Soul Stone Mage Complete Collection Boxed Set

by Sarah Noffke

  The monster narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to howl, but was suddenly knocked to the ground. The alpha wolf had crashed into the side of the enlarged animal. The pair rolled, and the other members of the pack jumped onto the gigantic werewolf.

  Ever pulled Azure away from the wall. Laurel yanked once at a door that had been revealed in the ground, but it still stuck. The werewolves yelped in pain. Frantically Laurel fought with the trapped door, and the rock wall vibrated from one of the werewolves being tossed into it. Azure chanced a glance at her back. Two of the werewolves had the large one cornered. One lay slain at his feet. A werewolf leapt for the larger one, but was knocked to the side immediately and joined its dead fellow on the ground. The other werewolf took off in a sprint for the mountains.

  The giant werewolf raised himself to his feet, narrowing his eyes in the direction of the three. He took a step forward, a growl reverberating from his throat.

  “Come on!” Azure yelled, realizing that they were moments away from being slaughter.

  The werewolf sank back on his haunches, his eyes crazy with hunger.

  The trap door flew back, sending Laurel back on her rear end. Ever dove forward, grabbing her and pushing her through the narrow tunnel. Laurel fell through and Ever slipped into the blackness after her. Azure raised her wand at the werewolf, who was about to attack. He sprang off the ground, soaring through the air at her. She shot a blast of wind out of her wand, knocking him back several feet, but he immediately scrambled to his feet. Azure didn’t chance another glance at him, but instead dove for the chute.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Azure picked up speed as she moved through the chute. It was like a slide, one covered in mud and rocks. Her heart met her throat as she went faster. After a sharp drop she hit the ground hard, bruising her tailbone. Her fingers and elbows had been ineffective at slowing her progress.

  And then bam. She rammed straight into something, halting immediately.

  “Ouch!” Ever said from in front of her.

  Not something. Azure had rammed into someone.

  “Fuck!” Azure tried to untangle her body from Ever’s. She attempted to push herself back up to get away from him, but they were fighting gravity.

  “This is where the chute ends, but the exit is blocked,” Laurel said breathlessly. “I’m trying to open it.”

  Azure raised her wand and lit the tip, sending light around the small tunnel. Ever’s eyes squinted at the sudden brightness.

  “That helps, thanks,” Laurel said, scratching at something in front of her. Ever was perched nearly on her back. They were all packed in tightly at the bottom of the slide.

  Azure lifted her wand to peer above them, but saw only the slanted dirt chute. “Well, at least we’re not going to be eaten alive by werewolves.”

  “What were you thinking, enlarging that werewolf?” Ever asked, still trying to dislodge himself.

  “I was thinking that if we attacked the werewolves then Lancothy would suffer, but if they attacked each other, the land would be safe,” Azure said. She felt like she was running out of air, and in a tight dirt tunnel that was a real possibility.

  “That was genius, actually,” Laurel said, continuing to claw at the ground under her, panting as she did.

  “Yeah, I’ll give it to you. That was smart. I thought you’d lost your mind,” Ever said.

  “Well, I have, obviously. However, I know that wolves are constantly fighting for pack order, so I turned the beta into a threat, banking that the alpha would find defending his position more important than feasting on us.” Her forehead was sweating—the temperature was rising in the chute.

  “Queen Azure, you are one savvy witch,” Ever said with a whistle.

  “Thanks, but unfortunately I did have to assault the gigantic werewolf with a bit of wind to escape,” she said.

  The scratching stopped. Laurel turned around. “You did what?”

  “Well, it was that or be eaten alive,” Azure said with a shrug. “What will happen to Lancothy?”

  “The same thing that’s happened every time we’ve attacked the werewolves,” Laurel said, her voice haunted.

  Azure was about to ask another question when the ground around them started to shake. Dirt sprinkled into their eyes and drifted into their mouths.

  “No,” Laurel cried, furiously scratching at the exit.

  “It’s an Oriceranquake,” Ever yelled, throwing his hands to the dirt above them. They were about to be buried alive.

  “No, it’s an assault on Lancothy. We have to get out of here. Outside the mountain, the quake won’t happen. This is the punishment for attacking a werewolf,” Laurel said, digging for the exit.

  If the quake was specific to the mountain, it would affect Gillian and Monet. The gnome would figure it out and get them down the mountain. Azure held her wand up and whispered an incantation that would reinforce the tunnel, but not for long. She considered using magical energy to explode the exit, but that could have serious repercussions. In the end, she decided to do the only other thing she thought might save them.

  “Help!” she screamed at top volume.

  “You have lost your mind,” Ever said, his arms lighting up as he drew in magic to reinforce the tunnel.

  “Monet! Help!” Azure screamed.

  “You’re betting a lot on thinking that he can hear you,” Ever said, shaking his head as symbols formed on his arms and neck.

  “He’s headed to the base, which is hopefully where this tunnel lets out,” Azure said, and drew in a deep breath. “Gillian! Monet! Help!”

  “You will remember this is a closed-in space and I have incredible hearing,” Ever remarked, clapping his hands over his pointy ears.

  “Help!” Azure yelled, ignoring the Light Elf, who was still way too close. After they got out of there she was going to demand a lot of personal space.

  “I can’t get the door open. There’s too much dirt and stuff on the other side,” Laurel said, her voice defeated.

  “We’ll get out of here,” Azure said, her tone reassuring. Just then the ground rolled under them and her head flew back and smacked into the dirt behind her. The movement jarred Azure and her teeth knocked into each other.

  “You and I can keep these walls from breaking, but not for long,” Ever said, his voice shaking from the movement all around them. The ground buckled under them and the three became even more squashed together as the dirt shifted and shook. A moment later the violent shaking lessened until it was just quiet vibrations.

  “HELP!” Azure screamed even louder than before.

  “We’ll run out of air soon,” Laurel said in a hushed voice.

  “Which means, stop using our reserves up by screaming,” Ever said, throwing a contemptuous glance at Azure.

  “I think we need to climb to the top,” Laurel said.

  “That’s at least a hundred feet up.” Azure was astonished that it had come to this.

  “And we’ll be eaten by a werewolf,” Ever added, shaking his head.

  “We’ll die here!” the werecat screamed, her voice shrill. Ever slammed his hands to his ears and Azure followed. Laurel’s voice was painful at that range.

  “Calm down. We’ll get out of here, even if I have to blow up the tunnel,” Azure said, trying to relax.

  “Which will blow us up, most likely. I already considered that.” Ever chanced pulling his hand away from the dirt, and when it didn’t buckle, he let out a breath of relief.

  “Azure! Is that you?” a muffled voice said through the dirt.

  The witch bolted forward, knocking hard into Ever. “Monet!”

  “Are you in the side of the mountain?” someone asked.

  “Monet, yes! It’s us! There’s a trap door,” Azure said, her chest suddenly buzzing with relief.

  “It’s right here,” Laurel urged and then kicked the ground under her.

  “The ground just moved right there,” Gillian observed. “Start digging.”

  “Or use m
agic,” Monet suggested.

  “No!” All three trapped in the tunnel screamed.

  “You might blow us up,” Azure said, repeating Ever’s words from a moment before.

  “Oh, fine. You’re never any fun,” Monet mumbled, his voice sounding taxed like he was working.

  Laurel began pushing on her side again. “Yes, that’s it. The door is starting to move.”

  “Who is that?” Monet asked, sounding curious.

  “A hottie witch I brought back for you. She loves guys with green hair and is self-proclaimed easy,” Azure said, gleeful that they were actually going to escape.

  Ever gave her a sideways smile. “Ha, very clever.”

  “You got the hottie part right,” Laurel agreed, breathless again from scratching at the door.

  “Monet is allergic to cats, which is why my familiar Finswick loves to lie on his robes when he isn’t around.” Azure was suddenly homesick for her cat, Gran, her mother, and the House of Enchanted. She might have even missed Blisters a tiny bit.

  “I think I’d like Finswick,” Laurel said, ramming both her feet into the door. A sliver of light filtered into the dark tunnel.

  “We’re almost there!” Ever yelled, hope in his voice.

  Again Laurel rammed both feet into the trap door. It split in half, and evening light spilled into the chute. Laurel rolled out, and having lost the wedge, Ever and Azure tumbled down after her.

  Azure pushed herself to the right, away from the tangled bodies on the ground. Monet was standing above her with a hand extended. She reached out and allowed him to pull her up, the large book still pressed to her chest.

  “What the fuck were you doing in there?” Monet asked after checking her over. He knelt and stared into the chute where they’d been trapped.

  “Oh, you know, just hanging out.” Azure coughed, feeling the particles of dirt coating her throat. Ever and Laurel were both brushing dirt off their faces.

  “Are you all okay?” Gillian asked, eyeing the three.

  “We were nearly murdered by a werebear and eaten by a pack of werewolves, but yeah, I think we’ll survive.” Azure thrust the large book at Monet, who took it, giving her a chance to clean herself with a swipe of her wand. She then flicked it at Ever and Laurel, cleaning them as well.

  “So despite making some enemies, it would seem you were successful,” Monet summarized, balancing the book in one hand and opening it with the other.

  Ever reached over and grabbed the book from Monet. “It would seem,” he agreed, a strange terseness to his voice.

  “Yes, and we’re that much closer to protecting Virgo,” Azure said, flicking her wand at the book so it soared out of Ever’s grasp and landed in her hands. She unclasped the bag on Monet’s shoulder, the one with the crystal ball, and slid the large book into it.

  “Who are you?” Gillian asked, looking up at the werecat.

  A laugh spilled from Monet’s mouth. “Very funny, Azure. This is the hottie you brought back for me.”

  “This is, and she’s the reason that we were able to steal the book and escape in one piece.” Azure turned and looked at the werecat, whose white whiskers were raised slightly. “The mouth of the cave to Lancothy is right up there.” She pointed to the cave opening roughly fifteen switchbacks up.

  Laurel turned back and eyed the entrance and shook her head. “I’m not going.”

  Now that they were on the outside of the mountain the setting sun was a little brighter, but still dusk was fast approaching. Through the waning light, Azure noticed a Cheshire-cat smile on Laurel’s face.

  “You’re not going to camp in the cave?” Azure asked.

  “I’m not going back to Lancothy. Maybe ever.” Laurel lifted her chin, regarding the mountains around them with a look of pride. “I’ve been forbidden to leave Lancothy all my life. I’ve been warned about the dangers and prejudice outside my borders. However, you two gave me the motivation and reason I needed to finally do what I’ve always dreamed of. I want to see Oriceran. I need to travel the world. I won’t confine myself to a single mountain ever again if I can help it.”

  “Oh, I see,” Azure said, understanding the werecat in a brand new way.

  “I refuse to live in fear. I am who I am, and I demand respect. I won’t cower in the shadows and feel shame because I’m different.” Laurel held her paw to her chest, staring at the setting sun.

  “Laurel, you’re beautiful, and wonderfully unique. You are right to be proud,” Azure said.

  “But starting over with nothing will be hard. You might starve,” Monet chipped in.

  “Shut the fuck up, Monet,” Azure hissed.

  “Oops, sorry to interrupt the moment with a bit of realism,” Monet said.

  “Don’t listen to him, Laurel. This is Monet, my court jester.” Azure then waved at Gillian. “This is Gillian, one of my cabinet members. And you already met and spent time in close quarters with one of my other cabinet members, Ever.”

  “Queen Azure, as part of your cabinet, I must insist that we take shelter for the night. Darkness is approaching, and we will want to be set up before the sun sets much more,” Gillian said.

  “Making camp at the bottom of the mountain is probably the best idea,” Ever said, his hands on his hips as he surveyed the area.

  “I should be off,” Laurel said, her voice now sounding fretful as she regarded the world around her. They could see for miles, even from this low place on the mountain. For someone who hadn’t left the comforts of the inside of the mountain all her life, this must feel strange.

  “No, you can be off tomorrow. Tonight we stick together,” Azure ordered. “We will set up camp at the bottom of the mountain, like Ever suggested.”

  “Or…” Gillian said, a question in his voice.

  “Or what?” Azure asked, surprised that the gnome seemed to be making an alternative suggestion.

  “Or, I might know of a place for us to find refreshments and a warm bed,” Gillian offered.

  “Well, toad’s liver! I do believe the gnome is drunk!” Monet commented, shaking his head.

  “Gillian, we’d be grateful if you could lead us to a safe place to stay tonight,” Azure said, ignoring Monet, which was something she’d pretty much mastered.

  “Okay, but don’t say I was never helpful.” The gnome turned around and marched down the mountain with the four following him.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “Oh, that’s cute. He thinks there’s a pub inside the giant tree,” Monet said, crossing his arms on his chest.

  Gillian shook his head at him and motioned for the group to stay back. “They won’t like that you’re with me, but I think I can persuade them to let us stay here tonight,” he said over his shoulder, his eyes mostly on Azure.

  He strode over to the tree and knocked on it twice. It was the size of a redwood, but had dark brown bark and stood in a cluster of pine trees. Actually, it more closely resembled a building with a trunk the size of a small hut than a tree. Under different circumstances, they probably would have charged past it, not seeing it since it was mostly camouflaged.

  The giant tree shook like another Oriceranquake was happening. A moment later a light appeared, carving out a half circle from the ground to three feet high up the tree. The light turned into a crack, and then it slid out like a door. A head covered in a brown bowler like Gillian’s popped out of the door and stared at the group. The eyes of the strange gnome landed on Gillian, who stepped forward and whispered to the other gnome.

  “Wow. Entire cities in mountains, and gnome pubs inside trees. Just goes to show we need to excavate more often. Find out what the non-wizarding community is hiding,” Monet said, watching the two gnomes conversing.

  “Shhh,” Azure and Ever said in unison.

  Gillian turned and his gaze landed on Azure. “Queen Azure, may I please see the Book of Branches?”

  Azure’s head tilted to the side. “Ummm…”

  Gillian trotted over, but Azure kept her eyes on the
strange gnome who still had his round face poking around the door in the tree.

  “They don’t want to keep the book, but in exchange for us staying here tonight, the gnomes would like to study it. You see, no one has seen it since the wereanimals took over the mountain of Lancothy many centuries ago. As the guardians of the Light Elf Library, it’s important that we study all books. The gnomes would like to borrow the book tonight and make a copy of it, if you’re willing to hand it over.” Gillian extended his chubby hand to Azure, an earnest look in his eyes.

  “And they’ll give us a safe place to stay in exchange?” she asked.

  “Yes, and offer us libations and warm food,” Gillian said, his voice unusually light.

  “I’m game,” Monet said, reaching into the bag on his shoulder and pulling out the book.

  “Not so fast,” Azure said, grabbing the book. “We nearly died for this book. I want to ensure we’ll get it back.”

  “Tomorrow morning when we set out for Virgo,” Gillian assured her.

  “And we will be able to fit in there?” Azure asked, pointing to the tree.

  “Yes. It’s enchanted by gnome magic—it’s bigger on the inside than it looks,” Gillian said with a smile in his voice.

  “Okay, fine.” Azure held the book out to Gillian, who took it with a look of gratitude. He would score real points with these gnomes, turning over such a treasure to them.

  Gillian carried the book to the door, where the other gnome was waiting. After he gave it to the gnome, the door to the tree opened wide.

  “Come in,” Gillian said, waving them forward.

  All of them except Gillian had to duck to enter through the tree.

  “Wait, I thought you said it was bigger on the inside,” Monet complained.

  “It is. I didn’t say it was designed for those who aren’t as compact as gnomes,” Gillian said with an uncharacteristic laugh.

  “Compact. Oh, that’s cute. Are you little guys considered economical too?” Monet asked. His head brushed the top of the hallway, which was only four feet tall.