The Forge of Light: The White Mage Saga #5 (The Chronicles of Lumineia)

by Ben Hale

  "What magic did he have?"

  "Animal," Siarra replied. "At one time he had a companion panther named Shadero. Many of the cat's physical attributes were passed to Jack before the cat was killed. Beyond his talents, it was his mind that made him great. His cunning helped him thrive in a profession that killed most."

  She gestured to the Vault. "The elven high council desired me to join with another powerful mage and continue the oracle line. In this regard I chose love over duty, and no oracle was born from my womb."

  Tess blinked in sudden understanding. After Siarra there had not been another oracle until Atlantis four thousand years later. The reason for the gap had never been explained. Now she knew why.

  "Do you regret your choice?" Tess asked.

  Siarra issued a soft smile. "How can one regret choosing love? We may have a calling to protect the world, Tess, but that is not all we are. Do not sacrifice your heart in service to the people. The cost of doing so will twist your duty into a dark path."

  Tess's mind turned to Alice, who had never displayed a desire for herself beyond her designs. She had justified the murder of billions in a perverted desire to protect them. A sliver of fear coursed through Tess as she realized the truth. Alice was a reflection of what Tess could become if she lost herself to her duty—if she lost Derek.

  Her lips tightened. "What do you think we're looking for?"

  Siarra seemed to shake herself and motioned to the alcoves of artifacts. "You look at the ones on the right. I'll search the left. I would advise against touching the items."

  Her thoughts still on Derek, Tess flew to the thirteenth ledge that wrapped around the cavern. One by one she scanned the objects within the ensconced alcoves. The first few were weapons, which she passed by. Since they needed King Tryton's Sword she doubted they needed a second blade. The next few did not catch her eye. Then she came to an object that caused her to pause.

  It was a key, but unlike any she had ever seen. Its surface glowed with gold light, and it carried a tinge of darkness that seeped menace. As she looked at it the key it morphed several times, and she got the distinct impression that a lock somewhere was changing to match.

  "The key to the Construct," a voice said, and she looked up to see Jackal's face pressing out of the wall above her. "It is a dangerous choice."

  It was the first time Tess had heard it speak with solemnity, and her gaze returned to the key. Her desire to ask about the Construct was interrupted when Siarra called out to her.

  "It is here," Siarra declared.

  Tess turned to see Siarra standing in front of a display across the cavern from her. Rising into the air, she flew to join her.

  "What did you find?"

  "The Seeker Stone," she said, and motioned to an amulet.

  Silver and blue, the amulet resembled a star in the center of midnight. It flickered as Tess looked at it, and the four points on the star brightened. She felt the urge to pick it up, but stilled her hand.

  The face pressed out of the rock above them. "An excellent choice, for it finds that which has been lost—or hidden."

  Tess swiveled to face Siarra. "We can use it to find the last talisman. But what if we are wrong? We're not going to be able to come back."

  Siarra turned to her. "Look ahead, and see if we use it."

  Tess nodded, and slipped into her farsight. As she pushed ahead she looked for the amulet, and found herself standing in her previous vision. With Siarra by her side she landed on the summit of a great mountain. Huge and forbidding, it pierced the surface of the Dark and rose into the sky. Tess looked down, and saw the compass in her hand. All four points were glowing.

  "This is it," Tess said with certainty, and her vision returned to normal. "This is what we came for."

  "Now we just have to remove it."

  "Good luck," the face said. It withdrew into the rock with a rumbling chuckle.

  Siarra met Tess's gaze. "Jack was adept at protecting his things, even from me. I have no doubt we could bypass the curses, but not quickly. I don't think we have time to finesse this."

  Tess guessed they had only minutes before the Dark crested the summit of the mountains above them.

  "Then get ready to run," she said, and reached for the amulet.

  Chapter 20: Hawk's Gift

  Tess wrapped her fingers around the Seeker Stone and yanked it from its stand. Then she leapt away with Siarra—and saw the defenses. In the column on the third tier, a golden spider came to life, and cast a giant web that completely filled the middle levels. In seconds the spider had multiplied, and thousands of tiny creatures filled the strands.

  Below them, an entity leaked from the wall and materialized into the shape of a brown reaver. Then another appeared, and another. Soon they were difficult to count. Above it all, a series of holes appeared in the walls, and anti-magic arrows slid into view. One strike would drain their magic. More than that would take them down. The statues that had been whispering before climbed from their alcoves, and picked up neighboring weapons. Their expressions were no longer laughing.

  "What now?" Tess asked.

  Siarra surprised her by laughing. "Jackal, I would love to spend an hour remembering my time with him, but right now I really don’t have the time."

  "As you wish."

  The voice sounded amused, but Tess couldn't see its face. A moment later the enchanted barriers returned to their sources, allowing them to drop to the floor. Tess hurried down the entrance corridor. She blinked as she exited into the sunlight, and immediately turned to look to the peaks. Her heart sank.

  While they had been occupied inside the vault, the Dark had crested the mountain range. Towering peaks that moments ago had stood majestic had disappeared in the depths of the cloud. Dragged by millions of screeching bats, the Dark advanced toward them.

  "This is from your vision," Siarra said.

  Tess nodded. "The moment we try to fly out of here they come after us. There are too many, even for us. If we get to the city we can Gate out, but how can we get there?"

  Siarra turned to Tess. "What did we do in your vision?"

  "Nothing," Tess said. "I pulled something red from my pocket and that's what we used to escape. The only thing I have like that is something Hawk gave me, and it's not going to help."

  Siarra went rigid. "You have his car?"

  Tess withdrew it from her pocket. "How can a toy car help us?"

  Siarra's smile was of anticipation. "Because it's not a toy. She took it from Tess and touched the rune on the bottom. Then she tossed it aside—and it began to grow.

  Shock robbed Tess of breath as the toy car swelled into a full-size vehicle. Tires, seats, and an engine expanded like balloons and solidified into a magic-infused BMW sports car. As the metal hardened into a pristine vehicle, Tess's throat constricted with emotion.

  "Thank you, Hawk," she murmured.

  While Tess was overcome, Siarra climbed into the passenger seat.

  "Wait," Tess said, and moved to intercept her. "What are you doing?"

  "I'm a ten thousand year old guardian oracle," Siarra replied. "You really want me driving?"

  A rising shriek pierced the air, drawing Tess's gaze to the swarms of bats. Disconnecting from the threads of Dark, they surged toward Tess and Siarra. Tess shook her head.

  "I guess not."

  Tess climbed into the driver’s seat and buckled the seatbelt. Then she looked for the key—but there wasn't even a hole. Her panic rising with the horrendous sound, she searched for any indication of how to start the car. Catching her concern, Siarra opened compartments as well.

  "It's Hawk's car," she said, her voice tense. "He'd have given you a way to start it . . ."

  Tess froze as she caught sight of the gear shifter. "I think he did."

  The handle bore no markings. Instead it had a distinct char to the edge that indicated the touch of fire. Tess put her hand on it and ignited a flame. The fire was drawn into the black material and poured into the engine, and it roa
red to life. As the sky darkened above them, Tess grabbed the steering wheel and stomped on the gas pedal.

  She was slammed back into her seat as the car roared off the ledge—and a road appeared beneath it. Materializing ten feet in front of the car, the blacktop street disintegrated in their wake. The section of road curved downward as it appeared, sloping into the trees.

  "Look out!" Siarra shouted as they approached a massive pine tree.

  Tess swung the steering wheel, but overcorrected. Tires squealed as they slid sideways on the emerging road. Tess leaned away from impact with the trunk, but it never came. In a great groaning of wood, the tree leaned to the side, allowing the car and the roadway to glide past.

  "Whoa," Tess breathed as she straightened out. She flinched as another tree leaned away.

  "It appears Hawk ensured it could travel in obscure locations," Siarra said.

  Tess caught the tension in her voice and threw her a glance. Siarra sat gripping the door so hard that the material had cracked. Then Tess noticed that her own hand was doing the same to the steering wheel. They struck the ground, bouncing and skidding, and she gripped even harder.

  The car careened down the mountainside, but she did not ease her pressure on the pedal. Wood creaked and groaned as the trees leapt to avoid their intrusion, then returned to their previous location when they had passed. The tarmac continued to appear ahead of them, covering uneven rocks and holes in their path.

  Bats filled the air above, their leathery wings buffeting the leaves and branches into a frenzy. Many tried to reach the car, but their massive wingspans did not allow them access through the thick canopy. Those who tried saw their wings shredded and broken, and their mangled bodies were left tangled in the branches.

  The car reached a cliff, and Tess sucked in her breath as they went over. Once again the road appeared and curved downward toward the forest below. The open air allowed their pursuers to attack, and a heavy shape collided with them. Her heart in her throat, Tess struggled to control the speeding car as it bounced on the materializing road. Then others began to buffet the vehicle, and it took all of Tess's strength to keep them upright.

  "This is not how you're supposed to learn how to drive!" Tess shouted.

  Siarra didn't respond—her attention occupied by reinforcing the buckling walls and ceiling of the vehicle. A moment later they reached the trees below. As the pine trunks swung to avoid their path, the branches struck the hordes of bats, decimating the leaders.

  Tess's breath came in ragged gasps as she drove. Without the appearing roadway there was no way she would have survived, and she fleetingly wondered if Hawk had added the enchantment specifically for her.

  Trees scattered ahead of them like deer before a wolf. Boulders rolled to the side and shrank before rolling back. Tess finally managed to ease back on her grip as the slope leveled off. Then she saw that the trees were beginning to thin.

  "We're reaching the plains!" Siarra yelled over the roar of the engine.

  A moment later the trees came to an abrupt halt and the car exploded into the open. Tess gasped when she saw the full scope of the swarming bats. Churning in pursuit, they were like a sentient storm cloud bent on the oracles’ destruction. As the car streaked across a stretch of tundra, the cloud descended on them with an ear-splitting shriek.

  Tess pushed the pedal further, and the engine snarled. Cringing against what she was about to do, she poured more fire into the engine. It revved even louder in response, and tongues of flame appeared at the edges of the hood. Flecks of paint peeled off the surface and burned into ash. They inched closer to the point where the road was materializing.

  "I don’t know how much more it can take!" Tess shouted. She risked a glance in the rearview mirror. The bats had fallen behind, but they were not giving up on the pursuit. Their faces twisted from exposure to the Dark, they blocked her entire view.

  "We're almost to the city!" Siarra yelled.

  Tess nodded and gripped the vibrating wheel as the car roared across the landscape toward Calgary. They hit a fence, but the posts lifted out of the ground before impact. The leading bats crashed into the raised fence and tumbled to a ground.

  Tess had pushed the car as fast she dared. She could no longer see the road materializing in front, only the particles of rock as they blossomed into view and collided. The buildings of the city seemed to grow large as they approached, and a moment later they reached the outskirts of Calgary.

  Homes and trees blurred past them as they roared by. Tess tried to avoid the abandoned cars, but there were too many. Her whole frame quivered in fear as she jerked the steering wheel to avoid a bus, but it proved unnecessary.

  The side of the bus crumpled inward, the seats compressing to make room for the car’s passage. Like a balloon pressed from the side, the larger vehicle shrank and then returned to normal as they rocketed away.

  "We're almost there!" Tess shouted.

  Then another shape appeared ahead of them. Skidding out of a side street, a massive form slid to a halt in their path, blocking the route between a pair of downtown skyscrapers. Tess's mouth fell open as she recognized it.

  Standing at over thirty feet in the shoulder, the enormous elephant's bulbous shape had tightened into corded muscle and powerful legs. Its trunk had splintered like the tentacles of a squid. They writhed and twisted, and opened to reveal the jaws of a predator with jagged teeth. Then it extended its trunks and issued a trumpeting challenge, the sound laced with malice. It clawed the concrete, tearing great furrows as it launched itself forward.

  "It was sent to intercept us!" Siarra said.

  With the bats filling their wake and the elephant charging from the front, Tess had nowhere to go. Siarra raised a hand and the road rose up in front of the elephant's leg. The beast shattered through without slowing, and issued its challenge once again. Her fear mounting, Tess jerked the steering wheel a fraction before impact. The elephant tossed its head to the side, its tusk reaching out.

  The magic of the car sought to rebuff the tusk, but the sheer force of the blow overpowered it. The tusk caught the edge of the roof above Siarra. Both women ducked as the roof was sheered off. The contact sent the car into a tumble. Bits of road appeared and disintegrated as the magic tried to keep track of the vehicle's path.

  They bounced and rolled toward a building, but the concrete pillars lifted like a runner jumping a hurtle, and they careened through the interior. Walls, desks, and pipes attempted to jump out of the way, but the car's chaotic path prevented the magic from performing. Sheetrock and wood exploded into dust, and sparks burst from broken power lines. Then they went through an exterior wall and rolled into a neighboring street. They landed upside down, their momentum sending them spinning a hundred yards down the road. Purple sparks issued forth from their combined gravity shield as they finally skidded to a stop.

  Aching and bruised, Tess fell to the scarred concrete and dragged herself from the upside down car. Siarra climbed from the opposite side, equally as bloodied. Tess rose to her feet in time to see the swarm of bats shrieking toward them, and the elephant rounding the corner on the street.

  A surge of anger tightened her gut. The car had been the only tangible present Hawk had given her, and now it lay crushed and smoldering. She turned her magic onto the skyscraper at their side, and one by one shattered the supports adjacent to them. Concrete and glass exploded, and metal began to lean. Without a word Siarra joined her, and together they carved a wedge out of the building like they were taking an ax to a tree.

  As the building began to tilt, Tess turned around and slapped the side of the car, rolling it upright. The crumpled door remained on the ground, so she stepped into the gap and slid into her seat. Siarra joined her. The area darkened from a looming shadow, but this time it was not their enemy. Glass rained down around them as Tess coaxed the engine to life.

  The ground trembled from the approaching elephant, and the air vibrated with the sound of millions of bats. As Tess accelerated aw
ay she saw the enormous building fall into the swarm above them. Bats were crushed as the skyscraper came down in a titanic rending of steel, glass, and concrete. Then they were clear, and Tess threw a look over her shoulder.

  It struck a neighboring tower and folded, compressing the swarm and slaughtering thousands. Then it reached the elephant. As if the creature sensed the impending destruction, it charged after the car. Its feet gouged holes in the road, and it released a bellow of fury just before disappearing from view. Smoke and debris exploded outward, darkening the street as Tess and Siarra sped away.

  Tess slid them to a stop in front of the train terminal and stepped from the smoking vehicle. Siarra joined her and reached to the steering wheel. She ran a finger around the edge, but the motion merely elicited a shudder. The car did not shrink.

  Siarra sighed. "He would have been pleased."

  "That we destroyed his car?"

  Siarra looked to her. "That it saved your life."

  Tess could not refute that, and prepared to Gate back to Auroraq. She paused when she caught sight of her reflection in the window beside her. The reflection revealed a bloodied and dirty girl, but her eyes carried a fierceness that bordered on menacing. She shook herself and looked down at the amulet in her hand. They had the third talisman, and Tess's thoughts turned to Tryton's sword.

  "Iris," she said. "We have the third item. We're going to use it to look for the fourth."

  Then they Gated home.

  Chapter 21: Dead in the Water

  "Tess made it back," Iris said. "They're going to Siarra's refuge to try and identify the last talisman."

  Jack felt a rush of relief. "Inform me if she needs anything." Then he returned his gaze to the front. "Virginia command, French battalion 617, you have a breach. Send in the last of your reserves and then prepare to withdraw. Expect a Halo strike in . . . ninety seconds. Alabama command, German battalion 381, they are bunching on your western flank. Concentrate artillery fire there in thirty seconds."