Prolouge

           “We will be safe there. I promise!”    

 

            Geoff woke with a pounding head, his heart racing. Fear clung to him as his unknown

pursuers trapped him in the corner of an alley. He could almost see them as a sudden light blazed up

from behind him. Pulled upward, he could see his enemies’ shadows as they tried to shield their eyes

and leap for him at the same time. A sweet voice echoed in his head, “We’re going home. I don’t

know how, but we’ll be safe there. I promise.”

            Still fighting sleep, he wiped his eyes, willing his body to wake up. When he looked around two blurred images walked out of his cell, closing the door behind them. The shadow remaining leaned against it, watching him. Geoff swung his feet to the end of the bed, setting them down on the cold stone floor. Immediately awake from the sudden chill, Geoff slowly stood up getting ready for the day.

            Silence permeated the air around him. Geoff turned intending to tell the intruding guard to leave him in peace when he finally recognized the shadow.  His eyes widened.  “Uncle Misha?”

            “‘Bout time you realized who it was.” Misha growled as he straightened away from the door. “You may be in captivity, but normally you greet your guests. Did you miss a lesson on courtesy or something?”

            Geoff smiled, “I learned everything I know from you and my father.”

            “Neither Daniel nor I taught you how to ignore people, neither did Gregory. You have a father I don’t know about?”

            “You know I don’t,” Geoff said, “What is it you want? Does Max know you’re here?”

            Misha lost his scowl, “Don’t be worrying about that now. Just meet me outside in the yard when you’re ready.”

            “Why?”

            The door squeaking as it swung on its rusted hinge was the only answer. Geoff shook his head his curiosity peaked. His uncle rarely came to see him because of Max. Meeting Misha in the yard only meant one thing; Max still had not shown back up. Just thinking of him made Geoff’s hands curl into fists at his side. Max, his father and uncle’s brother, had turned on his family by killing Geoff’s mother, then stealing Geoff’s little brother one right after the other. While Gregory grieved, the death and disappearance both a mystery, Max stripped Gregory of his power as King. Declaring Gregory insane, Max locked him away, having those that opposed him either killed or imprisoned. Only a few managed to escape and now lived in fear.

            “Oy, Geoffrey, get your arse up here. NOW!” Misha’s voice rang through the prison halls. Geoff threw on the ragged material the guards considered a shirt and started up the hallway, his hole infested shoes in hand.

            As he moved towards the stairs, he realized the silence from his cell was not from his uncle alone. The moans and screams of the other prisoners no longer rang along the walls. The grumbling and stomping of marching boots no longer echoed from the wood ceiling above.  Even when their leader did not present himself, the guards always ensured that at least three were on duty while the rest practiced above. Geoff’s curiosity rose, what had Misha done to remove the guards from inside his waking nightmare? As he climbed the stone steps leading out of one of many hells, Geoff’s questions become more insistent. Who had the other two been? How had they convinced the guards to give up their posts even for a few moments? Why hadn’t he been aware of the change? Ever since he had gotten himself stuck in this mess, he had made sure his senses remained on alert no matter what he happened to be doing.

            When Geoff reached the top step, he blinked-his eyes trying to adjust to the sun light. Misha stood off to his right, speaking to someone Geoff did not recognize. Geoff put on his shoes while he waited for Misha to finish his conversation. The man looked strangely familiar to him, though he could not imagine why. The man must have felt Geoff’s eyes on him, for he turned to stare right at him. Geoff almost fell backwards down the stairs. The man was his biological father, Daniel James.

            “What the hell is going on here?” Geoff muttered to himself.

            “It seems you’re right yet again Misha.” Daniel said loudly, watching his son regain his balance.

            “What are you doing here Daniel?” Geoff demanded.

            Daniel smiled and turned back around. Geoff growled, turning to the sound of horses. Ryoul Abdul-Malik, Daniel’s first in command, nodded to him, as did Keith, Scott and Ryoul’s son, Jabbar. The other three were new and watching the guards crowding the roof of the prison, Geoff walked across the yard keeping an eye on the guards as he went to talk with Ryoul and the others. As he moved, thunder sounded beneath his feet and stopped, turning to his right as the noise moved closer. The stallion, brilliant ebony with a slight wild streak in him, stopped inches away from Geoff’s outstretched hand.

            “It seems he hasn’t forgotten his owner,” Ryoul said.

            “Did you expect him too?” Geoff asked.

            Ryoul shrugged, “It’s been a long time boy.”

            “Aye, it has been a long time,” Geoff replied, “Why are you here anyway?”

            Ryoul nodded towards Daniel and Misha; Geoff turned back the way he had come, watching them walk towards the group. They both looked concerned about something, and Geoff wondered once again what was going on.

            “Boy, don’t be aggravatin’ ‘em.”

            Geoff heard Ryoul’s growled warning as Misha and Daniel stopped in front of him. Those still on horseback circled the trio, protecting them from the guards that were now noticing how many people stood between them and the prisoner. He, however, paid little attention to anything but Daniel and his uncle. They seemed preoccupied by something, so much so that Geoff debated on entering their minds to discover the problem.

            “Max isn’t here,” Daniel stated, breaking the silence that had descended. “That’s the only reason we have been able to get to you without the guard’s noticing.”

            Geoff felt a smart reply reach for his lips, but he quickly suppressed it. Now was not the time to be stupid. Instead, Geoff replied, “Max hasn’t been around for a couple of months.” When Daniel looked at him, Geoff shrugged, “He usually comes to annoy me every so often. I haven’t seen him for awhile.”

            Daniel nodded, “He’s been on an extended trip to the other realm. We aren’t entirely sure why yet, but his absence has given us a chance to get back a little control.”

            Geoff’s eyes narrowed, “Don’t you think that will be the first place he’ll stop whenever he comes back? He never misses the chance to tell me how much control he has over our world now that my father is thought to be insane.”

            Geoff noticed Daniel wince, but he ignored it. This was not the first time Daniel had shown such a reaction to hearing his son call Gregory his father. Daniel hated being reminded of what he had not had the guts to claim. Lost time gnawed at him and every reminder of it deepened the pain.

            “Geoff,” Misha said, a warning look in his eyes, “we took him first because we knew that would be the first place Max would go. We weren’t sure when he would be returning and we didn’t want to lose this opportunity.”

            “Now that Gregory’s safe, we’re getting you out of here,” Daniel added, “We would have gotten you at the same time, but…”

            “He’s the main thing Max wanted,” Geoff interrupted. “I’m actually glad you came for me after freeing my… King because Max has made sure that if he was ever to escape and I knew the location, I would be the one to turn him back in.”

            Ryoul and Misha glared at Geoff, but Daniel nodded, “That would be something Max would do, but don’t worry when you next see Gregory we’ll have lifted that spell off of you.”

            “How?”

            “Don’t worry about that now. There is something more important that we need to discuss with you before we leave this hole.”

            “What would that be?”

            “You have been officially appointed to the Tidsear mage level.”

            Daniel kept going, talking about the privileges and responsibilities this level would give him, but Geoff barely paid attention. His mind was racing with questions. How would they be undoing the spell on him? No one except Gregory and Max knew how, and Gregory would not be able to do it before Max came and took him back. Why had the counsel finally decided to give him what he had earned months ago?  The only time new mages were brought up was when something major was about to happen. Then, among the whirlwind of questions, he heard something that brought his mind to a halt.

            “I’m proud of you son.”

            Geoff refocused on the people in front of him. Misha looked about the same since Geoff had last seen him. Only a few gray hairs scattered about his head made Misha seem older. Daniel, on the other hand, looked much older. He was still fit and ready for battle, but he looked tired. There were dark circles under his eyes and his forehead creased with wrinkles. His dark hair was now a silver color and his usually bright eyes were a dull blue. What problem could the magnificent Daniel not solve to his satisfaction?

“You, ya’ twit!” Misha’s voice rang through Geoff’s mind.  “It’s you he’s been  

worrying about. It’s time you grow up boy or you’ll miss out on the support he can offer. And if I were you, I would start by listening to what he’s saying.”

            Geoff shot a look at Misha. His uncle’s gaze narrowed at him, while his lips turned down at something Daniel was saying. Geoff mentally shook off his thoughts and concentrated on the conversation.

             “The counsel is not positive on how the girl was able to slip through Max’s time barrier without him finding out or how she had brought the boy with her. However, since they have had recent news indicating she has become Ailora’s apprentice they are not going to press into it. They do want to find out why this girl brought the boy here without telling anyone and then left him to fend on his own. They believe the boy has some sort of power remotely similar to ours.”

            Daniel looked at Geoff. “They want you to find this boy and discover what happened. They want as much information as possible. If his power is as great as they believe it to be, they want you to watch him carefully. Do not interfere with his journey; the counsel wants to know what side the boy is on before he is trained in our ways.”

            “Why would a boy like that not have been brought to our attention sooner?” Misha asked. “We are the only people that know how to use that type of sorcery and the other realm knows it.”

            “I do not know. It is highly unusual for the other world to keep back one of our own kind.”

            “Unless of course they thought we knew,” Geoff interrupted quietly.

            Misha and Daniel looked at him confused. Then, Daniel’s eyes burned a deep blue, “Of course! Why did we not think of that possibility before?”

            Misha turned his confusion to Daniel, “What?”

            “Max has known all this time that the boy was there. The boy has grown up under Max’s shadow.” Daniel focused on his son, “If this is true, it will be up to you to find out how much of an influence Max has had on the boy and why. He probably will not know, but that will not be something he will have had time to think about.”

             Geoff nodded. “Where can I find him?”

            Daniel looked at him, a smile lightening his dark look, “Look back in your short term memory the information should still be there, even if you’re not paying attention.”

            Geoff felt color rising to his cheeks as Daniel turned away.  Not paying attention to his surroundings had been what had gotten him stuck in this hole to begin with. He had only realized the trap after he been imprisoned and was able to review his memory. Someone had obviously informed Daniel of his lapse and from the look on his face; Daniel was enjoying his son’s discomfort.

            “Find him yet?”

            Geoff blinked. He had forgotten to go through Daniel’s speech. Geoff inwardly groaned as he searched his mind for the information. Any mention of Daniel seemed to break his rigid concentration, not even his fiancé had the same impact on him. After two minutes of searching, Geoff gave up. He could not concentrate on the task, his mind immediately slipping back to his father. He had to get away from the man to think straight. He looked up to see the others were gone.

             

“You’re never going to tell him are you?” Misha asked.

            “Do you think it would help him to know any of that?” Daniel growled, “We both know what will happen if it is ever brought up. I never actually gave up the throne. Gregory should never have been king, even if he was the next in line for it. If my son ever learns that he is next in line for the crown Max currently possess’ he will never forgive me.”

            “Well, that’s the catch isn’t it? Technically, he is not your son, anymore than Marcus was Gregory’s. They are both Max’s b*****d children. Melody was able to keep both children out of that stigma by using you and Greg, but damn it Daniel, the boy needs to know the truth.”

            “He is my son Misha.” Daniel growled a warning in his tone. “Nothing will change that.”

            Seeing the glint in Misha’s eye, he added, “For all we know Melody could have lied about it, just to keep her life for the little time she had left. We both know she was working for him to begin with. Geoff does not need to know that his mother worked for the enemy. At least he’s still alive; we can’t say the same for Marcus.”

            “We don’t have a body; we can’t count him out just yet. Max may have hidden him away somewhere, training him to hate our family and his mother’s memory. He was only five when he disappeared.” Misha reminded him.

            “If that’s true, the boy’s better off dead. Melody should never have gone after Max with the boy so close to them. If she had never said anything to Max, she would be alive and Marcus would be experiencing life as a sixteen year old prince.”

            Daniel sounded weary, too weary for his 54 years. Misha decided it was time to change the topic. He knew his eldest brother’s moods the best now and this moment was not the moment to fight for the truth. “Geoff wants to marry Ailora when this is finished. He already asked Darian for her, and she has accepted him.”

            Daniel’s eyebrows quirked, “When did this happen?”

            “Last year, right before he was ambushed.”

            “The ambush….you know something about that bothers me. Even if he hadn’t paid attention, they could not have gotten that close to him without him realizing it. Something happened that he’s not telling anyone.”

            “You and he are alike in that Daniel. If he wants to keep information back, he knows how.” Misha laughed. “For not wanting to be anything like you, he sure thinks a hell of a lot like you.”

            Daniel smiled. Though Geoff tried to erase his past, the McPherson blood ran too deep in the boy to erase it completely. “As I said earlier, Geoff is my son. Nothing will change that; not even one determined young man.”

            Daniel broke off, spurring his mount ahead to converse with Ryoul. Misha sighed, knowing the conversation was over. As he looked around him, he muttered, “Maybe you should tell him that Daniel. That’s all he wants from you anyway.”

           

            Geoff stood in the courtyard, the guards to the place ignoring him, thinking he would be going back inside at any moment. When Misha usually left, the guards never worried about him disappearing because he would always obediently return. If he did not, Max always brought him back with a severe punishment that lasted many weeks. Geoff shook his head; he had become too accommodating just like Max’s son, Anthony. The boy cowered to Max’s will to keep from experiencing psychological pain. He followed all of Max’s orders without any delay, even if he found the action to be unethical. As Geoff grabbed onto the stallion’s side and jumped up onto his back, the guards only had time to shout a warning before he turned the horse around and shot off towards the forest.        The moment Geoff disappeared, the guards bolted. None of them wished to be present when the pretender arrived to find his only prisoner gone. Too many had experienced his wrath when the boy had been gone only a few hours.

 

            Max felt the mark on his arm grow hot. The boy had escaped. A sinister smile curved his lips; those prison fools had let the bloodhound out of his cage. Soon he would sniff out the right rabbit and point the way to sure victory. Max stared at the vacant room before him. They had gotten the true ruler out first, their first intelligent move. The people would run to their cause to protect their sovereign.

            Such a shame, he thought, to be so close to true power only to learn too late that it will always belong to me. Max moved to the window looking out over the land. Your puppet boy will close in on my instrument and you will be none the wiser. Sweet victory will be mine for the child born to rule is my son and has been taught in my image.

            A maniacal laugh slipped between his closed lips, spreading over the tops of trees and sliding into the ears of all who feared the castle tyrant.