Read One is Come (Five in Circle) Online
Authors: C. H. MacLean
One is Come (Five in Circle)
Copyright © 2014 C.H. MacLean
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Book & Cover Design by Heidi Sutherlin
First
Edition
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
For MLB and LBP, friends forever
One i
s Come
The One will drag us back in
the world with humans again.
One from each of we the Three
gifts he will need receive.
First, to a Guardian cleave
then all Others, binding Three.
Back and forth through worlds and time
'til now is ruin—sublime.
Empties their throne and their pride
and all that we safely hide.
To our worlds he brings new rage
to return a golden age
infinite to all and Three.
-from
The Foretold
Contents
Oath of Love
Abrennin stood thirteen paces from a block of stone the size of a truck and weighing ten times as much. He sighed internally.
A crude demonstration, but young students were invariably impressed
. Looking around the room, his eye lingered on the one female face, the bright star in a twilight sky. While dangerous for Crystyn to be here, he really couldn't keep her away. Besides, how he felt around her made it easy to use powerful magic.
Speaking of which
, he thought. He closed his eyes and centered himself, focusing intently. Dismissing the distracting energy from the figure hidden in the corner of the room, he pulled from his internal energy. He opened his eyes, murmured and swirled his hands, forming a great ball of fire. With a shout, he thrust one hand out. The ball of fire rocketed from him to strike the stone target. The enormous block wobbled, but did not fall. Before it could settle, Abrennin called his energy and shot a spout of water at the block, catching it at just the right moment in its wobble to send it toppling. The block crashed, filling the hall with echoes. Abrennin paused to take a breath. Totally focused, he clapped his hands together as he stomped his right foot with a yell. A wave of energy poured down his leg and rippled the floor, making the cement seem as fluid as water. The waves of cement spread, hitting the block, rocking it like a boat on rough seas. Abrennin twisted his foot and barked, setting a second pattern of waves rippling through the cement. These lined up to form a rapidly rising wave that caught the far edge of the block, flipping it back upright. The stone wobbled for a moment, grumbling in noisy crunching as it settled. Then it was still, and the hall was completely silent once more.
A low whistle broke the silence. An instant later raucous applause and hoots completely destroyed it. Turning to catch Crystyn's smile, Abrennin blushed slightly. She was smiling at him but not because of the demonstration. They were the only two in the room for a moment, lost in each other's eyes. The noise quieted down, and the moment was gone.
Before Abrennin could open his mouth to discuss the demonstration, the doors burst open and armed soldiers dressed in the royal black and silver poured in. A raid! Abrennin saw a bubble go up around the whole building, no time to do anything. Shouted commands echoed through the hall, and Abrennin's skin tingled with the gathered energy. A few young men tried to resist and were trapped in prison bubbles, either before or after being beaten into submission. Luckily, none of his students had brought a weapon. Abrennin fumed.
What were those soldiers doing with guns anyway?
Crystyn interrupted his thoughts by running up and tugging at his arm, trying to lead him away. “You must portal out of here! They've seen me, but you could get away!”
He shook his head. “They put a bubble up. Besides, I should leave you?” he challenged.
“I can take care of myself,” she shot back.
“Oh, I know, but then we will be apart,” he said softly.
She had no answer, so they stood there, hand in hand. She is so beautiful, Abrennin thought, watching her flashing eyes stop two of the approaching soldiers in their tracks. A stray thought noticed the figure in the corner was gone.
Spotting them, the leader of the troops rushed over. “You will come with us,” he ordered. Much more powerful in magic than the two soldiers, he held a ball of energy, ready to strike.
Crystyn started to say something and the troop leader flinched, flicking the ball of energy at her. Crystyn hummed, but Abrennin whirled into a spin kick, knocking the energy harmlessly away. The two soldiers flinched, opened fire, spraying a hail of bullets.
The bullets paused an arm's length away from Crystyn and Abrennin, then flew back to land at the soldier's feet in a neat line. “See,” Crystyn said to Abrennin, “I can take care of myself.”
The troop leader gathered his energy again and was joined by several other soldiers, also gathering energy.
“Stop this foolishness!” Crystyn commanded. “We're coming.”
They were hustled into the back of a black car with tinted windows, which sped off on its own. Within a short time, Abrennin realized where they were going. His heart sank, and he reached over to hold Crystyn's hand. Her cold grip in return trembled, telling him she already knew their destination.
Armed guards dragged them out of the car, through the front door of the castle and marched through a portal into to the throne room. The king sat on the throne, his wife behind him and the Chairman of the Conclave of Controllers to his right. Even at this hour, they were surrounded by a small crowd of attendants and guards. Abrennin took a furtive look around at the other people in the large room.
There are people here, even now,
he thought
, with nothing better to do than wait for a chance to suck up to royalty
. He saw the prince in the center of such a group, some of the tough-looking boys young enough that they couldn't even be using magic. But everyone in the group was glaring at them, fueled by the disgust on the prince's face.
And I used to believe we could be friends
, Abrennin thought.
I certainly learned that lesson
.
The king clapped his hands, sending bits of fire, water, and rock exploding outward to sprinkle on the floor. At the same time, his wife must have hummed, because Abrennin found himself unable to move. Their armed escort backed away.
“You are charged with treason to the crown!” The king rose as he spoke. “You were caught conspiring with known members of those traitorous Rogues, unlawfully teaching them magic. Is this the thanks we get for how well we have treated you and your family? Your parents must be rolling in their graves. Have you no shame?”
Crystyn tried to step forward but apparently was also in a suppressive bubble like his. She shot the king and his wife a startled look.
“We will talk with you in a moment; hold your tongue,” the king said, not even taking his eyes from Abrennin.
“Yes, I deny being a traitor,” Abrennin said, his calm voice echoing in the large chamber. “I have taken no action against the crown.”
The Chairman of the Conclave spoke, soft as a snake's slither. “Oh, but you have. You know the laws are the extension of the crown, and you were deliberately breaking Conclave directive A-43, sections B1 and B2. Or do you deny you were teaching magic without a permit and using magic in unauthorized areas?”
“I am a fully licensed magic tutor,” Abrennin said. “More than that, a teacher is who I am, whether here in the palace or back in the humble warehouses of the common people. Isn't it better we teach our people...?”
The king cut him off. “They are our people, the responsibility of the king and Conclave, not yours. And no, it is not better to teach them, when they could cause mayhem, like those unprovoked attacks of the Rogues that we are forced to defend ourselves against. We must strictly limit and control such dangerous forces for the good of all. Which is why we have laws!”
Abrennin tried to respond but was interrupted by the king.
Having caught a gesture from the snake-voiced man, the king said, “I have heard enough.” He pointed a finger at Abrennin. “You are guilty of treason. Because of the seriousness of the crime, I am forced to take immediate action.” He opened his hand as he called, “Scepter of Kings, come to the king!” With his command still echoing, a silver rod, as long as his arm, thick as his thumb appeared in front of him. Flared slightly at the bottom, the rod's top expanded to a rounded, flat knob with a hole in the middle and a short crossbar just under the knob. The king smirked, and out of the corner of his eye, Abrennin saw the same smirk copied on the prince's face. A low murmur swept through the crowd.
Something clicked into place for Abrennin. The crowd around the king was much too large to have gathered for no reason or even for a routine raid. He scanned the people just around the king. The snake-voiced Chairman of the Conclave was always there, but every member he knew of the Conclave of Controllers stood there too! It was a set-up! He skipped who could have betrayed him as he tried to imagine why.
Could it just be my powers are so strong they considered me a possible challenger to the crown?
He had told the prince a million times, before and after they were friends, he didn't envy the burden of rule. In all his duels, he made it clear he wanted nothing to do with power or rank. Maybe it was because he had caught the attention of the dragons? The ancient books he had found were proof enough that they did exist, no matter how much people said otherwise. More importantly, the energy of the mysterious figures following him could not be explained in any other way. Ever since he began teaching outside of the castle, one had always been hiding somewhere nearby.
The king's next statement ripped Abrennin's racing thoughts to a dead stop. “The punishment for treason is death.” Abrennin was only vaguely aware of the Chairman of the Conclave's face slash into a smile.
That is why they have the whole Conclave here,
a coldly calm part of his brain said.
Execution order and ratification with no wait. My dearest Crystyn, I am so sorry.
Crystyn wailed, and fell to her knees. “No! I love him, please, have mercy, if you kill him I would die! Please, please, I will do anything!”
Sorrow, and then a crafty look, flitted across the king's wife's face as she fiddled with one of her rings. Before the king could recover from his own reaction to the outburst, she plucked at his sleeve. They whispered for a moment, then motioned for the snake-voiced man to join them. As he listened, the snake-voiced man set his face and his lips thinned until they completely disappeared. After a good deal of whispering, he nodded once, and the group broke.
“I have decided I could spare your life,” the king stated, “on one condition.” His eyes were fire and ice. “You both must swear never to teach—in any way, through word or action—another in the use of magic.”
The king leaned forward, apparently talking to Abrennin, but clearly speaking loud enough for the crowd to hear. “We are not so merciful, and know this is worse than death for you. Each mu among us uses magic in his own way, and no-mus know nothing of magic, so you will not be able to even speak of magic when anyone else is around. You will have the knowledge, but will never be able to use it, and your power will quickly fade with disuse. In a short time you will be forced to live your days as a cripple, only the memory of power to torment you. What's more, with your power gone, your sons will not inherit magic. They will be worthless no-mus. Instead of redeeming your family's name, you have completely destroyed it. Forever.”
The snake-voiced man looked at Abrennin's shocked face and sneered. “Oh, it looks as though you might choose death. If you had any courage you would!”
Crystyn spoke. “I would gladly give up magic to be with the man I love.” She looked at Abrennin, tears pouring down her face. “But if you would choose death over this life as a nameless cripple, never to do that work you love, I would understand.”
Abrennin smiled, a soft smile, and held her with his eyes. Once again, they were the only two in the room. “I never knew my family; their name means little to me. I love teaching more than life, it is true. But I love you so much more than even that.” He broke his gaze, and calmly looked the king in the eye. “I will swear.”
The king touched the Scepter of Kings to Abrennin's head as he took the Oath. At the last word, a wave of magic poured from him like an oil spill, washing over the crowd. Some gagged, and some almost fell where they stood. Crystyn took her Oath, and a few did fall.
“You sicken us,” the king said. “Leave this place and never return.”
Crystyn and Abrennin, suddenly freed of the energy bubble that held them, staggered into each other. They helped each other gain their balance, but kept hold of each other's hand once they were stable. Abrennin swirled one hand and then started choking and gagging. Crystyn looked shocked for a moment, then her face fell. A moment later, the crowd also realized what had happened. Snickers and murmurs of pity rippled through the crowd.
“They are nothing,” someone whispered in disgust. “As worthless as a no-mu.” The echo of “no-mu” skipped among the crowd.
Abrennin held Crystyn's hand tightly, still having trouble breathing. She led him to the back of the room, the crowd shrinking away from them as if they had some contagious disease. Crystyn pulled on one of the large doors, struggling for a moment. The hinges finally gave with a high-pitched shriek in surprise, followed by a dull groaning as Abrennin helped pull. They barely cleared the doorway before the doors slammed shut behind them. They barely had time to grab each other's hand before a portal opened beneath them, eating them both in one bite.
***
The king, holding the Scepter, opened multiple portals in the center of the large room. Most took the hint and the throne room quickly emptied. A few of the crowd around the throne tried to speak to the king, his wife, or Chairman of the Conclave, but received only coldness and left in a hurry. After a moment, only the three remained.
The snake-voiced Chairman glared at the spot where Abrennin had been standing. “I can't believe you talked me into that.”
Ignoring the king's look, his wife went to stand close to the Chairman, placing her hand on his arm. “I know we agreed to kill him, but I didn't realize how much Crystyn felt for him. Besides, he would have been a martyr, and this really is torture for them.”