Shifters And Glyphs

by Bauer, Christina;

  I gasp. I’ve seen fairy dust turn into massive fists and knives. Every time, they’ve punched and cut their way into flesh, just like a real weapon would. Panic zings through my bloodstream.

  “Don’t hurt him!” I cry.

  The Colonel says one word. “Never.”

  The silver spears slice right through Knox and come out the other side. When the weapons leave Knox’s back, they’ve impaled the three Shadowvin on them. The spears keep flying across the room until they stab into the far wall. The three Shadowvin are stuck on the wall as well, like insects on a pin.

  I try to sit up and get a better look at Knox, but it’s no use. I have shifter healing, and even so, I’m still taking time to recover from the hit possessed-Knox gave to my head.

  I croak out one word. “Knox?”

  He races to kneel by my side. “Bry, are you all right? What happened?”

  The Colonel strides over. “You did, my boy.” He gestures to the wall. “You were possessed, and I took care of the problem. You’re welcome.”

  Knox turns to stare at the far wall. The three Shadowvin remain stuck there for a long moment. After that, they slowly vanish.

  “The Shadowvin.” Knox clutches his stomach. “I remember them coming at me, but after that, nothing.” Even though Knox is kneeling, he sways a bit from side to side. Being possessed by the Shadowvin can’t be good for your health.

  The Colonel raises his arms once again. New silver mist forms in his palms. Within a few seconds, the haze takes the form of a crystal ball.

  The Colonel stares into its depths. “According to this here crystal ball, you’re under some bad mojo, my boy. Seems that the longer you’re with my Bryar Rose, the worse you feel.”

  Knox’s eyes narrow. “Yeah. That a problem?”

  “As a matter of fact, it is,” says the Colonel. “I want to have a discussion with Bryar Rose, but the topic is a bit disturbing. I think you’d better come along to help. And to do that, you need a little healing magic.” The Colonel scans the room. “You all could use some, as a matter of fact.”

  Reggie, who’d been standing by the exit arch this whole time, steps deeper into the chamber. “New, you, flew, ah-choo. I’m a little sick, so heal me, too?”

  “Reggie, you’re more than sick,” says the Colonel. “You’re dead as a doornail. I’m not wasting my good magic on such foolishness.”

  The Colonel lowers his arms. The crystal ball that was cupped in his palms keeps hovering for a moment or two. Then it splits into four smaller orbs. Now, each of those spheres no longer appears to be made of crystal. Instead, they look like balls of silver fairy dust. The Colonel snaps his fingers, and the tiny spheres go flying across the chamber. Knox, Alec, Elle, and me … one orb slams into each of our chests.

  The moment the ball of fairy dust touches my ribcage, a pleasant warmth enters my body. The sphere seeps into my bones and blood. Energy and life flow through me, healing my wounds.

  I hop to my feet and grin. “Thank you, Colonel.”

  Knox rubs his chest. “Same here,” he says.

  “You’re both most welcome.” The Colonel tips his hat before turning to me. “And Bryar Rose, you’ll notice soon that I put your wolf in stasis as well. Trust me, she needs some rest. And she’ll wake up soon enough.”

  Closing my eyes, I reach out to my inner animal. Sure enough, I find her deep within my soul, curled up in an O shape and snoring. I eye the Colonel warily. “My wolf is safe and everything, but it’s downright rude to go around putting other people’s inner animals in stasis without permission.”

  “You’re quite right. Exceptionally rude. I’ll owe you a boon. How’s that?”

  A boon is a Get Out of Jail Free card from a fairy. They can’t take it back or refuse, no matter what you ask them to do. In fact, I’ve never heard of Colonel Mallory awarding one, ever.

  “I’ll take it,” I say.

  Across the room, Elle and Alec awaken. They’ve been knocked out for a little while, so they’re rubbing their eyes and looking mighty confused.

  “What happened?” asks Elle.

  Alec points to Knox. This time, the gleam of rubies shines through his clenched fist. “You’re possessed.” Keeping his gaze locked on Knox, Alec starts to murmur a spell. The gems in his hand flare with light.

  This is not good.

  “Whoa, there.” Knox raises his arms and shows Alec his palms. “I’m not possessed any more, thanks to our new visitor.”

  The Colonel bows slightly. “Greetings, Mister LeCharme.”

  Alec takes a half-step backward. “When did you get here?”

  “Reggie brought me,” explains the Colonel. “I asked our undead friend here to keep an eye on y’all, and it’s a good thing I did. The Shadowvin can get rather peevish. I sent them away, but those three are worse than jackrabbits in a carrot patch. You scare them away one minute, they run right back two minutes later.”

  “Jackrabbits,” says Elle slowly. “Got it.”

  In Ellespeak, that means she’s actually having a hard time adjusting to the new reality here. Not that I blame her. It’s been one crazy day, and her world just went from fighting a possessed Knox to chatting up an extremely courteous Colonel Mallory.

  “Look,” says the Colonel. “Why don’t y’all stay here with Reggie and set a spell? He can explain everything. In the meantime, I’ll just take Knox and Bryar Rose on a quick walk. There are a few things we need to discuss. Then we’ll be right back.”

  “Talking with Reggie,” says Alec. “We can do that.” Those may be the words that come out of his mouth, but Alec is staring at Reggie like he’s an extra-large cockroach that crawled into the room. Not that I blame Alec for being cautious. Reggie is a nutcase.

  “Good news,” says the Colonel. “Oh, just don’t let Reggie run off.”

  “We won’t.” Elle shoots him a thumbs up, which is a sign that my best friend is feeling far more in control of the situation.

  The Colonel starts for the exit archway, pauses, and turns around again. “And scream the bejeezus out of your lungs if those Shadowvin show up again.”

  “Not a problem,” says Alec. “We don’t want the Shadowvin to get the fountain.”

  “Fountain?” asks the Colonel slowly.

  Elle gestures to the geyser top. “Sure, this thing right here. The Codex Mechanica confirmed it’s the real fountain of magic, not a replica or anything.”

  “Ah, I see,” says the Colonel. “Yes, you guard that thing real well for us all. We’ll be back soon.”

  With that, the Colonel saunters out the exit archway. Knox and I follow, but not before I scoop up the Codex Mechanica from where I’d placed it on the floor. After so much hassle, I’m not letting that device out of my sight.

  Once we’re outside, the Colonel heads into a different stretch of forest. “This way, please.” he calls.

  “Where are we off to?” I ask.

  “My old villa,” replies the Colonel.

  I stop in my tracks. “You have a bungalow on Jules’ old estate?”

  The Colonel pauses as well. “That I do, sugar. What did you expect?”

  “Honestly?” I ask. “I thought you were imprisoned here some time ago. And then, maybe you saw me somehow and cast the curse on me to keep my powers locked up.”

  Knox steps closer to my side. “Bry thought you were locked in a dungeon somewhere.”

  The Colonel exhales a long sigh. “I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of. It’s beyond time I told you some of them.” He glances around at the trees. “But not here.” Without saying another word, the Colonel marches off into the forest.

  As we follow the Colonel, Knox links his fingers with mine. His touch is firm and centering. Considering how I’m gripping Knox’s palm with my left hand and holding the Codex Mechanica with my right, you’d think I’d feel a little better. I don’t, though.

  Every few yards, Colonel Mallory glances over his shoulder to me. His face is the definition of the word guil
ty. His words reverberate through my soul.

  * * *

  I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of, sugar.

  It’s beyond time I told you some of them.

  * * *

  As conversation starters go, that isn’t very promising. Plus, the Colonel has done some pretty scary things. Point of fact: I watched him transform into a dragon, breathe fire, and fry a whole forest full of Denarii. I know for sure that charbroiling all those Denarii wouldn’t even register on his guilt radar. So what would a guy like that actually feel badly about?

  Guess I’m about to find out.

  Chapter 29

  The Colonel, Knox, and I walk through the woods that surround the small temple. As we step along, spindly trees loom over us, the thin branches covered in tiny green leaves. The air smells of fresh soil combined with the bitter tang of saltwater. In Italy, the ocean is never far away. We step out of the forest and into another clearing. This one holds a single villa.

  I pause. The sense of déjà vu is strong here. Throughout my soul, there’s this all-encompassing sense of knowing this place. Belonging here. A little girl’s laugher sounds. I tilt my head. The child version of me is near.

  Colonel Mallory steps closer. “I can see this spot is affecting you.”

  “It is,” I say. “Why?”

  “I magically sealed your memories up to age six, sugar. It was for your own good, but nothing works perfectly, especially over time. Lately, my spell has been leaking on you, allowing you to see people from the past as if they were here today.” He sighs. “Wasn’t my best spell, but it did the trick at the time.” He gestures to the villa. “Shall we?”

  I look to Knox. “Is it me, or does that guy talk in riddles and half-truths?”

  Knox slants his gaze toward the Colonel. “All the time. But he’s fae. Goes with the territory.”

  Across the clearing, the Colonel holds open the door to the villa. In this case, using the word door is being generous. The Colonel’s holding what’s little more than a screen held on by a single hinge. Knox and I follow him across the threshold.

  Inside, the place looks a lot like the other villa I saw. There are threadbare rugs on the floor. Odd patterns of black mold cover the walls. A few sticks of warped furniture are piled in a corner. All of the stuff looks like it was the height of design in 1950. In other words, there are lots of sleek black wooden tables and uncomfortable-looking chairs.

  The place is familiar and not, all at once.

  The Colonel pulls back a frayed oriental carpet, revealing a cutout rectangle of wood set into the floor. My eyes widen.

  “That’s a door to the basement.” Bands of anxiety constrict my ribcage. “I’ve seen that before.”

  “Yes, darlin’. You have.” The Colonel picks up one edge of the wooden slat and pulls it aside, revealing a staircase leading downward. “Let’s go.”

  The Colonel marches down the darkened steps. My legs feel boneless. Every muscle in my body starts trembling as I walk down the rickety wooden stairs. There aren’t many steps. Knox helps me reach the bottom. Once I’m there, what I see takes all the air from my lungs.

  This is the room from my dreams. It’s all here. The dirt floor. The small bed in a corner. The great wooden chest against one wall. And a small sandbox in the opposite edge of the room.

  When I speak, my voice has a dreamy tone. “I’ve seen this place.”

  “Like I said, I had to lock down your memories, sugar. It was only to protect you.”

  “Today, I saw the child version of me. It was outside the temple. She had gold skin, silver wings, and red hair. Do all Trilorum look that way when we’re children?”

  “No, sugar.” The Colonel’s silver eyes soften. I can’t place the look; it’s somewhere between sadness and grief. “Trilorum are indeed rare. But even in that select group, you’re even more unusual.”

  Knox pulls me more closely against his side. “What are you saying?”

  The Colonel walks to the wooden chest and sits on it. “Most of my life, I haven’t been a good man, even by fae standards. Over the centuries, I made some fine enemies, all of them in the Faerie Lands. I escaped to this realm, but assassins got sent my way on a regular basis. Then, on one of my escapes, I ran across Jules. Sure, he was a zombie and mummy, but he was also a power to be reckoned with. He promised to hide me from my enemies. In return, I was to bring him meals of humans that I thought worthy of death. So I did. I hid here and did Jules’ bidding. Mind you, that was before Jules refined his tastes to Magicorum.”

  The words make my stomach churn. I was to bring him regular meals of humans. “You didn’t.”

  “I’m not proud of it, sugar. If it makes any difference, I did take care to find only the most disgusting specimens. But find them, I did. And I liked living here. I won’t deny that, either. As a matter of fact, everything was going along fine until I found something in the temple one day, laying smack dab at the foot of that geyser.”

  I can’t help but notice how the Colonel uses the word geyser instead of fountain of magic. Something in the back of my mind says I know what he really means, but I can’t quite find the words yet.

  The Colonel rises, opens the wooden chest, and pulls out a drawing. “I drew this of you, right on the day I found you.”

  With trembling fingers, I pull the sheet of paper from the Colonel’s hands. On it, there’s an image of a baby with golden skin, a shock of red hair, and tiny silver wings.

  And in that moment, I know one thing for certain. “That’s me.”

  The Colonel nods. “You were such a little thing. Here I was, living in the lap of luxury. Jules was still hiding me from my enemies in the Faerie Lands.”

  My forehead crumples as I think through this news. “But I knew Jules for years under an alias. Why wouldn’t I have recognized him?”

  “I can explain that,” says the Colonel. “Right before your sweet baby self appeared, Jules got in a big fight with another one of my fae enemies. My foe lost, but Jules got half his face ripped off in the process. It took that man years to consume enough organs to rebuild his look. Until then, Jules wore a—”

  “A mask,” I finish for him. “He wore a golden mask.”

  I had seen him, after all.

  “That’s right. Jules wore a mask, but he still needed meals. And I needed a place to hide. Only with you, I wasn’t the only one hiding anymore. I used my magic to make a hidden nursery, and I became something I never thought I’d be. A father, though not in blood.”

  “I understand,” I say, my voice shaky. “You found and cared for me. Thank you.”

  The thought nagging at the back of my mind becomes clear. I know what the fountain is … And who my parents really are. Lifting the Codex Mechanica, I speak once more into the device. “Tell me where the fountain of magic is.”

  The gears whir.

  My heart beats at double speed.

  Knox translates once more. “The fountain of magic is in the basement of the dragon fairy’s villa.” His brows droop with confusion. “Bry, I don’t understand. It should say the fountain is in the temple.”

  “No, the device is right,” I say. “It’s me. I’m the fountain. Magic created me; I have no parents.”

  Knox rounds on the Colonel. “Is this true?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  Knox turns to me. “Are you sure about this?”

  I nod. “Remember how the hieroglyph for fountain could also mean form or figure? That meant a person. And back in the temple? The Shadowvin didn’t ask for the geyser to be transported to Egypt, only me. In fact, this whole scam has been to trick me into visiting the pyramids willingly.”

  “That’s right,” The Colonel opens the chest once more. “Once I figured out who you really were, I spent years looking up everything I could find on the Shadowvin, First Wardens, and the fountain of magic.” He pulls out a heavy leather-bound book and offers it to me. “This book tells the story of the first recorded fountain, meaning the first
person we know of who was made of magic like you. It was a boy named Calibur.”

  “Calibur.” I turn the name over in my thoughts. It seems fitting somehow.

  “The records show they tried to drain Calibur when he wasn’t willing,” adds the Colonel. “Only got a trickle. That was before the First Wardens came along. Those three built the Codex Mechanica, which channels power to the pyramids, where the energy is stored. The records are vague, but something about the First Wardens made Calibur change his mind.”

  “I saw them in the past,” I say. “They were pretty convincing.”

  “Whatever the First Wardens did,” continues the Colonel, “Calibur became a willing part of the ceremony. The First Wardens were able to drain the full force of his magic. So you’re right, sugar. Magic is most easily extracted when you agree to the process. That’s why the Shadowvin have been trying to lure you to Egypt.”

  Knox rubs his neck in a slow rhythm before focusing on me again. “What about your trip to the past?” he asks. “You saw a Trilorum in a white cloak. Was that Calibur?”

  “I didn’t see the person’s face.” Lines of fear snake their way up my back. Something about this next question sets off my fight-or-flight reflex in a big way. I focus all my attention on the Colonel. “The person I saw in the past, was it Calibur?”

  “No, sugar. I’m afraid not.”

  A chill runs up my back. “Why not?” I have a sneaking suspicion Calibur wasn’t available.

  Most likely, Calibur met a bad end. Is that what will happen to me?

  “I can see you focusing on Calibur, sugar. He’s not important right now.” The Colonel offers me the leather book again. “This lists every Trilorum who attended the annual ceremonies.”

  I hug my elbows. “I don’t need to read it now. Just answer my question, please. Tell me what happened to Calibur.”

  “The person you saw was a Trilorum. He or she attended the ceremony to symbolize Calibur.”

  My eyes widen as I think through the Colonel’s words. “What do you mean, symbolize Calibur?”