The Chimera Jar: The Aegis of Merlin Book 3

by James E. Wisher

  They took three more steps away from the path. The stink of sulfur filled the air a moment before a black circle appeared on the ground. Conryu stepped in front of her.

  Kelsie peeked around from behind him. In the center of the circle was a two-foot-tall humanoid with a tail and bat wings. She might not be the world’s best dark wizard, but she knew an imp when she saw one.

  It didn’t attack, so clearly the test wasn’t combat related. She stepped out from around Conryu and they moved closer.

  “What do you think?” he asked.

  Kelsie didn’t know what to think. Clearly there wasn’t a key in the area. “Beats me.”

  Conryu turned his gaze on the imp. “Do you have the key?”

  The little demon stuck its tongue out at him. That wasn’t very helpful.

  Conryu nodded once. “I believe I know what’s required.”

  He chanted a spell she’d never heard before. Dark power gathered and a shiver ran through her. This spell was of an order of magnitude greater than anything she’d ever experienced.

  When he finished he thrust his hand at the imp. Its glowing eyes dimmed and its expression went slack.

  “Do you have the key?” Conryu asked again.

  “No,” the imp answered in a dull monotone.

  Kelsie swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. She might not have recognized the spell, but she recognized the effect. He cast Domination. That was an insanely high-level spell, certainly higher level than a first-year student should be able to use. What exactly was he learning in his extra class?

  “Do you know where the key is?” Conryu asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Where?”

  The imp pointed to a spot further down the way. “Buried under a juniper bush.” The instant it fell silent the imp and the dark magic circle both vanished.

  “Guess he finished his task.” Conryu shrugged and started toward the spot the imp pointed out.

  Kelsie shook off her surprise and followed. “Where did you learn that spell?”

  “That’s a long story and I’m not sure I’m allowed to tell it to you. Suffice it to say there was an emergency with a demon and I had to learn it in a hurry.”

  She stared. Kelsie didn’t know anything about an emergency involving a demon so whatever happened it couldn’t have been at school. But if not at school, then where?

  Conryu stopped and knelt down beside an evergreen bush about a foot around. He tipped it to the side and yanked out a box that resembled the ones the light magic class used in the midterm only it didn’t have a latch or seam.

  “No wards, but there’s something magic inside.”

  Kelsie renewed her seeing spell. Sure enough the box was ordinary enough, but something was radiating magic from inside. “How do we open it?”

  “I’m not sure we do. I think we’re supposed to shatter the box without damaging the key inside.”

  She moved to stand behind him, but Conryu stopped her. “What?”

  “You should cast the spell on your own.”

  She blinked, not certain she’d heard him correctly. “You think I should shatter the box?”

  “Yeah. There are no wards protecting it, it’s just a simple pine box. The truth is, I’m not certain I can cast the spell gently enough not to harm the key.”

  She chewed her lip then nodded. “I can try.”

  “No. Don’t doubt yourself. Remember what I said before the midterm. You have to believe the spell will work.” Conryu set the box in front of her and took a step back. “You can do it. I know you can.”

  Kelsie nodded and knelt in front of the box. If he believed in her then the least Kelsie could do was believe in herself. She took a deep breath and focused. Her hands crossed just above the box. Now or never.

  “Shatter!”

  There was a sharp snap and fissures ran through the pale wood. Kelsie held her breath and the cracks spread. The surface of the box resembled a spiderweb when the snapping finally stopped, but it was still in one piece.

  She hung her head. “I blew it.”

  A strong arm draped around her shoulders. Conryu knelt beside her and nodded toward the damaged box. When she looked he tapped it with his index finger and it fell into a dozen pieces.

  He fished out the crystal key and grinned. “Good job, partner.”

  “I did it.” She breathed out the words so softly she doubted Conryu heard her.

  “What?”

  His face was only a few inches from hers. Before she could think better of it Kelsie kissed him full on the lips.

  When Kelsie’s lips pressed against his Conryu was so surprised he didn’t pull away for a second. Once he regained his wits he gently moved her back. “That’s the sort of thing that might give Maria the wrong idea about us.”

  “Sorry, I, uh, sorry.” Her gaze darted all around, anywhere but Conryu’s face.

  He sighed and held out the key. Clearly Maria had been right about Kelsie having a crush on him. Had he been unable or just unwilling to see it? Probably the latter. He’d inherited a tendency to ignore anything he didn’t want to deal with from his father and any feelings she might have for him certainly fell into the category of things he didn’t want to deal with.

  “Where to next?”

  Kelsie took the key and dug out the map. She unfolded it and frowned. “Almost all the way across the island. I thought this was supposed to be a magic test not a fitness test.”

  “If you ever find yourself in combat you may have to use your magic when you’re tired. I’d say it’s a pretty legitimate test.”

  “You’re only saying that because you’re in good shape already.”

  “Look on the bright side,” Conryu said. “We’re near the highest point on the island. It’s all downhill from here.”

  “You have a sick sense of humor, you know that?”

  “So I’ve been told.” Conryu studied the map. “Looks like we need to pass through the central clearing. It’ll be a good chance to take a look at the pillar. Maybe find out if there are any surprises waiting for us there.”

  “You think Mrs. Umbra left a trap at the pillar as well?”

  He shrugged and headed towards the nearest path. “Beats me, but I wouldn’t put it past her.”

  Kelsie fell in beside him and they started down a steep trail. Roots jutted out and the tops of rocks poked clear of the dirt. He hadn’t expected smooth walking, but this trail was worse than the one they came up.

  Beside him Kelsie’s toe caught on a vine and she staggered. Conryu shot his hand out and grabbed her before she fell into a patch of raspberry vines. Unfortunately, in his rush to catch her, his hand ended up right between her breasts. Kelsie’s face turned bright red.

  Conryu let her go as soon as he got her back on balance. “Sorry.”

  She shook her head, unable to look at him. “It’s fine, thanks.”

  He held out his hand. “Maybe you better hold on until we reach level ground.”

  “Okay.” She grasped his fingers with surprising strength considering how small her hand was.

  He had no idea how long it took to reach the base of the hill, but it felt like hours. Kelsie was wheezing like Mr. McShane after a long day in the bike shop. When he tried to let go of her hand she held on for an extra second.

  “What do you think about a lunch break?” he asked.

  “Any kind of break is okay with me.” She slumped to the ground in a thick patch of old spruce needles just off the trail.

  Conryu unslung his pack and joined her. He hadn’t grabbed much to eat, mostly junk he snagged from the cafeteria before rushing out to the beach. He settled on a piece of jerky, some chips and a bottle of water. Kelsie was busy peeling an orange.

  They ate in awkward silence for a few minutes before Kelsie said, “About that kiss, I really didn’t mean anything by it. I was just so excited.”

  Conryu washed down a mouthful of dried meat with a long swig of water. “Forget about it. Nothing’s changed as far as I
’m concerned. Though I don’t think you should do it again.”

  “I won’t, promise.” She peeked at him from behind her hair. “Unless you want me to.”

  Conryu clenched his jaw. Why did everything have to be so complicated? Regardless of what she said over winter break, he knew Maria would be heartbroken if he took Kelsie up on her offer. He couldn’t deny a certain attraction between him and Kelsie. She was a pretty girl, but he didn’t love her.

  They finished their meal and Conryu helped her to her feet. When she tried to keep holding his hand Conryu gently disengaged. He didn’t want to hurt Kelsie’s feelings, but he also didn’t want to encourage something that couldn’t happen. He was seriously starting to regret inviting her for a visit over summer break.

  Ten minutes from their picnic site the forest path opened up into a wide clearing. At first glance you’d never know there’d been a stadium or that a giant demon snake had appeared and fought half the faculty five months ago. The earth wizards had done an excellent job smoothing everything over.

  In the center of the clearing was a square black pillar devoid of decoration. From this distance he couldn’t see the slots for the keys, but that had to be their final objective.

  “What’s that?” Kelsie was looking a little off to one side.

  There was something there, smaller than the pillar. He squinted in the bright sun. It looked like a jar or vase maybe. “I have no idea. Maybe it’s Mrs. Umbra’s last surprise.”

  He took a step toward it, but Kelsie grabbed his arm. “Let’s find the last key first. It’s probably best to do things in the right order.”

  She had a point, but Conryu was eager for a closer look at the jar. Kelsie gave him another tug the opposite way and he sighed and let her lead him away. He had plenty of time. Another hour more or less wouldn’t matter.

  Kelsie and Conryu skirted the clearing before starting down another trail that led to the final key. She didn’t know what that weird jar near the pillar was, but it gave her the shivers. Maybe she could get Conryu to warm her up. No, damn it, she couldn’t keep thinking that way. All she’d end up with was disappointment.

  This path was flat and relatively free of obstacles. She would have liked an excuse to hold Conryu’s hand again, but couldn’t think of one. Maybe if she faked another stumble, but he’d probably see right through that.

  Conryu walked ahead of her, setting a slow but steady pace. She licked her lips and found them still salty from when they kissed. Or more likely the salt came from the sweat that poured down her face as the heat of the day increased.

  God, what had she been thinking? He was uncomfortable around her now. It was clear in the way he carried himself. She’d screwed up the only real friendship she’d ever had just because she couldn’t keep her hormones under control.

  Maybe she hadn’t ruined things completely. If they passed the final and she didn’t do anything else to make him nervous, maybe she could salvage their friendship.

  All she knew without a doubt: she didn’t want to face a life without him in it.

  “Did the map say anything about the last hiding place?” Conryu had paused a little ways up the trail and was waiting for her to catch up.

  She must have slowed while her mind wandered. Kelsie jogged over to him, her aching legs swearing at her with each impact. She refused to be a burden. Somehow she’d keep up, even if it killed her.

  Kelsie stopped beside him and pulled the map out. The final location was in a forest clearing and judging by how far they’d come it couldn’t be far off. “All it says is, ‘Enter the clearing and leave with your prize.’”

  “That seems straight forward enough. How much do you want to bet it doesn’t end up being that simple?”

  “No bet. Nothing about this test has been simple, why would it change now?”

  He grinned and a thousand-pound weight lifted off her chest. “I thought I saw the turnoff just ahead. Come on.”

  Sure enough twenty paces further on a narrow trail branched off the main path. It couldn’t have been a hundred yards before they reached the clearing described on the map. It looked like a tornado had touched down and tossed trees around like matchsticks.

  Conryu peered around the clearing. He must have renewed his seeing spell without her noticing. Kelsie frowned as she cast her own spell. She hadn’t seen him renew it up on the plateau either. Was he just maintaining the same spell all the time? An hour of maintenance would exhaust her. If he’d kept his active since they landed on the island, that was hours ago.

  She shook her head. It was another example of just how different he really was. She focused on the task at hand.

  The whole clearing radiated magic, a mixture of light and water. That didn’t exactly help her narrow down the key’s location.

  After a minute of staring she threw up her hands. “I can’t tell anything with all that background magic, can you?”

  “Nope. Looks like water and light.”

  “That’s how I read it. What are you thinking?”

  “I’m thinking illusion magic is primarily light and water. Maybe this clearing isn’t as cluttered as we think.”

  She smacked her forehead. Of course it was illusion magic. Kelsie needed to screw her head on straight. How’d she miss such an obvious conclusion?

  “That doesn’t help us find the key, does it?”

  “Sure it does. Now that I know the problem, I know what they want me to do. Mrs. Umbra wants me to dispel the illusion. It’s the only spell she hasn’t had me cast yet so it makes sense.”

  Of course it made sense. Why wouldn’t the teachers expect him to dispel a giant illusion? Conryu crossed his fingers and wrists and began to chant. He went through the spell three times then hurled a sphere of dark magic the size of her head into the clearing.

  An ebony wave washed over everything. When the magic cleared the tumbled trees were gone. The only thing remaining in the clearing was a single stump with the crystal key resting on it.

  Kelsie walked over, grabbed the key, and did a pirouette that ended facing Conryu. “I’d say that’s that.”

  “Yup. I think we passed. What about you?”

  “Considering we collected the last key in under five hours I think we should get the best grade in our class.”

  “Let’s head back to the pillar so Mrs. Saint can come fetch us.”

  The walk back seemed to go faster. They went straight to the pillar, though Conryu never took his eyes off the jar. Up close she realized the thing was made up of an amalgam of different metals. Why did it look so familiar and leave her trembling every time she looked at it?

  Three vertical slots were cut in the pillar. She pulled the first key and inserted it. A rune lit up above the key.

  A deep roar filled the clearing. Kelsie leapt back into Conryu’s chest. “What was that?”

  “The jar.” He nodded toward the now-trembling vessel.

  “The jar roared?”

  “I sure hope so.”

  The lid blew off and multicolored energy poured out. The streams of energy gathered, forming first a body then three heads. Each head was made of a different type of energy. Earth was in the center with fire and water on either side. All three heads roared to the heavens.

  “Oh my god.” Kelsie could hardly believe her eyes. “It’s a chimera.”

  “A what?”

  A stream of fire rushing toward them cut off her answer.

  Conryu raised his hand. “Break!”

  A sphere of dark energy negated the fire blast. The other two heads orientated on them.

  Conryu scooped her up and ran for the trees.

  “He really is amazing.” Emily stood beside the head of dark magic as they watched Conryu and Kelsie in the magic mirror hanging in her office.

  The two students emerged from the woods after collecting the last key and headed for the pillar. They’d managed to clear a finals course far more challenging than any Emily had ever seen for first-year students in under six hours. Th
e fastest an ordinary final had ever been cleared was ten hours and that was over twenty years ago.

  “I’m not certain why we even bothered making him take the final.” Angeline tapped the Death Stick against her chin. “Even with my extra surprises I could have told you the result.”

  “It’s tradition. We’re a school after all. Not having our star student take a final exam would be unfair.”

  Angeline snorted. “You think Conryu would care? As far as I can tell all he wants is to learn what he needs to keep himself safe. Beyond that I don’t think he gives a damn.”

  Emily sighed. Conryu certainly wasn’t the most enthusiastic student to ever pass through her school. That was a shame. If he really dedicated himself he had the potential to do almost anything with magic. She could hardly wait until next year when he started getting seriously into the other elements.

  “What’s that jar? Another of your surprises?”

  Angeline shook her head. “I thought maybe you added it.”

  “No, I didn’t. And if you didn’t…”

  “Shit!”

  In the mirror Kelsie put the first key into the pillar. A few seconds later a three-headed monster appeared out of the jar.

  “What is that thing?” Emily asked. The monster had traits of three different elements, including fire and water. Which should have been impossible.

  “I don’t know, but we need to get them out of there. Use the emergency override to lower the shield.”

  Emily rushed behind her desk and dug a six-inch rune-marked stone cylinder out of a locked drawer. “Got it. Let’s go.”

  They didn’t bother with the door. Emily opened her window and jumped out, chanting wind magic as she fell. The wind caught her and soon she was flying full speed toward the island. Angeline joined her on her own mini tornado a moment later.

  They flew over the grounds and toward the lake. From up high she could just make out the towering figure of the monster from the jar. It was smashing around the clearing, breathing fire and raising a cloud of dust.

  Occasionally a sphere of dark magic would cancel one of the blasts. That had to be Conryu. He was still alive and knowing him he was protecting Kelsie. She clenched her jaw and willed the wind spirit to fly faster. No student had died in training since she took over as dean, now two of the most famous students to attend the academy were in danger at the same time. How had this happened?