As a group, we gathered around Illia, even Luthair in his new form.
When last I saw Illia, she had struggled to take more than herself through teleportation, but now it seemed she was more confident. She placed a hand on Zaxis and me, and Nicholin jumped to Luthair’s feet and reached out to Forsythe.
Illia’s magic took hold of me, and for a brief moment, I had the ability to reject her. I allowed her teleportation to work, and we were whisked away from the woods. We didn’t go far, though, before reappearing. Illia had to take a breath and do it again. And then two more times. It reminded me of my shadow-stepping ability. I could only go so far before I had to reemerge. Teleporting was probably a bit faster, though, and the sensation of popping in and out of existence was interesting.
I just… couldn’t stop grinning.
When we finally arrived at our destination, I only had a moment to take in my surroundings before a person-sized hydra with four heads came charging at me. The combat-hardened part of me wanted to pull my blade, but I knew who it was—Raisen, Hexa’s eldrin.
He had gotten big.
And then he collided with me, his alligator-shaped body and long necks an awkward mass of muscle and scales. I fell back onto grass as Raisen climbed on top of me with stumpy legs, his 250 pounds making it harder to breathe. His scales were curved at the tips, which meant his whole body was pokey. I didn’t reach up to hug him. Instead, all four of Raisen’s heads forked out their tongues across my face. Last I had seen him, he only had two heads.
Raisen hissed.
“There you are,” one head said.
“We’ve missed you,” said the second.
The third licked into my ear. “I’m the oldest. I’ve missed you the most.”
“I’m the oldest,” snapped the last head.
All his voices were raspy and somewhat angry, but his affections couldn’t be denied.
A moment later, I was swarmed with more mystical creatures. Titania the phoenix, Traces the mimic, Akhet the khepera, and even Tine the blue phoenix. They pushed and shoved and snuggled close, each trying to pile on top of me. Then Mesos the roc drew near, her huge bird-like body casting a shadow over us. She fell forward, covering everyone in her golden feathers, to the point I found it difficult to breathe. Was this how a roc chick felt?
“I-I’m happy to see you all, too,” I said, trying not to get roc feathers in my mouth as I spoke. “I need to get up, though!”
One at a time, they shuffled off, allowing me to stand.
It was only then that I spotted Atty. She stood nearby, a vial in her hands, her blue eyes wide. I brushed off the feathers and dirt, but she didn’t wait until I had finished—Atty stepped forward and hugged me tight, a sigh of relief escaping her for just a moment.
“Everyone was so worried,” she said. “I was worried.”
I had missed the sound of her voice. I returned her hug, almost in disbelief that I was here with her and not dead in a ditch from the arcane plague. “I’m so happy to see you,” I said. “I thought I never would, and… Well, I’m just so happy I get another chance. Things will be different this time.”
Atty broke off the hug, her face pink. She placed the vial into the palm of my hand. “This is medicine from the Grand Apothecary. Illia rushed in and said you were dying, so I grabbed this, and—”
I uncorked the vial and drank the contents. Gillie, the Grand Apothecary, had never done me wrong, and I didn’t want to discuss my illness any longer.
Atty smoothed her white shirt and trousers. Somehow, she always seemed pure and bright. Her gold hair fell around her face in slight curls, and she stood with a feminine poise. I had been too busy admiring her to notice the other person rushing up on me.
Hexa slammed into my side and then squeezed me tight. Her cinnamon hair, curly to the point it bounced, had been poorly restrained with a hair tie. Bits of it poked out everywhere, including a strand that hit me in the eye when I tried to turn and face her.
“You’re the worst,” Hexa said. “I don’t care if you’re carrying the plague. You shouldn’t leave us. Do you know what you did to Illia?”
“I’m not plague-ridden anymore,” I said.
Hexa instantly released me and took a step back. Like Zaxis, she wore armor without any sleeves. Unlike Zaxis, she had scars from her shoulders down to her wrists, some clean and straight, some gnarly.
“Your arcanist mark is glowing,” Hexa muttered, unable to take her eyes off of it.
I glanced past her and held my breath. There it was. The Sun Chaser in all its glory. Winds swept around underneath it, disturbing the nearby trees and grass. Captain Devlin waited near the rope ladder, his arms crossed.
Master Zelfree stood next to him, his expression a lot more jovial than I had ever seen from him.
“Volke!” someone shouted. “It’s really you!”
A girl ran toward me, her long white hair fluttering behind her. She never slowed her pace, and when she finally reached me, she collided with my chest, embracing me as though she couldn’t believe I was real. Fortunately, she weighed much less than the others. She impacted on me like a leaf on a brick wall.
I held her, half confused.
She was Princess Evianna, from the Argo Empire.
Her shadow swirled around her feet. “My arcanist,” the darkness said. “You should give him time to recover.”
Evianna’s knightmare! Of course. Now I understood how Illia had used her Occult Compass to find me. It all came together, and again, I couldn’t help but smile.
“It’s okay, Layshl,” Evianna muttered as she pressed her face against my chest. “I know Volke missed me, too. And now that he’s back, he can start training me.”
I patted Evianna’s back, my confusion returning. Before I had left to find the cure to the arcane plague, my relationship with Evianna hadn’t been the greatest. She blamed me for a great many things and seemingly hated my presence. Now she was elated to see me? When did this change happen?
I suspected this was better than before. Perhaps I shouldn’t remind her of her past feelings.
Illia walked up behind me and placed her hands on my shoulders. Then she guided me toward the rope hanging from the Sun Chaser, her steps quick and her touch light. I suspected she could’ve teleported us to the deck, but this seemed more about approaching Captain Devlin and Zelfree.
Evianna held onto one of my arms, never letting go.
And on top of that, the mystical creatures swarmed around us, Forsythe and Nicholin adding to the mix. They turned their attention to Luthair, all of them chatting amongst themselves as they touched his cloak and liquid-like armor. Everywhere I turned, there was someone or something crowding close.
When I neared Devlin, I gave him a nod. “I thought you couldn’t take the Sun Chaser through the Lightning Straits?”
He scratched at his chin-strap beard. “Well, that was before some crazy arcanist from the Frith Guild came demanding I take him to you.” He jutted a thumb at Zelfree. “And apparently he knows his way through those thunderstorms. We made it through, even if we had to avoid some plague-ridden thunderbirds in the process.”
Zelfree stepped forward. He didn’t say anything—he just glanced at my forehead and then to Luthair. I could see in his eyes that he understood what had happened. When he returned his gaze to me, he shoved his hands into his coat pockets. “Illia said you were dying.”
“I think I was poisoned,” I said, though my high spirts made it difficult to feel anything other than joy. “I’m better now.”
“Atty give you the medicine?”
I turned and found Atty at my side. I nodded and laughed and returned my attention to Zelfree. “That’s right.” But I shook my head, dispelling my good mood. Seeing Zelfree reminded me that I wasn’t out of the woods yet. I stepped closer to him, my panic returning. “Master Zelfree, I have important news to tell you. The Second Ascension needs the world serpent for their plans. And, worst of all, Guildmaster Eventide is in trouble. The A
utarch sent an assassin, and—”
Zelfree pointed up to the airship.
Adelgis, Fain, Vethica, and Karna stared down at us.
“Adelgis contacted me via telepathy,” Zelfree stated. “He told me about the Second Ascension.”
“No, I don’t think you understand. The man who murdered Queen Velleta is going after Eventide. It’s the king basilisk arcanist.”
Zelfree nodded along with my words, his expression grim. “Well, then, let’s get you on the ship. If we fly, perhaps we can beat the Second Ascension to wherever they’re going.”
“There’s more,” I said. “They found a second god-creature. And if they get their hands on the world serpent, they’ll can take control of six nations, and—”
Zelfree placed a hand on my shoulder. “One step at a time,” he said, firm and confident. “Eventide is searching for someone to bond with the world serpent right now. We’re going to meet up with her and use that Occult Compass to get to the world serpent first, okay? Now take a deep breath and get on the damn airship.”
“But the assassin—”
“Don’t worry. Eventide has handled things worse than a king basilisk arcanist.”
I inhaled and then exhaled. “Right. Thank you. Let’s go.”
Zelfree motioned to the rope ladder. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
When I approached the ladder, he grabbed my upper arm, his grip tight.
“And we’re also going to have a talk about how none of my apprentices listen to a damn word I have to say.” He gave me a sardonic glower. “You’re supposed to be the good one.”
While I wanted nothing more than to joke with him, there was one final thing that bothered me. I held the rope tight as I returned his stare.
“Above all else, we need to beat the Second Ascension to the world serpent. All their plans hinge on it.”
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But who will bond with the world serpent?
About the Author
Shami Stovall is a multi-award-winning author of fantasy and science fiction, with several best-selling novels under her belt. Before that, she taught history and criminal law at the college level, and loved every second. When she’s not reading fascinating articles and books about ancient China or the Byzantine Empire, Stovall can be found playing way too many video games, especially RPGs and tactics simulators.
To find out more about Shami Stovall and the Frith Chronicles, take a look at her website:
https://sastovallauthor.com/newsletter/
If you want to contact her, you can do so at the following locations:
Website: https://sastovallauthor.com
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Email: [email protected]
Plague Arcanist (Frith Chronicles Book 4) Page 52
