Magicorum Box Set (Books 1-5)

11. Chapter Eleven

11

Chapter Eleven

Bryar Rose

It’s lunchtime by the time Knox and I pull into the parking garage near Lucky’s. This part of Brooklyn is still pretty deserted, even during the daytime. It’s all part of the wards Alec cast over Lucky’s—the place is a werewolf hangout, and humans are most definitely not allowed. Even so, the protective spells have been going haywire lately. When that happens, this empty residential street gets mobbed with humans and their handhelds, all of them dying to take a selfie with a real werewolf. With magic disappearing from the world, shifters, witches, and fairies are more sought after than Hollywood stars. It’s hard to get rid of them, and even harder to magically wipe their memories and cell phones afterwards.

That’s why wards are so important. Better to keep the humans out.

Knox pauses along the sidewalk. “You should eat.”

“So should you.” The scent of copper and smoke has never been stronger. Knox’s pain is getting worse. “Maybe you should skip this meeting at Lucky’s. I can talk to Az.”

My wolf stirs inside my soul. “Our mate is in pain. This is a good idea. Let him rest.”

Knox gives me the side-eye. “Your wolf talking to you again?”

Inside my head, my wolf yips for joy. “I am! I am! Our mate is so wonderful to have guessed!!!” Once again, my wolf proves that she’s Knox’s biggest fan. “Tell him what I said.”

“Yes,” I reply to Knox. “She thinks you should rest.”

“She’s a protective animal, which is cool, but you know I’m not leaving you.” Knox gives my hand a squeeze. “We’ll get some grub after we meet with Az, yeah?”

“Tell him we want rabbit,” says my wolf. “Or some of those fae who look like sheep.”

“That’s not happening. We’re leaving the fae alone.”

In all honesty, the idea of food sounds unappealing. Sure, I haven’t eaten all day, but Knox’s glyphs are fading. There’s no way I can force anything down until I get some answers. Even so, I slap on a smile. “Sounds like a plan.”

We quickly reach Lucky’s. It’s one of those basement bars where you have to step down into the pavement to reach the door. In fact, if you looked at the place from the street, it wouldn’t look like a bar so much as a nondescript brick building. The weres like their privacy.

Knox and I step down the five short stairs to reach Lucky’s main door. Once inside, the place looks like it always does: dimly lit with a low ceiling, lots of small round tables, and a back wall that’s lined with shelves of alcohol. About twenty shifters hang out at the tables, most of them guys. Girl weres are rare. The moment Knox enters the room, all eyes lock onto him. Everyone’s irises glow with golden light, which means their wolves are near the surface.

I hang with Knox all the time, so I’m immune to this effect, but other weres feel his presence like a lightning bolt. It’s Knox’s natural alpha power, which is the energy that drives him to lead a pack. Or in Knox’s case, since he’s warden of all shifter magic, he’s built to be the Alpha of Alphas. We shifters sense this stuff instantly.

My inner wolf just loves this kind of thing. “Our mate is supreme. All other wolves want him to lead them.”

The room falls quiet as Knox and I cross the floor. Usually, Knox asks the bartender if Az is asleep. That’s not what happens this time. Instead, the moment we’re within a yard of the long wooden bar, the bartender—a freckled guy about our age named Thad—nods toward the back door. “He’s waiting for you.”

Knox gives Thad one of his chin-nods. Together, we open the back door and make what feels like an incredibly long trek down the hallway to Az’s room. As we get closer, I recognize the deep rumble of Az’s voice as well as the softer tones of other female voices. My brows lift. Az has visitors. That’s new.

I knock on the wooden door. “Hello, Azizi? It’s Knox and Bry.”

His reply echoes through the wood. “Come in.”

My mind takes a snapshot of this moment. There are a number of ways my life could go, depending on what Azizi has to say.

Please, let the old were know some way to save Knox.

My hand trembles as I twist the handle and push the door open. Inside, I find a scene I’d never have expected. Az is in human form, which is shocking in itself. Normally, Az stays in his wolf state, lying on the floor. Knox told me he was always worried about Azizi not lasting much longer. Plus, Knox was also concerned about Az refusing to change into human form. It’s not healthy for shifters to stay stuck in their mortal or animal states. But now? Azizi is out of his wolf state and walking about as a man—something I’ve never seen before. Az also looks fit, with copper skin, a shaved head, and thick gray eyebrows. He has a round face and lean body. Today, he’s wearing a traditional white linen kilt, the kind they wore in ancient Egypt.

And he’s got visitors.

In fact, the people with Azizi are none other than Scarlett and Avianna, two girls from my old Magicorum Teen Therapy Group. I point at each of them in turn.

Scarlet is the first to speak. “I saw you at school today.”

She’s leaning against the wall and wearing red leathers. She looks just like she did in group, with her ebony-dark skin, light amber eyes, and long braids.

“And I saw you,” says Scar.

For Scarlett, that’s a lot of sharing. She’s a werewolf who has a Red Riding Hood life template. Since her name was Scarlett, I assumed she put the red in Red Riding Hood. Although looking at her now? She could possibly be the wolf in that tale as well. My were senses detect something shifter about her.

Avianna steps forward. She’s wearing a long black dress and has a crow perched on her shoulder. Combined with her pale skin, black hair, and pronounced eyebrows, she’s working the full wicked witch look. Poor girl. Avianna’s life template is to be the evil queen from Snow White, which is a bummer. She seems like a nice girl. No one wants to end up dead in a ditch while being uglied up by their own potions.

Az focuses on me. “You’ve returned.” Even as a human, he still has a deep voice with the staccato of an Arabic accent. “And now, you remember, don’t you?”

The words are out there, but unspoken: you remember about the Void.

“I do.”

Sure, I could say more, but I’m not quite ready. After all, Avianna and Scar are here. Anxiety bunches up my wpine. Not sure how much I want to share with those two around. Don’t get me wrong—they’re nice girls.

But this is life, death, and magic here.

Az rounds on Knox. “And you.” He eyes my mate from head to toe. “You look like camel dung I scraped off my sandal.”

Knox gives him the side eye. “Thanks.”

Az gestures across the room. “I see that you already know my friends, Scarlett and Avianna.”

I give them a half wave. “Hey. Nice to see you again.”

“I saw what happened with the doors at West Lake.” Avianna’s voice comes out as a peep. “That was rough.” Her crow lets out a small caw that sounds like it sympathizes, too.

“Yeah,” says Scar. “I saw that too. Then Az called us over. He and I go way back.” Scar folds her arms over her chest, a movement that makes her leathers creak. She’s so badass.

Avianna raises her hand. “I’m only here because Scar asked me. She knows Az and everything.” The bird caws again. “And she’s our best friend.”

This is a lot of sharing from Avianna. I get the feeling she doesn’t hang out with folks other than her bird and Scar very much.

Az steps closer. “You’ve learned something.”

By the way, Az does this a lot. “You’ve learned something” is meant to be a question, but Az rarely asks questions, technically. So, I go through everything that happened. I start with school and the weird situation with the doors. After that, I tell him about assembling the new papyri and learning that we need to find the Codex Mechanica in order to locate the fountain. And finally, I share that I saw the Void.

I almost say something about Knox feeling worse, but I’m guessing that the camel dung comment means that Az is onto that already. Instead, I segue right to my big question. “What do you know about the Void?”

“What I’ve learned from a few unfortunate encounters with the Shadowvin. The Void is an evil creature that came into being when magic was created. According to the first wardens, the Void wishes to consume the world into nothingness.”

Knox frowns. “Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“I did tell you,” I say. “But there’s this curse. You won’t remember.” I focus on Az. “Why do you know about all this?”

“Let’s just say that it’s a side effect from my encounter with the Shadowvin,” says Az. “But that tale isn’t important now. Here’s what is.” Az gestures around the room. “Just like Knox, Avianna and Scar will forget this conversation in a matter of seconds.”

Avianna and Scar share a confused look.

“Hey,” grumbles Scar. “We need to…to… What were we talking about again?” She turns to Avianna. “Do you remember?”

“No idea,” says Avianna.

Az grins. “We were discussing the fate of the world.”

“Sure we were,” says Knox. “You’re doing that thing again.”

“What thing?” asks Az.

Knox shakes his head. “The one where you talk in riddles.”

“Ah, that. Apologies.” Az chuckles, but there’s no humor in it. He focuses his attention on me. “Now that you’re ready, there are some things I can do to help you.”

My inner wolf starts to howl. “Help our mate! Our maaaaaate!”

“I completely agree,” I say in my mind.

I hold up my hand with the palm facing Az. This is the universal symbol for stop right there, friend. “Before we do anything else, you need to help Knox. Why is he getting sick?” I ask.

“You wouldn’t tell me on the phone,” says Knox. “Is it because I need to find the fountain before the equinox? That’s only four days away. Not sure that’s really possible.”

Az’s mouth thins to a line. “I’ve consulted many friends and cast a number of spells. Your sickness is not due to the fountain.” He gestures across the room. “This is a personal matter that can wait until we are alone.”

“No,” growls Knox. “You can tell me now. I’ve got nothing to hide.” His gaze scans Scar and Avianna. “From anyone.”

Az swipes his hand over his bald head. It’s the motion he does when he’s about to deliver really bad news. “Magic doesn’t like you two together. You’re a warden. You should focus on finding the fountain of magic. No other shifter warden has found his mate before discovering the fountain. That’s become a problem. You’re distracted by your love for Bryar rose.”

“We aren’t married, Az.” Knox’s word come out as a low snarl. “Magic is supposed to leave us alone. You said that to me.” Knox pounds his leg with his fist. “Hell, you encouraged me to go after Bry. You said if you’d had a chance at love, you’d have risked everything.”

“I gave the best advice I could at the time,” says Az.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. This is all moving so fast. The autumn equinox is coming up and the fountain’s about to rise. It only makes sense that would be the reason why Knox is feeling ill. A sinking feeling moves through my bones. Even so, I can’t deny that it makes sense. If magic wants a shifter warden to find the fountain in four days, maybe it does think that it would have a better chance with someone who isn’t distracted by love.

Inside my heart, my wolf rouses. “We’re hurting our mate,” she whimpers. “We can’t be with him.”

“Az is wrong,” I reply in my mind. “There must be another explanation.” But my words don’t have a lot of force behind them. Az has never been wrong before.

Az steps up to Knox. “Magic does what it wants. There’s no controlling it or predicting it.” The old were places a meaty hand on Knox’s shoulder. “And magic wants you to find the fountain. It sees your love for Bryar Rose as lessening your chances.”

Knox keeps his gaze locked with Az. A long pause follows before my mate utters a single word: “No.”

“Here is the truth of the matter,” continues Az. “The more time you spend with Bryar Rose, the more ill you’ll become. It has nothing to do with the equinox in four days’ time. You must be apart. Spend your time searching for the fountain, but do it separately. It’s the only way you’ll live.”

“That’s crap,” snarls Knox. “I know who you go to for magical advice, and my ex-girlfriend is not a great source of information.”

My eyes bulge with shock. Did Knox just say ex-girlfriend?

I round on Az. “You know Ty?”

“For years,” says Az.

“Az knows everybody,” adds Knox. “Especially if they play any serious role in my life. But he can get too emotional when it comes to my safety. I’ve seen it before.” He shoots a pointed look at his guardian. I’ve seen that face on Knox before. It says you’re full of crap on this one.

“How can you doubt my methods?” asks Az. “As always, I consulted many more experts than merely Ty.”

“But she’s on the list.” Knox folds his arms over his chest. “Look, Ty is a manipulative freak. I don’t trust this or her, Az. I have to be apart from Bry or I fall over dead? I call bullshit. ”

Avianna takes a half-step toward the door. “Maybe we should leave?”

“Nah,” says Scar. “Things are just getting interesting.”

Az steps away from Knox. “You asked my assessment. That’s what I have to tell you.” This time, Knox doesn’t reply. The quiet in the room turns deafening.

Inside my soul, my wolf curls up into a ball and falls silent as well. The fact that she’s turned quiet means she suspects the truth the same as I do.

I’m killing my mate, just by standing near him.

Azizi sighs. “Now, if you don’t mind. I need to help Bryar Rose travel through time.”

All the air gets sucked out of my lungs. This was already a pretty surreal day. I must have misheard Az. I clear my throat. “Let me get this straight. Did you say travel through time.”

Az lifts his chin. “I did.”

Inside my soul, my wolf stands at attention. “Travel through time? Will there be fairies to chew on?” I have enough to worry about right now, so I decide to ignore my wolf for a bit.

“Sorry,” I say. “I’m still stuck on the last thing we talked about. If I’m near Knox, I kill him? I don’t want to go anywhere until we figure out if that’s the truth.”

“I disagree,” counters Az. “We must protect the fountain of magic and stop the Void at all costs. Do you understand?”

Time travel. Knox dying. And now, the fate of all magic is at stake. My brain goes into overload. My eyes well with tears. “This is too much, Az.”

“Come here.” Knox wraps his arms around me and pulls me against the solidity of his chest. Closing my eyes, I soak in the warmth of his touch. A long minute passes this way before I feel ready to speak again.

“Why me?” I ask.

When Az speaks again, his voice is gentle. “I don’t know. All I can say is that magic has chosen you.”

“I still say the stuff from Ty is crap.” Knox holds me more tightly. Bry is my life. Being near her would don’t hurt me.” He glares at Az. “You made a mistake.”

“Anything is possible,” says Az. I’ve heard that phrase from him before. It’s Az’s way of saying, I’m right, but I’m done fighting with you.

There’s a long moment of silence where no one’s quite sure what to do next. We can’t stand around like this all day, so I step away from Knox. Losing his touch hurts, but waiting around forever isn’t an option. Turning, I address Scar and Avianna. “I guess you’re going to take me through time, then?”

A small smile rounds Scar’s mouth. “If you’re up for it.”

“I am. Let’s do this.”

And so we begin.