Magicorum Box Set (Books 1-5)

10. Chapter Ten

10

Chapter Ten

Bryar Rose

The moment my eyes close, I begin to dream. White lights flash all around me. On reflex, I hop to my feet. The basement at West Lake Prep vanishes in the brightness. Blinking hard, I try to adjust my vision. A few heartbeats later, I find myself back in that snug subterranean room with the child’s bed and walls dotted with child’s drawings on sheets of construction paper. Last time I saw this room, I was too overwhelmed to realize where I might be. But the fact that I met the child version of myself here?

This could only be one place.

It’s the room where I slept as a kid.

Looking down, I find myself now wearing the same long gray robes that I did the last time I had this dream. The hood hangs loose down my back. Around me, the walls heave in and out in a steady rhythm. Just like last time, my dream makes the room seem alive. So strange.

My eye catches on the sandbox in the corner. I step over for a closer look. Inside the box, there stands model-size versions of the pyramids as well as a variety of small wooden figures painted silver, gold, and red. Only, something is different. The three main pyramids are no longer in a line, as I’ve seen in pictures. Instead, they’ve been rearranged into a triad. I could draw a perfect triangle in the sand, and the three large pyramids would mark the corners of that figure.

At the center point of this triangle, someone has placed what looks like a multicolored rock. Again, the shades of the stone are red, crimson, and silver. My gaze stays riveted on it.

In my research, I’ve seen pictures of stone formations like this one: cones of rock that all spout water or stream on a regular schedule.

The Fly Geyser in Nevada.

The Geysers Del Tatio in Chile.

The Castle Geyser at Yellowstone.

I’d always suspected that the fountain of magic was a geyser. After all, it goes off once every five thousand years. Plus, the Colonel confirmed that the pyramids were built to harness the fountain’s power. And here, in my childhood room, there’s a sandbox with three pyramids positioned around a cone-shaped geyser.

All of a sudden, my fascination with ancient Egypt takes on a new meaning. Were my parents keeping me hidden for some reason and feeding me information about the pyramids? How was Colonel Mallory involved? My Child-Self seems convinced that Colonel Mallory is her poppa, but not every six year old gets naming right. And my memory of that time has definitely been tampered with anyway.

Excitement speeds through my bloodstream.

Maybe I have parents. Okay, my parents seem to have let me sleep underground for some reason, but that’s something I can worry about later.

Right now, I’m in my childhood room.

It’s time to explore.

My legs turn rubbery beneath me as I kneel beside the sandbox and pick up the rough wooden model of the geyser. The walls of the chamber heave at a faster rate as I turn the small object over in my hands. It’s a rough cone in shape with a large hole down the center.

The fountain of all magic. It has to be.

White mist rolls across the floor, obscuring the sand beneath me. I rise to stand. As before, the sound of the little girl’s laughter echoes through the air.

“Come find me!”

It’s the child version of me again.

“I’m looking for you,” I call.

More images appear in the mist, the same as before. There’s the tall figure in golden Roman armor, his helm covering his face. He disappears, only to be replaced by a massive black dragon that can only be Colonel Mallory. The girl’s voice sounds in my head once more.

“Is that you, Poppa?”

Looking down at my hand, I find I still hold the tiny model in my fist. Up close, it looks like the top of a natural geyser. Rivulets of dried color stream along the body of the conical stone. The colors remind me of the remains of minerals that are left behind at a natural geyser. Only here, the red, silver, and gold don’t represent minerals.

These are the remnants of magic.

I can picture it so clearly. The fountain of magic in its natural form, spouting great plumes of red, silver, and golden mist into the air, replenishing the world of power. Around me, the walls breathe even more quickly.

Another memory pushes to the forefront. Somehow, I know this is the most important one of all. I close my eyes, trying to pull the realization out of the darkness. This is something about the fountain. I remember the pyramids and how the fountain was set in the center of them. My pulse speeds at double-time. This is the secret of how to recharge the world in magic. It’s why the Luxalta wardens built the pyramids in the first place.

Something critical…

It’s so close…

Suddenly, the room becomes bathed in blinding light once more, derailing all my thoughts. An arctic chill cuts through my body. With every exhale, my breath freezes into white plumes. That oddly familiar electric charge fills the air.

Foreign magic.

The brightness turns so intense, my eyes water. After that, it disappears. Three figures now stand in the mists before me. Two are the gray forms of Slythe and Tithe, the Shadowvin. And this time, they are joined by a white figure with a glowing body. A man with glowing skin and all-black eyes.

“I am the Void,” he says, and his voice is a deep rumble. “I seek the fountain. Give me the fountain.” His wispy arms reach for me.

I freak the hell out.

Every bone in my body seems to melt with gooey panic. My hands tremble uncontrollably. This isn’t some snarky shadow minion trying to trick me into agreeing to give them the Codex Mechanica. This is a big bad who wants to hurt me somehow, no question about it.

The Shadowvin float-walk closer. “Will you give us the Codex Mechanica?” asks Slythe. “We know you found out about it at school. The name alone will be enough for you to find the device. Bring it to us.”

A memory appears. The words of the papyri I just translated.

After the work of the Luxalta Wardens

We reassembled the sacred site on new land

The fountain is hidden

But never to the sacred device,

The Codex Mechanica.

“I know why you want the Codex Mechanica,” I say. “You can use it to find the fountain of magic. And based on the way you’ve been pulling in my powers, I don’t think you want the fountain because you like to share with others.”

“The fountain of magic is ours,” says Tithe.

“Its power is ours as well,” adds Slythe. “We need it to leave these forms. It’s only just.”

My thoughts spin through this news. “So, you want to no longer be Shadowvin. I know powerful warlocks and fae. They can help you change into whatever you want to be. You don’t need to go after the fountain of magic alone.”

The Void’s body flares more brightly with white light. “The fountain.” His voice is a deep rumble that I feel reverberate through my chest. “Take me to the fountain of magic.”

“This is beyond you, little Trilorum,” says Slythe. “You’ve been chosen to find the Codex Mechanica. Get it and bring it to us. You’re only returning what is ours in the first place.”

“My answer hasn’t changed,” I say. “No.”

“Such a shame,” says Tithe. “Perhaps we’re being too kind. It may help her clarity to remind her what we do.”

“When you awaken,” says Slythe, “you’ll remember our visits, but no one else will. It’s the curse of the Void. Few keep any memory of him. But you will recall everything now, especially the pain. Perhaps with time and thought, you’ll come to see reason.”

Both Shadowvin raise their arms. Instantly, tendrils of colored smoke wind up from my hands and pour into their bodies. As the magic is drained from me, every nerve ending in my body feels on fire.

Inside my soul, even my wolf writhes with pain. “It hurts,” she whimpers. “Make it stop.”

“I can’t,” I reply in my mind. “I’m so sorry.”

Before me, the two Shadowvin speak in unison. “We can do this to those you love as well,” they say. “And more.”

After that, the Shadowvin take the forms of Elle and Knox. Yes, they’re still semi-transparent, but the point is made.

My wolf’s whimpering turns desperate. “Our mate! Protect our mate!”

More colored lines of mist float off every exposed inch of my skin. Even my face seeps out power. My eyes sting so hard, it’s as if I rubbed my eyes with Tabasco. I force myself to speak through my gritted teeth. “Leave them alone.”

Next the False Knox turns to the False Elle and roars. His upper torso expands, turning wolf-like while his legs stay human. Knox’s face elongates into a muzzle as he leaps toward the False Elle. Both sets of his claws are poised at her throat.

In my mind, I know the Shadowvin are pretending to possess my friends and force them to kill each other in front of me. It’s an illusion and a threat, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s terrible to see your mate try to murder your best friend. A mixture of white-hot rage and terror stream through me.

I scream, “Stop! Now!”

The pain intensifies as more wisps of light fly out from my body. I collapse onto my side, my body twitching with pain. The False Knox and False Elle turn to me, speaking together in voices that sound so real, my eyes line with tears.

“Will you give the Shadowvin the Codex Mechanica and save us?” ask the illusions of my friends. “Vow it once and that’s all you have to do. Then, you’ll be under a compulsion to finish the deed. And we’ll be safe. You love us, don’t you?”

The pain turns so intense, all rational thought leaves my brain. All I know is that the agony is overwhelming, and saying something to this creature will end it all. “I...I…”

I close my eyes tightly against the pain. Under the roar of magical wind, a voice reverberates. The agony is too intense to open my eyes, but I lock on to that voice just the same.

“Bry!”

It’s Knox. The real one.

White light flashes past my closed eyes. Cold bites into me with more force than ever before. My body feels like it’s being turned inside out. Agony bursts through every inch of me.

And then, it’s gone.

I open my eyes to find myself back in the rolling chair at school. I’m in the basement at my workstation, just as I’d been when I’d fallen asleep. Knox kneels before me, gripping my shoulders.

“Bry! Wake up, please.”

I launch forward and wrap my arms around his neck. “Knox, it was horrible.”

“Shh. It’s all right now.” Knox scoops me off the chair and onto his lap. The feeling of being encased in his body and arms is just what I need. “What happened?”

I shiver. “Nightmares.”

“Do you remember this time?”

I close my eyes and a tear rolls down my cheek. The visions were so powerful I hadn’t even noticed I’d been crying while I was asleep. “It’s the Void. He’s evil and works against the fountain of magic. I translated some of the papyri today. It said something about needing this device, the Codex Mechanica, in order to find the fountain. The Void wants me to find the device and give it to him.”

Knox kisses my temple. “I’m going to kill this Void guy.”

“He’s got these transparent ghost minions called the Shadowvin.”

“So, I’ll kill them, too.” The barest scent of burnt charcoal fills the air. Rage.

“We need to talk to Azizi. He tried to tell me about the Void last summer, but there’s this curse about the Void. You can’t remember anything about him after you hear it.” I take in a shaky breath. “And there’s more. If I don’t do what the Void wants, he’ll…” I force out the words. “He’ll hurt you, Elle, and Alec. I have to stop the Void and the Shadowvin before they get anywhere near you all.”

Knox hisses in a short breath. Another scent fills the air. Pain.

Leaning back, I scan the familiar lines of Knox’s face. His neck is twitching again. That’s not a good sign. When I speak, I take care to make my tone gentle. “It’s getting worse, isn’t it?”

I don’t need to say what I mean by “it.” We both know I’m talking about the pain Knox has been feeling lately. And it’s getting worse as the autumn equinox approaches.

Only four days to go until the equinox is here.

“We should go see Azizi right now,” I say. “Ask him what’s going on. I think he’ll know about what’s hurting you as well as the Void.”

“The Void…” Knox rubs his eyes for a long moment. “What were we talking about again?”

“The Void and the Shadowvin. I saw them in my dreams. They want the Codex Mechanica or they’ll hurt you, Alec, and Elle.”

Knox rubs his forehead. “What?”

My shoulders slump with disappointment. “The Shadowvin told me there was a curse. For a long time, I couldn’t remember anything about the Void, even if it was said a minute ago. Now, the same thing is happening to you.”

Knox shakes his head. “I must be having a crazy day because I’m having brain drain. Can you go over that again?”

I debate explaining it once more, but that doesn’t seem to be a good use of time. This curse will just wipe everything away as soon as I say it. “Maybe we should go see Azizi now.” Now that I have my memories back, I recall Azizi saying something about the Void last summer.

Knox’s ice-blue eyes narrow. “Not sure that’s a good idea anymore. Az is worrying too much.”

My mate is the king of understatement. If he thinks someone is worrying too much, then it’s probably a huge deal that needs more focus, not less. “What is Az worried about?”

Knox sighs. “My pain is getting worse, even from this morning.”

I grip Knox’s hand in mine. He’s trembling. “How bad is it?”

“Azizi called me.”

My eyes widen. Azizi never uses his phone. “What did he say?”

“Az said his glyphs are coming back, so I checked mine. They’re fading, Bry.”

All the oxygen seems to get sucked out of my lungs. As wardens, Azizi and Knox have glyphs from the Book of Isis on their back. As Knox grew in power, his marks grew darker. Azizi’s grew lighter. When the marks disappeared entirely, Azizi would die.

Inside my soul, my wolf howls with fear. “We can’t lose our mate!”

“We aren’t losing anyone,” I reply.

I steel my shoulders. There’s no way I’ll be the weepy girlfriend when I ask this next question. “How long do you have?”

“I don’t know. They’re fading faster by the hour.”

My heart pounds so hard, I feel my pulse in my throat. “Give me a timeframe. Please.”

“Based on what I just saw? Days.”

I slide off Knox’s lap. “All the more reason for us to see Azizi together right away.”

Knox slowly rises. For the first time, I get a good look at him. His skin is turning gray. Some of his muscle tone has faded. This isn’t the same Knox I saw this morning.

“Good,” says Knox. “We’ll see Az together.” He looks so open and worried, I can’t even stomach the idea of leaving him alone anyway.

“Agreed.”

Hand in hand, Knox and I step up the winding staircase that leads to the main reception area. Somewhere in the back of my head, I realize this is my first day at West Lake Prep, and I’m already skipping school. But honestly? I can’t find it in me to care. All I can think about is seeing Azizi. That old were has been a warden for hundreds of years. He must know something that can help.

Because Knox’s glyphs are fading. He’s dying.

As bad as I thought things were, everything has just turned infinitely worse.