turned back to the burning man in wonder, noticing that the flames were stationary, frozen, as if caught in amber.
The room was suddenly suffused with pure white light, and a voice came from everywhere and nowhere, echoing across all registers of sound simultaneously. “Ask and ye shall receive.”
CHAPTER 12
Rory tried to find the source of the voice but failed. “Am I dead?” he asked, his voice faltering.
“No.”
Turning, he looked around the light-filled room. “I don’t understand.”
“You are experiencing an akashic event at the cusp between the second life and final death. Your soul has migrated outside of time, but you remain tethered to your body by the spell Jiao-long used to create you.”
“Vampires don’t have souls.”
“They do not. But you are not a common vampire.”
Rory’s eyes widened. “What does that mean?”
“You are one of the Firstborn, the only such to be created since the First Age. You did not enter the first death on your road to the second life. Your soul remains bound to your body. However, Jiao-long’s knowledge of the Pact Arcanum was incomplete. He did not understand the nature of Sentinel magic.”
“Pact Arcanum?”
“A bargain struck between a human magus and an agent of the higher or lower powers. Such bargains with the Red Wind created the Firstborn, who in turn created the creatures you know as vampires, using powers they purchased from the lower planes. A separate bargain with the White Wind created the Sentinel Gift, forging an army of soldiers to combat the darkness, rising to wakefulness only when confronted with a vampire agent of the Red Wind.
“You held the power of the Gift, which bound your fealty to the White Wind. Jiao-long attempted to turn you by opening your spirit to the Red Wind, using the power of the Pact Arcanum. But your fealty to the White Wind is not so easily displaced. It is bound to your soul, even though your body is now animated by the spirit of the Red Wind. You are unique, Sean Rory Brennigan Magister Jiao-long—a child of two allegiances.”
Rory frowned. “I’m no Magister.”
“You were not created in the most common manner, having retained your soul, but you remain the only surviving scion of House Jiao-long; therefore, you have inherited the position of Magister Jiao-long with your Master’s death.”
“I still have my soul.” He hesitated. “Are you saying it was my choice to kill my friends and wasn’t forced on me by the Red Wind?”
“The Red Wind will continue to influence your perceptions and choices, Sean Magister Jiao-long, but you are the arbiter of your own destiny as long as your soul remains with you. You are not bound to good or evil. Your free will remains intact.”
Rory focused on Take’s body, lying next to his own. “My choice,” he whispered to himself.
“As it was your choice to remove yourself from the field of play.”
Rory was silent for a time. “So, I’m having a near-death experience,” he said at last. “What happens next? You said my soul was tethered to my body. Does that mean I’m trapped here? Caught at the moment of my death forever?”
“No. The path before you will depend on the choice you make.”
Rory looked up in suspicion. “What choice?”
“Ask and ye shall receive.”
“You said that before. What exactly does that mean?”
“Jiao-long made you a vessel of his power and invoked the Pact Arcanum, but he was destroyed before he could bind your soul to his bidding. You are therefore free to bargain on your own behalf.”
“Wait, I don’t understand. Bargain for what?”
“The Pact Arcanum has been invoked. You owe first allegiance to the White Wind, so your soul has traveled to seek out an agent of the higher planes and to bargain for power, according to the terms of the ritual. The Gates of Morning have opened to hear your petition. Ask and ye shall receive.”
Rory stood thunderstruck. “An agent of the higher planes? Is that what
The room was suddenly suffused with pure white light, and a voice came from everywhere and nowhere, echoing across all registers of sound simultaneously. “Ask and ye shall receive.”
CHAPTER 12
Rory tried to find the source of the voice but failed. “Am I dead?” he asked, his voice faltering.
“No.”
Turning, he looked around the light-filled room. “I don’t understand.”
“You are experiencing an akashic event at the cusp between the second life and final death. Your soul has migrated outside of time, but you remain tethered to your body by the spell Jiao-long used to create you.”
“Vampires don’t have souls.”
“They do not. But you are not a common vampire.”
Rory’s eyes widened. “What does that mean?”
“You are one of the Firstborn, the only such to be created since the First Age. You did not enter the first death on your road to the second life. Your soul remains bound to your body. However, Jiao-long’s knowledge of the Pact Arcanum was incomplete. He did not understand the nature of Sentinel magic.”
“Pact Arcanum?”
“A bargain struck between a human magus and an agent of the higher or lower powers. Such bargains with the Red Wind created the Firstborn, who in turn created the creatures you know as vampires, using powers they purchased from the lower planes. A separate bargain with the White Wind created the Sentinel Gift, forging an army of soldiers to combat the darkness, rising to wakefulness only when confronted with a vampire agent of the Red Wind.
“You held the power of the Gift, which bound your fealty to the White Wind. Jiao-long attempted to turn you by opening your spirit to the Red Wind, using the power of the Pact Arcanum. But your fealty to the White Wind is not so easily displaced. It is bound to your soul, even though your body is now animated by the spirit of the Red Wind. You are unique, Sean Rory Brennigan Magister Jiao-long—a child of two allegiances.”
Rory frowned. “I’m no Magister.”
“You were not created in the most common manner, having retained your soul, but you remain the only surviving scion of House Jiao-long; therefore, you have inherited the position of Magister Jiao-long with your Master’s death.”
“I still have my soul.” He hesitated. “Are you saying it was my choice to kill my friends and wasn’t forced on me by the Red Wind?”
“The Red Wind will continue to influence your perceptions and choices, Sean Magister Jiao-long, but you are the arbiter of your own destiny as long as your soul remains with you. You are not bound to good or evil. Your free will remains intact.”
Rory focused on Take’s body, lying next to his own. “My choice,” he whispered to himself.
“As it was your choice to remove yourself from the field of play.”
Rory was silent for a time. “So, I’m having a near-death experience,” he said at last. “What happens next? You said my soul was tethered to my body. Does that mean I’m trapped here? Caught at the moment of my death forever?”
“No. The path before you will depend on the choice you make.”
Rory looked up in suspicion. “What choice?”
“Ask and ye shall receive.”
“You said that before. What exactly does that mean?”
“Jiao-long made you a vessel of his power and invoked the Pact Arcanum, but he was destroyed before he could bind your soul to his bidding. You are therefore free to bargain on your own behalf.”
“Wait, I don’t understand. Bargain for what?”
“The Pact Arcanum has been invoked. You owe first allegiance to the White Wind, so your soul has traveled to seek out an agent of the higher planes and to bargain for power, according to the terms of the ritual. The Gates of Morning have opened to hear your petition. Ask and ye shall receive.”
Rory stood thunderstruck. “An agent of the higher planes? Is that what
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