Chapter 25

As Citlali continued to prod his defenses, Nate began to understand something about the Inquisitor. He was going easy on him. Nate was certain of his mental abilities, but when the Inquisitor attacked him in strategic locations, Nate realized he had a lot to learn.

The shield atop his head was strong enough to defend against the awl, but the man used different techniques to try and invade his mind. One time he tried to attack from below and Nate moved his shield from atop his head to meet it. Like a teacher, he began to guide Nate by showing him different ways someone might attempt a mental assault.

“What is taking so long?” Master Andrea said, annoyed with the delay. “Have you gotten what you need?”

Nate felt the awl disperse. He sighed in relief and dispersed his shield as well. The Inquisitor turned to the council members and shook his head.

“I couldn’t get past his defenses.” He said.

Master Andrea pinned Nate with a glare. “It was decided amongst the council. Do you dare go against us by holding out?!”

“You think I’m going to let you just rifle around in my head? Go through my memories? Who the fuck are you?” Nate spat. “I have free will like all of you, so you go ahead and try to invade my mind. See what happens.”

“There you have it.” Master Andrea turned to the council members. “He knows he’s guilty. He’s spouting on about free will when he was told specifically that we’d only access the memories from that day. The truth is clear as day, he’s guilty and he’s afraid we’ll find the truth so he continues to bar us from his mind.”

“Tell you what. I’ll allow him inside my mind if you do the same.” Nate responded.

“Y-you… W-what…” Master Andrea stammered.

“It’s only fair, isn’t it?” Grandmaster Oakley jumped in spotting an opportunity.

Nate knew this was a gamble. But the idea of letting someone rifle through his memories was the greatest invasion of privacy and free will he could think of. He’d be dammed if he let someone do that to him again. And judging by Master Andrea’s reaction, he felt the same way too.

“I’m not the one on trial here!” Master Andrea shouted. “This is ridiculous. We’ll just put him to sleep and access what we need when his defenses are down.”

"You go too far!” Grandmaster Oakley was red with anger. He was ready to fight, to kill if need be.

Ever since his daughter betrayed them all and joined Talos, Master Andrea has made it his personal mission to undermine him in every council meeting. Out on the streets, he never let anyone forget what his daughter had done. Grandmaster Oakley kept his head down and endured the shame that was rightfully his.

Because of this, the Prescott name had fallen from the prestige it once had. When the Grandmaster saw Nate, he saw an opportunity to rise from the ashes. The daughter that brought him shame, had given birth to a son that would regain the honor lost. He grasped onto this idea like a lifeline and he’d rather die than watch his last ember of hope extinguished.

Before the council members could start arguing again it was Inquisitor Citlali who spoke up. “You said Mendell was nowhere to be found?”

“I saw him die when I projected my consciousness there.” Master Andrea said.

“Can we not simply send someone there to investigate your claims?”

Master Andrea looked at the Inquisitor warily. He sensed the man was trying to support Nate. “The Guardians have set up wards to block me from projecting myself there, no doubt taught to them by the angels they’re colluding with. I’ve sent one of my subordinates to meet with them but they refuse to cooperate with us. They think we set them up.”

“The incident reports state there was a two-star beast with a mind control sigil on its forehead. Nate has a lot of potential but I doubt he knows anything about weaving. His mental abilities are untrained. That means someone else was behind the two-star beast attack. This person could’ve sent that diversion to eliminate Mendell.” Inquisitor Citlali reasoned.

The council members faces changed as they began to consider the Inquisitor’s words. Master Andrea didn't like the shifting of opinion.

“We know of his hatred for Mendell. If you’ve read the incident reports, you’d know that there were several people who were un-accounted for during the field trip, and Nate was one of them. Now he tells us he’s made peace with his demon? That he can control it? Well, we’ve all seen what a hateful monster his demon is. Who else but he would attack Mendell? The evidence is all there, what further proof do you require?!”

The council members were split into two sides and they began to argue. Master Andrea had raised some important points, but ultimately the fact that there was a two-star beast at the field trip gave them doubt that Nate was the only one there with an agenda.

When it looked like the council members would never reach a conclusion, Inquisitor Citlali spoke up. “There is only one action we can take.” He said sharply and loud enough to cut through the arguments.

The council members quieted down and turned to him. When all eyes were on him, Citlali spoke. “Investigate who was behind the two-star beast, and that person will lead us to the truth. Nate’s mental abilities are un-refined, but they’re strong enough to keep me out so we’ll gain no answers there.”

“We can lower his defenses.” Master Andrea interrupted.

“I won’t attack someone who can’t fight back.” Inquisitor Citlali said firmly. “And quite frankly, even if we employed that method what would be the point? Let’s say he killed Mendell and you all decide to banish him to the NetherRealm.

Within a week he’d be recruited by one of the seven demon clans. And they’d teach him how to properly use his mental abilities to create weaves. I told you his mental abilities are high. That was an understatement. His mental abilities are far more powerful than any demon I’ve come across. I can’t imagine what he’ll be capable of once he finds a real master to guide him. You would allow someone with that much power walk away from here?”

“We can’t just excuse him for what he’s done!” Master Andrea interjected.

“Then investigate first. If you find out Nate was behind the death of Mendell then your only choice is to kill him. Banishing him will only bring you misery in the future.” Citlali said casually.

The council members were shocked. The last time they’ve sentenced a mage to death was back in the eighteen-hundreds. Everyone since than has been banished to the NetherRealms which was the same as killing them off.

Banishing someone was much easier than killing them off. Killing a mage required burning them at the stake. This had fallen out of favor after the Salem Witch trials in which hundreds of mage youths were sent to the pyre after deviating from the path. Many older mages lost their children then, and wouldn’t want a reminder of those dark times

“In the meantime. I will take ownership of Nate’s tutelage.” Citlali said, shocking the council members again. “His potential is wasted upon learning magic when he should be learning other things. I will make sure to fast track his education and make him an asset to which we can utilize, rather than a weapon that can be used against us.”

“What if you teach him, and he turns against us anyways?” One of the council members asked.

“Then I’ll kill him with my own two hands. You all need to be decisive about this. Either kill him now so he’s no longer a threat, or train him properly to become an asset to us. This bullshit middle ground you’ve placed him in is not working.” Citlali turned to Nate who had a stomach full of boiling nerves.

“He needs perspective on our world. No doubt his view is only limited to the world he knows. Under my tutelage he will explore the world, both the human realm and the NetherRealm and then decide on what’s the best path for him. That’s all we can do as the older generation. Teach our young and let them come to their own conclusions.”

Nate felt moved by the Inquisitor’s speech. Looking around at the other council members, he could see they were considering his words carefully. It looked like they were going to agree with the Inquisitor’s advice.

“Then its settled.” Annabel said. “Nate will apprentice to Inquisitor Citlali and the events of the field trip instance will be investigated. If Nate is found in the wrong we’ll reconvene then to decide how we’ll carry out his death sentence.”

“What is there to discuss then? If he’s found guilty, which he is, we’ll burn him at the stake. It is law and part of our tradition for a reason.” Master Andrea said, the bitter disappointment at his loss was clear for everyone to see.

“I just meant that with the lingering effects of the mass burning that took place three-hundred years ago, we might want to come up with an alternative method. I realize fire is the only way in which we can verify the true death of a mage, but I doubt anyone wants to witness someone being burned alive. I know I don’t.” Annabel’s face grew dark and her eyes distant as she remembered the screams of those being burned alive.

“One more thing.” Citlali said before they could call a close to the trial. “Nate will be enrolled in the Advanced combat class while I’m here. I need to make sure he’s up to snuff before we enter the NetherRealm.”

“Fine.” Annabel waved her hand. “Court is adjourned.”

…

After the trial, Nate was escorted out of the courtroom by the Inquisitor. The man had a car waiting outside. He opened the door and gestured Nate inside. “We have a lot to discuss.”

Nate entered the car. Citlali entered after him and ordered the driver to take them to the Prescott estate. Than he chanted a short spell and created a bubble so that they were speaking in private.

Citlali didn’t speak right away. He stared at Nate with an appraising eye. “Did you create that weave on the spot?”

Nate thought about his question. The only thing he could be referring to was the shield he created, but he never heard of weaving before. “Is that what weaving is?”

Citlali nodded. “Anything created using the tendrils of mental energy is called a weave. The world is filled with energy. Energy that exists like a web of magic that lays over this world and the NetherRealm. Mages can access this magic, as you’ve learned in your magical theory class. But those who use tendrils of mental energy can weave the energy in this world, twisting it and changing it into the magical effects they want.”

Citlali saw the confused look on Nate’s face. “Think of it this way. Elemental mages manipulate the elements and shamans manipulate nature. But a weaver, someone who can form those tendrils of mental energy, can combine different energies together to create something entirely new. You’ve only used your mental threads of energy in simple ways, but it’s capable of so much more.”

That confused Nate. “isn't that what an arcane mage is? Is a weaver essentially a mage with mental abilities? If that’s true then why isn’t there more information about this class at school?”

"You will come to learn the difference between an arcane mage and a weaver. As for why it's not taught at the Academy," Citlali shrugged. “Humans are the most powerful in using magic. We’re weak when it comes to spirit energy and weaving, so it’s more beneficial for us to focus down one path. We only opened the spirit school because we’ve had an influx of other races, but there are only a handful of students who might be able to weave. Therefore, they don’t bother teaching it unless you ask.”