Master of Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Valkyrie Book 5)

by Linsey Hall

  They stared at us, brows creased. Then they surged forward.

  My stomach dropped and my skin chilled.

  “Stop! All of you!” I called.

  They stopped dead in their tracks, tension vibrating around them. They wanted to move. To stop us. But as long as I had my magic, they couldn’t.

  But I was too smart to get cocky.

  “Hurry, Janus,” I said.

  We raced through the town, moving as quickly as we could past buildings of varying styles. My heart thundered as we ran.

  The ghosts stood in doorways and peered out of windows. They sat on benches and leaned against walls. Whatever they’d been doing when I’d commanded them to halt, they’d frozen in that position.

  I told more to stop as we continued our way through the town. Eventually, I thought I’d frozen every single one.

  But all of them peered at us with hungry expressions, making my skin crawl.

  Then one of them broke away from my command, stumbling away from the wall and lurching toward us. His eyes blazed with pale light as he reached out for me.

  “Back!” I said. “Don’t attack.”

  He froze solid, but another one broke free of my hold, lunging up off of a stone bench.

  There were too many. My magic was too new. I could control some, but not all. They strained against my bonds, fighting hard to break free.

  Sweat broke out on my brow. “Don’t move!”

  It didn’t do much good. They still fought and pulled. My magic was still shaky. Still new.

  “Run, Janus.” I sprinted ahead.

  As if that was their cue, the ghosts roared and broke free. The swell of their dark magic made me shudder and gasp. I nearly stumbled, but picked up the pace, Cade and Janus at my side.

  I could no longer control all the ghosts in town, so I turned my magic toward Janus, making sure he obeyed our commands. We needed our guide, no matter how crappy he was.

  “Get us out of here, Janus,” I said.

  “We must get to the edge of town. They cannot pass the borders.”

  I sprinted, dodging the grasp of a ghostly woman with long, tangled hair. The chill of her touch froze my arm where she brushed me, and the muscles stopped working.

  Fear lanced through me.

  One taste of their touch was enough to make me sprint faster than I ever had. Even Cade looked pale next to me.

  The ghosts trailed us by only a few meters, thankfully no faster than they had been in their human form.

  Sweat rolled down my temples as I ran and dodged. “Go faster, Cade!”

  He could outrun me, but he never would. Instead, his magic swirled golden around him, and he shifted into his wolven form. The massive beast galloped alongside me, and I leapt onto his back, grabbing handfuls of fur and scrambling up.

  Cade leapt forward, racing away.

  “Come on, Janus!” I cried.

  At least the ghosts couldn’t kill him. He was already dead.

  Cade sprinted past the last building in town and carried on for another twenty yards before spinning around. Janus sprinted across the border, but the ghosts pulled up short at the edge of the last building. They appeared to slam against a barrier, their transparent faces flattening against an invisible wall.

  Janus panted as he stopped next to us, both faces a slightly darker shade of ghostly white.

  “I am officially no longer interested in this endeavor,” Future said. “I side with Past. We want no part of this.”

  “Sorry, pals.” I jumped off of Cade’s back as he shifted to human. “Let’s keep moving.”

  They both groaned.

  “You’re not going to like what you find,” Past said.

  “I’ll be the judge of that.”

  They both huffed, then tromped onward, leading us across a flat stretch of land that looked like it had once been a field. All grass was gone, however, and the air around us shimmered with gray light. It was impossible to see far into the distance. We were still deep in the earth, but it seemed like we were in such a large cavern that there were no walls or ceilings.

  My muscles twitched as we walked, as if they were ready to leap into action at any moment.

  “Feel that?” Cade asked.

  “Yep. Not a fan.”

  “Repellent charm,” Past said. “You aren’t welcome here.”

  “Trust me, I’m super aware,” I said.

  We pushed onward, fighting the compulsion to turn back. By the time we neared a looming cliff wall, my skin was crawling. The mist parted as we got closer, and I forgot any nerves when I caught sight of the two massive stone lions guarding a gate.

  They were at least forty feet tall, each sitting next to a massive door. They glowered at us.

  “These were what you said we wouldn’t like?” I asked.

  “Precisely.” Glee echoed in Past’s voice.

  “No big deal,” I said. “We just have to fight some lions.”

  They roared, surging forward to stand upright on all four feet.

  “Some lions?” they growled in unison.

  “Some special lions?” I drew my sword and let my wings unfurl from my back.

  This was not ideal. I didn’t want to kill lions. Not even stone ones.

  “We are Aker, the guardians of the gate!” they roared.

  “Aker?” I looked at Cade.

  His brow creased. “Egyptian?”

  “Of course,” they said.

  “So we have to get past them,” I mused. We were still a good fifty yards away, but they didn’t seem inclined to charge.

  “Have you got a riddle for us?” Cade called.

  “We are not sphinxes!” they cried in unison.

  “You sure?” I asked. A riddle would have been great, because I had no idea how to fight them.

  They roared and prowled forward.

  I turned to Janus. “Any tips?”

  “None,” Past said. “If you were an approved visitor, they would open the gate for you. But you’re not.”

  I turned back to Cade. “We can try for speed. I’ll distract from the air, and you sprint through as a wolf. Try to break down the door.”

  Cade nodded. “I agree. We can’t fight stone, so speed is our best chance.”

  “Help Cade,” I commanded Janus.

  He growled but nodded.

  I shot into the air, flying straight for the lions. They roared and charged me as I neared. Right before their stone jaws would have clamped around me, I darted upward, my wings carrying me high.

  The lions roared.

  I dived low, and they lunged again.

  If I could just get them excited enough to follow me away from the gate, then Cade could slip through.

  As the lions lunged for me, I dived and dodged. Their stone eyes gleamed with excitement and they charged me, but they did not move far from the gate.

  My heart pounded and my breath came short as I pulled out every flying trick in the book.

  Cade waited in his wolf form, but my plan wasn’t working. Not quickly, at least.

  “I’m tasty!” I called. “Excellent with ketchup!”

  Not that stone lions knew what ketchup was.

  And why the heck were they down here anyway? Shouldn’t they be guarding an Egyptian temple somewhere?

  The Rebel Gods were good at recruiting to their ranks, but I couldn’t see what was in it for the lions.

  I flew upward and dived again, flying away from the gates. One of the lions got so excited that he charged farther than he ever had.

  Then he stopped abruptly, pulled backward.

  I stopped and stared, hovering just out of reach. I peered hard at the lion.

  “Is he chained?” I called.

  “I don’t know,” Janus said.

  I studied the air around the lion’s neck. It shimmered slightly. A collar concealed by magic.

  The lions were never going to go far enough from the gate.

  They couldn’t.

  I flew back to Cade and land
ed. He shifted into his human form.

  “This won’t work,” I said.

  “They’re captives.” He growled.

  I didn’t like it either. “Hey, Aker! Why are you down here? Why guard this gate? Seems pretty miserable.”

  The lions stopped and stared at me.

  “Why?” they demanded. “Because we do!”

  “You’re chained,” I said. “You can’t possibly want to be here.”

  “Of course not,” they said. “But we’ve tried for decades to escape. Only a god who is not bound by them can break these chains. And if we don’t defend the gate, they won’t feed us.”

  I glanced at Cade. “Think you can handle this?”

  He flexed his hands. “Definitely.”

  I turned back to the lions. “Then how about we cut you a deal?”

  “A deal?” Both lions cocked their heads.

  “Cade here is a god. He’ll break your chains. You escape. We go through the gate.”

  The lions considered.

  “How do we know that we can trust you?” they demanded.

  “You can always just eat us,” I said. “Not like we can kill you. You’re made of stone.”

  They nodded, agreeing that I had a great point.

  “We have no loyalty to the Rebel Gods. Break our chains, and you may pass.”

  I grinned, then pulled up short. “But one thing. You have to promise not to eat anyone in Magic’s Bend when you go charging up the stairs.”

  The lions glowered.

  “Go to the Apothecary’s Jungle,” I said. “Ask Aerdeca and Mordaca to help you get back to Egypt.”

  “They’re going to hate you for that,” Cade muttered.

  I grinned. “They’ll put it on my tab.”

  “And if you don’t want to go back to Egypt, I’m sure they’ll make a place for you at the Undercover Protectorate,” I added.

  “Agreed,” Aker said.

  Cade stepped forward.

  I held my breath as I watched him climb up onto one of the lion’s backs. The other lion looked at him like he was a tasty snack.

  “Don’t go back on your agreement!” I called. “He’s the only one strong enough to break you out of here.”

  The lion grumbled, but sat back, his stony gaze never leaving Cade.

  Cade felt around on the lion’s back, then picked up an invisible chain and yanked. From the way his hands flew apart, I assumed he snapped the chain in two. The lion beneath him leapt away so fast that Cade tumbled off his back, barely managing to land on his feet.

  The freed lion rampaged around, joy in every movement.

  The other lion grumbled impatiently.

  “I’m coming.” Cade climbed onto his back and found the chain, then snapped it. This time, he was quick enough to jump off before the lion leapt away.

  “Thank you!” the lions called as they raced away.

  “Remember!” I yelled after them. “No eating people in Magic’s Bend!”

  They roared, and disappeared into the dark.

  I turned to Cade. “I really hope they listen.”

  “Their honor will demand it,” Cade said.

  I liked that he had faith in them. I did, too. If I hadn’t, this plan would have been super dumb. We’d have broken their chains, and they’d have bitten our heads off.

  Talk about a bad deal.

  I looked at Janus. “What’s past this gate? The portal?”

  He nodded. “Yes, but I’ve never entered the portal.”

  “Truth?” I used my Odin’s gift to compel him.

  “The truth.”

  Damn. “Then you can’t guide us on the other side. But can you tell us what to expect? Where we might find information?”

  He shrugged. “It’s a large place. Avoid the gods, naturally. And I’ve heard that there is a place called the House of Wisdom. It will be a building built in the medieval Arabic style. It was constructed in Baghdad in the eighth century AD as the most fabulous house of learning the world had ever seen.”

  “The Rebel Gods stole it?”

  “First, the gods saved it. The Siege of Baghdad in the thirteenth century nearly destroyed it. To save the knowledge, the gods took all the texts from within. Later, the Rebel Gods stole it from them. They may keep records of their plans there.”

  “Thank you.” I made sure Odin’s gift was working. “You may go, but never speak of us.”

  He nodded, both faces scowling, then left, hurrying away as quickly as he could.

  I turned to Cade, who was already walking toward the massive doors. He pressed his hands to them, pushing hard. His muscles strained, veins popping.

  Finally, the door creaked open, the heavy stone swinging slowly inward.

  Magic rolled out at me, a tidal wave of sensation that made me shudder and gag. It slimed against my skin and smelled like mildew.

  Oh, hell. I did not want to go in there. Every cell I had screamed to turn back.

  Run.

  I sucked in a breath and stepped forward.

  4

  “Gross.” I held my nose and continued toward the darkened room.

  “That is some very dark magic.” Cade grimaced.

  “No kidding.” I stopped at the threshold to the room that was shrouded in shadow.

  A portal glimmered within, a sick neon green that pulsed with light.

  Cade joined me. “What do you think? Should we adopt Eris and Cocidius’s forms? Or go invisible?”

  “Invisible, I think.”

  He nodded and reached for my hand.

  I gripped his, then turned to him, meeting his gaze. “Thank you for doing all of this with me. The past month. I know it’s not your job.”

  The corner of his mouth quirked up. “I don’t spend time with you because it’s my job.”

  “How about risking your life by jumping onto stone lions?”

  “Certainly not that.” He cupped the back of my neck, leaning down slightly. “You’re special, Bree. Not just to the world, because of what you are. But special to me. I’ve never met anyone like you. I’m sure I never will again.”

  “I’m certain that’s not the case.”

  “People as strong, brave, selfless, kind, and smart as you are don’t come along every day.” He pressed a kiss to my mouth, short and sweet. “Or every century. Every millennium.”

  I glowed. “Well, I won’t fight you on that. I might not agree, but I like that you think it.”

  “Always.” He nodded toward the portal. “Let’s go do some recon. Then we can take out the bad guys and save the day.”

  “Save my butt, more like.”

  He chuckled. “That is highest priority. I’m quite fond of your butt, along with the rest of you.”

  I grinned and stepped toward the portal, my hand gripped in his. As we neared it, I called upon Loki’s power, making us invisible. The magic shivered over me, and Cade disappeared at my side. His hand was still warm and solid in mine, however, and we stepped through the portal.

  The ether sucked us in, throwing us across space and maybe even dimensions. I barely understood how the godly realms worked. I’d never been great at science—never had much chance to learn—but they relied as much on magic as anything else.

  Frankly, I wasn’t sure anyone really understood it.

  When I stumbled out of the portal on the other side, the dark magic that permeated the gods’ headquarters made my stomach churn.

  It was dusk here, the sun casting a golden glow over the massive Roman Forum that we’d entered. Huge buildings and gleaming white columns surrounded us. Massive stone slabs made up the ground, and the place was largely empty.

  Cade and I stood silently, inspecting our surroundings. A few people walked underneath a covered archway about a hundred yards in the distance, but they didn’t turn to look at us.

  “No Arabic-looking buildings,” Cade said.

  “Let’s explore.”

  We set off, hand in hand. It would have been a romantic stroll if not for
the danger that prickled in the air and the tension that pulled at my skin.

  Carefully, I drew my sword from the ether.

  In the distance, between two large buildings, I caught sight of more color. I called on Heimdall’s power and focused my super hearing, picking up the sound of revelry.

  “Toward those buildings.” I raised our joined hands to indicate to Cade where we should go, since he couldn’t see me point an invisible finger.

  We set off, hurrying past a huge fountain and a column-fronted building. A man in a toga stepped out, his hard face searching the area where we walked.

  My breath caught, and I stopped dead in my tracks. Cade halted near me, so quiet that I couldn’t even hear his breathing.

  Please don’t see us. Please don’t see us. Please don’t see us.

  I repeated the mantra in my head, praying that the jig wasn’t up. If we were caught this far from our goal, we’d never succeed.

  The man scowled, then shook his head and walked off.

  My muscles turned to jelly. Thank fates.

  We took off again, leaving the Roman Forum and entering what had to be the territory of a Mayan god. Two large, blocky pyramids sat across from each other, the setting sun lighting them in gold. Between them, hundreds of revelers danced around fires, all wearing fabulous masks and colorful outfits. Music flared, drums and flutes and other things I didn’t recognize.

  It was cool though. We were watching a piece of history, forever preserved in this godly realm.

  “Each god has his own space here,” I murmured. “That must be it.”

  “Aye. But that crowd is too thick to sneak through while invisible. We’ll knock into people, and they’ll get suspicious.”

  “Agreed.” I tugged his hand, leading him toward a large growth of palms that clustered near the base of one of the pyramids. Once inside, I let go of his hand and stashed my sword in the ether. “I’ll transform us into partiers. The masks will hide us.”

  He nodded.

  I called on Loki’s magic, and replaced our invisibility with fabulous Mayan costumes and masks. I took his hand again—no way I wanted to get separated in that crowd—then hurried out.

  We joined the crush, immediately assaulted by heat and body odor. I breathed shallowly as we weaved between people, trying to avoid the flailing arms and knees of the dancers.

  It was impossible, though. The mass of people was nearly impenetrable. Occasionally, someone would look at me weird, and I’d try out a crazy dance move.