Plague Arcanist (Frith Chronicles Book 4)

by Shami Stovall

  I took the tray, happy to have any food that wasn’t garbage. “Thank you.”

  Tammi shook her head. “Everyone here cares for Biyu like family. Thank you for looking out for her. We hope you’ll find whatever you need to cure yourself.”

  I nodded, and Tammi stepped around me and headed for the stairs, though this time she didn’t flee as though she thought her life were in danger.

  It did a lot to ease my tension.

  On the fourteenth night, I not only thought about Illia, but also about Zaxis, Hexa, Atty, and Master Zelfree. Adelgis hadn’t given me any more dreams, so my imagination ran wild with all sorts of possibilities and scenarios.

  In my frustration, I tried forcing the magic, despite what my father had warned about, but even that didn’t work. I just hurt myself with my double-bonded pains and left the desert feeling sore.

  When I got back to the airship, I had yet another strange thought. I waited until my father returned to his quarters before approaching him. I knocked on his door, and he let me in with a smile.

  “Let me get us some drinks,” he said.

  “No, thank you.”

  “Don’t worry. It’ll help you with this aura manifestation, trust me.”

  “I didn’t come here to talk about that,” I said as I took a seat at his table. After imagining all my old friends and hometown, my thoughts had gone to one last strange place I thought I had locked away forever. “I was hoping you could tell me something about my mother.”

  Jozé, in the middle of pouring himself some rum, nearly lost his grip on the bottle. He fumbled with it, spilling alcohol across his glass, and then onto the table. He chuckled to hide his mistake, but his hands shook.

  “Your mother,” he repeated. “That’s a formal way of addressing her.”

  “I can’t remember her name.”

  I hated that I couldn’t, but it was the truth.

  Jozé rubbed at the back of his neck while he took a seat. “Right… Her name was Aarona.”

  I waited, hoping he would just elaborate.

  “She was born on the Isle of Ruma,” Jozé continued. “And she was branded a thief at an early age. Her family died at sea, and when she had problems with her forced apprenticeship, she turned to petty theft to get by.”

  “Oh…” I muttered. It was probably an accurate rendition of her history, but I had been hoping for something more.

  Perhaps Jozé sensed this, because he continued, “When I met her, I knew she was very clever and resourceful. I wasn’t a member of the community, so I didn’t have any preconceived bias against her, and Aarona appreciated that. We became fast friends—she helped with my studies of the phoenixes, and before long, we became something more.”

  Jozé said nothing else on the matter.

  I held my hands together, my fingers interlaced. I waited a long while, hoping he would continue, but when it became clear he wouldn’t, I decided to move on with the conversation.

  “I can’t clear my thoughts,” I muttered. “I’m always thinking about the other apprentices, or Master Zelfree, or the Frith Guild.”

  Jozé nodded. “You miss familiar things.”

  The moment he said those words, I knew them to be true. I did miss familiar people and places. That’s all I wanted. “What can I do about this?” I asked.

  “Memories are to cherish, not dwell on. You need to treat them as gifts and not as something to return to.”

  The statements cut hard, but it didn’t help. I couldn’t escape the memories—that was the problem.

  Jozé pushed himself up and waved around a pointed finger. “I think you’re on the right track. You need to focus all your effort and energy on something else. Don’t let your mind wander. Keep it controlled.” He walked over to a coat rack tucked in the corner of the room.

  His phoenix lifted her head. “What’re you doing, my arcanist?”

  “Getting something for the boy. Don’t worry.”

  She fluffed her brilliant blue feathers and said nothing more.

  Jozé grabbed a holster and pistol from a hook on the rack. He hobbled back, retook his seat, and then placed the gun on the table.

  “Your birthday is coming up, right? You’ll be seventeen?”

  I nodded.

  He pushed the holster and flintlock pistol over to me. “It’s a trinket. I made it myself.” Jozé pointed to the bird emblem he had branded onto the grip. “I want you to have it.”

  Although I wasn’t certain about accepting, I picked up the weapon and removed it from its holster.

  The weapon had a beauty most didn’t. The grip was made of scarlet wood, while the trigger guard, hammer, and barrel were made of silver and crafted brass. The fine artistry of the swirled hammer and wave-like trigger made the gun feel like someone’s personal project.

  “Careful,” Jozé said as I slid my finger over the trigger. “That pistol doesn’t need gunpowder. I imbued magic so that only a bullet was required for firing. It still only shoots one at a time, but it’s a much faster reload than modern flintlock weapons.”

  I turned the pistol over and examined every inch. Emblazoned on the side in a shimmery fire, just like my sword, was a single word: EQUALIZER.

  “Is this the pistol’s name?” I asked.

  Jozé nodded. Then he got up again and walked over to his wooden cabinet. “Oh, I almost forgot. This is the best part.” He opened the cabinet and withdrew a small leather pouch. “You’ll need these.” He tossed the pouch onto the table. It landed with a heavy thunk.

  I picked up the pouch. Tiny balls rolled around inside. “Bullets?” I asked.

  “Not just any bullets.” Jozé walked to the end of the table and leaned on it. “They’re made with the venom of a manticore. Do you have any idea what that does?”

  “It neutralizes magic,” I intoned.

  “That’s right.” He smiled. “You’re a quick study.”

  The Dread Pirate Calisto had a manticore eldrin, and I remembered with frightening clarity what the venom of a manticore was capable of. Once injected, an arcanist couldn’t use their abilities—it was why Master Zelfree had so many scars on his body. Calisto had tortured him and then used his manticore’s venom to prevent Zelfree from healing.

  And they were once friends?

  I narrowed my eyes, glaring at the pouch, but not really seeing it.

  What had happened between them?

  “There are only ten bullets,” Jozé said, oblivious to my dark thoughts. “And if you hit someone, there’s only enough venom to prevent their magic for a few seconds at most. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but—”

  “It’s a long time in a fight,” I interjected. And it was enough of a surprise that it would give me the advantage in a tricky situation. “Thank you for this.”

  “Of course.” Jozé ran a hand through his black hair. “I’m sorry… I missed so much of your life before.”

  “Don’t bother apologizing. It doesn’t bother me anymore.”

  He knocked on the top of the table, almost like a nervous tic. “Well, just know that I’m impressed with everything you’ve done so far. You’re young, but you’re talented.”

  I nodded, absently staring at the pistol.

  Talent alone wouldn’t save me. I had to succeed in finding this khepera, no matter what.

  Finally, the day arrived.

  I hadn’t slept the night before. I had rested in my hammock, staring at the ceiling, waiting for the sun to dispel the cold with the arrival of morning. I remained fully clothed, with both my sword and my pistol ready at a moment’s notice. I even had Theasin’s pink and tannish sands in the pouch of my belt. If anyone was injured, I would have “medicine” for them.

  Adelgis was already awake. He waited, sitting on his hammock, his ethereal whelk floating in the air and casting lights across the room.

  Fain snored. He always managed to sleep, no matter the pressure.

  “The captain is preparing for his hurricane,” Adelgis whispered. “He’ll c
reate it before the sun rises, while the majority of the city is already in their homes. Once the Watch Battalion has taken shelter, we’ll make our way to the Grotto Labyrinth.”

  “Won’t we get caught in the hurricane?” I asked. “Or should we head to the entrance now?”

  “If the Watch Battalion sees us, they’ll remove us from the streets.” Adelgis stood from his hammock. “Karna has a way for us to move through the gale-force winds. We’ll travel as a tight group and enter the maze together.”

  I leapt from my hammock, my heart pounding hard. “Good. I’m done waiting. Let’s go get us one of these khepera.”

  27

  Into The Maze

  Karna and Vethica waited for us on the deck of the airship. They spoke in hushed whispers, so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t notice Adelgis, Fain, and me approaching. The darkness before the dawn, unique in its opaqueness, likely also hid us as we traveled across the deck.

  Vethica wore thick trousers, a wide belt, and a rough tunic. Slung over her shoulder, and heavy from the contents, was a leather satchel. Attached on her belt was her zigzag dagger. She carried nothing else, not even a hat to protect her red hair and pale skin from the sun.

  Karna, on the other hand, seemed more concerned with maneuverability over protection. She wore thin clothes, and little of it, not even a shirt. Her chest was bound by wool straps, I assumed for modesty and to keep everything in place. Her boots covered most of her shins, but her trousers were closer to breeches—tight and flexible. That was it.

  The howl of fierce winds picked up in the desert. Although I had only lived through a handful of major storms, I knew the warning signs well. The air smelled of minerals, animals vanished, leaving behind an odd silence, and small objects shuddered. This was a desert, and not my home island, but the signs were the same.

  Fain tucked his hands into his armpits. “How are we making it through the storm? I know the captain said it wouldn’t be rough in the city, but I don’t want sand in my eyes, either.”

  “With this,” Karna said as she reached into Vethica’s satchel. She withdrew a chain necklace and amber talisman. Inside the amber was a feather—or at least a piece of one. “It’s a roc feather imbued with thunderbird magic. It’ll cause the winds to avoid us.”

  “Is that right?” Fain gave the trinket a quick glance, but his attention went straight to Karna’s “outfit” afterward. When I gave him a pointed look, he turned his gaze to the cloudless sky.

  Adelgis held out his hand. “May I see the item?”

  Karna handed him the amber pendant, and Adelgis turned it over in his palm. The feather inside was tiny and curled, and I wondered why they used that feather instead of one of the roc’s giant wing feathers.

  “Did you make this, Vethica?” Adelgis asked.

  She replied with a curt nod. “Jozé helped.”

  Adelgis handed it back.

  The winds ripped through the desert dunes, carrying sand straight into New Norra. Giant crystals built into the city walls glowed with an inner magic the moment the hurricane became too powerful. They dampened the weather, shielding the city. Captain Devlin had been right—sand everywhere—but the storm wasn’t strong enough to damage the buildings. The denizens of New Norra locked everything down tight, keeping the inside of their homes safe from even the inconvenience of sand.

  The trinket Karna held created an invisible bubble, no more than five feet in diameter, diverting the winds around us, preventing our small group from being affected.

  “We should go now,” Vethica said. “The Watch Battalion is already moving.”

  She pointed to the city walls, and the guards typically stationed at the steps had run into the streets to help foreigners get into safe places. Most grumbled and protested, but they eventually did as they were told.

  We made our way as a group, staying close together to fit inside the protection of the roc talisman. Wraith, invisible, ran into my legs more than once, but I kept my balance.

  “Sorry,” he muttered, a dog-like growl in his voice.

  The more ferocious the hurricane became, the harder it was to hear anything. The talisman protected us, but the howling of the storm still echoed down every street and alleyway. Shutters rattled in their sills. We jogged our way to the Grotto Labyrinth entrance, never encountering another person.

  Our distraction had worked perfectly.

  Once inside, we remained close, even as we descended the stairs. Glowstones on the walls illuminated the path with a gentle golden light.

  The steps, carved with sandstone, had been decorated with etchings of scarabs, giving the staircase texture, which helped prevent slipping. Once we were thirty feet down, the roar of the hurricane became a distant buzz. The air smelled of dirt after the rain, and I took a deep breath, enjoying the freshness of it.

  Another thirty feet down and we reached the bottom. I took a moment to glance back at the staircase—I had never imagined the Grotto Labyrinth would be this deep.

  Vethica withdrew the map from her satchel, her hands trembling. “This is it. We’re so close now.”

  A single hallway sat before us. The walls had the appearance of natural caves, but glowstones were embedded in the ceilings and inside most of the cracks, keeping everything alight, though not completely. Dark shadows clung to the rocks.

  Beads in the shape of scarabs hung from the ceiling on a silver string, sparkling in the natural light. They looked like stars, and whenever one twisted or moved, it twinkled. The entire area had a mystical presence, and I reveled in the beauty.

  “This place is sacred,” Adelgis said. “We should endeavor not to touch anything we shouldn’t.”

  Fain, who had been staring at one of the scarabs, let out a forced huff. “Fine, Moonbeam. I won’t take anything.”

  “I want to go first,” Vethica said as she held the paper close to her chest. “I need to complete every room and puzzle without assistance.”

  “That’ll slow us down,” Adelgis said. “If we combine our knowledge and help each other through the maze, we’ll have it done in half the time.”

  “No.”

  Everyone stared at Vethica, obvious confusion written on each face. Her outburst seemed unwarranted. It took her a moment to calm herself.

  “Those who want to bond with a khepera must complete the maze without anyone else’s help,” Vethica said. “You can all help each other, but I have to do this on my own.”

  Fain and Adelgis turned to me, as though waiting for my judgment. Karna, who hadn’t spoken to me much over the last few weeks, didn’t acknowledge my presence. She simply placed a hand on Vethica’s shoulder. “We understand. Go ahead, but stay close enough that we can follow you through the maze.”

  “Thank you,” Vethica said with a slight smile.

  She ran ahead, traveling down the long, cave-like hall. Once she was twenty feet away, we started after her.

  Were the traps of the Grotto Labyrinth deadly? I hoped not.

  The long corridor went on for some distance, and a part of me wondered how this was a maze. As though the world could hear my thoughts, we entered a rocky chamber with several branching paths—seven, to be precise—and that shocked me.

  How large was this maze?

  Vethica stood at the mouth of the fifth pathway. She examined her map, double-checked it by counting the entrances, and then ran off down the hall. The grinding of gears hummed all around us, but it wasn’t loud, just constant sound, like conversations in a tavern or crickets out in the woods. Was the maze moving right now?

  I stopped and examined a wall, trying to find signs of machinery, but there was nothing. When I attempted to manipulate shadows into the cracks, I couldn’t. My father had said the walls were made with nullstone, and now I understood. They didn’t create an aura, like at the Thronehold castle—they just prevented magic from harming the labyrinth’s structure.

  “My arcanist,” Luthair said. “You must hurry. The others are already on their way.” />
  I nodded and followed after.

  When I rejoined Karna, Fain, and Adelgis, they were waiting at the end of the hallway, standing in front of a large sandstone door. It was tall, at least eight feet, and plain—smooth from top to bottom except for the hand holds to push it aside. I took a position next to Adelgis as he smoothed his black hair.

  “Vethica is inside,” he said. “She’s attempting to cross a pit.”

  “What kind of pit?” Fain asked.

  “One with a jagged bottom. Falling would hurt, but it probably wouldn’t kill her.”

  Fain rubbed at his nose. Then he crossed his arms. “You know what would be fun? If we attempted all the obstacles as non-arcanists would.”

  “Oh?” Karna asked, one eyebrow playfully raised. “You think you can overcome the Grotto Labyrinth? I find that unlikely.”

  “It’d be amusing to try. What say you, Volke?”

  “I’m willing to attempt it,” I said. What was the harm?

  Adelgis lifted his hand, and the light around us coalesced into bits of solid form. His ethereal whelk came into existence, first the spiral shell, then the tentacles. The glow of her body, and iridescent sheen, seemed to match the décor of the Grotto Labyrinth.

  “Yes, my arcanist?” Felicity asked as she waved her shimmery tentacles.

  “I thought you might enjoy watching everyone attempt the puzzles and traps,” Adelgis said. “Apparently, they’re going to do it without their magic.”

  Felicity giggled. “Oh! I will like this. Thank you, my arcanist.”

  I didn’t know if this was a bad sign or not, but if the Grotto Labyrinth was theoretically doable by a non-magical mortal, then why couldn’t Fain or I complete it?

  “Vethica has made it to the other side,” Adelgis said. “We can enter now.”

  Fain pushed the stone door open, and we stepped inside. Just as Adelgis had said, there was a pit in the room—a simple rectangular ditch that stretched from one wall to the other. It was about eight feet across, and the bottom was lined with jagged rocks and the points of crystal geodes. In the middle of the pit was a small rock pillar with a tiny foot-wide platform. From what I could tell, the point of the room was to jump from one side of the pit, land on the platform, and then jump to the other side.