Page 62 of Taking Jenny
“Because I’m a magician.”
“You say that like it answers my question, but I’m still lost.”
He studied me for a long moment, then said, “You really don’t know anything, do you?”
I shook my head, keeping my response as vague as possible. “I only recently told my sisters that I can see ghosts. Until I came here, I didn’t know what a conduit was, let alone that I was one.”
He rubbed his chin. “Do you know anything about the Ladrian life cycle?”
I recalled what Sarah had told me. “You’re born. You die. Your body is taken to Halla and burned to release your ghost. And when your ghost dies on Halla, you go to the ether, where you wait to be reborn, and sometimes when you’re reborn, you remember parts of your past lives, right?”
He nodded, seemingly impressed with my knowledge. “Very good. You’re aware that women hold very little authority here, yes?”
I rolled my eyes. “Apparently, misogyny is a universal language, no matter the species.”
He gave me a grim smile. “It is. But for centuries, conduits counterbalanced that. Only women can be conduits. No one knows why, much to Justice’s eternal frustration. But if trained, a conduit can see and speak to ghosts, summon them, even act as the literal bridge between the living and the dead.”
“That’s a lot of power.” And I was keenly aware that my sister, Sarah, could do all that, and more.
He nodded. “It was. They used it to lead religion and dictate culture. For centuries, conduits ruled the spiritual structure of our society.”
“And magicians were against that?” I asked, trying to make sense of things.
“We were…inconvenient for the conduits. We study what’s forbidden. Physics, medicine, alternate magics. Truths the conduits want hidden. It made us enemies. They had the power of spirit. We had the pursuit of science. So, they hunted us.”
My chest ached. “That’s horrible. I’m sorry that happened, Surge.”
“It’s not your fault, Jenny. You only just got here.” He smiled faintly. “No vendettas yet.”
Something like guilt lodged in my throat. “Do magicians have a leader?”
He shook his head. “Not one to speak of. We’re less centralized than conduits. The last gathering of magicians happened about thirty years ago. I was just a kid, but I remember everyone was terrified. If it weren’t for Justice, we’d all be dead.”
I blinked. “Wait. He did somethinggood?”
“That’s a matter of perspective,” Surge said. “Justice never liked conduits. The idea of women having any real power made his skin crawl. His sister, Constance, was a conduit. She was supposed to take over when the Mother passed. But one of Justice’s generals, Primitive Liebach, murdered her in a jealous rage when she refused to unite with him.”
My eyes went wide. “That’s awful.”
“Liebach was executed for it. That’s when Credo Bateen, Justice and Constance’s father, fell mysteriously ill.”
I grimaced, even while I was fascinated with this history lesson. “That must have thrown Orhon into chaos.”
“It did,” he said with a nod. “But Justice thrives in chaos. He saw nothing but opportunity. He claimed the throne while Credo was sick. And when the conduits demanded the entire Liebach family be executed for what he’d done, Justice refused. It was the first time a ruler ever went against the Mother’s will. Tensions boiled until Justice got tired of sharing power altogether. He declared the religion treasonous and had the conduits executed instead.”
I gasped in shock. “That’s horrific.”
“True, but that’s why magicians are still around. The conduits had hunted us, our families, too, one by one. Man, woman, child. No one was safe.”
My chest tightened. His voice carried so much pain, and I couldn’t shake the sense of guilt I felt. “I know I said it before, and I know it doesn’t make anything better, but …I’m really sorry that happened, Surge.”
He cleared his throat and met my gaze. “So, any urge to kill me now that you know what I am?”
I smiled at him. “Let’s put it this way. If I can get through life without killing anyone, I’ll call that a win.”
He tipped his head. “You sure you’re a conduit?” he teased.
I exhaled on a laugh. “Honestly, I have no idea. I haven’t even seen a ghost since I’ve been on Orhon.”
