The Sapphire Manticore (The Lost Ancients Book 4)

by Marie Andreas

  Bunky hovered as close as he could to Padraig without actually being on top of him. Padraig moved a few bones with Bunky hovering over each one, and then finally looked up at him. “I’m sorry, little friend, I promise to do this carefully. But I need you to go guard the faeries in case there is something bad here.”

  I knew he wasn’t worried about the faeries, or if he was he would find out pretty soon how tough those maniacs were. However, I understood him wanting them all out of the way. There was something off about the pile before us—not a single thing I could pin down—but the hairs on my arms were standing up.

  Bunky buzzed over the area once then seemed to bob in agreement and flew up to where the faeries were. I was actually surprised they weren’t trying to get into the middle of things, but I had a feeling they felt whatever was off with the pile as well.

  Alric stepped in to help, pulling out a sword and looking at it carefully. His face paled a few shades. “This is a council guard sword.”

  Padraig briefly looked over his shoulder. “I was afraid of that.” He picked up speed, but still treated the bones with reverence. The pile beneath the bones glowed as he got to the pack. It was made of some disintegrating fabric so thin it shredded, revealing the blue glow within. It was the most hostile blue glow I’d ever seen.

  “I don’t think glowing is good.” The words were out of my mouth when Padraig reached forward with intent and grabbed the pack.

  And was thrown into Alric as the glowing flared to an un-viewable brightness and slammed both of them against the far wall of the stairwell.

  “Told you.” Glowing things in my opinion were bad. Unless they were something useful like actual glows. I was still unsure about the weird glowing moss—it seemed helpful, but I still wasn’t positive it wasn’t going to start snacking on innocent passersby.

  Garbage came whizzing in front of all of us before another plan could be made, which was good as I didn’t want to have to be the next one flung across the stairwell.

  “Is this.”

  Bunky came down, buzzing at her, but she grabbed the pack anyway.

  A tiny pop of light, just enough to send her ass over wings pushed Garbage back. Bunky grabbed the seat of her overalls in his mouth as she tumbled past him and flew them both back up to the other two faeries. I noticed he didn’t let go of the overalls.

  Nevertheless, she’d moved enough of the pack’s fabric to see a section of the item. Like the emerald dragon, this appeared to be carved out of a single precious stone. A huge sapphire. I couldn’t see the rest, but a large scorpion tail was clear. I now knew the source of the off-putting feeling I’d had while looking at the pile of bones that had covered it

  I sank down and squatted on my heels. This was the easiest part of the Ancient weapon we’d found, but it was going to be the most impossible to bring in. And we couldn’t leave it behind. Now that the wards were down and the door blown, anyone would have access to this. If anyone figured out where Alric escaped to, they’d come right through here.

  “A sapphire manticore.” Alric didn’t get too close, but even he knew what that tail meant. Qianru had been wrong about the size. If the rest of the artifact was in proportion then it was far smaller than a wagon wheel. And much closer in size to a trio of relics I was really beginning to hate.

  “Taryn should try to touch it,” Padraig said from behind me. I had no idea what I had done to him that would cause him to want me to be sent flying.

  “Why? It doesn’t seem to like anyone.” I had to admit I was drawn to the softly glowing blue tail as much as I was repulsed by it.

  “You’re different.” There was a tone in his voice I really didn’t like. Covey sounded that way when studying something. I was never the subject of her studies, but that didn’t mean I didn’t know the tone when it was aimed at me.

  I watched both elven faces for a few moments. It was clear why they were friends. Both were the most stubborn things I’d ever met. And that was saying a lot since I had those faeries in my life. I finally sighed and got up. “Fine. Just make sure you catch me.”

  I edged forward, not sure how I thought sneaking up on it would help me, but I did it anyway. The relics were odd, but as far as we could tell, they weren’t actually alive.

  I pulled back the rest of the disintegrating pack. Yup, one giant sapphire, all intricately carved in the shape of a manticore. The lion’s head had a very fierce snarl and the scorpion tail was raised over its head and ready to strike. It would be an amazing find if I weren’t terrified of what the weapon it was a part of could do—not to mention what secret powers it had by itself. The gargoyle messed up time and somehow opened a gateway to another dimension, the chimera amplified magic to horrifying levels, and as far as I could tell the dragon just made people greedy, but I’m sure there was something more evil than that.

  So what did this beautiful piece of mayhem and disaster have in store?

  “Are you okay?” Alric said closely behind me. I’d been so busy contemplating my fate I hadn’t heard him come up. I must have looked a bit odd, hunched over the relic having an elaborate mental conversation with myself.

  “I have no idea,” I said, then grabbed the sapphire. It was so cold I almost dropped it. A freezing numbness crept up from my fingers and palms toward my elbows. Nevertheless, I held it tightly in both hands and let the cold dissipate through me. I never thought of myself as a particularly hot-blooded person, but I noticed it now. The little mythical monster and I were having a battle, and so far I was winning.

  This one was heavier than the others, or at least the gargoyle and the dragon. I had no idea what the chimera had weighed when it first reassembled itself, but it was pretty heavy after it got out of Glorinal.

  I still felt the cold, but it didn’t burn as it did when I first touched it. Either I was winning our small battle or my hands had become totally numb. It wasn’t carved of a single stone like I originally thought. Somehow it was carved in layers. There was a tiny manticore in the center, and then layers of designs of it on top of that. I peered closely. The work it would have taken was truly amazing. The Ancients had skills so far beyond even those of the elves that the elves were like children in comparison.

  “Taryn?” Alric said and I vaguely felt him shake my arm. I sensed a presence to my other side and realized it must be Padraig but he was speaking too low and I couldn’t hear him.

  The manticore seemed to glow brighter, fighting to generate more coldness. Then it flared so bright I would have dropped it if I could, and all three of us were flung across the stairwell.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  “Taryn? Are you okay?” Alric’s concern cut through my foggy brain. It was nice for him to be so worried since he and Padraig had cushioned my crash.

  And were still cushioning it. I opened my eyes to try to get off them but the entire world slid sideways. I put down both hands to stabilize myself then realized at some point in my trajectory I’d lost the damn manticore.

  “Are you sure you’re okay? You feel cold.” Alric had his hand on my arm, touching bare skin. I could feel exactly where each finger touched me, how deep into my flesh each went, even a decades-old scar on his palm that I knew I’d never seen.

  He was also far too warm.

  I pulled free and patted myself down. Aside from being a little shaky, and the world tilting at an odd angle, I felt fine.

  I faced both elves, not sure how to tell them we’d lost the relic. “I’m okay, but the manticore….”

  I stopped at their stares.

  I quickly patted my face. Was I wounded? I didn’t feel anything. “What? What’s wrong?”

  Alric took both my hands and lowered them from my face. Then he traced something on my left cheek with his index finger. He pulled it back quickly.

  “You feel okay, though? Seriously, nothing odd?”

  I pulled my hand free from him and touched where he had traced. There was a bit of a cold spot but didn’t hurt. “I feel fine. A bit woozy, but slamm
ing into you two can do that. But we’ve lost the manticore.”

  Padraig came forward now. “I don’t think we did.” He held up his sword, the flat side to me. It was so polished I could clearly see myself in it. Including the dark blue manticore tattoo I was now sporting on my left cheek. It was about an inch wide and an inch high. From what I could see in the sword, it had excellent detail too.

  I stumbled backwards as if putting distance between the reflective surface and myself would make that image go away. I put my hand back to my face. Now that I knew something was there I felt it. Rather I felt a cold patch exactly where I’d seen the tattoo.

  “What happened to her?” Alric looked like he was afraid to come closer, but it was more for my sake than being afraid of me.

  Padraig shook his head. “Why ask me? You’re the one who’s been around these relics more than I.”

  “So, we’re agreed that somehow that thing is inside me?” I patted my sides and back to see if anything was sticking out, but I had no idea where it was. Aside from a very noticeable mark on my face.

  “Yes.”

  “No.”

  Padraig’s “no” sounded more as if he was trying to give me options. Alric’s “yes” sounded like the truth.

  I sat back on a stair step, after checking to make sure it was free of bone debris. “I take it this doesn’t happen very often?” As I spoke, the faeries and Bunky came forward. I held my breath to see what their reaction would be, as I trusted them to be the most honest of everyone in this stairwell.

  Bunky hovered in front of me, purring as he tilted from side to side. The girls all came close, I held up my hand for them to land on, and Crusty and Leaf sat on it, smiling. Garbage had a stern look on her face as she flew closer to my face.

  “Yup. Is good.” She patted the mark. I swore I felt the mark flare when she touched it. Then she gave me a huge smile, hugged the side of my face, and flew to my hand.

  Now I was even more confused. Garbage never did things like that. If it weren’t so hard to make sense of the question and answer game that would take place if I tried to find out what she meant, I’d ask her for an explanation.

  Alric and Padraig had both been looking pensive, but after Garbage’s pronouncement, Alric grinned.

  “That’s good enough for me.” He tilted his head, sort of like Bunky was doing, and then shook it. “But others might not understand, especially anyone looking for that relic. Hold still and I’ll glamour it.” He lightly touched my face, and then stood back. His sword appeared from nowhere, and he held it so I could see.

  The manticore was still there.

  “Um, big, blue, and mythological is still visible.” I waved at my cheek.

  Alric and Padraig both scowled.

  “No, it’s not. I mean, it is still there, but no one, even you, should be able to see it.” Alric nodded to Garbage. “Do you see the mark?”

  Garbage lifted one eyebrow and gave him her best look. Mostly one eye bugged out, but she thought it made her look quizzical, or crazy, one of the two. “Silly. Is hiding.”

  Padraig peered closer then pulled back. “You did a great job actually. I can’t see any deflection lines.” He looked thoughtful. “But you can see it? This level of glamour shouldn’t be seen by anyone but the caster. What do you see when you look at me?”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. I knew the attack had only happened a few months ago at the most, but he had to know what others saw. Finally I gave a small nod. “I see an elf with long black hair on one side, and a serious tragedy on the other.” I didn’t know what else to say. He’d seemed comfortable in how he looked.

  Padraig blushed a bit, and then stepped back. Alric nodded. “And me?”

  “Your glamour was broken back in Kenithworth—you look like your elven self.” What were they getting at?

  “Alric said you were a magic sink when he first met you, right?”

  “I think she might have reverted.”

  “I haven’t reverted.” I still felt the magic in me. I held up one hand and pushed at Padraig. Unfortunately, I wasn’t focusing and he stumbled back a few steps when I’d just wanted him to feel the push. “Sorry.”

  “So this entire time, since we’ve left Kenithworth, you’ve not seen me in the glamour?” Alric said.

  I shook my head. “No, and why would you wear a human glamour around elves?”

  “He was trying to piss Flarinen off enough to leave him alone for the trip, is my thinking.” Padraig grinned at Alric’s shrug of agreement.

  “But you see this?” Padraig seemed to be holding his breath and he raised his hand to his face. “All of this?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you never felt pity?” There was steel under his words.

  “Initially maybe. Then you attacked Alric. After that you were saving me, so I really haven’t had time.” The girls’ actions in Lorcan’s library came back to me. “But the faeries see you like that as well.”

  Padraig had gone past his self-aware and awkward stage and was back into researcher. “I think with them it’s instinct, more that they know what is under everyone’s glamour whether it be magical or not. But you’re seeing through glamours.”

  Alric had gone into thoughtful mode too, but was silent. A crash from the tunnel at the bottom of the stairs jerked them both out of it. I was sure it was just the water. Partially sure.

  “Ya know, we should probably get moving from here. If folks can’t tell what’s in me, or on me, then we need to move on.” I tossed the faeries into the air, and they flew like flowers thrown aloft, as soon as they started to drop, they flapped their wings. I still needed to find out how poison got them their wings back. Nevertheless, that would have to wait. I got up and dusted myself off, trying to ignore what probably made up any dust I’d been sitting in.

  Alric dropped next to me as we walked forward. “So when I got my glamour back on the second day on the trail, you never noticed?”

  “Not at all. Anyway, how did you glamour with that spell breaker necklace on? I couldn’t do anything.”

  “Flarinen was the strongest magic user in that group, and he’s rusty in that department. He left a chink in the ward on the stone and I slipped through it. I had to work on it each night or it would close. I kept up the snoring so everyone would leave me alone.”

  I had guessed the snoring wasn’t real. Still, it would have been nice for him to tell me that he could access his magic.

  “Okay, what’s wrong with me?” The stairs were becoming narrower and more defined. They were also twisting more like a tower and less like the grand staircase we’d entered on the ground floor. I really hoped that this led to a way out or we were all really in trouble. I still heard the water below us, a lot slower, and hopefully just keeping to itself. There was still too much of it to be an option.

  “I have no idea, but I now think that seeing Siabiane might be a good plan. Maybe the spell breaker changed something in you? We never knew how you went from full magic sink to a mage in the first place.”

  The swearing that cut into our conversation from above us wasn’t a good thing. There had been a creaking groan before that, so I had to figure there was a door, but like far too many in this damn place, it either didn’t open to anything useful or didn’t really open.

  We sped up and turned the bend in the stairway. The good news was there was a way out. Padraig’s hand was on a very ancient-looking open door. The bad news was a pair of guards stood on the other side with swords raised.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Before I could say anything, Garbage landed on my shoulder, and whispered in my ear, “Stay still, silent.” Crusty did the same to Alric, then he vanished from sight. Leaf sat on Bunky, who’d landed on a stair behind us. They vanished from sight as well.

  “Where did they go?” The guard peered around Padraig, but I couldn’t get a good enough look to tell if he was a real guard or a fake one.

  Padraig adapted well, I’d give him that. “Where is who?
I got lost down here, exploring the secrets of the mystics.” He held himself up stiffly, looking down his nose at both of them, as if he knew the guards wouldn’t question a person of his standing.

  The second guard stepped forward as well and patted the doorframe. “There were others coming up the stairs. How did you break the ward on this? The Grand Inquisitor will not be pleased.”

  It was disturbing standing here, not able see Alric, Bunky, or the other faeries. Hopefully, Padraig could bluff his way out of this soon.

  “Ah, so I have wandered that far, have I?” Padraig made a show of looking around the doorway and peering out. It looked like the doorway was inside a building, but all I could see was darkness. “Do tell the Grand Inquisitor I said hello.” He flicked one hand up, a move so quick I couldn’t even see the entire thing.

  I felt the spell leave his hand and both guards folded as if they’d been made of paper and it started raining. Then Padraig stepped over them and out into the hallway.

  Alric moved forward, breaking the spell Crusty cast when she sat on him. The faeries’ little trick only held while the person was motionless. Garbage flew off of me, so I followed Alric and Padraig, with Bunky and the girls flying behind us. The doorway led to a wide dark hall that looked to be made of a similar stone as the castle. But far heavier and darker. Like someone deliberately wanted to make the area unattractive.

  “Won’t they sound an alarm? Or at least tell someone that you attacked them?” I looked back at the guard closest to me. He simply looked asleep.

  “By the time they do, we’ll be long gone. And even if they do, I think I might be more effective to Lorcan and Delphina outside of the castle, instead of in.” Padraig paused and looked down both ends of the hall. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been here, but I think we can get out this way.”