Soul Stone Mage Complete Collection Boxed Set

by Sarah Noffke

  “I don’t see how I could have done that,” Gran said, reclining in the chaise lounge.

  “You did sit by and watch as we writhed in pain,” Azure complained, picking at her chickpea salad, suddenly not hungry.

  “I knew that your pain would make you stronger.” Gran pointed to the tattoo on her arm. “You lost your soul stone, but now you have that tattoo, which has many of the same qualities. It’s an extra source of power. All of you are better off for going through the ceremony, which I hope you realize was an honor. Wouldn’t you say, Gillian?”

  The gnome combed his hand over his chin, an extra quietude about him. “Yeah, sure.”

  “What’s getting to you, little guy?” Monet asked.

  Gillian looked up like he’d just been startled back to reality. “In the vision the seer saw, Azure was overpowered by Khufu. Other things happened to Ever and Monet, but—”

  “Wait, don’t just glaze over the details of our deaths,” Monet interrupted.

  “But,” Gillian repeated adamantly, “it’s entirely possible that Khufu overpowered Queen Azure because she gave up her wand to free Bob. I really can’t advise you to do such a thing,” he shook his head at her.

  Azure nodded, knowing the move would put her in danger. “I don’t see another way, though. I need to free Bob first. Afterwards, things will be too hectic; we might be on the run. What if I can’t get back into the pyramid?”

  Gillian clasped his hands together and pressed them to his mouth, ruminating. “I understand, I just don’t like it.”

  “That’s what the tattoos are for,” Azure argued. “Hopefully, they’ll help to protect us.”

  “They are a safety net, but they aren’t foolproof,” the Gnome stated.

  Azure caught Gran’s gaze. “What do you think I should do?”

  The old witch pursed her lips, drawing in a breath. “You know I can’t tell you what to do. I can worry, and Merlin knows I’ve done my fair share of that. I don’t like how things are stacking up for this mission, but I have to trust that in your heart you’ll make the right decision. We don’t live our children’s lives for them. Instead, we teach them the best we can, so when it’s time, they can survive on their own.”

  Azure ran her fingers over the fresh tattoo, and caught the meaningful expression in Ever’s eyes. It reflected exactly how she felt at her core. She was vulnerable, and she’d have to make sacrifices for this mission. However, if she didn’t try, the guilt of her failure would be her undoing. Not the vampires.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Monet leaned over his spellbook, sweat beading on his forehead from the heat of the nearby flames. He’d pored over every single potion recipe, but hadn’t found anything that could substitute for the missing ingredients in the antidote. Finnegan might have known something about the extinct herbs, but since he was a bloodthirsty vampire, he was probably not going to be much help. The wizard was completely lost, buried away in an unmapped world, seemingly with no way in or out.

  “Did it hurt?” Blisters interrupted at his back.

  Monet jumped, having been locked in deep concentration.

  Most were preparing or resting for the mission, but Monet couldn’t sit still, knowing that the cure for vampirism was right here in front of him. Most of the ingredients were things he had onhand—not that most wizards would, but he traveled with over six hundred herbs, ‘just in case’. And he had the bats: the seemingly hardest ingredient in the recipe to obtain. He’d already drained them of their blood. But no matter how intently he studied and searched, he couldn’t find a way to replace the snap root, mum flower and coddle weed.

  “Did what hurt?” he asked, scowling at the little unicorn. After catching the melancholy look on his face, Monet’s harsh expression evaporated.

  Blisters was still down, looking for his role in this whole thing. Most would have run away from such an adventure, but Blisters was depressed that he didn’t have a bigger purpose. Monet had to give it to the runt. He had heart.

  Blisters’ eyes rested on the fresh tattoo that encircled Monet’s arm, a braid of thorny vines. It wasn’t as pretty as the braided ropes that Azure now sported, but it was cooler than Ever’s row of stone. “The tattoo; did it hurt when you got it?” the unicorn asked, nodding at his arm.

  “Nah, I was just screaming bloody murder because I like the attention,” Monet joked, unable to control himself.

  “I do that sometimes,” Blisters concurred. Then he held up his front leg. It appeared he’d drawn a band around it with a marker. “It didn’t hurt at all when Manx did this. Tickled a little, but now I look like you all.”

  “How did Manx do that? He doesn’t have opposable thumbs,” Monet asked.

  “We just hold the marker in our mouths,” Blisters explained. “I tried to give him a tattoo, as well, but it wouldn’t show up, no matter what form he took.”

  “Yeah, black on black doesn’t work.” Monet turned back to his spellbook, flipping to the index. It was impossible for him to believe that he had the cure for vampirism, but couldn’t make it.

  “What’s in the cauldron?” Blisters asked, sniffing the smoke that was wafting off the bubbling pot of liquid.

  “So you’re still here,” Monet said under his breath, skimming one of the pages listing herb conversions.

  “Yeah, the queen mother sent me to assist you after I spilled orange juice on her chaise lounge,” Blisters said. “She said that she heard you calling my name, although I couldn’t hear a thing when I tried. Anyway, were you looking for me?”

  Monet shook his head, pulling out the potion recipe Gillian had copied for him from the Book of the Dead. “It must have been Ever. Go fetch him.”

  “Actually, he and the queen are taking a nap, and Gran said if I bugged them, she’d pluck my hair from my head.” Blisters rocked back on his heels and set his front hooves on the table beside the giant cauldron, peering into it. Bluish liquid bubbled inside the iron pot.

  “Gran is probably hoping you’ll disobey her. She’s been looking for any reason to get ahold of unicorn hair,” Monet said, reading the last section of the instructions.

  When complete, the antidote would turn a burgundy shade and have the consistency of wine. That definitely wasn’t what his current potion looked like.

  Stupid missing crucial ingredients.

  “I don’t see why she’d want my hair,” Blisters said, turning his face away from the fumes that drifted in his direction and made his eyes water. “I like her purple hair; I don’t think she’d look good with my rainbow mane.”

  Monet gave the unicorn an annoyed look. “She doesn’t want to wear your hair. It’s just an ingredient for a youth potion and an immortality spell.”

  “Oh, right.” Blisters laughed. “I forget that every part of me contains the essence for healing, longevity and the elixir of life. It’s been a long time since unicorn school.”

  Monet dropped his potion recipe on the table, spinning to face Blisters. “Wait! What did you say?”

  Blisters gave Monet a bemused look. “I said, ‘Oh right.’ Then I sort of giggled—”

  Monet shook his head. “No, the last part.”

  Not waiting for an answer, Monet flipped through his spellbook, finding the section on unicorns. It listed all the uses for their parts, including the hair and horn. Centuries ago, the creatures had been hunted by those seeking to make immorality spells containing unicorn horn. Later it was discovered that the mane or tail could be used for the same purpose, though it wouldn’t be as potent. The hair would never grow back, but the unicorn wouldn’t die or lose its magic.

  “Monet, why are you looking at me like that?” Blisters asked, waking the wizard from his thoughts.

  Monet realized he’d been eagerly eyeing the unicorn’s mane. “Blisters, I think I have an idea for how to replace the ingredients we don’t have.”

  “What?!” Blisters beamed. “That’s incredible!”

  Monet teetered his head back and forth. “It will
be incredible, if it works, which I can’t guarantee without trying it first.”

  “If it will save those in Virgo and New Egypt, it’s worth trying!” Blisters’ blue eyes shone brightly.

  “I agree, but I’m going to need your help,” Monet said cautiously.

  “Me?!” Blisters exclaimed. “Are you serious? I get to help with the antidote? That’s the best news ever. What do you need me to do? Stir, chant, do a little dance?”

  “I’m going to need your mane,” Monet said, cringing a bit at the look of horror that sprang to Blisters’ face.

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “Well, I don’t know for sure, but there’s only one way to find out.”

  “Can I just give you a few strands of my mane?” the unicorn asked.

  Monet shook his head. “I’m afraid that the potion can’t be made in small batches, hence this large cauldron. Otherwise, I would be doing test batches to try different alternative ingredients.”

  “But my mane…it won’t grow back,” Blisters said shakily.

  “Well, it could be your tail,” Monet suggested.

  A gasp fell from Blisters’ mouth. “You shut your mouth, Monet Torrance.”

  “Okay, not the tail, then.” He eyed the potion and then Blisters. “It’s a risk. I get it. And you don’t have to do it… but I think that unicorn hair could be the replacement for the three missing ingredients.”

  “Do you think I’ll look cute without my mane?” Blisters asked.

  “I think that you’ll look handsome, and if you save everyone, you’ll definitely be considered the most noble unicorn ever,” Monet assured him.

  “I don’t know what this is about,” Manx said, trotting in goat form beside Gran and Azure as they hurried for Monet’s quarters. “He just told me to fetch you two. Although, I won’t repeat what he called you…unless you want me to repeat those nasty names.”

  “Stop trying to incite trouble,” Azure scolded.

  “Order us to come and see him.” Gran shook her head. “Monet seriously has a death wish.”

  Azure froze when she turned the corner into Monet’s room. “Blisters! What…?”

  The unicorn turned, his head hanging low. His mane of shiny, rainbow hair had been chopped off, leaving him with a flat-top. “Monet cut off my hair.”

  Gran let out a loud noise of protest. “Monet Torrance! What is the meaning of this? Have you lost your tiny brain?”

  Azure stared between Blisters and Monet, trying to make sense of the violation. The wizard’s attention was half-distracted as he stirred a cauldron. As queen of Virgo, Azure had a lot of influence, but she couldn’t fix this.

  “Monet! The council will come after you, there’s nothing I can do.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” he said, bending low and fanning the fumes from the cauldron up to his nose. “They’ll imprison me for the offense. Let them try.”

  “You’re not taking this seriously,” Gran stated, her voice shrill. “Cutting off a unicorn’s mane is illegal.”

  “I told him he could,” Blisters interjected.

  “That doesn’t matter,” Azure explained. “It’s illegal to cut off any part of a unicorn and use it for any purpose.”

  “I think they’ll let this one slide.” Monet ladled a bit of the potion into a round bottle, shaking it back and forth to study its consistency.

  The liquid sloshed like a glass of Chianti.

  “Monet!” Azure yelled again, getting his attention. “Are you going to tell us what’s going on here?”

  He turned, brandishing a smile and holding the potion proudly. “Yeah. Thanks to Blisters, and my incredible brilliance, I’ve created the antidote for vampirism.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The Great Pyramid of Giza stood as untouched by the years and elements as the Sphinx. The magic on Oriceran had preserved the structures, whereas the originals on Earth were crumbling, wasting away due to the cruel desert winds and pollution.

  Azure pulled her chin up, unable to fathom the sheer size of the pyramid. It was hard to believe that even magic had made such a monument. The structure was truly a marvel.

  “Where’s the queen cat?” Monet asked at her side.

  She cut her eyes at him. “If you piss off the last reigning monarch of New Egypt, and she doesn’t help us, I’m going to demote you to court jester.”

  “And that would be different from his present position how?” Ever asked from her other side.

  Chibale turned around, looking furious. “Now is not the time for banter and jokes.”

  The figure of Cleopatra sprang up from the sand, appearing out of nowhere. “Chibale, now is precisely the time for them to relax a little. A tense soldier will hesitate, risking his very life. The relaxed warrior sees everything in slow motion, acting at exactly the right time.”

  Monet nodded approvingly, leaning over and whispering to Azure, “I kind of like this ancient queen. Too bad she doesn’t have a real body.”

  “Well, she does, but you’d have to transform into a cat to make the relationship work,” she whispered back.

  “If Oak can turn a dragon into a person, surely we can make you into a feline,” Ever mused.

  “For true love,” Monet said, “I make no sacrifices. I like my manly body too much.”

  Azure pretended to look him over. “Manly? Is that what you’re calling that lanky, pasty form?”

  “I’m ready to open the temple,” Cleopatra said before Monet could retort. She pressed her hand against a large stone that was recessed into the base.

  Azure tensed. The joking hadn’t put to rest the nerves that were bumbling around inside her chest. She eyed the tattoo on her forearm, hoping it really would change the future. She didn’t want to die. More than that, she couldn’t become a vampire—it would be the worst end for her, for anyone with magic. That was exactly why she had to risk her life to end the epidemic.

  The stone beside Cleopatra’s hand rumbled, but, to Azure’s relief, the rest of the pyramid stayed still and quiet.

  As advised, they’d waited until the middle of the night, in hopes that the vampires were stalking the city for prey.

  Azure double-checked her hip for the Orc knife. It was still the best defense against the vampires. They had their magic, the knife and a few doses of the antidote, but they still didn’t know if the potion worked.

  The stone creaked and slid to the side. Blisters, frightened by the loud roar that spilled out of the blackness in front of them, pressed into Azure’s leg.

  “It’s okay,” she encouraged, peering down at the unicorn who actually looked cuter without his long mane.

  “Well, maybe it’s okay,” Monet said.

  Cleopatra turned to the group. “It’s open. Now the rest is up to you.” She dropped into her cat form and disappeared into the blackness.

  “Queen Azure, we must set off for the king’s chamber. It might take a while to find,” Chibale ordered.

  Azure had purposely waited to tell Chibale that she had other plans in the pyramid besides waking the king, guessing there’d be an argument. “Actually, I have a quick errand to run first. I’ll meet you there.”

  “Queen Azure, I can’t allow that,” Chibale protested. “There’s too much riding on this.”

  Azure caught Ever’s eyes. She knew he didn’t want her to risk her life and lose her wand for Bob, but he also knew she was stubbornly set on it. “I’ll meet you there,” she repeated.

  Chibale just shook his head before ducking inside the Great Pyramid of Giza.

  Azure gave Ever a tentative look before casting a glance at Blisters and Manx. “You three stay together. Protect Chibale. We’ll catch up with you as soon as we can.”

  The new couple had already said everything of importance at the Sphinx, knowing time would be limited now. Still, the look Ever gave her communicated a whole host of emotions, all brimming with caution and fear.

  “Be fast and careful,” Ever said before looking at Monet. “And get her o
ut of there if it gets too dangerous.”

  Monet nodded, thrusting one of the antidotes into Ever’s hand. “Just in case… you know.”

  Ever nodded, closing his fingers around the bottle.

  Total blackness wrapped around them when they entered the pyramid. It took Ever’s eyes several seconds to adjust, until finally he could see well enough to make out the cobweb-ridden chamber they were standing in. Three hallways branched in front of them. Chibale eyed the options, his back tense.

  “Where is Cleo?” Ever asked him.

  Chibale shook his head. “I don’t know. She disappeared.”

  “Do you know which one to take?” Azure asked.

  Chibale pointed to the middle hallway. “The pyramid is a maze, full of hundreds of rooms. However, I believe that each of these funnels into one of the three main rooms. That one should lead to the king’s chamber.”

  “And the hallway on the left?” Monet asked.

  “That will lead to the queen’s chamber,” Chibale said, his voice a hush.

  “Then the one on the right leads directly to the Grand Gallery,” Azure deduced, setting off.

  “But why would you want to go there?” Chibale challenged at her back. “That’s a waste of time. We can bypass the Grand Gallery by taking the middle hallway.”

  Azure paused, looking at Chibale over her shoulder. “There’s something I can’t ‘bypass’.”

  For Ever, watching Azure walk off into what they knew from the seer to be mortal danger was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. However, they were in charge of their future now, already having changed the course of events. In Cap’s vision, Monet hadn’t created the antidote, because Blisters hadn’t had a reason to pester him to show off the fake tattoo.

  Each event was changing the future; hopefully that meant they lived in this version.

  “Come on,” Ever said to Chibale. “You might still have your work cut out for you once we get to the king’s chamber.”

  The hesitant look in Chibale’s eyes told Ever that he didn’t want to face what they’d find there. If vampires were in the pyramid, it was because Ata had awoken Khufu. That meant that the great wizard was still somewhere in this dusty pyramid, and who knew what he would do when confronted by his traitorous brother?