Page 28 of The Mage on the Hill
Elias tapped his water bottle against the side of the bench. “Arden’s prickly sometimes. No. Back that up. Arden’s just prickly. Did he do something that made things worse again?”
Is this gossiping? Sort of feels like it. Maybe Elias had a serious Arden bias and wanted to think the worst. Except they were staying at his place and eating his food, and it was obvious he cared for Darius. “Arden was, um, upset. Really upset that Darius had never gotten in touch after Pittsburgh.”
“He thought the professor was dead.”
Toby sent a sidelong glance at Elias. “Yeah. I guess a lot of people thought he was. Director Whittaker told me he almost died, and maybe that was a slip. Maybe he just said that to me because I was supposed to go to hospice and die and it didn’t make any difference. Anyway—I don’t know what happened up there with Kara. I just know shediddie and Darius thinks he killed her.”
“More than I knew.” Elias huffed a breath and took a long drink. “I don’t mean to sound bitter. It’s a small bitter. He’s been sinking in this swamp of depression, probably barely getting by all this time, andI’mhurt he didn’t call. He needed help, no one came, and somehow he hung on.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was seeing.”
Elias leaned back, unfocused gaze somewhere else. “We were still talking way back then. He’d text. We’d talk sometimes. Maybe he was too confident. On a high after Zubayr.”
“Who’s Zubayr?”
“His last successful student. Zubayr Tahiri’s a Water/Alkaline mage who was unplaceable. Like us.” Elias pointed the water bottle between them.
“How many were there? Ones that, ah, survived.”
“You’d have to ask Darius. Since he traveled to teach, he’s probably the only one who knows. Still, more than two. Seven that I know of. Most of them still with guilds.” Elias stopped again, cracked his neck, and went on. “Zubayr was a tough student. Close to dying, like I understand you were, until Darius Valstad rode to the rescue. It took a huge point of magical confluence and who knows what else, but he broke through. Found his channels before any catastrophe.”
“And then Kara.”
Elias nodded. “And then Kara. Disowned by her family, sure she was an abomination, powerful as all shit Kara. That poor girl.”
“Was she young?”
“Hmm. Younger than you. Still a kid. Darius took her on. From what he told me, they were making progress. He was sure he’d ID’d her channels, and they were going to the big confluence point in Pittsburgh where the rivers meet. She was Water, he was sure of it. And Zubayr was Water, so he was going along to help. Control where she was shaky. Help ease her into it.”
“And?”
“Don’t know.” Elias shrugged. “That was the last I heard. Heard rumors, of course. Huge magical explosion. The rivers rising. The city in jeopardy. But facts? Don’t have those.”
“Did Zubayr survive?”
“He did, but he won’t talk about it. Says it’s not his to tell.”
A long silence hung between them as Elias kept his thoughts close, and Toby tried not to think too hard. He was tired. Aching. It would’ve been good to curl up and sleep like Darius had, but that was the strange part. He was conscious and didn’t feel like death with freezer burn, as he had after every other magical explosion.
“What happened on the hill today? Why am I up and he’s not? Where was the explosion?”
Elias stared at him hard enough to make Toby squirm. “Huh. He really hasn’t been explaining much, has he? Or at all. I don’t know what he did exactly with you, but there was one. Magical explosion. Not a huge one, partly ’cause you’re bleeding little bits of magic all the time now, which you probably weren’t doing at the guildhall. Partly ’cause he redirected. I think he’s guessed something about your magic. Maybe from watching you today.”
“He did what, then? Acted like a damper? Or a freaking lightning rod?”
“Little of both, I’d guess. And he did get his ass tossed a good ten feet when the ground flumped.”
“Flumped?”
“Technical term, kid. The earth rose with the explosion, but only little divots popped out before it sank back. He used his magic to keep yours contained. But I think he was trying to get an answer too. About your channels.”
“And you think he got one?” Toby was embarrassed about the breathless quality of his voice, but too bad.
“Not sure. The old Darius would’ve crowed about it and told you right away. He’s changed, though. So much. So careful. So… restrained.”
Toby chewed on that for a moment, sorrow pooling around his heart. “Is there any of him left that you see?”
Elias let out a sharp laugh. “Yeah. Stubborn old fool still. He may be more careful, but he still thinks he’s always right, far as I can see.”
