by John Corwin
I tried pulling it off his face, but it wouldn't budge. "It's stuck!"
Ambria knocked my hands aside and tried to no avail, jerking and tugging hard enough to bring tears to Max's eyes. "What have you done, Max?" She grabbed a serrated knife from the table. "Let me try this."
Max howled like a frightened dog and fell over backwards in his chair in his desperation to escape. He covered the nose with his hands. "Leave me alone, Ambria!" Something popped, and Max's fear turned back to surprise. He held up his hand, displaying the nose pinched between thumb and forefinger, his own face returned to normal.
"It came off just like that?" Ambria still held the knife at the ready.
"Yes, so you can put the bleeding knife away." Max handed me the nose. "Keep that cursed thing away from me."
"What was it like?" I asked. "Did it hurt?"
"I have a headache, and there was an awful smell." Max pounded his chest with the flat of his fist as if trying to keep his food down. "I certainly don't want it near me again."
I put the relic up to my face. It flew from my fingers as if drawn to a magnet and molded against my nose with a pinch and the sensation of something crawling up my nostrils. An acrid stench filled my nostrils, charred flesh, smoke, and the smell of ozone after a lightning storm. It was so strong, so real, that it nearly overwhelmed me.
The sickening mélange faded, replaced by another. I smelled sweat, vomit, fresh stew, and a sweet scent, like flowers in a field. There were so many odors, I couldn't separate them all. Beneath it all was the acrid scent I'd smelled at first. I rotated in my chair and it seemed to grow stronger when I faced a certain direction.
"You look silly," Ambria said.
Max set his chair upright. "What are you doing, Conrad?"
I gripped the nose and the pressure abated, the heightened sensations faded, and once again, my nose was back to normal. "It's like having a dog's sense of smell."
"You can keep it," Max said. "People smell funny."
"There was something else." I put the nose back on my face. Once again the terrible odors of fire and death filled my nostrils before fading. I smelled everything in the vicinity, but a biting pungence pulled my head ninety degrees. I removed the nose again, relieved to have the intense sensation gone. "When I first put it on, I think I smell the destruction of Juranthemon."
Ambria's lips curled with disgust. "How awful." She stared at the nose. "May I try it?"
I handed to her reluctantly. "Stay calm no matter what, okay?"
She nodded. "I will." Despite her assurances, when the nose molded to hers she cringed and said, "Eww! It's gross!"
"Keep it on for a few more seconds." I took one of her hands. "Tell me what you smell."
Ambria blinked and looked at me. "You smell nice, Conrad." A grimace stole her smile. "Max smells like vomit." Her eyes widened. "Oh, they're making bread pudding in the kitchen!"
I squeezed her hand to draw her attention back to me. "What else?"
Her gaze wandered to her left, the same direction I'd looked. "They smell like the destruction of Jura?"
"They?" I asked.
She nodded. "I smell dozens of things that are far away, and four more that are close."
"Four more of what?"
"They're different," she said. "They smell like dirt."
Ambria's sense of smell was certainly more refined than mine.
Max took out his blink stone. "Do you smell these?"
She leaned closer and nodded. "I was wrong. They don't smell like dirt, but more like a cave."
"Whoa." Max turned to me. "The nose enhances smells and can sniff out other relics. It's like a nasal divining rod!"
"Not all relics." Ambria turned to him. "I think it only homes in on relics of Jura."
"I couldn't make out half the details Ambria did." I watched as she turned in circles, sniffing the air.
"I smell so many relics, it's impossible to say where they are," Ambria said. She stopped and pointed to an empty spot on the floor. "Hah! I can smell Shushiel." Ambria squeezed her eyes shut and removed the nose. "I have a headache now."
"It's probably overwhelming for our brains," I said.
Max put a hand to his chin. "I wonder why Ambria could identify smells better than you."
Ambria gave me the nose, a worried look on her face. "I know you don't want to hear this, but maybe we need someone who's an expert on smelling."
"Bad idea." Max folded his arms and shook his head. "After what she did—"
"Shush, Max!" Ambria put her hands on mine. "We should ask Blue for help. She's a lycan, she knows more about smells than anyone else we know."
"You can't trust her," Max warned. "What if she tells other people about our quest?"
Blue had betrayed my trust and told Harris about my parents. She'd asked for forgiveness, but it took more than that to rebuild trust. I shook my head. "I agree with Max. It's too big a risk."
"Besides, your sense of smell seems really good," Max said. He wiggled his nose with his fingers. "Maybe you're part lycan."
"Part lycan?" Ambria scowled. "Have you ever seen me howl at the moon or sprout fur?"
Max laughed and danced backwards. "No, but you sure do growl a lot."
She raised her fist. "I don't need a lycan's sense of smell to know you stink, Maxwell Tiberius!"
Shushiel's whispery laughter emanated next to me. "I enjoy being your friend, Conrad."
Max clapped his hands together. "With the nose, we can find the Broken Relic easy!"
"It won't be that easy," Ambria said. "I can't tell most of them apart which means we'd have to travel the world hunting one relic at a time until we found the right one."
Max sighed. "Yeah. And I'll bet some of those relics are owned by powerful people who won't be too happy if we try to steal them."
My friends were right. Even with the help of the nose, hunting the Broken Relic would be a long, dangerous journey.
Gwyneth Augustus spoke as a guest in Professor Sideon's class the next morning. She looked like an older version of Liana, dark caramel skin, lustrous black hair, and piercing eyes that were green instead of hazel. Unlike Liana, she had a serious presence about her and knew how to hold an audience captive with a story.
"There it was, ten feet from me in the middle of the spiral puzzle." Gwyneth projected an illustration from her arcphone showing a glowing amulet on a pedestal in the center of a complex pattern of colored tiles that formed a spiral. "Chris Radford and his team showed up right after me, but they were on the other side."
She swiped the image and two figures appeared on opposite sides. "I told him that his solution was wrong, but he wouldn't listen." Gwyneth shook her head sadly. "He had a snarky tech from Science Academy who just didn't understand magic. He thought his computer program could translate the patterns, but he was wrong."
Gwyneth moved Chris's avatar onto the pattern. "Chris should have skipped the first two blue tiles, stepped on green, red, yellow, and so forth. Instead, he followed the bad advice from a Science Academy geek." Chris's avatar fell screaming into a hole. The view showed him land in a pit where a giant snake bit off his head. "I deciphered the pattern with a spell, reached the center, and took home the Amulet of Orroccoco."
The class erupted into cheers, and chants of "Science Academy sucks!"
Sideon seemed distracted by a book during her presentation and only started clapping when everyone else did. He stood and smiled at the bloody remains of Chris's avatar. "Let it be a lesson children: Do not use pure science on a magical problem."
Max raised his hand. "Gwyneth, is it possible to be an apprentice relic hunter?"
She smiled and the boys in the room, including myself, leaned forward, hanging on her every word. "Yes, but you must have completed schooling at Arcane University to be considered."
Ambria groaned. "Why don't you just ask her on a date?"
Max didn't seem to hear her.
Gwyneth answered a few more questions and left. Her gaze caught
mine on the way out, and I wondered if she was evaluating me for the dinner tonight. I looked over and saw Liana smiling at me. My throat went dry, but I managed an uneasy smile in return.
Class ended and the students began filing out of the room. Sideon caught my eye and motioned me to the front. I looked behind me to be sure he wasn't gesturing to someone else, but I was the only one there.
"Yes, Professor?" I tried not to look guilty of anything.
"Conrad, I am thinking of putting together an expedition." He took out a handkerchief and patted sweat from his shaved head. "Would you be interested in tracking down a Relic of Jura?"
His question astounded me. "W-why are you asking me? I'm not a relic hunter."
Sideon leaned forward. "Because, child, I was in the dining hall late last night." He smiled in a kindly, yet sinister way. "I saw what you have in your possession."
Chapter 16
I tried to play innocent. "What do you mean? We bought some things from the joke shop."
Sideon shook his head. "Now, now, dear boy. I clearly heard you talking about the Nose of Jura."
"How?" I backed away a step. "There was no one else in the dining hall that I saw."
"I was in the back helping myself to bread pudding," he said. "Right next to the golem servant door."
Heat flushed through me. I felt so stupid for testing the nose right there in plain sight even if the dining hall looked empty. He was just on the other side of the door from us.
Sideon patted me on the shoulder. "Don't be upset, Conrad. I think we can help each other a great deal."
I looked up at him. "How?"
"Ever since you mentioned the Broken Relic, I began to think—what if it's possible to mend the Alabaster Arches?" Sideon dug through his old leather satchel and removed a notebook. He flipped through it and showed me a diagram of a disembodied hand. "As we discussed in class the other day, the Hand of Jura can disrupt and unbind magical properties. What if the Broken Relic could reverse this and make the hand able to rebind and fix magical properties?"
It sounded like a lot of ifs to me. "Can one relic affect another?"
He shrugged. "Who knows? But think of the possibilities if we could repair the arches and restore travel to other realms."
I knew the possibilities all too well. Justin Slade could return and repair the damage done to Eden by my father. He could defeat Victus once and for all. If we found the Broken Relic, I could possibly save Delectra and Cora.
Sideon tucked away the notebook. "I have fantasized about repairing the Alabaster Arches all my life, Conrad. I dream of visiting new worlds and exploring their histories. I heard what you and your friends said about the nose—how it can sense other Relics of Jura. If true, we can fix everything that is wrong with this world!"
The professor's eyes shone with excitement, and the look on his face was so hopeful, I nearly agreed to help him right there. Instead, I forced myself to be cautious. Though he'd been my teacher since last year, I still knew little about him. On the other hand, it would be quite handy having an adult's help.
"I need to think about it, sir." I smiled reassuringly. "Searching for relics sounds very dangerous."
"It certainly is, and that's why you need adult supervision instead of running off all by yourself." Sideon patted my shoulder. "Just be careful what you tell Gwyneth tonight. Someone like her will probably try to steal the nose from you for her own glory."
"How did you—oh, you overheard us talking about her."
Sideon smiled sheepishly. "I assure you it was entirely unintentional until I heard you say Jura, and then I simply couldn't help myself."
"I understand." If it had been me and someone mentioned Jura, I probably would have listened as well. "How much school would we miss?"
"None at all." He flourished his hands with assurance. "We'll do extensive research for the next couple of months and have the winter holiday to embark on our grand journey." He leaned forward. "Where did you find the relic, if I might ask?"
I certainly didn't want him knowing the truth, so I made up something on the spot. "Someone left it in my room with a note that said I would need it."
"It was an anonymous gift?" Sideon clapped his hands together. "Fascinating."
While I didn't want to tell Sideon everything, it was apparent to me that having an adult to help us plan this venture might not be such a bad thing. I hadn't thought so far ahead. If anything, it was hard for me to fight impatience. "That sounds like a good idea." I noticed the time and grabbed my things. "I have to run or I'll be late for class."
"Think about it," Sideon called as I rushed out of the door.
I reached class just in time. Asha Fellini once again filled in for Esma who I desperately missed. I trusted her judgement, and if she thought partnering with Sideon was a good idea, then I'd do it.
After class, I took aside my friends and told them about Sideon's proposal.
Ambria was aghast. "He overheard us?"
"Wonderful." Max threw up his hands. "Now we have to worry about a professor telling on us."
"This is awful." Ambria pressed her hands to her cheeks. "What if we say no?"
"I want to ask Esma," I said.
Max frowned. "Why her? What about Galfandor?"
"Galfandor probably wouldn't care," Ambria said. "He's certainly let us go on far more dangerous adventures without lifting a hand to help us."
"I trust Esma," I said. "I hope she's feeling better soon so I can ask her."
While eating lunch, Liana approached our table. "Would it be okay if I join you?"
Ambria's lips flattened into a line, but Max nodded. "Sure, why not?"
Liana sat next to me. "What did you think of my sister's story?"
"Awesome," Max said.
"Horrific," was Ambria's tight-lipped response.
I'd been preoccupied with other thoughts during some of the Gwyneth's presentation, but managed a truthful response. "Dangerous."
"Yeah." She held my gaze for a moment then looked down at the tray one of the wooden serving golems slid onto the table. "My sister is so pretty and adventurous. I wish I could be like her."
"Just go into relic hunting like her," Max said, before digging into a steaming pile of cheese-covered broccoli.
Liana poked her fork into a broccoli stalk, but didn't seem interested in eating it.
Ambria's forehead wrinkled. "Are you jealous of your sister?"
"I asked my mum to come visit me at school, but she always says she's too busy." Liana stabbed the chicken breast with her knife. "Then Gwyneth comes here, and now Mum is traveling from London to Queens Gate just to meet us for dinner."
Max winced at the chicken breast abuse, but apparently thought better of saying anything and kept eating.
"How often does your sister visit home?" Ambria asked.
"Rarely." Liana sighed. "It's just not fair."
I tried to feel bad for her, but at least she had a living mother who didn't want her dead. "What about your father?"
"He vanished on a relic hunt years ago." Liana took a deep breath and began cutting the chicken breast. "Maybe if I disappeared she'd appreciate me more."
"That doesn't make any sense," Max said. He flinched at the angry look Liana threw his way and held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, at least both your parents don't hate you like mine do." He shrugged. "My sisters and brothers are mean to me too, so I just avoid them."
"Are you serious?" Liana said.
"I'm afraid if you're looking for sympathy, this is the wrong group," Ambria said. "Our families are just the worst. Murderers, dictators, liars." She held out her hands helplessly. "I'm sure your mother loves you, but if she rarely sees Gwyneth, then of course she'll come running to visit."
Liana frowned. Cheese dripped from the broccoli perched on her fork and onto the chicken. "Well, now that I think about it, I suppose things are pretty good for me." Her frown flipped upside down. "Thanks! I feel so much better now."
Ambria groaned. "You
're welcome."
"So your mother will be joining us?" I asked.
Liana nodded. "Gwyneth said it was fine for Ambria and Max to come as well."
"Lovely," Ambria said sarcastically.
Max finished chewing his broccoli. "Where are we going?"
"The Dancing Pig." Liana looked back and forth between the three of us as if expecting objections, but I simply nodded.
Ambria lifted an eyebrow. "Did your parents support the Overlord?"
Liana flinched. "What makes you ask that?"
"Rumor," Ambria said, keeping her eyes locked on Liana's.
"My father was forced into relic hunting by the Overlord." Liana dropped her fork, chin trembling. "I remember hearing my parents talking about it, wishing they could run away and escape." Her shoulders drooped. "Unfortunately there was nothing they could do."
Ambria's hard gaze turned sympathetic. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"They were cleared by the tribunals who prosecuted Overlord sympathizers." Liana twisted the fork, gathering more cheese on it. "Unfortunately, the nasty rumors continue, even to this day."
Max snorted. "Hey, my parents loved the Overlord and somehow they weren't tossed in jail." He cut into the chicken breast. "Just goes to show you that there's no justice in the world."
"Amen to that," Ambria said.
After lunch, I told the others to go ahead to class and stepped into a quieter part of the hall. "Shushiel, are you there?"
"Yes, Conrad." She brushed my arm with her camouflaged leg.
"Can you get a message to Esma?"
"I will ask Galfandor," she said. "He often asks me to carry messages to those areas, so I think he will allow it."
I smiled toward the place where I thought she was standing. "Please tell her that I really need her advice on something."
"About Professor Sideon's request?" Shushiel had apparently been present during my conversation with the man.
"Yes, I need to know what she thinks."
"I will tell her, Conrad." Shushiel touched my arm again and then probably left, though I couldn't tell.