Soul Stone Mage Complete Collection Boxed Set

by Sarah Noffke

  “They sound like a bunch of uptight snails.”

  “Well, we do need to maintain order between Earth and Oriceran. There’d be chaos if magic wasn’t policed here.”

  Monet wasn’t listening anymore. He could only take so much talk about rules. They really did bore the fuck out of him. “So where have you brought me?” he asked, staring at the concrete desert.

  “This is a parking lot, but more specifically, I’ve brought you to a place for one-stop-shopping,” Ever said, turning toward a building.

  Monet pivoted on his heel to find out what the Light Elf meant. “Walmart.” He read the sign on the front of a building that was equivalent in size to the entire estate of the House of Enchanted. “Does this place have Cheetos?”

  “Yes, my simple friend. Your mind will be blown when you discover all that’s inside that store,” Ever said, striding forward.

  “I’m ready to have my mind blown.” Monet followed closely behind, his robes swaying around him.

  Monet squatted in an aisle, then took a seat on the cold white floor.

  “What are you doing?” Ever asked, checking to see if anyone was watching them. He was relieved to see that they had the chip aisle to themselves for now.

  “I’m just going to live here,” Monet said, leaning back and nestling his head on a bag full of air and potato chips.

  “They kind of frown upon aliens taking up residence in big-box stores here on Earth.”

  “Well, I’m a wizard, so squatting is in my blood. They’ll just have to get used to it.” Monet reached up to the shelf above his head and grabbed a bag with a spotted cat on it. “Flaming Hot Cheetos,” he read. Pinching the sides of the bag with his fingers, he was about to pull it open when something made the bag fly from his hands. It landed in Ever’s hand, and he had annoyed look on his face.

  “You have to pay for these first,” Ever said.

  “But how do I know if I’d like them? There are like a ton of flavors here. Crunchy, puffs, paws, cheddar jalapeno,” Monet said, rising to a standing position and pointing to the various bags.

  “I don’t make the rules, but I do ask that you follow them.”

  “I hope you’ve got money, because I’ve only got my dashing good looks and quick wit—which, by the way, I do believe should be a currency.” Monet grabbed several bags off the shelf, filling his arms.

  “Yes, I’ve got you covered. However, I think we should pick up some other kinds of food. Azure will have my head if we return with only a bunch of Cheetos.”

  “Fine, fine. Lead the way.” Monet said, tucked another bag of Cheetos under his chin, his arms now officially full.

  In the next aisle, Ever selected what Monet believed were the most boring foods in the world. Things called trail mix, beef jerky, and fruit snacks. “It’s stuff that will keep for a while, and it’s also chock-full of protein and vitamins.”

  “But lacking in flavor, me suspects,” Monet said, studying the Light Elf. He then turned and faced him straight-on. “Tell me, why exactly are you risking your tail to help Azure? I mean, opening illegal portals and breaking into the Land of Terran could get you into pretty big trouble.”

  Ever threw a box of granola bars into their basket, his eyes shifting to the side as he thought the question over. “I guess I sympathize with her. I was born on Oriceran, but came to Earth to discover my human side. I’m a hybrid, which means I constantly have to balance the two sides of me. For her, it’s created a division, not just with her people but also within herself. Anyway, when I was spying on you two in the forest, I recognized that divide in her.”

  “Yeah, that makes sense,” Monet said, pursing his lips and nodding. “You should share some of your struggles with her. It might help, because I suspect meeting her human father is bringing up all sorts of things for her.”

  “Be careful. That almost sounded like you were concerned for someone else’s well-being besides your own.”

  “Your pointy elf ears need to be checked,” Monet said. Of course he wanted the best for Azure. She didn’t just put up with him; it could be said that she made him a better wizard. One day, if they could make the people of Virgo see what he saw, she’d become queen and successfully lead them.

  “Come on, let’s go to the electronic department. I’m going to buy you something cool,” Ever said, taking off down the aisle.

  “I’m liking you more and more by the minute.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Azure could taste the salty ocean air before she saw the aquamarine waters in the distance. This area had what the witches and wizards of Virgo called mermaid-fin-colored waters. She didn’t realize that Richard had stopped until she’d trudged several yards through the white sand.

  Turning back, she gave him a questioning look. “What’s up?”

  He shook his head, as if shaking himself out of a fog. “Nothing. It’s just, I’ve never seen the ocean before.”

  That struck Azure as strange. In her mind the emperor of Terran was well-traveled. How had he made her mother’s acquaintance otherwise?

  He must have read the confusion on her face because he came up to her, nodding. “You’d think I would have, right? But I spent my youth learning how to be emperor. I was never allowed to travel, except to the main lands. However, all my life, there was never anything I wanted more than to explore Oriceran.”

  Richard stared at the waves, a dreamy quality in his eyes. She bet he’d worn that expression a lot as a boy, before adulthood had stripped away his opportunities.

  “Well, you’ll have a lot of time to explore now, seeing as how you’re an outcast from Terran.”

  He flicked his gaze to meet hers, a smile springing to his lips. “I hadn’t thought of it that way. But I also want to help you.”

  “I’m not sure how you can.” Azure headed for the lifeguard station down the beach. It was painted light blue, and the numbers one, two and six were painted across its side in yellow. A black-haired Light Elf was waving from its deck with a relieved smile on his face. Monet didn’t look as happy that Azure had in fact not died, or at least she hadn’t yet. The wizard marched down the wooden ramp, then pivoted and marched back up. His eyes were focused on something clasped around his wrist.

  “You made it!” Ever called when they were closer.

  “We didn’t get eaten by Hydra the nine-headed dragon,” Azure said. Richard had the knife—she’d undone the expando charm that had made it a sword—sheathed at his waist.

  Monet’s head popped up, excitement in his eyes. “Nine-headed dragon? Are you certain? Maybe you accidentally licked a psychedelic toad instead. That happens to me all the time when I think I’ve had a gnarly adventure.”

  “I don’t partake of psychedelic toads like you do, so I’m sure what we experienced was real,” Azure said.

  “And the two of you defeated it? That’s pretty impressive,” Ever said.

  “Well, we made it retreat, anyway,” Richard chimed in.

  “I wonder why you two were successful, when before we split up that dragon was going to kill all of us?” Monet resumed his march.

  Azure had wondered the same thing. It must have had something to do with the mermaid, Tabby. Maybe they wouldn’t have met her if they’d all stayed together. “Well, it’s possible that we haven’t yet met the real danger. It could still be out there, waiting to take us all out,” she said, staring at Monet, who was counting. “What in the hell are you doing?”

  He halted, and a grimace came over his face. “I’m playing with the lame gift Ever bought me,” Monet said and then twisted his head to look at Ever. “Gold. Next time I want gold, gems or money.”

  Ever shrugged, not looking at all put off by Monet’s ungrateful attitude.

  “He bought me a Fitbit, which he hyped as cool,” the wizard told them, jumping up and down on his toes as he eyed a bracelet on his wrist.

  Reading Azure and Richard’s confusion, Ever said, “It’s a fitness device. It measures sleep, heart rate, activity, a
nd also has a handy dandy GPS.”

  “GPS?” Azure questioned.

  “Oh, right. It’s a global positioning system. Think big map. But it only works on Earth,” Ever explained.

  “That sounds extremely helpful.” Azure turned and extended a hand toward Monet. “Give it over if you don’t want it.”

  He pulled his hand back to his side, ceasing to bounce. “I didn’t say I didn’t want it. Just, knowing that my heartrate is one-twenty isn’t really that interesting.”

  “Actually, I’m fascinated to learn you have a heart,” Azure told him, noticing that Richard had entered the lifeguard station and was exploring it. It had windows on all sides that were currently boarded up.

  “Don’t worry, Princess, I’ve got you covered. I bought you a gift as well,” Ever said, pulling something from his pocket and tossing it to her. She caught it in mid-air and brought it to her chest.

  “What is this?” she asked, eyeing the strange device. It had three lobes with a circle connecting them in the middle.

  “It’s a fidget. You put it on your finger and it spins,” Ever said proudly.

  “What is it for?” she asked, doing what he said and watching it rotate.

  “Absolutely nothing. It’s completely useless,” Ever said.

  “Wow, thanks,” Azure said with zero enthusiasm.

  “My intentions were good. Fidgets are used on Earth to help with focus and stress relief. I can’t think of anyone who could benefit more from those two things, so there you go,” he said.

  “Seriously, Monet, I’ll pay you for the Fitzit,” Azure said, holding the spinner in her hand.

  “Fitbit,” Ever corrected. “And I think you both could benefit by sharing your toys.”

  “You’re trying to encourage sharing? Have you met my oaf of a friend, Monet?” Azure was incredulous.

  “Yes, and I daresay that was his last trip to Earth. He made quite the scene,” Ever said, crossing his arms on his chest and shaking his head at the wizard.

  Monet pulled his arm to his side. “Oh, come on. She had green hair!” Then he turned to Azure. “There was a lady at Wal-whatever who had bright green hair like your mother’s. Anyway, I ran up to her and threw my arms around her, I was so happy to see a witch on Earth.”

  For dramatic effect, Azure slowly brought her chin down and looked at Ever. “Let me guess, she had dyed it that color.”

  “Bingo!” Ever winked.

  “How was I supposed to know? Why would someone do that? In Virgo, it is considered highly offensive to change the color of your hair. The shade of our hair is of great importance,” Monet complained.

  “Anyway, Christmas morning is over. No more presents. Azure, why don’t you come with me to gather firewood? We got some food, but we need to start a fire before it’s too dark,” Ever said, trotting down the ramp and pausing at her side.

  “What’s Christmas?” Azure felt like she didn’t understand half of what Ever said.

  “Just come on,” he said and then called over his shoulder. “Keep an eye on him, Richard. Gillian will be pissed if he breaks any laws.”

  “What does Gillian care?” Azure asked as they walked off. “He abandoned us, remember?”

  “I did too, if you recall.”

  “Yes, and I’m still pissed. If I had died, you would have been upset for at least half an hour.”

  “Maybe a full hour.” Ever laughed. “And if I’m being honest, I knew you’d be fine.”

  Azure made her way to the base of a sand dune where driftwood had gathered. It wouldn’t burn for long, but it was a fuel source nonetheless. “Oh, really? How’d you know that?”

  “My people have many prophecies. They are often contradictory, as was the case when the banshee who foretold our deaths. But we’re all very much still alive—there are multiple futures, and they shift depending on the present.”

  “Am I in one of these prophecies?”

  “Hard to say. They can be analyzed many different ways, but yes, I think one refers to you.”

  “What does it say?” Azure asked, her curiosity instantly piqued.

  “That’s not really important, but I figured that if we changed the group dynamic you’d survive. And I thought it would be good for you and Richard to spend some time together.”

  Azure gathered some wood in her arms and stood tall again. “Yeah, I guess it had its benefits. He proved he’s not a complete coward.”

  “To us who are from the planet of Oriceran, humans can seem a little boring. I mean, they don’t have pointy ears or brightly colored hair, and their magic disappears on Earth. However, connecting to your humanity could help you to uncover that which is unique to humans,” Ever told her, filling his own arms with wood.

  “I’m guessing you’re not going to spill any secrets now in order to save me time in this voyage of self-discovery?”

  “You know, if I’m ever on a game show, I want you on my team. You’re incredibly intuitive.”

  “What’s a game show?” Azure asked.

  Chapter Fourteen

  By the time the sun had set over the horizon, they had a nice fire burning in a sandpit. Richard had been the one to create the fire from the driftwood. Azure had suspected that he wanted to contribute, being the odd man out. Magic came to the others so easily, and she reminded herself that humans needed a source. Richard must have pulled from the ocean for magic. Thinking about it, half of her was human like him, so she could do the same if necessary. Ever had hinted that there was something powerful about human magic. Gran had also alluded to that before Azure set off on this journey.

  “Well, I’m stuffed,” Monet said, sticking one of the fingers covered in orange dust into his mouth and sucking on it.

  “Wish I could say the same,” Azure said, tossing the half-eaten granola bar to the sand. “I thought you were going to bring back food? Like real food.”

  “Told you she wasn’t going to like it,” Monet said to Ever. The wizard was lying back, resting his head on a log he’d found while they were gone.

  “I agree that it’s not a sizzling steak dripping with garlic butter, but I thought it would be easy to carry and keep well,” Ever said, tearing off another piece of beef jerky.

  “Yes, a pot of braised tri-tip with root vegetables would be hard to carry,” Azure agreed.

  “Or a roasted chicken sandwich with dill pickle and coleslaw on the side,” Monet said, licking his lips and looking dreamily at the stars in the Oriceran sky.

  “Or ice cream, maybe a hot fudge sundae with whipped cream,” Richard chimed in, who was sitting with his legs crossed in front of him.

  All three of them turned to him, but Azure and Monet had looks of confusion. “Ice cream?” she asked. “Is that like the frozen yogurt I had in Terran?”

  He nodded. “It’s better with hot fudge, though.”

  “What is the humans of Terran’s deal with sugar?” Ever asked.

  “It was a part of the food pyramid my father’s administration mandated that the people follow. At the top are meats, in the middle, larger section are grains, and the largest space at the bottom is for sugar-based foods,” Richard explained.

  “I don’t really need to tell you how backward that is, do I?” Ever arched a thick black eyebrow.

  “I don’t know. How are we supposed to know what we don’t know? In Terran, we’ve been cut off from much of what has happened on Oriceran. That was a part of our history at first—preservation of our culture as the outsiders on this planet. Now I’m starting to think it’s become our biggest shortcoming.”

  “And hopefully you now see why the humans of Terran, especially Phillip, need to be punished,” Azure said.

  “I’m starting to understand that a little thoughtful intervention wouldn’t hurt. And I don’t disagree about my brother. He’s been misguided for a long time.” Richard gathered a handful of sand in his palm and let it run through his fingers.

  From out of nowhere, a figure appeared. Fire danced in Gillian’s gre
en eyes as he stood beside Azure, his hands proudly grasping the lapels of his suit jacket.

  Monet jumped, pressing his hands to his chest. Then he sucked in a breath before glancing at his Fitbit. “For fuck’s sake, Gillian, you made my heart rate spike.”

  “What are you doing here?” Azure asked, not nearly as flustered as her friend.

  “I’ve returned,” Gillian merely said.

  “Because the danger is gone, or because you’re checking to ensure we’re following the rules?” Azure asked.

  “I think, Princess Azure, it is unwise for you to consider that the danger has passed. And from what I can tell, all of you are in need of a reminder of the rules,” he said, eyeing the various food packages strewn on the sand around the fire. “You’ve been to Earth again.”

  Gillian bent to the ground, which was a short trip for him. He plucked up the spinner that Azure had abandoned and held it in the air. “What is this?”

  She reached over and yanked it from his hand. “Oh look, something you don’t know. I think I’ll be like you and withhold information.” Azure realized she wasn’t being quite fair. Gillian had withheld information, but he’d also been helpful. She was just angry with him for abandoning her. However, he’d never sworn himself to this journey. It had only been her in the beginning, but she was grateful he had joined, as well as the others.

  “Well, maybe you won’t be so cross with me when I tell you where I’ve been,” the gnome said.

  “Maybe.” She rested her arms on her knees.

  “I went to the Light Elf Library and did some checking on how to find the dryads,” Gillian said.

  “That sounds incredibly helpful. Are you feeling okay?” Azure said, lifting her hand and reaching toward the gnome’s forehead as if to check his temperature.

  He twitched back, shaking his head at her. “I assure you that I am fine. And although I remain neutral in all of this, I figured I could at least look into some of it for you.”