"We haven't been alone so I could tell you, and I feared that someone might overhear," she said.
"Was it the real Invictus?"
"Of course not," said Pi. "He's dead, remember. But they all remember him, and it's his bond that created the charter for the Hundred Halls. They had enough memories between them to make him real enough."
"What was he like?" asked Aurie.
"Not as tall as I thought he'd be. Cryptic and threatening. Stereotypical for a wizard, I guess, but let's be honest, all the fiction anyone ever wrote about that involved magic was going to pay homage to him. On the other hand, this might have been a terrible representation of him, but there was something he said that's been bothering me since."
"Was that what you told Celesse?" asked Aurie.
Pi shook her head. "No, I told her about the Riders. What he said was: When the error of the quarterarch you shall know, then through the thresholds you shall flow."
Her sister's voice even took on a wavery, prophetic tone when she spoke. Aurie checked her arms, and they were covered in gooseflesh.
"What does that mean?"
"I wish I knew. I've been racking my brain since I heard it. When I went back into the memory, I always went back to that cottage. I never encountered him again, but his books and belongings were there. I read them all, examined every item, trying to find some clue to their purpose or the reason for the riddle."
"What if it's...?"
Pi shook her head right away. "No way. More than likely, it's one of the other patrons messing with me. Remember what Semyon said. The memories could have been directed by one of the other patrons."
"Are you planning on ignoring it?" asked Aurie.
Pi put her hands on her hips. "That's why I told my know-it-all nosy sister. Because she does riddles and wordplay better than me. And you research like a fiend."
"Flattery will get you everywhere."
"And gourmet cupcakes," said Pi. "All this skulking around makes me hungry."
"Who's buying this time?"
Pi tilted her head. "Who was it again that saved everyone?"
"Fair enough," said Aurie with a face-splitting grin, holding out her arm. "I'll buy."
Her sister linked their arms and leaned against her. It was comforting that way, having her around. The last year, with them being apart, had been hard on Aurie. She knew it'd been hard on Pi, too.
"Hey, sis," said Aurie.
"Yeah."
"Let's not be apart again. That sucked."
"Absolutely," said Pi. "And because I'm the bestest little sister in the whole wide world, I will definitely not bring up the fact that you were the one that convinced me to leave."
"You're really trying to get those cupcake privileges revoked."
Pi mimed zipping her lips closed.
As they neared the Red Line, Aurie said, "Let's make this last year our best year."
"Agreed. Can't be hard, right?"
"Yeah, true. Things would have to really go to hell to be any worse than our previous years."
"Shut up, Aurie. You'll jinx us."
###
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Special Thanks
As always, Rachel, the love of my life (I can't believe we've been married twenty years, what fun!) is my first reader and content editor. If my stories have any heart in them, or the right amount of clever plotting, it's because of her. Tamara Blain, my line and copyeditor, makes my prose sing and keeps me from embarrassing myself with sometimes hilarious wrong word choices. Ravven makes the best covers, and I've lost count how many people have been introduced to my fiction because of her art. To Tina Rak, who gives sage advice and feedback that keeps the books pointed in the right direction. To my mom, Carole, who gave me my love of speculative fiction. To the members of the Vanguard, my advanced reader team, who catch those last gremlins in the manuscript. Members like Jess Churchill, Lana Turner, and Laura Coffing. And to most of all, my readers, who I get to share my stories with. Thank you. Thank you, all.
Also by Thomas K. Carpenter
The Hundred Halls Universe
THE HUNDRED HALLS
Trials of Magic
Web of Lies
Alchemy of Souls
Gathering of Shadows
City of Sorcery
Other Series
GAMERS TRILOGY
GAMERS
FRAGS
CODERS
ALEXANDRIAN SAGA
Fires of Alexandria
Heirs of Alexandria
Legacy of Alexandria
Warmachines of Alexandria
Empire of Alexandria
Voyage of Alexandria
Goddess of Alexandria
THE DASHKOVA MEMOIRS
Revolutionary Magic
A Cauldron of Secrets
Birds of Prophecy
The Franklin Deception
Nightfell Games
The Queen of Dreams
Dragons of Siberia
Shadows of an Empire
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Thomas K. Carpenter resides near St. Louis with his wife Rachel and their two children. When he’s not busy writing his next book, he’s playing soccer in the yard with his kids or getting beat by his wife at cards. He keeps a regular blog and can be found on twitter under @thomaskcarpente.
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Gathering of Shadows Page 26