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Armando had just paid for the ice cream when he felt a tug on the tail of his jacket. He looked down to find Caia grinning up at him.
Armando’s brow furrowed. “How’d you get away from Izdahl?”
He remembered Syrik and Valeria had mentioned a spell on Caia that didn’t let her wander far from family. He glanced around quickly, to see if Izdahl was nearby.
Caia shrugged and giggled. Armando set aside the ice cream and picked her up.
“Caia, it’s not nice to run away.” He shook his head. “Let’s talk to your uncle.” He pulled out his mobile to call Izdahl. “Did you lose someone precious?”
Izdahl laughed. “Are you saying you’re lost? Need our help? Caia and I will come find you.”
Armando heard chattering through his mobile and recognized Caia’s voice. “Wait. Our niece is with me.”
“What do you mean?” Izdahl’s tone was tense. “She’s with me.”
“But I’m holding her.” Armando tried to turn on the camera to show Izdahl, but he couldn’t get it working. The phone’s screen flickered several times, before going completely dark. Armando looked at Caia, his brow furrowing, as all sound began to fade. He heard Izdahl’s frantic voice.
“Armando. Get away now! That’s not Caia. That’s a shapeshifter. You’re in dang—”
Panic seized Armando as he stared at the child who looked identical to his niece. He slowly set the child down. His eyes widened, as the child began to change and became a teenaged Nitelvosa. The child he’d thought was Caia was nowhere to be seen.
“I’m sorry,” the young Nitelvosa said. “He made me do this.”
“Who are you? What do you mean? Who made you do this?”
“I really hope you’ll be okay. Good luck.” The young Nitelvosa touched Armando’s hand and the scenery shimmered, morphing into blurred and distorted images.
“Izdahl help,” Armando said. “I’m being taken. I—”
A sharp pain pierced Armando’s head and he squeezed his eyes shut. He slowly opened his eyes again. Agents who’d been assigned to keep an eye on him rushed toward him. They remained out of reach, seeming as if they were being dragged back.
He shook his head, trying to deal with being disoriented. With his head still throbbing, he found himself imprisoned in a glass cage. His mobile was gone.
Rasmun stood in front of him, looking at him in the cage, with arms crossed. “Finally. The most important piece is here.”
***
Izdahl stared at his mobile, frozen as dozens of horrible possibilities raced through his mind. Several agents, who normally melted into the crowds while watching him and Armando, hurried to him. Their faces were etched with confusion and worry.
“Did any of you see what happened to him?” Izdahl asked. “How could he just get taken like that?”
One of the agents checked a device on her arm. A moment later she shook her head. “None of his electronic signals are working. We’ll report in and—”
“Don’t explain to me. Follow your protocol and find him.”
Two of the agents rushed away, while the rest stayed with him. He looked at them, trying to come to terms with what was happening.
“Armando can’t just...This isn’t—”
Caia patting Izdahl’s cheek pulled him out of his panic spiral. He smiled, doing his best not to upset her.
“Where’s Uncle Armando?” Caia asked.
“He’ll be back soon,” Izdahl said softly, trying to keep his voice light. “Let’s talk to Grandma.”
Izdahl went to a less crowded area to call his mother, with several agents following him. He explained the situation in coded terms. Hadil appeared a moment later, having opened a portal to the family’s backyard. The agents who’d been assigned to Izdahl bowed their heads and stepped aside, acknowledging the hierarchy.
Izdahl entered the portal with Caia, who reached out to her grandmother. Hadil held Caia close, as she focused on Izdahl, with her gaze intense.
“Mother...” Izdahl squeezed his eyes shut, as shock rippled through him. “I reactivated my powers to protect Armando and he was still ripped away from me.”
“We will find him.”
Hadil pulled out her mobile and contacted Rayner, who arrived a few moments later through a portal. When she and Izdahl quickly explained the situation, Rayner nodded solemnly.
“What do you need me to do?” he asked Hadil.
“Watch out for my granddaughter.”
Izdahl took his niece from Hadil and hugged her tightly. “Caia, Rayner will take you to play in the backyard.”
“Play with uncles?” Caia asked.
Izdahl gave her as broad a smile as he could muster to not alarm her. “Not right now but soon.”
Caia nodded, reaching for Rayner.
“Rayner, we’re under the Ziyad-Amasi Protection Protocol,” Hadil said.
Rayner nodded sharply. “Understood.”
Caia waved to Izdahl and Hadil, while Rayner walked away with her. As a toddler, Caia had no idea her grandmother had just told Rayner to kill anyone who tried to hurt her.
Hadil turned to Izdahl, studying him intently. After a moment, she put her hands on his shoulders. “Be calm.”
“I can’t hold it in anymore.” Steam began to rise off Izdahl, before changing into mystical soul flames, the silver-blue light signaling he was burning his quintessence. Rage swirled within him and manifested outside as chaotic energy. His mother stood firmly with him. Others would have been in agony, but the strength of her powers allowed her to withstand the violent anger in Izdahl’s spiritual output.
“Let me help.” Hadil took his hands. The flames traveled up her arms. She used her spiritual energy to douse them and sent soothing energy back to Izdahl.
“Mother, if we can’t find him...” Izdahl’s breath hitched, as he struggled for air. “If Armando...He can’t...I just—”
Hadil grabbed Izdahl’s shoulders and shook him. “I knew the power of your soul, before you even left my womb. This will not break you. Focus and breathe.”
Izdahl nodded and closed his eyes, doing his best to calm himself. When he opened his eyes, his mother released more of her powers to form a cocoon around the two of them. It was the same thing she’d done when he’d been younger and lost control of his powers.
“You’ll find Armando,” Hadil said firmly. “You’ll do what’s necessary to address this wrong. From now on, I need you to operate more like a Ziyad than an Amasi. I’ll take care of everything and everyone else.”
“I understand.” Izdahl felt the immense power coursing through him. He gritted his teeth, forcing his mind to stop racing with ways Armando might be in danger.
“We need to talk to Erol, Sunja, and Xeira,” Hadil said. “They’ll provide resources and help us reduce damage.”
A short while later, Izdahl was gathered in his parents’ living room with his mother, grandfather, great-aunt, and great-grandmother. Erol, Sunja, and Xeira had been updated about the situation.
“I’ve used the Core Guardian location system to find Armando,” Xeira said. “He’s in the Kasykelan Realm, but the energy there’s distorting the location pattern. Still, we’ve pinpointed the sector where Armando’s most likely being held.”
“The Kasykelan Realm Striders can help us search,” Erol said. “Some of the signs of where Armando is have come from areas the Nieri and Shabota frequent. We should ask them to assist.”
The Kasykelan Realm Striders, or KRS, were especially adept at traveling through the sector. They also functioned as liaisons between the Kasykelas and Nitelvosa, making sure the two cultures respected each other.
“Right,” Xeira said. “I’ll deploy them to narrow down the correct place.”
Izdahl released more chaotic energy and black flames flared along his skin. “How long will that take? Anything could be happening to Armando.”
Panic rose again in Izdahl’s mind, as he imagined Armando disoriented and suffering. A skilled spellcaster could make even an hour in the real world equal a week in the Kasykelan Realm. Untold damage could be done to Armando in that time.
Hadil held Izdahl’s face in her hands. “We must be methodical and patient. We need more information before we rush in and waste time or resources. Whoever took Armando is using powerful magic to hide him.”
Izdahl gritted his teeth. “Like Rasmun or Dagmar?”
“That could be. Though this seems extreme and haphazard, even for Dagmar. Then again, perhaps I’ve given him too much credit. He’s been erratic ever since our argument.”
“Whoever’s helping Rasmun is dangerous,” Sunja said. “They might be setting a horrible trap for you.”
“She’s right.” Hadil squeezed Izdahl’s hand. “We need to be careful. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Good. The KRS should be reporting back soon.” Hadil pointed to a couch. “Sit there and gather your wits.”
Izdahl sat on the couch and tried to remain calm, while the rest of his family discussed the situation. The sound of them speaking was dulled, subdued by Izdahl’s worry. He was at least grateful it didn’t take long for their KRS contact to reach out with more information. Yet it wasn’t the news Izdahl wanted to hear.
The contact’s face was grim as he said, “The Kasykelas have closed their realm to us.”
“What do you mean?” Izdahl asked.
“Every single KRS member was ported outside the Kasykelan Realm. I’ve received updates that all the Kasykelan Realm entry points are closed, even at the shrines with the greatest affinity. We’ve tried every way to access, but it’s like hitting a wall. After our fifth attempt, as one, the Kasykelas let out a massive shriek. The sound burst the eardrums of some of the KRS. They’ve been sent for healing.”
“If the Kasykelan Realm’s in chaos, it will make it much harder to locate Armando,” Erol said. “With him also being well-hidden by magic, we’re up against stunning odds.”
The KRS contact put a hand to his ear, listening closely. “I have more news. While the Kasykelas are refusing to let us enter, there’s hope. Our leader had explained the circumstances about Armando and how worried Izdahl is. The Kasykelas have thought about the situation and they’ve requested to speak to Izdahl. Only to him. They said to enter their realm through the main sanctuary Healer Hadil uses.”
Izdahl nodded firmly. “Then I’ll go right now.”
***
Armando looked around his glass cage. The worst part of it was he’d been imprisoned in a bedroom suite. With a bed and a small bathroom nearby, it seemed like his captor intended to keep him there a while.
He didn’t have long to wait to see Rasmun again. His captor opened a portal into the larger room.
“I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this,” Rasmun said. “But I need to consider what’s best for me.”
“Whatever you’re planning doesn’t matter. I won’t be here long.”
Rasmun laughed. “How will you leave? With Izdahl’s help? He can’t even find you.”
“I’d never want him to endanger himself by coming here. I’ll kill you myself. I’ll rip your soul right out.”
“So naive.” Rasmun raked his eyes down Armando’s body with disdain. “You don’t have the power to do that. At least not without touching me. You’ve gained impressive abilities, for a human, but...” Rasmun chuckled. “Let’s not be delusional.” He waved his left hand and sharp pain pierced Armando’s head. “Just in case, I’ll keep you occupied, while I go handle something else.”
Armando buried his head in his hands as brutal images assaulted his mind. He was forced back to the night he’d lost his parents. Over and over again, he saw the valjeel rip his father and mother from the car. Those images rotated with the ones of Valeria screaming for help, as a valjeel dangled her in the air. He experienced that horrific time again in a vicious mental loop.
Eventually, the images stopped and he’d thought he wouldn’t be forced to endure them again. Instead, the worst thing that happened each year since his tenth birthday began ricocheting through his mind. He knelt, with his head on the floor of the cell. He relived the most anguish he’d felt during the past twenty years, from vivid images of his parents dying, to his sister’s life being threatened by the valjeel, to his uncle dying, and to Izdahl losing his life in the Elite Fire Dueling Tournament. In a vicious loop, the bitter memories claimed his mind and reduced him to a mess that shuddered in a corner of his cell.
When Rasmun returned, Armando wasn’t sure how long he’d been gone. Rasmun waved a hand and the chaos in Armando’s mind stopped. Armando hated even feeling grateful to him for ending the parade of miserable images.
Watching him carefully, Rasmun conjured a comfortable leather chair and sat, crossing his long legs at the ankles. “I’m annoyed I can’t stay away from you.”
“Against my better judgment, I want to know why.”
“At first, you were just a target I’d follow on behalf of Dagmar. But then I began to see you as more. This situation isn’t exactly convenient for me.”
“How do you think I feel?” Armando asked, his voice full of venom.
“You’re a little angry. I don’t mind. I understand.” Rasmun leaned forward. “So, anyway, there’s a rumor that you can see souls. Is that true?”
Armando clenched his jaw.
“You’re lucky I’m not a stronger spellcaster,” Rasmun said. “I’d crack open your mind and learn everything.” He waved a hand and an intricate two-foot baltium cylinder appeared at his side. The design was similar to what Armando had seen at Dagmar’s house. “Maybe this little one will behave and help me get what I want.”
Rasmun opened the cylinder. An 18-inch tall being stepped out and Armando knew it was his Blood Replica.
“You’re handling this surprising well,” Rasmun said, his eyes narrowing. “You’ve seen one before. Haven’t you?”
Armando refused to answer. He kept his focus on the Blood Replica, wondering what it might force him to do.
Rasmun glanced at the small being. “Make Armando do what I want.”
The Blood Replica walked to where Armando was imprisoned and put its hand against the glass. Armando watched it carefully and it stared back with gleaming penetrating amber eyes. It looked very much like him, except for the eyes.
“Armando’s growing stronger,” the Blood Replica said to Rasmun. “You still don't know how to use me. Soon, it will be too late for you.”
Rasmun rose to stand by the replica. “I'm closer to controlling you than I was last week.”
The replica laughed as it looked up at him. “If you say so.”
Cursing, Rasmun waved a hand. Armando felt a buzzing in his mind, before he lost consciousness.