Discern (Mosaic Chronicles Book 1)

by Andrea Pearson

  A spider!

  She shook her arm, her entire body. Hadn’t she left spiders behind when she came to Arches? Why would they bother her down here too? The memory of legs tickling her skin made her cringe, and she rubbed her wrist on her shirt over and over again.

  Then something in front of her moved. Nicole shrieked and looked up, hand to her heart. She blinked.

  Nothing was there.

  But . . . she’d seen something—she would swear to it! A gray apparition of a woman with long hair. The ghost of the old lady who’d controlled the spiders. Nicole shuddered. Had the woman followed her here, even after death?

  No longer caring that people had been staring at her earlier, Nicole quickly joined the others for dinner.

  Chapter Ten

  Digging commenced bright and early the next morning, so early that the sun had barely risen and most everyone was still sleeping. But Coolidge and Howard’s eager voices carried across the camp, waking Nicole and the other girls in her tent.

  Not surprisingly, Judith Ann began complaining immediately. Sylvia didn’t say anything—she merely glanced heavenward. Camille made a comment about hoping the day would lead to plenty of cool discoveries.

  “Don’t count on it,” Judith Ann said. “Can’t you guys feel the pulses?”

  Sylvia glared at Judith Ann. “Stop trying to freak everyone out.”

  “They need to know that the possibility of danger exists.”

  “And Coolidge hasn’t been shy about that.” Sylvia grabbed her things and stormed out of the tent, probably heading to one of the port-a-potties.

  Judith Ann fell silent, and Nicole changed to jeans and a tee and shoved her feet in a pair of socks and shoes. She might as well get out and see what everyone else was doing.

  Coolidge and Howard were leaning on shovels near the well, conversing. Nicole scanned those present and saw Jason not far from the professors.

  She joined him. “What’s going on?”

  “We’re just waiting for the digging crew to arrive.” He glanced at his watch. “They’ll be here in a few minutes.”

  “Are they going to dig straight down the well?”

  “No, they’ll turn it into a ramp. We’ll bring power and lights down too.” He rubbed his hands together. “And then the fun begins!”

  Nicole smiled. “Judith Ann is freaking out—she was talking about how the new people can’t feel anything and so we don’t know how much danger we’re in.”

  Jason scoffed. “She’s exaggerating. Nothing’s going to happen.”

  “But what about the people who’ve gone missing?”

  He nodded. “Good point. Well, Coolidge is taking all the necessary precautions. We’ll let him worry about the possible dangers.” He glanced over his shoulder at the backhoe that was just arriving. “If we listen to him, we should be fine.”

  A couple of hours later, a ramp had been dug through to a small cavern. Nicole watched the whole time, finding the removal of dirt fascinating. She kept herself at a safe distance, but couldn’t help peeking down the hole every now and then. Once it had been declared ready for the expedition team, she stole below to get an early look.

  From the corrosion on the sides of the cavern’s rocky walls, it was apparent that water once ran through it. A tunnel bent off to the right, preventing her from seeing anything else, and she decided to wait for permission before exploring farther.

  Her heartbeat quickened as she left, her breath shortening. She felt close to bursting with excitement. What sorts of things would they find? Would they learn right away the source of the pulses that had attracted other Aretes’ attention? Or would it take months?

  While inside the small cavern, Nicole had felt those pulses. They were faint at times, but grew stronger the closer she moved toward that tunnel. She couldn’t wait to start exploring.

  After lunch, Coolidge made sure everyone had spelunking equipment—ropes, harnesses, headlamps, gloves, knee and elbow pads, and emergency essentials. Nicole quickly donned the gear—she’d worn this sort of stuff plenty of times. It was fun to watch Judith Ann struggle with the harness, though, and especially fun to see the girl’s disgust with how it was supposed to be worn. Nicole chuckled, pulling on her gloves.

  She took a deep breath, feeling butterflies erupt in her stomach as she thought about what the group might end up finding. Maybe ruins with magical items—pottery and other things from Native American Aretes. What could possibly be cooler than that?

  Coolidge said it was time to head down, and he began issuing warnings about being alone and doing stupid things. As he spoke, everyone gravitated into groups.

  Nicole stood awkwardly for several seconds, fidgeting with her gear, not sure where to go. She had no desire to be a third wheel for the umpteenth time.

  Instead of joining one of the groups, she decided to go solo, making sure she could see and be seen by others at all times.

  As she followed everyone down the ramp, Austin surprised her by walking next to her.

  “Should be exciting,” he said.

  Nicole looked back, wondering if he was talking to her. She was closest, but his eyes were on the dirt. He glanced her way and she realized he was addressing her. She took a moment to respond, pretending to be concentrating on her foot placement. Austin had spoken to her? He’d completely ignored her since the dinner at Coolidge’s place. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”

  He motioned for Nicole to enter the cavern first. “Cello is your focus?”

  “Apparently.” Nicole took a breath, trying to calm her heart. Why was she nervous? She didn’t get nervous. “I never would’ve guessed it.”

  “The pressure around you has lessened by a small degree.”

  Nicole nodded, following the example of Sylvia and Jason and turning on her headlamp, even though it wasn’t very dark yet. “That third test was the first I’ve ever produced magic.”

  “Ah.”

  They walked in silence for several minutes. Was he going to stay with her the whole time? She couldn’t imagine why, especially since he’d completely ignored her the past week and a half. And what had happened with that girl, Savannah? Nicole hadn’t heard anything about her since they’d played Ultimate Frisbee.

  The silence stretched on for so long, Nicole wondered if he’d given up on talking. Should she break it, or should she wait for him to say something? If she did, would it make her look insecure?

  Nicole couldn’t find anything casual to say that would fit the situation, and like the last time, it was Austin who finally spoke first.

  “The pulsings are getting stronger.”

  “Yeah, I’ve noticed.”

  He glanced at her. “It doesn’t bode well for us.”

  “Why? That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”

  Austin looked ahead. They’d nearly reached the end of the small cavern. “Yes, but they’re not the same pulses we thought we’d find. They’re of a different timbre. Foreign. You’ll discern the difference eventually.”

  He reached out and grabbed her arm. “Hold on,” he said. “Did you feel that?”

  Nicole shook her head, enjoying the tingling in her skin under his hand. “I didn’t feel anything.”

  “A powerful burst of magic.” Austin looked at the others around them. No one seemed to have noticed. “I must be the only one who did. Stay here.”

  Nicole let him go ahead. She didn’t need to wait long—he was back in moments, an excited expression on his face.

  “Come on—it’s okay. And definitely not what I expected.”

  Nicole followed him through a narrow pass and under some huge stalactites.

  The tunnel opened up around her, the walls of an enormous cavern spreading far on either side. The massive size of the cavern was impressive, but it wasn’t what caught Nicole’s attention.

  A sprawling, ancient underground city filled the space. Sunlight flickered down through many places above, making the crumbling stone towers and edifices glow in a rosy ligh
t.

  Her jaw dropped as she took in everything. The cavern had to be at least a square mile, if not more.

  “It’s going to take us months to get through all of this,” she murmured, shutting off her headlamp. She wouldn’t be needing it anymore.

  Austin nodded. “Just remember what we’re here for and it’ll be less intimidating.”

  Coolidge issued new instructions—enter the city, take any magical items to the open area in the front, and report anything weird directly to him. Then they began exploring the towers and buildings.

  Nicole had only been inside the stone walls for a brief moment when she became aware of two things. First, the architecture of the place was incredibly geometric and square, with only a few rounded shapes and corners here and there. Second, the pulses came from every direction, hitting her, flowing through her, and wrapping around her all at different strengths and speeds. It was impossible to tell where they originated—she couldn’t even separate them from each other.

  Austin adjusted his pack. “There’s a pretty decent-sized pulse a ways into the city—no one is heading that direction. Let’s go there first.”

  Nicole followed him, wondering at his desire to continue with her. Had she been misjudging him? Was he actually shy? She pushed her thoughts away, knowing she’d find out eventually.

  The two students walked down streets, through alleys, and past crumbling towers that looked like they hadn’t been touched in thousands of years. Austin offered his hand several times, helping her over fallen stone. His touch lingered, and he seemed reluctant to let go.

  They entered a large corner building, and the moment they crossed the threshold, the place lit up. Nicole squealed, jumping against the wall, ready to defend herself against attackers.

  Austin put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry—it’s automated. The builders must have had access to powerful Aretes.”

  Nicole glanced up, expecting a ceiling but seeing the top of the cavern instead. She had to shield her eyes from the natural light that glared on them.

  Austin looked up too. “They found a way to amplify the sun—probably by using mirrors or an enchanted device, though I can’t sense anything magical originating up there.” He continued forward and entered a second room, apparently following a pulse that Nicole still couldn’t differentiate from the others.

  A square vase with faded green markings on it rested on top of a tall pedestal. Austin retrieved a pair of white gloves from his pocket and put them on.

  “Are those to protect the vase from the oils in your skin?”

  “Yes, but also because we don’t know anything about the people who created it and what sort of magic might lie in it—dormant or otherwise.”

  Nicole nodded, thinking about her experience with the leather book back in Seattle. She breathed a sigh of relief, realizing she hadn’t seen the stupid thing in days. But then she remembered what she’d learned about her mom. She quickly put those thoughts away, not wanting to dwell on them.

  Austin reached up to grab the vase, and for the first time in a while, Nicole allowed herself to check him out. His T-shirt hugged his torso, showing the strong lines of his back, accenting his broad shoulders and narrow waist. She pictured herself with her arms wrapped around that waist. It was a good image—she’d save it for later.

  Nicole averted her eyes when he pulled down the vase and turned to her.

  “That’s unexpected,” he said, looking at it. He glanced up. “It’s old. Hundreds of thousands of years old.”

  “How can you tell?”

  He stared at her for a moment, eyebrow raised. “I’m an Earth Arete.”

  She nodded as if that explained everything. Obviously, she had a lot to learn.

  Austin dug out another pair of white gloves from his pocket and handed them to her. Nicole pulled them on and took the vase from him. As soon as it was in her hands, a magical energy twisted around her, tugging at her skin.

  “Whoa,” she said. “Weird.”

  The pulses were unlike anything she’d sensed before. The magic was powerful—probably like those who created it. She couldn’t put her finger on what made it different. Maybe it was the length of the pulse, but she also sensed a slight color to it—a sea green—though she wasn’t sure how that was possible when she wasn’t looking with her physical eyes.

  Austin took it back. “It was a marital promise vase. Couples helped each other drink from it as a way to show their commitment to each other.”

  “How can you tell what the people used it for?”

  He shook his head, leading the way out of the building, vase in hand. “Not people—they weren’t human. Coolidge may be correct in his theories about Shoggoths and Agarchs, but I won’t be able to tell unless we encounter one of those directly. And let’s hope that doesn’t happen.” He glanced back at her. “In answer to your question, the sand has imprints on it. The earth speaks to me—shows me the vase’s purpose.”

  Nicole didn’t know how to respond to him. She found herself curious about the creatures while also hoping they really didn’t exist. Still, how bad could they be if they drank from a vase to show their commitment?

  After walking deeper into the city for several moments, they caught up to Professor Coolidge. Nicole realized Austin had probably been following the professor’s magical print.

  Austin handed him the vase.

  Coolidge’s eyebrows shot up as he stared at the item. “It’s magnificent—better than the pottery shard the government is hiding from the world.” He fixed his gaze on Austin. “What do you make of it?”

  “You were right—everything is going to change.”

  Coolidge nodded. “Indeed.” He cleared his throat and handed the vase back to Austin. “Let’s get it with the other things.”

  Austin motioned for Nicole to follow him.

  “We’ve got work to do,” he said once they’d put the vase with the growing collection of magical items.

  For the next hour, Austin showed Nicole how to concentrate on and then pick out the strongest, nearest pulse from the hundreds that bumbled around the cavern. He taught her how to follow it to its source. Eventually, she succeeded in separating a single pulse and was able to lead Austin to it.

  After everything was gathered outside the city, Nicole and Austin joined Coolidge and Howard, who were discussing and pointing at the objects.

  When Coolidge saw Austin, he said, “What do you think? Is the combined pulse from these things enough to draw the attention of visiting Aretes?”

  “It would depend on the strength of the Arete. Personally, I don’t think so. And don’t forget about the disappearances over the years—they still have to be accounted for.”

  Coolidge nodded. “There is definitely something more—something that doesn’t pulse continually as an inanimate object would.”

  Howard raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

  Austin ignored Howard’s question, looking at Coolidge. “The print on the earth here points to your theories.”

  “Excuse me! I’m not going to listen—”

  Austin gasped, silencing Howard. “Did you feel that?”

  “Yes, I did,” Coolidge said.

  Nicole concentrated hard, staring in the direction the men were looking, and finally, she sensed a very faint magical vibration coming from behind the city. The mouth of a deep, dark tunnel gaped there, indicating that they had more to explore once they finished the city.

  Just then, Nicole noticed Judith Ann slinking off around the side of the buildings in the direction of the tunnel.

  Nicole started forward—as much as she disliked Judith Ann, the girl shouldn’t be alone. Austin began jogging, and Nicole stepped up her speed to match.

  They’d only gone ten paces when a powerful wave of energy slammed into them, knocking Nicole to the ground.

  The chattering voices around them fell silent for several seconds. Nicole and Austin’s eyes met. What was going on?

  All at once, eve
ryone started talking, scattering. Austin helped Nicole to her feet, and they began running toward the dark tunnel.

  They were stopped for a second time by another magical pulse as powerful as the first. Austin grabbed Nicole’s arm, helping her stay up.

  A deep, guttural bass note reverberated through the cavern, so low and loud that Nicole felt it clashing with her heartbeat, pounding against her sternum. She clamped her hands over her ears, looking at Austin. The sound went on for several moments—it reminded Nicole of the sound pedals on an old pipe organ produced, but even deeper and much louder.

  Finally, the noise stopped. No one moved.

  “What was that?” Nicole whispered, afraid she already knew the answer.

  Austin held up his hand, quieting her. After a moment, he whispered, “Shoggoth.” He took a few steps and indicated for her to follow.

  A scream pierced the still air, echoing off the walls of the city.

  Judith Ann! Nicole and Austin dashed forward, following the girl’s magical imprint.

  They entered a large building by the tunnel, and when Nicole saw the main room, she quickly forgot about the pulse.

  Ornate gold carvings covered most of the walls, interrupted only by alcoves. Pillars lined the room, and the mosaic tiling was made of jade and gold. Something filled each alcove, and it was in front of one of these that Judith Ann stood, an expression of horror on her face.

  Nicole’s shoulders slumped in relief—Judith Ann was fine. Nicole stepped closer, following Austin. But then she saw what Judith Ann was staring at and gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  Austin didn’t respond, and Nicole didn’t expect him to.

  The thing that filled the alcove was so unfamiliar in shape that Nicole couldn’t tell at first if it was plant or animal. Root-like tentacles grew from a long, tubular torso. Antenna sprouted from what she assumed was a head, thinking that maybe it was animal after all. But there were no legs or arms. What was visible was shriveled and grotesque and definitely not human.

  Austin stopped staring and turned around, looking at the room. “This is newly constructed.”