Virgo: The Revelations of Oriceran (Soul Stone Mage Book 7)

by Sarah Noffke

  The woman looked up at Azure and blinked several times, like trying to orient herself. “I am,” she said in a soft voice.

  “But how?” Azure asked Oak. “How did you transform her? You didn’t use magic.”

  Oak clasped his hands behind his back, tipping forward on his toes and then back again. “Oh, no. I’ve searched for that spell and have been unable to find it; that witch, she was quite skillful, but it cost her greatly.”

  “She’s dead?” Azure asked, not able to take her eyes off the woman who was once a dragon.

  “I’m afraid the dragons were unable to look the other way when she changed me without my consent,” Oak said, also casting his eyes on the woman. “You see, I was in love, but not with the young witch. I was in love with one of my own—the very woman you see before you now.”

  “Oh! You and Micky were in love,” Azure said, a chill running through her core.

  “Yes. And you ask how I was able to transform Micky into a woman.” The wizard held up the velvet box. “True love has great powers. It can change everything. What this box held, I could have used to secure almost anything I wanted.”

  “And you used it to make me into a woman,” Micky said, a thoughtful reverence in her eyes as she stared at Oak.

  “Being with you is what I want most, but you already knew that.” He offered her his arm, and she took it at once, sewing herself to his side.

  Azure thought she should turn away and give the pair privacy. She brushed her hand over her face, trying to avoid looking at the lovers, who were gazing sweetly at each other.

  “The dragons will know what to do,” Oak said, demanding her attention. “All you must do is tell them when you’d like to leave and where you’d like to go. I’ve enchanted the carriage to operate in my absence.”

  “So you’re really leaving?” she asked.

  “I thought I could wait, but once I had the essence of true love, I found it difficult,” Oak admitted.

  “And there is not much else we can do for you now,” Micky said, her voice so familiar to Azure, as she’d heard it time and again in her head.

  “Yes, what happens now is solely in your hands, Queen Azure,” Oak stated. “But the dragons will be here to take you home, should you be successful.”

  “And you’re returning home?” she asked, marveling at the couple before her.

  Oak pulled his gnarly wand from his robe pocket. “We will return briefly. A reunion, of sorts. And then I daresay we will desire our time alone.”

  Azure didn’t hide the embarrassed smile that sprang to her mouth. “Well, thank you for… well, everything. For protecting us. For guiding me. For—”

  Micky stepped forward, bowing low to Azure. When she lifted her head she said, “I believe we’ve served each other. And the honor has been one I’ll hold dear, Queen Azure.”

  Unable to stop herself, Azure threw her arms around Micky, pulling her in tightly. It proved to her that whether a dragon, a werecat, or a pixie, all females shared a connection, a sweet sisterhood.

  Oak smiled broadly, his eyes twinkling. “And now we leave you, but we hope this is only farewell and not goodbye.”

  “Farewell,” Azure said, taking a step backward.

  “Farewell,” Micky said, slipping her arm back through Oak’s.

  The wizard held up his wand, twirling it above their heads. A moment later, the two disappeared, leaving Azure with a strange warmth in her chest.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  “How, pray tell, are we to find a witch who hides her shop?” Monet asked, as they bustled through the busy streets of the city.

  The vendors yelled for the group’s attention, selling their wares. Because everyone was careful to be shut in their houses at night, the cobbled roads were busier than usual during the day. New Egypt was a kingdom used to operating during the evening and night hours, when the heat wasn’t so intense, but avoiding vampires had become the city’s chief priority.

  “I’m not sure,” Azure mused, pausing and rotating in a circle.

  “This is about where we were the last time we went into the shop,” Ever said at her side.

  “I think it was right there.” Azure pointed to a plain brick wall where a couple of children were playing a game with chalk on the sidewalk.

  The street around them faded, all of the colors suddenly muted. Azure blinked, unsure what was happening to her vision. Her feet seemed to rise off the street, and her heart felt as though it was lodged in her throat.

  She was about to scream, then her vision went black.

  ~~~

  A musty smell tickled Azure’s nose, making her sneeze. Her eyes burst open to find she was standing at the counter inside Myrtle’s Collectibles.

  “How did I get here?” she asked, spinning around to find Ever and Monet behind her.

  Ever shared her confusion, staring down at his arms and legs as if to ensure they were still in the right place.

  Monet, on the other hand, yawned, looking slightly bored. “We’ve been transported,” he imparted. “Makes your head feel like it has been turned inside out, doesn’t it?”

  Azure pinched her forehead in her hand, nodding. “Yeah, it hurts like a bitch. This is the teleporting you do?”

  “Yeah, but I’m not the one who brought us in here. I’m guessing it was her.” Monet pointed behind the counter.

  Azure turned to find Myrtle, one of the strangest witches she’d ever met—which was saying quite a lot. The old woman had a blue and yellow shawl covering her black hair and neck, but still the tattoos on her chest and on her chin were visible.

  “Myrtle, did you bring us in here?” Azure asked.

  The witch started to nod and then snapped her fingers at a lizard perched on top of a large jewelry box on the counter. “I know I could have made the shop visible, but then people would have seen it and come in here.”

  “And you don’t want that,” Monet said, turning his attention to a rack of old potion bottles. “They might have tried to buy something, and that would be simply awful.”

  Myrtle shook her head, her gaze still directed at the lizard. “Killing him would never go over well, although the thought has crossed my mind. However, I like the idea of adding a shrunken head with green hair to my collection.”

  “Hey!” Monet objected.

  Azure pulled the lamp from her bag. “Myrtle, you said that you’d tell me how to release the genie from this lamp if I brought you a weredragon scale.”

  The witch’s eyes were pinned on the bag hanging on Azure’s shoulder. “Then why aren’t you giving me the weredragon scale you carry on your person?”

  “What’s to stop you from withholding the information from me once I’ve given you the scale?” Azure spouted. “You could simply throw us out of your shop, and I’d have done all of this for nothing.”

  Ever opened his mouth to argue, when a strange smile formed on Myrtle’s thin lips, and she flicked her eyes at him. “I wouldn’t say your journey has brought you nothing,” she said to the queen. “On the contrary, I believe that, so far, your efforts to release your genie has brought much fortune to a few.”

  Smoke billowed out of the spout of the lamp and rose into the air. Bob coughed loudly, waving his hand in front of his face as he materialized sitting tailor style as he floated in the air. “And yet, I’m still not free,” he noted. “The evil queen has found love. Oak has a lady girlfriend. But does Bob have freedom?”

  Ever made a sound of annoyed protest. “We’re working on it. Patience, you sadistic genie.”

  Bob crossed his arms and peered up at the ceiling. “The Light Elf wouldn’t talk to me if he knew the disdain I held for him.”

  “You’re talking out loud again,” Azure told the genie.

  Bob’s eyes widened, and he clapped his hand over his mouth.

  “Remember we had that whole conversation about internal dialogue versus speaking aloud?” she reminded him.

  “I’m working on it,” Bob said. “It’s difficult si
nce I’ve spent eternity bottled up in a lamp, fulfilling the most foolish demands of my masters. Do you know that I once had a master, little more than a parasite of sorts, who ordered me through a wish to save her from centaurs?”

  Azure let out a loud breath. “That was me, Bob.”

  Bob waved her off with his hairy hand. “I can’t be expected to remember the three wishes you’ve made.”

  “I’ve made two,” she said dully, before turning her attention back to Myrtle. “I promise to turn over the weredragon scale if you’ll please tell us what we need to know.”

  “You must impart how we can rid ourselves of Bob, the most annoying genie in the world!” Monet urged.

  “Well, if ridding yourself of him is all you want, then just make your last wish,” Myrtle said.

  Azure shook her head. “I want to free him, and you know that. Tell me how to do it.”

  Myrtle jerked her head in the direction of the lizard, who hadn’t made a single sound. “I know she isn’t going to like it, but that shouldn’t be my concern.”

  Azure’d had about enough of this kooky, old witch. She dug into her bag and retrieved the pouch Oak had given her. Holding it in the air, she swung it back and forth. “Weredragon scale in exchange for how to free the genie.”

  Monet’s hand reached out, yanking the weredragon’s scale from Azure.

  She gawked at him in disbelief, reaching for the bag. He was too fast, though, and thrust the pouch into his pants. She yanked her hands back, not willing to go there.

  “Actually,” Monet said, patting his crotch, “the weredragon scale for both the information on how to release the pain-in-the-ass genie and what you know about me. Before, you hinted that you knew something about my father. You said that only those from the House of Torrance could disappear and reappear like I can, and like what you did to us.”

  “You must have imagined that,” Myrtle said, dismissing him.

  “Well, I watched Oak disappear with Micky, so maybe she was wrong,” Azure said.

  “A wizard made from a dragon will have many powers that are unique to him. I assure you, only those from the House of Torrance can teleport,” Myrtle said in a rush, dropping her eyes at once, realizing she’d accidentally made an admission.

  “Are you and Monet related?” Ever asked.

  “Distant cousins,” the witch said.

  “Why doesn’t he have tattoos?” Azure asked.

  Myrtle took a deep breath, seeming to resign a bit. “Those from the House of Torrance don’t have soul stones or tattoos, but I was raised in New Egypt, and Monet in Virgo. The rules that govern the coven where one is raised dictate how their residual magic will manifest.”

  “So Monet’s father was from the lineage of Torrance,” Azure began. “What else can you tell us about them?”

  “I can tell you two things and only two things,” Myrtle stated, holding the same number of fingers up to indicate. “His mother and father were both from Leo, the land ruled by the House of Torrance.”

  “Helga, Monet’s mother, was from Virgo. I know that for a fact,” Azure argued.

  Myrtle shook her head, her shawl falling to her shoulders. “If they can’t put two and two together, I can’t help them,” she said to the lizard.

  “I think…” Ever said, his tone cautious, “she’s implying that Helga isn’t Monet’s real mother.”

  “What?” Azure said in shocked disbelief.

  “My mother was from Leo…?” Monet tested, his eyes distant.

  “I’ve never heard of that land,” the queen stated.

  “And the other thing you were going tell me?” Monet asked, desperation in his voice.

  A wicked smile showed the witch’s crooked teeth. “The other thing is that only Mage Lenore can tell you the rest. She’s sworn me to secrecy, and I value my life over your curiosity.”

  Azure gauged Monet. He didn’t look satisfied, but he knew more than he had. Helga wasn’t his mother; that would take time to digest. He had loved the woman who had raised him, as all children do.

  But there had always been a bit of shame surrounding her, and she was considered an outcast in Virgo—which was saying something, since Virgoans were so accepting. Helga broke rules unnecessarily, and she had neglected to buy Monet the things he needed growing up like clothes and school supplies. But he had food and was healthy, so no one questioned her parenting tactic too much. However, to learn that this woman wasn’t really his mother was a shock…and maybe a relief.

  “Since I don’t have all day,” Bob began in a bored tone, “will you please tell these lightwits how to free me?”

  “The term is ‘dimwits’,” Ever corrected.

  “And you do actually have all day,” Monet added. “You have eternity.”

  Myrtle spread her tattooed hands on the glass counter, illuminating an image on the surface of a pyramid replica. “To free Zingamobobfren,” she began in a deep, airy voice, “you’ll need to accomplish the impossible task of trespassing into the Great Pyramid of Giza. Breaking into the—”

  “We’re already headed there,” Monet said, cutting her off.

  A bit deflated, Myrtle let out a sigh. “Oh, well, then the next part will be quite easy for you.”

  “That’s a relief,” Azure said. “How do I free Bob once I’m in the Great Pyramid?”

  “There is a secret room above the Grand Gallery,” Myrtle explained, highlighting a chamber on the illuminated structure.

  “How do I get up there?” the queen asked.

  Myrtle shrugged. “You could try flying.”

  “Thanks, that’s not at all helpful,” Azure stated dully.

  “Once you make it to this spot, set the lamp upon the altar and plunge your wand through it.” Myrtle swept her hand over the counter, and the image of the pyramid disappeared.

  Monet pulled out his own wand and poked the lamp. “A little problem with your instructions; this is a wand, not a sword.”

  “You are not the queen, the owner of the lamp, and you’re not in the Great Pyramid,” the witch stated.

  “Okay,” Azure said, swallowing. “I find a way up to this room and stick my wand through the lamp. Then Bob is free, right?”

  “Yes, but the lamp will dissolve… with your wand in it,” Myrtle stated.

  “Wait a second. Those lamps aren’t destroyed.” Azure pointed to the lamps on the shelf behind them.

  “No, they aren’t.” Myrtle turned toward the back, like she had forgotten something.

  Monet disappeared, and reappeared in front of the witch, stopping her from leaving. “You said that the genies in those lamps had been liberated.”

  “Did I say that?” Myrtle asked innocently. “I meant killed, which if you think about it, for a genie, death is freedom, after decades of enslavement.”

  “Tell me about it, sister,” Bob sang.

  “But you don’t want to kill your genie, do you?” she asked, looking intently at Azure.

  “No, I want to really free him,” the queen stated.

  “Which is why I’ve given you the non-lethal solution,” Myrtle explained.

  “So those other genies were killed?” Ever asked, indicating the lamps.

  “Yes, here in New Egypt,” she answered. “I can tell you how to do that. It’s much simpler than freeing one.”

  “No, I’m not killing Bob,” Azure declared.

  Myrtle looked her over, an unreadable expression in the old witch’s eyes. “If you accomplish this, you’ll be the first. You must realize that no one has been able to break into the Great Pyramid. That’s quite the tall order. Not to mention, destroying your wand for the sake of freeing a genie is a huge sacrifice.”

  “She doesn’t mind,” Bob stated.

  Azure gulped, thinking of her beloved wand. It felt as though she’d had it her entire life. She remembered how different things had been after Mage Lenore delivered it to her from the Howling Willow.

  But something told her not to hesitate.

  She look
ed up at Bob and gave him a pure smile. “I’ll do it, Bob. By tonight, you’ll be free.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Ever wanted to tell Azure that freeing Bob was unnecessary. That it was a distraction. That it was not worth losing her wand for. But as he strode beside her through the streets of New Egypt, he couldn’t bring himself to argue the matter. The conviction in her face was too strong.

  For the rest of his life, he’d challenged the woman beside him, but he couldn’t on this. Not when he knew that if she didn’t attempt to free Bob, it would haunt her. Azure would be tortured if she couldn’t give those around her the freedom she herself didn’t know. The queen of Virgo was bound to her kingdom. Now she was also owned by the Howling Willow. Every day, her schedule was dictated by demands yearning for her attention. And Ever knew that Azure endured that responsibility because it granted others freedom.

  ~~~

  All Azure wanted to do was refresh herself with a quick meditation before turning her attention to the mission ahead. In a few short hours, she and her friends would venture into the Great Pyramid on the deadliest mission they’d ever attempted.

  “I think I have a way to get you into the room above the Grand Gallery,” Monet said as they hurried through the entrance to the Sphinx.

  This pulled Azure out of her spinning thoughts. “Oh really. How?”

  Behind the sarcophagus, the wall to the main chamber under the Sphinx receded with a great boom.

  Monet didn’t answer. Like Azure and Ever, his attention was absorbed by the loud drumming that engulfed the huge, atrium-like main room. Witches and wizards lined a path from the entrance to the far side of the giant chamber. On the opposite end, Chibale stood beside a large, gold throne, Cleo at his side. Azure scanned the area, but didn’t have to search long to find Gran and the others, lounging on pillows in a corner and being fanned by servants with giant, green leaves.

  “What is this?” Azure asked the guys by her side.

  Nefertiti stepped between the line of witches and wizards standing stoically before them. Behind the wall of people was a procession of drummers, marching back and forth, their beats reverberating in Azure’s chest.