Changing Of The Guard (Book 6) by Ron Collins

dropped the gates that protected a mage from the rush of Talin’s magestuff.
    And it was like …
    … drinking a lake in one, deep draught.
    He breathed it in until he couldn’t breathe further, then he kept drawing. Power engulfed him. Surrounded him. Scrubbed him from the inside. He was drowning in magestuff, and he felt the hunger inside become sated and fade as it belched upward in to the flow of magestuff.
    The hair rose on his neck. His skin tingled.
    Energy flowed inside him, swirling, feeling cool and calm, and tasting so sweet, and so similar to the life force that drove Braxidane’s wild magic. More energy flowed. His body stopped aching, and his muscles smoothed out. His ankle grew stronger.
    Garrick turned to Will with magical fire flickering at his fingertips.
    He wrapped his hands around the boy’s head and sensed a cracked skull. Garrick pressed his mind into Will’s body. He molded energy around the fracture, then moved to the boy’s chest and innards. He poured energy, raw and free, into Will’s injuries. Pancreas, spleen, liver, intestines. Every cell in Will’s body was a separate entity that registered in Garrick’s mind. He took his time, building them back instinctively, letting the life force have its way.
    Finally, he pulled back and let his link free.
    And Will’s eyes flickered open.

Chapter 10

    “You healed me,” Will said.
    Garrick gave a smirk and, in a slow movement, tousled the boy’s hair. The gesture brought a sense of reality he desperately needed. He felt Will’s heartbeat throb against his hunger. It was powerful and pure—the only thing other than himself that was alive on this plane.
    “You didn’t think I would leave you here, did you?”
    Will didn’t respond, but his thoughts colored his face. The boy had seen Garrick’s dark magic work, and he knew Garrick had been drained of power just a few moments ago. So, when Garrick had reached toward him, Will had clearly expected to die.
    “Come here,” Garrick said, motioning the boy closer. “I’m going to get us home.”
    The boy came along, regardless of any fear he may have.
    “This is going to be strange, but don’t do anything surprising. Just relax, and I’ll take care of you.”
    “Promise?”
    Garrick gave a chuckle. “Yes, I promise. But I’m serious. I don’t know if I can manage the process if you don’t stay still, and I need to get it right or we could both be in a lot of trouble.”
    Will nodded.
    Garrick put his hand over the boy’s shoulder, and Will wrapped an arm around Garrick’s waist. He reached for his link. Magic flowed. He spoke a few words, and an orb formed around them both. Then Garrick grabbed a fold in the fabric of the plane, and slipped through.
    Will gasped at the essence of All of Existence.
    Garrick enjoyed the sight of the boy’s face as shifting hues of raw energy reflected off his cheekbones and glimmered in his eyes.
    “What do you think?” he asked.
    Will’s mouth worked, but no words came out.
    Garrick grinned and moved them through the flow.
    He felt Braxidane’s presence somewhere in the distance. If he paid attention he could feel planewalkers everywhere, though the concentration that effort took was immense. He could easily confront his superior if he wanted, but he didn’t trust himself with Braxidane right now. He didn’t understand what Braxidane was doing with him. And on top of that, he knew what Braxidane would say.
    He had a bargain to uphold.
    So instead, Garrick pictured Adruin, and Dorfort. And he flowed Existence’s energy into his spell work, letting power run through his body, picking at it, and giving himself time to recharge. He could do this again and again, couldn’t he? When his hunger rose to its greatest heights, could he just step into Existence, and fill himself up? Did that mean that perhaps he would never need to kill again?
    The idea made him laugh out loud.
    Then it brought tears formed of a harsh mixture of joy and shame that