Consensus Breaking (The Auran Chronicles Book 2) by M. S. Dobing Page B

Morgan joined him a moment later.
    ‘It is difficult,’ he said.
    ‘Why? What is keeping you back?’
    ‘Loose ends,’ he replied, not elaborating further.
    ‘Tie them up. Come with us.’
    Cade smiled. ‘You won’t take no for an answer, will you?’
    ‘Old age has made me stubborn. It’d be easy for you if you just give in.’
    Cade sighed and turned to his former mentor.
    ‘If I come, it does not mean I am joining this sanctuary. I will come, and I will see. I will see what this leader has to say before I make my decision.’
    ‘Agreed!’
    The two clasped hands, then turned their gaze to the twinkling lights below, each lost in their thoughts.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER TWELVE
     
     
    Sylph had either not returned from her first day with the Night Sisters or had left before he’d even woken, but when Seb entered the canteen the next morning she was nowhere to be seen. In all honesty it wasn’t a bad thing. He’d been in a foul mood ever since Anna had shown him the adept’s accommodation the night before.
    Stephanie.
    The name just kept appearing in his mind.
    A young girl, about his age.
    A teddy. Clutching it like a little child.
    She’d been exposed to something wonderful, something unbelievable.
    And they’d ripped it from her.
    He’d tossed and turned trying to rationalise it in his head. She was in pain. She was lost. Purging removed that pain. She would no longer feel disconnected from the world.
    Bullshit.
    When he’d lost his connection to the Weave after Marek had slipped the void collar round his neck, Seb had never felt so lost. It was as if the lights had been turned off in the world and it was a horrible, lonely feeling.
    Now they’d done the same to Stephanie. Was she cured? Was that even the right term? She’d seemed peaceful when they’d left, but at what cost? Her aura was dull, duller even than the normal Unaware. Did the purging sever that Weave connection? Or did it do something else, something more fundamental?
    He picked at his breakfast for ten minutes before writing the whole thing off as a bad idea. Draining the last of his coffee, he left the canteen, ignoring the other coterie of adepts that had sat near him and looked over in between hushed whispers.
    It only took a couple of minutes to make it to the Dome. Already a good number of people were working out, either running on the track or using some of the exercise equipment that stood scattered across the massive area. Ignoring these, he jogged between them, following a path to his eight o’clock appointment.
    Whatever you do, don’t be late , had been Anna’s parting words to him.
    It seemed like good advice.
    He stopped at the ramp that led into Enzo’s garden. Sentio didn’t reveal anyone outside, so he took a gentle step onto the ramp. No one shouted, so he continued on, stopping at the open paper door that led into the building.
    ‘Hello?’ he shouted. ‘Master Enzo?’
    The air behind him crackled. Seb spun round, revealing a tall man, stick thin and wearing a robe clearly too big for him. The man looked at him with eyes of pure grey. No pupils.
    ‘Master Enzo?’ he said, frowning as he looked into the man’s eyes. Was he -
    ‘Blind, yes, if you wish to assign a label to it. My eyes do not function, although that hasn’t been something of consequence for many years.’
    The man held out a hand. Seb took it. It felt feeble, light.
    ‘Seb, it is good of you to come here.’
    ‘Where did you come from?’ he said.
    ‘Why, something troubles you?’
    ‘No. Yes. It’s just that, I couldn’t sense anything before you appeared. I’ve never seen that before.’
    ‘Ah you have, boy. When you were at the Magistry, did you not see such a sight?’
    ‘Not to my knowledge.’
    ‘Not even when you saw mighty Cian fighting in that circle of his?’
    ‘Well, yes, but that was different. He wasn’t fighting a mage. He was fighting a simulacrum…’ Seb paused. ‘But you’re not