by Linsey Hall
“Whoa,” Aerdeca whispered. “Keep going. The purple is almost gone.”
She was right. I could feel the magic fading. The bricks of the museum were almost beige again. The air went deathly quiet as the portal finally faded. My heaving breath was the only thing in my head. I lowered my arms.
Aidan and the Amplifiers did the same.
The lightness of joy welled in my chest. We’d succeeded.
A thunderous boom cracked through the air, followed by a flash of purple. An enormous gust of power bowled me over.
Pain exploded in my entire body, tearing my muscles apart.
Then everything went black.
Golden light flared behind my eyelids.
The desert. Blazing hot light pounded down, but there was no sun. Magic vibrated in the air. The Monster, and something else.
I cringed, my stomach twisting with fear. I was back at the waypoint. The purple explosion of the portal flashed in my mind.
Had I been sucked in? Or was this a vision? It certainly wasn’t like my dreams of my childhood.
I blinked and tried to push myself up, but I couldn’t move. The hot sand sucked me down. My heart pounded. My panic tasted metallic. Was I paralyzed? I thrashed my head, trying to see if anything was coming for me. Trying to find an escape.
A flash of green caught my eye. I stared, squinting. An oasis. With a glittering blue pool in the middle. There was a hint of purple light in the middle of the water, and magic surged from it, rolling over me.
The pool was the source of the other magical signature—the one that wasn’t the Monster—but it was strange.
I tried to focus on it, squinting to make out the purple light, but the glittering blue water kept distracting me. My brain felt so fuzzy that it was hard to concentrate.
It hit me a second later.
A Pool of Enchantment.
Of course. That was why we—
“Wake up!” A shriek tugged me from the desert.
I bolted upright, throwing off the hand that shook my shoulder.
“What? Where am I?”
“The museum, idiot! Now come help!” Aerdeca yelled. Her blue eyes were wild. Her power surged, egged on by her panic. She surged to her feet and darted off through the cars.
I scrambled up, panting. I wasn’t paralyzed. I hadn’t actually gone to the waypoint.
But the museum had.
“Oh shit,” I breathed.
The east wing of the museum was gone. Or at least, mostly gone. I could catch the barest glimmer of the brick and windows, like a shadow. The rest of the building glowed a violent purple.
The portal had expanded. Big time.
Not only had we failed to get rid of it, we’d made it worse.
My gaze darted over the front lawn. Though it was a windless day, leaves skittered across the grass, drawn to the portal. A huge oak creaked as it bent toward the museum. Figures were scattered on the ground, frozen. The purple glow of the portal extended out over the grass like a dome.
Aidan!
I sprinted through the cars toward his prone figure. He was half in/half out of the portal’s glow. Aerdeca was trying to push her way through the purple to reach Mordaca, whose body was fully encased in the expanded portal, her skin and clothes glowing eerily purple.
“Aidan!” I fell to my knees beside him. His eyes were closed, but his chest moved. “Wake up!”
I tugged at his shoulders, trying to drag him out of the portal, but he was too heavy. The portal must be pulling on him, because normally I’d at least be able to awkwardly tug his two-hundred-plus pounds.
I smacked him right across the cheek. “Wake up!”
He jerked, his eyes widening.
“What the hell?” He bolted upright and stared at his legs, encapsulated in the purple glow.
He tugged, then grunted. “Shit.”
“You can’t get out?”
Aerdeca’s curses and magic flared from nearby as she tried to reach her sister. The other investigators and Amplifiers were all frozen solid within the portal.
“No.” Aidan heaved himself along the ground, but he barely budged. “Move back.”
His tone was so authoritative that I scrambled back without question.
Silver gray light swirled around him, and the evergreen scent of his magic swelled. He disappeared in the light, and an enormous golden blur burst forth, launching itself into the sky.
I tilted my head back. An enormous griffin soared above, its golden coat and powerful wings glinting in the sunlight. A grin spread across my face, and I jumped to my feet.
The griffin spun on the breeze and descended, landing with a thud that shook the ground.
“Not bad,” I said, meeting its dark gaze. I couldn’t help the shiver that raced across my shoulders at the sight of the beak that looked like it could crush cows. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me, but he was still damned scary in this form.
Silver gray light flashed, and Aidan stood before me again, dressed in his same clothes, a talent I still admired. When I shifted, I ended up mostly naked on the return change. I’d managed to keep a single boot, my granny panties—it’d been laundry day—and my t-shirt last time, so I still needed more practice, but at least I was improving.
Aidan shook his head as if to clear it.
Aerdeca ran up, her gaze wild. Her immaculate suit was now streaked with grass stains from where she’d tried to crawl into the portal to reach her sister.
“How’d you get out?” she demanded.
“My griffin’s strength. And because I was only half-captured.” He glanced at Mordaca. “I can’t help her. Not in the same way.”
“Damn it!” Aerdeca hissed. “What is this? How do I get through it?”
“You can’t,” I said. “The portal is blocked from entry.”
“It appears to be expanding just fine.” Her tone was bitter.
My vision.
“I think there’s a Pool of Enchantment fueling the portal charm,” I said. “When I was knocked out, I had a vision. I think.”
“You’re not a seer,” Aerdeca said.
“I know. But the portal is weird. And I’ve been through it before.” In both the recent and distant past. “Maybe that helped. The portal leads to a waypoint. When you’re there, you see all different worlds at once. I got a glimpse inside when it expanded.”
“Or it’s a fantasy you made up while passed out,” she said.
“Or that.” It was totally possible. “I may have invented all of this and not even realized it. But it’s all I’ve got.”
“What you’re saying makes sense, though,” Aidan said. “We put a lot of power into stripping the portal’s magic. We almost succeeded, but it rebounded. It would need a lot of power to do that.”
“Then we can’t destroy the portal,” I said.
“Not unless we go in. And we have some way of disenchanting the pool. We have to unhook the battery that’s fueling the portal spell.”
“So if we take the Spell Stripper into the portal, we can use it against the pond,” I said.
“It’s not nearly powerful enough. And it’s there.” Aidan pointed to the lawn. The Spell Stripper lay ten yards away, fully within the portal. No way to get to it, and apparently it didn’t matter.
“Shit.” I turned to Aerdeca. She was from Darklane and would have contacts even the Order of the Magica didn’t. “Is there anyone in Darklane who might have a more powerful one?”
“I don’t think so. They’re too rare. And I’m not even sure a Spell Stripper would be strong enough. You need a Nullifier.”
“Nullifier?”
“Someone with the power to undo magic.”
I’d heard of Nullifiers before, but they were even rarer than FireSouls. “I have no idea where to find one.”
“I might,” Aerdeca said.
“How? Even the Order of the Magica couldn’t find a Nullifier. They’d have used one if they could.”
“The Order doesn’t mix with Darklane. They
don’t know the things we do. Had Mordaca and I realized the power of the portal, we’d have suggested it. But they never asked. They think they side with righteousness, but their stubbornness just keeps them in the dark.”
True. But wasn’t that often the case?
“Go see Aethelred the Shade in Darklane. He’s three doors down from the Apothecary’s Jungle. In the blue building. Tell him I sent you. He may be able to point you in the right direction.”
“Do you know anything about the Nullifier?” If I could learn just a little about him, it might be enough for my dragon sense to catch on. I could cut out Aethelred and find the Nullifier myself.
“I don’t. Just that Aethelred once knew one. Or so he said. Over a glass of rum. So it might all be false.”
Of course. “So basically everything we are going on might be false.”
“But its all we have,” Aidan said. “And all the representatives of the Order of the Magica are currently frozen in the portal, so it’s just us now.”
I liked Aidan’s practicality. “What will you do?” I asked Aerdeca.
“Stay with Mordaca and try to get her out somehow.”
I glanced at Mordaca’s frozen form. Good luck. Hopefully she wasn’t conscious.
“How long do you think we have?” I asked Aidan.
“No telling. But we should go now.”
I looked at Aerdeca. “Call the Order of the Magica. Tell them what happened and what Aidan is going to try to do. See if they can help. But don’t tell them I’m with him.”
Part of me wanted them to know so I’d get the credit, just in case they figured out what I was and wanted to toss me in the Prison for Magical Miscreants. A history of saving Magic’s Bend could only work in my favor. But a bigger part of me didn’t want to appear on the Order’s radar. If we actually succeeded in saving Magic’s Bend, maybe I’d step forward. Get on their good side.
She nodded. “Fine. Give me your phone. I’ll put my number in it. Call me when you know something.”
I handed my phone over and waited, then Aidan and I hurried to his car in the library parking lot. I’d have to leave my car Cecilia and hope she didn’t get sucked in.
As we were crossing the street, I touched the comms charm at my neck. “Nix? You get out of Magic’s Bend?”
“Yes. We’re in Portland at a human hotel.”
“How’s Dr. Garriso?”
“Fine.”
“Good. Tell Del to rest up. We might need her to transport us through the portal again.” I climbed into the passenger seat of Aidan’s SUV.
“Will do. Can we help in any way?”
“Yeah, but not yet. We’re hunting down a solution. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Good luck.”
I turned off the charm and faced Aidan. His gaze was intent on the road as he sped through the nearly empty streets of Magic’s Bend, weaving around cars loaded down with the belongings of fleeing citizens.
The worry I’d felt when I’d seen him trapped by the portal surged, like it’d been waiting for the first quiet moment to strike. I clenched my fists and swallowed hard, totally unused to this depth of feeling for someone other than my deirfiúr.
Unable to help myself, I reached out and laid my hand on his thigh.
He glanced at me. “You okay?”
“Yeah, great,” I said, trying to turn the moment more casual. “This was actually how I’d been hoping to spend today.”
He grinned. “My life is definitely more exciting with you in it.”
“In the way surviving a train crash is exciting.”
He squeezed my hand and turned onto Darklane. Ramshackle buildings rose three stories tall on either side of the street, their grimy facades glowering at us. The architecture was old, primarily Victorian, with intricate details and mullioned windows. Hints of bright paint showed through the grime here and there, but it did nothing to cheer the place up. Even the sun seemed blocked out. Darklane was Oliver Twistian in a haunted sort of way.
“Busier here,” I said. There were more people in the streets, some still packing, others just observing. “Don’t they know they’re risking their lives?”
“Probably. But they’re stubborn and don’t trust authority.”
“Apparently.”
We passed the Apothecary’s Jungle, its once purple facade somehow distinct among the rest of the grimy buildings. The brass lion door-knocker watched us drive past.
“There.” I pointed to a building that had probably once been blue. It was three doors down, though, so it should be the place.
Aidan pulled the car over and I hopped out, then raced up the narrow steps to the wooden door. I banged the falcon door-knocker, warily watching its eyes. Aidan joined me on the stoop.
“It can see us,” I whispered.
“And hear you,” said a voice from the other side of the door. “Who’s there?”
“Cass Clereaux and Aidan Merrick. Aerdeca sent us. We need your help.”
“Never heard of a Cass Clereaux,” the crotchety old voice said. “But Aidan Merrick, I’ve heard of. Imagine he’d pay well for assistance.”
I glanced up at Aidan.
“I would,” Aidan said.
The door swung open. A wizened figure dressed in a blue velour tracksuit eyed Aidan. A white beard reached nearly to his belt, and his eyes sparked with intelligence. He looked like Gandalf on his way to a senior aerobics class.
The sharp gaze dropped to me, then widened. “You.”
“Me?”
The man shook his head, then stepped back. “Come in.”
We followed him into the dark little foyer.
“What about me?” I asked.
“Come, come.” He shuffled into a dark living room. Shades were drawn, casting faint light on the books and trinkets that spilled from the shelves lining every wall. Dust motes danced in the light, and a fire burned in the small iron hearth.
“What about me?” I repeated.
He turned, his gaze falling to the locket about my neck.
“Now is not the time,” he said.
Frustration beat its fists against my chest. “Do you know about me?”
“I’m not sure. But now is not the time. You are here for help, and it’s not about you or your past.” He sat in a ratty armchair and gestured to the couch.
I hadn’t mentioned my past, but him mentioning it got me thinking. I lowered myself onto the dusty fabric. “What I’m here about may be linked to my past.”
He squinted at my locket. “It may be, yes.”
“Sir, do you mind if we inquire as to your powers?” Aidan asked.
Points for politeness with the old dude. I just wanted to shake him until info fell out.
“Seer,” Aethelred said. “Among other things.”
“Is that why you aren’t leaving Darklane?” I asked. “Will we succeed in saving the museum?”
His eyes sparked. “I’m not a fortune teller!”
“Sorry.”
“Good. But no, I do not know if you will succeed in saving the museum. Though I did know that I was supposed to wait here to assist whoever was trying. When we are done, I will depart.” His gaze swept sadly over the room. “I do hope you succeed.”
“So you know what we’re looking for?” I asked.
“I do not. So you’d best tell me. And quickly.”
“A Nullifier. We need his help to disenchant something.”
“Hmm… When I was young, I had a friend who was a Nullifier. He has been in hiding for centuries.”
For centuries?
“They are hunted, you know,” Aethelred said. “For their immortality.”
“Immortality?” I was hearing that word a lot lately.
“Their power nullifies all magic. Even death. Trauma can kill him, but not time. He has been afraid someone will try to steal his power and immortality by murdering him.”
“Fair enough,” I said. Apparently there were folks out there who had it worse than FireSouls.
/> “What do you need one for? Not to kill him for his immortality, I presume?” Aethelred asked.
“Of course not.” Immortality would be awful.
His gaze hardened. “Convince me. I won’t send an assassin after my friend.”
“I do not want his power,” I said. Living forever would suck. Who wanted to watch all their friends and family die? “We need his help with a Pool of Enchantment.”
I explained the waypoint and my vision, finishing by saying, “At least, I think it was a vision. I don’t even know if it’s true or if we’re on the right path.”
Aethelred glanced at my locket, then lifted a hand as if to touch it. “May I?”
I nodded.
His fingertip touched the small golden charm, and he closed his eyes.
“Your vision is accurate. This links you to your past, and the waypoint is from your past. The locket helped you have your vision.” He removed his hand.
“Huh.” I wasn’t sure if I was happy or scared. I knew more about my past, but I didn’t like what I’d discovered.
“Eloquent.”
“It’s a gift,” I said. “Is there anything else you can tell me?”
His gaze turned solemn. “You are at a crossroads that few must face. One direction will call strongly, but you must resist. For your own good, and that of others. Your fears about yourself are valid because you face great darkness. But there is more than enough light within you to vanquish the dark, if you embrace it.”
I tried to keep my breathing steady as I listened. None of this surprised me, but that didn’t mean I had to like it. Having someone else confirm my fears was bad enough. That he thought I could fall to the darkness…
That was terrifying. I believed I was making progress—that I was more like my deirfiúr than like the Monster. But hearing my fears spoken aloud, by a seer no less, made it hard to remember the strides I’d made.
Did Aethelred know what I was?
“Is that all?” I asked.
“For now. Save Magic’s Bend and my home, then we will talk. One is more time sensitive than the other.”
“Fair enough. How do we find the Nullifier?”
“Outside of the village of Gimmelwald in the Swiss Alps.”
