Shifters And Glyphs

by Bauer, Christina;

  My inner animal perks up inside my heart. “He didn’t smell of lies,” says my wolf. “Maybe the crazy mummy man was right. We shouldn’t use the wooden box.”

  “Where was this opinion when we were deciding all this?”

  My wolf sniffs. “I was busy grooming.” She’s used this line before. Honestly, I don’t know what grooming entails, especially when you’re trapped in a magical state inside my soul. Plus, I’m not sure that I want to know, either. Some mysteries are better left alone.

  Well, it’s done now. Time to see what a fully reassembled Codex Mechanica can do.

  I speak directly to the device. I’m not sure if this is part of a spell or something, but it’s always seemed to work before. “How do we protect the fountain?” I ask.

  Knox translates. “Activate the fountain. Release its bounty. Defend the fountain. The only way to protect the fountain is to …” He winces. “This glyph order is unusual.” He looks to me. “Any ideas?”

  I look more closely at the images on top of the device. “The only way to protect the fountain is to use the fountain.”

  The weight of worry settles into my bones. I was really hoping we could find a way to just hide the fountain from the Void. Using it is basically asking for trouble. The Shadowvin have been perfectly clear that they want to consume the power of the fountain. Activating it is the equivalent of sounding off the world’s largest supernatural dinner bell.

  “Can we disguise the fountain?” I ask.

  The reply is clear: NO.

  I rattle off a series of rapid-fire questions. “Can we kill the Shadowvin?

  The device whirs. NO.

  “Destroy the Void without destroying magic?”

  Whir. NO.

  “Guard the fountain in some way?”

  Whir. NO.

  Knox gently sets his hand on my shoulder. “Ask the real question, Bry.”

  How I hate doing this. “How do we activate the fountain?”

  The machine whirs out new answers. Knox translates once more. “Bring the fountain to the new pyramids.”

  “New pyramids?” asks Alec.

  “The old ones were in South America,” I explain. “If the machine is talking about new pyramids, it means the ones in Egypt.”

  The codex whirs away until the discs stop on a new message. “Use the discs,” translates Knox. He looks to me. “Any ideas what that means?”

  “When I traveled back in time with Scar, I saw the ceremony of the fountain. There were three wardens there, along with someone else.”

  “A fourth person?” asks Alec.

  “The three wardens were wearing cloaks in the color of their magic—red, gold, and silver. But a fourth person was there, wearing a white cloak. This guy Bram told us that a Trilorum always accompanied the wardens to the ceremony. I thought it was maybe a guard or something.”

  An image appears in my mind. The child version of me with my golden skin, ruby hair, and silver wings. Do all Trilorum look that way when we’re young? That might explain a lot. Perhaps one of the Trilorum always gets mixed up with the fountain.

  The discs rotate again. “Let no wardens follow,” Knox translates.

  My breath catches. The very thought of doing this alone makes my throat tighten with worry. “That can’t be right.” I recheck the device. “The fountain must be activated with the wardens nearby. That’s what I saw when I went back in time.”

  The discs spin once more, but land on the same glyphs. “Let no wardens follow,” repeats Knox. The device changes the glyphs one final time. “That is all,” reads Knox.

  The machine returns the discs to a blank spot. It’s what happened before when the machine was done giving information. My thoughts keep churning over the news.

  I’ll take the fountain to the pyramids.

  Alone.

  And most likely, the Shadowvin and Void will be there.

  Dread weighs down my shoulders. My aunties always told me I was doomed. Weak. Jules told me the same thing: I’d never succeed without him.

  I force my stance to straighten. If this is my doom, I’ll face it with everything I’ve got.

  Knox gently brushes his fingertip along my jawline. “What are you thinking?”

  I lift my chin. “This is my task. I must do it alone.” My gaze shifts to Alec. “Can you transport me and the fountain to the pyramids?”

  Elle grabs the box out of my hands. “Like hell you’re going there alone.”

  “Agreed.” Alec moves to stand by Elle’s side. “I don’t care what some ancient box says. I’m a warden, and it’s my job to protect this …” He gestures at the geyser. “Big rock fountain thing. I’m not leaving it and I’m not abandoning you.”

  Knox gives me a crooked smile. Normally, that makes my stomach get all woozy, but now? I can only notice how pale his skin has become and the scent of pain that wafts from him.

  “Going alone is not an option,” says Knox slowly. “And it’s not just because I’m the warden of all shifters. You’re my mate. There’s no way you’re facing the Shadowvin and Void alone.”

  “But you’ll be in danger,” I say. “And the Codex Mechanica said I have to leave you behind.”

  “You know how I feel about fairy-tale life templates,” say Knox. He gestures at the device in Elle’s hands. “That thing just spouted off another story to us; that’s all. In my heart, I know we’re meant to be together. Like I said, we write our own futures.”

  My inner wolf sits at attention. “Our mate is wise. We should never leave him.”

  I’m still not convinced this is the right move, though. “So, do you think it was wrong about other things?” I ask. “Do you think we can hide the fountain?”

  “What do you think, Bry?”

  I rub my temples with my fingertips. It’s a good question. Thoughts and facts race through my mind. Ty. Boucle-Roux. The Shadowvin chasing us here. The fountain. Reggie. My Child Self. All of these facts should come together into a new story. I can only see parts, though.

  “I think the Shadowvin want me to take the fountain to Egypt and activate it. Somehow, they convinced Ty to help them.”

  “Go on,” urges Knox. His voice and manner are all things calm and encouraging.

  “Reggie is against activating the fountain because, if the Void consumes all magic, Reggie is a dead man—and for real this time.” I look around the room. “The Shadowvin have never been far from me. If I refuse to activate the fountain, they’ll reappear and try to push me toward that again. My best bet is to help activate the fountain and get the magic out into the world. That’s what the fountain is meant to do. Once that task is done, there won’t be any supernatural meal for the Void to consume. Not easily, anyway.” I take in a long breath. “The best thing to do is to activate the fountain on our terms.”

  “Right.” Knox all-out grins. “Our terms.”

  “But what if things go wrong?” I ask. “All the device said is that we need to activate the fountain. We could end up destroying all magic or getting it out in the world in the wrong way.”

  “Not sure I see another option,” says Elle. “It’s like you said, we’re being herded into a direction. Either we take charge of the situation, or it keeps taking charge of us.” We share a fist bump.

  I look to Alec. “Is that how you feel as well? If you decide to go along with this, it could cost your life.”

  “I’m with you,” says Alec. And those three words are spoken with such conviction, I know they’re the truth.

  “Then it’s agreed,” I announce. “All four of us will go to the pyramids along with this geyser thing.”

  With those words, the temple changes. White mist rolls out across the floor. Dark shadows drip down the walls. The air takes on a deathly chill. Three Shadowvin rise from the mist-covered ground. There are Slythe and Tithe, who I’ve seen before. The third one is new and definitely different from the others. The bodies of Slythe and Tithe are relatively the same proportions. There’s something about the new
Shadowvin’s arms that seem off somehow.

  “Greetings,” says the new Shadowvin. “I won’t say this twice, so listen carefully.”

  She has the same feminine silhouette as Tithe, but her voice doesn’t sound like many old women speaking at once. It’s a singular tone that carries the weight of authority, like she’s used to bossing around the other two Shadowvin. I can’t shake the feeling I’ve heard her before.

  “This Trilorum.” The new Shadowvin points to me. Something in the motion looks odd and familiar, all at the same time. “She must go with us to the pyramids. Alone. And you.” Now she points to Alec. “Your role is to transport her there. The Shadowvin will rise. That is inevitable. Accept this, and do as I say.”

  All of a sudden, I remember where I saw this Shadowvin. It was when I went back in time.

  “I know you,” I say. “You’re Quetzali, first warden of fae magic.”

  Knox tilts his head. “You sure?”

  “I can tell because of her hands—they’re extra-long with webbing, even as a Shadowvin.” I focus back on Quetzali. “But mostly, I know who you are by the way you act. You did the same thing in the past. You just showed up at a ceremony, announced to everyone you were about to destroy magic, and then were surprised when people didn’t just bow down and do as they were told.”

  Quetzali’s eyes flare more brightly. Menace rolls off her in waves. I get the idea she isn’t used to being critiqued.

  Tough.

  “I don’t get it,” says Elle. “You said Quetzali wanted to destroy magic to protect the people from the Shadowvin and Void.”

  More of the story falls into place. I round on Quetzali. “That was all a lie, wasn’t it? Back in time, there were no Shadowvin. Not yet, anyway.” The moment I say the words, I know they’re the truth. “You just pretended that the Shadowvin existed. It was a way to scare everyone.”

  “Why would I do that?” asks Quetzali.

  The answer appears in a flash of realization. “Because you never really were going to destroy magic at all. You wanted all the power for yourself. Three Shadowvin. The three First Wardens.”

  “Many things come in three,” offers Quetzali.

  I turn to Elle. “To answer your question, the First Wardens might not have been the good guys. Maybe their motives had nothing to do with keeping people safe. This all could have been a power grab.”

  With every word, my soul feels more certain I’m speaking the truth. “I’ve never seen the Void do anything but say he wants the fountain. The Shadowvin are the only ones who’ve stolen magic from me. Magic has strange ways of punishing people. It turned you into the very monsters you pretended existed, didn’t it?”

  Quetzali floats closer. “I said I would only tell you once to go to the pyramids. That chance is over.” She raises her arms. “Slythe! Tithe! Now!”

  Moving as one, all three Shadowvin fly across the temple.

  And they zoom straight into Knox’s body.

  Knox fights the possession harder than ever. His entire body vibrates with agony. When my mate turns to me, his eyes swirl with gray mist. “Run …Three this time ... Too many …”

  “No, I won’t leave.”

  My mate hunches over in pain. With every cell in my body, I want to ease his agony. When Knox stands again, all signs of struggle have vanished. He seems his old self again.

  Please, let this be good.

  When Knox speaks again, his voice sounds like dozens of old men and women talking at once. “Time to go visit the pyramids. Shall we?”

  Nope. Not good.

  Inside my soul, my wolf shivers in terror. “What have they done to our mate?” she cries.

  “He’s possessed,” I reply in my head.

  “How do we help him?” she asks.

  Tears well in my eyes. “If only I knew.”

  But I don’t. And Knox is stalking toward me with three evil Shadowvin possessing his soul. Hard to imagine how things could get worse.

  Chapter 28

  Knox’s upper body expands. Fur erupts across his skin. His face elongates into a muzzle. His fingers lengthen into claws. I pop my hands over my mouth.

  He said his life template was Beauty and the Beast. Knox said that, when he fought Denarii, he became a half-human killing machine.

  The Beast.

  It’s one thing to realize your boyfriend turns into an eight-foot-tall humanoid wolfman. It’s quite another to see it happen before your eyes. Normally, weres are either human or wolf. This halfway state makes my pulse skyrocket. I’ve never seen anything like it before. Add to that how his soulless eyes are staring at me like I’m lunch? It takes all my mental strength not to run.

  Knox reaches for me. “Come with us to the pyramids—or else.” I step back. My inner wolf whines in confusion.

  “Why is our mate threatening us?” she whimpers.

  “He doesn’t want to do this,” I say. “Not really.”

  Gray mist has overtaken Knox’s eyes. Now, that haze swirls even faster. “Follow us, or die.”

  “Leave Bry alone!” cries Elle. My best friend lunges for Knox. With one swipe of his mighty arm, my mate bats Elle away, sending her flying across the room. My best friend slides across the temple floor until her head rams into the far wall. A loud CRACK echoes through the stone chamber. I gasp.

  Now, that’s a concussion. Or worse.

  I race toward her. “Elle!” Kneeling beside my best friend, I set my fingers on her throat. My hand shakes with anxiety as I test her pulse. Still there. I gingerly pull back her eyelid. Elle’s pupil contracts. I exhale.

  Nearby, Alec’s features tighten with rage as he rounds on Knox. “What have you done?”

  “She’ll be fine, Alec.” I explain. “Keep your cool.”

  “You. Hurt. Her.” Curling his hands into fists, Alec races toward Knox. I’ve never seen Alec go for physical battle before—he’s always reached for some gemstones. That said, I’ve never seen Alec this furious before, either.

  Alec only gets within a few feet of Knox when my mate strikes. Grabbing Alec around the waist, Knox flips the wizard over through the air. Alec ends up slammed back first onto the temple floor. He doesn’t move afterward.

  No, no, no.

  If the possessed version of Knox kills Alec, my true mate will never forgive himself. I stare at Alec’s prone form, searching for any sign of life. For a long second, nothing is visible.

  Alec’s chest shifts ever so slightly. Is that his last breath or the first of many more?

  With Alec out of the picture, Knox focuses on me. “You have two choices. Go with us on your own. Or get dragged along because you’re in too much pain to fight.” He stalks closer. “What will it be?”

  Every muscle in my body freezes with shock. Seeing Knox transform into a half-human monster was bad, but threatening me and beating up our friends? It’s so much worse.

  “Our mate,” my inner wolf whimpers. “He’ll tear us apart.”

  “That’s not true,” I counter. “Knox is strong enough to fight this.”

  Hopefully.

  I keep my gaze level with Knox’s. It’s important to shifters not to look away or cower when you’re trying to be badass. In my case, there’s an emphasis here on the word trying. This isn’t easy.

  “You won’t hurt me, Knox.” I’m happy with how level my words sound, because inside? I’m a shivering mess. “You’re my mate.”

  When Knox speaks again, his voice takes on the tone of a hundred elders speaking at once. “Knox is gone.”

  Inside my heart, my inner wolf yips with fear. “What did I tell you? Our mate will hurt us. We must run for our lives.”

  This time, I don’t disagree.

  “Right,” I reply in my mind. “Let’s go.”

  Angling my head, I shoot a quick glance at the main archway. It’s the only way in or out. I have shifter speed, same as Knox. Of course, I’m not possessed by Shadowvin, but with any luck, that extra supernatural luggage will only slow my mate down.
>
  Knox stalks closer. “Are you ready to listen to reason? Will you come with us to Egypt?”

  I don’t reply with words. Instead, I race toward the exit archway with all my strength. In my peripheral vision, I can see Knox take off after me. My mate’s movements are so fast, he’s little more than a blur.

  The next thing I know, Knox crashes into me from behind. I slam face-first onto the stone floor. WHACK! The right side of my head takes most of the impact. Instantly, my head feels woozy. I’m barely aware of Knox’s teeth clamping into my neck. With sluggish movements, I try to fight back, but it’s no use.

  A thin rivulet of warm blood flows down my neck.

  Knox is trying to kill me.

  This can’t be happening.

  As I continue my struggle, I hear a familiar voice echo through the temple: “Hover, lover, seek, discover. I’ve come back. Run for cover.”

  It takes a moment for my muddled brain to realize the truth. Reggie has returned. My ribcage swells with a combination of elation and relief. Reggie has returned … Who would’ve thought those three words would bring me pure joy?

  Knox leaps to his feet. “You.”

  “Bend, fend, try to mend. I’ve returned and brought a friend.”

  Another voice gets added to the mix. “Yes, me.” I’d know that Southern lilt anywhere. “Hello there, sugar. Sorry I’m late.”

  Whatever sense of relief I felt before? It’s doubled. The Colonel is here. Like always, he looks unflappable in his white suit and matching hat. However, I know the old fae well enough to notice the way his eyes gleam with silver light. He’s enraged. Now, certain supernatural dickheads are going to get what’s coming to them.

  It’s a supreme effort, but I force myself to twist my head toward the Colonel. What I’m about to say is important; I simply must be understood.

  “Knox is possessed by the Shadowvin,” I whisper. “Don’t hurt him. Please.”

  “Would never hurt your mate, sweet pea.” The Colonel raises his arms. Instantly, a thick haze of silver fairy dust encircles his hands. The Colonel lowers his arms, and the silver cloud whips toward Knox. As the fairy dust flies through the air, it takes the shape of eight long spears.