by John Corwin
And now we were helpless fugitives trapped in the middle of nowhere.
Chapter 3
I pushed the dragon's words from my mind. It seemed unnecessarily cruel to call me into the cave just to tell me that we couldn't count on their help. Nothing has changed. The dragons never offered us help before. Which made the entire incident too incongruous to ignore. My burned skin itched—more salt in an already painful wound.
Why say anything at all? Why not simply leave?
Asha put a hand on my shoulder. "I know this is hard on all of us, but we'll get through it." She looked up a grassy hill to a white stone house beneath a red-leaved oak. The sun sat low on the horizon, evidence we'd jumped forward several time zones. "For now, I just want to see my Granddad Stan and rest."
An old man stepped out of the front door and did a double-take. He waved and started walking toward us, a slight limp slowing him. A spotted leopard bounded out of the door after him, and behind in the doorway, a petite woman with curious green eyes peeked out.
The sight of Nightliss melted away some of my melancholy. Even though she couldn't remember much, her sweet personality and calm demeanor were like an island of peace in a sea of chaos.
"Guess the wards already told him we're here." Asha jogged through the wheat, long, dark hair trailing behind her. She was nearly the mirror image of our mother, Delectra, a fact that pleased and haunted me all at the same time.
We caught up to her and took turns hugging Granddad Stan. Though he wasn't actually mine and Asha's grandfather, he'd raised Asha as his own at the request of our desperate mother once she'd realized Victus's monstrous plans for her.
The leopard morphed into a young woman with black bands around her private bits. "Why are you here? I thought we agreed it was safer to stay away."
"Yes, I told you I need plenty of time." Percival stood outside the house, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. "What if they track you here?"
"We had no choice." Asha told them what had happened.
"Somehow, they had a sample of my blood." I held up my hands in a shrug. "I have no idea how they got it, but I think the blood is too old to track with anymore."
Guilt flashed in Percival's eyes. "Oh, dear."
"Oh, dear what?" Max said.
"I took a blood sample from Conrad over a year ago." He tapped a finger on his chin. "Put it in a preservation spell so I could study the effects travelling in the Glimmer had on the human body. Someone must have discovered the sample."
Ambria's mouth dropped open. "Did you take samples from us too?"
Percival shook his head. "No. And I only took a small sample from Conrad. It would only be enough for one tracking spell."
"I hope, or else we'll have a lot more company soon." Natalia bared her teeth. "Why did you come here of all places? You had an omniarch. You could have gone anywhere. Now you're hundreds of miles from the nearest waystation."
"Kanaan sent us," Asha said. "He said he'd stay close to a waystation so we could come back through a portal when it's safe."
"Well I hope that's the case." Natalia sighed. "Might as well come in for tea and biscuits."
"I could definitely use some biscuits to calm my nerves." Max rubbed his stomach. "Going on the run makes me hungry."
Ambria snorted. "Blinking your eyes makes you hungry, Max."
"Sure does." Max headed up to the house. "I'm a growing boy."
"I don't care why you're here," Stan said. "It's good to see you."
Nightliss greeted us at the front door, green eyes curious. "Hello again." She waved at me and smiled.
My knees felt weak, and my heart beat a little faster. She looked so young for such an ancient being, and the amnesia gave her an aura of innocence.
Ambria nudged me in the ribs. "She's way too old for you."
I flinched and managed a sheepish grin.
"Hey, Ivy!" Max's face flushed when the pretty blond girl smiled back at him.
"God, you two and your hero worship." Ambria sighed and went into the kitchen.
"My memory is still awful!" Ivy grabbed Max by the shoulders and shook him. "I need to remember so I can use magic again. God, I just want to blast those baddies to dust." Her gaze caught on me and her lips twisted into a guilty look. "Don't worry, Conrad, I'll let you vaporize your evil daddy if you want."
Max staggered back, dizzy from the shaking.
"That's very sweet of you." I sat on the couch and tried to relax, but my nerves were taut. Nightliss sat next to me and touched my hand. Heat flushed up my arm. All thought vanished from my mind, filled instead with the presence of this lovely angel.
"What happened?" she asked.
It took a moment to find my voice. "Bounty hunters found us."
She scowled. "This is not good."
"Can you do any magic yet?" I asked.
Nightliss held up a hand. A small ultraviolet globe flickered and puffed away. "Something is wrong. I know how to do it, but it is like a wall between me and my power."
"You mean your memory isn't the problem, it's something else?"
She nodded. "I remember bits and pieces. I see flashes of war. A tall dark-haired boy turns into a demon. A woman who looks just like me, but is blond and fair-skinned."
"Daelissa, your twin sister." I knew everything the history books said, and a bit more thanks to books we'd discovered in Moses's hidden vault. Nightliss's hand moved away from mine. I wanted to touch it again, to hold it. She is so beautiful. I cleared my throat, aware that my jaw hung slightly open as I gazed at her angelic face. "Um, do you remember anything about the Crystoid Incident?"
Nightliss pursed her lips and tapped a finger on her chin.
She's so cute!
"No. Everything is jumbled in my head." She stopped tapping her chin and cocked her head slightly. "Are you okay, Conrad?"
I flinched. "I'm sorry, I, um…" My mouth and brain stopped communicating, leaving me witless. For a moment, I forgot about my itchy, sunburned skin.
Nightliss's forehead pinched with worry. She wrapped an arm around my shoulder and hugged me. "You have been through a lot today. You should rest and relax."
I melted into her caress. She smelled like honey and flowers. "Yes, I should." I saw Ambria standing against the far wall, a teacup in her hands. Her eyelids fluttered as she turned away. She must be as tired as me.
"Here, lie down." Nightliss put my head in her lap and stroked my hair. "Sleep, Conrad."
It wasn't even that late in the day, but everything seemed so right in the world that I couldn't resist. I yawned and sighed with contentment.
Blazing comets streak from the void straight at me. Energy dances along their surfaces. A low, throbbing hum vibrates me to my core. Rising above it all, the keening wail of the dead rakes cold chills along my spine.
"Are you really sleeping?"
I jerked upright and caught a cross gaze from Percival.
"It's still early afternoon in the time zone you just came from." He clapped his hands. "Chop, chop. I need to speak with all of you, because I can't proceed without help."
I groaned and stood so I wouldn't be tempted to lie back in the lap of an angel.
"Do not push yourself so hard, Percival." Nightliss stood next to me, her head rising just above my shoulder. "You do not rest enough."
"Don't use your sleep magic on me!" Percival backed up a step.
Nightliss frowned. "It is not magic."
Percival sniffed. "Well, whatever it is makes young Conrad here behave like a brainless fool."
Ambria laughed and quickly covered her mouth.
"Do you have any lotion for sunburns?" I asked.
Percival took my hand and examined the scabs forming on the back. "Can't you children take care of yourselves at all?" He huffed and walked away. I wondered if I'd driven him away with my request, but he returned with a small bottle of pink lotion. "Put this on to soothe your skin."
I took it gratefully.
"I'll do whatever it takes to beat Victus.
" Max's voice carried across the room where he sat next to Ivy. "You can count on me."
"Oh, Max, you're the bestest!" Ivy squeezed him in a hug so hard, his eyes bugged.
Rather than crying out in pain, a dreamy grin spread across his face.
A loud fart broke the silence.
Ambria gasped. "Goodness, Max, that's rude."
"That wasn't me!"
Ivy giggled and Ambria burst into laughter.
"I couldn't help it," Ambria said between bouts of laughter.
Max groaned. "Was that a fart spell?"
"No, it's just a spell that makes noises, Max." Ambria sniffed the air. "See? No foul odor like your regular farts."
Ivy chortled. "That's hilarious!" She kissed Max on the cheek again and he moaned with pleasure, all thoughts of the fake fart forgotten.
"Bloody hell." Percival rolled his eyes. "This room is positively seething with pubescent hormones. If only I had a cure for that!" He snapped his fingers. "Now, where did Asha get off to? I need help!"
Asha stepped out of the kitchen, teacup in hand. "Here I am, at your beck and call, Percival."
The healer nodded in satisfaction. "Yes, I quite like the sound of that."
I could practically feel the heat rolling off Nightliss even from three feet away. Somehow, I resisted the urge to touch her and managed not to think of her face for a few seconds. What is wrong with me? I recovered my wits and rejoined the conversation. "What do you need from us, Percival?"
"Ingredients." He unrolled a parchment and shoved it in my face.
Absorbent acorns
Devil pupfish oil
White avocado
Toasted snails
Elephant tears
I took the document and raised an eyebrow. "You want me to go to the local apothecary?"
"No, of course not." He set hands on his hips. "If I could get these locally, I would, but they are quite rare."
"Are they for memory loss?" I asked.
"No, for memory blocks." Percival motioned us to follow him and went into a room with a whiteboard spanning the back wall. On it was the diagram of a brain with several red Xs on it. "Each of the victims was given a blocking potion to not only cut them off from their memories, but to place a bottleneck in the part of the mind that harnesses willpower."
Nightliss took the lotion from me and began rubbing it into my arms where the burn was the worst. I did my best not to moan with pleasure as the stinging subsided.
Ambria stepped up to the whiteboard and peered at the markings. "I thought willpower was part of the soul."
"Yes, yes." Percival touched his chest. "Our soul rides in this meat wagon we call a body." He tapped his head. "It interacts with our brain, which forms a metaphysical bond we call the mind. If the physical side is blocked, the soul cannot form that perfect bond with the physical realm."
"That's why we can't use our magic." Ivy slapped a hand to her forehead. "Because Victus screwed with our brains."
"I've never heard of such a potion," Asha said. "Are you certain that's the cause?"
"Are you a healer?" Percival asked.
Asha's jaw tightened. "I minored in healing."
"Then you barely have more than a layman's perspective."
Asha seemed to struggle internally with a response.
Ambria held up her wand. "Percival, why don't I slice open your hand and we'll see if you can heal it before Asha heals hers?"
Max grimaced. "Just like in class when she burned her hand and then healed it?"
Percival blanched. "What sort of insanity is that?"
Asha grinned. "It was a lesson on anesthetic magic." She took out her wand. "Shall I burn your hand and see if you can numb the pain?"
"Absolutely not!" He jumped back a foot.
Ivy burst into laughter. "Oh, wow, look at his face. What a scaredy-cat!"
Asha held up a hand and Ambria high-fived her. Natalia skipped up to them and added her own hand to the mix.
"Oh, me too!" Ivy held up her hand and the other three slapped it.
"Should I also strike your hands?" Nightliss asked. "What is the meaning behind it?"
Max sidled up to me. "What in the world is going on with them?"
I shook my head. "I think the girls are bonding."
"Dangerous."
I nodded. "Especially for us." I cleared my throat, but it didn't stop the laughing women. It was odd seeing Asha transform from serious professor, to long-lost sister, and now this giggling girl.
Max clapped his hands. "Hey, let's get some order in here."
Ambria whispered something in Ivy's ear and the pair giggled.
Max's face turned bright red. "Are you talking about me?"
They only giggled harder.
I sighed and pulled Percival into the adjacent room for some quiet. "Where can I get these ingredients?"
"The only place that will have them is the ingredients room in Arcane University." Percival put a finger on the first item. "Unfortunately, I have no idea if you'll find devil pupfish oil there, but it is absolutely vital."
"Where can I find it if it's not there?" I asked.
He shrugged. "This potion originated with monks in Tibet. It's possible they might have ingredients at one of their temples."
"Noms discovered a magical potion?"
He nodded. "They do stumble across magical discoveries now and then."
I tried to imagine how far away Tibet was without a portal and failed. "So, either we find a way to sneak into Arcane University, or we have to travel to Tibet and hope they have it?"
"I know of an apothecary in Kathmandu that could possibly have it, but let's hope Gideon Grace stored some for a rainy day." Percival grimaced. "I dislike that self-righteous ass, but he does keep an excellent inventory."
I looked around. "Where is Galfandor, by the way?"
Percival motioned toward the back. "He's still on his daily walk."
"But it's getting dark," I said.
The healer tutted. "Galfandor is not in a good place, Conrad. He feels like he failed the school and everyone else by getting kidnapped so easily by Victus."
"He didn't know half the Arcane Council was in Victus's pocket." I sighed. "None of us did, and once again, my clever father outsmarted us all."
"Well, get me these ingredients, and we'll restore Nightliss and Ivy to their former glorious selves." A grin split Percival's narrow face. "I'd love to see them blast Grint and Quiff to bits!"
Esmerelda Quiff and Agatha Grint were secret allies of my father when he was the Overlord, and had survived the purge of his associates after his staged death. Several other council members had no doubt been replaced by infernus, demon golem clones my father had perfected with the help of Aerianas and her brother, Zarin.
It was because of those very people that getting these ingredients would be incredibly difficult. "We don't have access to an omniarch portal anymore. How am I supposed to sneak past university security and get into the ingredients vault?"
Percival's grin vanished. "I have no idea."
"Alternatives?" I said.
"The university is a long journey by broom, but I can assure you that Kathmandu is much farther." Percival shook his head. "There must be some way you can get in."
I took out my arcphone and dialed the symbol for Kanaan, hoping he'd remained close to a portal waystation.
He answered after several rings. "Conrad, you are safe?"
"Yes, but we need an omniarch."
"Impossible for now." The video turned on. Kanaan stood in a dense jungle. "I am in Australia, near the Three Sisters waystation. I tried to portal inside, but it was blocked. It would seem Garkin has blocked access to many waystations."
"Are you stuck there?" I asked.
"For now." He stroked his beard. "For what do you need an omniarch?"
I told him about Percival's potion.
"Go to Vivachi in Venice. They have many ingredients."
Percival stuck his head in front of my screen
. "Not these ingredients. I already sent them a query. In fact, I sent queries to all the top dealers, and none of them have even half of what I need."
"What about Kathmandu?" Kanaan said.
"They don't use arcphones, so I have no way of knowing." Percival shook his head. "We certainly can't use any public waystations."
"Correct," Kanaan said. "I am certain they are under surveillance." He pursed his lips. "Conrad, ask Asha for advice. She will know what to do."
"Don't you have advice?" I said. "How do I sneak past the security wards at the university?"
"Your teacher is wise and powerful. Listen to her." Kanaan's face flickered away and the call ended.
It seemed we were on our own.
Chapter 4
Percival grunted. "Asha's about as wise and powerful as an old shoe."
I grabbed Percival's arm. "Asha could kick your butt anytime, so don't talk that way about my sister!"
His eyes widened. "I'm sorry. I just get so tired of hearing Stan talk about her all the bloody time! Asha this and Asha that, and oh, she's so talented." He made a mouth with his hand, opening and closing it rapidly. "Fine, I get that your adopted granddaughter is a million times smarter than me, but, please, dear god, just let me be inferior in peace!"
I looked with surprise at the tears in the corners of the healer's eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you felt like that."
Percival waved an arm toward the other room. "I'm trying my best to heal these people, Conrad. I worked so hard in school to be the best. I experimented and read until my eyes watered, but I was never the best. While everyone else graduated with honors, I barely passed. The only class I excelled in was potions." His shoulders slumped. "My father was a great healer. My brother is a talented medic with Science Academy. All I ever wanted was to be the best at something."
"You're pretty amazing with potions," I said. "Your experiments leave a little to be desired."
"But they can be effective." Percival shrugged. "Provided the patient survives them."