Chapter 8

Marcus sat on the edge of the bed as the image faded from his mind. He knew the woman’s voice, but that memory belonged to the man across from him. How could he know Geoff’s mother’s voice? How could she know his name? Why did it sound like he belonged in that memory? Was it possible that he and Geoff’s mysterious brother had the same name? Was that why Geoff’s mother had used it?

            Marcus shook his head. The name Michael belonged to someone else, someone everyone here expected him to be. The others had tacked it on to his name believing Geoff’s excuse that Marcus had used his middle name for fear that Max would discover that he had not been in the other world. From what Marcus had heard downstairs, both his supposed creation of Michael and Michael’s brother, Anthony, had only appeared in the last few years. Both claimed to be Max’s sons and the stupid git had accepted them readily, gloating about Anthony’s death list and imprisoning Michael for his interference. How Max could be so blind was beyond Marcus’ comprehension. Max had always seemed more intelligent than that, though he could never tell what Marcus did, he could guess and planned from that. These people believed Max to be an incompetent fool, ready to fall because of his lack of attention.

            Marcus knew better. Max had been planning something big for quite some time; he had heard him mumbling to himself as Max wandered the dingy hallways of the hideout. Max never knew he was there, or at least Marcus didn’t think he did. Many of the battles that the group had discussed, Marcus remembered from the lunatic’s mutterings and the slight flash of imagery that had often accompanied Max’s words. This group of Geoff’s had let down their guard thinking they were safe because Max had not done anything for a few months now. Marcus wondered if they knew Max was waiting for the right moment to unleash his trap. How and when that trap would be unleashed, Marcus had never been able to figure out, let alone what the trap was. Max had never been close enough when he had been muttering those phrases, and Marcus had not been brave enough to move closer to hear everything. 

            He flopped backwards staring at the ceiling. Geoff wanted him to meet his friends and another apprentice mage in the next couple of weeks before heading off to that big meeting that would decide how he spent the next years of his life. If they didn’t allow him to continue with Geoff as his guide, why the hell was he meeting everyone that Geoff knew? Why was Geoff worried about him making a good impression on these people and working with them if in the next two months he would be with someone else? What did it matter if he learned how to control his power when the moment the stupid old men made him apprentice under someone else he would be back under Max’s thumb? It made absolutely no sense to him for Geoff to go to all this trouble when the moment the meeting happened he would be under someone else’s control.

            Then why don’t you leave him?

            You know I can’t do that.

            Why not? You obviously are not happy, come to me. I’m only a few cities away.

            Astra you know I can’t do that either. I don’t want that idiot finding out about you. The moment I come near you or even talk about you, he’ll kill you.

            Marcus how many times do I have to tell you it won’t happen? I’m safe here.

            I don’t care, I won’t allow the chance of you getting hurt because of me.  Look I know you have power close to mine and can hold your own, but I will not risk you for anything.

            Argh, you make me so mad, sometimes I just wish…

            Wish what?

            I can’t say anything right now, I’ve got to go. Bye my love.

            Marcus closed his eyes savoring the feel of her as she left his mind. She easily slipped in and out often supporting him when things had become too difficult to deal with. He could do the same for her and had often stepped in to protect her when Max decided she was the perfect goat for his punishments. Marcus realized he missed having her close by, missed having her words spoken from her lips instead of her mind, and missed her standing beside him giving him her unwavering encouragement when things lost sense. She had always been there for him, even in the memory with Payne, she had been with him.

            Marcus opened his eyes. She had been with him in the memory. She knew that he had pretended to be Michael. Was that why she wanted him to start believing in his dreams and nightmares? Had she been keeping information from him all this time? If so, why would she keep it from him? Why did she never say anything about this world before? What did she know? How could she keep important information from him like this?

            The thoughts continued to swirl through his mind, making it extremely difficult to fall asleep. By the time morning came, Marcus felt worse than ever. He not only had doubts about the man he was following, but now he also had doubts about the woman he swore to protect above all else. How the hell had his life gotten so screwed up?

            Emé’s coffee helped some, but Marcus hardly felt ready for a day of hard riding and he knew that was part of Geoff’s plan. They had to get away from the area Evans had last seen them or else these people would be in danger more than they already were. Around him the buzzing of conversation began to lull him into a trance of sleep. Only when the buzzing had stopped did he realize everyone was staring at him. Blinking rapidly to wake up, he looked around.

            “What?”

            Emé put down the plate she was carrying and placed her hand on his forehead, “Are you feeling all right?”

            “Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

            “Geoff has been calling your name for the last five minutes and you haven’t moved once.”

            Marcus stood up quickly, placing the mug of cold coffee on the table. “Where is he?”

            “Right behind you.”

            Marcus spun around almost knocking the chair over in the process. Geoff stood two feet away, one eyebrow crocked and a puzzled look in his eyes. Marcus waited, unsure if Geoff had asked him a question or had just been trying to get him to look up.

            “Are you ready to go?”

            Marcus nodded. He turned to the innkeeper, “Emé it was nice to meet you.”

            “It was a pleasure meeting you too.” Her eyes glanced to Geoff as she pulled Marcus into a hug. “It was good seeing you again Marcus Michael. Come back to see me soon.”

            Marcus pulled back, “If I’m allowed to, I’ll try.”

            This time Emé glared at Geoff, “You better be allowed to come back and see me or someone will be hearing about it.”

            Geoff rolled his eyes and left the room. Marcus jogged after him as Geoff wandered outside. Both Freedom and Gemini stood in the courtyard ready to go. Geoff stopped, pulling Marcus to a stop beside him.

            “What is going on with you?”

            “Nothing.”

            “Really? Then why were you up at dawn packing and preparing the horses for today?”

            “Because these people expected me to.”

            “Do these people also expect you to space out?”

            “No.”

            “Then what is the problem?”

            “Why does there have to be a problem? Why can’t I just be eager to get moving to figure out who I am? Why can’t I have been lost in thought? Why do I always have to explain my actions? Why can’t you ever explain what you’re thinking? Why can’t you tell me why you lose focus and drift out of conversations? Why can’t you tell me what your problem is?” Marcus stopped, wondering if he had gone too far.  He would have never been able to do that with Max, but Geoff had helped him to relax, to be himself, and to voice his opinions without fear.

            Geoff stared at him a few minutes before moving towards the horses. “Let’s get out of here. We have a long way to go before our next stop.”

            Marcus groaned inwardly; either Geoff planned to bring this up later or ignore this conversation completely and his questions would remain unanswered. He hated the waiting and the uncomfortable tenseness that accompanied the waiting. Loneliness that had been so much a part of his life would creep up on him during these times and Marcus hated that the most. It felt like a wall stood between them and unless Marcus apologized or the conversation started again, the wall would remain, enclosing Marcus in his thoughts and allowing his past to devour him. He could not allow that wall to remain this time, his thoughts being far from pleasant this morning.

            “Look, I’m sorry.  I didn’t get much sleep last night and my brain is not awake enough to handle civil conversations.”

            “I gathered that much watching you doze off at the table with the coffee mug in your hands. I would sooner not have this conversation here in the middle of the courtyard where all those ears are listening in if you don’t mind.”

            “Oh yeah, sure” Marcus headed towards Gemini quickly. Why hadn’t he thought that Geoff would want to answer him without the rest of the world interfering?

            Because no one has ever talked to me without witnesses before, even Astra had made sure that their arguments had witnesses so that Max could never count her as one of Marcus’ friends. It had been for safety reasons, but it still set him against ever having a discussion without other people around.

            As soon as Marcus settled, he and Geoff left Trumpet’s Echo by a path he remembered from his dreams. It led to small villages like Hammer’s Sound and Sterling, but if a person passed the smaller places, the road eventually led to the Spartan’s village known as Baile Arm. He knew Geoff had been chosen to talk to the Spartan’s about fully joining their cause because of the tactless dealings the others had had with them. Were they heading there now before the meeting with the elders? Or was one of the smaller towns the actual destination? Where was the meeting to be held anyway? Geoff had never told him the exact location. How could he prepare if he had no idea when they would exactly get there? Geoff had said two months, but from what Geoff had said about the elder mages, that could change at any time. What if he did not have his memory back by then, could he trust in the dreams and visions and rely on them solely as a means to stay under Geoff’s tutoring? Should he just throw all caution to the wind, accept Geoff’s offer verbally, and settle all the problems that way? Or would accepting the offer verbally cause even more problems once the meeting actually took place?

            Once they were out in the open away from any fellow travelers, Geoff slowed down, allowing the horses to walk and relax. Marcus watched and waited, he could feel Geoff’s power scanning the area around them making sure it was clear to discuss what they needed without interference. When Geoff felt it was absolutely safe, he tuned everything else out and turned to Marcus.

            “What is it you feel I am holding back from you?”

            “Your past,” Marcus answered immediately. “Everyone else seems to know why you drift when your family is mentioned and I would like to know why it happens. Anytime I want to ask a question about a spell or something, I feel like I’m intruding on your life. What am I allowed to ask you? What should I never mention? What is off limits for any apprentice? I don’t know the answers to any of these questions and if I’m to continue to play this part convincingly wouldn’t it be a good idea if I understood what was going on?”

            When Geoff remained quiet, Marcus wondered if he had said too much again. “I don’t want to know everything, just something that will make you seem less…”

            “Less what?”

            “Less blurry.”
            “Blurry?” Geoff’s eyebrows rose and a faint smile encircled his mouth.      

            “Okay maybe blurry wasn’t the right word, but you know what I mean.”

            Geoff nodded, the laughter still clinging to the sides of his mouth. Marcus waited, wondering how much, if anything, Geoff would tell him. The man had remained closed mouthed about everything so far, would he really be willing to trust Marcus with this information when he had yet to accept his offer. And why did he care to begin with? He had already told himself that Geoff’s history was none of his business, especially since finding out about the man would mean they were becoming closer. Max could be lurking around the next corner, getting too close would mean Geoff’s death. It wasn’t safe for him to find out anything about Geoff.

            And yet, Marcus found himself curious about the man who had agreed to take him on despite the circumstances. He had come very close to accepting Geoff as his teacher before the first meeting, but had only stopped himself in time. Would it necessarily mean Geoff’s death if he learned things Max already knew about? It wasn’t anything Max wasn’t probably already aware of, so it couldn’t hurt to find out why Geoff stood out against so many people. It might actually help Marcus find a way to get away from him without having to go too much farther.

            Marcus tried to trick himself into believing he was going to leave Geoff eventually, but the lie kept drifting farther and farther away. Eventually, Marcus knew he would have to face that decision and accept the result one way or the other. Right now, all he had to do was concentrate on what Geoff said without falling off Gemini in the process.

            “I guess the best way to start would be to explain why I joined this rebellion in the first place.” Geoff slowed Freedom even more, giving them the time the explanation would need. “As you are already aware I am the eldest son of the true king. My father had gone insane when my brother disappeared eleven years ago. At first I fought against the rebels on Max’s side believing the man was trying to keep the place for my father until he could be cured. It wasn’t until Michael and Anthony showed up that I learned the truth behind Max’s battles. I was 19 when I joined with the rebels and started to take the land back for my father. I have been fighting Max ever since.”

            “How did you learn Max’s plans if you hadn’t known before that?”           

            “Michael, you, told me what was going on. You had more information on Max than I had gathered in my lifetime with the man. You convinced me to join the other side and protect what my father had created. I tried to convince you to join with me as well, but you were needed inside the castle and I suggested you become our secret aide. Your reports always came to my hands first and then went to the others.”

            “I helped you? But I don’t remember you.” The dream he had had after Evans came back to him. Geoff’s story explained why he knew who Geoff was and why he insisted on gaining Geoff as his teacher. He and Geoff had known each other before Geoff’s imprisonment and his own.

            “It doesn’t matter whether you remember or not. It is what happened; only you looked much older than you are now.”

            “Really?”

            “You were a year older than you are now when I first met you four years ago. You should be around twenty one years old if you were Michael, not sixteen.”

            “Then maybe I’m not Michael like everyone thinks.”

            “Or you know Atharrachadh fhèin (fhìn).”

            “What is that?”

            “Literally translated it means changing self; it is a spell mages who need to hide learn to use as soon as they can control their magick, not many can pull it off. However, with your hidden skills, I see no reason why you did not learn it without realizing it and used it to your advantage.”       

            “How would I know if I could do it or not?”

            “I’ll show you when we have time. Right now, we need to get off the road.”

            “Why?”

            “We have unwelcome company coming. Follow me.”

             Marcus followed Geoff off the road and into the forest beside them. When the horses were deep enough, they dismounted and crept towards the roadside. Geoff crouched down under some brush hiding himself from the road, but still able to see. Marcus knelt down next to him, reaching out to find the enemy Geoff said would be on them. A slight touch of power and Marcus felt their draining presence, he pulled back quickly erasing any evidence he had tried to find them. How could they be here when they belonged in the other world?

            “Did you feel that?”

            Geoff watched as the three horsemen stopped right in front of them. Marcus had pulled back from them too quickly and too far. If Geoff had not grabbed Marcus’ arm to keep him still, the boy would have disappeared on him.

            “Yeah, where’d it come from?”

            “Don’t know. Let’s look around.”

            As two of the men started to get off, a loud animal screech went off farther up the path. The third one went off, ignoring the cries of the others to wait up. The two men faced each other, then the dust trailing behind their third man.

            “I didn’t think the Lord wanted the boy on his own.”

            “He didn’t. Max won’t like his son going off like that, ‘specially when we’re looking for that other boy and that stupid git. We better go after him so nothing happens. That kid would probably fall on his face riding if Max didn’t spell him to the saddle.”

            The men got back on their horses laughing. They started forward, following the dust of their companion, still laughing. Geoff did not release Marcus until their laughter faded from the clearing. When both of them were standing, Geoff grabbed the back of Marcus’ shirt and dragged him farther into the forest. When they were under enough cover, Geoff swung him around, growling.

            “What the hell did you think you were doing?”

            “I wanted to find out who they were.”

            “I’m not talking about that, I’m talking about the dying animal that sent them off of our trail. And do not try to tell me you had nothing to do with that. You may have pulled your power back far enough that they could not sense you, but I can sense your spells and I know you manipulated that.”

            “So? It’s not like I hurt anything.”

            “That is not the point Marcus. They would have supplied us with information about Max and his plans. We also would have been able to find out how long they have been following us and why. And how long do you think its going to take them to figure out that they are following absolutely nothing?”

            Marcus shrugged, scuffing his shoes in the dirt. Geoff watched him. Normally Marcus would have waited to see what they wanted just as much as Geoff had, why had he pulled back so quickly and sent them off just as fast?

            “Who are they Marcus?”

            “Shadows from a waking nightmare” came the muffled reply.

            “Then you know them?”

            “Unfortunately, though I didn’t know that third guy was Max’s son. He was always one of us, an orphan. He stood up for me once. Max almost killed him for it, so he stopped, but he had always been among us.”

            “Max had you covered on all sides then. What do you know about him that makes him want you so bad?”

            “I don’t know. I just wish he’d leave me the hell alone”

            One dark eyebrow rose, “Really? And here I just thought you wanted to run to him with arms flung open.”

            Startled, Marcus’ eyes flew to Geoff’s. “How do you…oh.” Marcus’ eyes fell back to the ground, “I didn’t mean to set off the spell. I just didn’t want them to realize I was here. If they recognize it, which I highly doubt since not even Max’s son is aware I can create anything like that, they’ll probably think I am farther along than we are.”

            “That is hardly the point. If you don’t want them knowing you are even in the same area, you need to stop trying to hide yourself. Pulling back as quickly as you did alerted them to our presence faster than anything else could have. They would have kept going or even stopped for a moment allowing their horses to rest before trying to pick up our non-existent trail again.  We could have followed them to find out what they had wanted. Now we will have to skirt around the next few towns in order to get out of their way.”

            “I’m sorry.”

            “Do not be sorry, Marcus. Apologizing will not help you learn.”

            Geoff walked away, his father’s words echoing in his head. Geoff remembered the day his father had told him that, remembered spending the rest of the day trying to figure out what he meant. He had not understood until that moment staring at his own apprentice seeing the doubt in the boy’s eyes. Apologizing for mistakes did not help the learning process; it only stifled experimentation and creative thinking. Geoff pushed the thought away realizing Marcus had not moved.

            “The next time you want to discover who is following us, do not pull back. The pressure of a spell leaving alerts people more to the spell caster than the initial touch. If you had stayed with them, we would not have needed the distraction.”

            “Yes sir.”

            Geoff turned around. Marcus stood in the same spot, his eyes downward, his head bowed, and his body stiff from the reprimand. His fists curled at his side indicating the boy’s anger at being corrected for the mistake. His freedom of doing whatever he wanted had disappeared on returning home. Marcus stood in more danger of Max catching him here than he had when he had been in the other world clueless as to what he was capable of.

            “And which would you prefer?”

            Marcus looked up, eyebrows raised in question, “Which what sir?”

            “Remaining clueless and under Max’s thumb or finding out why Max wants you so badly and learning what you are capable of doing?”

            Marcus shook his head, “Sometimes I wonder if it wouldn’t have been better for me to have not existed at all. It would have prevented a lot of problems.”

            “And killed quite a few people including the friend you have taken so much trouble to hide from everyone.”
            Marcus stared at him. “If it wasn’t for me she wouldn’t have been in this mess to begin with. None of the people involved would have been if it hadn’t been for me.”

            “And if it hadn’t been for you none of them would have survived.”

            Marcus opened his mouth than closed it. Geoff knew he had him, “Regardless of the circumstances, you have no idea if they would not have been involved with Max if you had not been involved. Your abilities have ensured their survival and have kept Max’s sight from them. You want to give up, thinking them safe, yet you do not know what you can do, how much further you could go to ensure that their lives stayed their own. So to repeat my question, would you prefer to remain clueless to who you really are or would you like to find the truth?”

            The boy stared at him for a few minutes.  Geoff could almost see the wheels turning in his mind, could feel Marcus’ thoughts brushing near their link, but he ignored the urge to step closer. He had told Marcus he would only connect to his thoughts if Marcus needed his help. Inwardly, Geoff shook his head, knowing Marcus would be required to do alone quite a few things on his own if Geoff had any hope of getting the boy on their side.

            As Geoff waited, he studied his apprentice. Marcus did indeed seem exhausted, he had barely stayed on his horse and even now Geoff could see the effort Marcus made in order to stay upright and finish their discussion. What could have possibly happened that Marcus would not have slept last night? Had he seen the memory Geoff had fallen asleep to? What other memories did Marcus question last night that would have caused this? The boy’s legs wobbled, ready to give out on him in the next few seconds if Marcus did not move. Looking at Marcus’ face, Geoff realized it wouldn’t matter. Marcus had fallen asleep standing up.

            Geoff sighed, wondering how he would get the boy on either of the horses. As Geoff moved closer to him, Marcus’ legs gave out. Geoff barely caught him before he hit the ground. “Marcus, wake up.”

            No answer, whatever had happened to keep the boy awake this long had obviously disappeared. Either that or the spell had taken more out of Marcus than Geoff had thought. “Marcus, come on. We have a long way to go yet. You can sleep in a few hours.”

            Still no answer and the boy began to get heavy. Geoff knew they were still entirely too close to the city to camp out here, and those three idiots were still out here somewhere as well. Geoff had no desire to meet up with them with the boy out cold. He would have to get Marcus onto his horse and have the mare follow along behind him. Grunting, Geoff readjusted Marcus into his arms in order to lift the boy onto Freedom’s back. Both horses snorted when they saw Geoff heading towards them with Marcus in his arms.

            “Don’t look at me like that. I had nothing to do with this.”

            He hoisted Marcus onto Freedom’s back, spelling the boy in place to keep him from falling off then walked over to the mare. “I feel ridiculous telling you this, but I need you to keep up with me. I need to get him out of here and I highly doubt he’ll want to leave you behind.”

            The mare nodded at him, pushing him back towards his own horse. Geoff grinned; she would keep up, if only for the boy. As Geoff got onto Freedom’s back and readjusted Marcus for the ride, he grinned. “You obviously trust me more than you thought boy. Given your past, I highly doubt you would have ever fallen asleep on Max.”

            Geoff’s laughter trailed behind them as he spurned Freedom into a run and they disappeared into the darker parts of the forest.  Quietly, Freedom and Gemini made their way through the leaves and twigs as Geoff’s senses scanned the darkening forest around them. As the natural inhabitants of the forest began to surround them, ready to give a signal if any intruders began to follow, Geoff’s thoughts turned back to his apprentice.

            The boy had almost accepted his offer, but had stepped back from taking the final step. Even though Marcus had begun to trust him, he was leery of giving anyone else that much command over his life. If Max had picked him up at a young age as Marcus had indicated, even with the abuse Max subjected him to, the boy should be following the maniac blindly. If he had been Michael as most of Trumpet’s Echo now believed, he should be more than willing to train under the leader of the rebels. Neither piece of logic fit the boy, something significant that Marcus had yet to share must have happened for him to hide behind the attitude he had constructed. What was it that had the boy reluctant to trust, yet willing to follow at the same time? Was the link between them the only reason Marcus trusted him so readily or was it because he was actually the five-year-old that had vanished all those years ago? If Marcus was in fact the missing child, how had he retained the connection? How had he survived Max trying to erase his past so the mad man could have his future?

            Marcus shifted in his hold, moaning quietly in his sleep. Careful not to wake the boy up, Geoff opened their link accessing the thoughts running through Marcus’ mind. He immediately stepped into one of his own nightmares. Geoff helped Marcus to defeat the invisible foe before pulling away from his mind. How had Marcus seen that? Or had the boy been sending them to him from the beginning?

            A shrill cry off to the right brought Geoff’s attention back to their surroundings. He would have to wait for another time before accessing those questions again. Now he had to get them to safety before their unwelcome visitors caught up to them again.

 

            Marcus woke up groggy and disoriented. As he lifted himself to his elbows, he closed his eyes. Sound vibrated through his skull making his head throb. He lowered himself back to the pillow wishing he had gotten more sleep. He had worn himself out and his body was retaliating against him for it. Voices murmured over his head, but he refused to care. Geoff was around somewhere, he could still sense the man in the background. Wherever they were, it had to be safer than the forest they had gotten away from.

            A woman’s calm tones reached his ears, her hand touched his forehead, soothing the confusion and allowing him to relax. Questions and the need to talk to Geoff evaporated as he fell into a fevered sleep.

 

            “Geoffrey Nathaniel it is good to see you, but you are in danger coming here. You know Max will search for you among family.”

            “Has he bothered you since I escaped?”

            Ted heard the anger in his voice and shook his head. “No your uncle has not made it here yet. We know he is sending out scouts to search for that boy and for you. You have already met with some of them.”

            Geoff turned to him, “How did you find out already?”

            “Several of Max’s henchmen stopped by on their way north, they watered their horses before moving on and I heard the stories of Trumpet’s Echo. Are you sure you are ready to take control of this young man?”

            “No one else will be able to Uncle Ted.  I have to do what I can in order to help him prepare for what the counsel plans for him.”

            Ted caught the lie, “You have no plans to turn him over to the counsel so do not try that lie with me. I commend your willingness to help him, but do not take him on to prove yourself to your father. There are other ways to get his attention.”

            Geoff growled. “Why is everyone assuming that is why I’ve taken Marcus on?  I am not doing this for my father or for anyone else for that matter. Marcus is my apprentice because I can and will help him gain his place among us.”

            He stalked out of the room, muttering angrily under his breath. Elizabeth turned to her husband, “Was that necessary?”

            Ted nodded. “You’ll understand soon my dear. I promise.”