Soul Stone Mage Complete Collection Boxed Set

by Sarah Noffke

  The two brothers’ eyes locked. Ata’s hands drew into fists by his side. For the first time, Ever witnessed Chibale slump his shoulders, a rare admission of defeat showing through the gesture.

  No one said anything or dared to even move for several seconds.

  Then, in a blur, Nenet sprang forward, tearing in Chibale’s direction with her fangs extended, and her hands reaching for him.

  Ata held up his crook and made the slightest movement. The witch froze mid-step, no part of her moving but her eyes as they shifted back and forth with urgency.

  Ata paid his brother no mind as he strode over and stood directly in front of Nenet. “You must show more restraint, or I’ll have to keep you still. Is that clear?”

  Nenet, apparently having played this game before, blinked once.

  Ata nodded his satisfaction to this simple gesture and slashed the air with his crook. Nenet stumbled forward a step, from the momentum she’d had before she was frozen, but caught herself.

  Ata protectively put his back to her, facing the rest. “We will get to the matter of your presence here in a moment. Firstly, I must apologize for Nenet’s rashness. It’s in her nature now, you see. I’m protected by Cordelia and Hamilton, but there is nothing to help her show restraint with you.”

  “Maybe there is.” Ever stepped around Chibale, handing Ata the potion bottle Monet had given him.

  “What’s this?” Ata asked.

  “That,” Ever said, pointing, “is the antidote for followers; it’s untested. Nenet, you would be the first to try it.”

  The vampire’s large, almond shaped eyes widened. “A cure. The queen was able to find a cure?”

  “Just as she promised you,” Ever stated. “If you’re willing, take it now, before you lose control.”

  Nenet did appear to be close to attacking, her pupils dilated and brow sweating. Ever didn’t think he’d been closer to death than he was right then, standing squarely in front of a vampire. But he’d seen Ata freeze her and trusted that he could get away if the need arose.

  Pulling the cork off the potion, Ata sniffed. “Unicorn mane,” he said, sounding impressed.

  “Thanks to the sacrifice of Blisters,” Ever explained, casting a hand in the unicorn’s direction.

  “This could work,” Ata said to Nenet, handing her the potion.

  Her large, tragic eyes didn’t appear ready to accept such a hope. “If it doesn’t, you must remember our agreement. I can’t go on like this.”

  “You have my word,” Ata agreed.

  Nenet took the potion and didn’t hesitate before pressing it to her lips and throwing back her head, draining the bottle. All eyes were glued to her as she lowered the bottle and blinked down at the ground.

  “How do you feel?” Ata asked.

  Nenet lifted her chin, like waking from a daze. “I feel…” Her eyelids closed for a long beat. When they opened, her frame dipped to the side with exhaustion.

  Ata grabbed her just before she fell to the stone ground, passing out in his arms.

  “The potion is untested,” Ever repeated in a rush. “We had no way to predict the effects.”

  Ata carefully set Nenet against the wall, checking her over before turning back to the group. There was a pure confidence in his movements that made him different from his brother; whereas Chibale displayed superiority, Ata possessed poise.

  “It appears that the results are still unclear,” he said. “Nenet seems to be sleeping, which is a good sign. We won’t know more until she wakes up.” Not at all curious about anyone else in the room, he took a step forward, putting himself directly in front of his brother.

  They seemed to study each other for several seconds, before Chibale said, “I’m not sure an apology would be enough for what I’ve done. However, I’ve come to rescue you, if that proves anything.”

  Ata flexed his jaw. “There is no rescuing me as long as Cordelia and Hamilton have control. If they order me to kill you, I will be powerless to fight them. I’ll have to do it.”

  “That’s why we are here. We’re going to rescue you from them and wipe out their brood,” Chibale said, but he didn’t sound as self-assured as he should.

  Ever cast a tentative glance over his shoulder. Where are Azure and Monet? They need to get here before things get out of control.

  “You spelled me,” Ata said, his voice neutral, and his face expressionless. “Have you enjoyed your time as king?”

  Chibale dropped his chin, dragging in a low breath. “No. Ata, I made a grave error in pursuit of my own selfish desires. I’m not worthy of your forgiveness, but still I seek it, brother. Our people are anxious for your return and crave your leadership.”

  “If the roles were reversed, what would you need to resolve this? Would you be able to forgive me?” Ata asked.

  Chibale whipped his head up, his brow wrinkling, making different designs with the tattoos lining that part of his head. “Of course. Without a doubt. You are my brother. My twin. Being mad at you would be a punishment to my own soul. What I do to you, I also suffer from. I realized that after my betrayal. I lost myself when I lost you.”

  A strange smile formed on Ata’s face. “Then you know what I’m going to say next, don’t you, brother?”

  Chibale held up his flail. “That if I can forgive myself for my wrongdoings, you’ll have forgiven me.”

  Ata lifted his crook in the air, making an X with his brother’s. “Yes, those were my exact words.”

  Never before had Ata seen the look of sorrow in Chibale’s eyes. It was a self-inflicted pain that had the power to do great harm if not quelled.

  Something over his brother’s shoulder caught Ata’s attention. Beside the unicorn and fox, a light flickered. It was an unnatural phenomenon and one that immediately made him tense. He readied his crook, just before two figures appeared—a witch and wizard from Virgo, based on their colorful hair.

  “Azure, you made it!” the Light Elf said, relief filling his tone.

  Ata lowered his crook, turning to his brother. “Are these friends of yours?”

  “Yes, this is Queen Azure. She is how we’re going to release King Khufu,” Chibale stated, holding a hand out to the blue-haired witch.

  Traveling through the portal hurt far less than teleporting, but it was still disorienting. Azure scanned the room, taking note of the twin wizards, Nenet passed out, and the giant unicorn—

  “Who is that? And where is Blisters?” Azure asked, pointing at the unicorn.

  “Queen Azure, it’s me,” the unicorn said, his voice deep and demanding.

  Azure wanted to say, “‘me who’?” but she noticed the unicorn had his mane chopped off just like Blisters, and a different question found its way out of her mouth. “How did this happen?” she asked, realizing as she did so that they didn’t have time for such things. “Nevermind. We’ll get to that later.” She shook her head, hoping there would be a ‘later’.

  “You still have your wand,” Ever observed.

  “Yeah, apparently it was just a little test to free the genie,” Azure said, looking between Chibale and his twin. She didn’t have to wonder which one was Ata—he stood differently than his brother, an undeniable competence in his demeanor.

  “Queen Azure and her council have recovered the pages from the Book of the Dead,” Chibale explained. “From that, we know how to open the king’s tomb.”

  Ata nodded. “That is a relief. I’ve tried everything and have been unable to open it.”

  “There is no way you could have,” Chibale said. “The queen is the only one amongst us with that power.”

  “Then she should do it now,” the true king stated. “Cordelia has summoned me, and time is running out.” He robotically marched past the others, toward the entrance.

  “When? When did they summon you?” Chibale asked, chasing after his brother.

  “I’m connected through a link,” Ata said, continuing forward. “I can’t promise to hold them off, but I’ll try to serve as a distr
action. Free the king.”

  When Ata disappeared, Azure rushed over to the king’s tomb, staring down at the large stone slab that sealed it shut. She pulled the Orc’s knife from her robe, aware that everyone was staring at her. “Chibale, take Nenet out of here. Head for the exit—”

  “I’m not running,” Chibale challenged. “This is my fight.”

  Azure lowered the knife. “This fight is all of ours, and when I wake the king, the vampires will know of our presence, and you’ll need to battle them—with Nenet passed out, no less. You need to get a head start.”

  Chibale reluctantly nodded, then picked Nenet up and carried her from the chamber.

  “Manx and Blisters, I need you two—”

  “To stay exactly where we are,” Blisters commanded, daring to interrupt her.

  “I was actually going to say ‘to follow behind Chibale’,” Azure argued.

  “That’s not the right course of action,” Blisters stated. “Manx should instead change to stallion form and follow my lead.”

  The pooka shot Azure a tentative look.

  She wanted to argue with the unicorn, but something in his tone made his decision feel like law. She found herself nodding. “Yeah, okay, but be ready to run when it gets time to fight.”

  “That’s not how this will go down, I assure you,” Blisters said, his head held high, eyes brimming with fervor.

  “Right,” Azure sighed, struck by the new Blisters. “Okay, guys, get ready. I’m about to free the king. He will either save us or kill us.”

  Monet lifted his wand. “As soon as you’ve woken him, I’ll cloak us. It might work.”

  “Against a powerful Egyptian pharaoh?” Ever asked doubtfully. “I’ll be ready to direct him out of the chamber, where he’ll hopefully catch the scent of the founders.”

  Azure swallowed. It wasn’t the best plan, but it was the one they had.

  We can’t defend ourselves against Khufu properly, since we need him whole to destroy the founders. Dammit. Here goes…

  Steadying her breath, Azure pressed the blade to her palm.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The blood splattered onto the stone lid, bubbling up like lava. The tomb rumbled, its lid hopping up several inches. A moment later, the pyramid itself rocked, the ground slanting sharply to one side and then another.

  “I don’t like being locked inside a pyramid while it quakes.” Monet eyed the ceiling overhead.

  “At least you can get away by teleporting,” Ever stated, bracing himself on a nearby wall, as the ground rolled beneath their feet.

  “Fat lot of good that does me,” Monet said. His arms were extended to help him keep his balance, and he looked like he was surfing. “I’m not going anywhere while you two are locked in here.”

  Azure wrapped her bleeding hand with a cloth she had stashed in her pocket, watching as her blood traced across the surface of the tomb, spreading out to the four corners. The lid bounced again, this time several inches in the air. The smell that spilled out of the coffin was almost as bad as the mummy’s had been.

  The rumbling in the pyramid stopped, and everything became eerily quiet, as dust sprinkled down from overhead. Azure worried it hadn’t worked, when finally, the lid noiselessly rose several feet above the tomb.

  The group watched with their mouths open. No one moved. The giant lid spun as if it didn’t weigh a ton; it was a hypnotizing show that Azure couldn’t look away from.

  She realized they were being enchanted, and if they couldn’t break free of it soon, they’d be powerless when the king rose from the dark tomb.

  She was only slightly aware of Ever trying to lift his hands, which were visibly shaking. She followed his lead and tried to hold up her wand, but the urge to focus on the giant lid, swiveling end over end in a continuous loop, was too strong.

  Ever’s lips moved, and the words he whispered echoed loudly in the silent space. His face was white from the effort of fighting off the hypnosis. The incantation hit the slab, throwing it against the far wall, where it exploded into a thousand pieces. The rock rained down on the group, making them all seek cover.

  Azure sprinted around the tomb, realizing she had been dangerously close to falling into it and joining the corpse inside. The hypnotism must have drawn her near, bringing her in as a feast for the king.

  She looked around to check on her friends. Ever was still pale. Monet was blinking like he was trying to remember what was supposed to happen next. He didn’t look at all prepared to do a cloaking charm, but Azure couldn’t blame him. Her own head swam like the hypnosis still had its hook in her.

  “Azure and Ever, climb onto Manx,” Blisters ordered. “Monet, you’re on me.”

  Azure was about to argue, when a growl ripped from the tomb, shattering her resolve. She climbed onto Manx’s back, extending a hand to Ever to help him up.

  Manx didn’t seem to have complete control of himself as he rotated to face the door, his feet slipping. He paused. Swayed. His attention pulled in the direction of the tomb.

  A rattling sound echoed from the king’s coffin, and Azure found herself wanting to stay to listen like it was beautiful music. Her head lolled to the side, as sudden exhaustion took over her body. She blinked at the tomb, wishing she were closer to it. A greenish-black hand reached out of the crypt.

  Blackness filled the corner of Azure’s vision, and when she willed herself to look, she wished she hadn’t. Beetles had stormed into the chamber overhead, turning the ceiling black. And yet, she didn’t want to leave the king’s tomb. From the fascinated look on Monet’s face, she guessed he felt the same way, even while sitting atop Blisters.

  The group stared. Like a collision happening in slow-motion, the king rose from his coffin. His skin was black and peeling from his body. In places, his bones were exposed, and his eyes shone a violent red.

  “Who dares wake me?” he growled, his demonic voice the worst thing Azure had ever heard.

  “Run!” Blisters yelled, waking them all from their reverie.

  Manx shook his head, his mane splaying back and forth. He took off, throwing Azure backward into Ever’s chest. He braced her against him as they raced through the Grand Gallery, Blisters and Monet on their heels.

  “What took you so long to answer our call?” Cordelia asked Ata, who stood before her, trying to shield his thoughts the best he could.

  “I was working on the spell to open the Sphinx for you,” he lied.

  She gave Hamilton a skeptical look before turning her attention back to their captive. “We have another project for you. I want—”

  A violent tremor knocked Ata off-balance, and he rammed his shoulder hard into the wall. Overhead dust rained down on them as the pyramid continued to shake.

  “What is this?” Cordelia asked, looking straight at Ata.

  He wanted to tell her that he didn’t know, but her power was too great. He had to answer her truthfully. “There’s been an intrusion. Your enemies have come to end you.”

  Cordelia’s eyes flashed red as her fangs slid into place. She cackled, not at all unnerved by the news. “They can try.”

  “I’ll send the brood to block the exit and also go after these intruders,” Hamilton said as he strode out of the room, the tails of his elegant tuxedo flying out behind him.

  “And you, Ata; you will also go after these intruders,” Cordelia ordered. “If you catch any of them, you will kill them. Understood?”

  Ata nodded, although it tore at his soul to comply.

  Azure and Ever kept their heads low as Manx raced through the various rooms. Behind them, the king thundered along, moving as fast as a horse. Azure had only dared to look behind them a couple of times, but on each occasion Khufu was closer than when she’d last checked.

  Manx shot into a new room, this one larger than the rest and filled with giant columns.

  “We’re almost to the exit,” Ever stated.

  Azure bent down low, gripping Manx with all her might.

  “U
h! Guys!” Monet yelled, pointing to the far end of the room, where they were headed.

  Hiding half in the shadows were vampires, their eyes full of a vengeful hunger.

  Azure handed the knife to Ever, not taking no for an answer when he tried to decline. “It’s the only weapon we have that will hurt a follower. Everything else will just stall them.”

  Feeling a new connection to her wand, she pulled it out, willing it to extend as it had when she’d stabbed the lamp. With a bright spark, the blade unfolded, hanging heavy at her side as Manx raced. Beside them, Blisters sprinted with his head down and horn pointed dangerously ahead.

  In front of the group, the vampires had created a wall, three deep.

  Monet swirled his wand over his head and pointed it at the crowd, yelling an incantation. Light exploded from the tip, creating a large fireball. It soared through the air, and many of the vampires scattered.

  Manx barreled through the vampires, not deterred by their fangs or reaching hands. Azure was swinging her sword on one side of the horse, slicing into the vampires within her reach and repelling the rest. On the other side, Ever battled the beasts with the knife, each of his attacks bringing a screeching howl, followed by smoke and an explosion of fire. The orc’s knife would make quick work of these vampires, but still, one bite from any of them, and they were doomed.

  A vampire reached for Azure’s foot, trying to pull her off Manx. She slid, her head falling to the side, but she was able to hold on with a loose grip of her legs. She wheeled the sword around, slicing through the abdomen of another vampire. She tried to thrust the tip into the chest of a second vampire as he reached for her arm, but his grip caught her, tugging her several inches off Manx.

  The vampire opened his mouth wide, and venom flecked off his sharp fangs. Caught as she was, Azure couldn’t get the sword back into position.

  A hand grabbed her around the waist, yanking her upright, just as the vampire launched in her direction, catching only air.