Chapter 17

  All I felt was pain. My head felt like it had been hit by a Mack Truck, though I suppose a lead pipe was more likely to be the culprit. As I slowly regained consciousness, I went to rub the back of my head. That's when I discovered another problem. My arms couldn't move. I didn't mean they had no strength, or they wouldn't obey my commands. I mean that the couldn't move because they were tied down. I tried to sit up, but again, my body was tied down. I didn't hear anyone around me, so I slowly opened my eyes and took a look around. I could not move my head far, but from what I could see, I was in a small room. Underneath me felt like stone, which I suppose made sense, if I had been captured. The question is why, though. Why would anyone want to capture me? For what purpose? Questions I didn't have an answer to.

  I knew screaming or hollering probably wouldn't make any difference, so I tried to keep my cool. That was harder than it sounds, but I was able to. Barely. I knew there wasn't much I could do, not tied down, in an unfamiliar place, and in pain. I attempted to go into the Nothingness, if for no other reason but to keep calm and start planning my escape. This proved partially successful, as when I was finally able to feel the Nothingness, I was not able to feel the Spool. I had gotten so used to it being there when I was meditating, that it knocked me right out in shock.

  "Don't even try, boy," I heard a gruff voice say.

  I tried to open my mouth to respond, only to feel a gag. As I was unable to respond, all I could do was wait.

  "I suppose you're wondering where you are, and why you're here. We'll get to that. First, I need to know. Are you Jorth? Invited by the Headmaster, Michael's student? Though, I suppose he would have made you call him Teacher. He was always like that. You can nod or shake your head, there's enough room to do that."

  I nodded. I didn't dare lie to this guy. Something told me that would be a bad idea.

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  "Good," he replied. "Next question, how do you understand me when I'm speaking English? Are you from 'Murica?"

  I nodded again. "Excellent! I have a job for you. The Commander, sorry he goes by Emperor now, has been waiting for someone from Earth for a very long time. When he finally reaches out to you, since I'm sure he already knows who you are, you are to accept his 'help'. That help, of course, will come with strings. Do it anyway. Once this happens, one of mine will reach out to you and give you more instructions. Don't even THINK of telling anyone about this. I've hidden a Pattern on you that will absolutely destroy you, anyone you're with, and the entire building you're in, if you so much as whisper to someone about this. If you disobey the instructions you are given, it will destroy the entire city. Do you understand me, boy?"

  I gulped, then nodded. What else could I do? It sounded like I was being turned into a booby trap for the Emperor. I would have to search for this Pattern when I could. I doubt he knew that I could see Threads and Patterns, or if he did know, I doubted he knew the limits like I did.

  "Good, now. They've already sent someone to come find you. You've been missing for a few days, after all. I won't be here when they get here. Remember, not a word, if you want to live." With that, he left my side. I never did get a look at him, and I suspected the voice was manufactured so I couldn't pick him out.

  Hours later, I heard noises coming towards me. I tried to cry out, but the gag was still in my mouth. All I could do was wait. A few minutes later, I was free and surrounded my people I didn't know. They appeared to be Peacekeepers, though, so I answered what questions I could. No, I didn't know who. No, I didn't know why. I just woke up here. I didn't say anything about the man with the gruff voice, not until I found out how to unravel someone else's Pattern. Assuming, of course, I can even find where he hid it.

  After questioning, some Healer types looked me over. They healed my head, and told me to rest as best I could to recover. There wasn't much they could do about the mental trauma though, or the traces of Threads they found attached to my head. No magic could ever help there. Not legal magic, anyway. I'm sure there was some mental manipulation Patterns somewhere, but I never learned any, nor were they available to learn. The traces of Threads looked to be several days old, but they were not able to determine what Pattern they were a part of. They were dissipating now, anyway.

  Eventually, I was brought back to the Academy. I answered the same questions, the same way, to the Headmaster. I suspect, though, he knew something else was going on. He didn't press me, though, thankfully. Destroying the Academy was definitely not on my TO-DO list.

  Once I was free, I spent quite a bit of time trying to locate the Pattern the guy was talking about. I was not successful, however. Exhaustion caught up to me in the long run, and I passed out. The last thought I had was, why DID I go down that Alley? I knew better...