by S. M. Boyce
Victoria whistled. “I had no idea.”
“When we treat a place as our home, it's easy to forget that others think of it as only a resource. People like Luak and whoever controls him don’t care about the people who live here. They may not want anyone living here at all.”
Victoria’s hands balled into fists. “When will I be ready, Fyrn? I want this guy dead.”
Fyrn shook his head. “I don't know, Victoria. I still don’t have a solution for you. We need to make you stronger, and I'm not sure how to do that.”
Victoria stood, furious. “I need some air. Anything else you want to tell me before I head home?”
He watched her for a moment, and Victoria wondered if he indeed had something else to say. After a few seconds, though, he leaned back in his chair and shook his head. “Good night, Victoria.”
Anger and frustration still burning within her, she simply nodded and stormed out the front door into the cold night.
***
It took a lot to scare Fyrn Folly, but the rage and hatred in Victoria's eyes had left him speechless.
She had taken the news better than he thought she would, but those emotions concerned him. A small part of him feared she would not stay in control of the Rhazdon Artifact in her body, that she might indeed let the dark magic in her blood take over.
He stood and started pacing his living room as he debated his options. Of all the Rhazdon hosts he had ever met in his life, Victoria stood the greatest chance of living as normal a life as a Rhazdon host could. She came the closest to controlling the dark magic in her body, but she couldn't do it alone.
He snapped his fingers, an idea coming to him.
Audrey.
He needed to involve Audrey in Victoria’s studies, use her friend to keep Victoria in line and remind Victoria of everything she was working toward. In cases like these—
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He grumbled and gestured toward the door. It opened on command, but instead of a person he saw only a letter. A fox's tail disappeared into the brush, likely one of the emergency messengers who delivered important notices that needed immediate attention.
Fyrn picked up the letter and ripped it open. It was yet another handwritten note from one of his contacts in the American government. He groaned and tossed the letter onto his couch without bothering to finish it. He had more important things to tend to than some fetch quest for the CIA.
He shut the door and leaned against it, stroking his beard as his mind wandered. For the last decade he had been slowly building a very special project of his own. It had potential, but perhaps it was time to recruit the help of someone he trusted in order to finally complete it.
Victoria.
A pang in his heart warned him against trusting anyone besides his fairies. It had been quite a few decades since he had willingly divulged secrets. It was safest to keep his circle of trust small. The more who knew about his affairs and abilities, the more enemies he accumulated. It had always been that way. After all, Victoria could still lose herself to the power of the Rhazdon Artifact in her arm, and if she knew about his secret project she could destroy it. Or worse, use it to her advantage.
His was a lonely life, and he couldn't deny the sunshine Victoria brought into it. She was brilliant, learned what he taught almost as fast as he could impart it, and impressed him daily with her abilities. Even though he was a notorious grump, she could make him laugh. And most of all, the challenge of teaching a Rhazdon host to fight with honor and compassion was one of the greatest he had ever been given.
He cared about her. He cared if she died or failed in her attempts to protect Fairhaven. He didn't know what it was like to have a daughter, but he imagined this wasn't far from it.
So even if it cost him everything, he would trust her.
He sank to the floor, pain shooting down his leg as he tried to get comfortable. He would do everything in his power to save Victoria from being corrupted, but even a wizard as powerful as he could fail.
CHAPTER 8
Victoria walked home from Berserk practice in silence, Audrey in step beside her while Styx flitted nearby. The unspoken tension between them said it all. They still hadn't finished the conversation during which Victoria had confronted Audrey about the secret she was keeping.
Everything was there, plain as day, yet Audrey still wouldn't tell her. It hurt Victoria more than any magical blast from Fyrn, or even a snarx bite.
A brunette fairy flitted up to them, the tiny creature hovering just in front of Victoria's face. “Fyrn would like to see you at once.”
Victoria frowned. “It would be nice for him to come see me.”
The fairy gestured to Audrey. “He would like your friend to accompany you. He has requested you both. Shall I tell him you're coming?”
Audrey quirked an eyebrow. “Why would he want to see me?”
The fairy shrugged her tiny shoulders. “He never tells me anything more than what message to deliver.”
Victoria set her hands on her hips. “Let's go see what he wants.”
As the fairy darted off, Victoria headed up the familiar trail to Fyrn's house. She kept her eyes peeled, never once allowing herself to relax in the empty streets. It was strange to see Fairhaven with barely a soul on the roads, but everyone was still terrified. Despite the year’s Berserk season only just starting with the game the snarx had interrupted, none of the players would show up to compete. Even her Berserk team had decided to cancel their matches, much to her and Audrey’s disappointment. Something silent and deadly was taking the city over, and even though she and Audrey weren't speaking much at the moment Victoria was grateful to have Audrey at her side.
When they finally reached the wizard’s house, he was standing on the front stoop. He gestured with a finger and headed for the cave he and Victoria often used to reach the tunnels beneath the city.
“What's all this about, Fyrn?" Victoria asked.
“Victoria, I have to show you something. I believe you are ready for the next level of your studies. Both of you.”
“Wait, me too?" Audrey asked.
Fyrn nodded. “I should've included you in the training from the beginning.”
A subtle smile broke across Audrey's lips.
As they entered the cave, the crystal atop Fyrn’s staff blazed to life and lit the way. Fyrn led them through the tunnels beneath Fairhaven for what felt like hours, and each cave they passed seemed darker than the one before.
“In here.” After hours of silence, Fyrn led them through a tunnel into what had to be the darkest cave Victoria had ever seen. The pitch-black consumed her, weighing on her like a heavy blanket. The gentle tap of water hitting rock echoed forever, implying great height, and the rusty smell of moss filled her nose.
Fyrn muttered under his breath and tapped his staff once on the ground. Three ribbons of green light appeared around the crystal at the tip and with a burst of energy radiated in every direction, igniting little pockets of light along the rocky walls.
It was like seeing the night sky suddenly light up with little green stars.
Victoria could now tell that the cave was both massively deep and incredibly tall. Black water covered the entire floor, except for a stone walkway through the center of the cavern. Fyrn led them toward the darkness at the end of the path.
After about ten minutes of walking, they finally reached the end of the long tunnel. There, on a pedestal against the far wall, was a crystal easily as long and thick as Victoria's torso. Its tips were as sharp as daggers. Light radiated from within, as if there were a golden fog trapped inside it. The glow pulsed and pushed against the walls, eager to get out.
“Fyrn, what is this?" Victoria asked.
“A little while ago, Victoria, I told you the difference between relics and artifacts. Do you remember?”
She nodded. “A relic is like a battery, or an energy source. An artifact has incredible power, but you can’t access that power without an energy source. The ar
tifact is like a flashlight, and the relic would be like the battery used to power it.”
Fyrn nodded. “Right. This crystal here is a relic, one of the largest on Earth. It contains immense stores of Oriceran magic.”
“Wow,” Audrey said, her voice almost a whisper as she reached out to touch it. The light within shifted, streaming toward her finger. It seemed to reach for her as much as she reached for it.
Before her finger touched the crystal, however, Fyrn smacked her hand with his staff.
She shook out her hand, grimacing. “Ow! What the hell?”
“You shouldn’t touch ancient stores of magic, girl. This one is powerful enough to decimate several cities. And you were going to just touch it?”
“Sorry.”
He sighed deeply. “I brought you here as a sign of faith. If I were to sell this I would become a billionaire overnight. It’s immensely valuable, and if most people here knew of it they would kill me to get it. Do you understand?”
Victoria stood a bit taller, scared at the thought that something so valuable was stored in the tunnels beneath Fairhaven. “Why do you keep it here? It hardly seems secure enough. Why not put it in a bank vault?”
Fyrn laughed. “Vaults can be broken into. The enchantments I placed across this tunnel cannot be breached. You could enter because I invited you, but if you tried to come in without me you would be lost in an endless labyrinth of darkness. You would die of starvation, alone in the shadows.”
“Fuck,” Audrey said softly, hand on her heart.
“Why do you have this?” Victoria pointed to the relic.
Fyrn rested his weight on the walking stick, studying them both with an expression Victoria couldn't quite place. It seemed to be a combination of pride and concern. “I'm building a new kind of weapon.”
“A weapon?" Victoria and Audrey asked in unison. Their voices echoed through the cave.
He nodded. “They’re not done. Not close. But when I am finished, the weapons I'm building will be the true protectors of Fairhaven. None will dare harm us again, from within or without.”
Victoria eyed the crystal hesitantly. “Fyrn, what if this falls into the wrong hands? This could be abused as easily as it can benefit us.”
Fyrn's eyes crinkled, and a warm smile spread across his face. “As long as you remember to lead with compassion like that, I won’t worry.”
She smiled, a bit of gratitude snaking through her at his trust. “Thank you for sharing this with us. How can we help?”
“For now, you can keep this to yourselves. When the time comes, I may need help using the weapons.”
“Can we see the other half? The artifact part?" Audrey gestured into the darkness as though something would appear suddenly from the shadows.
Fyrn shook his head. “I'll tell you more in due time. For now, appreciate that you are one of a select few who know that such power exists below Fairhaven as well as above it.”
He headed for the exit, and Victoria marveled at their little field trip. She had a feeling this had been incredibly difficult for him, that it had required him to do what he hated most: trust someone else. It was the only reason she could think of for him to bring them down here. He wanted to share with them a project that could get him killed.
It clicked for her. She was his backup plan, his heir. If anything happened to him, he wanted her to finish his work. And she would, to the best of her ability, do everything she could to live up to the expectations he was placing on her.
***
With every step Audrey took on the way home, she nearly spilled the beans to Victoria.
Each was weighed with guilt that she would keep anything at all from Victoria, much less something as significant as hidden power. But that voice in the back of her mind was as loud as ever.
Tell no one.
Yeah, but it’s Victoria.
Tell no one.
Victoria can be trusted.
Tell no one.
The voice was quiet but forceful, and the more Audrey heard it, the more she felt as though it wasn’t her subconscious. She didn’t know how else to describe it. It felt “other,” like something outside her that was somehow also resonating deep in her chest.
“Victoria,” Audrey finally said, breaking the spell of silence between them.
“Yeah?”
“There’s something I have to tell you.”
Victoria didn’t respond. She simply waited, hands in her pockets, as they strolled home down a fairly empty road.
“I’ve... Well, you see, I’ve... ”
Someone screamed, and Audrey’s confession was frustratingly interrupted for the second time in a matter of days.
Victoria bolted toward the sound and Audrey followed closely. It was continuous, as though someone were screaming while running away from an attacker.
As they rounded the corner an elf ran toward them, slashes across the front of his ornate shirt. His wide eyes held a look of pure terror, and it was as though he couldn’t even see them as he brushed past.
The ground rumbled. Victoria summoned her sword, and Audrey unsheathed hers. She also grabbed the white stone she now kept in her pocket at all times. Her favorite. The one that could summon sparks.
Perhaps a good helper here.
A shadow spread along the ground from around the corner of the house, followed seconds later by an ungodly creature. It towered over them, and the buildings beside it. Its massive claws dug into the ground, kicking up bricks and cobblestones with every step. Its dark blue skin glittered, suggesting scales, but it was the head that terrified Audrey the most. It was mostly mouth, with daggers for teeth and long spikes to protect the ears and neck.
It turned its head toward them and bared its teeth, hissing. Several clicks followed, like the sound of a lighter that wouldn't work.
“What the hell is that thing?" Audrey asked, taking a few steps back.
Victoria held her ground, sword raised and eyes narrowed on the creature. “I think this little guy is what's been plaguing our town.”
“Little?”
It charged, feet scraping the ground and throwing dust and chunks of stone behind it as it dove for them.
Time to save the day—again.
Victoria attacked, and Audrey was right behind her. She scanned the creature for any sign of weakness, as Bertha had taught her to scan opponents. It swatted at them, the massive claws coming within inches of Audrey's face. Every time she got close, it swiped again or swung its tail at them.
They had to get it on its back.
“Attack the legs!" she shouted.
Victoria nodded and sliced into the nearest ankle. The creature screamed as its bright red blood spilled into the road, filling the gaps between the cobblestones like dry river channels after a dam broke.
Audrey attacked the creature’s nearest leg, though her sword didn't go as deep as Victoria's magically sharp one. It stuck in the beast's skin, refusing to budge. The monster thrashed and its tail smacked Audrey hard in the chest. She flew backward and collided with a brick wall.
“Ow, fuck,” she muttered, holding her head. Her ears rang, and she saw double. Her body ached and stung. She tried to stand, but she stumbled. Her palm hit the cold bricks of a nearby building, but the wall barely kept her upright.
The thing roared. Clicks followed.
“Audrey!" Victoria screamed.
Audrey spun to see the creature charging her, its teeth bared and its eyes focused on her torso. It was barely twenty feet from her and closing fast.
Head still spinning, she had only her instincts to protect her. She lifted one hand, her thin fingers the only thing between her and the beast, and grabbed the crystal in her pocket with the other, desperately wishing for a way out.
She needed a miracle.
A massive electric shock pulsed through her, skittering along her skin. Her hair floated around her head as though she were underwater, and her temples ached even more. Paralyzed, she could barely feel the pulsing sensat
ions that had taken her over.
Tiny bursts of white light sped across her skin like cars on a highway and her hairs stood on end as the world around her began to go black. The blinding flare of white light reflected in the creature's gray eyes was the last thing she saw.
***
Victoria couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Time slowed as she gaped.
White sparks covered Audrey's body. They raced along her skin until they blurred together into a seamless white glow. The creature froze, jaws wide and reaching for Audrey's throat. It growled, no doubt frustrated that it couldn’t move.