Worry crossed his face, but it only lasted a moment. “Then you’re right.” He kissed my forehead. “We’d better hurry and retrieve that stone.”
Maybe we’d get to know one another by then. Or maybe we’d grow apart. I prayed that didn’t happen. I’d been apart from him too long, that was all.
We circled the machine, the sound of our bootsteps muffled by clanging metal gears. The smell of engine grease came from the tubes and belts. We spotted a hallway leading to another passage, and we hiked away from the machine to enter it, the sound behind us diminishing.
The lights flickered, bright and then dull once again. “What’s causing that?” I asked.
“It must be the unicorn’s stone. It likely doesn’t have much magic left. This world has been doomed from the beginning. The unicorn stone is keeping the demon Regaymor away. Once we take it, that won’t be the case.”
“Then we’ll be responsible for everyone’s deaths?” I wasn’t fond of the people in this place, but I couldn’t come to terms with causing them to become victims of the Regaymor.
“Not necessarily. They were doomed from the beginning. These people live on a dying planet. There’s nothing left for them here.”
“Is there any way to help them?”
“Help them?” He raised an eyebrow.
“I just don’t want to have their blood on my hands.”
“We may not have to worry about it.”
“What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “As you know, I’ve lived a long time, seen many things—even other worlds. If we take their stone, it only means they’ll die sooner than they planned. But we may be able to give them another option.”
“Another option?”
“Yes. You’ll see. I have an idea of how to help them. It may not work, mind you, but if it does, it means we won’t be responsible for their deaths.”
Hmm. I wondered what he had in mind. Was he planning to restore this world somehow?
He was being secretive again. Maybe he hadn’t changed quite as much as I thought.
We entered another room similar to the first, with a large machine taking up the center of the space.
“Will we have to pass through twelve of these?” I asked.
“No. Three, I believe. I studied the maps before we came. There are three rings surrounding the inner machine, with four branches leading away from it. After we pass by the third of these conduits, we should make it to the inner apparatus where we’ll find the stone.”
Something moved just ahead of us. Maveryck and I stopped. Blue magic formed around his fists. I held my blade at the ready.
A creature slinked out, its appearance revolting. It resembled a small, wingless dragon, its flesh-colored scales flaking off, its red eyes focused on us. Its spine stuck up in ridges along its back. Knobby tumors clung to its hide, green pus issuing from the growths. It opened its mouth, revealing rows of serrated fangs.
“What is that?” I asked.
“A gutter beast. I’m surprised we didn’t run into one sooner. Don’t let it touch you. Those nodules are filled with venom.”
“Lovely.”
The beast reared up, then lunged for Maveryck. He blasted out with its magic. Fire scorched the beast’s flesh, opening the pustules that spewed venom. I jumped back as a blob of green liquid splashed my boots.
The creature rounded on me. I held my knife in a firm grip, my training overriding my fear. This was what I lived for.
I sidestepped its massive head, then rammed my blade into its neck. Greenish blood spurted on my exposed hands. It launched at me, biting my arm so quickly, I didn’t have time to react. I tried to shake it off, but the monster wouldn’t release me. Maveryck’s magic struck the beast. When it released me, I kicked it in the head.
Stupid beast.
Magical blue flames surrounded the monster until it stilled, the all-consuming blaze burning so quickly it was soon reduced to blackened bones and smoking flesh.
Maveryck came to me, breathing heavily as he examined my arm. Greenish liquid wept from the wound.
“It poisoned you. This isn’t good.”
“Can you heal me?”
His eyes locked with mine. “I’ll do my best, but there’s magic in it. I’m not familiar with the type.”
“You’re not? I thought you knew everything there was to know about magic.”
“Only when I’m on Earth or Faythander. The powers on this world are completely alien.”
Searing pain tore through my flesh. He held my arm. A blue glow surrounded his fingers as he held them just above the wound. I winced as the venom burned through my blood, feeling as if it liquefied my bones.
“How quickly will it kill me?”
“You really want to know the answer?”
“I guess I don’t.”
Magic warmed my skin, its power tingling. The pain increased. Was Maveryck’s spell making it worse?
I breathed through my nose, hoping the pain went away soon. We didn’t have time for injuries. If we didn’t remove that stone in time, my brother and Olive wouldn’t be able to remove the sword, and we wouldn’t have the ability to stop the goddess who would destroy our world. I refused to let the bite of a mutated lizard stand in the way of that.
“I hate monsters,” I said.
“The feeling is mutual. Hold on, I think I know how to draw out the venom.”
My skin grew hot. Green-tinged blood drained from the punctures until the pain finally relented. Maveryck removed a clean cloth from his pack, wiped the punctures clean, then wrapped it gently.
“I’ll live, I hope?”
“Yes. But we should be more careful. That was one of the smaller ones.”
“Smaller ones?”
“Yes, the larger ones live deeper in the tunnels. Luckily, I know my fire works against them. Are you ready?”
I breathed deeply, sweat clinging to my brow. The pain was going away, but the venom left me exhausted. I would get over it. I didn’t have any other choice.
Standing, I took a deep breath. I could do this, but I needed a weapon.
After making my way to the gory remains, I picked up my knife. The handle warmed my hand but didn’t burn me. “Now I’m ready.”
“Good. Let’s move quickly. We’ve already lost time.”
I followed him around the corpse and into yet another passageway. This one was taller and broader than the others. The lights flickered again until they grew so dim it was hard to see the tunnel ahead of us.
The familiar sounds of mechanical clanking and whirring echoed. The noise grew louder until we stepped into another room with a machine, though this one was nearly two stories taller.
“We’re getting closer. The main apparatus should be straight ahead.” We paced past the third engine. I stared up at the massive structure. Something moved on one of the tubes leading up, though it was too dark to see much.
“Do you see that?” I asked.
Maveryck stopped to stare up. “Yes.”
I held my knife tightly as creatures took shape. I counted three, maybe more. They moved like leeches. We’d never defeat that many.
“Run,” Maveryck said.
I followed behind him as we raced past the machine. Howls pierced through the air behind us. In the tunnel ahead, the light grew dim once again. I ran with Maveryck ahead of me. Bloodcurdling shrieks followed. How close were they?
I glanced back briefly. Dozens of red eyes trailed behind us, some closer than I realized.
“Faster,” I shouted.
A looming set of iron-clad doors rose before us. Maveryck blasted out with his magic. The doors burst open. The explosion rocked the ground. I barely managed to stay on my feet. We sprinted past the careening doors.
Maveryck whirled around, sealing the doors closed with his magic, though several creatures made it through.
Greenish pus seeped from the nodules protruding from their flesh-colored scales, dripping on the floor in sickening plops. A fireball sho
t from Maveryck’s hands, scorching two, though one remained. It was larger than the rest, nearly twice the length of Maveryck’s height, the ridges on its spine more pronounced. It scurried around us in a side-to-side motion, moving quickly.
Maveryck shot a ball of fire at it, but it leapt aside. It reared up at him, razor-sharp teeth aimed for the man’s throat. I sprinted to the beast, my heart pounding. Coming up behind it, I jumped on its back. My knife gripped tightly, I impaled it between its shoulder blades. It shrieked as it spun on me, leaping for my throat, its crimson-tinged eyes wide with bloodlust.
A blue fireball engulfed its body, throwing it aside. The creature’s body hit the wall. The blackened corpse slid to the floor.
I wiped my blade on my tunic, cleaning off the blood. Breathing heavily, I turned to Maveryck.
“That was close. It almost ripped out our throats.”
“Yes, let’s avoid them in the future.”
On the other side of the doors, the creatures’ wails grew louder. Their nails scraped the metal. I hoped they didn’t claw through. Maybe they’d realize we’d killed their companions, and they should just give up already.
One could hope.
I glanced around the room we entered. It was larger than I expected, with a floor that sloped in the center, leading to a lake of dark water. At its center, atop an island, sat the final machine. A purple glow surrounded the clanking metal gears and twisting pipes.
“The stone must be there. The purple glow is caused by unicorn magic.”
“How are we supposed to cross?” I asked, my voice echoing, mingling with the noise.
“I’m not sure. Let’s walk around it. Maybe there’s a bridge somewhere.”
I kept my knife close as we paced the lake’s edge. The air smelled of grease and sulfur. I couldn’t take my eyes off the water’s surface. The dirty liquid was stagnant and black. It moved sluggishly. A film of oil spread across its surface, all the way to the machine at the center.
When we reached the other side, we still hadn’t spotted a way to cross the gulf of black water.
“I’m not swimming,” I said.
“That’s probably a good idea. Perhaps I can create some sort of spell to get us across.”
“You mean make us fly?”
“I can’t make us fly.”
“Float, then?”
“Perhaps.”
He stared in deep concentration at the island’s center. The machine took up most of it, though walkways had been built on its half-dozen levels. Obviously, someone had made it over there if they’d built it with walkways.
“If I do this, it means I’ll be using more of my magic to get us across, then more to bring us back. If we happen to encounter any other creatures, or if I need my magic to help us remove the stone, there’s a chance I won’t have enough energy to get us out of here.”
“But we have to have that stone.”
“True.” He sighed, his gaze seeming to measure the distance between the lake’s edge and the island. “Hold my hand,” he said. “I’ve never attempted anything like this.”
“Just don’t drop us in the sludge.”
His magic wrapped around us in a warm embrace. Its energy stole my breath. Our feet lifted off the ground. I wobbled, feeling as if I would fall. My fingers slipped from Maveryck’s. He grabbed my hand in a strong grip, holding me to him. With our bodies pressed so close, and his magic wrapping me, my heart beat uncontrollably.
I decided I didn’t dislike magic as much as I thought.
His gaze met mine, his irises tinted deep purple. I’d forgotten how his eyes seemed to change color. There were so many little things that had escaped my memory, the way he smelled, his cologne holding a scent of woody amber. The sound of his voice, cultured and commanding attention. The way his hands felt on my skin, as if he meant to hold me and never let go.
The magic waned as we finally made it to the island. We settled on a shore of oil-covered sand. I would have to clean these boots when we were done with this.
“What now?” I asked, looking up at the towering structure of tarnished metal, its purple glow casting bobbing lights on the water surrounding us.
“Now we find the stone.”
I followed him over the sand and up to the structure. We crossed onto a metal walkway that wound its way through the tubes and gears.
“Do you think this will lead us to the stone?” I asked.
“I hope so. But there’s only one way to find out. We’ll have to cross over it.”
I started walking, but he grabbed my hand, gently kissing my knuckles. His sudden show of affection surprised me.
“What was that for?”
“Because I haven’t done it nearly often enough. Heidel, I—” His voice trailed off as he glanced away. “I know I’m not quite myself anymore. Dying changed me. I hope I’m still worthy of you.”
“You mean because you’re no longer dressed in the fancy robes and acting like a blessed-holier-than-thou?”
“Yes.” He smiled slightly. “I suppose that’s one way to put it.”
“Well, you’ve no need to apologize. I prefer you this way.”
“You do?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He leaned forward, then pressed a kiss to my lips. I forgot to breathe. Now that he was back, I would never let him go again.
When he pulled away, I placed my hand on his chest. “You don’t have to stop.”
“Yes, I do, or we’ll never retrieve that stone in time.” He moved a strand of hair away from my face, gently letting the pads of his fingers caress my skin.
After taking my hand, he led me along the walkway. Our footsteps echoed on the metal. If anyone was listening, they would’ve found us for sure.
We maneuvered through the maze of obnoxious metal, its smells of corrosion and oil getting to me. I wasn’t used to places like this. I preferred Faythander—wide open spaces, fresh air, forests. This was hardly a place I would call romantic, and not how I pictured my reunion with Maveryck. Maybe there would be time for that later.
There had better be time for that later.
We made it up to the next level. The purple glow shone brighter here, and the engine noises grew louder.
“My guess is the stone is at the center of the engine,” Maveryck said. “We’ll have to keep following the path and hope it takes us there. Otherwise, we’ll be crawling through this thing, which is something I’d like to avoid.”
“Same here.”
As we continued to walk, the path grew crowded with tubes and pipes. We had to duck to get through them. I hardly understood the contraption. Why did the people of this city need such a monstrosity?
The walkway ended abruptly, and we were left staring at a wall of pipes.
“This is what I was afraid of,” Maveryck said.
“So, we climb?”
“Yes.” Maveryck pushed up his sleeves. “We climb.”
I stuck my knife in its sheath, then followed Maveryck as we grabbed the metal tubes and began scaling them.
“We should find the stone over this wall of pipes somewhere,” Maveryck said, climbing beside me. “That glow is too bright not to be coming from someplace close.
“What if we get stuck in here?”
“We won’t. I hope.”
We ascended the wall of pipes and climbed atop the machine. A pit sank below us. It was barren with a sand-coated floor, except in the center, where a purple jewel sat atop a pedestal.
“We’ve found the stone,” I said.
“Yes.” Maveryck frowned. “Now we’ve just got to remove it. There’s magic here, most likely to keep us from touching it. We’ll have to be careful.”
“Can you break the spells?”
“Let’s hope so.”
We scrambled to the other side of the pipe-wall, then scaled down. I managed to snag onto the copper clasps holding the pipes together. My fingers burned as I gripped the metal. Sweat beaded on my brow and the back of my neck. My foot slippe
d, and I barely managed to hang on.
“Are you okay?” Maveryck asked.
“Fine,” I said while straining to hang on. Maveryck should’ve used his magic to levitate us down. Then again, we didn’t need him using up his powers.
I made it down one pipe, then another, until I finally slid to the ground. My feet landed solidly on the sand. Wiping the sweat from my brow, I watched as Maveryck leapt down beside me.
Together, we turned to face the stone. I took a step toward it when he grabbed my arm.
“Careful, the magic here is very strong.”
I nodded. We approached the stone. Its light shone so brightly it almost blinded me, but as we approached, it dimmed.
“That’s not good,” Maveryck said. “There isn’t much power left in it, perhaps less than we realize.”
We took another step when the sand moved, wave-like, as if something swam beneath us. We stopped, gazing at one another, not speaking.
As we took another step, something long and snake-like burst from the ground.
“Watch out!” Maveryck leapt back as the creature overshadowed us. Its head resembled a snake’s, though its body was covered in needle-sharp spikes sheathing the ridge along its spine. Tentacles rose from the sand, whipping out at us.
I readied my knife as one of the sweeping appendages lashed at me. I stabbed at it, though my blade bounced off, as if the scales were made of metal.
Maveryck blasted his magic, a blue wave that engulfed the beast. It roared as it dove under the sand, the tentacles disappearing with it.
“Where’d it go?” Maveryck asked.
“Maybe you killed it.”
“Not likely,” he said.
“Let’s get the stone while we can.”
The ground remained still. Would it return? I took a careful step forward, then another. Maveryck stayed beside me. The creature hadn’t come back, but I wasn’t so sure it was gone completely. When we reached the stone, its purple light shimmered over the sand and lit up our clothing.
“Do we just pick it up?” I asked.
“No. Don’t touch it. There are powerful spells in it. I can feel them. If we touch it, it will most likely kill us. I’ll have to strip away the enchantment first.” He took a deep breath. “It may take more magic than we expected.”
Fairy World M.D., Boxed Set Two (4-6.5) Page 71