The Gathering of Masters: The Bond Once Severed Book 1

3. Returning

The wagon lurched to a stop, jerking Lukas awake. Through the vent holes in the walls, he glimpsed the surroundings. Added to the press of thousands of sleeping minds, what he saw confirmed they were in the inner city. The cage around his magic allowed the uncomfortable weight of the citizens' sleepy thoughts in but prevented a straightforward reading of any, even the soldiers riding close beside him. Lukas did not need to read thoughts to know why he was in Glav Miritis. They were bringing him to Castle Miritis, to the Queen.

The abrupt silence in Lukas' mind clarified the reason the wagon halted. The soldiers had been waiting for the castle gate to open for them. Once through it, the castle's privacy barriers relieved his unshielded mind. Now, only a few hundred souls touched Lukas, and most of these were awake enough to shield their thoughts.

Lukas took the respite as a chance to explore Natalia's well-crafted bindings. They were formidable, in large part, because she had anchored them in his powers. As long as he lived and retained his sanity, his magic would feed the cage and keep it secure. Its construction intrigued Lukas, possessing a mixture between Natalia's early style and training and that of the Queen's Masters. This old magic would make up the sturdiest sections and be the least understood by her new Masters. Lukas began to follow the lines of the cage that felt strongly of his people. Perhaps this would be where she hid the window.

While leading The People, Lukas developed a strong network of spies, whose presence he had hidden from even his inner circle. These he had dispersed among all levels of the Queendom's hierarchy, so they could fully inform him of every move she made. Because of this web, he had known for some time that the Queen used Mind Masters. However, somehow, the Queen had hidden Natalia from him and trained her to build the cage that rendered Lukas defenseless. An unfamiliar coldness clenched his stomach. What if the Queen had allowed his spies only to see what she wanted them to see? Lukas' confidence in his ability would not permit this possibility. He would have discovered this deception. Yet, he had been captured. The cold rose from his stomach to his chest and clenched tightly. He did not recognize the feeling at first; doubt was something he had not felt for many years.

Perhaps, the Queen did not understand Natalia's real strength. And because of this, Natalia had remained beneath the notice of his agents. This would have kept her alive as well as hidden her from Lukas. Most Masters ignored or failed to notice that Natalia didn't need contact if she concentrated. Even her weaker distant magic was more potent than the Mind Masters who currently surrounded the Queen. His insight thawed the tight ice that gripped his chest.The ignorance of her captors must have been the reason for his network's failure to notice her. Otherwise, such an oversight would bespeak a more significant weakness in his leadership than Lukas was willing to consider.

That the Queen had not destroyed Natalia after discovering her relationship with Lukas surprised him. As crazed as the monarch could be, the Queen took a calculated risk when she spared Natalia. However, the Queen still treated Natalia as disposable instead of the fierce weapon she could be. It was fortunate but confusing. To kill the cage builder seemed a decision that the clever monarch would not make. Lukas puzzled over this mystery, allowing it to distract from the inevitable reunion before him.

As the carriage rolled to a stop, he felt the pressure of a Mind Master on his thoughts. Lukas' people had not trained this Master. This mind bore the marks of the Queen's academy, a mediocre echo of Lukas' childhood training centers. Her schools lacked Wisemen or Shamen, the teachers who stored the recorded history of their people's talents in their minds. Without this, the instructors could not comprehensively train those with ability —especially those with unique skills. Even so, after he felt this foreign Mind Master's touch, Lukas hid his bond with Raja deeper. If the Queen found out how vital Raja was to him, she would stop at nothing to capture him.