The celebration wound down naturally as they cleared plates and finished stories. A happy sense of family permeated the group, giving everyone a much needed break from everything they’d gone through recently.
Then Titus had to ruin it by leaning in and asking, “You alright with moving on to a discussion of what our plans are now?”
Pax groaned and looked at his brother. “Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”
Titus cocked one eyebrow and pursed his lips. “Didn’t you just get back from confronting that captured empire captain? Are you saying it went well so we don’t need to make any plans until tomorrow?”
“Um.” Pax winced. “Is telling the bossy lieutenant in charge of the prisoner that none of us will be Taming or unlocking new elements for rebel mages until we get an apology and an official negotiation of terms something we need to make plans for?”
The emotions that flashed across Titus’ face were almost comical. His eyes widened first in surprise, followed by a flicker of worry that was eventually replaced by a wide smile of pride.
He stood up, drawing eyes from all around him. “Hey everyone. I’d like to introduce my little brother, a first-year mage student who has the guts to tell a rebel lieutenant that he expects an apology before he’ll go back to helping the rebellion.”
Guffaws and congratulatory whoops followed the initial surprise. Those closest to Pax leaned in to clap his shoulders and back.
“How about we hear the story firsthand from him?” Titus waved one hand in an invitation to Pax. “Tell us all about it, and then we’ll figure out a plan to keep your head attached to your shoulders. What do you all think?”
Cheers and encouragement for the story filled the air with such enthusiasm that Pax couldn’t suppress a smile. It was refreshing to be in a group this large who understood exactly how important it was to stand up for yourself and celebrated it.
“Go on. Stand up and tell us the story.” Titus sat down and nudged Pax.
Blushing now, Pax stood and cleared his throat.
Down the table, Incedis raised a hand, motioning for him to wait a moment. When Pax felt the familiar air pressure of Incedis’ privacy shield, he gave his mentor a grateful look. While many of his secrets were now common knowledge among the rebels, they didn’t need to reveal their plans to whomever stopped by the dining hall for a snack.
Around him, his friends settled down as he recounted his confrontation with Lieutenant Lancaster and the ultimatum he’d delivered to the flick. “—I told him to try winning the war without us, and then we left.”
That got plenty of chuckles, but there were also concerned glances among his audience. He understood. They supported him, but were still pragmatic about consequences in a world where might made right.
“I know we’ve burned our bridges with the empire, and the rebellion is our only actual choice right now. But I truly believe they don’t have a real chance of winning without the new magic we’re bringing to the table. And we need to be free to teach it to everyone without flicks looking over our shoulders and giving orders about something they don’t understand.”
Pax saw thoughtful looks and nods, so he continued. “The power of Taming by itself will double the power of our forces. We fought hard and bled to develop our skills to the level needed to Tame adult beasts. This will give the rebels a huge advantage over the empire who will be stuck trying to level up the baby beasts they have.
“Add in the extra elements and spell slots I can give every rebel mage, and the rebellion absolutely needs us if they want to win. The problem is they still see us as students they can order around. But we’ve had more than enough of that from the empire. When they acknowledge we’re a critical part of the rebellion’s plans and treat us that way, we’ll join in and do everything in our power to help the rebellion win.”
When he stopped speaking, Pax saw complete support in the surrounding faces. His confidence strengthened further. “Now we just need to figure out a way to survive the backlash of whatever the leadership normally does to a student who refuses a direct order.”
“Well, you’ve got us for that.” Titus’ expression hardened, leaking a bit of his warrior aura. “We’ll keep pounding the concept into their thick heads until it sticks. No way we’re going to let them order you around like new recruits. It sounds like the situation would’ve only worsened if you hadn’t taken a stand. We’re fighting for something better, not just new dictators to replace the old.”
Murmurs of agreement came from all around Pax.
Mage Eldan’s voice broke through. “You just need something powerful enough to make them all piss their pants and back down, so you can do what you need to do.” An evil smile spread across her face. “I could bring Whisper to the next committee meeting. She’d love to cloak herself on the ceiling and drop right in the middle of any idiots that can’t see the logic in treating you like an equal instead of an underling.”
That got chuckles, and Pax grinned at the image she’d painted. “Thank you for the offer.” He gave her a respectful nod. “But we have a quest objective for something I think will work even better.”
Interest perked up at the word quest. Around him, the murmuring died down again as they waited to hear his explanation. Pax saw understanding on the faces of his crew as they realized what he was proposing.
“Two of the ancient mages that help run this place have given me and my crew a quest. The rewards are amazing, and it’s another benefit the people here are missing out on by treating us like children to be ordered around. But all of you, plus the rest of our Team Tribal, will be first in line for new quests with their amazing rewards if we can figure out a way to share them.”
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
Titus wasn’t the only one shaking his head with an incredulous look on his face.
“But even more important is what the ancients used this place for in the past. It’s directly related to what type of mage I actually am.” Pax sucked in a breath, his heart suddenly pounding, even though he stood in front of people he trusted.
This secret was something that he’d kept close for so long. But he’d discussed it with his crew. There was no way it wouldn’t get out soon, especially considering the critical item he hoped to find tomorrow to use to force the leadership to back down.
Go for it. It’s time. Rin’s words gave him the encouragement he needed.
Pax gave her a grateful glance and swallowed hard. “This information is still not general knowledge, so please don’t discuss it openly yet. However, it will get out soon, especially considering the confrontation I’m expecting with the leadership.”
The words caught in Pax’s throat a second time, but he remembered how he’d felt standing up to Lancaster. It had been a long time coming, and he expected he’d be doing something similar a lot in the future. It would take many repetitions to force those in power to acknowledge that young students like them held the keys to victory.
Still. It was exactly what he’d dreamed about for so long. Pax had always wanted to be powerful enough that no one could control him ever again. He wasn’t there yet, but he finally had the power to negotiate with the powerful people in charge.
“I’m not actually an air mage.” Pax spoke slowly and clearly, meeting the eyes of his friends, who watched and waited. “I’m something called a light mage.”
Complete silence and some confusion greeted his revelation.
“So, you can turn the lights on and off?” The serious question by one of the littles broke the tension.
Chuckles erupted around them, but no one spoke, still waiting for him to explain further.
“Well, that’s a small part of it. I can Illuminate things.” Pax waved at the young boy and with a quick flex of his mana made the fork in his hand suddenly brighten with light.
That got an impressed reaction from the other kids that made Pax smile. The boy waved his glowing fork around like a miniature sword.
“More importantly, my light magic allows me to work with all four of the other elements and even the four secondary elements.”
Eyes widened around him, but Pax pressed on to avoid the inevitable questions he saw occurring to those listening. “Light magic also helps me work with everyone else who has mana. I can unlock new elements for mages and calm the wild mana in beasts so we can Tame them. And I’m still working on discovering even more new capabilities of what a light mage can do.”
Titus was shaking his head in wonder, which made something swell with pride inside Pax.
He switched to a cheerful and extravagant tone. “But, wait. There’s more.”
That got an incredulous laugh down the table, which made everyone smile.
“This entire ruin here was once the headquarters for all the light mages in the ancient empire. So, as the only known living light mage, you can guess what I’m planning to use to force the rebels here to listen to me.”
Pax gave his friends, who already knew his plans, a quick head shake, wanting to let the others figure it out.
It was Titus’ friend Crissim who suddenly sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes widening as he met Pax’s gaze. “The altar. You’re going to find and claim the altar in this place.”
“Exactly.” Pax pointed his finger at Crissim and grinned before looking at the young boy, still enamored with his glowing fork. “Then I’ll show them how I’m the only one in control of the light in this place. And the defensive systems. And the armory and treasure. And the plumbing, the Stone Golems, the training rooms and every other thing the rebels have restored to working order along with all the things they haven’t.”
Titus let out a guffaw that turned into a cheer as he clapped his hands, a touch of awe on his face. Crissim looked just as impressed.
“So.” Pax spread out his hands, feeling sheepish at hogging all the attention. “Now you know what our plans are for tomorrow. We need to find that altar before the fancy pants in charge of this place come looking for me. Anyone want to help?”
That got a rousing response of agreement and cheering. Pax sat back down, his cheeks flushed but filled with excitement at what their future held. He could only imagine how much he could accomplish with control of a place like this and all the secrets it held.
Around him, conversations broke out, discussing everything he’d revealed and speculations about what the future held for all of them.
Once the furor died down again, Titus waved his hand for their attention. “Let’s end this celebration with the dessert I hired the kitchen to make for us and then get some sleep. We’ve all got a big day tomorrow!”
Everyone seemed happy to agree. Pax leaned back with a tired smile, feeling a mix of emotions he didn’t bother to untangle. He felt Incedis’ sound shield drop, and Titus waved to the single worker still manning the food tables.
The young man nodded eagerly before turning to push through the swinging doors to the kitchen. A few moments later, three workers paraded out, loaded under heavy trays arrayed with small dessert cups.
Pax craned his head to see what was on them, only to find himself the one gaping in surprise. He turned to Titus. “Is that—?”
“Trifled tort.” Titus grinned widely. “It is. Can you believe they had someone here who knew how to make it? Don’t worry, I paid a pretty penny for the ingredients. But we all deserve it, don’t you think?” His eyes traveled over the littles who were bouncing in their seats with eagerness at the prospect of tasting a new treat.
“Thank you,” Pax said, with solemn gratitude as he thought of the special times his mother had made the dessert for them.
The workers moved along the tables, placing a cup in front of each person.
“This is a treat from Thanhil that our parents used to make for special occasions.” Titus’s smile was broad as he explained. “It’s got a bunch of layers: cake, pudding, berries and fluffy cream. I hope you all enjoy it.”
The murmurs of interest picked up at the description, but everyone waited politely to try it until the cups were all passed out. Well, except for a couple of the littles. But Jules quickly whacked a few hands with her spoon and took care of that. By the time a worker made it to Pax, his mouth was watering like crazy.
She set the cup in front of him. “Here you go, my plucky Pax.”
He smiled, eyes focused on the fluffy cream at the top of the cup as he picked up his spoon.
“And one for you, my tough Titus.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Pax caught the movement of her placing the last cup in front of Titus.
“To all of us and the rebellion!” someone called out with a happy cheer.
Others responded in kind. The littles wasted no time digging into the treat.
Next to Pax, Titus had frozen in place. Pax had stopped, too, his spoon halfway to his mouth as he turned to look at his brother. Titus had reached out to latch onto the arm of the kitchen worker.
She’d gone completely still under his grip.
Titus stared up at her, his head shaking in small frantic movements. “No. It can’t be.”
A dread, with an underlying hope so strong it was unbearable, filled Pax. It drove all other emotions out as he lifted his eyes to look at the woman standing behind them.
Under the camouflaging lines of age were features so familiar it made his heart ache.
“Mama?” he asked, unable to stop himself.
But instead of joyous recognition, he saw nothing in her eyes, just a blank patience as she waited for Titus to give her instructions or let her go. Pax looked at Titus, who had the same distress twisting his features as he ran a desperate gaze over her unresponsive face.
All thoughts of the altar, Taming and light magic were gone as Pax frantically tried to figure out if this woman was his mother and what in Vitur’s name she was doing here.