Soul Stone Mage Complete Collection Boxed Set

by Sarah Noffke

  “And per our agreement, you’ll keep yourself out of wizard’s beds, correct?” Mage Lenore asked, a sturdy look in her ancient eyes.

  “Have I been cleared of the charges?”

  Mage Lenore nodded. “I have arranged to have all of your records cleared, with the understanding that you’ll behave yourself from here on out.”

  “Then only the straight and narrow for me,” Helga said, sounding resentful about the notion. “What do I have to do in return?”

  Mage Lenore cast a last look at the bundle in her arms before handing it over. “You must raise this as your own.”

  “A baby!” the witch said too loudly. “Are you insane? I don’t want a child!”

  Mage Lenore gazed contemptuously at the witch before her. “And yet you also don’t want to be imprisoned for the many crimes you’ve committed all over Oriceran, or pay any of your debts. The House of Enchanted has granted you immunity and the right to live within their borders, and they were the only ones willing to take you. I think that should show you how unwanted you are, Helga Petersen.”

  The witch’s bottom lip protruded as she stared down at the sleeping child in her arms. “But this a baby, and I’ll have to—”

  “Selflessly care for it at the expense of your own needs,” Mage Lenore said, cutting Helga off. “Yes, I think it is the perfect rehabilitation for you.”

  “Where are its parents?”

  “Dead,” Mage Lenore chirped simply.

  “And what am I supposed to do with it? I don’t know the first thing about children,” Helga groaned.

  Mage Lenore swept her eyes at her back. The fires were spreading. She should be gone soon. “You will learn. The Queen of Virgo has kindly offered you some provisions. She has recently given birth to her own child, and has taken pity on you.”

  “I don’t need hoity-toity royalty looking down their noses at me,” Helga said bitterly.

  “Then you will decline their help and do it all on your own, but you will take care of the child,” Mage Lenore stated firmly.

  “And I’ll pretend as if it’s my own?”

  “He,” Mage Lenore corrected. “And yes.”

  “What do I say happened to his father?” Helga asked.

  Mage Lenore sighed. Anyone who knew Helga wouldn’t really wonder how she had a child; more likely, they’d wonder how she didn’t have a brood of them.

  “You’ll simply say that he disappeared,” she commanded.

  “Fine,” Helga said, staring at the baby boy like he was a pile of slugs. She started in the direction of the Dark Forest, trudging through the thicket of branches unhappily. When almost cloaked in its darkness, she spun back around to face Mage Lenore. “What is his name? Or can I name him myself?” she asked hopefully.

  The oldest witch on Oriceran shook her head. “He has a name. One that he shall carry for all his life.”

  “What is it?” Helga asked.

  Mage Lenore smiled. “Monet Torrance.”

  Chapter One

  “It smells old,” Hamilton said, his nose pinched.

  “It is old,” Cordelia replied, a hint of mischief in her voice. “Keep your eyes closed.”

  Dutifully, Hamilton kept his eyelids firmly shut. “There’s also a bit of rot in the air.”

  “Yes, I don’t think there’s any way to get that out of the place. Let’s call it a part of its charm.” Cordelia positioned Hamilton in the perfect spot and waited until Ata had lit the last torch. Buzzing with excitement, she came around to stand in front of Hamilton, her long red gown brushing the ancient tiles.

  “Okay, you can open them,” Cordelia said, smiling.

  He opened his blue eyes, blinking several times to clear his vision as his focus adjusted to the dark. Mouth falling open, Hamilton rotated, taking in the massive room with its vaulted ceilings held up by giant columns. Fire light danced across the walls which sparkled with golden hieroglyphs. It was the most incredible place he’d ever seen and radiated with a vibrant energy.

  Hamilton’s breath caught in his throat from amazement. “Are we…?”

  Cordelia nodded, her hands pressed together in front of her.

  “But how…? It’s impossible…” Hamilton rotated again, his chin tilting up to the ceiling high above them.

  Cordelia extended her arm to the wizard who stood on the far side of the room. “Ata was able to lift the magic that prevented us from entering. Now the Great Pyramid of Giza is our home. A headquarters that you can finally be proud of.”

  “I can’t believe you did it.” Hamilton’s loafers made a clicking sound that echoed throughout the long chamber as he strode toward the far end.

  “For you, my darling, I’d do just about anything,” Cordelia stated.

  Hamilton spun around, a playfully cautious expression on his face. “‘Just about anything’? What, you won’t sacrifice yourself for me, is that it?”

  Cordelia laughed. “I’ve spent hundreds of years feeding your every whim. You want me to sacrifice myself for you?”

  Hamilton strode back in Cordelia’s direction, halting in front of her, a brilliant smile lighting up his handsome face. “Not that many things can destroy us, being founder vampires, but I do expect you to throw yourself into the fire to save me, should the occasion arise.”

  Cordelia lowered her chin, a coy look on her face. “Do you like it?”

  Hamilton brandished a wolfish grin. “Of course I do, my love. It’s perfect. I’m confused though—I thought that the Great Pyramid of Giza contained only small burial chambers and connecting tunnels.”

  Cordelia nodded. “The pyramid on Earth is as you describe. However, the magic on Oriceran made Giza more similar to the Sphinx.”

  “Which the New Egyptian witches and wizards have taken over,” Hamilton growled.

  “Not for long.” A flash of confidence flew to Cordelia’s eyes. “Ata was able to remove the wards that prevented vampires from entering this pyramid, so he’ll be able to do the same to his old home. Won’t you, Ata?” Cordelia spun to face the wizard, standing by a wall covered in golden hieroglyphs.

  Robotically, he nodded. “Yes, master. I’m working on it.”

  “Make it happen,” Cordelia commanded. “At the rate the brood is growing, we will need a place to expand.”

  Bats squeaked from the ceiling overhead, drawing the attention of both vampires.

  “Is the colony ready for the journey?” Hamilton asked.

  “Yes, and once we have turned a few choice witches and wizards from Virgo into founder vampires, we will be strong enough to overwhelm the coven here.” Cordelia felt the hunger that always accompanied a good mood. Her fangs slid down, and her skin burned from the elation of the moment.

  “Magic will soon be destroyed,” Hamilton said, a triumphant smile on his face.

  “And then vampires can reign, once and for all,” Cordelia exclaimed.

  Chapter Two

  Since the kingdom of Lancothy had fallen, hundreds of wereanimals were homeless. Some had scattered to the Dark Forests, intent on hiding away. Some had found caves, feeling more at home inside a mountain. But thankfully, most of the wereanimals had asked for help and could be found in a clearing at the base of a mountain range.

  Rows of tables sat in the clearing, each marked with its purpose: “Maps of Oriceran,” “Housing Options,” “Skills Assessment,” “Occupational Placement,” “Oriceran Acclimation Counseling.”

  Wereanimals filed between the various tables, most of them nervously staring around. These were the refuges from Lancothy; Azure firmly believed that integrating them into life on Oriceran was her mission.

  She handed a wereporcupine a bundle of provisions with a smile. “If you’re hungry, Laurel has started a new batch of vegetables on the grill.” Azure indicated the brick grill where savory smoke wafted into the darkening sky. The grill had been transported from Virgo, along with many of the supplies that made up the refugee camp.

  The wereporcupine hesitated before taking
the care package, a bewildered expression on his face.

  “If you’re looking for a ‘thank you,’ you’ll be waiting a while,” Monet said at Azure’s side.

  “I’m not.” Azure handed another bundle to the next wereanimal, something that was furry but whose specific designation was unclear. Weremongoose, maybe.

  “Right, you’re doing all this because you’re Saint Azure, and your royal blood makes you pure of heart,” Monet teased.

  “We’re doing this because we destroyed these wereanimals’ home,” Azure countered.

  “We didn’t do anything. Vampires destroyed that mountain,” Monet argued.

  Azure handed another package to the next wereanimal. “The fact remains that these wereanimals need help. None of them have been outside of Lancothy, and a little compassion will go a long way in helping them. Can you imagine how scary it is to venture out into the world when you’ve been taught your whole life that beings on Oriceran loathe wereanimals?”

  “Yes. That’s why I’m making a killing selling antidepressant potions.” Monet motioned to the potions booth he had set up on the far end of the field, which was currently being supervised by Blisters and Manx. The pooka was in black stallion form, staring down into a simmering cauldron. Blisters, who wasn’t tall enough to see the contents of the giant cauldron, kept rearing back on his heels to try and get a closer look. They were inevitably moments away from a disaster, as was typical when the clumsy unicorn tried to help.

  “Please tell me you’re joking? You’re not really taking advantage of these poor wereanimals,” Azure said.

  “Of course I’m kidding.” Monet laughed. “The currency of these damn wereanimals is worthless to me. Lancothy’s exchange fell faster than a witch’s panties in my bed when that mountain exploded.”

  Azure looked Monet over. His green hair was a mess of chaos, and his robes were frayed and dirty. He might be pretending not to care about the wereanimals, but if anyone was losing more sleep than her by helping the refugees, it was Monet.

  “Looks like Manx and Blisters have things under control. Why don’t you take a nap in the carriage,” Azure offered, nodding to the red and gold stagecoach at her back. Three of the dragons were hunting, but Micky sat dutifully a safe distance away, her sharp eyes resting on Azure.

  “No. I’m not a baby who needs naps, dear Azure,” Monet replied, flashing his gaze at his booth. “I’m fine, and I’m not leaving that runt unicorn and psycho pooka alone with my stuff. They are seconds away from destroying an entire batch of hair removal potion.”

  Azure dropped her chin and regarded Monet with hooded eyes. “Why are you brewing a hair removal potion?”

  “Because some of these wereanimals are vain as fuck and want a sleeker look,” Monet said through a loud yawn.

  Azure shook her head, but laughed still. The potion, she knew from the purplish-gray color, was an antibacterial formula, probably to combat any infections the wereanimals contracted. “Fine, work yourself tirelessly. See if I care.”

  Monet strode back to his post, offering Azure a wink over his shoulder. “You care.”

  “The guards are all stationed around the perimeter,” Ever said, having appeared soundlessly behind Azure. Damn Light Elf was as quiet as a mouse. Not a weremouse—they were loud as fuck, full of constant chatter and giggles.

  Azure nodded. “Thanks. I’m not completely confident that setting up guards will do too much against a vampire attack, but at least we have something in place.”

  Ever picked up a package from the bin and began helping Azure hand them to the wereanimals in line. “What we need is to discover their weakness.”

  “Yes, we don’t know enough about them. That’s why I feel powerless against them,” Azure related.

  Ever gave her a long, contemptuous glare. “Says the girl who is immune to their attacks.” He pointed to the ruby necklace hanging around her neck.

  “Well, that may be so, but I’m still responsible for all of you, and I can’t really defend you, now can I?” Azure argued.

  “I don’t believe I ever asked for your protection, Queen Azure,” Ever said, a playful tone in his voice.

  “And yet, I’m offering it to you regardless.”

  Ever’s blue eyes seemed to brighten for a moment. “Then it’s only fair that I do the same, if you should ever need my help.”

  A fat rain drop fell onto Azure’s head. She gazed up at the graying sky as the smell that preceded a rainstorm filled the air.

  “I didn’t know we were supposed to get rain,” Ever stated, conjuring a tarp and throwing it over the crate of supplies.

  Azure pulled her wand from her robe, pointing it to the sky. “I can take care of that.”

  Ever placed his hand on her arm, trying to lower it. “Save your energy, Queen. We both know that halting a storm will deplete you, and who knows what you’ll need your energy for.”

  Azure’s eyes fell to his warm hand on her arm. “Are you trying to be practical?”

  “As your council advisor, I’m trying to help. That’s what you employ me to do,” Ever stated with a protectiveness that was unique to him. None of the other council members looked at her like that. She’d probably clock Monet if he gave her the same heated expression.

  “You’re right.” Azure held her wand in the direction of the tables, muttering a single incantation that covered them with canopies. The wereanimals dispersed, running for the tents that had been set up for them.

  “Go on, find some shelter!” Monet yelled from his booth. “Before you all smell like a bunch of wet dogs!”

  Chapter Three

  Reynolds paced in front of the dining room table, his breathing deep. Sari had done her best to ignore him, but it was getting increasingly difficult.

  She pinched a piece of her purple hair behind her ear and faked a polite smile. “If you’re so worried about vampires here in New Egypt, you can always leave.”

  “I can’t, actually,” Reynolds barked—louder than he intended, by the abashed look on his face.

  “Right,” Sari said absentmindedly. “Your transportation is broken, I forgot.”

  “You mean that a vampire killed my Pegasus,” Reynolds corrected.

  Sari waved him off, directing her attention back to the page from the Book of the Dead that they’d recovered from the Precinct of Mut. In truth, she couldn’t decipher any of it, but she pretended that she could as Gillian pored over the page. The gnome had a loose understanding of the hieroglyphs, although decoding each one was tedious work.

  “Doesn’t it bother either of you that vampires are attacking our animals?” Reynolds asked, his voice coated in frustration.

  Sari kept her eyes on the ancient page of drawings. “Not really. That’s what vampires do. They suck blood. But you should be concerned, since your shady, illegal breeder friend loaned you the Pegasi. He’ll probably break your legs for losing one of them.”

  Gillian’s eyes looked tired when he looked up at Reynolds. “I absolutely understand your stress over the situation, but the increasing vampire attacks only mean that we have to work harder to find a solution.”

  “We don’t even know that the missing pages from the Book of the Dead will tell us how to stop the vampires,” Reynolds complained, throwing his fingers through his thick red hair, combing it to the side.

  Gillian stabbed his short finger at a symbol on the page. “Actually, that’s precisely what this page guarantees!”

  “What?” Sari bolted to a standing position, staring more intently at the page, trying to see it from a different angle. “What does it say? How do we defeat the vampires?”

  Gillian shook his head, pulling his bowler off and wiping the back of his arm across his forehead. “The page references both a cure for vampirism and a weapon that can be used against founders.”

  Sari lowered her chin, regarding Gillian with significantly less enthusiasm. “Let me guess, it references it and says, ‘that information can be found on the next page’? The one w
e don’t have.”

  “And here I thought you couldn’t decipher the code,” Gillian said with a chuckle.

  Reynolds continued stalking back and forth. “Are you saying that we need another page from the Book of the Dead?”

  Gillian pulled the page Azure had found inside the Sphinx on Earth closer to him. “This page, now that I know what I’m looking for, has part of a formula for a cure.”

  Reynolds sighed loudly. “But it’s incomplete, isn’t it?”

  Sari pursed her lips and gave Reynolds a disapproving glare. “All solutions come in three. Come on, even newbie wizards know that.”

  “Sari, I worry for your safety the longer you stay in New Egypt,” Reynolds stated adamantly.

  “But you accompanied me knowing that we’d be in danger,” Sari countered.

  Reynolds massaged his temples. “I accompanied you to protect you.”

  “But you changed your mind when you realized that nothing was sacred, when the vampires attacked the illustrious Pegasi, is that right?” Sari asked, amused.

  Reynolds wasn’t wrong to be concerned, but his worry had exponentiated since the attack. Sari had to admit that it hit a little close to a nerve for her, as well.

  “The fact remains,” Gillian began, smoothing the wrinkled page on the table, “that if we don’t find a solution, vampires will take over all of Oriceran, and there will be no safe place. All magic will be threatened.”

  “So we need to find the last missing page from the Book of the Dead,” Sari stated. “Where should we look next?”

  “The first page was found in the Sphinx on Earth,” Gillian mused, his tone low.

  “And the second was in the temple of Mut,” Sari added.

  “We haven’t searched the Great Pyramid of Giza yet,” Reynolds offered.

  Gillian shook his head. “Because it’s been magically sealed with a spell too difficult for any of us to break.”

  “The pages wouldn’t be in there, anyway,” Sari reasoned.

  “Ah, yes. Khufu was the ruler who asked the gods to curse the vampires; they originated during the construction of his tomb,” Reynolds stated.