by S. M. Boyce
And after even a few nights in the horrors of the Lochrose ruins, she would break. When she arrived on her knees in front of him, she would be begging for death.
CHAPTER 12
Lochrose went on forever.
It was astonishing that the route never seemed to change and the walls were always identical. Even stranger was the complete lack of time or any concept of how far they had traveled. It made Victoria uneasy, but she tried not to let it bother her.
She walked with Fyrn as Styx flitted overhead, wondering how to word what she wanted to say.
“Out with it,” her mentor said with an impatient sigh.
She frowned. “This Rhazdon Artifact you want us to find… Do you know who the ghost is? What powers are tied to it? How can I prepare? I feel like I’m walking in blind, and I don’t like that one bit.”
The old wizard’s staff tapped rhythmically with his steps. “I don’t know the ghost, no. There’s no written record of the soul tied to the Rhazdon Artifact we’re looking for, since it’s been lost for so long. However, it will give you the strength you need to fully utilize the other one.”
She lifted one thin eyebrow and stared him down, silently willing him to say more.
He shook his head. “That’s all you need to know.”
“Like hell it is. Every Rhazdon Artifact has three powers, and this one will be no different. It will give me physical strength, but what else can it do?”
Fyrn studied her with a harsh gaze, similar to the way her high school teachers had stared her down when she spoke out of turn during class. After a second, though, his expression softened. “You’re right. You’ll find out after fusing with it anyway. I suppose I was merely trying to protect you from becoming power-hungry like—”
“Like the others,” she finished for him.
She was the only known Rhazdon host who didn’t kill for sport or power. It befuddled the people around her, and though Fyrn trusted her, it was clear he worried about her.
Hell, Victoria was a little worried about herself.
She had a clear mission, and that drove her forward. Deep down, she suspected the other Rhazdon hosts didn’t have her focus or her friends, and that was what made her so successful. Her only goal was to protect Fairhaven. Well, and kill Luak along the way. Most Rhazdon hosts would have tried to usurp the throne by now.
But not her, and Fyrn knew it.
Fyrn studied the ground as if it were interesting, obviously letting his mind wander as he spoke. “What we are looking for is a small bear figurine carved of onyx, unassuming to any who don’t know its power. It grants its host incredible will in body, mind, and emotion.”
Victoria studied his face a moment, confused. “That cryptic wizard-speak may make sense to you, but to me…”
He huffed. “You will have immense physical strength, almost limitless emotional control, and enhanced intelligence. The world and everything in it will come easily to you.”
Ah. Thus his hesitation. “And you’re afraid the suddenly super-smart me is going to take over the world?”
“A little,” he admitted.
She laughed and waved away the thought. “I’m not going to turn evil, Fyrn. Besides, you’ll get a suite in the palace if I do.”
“Of course she won’t turn evil! It would break my heart, and she wouldn’t do that,” Diesel called from the back of the group.
Victoria didn’t roll her eyes. She laughed instead, surprising herself. Diesel’s annoyingness had at some point eroded her stubborn dislike of him. At least now he could entertain her a bit. Maybe the thought of losing him had allowed her to forgive his irritating advances.
A little. Just a little.
She cast a backward glance to find Audrey sulking, shoulders tense as she glared at the glimmering walls they were passing.
Victoria’s smile fell. “What’s wrong, Audrey?”
Audrey’s gaze shifted to Victoria without so much as another motion, the sudden movement not unlike watching a portrait’s eyes shift. Victoria nearly jumped in surprise, and Audrey seemed to notice she had done something wrong. “Sorry, V. This place gives me the creeps. And, well, that golem—”
“It’s dead and it’s not coming back, thanks to you,” Fyrn said without looking back.
“That was a compliment, in case you missed it,” Victoria said with a chuckle.
“Humph,” Fyrn said absently.
Audrey, though, didn’t crack even the smallest of smiles. “It was going after me.”
“It was willing to kill all of us, if you’ll recall.” Diesel chuckled.
Audrey shook her head. “It never took its eyes off me, except when Victoria cut its arm off.”
“She’s right,” Fyrn said without pausing in his steady gait.
“What? But why?” Victoria slowed until she was next to Audrey, ready to draw her sword if need be to protect her friend.
“Because I’m Atlantean,” Audrey answered.
At this, Fyrn stopped and turned on his heel to study her. “How can you be certain?”
“Well, that’s what the ghost in my head is telling me, anyway.”
Victoria laughed. She couldn’t help it.
Fyrn shushed her with a sharp glare and leaned on his staff. “The spirit tied to your Artifact said this?”
Audrey nodded. “Apparently there were wars between Atlanteans and the wizards. Neither liked each other very much.”
“That’s news to me,” Diesel said, spinning his staff like a baton. It was an absent motion, meant more to keep his hands busy than anything else.
Audrey shrugged. “The Atlanteans disappeared, and the largest wizard settlement was all but wiped out. I guess the hatred died with them.”
An idea popped into Victoria’s mind. “You don’t think—”
“I do,” Fyrn interrupted. “Perhaps the traitor was not from within after all.”
“My kind destroyed Lochrose?” Audrey asked, almost too softly to hear. She sounded heartbroken, and Victoria set a hand on her back for comfort.
“It’s possible,” Fyrn admitted. “In which case we are going to have to be very protective of you, Audrey. Any other traps or enchantments that remain may target you specifically for your blood, especially now that you’re more attuned to your gifts. Any survivors may hate you instantly. You don’t exactly look human anymore, and that tiara is a dead giveaway to your heritage.”
“But it’s just a silver headband.”
“That’s Atlantean metalwork, child, with an Atlantean crystal embedded in its tip. If there are wizards and witches here, they will know what it is and what you are.”
Audrey nearly gulped. “But they aren’t, right? There were no survivors.”
“There was also not supposed to be a lingering warning cry on the entrance,” Fyrn said solemnly.
“Touché,” Audrey admitted softly.
“You should practice shifting into a witch, Audrey. You must be ready. If we encounter survivors, you must pass as one of them.”
“But the tiara remains on my head when I shift.”
“I believe you can hide even that with practice. I urge you to try as we walk.”
Audrey nodded. Victoria studied her as the girl nervously balled her hands into fists. She could read her friend easily—Audrey hated this place. It didn’t take a genius to realize Audrey wished with all her heart that she could leave immediately. From her expression, everything in her soul told her to flee as fast as her strong legs could carry her.
But after one look at Victoria, a flicker of understanding crossed her face. She must have realized this was exactly how Victoria had felt in the bowels of Atlantis.
“The shit we do for our friends,” she muttered.
“You have no idea,” Victoria said with a laugh. She carried on down the tunnel, and the wizards walked after her.
Not long afterward Audrey’s soft footsteps followed, and Diesel dropped to the back of the party so that Audrey would never be in the vulnerable spot a
t the rear.
After a few moments of walking with Styx buzzing around her head, Victoria picked up the distinct sound of chattering voices. They reminded her of Styx, but were higher in pitch. He squeaked and landed on her head, thumping her scalp to get her attention. His soft wings tickled her scalp.
Around a bend, a recess in the tunnel wall let in a trickle of silver light from somewhere overhead. A thin stream of water bubbled over the rock wall in a small waterfall, pooling by a moss-covered boulder.
On the rock sat a tiny creature that reminded Victoria of a fuzzy pink tennis ball with stubs for legs. As she neared, four little ears popped up from within the fluff, all of them focused on her. Seconds later, two massive eyes opened. The black irises covered half the creature’s body and it stared at her as though more intrigued than afraid. It cooed.
“Aw, what a cutie,” Victoria said softly.
Styx muttered and tugged on her hair jealously, but she waved him away. He fluttered into the air, pouting.
“Nothing could replace you, Styx,” she said with a wink to her little companion.
He smiled, blushing a bit, and reluctantly waved her on as if he wanted her to continue complimenting him.
Instead, Victoria leaned in toward the little fluff ball. It bounced once, gaining new footing on the boulder as its adorably massive eyes stared her down.
“What is this?” Victoria asked Fyrn.
To her surprise, the old wizard shrugged. “I haven’t read anything of these creatures.”
“What? The mighty Fyrn doesn’t know?” Victoria had to bite back her shit-eating grin as she teased him.
He grumbled and nodded toward Diesel. “Have you ever heard of these creatures? Should we be concerned?”
Victoria quirked an eyebrow. “Concerned? They’re adorable!”
Diesel shook his head. “This thing looks somewhat like a snuffle, but those are supposed to be extinct. No one has any drawings of the creatures, only descriptions. One moment…I simply must document this.”
Fyrn groaned in annoyance. “This isn’t a school trip. I merely need to know if we should kill it or not.”
Diesel pulled out his quill and notebook. “This will take only a moment. I’m quite an accomplished artist.”
“Of course you are,” Audrey muttered.
Victoria stifled a chuckle and neared the endearing little creature. It cooed softer the closer she got, and she couldn’t help but feel grateful to find something sweet in this supposed cave of horrors.
And then her instincts flared for no logical reason. She took a proactive step back seconds before the creature opened a mouth the size of her fist, gums littered with jagged and broken teeth. It lunged for her.
Diesel yelped. “It’s not a snuffle! It’s definitely not a snuffle!”
Victoria didn’t comment. She ducked out of the way with practiced ease, the little monster missing her by inches. Out of reflex she summoned her sword and skewered the fuzzy bastard.
Her hopes for a bit of beauty and kindness in this cave dashed, she dismissed her sword and grabbed the furry little corpse out of the air as it fell. It squished in her hand, not nearly as soft as she had expected.
With a disgusted grunt she tossed the creature to Diesel, who caught it with a grimace. “Knock yourself out.”
“Ew,” Diesel said as he held the creature between two fingers.
Victoria fumed. First a golem attacked her best friend, and now an adorable creature tried to rip her throat out. What next, a dragon?
She winced, hoping she hadn’t just jinxed herself.
Without another word she stormed down the hall, cursing this damned place all the while.
CHAPTER 13
This whole “not knowing how much time had passed” thing was starting to grate on Victoria’s nerves as much as Audrey’s. Styx fluttered overhead, oblivious to her discomfort. He probably didn’t fully understand the lack of time in these caves, and if he did, he obviously didn’t care.
Victoria walked in step with Fyrn down the jewel-lined corridor. There hadn’t been a single fork in the road, nor had there been another landmark since the not-a-snuffle had attacked her.
For all she knew they could be walking in place, and she absently checked the floor for built-in treadmills.
Nothing. Just endless rock.
“Are we there yet?” she asked, intentionally adding a bored teenager inflection to the question.
“Close,” Fyrn said.
“How can you tell? I feel like I’m on a treadmill.”
Fyrn chuckled. “I imagine this is torture to you. If you were a witch, you would feel the various side passages and the time we’ve spent walking. There’s a reason Diesel is dragging at the rear.”
“He’s tired? I thought he was guarding Audrey.”
“A bit of both, I suppose. If you’ll notice, he hasn’t said anything annoying for quite some time.”
Huh. Come to think of it, Fyrn was right. Diesel must really have been tired if he wasn’t hitting on her. Victoria peered over her shoulder. Diesel was walking with one hand in his pocket, the other leaning a little too heavily on his staff while his eyes scanned the cave around them.
He caught her gaze and shot her a charming wink.
She shook her head, about to turn back around when she noticed a slight shimmer at the edges of Audrey’s form. The Atlantean pinched her eyes tightly shut, and the tiara on her head slowly began to fade. It blurred like a desert horizon, almost disappearing completely before it popped back into sharp focus. Audrey let out a breath and nearly threw up. Apparently she had held it a bit too long.
“Keep going, Audrey,” Victoria said with a smile. “You’ve got this.”
Shoulders heaving, Audrey nodded wearily. Victoria knew these shifts took a lot of energy, but if anyone could master it, Audrey was the best bet.
CHAPTER 14
Though Victoria had no concept of time, she imagined it was ages before they abruptly came to a stop at the opening to a massive cavern. The vast expanse stretched forever, and was filled with various islands of rock.
Victoria inched toward the cavern. A carved walkway led down, but beyond the ten-foot-wide path was a forty-foot drop she didn’t want to risk.
“Something is wrong,” Fyrn said softly. As he spoke, a light-blue glow radiated from the crystal at the tip of his staff. His eyes scanned the darkness.
Victoria did the same, tensed for battle despite the odd grogginess that seemed to come out of nowhere and slow her down as her foot crossed the threshold. Another charm, no doubt.
She scanned the cavern, its many crags and islands lit by the same glowing jewels and gems as their tunnel. The seemingly endless expanse truly made it seem as though space itself had opened up to greet them with a twinkling rainbow of color and pinpricks of dazzling light.
If Fyrn hadn’t been on such high alert, Victoria might have savored the beauty of the scene.
Leaving the tunnel to see more of the cavern, they inched out onto a ledge lit by the stones around them. Victoria was careful to keep away from the edge, lest she plummet into the deep shadows beyond. Audrey grabbed the back of Victoria’s shirt as if doing so would root her to stable ground, and even Diesel’s hand found its way around her waist, though Victoria doubted his motives were as pure.
“We should head back,” Fyrn said softly.
Victoria gestured back the way they had come. “Why? The tunnel ended here and you seemed confident this was the route to take, Fyrn. What’s wrong?”
“There shouldn’t be a cavern, Victoria. This shouldn’t exist. Even if every twist we took was imperceptible to non-wizards, we’ve been taking forks in the road since the beginning. Up until this moment, I instinctively knew exactly where to go. Then out of nowhere the tunnel ended here, but that doesn’t make sense. The route to Lochrose is one of tunnels, not caverns. Something is very, very wrong.”
“Fine, fine. We’ll go.” Victoria spun on her heel and nearly ran into a cliff wall.
She gasped, confused. A second ago there had been a tunnel, and now the way was blocked with rock. She pressed her hands against it, wondering if it were another illusion like the entrance at Montezuma’s Well, but the sharp edges nearly cut open her palm.
Fyrn followed suit, pressing his fingers against the rock. “Fuck.”