Wrath of Magic (The Mysterium Chronicles Book Book 3)

by Simone Pond

  Empress Peninnah looked over her dainty shoulder at me and kept her chin lifted. She looked like a statue of a goddess, so perfect and unshakable. Was I supposed to say something?

  “I’m, uh, sorry,” I muttered awkwardly.

  She glided across the floor again and sat behind her shiny black desk, folding her slender white hands in front of her. “Why the apologies? It wasn’t your fault …” She picked up a bottle of red nail polish and began painting her long nails in glossy strokes. “We tried again, and I got pregnant again. The baby was due in the winter months, yet I lost it in the summer. My dear husband was so patient with me. Though the doctors and our family recommended that we wait, I was determined. This cycle went on another fifteen times until I was so drained and depressed that I had to be sent away to rest. Alexandria, my husband suggested. I was too weak to argue, so I agreed.”

  The smell of the nail polish was getting to my head and making me dizzy. Her story was dragging on and on, so I decided to take a seat.

  “Forgive me, can I get you something to drink?” She pointed to a carafe of blood sitting on her desk and smiled sweetly.

  “I’m fine, thanks. I’m not sure what this story has to do with my offer.”

  “On the way to Alexandria, our riverboat was attacked by vampires. They captured me and brought me into the Sanctuary to become one of the wives for the emperor at the time. I was already dead inside, so I no longer cared what they did with me. But the emperor took a shine to me and showered me with gifts and luxuries none of the other wives ever received. Ahh, Hadrian … He only drank from me on special occasions because he wanted to prolong my life. The other wives grew jealous and plotted against me. They tricked a vampire into turning me. When Emperor Hadrian discovered I’d been changed, he annihilated his harem of wives. And in his weakened state, I went to him and cut off his head. Then I took over as empress.”

  I waited a moment to hear the moral of this story, but she only stared at me with those glinting garnet eyes.

  “Maybe I missed something, but how does this relate to the offer?” I asked again.

  She laughed and blew on her long red nails. “Oh, darling. Can’t you see that I would never return to a god who did what he did to me? The Ancient One had his chances to fill my womb with life and my heart with joy, yet he chose to crush me. Seventeen times. But I’ve found a way to satisfy my deep longing for motherhood—without his help.”

  A wave of sickness rolled over me. “The slave encampments.”

  “Such a harsh word, darling. We don’t have slaves here in Pyre. And no encampments. All of the children dwell in a nursery and receive constant care and attention.”

  I clenched the rod so tight, I thought I’d snap it in half. “I bet they receive constant attention. Vampires leeching their blood at all hours. You’re a monster. And for the record, the Ancient One had nothing to do with this tragedy. Bad things happen all the time. Evil exists and it touches all of us at one time or another. But I’m giving you a chance to be free of all of this. Don’t you want to live again? Be free of this misery?”

  The empress examined her nails. “I am free, darling. Free of sorrow, misery, and all pain.”

  Before I had a chance to argue, she pulled a lever from under her desk and the chair I was sitting in dropped down a shaft into darkness.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The trapdoor in Empress Peninnah’s office dropped me into a chute that seemed to go on forever, deep into the underbelly of the Sanctuary. I picked up momentum along the way as the air grew colder and more damp. Sitting down in that chair hadn’t been my smartest move, but that conniving vampire had worn me down with her incessantly tragic story. I did, however, have a fleeting belief that there might yet be an inkling of hope for her redemption, though she’d made it abundantly clear that she wasn’t interested. And since her devoted colony of bloodsuckers did whatever she said, they wouldn’t be coming either. At least I’d tried. Onward to phase two of my reason for being in Pyre: the slave encampments.

  “How much damn farther?” I shouted to no one.

  I had no clue where this warped fun-slide was taking me or even if I’d survive the crash-landing when I hit the bottom. Panic began creeping in. I had to slow down because I really didn’t want to die alone as a pile of shattered bones at the bottom of this cave.

  Use the rod.

  “Yes!”

  I held the iron rod firmly in my palms, then flipped it sideways so the ends started grinding into the metal walls. Sparks shot out like fireworks and the iron made shrill scraping sounds that rattled my ears, but it was enough friction to slow me down. Then the sparks stopped and I felt nothing but a gust of icy air hitting my face.

  I slammed into the ground and rolled, the impact knocking the wind out of me, then remained still until I could pull in some normal-sized breaths. I sat up and checked my arms and legs for movement and any injuries. Everything seemed to be in working order—no shattered or broken bones. I used the rod as leverage to stand up and shuffled around until I felt secure and steady. Then I began to inspect my environs. Wherever I had landed was dark and cavernous with a few openings to some tunnels.

  “Perfect.” I smiled to myself.

  I had achieved exactly what I’d set out to do when we were staring down into the city of Pyre from that mountain. I knew it’d be tough to find the slave encampments and even if we did the empress would never in a million of her vampire years let her food resources go that easily. Vampires are already dead so for me to depend on her having a change of heart would’ve been foolish. But I was counting on the empress pulling something backhanded and shady, like locking me up in her lair. I wasn’t worried about her turning me over to Magnus, since vampires are incredibly selfish. No. The empress would want to keep me all to herself. And most likely, I’d ended up exactly where I needed to be—one step closer to the innocent people trapped in the encampments.

  The part I hadn’t planned—and still was shocked and annoyed with—was Nils being so easily duped by the empress’s allure. He was stronger than that, wasn’t he? He didn’t even put up a fight to keep the vampire out of his head. Her intoxicating exquisiteness worked on him like a potent drug. Now I’d have to go back for him. But after seeing those helpless men stockpiled in Empress Peninnah’s chambers, I knew I’d be going back anyway. But first I had to get to the slave encampments.

  Standing in the middle of the circular room, I considered the various tunnels jutting off into dark passageways. Did they all lead to different slave encampments … or would I be walking into catacombs … or torture chambers … or hibernation caves … My heart thumped louder and louder, inching its way up my throat where it settled for the remainder of my time in Pyre. Regardless of any choice I made, I’d be walking deeper into a labyrinth of death.

  “If you can hear me all the way down in the bowels of this hell maze, I could use a little guidance …”

  The iron rod gravitated toward one of the tunnels. I took that as my answer and heeded the pull. The passage was blacker than onyx and bone-chillingly cold. I called on my magic shield, which thank the Ancient One was in working condition. Though it would protect me from surprise vampire attacks, it wouldn’t keep me warm. So I shivered, hoping not to freeze to death in the dark. Maybe that was the empress’s plan? Keep me in a meat locker to save for dessert …

  Though there was no end in sight, I kept walking. My boots crunched over pebbles and made creepy echoes that came at me from all directions. Paranoia crept in and I kept jerking around to see if I was being followed. Not that it mattered—vampires move so fast that detecting their approach is nearly impossible. But I had my shield. And the rod.

  After what felt like an hour of trekking, I finally saw some light coming in through an opening not too far off. I sprinted those last hundred yards to the end of the tunnel. Then gravity seemed to triple, pulling me to my knees. My brain refused to accept the sight splayed before me.

  Inside a vast cavern, hundreds and
hundreds of beds held sleeping children. Their skin was so pale it gleamed in the shadows. It was like a large coffin for the partially living. I stepped into the room and tiptoed up and down the rows, examining the helpless children the empress had enslaved. Their cheeks were sunken and their hair thin and wispy. Blueish-green veins stood out against their papery skin like rivers and roadways. A strong breeze could’ve whisked away their frail bodies, yet they were somehow still alive. Their tiny hearts were still pumping blood … blood the empress used for her own selfish purposes.

  The oddest thing was the bedding. Each child had their own elaborate and distinct bed set, as though they had picked out the design according to their individual taste. Small nightstands sat next to their beds and scattered on top were their personal belongings. Empress Peninnah had attempted to make this place their home, giving them comforts that would keep them satisfied while she kept them as her slaves, feeding off of them and using them for whatever motherhood fantasy she was playing out.

  “Who are you?” A frail voice came from one of the beds.

  I turned around to find a young girl with strawberry-blond hair—what was left of it—and big green eyes. I kneeled down next to her big pink fluffy bed and rested my hand on hers.

  “I’m Jordan Temple. And I’m here to get you and your friends out of this place,” I whispered.

  “I’m Rose,” she murmured, then closed her eyes and fell back asleep.

  I rubbed her hair back away from her face, my throat tightening up into itself. How would I ever be able to get these kids out; they could barely keep their eyes open. Walking them out was going to be a huge challenge. My fingers grazed over something along the girl’s forehead, and I moved back her hair to see electrodes attached to her head. That’s how the empress was keeping them alive. They were hooked up to a machine. I had a flashback to Tabitha, the machine that Magnus had used to drain the magic out of the Ancients …

  I began pacing around the cavern, searching for the life support machine. If I could find a way to boost their energy levels and get their blood pumping stronger, we might have a chance of walking out of the encampment.

  “It’s in the wall …” The young girl’s voice drifted over to me.

  I ran to her bed and nudged her back awake. “What did you say?”

  “The control panel …” She pointed with her chin toward the wall on her left.

  “I’m going to get all of you out of here. I promise!”

  I sprinted across the room to the wall and patted down the cement for any latches or panels until finally my fingers felt a subtle but well-defined crack in the cement. I shoved my rod into the crack and pried it open. The whole panel came clattering down to reveal an enormous touchscreen console with hundreds of monitors displaying various bodily function levels for each individual.

  It took me a solid five minutes studying the dashboard before I figured out how to manipulate the controls. I started increasing the flow of oxygen back into their brains, knowing this would help get the blood pumping. Then I increased the electric pulses going into their muscles. I heard some tossing and mussing about behind me. It was working! They were starting to come out of their deep slumber. I kept the machine pumping and went over to the front of their sleeping quarters to address them.

  “I’m Jordan Temple. You might’ve heard stories about the Chosen One. I am her. And I’m here to get you out of this awful place.”

  They stared back at me with their hollow and haunting eyes, not making any moves. A streak of panic shot through me as I worried for the first time if this place was being monitored by security. If it was, a pack of vampires would’ve already pounced on me by now. My shield was still up around me so I was protected, but I needed the kids to hurry up and get out of their beds so I could wrap my magic around them before any bloodsuckers showed up.

  “We have to go now! I need all of you to work with me. Get up and follow me. Older ones help the younger ones.”

  Slowly, a few of the older boys and girls got out of bed and removed the electrodes from their bodies and started helping with the younger kids.

  “We don’t have any clothes,” someone called out.

  “Grab your blankets and let’s go,” I shouted.

  The rest of the kids jumped out of their beds, yanking their blankets with them, and began gathering around me. I don’t know how many there were, but it was a large count. I held out the rod, hoping it would direct me the right way out of this enormous coffin, but nothing happened.

  “Do any of you know the fastest way out?” I asked.

  Rose, the young girl with strawberry-blond hair and big green eyes, tottered over to me. In a voice just above a whisper she said, “There are two tunnels.” She pointed to the one I had entered, and then to another at the far end of the room and added, “they don’t ever use that one.”

  I smiled. “That’s good. Do you know why they don’t use it?”

  “It goes to the sunlight,” said Rose.

  “Okay, everyone. Listen up. We’re going to hike through that tunnel together. I’m going to surround all of us in a protective shield so we cannot be harmed by any vampires. But you must stay close. We’re heading to the tower and from there to safety.”

  No cheers of joy or relief came, only a resounding silence that reverberated off the cavern walls. I held onto the iron rod and closed my eyes tightly. I reached down deep into my core, calling on my magic resources and using everything I had left to pull up the shield around the flock of children. The iridescent glow shimmered out past me and reached around the crowd of gawking faces, their huge eyes reflecting a slight violet glow.

  “That’s cool,” said someone.

  “Stay inside the shield,” I warned. “Otherwise there’s nothing I can do for you.”

  We headed into the dark passageway single file, a train of hundreds. No one spoke during our hike through the tunnel. I couldn’t because my energy levels were being depleted by the second, holding up that shield up. And I’m sure the kids were in utter shock. When was the last time they’d seen daylight? I couldn’t think about those details. I needed to stay focused and keep my temper in check. I also had to start figuring out a way to get back to Nils and those men, and then take care of Empress Peninnah.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  The tunnel opened at the bottom of a hill at the south end of Pyre. The hot sun blazed down, warming up my icy skin. As fate—or the Ancient One—would have it, we weren’t too far from the crumbling tower where our group had planned to meet. The stream of children, in a colorful array of blankets wrapped around their shoulders, flowed out of the tunnel. I ushered them to wait alongside the closest building until everyone was out.

  I peered around the corner, looking down to the Sanctuary in the distance. Going back for Nils was going to take some serious maneuvering.

  A hand tugged at my shirt. “Jordan Temple.”

  “Rose?”

  “Vampires are super fast,” she said.

  I nodded. “True. But we’re more powerful.”

  She smiled for the first time and her green eyes brightened up her face. There was no way I was letting her down.

  The last of the kids funneled out of the tunnel, covering their heads with their blankets to keep the sunlight from blinding their sensitive eyes and scorching their pale skin. I was gazing across the way at the crumbling tower perched on the hills, calculating the time it would take to transport the children, when a caw screeched overhead. Golden wings sparkled in the blue sky.

  “Benjamin!” I smiled in relief.

  The kids watched in awe as the giant eagle landed and shifted back into his human form.

  “Nils and the others are coming,” he said. “I’m gonna get CeeCee and Isabella and bring them to you. We need to get behind your shield.”

  “Nils? What are you talking about?”

  “Just be ready for battle. Once the empress finds out they’ve escaped it’s on!” Benjamin shifted into his eagle form and flew off toward
the crumbling tower.

  If Nils had escaped from Empress Peninnah’s chambers, that must have meant he’d been faking his intoxication. That sly fox. At least I could cross off his rescue from my to-do list. But now we’d have to fight off a slew of vampires.

  “Stay here,” I ordered the kids.

  I poked my head around the side of the building to scope out the streets below. They seemed as desolate and empty as they had been before. No movement or activity of any kind was happening.

  “The tunnels,” I whispered.

  Nils must’ve figured out how to get to the underground passageways. But how would he know which direction to take? Unlike me, he didn’t have any supernatural accessories like the iron rod or gold star. I paced back and forth along the side of the building while the kids watched me with curiosity and fear haunting their faces.

  “It’s gonna be fine,” I told them.

  “How do you know?”

  “I’ve been in a lot of sticky situations,” I explained. “And things work out. Trust me.” I forced a smile.

  “But we don’t know you.”

  I stopped and looked at them. “Did I get you out of the encampment?”

  They nodded.

  “Did we make it through the tunnel?”

  They continued nodding.

  “Okay, then.”

  “But …”

  I held up my hand, ending the Q&A session. I didn’t want to hear any more questions or let their doubt seep in. I had some heavy-duty trusting of my own to attend to.

  From the sky, Benjamin swooped down with CeeCee and Isabella gripped in his talons. He lowered them to the ground near us and shifted into his human form.

  “Do you know which tunnel they took?” I asked Benjamin.