by S. M. Boyce
Victoria jumped, heart skipping a beat when the ghost tied to her Rhazdon Artifact appeared. He lounged against a boulder, examining his nails in the same bored fashion as always.
“Some company?” she asked.
He nodded. “Get another Rhazdon Artifact ghost for me.”
“Wouldn’t you just find it boring?”
“Probably, but it’s worth a try. Do it, and I might hate you less.”
She frowned. “That’s a terrible reason to fuse with another Artifact.”
“Suit yourself.” Shiloh shrugged, and as fast as he had appeared, he disappeared again.
Sometimes she hated that ghost. True, he didn’t have a choice about being forever tied to the dagger in her arm, but he didn’t have to make her miserable. Lately he had taken to hiding wherever it was ghosts hung out, and she had rather enjoyed the peace. Sometimes she even forgot he existed.
Happy times.
Elbow resting on her knee, Victoria stared at beautiful Fairhaven below her as her mind wandered. The city had become her refuge, the safe space she called home. Luak had threatened them in an effort to take control of the city and she had stopped him, thanks to the power of her Rhazdon Artifact. It, and it alone, had given her the ability to kill the snarx. She couldn't have done that without magic, and she couldn't deny that the dark magic had become a part of her. Being a Rhazdon host was a life sentence, since removing the artifact would kill her. She would never again be without it, so there was no point in hating what she was.
But to add another? That would be pushing her luck.
She sighed, rubbing her eyes as she forced herself to face the bitter truth. Dark magic was dangerous, and she was treading a thin line between greed and having enough power to get justice and do what was right.
If she listened to her heart, she would always make the right choice. And right now it told her to wait.
Victoria would do whatever it took to take care of her city, her friends, and the magical world that had quickly captured her imagination. She adored Fairhaven, and if it meant destroying herself to save it, that’s what she would do.
Until then, she would wait.
Chapter 2
As the overhead crystals in the Fairhaven cavern began to dim, signaling the end of another day, Audrey leaned her elbows on the windowsill and watched the street for Victoria.
The townspeople of Fairhaven had reacted quite surprisingly to Victoria being a Rhazdon host. Half of them seemed to adore her, even thanking her in the street, while the other half kept their distance and watched her suspiciously.
But they had all ignored Audrey.
It wasn't fair. Audrey had fought the snarx too. She had helped drag its head back to town. She had stood on the balcony when Luak threatened Victoria, sword at the ready in case shit went down.
At every step of the way, Audrey had put her life on the line to keep Victoria alive, but no one here cared. As usual, they fawned over Victoria while Audrey stood in her friend's shadow.
She blew a raspberry, forehead pressed against the windowpane.
Around a bend in the street, a mop of braided strawberry blonde hair appeared in the crowd. Victoria. She had several elves in tow, their gorgeous and ornate gowns trailing on the cobblestone street. They fawned over her, laughing at something she said as she wildly gestured with her hands. They had likely asked about her training or her magical exploits, eager to hear stories from a Rhazdon host who was for some reason not actively trying to kill them.
A heroic Rhazdon host was like a horse walking into a supermarket: no one knew quite what to make of it, but everyone wanted a closer look.
Fuck! What Audrey wouldn’t give to walk a day in Victoria’s shoes. To be adored, respected. Hell, she would settle for being noticed.
A pang of guilt shot through Audrey like lightning, and she left her post at the window to pace the room with her hands in her pockets. Part of her wished she could stuff these emotions down deep and pretend they didn't exist…but they did. Resentment and envy burned deep within her soul, and they grew stronger every day as she tried to ignore them.
Curious about what was keeping Victoria, Audrey peeked through the window again to find her friend surrounded by even more people in the middle of the street. Elves and ogres alike mobbed her, hanging on her every word.
Before she could help herself, Audrey scoffed in disgust. The moment the sound escaped her lips, she blushed and clamped a hand over her mouth.
She had to get her jealousy under control.
For now, a walk sounded like a great way to cool off. She trotted down the stairs and out the back door to avoid Victoria and her fans, not quite in the mood to deal with crowds or be reminded of her envy.
The thin alley between their house—well, Victoria’s house—and the next was paved with smooth stones that reminded Audrey of river rocks. Her boots clacked over them as she retreated from the home she shared with her best friend and headed into one of the city’s dozens of markets. Maybe she could distract herself by window shopping. Even though she didn't really enjoy browsing, she could use the occasion to discover a new section of Fairhaven. She already knew Bertha's street and the entire route to Fyrn's house by heart, but there were plenty of markets closer to the palace that she hadn't yet wandered through.
With each step, the massive white palace in the center of town neared. She loved looking at the towering spires, especially the centermost one that climbed almost all the way to the largest of the magnificent glowing green crystals overhead.
As her feet carried her into the tourist district, she scanned the shops to learn more about this section of the city. The ogres had thinned out and there were only elves everywhere, both behind the cash registers and browsing the aisles. In this district, there didn’t seem to be a single non-elfish creature. This shopping area wasn't as busy as Main Street, but plenty of people surrounded her. Most, however, gave her space. After all, she was a human in their midst. Dozens of almond-shaped eyes watched her from delicate faces with pointy ears, and many leaned to their neighbors to murmur as she passed.
Hmm. Perhaps she didn’t want to be noticed after all.
A curve in the road led to a large open-air marketplace, tables having been set up on both sides of the thoroughfare. White cloth covered the shopkeepers and their wares, and the tables displayed everything from folded suits to umbrellas and knickknacks. Audrey’s eyes began to ache from moving constantly as she scanned every table, relishing the distraction.
Something glittering on a nearby stand caught her attention. The table was covered with carved crystals. She recognized a few of the statues—a cat and a small mouse—but many were mighty animals she hadn’t seen before, immortalized in formidable poses with raised claws and bared fangs.
Beside the crystal figurines were four statues carved from some kind of white stone: a koi, a butterfly, a dolphin, and a dragon. Their eyes glimmered like tiny suns, full of fire. A ping in her chest urged her to pick them up and buy them all, whatever the cost.
For no logical reason, her instinct said these were special.
Audrey picked up the koi, and her fingers crackled with electricity when the cold stone met her skin. The figurine glowed as brilliantly as the center of a star. She jerked her hand back in surprise, dropping the small statue back onto the table, and the light show caught the clerk’s attention.
The elf jogged over, his long black hair frizzy. “What did you do?”
“I don’t know,” Audrey said softly, mystified.
“You break it, you buy it. These aren’t cheap, kid.”
“What are they?”
He grinned, flashing a mischievous smile that reminded Audrey of a used car salesman’s. “These are ancient relics from lost civilizations. You name the kingdom, and I guarantee I have something from it you can buy. But be warned—no one knows what magic each of these contains!”
She rolled her eyes. Laying it on pretty thick there, aren’t you, buddy?
�
�Where are these from?” She pointed to the alabaster figurines.
“Ah, I’m not allowed to say.” He winked.
She quirked an eyebrow, waiting in silence for him to get on with his sales pitch.
The shopkeeper picked up the koi, and Audrey suppressed the desire to pluck it from his hands. “The man who sold me these said I was never to tell anyone where I got them, but I will tell you, my dear, because I can see that you’re special. They’re from the one and only Atlantis.”
Audrey frowned, astounded at his blatant showmanship. “Atlantis?”
“I can tell you don’t believe me, but I assure you it’s true.”
“Uh-huh.” Perhaps that was her cue to leave. This guy was obviously trying to pull the wool over her eyes, but she couldn’t deny what she had seen. Carefully Audrey reached for the butterfly, curious to see what would happen if she touched a different figurine. As before, energy crackled through her body and the stone glowed.
Wait. Hold on.
She frowned, stepping away from the booth as a thought occurred to her. This was a parlor trick. He must have enchanted them somehow to encourage fools to buy his wares. Without another word she disappeared back into the crowd, but the haunting tug continued to pull her toward the white stone trinkets.
They’re special. She knew it with every fiber of her being even if she had no idea why or how.
Careful to stay out of sight, she ducked into an alley where she could watch the booth. As she stared at the trinkets, a jealous twinge told her to go buy them now, before anyone else had the chance. Body tense, she leaned against the wall and forced herself to wait.
An elvish woman in a brilliant purple gown paused by the stall, eyes on the figurines. The woman lifted the koi figurine, her dainty fingers exploring the statue’s curves. Audrey bristled, suppressing the utterly irrational impulse to run over and buy the white stone carvings out from under her.
But nothing happened. The stone didn’t glow. In fact, the brilliant fire to the crystal eyes faded almost completely.
Audrey perked up, curious about her discovery. The figurines had reacted to her.
Only to her.
To test her theory, she waited while four more elvish women and a rare ogre handled the figurines. Everyone seemed drawn to their elegance and beauty, but no one could make them glow like she had.
Sold.
Audrey returned to the booth and gestured to the figurines. “What are you asking for these?”
“Fifteen each. But for you, I can go as low as ten.”
“Thirty for all four.”
His eyebrows shot nearly into his hairline. “I would be taking a loss! I have a family to feed, and—”
“I think we both know that’s not true.”
He smirked, his offended expression dissolving in an instant. “Clever girl. Fine. You have yourself a deal.”
Audrey nodded, setting her hands on her hips as he wrapped each of them in paper for her. She could feel that these were magical. Part of her worried that they reacted only to humans, but she doubted it. There was magic in these figurines, and she would learn everything she could about them.
Deep down, she hoped this confirmed what she had desperately wished for: that, like Victoria, Audrey had her own brand of magic. Perhaps one only she could use.
Chapter 3
Sitting in his office, Fyrn pushed aside yet another envelope with the United States government seal across the back. He had received a dozen of these in the last few months, all with the same request: Come to Washington.
The Order of the Silver Griffins might have excommunicated him for the snafu that gave Victoria's parents the means to blackmail him, but the human governments still reached out to him regularly. They didn't care if he didn't have a shiny badge anymore. As long as he could do for them what they needed done and took care of the magical creatures that threatened their cities, they called on him and paid him well for it. In fact, they had bankrolled several of his private projects without even knowing it. Their money kept him afloat.
But Fyrn had a more important project now: Victoria.
He couldn't deny the truth. Victoria would be massacred in a fight with Luak if she didn’t get stronger. She could now produce and wield either the shield or the sword, but not both at the same time. If she were to succeed in a real fight—especially against someone as experienced as Luak—she would need both, as well as her magical ability to heal the blows she inevitably would take.
No matter how hard she trained or for how long, human bodies had limitations below what was required to master this particular Rhazdon Artifact. She was pushing her physical limits already.
She wouldn’t be able to do it... not without help.
Fyrn had mastered more spells during his early schooling than most wizards mastered in their entire lives, but even he didn’t know of any spells that could give Victoria as much strength she would need. He had spent days poring over the hundreds and hundreds of books in his collection. He had even inquired of some of his wizard contacts who still spoke to him, and though he never told them the full story, no one had an answer.
This Rhazdon Artifact had been made for an Oriceran being, something she wasn’t and never could be. No spell could help her, and Fyrn was out of ideas.
Well, that wasn't entirely true. He had one idea—one Victoria herself had given him.
Find another Rhazdon Artifact.
He pushed himself to his feet and paced his study in an endless circle. What a horrible idea. He shouldn't even be considering giving her another Rhazdon Artifact, much less thinking about which one she should look for. It was a terrible idea, one he could never condone.
... and yet here he was.
Rhazdon Artifact, or failure. Those appeared to be her only options.
“Videtur,” he said to the air.
Quick as a whip, one of his fairy spies appeared in the doorway. She was never far from him, and their magic word allowed him to summon her regardless of where she was. The beautiful fairy’s red hair spiraled around her tiny face, nearly as long as her body. With her blue eyes focused on him, she wrung her hands with concern. “Yes, sir? Are you all right?”
“I am. I need you to find a particular Rhazdon Artifact.”
She gasped, tiny hands covering her red lips. Her surprise lasted only a second, however, and she quickly nodded. “After everything you’ve done for us, we’ll do anything for you, sir. You know that.”
Fyrn nodded. “I do. It’s an onyx bear figurine. Look everywhere.”
“It will take me quite a while, sir. I’ll have to make new contacts.”
“Do what you must, but find out where it is. Don’t retrieve it yourself, do you understand?”
She nodded. “Will it kill me if I try?”
“Most likely. Don’t get hurt, little one.”
“Yes, sir.” Her gossamer wings beat the air and turned her toward the door.
“And Melzzie?”
She paused, hovering in the air as she peered over her tiny shoulder.
“Thank you,” Fyrn said.
A thin smile crossed her lips. She nodded and whizzed off on her errand as quickly as she had come. His fairies had their own access doors to the house, which let them in and out even when he wasn’t home. After all they had done for him through the decades, he knew they and they alone could be trusted with that sort of access.
He slumped in his chair, rubbing his temples as he stared at the mess of parchments on his desk. He had kept so much from her about Luak, about all the other people the monster had killed. But it was time. This would be one of her final tests: did she have a good heart, or would she be consumed by bloodlust?
In his soul, Fyrn knew she had the capacity for greatness. Not just because she was headstrong and determined, but because she was kind. She’d shown compassion when most hosts would have surrendered to greed.
But would it last?
Chapter 4
A week after she had found the alabast
er figurines, Audrey lay in her bed with the door closed. On any other day Audrey would have been in the basement playing with her new gym, working out on the punching bag or practicing her sword techniques in the mirrored arena, but today she was curled up in her blanket with her chin on her pillow as she lifted a glowing white prism in her hands.
It was the latest of her finds, and by far her favorite. Though it hadn’t been carved into a fun shape, it glowed brighter than the others when she held it. This one had more power, though she didn’t understand how she knew that. Palm flat, joyful anticipation swirling in her chest, Audrey watched in awe as the crystal hovered above her skin, beautiful and glowing, filled with a magic she didn't understand.
But she wanted to.
The other four figurines she had bought from the shopkeeper sat in the bedside table drawer beside her. Each had its own cushion, a place of prominence. She didn’t know why, but her instinct warned her to treat them with respect. They were special. Powerful.
They were hers.
True, she had used Victoria's money to buy them, but at least she had haggled. It wasn’t like she had a job anyway. Victoria had said her money was Audrey's, but it still felt very much like Victoria's. In a way, buying anything for herself felt like stealing from her friend, even though Victoria had insisted Audrey quit working at Bertha’s and just enjoy herself.
And yet, every denni she spent generated a twinge of guilt.
Still in her pajamas at two in the afternoon, Audrey pushed the thought aside and stood, the crystal hovering above her palm. It was time for an experiment, one she didn't fully want to run because she wasn't sure if she would like what she discovered.
Time to see if these crystals only responded to her, or to any human.
She hurried down the stairs and placed her beautiful prism in the middle of the kitchen table. She hesitated, unwilling at first to let it go, but she finally forced herself to set it down. She had to know if she was special.
An irrational voice in her head told her to grab it, to hoard it, to make sure no one took it from her, but she swallowed hard and turned her back on the stone.
