Awakened Spells Box Set

by Logan Byrne

  “His army?” Blake asked.

  “Why wouldn’t he just teleport in and start attacking? Surely with that many mages—” Faus said, before I cut him off.

  “The gryphons couldn’t be sure, obviously, but they estimated his numbers at two thousand, give or take,” I said, cringing a little as I waited for their reactions.

  Britta’s jaw dropped. “Are you kidding me?” she asked.

  “Two thousand, that’s insane. Where did he get that many soldiers? The gryphons must be wrong,” Blake said.

  “They’re not. Mirian still has hope. He said they won’t be well trained and instead Kiren is going for the quantity over quality approach. They won’t be able to match us in skill or power,” I said.

  “They don’t need to, Lexa. One hundred bad fighters can easily overpower twenty-five great fighters. He just wants to use brute force, and he’ll succeed. We can’t match that,” Faus said.

  “What do Mirian and Pote say about it?” Britta asked.

  “That we’ll go in and help Alornia. You can’t forget that their warriors will also be helping, given that the battle will be fought at their front gates,” I said.

  “I forgot about them helping. Okay, that will soften the blow, but it’s still a lot. I guess I can’t say we’ll lose, because that’s not good for morale, but damn, this is going to be difficult,” Blake said.

  “There’s something else,” I said, wincing again.

  “Something else?” Charlie asked.

  “Xelia came in after the gryphons left and gave us intelligence. Apparently she still has a contact in the precinct who was never caught. He said Kiren visited and deposited something, an amulet, in the vault on premises for safekeeping. She and I, whenever she comes back, are going to infiltrate the precinct and get the amulet,” I said.

  “No, not even an option,” Blake said, moving his hands back and forth in a gesture of refusal.

  “We’ll go with you,” Britta said.

  “Well, that’s the thing. You can’t,” I said.

  “And why not? We can’t let you two get captured or killed!” Charlie exclaimed.

  “She’s kidnapping two cops to take their DNA and make some kind of impersonation spell so we can get in undetected,” I said very quickly, my eyes closed, before I opened them and took in a deep breath.

  “That’s temperamental magic, Lexa. It’s not safe,” Britta said cautiously.

  “What does that mean?” Blake asked.

  “If you take the DNA of another and cast a, might I add, very complex incantation, you become that person. Usually with a spell you just look like them on the outside but can be seen very easily. It’s like wearing a mask, I guess. With this, you become them, and the real person is turned into stone and mustn’t be touched while the spell is active. If you don’t turn back within an hour after casting the spell, you’ll be stuck as them forever and their stone bodies will disintegrate into powder,” Britta said.

  “Are you kidding me?” Blake asked.

  “We need to get this amulet,” I said.

  “What’s the amulet?” Faus asked calmly. “What does it do?”

  “They called it the Amulet of Sha’rari. Apparently it—”

  “Summons and allows you to control the demon,” Rosie said.

  “Essentially,” I replied.

  “We can help you,” Faus said, looking at Rosie. “With our combined tech and hacking skills, you’ll need us behind you to bypass their sophisticated technology. We can hack the security cameras as well and either give you aid or make them go dark.”

  “Yes! The two of us together could hack anything. We’ll be your eyes and ears,” Rosie said, beaming from ear to ear.

  “See, we’ll be fine,” I said, looking at Blake.

  “Why is it that you always come up with ways to make me feel like I’m going to have a heart attack?” Blake asked, laughing a little.

  “We’ll be fine, I promise. This amulet is important, and I’ll have Xelia with me the entire time. She won’t let anything happen to us,” I said.

  “I sure won’t,” Xelia said, stepping out from the shadows.

  “Ah!” Charlie screamed, like a little girl.

  “Scaredy cat,” Xelia said, laughing a little.

  “Not funny,” Charlie replied, frowning.

  “Did you?” I asked.

  “Yup, got two people tied up right now down in the camp. Would’ve been here sooner but it was a real pain trying to capture these two and get them to come quietly. Mirian wants to see us. Don’t worry, we aren’t going until morning. It’d be unsafe to go this late,” Xelia said.

  “Rosie and I will go get started on what we need,” Faus said, before the two of them stood up and ran off.

  “I’ll see you later?” I asked, kissing Blake and getting up.

  “See you,” he replied.

  “So, who are these guards?” I asked, as we headed towards Mirian’s tent.

  “Oh, two guys who I never really liked. They have high-level clearance, and I thought they would love to help us,” she said, obviously loving the fact she’d taken these two guys.

  “High enough clearance to get into the vault?” I asked.

  “No, not that high, but high enough to get us up there without anybody thinking twice,” she replied, before we walked into Mirian’s tent.

  “Ah, you’re here. I’ve extracted the DNA from both of the subjects and have the brew heating up as we speak,” Mirian said.

  “I thought it was a spell?” I asked.

  “Two parts. First, we need to consume the DNA, then we need the spell cast on us. Once cast, it’ll be an instant change. That’s when the clock starts,” Xelia said.

  “I’ll accompany you to the city to perform the incantation. I feel it should be me, given the sensitive nature of the operation,” Mirian said.

  “Isn’t the city, especially near the precinct, overrun with duskhowlers? How are we going to get this done without being seen?” I asked.

  “I know a place, don’t worry. It’ll never be overrun. Now, once you change, you’ll need to get into the precinct immediately. No detours, and you’ll need to keep track of time to know when to change back,” Mirian said.

  “Faus and Rosie are going to bug us so they can talk to us and hack into their system. They’re going to make sure we’re always covered,” I said.

  “Good, then they can run the timer and keep you aware of how much time you have left. Xelia, are you still skilled at picking locks?” Mirian asked.

  “Something like their vault will take time, but I think I can do it,” Xelia said confidently.

  “Lexa, you’ll need to cover her while she does this work. It’s sensitive, and failure can trigger the alarm, bringing the entire precinct full of auditors and duskhowlers up to your location,” Mirian said.

  “What about when we get the item? Then what?” I asked.

  “Then you two leave and go back to the location for extraction. If you must, you can cancel the effect yourself, but make sure you incant it correctly,” Mirian said. “Commuta Habitum Inrita.”

  “That’ll be fun to remember,” I said.

  “It’s imperative you speak it correctly, or it could backfire,” Mirian said.

  “Backfire?” Xelia asked.

  “Spoken incorrectly, it could reverse and lock you into those forms forever,” Mirian said.

  “You better remember that stupid thing,” Xelia said, looking at me sternly and pointing her finger at me.

  “Relax, Lexa is well versed in spell magic and I trust her to get it right. The spell will take effect immediately, but you won’t be able to teleport out of the precinct. The charms and hexes on the building will prevent anything like that without prior authorization. You must leave the doors before you can teleport back. That’s why I hope you can leave the building still disguised as those men before meeting me back at the location.”

  “Well, get a good night’s sleep and meet me here in the morning. The clock is
running out against Kiren, and we need to make sure he doesn’t summon this demon,” Xelia said.

  I walked out of the tent both nervous and scared, with a little bit of readiness dashed in there for good measure. It was a lot to take in, since the consequences and stakes were quite high, but I knew what it meant to everybody here.

  That amulet was going to be ours.

  13

  “Are you two ready?” Mirian asked, as I stood in his tent the next morning.

  “What about our clothes?” I asked, looking down at my outfit that definitely didn’t resemble a standard M.A.G.I.C. uniform.

  “Whatever the subjects are wearing at the time will come to you, don’t worry. We need to go to the safe area. Hold onto me,” Mirian said, and Xelia and I grabbed onto his arms.

  We were teleported, twisting through time and space, before I opened my eyes and realized my feet were a little wet. It smelled atrocious. The sewers. What a great place to hang out in.

  “Great hiding spot, Mirian,” Xelia said sarcastically.

  “Keep your voices down,” Mirian said, taking out his wand. He looked upwards, scanning it back and forth, and suddenly we could see through the ceiling and up into the alleyway above.

  “What is that?” I asked, in shock.

  “I’ll teach you another time. Okay, we’re clear. Faus, Rosie, are you there?” Mirian asked, as Faus had given him a communications device as well.

  “Loud and clear, we read you,” Faus said.

  “Okay, drink this,” Mirian said, taking out two small vials from his robes.

  “Bottoms up, kid,” Xelia said, clinking her vial with mine.

  We both swallowed our brews. I grimaced at the relentlessly bitter taste and shook my head, trying to get it down. It finally went, burning a little on the journey, before I took in a big breath of air.

  “Remember how to cancel. Faus, get ready for the timer,” Mirian said.

  “Ready,” he replied.

  “Commuta Habitum,” Mirian said, waving his wand back and forth at the two of us. Suddenly I felt my bones grow as my eyes moved up, my hair ascending into a tight buzz cut and my waistline growing outwards. I was him, it worked. I was in disguise.

  I looked at Xelia, a dark-skinned male with a bald head and small scar on the right cheek. “Go, now, don’t waste time,” Mirian said, shooing us out of the manhole cover and into the street.

  “Just follow my lead and we’ll be fine. We don’t talk to anybody unless they initiate contact with us. Got it?” Xelia asked.

  “Understood,” I replied, before we walked up the steps to the precinct.

  The city looked ill, like it was diseased and was starting to succumb to the infection. Duskhowlers patrolled the sidewalks, working with the cops in one law enforcement body instead of fighting each other. Everything this precinct and M.A.G.I.C. stood for was no longer applicable, and I began to truly realize how much devastation Kiren was already causing in this realm.

  We scanned our badges to enter, nodding to the guard, before walking inside and seeing the grandiose entrance that I’d been in awe of the first time I walked through these doors. It seemed so long ago, that moment, when I pretended like I’d just walked in off the street and didn’t know any resistance members. It was a bizarre parallel, since I was now essentially doing the exact same thing but just with a different face. I guess history does repeat itself.

  “You need to make your way upstairs to the top floor where the vault is hidden. It looks like it uses magic to create weightlessness that can’t be moved. At least the schematics of the building show that the top floor shouldn’t be able to contain that much weight, not even counting what they’re storing inside,” Faus said.

  “Malcolm, there you are,” a woman said, coming up to Xelia. She froze, turning to look at the woman, a higher up I’d seen around but never got the chance to meet.

  “Yes, how can I help you today, Shirley?” Xelia asked, her voice deep like the man’s.

  “Are you okay? You seem…off,” she said, squinting a little.

  “Ate some bad dragon kebabs last night. Think they went off,” Xelia said.

  “Ah, been there before. Anyway, I need you to come with me. We have a little crisis up in intel and they want you,” Shirley said.

  “Nobody else is available?” Xelia asked, as I started to try to count the passing minutes in my head.

  “I’m sorry, would you like me to tell the heads of the department that you aren’t interested in solving their problems?” Shirley asked, with an obvious and well pronounced attitude in her tone.

  “No, ma’am, I would love to help. Anything to help the department,” Xelia said, her hand forced.

  “No, what are you doing?” Mirian asked.

  “Lexa, you need to find the vault,” Faus said as Xelia and Shirley walked away.

  I gingerly walked to the corner, mumbling into my microphone so that nobody would see me talking to myself. “I can’t crack the vault. We should abort the mission.”

  “We can’t, we won’t have another chance at this. Faus is right, you can do it. You have the clearance, so it will be okay. You have to try,” Mirian said.

  “Damnit,” I whispered, as I felt a pit in my stomach. “Where do I go?”

  “Go up the stairs, all the way to the top,” Faus said. “You still have fifty minutes left.”

  I walked to the marble staircase, nodding once again at people who seemed to know me. I had to keep up appearances no matter what.

  “Baby!” a woman said, grabbing my hand. She pulled me over towards her, before I turned and looked into her eyes. “Where have you been? I’ve been wanting my morning kiss.”

  She ran her red fingernails down my chest, my eyes opening wide as my nostrils flared. She was a shifter, I could tell, she had a scent about her. What she was, I didn’t know, but I did know that I was incredibly uncomfortable and wanted to be anywhere but here, even back in the sewer.

  “You seem different,” she said.

  “No,” I said, coughing, as I tried to think of what this man would sound like. “Just a little under the weather.”

  “Well, I could do something to help you with that. Why don’t you come to my place later tonight and I’ll cook you up something tasty?” she asked, a brimming smile on her face.

  “Y-yeah, that sounds great,” I said.

  “One for the road?” she asked, puckering her lips.

  I clenched my fist, wincing internally and wanting to scream, before I leaned in closer and gave her a quick peck on the lips. “That’s it? I don’t care about your germs, Roger.”

  She pulled me in quickly, planting a passionate kiss on me, as she let out a little groan and grabbed my butt. My eyes open the entire time, I tried to wait it out, before pulling away and defusing the situation. “The guys up top need me. I’ll see you tonight,” I said, hobbling away towards the staircase to the next floor.

  “Did you?” Rosie asked over the earpiece.

  “Shut up,” I said, curtly and softly.

  “Lexa has a new girlfriend,” Faus taunted.

  “Be professional, you two. Lexa, are you okay?” Mirian asked.

  “Fine, just guide me,” I said.

  “The vault isn’t accessible right off the top floor hallway. There’s a myriad of other doors, presumably to keep it safe. They’re all protected, but your keycard should get you in,” Faus said.

  “My what?” I asked, looking down. “Never mind.” I saw a card clipped to my blazer, with a picture of Roger and a barcode on the front. I guess this was my magic key.

  “Turn left,” Faus said, as I reached the top of the staircase.

  “There’s a door, the fourth one on your right. That’s the door you need to go in,” Rosie said.

  “Xelia, are you still with us?” Mirian asked.

  “Mmhm,” she mumbled, obviously still with Shirley or her fake bosses.

  I pulled out the card and a retractable cable extended from the wall before scanning the ca
rd and a green light appeared on the security panel. “In,” I whispered as I walked into the hallway.

  It was brightly lit, like most of the precinct, the bureaucracy of this place very apparent in the décor. “We’ll tell you when you’re close,” Faus said.

  I hated going in blind, not knowing what door I needed to find or how far I had to go. I wanted to look natural, not walking past a door and then having to turn around and go inside. There were security cameras everywhere, even if Faus said he could patch into them. “Are you watching me?” I asked.

  “We have you in frame,” Rosie said.

  “What about the precinct? Can they also see me?” I asked, holding my arms stiffly at my sides as I walked like a robot.

  “Yes, for now,” Faus said. “We need this guy to be seen on camera in case they need a scapegoat. If they think he did this, it won’t be tied back to us. He has no connections to the resistance at all.”

  “Roger, hey, just the man I was looking for,” a man said, walking out of the restroom.

  “Hey,” I said, leaning in a little and squinting to see his name badge, “Fabian. What can I do for you?”

  “Are you okay? You seem off,” he said, making a puzzled face.

  “Tough night, didn’t get much sleep,” I said.

  “Ah, Candy keeping you up?” he asked, joking, as he patted my shoulder.

  “You know it,” I said, laughing a little.

  “Anyway, did you see the report on the resistance movement? Crazy stuff, am I right?” Fabian asked.

  “Uh, no, I didn’t. Do you happen to have a copy of it? I guess I must’ve missed it,” I said.

  “Sure, just in my office,” he said, and we began walking back in the direction I’d come from.

  “Lexa, the mission,” Faus said.

  “This might be needed information. Lexa, stay the course, but try to wrap it up. Xelia isn’t coming back anytime soon,” Mirian said.

  “I could’ve sworn you were on the memo. Yeah, here you are,” Fabian said, after picking up the memo and looking at the list of recipients.