Enchanters: A Meridia Falls Fantasy Thriller (Meridia Falls Series 1 Book 3)

by D. B. Green

  Polaroid. “Crap.” I quickly give Victoria the photo of Penny’s ghost. “I took this earlier…” Her eyes open wide as she realizes what she’s holding.

  Stephanie pulls the magic door open all the way and noise fills the restaurant. I focus through the doorway, but I can’t make anything out. It’s too dark. But the sound of talking drifts through, as well as the sound of a car in the distance.

  “Come on.” Stephanie walks into the darkness, then leans back through, indicating for me to follow. “These things don’t stay open long.”

  I turn back to Victoria and glance at the Polaroid in her hand. “Maz will explain.”

  Maz half-smiles. “I hope it goes OK.”

  “So do I.”

  “Logan!” Stephanie shouts.

  I turn and follow her through the doorway. The hardwood floor of the cinema balcony gives way to cold stone cobbles. In just a few short steps, we’ve walked from the cinema into a small market square. I pull my coat tight; it’s just as cold here as it was outside the cinema.

  “This doesn’t look like Texas,” I say. It’s dark - night time. Texas is two hours behind Nova Scotia. It should be early afternoon there.

  Stephanie turns and leans back in the doorway. Her crystal door handle now appears on this side of the door. “Magic,” she says. I watch the strange sight of a store front fold back, replacing the view of Maz and Victoria waving. The doorway seals as though it was never there and the crystal handle drops into Stephanie’s hands

  A group of people walk past, not giving us a second glance. “Won’t they see us… the door?” I ask.

  “Traverse,” Stephanie corrects. “And no. Anyone around won’t see it opening. There’s a protection - perception magic. The Traverse shields itself against normal people… people without magic.”

  Steve. “The same thing happened to Steve in the forest,” I say. “He couldn’t see the white door… until we touched him.”

  Stephanie nods. “Yes. It’s the same type of thing.”

  Another group of people walk past us - Young women in wooly hats. They’re not talking in English “Where are we?” I ask

  I wanted to show you something first. Before Texas,” Stephanie says, indicating across to a wall on the other side of the market square. “We’re in Rome. Just outside Vatican City.”

  “Rome? Italy!”

  Stephanie smiles. “You’ll get used to it.”

  I pat my pockets. “I don’t even have my passport.”

  Stephanie laughs again. “You won’t need it. They know we’re coming.” She turns around and heads to a flower store behind where the Traverse opened. She looks up at the sign.

  Fiori Rosa

  “That’s the name you chanted,” I say. “It’s a flower store… a florist.” I press my hands to the window next to the door. It’s dark inside, but I can just make out a flower display in the center. Penny’s orchid flashes in my mind. I resist the urge to search the darkness for similar flowers.

  Stephanie places her hand on the brass door handle. “It’s closed,” she says. “But you might recognize the design of the door.”

  I step back from the window. The store door is similar in design to the white door in the forest. The same one we went through… what Cassie was dragged through. But this is dark wood, mahogany, and it doesn’t have the red triangle at the top.

  “This is an official Static Traverse,” Stephanie says. “It has one destination… Well, two, if you count the inside of the shop as well.” She grasps the handle and takes a deep breath. “Archanter-Archanter-Archanter.” Her eyes sparkle brown again as she chants, reflecting on the dark wood like two tiny flashlights. She twists the handle and the door opens. Not into the store interior, but into a stone-walled corridor.

  I follow Stephanie into the corridor and the door closes automatically behind us. “Didn’t you need your Magic Release for that?”

  Stephanie shakes her head. “A Static Traverse is dead magic… but it only works if you’re an Enchanter.” She continues walking down the passage. “Follow me.” The corridor leads into a large, stone-walled round lobby. A c-shaped, tall stone desk sits in the center of a star-shaped pattern on the tiled floor. Five more darkened corridors lead away from the desk. The smell reminds me of an old basement, damp and musty.

  “Where are we?” I ask.

  Before Stephanie can answer, a man stands from behind the desk. He’s wearing a dark gray suit and a strange hat. It looks like a chef’s hat, but without the puffy top. The dark gray color emphasizes his pale skin. A badge pinned to his suit pocket identifies him as Jack.

  “Welcome…” Another identically dressed - and identical looking - man pops up. Brothers… twins? He’s called Jon.

  “To the Archanter” A third man stands from behind the tall desk. He, too, looks identical to the others. Triplets? His name badge says Jim. All three men spread their hands out on top of the desk.

  “How can we help?” they all in unison. Not with an Italian accent… British.

  Stephanie walks up to the desk and places her hand on the top. The three men pull their hands back, like she’s about to chop off their fingers. “Stephanie Marcone and Logan Collins to see Scarlett.”

  Jack checks through a list on a clipboard. He passes it to Jon. “Ah, yes. Dr. Shaw will meet you there,” Jim says. He hands Stephanie a square of folded paper; it’s sealed with a red wax stamp. She breaks the seal and opens out the paper. Drawn on the inside is an intricate circle full of symbols and numbers. The edge of the circle is surrounded by small dots.

  “This place is a literally a maze,” Stephanie says, showing me the paper. “This will show us the right way to go.” She points to a red dot at the top of the circle. “This red dot is our destination.” She slides her finger down to a black dot on the right-hand side. “And this is the exit.”

  “What are all the blue dots?” I ask, tracing my finger around the edge of the circle.

  “They indicate help - in case you get lost.” Jack says, leaning over the desk. He hands me a sealed square of paper. “Better take another one, just-in-case. You don’t want to get lost in here.”

  I open out the paper square. The red dot moves around as I turn to Stephanie.

  “We just need to keep the red dot at the top,” she says. “It’s called a Reperio. It acts like a compass.”

  “Why don’t we just use a map?”

  Jon stifles a laugh.

  “You can’t make a map of a place where the walls constantly move,” Jim says. He, too, stifles a laugh.

  “We have to keep the prisoners inside,” Jack says. “We don’t want them getting out.”

  “That would be bad,” they all say in unison. “That would be very bad.”

  “Come on,” Stephanie says, holding the Reperio. “This way.” She leads us down the darkened passage behind the desk. Caged lights sit high on the stone walls, not offering much light.

  “It’s like a dungeon,” I say, dragging my fingers across the cold stone.

  Stephanie nods. “It needs to be,” she says. “Keep your eyes peeled. The walls can move at a moment’s notice.” She shakes the paper. “This Reperio will flash red when the configuration is about to change.”

  “But why are we here? At another prison?”

  “I want to show you someone - another Enchanter. She has pure Affinity,” Stephanie says. “I just want to check whether you are the real deal.”

  “Real deal?”

  “Sorry to put it that way, but there have been many experiments with Affinity - illegal experiments.”

  “Did Church want you to bring me here?”

  Stephanie stops at a junction. Her shoulders drop. “He doesn’t know I’ve brought you here.” She turns, sharply. “And you can’t tell him.”

  Each direction at the junction disappears into darkness, the caged lights looking like street lights on a dark night, disappearing down the highway.

  “Is all this under the flower store?”

  S
tephanie shakes her head. “No. That is just one of the entrances. Well, more like a back door.” She glances at the Reperio. “This prison - the Archanter - is underneath the Vatican.”

  “Vatican? As in the Pope.”

  Stephanie nods. “They tolerate the presence of the Archanter. Mainly because it protects their vaults, too.” She turns to the right, keeping the red dot at the top of the Reperio.

  “Who is this Scarlett we’re going to see?” I ask.

  Stephanie stops at a stone wall. “You’re about to find out.” She presses the Reperio to the wall and the stones slide away, revealing a door shaped hole. “Scarlett is in here.”

  I follow Stephanie through the newly formed opening into another round room. A wide stone column stands in the middle. Rusty caged lights run in a circle on the wall; they look like a weird, over-sized jeweled necklace hanging there.

  Something brushes against my cheek - a slight draft. There’s a quiet sound, too, like a fast spinning turbine. The beating vibration throbs over the stone floor, but there is no sign of anything in the room. “There’s nothing in here,” I say.

  “I’m sorry I’m late.” A voice comes from behind us. It’s a woman with curly brown hair. She’s wearing a white lab coat - thankfully not one covered in small diamond disks. A pair of large round glasses balances on the end of her nose. She glances at me, then at Stephanie, narrowing her eyes. “Hello, Miss Marcone.” She turns back to me. “This must be Mr. Collins.” She holds out her hand. “I’m Dr. Shaw… Dr. Cora Shaw.” She half-smiles and sweeps her hand behind her back. “This is Angela Barnes, my assistant.”

  Another woman steps out of the shadows. She, too, wears a white lab coat. Her brown hair is tied back in a tight ponytail. She passes a clipboard to the doctor. Angela’s hands are protected by brown leather gloves; she notices me staring at them. “It’s too cold down here,” she whispers, half-smiling.

  “Right,” Dr. Shaw says. “Are we ready for the experiment to begin?”

  I back away to the doorway. “Experiment?!”

  “Sorry,” Dr. Shaw shakes her head. “Wrong choice of word. I meant test. Time for the test to begin.” She walks to the wide stone column in the center of the room and holds up a piece of paper. It looks like a larger Reperio.

  The wide column blurs, almost becoming transparent. And then I see it. It’s not one wide column - it’s four separate ones, all turning fast in a circle, like a carousel at a fun fair. The columns slow down and stop, revealing a chained woman in a dirty robe standing in the center of the room. The heavy chains wrap around her wrists, restraining her to the four columns. She must spin with them. Her matted red hair drapes over her face, hiding her eyes. Behind her is a tall painting set in an elaborate gold frame.

  “This is Scarlett,” Dr. Shaw says. “The oldest living Enchanter on record.” She walks forward and wipes away the hair covering Scarlett’s face. Her eyes are closed. “When Scarlett is killed, she is able to resurrect with an entirely new persona.” Dr. Shaw grabs Scarlett’s chin and lifts her head up. “She can never truly die.”

  I rub my hand over the heavy chains. Objects dangles from them. A watch, a necklace, a ring. All diverse types of jewelry. “What are these?” I ask.

  Angela cups a silver pendant in her hand. “These are the Memory Anchors to some of her previous personas.” She too speaks with a British accent; I couldn’t make it out before, when she whispered. She holds a Reperio up to Scarlett. “Together with the painting, they help keep her prisoner here.”

  “Why keep her like this? It’s inhuman,” I say, following the chains to her hands. I examine the painting behind her. It’s a portrait of beautiful red-haired women in a flowing, deep red dress.

  “Scarlett was a monster,” Stephanie says as she peers into Scarlett’s face. “Imagine every evil act in the world, multiply it by ten, and then you will come close to understanding what kind of evil this woman is capable of.”

  Angela glances at Stephanie and then holds up her Reperio to Scarlett again. “May Munro, a Scottish artist and also an Enchanter, attempted to imprison Scarlett in a painting- a portrait of her.” Angela indicates to the painting. “But Scarlett realized, and she slaughtered May and her family. We’ve been able to use the painting to keep her prisoner here - along with some of her Memory Anchors.”

  “Let’s get this over with,” Stephanie says, shivering. “I don’t want to be here any longer than we have to.” She checks her watch.

  Dr. Shaw nods and Stephanie takes out her Magic Release. She holds it next to Scarlett, and orange streaks flow through her red hair, like fiery waves. Stephanie pulls the silver tube away and the streaks disappear.

  “Your turn,” Dr. Shaw says. She pulls back Scarlett’s head. Her matted red hair drapes back over her dirty face. Her eyes remain closed and her lips are dry and cracked, like she’s been lost in the desert. Even after all they’ve said about Scarlett, I can’t help feeling sorry for her being held prisoner like this.

  Dad. Guilt lies heavy in my stomach; it feels like I’ve eaten a lead weight. I never visited him in all these years, and he was innocent all this time.

  “Come on, Logan,” Stephanie says, snapping my mind back. “You need to touch her skin.”

  I walk forward with Angela following close behind. “Just touch her cheek,” she says. “That should be enough.”

  A hand suddenly grips the back of my neck. A gloved hand. It’s Angela. “I’m sorry,” she whispers, as she pushes my head forward into Scarlett’s face. My lips press against her cold cracked lips. Her eyes burst open, sparkling bright orange, like fireworks. Just like… Penny.

  I hear a scream of ‘No!’ but I’m not sure who it comes from. The scream drags out in a slow drone as time freezes. I pull away from Scarlett’s lips - but they’re not cracked anymore. They’re soft and covered in deep red lipstick. Her flowing red hair isn’t matted either. The dirty robe is gone. She’s now wearing the same dress as in the painting, looking just as beautiful.

  Stephanie and Dr. Shaw stand still, frozen in place, arms reaching out towards me. Angela has stopped in mid stride, heading to the doorway.

  I lean back. My vision jerks, like my eyes can’t keep up with the movement of my head. This is different to what normally happens when I touch someone. I can move around while everyone else stays frozen - like what happened with Maz this afternoon.

  “I’m not frozen, either.” A soothing voice, tinged with an accent I can’t quite place, comes from behind me. “Not anymore.” It’s Scarlett. She’s standing behind me, no longer bound by the chains. She steps forward. “Thank you for connecting with me.” She smiles. “And thank you for thinking I’m beautiful.”

  She moves towards me, but it’s like a flip book animation with missing frames. Is this a vision? Suddenly, Scarlett is right up against my face. She strokes her hand down my cheek and her hair ripples with vibrant waves of orange. It’s on fire. Her head jerks around and she stares at the painting.

  The painting is now empty - just a green field in a golden frame. Her head jerks back around. “You’re like me… almost like me. But it is enough. The connection was made. Affinity.”

  She walks around the four columns that held her in place. Her movement jerks forward with each step. She stops at Dr. Shaw, then she moves to Stephanie and smiles. “The means of my salvation.” She turns back to me. “You are new to Affinity.” She pauses. “I can sense you know of the connection of souls, but you have no idea of the true power of our magic.” She suddenly stands in front my face again; her fiery orange eyes shine bright. She tilts her head. “Tick tock, goes the clock.”

  Grabbing my hand, she leads me over to Stephanie. “I’ll show you what you are really capable of.” She forces my hand around Stephanie’s wrist. Stephanie’s brown eyes sparkle with Radiance and fire shoots out of my hand. The flames lick around the painting, scorching the empty canvas.

  Time unfreezes.

  “No!” Dr. Shaw screams.

  I can’
t let go of Stephanie’s hand - it’s like we’re stuck together. Fire still shoots from my fingers like I’m a human flamethrower. I can’t stop it.

  I force my head up. Scarlett is back in the painting; her smiling face bubbles as the fire melts the paint. The heavy chains clank together and the matted-hair Scarlett standing in front of me lifts her head. Her cracked lips open. “This is what you are capable of,” she says. She yanks her arms together and the chains burst from their housing on the columns. “You set me free from the painting”

  The caged lights on the wall flash red and a piercing alarm sounds.

  “Stop it!” Dr. Shaw says, trying to push me away from Stephanie. “Stop!”

  Maz springs into my thoughts - A vision of her lips saying stop when I was in her mind. Stop. My hand falls away from Stephanie’s wrist as she mouths the word ‘stop.’ She falls to her knees gasping for breath.

  Scarlett charges forward. The broken chains dangle from her wrists, clanging on the stone floor, as she runs through the doorway. “Tick tock.” She laughs. “Tick Tock.”

  Angela. I spin around - but she’s long gone.

  “What happened?” Stephanie says, as she struggles to her feet. She forces her hands over her ears as the alarms get louder. Screams suddenly echo down the stone corridors outside.

  “It appears my assistant had her own test to run…” Dr. Shaw examines the charred painting. She turns to Stephanie. “You need to get him out of here. If we can’t contain Scarlett in here, then she will come after him - after his Affinity. They all will.”

  Stephanie grabs my sleeve and leads me out into the corridor. I’m so dizzy. “My head feels like I’ve gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson,” I say. “That was the same magic you did in Penny’s apartment. I was channeling your magic.” Maz. “I think I did the same with Maz when we were attacked at school.”

  “Yes. I suspected that,” Stephanie says. Her eyes open wide as more screams echo down the corridor - from both directions.

  She checks the Reperio. “Shit, all the blue help has gone. We need to get to the exit.” She turns the paper around until the black dot is at the top. “Come on.” We run down the corridor with flashing red lights and sirens blaring around us.