The Gathering of Masters: The Bond Once Severed Book 1

41. Frustration

Having a quiet night to himself had been too much to hope for. Paulo sighed as Baskar approached him before he could escape to his room. The plump Elemental Master scurried towards Paulo with a rare intensity for the self-possessed man. Baskar's usually perfectly coiffed hair flew out of its bindings as he bumped into one of the apprentices and brushed him aside without apologizing or admonishing. This discourtesy piqued Paulo's curiosity. Baskar was a stickler for protocol, and Paulo had rarely seen him preoccupied enough to ignore any breach.

"The Fire Master comes soon," Baskar started in the middle of a conversation Paulo could not remember being part of. "We must find somewhere private." Baskar glanced around him and then decided on the room the young apprentice had just vacated. It was a practice room, well shielded and large enough for several masters to sit comfortably to speak.

"And why does Raros come?" Paulo prompted as they settled in the sparse chamber. He chose to sit on one of the stools that lined the walls while Baskar paced in the center of the room. Paulo wondered at this change in his mood. He seemed relatively calm at the Council meeting just an hour ago.

"Oh," Baskar stopped pacing and looked at Paulo. "Has Mara not spoken with you?"

"I have not yet talked with Master Mara today." Paulo's interest ticked up again. It was unusual for Mara to speak with Baskar through the Fire. Whatever she wanted to discuss must have been significant enough to overcome her distaste with the fastidious Elemental Master. Their relationship had always been strained despite their mutual affinity to Fire. Baskar looked nonplussed and opened his mouth to respond, but Paulo waved him off. "We can wait for Raros to explain."

When the Fire Master arrived, Paulo was again reminded of the frail-looking Master's age. It was time to name a new Master of the Fire Council, but none had been yet. Paulo suspected that Raros waited for Rosemund's return, which had never been the guaranteed conclusion to her mission. But, it was Fire business, not his, and perhaps the wiley man had selected a successor and just not announced it.

"Master," Raros bowed to Paulo, who flicked his hand in courteous dismissal of the honorific. No matter how long he had been The Master, accepting the obeisance of the older Masters like Raros still felt wrong.

Paulo didn't miss the absence of a greeting to Baskar. Baskar was an Elemental Master and member of the Elemental Council. He could call on Earth as quickly as Fire and, in a pinch, could control Air and Water. But despite this, Raros, who could only call on the Fire Elemental, showed him no deference, offering him a mere nod instead of a bow. Baskar accepted it, oddly, without even a grimace.

"Well?" Paulo's question pierced the silence.

"She has been taken to the castle," Raros began, and Paulo immediately knew who he spoke of. "She does not plan on returning to the Temple. She expects death or worse."

"I felt her destroy the contact portal, so I suspected something had happened." Paulo leaned his head against the wall, contemplating the situation. Rosemund would soon be in the hands of the Queen, which posed a risk of exposing the Council's presence in the Queendom. They had anticipated this possibility and had planned for it. Rosemund's mind was fortified with many traps. Yet, the Queen was a shrewd interrogator and had methods of extracting information.

"It's worse than that, Master," Baskar ran his hands through his hair. Paulo was struck with a memory as he looked at Baskar. The small man had briefly been apprenticed to Raros. He must have overlapped with Rosemund. Baskar had been a strong voice against her decision to go to the Queendom. He looked genuinely distressed like a friend or family member was in trouble. Was the relationship between Baskar and Rosemund more than he had known? Paulo would have to speak with Leena; she understood more of the Council gossip than he. He almost missed the dark man's following words. "We can't feel her anymore."