Soul Stone Mage Complete Collection Boxed Set

by Sarah Noffke

  Myrtle shook her head, her gaze still directed at the lizard. “Killing him would never go over well, although the thought has crossed my mind. However, I like the idea of adding a shrunken head with green hair to my collection.”

  “Hey!” Monet objected.

  Azure pulled the lamp from her bag. “Myrtle, you said that you’d tell me how to release the genie from this lamp if I brought you a weredragon scale.”

  The witch’s eyes were pinned on the bag hanging on Azure’s shoulder. “Then why aren’t you giving me the weredragon scale you carry on your person?”

  “What’s to stop you from withholding the information from me once I’ve given you the scale?” Azure spouted. “You could simply throw us out of your shop, and I’d have done all of this for nothing.”

  Ever opened his mouth to argue, when a strange smile formed on Myrtle’s thin lips, and she flicked her eyes at him. “I wouldn’t say your journey has brought you nothing,” she said to the queen. “On the contrary, I believe that, so far, your efforts to release your genie has brought much fortune to a few.”

  Smoke billowed out of the spout of the lamp and rose into the air. Bob coughed loudly, waving his hand in front of his face as he materialized sitting tailor style as he floated in the air. “And yet, I’m still not free,” he noted. “The evil queen has found love. Oak has a lady girlfriend. But does Bob have freedom?”

  Ever made a sound of annoyed protest. “We’re working on it. Patience, you sadistic genie.”

  Bob crossed his arms and peered up at the ceiling. “The Light Elf wouldn’t talk to me if he knew the disdain I held for him.”

  “You’re talking out loud again,” Azure told the genie.

  Bob’s eyes widened, and he clapped his hand over his mouth.

  “Remember we had that whole conversation about internal dialogue versus speaking aloud?” she reminded him.

  “I’m working on it,” Bob said. “It’s difficult since I’ve spent eternity bottled up in a lamp, fulfilling the most foolish demands of my masters. Do you know that I once had a master, little more than a parasite of sorts, who ordered me through a wish to save her from centaurs?”

  Azure let out a loud breath. “That was me, Bob.”

  Bob waved her off with his hairy hand. “I can’t be expected to remember the three wishes you’ve made.”

  “I’ve made two,” she said dully, before turning her attention back to Myrtle. “I promise to turn over the weredragon scale if you’ll please tell us what we need to know.”

  “You must impart how we can rid ourselves of Bob, the most annoying genie in the world!” Monet urged.

  “Well, if ridding yourself of him is all you want, then just make your last wish,” Myrtle said.

  Azure shook her head. “I want to free him, and you know that. Tell me how to do it.”

  Myrtle jerked her head in the direction of the lizard, who hadn’t made a single sound. “I know she isn’t going to like it, but that shouldn’t be my concern.”

  Azure’d had about enough of this kooky, old witch. She dug into her bag and retrieved the pouch Oak had given her. Holding it in the air, she swung it back and forth. “Weredragon scale in exchange for how to free the genie.”

  Monet’s hand reached out, yanking the weredragon’s scale from Azure.

  She gawked at him in disbelief, reaching for the bag. He was too fast, though, and thrust the pouch into his pants. She yanked her hands back, not willing to go there.

  “Actually,” Monet said, patting his crotch, “the weredragon scale for both the information on how to release the pain-in-the-ass genie and what you know about me. Before, you hinted that you knew something about my father. You said that only those from the House of Torrance could disappear and reappear like I can, and like what you did to us.”

  “You must have imagined that,” Myrtle said, dismissing him.

  “Well, I watched Oak disappear with Micky, so maybe she was wrong,” Azure said.

  “A wizard made from a dragon will have many powers that are unique to him. I assure you, only those from the House of Torrance can teleport,” Myrtle said in a rush, dropping her eyes at once, realizing she’d accidentally made an admission.

  “Are you and Monet related?” Ever asked.

  “Distant cousins,” the witch said.

  “Why doesn’t he have tattoos?” Azure asked.

  Myrtle took a deep breath, seeming to resign a bit. “Those from the House of Torrance don’t have soul stones or tattoos, but I was raised in New Egypt, and Monet in Virgo. The rules that govern the coven where one is raised dictate how their residual magic will manifest.”

  “So Monet’s father was from the lineage of Torrance,” Azure began. “What else can you tell us about them?”

  “I can tell you two things and only two things,” Myrtle stated, holding the same number of fingers up to indicate. “His mother and father were both from Leo, the land ruled by the House of Torrance.”

  “Helga, Monet’s mother, was from Virgo. I know that for a fact,” Azure argued.

  Myrtle shook her head, her shawl falling to her shoulders. “If they can’t put two and two together, I can’t help them,” she said to the lizard.

  “I think…” Ever said, his tone cautious, “she’s implying that Helga isn’t Monet’s real mother.”

  “What?” Azure said in shocked disbelief.

  “My mother was from Leo…?” Monet tested, his eyes distant.

  “I’ve never heard of that land,” the queen stated.

  “And the other thing you were going tell me?” Monet asked, desperation in his voice.

  A wicked smile showed the witch’s crooked teeth. “The other thing is that only Mage Lenore can tell you the rest. She’s sworn me to secrecy, and I value my life over your curiosity.”

  Azure gauged Monet. He didn’t look satisfied, but he knew more than he had. Helga wasn’t his mother; that would take time to digest. He had loved the woman who had raised him, as all children do.

  But there had always been a bit of shame surrounding her, and she was considered an outcast in Virgo—which was saying something, since Virgoans were so accepting. Helga broke rules unnecessarily, and she had neglected to buy Monet the things he needed growing up like clothes and school supplies. But he had food and was healthy, so no one questioned her parenting tactic too much. However, to learn that this woman wasn’t really his mother was a shock…and maybe a relief.

  “Since I don’t have all day,” Bob began in a bored tone, “will you please tell these lightwits how to free me?”

  “The term is ‘dimwits’,” Ever corrected.

  “And you do actually have all day,” Monet added. “You have eternity.”

  Myrtle spread her tattooed hands on the glass counter, illuminating an image on the surface of a pyramid replica. “To free Zingamobobfren,” she began in a deep, airy voice, “you’ll need to accomplish the impossible task of trespassing into the Great Pyramid of Giza. Breaking into the—”

  “We’re already headed there,” Monet said, cutting her off.

  A bit deflated, Myrtle let out a sigh. “Oh, well, then the next part will be quite easy for you.”

  “That’s a relief,” Azure said. “How do I free Bob once I’m in the Great Pyramid?”

  “There is a secret room above the Grand Gallery,” Myrtle explained, highlighting a chamber on the illuminated structure.

  “How do I get up there?” the queen asked.

  Myrtle shrugged. “You could try flying.”

  “Thanks, that’s not at all helpful,” Azure stated dully.

  “Once you make it to this spot, set the lamp upon the altar and plunge your wand through it.” Myrtle swept her hand over the counter, and the image of the pyramid disappeared.

  Monet pulled out his own wand and poked the lamp. “A little problem with your instructions; this is a wand, not a sword.”

  “You are not the queen, the owner of the lamp, and you’re not in the Great Pyramid,�
� the witch stated.

  “Okay,” Azure said, swallowing. “I find a way up to this room and stick my wand through the lamp. Then Bob is free, right?”

  “Yes, but the lamp will dissolve… with your wand in it,” Myrtle stated.

  “Wait a second. Those lamps aren’t destroyed.” Azure pointed to the lamps on the shelf behind them.

  “No, they aren’t.” Myrtle turned toward the back, like she had forgotten something.

  Monet disappeared, and reappeared in front of the witch, stopping her from leaving. “You said that the genies in those lamps had been liberated.”

  “Did I say that?” Myrtle asked innocently. “I meant killed, which if you think about it, for a genie, death is freedom, after decades of enslavement.”

  “Tell me about it, sister,” Bob sang.

  “But you don’t want to kill your genie, do you?” she asked, looking intently at Azure.

  “No, I want to really free him,” the queen stated.

  “Which is why I’ve given you the non-lethal solution,” Myrtle explained.

  “So those other genies were killed?” Ever asked, indicating the lamps.

  “Yes, here in New Egypt,” she answered. “I can tell you how to do that. It’s much simpler than freeing one.”

  “No, I’m not killing Bob,” Azure declared.

  Myrtle looked her over, an unreadable expression in the old witch’s eyes. “If you accomplish this, you’ll be the first. You must realize that no one has been able to break into the Great Pyramid. That’s quite the tall order. Not to mention, destroying your wand for the sake of freeing a genie is a huge sacrifice.”

  “She doesn’t mind,” Bob stated.

  Azure gulped, thinking of her beloved wand. It felt as though she’d had it her entire life. She remembered how different things had been after Mage Lenore delivered it to her from the Howling Willow.

  But something told her not to hesitate.

  She looked up at Bob and gave him a pure smile. “I’ll do it, Bob. By tonight, you’ll be free.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Ever wanted to tell Azure that freeing Bob was unnecessary. That it was a distraction. That it was not worth losing her wand for. But as he strode beside her through the streets of New Egypt, he couldn’t bring himself to argue the matter. The conviction in her face was too strong.

  For the rest of his life, he’d challenged the woman beside him, but he couldn’t on this. Not when he knew that if she didn’t attempt to free Bob, it would haunt her. Azure would be tortured if she couldn’t give those around her the freedom she herself didn’t know. The queen of Virgo was bound to her kingdom. Now she was also owned by the Howling Willow. Every day, her schedule was dictated by demands yearning for her attention. And Ever knew that Azure endured that responsibility because it granted others freedom.

  All Azure wanted to do was refresh herself with a quick meditation before turning her attention to the mission ahead. In a few short hours, she and her friends would venture into the Great Pyramid on the deadliest mission they’d ever attempted.

  “I think I have a way to get you into the room above the Grand Gallery,” Monet said as they hurried through the entrance to the Sphinx.

  This pulled Azure out of her spinning thoughts. “Oh really. How?”

  Behind the sarcophagus, the wall to the main chamber under the Sphinx receded with a great boom.

  Monet didn’t answer. Like Azure and Ever, his attention was absorbed by the loud drumming that engulfed the huge, atrium-like main room. Witches and wizards lined a path from the entrance to the far side of the giant chamber. On the opposite end, Chibale stood beside a large, gold throne, Cleo at his side. Azure scanned the area, but didn’t have to search long to find Gran and the others, lounging on pillows in a corner and being fanned by servants with giant, green leaves.

  “What is this?” Azure asked the guys by her side.

  Nefertiti stepped between the line of witches and wizards standing stoically before them. Behind the wall of people was a procession of drummers, marching back and forth, their beats reverberating in Azure’s chest.

  “Queen, our people have spoken and have come to a decision involving you and yours,” Nefertiti said, motioning to Monet and Ever.

  “Is this when you tell us we’re about to be roasted over a fire?” Monet asked, indicating the large fire pits stationed around the chamber.

  Nefertiti, not getting his humor, shook her head. “I’ve been instructed to tell you that, to enter the Great Pyramid of our ancestor, you must first become one of us.”

  “What?” Azure asked, shocked. “But my coven. I can’t join yours and be the leader of my own.”

  “It would be an honorary connection only, but it is necessary,” Nefertiti explained. “You all know our greatest secret regarding Cleopatra; taking our oath will bind you to secrecy. And if you’re to wake our king, you should be one of us. It could even protect you from his wrath.”

  “What if we don’t do it?” Ever challenged. “I, for one, am not a wizard.”

  “But you do hold magic, and you will be on this mission,” Nefertiti pressed. “If you do not agree to these terms, Cleopatra will not allow you to access to the pyramid. She desires unity in this mission.”

  “This is silly, of course we’ll participate in whatever this ritual is to gain membership to your coven,” Azure said, her head tunneling with exhaustion.

  “You should know that once you commit to this, you’ll become one of us,” Nefertiti warned.

  “Okay…” Monet said, drawing out the word. “Can we get this over with, then? I smell grilled chicken.”

  Azure nodded at him. She was starving too, and didn’t understand why Nefertiti was making such a big deal about this. She also resented the fact that they’d all agreed on the mission and now Cleopatra was changing the requirements.

  “When you are ready,” Nefertiti said, holding her hand out toward the long path that led to the throne, “proceed as you are to the other side. When you reach the end, you’ll be one of us, having silently taken the oath.”

  Azure exchanged looks with Monet, an expression that said, ‘Is that all?’ She turned to Ever, who nodded his consent.

  It wasn’t like she was actually abandoning her coven, but taking on this association with the New Egyptians felt strange, almost like cheating. Still, this was the hoop they wanted her to jump through, so that’s what she’d do.

  Azure took a single step forward, and something shifted.

  The great room fell silent.

  Suddenly, she felt fire burning in her veins. Spinning to look at Monet and Ever, she saw the same pain in their faces. She took another step, and the row of witches and wizards lining the aisle bowed down on one knee.

  A single drum beat filled the air, deafening her. She took another step and nearly toppled over. The burning sensation was all-encompassing. The stone under her feet became scorching coal. Azure could barely keep herself upright for the pain of it.

  With each step, the witches and wizards beside her fell into a low bow. Their show of respect urged her forward when all she wanted to do was turn from this challenge. Was this worth it? They were weakening themselves, right before battle.

  Azure’s eyes watered, blurring her vision. She blinked at the sight of Chibale and Cleopatra only a few feet away. Although she’d already crossed a great distance, finishing this marathon felt impossible.

  The drumming grew louder, thundering in her head. It seemed to split her resolve.

  And then Azure swallowed, and realized that there was no drum. The chamber was eerily quiet, save for the crackling fire. The drum had been her own heart, reverberating so loudly she could hear nothing else.

  She nearly crumbled when she came to the end of the path. Chibale stood stoically, staring at her impassively. She wasn’t sure what to expect at this point, but what came next was definitely not it. The king dropped into a low bow.

  Azure sucked in a breath just as Cleopatra morphed
into her human form.

  “I know you had reservations about this ritual,” the ancient queen said, “and do still—especially now that you’re feeling the fire in your veins—but I assure you it was necessary. You can’t know what it’s like to fight for New Egypt unless you are one of us. You’ve shown great bravery pledging yourself to us. In turn, we have rewarded you.”

  The fired ignited on Azure’s arm, stealing her attention. She opened her mouth to scream, but her voice was not the only one to fill the air. She, Monet and Ever all let out screams of pain as the burning wrapped around their arms.

  Azure feared her fire would spread, taking over her heart. She wondered why her Gran was merely watching from the corner. Sucking in a breath to scream again, she was surprised to find a sudden coolness bathing her. Soft and soothing.

  Lifting her arm, she stared at the spot where the burning had been the most intense, expecting to see a grotesque burn. Instead, she found a beautifully intricate tattoo of braided ropes, about two inches wide, wrapped around her forearm.

  Monet and Ever were inspecting their own tattooed arms with the same perplexed curiosity.

  “This mark is permanent, and will guard you when your mental faculties are taxed,” Cleopatra began. “It is my hope that this mark of the New Egyptian coven will protect you when you enter the Great Pyramid. It is my hope that it changes the future.”

  “W-W-What do you mean?” Azure asked.

  Cleopatra exchanged a cautious look with Chibale before saying, “Cap saw a future where the three of you didn’t make it out of the pyramid alive. We sought a way to change the future. This was done both to unite us and to protect you.”

  Azure wanted to say thank you, but the knowledge that her demise had already been seen stole the words from her mouth. Instead she nodded her acceptance, her eyes running over the new tattoo, which felt tender and strange upon her arm.

  “A little heads-up on the cult initiation would have been nice,” Monet said, tearing into a chicken drumstick.