Shimmer: The Revelations of Oriceran (The Fairhaven Chronicles Book 2)

by S. M. Boyce

  “For now, you can keep this to yourselves. When the time comes, I may need help using the weapons.”

  “Can we see the other half? The artifact part?" Audrey gestured into the darkness as though something would appear suddenly from the shadows.

  Fyrn shook his head. “I'll tell you more in due time. For now, appreciate that you are one of a select few who know that such power exists below Fairhaven as well as above it.”

  He headed for the exit, and Victoria marveled at their little field trip. She had a feeling this had been incredibly difficult for him, that it had required him to do what he hated most: trust someone else. It was the only reason she could think of for him to bring them down here. He wanted to share with them a project that could get him killed.

  It clicked for her. She was his backup plan, his heir. If anything happened to him, he wanted her to finish his work. And she would, to the best of her ability, do everything she could to live up to the expectations he was placing on her.

  ***

  With every step Audrey took on the way home, she nearly spilled the beans to Victoria.

  Each was weighed with guilt that she would keep anything at all from Victoria, much less something as significant as hidden power. But that voice in the back of her mind was as loud as ever.

  Tell no one.

  Yeah, but it’s Victoria.

  Tell no one.

  Victoria can be trusted.

  Tell no one.

  The voice was quiet but forceful, and the more Audrey heard it, the more she felt as though it wasn’t her subconscious. She didn’t know how else to describe it. It felt “other,” like something outside her that was somehow also resonating deep in her chest.

  “Victoria,” Audrey finally said, breaking the spell of silence between them.

  “Yeah?”

  “There’s something I have to tell you.”

  Victoria didn’t respond. She simply waited, hands in her pockets, as they strolled home down a fairly empty road.

  “I’ve... Well, you see, I’ve... ”

  Someone screamed, and Audrey’s confession was frustratingly interrupted for the second time in a matter of days.

  Victoria bolted toward the sound and Audrey followed closely. It was continuous, as though someone were screaming while running away from an attacker.

  As they rounded the corner an elf ran toward them, slashes across the front of his ornate shirt. His wide eyes held a look of pure terror, and it was as though he couldn’t even see them as he brushed past.

  The ground rumbled. Victoria summoned her sword, and Audrey unsheathed hers. She also grabbed the white stone she now kept in her pocket at all times. Her favorite. The one that could summon sparks.

  Perhaps a good helper here.

  A shadow spread along the ground from around the corner of the house, followed seconds later by an ungodly creature. It towered over them, and the buildings beside it. Its massive claws dug into the ground, kicking up bricks and cobblestones with every step. Its dark blue skin glittered, suggesting scales, but it was the head that terrified Audrey the most. It was mostly mouth, with daggers for teeth and long spikes to protect the ears and neck.

  It turned its head toward them and bared its teeth, hissing. Several clicks followed, like the sound of a lighter that wouldn't work.

  “What the hell is that thing?" Audrey asked, taking a few steps back.

  Victoria held her ground, sword raised and eyes narrowed on the creature. “I think this little guy is what's been plaguing our town.”

  “Little?”

  It charged, feet scraping the ground and throwing dust and chunks of stone behind it as it dove for them.

  Time to save the day—again.

  Victoria attacked, and Audrey was right behind her. She scanned the creature for any sign of weakness, as Bertha had taught her to scan opponents. It swatted at them, the massive claws coming within inches of Audrey's face. Every time she got close, it swiped again or swung its tail at them.

  They had to get it on its back.

  “Attack the legs!" she shouted.

  Victoria nodded and sliced into the nearest ankle. The creature screamed as its bright red blood spilled into the road, filling the gaps between the cobblestones like dry river channels after a dam broke.

  Audrey attacked the creature’s nearest leg, though her sword didn't go as deep as Victoria's magically sharp one. It stuck in the beast's skin, refusing to budge. The monster thrashed and its tail smacked Audrey hard in the chest. She flew backward and collided with a brick wall.

  “Ow, fuck,” she muttered, holding her head. Her ears rang, and she saw double. Her body ached and stung. She tried to stand, but she stumbled. Her palm hit the cold bricks of a nearby building, but the wall barely kept her upright.

  The thing roared. Clicks followed.

  “Audrey!" Victoria screamed.

  Audrey spun to see the creature charging her, its teeth bared and its eyes focused on her torso. It was barely twenty feet from her and closing fast.

  Head still spinning, she had only her instincts to protect her. She lifted one hand, her thin fingers the only thing between her and the beast, and grabbed the crystal in her pocket with the other, desperately wishing for a way out.

  She needed a miracle.

  A massive electric shock pulsed through her, skittering along her skin. Her hair floated around her head as though she were underwater, and her temples ached even more. Paralyzed, she could barely feel the pulsing sensations that had taken her over.

  Tiny bursts of white light sped across her skin like cars on a highway and her hairs stood on end as the world around her began to go black. The blinding flare of white light reflected in the creature's gray eyes was the last thing she saw.

  ***

  Victoria couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Time slowed as she gaped.

  White sparks covered Audrey's body. They raced along her skin until they blurred together into a seamless white glow. The creature froze, jaws wide and reaching for Audrey's throat. It growled, no doubt frustrated that it couldn’t move.

  Audrey levitated slightly, her toes hovering above the cobblestones as her hair whipped around her face. Victoria couldn't even see her friend’s eyes anymore—everything was lost in the brilliant white glow.

  Sparks leapt from her skin and attacked the creature in front of her, and with every spark that landed the paralyzed creature screamed. Smoke began to rise from its skin, and the attacks from the sparks grew more frequent.

  In a final violent blow, a bolt of white lightning shot from Audrey to the creature, striking it squarely in the face. It screamed, smoke billowing off it now, and fell to the ground with a lingering sigh.

  But Audrey didn't stop.

  Her head flew back, and the white glow began to recede. She still hovered above the ground, and her skin began to change. It took on a silver sheen, like scales. Her hair straightened and darkened until it was as black as night.

  It was Audrey—her face, her hands, her nose—but also something else. It was as though something had taken over Audrey's body, Victoria wasn't about to let that something steal her friend from her.

  “Let her go!" Victoria shouted, lifting her sword.

  A hand grabbed her shoulder, and she nearly decapitated the person without looking. Fyrn stood behind her, one brow quirked as he watched Audrey float.

  “Astonishing,” he said.

  “What's happening to her? She looks possessed!”

  Fyrn shook his head. “Quite the contrary. She's waking up.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about? This is my friend, Fyrn! I need to know she's okay!”

  “She'll be fine,” he said.

  “So what’s—”

  “It seems Audrey isn’t entirely human, Victoria. Your friend has been hiding something about her heritage from us. Time to find out what it is.”

  Victoria gaped at Audrey as his words penetrated. She knew Audrey had been hiding something, but this
was quite a secret to keep.

  Chapter 9

  When Audrey woke up, her head hurt like hell.

  She groaned, pressing her hand to her face as she tried to get her bearings. The world spun around her, and she couldn't really see. Something soft was beneath her and she balled it in her palm, savoring the warm soothing touch of this foreign fabric.

  The pounding in her head began to slow, and after a while she was able to open her eyes. Three faces stared down at her.

  She yelped, caught off-guard. It took a moment to recognize Bertha, Fyrn, and Victoria. Audrey looked around to find that she was in her room, lying on top of her bed.

  “Tell us exactly what happened. Everything you remember,” Fyrn said.

  “What are you talking about? I don't even know what happened. Did we kill the creature?”

  Victoria nodded, arms crossed. “It’s apparently called a ‘chezlewok,’ like that Berserk team we played the other day, and yes, you did. By yourself. With magic. Care to share with the class how you managed to do that?”

  Audrey shrugged and stared at her hands, suppressing the desire to reach into her pocket and grab the crystal. “I'm not sure.”

  Fyrn stared at her over the bridge of his nose. “Audrey, guessing games take time and patience, and I don't have either. If you don’t tell us everything right now, we can’t help you at all.”

  Victoria took a step closer. “Every time we tried to get close to you the white light would flare up again. It looked like you might take us out the same way you took out the creature. In the end we had to let you burn out before we could bring you back here. You nearly took out an entire block of homes. We’re lucky no one was reported missing, and even luckier that you're not in jail right now. Both Fyrn and Bertha pulled some strings to keep you out of the dungeons, because right now people think you’re a menace. Yeah, you killed the creature, but as far as they're concerned you just took its place.”

  “That's ridiculous!" Audrey said.

  “I think so too, girl, but let's face the facts. You’ve been hiding something from me for a little while now. I had no idea you could use magic at all. It looks like you have the ability to use magic, but you haven't had the training, and that could be deadly. We saw you kill today. We’re just lucky you didn’t kill a citizen. Magic takes study and training to master, or you can hurt people. What the fuck were you thinking?”

  Bertha wagged her finger near Audrey's nose. “We're lucky you didn't kill Victoria. She was by your side the whole time, trying to get you down.”

  Audrey shoulders drooped, and she hugged her knees. “I'm sorry.”

  “Then tell us everything,” Fyrn said again.

  Audrey sighed and reached into her pocket to pull out the crystal. It glowed at her touch, and all three people in her room flinched at the light as it played on the wall. She set it on the bed, and the light disappeared as soon as her skin left the crystal surface.

  “But that's... ” Victoria stared at the crystal with an expression of recognition.

  Audrey nodded. “It's the crystal I put on the table the other night. I wanted to see how you reacted to it but didn't want you to know what it could do. I really wanted to study it, to understand it, but I still have no idea what this is. As far as I can tell, it only reacts to me.”

  Victoria frowned, and Audrey couldn't suppress the guilt that rose up like vomit in her throat. She had treated her best friend like a case study, all without telling her the truth.

  “Victoria, I'm sorry.”

  Victoria looked away. “I know.”

  Fyrn lifted the crystal, and it was almost as though the energy faded from it with his touch. It seemed to go dead and hollow, and Audrey suppressed the impulse to grab it out of his palm. The wizard stroked his beard as he studied the item. “This is Atlantean.”

  Victoria scoffed. “As in Atlantis?”

  Fyrn nodded.

  “But that’s just a myth!” Bertha said.

  Audrey’s mouth fell open. “Oh, shit.”

  All three of her visitors stared at her.

  She stammered, “T-the shopkeeper told me it was from Atlantis, but I thought he was full of it. You know, acting like a showman to make me think it’s more special than it is. But Atlantis is real?”

  “Very.” Fyrn set the crystal back on the bed, and Audrey lifted it into her palm. Bertha and Victoria objected at once, both reaching for the crystal that had lit up with Audrey’s touch.

  Victoria grabbed it and set it on the bed again. “Maybe you shouldn’t touch that until we know more about it. Let’s not blow up any more buildings today.”

  Audrey chuckled. “Suit yourself.”

  Fyrn stared at Audrey intently. “Do you understand what it means for an Atlantean object to react only to you?”

  Audrey shrugged. “Not really. I’m human, same as Victoria. I don’t know why it likes me.”

  “You’re part Atlantean, Audrey,” Fyrn said slowly.

  Audrey just stared at him, not fully able to process what he was saying. It didn't make a lick of sense, especially given that Audrey had grown up a few doors from Victoria. Her parents had never said or done anything magical, much less owned a crystal. It wasn’t possible for her to have magic in her blood. “I think you're mistaken, Fyrn.”

  “Far from it. Have you felt a change in yourself lately? Feelings of jealousy? Selfishness? Greed?”

  Audrey sat up a little taller, stuttering as she protested without managing to get any of the words out. She glanced at Victoria and quickly looked away, once more shoving her emotions deep into her core.

  Fyrn nodded. “This could've been much worse. Audrey, most people believe Atlantis is a lost civilization because Atlanteans want the public to believe that. The truth is, they simply don't want to be found. Atlanteans keep to themselves. There are two factions: those on Earth, and those in Oriceran. They have evolved over time to look starkly different, but they still respect each other all the same because to an Atlantean, other Atlanteans are superior than all other beings. There are very specific personality traits present in nearly every single member of their race.”

  Jealousy. Selfishness. Greed. Audrey had become intimately familiar with each of them.

  Fyrn began to pace the room. “You hid this from us, and that was the worst possible thing you could have done. You could have destroyed everything Victoria has built and done so far with a single action.”

  “How on Earth could I—”

  “If Fairhaven turned against you, what side would Victoria take?” Fyrn glared at Audrey, waiting for her to answer.

  She didn’t.

  “I’d take your side, Audrey, no matter what,” Victoria said softly.

  Audrey sighed, disgusted with herself.

  Fyrn nodded. “Audrey, it's evident that you have immense power within you. Unless you hone and train it, it's going to destroy not just others but you as well.”

  “At least I'm a little special,” she snapped. As quickly as she spoke, she clapped her hand over her mouth and looked at Victoria.

  To her credit, Victoria didn't look offended or hurt in any way. She looked sad. “Of course you're special, Audrey. You've always been special to me, dear. Priceless, and I'm sorry if I never let you know that.”

  Audrey opened her mouth to respond, but she couldn't form any words. She didn’t know what to say. The anger and resentment still bubbled within her, churning in her chest like a deadly undertow in an ocean.

  “Until we get this sorted out, there will be ground rules,” Fyrn said, stroking his chin.

  Audrey narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Like what?”

  “First of all, no Berserk games until this is dealt with.”

  “Not fair! I—”

  “This is not a discussion!" Fyrn's voice thundered through the room, impossibly loud.

  Audrey sank back against the headboard, mouth shutting with an audible click.

  “Secondly,” Fyrn continued, “you’ll need training, but I'
m afraid I'm unfamiliar with Atlantean culture and magic. I haven't met enough of them in my life to be of much help to you. I knew of one back when I was in the Order of the Silver Griffins, but we don’t speak anymore. That means we’re going to need to find you a proper mentor, Audrey. I'm afraid there's not much I can teach you, at least to start. We have to find you someone who can teach you to control this magic, wield it, and direct it in a constructive way.”

  “You mean—”

  Fyrn nodded. “We must leave Fairhaven for a time and, by some miracle, find an Atlantean willing to train you.”

  “But how?”

  Fyrn squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the brim of his nose. “Don’t concern yourself with the ‘how.’ For now, just heal. Victoria and I will take care of this.”

  Victoria perked up, eyebrow quirking as she studied the old wizard. He walked toward the door and gestured for her to join him, but she remained at the foot of the bed for a moment, gazing at Audrey.

  “I’m with you, Audrey. To the end,” Victoria said softly before following Fyrn out the door.

  Audrey tried to stand and follow, but her legs were like jelly. They screamed at her to lie down again, and she obeyed. She could only watch as her best friend retreated into the hallway to save her yet again.

  “I’m sorry,” Audrey said, too softly for anyone to hear.

  “There, there.” Bertha patted Audrey’s shoulder. It ached when the ogre’s heavy hand pressed down on the tender muscle.

  “Ow!”

  “I will mix up an herbal compress for you. Back in a few.” The ogre lumbered out of the room, and all was still and quiet.

  Audrey stared at the crystal on the bedspread in front of her. She hadn’t told them about the soft voice urging her to be silent, but she assumed that was the greed. She stared at her hands, wondering what it even meant to be part Atlantean. If Fyrn was right—and honestly, she doubted his theory—Audrey was partly a magical creature from an ancient and mostly secretive civilization. It sounded impossible, and yet she could control a brand of magic no one else could use.

  She was special.

  Despite the destruction she had caused, Audrey smiled. She had a gift. She had an entire culture to discover. But most of all, she had power.