Magical Arts Academy: Books 9-13 (Magical Arts Academy Omnibus)

by Lucia Ashta

  What, now we were rats in a maze to the creep?

  “But I’ve grown weary of this game.” He sighed breathily. “I have more important things to occupy myself with, don’t I, Sinter?”

  “Of course, Your Grace. Your time is precious.”

  “Correct you are. Now, come with me.”

  “We’re not going anywhere with you,” Nando said.

  Maurisse laughed. The sound was heartless, and I cringed. “I wasn’t speaking to you, boy. Your only purpose now is as bait. I don’t need you for anything else.”

  Well, at least he was going to leave us alone—finally.

  “Come, Sinter. I have missives to dictate.”

  “To whom, Your Grace?”

  “Have you learned nothing? I will tell you when you need the information.”

  “Of course.” Sinter would be bowing his head in deference.

  Maurisse did, however, proceed to disclose the details. “I’ll be drafting a call to action for the entirety of the Sorcerers for Magical Supremacy. It’s time to put our plan into effect. The world will learn of our might, and every member of our force needs to prepare for action.”

  “Yes, Your Grace.” Sinter sounded a bit excited, making me lose any sympathy that had been building for him at the way the duke mistreated him. Sinter deserved the duke.

  “Then I shall need to draft another letter to my brother, the king.” Maurisse sighed heavily. “I’ll have to keep up the ruse. A group of believers in sorcery and wickedness attacked me and my castle, trying to impose their depravity on me. They were worshipers of the Devil. Blah, blah, blah. I was forced to flee to spare my life, which of course is nonsense. I would never flee.”

  But hadn’t he? I supposed a man like the duke wasn’t much bothered by the truth.

  I didn’t care to engage him at all. I wanted to keep my mouth shut. But in the end the gnaw of curiosity won out. “Why would you make up stories that lead the king to believe that magic is bad and depraved? Doesn’t that support the persecution of witches and wizards that you supposedly are working to cease?”

  “Supposedly? You think you’re smart, huh? Well, you aren’t. My plan runs so much deeper than your feeble imagination can fathom.”

  Only, my imagination was not even one bit feeble. Not anymore. Not now that I’d discovered that therein lay the source of my magical powers.

  “I don’t need to explain myself to the likes of you, but I’ve had to hide my brilliance for so long, that it is sometimes pleasurable to share with others.”

  All right....

  “I’ll only have to keep the ruse up until the sorcerers of the SMS are in place. When we attack, I’ll no longer need to coddle the king. I’ll tell him the truth myself. He’ll understand the power of magic. He’ll realize that I’m the powerful one, that I’ve been all this time. That he, and not I, is the pawn in all this.”

  A grin spread across his voice. “Nothing will stand in the way of the rule of magic when I slit his throat.”

  Sinter gasped before catching himself. Apparently, the SMS didn’t realize that regicide was a part of their leader’s plan.

  “I’m next in line to the throne. I’m paving the way for greatness. History will always remember me as the one who laid the foundation for the might of magic. I’ll be remembered forever.”

  Yeah, as a bloodthirsty madman, no doubt.

  “Now, in case you get any funny ideas, you’ll be locked in here and I’ll be sealing the only door with magic. There’s no way for you to get out.”

  Neither Nando nor I said a thing. What was there to say?

  Footsteps retreated until they sounded on a staircase. “Oh, and you can’t do spells of any sort down here. I prepared to imprison Mordecai and anyone else that came along with him. This space is spell proof even for him. So I wouldn’t bother trying.”

  Then without another word, he marched up the stairs, Sinter close behind him.

  A door opened, allowing in a sliver of light, before slamming shut behind them. Then came the sound of a turnstile swinging closed, locking us in the dungeon.

  Immediately I scrambled to find the hope and sense of power I’d found before. I needed it... and I needed it now.

  Chapter 10

  “What are we going to do, Isa?” Nando asked as soon as no more sounds filtered down to us from above. He sounded desperate and, more worrisome, already defeated. “The others are going to come up for us, you know they will. And when they come....” He trailed off.

  “And when they come, they’ll beat that nasty man at his own game.”

  “But... how? You heard what he said. He—”

  “I’m not inclined to care much about what he said. All he made clear is that he’s so full of himself that he’s likely to have overestimated his abilities.”

  “The Duke talks a big game,” Sir Lancelot said, his voice faint. “It’s true that he does, lady Isa, lord Nando.” He paused to pull in a rattling breath. “But from all that I’ve heard of him, he has the skill to back up his boasts.”

  “That very well may be,” I said. “But he’s underestimated us.”

  “How so?” Nando asked.

  “You and I are an unknown, unquantifiable factor. We both have magic, that much is clear, but no one, not even the magicians at the academy, know how much, nor how exactly our magic will manifest.”

  “That’s true.”

  “For starters, you can see in the dark. Can you even see in this situation?” There wasn’t a speck of light that filtered in from anywhere. The door was sealed above, and there were no windows or vents to allow in diffused light.

  “I can see.”

  “And that is incredible. Maurisse doesn’t realize you can see where we are.”

  “I’m sure he doesn’t. But it doesn’t really matter. The only thing that gets us is my awareness that there’s truly no escaping where we are. We’re in a big open space. There’s nothing but floor, ceiling, and walls. No way out of here.”

  “Ah, but there is.”

  “Where? How?”

  I pointed to my chest, right above where Sir Lancelot rested.

  “What does that mean, Isa?”

  “It means that I have plenty of magic inside me. I found it, Nan, I actually found it. I can feel it inside my heart, waiting for me to use it.”

  “Great, but....”

  “You’re not understanding me. I can get us out of here.”

  “How?”

  “Nando, listen to me. I can get us out of here.”

  “All right.” Nando adjusted his position on the floor next to me. “How?”

  “Because I believe. For the first time in my life, I truly believe, through and through. And you remember what Arianne says, that’s all it takes to do magic.”

  “That’s wonderful, Isa, really, it is, and I’m so happy for you. But that won’t get us out of here. You heard him. He said he proofed the space so no one could do magic. Not even Mordecai or Giselle could break through his wards. What chances do we have, no matter how much we believe?”

  “He didn’t say we couldn’t do magic in here. He said we couldn’t do spells.” I waited for Nando to realize what I was saying.

  “And your magic doesn’t rely on spells.” Finally, he was starting to sound excited. “Maurisse doesn’t know that. He probably doesn’t even know that Clara can do magic without spells. He wouldn’t have the first clue that you can do magic in this little prison of his.”

  I smiled, mostly to convince my heart that we could do this, to ignore the walls of this space, that though big, was prompting my sense of claustrophobia. There was no way out of here under ordinary means.

  “Exactly,” I said. “While Maurisse is away dictating his little letters of manipulation, we’ll be getting free of this rat trap.”

  “Yes! That’s exactly what we’ll do. What you’ll do.” Nando’s words were coming faster now. “You’ll do your magic and maybe we’ll even be able to warn the others before they arrive.”
<
br />   “Honestly, I have no idea what it will look like, only that I can do magic. What do you say? Shall I get started?” I smiled, knowing Nando would see me.

  “Absolutely. What can I do to help you?”

  “Keep watch.” Though chances were low anything would come at us, the space was dark and large enough that something could be hiding in the shadows.

  “I can do that. Anything else?”

  “Keep quiet so you don’t distract me. That goes for you too, Sir Lancelot.” Though the normally loquacious owl had been unusually quiet in his convalescence, as soon as he started to feel better, his beak would start running. It’s how he was.

  “Of course, Lady Isa. You won’t hear a peep from me.”

  “Great. There’s something else the two of you can do for me.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You can believe in me. Give me all you’ve got. Believe like the power of your belief alone will get us out of here.”

  “I’ve always believed in you,” Nando said. “Even when you didn’t realize how amazing you are, I did. Believing in you will be the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”

  My heart glowed warmly as I dove in. There was no time to waste, not when there was an evil sorcerer to put in his place. I was about to stop him from destroying the magical world. I was sure I would.

  In that moment, that’s all it took.

  Magic pulsed to life as soon as I reached for it. I imagined it in my mind’s eye as a blazing ball of light, capable of shifting the balance of magic.

  I closed my eyes and settled into myself. I had a war to win.

  About Powers Unleashed

  The Dark Sorcerer intends to use me as bait to lure my friends out of hiding. So that he can defeat us all.

  Yeah, that plan’s not going to work. I’m finished allowing him to wield power he doesn’t respect and he hasn’t earned.

  Besides, a great magic brews inside me… enough to finally win this fight and prevent his plans to deliver chaos and bloodshed to the world.

  The Sorcerer is about to rue the day he decided to mess with me. His reign of terror ends now.

  For my readers,

  thank you for taking this magical journey with me.

  You’re the best!

  We are only as powerful as we believe is possible.

  Chapter 1

  Perhaps it was finally a good thing that my magical studies had been interrupted so many times that they’d barely begun, at least in a classroom setting, anyway. I’d learned plenty since joining the Academy, and nearly nothing I’d expected to learn.

  I hadn’t sat through a class where one of our instructors would tell us that, to do proper magic, I should expect to study for at least four years, and even then I’d likely only be able to do the more basic spells. Advanced magic might take decades, a lifetime even.

  I hadn’t heard any of those cautions, nor had I had much opportunity to ponder why Mordecai’s runes had selected Nando and not me, making me initially seem like a bit of an afterthought.

  What I’d most absorbed were Arianne’s teachings. The lady of the Acquaine Estate was mesmerizing, mostly because of her grace and underlying power. I’d registered it when she told me that magic only takes place if we believe it will. I’d accepted the fact when she’d told me that the imagination is powerful and as much a center of magic as anything else.

  Belief was essentially a shortcut to years of learning. And profound faith was the source of power greater even than magic. The reverse was also true, and one was weak when one accepted it.

  My abilities had begun to manifest before I’d had the opportunity to properly question them.

  Right then, I believed I was strong. And I already knew my brother was.

  I was so confident that I could take down Maurisse that there was little chance of failure. In the reality I was creating, men like Maurisse didn’t exist, and they certainly didn’t have the power to subject humanity to their lunacy.

  I kept my eyes firmly shut. Although it was dark, and I couldn’t make out anything around us, my eyes strained to see.

  Nothing about this process was to involve strain. It turns out that magic is actually about ease. Who would’ve figured?

  I focused on my breathing, slowing my breaths down, calming myself so that when I was fully ready, everything about my body would line up with the energy brewing in my center.

  “What are you going to do, Isa?” Nando asked, sounding nervous. “I know you told me not to interrupt, but I need to understand before you do... whatever you’re going to do.”

  I forced myself not to react that he’d interrupted me when I’d asked him not to. He was only trying to help. I said, “I’m going to gather enough magic to blast Maurisse when he next comes down here.”

  “Hmm. I see.”

  “You see?” I raised my eyebrows at him.

  “Yes, I see that once you’ve gathered your... magic, I need to find a way to get him down here. We can’t just wait him out. You heard when he said he didn’t expect the others to come rescue us until tomorrow. What if he stays up there till then? It’s not like we’re his preferred company, or like he’ll be worried about whether we have water and food.”

  “I didn’t think of that.”

  “Your power might peter out before he gets down here.”

  “You’re right.” I huffed. When he didn’t say anything, I added, “What, no ‘of course I’m right?’ No, ‘I’m always right?’”

  “Sorry, Isa. I guess I’m just not in the mood to play.”

  “No, I guess you wouldn’t be. How’s your head?”

  “My head will be just fine once you take care of the sorcerer who won’t leave us alone.”

  “Right. So how do we get Maurisse here when I’m ready for him?”

  “Leave that to me. All you have to do is give me some kind of sign that it’s time, and I’ll figure something out.”

  I nodded into the darkness, mostly to bolster myself. Because, despite my best efforts not to do it, I’d just thought of something. If Nando managed to get Maurisse down here and my magic failed somehow, then not only would he be stuffed in here with us again, but he’d be aware that I had unusual magic. My attempts would likely enrage him and cause him to react. And I couldn’t forget Sinter, the sniveling sorcerer who’d do anything to please his superiors.

  So, I couldn’t fail. I wouldn’t. And before I continued down that most unhelpful path, I told Nando, “We’ve got this. You get them down here, and I’ll take care of the rest.” Talking the talk was half the battle, right? Or maybe it was just a foolish saying.... But there was no better option. We couldn’t very well wait until our friends walked straight into the madman’s trap, could we?

  “Good plan,” Nando said, and bless him, whether he believed it or not, he trusted me, and he was going to give this his all.

  I went to start, then stopped. “Nando?” I whispered.

  “Yeah?”

  “Te amo. You know that, right?”

  “Of course I know you love me, what’s not to love?” But his jest was for my benefit only. When he spoke next, his words were heavy with foreboding. “Yo también te amo. You’re the best sister I could have ever hoped for.”

  “Right back at you. You’re the best.”

  “Well, don’t go talking like this is the end, Isa. It can’t be. It’s not. It’s just the beginning.”

  Again I nodded into the darkness, working to hold on to the courage I’d gathered. He was right. We shouldn’t say our goodbyes. Still.... “Sir Lancelot, I love you too,” I said, not realizing that’s how I felt about the owl until I said the words. Somewhere along the long string of tragic events, sprinkled with some joys, Sir Lancelot had fully endeared himself to me.

  “Oh, my, uh, Lady Isadora.” The owl was flustered, and he rarely lost his composure. “I’m so incredibly grateful to you for the sentiment. No one has told me they love me since my mother died many centuries ago. I was the light of her life, and once
she was gone, well, there was no one to take her place. I, uh”—he cleared his throat—“love you too.” His statement trailed off in a weak squeak, and he began coughing immediately after.

  Saying the words had been difficult for him, and I hoped I was right, and that Nando was too, and that we’d have the opportunity to show the owl that love is real, and that he deserved it.

  “What’s your signal to me going to be?” Nando asked, pulling me back to the urgency of our situation.

  “I have no idea what I’ll be capable of doing when the time comes. I’m going in deep. I think you’ll recognize it for what it is when you see it.”

  “All right.” But Nando didn’t sound reassured. Heck, neither was I, but that wasn’t the point anymore.

  “Here I go,” I said, mostly to pep myself up again.

  I can do this. I for sure can do this. I will do this. With a string of encouragements cycling through my mind, I closed my eyes for the last time before it was all over.

  I pulled in deep breaths capable of fueling the dormant parts of me. I synched the rhythm of my breath to that of my heart. I silenced the worried thoughts that kept trying to spark to life in my mind, and let go of the images of our enemy walking the floor above us, or the brother and owl I wished to protect.

  I pushed away what might happen if my magic were to fail, or if I never really found it at all. I shoved thoughts of our friends arriving when I was in the middle of... whatever I was going to do, and my magic turning on them.

  I resolved everything into simple parts: Breathe in, then out. In and out. Trust in myself, in that part of me that understood what to do beyond the distraction of thought. Believe that magic is real and that I can wield it.

  Believe that when your intentions are pure, the world lines up to support you.

  I can do this. I’m doing this.

  I am ready.