A New Light (The Astral Wanderer Book 1) by D'Artagnan Rey (best romance ebooks txt) 📗

with his fingers spread apart and let small trails of Mana flow out and into the keyhole to attach to the cobalt spikes within. He allowed more to trickle in and when he neither saw nor heard any change, he decided that flooding the spikes with Mana wouldn’t achieve the desired result.

It was a keyhole, so perhaps he should treat his Mana as if it were the key. That made sense when he thought about it and he held his open hand with the other, closed his eyes to focus, and used the Mana attached to the spikes to try to turn the lock. He regretted it almost immediately as he could feel his fingers bending with it.

The Mana strands were too thin. He probably had the right idea but needed to strengthen the bond. Pushing his impatience aside, he focused on building the Mana trails to strengthen the connection between him and the lock. The process relieved his fingers somewhat when he tried to manipulate the lock again, but when he had turned it almost a quarter of the way, the resistance returned. He frowned and tried using his other hand to create a second set of Mana strands to help relieve the stress of the bond and unlatch the door.

Wulfsun observed the boy’s struggle, a little surprised that he still had to use Vello in that manner. In the same way he knew from watching him use Anima that he could open the doors, he knew from this display that it wouldn’t work. Most Magi who were advanced in Vello did not use it as an extended limb or digit. This type of action was accomplished purely through mind and spirit. It was not necessarily bad that he used Vello in this manner for simple things like moving objects and the like, but he would not get through the lock like that.

Eventually, Devol released his hold, backed away from the door, and shook his fingers. He stopped after only a few steps and sighed in frustration before he shook his head, returned to the door, and placed his palms on it. His face a picture of concentration, he let both his Mana and Anima flare and stared at the Templar eye as he gritted his teeth and pushed. With an angry yell, he took a step forward and thrust the doors apart.

This earned an approving whistle from Wulfsun, who placed a hand on his shoulder. “Two out of three. Well done, lad,” he complimented him. “Most are happy to get through the first time. You have certainly shown some fire.”

The boy nodded and checked his fingers. “I guess I still have more to work on,” he admitted, picked his pack up, and slid it over his shoulders. “What’s next, Mist—Wulfsun?”

The Templar let that slide and pointed into the dark hall behind the doors. “Now we get to the part that makes things fun,” he stated with a toothy grin. “We’ll learn about that pretty sword of yours, brother.”

Chapter Ten

They proceeded deeper into the darkened space and moved toward a light that indicated a second chamber.

“This is one of the spires in the center of the castle,” Wulfsun explained and pointed to the opening ahead. “We refer to it as the treasury and it’s where we keep most of the valuables we’ve procured through missions, negotiations, that kind of thing.”

“And it’s where you keep the majestics?” Devol asked.

“Not all, boyo,” the Templar corrected. “We have some in there but majestics are unique and we can’t simply pass them around like we would a work mule. This is where we keep artifacts, exotics, trinkets, curios, those types of things. Rivets as well.”

“Rivets?” He frowned as he searched his memories. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of those.”

The commander chuckled. “It’s something of a local term around here. But more importantly than those, this is where a friend of mine is usually hiding. He’ll help you get everything in order for the next part of the test.”

So he would meet another Templar. He wondered if he was a commander too and where he hailed from. Was he another human or perhaps a realmer he had yet to see? He’d had so many new experiences today and yet he was thrilled about another. It was probably a habit he should work on before he went into another haunted forest in the future.

When they walked into the chamber, Devol paused to study the high white-and-silver walls contrasted by dark marbled floors. Several large bookcases were filled with tomes and a few banners displayed the familiar Templar insignia. A massive fireplace provided a calm, flickering fire and in one of the corners of the chamber, the foot of a spiraling staircase leading farther up the tower was visible.

“It’s probably the fanciest looking room in this castle,” Wulfsun told him. “My friend managed the decorations and renovations over the years, something of a pet project.”

“Given that it might as well be my abode…” a steady, studious voice began and the boy turned. The speaker was a dryad, a male this time and taller than the female he had seen earlier. His pale red skin highlighted his bright yellow eyes. Flowing blue robes covered his form with white wrappings around his hands and what appeared to be wooden rings on two fingers of his left hand, but they were immaculately crafted. His hair was long and hung to the middle of his back. It was a snowy white but more vibrant than Vaust’s, and his white horn protruded from the top of his forehead with another wooden ring adorning the base.

He folded his arms behind his back as he approached the two visitors to his domain and his gaze lingered on Devol for a moment before he turned his attention to Wulfsun. “I would argue that making it more homey helps with my work.”

“And hello to you too, Zier!” The captain greeted him with a large grin and turned to his young companion. “This is