Read armor of magic 02 - rising light Online
Authors: simone pond
Drake gave us a quick nod, and the three of us stood by the opening. We hoisted our shields, and when Rocco waved, we jumped out into the cool air. Holding our shields overhead, and concentrating on slowing down our velocity, we drifted to the ground below. I spotted a wide clearing lit up by hundreds of torches. A tall totem pole was in the center and there was strange rhythmic dancing being performed around it.
We landed on a nearby treetop without anyone noticing.
thirty-five
The three of us climbed down the tree and crept over toward the clearing. At the far end, Cagliostro and the Shadow Order VIP were wearing red robes and were gathered on an oval-shaped stone stage. The demon mage sat on a large throne flanked by demon guards. Behind the throne was an enormous statue of a phoenix with flames burning in its eyes and a moat of water surrounding it. An eerie chill shivered through me. It was by far the most sinister display I’d come across, and I had seen a lot of messed up shit.
Below the stage stood hundreds of vampires from the Ancient Order of Vampires. Lucius Diamond’s army of bloodsuckers who were now under Cagliostro’s reign. Whether or not they were being controlled or had decided to become a part of the Shadow Order was beyond me. And I’m not sure it mattered because either way, we had a lot of bodies standing between us and Cagliostro.
We stood among the trees, cloaked but not entirely sure that mattered. Soon we’d be detected by the guards. And soon things were going to get ugly. Along with our shields, we took out our stash of silver dust and the bottled water mixed with silver. If we could edge our way into the crowd, we could start using some of the vampire repellant to make our way closer to the podium.
“Stick together,” Rocco said, then added, “Together we’re stronger.”
We formed a circle with our backs facing each other and edged closer to the crowd of supernatural creatures. Some continued dancing to the rhythmic drum beat, while others stood quietly, staring at the giant phoenix statue as if mesmerized in worship. My guess was that Cagliostro had them under a spell.
To get through the mound of vampires, I began squirting the silver water mixture in front of our formation. The tiny drops weren’t enough to take down any of the vampires, but definitely enough to cause a distraction. As the droplets landed on any area of skin, they’d jump back, batting away whatever had caused the sudden acidy pain. The deeper into the mosh pit we got, the more water I sprayed out and the vampires began shoving each other. Their voices became screeches and some fell to the ground, writhing in scorching pain.
“It’s time,” Rocco said.
Julian and Rocco knelt low, covering their backs with their shields like turtle shells. I clenched the bottles of silver dust in both hands as I climbed on top of the shields and balanced my weight. On three, both Rocco and Julian bolted up, launching me into the air. I rocketed high above the crowd and as I began to descend, I held open my arms and sprinkled the silver dust. As the sparkly particles drifted below, I opened my mouth and released a roar, causing the dust to disperse. Vampires wailed and withered as the other supernatural factions covered their ears. Quickly calling on my shield, I used it to control my descent and landed on the stone stage directly in front of Cagliostro’s throne. I aimed the tip of my sword at his neck. As much as I wanted to sever his head right then and there, we still needed the Scroll. His red demon guards lunged at me, but Rocco and Julian leapt onto the stage and used their shields to deflect them. Together we
were
stronger.
Cagliostro held up his long, slender hand and shouted, “Stop!”
The guards and high-level officials obeyed his command and eased back.
“Nice to see you again, Miss Farrow,” he said.
“Where’s the Scroll?” I yelled.
He chuckled lightly and got up from the throne, forcing me to move with him. At the moment, he still had all the leverage. He knew I couldn’t slay him without the Scroll, so he took his time toying with me. Since I had already experienced his mind control tricks in the cave, I was on hyper alert and focusing on my powerful gift of discernment. Rocco and Julian chanted the Logos repetitively to stay protected from any fear magic or further mind deception. Cagliostro pretended not to be affected by the invocation, but I could tell by the way he was grinding his jaw and flaring his nostrils that he was highly agitated.
He clapped his hands and two more of the giant red demons appeared from behind the massive phoenix statue. Wedged between their muscular bodies was a very limp and wilted Asher. My heart sprung forward as my stomach lurched. He looked half dead. But was it really Asher this time? How could I possibly know?
Without thinking and not sticking to the plan, I lunged forward and tackled Cagliostro. I had the demon mage pinned down. Exhilaration flooded my body as a surge of electricity shot through my helmet all the way down to my boots. Power I hadn’t tapped into before. Power I was thoroughly enjoying.
I
was the one in control.
I
had all the leverage.
“Give me the Scroll,” I said, bringing my elbow down on his skull and pressing my sword up against his throat. “Give it to me and I’ll make your death a little less painful.”
Cagliostro didn’t say a word. He just laughed lightly, staring up at me. “The more I’ve gotten to know you, Miss Farrow, I’ve realized something.”
I bit down, refusing to engage in any conversation. I needed that Scroll and nothing would distract me from getting it.
“You’re no different than me,” he said.
I knew he was trying to break me down. Using some of his treacherous fear magic to destroy me. I was
nothing
like the demon mage. My rage began bubbling over and I wanted to tear the bastard to pieces. He didn’t know anything about me. How could he even attempt a comparison? I wasn’t a maniacal evil bastard forcing my will on everyone else around me. I was a
good
person. A Protector of Light. My job was to maintain goodness in the world.
And then it hit me.
He was attacking my pride. The part of me that always got me in the most trouble. The selfish, self-centered, driven-to-a-fault part of me that had been in constant conflict with my responsibility as a Protector of Light. The voice that whispered
my
needs were more important than duty and that I deserved a better life. But wasn’t protecting humanity from evil a better life? Of course it was. But my pride had blinded me. And though Cagliostro and I were on opposite sides, it was the same damn coin.
“You’re absolutely right,” I said.
His eyes widened, not expecting me to agree with him.
“And you know what? It’s time to change that!” I looked over to Julian and Rocco. “The Logos!” I shouted.
The three of us began shouting, “Your Darkness has no authority. We stand with the power of the Light. The Light binds the dark. The Light binds the dark.”
The high-level officials on the podium fled. The crowd below the podium screamed and wailed as the ancient words blazoned into their minds, torturing them from the inside out. They began fighting each other, clawing away and lobbing fireballs and other weapons. It was utter mayhem at Rhapsody Grove. The three of us continued shouting the Logos while the supernatural gathering devolved into a shit-show.
Together we were stronger.
Then Cagliostro disappeared from under my hold. He was never there in the first place. It was another of his illusions. I sprang to my feet and began inhaling the scents around me, trying to track him down. I had to get to him before he slipped away with the Scroll.
thirty-six
After the frenzy, the surviving vampires and other supernatural factions fled the scene. Typical evil. They’ll stick together until they get tested. And none of them wanted to test the three Protectors. I didn’t blame them. The ceremony was officially over. But we hadn’t won just yet. We still needed to retrieve the Scroll. Rocco scanned the area with his sonar, while Julian dashed along the perimeter. I kept my shield up, inhaling for any traces of the demon mage.
Then, a faint scent of tar crossed over me.
“Cagliostro,” I shouted. “I know you’re still here. I can smell your nasty stench.”
“Over here, Miss Farrow,” Cagliostro called out.
From a shroud of darkness, he stepped forward and stood on the edge of the stage next to the moat. That creepy phoenix statue loomed behind. He held a torch in one hand and the glowing Scroll in the other. I ran to the stage and when I got close, I saw he was holding the torch over an ancient Egyptian gondola that was floating in the moat. Chained to a pyre within the gondola was Asher. He appeared to be under some sort of spell, unable to defend himself.
“Looks like you have a pretty big choice to make,” he said.
“Destiny isn’t a choice.”
“You let me go, you can have your angel back.”
I stared at Asher. Really stared into his eyes. And though he was out of it, I had no doubt it was really him and not an illusion. My heart just
knew
it. My soul was sure. But that didn’t make things any easier. I didn’t want to lose Asher, but my job was to protect the Scroll. In time, I’d heal. In time, I’d learn to live with the pain. The same way Rocco had learned to live with his fate. If I didn’t get the Scroll, humanity didn’t stand a chance.
I eyed Cagliostro, sizing up the distance between us. I could
maybe
reach him, grab the Scroll and knock the torch out of his hand and away from Asher. Hoping to save him from burning to death. Or I could do my duty and just go after the Scroll.
I ran forward at the speed of light and dove on top of Cagliostro, ripping the Scroll from his hand, then rolling away into the water. I didn’t have a chance to see what happened to Asher because whatever I had just taken from Cagliostro’s hand wasn’t the Scroll. Again, he had used his powers of illusion. Whatever it was melted into my palm, sending shocks of blistering heat into my hand and up my arm. The fire coursed through my body, making me dizzy and queasy.
Cagliostro stood over me, holding up the real Scroll and laughing. Where were Rocco and Julian? Was Asher okay? A galaxy of pain rocketed through my head, blinding me. Darkness sucked me into a downward spiral. And I thought,
I just died
…
thirty-seven
When I fluttered my eyes open, the first thing I noticed was the cracked desert floor my face was pressed up against. The second was the blazing sun scorching my body. I peeled myself off the ground and sat up, taking in my surroundings. Somehow Cagliostro had transported me to another dimension. One that was very hot and arid. My mouth was parched, but judging from the endless stretch of dusty tan, there wasn’t any water within the vicinity.
“Great,” I murmured to myself.
Standing up, I began walking across the barren desert. I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t even know where the hell I was, but I knew I couldn’t just sit on the ground waiting for something to happen.
“Anyone out there?!” I called out across the desolate landscape.
The only reply was a distant echo of my own voice. I thought I could at least use my magical boots to get across the terrain faster, but when I propelled forward nothing happened. My Armor wasn’t working in this dimension. No sword or shield. It was just me and those zebra-striped Palazzo pants and that lame t-shirt from the souvenir shop.
My biggest fear—being all alone—had finally happened, but I felt okay. No panic or worry. And though I was completely lost and had no foreseeable way out of the dimension, I trusted I still had the Light in me.
I kept walking and walking, following the direction of the blazing blood orange sun. After a while I realized the sun didn’t seem to move overhead, like it was frozen in time. The air grew warmer and my skin itched from the dryness, but I kept going.
In the near distance, I spotted a cactus. By the time I reached it, my shirt was drenched and my throat sore from the hot air. I sat next to the cactus and rested in its meager shade. I caught myself drifting in and out of sleep. Would this be the rest of my wretched eternity? It couldn’t be.
As I lay my head on the shady spot under the cactus, I saw two figures walking toward me. They could’ve been demons or shifters or vampires, but I didn’t have the strength to pick myself up and run away. So I just lay still, hoping they’d pass by.
But they didn’t.
They stopped and knelt down beside my dehydrated body.
“Fiona?” a familiar voice whispered.
“Is that really her?” a man asked.
I pried my eyes open one last time to see who was next to me. Their heads, faces and bodies were covered in tattered linen. Only their eyes were visible. Familiar eyes. They lowered the shrouds of cloth covering their mouths and smiled at me.
It was my mom and dad.
***
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Books in this Series
Sacred Light: Armor of Magic Series Book 1
Rising Light: Armor of Magic Series Book 2
Edge of Light: Armor of Magic Series Book 3
Other Books by Simone Pond
The City Center: The New Agenda Series Book 1
The Mainframe: The New Agenda Series Book 2
The Torrent: The New Agenda Series Book 3