The Cardkeeper Chronicles: Books 1-5 (Complete Collection)

by A. C. Nicholls

  I had a lot of enemies, but time just moved to the top of the list.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  After a tedious walk up a long, winding driveway, I wound up in front of a mansion. There were more windows than I could count and a large set of steps leading up to the front door. I ran up them enthusiastically, ready to get some answers from the witch. I’d never met a witch before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I reared back in surprised confusion when the perfectly normal-looking old woman opened her door and greeted me with a wide smile that accentuated her false teeth.

  “Jack Hannigan, I presume?”

  I hesitated. “You were expecting me?”

  “Oh, yes. Mr. George called to let me know that I had a visitor on the way. Anyway, I’m so glad to meet you. I’m Karen Saunders.” She waved a hand to beckon me inside, closing it as I stepped in. “Please, follow me. I have everything set up and ready to go.”

  “Set up?” I said. “Ready to go?”

  Karen ushered me into the foyer and led the way. I followed her down the huge hallway, passing through two rooms that were larger than any house I’d ever owned. Somewhere inside the house I could hear cackling laughter and a man shouting some joke about an Irishman and a catholic priest. It sounded like there was a dinner party on the other end of the building, but we were walking away from it, all the way to a single door.

  “Down here,” Karen said. “Quickly now.”

  From here, she led the way down the set of steps on the other side of the door. It was dark and dusty, and the air was damp but refreshing. My uncomfortable sweat was kept at bay by the chill that entered my lungs and caressed my skin. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, that same chill passed to my back, where it ran up and down the length of my spine as I gawked at the glowing cauldron in the center of the large basement.

  “What’s that for?” I asked, feeling around in my pocket for the Sword of Lucada. If this witch planned to throw me into the cauldron and cook me, she was in for a big surprise. I’d never been keen on the idea of getting eaten, one of the more gruesome ways to make your exit.

  “Did you want to locate The Ancient or not?”

  “Uh… yes.” I let my hand fall to my side.

  “Then come in, my child.”

  Karen Saunders invited me to stand beside the cauldron, while she took to the opposite side. I could see a small amount of some glowing blue liquid bubbling at the bottom, the fires beneath it making it hiss and sizzle. Scentless smoke drifted from its center, disappearing only two feet above it like magic.

  “What is this for?” I asked, relaxing a little now. “Are you cooking up some spell to find The Ancient for me? Or is this some kind of – I don’t know – potion to help me find it myself?” I realized how stupid I sounded right after I asked.

  Karen crooked an eyebrow, popped the top off a jar of something that looked suspiciously like eyeballs, and flung some into the bubbling brew while a slight smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. She was an attractive woman for her age. Although she looked to be around sixty, I had a feeling she was much, much older. Still, her skin was in good shape and her hair was perfectly thick and neat, no matter how gray. “I take it this is your first time in a witch’s basement?”

  “What gave me away?”

  “Your complete lack of knowledge.” She emptied a sachet into the cauldron and laughed, but somehow, it was more friendly than condescending. “I’ve met your kind before, you know. A Cardkeeper.”

  “You mean Keira?”

  Karen nodded. “She tried to break in here, once upon a time.”

  “Yeah, that sounds like Keira.”

  Karen’s smile widened but her eyes stayed fixed on the large cooking pot. She circled around it, passing by me while she mumbled some kind of chant. Although I first began to suspect that this was all a waste of time, I started to feel something scrambling around inside my brain. The strange interloper accessed my thoughts, searching through and analyzing them until an image of The Ancient appeared in front of my eyes. I reeled back but tried not to run, trusting the witch but not without paranoia. When the still image drifted out of my mind and carried across the room, hovering above the cauldron as smoke slithered around it, I let out a sigh of relief.

  “The one you seek is beside a body of water,” Karen said.

  I rolled my eyes. “I knew that much.”

  “There’s more.”

  “There is?”

  Karen closed her eyes now, her whispers forming words that I could physically see, only they poured from her mouth in a purple trail of smoke that found its way into the image of The Ancient. That same image lit up and began to move, slowly transforming into some kind of cocoon. The scenery around it also began to alter, until the ugly vampire could no longer be seen at all, and now I was looking at an expansive lake that I could have recognized from anywhere.

  “Firdown Woods,” I said. The possibility of finding this thing now filled me with both excitement and fear. Knowing its location provided a good opportunity to kill it, but at the same time, I had to ask myself how exactly I would manage that.

  “Yes.” Karen opened her eyes, and the image popped like a bubble so as it could no longer be seen. The smoke itself dissipated and the fire beneath the cauldron died out. Now there was nothing but the sounds of our voices, echoing around the great, dark basement. “This creature that you seek… it’s dangerous. Right now it’s licking its wounds, but it’s still able to kill a Cardkeeper with a single blow.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I saw it in the smoke.”

  I nodded slowly. There was no reason not to believe her, and that was why I had the great idea of visiting the Vault before I dared set foot in those woods. Now that I’d seen The Ancient in person, I knew better than to go in unprepared. Perhaps Dalton could help me in some way, and if he could, I didn’t want to miss that chance.

  “Thank you so much for your help,” I said to Karen.

  “It’s my pleasure. What you’re doing is an admirable thing, you know.” She took a deep breath, her gaze still lingering on the rim of the cauldron. “No matter how dim the odds may seem, I hope you succeed in your mission. For all our sakes.”

  Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.

  I thanked her again, leaving the mansion with all the information I would need, and trudged my way back down the drive using the moonlight to guide my path. Tension wrought my body as I considered the possibility that, by this time tomorrow, vampires could no longer exist. All I had to do was fight, and fight well.

  I turned left off the drive and began to walk alongside a long bush. It was dark here, which only caused me to be extra careful, but when I saw a rummage further along the bush, I stopped in my tracks and drew my sword. The glowing blade shot out in a flash of color, and I raised it beside me, ready to strike.

  “Whatever you are, this is your only chance to show yourself.”

  The rummaging continued until I caught first sight of the creature’s face. A moment later, as it moved from the bushes, its body revealed itself until it was stood on the sidewalk in front of me, its eyes glowing under the moon.

  “You,” I said, identifying the figure immediately.

  I’d had a lot of surprises these past few days, but although I was growing quite used to being constantly shocked at the sight of anything mythological, I’d never quite counted on seeing this guy again. Not even in my wildest dreams.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” said the figure.

  I laughed, lowering my guard and stowing the sword away in my pocket. I approached without caution, shaking my head from side to side with humored disbelief. When I reached the figure, the details of his small body became more visible. Moments later, I could clearly see his wings. “I thought you were headed back to Europe.”

  Link brushed a stray leaf off his shoulder and took off on his wings, his body lifting to meet my eyes. “I was, but by the time I
had a nap and left Vival Creek I saw the bus you were riding in. I thought that seeing as I’d come this far, I might as well see it through to the end.”

  “I’m not sure Keira would approve of you fighting.”

  “I know, I know. That was why I thought I’d just watch.”

  I nodded. “All right. Well, it was good to see you again, little man, but why don’t you fly on over there and watch from a distance? I have things to do.” I started walking, softly moving Link aside with the back of my hand as I continued up the sidewalk. It was actually a hard thing for me to do – I was growing very fond of the little faery, but if he got hurt then Keira Poe would only return and rain hellfire down on me. Immortality or no immortality, I wasn’t about to pick a fight with an ex-Keeper.

  “You’re just leaving?” Link asked, catching up to me on flickering wings.

  “I don’t have time for coffee and a catch-up.”

  “But some courtesy would be nice.”

  I stopped then, turning toward the sound of his beating wings. Perhaps I was being pretty hard on the guy, especially as he’d come this far to check up on me. “Listen, I’m sorry to treat you this way – I really am – but your time in the danger zone has come to an end. You’ve served your time helping a Cardkeeper.”

  “But if I want to help more?”

  “Then don’t.”

  Link’s eyes gained a bit of moisture by the time the words were even out. It was clear that he was trying to hide it by turning slightly as if he were looking up and down the street, but he didn’t fool me. Even so, what could I have done? I needed him out of harm’s way, and I was only trying to keep him safe.

  “All right, all right.” I tapped him playfully on the shoulder. “Watch me from a distance by all means. Just do me a favor and don’t get involved, okay? I mean it. If you see me in trouble, I want you to just fly out of there and let someone know what happened.”

  Link’s smile soon returned, his blue eyes glowing again. “It’s a deal.”

  “Good.”

  I stood in silence with the faery beside me, hovering in the air. Our gazes were locked on each other and, for the first time in a while, I had no idea what to say. What I did say came out sloppy and bumbling. “So then, if – I should just…”

  “Keep walking, yep.”

  “Right. Take care, buddy.”

  “You, too.”

  I turned on my heel and continued up the street, doing everything I could to pretend I didn’t have faery eyes glued to the top of my head. Only that was made impossible by the small, black shadows I saw rolling across the ground in front of me, and the fragile voice that rained down upon me.

  “Berotta fire,” Link said from high above. “Vampires are vulnerable to berotta fire.”

  For just a moment, I was glad to have him around.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Berotta fire. I couldn’t say that I’d ever heard of it, so I put it down to something from the underworld. There were many things like that; potions and weapon enhancements, and even elements that didn’t exist as far as the human world was aware. Lucky for me, I was no longer human, which meant that I had unlimited access to such things at the Vault.

  Inside the alchemy lab, I found my chance to make it. The room was on one of the upper floors inside the tower, comprised of one hundred and eighteen different tables – one for each element. The entire room, long and cold and lit only slightly by candles, was overseen by five alchemists, all of whom would demand an explanation when I requested any ingredients. I chose the most weak-looking one of the lot to make my request.

  “How may I serve?” he asked. The man wore a robe with a purple sash, presumably the color assigned to alchemists. His raised hood covered most of his face in shadow – another faceless man for the Vault.

  “Uh, I need to make something called berotta fire.” I tried not to sound too uninformed, but considering I had no idea what it was or how to make it, I thought it might be something of a challenge. All I knew for sure – thanks to Link’s generous contribution of knowledge – was that I needed something called ripilya, and some fire to burn it with.

  “I see,” said the alchemist. “And for what purpose?”

  “To enhance my blade.”

  “Your enemy?”

  I shrugged. “Vampire, basically.”

  “Very well.”

  The alchemist knelt down to a small door beside him and retrieved three leather pouches. When he arose, he handed them over and assigned me to a nearby workbench – one of the few where a fire still burned in its center. I had no idea what I was doing, but by the time I decided to ask for help, the alchemist had left me alone to create whatever the hell I would end up creating.

  “Right then,” I said to myself, spreading the contents out in front of me. “How hard can it be?” I opened each pouch and peered inside, taking a small sniff at each one. They all stank of something old and foul, but each of them had a kind of burnt smell. I placed them all around the fire, withdrew the Sword of Lucada, and rested it on the bench.

  For a long while, I stood staring at each of my ingredients. I was too scared to make a move, through fear of burning my eyebrows off, but I wasn’t going to learn unless I tried. With that in mind, I sprinkled some of the first ingredient – a thin, sand-like pile of grains – into the fire. The flames shot out violently, reaching out at me in a fiery grasp as I ducked back. When it receded I felt fine, but the smell of burnt hair continued to haunt me.

  “Do you require assistance?” came a voice at my side.

  I turned to say no, but when I saw Dalton beside me, his blue eyes glowing by the fire, I couldn’t help but level with him. Besides, I had to bring him up to speed anyway. “Yes please. I need to make berotta fire, but I have no idea what I’m doing.”

  “Did you attempt to slay The Ancient without it?”

  “Yeah…”

  Dalton grinned and stood on the opposite side of the bench, where he picked up one of the pouches I hadn’t used and ground it in a mortar and pestle. As he worked his elbow, he stared at me like an angry owner would to his disobedient dog. “Where is your robe, Sir Jack?”

  Ah, that old chestnut. I settled for a shrug.

  “How many times must I tell you…” Dalton sighed, placed down the ground ingredient and then took another pouch, emptying its contents into the fire. The flames didn’t move, however, they did turn a darker shade of red. Before he said any more, he took a pinch of the ground powder and sprinkled it into the embers. Now they hissed, roaring high into the air as if trying to escape from the Vault itself. The fire slowly began to die down, reducing in size to a small, flickering red flame.

  “I found The Ancient,” I said, mostly to break the silence.

  Dalton was focused on his alchemy, nodding. “And?”

  Avoiding the parts about me getting my ass kicked, I told him everything there was to tell about The Ancient and its hiding place. There was the matter of Karen Saunders, that I mentioned briefly just to explain how I got my information, and Edgar George’s name didn’t seem to change his expression. Dalton remained quiet, listening politely until the time came to explain what I would do next. It wasn’t until he asked me for a plan that I realized I didn’t have one. Then, I felt incredibly foolish.

  “Berotta fire was a good choice,” Dalton finally said. “But can I ask how you plan to slay the creature? Your strength is no more than it was before, but The Ancient’s would have grown considerably.”

  A plan occurred to me then – a ridiculous but altogether credible plan. “I could speak with Lena and gain the assistance of the werewolves. That is, if she wants to help. That might make my battle a little easier.”

  “It certainly cannot hurt to try.” Dalton reached over and took the final ingredient, emptying it into a small bowl of water and stirring it with a splint. He then placed it onto a metal plate and slid it above the flames, where it slowly began to boil. “What will your strategy become if they refuse to aid you?”

/>   I shook my head, staring at the fire. “I guess I’ll have to just try anyway.”

  “That’s very brave, but also very foolish.”

  “Just about sums me up.” I smiled at Dalton but it had no effect.

  “I can only wish you luck,” he said, taking the boiling water from the plate and leaning over to grab my sword. When he held it by the hilt, he took a step back and poured the liquid over the blade. Its color changed suddenly, turning from bright blue and orange to a deep, illuminating red that looked more threatening than ever before. When the liquid had covered it completely, he handed the sword back over to me. “You may retract the blade if you so wish. The effect will last until you decide to change it.”

  Keeping my eyes trained on the badass-looking weapon, I took the hilt and swished it around in the air, watching a trail of red light drag behind the slice. I imagined shoving this thing into The Ancient’s heart, and it got my own heart pounding.

  “Thank you for your help.”

  Dalton nodded. Turned, and made for the door.

  “I spoke to Link.”

  As predicted, that got his head turning. The robe he wore swirled around him as he spun quickly, rushing back to the table. “The faery,” he said, smiling wider than I’d ever seen. “I trust he is well?”

  “Very,” I assured him.

  “And…”

  “Keira is fine, too. She’s in Europe, probably on a beach, drinking cocktails and kicking back in the sun.” I pictured it momentarily, but the envy drove me wild. “From what I hear, she’s doing just fine.”

  Dalton’s smile broadened ever further still. “That could be you in thirty years.”

  Ah, yes, the thirty-year cycle. I didn’t even want to start thinking about a big break just yet. At this rate it was unlikely I would survive the night, but thirty years? Doubtful, to say the least. “Let’s just focus on The Ancient, and we can worry about sunburn later.”