Compared to the terrible gloom of the tunnel, the sunlight struck my face like a slap. With the fancy staff gripped in my fingers, I staggered out squinting against the sudden glare of the sun. Never thought I'd be happy to stand under the sun. It was almost like I had suddenly become claustrophobic and the idea of entering another cave made my skin crawl. My body hurt, and my muscles protested, yet I wore a proud smile. I had prevailed. I had passed the emberheart's gauntlet if that was something to call it.
I sighed and squinted my eyes. I should be heading back to the fort, I couldn't stay out forever. My satchel was gone and so was my food and water. Now I had to get back. Surprisingly the journey back was quick, my blood magic giving my steps uncanny speed. Past me, the scene blurred, a patchwork of mountains and valleys, forests and rivers.
Kael Emberheart and Malachi were waiting for me in the courtyard as I neared the stronghold. The warlord was tall and proud and his presence commanded power. His face still disguised behind his cloak, Malachi stayed a quiet guardian.
"Ash Blackwood," Kael said across the courtyard. "You have come back"
Like he actually expected me to die. Touché. However, any thought of harming him faded away as I noticed the guard to the left staring at me while menacingly holding a sword that glinted in the sun.
I bowed down, my anger suddenly forgotten.
"Warlord Emberheart," I said, hoarse but strong. "I have located the staff."
I held out the staff, its ethereal light shining through its run-through. Kaels's eyes became wide, a flutter of happiness across his face. He seized the staff, his fingers following its complex carvings.
"Impressive," he replied, his voice a low rumble. "You have exceeded my expectations, blood mage."
I started to grin.
"I aim to please, Warlord."
Which was a big lie. I just needed to be alive long enough to figure things out.
Kael laughed, a long, throaty sound. "Sure. It seems that Malachi was right about you then. You have a specific kind of….shall I say resourcefulness."
He looked toward Malachi. "You were observing then?"
Malachi nodded, his voice a monotone. "We knew you had passed the first trial as soon the dagger left our custody. The charm of the cave is really specific. It answers those with the drive to survive and the ability to adapt and know that power isn't everything. Our wits are"
Turning back to me, Kael had fresh respect in his eyes. "Welcome to the ranks, Ash Blackwood. You now belong among us"
I felt a flood of relief as the strain on my shoulders relaxed. I had shown value and lived. Questions flowed in the back of my mind.
"What is this staff?" Being the one that was pushed to the front of my mind but I didn't dare ask.
Kael waved someone over, whispered something, and gestured for the person to leave after taking the staff from him.
I swear, if that staff was nothing important, I'd freak out and throw a fit. I would have almost died for a simple stick.
Malachi waved in the direction of the fort. "Come," he replied. "I'll show your quarters to you. You have earned some leisure time. It is time for you to rest. I doubt you got much sleep in your time there"
I trailed behind him, intrigued as I ignored his comment.
"Malachi, how did I call my dagger?" I said as we strolled down the poorly lit hallways. I hadn't done that before. Not like I knew it could be tried but I had checked books or scrolls, whatever they call it here when I was researching and there was nothing like that.
Malachi stayed silent for a while, his footfall resounding in the stone hall. "The bond between a bloodMage and their weapon is a strong one," he stated at last in a mysterious tone. "That link can cross even the bounds of space and time in times of desperation."
His response was evasive and inadequate.
I persisted more. "Still, how? How might I set it off? It was something that just happened in the blink of an eye"
Malachi turned to face me and stopped. Though they were under his cloak, his eyes seemed to cut right through me.
"The answer lies inside you, blood mage," he muttered, his voice a hoarse growl. "Search it not in the tools you use but in the depths of your own power."
He turned and carried on walking, leaving me to consider his comments. I had discovered a secret capacity within my blood magic. Still, the riddle was tempting and waiting to be figured out.
We arrived at a large chamber with weapon-adorned tapestries on its walls. One area featured a big bed covered in fur, and the room was softly illuminated by a crackling fireplace.
"This will be your quarters," Malachi remarked, his voice free of feeling. "Rest well, bloodMage. Tomorrow your actual apprenticeship starts. You will introduced to your new role here and be told everything by the morning"
He shut the door behind him and went without another word while I just stared at the door that was slammed shut now. I was tired, my body hurt, and the events of the preceding few days had my head whirling.
I couldn't relax yet though. I needed responses. I had to know the force I had unleashed, the link I had developed with the staff, and my dagger.
Sitting on the bed, my fingers followed the complex staff carvings. It was an immensely powerful relic with unknown beginnings. What mysteries did it contain? What risks did it create? What was the link and why was I able to channel it to me?
Closing my eyes, I concentrated on the relationship I sensed with the dagger—the echoes of its old magic filling me. Then I realized what had filled my brain, it was a picture of a battlefield, blood and steel fighting in a symphony of devastation. My blood magic released, my power a force of nature, I saw myself. Or rather the person who owned this body fighting, killing, causing chaos…
I gasped and blinked then the vision vanished as fast as it had shown. I came away with both wonder and fear. Whoever owned this body wasn't someone to trifle with and I wasn't sure what to do with this piece of information.
The sounds of the steel and people screaming resonated in my head and I licked my chapped lips. It was like I was staying in the body of a demon. One who was skilled in killing. Was that what Shadowsong meant? She was expecting a ruthless killer and not someone who was unstable? Fuck, I had a lot to learn.
I got up, my will stiffening. I would develop this ability and control it. I would refuse to let it rule me.
I pulled off my frayed clothing and slipped into the warm bath set for me. I started to grin as the water calmed my hurting muscles. I had come out of Emberheart's trial with his favor. I had retrieved the goddamn staff and I had earned a place in the ranks.
But it seemed that I was uncovering the truth about who this person was. I needed to find out more.