Read Online Cracks in Reality (Seams in Reality Book 2) by Alex Siegel - Free Book Online
Authors: Alex Siegel
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Blake attacks her, so now is the time to practice."
Charley moaned with anguish. Andrew felt a rush of anger and flailed his arms uselessly at the empty air. Keene wasn't playing fair.
"Throwing a fit won't help you," Keene said.
He was right. Great sorcery required a methodical, emotionless approach. Anger would only get in the way. Somehow, Andrew had to ignore the fact that the woman he loved was suffering horribly. That was the point of the exercise.
He went deep into his own mind. He had an impenetrable fortress inside where nobody else could touch him. He always visualized it as a stone castle with outer walls a mile high. The blocks were a dense matrix of clocks and multiplication tables. The silence was absolute, and he could forget all his troubles.
When he calmed down, he returned to the world. He could see Tonya and Charley in the seam chamber, but Keene was still invisible. Andrew had to solve that problem first by dispelling the illusion.
Charley groaned again. He fought to regain control of his emotions before continuing.
He began working algebra problems in his head. Mathematics was absolute truth, and a formula was either right or wrong. There was no room for judgment or chaos. It was a good way to expel the influence of sorcery from his mind. He felt Keene fighting back, but Andrew was on firm ground now. With his enormous talent and Tonya's intensive training, he could break through any illusion, even one cast by a master sorcerer.
Keene began to reappear. He was a vague blur at first, but then details emerged. He was standing near the marble machine a few feet behind Charley. He was clenching his jaw so tightly, his cheeks were shaking.
Andrew stood up and walked over to Keene.
"Let her go," Andrew said.
"No." Keene snarled.
Charley cried out, rattling Andrew's composure. For a moment, he lost focus, and Keene vanished again.
"It's hard to protect the woman you love," he said. "Ancient instincts take hold, and you become just an animal defending its mate. To beat me or Blake, you'll have to be a man, not a beast. You must master the chaos that dwells within us all."
Andrew regained his focus and was able to see Keene again. The master sorcerer abruptly gave up on the illusion of invisibility, and Andrew could perceive him normally without effort. Keene's energy was also revealed, and it looked like a black thunderstorm swirling around him. Ordinary eyes couldn't see it, but to Andrew's inner eye, the storm was an intimidating apparition.
It was time for Andrew to go on offense. He tried to peer into Keene's mind but immediately hit a wall. Keene's mental defenses were strong.
"You have to do better than that, kid," he said.
Andrew narrowed his eyes. He could've punched Keene in the stomach or something to break his concentration, but that wasn't the point of the exercise. Andrew needed to show Keene what a war mage could do.
"There is that troublesome anger again," Keene said. "It's a good thing we're just practicing, or I would've killed you by now."
Andrew clamped down on his emotions. He began to apply relentless pressure to Keene's mind by hitting him with wave after wave of frightening illusions. Andrew projected the idea Keene's flesh was riddled with worms. Andrew flooded the chamber with burning lava. He sucked out all the air to create a hard vacuum. He made the roof collapse, crushing everybody below. It was enough to send a normal man into screaming fits, but Keene just grimaced.
"Not bad," he said. "Not bad at all, but these are just generic images, easily shrugged aside. You have to get into my soft underbelly. Find something that will upset me in particular."
"But I don't know you," Andrew said.
"That's not completely true. You know a few things about me."
Andrew tried to remember what he could about Keene. He was the chief psychiatrist at the Avanessian Institute for Emotional Health, a mental hospital. He dealt with insane people all day long. He had probably heard a
Charley moaned with anguish. Andrew felt a rush of anger and flailed his arms uselessly at the empty air. Keene wasn't playing fair.
"Throwing a fit won't help you," Keene said.
He was right. Great sorcery required a methodical, emotionless approach. Anger would only get in the way. Somehow, Andrew had to ignore the fact that the woman he loved was suffering horribly. That was the point of the exercise.
He went deep into his own mind. He had an impenetrable fortress inside where nobody else could touch him. He always visualized it as a stone castle with outer walls a mile high. The blocks were a dense matrix of clocks and multiplication tables. The silence was absolute, and he could forget all his troubles.
When he calmed down, he returned to the world. He could see Tonya and Charley in the seam chamber, but Keene was still invisible. Andrew had to solve that problem first by dispelling the illusion.
Charley groaned again. He fought to regain control of his emotions before continuing.
He began working algebra problems in his head. Mathematics was absolute truth, and a formula was either right or wrong. There was no room for judgment or chaos. It was a good way to expel the influence of sorcery from his mind. He felt Keene fighting back, but Andrew was on firm ground now. With his enormous talent and Tonya's intensive training, he could break through any illusion, even one cast by a master sorcerer.
Keene began to reappear. He was a vague blur at first, but then details emerged. He was standing near the marble machine a few feet behind Charley. He was clenching his jaw so tightly, his cheeks were shaking.
Andrew stood up and walked over to Keene.
"Let her go," Andrew said.
"No." Keene snarled.
Charley cried out, rattling Andrew's composure. For a moment, he lost focus, and Keene vanished again.
"It's hard to protect the woman you love," he said. "Ancient instincts take hold, and you become just an animal defending its mate. To beat me or Blake, you'll have to be a man, not a beast. You must master the chaos that dwells within us all."
Andrew regained his focus and was able to see Keene again. The master sorcerer abruptly gave up on the illusion of invisibility, and Andrew could perceive him normally without effort. Keene's energy was also revealed, and it looked like a black thunderstorm swirling around him. Ordinary eyes couldn't see it, but to Andrew's inner eye, the storm was an intimidating apparition.
It was time for Andrew to go on offense. He tried to peer into Keene's mind but immediately hit a wall. Keene's mental defenses were strong.
"You have to do better than that, kid," he said.
Andrew narrowed his eyes. He could've punched Keene in the stomach or something to break his concentration, but that wasn't the point of the exercise. Andrew needed to show Keene what a war mage could do.
"There is that troublesome anger again," Keene said. "It's a good thing we're just practicing, or I would've killed you by now."
Andrew clamped down on his emotions. He began to apply relentless pressure to Keene's mind by hitting him with wave after wave of frightening illusions. Andrew projected the idea Keene's flesh was riddled with worms. Andrew flooded the chamber with burning lava. He sucked out all the air to create a hard vacuum. He made the roof collapse, crushing everybody below. It was enough to send a normal man into screaming fits, but Keene just grimaced.
"Not bad," he said. "Not bad at all, but these are just generic images, easily shrugged aside. You have to get into my soft underbelly. Find something that will upset me in particular."
"But I don't know you," Andrew said.
"That's not completely true. You know a few things about me."
Andrew tried to remember what he could about Keene. He was the chief psychiatrist at the Avanessian Institute for Emotional Health, a mental hospital. He dealt with insane people all day long. He had probably heard a
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