I heard laughter, and a quick glance told me that I was amusing my parents, Louis, and Braxton.
The mystic walked toward me. So far he was the only one of them to break the line and move around. “What makes you think everything is so black and white? Good, evil, they are two sides of the same coin. How do you know the king was not trying to usurp a corrupt supernatural world? How do you know his intentions were not virtuous and honorable?”
Truth. He spoke in the certainty he believed, so it rang distinctly of truth.
He was about two feet from me, so I stalked myself closer, stopping when we were face to face. “It might be true that I don’t know the king’s intentions, but then neither do you. How do you know that by allowing the king to rise again, you’re not bringing about the destruction of the supernatural world?” I could feel the eyes of the other marked on me; they were listening closely. “We all know in the last thousand years nothing really terrible has happened within our prison communities. Sure, there were a few wars and battles, but mostly it has been peaceful. That is what we know. You, on the other hand, are simply guessing because you have never even met the king. All you have are your inherited memories and abilities as his council. You know nothing.”
Clapping broke the tension and drew all of our attentions. Louis was grinning lazily, applauding in slow motion. “You should listen to her, she speaks truth and reason. Something I think the mystics sorely lack.”
His laughing eyes flicked across to Quale, and I was pleased to see his brother simply flip him off. Uncharacteristic behavior for a member of this somber group, but it was a nice little insight into Quale’s developing relationship with the powerful sorcerer.
The mystic in front of me turned his back, dismissing my words in the only way he could, and moved back to join his lineup of grays.
He didn’t miss another beat, picking up the speech from where he’d been interrupted before. “We are here to strengthen your bond with each other and to learn how to call on the spirit of the dragon. Reach inside to the place of the mark. It should be easy to find, it is foreign to your other race energy. If you’re a vampire, it will exist near the home of your beast, but you will know it’s different. For the fey, your elemental powers are clear; you will find the marked energy nearby.”
It definitely did not feel that way for me. I had a wolf and a dragon chilling inside, creatures I could pretty much see with my mind’s eye. I could call on either of them if I wanted to – hopefully without the issues I had the last time I tried to connect to my fluffy beast – but there was no way I would shift into my dragon here. The mystics were already suspicious of me, I didn’t need any more supes to know about my unusual mark and abilities.
The reasonably well lit room started to sparkle, and I realized the supernaturals around me had called on their energy and were now surrounded by the same sort of ghost dragon I’d seen on Mischa. I wasn’t sure what to do. I searched around inside. My dragon flicked her tail at me; I could tell she wanted to know if I needed her. I gave her a mental pat with some of my energy and she was content to lie down again. But nope, there was no ghostly specter energy there for me to touch.
The delusional mystic who was doing all the talking was also apparently a smartass. “Having a problem?” His tone was all smug and mocking.
I shrugged. “Nope, maybe I’m not the same as the other marked. There doesn’t seem to be any spirit energy inside.”
My words all rang of truth, not that I knew if the mystics could sense that or not.
His pupils darted left and right, as if trying to ferret out my secrets.
“We were told that your mark was far larger than any other here. Surely, you must have a greater connection to spirit?”
I shrugged again. “Don’t know what to tell you.”
He met the eye of another mystic. Gerard, I realized. He would have been the one to tell him of the mark.
Ignoring everything else for a moment, I turned to Mischa. “So are you, like, connected to all of these supes?”
I wanted to understand what was happening between the marked. I could actually see the dragon specters intermingling. They did seem to be forming bonds in the smoky stuff.
Mischa nodded. “Yes, it’s as if I can feel their life force, or their energy. I know exactly where each one is. I could find them with my eyes closed.”
She was interrupted by Quale. “Now it is time to really tap into the powers. I want you all to tell us what is on the back wall.”