She was already painting symbols in the air. The color of her trail was strangely diffuse. Alex tried to grasp the thought, but it dissipated. Along with everything else that had happened since she had appeared.
His body knotted in pain.
He screamed.
5. Goodbye
The statue was made of pure amber like all the others. Jen had created it together with Chris, Kevin, Max and Clara, and of course the male silhouette wore a smile on its face. She could hardly remember a moment when Mark hadn’t laughed. Even at this simple thought a tear ran down her cheek.
The wizards of the Castillo had lined up in front of the statue. The council stood on the side, and some immortals who otherwise rarely showed up had also arrived.
Joan separated herself from the ranks of the council members, stepped forward and directed her essence wand against her own throat. "Somnus Maxima."
The spell amplified her voice.
"Mark was a fighter! He stood up to the dark wizards, defending the mystic Wall and never flinched. He was friend, wizard, seeker. Here in the Castillo, he found a home, a destiny, a family. Every farewell is a scar on our soul and I know that those of you closest to him suffer most. We will do everything to bring the cowardly murderers to justice. Those who are responsible will end up in the Immortalis dungeon. Grieve, but do not forget life." She gave them an encouraging look. "Somnus norma."
Jen was the first to approach the statue. She touched it with her essence wand. "Vale."
The word for goodbye had no magical function.
Jen remembered the moment she first met Mark. She had woken up as a traumatized newbie in the Castillo in the infirmary. His smile had greeted her and shortly after, they had formed a team. Her magical essence flowed through the essence wand into the statue. Magenta colored flames became one with the amber.
She stepped aside to make room for the next in line.
"Vale," said Kevin.
The look on his face revealed that he too remembered one of the beautiful moments. Crimson essence flowed into Mark's statue.
And so it continued.
Kevin's twin brother Chris was next, then Clara and finally Max. As soon as she was back at the Castillo, Chloe would also pay her last respects to Mark.
"Too much amber," Jen whispered. Her gaze glided across rows of statues.
The rows of statues went on and on and the picture left a horrible impression. In truth, wizards rarely died. The dark wizards did everything they could to capture them and throw them in the dungeon, so the sigil could not pass to an heir. Conversely, it was similar, though more humane. Time stood still in the Immortalis dungeon. Years out here were only seconds in there. Those who were locked up in the dungeon did not notice how much time passed outside.
"Are you all right?" Kevin asked softly.
Max stood at his side, their fingers intertwined.
Jen just nodded briefly. Why lie?
Chris stepped to her side. "He would have hated all this mourning. How's our rookie doing?"
"Still sleeping in the hospital," Jen replied. "A few minutes later and we could have gone straight for the next heir." She rubbed her grief-reddened eyes.
"What--" Chris began.
"Later," Jen interrupted. "I don't want to think about the new wizard now, taking Mark's place."
Joan had already spoken to Jen about it. She could assign Alexander Kent to another team if it was too painful for Jen. But she had flat out refused. It was her responsibility.
They returned to the Castillo.
Jen watched from the tower room as essence of different colors flared up. Each was a farewell, a memory. The amber would slowly release the magic. A play of colors that would shimmer across the vast plain behind the Castillo for many nights. Flowers of magic and essence.
She stood there for a long time. Only when the last wizard had taken his leave, Jen turned away as well. She returned to her room, enjoying the silence and peace for a moment. The chaos would come soon enough.
The queen of shadows, Alexander Kent, Mark's death. Everything was connected and formed a tangle of intertwined threads in her mind. Her opponents had made a tremendous effort to get their hands on the mysterious folio. But why?
Jen kicked off her shoes, walked slowly across the fluffy carpet and opened the cabinet. The scent of lavender was heavy in the air, emanating from hundreds of petals in flat bowls of black porcelain. Her fingers closed around the snowball-shaped structure. Unlike the Mentiglobes that every wizard had to create to preserve the memories of their assignments, this Mentiglobe contained personal memories.
She tapped the globe with her essence wand. "Memorum Excitare."
Her mind was immersed in past experiences.
She was sitting with her friends around a campfire one summer night. The wood crackled, the stars twinkled above them. Crickets were chirping, the wind was gently blowing through Jen’s hair. They told each other stories and laughed until dawn.
A second later.
They danced weightlessly over glass roofs, plunged into narrow alleys and pursued a wizard who had used his power against a nimag. Their spells came in quick succession.
And so it continued.
They visited exotic splinter realms, salvaged artifacts from the depths of the sea, or studied the memories of immortals from times long past in Mentiglobes. Einstein reported on historical catastrophes, Leonardo explained magical mechanics.
Tears running down her cheeks, Jen sobbed. It was beautiful and cruel at the same time.
At some point she let the magic go and stowed the Mentiglobe back in the cabinet, crawled into bed and fell into a restless sleep.
6. Welcome to Castillo Maravilla
3 days later
Jen entered the library.
"What happened?", Kevin asked. His short, dark blond hair had that just-out-of-bed look, complemented by a shadow of a beard and tired eyes. He'd probably spent the last few hours proving how strong he was, like he always did.
His twin brother Chris looked up from a folio. They were the spitting image of one another, at least until you noticed the tattoo on Chris’ right shoulder blade that ran down his bicep.
Clara came out of the back, a papyrus roll in her hands, as always with a unique blend of elegance and determination. Her dark skin, the silky black hair, her glowing eyes shining with determination … There was no one, man or woman, who wasn’t taken by Clara at first sight.
Jen sank into one of the reading chairs. For the first time in hours, she could breathe easily. After Mark had been killed and his sigil had manifested itself anew, she had rushed to London to save the heir. "Finally, he's awake."
"Is he okay?", Kevin asked.
She nodded, then shook her head. "It’s a weird thing. When I arrived, he was unconscious and under an expired spell. From what he told me, I could tell that a parasite had kidnapped him."
"How is he still alive," Chris asked.
At first, Jen had had difficulty telling the twins apart. She had since learned which gestures, facial expressions, and intonations belonged to which brother. Besides, Chris’ face was a little narrower.
"No idea." Jen accepted the glass of water Clara handed her. "She took his essence and he passed out. He doesn’t know what happened after. But apparently it didn't end well for the creature. All I found were her remains. Right now, the healers are examining our newbie. The test is next."