Outgrow: Spellslingers Academy of Magic (Keeper of the North Book 2)

by Annabel Chase

  My fingers curled around the armrests. The brothers were using necromancy to bring back Moldark in whatever form they could. Although the news didn’t shock me at this point, it confirmed my worst fear.

  “What about the bones of the deceased?” Declan asked. “Are those needed to bring him back?”

  “Bones can be used, but there are alternate rituals when the bones have been crushed or hidden or are otherwise unavailable,” Langston said. “I was privy to a ritual that involved only a locket of the deceased.”

  “How is that possible?” I asked.

  “The woman wore the locket every day during her first life,” Langston explained. “Her attachment to it was strong. As I’m sure you know, an object’s energy can serve as a very powerful force.”

  “Yes,” I said, remembering Professor Langley’s demonstrations during our lessons on arcane rites.

  “Did the deceased leave behind objects that had a special connection to him or her?” Langston asked. “If there’s no body and the deceased planned for his resurrection, then he likely left specific items in place for that very purpose.”

  I remembered the stone from my dream, the one that reminded me of Bryn’s.

  One of Moldark’s healing stones.

  “Yes, he did,” I said. My throat became dry. “What else might need to happen now that they’ve done the sacrifice ritual?”

  “Well, if I had to guess, I’d say there’s at least one more ritual to complete the transference of power and raise the dead.”

  “Would that take place anywhere in particular?” Declan asked. “Do they need to be near a power source like a ley line?”

  Langston spun toward Ebony. “Without a body, their best bet is a place with a connection to the one being restored to life so there’s a grounding as well as residual energy. Wouldn’t you agree, Ebony?”

  The raven opened its beak and made a sound of agreement.

  “Thank you for your help, Mr. Medley,” I said.

  “You’re most welcome. If you need anything else—tips on the stock market or a recommendation for a money market account—I’m at your service.”

  Declan shook his hand. “I just might take you up on that. I’m thinking about acquiring some real estate in another quadrant in the next year or so. I wouldn’t mind a few stock tips.”

  I shot him a curious look but said nothing. I was too busy processing everything Langston had said. I didn’t want to be the one to tell Bryn the bad news.

  “I wish speaking to my father was as entertaining as his ancestral communication,” Declan said, once we’d left the building.

  “No one’s stopping you from getting your groove on,” I said. “If you want to dance, go for it.”

  He took my hand and pulled me toward him. “Only with the right partner.”

  Heat rose to my cheeks. “I’m not much of a dancer,” I said.

  Declan kept his hand on the small of my back. “I’m happy to teach you. I’ve learned a step or two over the years.”

  “Were you serious about buying a place in another quadrant?” I asked.

  “Of course,” he said. “I assume you don’t want to live together straight away when you move to the Northern Quadrant. Your adult life is only beginning. I want you to have space to grow.”

  I tilted my head up to look at him. “What if I want us to live together?”

  Declan placed his hands on my shoulders. “There’s no rush to make a decision.”

  “There might be if the brotherhood has their way,” I said. “We have to find those healing stones. Maybe we’ll get lucky and Bryn’s will be one of them.”

  We continued toward Declan’s car.

  “It sounds like these stones would have been designated for the purpose of resurrection,” Declan said. “In which case, wouldn’t the brothers already have them?”

  “It depends on whether Moldark left explicit instructions like the vampire in Langston’s story,” I said. “It seems unlikely he would do that in case the instructions fell into the wrong hands.” Power-mongers like Moldark tended to be paranoid.

  “So if the brotherhood still needs to figure out where the stones are hidden, that means we’re still in the game,” Declan said.

  “From your lips to the gods’ ears.” I opened the passenger-side door and paused. “It seems odd that Langston had a raven, don’t you think? I would’ve expected a necromancer to have a phoenix.”

  “A raven makes sense, too,” Declan said. “They’re messengers to the underworld.”

  “But a phoenix signifies rebirth,” I countered. Suddenly, I gripped the top edge of Declan’s car. “The phoenix that Monica saw in her vision at Talons—the one about rebirth that was part of the original prophecy.”

  “As I recall, she saw a lot of birds during that reading,” Declan said. “What about it?”

  “We assumed the phoenix referred to the prophecy,” I said.

  “Right, the one we thwarted.”

  “But what if it didn’t?” I said. “What if it was specific to him?”

  “Him? You mean Moldark?”

  “Yes,” I said, my insides quivering. “Prophecy or no prophecy, I think Monica actually saw the rebirth of Volans Moldark.”

  Bryn stared at the small red stone in the palm of her hand. “You’re not looking for any healing stones that belonged to him.” Declan had dropped me off after our visit with Langston and I’d gone straight to my dorm to tell my roommates what Declan and I had learned.

  “I know,” I replied. “We’re looking for ones that he may have earmarked for his resurrection.”

  Bryn held up the stone in front of the window and the deep crimson shimmered in the sunlight. “You don’t understand. My father had an entire collection of healing stones, and a much smaller collection of them contained his blood.” She offered the stone to me. “Like this one.”

  “That’s why you’re drawn to them,” I said. “It’s your connection to the blood inside them.”

  “Yes, but do you know why my father stuffed stones full of his magic blood?” Bryn asked, fixing her gaze on me.

  I ran my thumb over the smooth surface of the stone. “This is how he intends to come back,” I said quietly. “His own blood.”

  “Anton Harrington once told me that my father had concealed his blood in a small collection of stones and hidden them in different places in case he ever needed them, so that he could draw power from them later.”

  There was that word again. Power.

  “You think this was his plan all along?” Cerys asked. She took the stone from me and winced. “I can barely hold it. It feels so different from my rune rocks.” She quickly returned it to me.

  “One of his backup plans, maybe,” Dani said. “If the whole end of the world thing didn’t pan out.”

  “So we’re searching for the stones with his blood,” I said. “How are we supposed to narrow down the whole world?”

  “There’s the one in the museum in Pixie Pines,” Dani said. “Maybe that’s one the brothers will be after.”

  “I’ll let Gray and Nick know so they can send a warden to retrieve it,” I said. “Thank the gods, they won’t know about this one.”

  “What about a locator spell using my stone to find others like it?” Bryn asked. “Would that work?”

  “Worth a try,” I said, especially if it meant getting one step ahead of the brothers.

  We decided to perform the spell outside in case we needed to channel a lot of energy into it. With Moldark, it was likely to take all four of our elemental powers to extract the stone’s secrets.

  Gray intercepted us as we reached the shore of Mercer Lake.

  “I left you a message,” I said.

  “Why do you think I’m here?” the vampire said.

  “To see me?” Bryn jumped up and planted a kiss on his lips.

  His expression softened. “Always, but also to talk about this Moldark situation.”

  “Did you send someone to the museum?” I asked.<
br />
  “Nick’s on it,” Gray said. “What are you up to out here?”

  “We’re going to use my stone to see if we can get a hit on the other stones’ locations,” Bryn said. “Scoop ‘em up before the frat boys can find them.”

  Gray tensed. “This isn’t your investigation.” He looked at me. “And technically, it isn’t yours either. We’re assigned to the horn, remember?”

  “And now we know the horn is tied to Moldark and the victims,” I argued. “It’s all connected.”

  “We have a stone with my father’s blood,” Bryn said. “Why not see if it yields any intel?”

  “It’s too dangerous,” Gray said. “This is Volans Moldark we’re talking about. The Shadow Sorcerer.”

  Bryn folded her arms and glared. “Yes, I’m familiar with the guy. He’s my father, remember? If anyone wants to stop him from gracing us with his evil presence, it’s me.”

  Gray wrapped his arms around her. “It’s not that simple, Bryn.”

  “So we’re supposed to do nothing?” Dani asked. “Maybe you haven’t noticed, but nothing isn’t really in our vocabulary.”

  Bryn jabbed a thumb in Dani’s direction. “And she’s type A. If there’s a scab, she has to pick at it.”

  Dani scrunched her nose. “I don’t think that’s an accurate description of a Type A. Plus, it’s gross.”

  “Here’s the deal.” Bryn put her hands on Gray’s waist and spun him away from her. “You let us do our thing and you wardens do yours. Between our two groups, we should make meaningful progress.”

  “I can’t turn a blind eye…” Gray began.

  Bryn kept her hands on him to prevent him from turning back around. “You can and you will. No one knows I have a stone with my father’s blood. I’d like to keep it that way.”

  Gray sucked in a breath. “I’ll probably regret agreeing to this, but fine. You’re all on the verge of becoming full-time agents. I should be encouraging you, not hindering you.”

  “Exactly,” Dani said.

  “I was never here,” Gray said.

  “Nope,” Bryn agreed. “Call me later.” She blew him a kiss as he strode away.

  Cerys finished placing her rune rocks in a circle and the four of us sat cross-legged inside. Bryn set the red stone in the middle of us. We joined hands and began to chant, each summoning our magic. The wind blew fiercely and I had to keep spitting my hair out of my mouth. Note to self: next time I perform magic outside, bring a hair tie.

  Flames erupted around us, encircling us like Cerys’s rune rocks. I maintained my focus, unwilling to break our concentration. Raindrops began to fall, yet the flames continued to burn. The ground beneath us turned to mud and our bottoms began to sink. It reminded me of my dream with the red deer and the salmon.

  “Stop,” I finally said, and released my hands from theirs. “It isn’t working.”

  The moment our hands stopped touching, the flames died, the rain stopped, and the mud returned to solid earth.

  “The stone is warded,” Dani said. “Can’t say I’m surprised.”

  I stared at the unassuming red stone in the middle of our circle. “If we can’t use it to find the other stones, then what are we going to do?” The wardens would likely have similar luck with the stone from the museum.

  The sound of footsteps drew my attention and I glanced up just as Declan’s long shadow passed over us.

  “I think I can help with that,” he said.

  Chapter Eight

  “How many oracles do you know?” I demanded, as we stood outside a round, nondescript building.

  “Technically, they’re diviners,” Declan said. “And I’ve never been to them before, but they come highly recommended.”

  “Why not see Monica again?” I asked. “We know she was good.”

  “We need fresh eyes,” Declan said. “Monica gave us the prophecy, which then didn’t come to pass. We want a clean message.”

  “Then maybe we should’ve brought a purity stone,” I joked. We entered the lobby and stepped up to the counter.

  “Welcome to Gateway to the Gods,” a chirpy voice said. An elf sat behind the reception desk. “How can we help you know the will of the gods today?”

  “Um, we’d like to see the diviner,” I said.

  “You mean diviners, plural.” The elf peered at me over her glasses. “Do you have an appointment?”

  “No.” My answer stretched a beat longer than necessary. “We’re sort of pressed for time.”

  The receptionist was unimpressed. “Take a number.”

  I pulled the white slip of paper. Number seventy-one.

  “We take payment now,” the elf said. “It’s a flat fee. We take gold and silver coins and all major forms of credit. No bartering.”

  Before I could respond, Declan placed a small bag of coins on the counter. “This will cover it,” he said.

  I mouthed ’thank you’ as the receptionist processed the payment and directed us to the waiting area.

  I squeezed between a dwarf and an ogre and Declan opted to stand. The dwarf was reading a thick book entitled Know Your Gems Ore Else and the ogre was engaged in an intense phone conversation with his significant other.

  “I don’t know, Martha,” the ogre said. “They only give you a number. They don’t give you an estimated wait time.” He listened for a moment and then exhaled loudly. “I said I would stop at the market on the way home and I will. You don’t have to remind me.”

  Declan nudged my foot with his and grinned. “We know they must be good at what they do or they wouldn’t have a crowd waiting to see them.”

  A number was called and the ogre stood. “Gotta go, Martha. I’ll let you know what they see.” He hung up the phone and Declan took his vacant seat.

  “This is going to take too long,” I said. “Maybe we should come at this from another angle.”

  “The stone was warded and we don’t have a treasure map or a manifest identifying their locations,” Declan said quietly. “We need divine intervention.”

  I gave a tense nod. In my four years at the academy, I’d learned that help was an important part of the investigation process. No one was an island and no individual was solely responsible for the outcome. Not just a professional lesson but a life lesson.

  The dwarf beside me glanced up from his book. “You seem anxious. I hope your situation isn’t serious.”

  “Depends on whether you think the return of an evil, murdering sorcerer is serious,” I said.

  The dwarf frowned. “Goodness me, that does sound rather serious. My number is next. Why don’t we swap?”

  I gaped at him. “But you’ve been waiting a long time.”

  “My issue isn’t quite so serious and I have this wonderfully interesting book to keep me company.” The dwarf patted the book cover.

  I hesitated. I felt guilty for taking his place, even though I recognized the urgency of my situation. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m only here for my mother-in-law,” he confessed. “She wants to know whether we’re having a boy or a girl, but she blew out her knee this week and was unable to come herself. My wife begged me to come and keep the peace.” He managed a small smile. “She’s staying at my house while she recovers, so I don’t mind waiting here a bit longer.”

  “Thank you so much.” I swapped tickets with him. “And congratulations. I hope you get the answer you want.”

  “I don’t have a preference, to be honest,” the dwarf replied, “but thank you all the same.”

  My new number was called and I thanked the dwarf one last time before Declan and I headed to the hostess stand. She took my ticket and ushered us forward into the next room.

  “It’s a skating rink,” I said, blinking at the sight.

  “So it is.” Declan cocked an eyebrow. “Do you skate?”

  “You don’t have to,” a plucky voice said. A young woman with blond corkscrew curls skated across the rink to greet us. “I’m Patsy and that’s my brother, Matteo. We’re the d
iviners.”

  “A brother and sister duo on ice?” I queried. Not what I expected.

  Patsy beamed. “That’s right. We’re twins. It’s your first time, I take it.”

  “It is,” I said. “I have to admit, I was expecting sheep organs or something.”

  “We started with the usual tools,” Patsy said, “but once we realized we could combine our love of skating with our divining business, the stars were finally in alignment.”

  “Nice,” Declan said.

  “When you love your job, you never work a day in your life,” Patsy said cheerfully.

  “Tick tock, Patsy,” Matteo said, tapping his wrist impatiently. He sported the same blond curls as his sister, although he was taller and his features more angular.

  “We’re on a tight schedule, so here are the rules,” Patsy said. “You tell me your question. You two wait up there on the viewing platform.” She pointed to her right. “You watch the ice for a vision of your answer. Then you go on your merry way so we can get to the next customer. Sound good?”

  “Sounds divine, Patsy,” Declan said.

  Patsy wiggled her nose. “You’re cute.”

  “Stop flirting, Patsy, and let’s get on with it,” Matteo called in a bored voice. “I have a party at seven and I don’t want to be here after hours.”

  Patsy craned her neck to look at her brother. “Pipe down, Matteo. Nobody cares about your stupid party. Jeannine isn’t interested, no matter what you tell yourself in the mirror.”

  Matteo opened his mouth to protest but seemed to think better of it. He skated off in a huff. Patsy turned back to us with a bright smile.

  “What’s your question?” Patsy asked.

  “We need to find the healing stones that belonged to Volans Moldark,” I said. “The ones that contain his blood that he intends to be used for his resurrection.”

  Patsy blew a cold breath on the glass between us and drew a question mark in the condensation. “Firstly, that’s a statement, not a question. Secondly, the Shadow Sorcerer? Are you out of your mind?” Her cheeks grew flushed. “Why would you want to know a thing like that?”