The Calling (The Andovia Chronicles Book 1)

by Tiffany Shand

  Nyx felt out of place. What was she supposed to do? She knew nothing about magic and couldn’t be of any help to them.

  Lucien came in and eyed her. “Looking for something?”

  She gritted her teeth. He thought she was looking around to steal something! In truth, Nyx hadn’t stolen anything from either here or Ambrose’s house or people would notice. Besides, there was no need to steal. Ambrose had already given her clothes and a belly full of food that morning.

  “I thought it would be best if I stayed out the druid’s way.” Nyx crossed her arms. “Aside from sensing darklings, I can’t be of much help.”

  “I heard you and Darius arguing. He says you used strange runes he’d never seen before. Is that true?”

  Nyx hesitated then told him what had happened on Doringa and how they had escaped. Nothing inside her warned her not to trust Lucien even if she did still feel a little wary of him. There would be no point in hiding it since the druid had already seen what she had done.

  “And these symbols just came to you?” Lucien frowned. “How did you know what they meant?”

  “I felt it somehow.”

  “Has this happened before?”

  Nyx bit her lip and shrugged. “Things come to me sometimes. I guess that is because of my powers.”

  “You think you picked up on someone else’s thoughts?”

  Nyx shook her head. “No. I don’t think so. They just come to me.”

  “Has Ambrose tested you yet?”

  “Only on the ship yesterday. There was no time last night.” She didn’t elaborate further.

  “Ambrose will be here soon. In the meantime, do you want to make yourself useful?”

  She furrowed her brow. “Useful how?” She wanted that more than anything. Then again, she reminded herself not to get too attached to this place. She would only stay here for as long as she had to. These islands were not her home, and these people weren’t her friends. Not really. Nyx had to remember that.

  “I need to run some tests on Lyon and I could use a hand. Would you like to help?”

  “I’m not a healer.” She played with the long strands of her plait.

  “It’s a few experiments. Alaric will do the actual healing.” Lucien turned then hesitated. “Can I trust you not breathe a word of this to anyone?”

  Nyx nodded. “I know how to keep a secret. So yes, you can. I promise I won’t tell anyone you’re working with the resistance.”

  Lucien’s eyes widened. “How…?”

  “It’s not that hard to figure out after everything I saw on Doringa.”

  Lucien sighed. “I keep telling Darius to be more careful. Him being a Valeran won’t protect him if his father finds out what we’ve been doing.”

  Nyx followed Lucien into another room. This one had books arranged in neat piles or lined up on shelves with jars, crystals and coloured vials.

  Liquid bubbled and boiled around tubes. Nyx’s mouth fell open at the sight. “What is this place?”

  “I call it my alchemy room. Alchemy is a dying art, but I love to experiment.” Lucien beamed. “Alaric is the only one who would let me have a place like this. Experimenting with magic from other races is forbidden. I would be put to death if anyone caught me.”

  “What do you need me for?” Nyx stared around the room in awe. She couldn’t even pretend to know what any of these things were for.

  “I took some of Lyon’s blood. Look.” He pulled a small vial of blood out. “Do you see anything unusual in it?”

  Nyx peered into the container. “No. It just looks like blood.”

  “Look closer.”

  The druid had mentioned that Luc had enhanced senses and could see and hear things other people couldn’t. She still didn’t know what Lucien expected her to see. Nyx narrowed her eyes and waited and gasped when green wisps of light appeared. “That looks like the rift smoke.”

  “Exactly. Now I need a way to separate the blood and the dark magic affecting him.”

  “How?”

  “That’s the question, fairy. I’ll get to work on a potion. I may need help mixing the ingredients.”

  “I’ll help. At least it gives me something to do. I still don’t see how I can be a servant when I’m not qualified to help with half the things the druid does,” Nyx grumbled. “I can’t even do chores since Ada insists on doing everything. I don’t know how to fit into this place.”

  “I’m a shifter who shouldn’t even have magic, so I know what it’s like to not fit in. That’s why Alaric trains me in secret. Perhaps you can learn some magic too.”

  Nyx scoffed at that. “I doubt anyone would let me – would they?” She had never thought about learning to use magic. It had never been a possibility for her before now.

  “It’s a harsh world we live in, and given everything that happened, I’d say you need to learn to use everything at your disposal.” Lucien grabbed a couple of jars from a shelf behind him.

  “I don’t know if I can use magic,” Nyx admitted. “Other than hearing thoughts and using my influence on people.”

  “From what I’ve heard, all mind whisperers could use magic and cast spells. You may have those abilities too.”

  Nyx didn’t know whether to be intrigued or terrified by that possibility. She didn’t want to get her hopes up. The chance of her learning magic was slim, and she still intended to leave.

  The way Lucien and the druid talked made it sound like she would be here for a while. Planning her escape route would take some time, but that didn’t mean she would stay. She had to get back to Joriam to save her sisters.

  “The only way to find out is to test it.” Lucien pulled an empty jar from the shelf and threw it towards her.

  “Hey!” Nyx raised her hands to shield herself from a blow that never came. She lowered her hand to find the jar hovering mid-air. “What the?”

  “See. You do have another ability.” Lucien grinned.

  “I’m not — I can’t do that.” The roaring in her ears intensified, then the jar dropped to the floor with a thud.

  “You can move things with your mind. You’ve done it before, haven’t you?”

  Nyx hesitated, and her mind raced. Strange things had happened before, but she’d always put it down to her curse or brushed it aside. “Maybe.”

  “That could be the thing we need. Come here and see if you can move the magic out of the blood.” He motioned to the vial.

  Nyx moved closer. “I can’t — I don’t know how to.” Levitating that jar had been an accident.

  “Magic works based on instinct and emotion. It’s all a matter of controlling your emotions — or so Alaric says. It’s how I learned to control my inner beast and change forms. Concentrate.”

  Nyx narrowed her eyes and willed the glowing green energy to move.

  Nothing happened.

  “See, it doesn’t work. How do you know the jar floating wasn’t… Something else?” She glanced around, half expecting to see Harland. Nyx prayed he wouldn’t appear again. She had no idea how she would explain his presence to anyone if they saw him.

  “Like what?” Lucien raised an eyebrow.

  She shrugged. “I just don’t see how I can move smoke.” She motioned to the smoke and gasped when it appeared between her fingers. “Gods! What… what do I do?”

  “Incredible.”

  The smoke curled between her fingers in between orbs of dancing light. “What do I do with it?”

  “Here.” Lucien grabbed the fallen jar from the floor. “Release the energy in this.”

  Nyx motioned with her fingers and energy shot into the jar. Lucien then slammed the lid over it. She breathed a sigh of relief.

  Gods, she hoped she never had to do that again. Her heart pounded in her ears. She had been afraid the magic would somehow infect her.

  “You might be what we need to save Lyon. Let’s go.” Lucien motioned for her to follow him.

  Nyx played with the end of her long plait as she followed Lucien back to the room whe
re Ambrose, Alaric and the druid stood around Lyon’s bedside. She hadn’t realised Ambrose was there too.

  “I think we can find a way to save the slave,” Lucien announced as he rushed in.

  All eyes fell on them.

  “A potion?” Alaric arched an eyebrow.

  “No, Nyx can move things.” Lucien beamed. “She moved the magic from the blood sample I took.”

  Nyx shifted from foot to foot as their gazes turned on her.

  “You never mentioned that,” Darius remarked.

  “I didn’t know.” Nyx scowled at him.

  “That’s not surprising. Many soul seers could move things with their mind,” Ambrose said. “I doubt you could move it out of Lyon. It’s poisoning his entire body. It will take more than removing the dark magic to save him now.”

  “We could still use the spell I mentioned,” Darius said.

  Ambrose shot him a warning look. “No, that spell is too dangerous.”

  “Maybe Nyx and Darius could combine their abilities,” Lucien suggested. “I have a potion that could create a mind link that I’m desperate to try.”

  Alaric scowled. “How many times do I have to tell you not to test your concoctions on people?”

  Lucien blanched. “How else will I know if they work or not?”

  Alaric sighed. “Spirits, help me. The answer is no.”

  “Because I’m willing to try,” Nyx surprised herself by speaking up. “Shouldn’t we try everything? I – I’d like to help.”

  It wouldn’t make up for everything she had done, but it was a start.

  “I know I can do it,” Darius insisted.

  “The spell you want to use is high magic and dangerous.” Ambrose rubbed his temples. “What if you lose control? Worse, what if you both lose control?”

  Nyx frowned. The druid lost control of his powers too? She found that impossible to believe. He seemed so calm and in complete control of his magic from what she had seen. Unlike her powers, which acted like a raging storm.

  Ambrose sighed again. “Fine, but we’ll have to wait until nightfall. You two will need to be prepared. Go to the great library and dig up everything you can about the spell. In the meantime, I will prepare a circle for you. We will have to somehow keep your powers shielded. Spirits help us all if anyone senses it.” He shook his head. “I sometimes wonder why I agreed to mentor you, boy. You’ll be the death of me.”

  “You agreed because I wanted to learn to be a true druid and not like my father.” Darius gave Ambrose’s shoulder a squeeze. “Don’t worry; we’ll be ready.”

  Nyx wondered what she had gotten herself into.

  Chapter 20

  They reappeared outside an ornate marble building with sweeping pillars and giant statues of griffons that stood on either side of the double doors.

  “What is this place?” Nyx’s eyes went wide with wonder.

  “It’s the great library,” Darius explained. “Everyone who studies magic uses the knowledge here. They have records dating back centuries. I need to check on the spell I plan to use and see if Ranelle has found anything else during her research about the tear in the veil and the darklings.”

  Nyx gasped when they headed inside. “It’s a real library.” Shelves stretched from floor-to-ceiling with rows upon rows of ancient tomes. Everything inside the great library was made from white marble. It had a cold, icy beauty to it as light shone in through an ornate domed ceiling.

  “I said great library. Why so shocked?”

  “I’ve dreamt of visiting a place like this.” Nyx beamed.

  “You can read?” Darius arched an eyebrow.

  “Of course I can read.” She glowered at him. “Har — he made sure I could read. He always said an illiterate thief is a lousy one.”

  Good, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about teaching her that skill.

  Ranelle herself appeared. “Darius, I didn’t expect you to stop by so soon.” She glanced over at Nyx. “Is everything alright?”

  Darius scanned the great library with his mind and sensed other people nearby. He conjured a ward so no one would be able to overhear them but still motioned Ranelle into a private antechamber. This was a much smaller room with only a table, a couple of chairs inside and a scattering of books on the shelves that weren’t available to the public.

  “I need help with the spell — it’s a healing spell that involves high magic. It removes all dark magic, and it’s one my parents taught me.”

  Ranelle’s eyes widened. “I know the one you mean. We have lots of books on high magic. Why do you need to know about that spell?” She frowned. “You are not thinking of using it, are you?”

  Darius then told her about what happened on Doringa and how they needed to save Lyon. He watched Nyx perusing the different shelves in the next room. “I need everything you have about that spell,” Darius told Ranelle. “Have you found anything else about the tear in the veil?”

  Ranelle shook her head. “There is no record of the veil tearing before, or about how it could have happened. None I found anyway.” Ranelle glanced around, uneasy. “You know everything here is tightly controlled. Everything is the way they say it must be.”

  Darius scowled. Yes, he knew full well. No one could question their laws or their history since the Silvans insisted they were the first race. Any race that came afterwards was irrelevant.

  “Do you really think that spell is the only way to save Lyon?” Ranelle added. “You know what happens when you use high magic.”

  “Keep your voice down,” he hissed. “I don’t want Nyx to know how I struggle with high magic. She already knows about my involvement in the resistance.” That was bad enough. He didn’t want to give her any more leverage against him.

  “Why not? She’s one of us now, isn’t she?”

  Darius gaped at his friend. “You can’t be serious. She’s a killer, and we barely know her. She will run the first chance she gets.”

  “Not if we convince her to join our cause. There hasn’t been a mind whisperer in a generation. We can’t afford to lose her.” Ranelle pulled several books down from the shelf and laid them out on the table. “She reminds me a little of myself when I first came here.”

  Darius scoffed. “She’s nothing like you. You’re not a killer.”

  “We all do what we must to survive, Valeran.” Ranelle pulled a few more books down.

  Darius hesitated. “Lucien says I should use Nyx to help during the spell.” He still could not believe he had suggested such a thing. “Luc thinks he can give us a potion to get into Lyon’s mind and while I cast the spell, she can move the inflicting magic.”

  Ranelle gave a harsh laugh. “And you’re willing to listen to what Wolfsbane has to say?”

  “Why do you hate him so much? We are supposed to be different and not let age-old prejudices get in the way.” That was one of the things he enjoyed about the resistance: no one looked down on other races like the Silvans did.

  “Because he’s so irritating and self-righteous. Besides, you are quick to judge Nyx even though we don’t know what happened in the tavern that night.”

  “Lucien is still our friend. And Nyx is different. We don’t even know her.”

  Ranelle shook her head. “Exactly. And Lucien is your friend, not mine. The hatred between our races runs too deep for that.” She paused. “Why can’t you just go into Lyon’s mind? Or Nyx, given she’s a mind whisperer? I don’t see why you need a potion to do it.”

  “Nyx is too untrained — it’s going to be hard enough showing her what to do.” Darius sat down and opened the first book. “Going into someone’s mind takes a lot of energy for me. I need all my strength to make the spell work.”

  “I’ll see if I can find something to help with that.” Ranelle tapped her chin and hurried off.

  Darius held his hand over the book. The pages moved on their own as he scoured the information in each different volume.

  “What are you doing?” Nyx gasped as she entered the room. />
  “Scanning each book. It’s quicker to use magic. It saves me hours of research.”

  “But how?”

  He sighed and ran a hand through his long hair. “I can use my mind. It’s something my mother taught me. It makes learning easier, but it requires more energy than most spells.”

  Nyx slumped into a seat opposite him. “I still don’t know where those symbols came from.”

  “Draw them on a piece of paper. Maybe Ranelle can figure out what they mean.” He had to focus on the spell and what they would do that night. Still, he wondered what those symbols meant and how she knew them.

  “If I’m going to be working with you shouldn’t I learn magic too?”

  Darius dropped the book he had been holding and gaped at her. “What?”

  “I don’t know anything about magic, and it’s a way of life for you. If I’m going to be stuck following you around all the time, don’t you think I should know this stuff?” Nyx rested her chin on her fist. “You could be injured, and I wouldn’t know how to help, would I?”

  Darius frowned at her. “I thought you were desperate to escape?”

  “If I’m going to be stuck with you, then I should get something worthwhile from it. I don’t like feeling helpless, druid.”

  Darius sighed. “That’s not my decision to make. Ask Ambrose.” Although he knew full well, Ambrose would agree she needed to learn magic to keep herself safe. If he did, Ambrose could be the one who dealt with her, not him. Darius didn’t have the time or patience to teach her.

  Nyx furrowed her brow. “I’m supposed to be your servant, aren’t I?”

  “In reality, no. I don’t want or need a servant.”

  “Why not learn to be friends then?” Ranelle suggested as she entered the antechamber. “You have so few of them. Aside from me, that is.” Her nose wrinkled. “And I suppose Wolfsbane.”

  “Friends?” Nyx laughed. “How could we ever be that? He doesn’t even like me.”

  Darius opened his mouth to protest then closed it again. “I don’t trust you. There’s a difference.”