Authors: Brenda Drake
“Wait. What? I can’t—”
He placed a finger on my lips to stop me. His crooked grin made tiny flutters rise in my stomach. “We won’t know until you try,” he said.
Thinking of anything other than Arik at that point was tough. But Nana’s lamp with the three stained-glass parrots perched on a base of bronzed twigs came to mind. It was the lamp I had stared at during one of my many attempts to ignite the light and had managed to create a flicker of gold on my palm. That lamp fascinated me because when lit, the parrots became a prism, casting a rainbow on a nearby wall.
“
Luce,
” I said.
Nothing.
I added a little more force.
Nada.
Arik supported my hand with his. My pulse jumped.
“Try again.”
“
Luce
.” Light flickered above my palm and a softball-sized bubble of light popped to life. I had light!
In the palm of my hand.
“Shall we?” He motioned to the stairs with a nod.
Our footsteps echoed off the cut-stone walls as we charged down the steps. There was barely room for one person to go along the tunnel at a time, so I led the way with the ball of light hovering over my palm.
Too busy admiring the light, I stepped on a rock and it rolled under my foot. The action caused my stitches to pull again, and I stumbled and hobbled a bit before regaining my balance.
“Careful there, you’ll sprain your ankle,” Arik said.
I wrinkled my nose at the rank stench of the cave. Water trickled down the sides and dripped from the ceiling. Rocks underfoot turned and rolled to the side or tumbled down the steep passageway. It was a claustrophobic’s nightmare.
Arik’s heavy boots sounded behind me. I glanced back, catching his gaze, and quickly turned back, watching my steps and tugging the bottom of my hoodie down with my free hand.
“Anyone else know you can create a globe?” Arik asked.
“No.”
“How many times have you conjured one?”
“I want to tell you, but my mom used some sort of spell to keep me from speaking about it.”
“Hold up,” he said.
I stopped and faced him. He cupped my face in his hands and I sucked in a startled breath, almost dropping the glowing ball. I tried to back away but he kept hold of me. “What are you doing?”
“Removing it.” Up close his eyes were captivating, if not a bit tortured. “
Annullare tutte le magie,
” he said and released me.
“Did it work?”
“Not certain. How many times have you conjured one?” He gestured for me to continue walking.
“A few,” I said, heading down the cave. “The first time was a total accident when I was like four. The next one was when I was about ten.” I peered over my shoulder at him. “I guess it worked.”
“I believe so. And how did you know the charm?”
“I didn’t. I was practicing my Italian when the light flickered on my palm. It was a complete accident. I can’t remember how I did it when I was four. Maybe I overheard my mother say it.”
“Let’s keep it our secret for now, all right?”
“Why?”
Behind me, Arik panted, a low rhythmic beat that matched the thumping of my heart. “It would be wise,” he said between breaths, “with all that’s going on lately, that we keep your lineage to ourselves.”
The cave grew colder and I shivered. “Why do you only protect the libraries? Those hounds could get out and hurt people.”
“There are wards around them, preventing Mystiks from exiting. To enter the human world requires a clearance. It’s very difficult to obtain one and once received, a device is inserted under the skin, allowing passage through the wards. Our job is to keep the peace between the different races traveling the gateways and assure the safety of all humans.”
“I see,” I said. “So have you ever jumped into a famous person’s library? That would be so cool.”
“Unfortunately, no,” he said. “We only guard libraries that have gateway books. And I’m not aware of any private collections with one.”
“Right.”
When the cave widened, we trotted next to each other, trying to catch up to the rest. I slowed down when the pain in my leg was too much to keep up. Arik’s pace eased.
“Do you need a rest?”
“No. I can walk. It’s jogging that’s killing me.”
“We’ll take it easy, then.”
A fat drop of water landed on my arm, and I wiped it away, hoping it was water and not drool, or something else gross.
We followed the cave for twenty minutes or so before the tunnel began to tighten again. Arik motioned for me to go first. He had an insanely hot grin playing on his lips, which made me nervous.
“Why are you smiling?”
“I’m impressed,” he said. “For a novice, you’ve retained your globe for quite some time.”
“I totally forgot it was in my hand,” I lied. My arm ached from holding it out so long, but I was determined to keep my globe lit, especially since he’d just said that.
We were getting nearer to the four globes blazing down the corridor ahead of us. “Here’s a bit of fact for you,” he said. “The havens’ tunnel systems accelerate our actual speed. A day’s walk in the human world takes only about an hour in a tunnel. Notice we don’t feel like we’re going any faster than a stroll.”
“Really?”
Arik grasped my shoulder and pulled me to a stop. “Your shoulder is tensing.”
I shrugged his hand off. Every time he touched me, my stomach reacted, and it was starting to freak me out.
Get a grip, already. He’s just a guy.
“Let me take over the light for a bit,” he said.
“Okay.” I wasn’t going to argue with him. My shoulder was tired and sore. I lowered it, and the globe popped. Sparks shot across my hand. My arm felt like a rock at my side after keeping it raised so long.
“Why would anyone want to go to these havens?” I asked. “They have hounds and hunters and compelling creeps.”
“The havens were once peaceful.” The globe he carried lit up the side of his amazing face. His silhouette bounced across the cave wall. “There’s been unrest lately,” he said. “Caused by a vengeful wizard named Conemar. Don’t trust anyone. Just Merl and myself. We aren’t sure where loyalties lie.”
“What does this Conemar guy want?”
Something crunched under his boot, something that had a hard shell. I cringed and fought the urge to scratch my skin off.
“What do most lunatics want?” he said. “Power. He wants to rule over both the human and Mystik worlds. He needs the keys to release an extremely powerful being. One that can cause natural disasters and bring people to their knees.”
“That makes me feel
so
much better.”
He gave me a sideways glance. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to scare you. We’ll keep you safe. That compelled man found me fast in the subway.” He kept his voice low as we continued toward the others, who were scaling a set of steps in front of us. “It makes me think the wizard compelling him was tipped off by someone from our Haven. So we must be careful.”
I stopped. “Then why are we going there?”
His foot paused on the bottom step and he turned to face me. “Because it’s the only place to protect and prepare you for whatever may come. You’ll be safe as long as we keep who your biological father is a secret. Shall we continue?”
I nodded.
“All right, then.” He sprang up the stairs.
I carefully went up after him, my leg wound screaming at me with each step. The idea of a wizard casting a compulsion spell gave me the creepy-crawlies. So did the enormous rats in the tunnel. There was no way I was going to be left alone down there for even a second.
Halfway up, I looked back over my shoulder. Without the light globes, it was eerily dark. Somewhere in the depths, there was a sound like nails scratching on rock.
It’s only rats,
I reassured myself. Arik went through the door. My heart sputtered as I scrambled up the last steps, ignoring the pain. I froze there on the landing, stuck between two worlds, desperately clinging to one while called to embrace the other. If I went through the door, my mother’s stories would come true, and I could never go back.
Arik reached his hand out to me. “It’ll be all right. I won’t leave you.”
Stop fooling yourself, Gia. There’s no going back.
I took his hand and crossed over the threshold, unsure of what I would find on the other side.
Chapter Nine
W
e came through a trap door into a stark room about the size of my bedroom. A bluish light peeked in from a door left ajar across the room. We headed for it, the floorboards squealing under our weight and disturbed dust clouding the air. I coughed.
We exited a small outbuilding, and I took a deep breath of fresh air—an earthen smell of mud and grass. Thin streamers of silvery light hung from a crescent moon that tilted in a black sky stippled with stars. A shadowy silhouette of a castle protruded from a dark hill like a shrine. Smaller buildings surrounding the castle reminded me of grave markers in an eerie cemetery.
“The castle ahead is our tribe’s haven,” Arik said. “Do you see the light on the horizon? Just beyond the hill is the city of Asile.”
We crossed a long pasture. The silhouettes of the others disappeared over a rise in the path ahead of us.
“Where
exactly
is Asile?”
“On the border of England,” he said. “The Mystik world has seven main wizard havens. The others are in Ireland, Spain, France, Italy, Russia, and South Africa. All are near hidden cities.”
“
Okaaay
,” I drawled. “I get we’re in England, but what part…you know, can you give me a familiar landmark to go by? Like, say, Stonehenge or something?”
“Well,” he said. “Asile’s true location is kept secret. It’s in another realm and cloaked by magic. The only entrance and exit is the outbuilding we just came from, and the walls surrounding Asile have wards that prevent anyone from venturing past her boundaries. All the havens are the same. There are many labyrinths in the Mystik world and many entries that can lead to traps. It’s a world intertwined with mysteries and dangers. You’d best stay within the walls.”
I stumbled over the beginning of a rocked pathway with tangled bushes and thick grasses choking its borders. I braced myself—hands hitting hard against the ground—and barely avoided smashing my face against the stone. I sprung to my feet, waving Arik’s offered hand away.
I scolded myself as I swiped my stinging palms across my jeans, brushing away the tiny pebbles sticking to my skin.
How freaking embarrassing, Gia. He definitely thinks you’re a moron now.
Arik shook his head and snickered. “We should have one of our curers see to your leg.”
“I’m fine. It just needs to heal.” I hobble-trotted ahead, keeping my eyes on the path as I went. His snickers followed me. I glanced over my shoulder at him. There was a playful spark in his eyes.
“What?”
“You’re stubborn, aren’t you?”
“I like to think I’m determined.” I turned back and continued up the path.
Ahead of us, the others stopped at a wooden door in a brick wall surrounding the medieval-looking castle. In the night shadows, the vines snaking up the length of the wall looked like dark invading creatures. Smoke puffing from the chimneys of the small homes at the base of the castle incensed the night air.
Carrig pushed the thick splintering gate open. He waited for us to pass, and then he leaned his weight against the stubborn door to shut it.
We walked into a manicured courtyard. It had several intricate stone walkways cut into its grasses that branched off to the many entries into the castle. Salt-white benches and planters surrounded a circular patio in the middle of the courtyard.
As we approached the main entrance, two stately doors crawled open. Twenty or more men in black uniforms with metal breastplates lined the entryway. A few creatures were in their ranks—some with fangs, some with horns, and some with unnaturally colored skin. I smiled nervously at them as I passed. Not one returned the gesture.
After the black veil of night, it took a moment to adjust to the light of the foyer. A chandelier loomed above our heads, one of its flame-shaped lightbulbs flickering final bursts of life, casting ominous shadows on the walls. A door on the right led to a darkened room.
This isn’t
at all
intimidating.
I wiped my clammy hands on my jeans and wondered, again, what I’d gotten myself into.
Lei stopped beside me. “No need to worry, ducky. It looks scarier than it is.”
“I-I’m not scared,” I protested.
“The look on your face and the quiver in your voice says differently.”
I straightened my shoulders and stuck my chin out, trying to seem less terrified. A massive tapestry of a gray-bearded man holding a smoky globe in his outstretched hand hung high above the stairs. “So who’s the man on the rug?”
“Rug?” Her eyes went to where mine were focused. “Oh, you mean the tapestry. That is the Seventh Wizard, Taurin. He’s the founder of our haven. He’s sort of creepy, isn’t he?”
“That’s an understatement,” I muttered. My ears started to thrum. The tapestry fluttered and turned fluid, ripples rushing down the fabric like wakes across a lake. An electric current forked across the globe cradled in Taurin’s hand, sending out a series of crackles and thunders. His eyes sparked to life and stared directly at me. Goose bumps erupted across my arms. Overhead, the chandelier flickered before dimming. All the voices around me dissolved, and the present faded.
I
stood just behind Taurin and right beside a blazing sconce. He balanced an electric ball on the tips of his fingers.
“Stand back,” he yelled at a cloaked figure across the corridor.
“I shall not,” the other man hissed. “Give me the Chiavi, Taurin.”
Chiavi? That’s Italian. It’s the plural form of Chiave—key. He wants keys? For what?
“Thou art an infectious, dog-hearted lout,” Taurin said, taking a step toward the man. “The havens fester in thy greed. I will not surrender the trinkets. The Tetrad shall stay entombed forever.”
Taurin raised the ball, but before he could lob it at the cloaked man, a knife pierced his back. The electric ball fell and then exploded on the ground, blowing a hole into the floor and charring the wall nearby. Taurin’s body crumpled to the floor.
My hand was wet, so I inspected it, but I found myself looking at long, thick fingers and a massive palm. It wasn’t my own; it was a man’s hand. Blood dripped down the blade of the knife in the man’s hand. A hand that was just used to kill a man. I would have screamed, but the body wasn’t mine, either, and I couldn’t make the mouth work.
“Fool, now he is unable to tell us where he hid the Chiavi!” the cloaked man yelled down the corridor at me.
A vision of seven thin, smooth rods about the length of a hairbrush went through my mind. The body I now mentally shared tagged the rods as the Chiavi. When combined they made one magical key. A key to what, though? The cloaked man turned fuzzy and my ears started thrumming again.
“He would never give them up,” came out in a deep voice. “By torturing his sons, we shall find the charms…” I tried to dig deeper into the mind, learn more about the key, but the words vanished as I slipped into darkness.
“G
ia, you all right?” Lei’s voice pulled me back to the present and into the light.
“Um…” I inspected my fingers. The bloody knife had vanished, and my hand was my own again. Great, now I’m seeing things—a vision from inside the body of a murderer. It felt like I’d stabbed Taurin myself, which creeped me out. I had to work to avoid shuddering. There was some sort of significance to what I’d
seen
, but I knew I couldn’t tell anyone.
Don’t trust anyone,
both Nana and Arik had said. I gave Lei a slight smile. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
A man somewhere in his forties, wearing a tweed jacket, hints of silver in his dark hair, cleared his throat as he stepped into the foyer. I moved to Nana’s side.
Carrig headed over to the man. “Good evening, Merl.”
“I trust your journey was safe?” Merl said.
Carrig shot his hand out. “For the most part, we’ve made it unscathed.”
Merl hesitated, giving him a curious look before shaking his offered hand.
What’s up with that?
Carrig looked at Nana and me. “This be Gia and her grandmother, Ms. Kearns.”
“You may call me Katy,” Nana said.
Merl’s face brightened. He stretched his hand out to Nana, and she took it. “I’m delighted to meet you.” His deep, warm voice sounded as if it dripped with syrup.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Nana said, their hands lingering in a hold.
Ew.
It was time to interrupt Nana’s obvious flirting. “I’m Gia.”
Merl released Nana’s hand. “Yes, I’d know you anywhere. You have your mother’s beauty. Our people are quite excited to have a most talented Sentinel’s daughter return to Asile.”
My cheeks warmed. “Thank you. Um, but how did they know I was coming?”
“The story about how you were found and that you are the daughter of Marietta Bianchi and Brian Kearns was placed in Asile’s weekly Scroll. I have found if you give the public information, fewer questions are asked.”
That’s clever.
And it would’ve made me feel a little less nervous if everyone’s eyes weren’t on me.
“You both must be tired,” he said. “Faith will show you to your rooms.”
“We want to room together,” I blurted. There was no way I was going to sleep alone in this enormous spooky place, especially after the freaky vision of Taurin. I was sure the castle was a haven, all right—for ghosts, and not the normal ghoulish type. Any poltergeists living here would be deceased wizards, warriors, or worse. I couldn’t imagine what would be worse, and that’s what scared me most—the unknown.
“That’s a good idea. Adjoining rooms will do,” Nana was saying as I drifted back to the living. “Don’t you agree, Gia?”
“Oh. Sure. Adjoining rooms,” I said, uncertain.
“I’m Faith,” said an extremely pale girl, startling me.
Where had she come from?
“Follow me, please.” She sounded American.
As Nana and I shadowed the apparition, or rather Faith, Arik gave Merl the details of his face-off with the compelled man. “When I left the subway station, he cornered me in an alley—”
A door slammed shut on their conversation. I assumed Merl, Carrig, and the Sentinels had gone into the room off the entry for privacy. I made a mental note to find out more about compulsion.
Faith’s drab blond hair swayed limply against her back. She glanced back several times to make sure Nana and I were following. Her pale skin glowed in the dim light of the foyer, and her willowy body looked starved for food.
We climbed the curved staircase to a landing with a thick mahogany banister. On each side of the landing, two tall archways led to long corridors. Our footsteps echoed against the stone walls. A strange herby smell hung in the air, reminding me of when Afton would burn incense in her room.
I leaned over to Nana as we went to the right. “You were flirting with Merl. He’s too young for you.”
“Nonsense.” She waved me off. “He’s one hundred and two, which in wizard years is about forty-eight. That’s what the Mystik tabloids say, anyway.”
I stopped.
Mystik tabloids?
Realizing I’d fallen behind, I rushed up to them. “So if he was human, that would make you fifteen years older than him. And that would make you a cougar.”
She laughed. “I never go for men my age. They’re too…old.”
Okay. I’m done with this convo. Seriously. Old people and flirting. So not right.
I decided to inspect the artwork, hoping to forget the subject of Nana’s love life. In stark contrast to the heavy paintings and metal weaponry hanging on the walls, delicate crystal sconces lit the halls. There were more corridors and staircases at every turn. We snaked through several adjoining passages until we stopped at a door halfway down a smaller hallway.
“This is your room,” Faith said, looking at me. She unlocked the door and then pushed it open. Her head snapped in Nana’s direction. “Yours is next door, but you may go through this room with us.” She smiled, her large canine teeth coming out to greet us. I swear I heard theme music from a horror movie go off somewhere.
She held the key out to me. I hesitated before taking it from her bony fingers. “Um, thank you. I’m sure we can find what we need.”
“They didn’t tell you about me, did they?”
“Is th-there…um…something to tell?” I stammered.
“There’s always something to tell,” she said. “Ms. Kearns, please step inside.”
I shook my head at Nana and mouthed
No!
Nana just smiled and walked straight into the lion’s lair, and I was stupid enough to follow her. As I passed by Faith, I almost gagged. She smelled ripe.
The room was just like a hotel suite, except the furnishings were medieval couture.
I dropped my backpack on the floor. “What, no TV?”
“There’s a media and game room in the basement, along with a snack bar,” Faith said. “It’s always open, if you feel like going—”
“No. No, I’m good.” There was no way I’d go off on my own in this place.
I inched cautiously across the room and peeked into the bathroom. There was a door leading to another room.
Faith swung the bedroom door shut behind her. Then she glided to the bed and sat on the billowy comforter. “I take it you haven’t seen my kind before.” She crossed her abnormally long legs, resting her frail hands on bony knees. Her chest was unusually wide and lacking in the boob department. She reminded me of a greyhound. “You needn’t be frightened of me.”
“Why would we be frightened?” I asked uneasily.
“Not only do I work on Merl’s security team, but I’m also a Laniar,” she said. “Actually, your kind mistakes my kind for your fabled vampires. Because of these”—she opened her mouth and tapped her tongue against one of her long canines—“some of the legends about vampires began with Laniars, from when we lived openly with humans. Others believed us to be werewolves.”
“Yeah. I get it. You’re like a cross between the two.” Her teeth looked like they could puncture a tire. “Does your kind suck blood or what?” Fearing she might want a snack, I tried to pull a turtle, lowering my neck into my shoulders.
Nana narrowed her eyes at Faith. “If we’re all about announcing ourselves, then I should warn you. I’m a Pure Witch skilled in the magic of Incantora. Are you aware of her legacy?”