Arcana Rising (The Arcana Chronicles Book 5)

by Kresley Cole

  Joules coughed. “Is that a wedding band I spy with me little eye? Already married, Empress? Jaysus, the Cajun’s just months cold in the grave. Actually, he never was cold, now, was he?”

  Joules might as well have struck me.

  Aric’s voice turned menacing. “If you ever speak about Deveaux again, you will use respectful words—or I swear to the gods, I will spit you on one of your javelins.”

  Finn, Gabriel, and Joules looked shocked by Aric’s defense of Jack. Even I was surprised.

  Joules muttered, “Talk about singin’ a new tune.”

  The street shook again, vibrating the truck. “The Emperor’s getting closer.”

  Aric accelerated even more. “We must make that pass before he takes out the road.”

  I peered out the window; a fracture was opening up beside us, racing us. But we were pulling ahead. “We’ve got it. We’re beating it.”

  Aric suddenly slammed on the brakes. I jerked my gaze forward.

  A skin-and-bones horse trotted in front of us. We all gaped to see an animal—

  Fissures forked across the road leading to the valley. The horse disappeared into a crevasse not ten feet from us. Our escape had been sabotaged.

  47

  Aric whipped the truck into reverse. “Wings down, Archangel.” When Gabriel tried in vain to lower them, Aric punched out his window, leaning out as he steered.

  “Where do we go?” I asked.

  “Fortune is coming up behind us. There’s only one other way.”

  The tunnel.

  Aric backed up to the turnoff, then slammed the truck into gear. Though Richter could bring down that mountain on our heads, we raced through the tunnel entrance. Aric killed the lights, speeding into the pitch dark. In the center of the tunnel, he braked. “Listen.”

  Swoop swoop swoop. Zara’s copter. “She’s flying over. She’ll be waiting for us on the other side.”

  Aric nodded. “She might have a missile left. Even without one, she could use her guns to set off a rock slide, trapping us until the Emperor arrives.”

  “Some of us know how that feels, Death,” Finn said quietly. Because Aric had told Ogen to batter a mountain—while my allies and I had been inside it.

  Aric said simply, “Yes.”

  To Joules and Gabriel, Finn added, “And you two are not the friends I wanted to spend my final moments with.” He petted the falcon, straightening its little helmet.

  “I’ll see you soon, Cally lass,” Joules said, again seeming so young, almost . . . innocent. He even crossed himself, reminding me of Jack. . . .

  I turned to Aric. If this was the end, I was grateful for even two months with him.

  Making a sound of frustration, he gazed over his shoulder at Finn. “Magician, you need to disguise this truck.”

  Finn looked surprised that the Endless Knight was addressing him. Adjusting the bird to see Aric better, he said, “Zara will still be able to detect the heat from the engine.”

  “Conceal that too.”

  The falcon gave a low cry, as if to say, “Listen.”

  “Uh, I only create illusions. Like pictures, you know? I ride the pine for the big stuff.”

  As though the words were pulled from him, Aric said, “You’re a magician. You wield magic. Work a cloaking spell to make us truly undetectable. Not an illusion.”

  Finn perked up. “For real? I can do that?”

  “You can, and you must. I don’t know the exact incantation, but it started with the words . . .” Aric recited something that sounded Latin-y.

  I had no clue what he’d said, but Finn tensed, as if jolted by Joules’s electricity. “Dude. I’ve dreamed that.”

  “It means: I command and conjure. Begin the invocation, imagine what you want to happen, and the rest should follow.”

  Finn’s illusions distorted reality for others, but not necessarily for the people he worked his magic on. We would still look the same. The truck would. “How will we know if he’s done it?”

  Aric met my gaze. “If we make it past Fortune alive.”

  Finn repeated Aric’s words, then looked shocked when more mysterious commands followed. His breath blurred as he spoke his Magician’s language. He started to sweat.

  “That’s it,” Aric said. “Concentrate.”

  Finn’s body quaked; the falcon fluttered.

  The little hairs on my nape rose. Something was happening. Magic seemed to swirl all around us. Joules and Gabriel shared a look. They’d felt it too.

  After another minute or two of speaking, Finn paused. “I feel like I completed a spell, or something. Could be that a white rabbit’s appearing in a black hat somewhere on earth.” With a grimace, he added, “But whatever spell I worked, I’m definitely fueling it.”

  Though we had no idea if he’d produced an illusion, much less a total concealment, Aric eased the truck toward the end of the tunnel—and straight into Zara’s spotlight beam.

  From here, we could see the copter up close.

  “She has one missile left,” Gabriel murmured.

  “What’s your plan?” I whispered to Aric.

  “To drive under her.”

  I hissed, “There’s not enough room!” The moon roof was still open; I didn’t know if I wanted to see how close it would be.

  The spotlight was blinding as we emerged from the mountain. If Finn’s power wavered . . . if Zara floated lower . . .

  Aric inched toward the helicopter.

  Then under it.

  We all craned our heads up, holding our breath. . . .

  Joules muttered, “Jaysus, the skids are too close.”

  If the copter descended by a hair, it’d meet the racks on the truck roof.

  “Faster, Reaper,” Joules grated. “Get us bloody out of here.”

  “Quiet. Faster means more heat and sound; I won’t increase either.” Though everything in me clamored to flee, cool Aric continued gliding forward. A few feet more . . . almost there . . .

  Clear! A chorus of exhaled breaths.

  Finn shook, dripping sweat. “Guys, I-I don’t know how much more I’ve got in me.”

  “Just a little longer, Magician,” Aric said.

  We’d driven about half a mile away when Zara floated higher—and launched her last missile.

  The tunnel imploded, collapsing half the mountain, the impact shaking the truck even at this distance.

  Almost to himself, Aric said, “Such a mistake, Fortune.” Then he told Finn, “We’re almost concealed behind another mountain. If you can maintain the spell till then, they’ll assume we’re trapped in that rubble, slowly dying.”

  Though Finn looked like he was about to pass out, he gave a pained nod.

  As we curved around a bend, Gabriel said, “Look back to the left. That is the road we were on, heading toward that bridge.”

  I followed his gaze to a mangled suspension bridge. “It’s been out for a while.” It reminded me of the one I’d leapt off to escape Death. Joules, Gabriel, Tess, and I had battled Aric and Ogen. How long ago that seemed. Talk about a new tune. . . .

  Aric slid me a look. “If we hadn’t followed where the Sun led us, we would be dead.” To Finn, he added, “We’re clear.”

  Finn’s exhalation must’ve lasted a minute.

  I cast him a grin. “You’re one badass Magician.”

  “Thanks, blondie.” Clammy and pale, he weakly smiled. “And thanks, Death, for the recipe. That was real. And it was fun. But it wasn’t real fun.”

  Joules slapped the back of Aric’s seat. “Oi, you cut that close. You got bloody nerves of steel, Reaper, I’ll give you that.”

  Gabriel added, “Well played, Death.”

  I nodded. “I never would’ve had the discipline to ease under that helicopter.”

  Aric caught my gaze. “I never would have had the faith to trust the Sun.”

  All of us had contributed powers tonight—except for me—but my belief in Sol had helped save us.

  We’d gone a few miles
when I spotted another Bagman. This one stood beside the road with his thumb out like a hitchhiker.

  Aric raised his brows at me.

  “Sol has a unique sense of humor. Can you slow down? I want to say thanks.” And maybe face one of those creatures up close. To face my fear.

  Aric slowed, but remained tensed for action.

  I sliced my thumb and grew a flower for Sol as a token of gratitude. Battling memories of my attack, I handed it to the Bagger, addressing Sol through the creature: “A yellow rose, fit for a sun god.”

  With a horrifying smile, the Bagman took the rose—and gave me a formal bow.

  “Sol, you are layered. Thank you, Illuminator.”

  Aric drove on into the night.

  “Guess what this means?” I told the guys. “We’ve got a man on the inside.”

  48

  Groaning silence reigned as we continued down the highway. “Now what?” I asked Aric.

  “I find a place to dump our unwelcome cargo.”

  Gabriel and Joules didn’t look excited about the prospect.

  I told them, “We’ve got some supplies in our packs. You can have them.” In a lower tone, I said, “Before we go, I want you to know I’m sorry about Tess and Selena.”

  “And we are sorry about Jack,” Gabriel said and even Joules nodded. “I wish Tess had waited for you. But we thought you’d been killed either by Richter or Circe. Tess wanted to bring you back most of all.”

  I hadn’t deserved that much of the girl’s respect. To save Jack, I would have sacrificed her.

  More groaning silence.

  Aric flashed a glance in the rearview mirror at Joules. “Why did the two of you and Temperance target me?”

  Joules shrugged like such a tough-guy, but his voice broke as he answered, “Cally said that as long as you live, we’re just walkin’ corpses anyway.”

  “True.”

  Joules’s face sparked, a bluster session on its way.

  “Can we please not fight anymore?” I asked them. “The Priestess said that if Richter wins, there will be hell on earth. Mankind will be doomed.”

  “We have already been seeing that,” Gabriel said. “Any supplies Fortune can’t chopper to their hidden lair, he burns. Starvation in this region is worse than it has ever been.”

  No wonder Sol had broken ranks. He’d dreamed aloud of feeding thousands. “We’re all going to have to work together to take him down. I’m ready to die; are you?” I gazed from one to the next.

  Joules glared at Death as he replied to me, “Like I told you on our first meetin’, Empress: what I want is on the other side.”

  “I’m in,” Finn said. “Richter can’t get away with what he did to Selena and Jack and all those people. . . .”

  Suddenly his words sounded fainter; I felt light-headed. I frowned when warm moisture dripped onto the back of my hand. Was that blood spilling over my icons? From my nose?

  I swiped my sleeve against it, but the blood kept coming. Dizziness hit me, my vision getting fuzzy. “Aric?”

  “Sievā, you’re bleeding?” He skidded to a stop. “Gods, were you hurt?”

  I remembered Jack balling up his shirt to press against my nose. Even over the blood, I’d savored his scent.

  —Empress.—

  I tensed. Was that . . . Matthew’s voice? Why would he be in my head after all these months? How dare he contact me now! Leave me alone! A buzz in my ears grew louder and louder, like white-noise on steroids.

  —Have a secret. He doesn’t want me to tell you.—

  His eerie tone gave me chills.

  Aric hurried around the truck, snatching open my door. He leaned in, cradling my face in his shaking palms. He was speaking to me with dread in his eyes, but I couldn’t hear a word.

  Get out of my head, Fool!

  —Listen.— A different voice carried into my mind: —“What kind of danger is she in? Damn it, tell me! What’s coming, coo-yôn?”—

  I whimpered. Jack??? Is that you? He sounded so close.

  Blood kept pouring. My breaths shallowed till I was hyperventilating, on the verge of blacking out. But I was desperate to hear more of his voice. Jack, please answer me!

  White-noise answered me.

  Please, please, PLEASE—

  My eyes rolled back in my head.

  49

  Day 512 A.F.?

  “There she is,” Aric said when I blinked open my eyes. He sat beside me, stroking my hair.

  I was in our bed? So foggy.

  Why did Paul have a blood pressure cuff on my arm? “Everything checks out,” he told Aric. “I’m sure the posttraumatic stress from that attack didn’t help things.”

  Aric said, “Thank you, Paul.”

  With a “Get some rest, Evie,” the medic left.

  My eyes went wide as memories returned. Matthew, answer me! I bolted upright, growing dizzy again.

  Aric grasped my shoulders. “Easy, slow down. What’s wrong, love?”

  That buzz in my ears was back. I shook so hard my teeth chattered. MATTHEW, please answer me! I’m begging you. Is Jack alive?

  Matthew had never actually said he was. The Fool might have been channeling something Jack had said before he’d died. Maybe Matthew was trying to drive me crazy. If so . . .

  Kudos, the plan’s a success.

  I rubbed my temples, muttering to Aric, “I-I don’t know.” What if I’d imagined Matthew altogether? Imagined Jack’s voice?

  Oh, God, of course. I’d been remembering a detail about Jack, and then his voice popped up?

  In a solemn tone, Aric said, “There is something we need to talk about, sievā.”

  Now what? I could’ve been out for days. In that time, he might’ve uncovered something new and dire.

  So why was he looking at me so strangely? Almost like I was nuts.

  Maybe I . . . shouldn’t tell him what I thought I’d heard. Not until I knew more. How exactly would I put the revelation anyway? Jack’s alive, but apparently he kept that little detail secret. Ah, but Matthew spilled the beans! Buying myself time, I waved Aric on.

  I was scarcely listening as he began talking about Paul, of all people. How the EMT had grown worried when I’d been shut in with my grandmother for so long. How I had lost weight and become listless. The man had pleaded with me to get a checkup, even offering to source contraception after Aric and I had started sleeping together.

  Wait. I glanced up. “After?”

  Aric nodded. “He said you told him you had no need of contraception.”

  The hell? “I went to him and got a shot prior to us getting together. I told you about it.”

  “As I told him in turn, but he swears that never happened.”

  Real? Unreal? Had I . . . imagined my meeting with Paul? I’d already feared gaps in my memory; Gran had told me things that I’d had no recollection of. Was I now inventing memories?

  Had I invented Jack’s return?

  In a soothing voice, Aric said, “I’m not angry, love. Just talk to me.” He wasn’t the first person to look at me as if I’d gone insane, like I was trouble with the possibility of rubble.

  Won’t be the last.

  No. I refused this. I had heard Jack, and I had gotten that shot. “It did happen, which means Paul’s a liar.” But why would he lie? “I’m going to confront him.” In time. Right now, all I wanted was to hear from Matthew again.

  Yet I frowned as a thought occurred. “Why would you be talking to Paul about contraception?”

  Aric tucked my hair behind my ear. “Sievā,” he said gently, “do you not know you’re pregnant?”

  Tick-tock.

  Stay tuned for

  THE DARK CALLING

  Book 6 of the Arcana Chronicles

  Coming Spring 2017

  DAY ZERO

  Available now!

  If you haven’t read DAY ZERO yet, grab a copy to find out:

  How Death first explained the basics of the game to Lark.

  Why Jack shudders a
t the memory of removing his mother’s rosary.

  How Lark’s wolves got to be so big and scarred.

  Why Zara is such a skilled pilot and markswoman.

  How Gabriel learned to fly.

  Why Circe’s wedding day ended in heartbreak.

  How Sol, Joe, and Bea planned to celebrate their anniversary.

  Plus ten other DAY ZERO stories from your favorite characters.

  Turn the page for a new excerpt from DAY ZERO, and get ready for secrets to be revealed!

  The Priestess (II)

  Circe Rémire, Ruler of the Deep

  “Terror from the abyss!”

  A.k.a.: The Water Witch

  Powers: Water manipulation, including tidal wave generation and flood creation. Hydrokinetic combat, shapeshifting, and constructs (can form water objects). Hydro scrying (can perceive through water). Hydroportation.

  Special Skills: Spells and hexes. One spell enables her to remember past games.

  Weapons: Water, trident.

  Tableau: A priestess—with water for hair and tentacles for legs—looms over a sacrificial victim at a bloody altar.

  Icon: Trident.

  Unique Arcana Characteristics: Iridescent blue scales on her arms, with a small fin at each elbow.

  Before Flash: A grad student from Bermuda, attending the University of Miami. Her focus: Atlantean mythology and the Bermuda Triangle. Engaged to a computer programmer and instructor there. Member of campus Wiccans.

  Hamilton, Bermuda

  Day 0

  “Are you tipsy?” I asked my soon-to-be husband. I was sitting with my cheek pressed against the door. He was sitting on the other side. It was well past midnight, so we weren’t supposed to see each other.