Chapter 9

“Shhh!!! Mom said not to wake him up yet.”

            “I’m not talking loud.”

            “You’re whispering too loud.”

            “Am not!”

            Marcus’ eyes opened as the voices got louder. He turned to his side watching as two boys around the age of eight or nine started pushing each other. An older voice interrupted them.

            “Hey, don’t do that. Mom said no fighting. We have guests.”

            Both boys stopped, turning to the young lady that came into view. She looked no older than twelve and obviously the leader of the trio.

            “Geoff’s not a guest.” One of the boys’s said. “He’s family.”

            “Yeah he’s family.” The other one repeated.

            Definitely twins, Marcus thought, watching them. They looked exactly the same from what he could see of them. The young lady was probably their older sister, taking responsibility for her two siblings while her mother was busy. Something he had seen from the other families that he and Astra had come across before splitting up. It was odd to watch these siblings interact, seeing how close they were, even when arguing. He had never had anything even close to this, but then he probably wouldn’t have wanted this considering his closest family had stayed as distant from him as possible in case Max came back. 

            “Geoff may be, but he’s not” the girl nodded her head towards him, “At least not yet. Mom said you have to behave until he’s officially one of us.”

            Officially one of us? What in the world was the child talking about? And where the hell was he?

            “How long will that take?” One of the boys’s asked.

            “Mom’s talking to Geoff about it now. Come on, Dad says if he catches any of us in here before he wakes up we’ll be in trouble.”

            The young lady shooed her brothers out of the room, unaware that Marcus watched their progress. As the door closed behind them, none of them taking one last look, Marcus sat up and swung his feet off the bed. Bare floor meeting bare feet sent a chill up Marcus’ spin. He realized he wore only his pants; his shirt, socks, boots, and jacket lay across a chair on the other side of the room. Slowly, Marcus stood up and stretched. His head began to pound, but Marcus pushed it aside.

As he moved towards his clothes, Marcus stared out the window in front of him. The forest was no where in sight. In fact, nothing looked familiar. Instead of the woods he had expected, Marcus stared at several acres of grass and what he assumed were farmer fields. As he stared at the land, Marcus wondered for the second time where in the world he was. He should probably ask Geoff, but he didn’t want to disturb whatever his teacher was discussing.

            No, he would find out just as soon as he finished getting dressed. If nothing else, he could find Geoff and if he wasn’t still in his meeting, ask him then. And if Geoff was still talking, he could always go looking for those children. They seemed very eager to talk and he would probably find out more from them then he would from Geoff anyway.

            Marcus turned from the window surveying the room he occupied. The room seemed enormous compared to the rooms he had spent most of his childhood in. A single bed had been shoved against the opposite wall and diagonally right of the bed lay the door the children had walked out of. To the left of the bed, stood a tall wooden chest, with swinging doors; Marcus walked over to it, examining the workmanship that had gone into it. The care that showed in the way the wood bent underneath the carvings as if they had always been there waiting to be revealed. Touching the handle, the years of effort and love that had gone into making the cabinet passed through him, causing a shiver to run through his arms. Opening the doors, he realized it was a wardrobe with several shirts and other clothing scattered inside it. Whose room had he taken over? His hands closed the doors as his eyes surveyed the room again. Impersonal, bare walls stared back at him. Nothing showed that would indicate a previous owner or a current one. Was he in the guest chamber? He quickly shook his head, that wardrobe was full of clothes that had been worn more than a few times. Someone close to this family had lived in this room; Marcus glanced around the room again, someone who knew they would be never be able to stay.

            As the thought settled into his mind, he quickly put on the boots left to him and left the sinister bare walls to themselves. He hoped now that he was awake he would not have to spend another night surrounded by the lonely secrets those walls kept. He made his way into the hallway, ignoring the cold thoughts, focusing instead on the laughter echoing throughout the house. He could hear the children’s footsteps through the floorboards, the youthful happiness sending hidden memories to the brink of discovery only to slip back behind another bare wall before he could fully grasp them. He slowly moved down the wooden floor, taking care not to make the boards creak as he edged nearer the shouts and giggles of a carefree childhood. He wanted, needed, to soak in those joyful sounds if only to pretend he had once known what it had been like to laugh as they did. He made it to the top of the stairs when the laughter disappeared and his last conversation with Geoff entered his mind.

            Geoff had been after something else, another question that held more importance than the fact that he had entered Marcus’ mind to retrieve the thought in the first place. Marcus backed up slightly, away from the stairway in order to remember what the conversation had been about. He had been bristling about Geoff catching a mistake he had recognized in himself and Geoff had been trying to make a point about it when the weariness had caught Marcus off-guard. He had not meant to fall asleep, not when they had to leave because of his own stupidity, but he had. The days of not sleeping and trying to push off Max’s taint as well as his own selfish concerns had worn him down, and then performing that spell and his anger at himself had overridden anything that he had meant to do. Now he stood on the edge of a strange family’s stairway, after who knew how many days of sleeping, only to wonder what point Geoff had been trying to make in the first place. Marcus closed his eyes, what had the other message been? What had Geoff been trying to say that he had missed by falling asleep?

 

            Marcus scrunched into a corner of the hallway above the stairs, his eyes closed, his lips moving slightly, his arms pulled around his body tightly as if that would help keep him from being seen, happened to be where Geoff found him twenty minutes later. The tactic must have worked before, since Geoff had almost bypassed him. It had only been the boy’s mutterings that had made Geoff stop and look down before passing him in the first place. Rolling his eyes, Geoff stepped back, watching the boy’s face. He looked better than he had the night before, but he still should not have been out of bed. Geoff opened his mouth to say something when he heard the thoughts going through the boy’s mind. Not wanting to disturb whatever he was going over, Geoff moved to the top step and sat down, leaning his back against the adjoining wall and got comfortable. Almost immediately after he was settled, Marcus’ thoughts washed over him, connecting him to a boy afraid to get closer because of a man that had destroyed his childhood.

            As Geoff allowed the flow, his eyes widened and immediately turned to his unwilling charge. The boy was going over their conversation from two days earlier. Wondering why, Geoff went further, searching for the parts Marcus’ was trying hard to keep from him. It did not take long to find, the annoyance of having allowed the exhaustion and hurt pride to overtake him bubbled up at that first push. Geoff had known the fool was trying to go too far too fast, but he could do nothing to slow Marcus down on the way to Trumpet’s Echo. The boy had tried to prove himself as a better apprentice than Mr. Dodd, Patrick and Jeremy had given him credit for. Even if he had not wanted to be Geoff’s student, he would not allow people to think that Geoff had chosen some idiot as a charity case.

            Geoff shook his head, the boy had colored everything, blaming what had happened on himself alone. It had not been the boy’s fault that the taint had affected him as it had, or that Geoff had been a fool himself and had not helped to ease the affects before or after the encounter. Geoff would have to address that before they would be able to leave this safe haven. He almost made it to the spot Marcus had fallen asleep, when Marcus’ mutterings interrupted his journey.

            “I want to be able to fulfill my own life. I don’t want to concentrate on some past I don’t remember and I don’t want to accomplish what that a*s wanted me to do.” Marcus’ eyes opened, staring into the wall in front of him. “But how can I do that if I can’t take even a slight criticism on something I should have done in the first place? How is he going to be able to help me, if I can’t even help myself? Maybe I should just tell him to forget this and disappear again; it would probably save him a lot of trouble.”

            “You’re not disappearing on me Marcus; I’ve already invested way too much time into you. Besides, what better way to upset Max’s plans than by joining the other side?”

            Marcus had jumped at the first words, trying to move into the wall behind him. He recognized Geoff’s lopsided half smile and took a deep breath before gasping, “When did you get here?”

            “A few minutes ago; it seems I came in on the important part of your thoughts.” Geoff paused wondering where to start. How did he tell the boy what he needed to know without worrying him? Marcus had enough to think about without adding the problems he had acquired. Geoff stared straight ahead, relaxing against the banister as he started.

            “I want you to forget about everything Emé and the other members told you. I should have not introduced you to them yet, the poor introduction was entirely my fault.”

            “How? My stupidity pushed back my meeting them twice and then when I finally did meet with them, they saw someone I’m not.”

            “No, they saw who they wanted to see. They do the same thing to me. I knew that would be their reaction, you should have never been there. Do not base your progress on the opinions of the people you meet with me, there are not many who will not judge you because of what they believe you to be.”

            “They wouldn’t do that if I acted more the part of your apprentice though.”

            Geoff looked over, watching Marcus sink inside himself. He had relaxed, curling his legs into his chest and resting his chin on his knees. His arms had wrapped around his shins, enclosing himself in a barrier of outer body strength. His eyes would not look up as if they were embarrassed to be a part of his face.

            “What exactly do you think my apprentice is?”

            “Someone who respects your rules, who does not argue about every detail; someone who knows about his abilities and is able to control his power concerning things he is not supposed to know yet. Someone who can walk into a meeting without creating a problem for you or being unable to walk into a meeting to start with; someone who does not lie to keep others from getting into trouble because of something he did. Someone who is not being hunted by some psychopath because of a past he cannot seem to recollect even with the dreams that haunt him daily. Someone who..”

            “Marcus stop.”

            Just the two words, said so low Geoff had not even heard them come out of his own mouth, and Marcus stopped talking. He heard the boy’s breathing pick up as he tried to calm himself. Geoff could hear him reminding himself that he had not done anything wrong, they were just talking, there was absolutely no reason he needed to be afraid or to get upset. They were just talking.

            “I’m glad you think so highly of me in such a short time, but your expectations for my apprentice are just that, expectations. All of them are achievable if you allow me to help you. However, I do not expect them from you yet.  Those expectations are why you’re an apprentice to begin with. You haven’t had as much time as most apprentices to really work on some of your ideas, so your education will be slightly different from anyone else’s. Do not judge yourself on those around you, yours is a unique circumstance and a challenge I fully intend to help you conquer. You should not worry about working with spells you are unfamiliar with or higher than you think I want you to go. I am not here for myself, but for you. That is the point of a true apprenticeship, to ensure that the learner has a guide to help focus their specialties without killing off the spark.

            “As for not listening to me and arguing with me over insignificant points, that is the age you’re at, I do not expect you to agree with me in everything I do or have you do, I know it won’t happen. When it is important, I have not had to tell you twice.”

            “What about not being able to walk into that meeting? Or lying to you about what had happened in the barn? Or taking off when we were at Emé’s? Or…?”

            “Marcus you were protecting Jeremy and Patrick from a situation you thought would happen, you can not count it against you. As for the meetings, I do not care if you ever walk into any of them. I wanted to talk to you without the group after you woke up anyway, so I don’t care about that. The other issues have already been taken care of and are forgotten. If you try them again, my punishment will be harsher, but I don’t think I’ll have to worry about that.”

            “You have more faith in me than I do,” Marcus muttered into his knees.

            “That is why I’m the teacher, I encourage when all you might see is a fault. And Marcus,” He paused and waited until Marcus’ eyes’ locked with his, “it makes no difference to me that you can not remember your past or that Max is after you. He is a coward and will not show his face unless I am behind bars. Your memories will return when you need them the most, do not force yourself to remember. Trying too hard will only create a headache that will never go away.”

            “What about that counsel meeting? Aren’t you worried I’ll disappoint you at that thing?”

            Geoff laughed as he stood up, “I never get there on time anyway. It’s one of the reasons they hate me, I do not take them as seriously as I should. We’ll arrive when you’re ready to be presented to them and not before. I won’t hand you over to the wolves until I know you are comfortable with your powers.”

            “Why?”

            Geoff held out his hand, pulling Marcus to his feet. “I already told you, I’ve invested too much time into you. I won’t let anyone undo anything I’ve done that will help you, regardless of who they are. Stop worrying about them; they won’t do anything until we get closer to their stomping grounds anyway.”

            Geoff saw the glow in Marcus’ eyes flash as he waved his arms around the room.

            “Speaking of ground, where are we?”

            “Geoffrey Nathaniel he should not be out of bed yet!” A woman’s voice yelled up the stairs. Geoff shook his head as he turned to face the owner on her way up.

            Marcus’ eyes widened as he moved closer to the stairs. “She sounds familiar to me.”

            “You did wake up for a few minutes last night. You probably heard her than.” Geoff said, wondering if Marcus knew her before last night.

            “Why shouldn’t I be out of bed yet?” Marcus asked, watching the woman coming closer to them.

            Geoff did not have the chance to answer before Elizabeth made it to them. She moved past Geoff to stand in front of Marcus, answering his question herself. “Because you are ill and I do not allow ill people to run around this drafty house while they are still running a fever.”
            Marcus blinked at her. “I’m fine.”

            “Really?” Elizabeth moved closer to him putting out her hand to feel his forehead. Marcus backed away from her, wondering what in the world the woman was doing.

            She’s not going to hurt you Marcus. Geoff muttered through their link. This is my aunt, Elizabeth Llessur and this happens to be her home. She’s only trying to help you.

            Why? What does she want?

            Nothing, she cares about people and this is her way of showing it. Just relax and let her see to you.

            But I’m not ill.

            Geoff’s eyebrow rose. Really? Than the heat coming off of you is from what exactly? An internal spell completed wrong?

            Marcus continued to back up away from Elizabeth as he tried to figure out what Geoff was talking about. He had been a little dizzy this morning, but nothing else had been wrong. As he moved backwards, a weakening of his senses caught him off guard and he stopped. Elizabeth’s hand landed on its target as soon as he stopped moving.

            “You’re getting worse sweetheart.” Elizabeth murmured. “You need to go back to bed.”

            “What happened to me?” Marcus muttered, his vision starting to sway.

            “It seems to be spell fatigue.” Elizabeth answered, moving to the side so Geoff could grab his apprentice. “It happens when the body is not sufficiently recharged after performing a complicated sequence of spells.”

            “But I haven’t done a complicated spell.” Marcus mumbled, “And I was fine when I got up this morning.”

            “If you were fine this morning when you woke up, you wouldn’t be having a problem now.” Elizabeth said softly. “No one will harm you while you are here and we need your teacher for a few days anyway. Go back to bed and rest, you’ll feel much better if you do.”

            “I’m fine.” Marcus insisted as he turned and ran into the wall. Geoff caught his shoulders before he actually hit the wood.

            “Fine enough to hurt yourself. What did I tell you the other day?”

            “To ask for help when I need it,” Marcus muttered. “But I’m fine, honest.”

            Geoff placed his hand on Marcus forehead, bringing the heat into himself. Then, he opened their link, allowing Marcus to feel what he felt. Marcus’ eyes widened as the heat inside his head intensified.

            “Why couldn’t I feel that before?” Marcus asked.

            “You trust very few people Marcus, I’m guessing you are used to pushing illness away from you in order to keep going. Let’s get you back to bed before you kill yourself.”

            Marcus moved his head an inch before pain sliced through it. How was he going to walk the few feet back to that room if he could barely move his head? Another set of footsteps coming down the hall caught his attention. Marcus slowly opened his eyes to see one of the tallest men he had ever met and felt himself being lifted into the air and carried back the way he had come.

            “Who are you?” Marcus asked as the man set him back on his feet beside the bed.

            “Your Uncle Ted,” the man rumbled, “and she is your Aunt Lizzie.” The man pointed at the woman as she followed into the room. “Now that you are Geoff’s apprentice, you have become part of our family as well”

            Marcus looked towards the doorway where Geoff stood, “Part of the family?”

            “A tradition for our apprentices,” Elizabeth answered for him. “If the apprentice is unclaimed by a suitable guardian, the teacher and the teacher’s family adopts him or her.” She gave him a pointed look, “If you have had the life you are rumored to have had, you have not had an appropriate guardian for some time.”

            Marcus sat down on the bed, his legs beginning to wobble from his weight. Elizabeth sat down beside him, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him closer. Marcus stiffened, unused to the physical contact.  No one in his limited memory had ever held him this close without inflicting some type of injury.  She kept her arm around him as she continued her explanation.

“During the years while Stephan McPherson, Geoff’s grandfather, was king, he created a program to help those apprentices who had lost both parents in the Mercator Wars.  Those children were adopted into their teacher’s family, giving the child a home where he or she could feel wanted. The King felt the turmoil his people were going through and saw first hand the upheaval the children felt.  By creating this program, the orphaned apprentices were able to have the safety and protection the Wars had torn away from them and gave them more reason to focus on their lessons.”

Marcus relaxed against her side as she continued talking, allowing her voice to soothe the stiffness out of him.  “When Geoff’s father became King, he decided to keep his father’s work alive. Now as I understand it, you do not have a mother or father here or any other family?”

            Images flashed past his memory, but Marcus pushed them away. “No ma’am.”

            “I didn’t think so.” She said quietly, feeling his head begin to nod against her shoulder.  “Since you do not have a family here and you are now my nephew’s apprentice, you are a part of this family and will always be welcome here.”

            Marcus did not hear the welcome.  He had fallen asleep again.

           

            Geoff leaned against the doorway, waiting for his aunt Elizabeth to settle Marcus in and leave his apprentice alone. When she finally released Marcus, she turned to him. “Don’t wait too long sweetheart, it could turn against you.”

            “Don’t give me that look Aunt Lizzie, I know I should have told him about the apprentice law earlier than this, but he still doesn’t trust himself let alone me.  Until he feels comfortable with who he is and with me in general can I truly get him to understand what he is really getting into, and that includes becoming a part of the family.  Don’t forget that Max is part of that family as well and Marcus has been fighting to get away from that man for longer than any of us have.”

            “So you have thought about this?”

            Geoff snorted. “Of course I’ve thought about this.  Taking on an apprentice has never been an easy thing, even when only having them temporarily.” He straightened from the doorway.  “Regardless of family opinion, I will not put any of them through the hell I had to face before and after my father took me in.”

            Elizabeth and Ted glanced at each other, before and after his father took him in?  That was not the problem they had heard was causing the rumors to fly.  Geoff noticed their look and scowled.  “I may not agree with many things Daniel did during my time as his apprentice, but I have never regretted training under him.  My father is the only reason I am still alive and I am grateful to him for that.”

            “Than what are you fighting against him for?” Ted asked.

            “Reasons.”

            Ted raised an eyebrow at him and Geoff sighed, “It’s between him and I Uncle Ted and I plan on keeping it that way if I can.”

            Elizabeth stood up, “Sweetheart, many of us have heard about what happened at Emè’s inn.  Not from Daniel of course but there were others there that were not so quiet.”

            Geoff shook his head, “I know that Aunt Lizzie.  I expected there to be talk after I realized what I had done, but the problem is still between him and I and I plan on keeping it that way until I have the chance to talk to him.”

            “And when will that be Geoffrey Nathaniel, since you keep away from him as much as possible.” Ted growled.

            Elizabeth laid a hand on his arm, and shook her head.  Geoff in his stubbornness was correct in this.  The fight between them should stay between them alone, any interference could just make it worse.  Besides, dealing with the child he had just taken on and getting both of them through the turmoil ahead would be enough to deal with, he did not need to be reminded of the problems with his father just yet.  Ted only grunted in response to her silent plea, and walked past Geoff to go downstairs.  He turned on the landing to look back at his nephew.  “I want a word with you.  When your aunt is finished, meet me in the barn.”

            Geoff nodded, knowing his uncle would not leave this alone.  Ted had been one of his father’s officers when Daniel had still been a respected man of the kingdom.  Once Max had come into control and branded Daniel an outcast, many of his men retired from fighting.  Secretly, they joined him to fight with the rebels, but some, like Ted had settled into providing for their families and stayed mostly at home, supplying the rebel forces with food and vital information.

 

            It did not take long for his aunt to explain what she hoped to do in order to help Marcus heal.  Most of the illness he had taken on himself, though he did not know he did so.  “When you can, teach him the healing spells so he can begin to recognize what his body is doing.  This is from spell fatigue, a healing spell from the looks of it, and the spell is still in action.” Elizabeth had explained as she led Geoff from the room and downstairs to her workroom.  Geoff had agreed to the potions and healing herbs she planned to use in order to help Marcus’ spell relax and give him a rest.

            Geoff ran into the three children as he made his way down the back path to the barn.  They warned him that their father was not in a good mood for some reason and that he should be careful going in.  Geoff smiled at them, assuring them he would be careful and sent them back to the house to help their mother.  The moment they were out of sight, Geoff frowned.  There was more to this talk than his continued animosity towards his father.  Something else had set his uncle off and it had started when Geoff had brought Marcus home.

 

            Ted stood in his barn, his back to the double doors as Geoff came inside.  Geoff watched as his uncle lifted his head upwards, looking into the roof as if there were answers only he could see.  His large fisted hands rested on his hips, his tree trunk legs stood braced apart as if he stood ready to face a storm.  The quiet of the barn had Geoff looking around, never had he seen it so empty of livestock or hay.  What had happened while he stewed in Max’s jail?  What had he done?

            “You didn’t do anything Geoffrey.” Ted growled turning around to face him.  He glared at his nephew, “Max has done this or rather the man pretending to be your Uncle Max has done this.”

            “You are the only one who still believes it’s not him Uncle Ted.” Geoff muttered.

            “Not the only one, there are others, your Uncle Misha for one has never believed it.”

            “Uncle Misha is also Max’s twin and does not want to believe it.” Geoff retorted. “Two people do not make it not so.”

            “Geoffrey, I knew your uncle well enough to know that the man who has taken over is not him.  He would never reduce himself to hurting the people in his care; hurting his brothers was one thing, hurting the country was a completely different story.  But that is not why I asked you to come in here, nor was it to lament about the loss of my livelihood.”

            “Then why are we here?” Geoff asked.

            “I have a question for you and I want the truth, not something you will say to keep your aunt from fussing over you.”

            Geoff’s eyebrows both lifted, “What do you want to know?”

            “Why have you decided to take on this boy as your apprentice?  I know the stipulations you’ve put on yourself, your father told me after it happened.  However, suddenly after your father comes to release you from the madman’s cell, you claim this one as yours and agree to teach him, breaking your own vows.”

            “And you want to know why?”

            Ted nodded.  “I know you Geoffrey, I know how your mind works and I know your father is still a deciding factor in how you conduct yourself.  Did you take this boy on in order to impress that man or have you realized how futile it is to run from your own gifts?”

            Geoff scowled at him.  Damn Ted for being the first family member he ran into after telling Marcus they would be teacher and student.  The man was relentless when it came to finding out information and he had no doubt Ted would lock them both in here until Geoff answered him honestly.  He would also probably report any answer Geoff gave to Daniel and that annoyed Geoff even more.

            “It’s neither actually.” He muttered, his annoyance showing in his tone, “I have no need to impress Daniel no matter what any of you believe and the stipulations are still in effect.  Marcus must accept me as his teacher on his own terms before we meet up with the counsel or he will be given to them for reassignment.  I do not back away from my vows so easily Uncle, you of all people know that.”

            “So the boy has yet to accept your guidance?” At Geoff’s nod, Ted frowned, “Than what the hell are you doing?”

            “My job” Geoff answered tersely, “I am training a fully capable mage how to control the power he already does at will.  He does not think, he just does and he does it so successfully that if I do not teach him how to control it and use it, he could blow this entire country and himself apart.”

            Ted stared at him, “How can the boy be that strong and not have exhausted his power limits?”

            “I don’t know and neither does he.  His memories are blocked beyond a high wall.  I have begun to break down the wall slowly, but it will be some time before the boy remembers anything that might help him with his magick.”

            “Then why agree to teach him to begin with?  This boy is dangerous to everyone around him.  Even if the counsel had told you to teach him this is complete suicide.”

            “Uncle Ted, allowing Marcus to walk around without my aide would be murder, not only of all the innocent people that could be affected by a spell he set off on accident, but of the boy himself.  Max already has had his hands around the boy’s throat, but he has done something to Marcus to create a powerful enemy.”

            “So you have him to keep the boy from falling into the wrong hands?”

            Geoff growled at him, a low feral growl that sounded remarkable like the one Daniel had uttered on Geoff’s behalf several years ago at a counsel meeting.  “Whose hands are the wrong ones Uncle Ted?  For all we know, we could be in the wrong. We could be the enemy to everything we stand for.”

            Ted stared at him a moment, surprised by the switch in the boy’s thoughts.  Blinking to erase the spell he could feel Geoff beginning to weave through his mind, he asked. “Why have you taken on the boy Geoffrey Nathaniel?  There is more to this than you are letting on and trying to throw me off will not stop the questions.”

            “Yes, once fully trained he would make a remarkable weapon.” Geoff growled, not realizing the door behind him had opened.  Ted saw the door swing, but when no one entered with it, he flared out his senses searching for the hidden intruder.  He relaxed when he recognized the return signature. He turned to Geoff, realizing his nephew had yet to notice anything was wrong. In fact, Geoff had continued as if Ted had done nothing.

“And yes, once he gained knowledge of what he could do, Marcus will be a formidable opponent in the fight against Max and the other lunatics he has working for him.  But I did not take him on to create him into a weapon.” The last words were stressed clearly and so coldly, Ted could not mistake his meaning. 

            Ted watched his nephew’s eyes change to molten silver and knew he would be getting to the answer that had plagued the counsel and his father since they heard of Geoff’s sudden interest in teaching.

            Quietly, Ted asked, “Than why did you?”

            “Because damn it Marcus deserves a choice in what happens to him.” Geoff ran a hand through his hair, his anger intensifying.  “All apprentices, even the ones taught by family, are given the choice of who to learn from. What choices did Marcus have when his power came into being?  What options were open to him to learn from?  As far as I’ve learned, I don’t think he’s had any.  He has had to hide who he is and what he can do in order to stay alive.

            “He was told not to use his power Uncle Ted, ordered not to be different from the others or be beaten and starved.  What kind of choice is that for a young mage as powerful as Marcus is?  Anyone else would be dead from all that power running through him, but somehow Marcus survived, somehow he came back.  He deserves the chance to explore the power he was forced to hide and deserves the chance to discover who the hell he is on his own terms.”

            “He’s been declared the Heir hasn’t he?”

            “Not by our people, they think he’s Michael, Max’s youngest son turned rebel.  And damn if he didn’t act like it in Trumpet’s Echo.”

            “If he’s Michael, than there should be no problem with his power.”

            Geoff glanced at Ted and said, “Did you not hear me earlier? He does not know who the hell he is or what his past contains.  If he is Michael, he has no knowledge of it or of what he did for us.  Think of that before you spread this to my father and the others, think of what his not knowing could do to all of us if Max captures him again.  That b*****d would turn the boy into a weapon and kill us all without Marcus’ approval, which would kill the boy’s spirit and spread a taint into his magick. 

“He doesn’t deserve that kind of a future Uncle Ted and I refuse to sit around twiddling my thumbs until the counsel figures that out.  I will train Marcus the best I can until he is ready to make his choices.  If he chooses to move on to someone else I will let him go, if he chooses to stay with me I’ll keep him, but the final decision will be his to make and I will allow no one, not even Marcus himself, to take that from him.”

            Geoff turned around and walked out of the barn, going through the door as if it had always been open.  Several minutes went by as Ted stood in the center of his empty barn watching the door swing on its hinges. Shaking his head, Ted chuckled.  “Did that answer your questions Daniel or did you want a more demonstrative performance of your son’s honorable intentions?” How did he not notice you were there?

            Daniel growled as he came into view, walking from the shadows of the doorway. “Why are you so amused Ted?  Had my son wished, he could have retaliated against you for attacking him like that.” Because I shielded your attempt to find me and myself from his view.

            Ted nodded, “I know that Daniel, but he has also begun learning how to reign it in.  You did a good job raising him, he even commended you for it himself not more than an hour ago.  Whatever happened between you two needs to be resolved before that boy takes on his apprentice, or all hell is going to break lose.” Especially if he ever learns you are tailing him as if he cannot protect himself.

            “Yes, well I don’t think that will happen anytime soon.  I have a new assignment I’m going on and wanted to check on him before I left.  My son’s reasoning for attaching his name to the boy’s is a good one and I will tell the counsel to back off until Geoff and Marcus reach them on their own.” I know he can protect himself; it’s his inability to stay focused that has me tailing him.

            Ted snorted. “Will they listen to you?”

            Daniel shrugged, “Probably not, but Gregory will agree with me and the counsel will not want to cause him any grief if they plan on getting him back on the throne when this is over.”

            “How is Greg doing?”

            “Strengthening everyday, but the restorative tonic Misha is giving him is slow to work against the poison still invading Greg’s system.  It will be awhile before my brother is able to fight alongside us.”

            “As long as he is able to fight again, I don’t particularly care when it happens.”

            Daniel smiled, “I know what you mean.” He turned to the door, but paused and turned back.  “Watch Geoff’s back Ted, and see to it he gets some help as he continues his way east.  Whether he likes it or not, he is next in line for the crown and needs to be protected at all costs, even if it is from himself.”

            Ted shook his head as Daniel disappeared.  “Maybe you should be the one watching his back in person Daniel.” He muttered, “We all know we’re protecting him for your sanity not his own.