Outlast: Spellslingers Academy of Magic (Warden of the West Book 3)

by Annabel Chase

  “What about the others?” I asked. I felt like we should be searching for them, too.

  “I know it’s not an easy decision, but I think we need to trust that they can handle themselves.”

  I halted. “Here? How?”

  “There are three of them,” Gray said. “And they have wands, assuming they managed to keep hold of them.”

  “Dani and Mia can do elemental magic without wands if they have to,” I said. Like me.

  “Even better.” Gray peeked at me. “They’ll be okay, Morrow. It’s Cerys we have to focus on. She’s alone and with Abraxas. She needs us the most.”

  I knew he was right. Still, I was worried about my friends. We had no idea where they’d been taken, or to whom. What if we managed to save Cerys, but lost the others in the process? Or, worse, what if we couldn’t save anyone? The possibility was too much to handle, so I shoved the thought aside and focused on putting one foot in front of the other. The sooner we reached Cerys, the sooner we could escape this place.

  9

  Once we cleared the more populated area, the landscape became barren and rocky. We hiked down a canyon and arrived at a series of caves. Some of the openings were larger than others. I didn’t want to contemplate the types of creatures that might lurk in the caves with the bigger openings.

  “We need to go in there, don’t we?” I asked.

  Gray studied the mouths. “There,” he said, pointing to the third one from the left. “They take you in different directions, so it’s important to choose the right one. The map highlighted that one.”

  The opening was one of the smaller ones. Small mercies. “Are we going to have to crawl through?”

  “Only one way to find out.” Gray crept through the hole. After a moment, he called to me. “It’s clear, Morrow.”

  I shimmied inside. The cavern was enormous. Stalactites hung from the ceiling like giant black fangs.

  “Is this the part where we find out we’re actually inside a monster’s mouth?” I asked. If so, the monster had a serious cavity issue.

  Gray looked amused. “It’s just a cavern, Morrow.”

  “That’s a relief. At least we know it has an exit then.”

  “Oh, it would have an exit even if it were a monster’s mouth,” Gray said. “Probably not the kind of exit you have in mind, though.”

  Gross. “Thanks for that mental image.”

  “I could tell you a few good stories about my days as a warden,” he offered. “That’ll wipe the image of monster shit right out of your mind.”

  “I’m suddenly beginning to regret my decision to train at the academy.” I paused. “Seriously, though. What if this cavern doesn’t have an exit?”

  “It does,” he said. “Think of it more like a tunnel.”

  My head swiveled toward him. “A tunnel…like one that might have the underworld version of a tunnel troll?” Gray had recently accompanied me to the human world through a series of secret underground tunnels, and we’d battled a nasty tunnel troll in the process. Not an experience I cared to repeat.

  Gray chuckled. “Not to worry.”

  Phew.

  “If we encounter any friends along the way, they’ll be far worse than a tunnel troll. That’s what the weapons are for.” He hovered in front of one of the longer stalactites. “These are an odd color.”

  I scrunched my nose. “They’re not bluish like the ones I saw in my vision.”

  He cocked his head. “The nether is known for the bluish stalactites. These black ones are different.” His brow creased, and he took a careful step backward. “Don’t touch them.”

  Maybe he wouldn’t notice my hand already on the one closest to me. “Why not?”

  “I think they might trigger a ward.”

  I jerked back my hand. “Now you tell me.”

  Our eyes locked as the cavern rumbled. The stalactites trembled, and I worried about them dropping from the ceiling and staking Gray.

  “They don’t look too secure,” I said.

  Gray moved to stand beside me just as the first stalactite fell.

  “Gray!” I cried.

  Instead of crashing into pieces on the ground, it morphed into what could only be described as an Arctic monster. It was like a moving ice sculpture of a giant. An angry giant. And it immediately fixated on us.

  Gray swung the staff at the monster’s torso and it fractured, but the monster closed the gap between us. Gray took advantage of the weak spot and thrust the staff through the cracked part of the monster’s torso. It broke into several large pieces and scattered on the cavern floor.

  “One down,” Gray said.

  The cavern quaked again.

  “There are a lot of stalactites, Gray,” I said, trying to keep the fear out of my voice. My dagger would be useless in this situation.

  He inched closer to me, his attention focused on the next wave of giants landing on the ground. “Not that I’d dare to tell you what to do, but a little magic would go a long way in here.”

  “Yes, right,” I said, coming to my senses. I had to get into the habit of using my magic without hesitation. I was still accustomed to suppressing it in fear of my father. Would it ever be second nature to me?

  I called to the water in the cavern and instantly felt its presence all around me. “Possibly a dumb question, but are these stalactites made of water?”

  “More or less,” he said. An ice giant swiped at him with its huge arm, and Gray dodged the blow with his usual grace.

  More or less was good enough for me. I detected the moisture in the air and pulled as much of the water to me as I could. More ice giants appeared with every passing breath. There was no time to lose.

  “Could use help,” Gray choked, as the ebony black ice giant gripped him by the throat. His arms flailed as he tried to reach the double-sided axe strapped to his back.

  Anger awakened in me. My mother died during an ice storm. A car accident on her way to work a shift at the hospital. That night changed everything. Ice destroyed my world—a substance I could have controlled had I been there. The cruel irony of it all.

  “Morrow,” Gray sputtered.

  “Black ice is the worst,” I said. I released my magic, yanking a large stalactite from the ceiling. I wielded it like a club and smashed the giant’s head. Both shattered into fragments, scraping Gray’s skin in several spots. He simply wiped away the blood before ripping the axe from its position on his back.

  “I’d grab another weapon if I were you, assuming you can do that again,” he said.

  I pulled another stalactite to me before it could morph into a monster. Gray was already in the thick of the Arctic circle, maneuvering the axe like it was just another limb. His agile body was mesmerizing to watch, and I had to force myself to stay focused on the ice giants multiplying around us. I broke another stalactite over a giant’s head, and ripped down two more to use as frozen escrima sticks. Master Horton would be proud.

  I kept trying to call the ice giants to me, but the only things I seemed able to control in the cavern were the stalactites affixed to the ceiling.

  “If I can control the stalactites, why can’t I control the giants?” I asked Gray, as I slashed and sliced at the monsters around me.

  Gray shattered another ice giant with the axe and kicked the fragments aside. “Could be whatever magic was used to create the giants. It’s a good lesson for you, though.” He whacked another giant’s legs and knocked them out from under the monster. It toppled over and smashed into bits.

  “What is?”

  “You always need a backup plan,” he said, and slid on the cavern floor to avoid a giant’s fist. “Sometimes you lose your weapon. Sometimes your magic won’t work. Keeps you from getting too reliant on one skill.”

  He made a good point. Right now it didn’t matter why I couldn’t control the monsters. It only mattered that I couldn’t.

  I tore all the remaining stalactites from the ceiling and destroyed them, so they couldn’t add to the existing
parade of ice giants. As I turned to help Gray, one of their frozen arms belted me in the stomach, and I went sprawling backward across the cavern floor. My back took the brunt of the impact and I struggled to sit up before another one attacked me.

  “You okay, Morrow?” Gray called over his shoulder. He was busy fending off two at once.

  I grunted and pulled myself upright. If water magic wasn’t the answer, I needed to try something else, or we’d never make it out of this cavern alive.

  One of the giants lifted Gray over its head and tossed him across the cavern like a doll. Incredibly, Gray landed on his feet. He skidded to a wall and stopped before he slammed into it.

  “You’ve got to teach me how to do that,” I said.

  Gray gave me a quick look. “Get yourself in enough situations like this and you’ll learn. Fast.” He bolted back toward the giants.

  I had to wipe out the remaining giants before they wiped us out. There was only one logical choice. Although it wasn’t my specialty, I was pretty sure I could manage it.

  I summoned my magic and focused my energy on generating heat. I held out my hand, waiting. A small ball of flames burst into existence. I didn’t pause to admire my handiwork. I lobbed it straight at the nearest ice giant. Its arm melted first, quickly followed by the rest of its body.

  “Great idea, Morrow,” Gray said. “Melt them all.”

  I whizzed another, slightly bigger fireball at a giant. I generated two more—one in each hand—and threw them at the same time. Two more monsters melted into pools of black water. By the time I disposed of the last giant, the fatigue began to set in.

  Gray frowned. “I never realized you were left-handed.”

  “How could you tell?”

  “Did you see the way you threw that fireball with your right hand?” He shook his head. “Pitiful.”

  I was so drained that I couldn’t summon enough energy to elbow him in the ribs.

  “Can we find the light at the end of the tunnel now?” I asked.

  Sensing my tiredness, he took my hand. Together, we ran through the inky puddles, the weight of our feet splashing the droplets in all directions. Finally, the cavern spit us out into a valley bathed in a blue-grey light, and I was thankful that it wasn’t the lava-soaked terrain I’d expected.

  “We make a good team,” I said, once we were safely out of the cavern.

  His expression tensed.

  “What’s that face for?” I prodded.

  “I work alone, Morrow,” he said. “You need to remember that.”

  “You weren’t working alone in that cavern,” I countered. “That was all about teamwork.”

  Gray cocked an eyebrow, his consternation fading. “Teamwork makes the dream work, right?”

  “The world according to Dr. Jonas,” I said, smiling. We met the dentist while investigating the death of Master-at-Arms Calvin Motley. The plucky elf specialized in vampire dentistry, so Gray went in under the guise of needing treatment, and I acted as his human support aide. “We made a good team then, too. Face it, Gray. We’re a dynamic duo.”

  “Just because we work well together doesn’t make us a team,” he said.

  “Ha!” I nudged him. “You just admitted we work well together. No take-backs.”

  “I’m not trying to take it back,” he said. “I’ve never denied that we work well together. Still not a team.”

  I focused on him. “If we’re not a team, then what are we?”

  He glanced at me before looking away. “Right now, we’re in deep minotaur shit if we can’t find our way to wherever Cerys is being held.” He increased the length of his stride.

  “You’re avoiding the question,” I said, hurrying to keep pace with him.

  “No, I’m avoiding the answer,” he shot back.

  “What’s the big deal?” I asked.

  “The big deal is that team implies responsibility,” he said. “I don’t want to be responsible for anyone except myself.”

  “Gray, if anything happens to you down here, do you think I won’t feel responsible just because you refuse to define us as a team? Of course, I will.”

  He studied me intently. “I would never want you to feel responsible for anything happening to me. Not ever. Do you understand?”

  I moved in front of him and pressed my palms flat against his chest. “So don’t let anything happen to you. How about that?”

  He gave me a hard look. “Same goes for you.”

  I smiled. “See? We can agree on something.”

  Gray turned me around and ushered me forward. “How’s tutoring going with library guy? Learn anything fascinating this week? Like how to watch a cauldron bubble?”

  “He takes tutoring very seriously,” I said. “I thought we’d hang out in the library with Cato and gossip about historical figures, but Robin always has a lesson plan.” I snorted.

  “I’m glad you’ve made friends at Spellslingers,” he said. For some reason, his comment surprised me. “It’s important to develop relationships.”

  “Do you have friends from your days at the Sentinel?” I asked. The Sentinel was the prestigious vampire-only academy that fed into the AMF.

  He smirked. “We’re vampires. We don’t do relationships in quite the same way.”

  “How do you do them?”

  He hesitated.

  “How?” I prompted. “You may be a vampire, but you’re not cold-blooded, Gray. Not in the least.”

  He flinched. “It’s nice that you see me that way.”

  “How could I not? You’ve been nothing but kind and generous.”

  He shifted uncomfortably. “It’s not typical for me.”

  “Only because you keep everyone at arm’s length,” I said. “If you let them come closer, maybe it would be typical.”

  Gray gave me a half smile. “It’s a nice thought, Morrow.”

  “Have you tried to make peace with your parents?” I asked.

  “You don’t understand,” he said. “My family’s reputation is paramount.”

  “I would think their son’s well-being would be paramount.”

  “The Mappleworths have a long history of service…”

  “I don’t care if the Mappleworths were the royal family of the Kingdom of Paranormalia. They should love you and be proud of you, whether you’re a warden or not.”

  He gave me an appraising look. “Maybe I’ll bring you along for dinner next time I visit.” A sly grin emerged. “As my human support aide.”

  “Do you really visit them?”

  Gray blew out a breath. “Come on, Morrow. We’re here to find Cerys, not to psychoanalyze me. I’m too dull for any kind of analysis.”

  I laughed. “You’re far from dull, Gray Mappleworth.”

  He gave my shoulder an affectionate squeeze. “Right back at you, Morrow.”

  10

  The blue-grey valley seemed devoid of life, so I was surprised when we happened upon a meadow of tiny white flowers. I broke into a run, racing through the meadow like a little girl. The tiny petals brushed against my legs.

  “The smell reminds me of honeysuckle,” I said. “I wonder if these are edible.” I was so hungry. I tore one from the ground and chewed. It was deliciously sweet. “You have to try one.”

  “I don’t know what honeysuckle is,” Gray said, “but it sounds nice.” He plucked a flower from the earth and popped it into his mouth. “Tasty.”

  “We had a garden in…I think it was Oregon. And honeysuckle grew there.” I ate another flower. “My mom and I used to sit on the swing in the backyard and just breathe in the scent.”

  Gray’s expression softened. “You must’ve been very close with her.”

  “How could I not have been? It was just the two of us.” Until she died. Thank goodness for Icarus. If he hadn’t come along when he did, who knew what would have become of me?

  “I wish I had memories like yours,” he said.

  “I’m sure you do.” I twirled around in the meadow, watching the flowers swi
sh around my feet. “Your issues with your family started after you left the AMF.”

  “They were exacerbated after I left the AMF,” he clarified. “They’ve always been there, though. My family is very…particular.”

  “Is that a vampire thing?” I asked.

  “More of a Mappleworth thing,” he replied.

  “Do you miss it?” A faint mist began to rise from the flowers. I suddenly felt like we were standing on top of clouds.

  “Miss what?”

  “The security,” I said. “The sense of family.”

  His jaw hardened. “I don’t need it.”

  “It’s okay to need it, Gray. It isn’t a bad thing.” The mist drifted higher. “This is so weird. I don’t sense any moisture in the air. My magic should be chomping at the bit with all this mist.” I pulled my wand from my waistband. “Maybe I’ll try my wand and see what happens.”

  Gray grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me toward him. “No, don’t.”

  I craned my neck to look at him. “Why not?”

  “It might be dangerous.”

  “This whole journey to the center of the earth has been dangerous.”

  “Why do you think I’m here? I don’t want anything to happen to you, Morrow.”

  His penetrating gaze unsettled me, and I swallowed hard. “Like Riya?”

  “No,” he said gruffly. “Not like Riya. She was a warden, my partner. You’re…different.”

  “How?” I said.

  The mist engulfed us completely. I couldn’t see the flowers anymore. I couldn’t see anything except the sexy vampire right in front of me.

  And he was all I wanted to see.

  He lifted my wrist to his mouth.

  Alarm bells rang in my head. “What are you doing?”

  He didn’t respond as his tongue slide across my wrist, making my whole body tremble. His fangs sank into my wrist, and he drank. Deeply. A soft groan escaped my lips. Gray was drinking blood straight from the tap.

  My blood.

  His fangs retracted, and he licked away the flecks of blood on my wrist.

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” I said. “Now my blood is inside you.”