House of Enchanted: The Revelations of Oriceran (Soul Stone Mage Book 1)

by Sarah Noffke

  “Monet, this is going to be dangerous. I could die.”

  “Figured as much.”

  “And who knows what will happen when I reach the Land of Terran? I’m not allowed in there. I could be imprisoned.”

  “Which means you’ll need someone close by to rescue you.”

  “There’s nothing in it for you. Monet, this is my mission, to save my mother and possibly my crown.”

  He whirled and faced her directly, his voice sharp. “Azure, have you forgotten who I am?”

  “My best friend,” she said at once.

  He shook his head. “No. I mean, yes, that, of course and always. However, before I was your friend, I was a Virgoan. I’m as invested as everyone in Virgo in being led by the best queen available. I might be a bit biased, but I think that is you—after your mother, of course—so I’m as intent on keeping the crown in the Vladar family as you are.”

  Monet turned and headed toward a line of black trees, fog swirling at their bases. He turned around and flashed an impatient look at Azure. “Are you coming, or do I have to drag your ass into this treacherous place?”

  She pulled her black hood over her head and smiled. “Okay, you can come, but don’t slow me down. We’re on a quest.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “Something about that all doesn’t add up,” Monet said, eying the trees ahead. The area around the Dark Forest was a marsh with low-hanging trees and tall grass. Still, the green light that filtered through the leaves made the area glow with hope. Azure was sure the feeling would evaporate when they traipsed over the border of the Dark Forest.

  “Well, it’s all I know. My mother gave away her soul stone to keep me, according to Gran,” she said, pulling her foot from a clump of mud with a sucking sound.

  “Finding out the rest is going to be fun,” Monet said, searching his inside pockets.

  “Fun? Hmmm, not sure I’d call any of this section of my life fun, but I’m glad you find it entertaining.”

  “Azure, I find your life to be highly entertaining. I mostly keep you around because one day all this will make for a great tale. I’m banking on becoming the official storyteller for Virgo, spouting the fables of witches’ and wizards’ lives like yours,” he said, pulling a velvet bag from his pocket.

  “I thought you were going into potion-work.”

  He opened it to show Azure. “Magic marbles. Just in case. Gotta find Charmsgood for that to become a reality, and he’s still MIA. I’m going with the backup option.”

  Azure paused. The place where the Dark Forest started was cast in shadows. One more step and she’d be in the land that few dared to enter and fewer had returned from in one piece.

  “Yes, and I’m going to tell your stories,” Monet said, rolling a marble into the forest. It sparked and lit up the path.

  Azure stood at the edge of the Dark Forest, measuring her courage. “I can do this.”

  “Of course you can. But you don’t have to do it alone. Come on, it’ll roll ahead of us for an hour of light. Let’s not waste it.”

  “I could use my wand. She lifted her wand, a bright blue glow illuminating her and Monet.

  “Save it for the battle ahead. Besides, these little gems are supposed to do far more tricks.”

  “Dark market?”

  “Don’t ask what you don’t want to know. Come on, I’ve been very curious about this place,” Monet declared, bolting forward.

  Azure rolled her eyes, and quickly followed. “Curious about an unknown danger. Of course you are. Reminds me of Charmsgood.”

  Instantly the temperature around them dropped, making Azure’s teeth chatter. She could warm herself with a spell, or use the warming potion Gran packed. No, conserve the magic. Monet’s right. Save it for the battle ahead.

  Light streamed from above. She took a few steps, sensing they were approaching a wall. Azure held up her wand, lighting it up and saw a red wall stretching from the ground all the way to the black canopy. She touched the moist surface. It was soft like a cat’s belly. She stepped back, sucking in a breath, ready for something to roll over and attack her. The small ball of light dimmed in front of the wall. The magic was being absorbed.

  Monet laughed. “I think I’ve got this one figured out,” he told her, gesturing to her to join him as he walked beside the wall, keeping it to his right.

  Curious, Azure followed, keeping close so she didn’t lose him in the pitch-black darkness. Everything felt close around them. Even the forest’s silence was unnerving. It made tense, her wand at the ready. He put his hand on the furry reddish wall, feeling along till they finally got to the edges and the light returned.

  “It’s a tree,” Azure whispered, gasping. It was more brownish in places and full of notches in some areas, its roots rising above the ground.

  Monet turned, his lips pursed. “More than a tree. Like it’s got a beating heart or something,” he said and waved her forward to his location, his hand still on the trunk.

  Azure held the wand up, realizing the tree stretched up farther than any building in Virgo, a curve in the trunk. Another tree stood next to it with a two-foot space separating them.

  “Thank God! There’s a gap!”

  “It’s our way into the Dark Forest,” said Azure.

  Monet stepped easily over the roots and into the forbidden place.

  Azure brought her wand down, extinguishing it. “Stop,” she called, barely able to still see him.

  He froze. “What?” he hissed.

  “This is my crusade, and therefore it falls to me to go first,” she announced, pushing around him, through the tight space. Monet sucked in, making a space. Azure leaned back against the larger tree and felt it give way, making room, allowing their entry. “It is more than just a tree,” she said, awe in her voice.

  “Your majesty.” Monet waved her forward.

  She gave him a curt nod and set off through the rows of trees, negotiating the forest proper and sliding through each succeeding gap. The trees were nestled closely, each trunk at least the width of a cottage. Azure kept her eyes on her feet as they felt their way between the trunks. She put her hand on another trunk, steadying herself and the tree moved, bending out of her way.

  It’s beckoning me into the Dark Forest.

  They were approaching the edge of the stand, and she spied a clearing in the distance. There were pine needles and ferns littering the forest floor, the area still in shadow.

  Azure took a step past the last tree, looked around and gulped. A field speckled with forget-me-nots stretched in front of them, an iridescent blue carpet. A single angel oak punctuated the center of the field, its gnarly limbs rising to the sky, the roots stretching along the ground.

  “Wow, what a terrifying place,” Monet said sarcastically.

  Azure tightened her hand on her wand, hearing Gran’s voice in her head. “That which appears too good to be true most likely is, especially in the Dark Forest.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  A breeze laced with floral scents brushed Azure’s hair back, but there was something else in the air—a bitter smell. An undercurrent of something sinister. Azure bent down and ran her hand over the petals of a flower. It felt soft against her fingertips. Okay, not an illusion. The flowers stretched as far as Azure could see, which admittedly wasn’t far. A bright light ahead blurred her vision.

  “You thinking of lacing a bunch of those blue flowers into your hair?” Monet asked, going ahead and placing his hand on one of the oak’s branches.

  “I don’t think it’s wise to pick the flowers here,” Azure replied. Something’s off about them.

  “Don’t go into the Dark Forest,” Monet said in an ominous voice. “How many times did we hear that growing up? And just look at this place. It’s a paradise.”

  Monet had both his hands on a limb of the tree and was swinging.

  “Forget-me-nots,” Azure mused.

  “What’s that?” Monet asked, still swinging.

  “The flowers. That�
�s what they’re called. And that tree, it’s an angel oak,” Azure replied.

  “Well, look who read her botany textbooks! And here I thought you were all beauty and no brains, just riding the coattails of the crown.”

  “I may not have a crown, remember?” she muttered, still lost in thought.

  “Well, we can’t have you losing the crown. Ruins the whole idea of me having great tales to write about later.” Monet easily swung off the branch and landed on his feet. He brushed off his robes as he stared at the tree covered in bright green moss.

  “I forgot that this was all about you.” Azure held her wand in the air. She whispered a revealing spell, but the blue flowers and green tree remained. Appearances could be deceiving, but Azure knew how to break through illusions—an important skill on a planet where everyone had magic. “It appears this is all real.”

  “Of course it is,” Monet muttered as he started to walk ahead. His back and shoulders lurched, but he stayed in place. He tried again to move forward, confusion furrowing his brow as he remained in the same spot.

  “What’s going on over there?” Azure asked.

  “I’m trying to walk.” He gathered his robes and pulled them away from his feet. His boots were surrounded by the tiny blue flowers, but there were no other obstacles.

  Azure shook her head. “Very funny, Monet,” she grumped, as she tried to pick up her own foot and failed. Her feet were cemented to the ground.

  “Yeah, not trying to be funny,” he said, twisting to look at her. “We’re stuck.”

  “Not such a paradise anymore.” Azure scanned the area. A tree and flowers. What does that mean? How do we get out? She pulled at her foot, unable to budge.

  “Pusti,” Monet said, his wand pointed at his boots. He tried to move again, but only swayed forward and back.

  “A release spell doesn’t work, eh?”

  “No, and I’m guessing it won’t be as easy as unlacing my boots,” Monet said.

  “Then your feet would get stuck to the ground,” Azure said.

  “Well, it’s a good thing I like this place so much, because it appears I’m sticking around,” Monet said.

  “Oh, hell no! I won’t be stuck here with you and your bad jokes,” Azure protested, pushing the fear away. “Quest’s don’t end after the first hour!” Her legs were starting to cramp.

  “These flowers can’t keep us here forever. I’m sure I can figure this out.” Monet flicked his wand at the ground as he tried another spell.

  “The Dark Forest can do whatever it likes, and usually does,” a voice chirped from the tree.

  Azure and Monet twisted their heads to see a Gnome sitting on a tree branch. The bald creature wore a brown suit and a bowler hat with a red poppy on the ribbon. He didn’t look at all amused from his place in the tree.

  “How’d you get there?” Monet asked with a startled laugh.

  “The better question is, how are you going to get out?” the three-foot Gnome replied in a deep voice. He was part of the clan that worked as librarians in the Light Elves’ library.

  “What are you doing so far away from the library?” Azure knew Gnomes never parted easily with information. Best to start off with an easy question.

  “Well, why don’t you tell us how to get out since I’m guessing you know, little guy?”

  Monet just couldn’t keep his damn mouth shut.

  The Gnome scowled and the flower pinned to his hat blew a raspberry at Monet. He shifted on the branch, ready to leave.

  “Wait, wait, wait!” Azure called in a rush. “Forgive my friend. He suffers from a whole host of problems, one of them being that he was born with eggshells for a brain. My name is Azure and I—”

  “You mean ‘Princess Azure,’ don’t you?” The Gnome rose to a standing position, balancing easily on the tree branch.

  “Yes, but that’s not really important,” she said.

  “Not important? You don’t care about your commitment?”

  “I only meant that my main concern right now is how to get us unstuck,” Azure shot back, trying to control her temper.

  The Gnome looked at her feet and back at her. “What is the new queen of the Virgoans doing in the Dark Forest anyway?”

  Azure sighed. “Can’t that wait till we’re not glued to the forest floor? No? I’m traveling to the Land of Terran because—”

  “You’re not allowed in there.” The Gnome cut her off.

  “I realize that. I’ll figure that part out later, maybe once I can move my feet,” she said.

  “And why would you, the Princess of Virgo, want to travel to a place where you could be imprisoned for trespassing?” the Gnome asked, his large hands on his hips.

  Azure looked at Monet, who was irritated with all of it. He rolled his hand forward in the air, encouraging her to disclose the information.

  She shook her head. “First, can you tell us how to get out of here? Then I’ll tell you everything you want to know.” Gnomes, Azure knew, were rule followers and information gatherers. He would want to know why she was traveling to a forbidden land. And unfortunately, he might try and stop us. The damn whistle-blower.

  “I could tell you,” the Gnome said.

  Azure growled, “Will you tell us?”

  “I’m not sure why I should do that.”

  “Tell us or the next monarch of Virgo will die here,” Monet said loudly.

  “Along with her companion,” the Gnome agreed, pulling a pad from his breast pocket. He began scribbling notes.

  “Fine, don’t tell us. But would you answer a question?” Azure asked.

  “It depends on the question,” the Gnome replied, pulling the pad away from his face.

  “What’s your name?” she asked.

  “That’s your damn question? Have you lost your mind?” Monet yelled from his place several yards away. He kept trying different spells but nothing was ungluing his feet from the ground.

  The Gnome blinked a few times and opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Finally he shook his head. “That’s irrelevant information, not necessary for me to supply.”

  The Gnome wasn’t making any of these negotiations easy.

  “Fine. It appears you don’t want to help us, so we will bother you no more.” Azure turned her attention back to the flowers around her feet.

  “You have lost your damn mind. Yes, please send away the creature who knows how to help us,” Monet ranted.

  “He’s an unwilling creature. We’ll figure it out on our own,” she yelled back. “We’ve figured out worse. Angel. Forget-me-nots. Angel. Forget-me-nots.” She kept repeating the words, her mind far away in thought. There was something about the names, she mused.

  “The trees are the supreme force inside the Dark Forest,” the Gnome said.

  “Oh, Shorty is still hanging around.” Monet sneered.

  Dismissing his jab, Azure turned to the Gnome. “I think I see. They are the owners of the forest and must be paid a toll.”

  The Gnome looked surprised but tried to hide it.

  She twisted in Monet’s direction. “This place. It’s the toll booth. The place where we have to give something to get passage.”

  “Like gold? I think we both know I’m fresh out. You’ll have to pay for me,” Monet said.

  Azure was already digging into the bag strapped to her back as the Gnome cleared his throat. “Passage cannot be paid for by another,” he said.

  “I’m screwed. Wait, I refuse to accept that! I’ll figure out another way to pay the toll!”

  The Gnome shrugged his shoulders and said nothing more.

  Azure pulled a gold coin from a small satchel inside her bag. Gran remembered everything. She dropped the coin in front of her and it landed on the flowers where it quickly sank beneath them and disappeared. Like a clamp unlocking, Azure felt the grip on her feet loosen. She lifted her foot slightly, as it came away from the ground easily, and she took a step forward.

  “Okay, Monet, you just need to give the forest somethin
g. What do you have?”

  He rooted around inside his robes and shrugged. “I have my wand and magic marbles.”

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! You entered the Dark Forest with zero provisions?”

  “No! As I just mentioned, I have magic balls,” he reminded her. “Wait, I still have these!” He pulled out the half-eaten bag of Cheetos.

  “Lose one of your precious balls and drop it on the ground,” Azure snapped. “The Dark Forest wants what you prize.” She looked at the Gnome. “That’s it, isn’t it?” The Gnome just looked back at her, waiting.

  He gave her an incredulous look. “Has the forest air made you stupid, dear Azure?”

  “I’m not kidding. That’s the only way you’ll get out of this,” she warned, turning and looking at the Gnome, who nodded.

  “Fine, fine. I’m losing a ball. Scary woman.”

  The Gnome let out a snort. “He has to use what matters most.”

  Monet dug around in his robe and pulled out the velvet bag.

  “What matters most, Monet. Come on, you know it’s the Cheetos.”

  “Fine! I’ll use up the last of my supply.” He was just about to toss it onto the forest floor when a cough stopped him. Both Azure and Monet looked at the Gnome standing on the tree branch.

  “Yes?” Monet asked, looking especially annoyed.

  “I do not believe that your bag is biodegradable,” the Gnome commented.

  “Which means it can’t be offered with the toll,” Azure added.

  “Correct,” the Gnome chirped, rocking forward on his toes and back down to his heels.

  “Empty the bag,” Azure ordered Monet.

  He sighed heavily but opened the bag, dumping the remaining Cheetos onto the forest floor. The neon orange bits littered the blue flowers, creating a sharp contrast of colors, and a moment later they were gone, sucked into the soil.

  Monet lunged forward, letting out a sound of relief. “Thank Merlin I’m free!” he said.