The Fairhaven Chronicles Boxed Set: The Revelations of Oriceran

by S. M. Boyce

  Audrey nodded, setting her hands on her hips as he wrapped each of them in paper for her. She could feel that these were magical. Part of her worried that they reacted only to humans, but she doubted it. There was magic in these figurines, and she would learn everything she could about them.

  Deep down, she hoped this confirmed what she had desperately wished for: that, like Victoria, Audrey had her own brand of magic. Perhaps one only she could use.

  CHAPTER 3

  Sitting in his office, Fyrn pushed aside yet another envelope with the United States government seal across the back. He had received a dozen of these in the last few months, all with the same request: Come to Washington.

  The Order of the Silver Griffins might have excommunicated him for the snafu that gave Victoria's parents the means to blackmail him, but the human governments still reached out to him regularly. They didn't care if he didn't have a shiny badge anymore. As long as he could do for them what they needed done and took care of the magical creatures that threatened their cities, they called on him and paid him well for it. In fact, they had bankrolled several of his private projects without even knowing it. Their money kept him afloat.

  But Fyrn had a more important project now: Victoria.

  He couldn't deny the truth. Victoria would be massacred in a fight with Luak if she didn’t get stronger. She could now produce and wield either the shield or the sword, but not both at the same time. If she were to succeed in a real fight—especially against someone as experienced as Luak—she would need both, as well as her magical ability to heal the blows she inevitably would take.

  No matter how hard she trained or for how long, human bodies had limitations below what was required to master this particular Rhazdon Artifact. She was pushing her physical limits already.

  She wouldn’t be able to do it... not without help.

  Fyrn had mastered more spells during his early schooling than most wizards mastered in their entire lives, but even he didn’t know of any spells that could give Victoria as much strength she would need. He had spent days poring over the hundreds and hundreds of books in his collection. He had even inquired of some of his wizard contacts who still spoke to him, and though he never told them the full story, no one had an answer.

  This Rhazdon Artifact had been made for an Oriceran being, something she wasn’t and never could be. No spell could help her, and Fyrn was out of ideas.

  Well, that wasn't entirely true. He had one idea—one Victoria herself had given him.

  Find another Rhazdon Artifact.

  He pushed himself to his feet and paced his study in an endless circle. What a horrible idea. He shouldn't even be considering giving her another Rhazdon Artifact, much less thinking about which one she should look for. It was a terrible idea, one he could never condone.

  ... and yet here he was.

  Rhazdon Artifact, or failure. Those appeared to be her only options.

  “Videtur,” he said to the air.

  Quick as a whip, one of his fairy spies appeared in the doorway. She was never far from him, and their magic word allowed him to summon her regardless of where she was. The beautiful fairy’s red hair spiraled around her tiny face, nearly as long as her body. With her blue eyes focused on him, she wrung her hands with concern. “Yes, sir? Are you all right?”

  “I am. I need you to find a particular Rhazdon Artifact.”

  She gasped, tiny hands covering her red lips. Her surprise lasted only a second, however, and she quickly nodded. “After everything you’ve done for us, we’ll do anything for you, sir. You know that.”

  Fyrn nodded. “I do. It’s an onyx bear figurine. Look everywhere.”

  “It will take me quite a while, sir. I’ll have to make new contacts.”

  “Do what you must, but find out where it is. Don’t retrieve it yourself, do you understand?”

  She nodded. “Will it kill me if I try?”

  “Most likely. Don’t get hurt, little one.”

  “Yes, sir.” Her gossamer wings beat the air and turned her toward the door.

  “And Melzzie?”

  She paused, hovering in the air as she peered over her tiny shoulder.

  “Thank you,” Fyrn said.

  A thin smile crossed her lips. She nodded and whizzed off on her errand as quickly as she had come. His fairies had their own access doors to the house, which let them in and out even when he wasn’t home. After all they had done for him through the decades, he knew they and they alone could be trusted with that sort of access.

  He slumped in his chair, rubbing his temples as he stared at the mess of parchments on his desk. He had kept so much from her about Luak, about all the other people the monster had killed. But it was time. This would be one of her final tests: did she have a good heart, or would she be consumed by bloodlust?

  In his soul, Fyrn knew she had the capacity for greatness. Not just because she was headstrong and determined, but because she was kind. She’d shown compassion when most hosts would have surrendered to greed.

  But would it last?

  CHAPTER 4

  A week after she had found the alabaster figurines, Audrey lay in her bed with the door closed. On any other day Audrey would have been in the basement playing with her new gym, working out on the punching bag or practicing her sword techniques in the mirrored arena, but today she was curled up in her blanket with her chin on her pillow as she lifted a glowing white prism in her hands.

  It was the latest of her finds, and by far her favorite. Though it hadn’t been carved into a fun shape, it glowed brighter than the others when she held it. This one had more power, though she didn’t understand how she knew that. Palm flat, joyful anticipation swirling in her chest, Audrey watched in awe as the crystal hovered above her skin, beautiful and glowing, filled with a magic she didn't understand.

  But she wanted to.

  The other four figurines she had bought from the shopkeeper sat in the bedside table drawer beside her. Each had its own cushion, a place of prominence. She didn’t know why, but her instinct warned her to treat them with respect. They were special. Powerful.

  They were hers.

  True, she had used Victoria's money to buy them, but at least she had haggled. It wasn’t like she had a job anyway. Victoria had said her money was Audrey's, but it still felt very much like Victoria's. In a way, buying anything for herself felt like stealing from her friend, even though Victoria had insisted Audrey quit working at Bertha’s and just enjoy herself.

  And yet, every denni she spent generated a twinge of guilt.

  Still in her pajamas at two in the afternoon, Audrey pushed the thought aside and stood, the crystal hovering above her palm. It was time for an experiment, one she didn't fully want to run because she wasn't sure if she would like what she discovered.

  Time to see if these crystals only responded to her, or to any human.

  She hurried down the stairs and placed her beautiful prism in the middle of the kitchen table. She hesitated, unwilling at first to let it go, but she finally forced herself to set it down. She had to know if she was special.

  An irrational voice in her head told her to grab it, to hoard it, to make sure no one took it from her, but she swallowed hard and turned her back on the stone.

  “Victoria!" she shouted into the house.

  “What?" Victoria shouted back, her voice distant. She was in the basement. Sure enough, the smack of a fist hitting the punching bag followed Victoria's voice, as well as the rattle of chains as the bag swung.

  “Come here. Let's talk about dinner.” Audrey slammed a cabinet door to emphasize her point.

  Audrey didn't care about dinner. It was an excuse to get her friend up here without her knowing why. To see if Victoria was drawn to the crystal too. More importantly, Audrey needed to know what happened when Victoria touched it.

  The heavy thud of feet on the stairs set Audrey’s pulse racing with nerves and anticipation. To be innocuous, Audrey knelt to rifle through one of the cabin
ets without even remembering what was in this particular one. Pans, from the look of it, and a couple pots with lids.

  The door to the basement swung open, and the kitchen floor creaked. A chair scraped along the floor and Victoria, breathing heavily, slumped into the seat. “I would kill for a potpie. Why don't we eat out tonight? Let's go see Bertha and ask her to cook us something delicious.”

  Audrey forced a smile and stood. “Works for me.”

  “Hey, what's this?" Victoria leaned over the table, reaching for the prism.

  Every fiber of Audrey's being screamed for her to grab it from underneath Victoria's hand. Her very soul reached for it, but Audrey forced herself to remain still. She didn't like the effect the carvings had on her, but she couldn't deny their power or how they made her feel. Special. Part of her didn't want to lose that sense of uniqueness. She didn't want to discover that just any human had an impact on them. She wanted to believe that only she could make them come to life, but it wasn't enough to believe. She had to know.

  Victoria lifted the prism into her hand, smiling as she studied it. Light refracted from its faceted edges, but it didn't glow.

  As with the elves in the marketplace, the crystal did nothing when someone else touched it.

  Audrey smiled. She couldn't help it. Gratitude and joy buzzed through her. “I found that in a new marketplace. Pretty, isn't it?”

  “Yeah, it really is. Is this the new centerpiece for the table?”

  Audrey shook her head. “I was playing with it when I thought about food. I'll go put it back in my room.”

  “Huh. Cool.” Victoria set it back on the table without hesitation. The crystal didn’t call to Victoria the way it called to Audrey, and a realization burned within Audrey like fire. She had her own brand of magic.

  After a lifetime of playing second fiddle to her best friend, Audrey was finally special. Whatever these crystals were, they held secrets that only she could unravel.

  Victoria stood and walked toward her room at the back of the townhouse’s first floor. “I need to clean up, so let's head out in about ten or fifteen minutes. Sound good?”

  “Works for me.” Once Victoria was out of sight, Audrey grabbed the crystal and trotted up the stairs to her room. The crystal hummed, glimmering at her touch. She shut the door behind her and fell with a happy sigh onto her bed, beaming as she studied it. It still glowed in her hands, ripples of light shimmering through it like waves in an ocean.

  “What are you?" she asked the crystal.

  It pulsed, the light within moving to a beat she couldn’t hear. The pulsing light sped up, and Audrey felt a burst of energy within her. It felt like a sugar rush, but it was far stronger. She wanted to dance, sing, holler—anything to expend this overwhelming energy rushing through her.

  White light sparked where her fingertip met the crystal. There was a sizzling sound, and smoke rose from her fingers.

  She gasped and dropped the crystal on the bed. The glow faded, as did the overwhelming energy. Chest heaving with surprise, Audrey set a hand on her heart in a half-assed attempt to calm herself. She stared at the crystal, bewildered.

  Something deep in her core warned her to tell no one. Though she didn’t believe they were from Atlantis, she had a nagging feeling that those who did know what these stones really were would kill to take them from her. Whatever they were, they did more than just glow. They had real power. Real magic.

  And they belonged to her.

  CHAPTER 5

  Showered and refreshed after her workout, Victoria led Audrey to Bertha's down a remarkably empty street. Styx hovered, aimlessly flying from side to side as he scanned the road ahead. Every now and then an ogre or an elf walked by, and every single one cast her a wary glance. With each step, Victoria became more nervous and aware that something was wrong.

  The problem was, she didn't know what was wrong. It was setting her nerves on fire.

  “You feel that?" Audrey reached for the sword at her side, lifting the hilt an inch or two as she surveyed the empty street.

  “I feel like we're walking into a trap,” Victoria said. She summoned her shield, and the heavy weight in her palm made her feel safer. She scanned every single window and her eyes hesitated on every shadow, but she saw no one. Not even a curtain moved in the silent Fairhaven evening.

  They waited for several minutes. Victoria was certain that something or someone would jump out and attack them at any moment. Her grip tightened on the shield’s handle and her shoulders tensed as she waited for a fight.

  It never came.

  ***

  Victoria slammed her fist against Bertha's front door, Audrey keeping watch over the fairly empty street behind her. Styx mimicked Victoria, banging his tiny fist on the storefront. Save for the occasional ogre stomping toward one of the shops, they seemed to be alone on what was supposed to be the busiest street in town.

  The door creaked open a crack to reveal two giant eyes. Bertha grumbled, “No need to be banging on my door. A simple knock would have done.”

  Victoria crossed her arms. “You’re closed, Bertha. You're never closed during the day.”

  Bertha sighed deeply, her eyes roaming over the street, and gestured for them to come in. “Quietly, now.”

  They hurried inside and Bertha closed the door as quickly as she could, then pressed her back against it and looked at them both. “I didn't want to interrupt your training, Victoria, and I wasn't expecting Audrey until I train with her tomorrow, but something has happened. Something bad.”

  With Styx on her shoulder, Victoria peeked out the front window as an elf in a long red cloak hurried by. The woman lifted the hood over her head, peeking around the side of it as though she were checking to see if she was being followed. A strand of long blonde hair escaped the hood as she picked up the pace, disappearing beyond the scope of the window.

  “What's happening?" Audrey set her hands on her hips.

  Bertha lumbered toward the back of her house, floor creaking under her every step. “Come.”

  “Tell us what’s going on, Bertha.” Victoria followed closely, and the subtle tap of Audrey’s boots against the hardwood planks meant she was behind them as they neared the back of the house.

  Bertha peeked out the glass panes in the back door. “There's been more crime lately. Disappearances. Even a few murders, I've been told. They seem to have been hushed up, but the king won't leave his castle. He only makes appearances on his balcony. That means danger, girls. There's something dark in Fairhaven, and if the king is afraid then we all should be, because he will not protect us.”

  Victoria squared her shoulders and cast a wary look at Audrey. Arms crossed, Audrey stared at the floor, the slight indent in her cheek an indicator that she was lost in thought.

  Victoria paced the kitchen. “What could it be?”

  “And who was murdered?” Audrey slumped into the chair at the head of the table.

  “There are those who believe the snarx was only the beginning,” Bertha said, grabbing a random bowl off the counter and stirring. She didn’t even look into it, so Victoria wondered if the ogre was stress-cooking.

  Victoria paused her pacing. “What do you mean?”

  “We know that Luak riled the snarx into a frenzy, forcing it to attack us, but some believe there are more monsters where the snarx came from. Maybe he let all sorts of creatures loose in the bowels of Fairhaven, creatures which are getting hungry now that he has left the city. Without him to keep them in check, they’re getting braver. They’re in our streets.”

  “Has anyone seen them?”

  Bertha shook her head. “Just the corpses. And they’ve heard the screams. Whatever is hunting here is quick, silent, and deadly. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  Styx squeaked with horror, and Victoria nearly did the same. This sounded bad.

  “You know, a grate on all the tunnels would solve these monster problems,” Audrey muttered under her breath.

  Bertha opened her mouth to s
peak, but shut it almost as quickly. She rubbed her chin with her hand. “That’s actually a marvelous idea.”

  Audrey massaged her temples. Anyone else would simply see a tired girl. Victoria knew the gesture meant, “You fucking morons.”

  Victoria cleared her throat and leaned against a chair for support. “We have to do something.”

  To her credit, Audrey didn’t make a peep. She stared at the table, one hand in her pocket. A gentle glow radiated through the fabric.

  “What—” Victoria squinted at Audrey’s pants, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her.