Ember: The Revelations of Oriceran (The Fairhaven Chronicles Book 3)

by S. M. Boyce

  In effect, she would become the next Luak—only she would not stoop so low as to have a master.

  Fyrn shook his head, doing his best to clear his mind of fear. It slowed him down, and served no real purpose. He had faith in her good nature and her pure heart, even if she did curse like a sailor.

  “We have no choice, Melzzie.” Fyrn hated to speak those words, but in this case they were the truth. Either Victoria enhanced her skills with another Rhazdon Artifact, or Fairhaven and Victoria both would fall to Luak. Fyrn was a powerful wizard, but his magic had limits that fell short of fighting a full army and a bloodthirsty elf with seemingly unlimited resources.

  Only Victoria could save them, and she would pay the cost for her power.

  He sighed, pausing in the middle of the tunnel to lean on his staff. If he had second thoughts, now was the time to stop this madness.

  Now or never.

  “You remember what the Rhazdon Artifact looks like? The onyx bear figurine?” he softly asked the fairy.

  She nodded, but she frowned shortly thereafter.

  Fyrn knew that look. “You doubt my decision.”

  “You know best, sir. It’s just…”

  “Yes?”

  “We’ve been talking, the other fairies and I. King Bornt won’t be happy to hear she’s willingly hunting for a second Rhazdon Artifact. The first one was a mistake, but to actively seek a second one?”

  He sighed, at a loss. “I know, Melzzie. I know. They’re still illegal, after all, and her means of acquiring the first one was unconventional at best. Accidents happen, but deliberately merging with more dark magic could undo the fragile public image Victoria has built here in Fairhaven.”

  The little fairy nodded. “I’m trying to be realistic, sir, and look at this from every angle like you taught me. Even if she saves the city, people will fear her. Some may rally against her, already spooked by the power-mad elf who is trying to take over. Some may think she’s nothing more than an opportunist who will use the chaos to take the throne for herself. Even if she wins the battle, she will likely face more wars on the other side.”

  “Yes, she may.”

  The tiny fairy began to fly in circles around his head, her version of pacing. “Fear means assumptions, and assumptions about powerful people can lead to panic and riots. The people will fear her, even if she saves them.”

  “They might love her.”

  “A Rhazdon host with two artifacts?” The fairy raised one delicate eyebrow in doubt.

  Fyrn shrugged. “It’s possible.”

  “Perhaps, but it’s unlikely.”

  “Our options are to save Fairhaven with dark magic or let it fall to a murderer. Her public image taking a hit is an acceptable risk.”

  “Even if that risk puts her life in danger?”

  He stared at the ground, trying to ignore the sadness tugging at his heart. “I’ll do everything in my power to keep that from happening, but yes. Even then.”

  Melzzie set her hands on her hips as her wings buzzed, suspending her in midair. “Very well, sir. If you’re certain?”

  “I am.”

  “I will need your help then, sir. From what we have discovered, it’s impossible to find. The one you want has been lost for centuries. Is it our only choice?”

  “It’s not lost, it’s hidden. And we have no other option but to find it. It’s the only Rhazdon Artifact of its kind.”

  She snapped her tiny jaw shut and nodded, face set with determination. “Right away, sir.”

  The fairy flitted off the way she had come, no doubt to rally the others. His hundreds of fairies were well worth the cost of keeping them fed and happy, and he was grateful for their loyalty. When others failed, they always came through.

  They would find the bear figurine, and when they did he wouldn’t delay. Victoria wouldn’t refuse his request. In fact, this had been her idea originally.

  That worried him most of all.

  Chapter 2

  Audrey splashed water on her face, savoring the icy chill of the droplets when a few snuck down her neck. They washed away the sweat of a hard day, and she inhaled sharply to fully savor the sensation. The day’s training had left her famished, and she could almost taste the apples in the feed bag by the back door of Bertha’s shop.

  She reached for one of the red fruits, but a thundering voice behind her made her jump. “What do you think you’re doing, child?”

  “Eating an apple,” Audrey said, fingers poised to grab one.

  The ogre crossed the gap between them and smacked her hand. “You ridiculous humans. This fruit isn’t fit for consumption. It’s feed for the cattle! Honestly, you’d think you and Victoria were raised in a barn.”

  “But—”

  “Nonsense,” Bertha said, cutting her off.

  “I just—”

  “I’ll make you some proper food, child. Now go wash up in the restroom and give me space to work.”

  “Fine, you win.” Audrey chuckled and shook her head. She would grab one later when Bertha wasn’t looking. The uniform hatred of apples in Fairhaven made her wonder if any of these people had been brave enough to try the sweet fruits.

  Wild guess: Nope.

  Audrey trotted up the thin stairway that ran up the back wall of the house, tracing the familiar steps she and Victoria had taken every day when they lived here. The floorboards creaked louder than before beneath her feet.

  Still sweaty from her sword training with Bertha, Audrey shut the bathroom door behind herself and rested for a moment. A white clawfoot tub big enough for three humans was set against the far wall beneath the window, and a simple sink with a large mirror above it pressed against the wall to her right. She went to it and leaned her palms on the basin, staring at her reflection while she caught her breath.

  Damn, she was pretty.

  The effects of her time in Atlantis hadn’t worn off. Her skin still shimmered, and her silken hair had naturally soft curls that had never been there before. But more beautiful even than that was the tiara still sitting on her head. The thin silver band curved along her forehead and ended in the shimmering crystal point, prominent and stunning.

  She couldn’t take it off, since the act of removing it would kill her. That, at least, she shared with Victoria. They were marked for life, stuck forever with the dark magic in their blood.

  Calling it “dark magic” is a little harsh, a soft voice said in her ear.

  In the mirror’s reflection, a large blue koi hovered behind her as though it were swimming through the air. Its magnificent fins shimmered and rippled like waves in a pond, and it nudged her shoulder. A cool tingle burst through her at its touch, and she looked over her shoulder.

  At nothing.

  The koi existed only in reflections and Audrey’s mind. Unlike Shiloh, no one could see the water spirit tied to Audrey’s Atlantean Artifact. It was striking how similar the two types of magical artifacts were, and yet so unique from each other at the same time.

  “Sorry, you’re not evil,” Audrey said with a smile to the koi in the mirror.

  The corner of its mouth tilted slightly upward in its own version of a smile. We should practice.

  Right, with the power her tiara gave her, which was shape-shifting. “Right now?”

  Masters become masters because they practice in the little moments. Every pause, every moment to yourself is an opportunity to try again. Every tiny shift matters, and the more you practice, the better you will become. Besides, if not now, when?

  Audrey frowned. It never was a good time, of course, especially when every shift reminded her of Atlantis. Of a home she had lost. Of a people who had loved her, but had tried to kill her dearest friend in the world.

  They are not here, little one. Only I am, and I will never hurt you.

  Audrey smiled in gratitude. “Okay, how do I do this? How do I change shape?”

  Start small, the koi said.

  “Just a few shifts, though. Bertha’s waiting.”

&
nbsp; As you wish, little one.

  As the koi had taught her in the few quiet moments they’d had together so far, Audrey cleared her mind and took one deep, slow breath. She focused on something minor—her hair color. It was time to try something starkly different.

  “Let’s go for blonde,” she said.

  Her roots began to shimmer on cue, and the black faded. Her silky hair turned the color of corn, strand by strand. The shade slowly crept to the tips, and she couldn’t help but smile at her success.

  As her black locks faded to gold, her mind wandered back to Atlantis. She remembered General Cato, now dead, shoving her against a wall and threatening her friends’ lives. She remembered the king’s warm welcome, and his stark shift into the cold and heartless man who had later apathetically admitted to brainwashing her. She remembered target practice in the garden, and the dazzling way Atlantean light glinted off their crystal-clear ponds.

  All at once she realized Atlantis was both a home and a prison.

  Her focus destroyed, the golden color slowly crept back to her roots until it was completely gone. “Damn.”

  Very good. You will soon learn to hold your shifts even when you’re not completely focused. Give it time.

  “Thanks,” Audrey said with a relieved smile.

  One more.

  Audrey’s eyes fell to her chest, and she grinned mischievously. “Time for bigger boobs.”

  The koi chuckled. The melodic sound was distorted a bit, almost like water rushing over pebbles in a brook.

  Biting her lip in concentration, Audrey narrowed her eyes as her breasts began to push against the corset atop her white blouse. Weight pulled at her chest, and she frowned as a twinge of pain shot down her back.

  She blinked herself out of the shift and her breasts returned to their normal size. “Scratch that. Big boobs kill my back. Why are we women supposed to want huge breasts? It just hurts.”

  As you master your shifts, you will discover many afflictions that befall our fellow creatures. You can become an ogre, an elf, a witch…whatever you desire, but you will feel their pain as well.

  “If I morph into a witch, can I use their magic?”

  It is possible, yes. When you shift, you take on the abilities of that race. That is one of the reasons your tiara is so coveted, and one of the reasons you need to fiercely guard it.

  “Well, that, and I’ll die if anyone steals it from me.”

  That, too. The koi smiled again. However, bear in mind that wizardly magic takes decades to master. I would be cautious of how and when you use it. I know you can achieve great things with your new powers, Audrey, but the key is to move slowly and trust yourself. Why, I even saw a past master become a snarx.

  Audrey quirked an eyebrow. “No joke? A snarx? Fun!”

  The koi nodded. She was ferocious and magnificent. None dared oppose her. In the end, her greed destroyed her.

  Oh. Less fun.

  Something the water spirit had said struck a chord deep within Audrey. “Wait, you think I’m your master?”

  You wear the tiara, so you are my master.

  “I don’t know if I’m comfortable with that.”

  The koi chuckled again. You are a sweet soul, Audrey Xavier.

  “Literally no one has ever said that about me. I’m always the asshole in the group.”

  Is that who you want to be?

  Audrey frowned, not entirely sure of the answer. “Let’s save the philosophical shit for another day. In the meantime, there’s an apple with my name on it.”

  Victoria might enjoy one as well.

  A twinge of guilt stopped her in her tracks. “I hadn’t even thought to get her one.”

  The Atlantean gene is hard to ignore.

  It certainly was. The selfish impulses sometimes drowned all other thoughts. She might have stifled the Atlantean voice in her head when she’d had her epiphany back in Atlantis, but it hadn’t died.

  The repressed voice seemed to still call the shots in subtle ways, like not holding the door for people, always getting herself food first, or not sharing when she grabbed a snack from the kitchen. These were small and silent changes, but noticeable nonetheless.

  But Victoria was an honorary Atlantean. Family. And to an Atlantean, family came first. She wasn’t sure she would ever tell her parents about their heritage. Hell, they probably wouldn’t believe her. Legally she wasn’t allowed to tell them at all, so maybe it was for the best. She didn’t want to drag them into something they didn’t want to be a part of.

  Despite the many assholes who lived in her long-lost magical city, Audrey missed Atlantis. Its beauty, its food…even the dresses. Everything there had shimmered. She had given up the throne to return with Victoria, and if they hadn’t tried to kill her best friend, Audrey might have even gone back to visit.

  Screw Atlantis. Screw the king. Screw General Cato—though since he had wanted to marry her in a bid to get the kingdom for himself, screwing the general might very well have been in her future had she not escaped. She grimaced. He wasn’t exactly her type.

  Besides, she had her crystals. She had her tiara. Audrey finally had power, real power she could use to defend those she loved.

  With a sigh Audrey flipped on the faucet, and water magically sprang from the tap. She didn’t understand Fairhaven plumbing, but in the end it didn’t matter. She just wanted water, not a logistics lesson.

  Her mind still wandered. Victoria had believed in her when everyone else had assumed she would go rogue and lose herself to Atlantis. Therefore, Audrey would do everything in her power to prove her friend right.

  Chapter 3

  “Keep your elbows in, damn it!”

  Victoria huffed as she dodged one of Fyrn’s famous combos. They were deep in one of the dozens of training caves they had begun to use. For safety, they never went to the same one twice in a two-month span, and always randomized their choices.

  Three blasts of purple light sailed toward her, the last in a staggering twelve-shot combo he had aimed at her head. So far she had dodged them all, but the final few were always the hardest. Besides, when she did manage to dodge all the attacks in a combo, he just shot more at her.

  Styx flitted overhead, the pixie cheering each time she avoided a blow from her mentor. He kept safely out of reach, a lesson he had learned last week after a scorched wing and much melodramatic sobbing.

  After the last bolt passed Victoria wiped the sweat from her brow and tensed, not allowing herself to relish the victory of dodging all of Fyrn’s attacks. Any time she did, he shot one at her face.

  Those hurt.

  She readied herself for the next attack, but it didn’t come.

  Fyrn paused by the entrance to the dark cave, which was lit only by the dozens of floating flames he had cast around its edges. In the flickering shadows Victoria couldn’t make out what he was doing. It looked like he was just staring at the wall.

  “I see. Thank you,” he eventually said. With that, a small shadow darted away from his head and back into the dark tunnel.

  Ah. One of his fairy spies had come to pay him a visit.

  “That’s all for today,” the old wizard said.

  “What? We’ve only been going for a few hours. You never call it quits this early.”

  “Something requires my attention. I must do some research. Take the rest of the evening off, but remember—no Berserk. No public appearances.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” She kicked the cave floor, disappointed. Fairhaven was home to her favorite game in the world, and she couldn’t even play it without the looming risk of death.

  It seemed “looming risk of death” was part of her job description now.

  “Victoria, you will arrive at my cottage tomorrow at sunrise through the secret passage in my office. We will have much to discuss.” With that, the old wizard shuffled into the dark tunnel, the receding clicks of his staff on the rocky ground the only indication of which direction he had taken.

  Victoria hesitated in the cave
. A day off, and all because Fyrn had to do some vague research about something he wouldn’t discuss. With Luak overtaking the city bit by bit and the increasing reports of death and murder in her beloved city, Fyrn had ordered longer training sessions and harder workouts. And suddenly he had research to do?

  “What the hell just happened?” she asked herself.

  Styx landed on her shoulder and shrugged, muttering something in his own language. He was apparently as befuddled as her.

  Victoria summoned her sword and stabbed one of the hovering flames as Fyrn had taught her not long ago. The charmed fire clung to her blade, and she brandished the duo like a torch. The fire cast dancing shadows on the cave walls as she retraced her steps toward home.

  Without warning, the hair on her neck stood on end. The sensation of being watched set her nerves on fire, and she paused to strain her ears. Nothing but the drip of water could be heard, but she remained still. It would only take one clue to indicate what had joined her: a breath, a scuffle, or maybe a claw scraping along the rock.

  But no clues came. Only silence.

  Even though she had spent a considerable amount of time down here, there were still deadly—and very hungry—creatures in these caves.

  While they might not faze Fyrn, she didn’t want to run into any of them.

  Alert, nervous, and ready to fight, Victoria headed homeward.

  ***

  When Victoria reached their hideaway, she made sure to double-check the lock after the door closed behind her. Whatever had been watching her had stuck with her until the Main Street tunnels, where she had lost it in the labyrinth.

  Even though it hadn’t followed her all the way back, she didn’t like the idea of someone—or something—knowing where she lived.

  She trotted up the stairs to the kitchen, eager for a bite to eat, and found Audrey at the table. As Victoria approached, Audrey fanned out a deck of cards and cooled herself with it. “Fancy a game of Mittle?”