by John Corwin
Esma ignored it as if she'd seen it a thousand times and headed for the large double doors leading into the city of Queens Gate. I spared a few glances for the elephants emerging from the portal, ornate platforms on their backs bearing riders.
We skirted around a gold carriage with silver spoked wheels as it rolled unmanned into a parking space and stopped.
"Gaudy." Esma wrinkled her nose. "Such wealth, and people waste it on trivial things."
"What would you spend money on?" I asked.
She stopped, eyes distant, then shook her head. "There's no use indulging in fantasy, now is there?"
We went inside the doors and a wide green valley spread before us and into the distance. I drew in a deep breath and smiled.
I was finally home.
Chapter 5
Though I'd seen the sight a thousand times, it was still so odd to find an entire world seemingly buried a mile beneath the surface. What most people referred to as a pocket dimension was actually where Eden touched the broken realm holding all the realms together—the Glimmer.
My foster mother, Cora, had once been Naeve, the Glimmer Queen. The anchor stone had been torn from the foundation of their realm and formed into a moon that kept all the realms from drifting further apart. While it granted her people, the Lyrolai, immortality, it stripped them of emotion, of humanity.
She'd traveled to Eden seeking a cure, but found death instead. The demon magic binding my parents' souls to me was so malevolent, it had killed people around me, including her after she'd taken me in as a foster child.
Images flashed before my eyes, like flickering frames in an old movie.
Cora stands far above on a ship with wings. At my side are Delectra and Victus.
Mum hugs me and smiles. "Have fun, dear."
Victus pulls her away. "Wait here."
"But—"
He shakes his head and takes my hand. "Come Conrad."
Mum takes my favorite toy and I feel lighter, happier. The blurry gray world brightens.
Cora greets us with a smile. She is every bit as lovely as I remember. She kneels in front of me and gives me a hug. "Hello, Conrad."
My eyes burned with tears.
Esma rests a hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?"
I nodded. "I just remembered something I'd forgotten."
"Was it unpleasant?"
I shook my head. "It was beautiful." I wiped my face. "I got two hugs in it."
Esma laughed. "You certainly have no need for riches if that's all it takes to make you happy."
We flew our brooms up the towering cliffs on the left of the green valley where the city of Queens Gate sat. The city appeared part Roman, other parts British countryside, the architecture a testament to the age of this place.
Arcane University sprawled atop the cliff, a splendid castle of towers, spires and a library with a great crystal dome. Closest to us were the uniquely structured keeps, Graeven, Moore, and Tiberius.
Graeven Keep was all squares and rectangles, from the main building to the towers at each corner. Tiberius Keep was a plain red-brick manor, though many also likened it to an asylum one might stumble upon in a horror film. Moore Keep stood out perhaps as an example of what not to do when designing a building. Turrets sprouted seemingly at random from the main building, making it nearly as confusing to navigate as the university itself.
In the center of the cobblestone roundabout was a clear pool. Coins and other objects twinkled at the bottom of the water where hopeful individuals had requested the services of the wishing pool. While the pool might not actually grant wishes, it had helped me rid this world of Cora's evil reflection, Naeve, banishing it back to the reflected world.
I rubbed the green pebble and wondered what I'd find if I used its powers to take me into the other world. Would the Glimmer Queen be waiting on me? I shuddered at the thought. She was Cora's clone in every way except her evil twisted heart.
"I would not tempt fate," Esma said. "A woman such as Naeve plots revenge and waits an eternity if she must."
"I know." We landed next to the wishing pool and got off our brooms. I hadn't planned on coming back to the keep since Ambria was probably at the house in Queens Gate, but Max might be here.
Esma looked at me as if considering something and spoke after a brief pause. "Shall I inform Galfandor about your little adventure?"
"I can do it," I said a bit too quickly. If Galfandor withheld secrets about my mother from me, why should I run and tell him everything?
She nodded. "Rest well, Conrad. I'll see you in class tomorrow."
I resisted the urge to hug her. She didn't seem to like being touched. "Thank you, Esma."
A brilliant smile flashed across her face. "You're most welcome." She boarded her broom and flew away.
I raced inside Moore Keep, up the stairs and into the common room between the boys' and girls' dormitories. I didn't see Max or Ambria, but the students lounging in the room saw me and stared. No doubt the huge shirt and bloodstains on my pants were out of the ordinary.
I ignored them and ran up the stairs to the left and into the common room of the male dormitory.
Yan Yung barked a laugh. "Couldn't find a shirt that fits, Edison?"
Without reply, I continued through and went upstairs to the room I shared with Max. A groan escaped my throat. I only wanted to shower and rest, but if I didn't let Ambria and Max know I was okay, they'd be furious. It seemed I had no choice but to go back to town. School had just started and we were required to live in the keeps during the school week, but Ambria preferred staying in the house on Dowling and Bucket on the weekend.
A shower first. Then I'll go to town.
I gathered fresh clothes and soap for the washroom, but my phone rang before I left the room.
The phone displayed, Private Caller. Dread snaked around my heart. Did the kidnappers know my number? Had they somehow tracked my arcphone? It would explain how they'd found me when I thought I'd lost them.
"Phone, record this call," I told it.
"Recording started," it replied in a robotic monotone.
"Hello?"
"Gah! I got him, Ambria," Max said.
"Conrad, where are you?" Ambria said.
"Get out of my face, girl." There was the sound of scuffling and a clatter. "I hope you didn't break my mum's phone!"
"You are a rude, rude boy," Ambria shouted back. More scuffling and then Ambria spoke again, this time more clearly as the phone was closer to her. "Conrad, I've been worried sick about you."
I grinned. The dread melted away, leaving behind a warm, comfortable sensation. "I'm fine, but I didn't think I would be."
"Did you run off?" Max said. "Ambria says you vanished without a word."
"No." I set fresh clothes on the bed. "Look, can we meet for dinner in a few minutes? I need to shower."
"Of course," Ambria said. "I was going to cook shepherd's pie, but Sonia screamed at me."
Max laughed. "Because you're an awful cook and vampires have sensitive noses."
"Sonia is overly sensitive to everything," Ambria complained.
I squeezed my words between their arguments. "I'm going to shower. Meet you at the house soon."
"Okay, but—"
I disconnected before Max could finish his statement. Otherwise, I'd never get off the phone. After showering, I reveled in the blessed comfort of clean clothes and the joy of fresh socks against my feet. I retrieved my broom and looked out of the window and into the night sky. I wondered if Cora's spirit was out there watching me, or if when she'd died, all of her essence had transferred to Naeve.
What if even now, my beloved Cora was trapped in the shell of her reflection? What if her consciousness was subdued but alive? What if the Broken Relic could cure both of my mothers? Hope swelled my heart until it felt ready to burst. I dared not believe it could be true. Better to expect the worst so I wouldn't be devastated by disappointment.
I flew the broom out of the window and across the uni
versity grounds to the cliff. A few minutes of reckless flying carried me to the house at the corner of Dowling and Bucket where I found Ambria and Max pacing in the front yard.
Ambria rushed over and hugged me. "Conrad, why did you leave me like that? One minute you were there, and the next you'd completely vanished!"
I tried to remember what had happened, but recalled nothing more than before. I let the hug linger. Ambria smelled so good, like flowers and fresh tea leaves. She was such a different person than the girl I rescued from Little Angel Orphanage. If I hadn't acted, she might have been sold into slavery or worse.
"Let's talk about it over food," Max said. "I'm—"
"Starving," Ambria and I said together. She and I burst into laughter.
I backed away reluctantly from Ambria, wishing I could enjoy the comfort of a hug a little longer. The memory of the hugs from Delectra and Cora teased me with a fleeting shadow of their warmth.
Max huffed. "Well, I'm a growing boy."
"Perhaps you could mix it up a little," Ambria said. "You could say famished or ravenous, for example."
"Why would I say that when I'm starving?" Max said. "Let's go eat." He patted me on the shoulder. "Glad to see you're okay. You had us worried."
"Agreed." Ambria squeezed my hand in both of hers. She sighed. "Well, let's go eat before Max collapses and dies."
Max led us to the Copper Goose restaurant, a name which literally described the aesthetics of the building, though it was much larger than the average goose. We entered the doors in the goose's breast. The host, a teenaged boy by the name of Rory Culpepper glowered at us. He'd put on some muscle over the summer and was no longer the tall lanky boy who'd threatened me in the dorm last year.
When he'd tried to disqualify me from trying out for Kabash, I'd turned the tables and he'd lost his chance instead. This time, I didn't have Stephan here to back me up if things became unpleasant.
"When did he start working here?" Ambria whispered.
"He started working in the kitchen during the summer," Max said. "I heard my brothers talking about it. I can't believe they let him serve as host though!"
Rory continued to stare as we walked up to the host station. He forced the words through clenched teeth. "Table for three?"
"Y-yes," Max said.
"Right this way." Rory bit off every word like a hunk of tough jerky. He seated us and left without another word.
Max put a hand to the side of his mouth and leaned toward me. "I guess he still doesn't like you."
"Duh," Ambria said. "It's his own fault for being a bully."
A nice waitress took our order and brought us tea. I saw the expectant looks on my friends' faces and began the tale of my adventure. It took longer than expected thanks to Max's constant interruptions, but then the food arrived and his mouth was too full to speak.
"I feel awful!" Ambria said. "You and I were talking and you fell a little behind me. When I looked back, you were gone!"
"You didn't see or hear anything?" I asked.
Her hand rested on mine. "No, Conrad." A tear formed at the corner of her eye. "What if you hadn't escaped? I'd have never known what happened."
Max said something but the food in his mouth muffled his words.
"We flew all over town looking for you," Ambria continued. "We even went to the old mansion behind the Fairy Gardens."
"Your favorite hiding spot," Max managed to say before stuffing a biscuit into his mouth.
"I only went there to spy on my parents when they were going into the Glimmer." With the defeat of Naeve, Victus and Delectra were supposedly blocked from that realm by Cora's daughter, Evadora.
"I'm rather curious about the Relics of Jura." Ambria leaned forward. "Who is Underborn and why does he have them?"
Max swallowed hard. "Underborn's the sort you don't want to mess with. He was the Overworld's most notorious assassin, and maybe he still is." He waved his hands imploringly. "Stay away from this one, Conrad."
"Underborn might know where I can find the Broken Relic." I certainly didn't expect the people who captured me to help. "If there's even the slightest possibility I could cure Delectra or revive Cora, I have to try."
Ambria folded her arms and gave Max a cross look. "I agree. It certainly can't be any riskier than waiting around for those goons to kidnap Conrad again."
Max dropped a biscuit dripping with gravy. It looked as if he'd suddenly lost his appetite. "You're both completely mental. What makes you think Delectra wants saving? Besides, she's murdered so many people I don't see why you'd want to."
"Because it wasn't her," I shot back. "Victus did something horrible to her."
"He maimed her soul with demons," Ambria said.
"What makes you think the Broken Relic could revive Cora or turn Delectra's evil soul good?" Max shook his head sadly. "I think you're hoping for way too much."
His words struck me, a dagger in the heart. He might be right. My mothers might be beyond salvation. Seeking a secretive assassin for answers about Jura sounded like a fool's errand. Though I felt terrible for what Victus had done to my biological mother, I had no love for her. Cora, on the other hand, was my heart. If there was even a sliver of a chance to help her, I would gladly risk death.
"Gah," Max threw down his napkin. "I can see by the look in your eyes that you've already made up your mind."
I nodded. "We need to find out all we can about Jura and Underborn."
"What about classes and schoolwork?" Max said. "And aren't you supposed to be on the Kabash team again?"
"I received the invitation," I told him.
"But did you accept?" Max's forehead pinched with worry.
"Oh, bother." Ambria sighed. "It's a stupid game, Max. I think Conrad has a lot more to worry about than bashing down towers with a disc."
"I haven't decided," I admitted. I felt torn. Kabash was fun—something I was good at. During a game was the only time when people didn't look at me as the son of the evil Overlord, Victus Edison, unless, of course, they were rooting for the other team.
"It might just be a game," Max said, "But I think Delectra would be proud to know how good you are at it."
"Maxwell Tiberius!" Ambria slapped him on the arm. "How dare you play that card."
He threw up his arms to ward off her blows. "It's true!"
I wondered if Cora would be proud of me too.
After dinner, we flew back to the university. Max and I said our goodnights to Ambria and went into the male dormitory. As I lay down to sleep, I couldn't stop thinking about Cora's soul, possibly trapped in the body of the mad Glimmer Queen, Naeve. I didn't want to hope, but I couldn't help it. I might once again have a true mother who loved me.
Chapter 6
Cora stands at the helm of her massive ship. Unlike the other Mzodi ships, it is made of wood and vines. Unlike the Mzodi, she is not Seraphim. She is Lyrolai, the folk of the wood. Even though my younger self does not know this, my current self does.
Cora rests a hand on my shoulder. "Do you like the Evadora, Conrad?"
"It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen," I tell her. It's no lie. My days are dulled to gray by whatever evil lurks inside my favorite toy. I did not suspect a thing all those years ago, but the older Conrad knows Victus is prepping this young body for something terrible.
Victus stands across the deck, deep in conversation with one of the Mzodi. Cora whisks me below decks to a secret room that contains a forest and night sky filled with stars. I stand in awe at the spectacle. My soul is slowly recovering from the effects of the evil toy. Something about this place lifts me from the depths and makes me feel alive.
"There is something about you, Conrad." Cora sits and a chair of vines forms beneath her. "You remind me of my daughter."
"But I'm a boy," my younger self says.
A tear forms in the corner of her eye. "You are a lost soul, child." She tells me of her daughter, Evadora and the sad tale of Cora's banishment from the Glimmer.
S
he dries her eyes and shakes her head. "I'm sorry to burden you with such things."
I take her hand. "I like hearing your stories."
Cora laughs and continues the tour of the ship. I have the best time of my life. When Victus finds us, a terrible weight settles back on my shoulders. My older self knows that the happiness is about to be taken away.
As we head down the gangway, I notice a man and woman step through a portal. The man is tall and muscular with thick dark hair. The woman is beautiful, long black hair falling over creamy skin.
Victus growls at my side as we walk down. "Can't wait until that arrogant Slade boy is trapped here forever," he mutters under his breath. He fakes a grin at the man and woman and leaves me with my Mum while he goes over to talk with them.
A genuine smile spreads across Delectra's face. She drops to a knee and hugs me. "Did you enjoy yourself, son?"
"Yes, Mum." I can barely contain my excitement. I want to tell her all about it. "It's a flying ship!"
Delectra and I walk, hand-in-hand toward Victus and the others. "He had a wonderful time, Victus. Can he do it again soon?"
Victus wears a strained smile on his face. "I don't know, dear. Why don't you give him his toy and we'll be going?"
"But I thought—" A single hard look from Victus stops Delectra from uttering another word.
She reaches into her purse and hands me a spiky blue toy. The bright colors of the world begin to fade and something dark wraps around my soul.
We step through the portal and arrive back in another place. The dulling mind of my younger self tries to remember the name. My older self knows we have arrived back in Eden.
"Serena is ready," Victus says as we walk through a room filled with black arches of all shapes and sizes. "She failed to find the Eye of Jura, but I think the Hand will suffice." He takes out a small doll that looks eerily like my mother and runs his hand over the eyes.
