help if I was you,” Santos said. “Kara might not offer again.”

“Yes, thank you,” Rorik said.

“Rorik,” his mother said. “You can’t trust her.”

“Apparently I can’t trust anyone,” Rorik said. “At least she’s being open about what she’s doing.”

Kara stepped over to Rorik. She walked slowly around him, her eyes focussed. Timo leaned closer, fascinated. Rorik had always had multi-coloured mists swirling around him and Timo had never given them a second thought, until now. But Kara said that they were curses and that she’d dealt with such spells with Santos. Spells cast by his father. Had his mother known that? Had Rorik?

Kara raised a hand and gently waved at the crown of Rorik’s head. A pale blue strand of mist unwound itself and then dissipated. Timo didn’t recognize the colour of the spell but he’d look for it from now on. It was unlikely that Rorik’s enemy was a friend to his mother. And that could be dangerous for him as well.

Frowning, Kara poked a finger at a gossamer wisp of gold.

“Sss.” Rorik winced and sucked in a breath.

“Sorry. It’s a nasty spell,” Kara said.

She poked again, and Rorik clamped his eyes shut. The gold clung to Kara’s finger, and she made a face as she pulled her hand away. The gold thread seemed to tighten around Rorik’s head before it loosened and trailed away from him, following Kara’s hand. She walked a few steps away from Rorik and shook her hand. The gold thinned and finally faded completely.

“Someone really doesn’t like you,” Kara said.

Timo knew who; he recognized the colour of the mist. It was Master Mage Inigo, one of the most vocal and powerful council members. But Timo had never once considered that it was harmful, or that Inigo had actually cast a spell. How long ago had he cursed Rorik? Timo couldn’t remember a time when Rorik
hadn’t
had that gold mage mist swirling around him.

“My thanks,” Rorik said. “I feel clearheaded. It’s as though a minor headache is gone, one I’d lived with for so long that I forgot it was there.” He shook his head gently. “Do you know what it did?”

“Sorry, my talents don’t allow me to read the spell, just the intent with which it was cast.” Kara stepped back over to Rorik. “There’s one more that should be removed.” She poked her finger at another pale blue strand. It twitched away from her and Kara frowned at it. “Hold still,” she said and slapped Rorik’s shoulder. The pale blue mist puffed out, then thinned and drifted away.

Rorik shrugged his shoulders.

“Again, my thanks,” he said, nodding at Kara.

“Time to go,” his mother said abruptly. She grabbed Timo’s arm and spun him around.

“Bye, Timo,” Kara said.

He looked over his shoulder and met her warm smile.

“Remember, you’re welcome any time. We’re on Old Rillidi, at the old manor house. Any Warrior can help you find us.”

“Seyoyans too,” Reo said. “Although they might be harder to find.”

And then Timo was being dragged through the door and out into the hallway. Acting Primus Rorik caught up to them and closed the door behind him.

“Why couldn’t we stay?” Timo asked his mother. “They were nice.”

“Nice!” His mother stopped and whirled to face him. “They are
not
nice. They’re dangerous. She killed your father, and that Assassin, who knows how many people he’s killed in his life.”

“But Kara helped Primus Rorik.”

“So she says,” his mother replied. She turned and started walking again, dragging him behind her.

“I do feel better,” Rorik said.

“Santos probably spelled you to make you think she was helping,” Arabella said.

Timo pressed his lips together. He knew that Kara had removed some spells but he couldn’t say it, not without revealing that he could see magic, just like his sister. At least he knew where to go to learn how to use his unmagic. And they
were
nice—especially Kara. Which was more than they could have hoped for, considering that Arabella had tried to kill her.

Silently Timo followed his mother and Primus Rorik out of the council chamber and through the halls of Mage Guild Island. Despite the brevity of the meeting, many of his questions had been answered. But now he had even more. Would either his mother or Rorik tell him the truth?

“
DID MY FATHER
curse Santos Nimali?”

“I have no idea,” his mother replied. “And if he did, I’m sure he had good reason to.”

“Primus?” Timo turned to Rorik. “Did he?”

Rorik sighed and looked over at Arabella, who frowned and shook her head.

His mother had led them here, to her apartment. As soon as they’d closed the door to her sitting room Timo had asked his question. Now he glared at his mother, who ignored him and went to sit in her favourite chair. Rorik shrugged and sat on the settee across from her.

“Who exactly is the Primus here?” Timo said.

Rorik stiffened and turned to him. “When it concerns you, I defer to your mother,” he said.

“How exactly does this concern me? It happened years before I was even born.”

“It’s about your father,” his mother said. “So it concerns you.” She looked up at him, her mouth a thin line. “Go and tell Annya that you and Primus Rorik will be dining with me. And have her bring tea.”

“Then you can practice the spell I taught you yesterday,” Rorik said. “I’ll expect you to show me before we dine.”

Timo clenched his fists. He knew that look on his mother’s face—he would get no answers from her. Not today and probably not ever. And Rorik, that spineless old man, did whatever his mother told him.

“Practice your magic in your old room,” Arabella said. “There’s nothing in there that I’ll miss if you ruin it.”

“Yes, Mother,” Timo said. Of course she didn’t care about anything in his old room. He wasn’t even sure she cared about
him
. He turned and left the room so his mother and Rorik could discuss the meeting, so his mother could instruct Rorik to tell her son nothing.

“You let her stay!”

His mother’s voice and she was very angry. Timo paused and took a step back towards the open door.

“She was already there,” Rorik said. “Was I supposed to tell her to leave the room?”

“Yes! I told you I never wanted Timo to meet her. She’s clever and devious and will try to use him against us—against Mage Guild.”

“Are you worried that if Timo realises he has another option he might not do what you want?” Rorik asked. “I don’t think she was being devious when she helped me.”

“You have no idea what she did to you,” his mother replied. “She might have cursed you.”

“Arabella,” Rorik scoffed. “That’s too weak an argument for even you to use. You know she has no magic. Just this . . . unmagic. Besides, in fourteen years not once have any of them—Kara Fonti, Santos Nimali, or Reo Medina—ever tried to attack us. I believe Santos has told us the truth. They simply want to live in peace. Why can’t you let them?”

“She killed Valerio. I will
never
forgive her for that.”

“In self-defence,” Rorik said. “Even the witness accounts state that.”

Timo frowned. This was why he wasn’t allowed in the Hall of Records.

“They were manipulated,” his mother said. “Probably by Inigo.”

“Arabella, I saw to them myself. The witness accounts are valid.”

“I won’t let her have him.”

“In a few years he’ll make his own decision,” Rorik said. “There is nothing you can do about that. But if you keep lying to him, he will never choose to become your Journeyman.”

“He will. I will make sure he has no other choice.” There was a pause. “Why is it taking Annya so long to bring our tea?”

Guiltily, Timo found Annya and relayed his mother’s instructions, hoping his delay didn’t get her into trouble.

He stepped inside his room and closed the door, leaning against it.

His mother expected him to be her Journeyman! He couldn’t imagine anything more unappealing. With almost two years before he had to choose, he hadn’t thought about which Mage he might select. Or who might accept him. But his mother had been thinking about it—
planning
it.

He waved a hand at the mage lights that hung along the back wall, activating them so they bathed the small room in bright, white light. Carefully he scanned the room, looking for purple mage mist, looking for evidence that his mother was spying on him. Nothing. Good.

Timo crossed to the chair and sat down. The bed was bare, the mattress rolled up at one end to reduce dust, but his desk and book case were clean and polished, no doubt thanks to Annya. The Server Guild woman had been in his mother’s service as long as he could remember, and she knew better than to neglect anything, even the unused room of her employer’s son.

He would not be Journeyman to his mother. She’d told Rorik that she would make sure he had no other choice, but he would
not
let her control his life. He didn’t know Santos Nimali—wasn’t sure he could trust him—but he would take that chance. Because he
knew
he couldn’t trust his mother. If he was her Journeyman, it would be for her benefit, not his.

Two years, that’s all he had to wait. When he turned sixteen he would be considered a full Guildsman, even if Rorik deemed him not ready for Journeyman status. If Santos Nimali agreed to teach Timo, he would have to give compensation—that was Guild Law—but after today Timo thought Santos would be willing. He was rich, richer than almost anyone else in Mage Guild—he’d heard his mother complaining about it to Rorik.