The Sunken Tower

by J A Campbell

  The gold dragon swam close and looked about to grab her.

  “No! Elise!” Melanie swam toward Elise with powerful strokes.

  The gold dragon sniffed Elise. “You smell so familiar,” she hissed.

  Before Melanie could get to Elise’s side, the gold dragon sliced the life jacket with one sharp claw and pulled. Elise slid from view.

  Feeling helpless, Hagatha cast about for some sort of spell to bring back her cousin, give her gills, anything. Before she could find something, she felt a burst of familiar fae-tinted magic as Melanie slipped her own life jacket and dove.

  Not knowing what else to do, Hagatha geared up for some old-fashioned energy slinging and pelted the surfaced dragons with blasts of raw power. At least she could try to drive them off and keep them distracted while Melanie tried to save Elise.

  The dragons roared and dove. The waters quieted. No sign of Elise or Melanie.

  Hagatha gasped, tears mingling with the salt spray on her face. What would she do if she lost two of the only people in the world who cared about her? She’d be left with Marcus as her only family.

  Hagatha stared down in the water, desperately trying to see her friends. Looking for bubbles of water on the now-calm surface. Anything.

  Nothing.

  Maybe I can use the Ways, she thought as she bobbed with only shattered bits of hull to break up the endless sea. With only me, maybe it’ll be safe, or I can run. If I can get back to Marcus... What would Marcus do? Her cousin and Melanie were dead. They had to be by now. Hagatha gathered her stones and the energy needed to open a WayGate, but a blast of water upended her piece of hull, sending her crashing back into the water.

  This time the life jacket held her out enough so she wasn’t sucking in salt water, but fear made her fumble when she tried to cast another energy blast. The dragons were back, but why bother fighting? She’d already lost everything.

  The blast of water spun into a waterspout, swirling closer until it snatched Hagatha up and carried her, spinning across the surface of the ocean. Her vision spun, and she had to shut her eyes as it whipped her around and around. She wanted to hurl, but couldn’t do anything but gasp for breath and squeeze her eyes shut. Spray struck her skin, abrading until she thought she’d have nothing left. Then the waterspout released her, and she flew through the air before smacking into hard ground.

  Groaning, she spit out sand as she tried to get up.

  “What?” All the seawater she’d ingested came spewing out, and she heaved until her sides ached, but the world slowly stopped spinning around her, and she collapsed back onto the warm sand.

  Sand!

  Hagatha scrambled to her feet and staggered. The world wasn’t quite done spinning yet. As she fought for balance, she thought she saw two other people before she passed out.

  “Bloody hell. We are stranded on a desert island.” Melanie strode back to Elise. She’d emptied out her bum roll and filled it with fresh water from a small stream she’d found at the center of the island, which she carefully handed to Elise. The woman looked both parched and exhausted. “I took a stick and wrote HELP as big as I could in the sand. Found fresh water. There’s seaweed. And coconuts, but I have no idea how to scale the tree and reach them or whether they’re ready to harvest.”

  “Magic,” Elise said after a couple of handfuls of water and a nod of thanks.

  They both glanced over to where Hagatha lay on the sand, snoring.

  “Why does she get all the sleep?” Elise sank to the ground.

  “You can sleep now, if you want.” Melanie glanced around the small island she’d somehow managed to get them to. It wasn’t large. She could walk around it in twenty minutes or so, but they’d be able to survive. With all the magical tools at their fingertips, they should be able to get out of there easily, but her control was tenuous and her last exertion fatigued her. Elise was already exhausted, and she had no idea how Hagatha felt. The woman had lost her rocks again. Literally.

  “I may try.” Elise settled back, eyes fluttering shut. As her breath fell instantly into a sleep pattern, Hagatha jumped up and shouted.

  “I’ll get you all!”

  Elise jerked awake, crackling energy forming around her hands. “What! Who!”

  Hagatha turned toward her voice and stared.

  Melanie sighed.

  Elise glared.

  “Oh.” Hagatha stared at the two of them for a moment, blinking, before her eyes lit up. “I thought you were dead! I thought you’d left me alone. Elise, what happened to your shields?”

  “What! I haven’t had sleep in two or three days. I’ve done all the shielding. I’ve done almost all the magic. I piloted the boat. You know how to shield too!”

  Melanie took a step back. She’d never heard that tone of voice from Elise before. True anger, not the evil dark lady act she put on back in their small mountain town, but real, bone-chilling anger.

  “Of course I know how. You passed out after one hit. I didn’t expect to have to aid you.”

  “That’s your problem, Hagatha. You don’t think! At all, apparently. Surrounded by hostile dragons, oh, Elise—who hasn’t slept in three days—will handle it all.”

  “I fought off the dragons,” Hagatha said sullenly.

  “Guys, maybe now’s not the best time,” Melanie interrupted when she saw the energy around Elise’s hands flare into arcing flames.

  “And what the hell is your problem with Marcus, anyway?” Elise turned on Melanie.

  She put up her hands, trying to placate Elise. “What?”

  “He’s great. He’s nice, smart, and considerate. If it’s money, he’s got plenty of that...power...he’s hot as hell. What could possibly keep you from wanting to marry him?” Elise snarled.

  “If he’s so bloody hot and desirable, why don’t you marry him?”

  “He’s my bloody father! So no, he’s not trying to kill us. I only have one murderous parent!” Elise’s chest heaved as she glared at Melanie.

  “Oh.” Melanie blinked. “Well, why didn’t you bloody say so?” She balled her fists, her own frustration coming out. She knew they’d been keeping something from her. This seemed like information she should have possessed. She was supposed to marry the man, after all.

  “Because Valonna tries to kill anything he cares about. It’s for your own safety and mine.” Elise took a deep breath, seeming to realize she’d spilled the beans.

  Something else Elise had implied struck Melanie. Did Marcus actually care about her?

  “I won’t say anything, Elise. You can trust me.” Melanie tried her best for a soothing voice, despite her own anger.

  Elise wrenched her gaze away from Melanie and back toward Hagatha.

  “And you, stop trying to steal Melanie from my father! Don’t think I haven’t noticed you’ve been flirting with her and trying to subtly, or maybe not so subtly, turn her against him since you came back.”

  The wild-haired mage held out her hands. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”

  Though the easy admission seemed out of character for Hagatha, Melanie knew she wasn’t always so selfish as she’d been acting recently. In fact, she rarely was. Something about that shift in character still bothered Melanie. Though she’d been right, Hagatha had been coming on to her. Melanie sighed.

  “Clearly, Marcus and I need to talk. If that means I have to corner him and demand he do so, I’ll do that. He’s obviously gone out on a limb to help me with training, and, from what you’re saying, he’s risked all our lives to do so. I’m honoring his commitment. I don’t know if that means we jump the broom or just stay engaged until I have some clue how to handle my magic, but, until that time, I am giving the man the respect he has earned. Sorry, Hagatha. Taken.”

  Hagatha’s gaze dropped to the sand. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  Melanie guessed that wouldn’t be the end of it. But it was for now, and that was good enough.

  “Great, so can we try and get out of here now?”


  “Maybe, before we attempt to leave, we should talk to the others,” Elise said. “This island is near where the dragons have hit before. We may gain some clues.”

  “Others?” Melanie glanced around, then saw Hagatha staring at nothing, before shifting her gaze and looking at something else Melanie couldn’t see. Life was definitely interesting in a family of necromancers, particularly when she herself appeared to be ghostly-manifestation-impaired. “Oh, the ghosts. Right.”

  A very subdued Hagatha gestured and muttered something about forming a line.

  Elise nodded politely to a faint shadow.

  While they conversed with those in the afterlife, Melanie assessed their situation. She’d given up her ring. Clenching her fist, she tried not to think about how much that actually hurt, but she still had her fae bracelet and the stone faery cross at her throat. Maybe they could get a hand from her faery godmother.

  “The dragons are headed back to Curon Venosta,” Elise said, coming over to her side. Seeing as she couldn’t talk to their spectral visitors, she’d busied herself doing what she could think of to get them out of there. She’d drawn yet another huge HELP in the sand far enough from what she guessed the tide line to be that there wouldn’t be any erosion. A pile of driftwood awaited Elise’s fire for tonight. She was contemplating gathering seaweed and going for more fresh water with her bum roll.

  “That much, I got from at least two of my ghosts. I suppose the church is their headquarters?”

  “So now we just need to get back there.” Hagatha glanced around as if looking for a doorway.

  Melanie’s mouth spread in a grin, remembering that she had a better way than waiting for help. “Time to call my faery godmother.”

  “Will you be using up a favor or something?” Elise’s brow crinkled. She was the wisest one of the three and would be the first to consider how best to conserve what little resources they possessed.

  Melanie shook her head. “I asked that early on. She didn’t limit me. I never understood that until I learned that no less a personage than King Oberon was my grandfather.” Melanie rubbed the stone cross and closed her eyes, conjuring an image of the ancient faery woman.

  “Greetings, Lilibet,” she said when the fae woman appeared before her. Lilibet was as she first recalled her, with silver hair and sparkling blue eyes. “My thanks for your speedy arrival. As you can see, my friends and I are lost. We have been accosted by assassins on the Ways and do not feel they are safe to travel. Do you have another means to get us to the village of Curon Venosta in Italy?”

  Lilibet smiled graciously and nodded. “Of course I do, my child. The folk of Faery have their own paths, which you are free to travel at will and bring friendly guests such as these with you.”

  “My thanks,” Melanie said.

  “The general warnings with the Ways will apply here,” Lilibet said. “You two mortals must not partake of any food or drink, no matter how parched or hungered you are…”

  Hagatha’s gullet growled like a captured dragon.

  Melanie tossed the one granola bar she’d purchased at the tea shop to Hagatha. The bar was probably crumbs, but the wrapper still held. “You two split it. I’m not hungry.”

  “Do not make any kind of deals,” Lilibet continued. “No trades, no commerce. Generally, what is offered is ultimately not what you would want. Keep your hands to yourselves and say as little as possible to the Folk you will encounter.”

  When all three of them nodded, Lilibet made a gesture similar to what Melanie had seen the mages make, and a WayGate opened. Instead of walking straight through, they took a downward path. Melanie supposed that was because they were technically going to a place the mortals called “Underhill.”

  They entered into a sumptuous court with a banquet hall. The heavy smell of sweet perfume and coppery blood filled the air. Courtiers partook of a feast the likes of which Melanie had not previously even imagined. Beasts were slain before their eyes, their choice bits severed from them with swords and other implements. Diners exposed rows of saber-like teeth that sawed at their repast with gory delight.

  The revelers bowed as they passed, murmuring, “Your Highness.”

  Melanie kept her eyes forward, nodding graciously to each greeting. She’d once gotten stuck with the role of Anne Boleyn at the Ren Faire and knew how to walk and carry herself like a Royal. The carpet was thick and luxurious. As they trod through, Melanie felt her feet grow heavier. A quick glance down showed her feet sinking almost to the ankles in the crimson carpet. She swallowed, revolted.

  Is the carpet what I’m thinking? She wished her mind wasn’t working.

  Lilibet gently took her arm and guided her through the last bits. She stepped out, inappropriately dressed, right in the midst of the terrible cold of the Italian Alps.

  “Farewell, child,” Lilibet kissed her cheek. “Do not be such a stranger. I may be able to aid you more than you think.”

  “I shan’t be a stranger, Lilibet,” Melanie replied, smiling.

  The WayGate closed, leaving them in the cold and dark. Elise worked her magic, and their summer-weight clothing once again transformed for heavy winter.

  I hate being cold, Melanie thought. She blinked, seeing the icy glare of twin headlights approaching them on the road.

  Warmth surrounded her as Elise cast yet another bit of magic. As exhausted as the woman was, she had to be running out of reserves. They were still wet from the ocean, however, so she’d probably saved them some serious frostbite, even with the warmer clothing.

  “Thanks,” Melanie murmured.

  “Elise, I’ll do that,” Hagatha offered.

  Elise glared at her cousin before stalking off toward town. “I’m getting my own damn room.”

  Melanie hurried after. She’d get three rooms, if they had them. Everyone needed some time to cool off.

  Nightmares had Elise rising before the dawn, despite her desire to sleep for a week. A glance back at her tousled covers, with one of the motel pillows lying squashed and defeated against the opposite wall, gave her just a small clue that her much-needed rest hadn’t been even close to peaceful. Her muscles ached like she’d been wrestling dragons all night. She shook her head ruefully at the dark circles beneath her eyes and wished for her dogs’ warmth at her feet.

  She showered and dressed quickly, magicking a different outfit for herself: a green sweater in the pattern Melanie preferred with soft blue slacks and leather boots. She added a scarf with a mixture of the green and blue as an accent and smiled at the image in the mirror. A touch of magic and the dark circles disappeared from beneath her green eyes.

  Fragrances of baked goods wafted up from the hotel kitchen, but she knew she was too early for the breakfast. Besides, she wanted a bit of time away from the hotel. A faint hope stirred in her heart that she might have a pleasant encounter.

  She stepped out into the mostly silent hall, where soft sounds of music drifted from Melanie’s room. Her hand rose to knock on the door, but she paused. Melanie spent at least an hour every morning playing and singing before her lessons. That was her break, her peace, before she put herself through the series of failures their magic lessons had become. One thing Elise respected—the fae girl never gave up. She considered interrupting that peace and realized she might need it more than usual.

  Instead, she used the pen and pad the hotel provided and wrote a quick note, which she slid under Melanie’s door.

  Gone to the bakery, be back within the hour.

  She signed it with her initials and the hour. Considering everything that’d gone wrong with their current mission, she didn’t want to disappear without some point where Melanie could start looking for her. She considered leaving the same note for Hagatha and realized she didn’t quite trust her cousin to focus enough to search for her.

  Downstairs, she smiled at the usual desk clerk, who nodded back to her in return. She glanced at the television, relieved not to see any more bad news than the usual, and strode out into
the chill pre-dawn Alpine air.

  The village’s narrow streets were still darkened, save for a few windows, where she could see women commencing their morning work. Scents of the bakery drew her onward, her mouthwatering at the thought of delicious croissants and tea. Her step quickened with the hope she might see Darien again.

  Thanks to Melanie’s foresight stopping at an EFT machine the prior evening, she had cash enough to pay for their breakfast and repay his kindness. She imagined lingering over a cup of tea with him, watching the sleepy little ski village awaken and enliven through a spot they’d cleared on the bakery’s steamy windows.

  A bell jingled as Elise pushed open the door. Hopeful, she scanned the room, but no Darien. Elise pushed aside her disappointment and went up to the counter. She ordered chai and two scones. Once she had her order, she headed back out into the chill air. The flooded lake wasn’t far, and she wanted to contemplate it and the tower while she ate.

  Stretching her long legs, she hurried through town, taking the occasional sip of her cooling chai and enjoying the beautiful architecture and stunning vista. She found her way to the park and sat at a bench after magically warming the seat. She hadn’t lied when she told Melanie that she survived Colorado mountain winters by using magic.

  She put the box with her scones in her lap and took out the first orange-frosted one. It melted on her tongue as she savored her first bite.

  Gray clouds obscured the sky and the tops of some of the mountain peaks. A light dusting of fresh flakes coated the top of the snow that already coated the ground. As she watched, a group of about ten men and women walked toward the lake. One of them looked familiar. Was that Darien?

  Tall, dark skin, great smile. She thought she’d had a better picture of him when he’d saved her at the bakery, but now she wasn’t sure. A few of the people with him were white, but several looked Greek or Italian, and a few appeared Asian. She wondered if it was a tour group, but Darien had claimed he was local.