Stolen Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Huntress Book 3)

by Linsey Hall

  “You can’t,” I said. “The portal is blocked from entry.”

  “It appears to be expanding just fine.” Her tone was bitter.

  My vision.

  “I think there’s a Pool of Enchantment fueling the portal charm,” I said. “When I was knocked out, I had a vision. I think.”

  “You’re not a seer,” Aerdeca said.

  “I know. But the portal is weird. And I’ve been through it before.” In both the recent and distant past. “Maybe that helped. The portal leads to a waypoint. When you’re there, you see all different worlds at once. I got a glimpse inside when it expanded.”

  “Or it’s a fantasy you made up while passed out,” she said.

  “Or that.” It was totally possible. “I may have invented all of this and not even realized it. But it’s all I’ve got.”

  “What you’re saying makes sense, though,” Aidan said. “We put a lot of power into stripping the portal’s magic. We almost succeeded, but it rebounded. It would need a lot of power to do that.”

  “Then we can’t destroy the portal,” I said.

  “Not unless we go in. And we have some way of disenchanting the pool. We have to unhook the battery that’s fueling the portal spell.”

  “So if we take the Spell Stripper into the portal, we can use it against the pond,” I said.

  “It’s not nearly powerful enough. And it’s there.” Aidan pointed to the lawn. The Spell Stripper lay ten yards away, fully within the portal. No way to get to it, and apparently it didn’t matter.

  “Shit.” I turned to Aerdeca. She was from Darklane and would have contacts even the Order of the Magica didn’t. “Is there anyone in Darklane who might have a more powerful one?”

  “I don’t think so. They’re too rare. And I’m not even sure a Spell Stripper would be strong enough. You need a Nullifier.”

  “Nullifier?”

  “Someone with the power to undo magic.”

  I’d heard of Nullifiers before, but they were even rarer than FireSouls. “I have no idea where to find one.”

  “I might,” Aerdeca said.

  “How? Even the Order of the Magica couldn’t find a Nullifier. They’d have used one if they could.”

  “The Order doesn’t mix with Darklane. They don’t know the things we do. Had Mordaca and I realized the power of the portal, we’d have suggested it. But they never asked. They think they side with righteousness, but their stubbornness just keeps them in the dark.”

  True. But wasn’t that often the case?

  “Go see Aethelred the Shade in Darklane. He’s three doors down from the Apothecary’s Jungle. In the blue building. Tell him I sent you. He may be able to point you in the right direction.”

  “Do you know anything about the Nullifier?” If I could learn just a little about him, it might be enough for my dragon sense to catch on. I could cut out Aethelred and find the Nullifier myself.

  “I don’t. Just that Aethelred once knew one. Or so he said. Over a glass of rum. So it might all be false.”

  Of course. “So basically everything we are going on might be false.”

  “But its all we have,” Aidan said. “And all the representatives of the Order of the Magica are currently frozen in the portal, so it’s just us now.”

  I liked Aidan’s practicality. “What will you do?” I asked Aerdeca.

  “Stay with Mordaca and try to get her out somehow.”

  I glanced at Mordaca’s frozen form. Good luck. Hopefully she wasn’t conscious.

  “How long do you think we have?” I asked Aidan.

  “No telling. But we should go now.”

  I looked at Aerdeca. “Call the Order of the Magica. Tell them what happened and what Aidan is going to try to do. See if they can help. But don’t tell them I’m with him.”

  Part of me wanted them to know so I’d get the credit, just in case they figured out what I was and wanted to toss me in the Prison for Magical Miscreants. A history of saving Magic’s Bend could only work in my favor. But a bigger part of me didn’t want to appear on the Order’s radar. If we actually succeeded in saving Magic’s Bend, maybe I’d step forward. Get on their good side.

  She nodded. “Fine. Give me your phone. I’ll put my number in it. Call me when you know something.”

  I handed my phone over and waited, then Aidan and I hurried to his car in the library parking lot. I’d have to leave my car Cecilia and hope she didn’t get sucked in.

  As we were crossing the street, I touched the comms charm at my neck. “Nix? You get out of Magic’s Bend?”

  “Yes. We’re in Portland at a human hotel.”

  “How’s Dr. Garriso?”

  “Fine.”

  “Good. Tell Del to rest up. We might need her to transport us through the portal again.” I climbed into the passenger seat of Aidan’s SUV.

  “Will do. Can we help in any way?”

  “Yeah, but not yet. We’re hunting down a solution. I’ll keep you posted.”

  “Good luck.”

  I turned off the charm and faced Aidan. His gaze was intent on the road as he sped through the nearly empty streets of Magic’s Bend, weaving around cars loaded down with the belongings of fleeing citizens.

  The worry I’d felt when I’d seen him trapped by the portal surged, like it’d been waiting for the first quiet moment to strike. I clenched my fists and swallowed hard, totally unused to this depth of feeling for someone other than my deirfiúr.

  Unable to help myself, I reached out and laid my hand on his thigh.

  He glanced at me. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, great,” I said, trying to turn the moment more casual. “This was actually how I’d been hoping to spend today.”

  He grinned. “My life is definitely more exciting with you in it.”

  “In the way surviving a train crash is exciting.”

  He squeezed my hand and turned onto Darklane. Ramshackle buildings rose three stories tall on either side of the street, their grimy facades glowering at us. The architecture was old, primarily Victorian, with intricate details and mullioned windows. Hints of bright paint showed through the grime here and there, but it did nothing to cheer the place up. Even the sun seemed blocked out. Darklane was Oliver Twistian in a haunted sort of way.

  “Busier here,” I said. There were more people in the streets, some still packing, others just observing. “Don’t they know they’re risking their lives?”

  “Probably. But they’re stubborn and don’t trust authority.”

  “Apparently.”

  We passed the Apothecary’s Jungle, its once purple facade somehow distinct among the rest of the grimy buildings. The brass lion door-knocker watched us drive past.

  “There.” I pointed to a building that had probably once been blue. It was three doors down, though, so it should be the place.

  Aidan pulled the car over and I hopped out, then raced up the narrow steps to the wooden door. I banged the falcon door-knocker, warily watching its eyes. Aidan joined me on the stoop.

  “It can see us,” I whispered.

  “And hear you,” said a voice from the other side of the door. “Who’s there?”

  “Cass Clereaux and Aidan Merrick. Aerdeca sent us. We need your help.”

  “Never heard of a Cass Clereaux,” the crotchety old voice said. “But Aidan Merrick, I’ve heard of. Imagine he’d pay well for assistance.”

  I glanced up at Aidan.

  “I would,” Aidan said.

  The door swung open. A wizened figure dressed in a blue velour tracksuit eyed Aidan. A white beard reached nearly to his belt, and his eyes sparked with intelligence. He looked like Gandalf on his way to a senior aerobics class.

  The sharp gaze dropped to me, then widened. “You.”

  “Me?”

  The man shook his head, then stepped back. “Come in.”

  We followed him into the dark little foyer.

  “What about me?” I asked.

  “Come, come.” He shuffled in
to a dark living room. Shades were drawn, casting faint light on the books and trinkets that spilled from the shelves lining every wall. Dust motes danced in the light, and a fire burned in the small iron hearth.

  “What about me?” I repeated.

  He turned, his gaze falling to the locket about my neck.

  “Now is not the time,” he said.

  Frustration beat its fists against my chest. “Do you know about me?”

  “I’m not sure. But now is not the time. You are here for help, and it’s not about you or your past.” He sat in a ratty armchair and gestured to the couch.

  I hadn’t mentioned my past, but him mentioning it got me thinking. I lowered myself onto the dusty fabric. “What I’m here about may be linked to my past.”

  He squinted at my locket. “It may be, yes.”

  “Sir, do you mind if we inquire as to your powers?” Aidan asked.

  Points for politeness with the old dude. I just wanted to shake him until info fell out.

  “Seer,” Aethelred said. “Among other things.”

  “Is that why you aren’t leaving Darklane?” I asked. “Will we succeed in saving the museum?”

  His eyes sparked. “I’m not a fortune teller!”

  “Sorry.”

  “Good. But no, I do not know if you will succeed in saving the museum. Though I did know that I was supposed to wait here to assist whoever was trying. When we are done, I will depart.” His gaze swept sadly over the room. “I do hope you succeed.”

  “So you know what we’re looking for?” I asked.

  “I do not. So you’d best tell me. And quickly.”

  “A Nullifier. We need his help to disenchant something.”

  “Hmm… When I was young, I had a friend who was a Nullifier. He has been in hiding for centuries.”

  For centuries?

  “They are hunted, you know,” Aethelred said. “For their immortality.”

  “Immortality?” I was hearing that word a lot lately.

  “Their power nullifies all magic. Even death. Trauma can kill him, but not time. He has been afraid someone will try to steal his power and immortality by murdering him.”

  “Fair enough,” I said. Apparently there were folks out there who had it worse than FireSouls.

  “What do you need one for? Not to kill him for his immortality, I presume?” Aethelred asked.

  “Of course not.” Immortality would be awful.

  His gaze hardened. “Convince me. I won’t send an assassin after my friend.”

  “I do not want his power,” I said. Living forever would suck. Who wanted to watch all their friends and family die? “We need his help with a Pool of Enchantment.”

  I explained the waypoint and my vision, finishing by saying, “At least, I think it was a vision. I don’t even know if it’s true or if we’re on the right path.”

  Aethelred glanced at my locket, then lifted a hand as if to touch it. “May I?”

  I nodded.

  His fingertip touched the small golden charm, and he closed his eyes.

  “Your vision is accurate. This links you to your past, and the waypoint is from your past. The locket helped you have your vision.” He removed his hand.

  “Huh.” I wasn’t sure if I was happy or scared. I knew more about my past, but I didn’t like what I’d discovered.

  “Eloquent.”

  “It’s a gift,” I said. “Is there anything else you can tell me?”

  His gaze turned solemn. “You are at a crossroads that few must face. One direction will call strongly, but you must resist. For your own good, and that of others. Your fears about yourself are valid because you face great darkness. But there is more than enough light within you to vanquish the dark, if you embrace it.”

  I tried to keep my breathing steady as I listened. None of this surprised me, but that didn’t mean I had to like it. Having someone else confirm my fears was bad enough. That he thought I could fall to the darkness…

  That was terrifying. I believed I was making progress—that I was more like my deirfiúr than like the Monster. But hearing my fears spoken aloud, by a seer no less, made it hard to remember the strides I’d made.

  Did Aethelred know what I was?

  “Is that all?” I asked.

  “For now. Save Magic’s Bend and my home, then we will talk. One is more time sensitive than the other.”

  “Fair enough. How do we find the Nullifier?”

  “Outside of the village of Gimmelwald in the Swiss Alps.”

  Of course he lived in the Alps. Probably at the top of the highest Alp.

  “Do you have a transport charm we could purchase?” Aidan said. “Or more? We will need to get to Switzerland quickly.”

  “Yes. You’ll need them.” He got up and shuffled from the room.

  I glanced at Aidan. “Do you think he really knows about my past?”

  “He could. He is a seer.”

  It killed me not to demand answers now, but he was right. Hurry didn’t begin to describe our situation.

  Aethelred returned and handed three transportation charms to Aidan. “This is all I have.”

  “What do I owe you?”

  “If you succeed in saving the museum, nothing other than replacing those charms. If you fail, buy me a new house when this one is sucked into the magical vacuum. But I like this one, so hurry. You have a few days, at most. Changes are occurring quickly now.”

  Aidan nodded sharply and I winced, the reality of what was at stake clear. Many people would lose their homes. If they didn’t leave Magic’s Bend, they’d die. The biggest magical city in America would be destroyed. The damage could be so great that humans might notice.

  A cold sweat formed on my skin. I did not like this kind of pressure.

  We rose to go. As we left the room, Aethelred spoke.

  “Oh, and two things.”

  I turned.

  “Most magic will not work around the Nullifier, as I’m sure you can imagine. Suppressing other’s gifts is how he protects himself. So unless you want to end up on the side of a mountain, I suggest you use the transportation charm to go to Stechelberg, the town nearest his, then approach using traditional means.”

  “How will we find him if I can’t use my Seeker sense?” In public, I pretended to be a Seeker to explain why I could find things. No one wanted to kill Seekers.

  “Look for the fairytale in the forest. You will find him.”

  “The fairytale in the forest?”

  “You’ll figure it out.” He pursed his lips, clearly willing to tell us no more.

  “All right. And the other thing you mentioned?”

  “Do not lose that locket.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  “Oh, hell no,” I muttered as I stared up at the mountains that soared above us.

  We’d transported to Stechelberg a moment ago and now stood at the edge of town. Dawn sun illuminated the mountains around us, casting the harsh faces in a soft glow. The craggy stone peaks rose vertically into the air, straight out of the green meadows in the valley.

  My chest felt achy and empty, no doubt the Nullifier blocking my magic. It was awful. Nauseating.

  “How the hell are we supposed to get up there?” I asked. “I can’t see a road.”

  “I can’t use my magic,” Aidan said. “He must be blocking it. Feels like hell.”

  “Yeah, it sucks.” I pressed a hand over my heart and sucked in a shuddery breath, then pulled out my cellphone and searched Gimmelwald. Damned data charges were going to kill me, but at least it was a business expense. “Yeah, no road access, according to Google. But there is the Stechelberg-Murren-Schilthorn aerial tramway.”

  “A cable car?”

  “It’s our best bet if there’s one leaving soon.” Instinctually, I called upon my dragon sense and thought of the tram station. When the familiar tug pulled against my waist, I opened my eyes.

  “My dragon sense works,” I said, surprised. Despite the gross feeling of having my power s
uppressed, my FireSoul ability still worked.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t expect it to, but I’m so used to using it that I tried it when I wanted to find the station.”

  “Good. Don’t look a gift dragon in the mouth. Use it.”

  “Come on, this way,” I said. “It’s not even half a mile.”

  We hurried through the small village of Stechelberg, passing down what looked like the main street. The wooden buildings scattered on either side had flower boxes hanging off the windows. Purple and red blooms tumbled out. It was all so charming that my eyes almost crossed.

  “I swear, Heidi is going to run out any minute,” I said.

  Aidan laughed.

  The houses gave way to open meadow, but at the end of the road, I caught sight of the station. It looked like a big, modern airplane hangar with cables rising into the air and up the mountainside.

  We bought tickets and were the first—and only—passengers on the early morning ride up the mountain. As the cable car swung over the vast open space and the mountains below, I sat on the bench and lowered my head between my knees.

  “Oh, I’m not built for this.” My stomach heaved.

  “You’ve ridden on my back just fine.” Aidan sat next to me and rubbed my shoulders.

  I reached for his hand and squeezed. “That’s different. This was built by humans.”

  “They’re good at building things. Better than Magica, really.”

  “They built the Titanic.”

  “True. But I doubt this will hit an iceberg.”

  “Knock on your head. Don’t jinx this.”

  I looked up to see Aidan grin and knock on his head. The view out the window was spectacular, the craggy mountains reaching up to a pure blue sky. The higher we rose, the bigger they seemed, as if ever-extending vistas were being revealed with every meter upward.

  “Do you feel that?” I asked. The empty sickness I’d felt down in Stechelberg was worse here, as if the Nullifier’s no-magic zone were stronger.

  “Yeah.” Aidan’s voice was raspy.

  For Magica, our power was like part of our soul. An organ, almost. When it was repressed or removed—which was rare—it felt like hell.

  “Oh, that’s awful,” I breathed.

  The cable car slowed as it approached the Gimmelwald station. Unlike the last station, the mechanical apparatus for controlling the cables was out in the open, crouched on top of the station building like a great iron dragon.