Awakened Spells Box Set

by Logan Byrne

  A brilliant necklace sat inside, the sapphire glowing with the faintest hint of blue, connected with a golden chain. It spoke to me, not like the amulet, but like an old friend. I felt warm looking at it, as I cracked a little smile and suddenly felt at ease.

  “Why am I just now getting this, though?” I asked. “Surely I could’ve used this many times before.”

  “It’s brittle, Lexa, and we’ve feared for a long time that once it is used it can never be activated again. The magic inside is far too powerful for the gemstone itself, and if you’re knocked out of your state once you activate your mark with this necklace on, the stone will shatter and the power inside will be lost,” he said.

  “Will I lose my mark?” I asked.

  “I don’t believe so, no. I think it’s more of a second wind that can supercharge the batteries within you, so to speak,” Mirian said.

  I started to reach for it, but Mirian slammed the box shut. “No, it’s not time. Tomorrow, you may put it on, but not until then. I don’t want to risk it accidentally activating before you truly need it.”

  “How are you feeling?” I asked, as he put the box back in his chest and locked it.

  “Nervous,” he replied.

  “You don’t seem it, at least not what I would expect,” I said.

  “I have to stay strong, Lexa, and show the best side of me possible. If those in the camp saw me panicking, it would instill panic in them. If I stay stalwart and strong in my resolve, it will bring comfort to them. They will feel more confident in themselves and the outcome tomorrow,” he said.

  “Do you think we’re going to win?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” he replied softly.

  “Yeah,” I replied, nodding.

  “Spend the night with your friends and those you love. Tomorrow will be a long and arduous day. I know I shouldn’t tell you this, but—” he said.

  “You can tell me anything,” I said.

  “Don’t leave anything unsaid between your group. I’ve seen bloodshed in my lifetime, Lexa, and I know that everybody is expendable. It’s hard to think or even believe that those you care about will be fine after all this, but we don’t know. Hug them, tell them you love them, and watch over each other tomorrow. People don’t always survive, and people don’t always come back,” he said bluntly, looking me directly in the eyes.

  I could feel his pain, his sorrow, as if he were telling me this from experience. He’d lost somebody once, I could sense it, and I didn’t need the mark to do so. I nodded, clearing my throat, as I tried not to well up and cry in front of him. “I understand.”

  “Go on, eat with your friends, be merry, and get plenty of rest. We’ve all got a big day tomorrow,” he said, before turning around and going back to his texts.

  I let out a deep sigh as I walked out of his tent and back towards my friends. I stopped at the corner, seeing them all sitting around the table, laughing, as Charlie snorted and Britta wrapped her arms around him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

  I couldn’t help but smile, laughing a little, as I felt warmth spread within me. Love. I truly hadn’t even known them for all that long in the grand scheme of things. I came to this camp all that time ago and they welcomed me in with open arms, even when others didn’t. They watched my back and took care of me, and for that I would be eternally grateful. I was just a lowly thief, a nobody, who lived in cockroach-infested motels and beat up drunks in bars just to live to see another day.

  “Lexa! What are you doing over there?” Blake asked, motioning for me to join them.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, smiling, as I walked up and sat next to Blake, grabbing his hand. He looked over at me, then down at our hands, before I raised my eyebrow and put my head on his shoulder.

  He kissed my forehead as I listened to Charlie tell some awful joke and Britta pretend like it was funny. Things felt perfect in this moment, even though things were far from it.

  The rest of the camp was merry as the night wore on, as if we’d created our own little armistice, none of us training or preparing for the battle any longer. Songs were sung, people were laughing, and the centaurs even let some of the Minotaur tribe’s children ride on their backs as they giggled and cheered.

  “I’ve always wanted to see Alornia. Was it awesome the time you went?” Blake asked, as we held hands and walked around the camp without a destination in sight.

  “It was. The streets are pristine and gold adorns everything. I think you’ll really like it,” I said.

  “What did Mirian want to talk to you about earlier?” he asked.

  “Just mage stuff, preparing for tomorrow. Nothing of real importance,” I said, brushing off the necklace and the sapphire inside.

  “I know you’re nervous,” he said.

  “You’re not?” I asked.

  “Not until they’re outside. I’m weird like that. I know I can’t do anything in this moment, so why worry now? I’ll have plenty of time to worry tomorrow,” he said.

  “Can you promise me something?” I asked, as I stopped and pulled him over a little to the side.

  “Possibly,” he said, smiling.

  “Don’t be the hero tomorrow,” I said.

  “What do you mean?” he asked, a puzzled look on his face.

  “I know you’re strong, and I know you’re capable, but don’t run into battle thinking you’re invincible, okay?” I asked.

  “Why are you telling me this? I’m not reckless,” he said.

  “I never said you were, I just want you to be smart,” I said.

  “So I’m not usually?” he asked.

  “I didn’t say that,” I said.

  “Then what are you saying?” he asked.

  “I don’t want to lose you!” I shouted, holding both of his hands, before I bit my lower lip and started to cry.

  “Wait, I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

  “I can’t lose you, any of you, and I know I’m going to,” I said, burying my face in his chest.

  “Lexa, you won’t lose us,” he said softly.

  “You don’t know that, Blake. You don’t know what he’s like, and what he’ll do to get to me. He wants to destroy me, and he knows I’m the only person who can stop him and stop the portal from opening. If he kills those I love, he’ll break me down. Trust me, he knows this,” I said.

  “Look at me,” he said gently, and I leaned my head back, my vision blurry from the tears, before I sniffled and looked him in the eyes.

  “I promise I won’t do anything crazy tomorrow. I’ll be safe, and nothing will happen to me, Charlie, Britta, Faus, Rosie, or anybody. It will be a hard battle, yes, but not an impossible one,” he said.

  “I hope you’re right,” I said.

  “I love you,” he said, looking down at me with softened eyes.

  “I love you, too,” I said, as he reached forward and began to wipe away my tears.

  I bit my lower lip as he moved in. He was slow, the anticipation building, as I looked at his lips and wanted nothing more than to kiss them. I loved him, so much, and never thought I would find a man like him in my life. I was thankful, and I was going to do whatever it took to make sure this relationship lasted a lifetime.

  His lips pressed gently against mine as I breathed in quickly and heavily through my nose. I felt a barrage of butterflies, the good kind, as fireworks exploded inside me and every ounce of warmth and love that I was capable of creating flooded me at once. It was perfect. He was perfect.

  “Good?” he whispered, after slowly pulling away.

  “Great,” I replied, putting my forehead against his chest. “We should find our friends.”

  “Good idea,” he said, before kissing the top of my head and grabbing my hand.

  There they were, the top of the hill, Britta making a campfire. It illuminated all of their faces, including Charlie’s, who was licking his lips at a raw kebab Britta was pulling out for him, while the others had smores.

  They were my family, and I was going to
do everything in my power to stop Kiren tomorrow and make sure we’d have many more nights like this.

  Count on it.

  16

  “The portals are ready, Chancellor. Alornia has connected the bridge and we are able to start sending troops,” a mage said to Pote.

  “Thank you. Attention, everybody! We’ll be sending our troops and supplies over to Alornia at this time. Remember that even though this is a tense and stressful situation, we’ll be visitors in their usually closed-off kingdom and you should treat the high elves with kindness and respect. Treat them as your brothers and sisters, and we can forge a bond that will last long after this day is over!” Pote yelled to the waiting camp.

  “Do you think the high elves are going to keep us around, or our friendship anyway, after the battle?” Charlie asked.

  “I think King Rafael wants the connection, and fighting beside them to save their kingdom and people from slaughter is a good way to forge a friendship. I don’t think we’re going to move into the kingdom and shack up with them, but only good things can come from this,” I said.

  Grabbing my bag, I felt neurotically for my wand, as if I’d realize I left it behind and be without it for the battle. Feeling the coolness of the crystal, I nodded and exhaled. I was ready to go.

  “Are we ready?” Britta asked, as it became our turn in line.

  “Ready as we can be,” Blake said, before the light encompassed us and we were quickly spit out among a myriad of mages in Alornia.

  I walked forward, looking around the gilded kingdom. The sky looked bright and it was quiet. High elves gazed upon us, many of them smiling at me, as if they remembered me from my visit.

  “This place is beautiful,” Britta said, as we shuffled off to the side.

  “It is, isn’t it?” I replied.

  “How far away are the troops?” Mirian asked, after walking through the portal and up to someone who appeared to be a military leader.

  “They are two hours out. Our scouts have relayed word that their movements shake the ground with every step. Mirian, our walls cannot hold up to that,” the man said.

  “That’s why we’re here, Caspian. Alone, Alornia would’ve fallen, but with us by your side, you stand a chance,” Mirian said.

  “Caspian, King Rafael requests you, Mirian, and Lexa Blackmoon to the high council chambers at once,” a guard said, as he ran up to the group.

  “Lexa, come,” Mirian said.

  “I’ll be okay, it’ll only be a minute,” I said to Blake, before kissing him on the cheek.

  We entered the room of the high council, which looked exactly the same as before. The high elf council sat around their hulking round wooden table, the windows providing a panorama of the kingdom below. I looked out one of them, in Kiren’s direction, but I only saw some smoke in the distance. They were coming.

  “Mirian, Lexa, thank you so much for coming. Our people owe you a debt of gratitude we can never repay,” Rafael said from his seat. I could tell he was troubled, the bombardment of stress weathering his face as his eyes looked tired.

  “The resistance will always be here to support Alornia, Rafael,” Mirian said.

  “We need to formulate a plan, my King,” Caspian said.

  “I agree, Caspian. Saying we’re going to fight Kiren isn’t enough. Our walls cannot hold forever, and we need to be prepared for when they crumble under the weight of their attacks,” Rafael said.

  “We believe it is best to wait for that moment to come and not attack preemptively. Opening the seal to the kingdom will mean any of their people can get in, from the air or down below. We cannot risk intruders sneaking in when we least expect it,” Mirian said.

  “And when they do break the wall?” Rafael asked.

  “We hold our ground and prevent them from getting through the break. We’re outnumbered four to one by our estimates of eligible warriors, but their people are largely untrained. We’ve also destroyed a warehouse containing valuable supplies that he most likely needed,” Mirian said.

  “So he’s crippled?” Caspian asked.

  “Not entirely, but taking away those supplies from his troops was a large blow,” Mirian said.

  “Why is he attacking Alornia in the first place? What is he so desperate to have? So desperate to march an army here and break through our walls?” a woman asked.

  “Lexa,” Mirian said, looking at me.

  “Your private chambers, Rafael,” I said.

  “What? Why would he care about that? It isn’t anything worth breaking down a kingdom for,” he said.

  “It’s more than that, sir. Kiren possesses the Malum and the Amulet of Sha’rari. Those things, combined with the blood moon and comet tonight, are going to allow him to summon the destroyer and wreak havoc on our world. The tower is like an antenna, with all the gold inside and how tall it is,” I said.

  “Like a beacon,” Rafael said, burying his face in his hands.

  “Exactly. That’s why we’ll need to make sure he doesn’t make it inside the palace,” Mirian said.

  “We can do that. The front entrance is the only way in or out, and we can station our strongest here to stop him,” Caspian said.

  “Remember, he has mastery over the Malum now. His powers are amplified, and he doesn’t care about honor. He’ll kill from a distance and walk over the bodies,” I said.

  “We can station mages to help protect your troops. Hopefully they should be able to block any incoming attacks,” Mirian said.

  “Are our troops prepared, Caspian?” Rafael asked.

  “Yes, my King. They’re all ready and awaiting further instruction,” Caspian said.

  “Go and speak with them. Tell them the plan, and please do the same with yours, Mirian, once they have all arrived. Kiren is only hours out and we are in our final moments,” Rafael said.

  “At once,” Caspian said.

  Caspian, Mirian, and I got up to leave before Rafael called my name. “Lexa, I wish to speak with you. Please, follow me once again.”

  Rafael was stoic, not saying a word as we headed back to the staircase that led to his personal chambers, the same ones that Kiren was hell-bent on reaching. White stone lined the spiral staircase and pure gold adorned the trim and grout lines between the stones.

  I examined the gold, my eyes moving along with it as we ascended, realizing just how much of a superconductor this thing was going to be. Gold was rare, and the high elves had amassed so much of it over the centuries. This truly was the only place Kiren could summon Sha’rari.

  “Please, close the door,” Rafael said, after we finally walked into his chambers.

  “I know you’re nervous, but everything will be okay. Kiren won’t succeed in his quest to summon Sha’rari,” I said.

  “It is hard for me, as a king, to justify and accept what is happening today. I always thought my people would be happy, healthy, and safe. We haven’t had conflict in centuries, the old ways gone as we moved towards peace and prosperity. Not only are we going to see bloodshed again today, Lexa, but there isn’t a way around it. There aren’t any talks, or any kind of bribery we could employ to spare the kingdom and our people. All high elves live in Alornia, and today they could be wiped out of existence,” Rafael said.

  “What if you evacuate the kingdom? Those villagers and citizens who aren’t fighters, like women and children, could go to our resistance camp,” I suggested.

  “That’s not a bad idea, but what good will it do? Our kingdom might fall, and there won’t be a home for them to go back to,” Rafael said.

  “Kiren doesn’t care about this place other than the room we’re currently standing in. He doesn’t want to kick you out and then move in for himself. He has his ivory tower, and his people subservient to him outside his windows far away from here,” I said.

  “I never thought my resolve would be tested in this manner. My reign was supposed to be simple, easy, and always with clear, concise answers to guide me down my path and preserve my legacy. He stands to ruin
everything,” Rafael said.

  “I won’t let him get in here, and I won’t let him summon the destroyer. I’m the only person who can stop him, and I plan on doing that today,” I said.

  “For all of our sake, I hope you’re right, Lexa. I hope you’re right,” he said.

  I rushed down the palace steps towards Mirian, who was standing below. “Well?” he asked.

  “I think we should evacuate the citizens back to our camp,” I said.

  “We don’t have time for something of that scale,” Pote said, walking up.

  “We know we won’t be able to hold the wall, and what if they start getting slaughtered?” I asked.

  “It’s not a horrible idea,” Caspian said, eavesdropping, before walking up to the three of us. “We can set up a teleportation portal on the other side of the kingdom, where his army won’t be attacking. From there, we can section people in and get them to safety. Even if we’re still transporting when he comes through, our people will be too far away to be harmed.”

  “Mirian?” Pote asked.

  “It’d work, but we need to move swiftly. Caspian, order immediate evacuation and we’ll sort out the portal,” Mirian said.

  Caspian nodded before running off. “Heta, get our mages to the other side of the kingdom. Take those who aren’t our best but are more than capable of portal management. We need our most powerful mages here with us on the front lines,” Mirian said.

  Pote turned around, yelling at the mages, who’d just finished transporting the rest of our troops and supplies into the kingdom. “What about me?” I asked.

  “Just sit back and wait. They’ll be here soon,” Mirian said.

  “Wait,” I said, as he started to walk away. “The necklace.”

  “Ah, yes, I got so preoccupied that I forgot. Here,” he said, taking the necklace out of his robe pocket and clasping it around my neck.

  “How does it work?” I asked, afraid to touch it.

  “When you want to activate the powers, say ‘May Merlin protect me’ while grasping the stone with your left hand. Your wand must be in your right, as it will act like a lightning rod grounding you while the spell takes hold.”