The Tower's Alchemist (The Gray Tower Trilogy, #1)

  ***

  Basking in the sun at a nearby park helped cheer me up a little and clear my mind. I sat in the grass near a small fountain, watching a few children fish out coins. When I noticed that one of the boys carried a wrapped sandwich like those at the grocer’s store, I offered him a franc for it and took it off his hands. I opened it and polished it off, disappointed that it was only a cheese sandwich and wishing I had eaten the fruit I ordered earlier.

  I felt a tingling sensation at the sound of a mandolin playing, but it was so faint that I wasn’t sure if it was all in my mind. I asked the boys if they heard anything, but they insisted that I was crazy. They gave up on me and ran away, just as the sound of the melody increased. I listened to the music for a while before following the sound to a copse with looming trees and swaying branches. It was serene and secluded, a perfect place for lovers to frolic, I wistfully thought.

  As I approached, I saw the same gypsy who had been on the street corner the other evening. His hood shaded his eyes and gray hairs streaked his dark beard. He played the song through to the end and, for some reason, it mesmerized me. I settled in the cool grass next to him.

  “Good morning, miss.”

  “Good morning.”

  “I remember you. I still have the franc you gave me.”

  “Yes...please, keep it.”

  “You’re not from here.” He put the mandolin aside.

  “My name is Noelle...”

  “No it’s not.”

  I felt that tingling sensation. It ran straight from my shoulders, down my back, and through my legs. My thoughts became murky, and when it became more difficult for me to concentrate, I realized that he had enchanted me with the song.

  “Who are you?” I slid my hand down my side so I could reach my knife, wondering why he didn’t try to take over my mind with the enchantment. In any case, it would be his last mistake.

  “Isabella...do you remember me?”

  “No.” I shook my head and gripped my knife. It would be too risky to lay a symbol while under an enchantment. I’d have to do it the old-fashioned way and stab him.

  “Did you receive my note?”

  I gasped and loosened my hold on my knife. “Which note?”

  “Do you remember me?”

  “Dad...is it you?” My hand shook as I reached for the hood, but he gently held my hand at bay.

  “Whoever sees your memories could also see my face. Very few know me by sight.”

  Although part of me couldn’t believe it, and I didn’t know how I was supposed to feel, all I knew was that I slowly wrapped my arms around his neck in an embrace, and didn’t bother to wipe away the tears that fell. After all these years, I had finally found him again! I was scared this was just another one of my dreams, that I would wake up and find him gone. But the longer we held onto each other, my fear subsided.

  “Dad? Can you lift the enchantment now? I promise I won’t be hysterical.” I wiped my cheeks.

  “The enchantment wasn’t for tranquility, but for your memory.” He took both my hands and held them in his. “What do you remember about me?”

  “I always have a dream about you. I dream about the tool shed, and fire all around me. You’d come and save me, but then you’d disappear. Sometimes you would reappear and then vanish again.”

  “Those aren’t dreams, those are memories.”

  I felt ill. “Was there something else I was supposed to remember?”

  “Not now, it’s too dangerous.”

  “I want to help you.”

  “Find Veit Heilwig.”

  “What does he have to do with this?” I shuddered when I felt the presence of a strong wizard approaching.

  “It seems even as we speak, I’m being tracked.” He let go of my hands and stood.

  “Before you go, can I ask you something?”

  “Yes, quickly.”

  “Why didn’t you come home? We waited for you, and you never came.” For all I knew, I could’ve asked him for the secret to the universe, but this wasn’t Isabella the Alchemist asking, this was a daughter asking her father.

  “I’m a marked man, and I’ll always be hunted. I would never put my family through that. I sacrificed my presence for your safety.”

  “I thought you were dead.”

  “And I felt like I was, being away from you, Johnnie, and your mother. But it was the only way.”

  He started to leave, but I called out to him. “How will finding Dr. Heilwig help you? I need to know.”

  “First, he knows the truth about me. Second, he will help you understand more. Above all, he’s my friend, and we need him.”

  “When will I see you again?” I had so many other questions and so many things I wanted to say, and all of them were fighting to be heard. Even though it was likely out of the question, I wanted to at least try to convince him to come home, even for a little while.

  “I’ll come for you before the end of this year. You need to complete your training.”

  “Training?”

  “You left the Gray Tower too soon, but we can remedy that.”

  I knew he wanted to help, and I had toyed with the same idea, but seeing him changed everything, knowing who he was changed everything. “I can’t go back to those people. Not when they’re hunting you like a criminal.”

  “Either way, you will train. If you want, you can be with me, Veit, and...”

  “I miss you.” For such a great Philosopher, I swore he just couldn’t catch on. Come on, Dad, all I wanted to hear at this moment was that you missed me like hell, and nothing would ever stand in between you and your family again.

  He leaned down to kiss me on the forehead. “One of my trackers is near, and he’s headed straight toward us. I must go now—he’ll follow my trail. Veit knows he is to remain by your side and tell you everything.”

  He disappeared in a flash, leaving me alone in the copse. I felt empty and sad, the way I did when I was a child and had found out that he would not be returning home. I hoped that I truly would see him by the end of the year, and I would make sure that I’d find a way to be at home with Johnnie and mother so that they could see him too.

  I stood and walked back toward the fountain, reclaiming my spot on the grass. I felt sorry for my father, because he had to constantly fight and run. The trackers were probably already on his trail again. As I thought about our meeting and replayed everything in my mind, I suddenly recoiled when someone’s hand touched my shoulder.

  “What is ailing you on this beautiful day, young lady?”

  “I’m fine, thank you.” I turned and gazed into the eyes of an elderly man. He looked like one of the businessmen who frequented the park during the day, with his dark gray suit and silver hair peeking from beneath his hat. His clean-shaven face carried a benevolent expression as he looked down at me. However, my senses went off, and I could feel there was something different about him.

  “Whom were you just speaking to?” He kept his hand on my shoulder.

  “No one...” I shuddered and tried guarding my mind against his mental invasion. My head ached, and my mind burned as he pried into my memories to look for his answer. I quickly constructed mental blocks. I even concentrated on mundane things like what I had to eat earlier, but he quickly tore through them and opened my mind further. When I continued resisting, he then switched over to body magic in an attempt to bend my will, so that my mouth would speak the words he wanted to hear.

  Like I said, it was difficult to perform body magic on a wizard who had been trained in it. I reversed the flow of the spell and sent a wave of energy up his arm, straight toward his heart. He clenched his teeth and reached for his chest, and I fed more energy into the attack, hoping that he wouldn’t break the flow and launch an even stronger offense. If I wasn’t already sitting in the grass, I would’ve sunk to my knees from the force of the magic going back and forth between us. His hands began to shake and he finally released me, starting to back off.

  “You’re stron
ger than I thought, Isabella.” He let out a heavy breath, but quickly regained his composure.

  “Who are you?”

  “Leto Priya, of the Gray Tower.”

  I went cold. “Leave me alone.”

  “That is no way to speak to a Master Wizard, Apprentice.”

  “Go to hell.”

  “Who’s the gypsy?” When I said nothing, he continued. “I’m giving you an opportunity to tell me. If I have to, I’ll rip your mind apart and lay it bare to find out.”

  “Get away from her.” Brande came to my side and helped me to my feet. As he stood next to me, Leto gazed at us with a stoic expression.

  “Brande, how good it is to see you. I didn’t think you’d be here.”

  “I’m here...and I’m with her.” He glared at the Master Wizard and took my hand in his. I didn’t know whether to be grateful or afraid, but I held on tightly.

  “I have reason to believe that Carson contacted her. I think we should bring her in for...questioning.”

  “No.”

  “That wasn’t a request, Elite. Now step aside.” He came toward me, but paused when Brande moved forward and blocked him.

  “Do you have proof, Master Priya? You can’t bring in a member of the Order on just suspicion. That is the law.”

  Leto bared his teeth. “Who do you think made those laws?”

  The air grew dense, and I felt electricity at my fingertips. Two other wizards appeared in a whirlwind and landed. As they approached Master Priya, I recognized them and stiffened a little. I had met both of them while at the Gray Tower. The young man was Hotaru, an elemental who came from Japan. The young woman was Mehara, a mentalist from Morocco. Both were Elites.

  Since the Masters only took on Elites to teach, and half of the Masters were constantly outside the Gray Tower fulfilling various duties, Apprentices didn’t necessarily know all of them by sight. I knew many Elites since they were the ones who had instructed me.

  Hotaru greeted Brande and me with a nod, saving a quick bow for Priya. “Master, we picked up his trail a few miles south. Mehara and I followed it, and we caught up to him.

  Priya grunted. “Then what are you doing here?”

  Mehara looked at Hotaru, and then faced the Master Wizard. “Hotaru tried to distract him with fire while I tried to pry into his mind, but Carson had already placed counter spells before we even made our attacks. He had a Circle of Healing with a smaller Circle of Protection inside—”

  “Impossible. He couldn’t have laid one within the other like that.”

  Mehara looked afraid to continue, but she went on. “His mind had a powerful seal, so I couldn’t get in. We tried to get close enough to use body magic, but we couldn’t break the Circles without weakening ourselves.”

  “You should have signaled for me. That was sloppy of you.”

  “We did, Master. However...he had already placed an enchantment that prevented us from signaling you.”

  “And what was my old friend doing the whole time you fought his spells?”

  Hotaru spoke up this time, his expression betraying embarrassment. “He drank coffee and read a newspaper.”

  “Was he disguised as a gypsy?” Priya glared at me.

  Hotaru shook his head. “He wore a black fedora and trench coat.”

  “Go and pick up the trail again. I’ll be with you shortly.” He watched them take off, and his face once again returned to its immovable expression.

  “You seem a little frustrated, Master Priya.” I couldn’t help but smirk. My father did well indeed. There was no wonder why they couldn’t catch him this whole time. I prayed his luck wouldn’t run out.

  “I’m not frustrated, my dear, I’m simply disappointed. Your father is a difficult man...always has been. I’m sorry you had to learn about him this way, though I dare say it was inevitable.” He tipped his hat toward me and then faced Brande. “You and Father Gabriel are expected at the Gray Tower, so I suggest you get there soon. And may I ask, what are your plans, Miss George?”

  “Kill Nazis.”

  “Excellent. Perhaps our paths will cross again...maybe in London? My mother was from there, and my father was from India. Carson actually accompanied me there once, a long time ago.” He lowered his gaze as if in deep thought, and then regarded Brande with one last mysterious look before turning away and disappearing.

  I breathed a soft sigh, then turned to face Brande. “What you just did for me...thank you.”

  “We have to be careful. I’ve seen Master Priya do terrible things to get what he wants.”

  I didn’t doubt that. The Order of Wizards had a noble purpose, stood between Octavian’s Black Wolves and the rest of the world, and there were many selfless and righteous people who made up its ranks. However, people often confused this with pure benevolence, and forgot that individual wizards within the Order could fall prey to the vices and faults that plagued all humans. I had seen selfish wizards, cruel wizards, and morally questionable ones—they weren’t all under Octavian’s control.

  “Sometimes I really hate them.”

  “I hope...you don’t hate me.”

  “I don’t hate you.” I smiled at him, and he just stood there and gazed at me—well, it was more like he was ravishing me with his eyes, but I wasn’t going to complain.

  The boys I saw earlier had returned and gathered around us, offering more sandwiches for francs.

  “I’ll...walk you back to Le Fleur,” he said, finally aware of his surroundings.

  “Thanks.” I waved goodbye to the clamoring children.

  Brande offered me his arm, and I took it. As we headed down the street, I kept thinking about the meeting with my father. I raked over each and every detail from his gray-streaked beard to his somber words. Find Veit Heilwig... I would find him all right, and he would never have to be forced to make those deadly weapons again. He’d reunite with my father.

  Brande opened the door for me and I went inside Le Fleur. Father Gabriel spotted us from the dining area and called out to us, gesturing toward two seats that were apparently saved for us. Lucien and Ernest sat at the bar, drinking and chatting with the bartender.

  “We were worried, Noelle.” Gabriel poured us water from a carafe. “You shouldn’t have gone off this morning without telling anyone.”

  This immediately killed my mood. I may have forgiven Brande, but Father Gabriel was a different matter. We took our seats, and I diverted my gaze to the cup of fresh coffee and plate of chocolates in front of me. I drank and sat there, avoiding small talk and not making eye contact with Gabriel.

  “To the smoking room, then?” Lucien joined us, offering Brande and Gabriel cigars. His eyes were bright and alert, and his demeanor gave off a sense of strength that I hadn’t seen before. I supposed he had taken to heart the talk we had the other day.

  We stood and headed into the smoking room. The lights gave the worn billiard table a soft glow, and the lingering scent of cigars hung in the air. After we entered, Brande locked the door behind us and then joined us around the billiard table.

  “What time should we meet?” Gabriel asked.

  “Seven,” I interjected, thinking about my unwanted midnight rendezvous with Simon. “It shouldn’t take us more than an hour to get there.”

  “I’ll take care of supplies,” Brande said.

  “Noelle and Brande...” Lucien gestured toward us. “You should take the Ruinart entrance. If the tunnels and caves run beneath the city like a maze, then it’s better if we split up and come in from four different directions.”

  Ernest nodded. “I can come in from the south, Luce can take the west tunnel, and Father can come in from the east.”

  Lucien faced me. “You don’t suppose Simon Vester wouldn’t mind allowing me access to the records hall so I can copy a map?”

  Sure, it would be like sticking my bloody finger in a shark tank. “I...think I can manage that.”

  “So we come in from all four sides.” Brande pocketed his cigar. “Who’s going
to disable the alarms?”

  Ernest spoke up. “Whoever’s at the main entrance will have to do it. At the Catalonia lab, there were two guards posted at the main entrance with an outside trigger—if you see two men, then you’ll know you’re at the main door.”

  “Those men will have to be taken care of immediately. If it’s set up like the other lab, there should be between ten to twelve elite armed forces men inside—and a Black Wolf.”

  I thought about Praskovya, and Marc. “There will most likely be other warlocks there too. I should lay Sublimation symbols when I go in, and when the job’s done...or as a last resort, blow the entire place to hell.”

  “You can hold it off, right?” Ernest asked.

  I nodded. “I’ll have to rig the electrical system so when I release it all, I can get an explosion, but it’s doable.”

  “Then do it after we find the doctor.”

  “Then that’ll give us a limited amount of time,” I warned him. “I can only hold off the symbols for so long.”

  “I’ll help Ernest and Lucien fight off the guards,” Gabriel said, “and I can break away to help you and Brande dispose of any warlocks.”

  “Then I’ll see you all at seven.” Lucien loosened his collar as if he had just come home from a long day at work. He went over to the wall and grabbed a couple of mounted cue sticks. He handed one to Ernest.

  “Brande...Father Gabriel...are you in?” Ernest stuck his cigar in between his teeth. “Noelle?”

  “I’m...tired. I should go lie down.” My head throbbed, and I didn’t care too much for being sequestered in a stuffy room full of cigar smoke.

  “Should I keep watch?” Brande moved toward me.

  “Hmph.” Ernest smirked at us and muttered something to Lucien. Both of them chuckled.

  “Sure,” I told Brande. “I’ll see the rest of you tonight.”

  “Actually, why don’t I play chaperone,” Gabriel said, “while the fellows here enjoy their game and cigars. Brande, you haven’t eaten today. You must be famished.” Gabriel placed his hand on Brande’s shoulder to keep him from going any further and then followed me.

  I turned away and scowled. I rushed out of the smoking room and headed upstairs without looking back. When I reached my room, I plopped onto the bed, burying my face in my pillow and praying that Gabriel would just leave me alone.

  “I take it you’re no longer angry with Brande?” He shut the door behind him and went over to the cushioned chair in the corner.

  “He explained everything to me, and I know what happened in Salon-de-Provence. Do you really think what the Tower does to Drifters is right? Father?” I faced him and shot him an accusatory glance.

  “Due to the Fall of Man,” he said as he gazed straight into my eyes, “most of us have lost what should be our innate abilities and capacities to interact with nature, and to truly see the world as it is...”

  “Spare me the sermon. I don’t want to hear about how wizards are all abominations.”

  He continued. “If you’ll allow me to finish, I was going to say that there are people both within and outside the Church who strongly exhibit preternatural abilities. Their function is still debated among theologians, but all are accepted as God’s children. Though I will say that the Church, along with the Order of Wizards, holds the belief that it would be imprudent, presumptuous, and above all dangerous, for any person to attempt to access what you call the Akashic Record.”

  Well, that didn’t sound too horrible. “So...if my father were here, you wouldn’t try to kill him?”

  “No, I wouldn’t. I already told you why I fight.”

  “But you wouldn’t stand in the way of someone who was tracking him?”

  “The Church has never interfered with the Gray Tower when it came to this matter.”

  My jaw tightened. “Can you please leave my room?”

  “As you wish, but before I leave, I would like to share an observation. I hope...you consider the fact that Brande is beholden to the Gray Tower, similar in some ways to how I am beholden to the Church. Be careful regarding your trust in him.”

  I said nothing else, and I watched him get up and leave. I could tell he was holding something back, and it scared me—but even more, his words angered me because part of me saw the ugly truth in them. Brande was handpicked and groomed to ultimately become the Head of the Order. He possessed all the qualities they wanted, including a fierce loyalty that they presumed belonged only to them. Also, the fact that he came so close to subduing my father, a Philosopher, demonstrated both his strength and acumen, which they also highly prized.

  When people thought of traditional philosophers, they would usually call to mind the Greek ancients like Plato and Aristotle, or other masters of logic and argument, or constructors and deconstructionists of entire systems of thought. Among wizards, the Philosopher could very well encompass these, but the most exceptional thing about them was their ability to calculate and predict others’ actions and reactions based on observance of human nature and mathematical probability—all with an uncanny accuracy.

  I had seen Philosophers walk through war zones raging with fire and blood, avoiding being hit by a single bullet, or eluding the radius of an explosion because they’ve already projected and determined which type of soldier would perform a certain action, when they’d perform it, and what the result would be. Philosophers had entered rooms filled with heads of state, barely speaking a sentence, and directing the tide of political decisions. They were like master chess players, except the match was life itself. My father could do all these things, and had done them both on behalf of the Gray Tower and the country he loved.

  The Order of Wizards had cast him aside though, because his foresight was a little too accurate. The Masters must have figured out that he was more than just an extraordinary Philosopher: he was a Drifter. And when he faked his death in Rome and went into hiding, it only confirmed that he was a dreaded time wizard who could literally predict the future and even access the Akashic Record.

  This obviously changed everything, and I wasn’t sure what my next move would be. I still wanted to be in the United States before the end of the year, so my father would have to meet me at home. Once I rescued Heilwig, he could come with me, and maybe even teach again at a university, like Johnnie. I really wanted to go home, to my brother and mother, and my sister-in-law who I’ve never met. I wanted time to heal my mind and body, and I needed time to think about other important matters, like those of the heart.

  If I hadn’t ruined things with Ken, I would’ve been planning my wedding. Today I felt drawn toward Brande, but I knew pursuing him would only complicate things, and besides, I’d feel like I was deceiving myself and Brande if I gave to him something I could easily retract because I still had feelings for Ken. Whoever I ended up with, I would want him to know that I gave myself heart, mind, body and soul, freely and completely. And, I would want the same devotion from him. With that said, I still had the feelings and desires of any other twenty-six year old woman.

  And sometimes it was hard as hell.