The Chimera Jar: The Aegis of Merlin Book 3
Page 16
They reached the island and hovered over the central clearing. Every so often a streak of flame or jet of water would splash against the barrier. When she lowered the shield they’d be subjected to the monster’s attacks as well.
She glanced at Angeline. The head of the Death Stick crackled with dark magic. What had she expected? Of course Angeline was ready for a fight.
“Hurry, Emily. We don’t want to lose those kids.”
Emily tapped the runes in a particular sequence until they all lit up. She waited for the barrier to lower, but nothing happened. The runes started flashing and the cylinder vibrated. She threw it away a second before the stone exploded.
“Someone’s interfered with the failsafe. I can’t lower the barrier. Can you dispel it?”
“No. I helped design the barrier and we made it so no one could interfere with the test. As long as we had the emergency deactivation control I didn’t worry about it.”
“Can he dispel it?” Emily winced every time the monster smashed another tree flat.
“Probably, but he won’t.”
Emily couldn’t believe what she heard. “Why?”
“Conryu has an overprotective nature. He wouldn’t risk that creature running wild and maybe hurting everyone at the school. He’ll try and figure out some way to deal with it himself. We need to find out who messed with the barrier and stuck that monster in there.”
“I know where to start looking. The Le Fay Sorority.”
Conryu ran through the woods, leaping fallen trees, and generally trying to put as much distance between them and the chimera as possible. Kelsie felt almost weightless in his arms. Nothing like a burst of adrenaline to make you feel strong.
Behind them the monster roared and toppled trees. When they reached one of the many clearings on the island Conryu stopped and set Kelsie down. His lungs were burning and his heart raced.
“Are you okay?” She put a hand on his back as he gasped for air.
“Yeah. Just give me a minute to catch my breath. How did you know what that thing was?”
“My family made it.”
“What?”
“The Chimera project was commissioned by the military. They were looking for a weapon they could deliver behind enemy lines and activate remotely. We had a team researching it at Kincade West. They’d managed to fuse multiple elemental spirits and hold them within a jar. What they hadn’t figured out was how to control the monster they’d made. Fusing multiple elements into a single creature drove it insane.”
“I didn’t think you were all that involved with your family business.” Conryu had his breathing under control now. He turned back toward the clearing where the mad thing was tearing up the forest.
“I’m not, but Mom couldn’t stop talking about it over winter break. The company has a lot of money invested in the project and it looked like she was going to have to pull the plug. The day before I left to return to school someone broke into the lab, stole the prototype, and killed several employees. No one could figure out what happened to it. I guess we know now.”
“I guess we do. So how do we kill it?”
Kelsie hugged herself. “I don’t know. The team never made one this powerful. They only used minor spirits. When they finished the experiment the wizards blasted it with dark magic until it burst.”
“So I just need to hit it with enough dark magic to break the bonds holding it together?”
Her laugh held a hysterical edge. “Yes, that’s all you need to do. But I doubt even you could conjure enough dark magic to destroy a chimera that size.”
The roars and crashing were getting louder. “We need to put some distance between us and that thing. There’s someone I want you to meet. He might be able to help.”
They started down a trail at an angle away from the rampaging chimera. Conryu unslung his pack and dug out Prime. Kelsie gasped when Prime flew up on his own.
“Kelsie, this is Prime, my scholomantic. Prime, Kelsie, my dark magic partner.”
“Charmed,” Prime said. “What sort of mess have you gotten into now, Master?”
“I thought you’d know, given our connection.”
“You stuffed me in that sack so I decided to take a nap. The mess?”
Conryu gave Prime the short version of Kelsie’s story. “Any idea how we can crush that thing?”
“I assume it’s held together with light magic?”
“That’s right.” Kelsie ducked under a tree branch. “It has a light magic core inside the earth body.”
“Then we need to blast a hole through the body then hit the core with Dispel.” Prime said it as if this would be the simplest thing in the world.
“I don’t know any magic that would blow away that much earth.”
“Not yet you don’t.” Prime opened and flipped through pages.
Conryu stopped and studied the page Prime settled on. “Death Spiral. A dark magic spell designed to smash through magically hardened defenses.”
Kelsie moved to stand beside him. “That’s a new one to me. Looks complicated.”
It certainly did. The chant was twenty words long and needed to be repeated three times. At least the gesture was simple, a twirl of the finger to give the magic the appropriate shape. Under ideal circumstances it would take him days of practice to master the spell. A distant roar indicated he didn’t have days.
“Never fear, Master. Since it’s an emergency I can feed the words of the spell directly into your mind. All you need to do is repeat after me.”
“Alright, but how big a hole will this spell make? The chimera is huge. I could blast through it and never reveal the core.”
Prime chuckled. “With your power behind it the spiral will hollow the beast out. The important thing to remember is, you need to hit it chest on. That way you’ll bore through the narrow way.”
“And you’ll have to be quick,” Kelsie added. “The chimeras were designed to heal rapidly.”
“Okay, but the real question is how will I avoid getting blasted to bits while I’m chanting that crazy-long spell?”
Prime flexed his cover. “That’s outside my area of expertise.”
They settled on the simplest plan possible. They’d sneak closer to the chimera and Conryu would cast the spell as quietly as he could in hopes that the monster wouldn’t notice. There was a good deal of hoping in their plan, but given their limited knowledge and experience it would have to do.
They left the trail and entered the woods. Moving amongst the trees should make it harder for the chimera to spot them.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather stay behind?” Conryu asked.
Kelsie was thrashing around through the branches behind him and making enough noise for a small army. “We’re partners, right? Where you go, I go.”
He figured she’d say that, but he wanted to at least make the offer. This wasn’t a simple test anymore and the chimera wasn’t one of Mrs. Umbra’s extras. It wouldn’t ignore Kelsie the way the fire cats did.
Conryu glanced back and met her gaze. There was no doubt or hesitation in her eyes, only determination. Good, anything less would likely get her killed and him along with her.
The monster’s roars grew louder and louder the closer they came. It almost sounded in pain.
“Of course it’s in pain,” Prime said. “Forcing all those different spirits into a single body creates pressure and tension. It’s trying to tear itself apart while the light magic tries to hold it together.”
“What sort of lunatic would create such a thing?” He looked back at Kelsie. “No offense.”
“None taken. I often think my family is more or less all mad. My hope is that it isn’t something we grow into.”
Conryu grinned. At least she hadn’t lost her sense of humor.
They were getting close now. He slowed his pace and eased up between the trees. He crouched down beside a big fallen spruce and peeked around it.
Kelsie came up next to him, their cheeks almost touching. The chi
mera was in the middle of a new clearing, stomping on the trees it had knocked down. The water head snapped at the fire head which roared back.
The earth head in the center came down between them. The monster was literally at war with itself.
“It’s kind of pitiful.”
“Yes. Put it out of its misery, Master.”
Conryu nodded. Seeing the thing up close, watching it writhe and twist… Destroying it would indeed be a kindness.
He raised his right hand. Prime sent the words into his mind. “Deepest darkness twist and writhe. Grind and smash what I despise. Break through bonds and destroy all barriers, Death Spiral.”
He made it through once with no trouble; the chimera was too distracted to notice him. When he began the second pass and real power started to gather around him, the earth head popped up and looked around.
Conryu focused on the spell, but didn’t take his eyes off the monster. If it made any move toward them he’d have to abandon the casting and run for it.
Three-quarters of the way through the second chant the fire and water heads popped up. All three heads swung this way and that. They sensed his magic, but couldn’t figure out where it was coming from.
He finished the second recitation and began the third. He only made it through three words before all three heads focused on him. Not good.
Kelsie broke cover and ran to the right. The chimera turned its gaze on her.
Sensing his anxiety Prime sent the words faster.
The fire head extended toward Kelsie.
Conryu spoke the last word and twirled his finger.
Flames belched from the chimera an instant before his Death Spiral crashed into its chest. The impact of the spell shoved the chimera aside. The flames struck behind Kelsie, but the force of the blast sent her flying into the brush.
Conryu started to go to her.
“Master, the core.”
Conryu turned back. The spiral had bored a tunnel through the chimera’s body and revealed a pulsing sphere of light magic. He raised his hand, fingers crossed. “Break!”
Conryu put all of his will into it and a bigger than usual orb of darkness streaked out. Dark magic hit light and snuffed it out. The water head splashed to the ground, the flames fizzled, and several tons of earth and rock collapsed in a heap.
He blew out a breath. “Kelsie!”
Smashing his way through the brush Conryu reached his partner’s side. She lay on the ground, limp and unmoving. Her left side was a mass of burns and her calf was pierced by a shaft of broken wood. Only the weak rise and fall of her chest gave any indication she still lived.
They hadn’t brought any first aid gear. Conryu tore off his robe and bundled it under her head. What was he supposed to do? He was good at breaking things, not healing.
Maybe he should pull that piece of wood out while she was still unconscious. He grasped the shattered end, pulled the foot-and-a-half-long shaft out and tossed it away. Blood immediately started to ooze out of the hole.
He put his hand over it and pressed hard. The blood “Shit!”
Conryu adjusted her head and tore one of the sleeves off his robe. He wrapped it around her calf several times and tied it tight. The burns were completely beyond him.
“Prime! Do you know any healing magic?”
“I’m sorry, Master. Light magic is anathema to me.”
“Damn it!” He took Kelsie’s hand. “You can’t die. Come on.”
He closed his eyes and focused. Magic was all about willpower. If he could control demons with nothing but strength of will, surely he could heal his friend.
Come on, come on.
In his mind Conryu pictured the burns healing and the wound on her calf closing. Warmth flowed out from his hands as pain throbbed in his head.
“Master.”
Conryu opened his eyes. Where before there was only charred and blistered flesh now pink heathy skin covered Kelsie’s side. He untied his makeshift bandage. Only a small round scar remained where the wood had pierced her.
“How is this possible, Master? You are a dark wizard of immense might. You shouldn’t be able to use light magic beyond the most simple spells, and certainly not with force of will alone.”
He sat beside Kelsie and held his pounding head in his hands. While he waited for the backlash to subside Conryu told Prime about his Choosing.
“All six gems reacted? Even my creator didn’t foresee such a possibility. You are truly a worthy master.”
“Thanks. Now stop talking before my head explodes.”
11
Sorority Battle
Lady Mockingbird lounged on a velvet sofa in her otherwise empty casting chamber and watched the abomination run from her chimera. She was pleased she’d taken the time to leave a wind spirit behind when she placed the jar. This show was far better than anything on television.
The monster that emerged from the jar far exceeded her expectations. It made all the effort she’d expended summoning and binding spirits worthwhile. With a bit of luck she might rid the world of the Kincade brat as well.
The image on her magic mirror flickered as the wind spirit fought her mental command to move closer to the chimera. Lady Mockingbird couldn’t really blame the little pixie, she wouldn’t have wanted to fly close to the rampaging creature either.
Someone knocked on her casting chamber door. She scowled. Lady Mockingbird had left strict instructions that she didn’t wish to be disturbed.
The image in the mirror vanished and she stood up. She wrenched the door open and standing there with her gaze lowered was one of her second years. “What?”
“Apologies, Mistress, but Dean Blane and Mrs. Umbra are here. They do not appear to be in good spirits.”
Lady Mockingbird growled. If they were here they either knew or strongly suspected she was behind the chimera. She might talk her way out of this—might—but the odds weren’t in her favor. “Warn Demarlza and the other more zealous members. It may come to a fight.”
The sophomore dared to look up. “Is a fight with the dean and the head of dark magic a good idea, Mistress?”
Lady Mockingbird backhanded the girl hard enough to spin her around. “Of course it’s not a good idea, but there are only two of them. We may eliminate an additional pair of the order’s enemies. Now go warn the others. If I can deflect them, fine, if not we need to be ready.”
“Yes, Mistress.” The second year whimpered and ran off.
Stupid child. Did she imagine Lady Mockingbird didn’t realize a fight with two of the most powerful wizards in the world, much less at the school, wasn’t a prudent move? If the dean discovered what she’d been doing Lady Mockingbird would end up in the Lonely Rock beside the order’s leader and all the other wizards guilty of inappropriate use of magic. That was a fate she couldn’t accept.
Better to die killing enemies of the order. She only wished she could have witnessed Conryu’s death at the fangs of her chimera or better yet killed him herself with her own magic.
Emily and Angeline stood in the tiled entryway and waited for Amelia to show herself. The First Sister of the sorority would be full of excuses, but this time Emily didn’t plan on leaving until she’d checked every nook and cranny of the building. If they’d put so much as a hair out of line she’d ban the whole bunch. Emily couldn’t actually kick the students out, but she could fire their poison-tongued mistress and keep them from gathering and plotting. That alone would make this exercise worthwhile.
“Rather gaudy place, isn’t it?” Angeline waved the Death Stick in an all-encompassing gesture.
Though Angeline kept her emotions fully in check Emily recognized the subtle crinkling around her eyes along with a little extra hardness in her generally stern expression. The head of dark magic was furious that someone had taken another shot at her prize pupil. Emily pitied anyone that crossed her today.
“I think they decorated the place like a Kingdom cottage. Or at least what they thought one should look like.”
Every bit of intuition in Emily screamed that something was wrong, but she couldn’t act based on a feeling.
“Emily, Angeline, what a wonderful surprise. What brings you fine ladies to our humble sorority?”
She was mocking them, but in a polite way. Emily wiggled her fingers and drew down her focus. It would come to a fight, she knew it.
“There’s been another attack on Conryu. Since your sorority is at the top of my suspect list I intend to search the premises.
“Your theories aren’t sufficient cause to poke your noses into our sorority.”
“I’m dean of this school and my authority is all I need to examine any building or room on campus. You should know that. It’s spelled out clearly in the student manual.”
“So it is. Where would you like to start?”
“Your casting chamber,” Angeline said in a tone that brooked no argument.
Amelia offered a brittle smile. “Certainly, right this way.” Her gaze darted left just for a second.
Emily caught a glimpse of half a dozen older students gathered in the drawing room. They all wore angry, eager expressions. In the middle of the pack was Demarlza, the fire wizard she was certain had led the first attack on Conryu.
They followed Amelia along a short hall to a door that led to stairs down to the basement. This might complicate things—fighting in an enclosed space would let the enemy concentrate their magic. At the bottom of the steps Amelia went to the first door and opened it for them.
“Right through here.”
Emily went in first. There wasn’t much there, just a sofa and magic mirror. Casting chambers were usually kept empty. Why was there a sofa in here?