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

by Annabel Chase

  Declan clasped my hand. “I don’t think we should take an entourage. The entrance to the underworld isn’t exactly a safe space.”

  “We’ve been there before,” I said. “Not the one near Athens, but still. We made it safely out. Killed a few demons along the way, too.”

  “Well, hopefully that won’t be necessary on this trip,” Declan said.

  “At least I’ll have a strapping demigod of war by my side if we run into any trouble.”

  “That’s the real reason you keep me around, isn’t it?” He grinned down at me. “My rippling biceps.”

  I laughed. “So modest.”

  “I still think we’re better off dividing and conquering. Let your friends keep up their research and we’ll follow our own lead.”

  “Okay, I’ll let them know where we’re going, though.” Cerys would kill me if I left without a word, especially in light of Bryn’s disappearance. “I’ll meet you at the gateway in ten minutes.”

  I raced to the library to update my friends.

  “Be careful,” Cerys warned.

  “Careful?” Dani echoed. “She’s going with a demigod of war. She’s got her own personal security.” She winked at me, trying to make amends for her earlier outburst.

  “Even so,” Cerys said, “the Oracle of the Dead isn’t like other oracles. You’re not going to get a cocktail or a casserole at the end of your visit.”

  “You should bring a sprig of mistletoe,” Robin advised.

  “Why?” I asked. “Isn’t that for actually entering the underworld? I only want to go as far as the entrance.”

  “You’ll need an offering,” Robin replied. “Mistletoe is a good one.”

  “Alana will have it,” Cerys said. “Take some from her office on your way out.”

  “Good thinking,” I said. “Stay safe.”

  I hurried from the library to Alana’s office. She wasn’t there, so I snagged a sprig of mistletoe from the cabinet and scribbled a note of apology. Then I hustled to the gateway to meet Declan. On the way there, I noticed Icarus circling above me. My stomach clenched at the sight of him. He had to be worried sick about Bryn.

  “We’re doing what we can, Icarus,” I called to the snowy owl.

  The owl flapped its wings and glided away. I wished I could offer more comfort than mere words.

  Declan drove us to the transatlantic portal at top speed. I resisted the impulse to grip the door handle.

  He cast me a sidelong glance. “You don’t get nauseous in the long-distance portals, do you?”

  “I’ll be fine, thanks.”

  By the time we arrived in Athens, my head was spinning and I tried to pretend that the trip hadn’t unsettled me. We stood on a busy sidewalk and I did my best not to get trampled by the herd of humans.

  “Too bad we don’t have time to sightsee,” Declan said. “Athens is an incredible city.”

  “Another time when we’re not facing impending doom,” I said.

  He laughed. “We’ll put it on the calendar.”

  “Where’s the entrance?” I asked. It certainly wouldn’t be obvious.

  “Near one of the ancient temples,” he replied. “This way.”

  A few blocks later, we stopped in front of what appeared to be an empty plot of land. “You forgot to mention it’s an ancient invisible temple,” I said.

  “It’s not here anymore,” he replied. “This is the site where it once stood.” He took me by the hand. “Come on. I’ll show you.” He walked to the middle of the plot and positioned me directly in front of him, still holding my hand. “You need to move your left foot an inch to the right.”

  I glanced down at my feet. “Are we preparing to dance or see an oracle?”

  He grinned. “Trust me. I’d rather be dancing with you, but our placement needs to be precise or we won’t get in.”

  I dutifully moved my foot to the prescribed place. “Good now?”

  He nodded. “Ready?”

  “What’s going to…?” I didn’t get to finish my sentence. The earth opened below our feet and swallowed us whole.

  My eardrums felt ready to explode and we landed on the ground with a thud. A sharp pain shot up my leg and I winced.

  Declan rubbed my arms. “Are you okay?”

  I took a step and limped. “I’ll shake it off in a second.” I surveyed my surroundings. We didn’t seem to be underground, even though I knew we were. The chamber reminded me of a modern loft with an exposed brick wall and a lot of beams. In front of us was a sleek counter that seemed to be made from a variety of metals. To the right was an elevator bank with two elevators.

  A dwarf popped up from the other side of the counter. “Welcome, to the necromanteion, where your vision is our priority.” His nametag read Huckleberry.

  “That’s your tagline?” I queried.

  Huckleberry rested his chin in the palm of his hand. “I know. Lame, right? I’ve been working on a few others. It’s hard to get the message and the tone just right.”

  “We’d like a consultation,” Declan said, getting down to business.

  “I assume you’ve brought payment,” the dwarf said.

  “Have I?” I remembered the sprig in my pocket and retrieved the mistletoe. “Yes, I have it here.”

  The dwarf grunted and took the mistletoe. “Excellent choice.” He pointed to the elevator bank. “Walk straight back. Separate elevators.”

  “Why? What’s the point?” I wasn’t keen on the idea. What if we ended up in different places?

  Huckleberry squinted at me over the counter. “I don’t make the rules.”

  “Just the taglines?” I shot back.

  He glowered. “Do you want a consultation or not?”

  “We do,” Declan said.

  I cast a glance at the demigod. “Do you remember this from your last time here?”

  “No, I was alone before,” he replied. “I’ve never worked with a partner until you.”

  The warmth in his voice made me feel as though someone had covered me in the most comfortable blanket in the world.

  “I’d tell you two to get a room, but you can’t,” Huckleberry said, inclining his head toward the elevator bank. “Separate elevators.”

  “Which button do we press?” I asked.

  Huckleberry smiled, revealing a small gap between his two front teeth. “That’s entirely up to you.”

  I shoved aside my anxiety and fixed my attention on Declan. “Let’s agree on a button now.”

  “I’m partial to the number three,” Declan said.

  “Are we sure there will be numbers?” I asked. “What if the buttons say something like ‘fiery pit’ or ‘seventh circle?’”

  Huckleberry snorted. “I like the way you think.”

  “I seem to remember numbers,” Declan said.

  I drew a steadying breath and slowly exhaled. “Okay, three it is then.” I turned back to the dwarf. “Anything else we need to know?”

  “If you see flames, then you’ve gone too far,” Huckleberry said.

  Ugh. “Thanks for the tip.”

  Declan and I stood in front of the elevators and pressed the button in between them. Our gazes locked and he offered an encouraging smile.

  “This will be worth it,” he said. “I promise.”

  I nodded as the elevator doors opened. I trusted Declan completely and if he believed this oracle was going to help us find Bryn, then I was all in.

  “See you in two seconds,” I said, and hoped it wasn’t wishful thinking. I gave him a quick kiss on the lips before stepping inside. The doors closed behind me and I pressed the button for the third floor.

  A few moments passed and the doors opened again. I took a cautious step out of the elevator. Declan was nowhere to be seen. My new surroundings consisted of a pond surrounded by a wooded area. I peered through the trees, trying to gauge the depth of the woods. It was definitely not the environment I expected to find here.

  “Which way do I go?” I murmured. I hastened a glance b
ack at the elevator and my breathing hitched. A single elevator stood behind me. Declan would not be stepping out of the second elevator because there wasn’t one.

  My head swiveled back to the wooded area at the sound of scurrying footsteps. A red hind appeared beside the pond. Her head was bent over the water and she seemed to be drinking.

  “You were in my dream,” I said.

  The deer lifted her head and regarded me silently. Her ears twitched.

  “Why are you here?” I asked.

  The deer turned and retreated into the woods. A glance back at me told me she expected me to follow. I looked around one last time for any sign of Declan before deciding to go ahead. Maybe the deer would lead me to him.

  I entered the wooded area and the red hind picked up her pace. She guided me deeper into the woods where the trees grew thicker and closer together. I heard the sound of rushing water in the distance. A river. I knew instinctively that was where we were headed.

  The deer leaped over logs and maneuvered around bushes and I followed suit until we reached the river’s edge. I glanced across the water and saw only black on the other side of the river.

  A void.

  A shiver shot through my body.

  The red hind dipped her head toward the water and raised it again. She seemed to want me to look more closely at the river. I moved closer and peered at the rushing water.

  “What am I looking for?” The salmon of wisdom from my dream? That seemed unlikely.

  The deer gazed at me with her solemn brown eyes.

  I stared at the red hind in wonder. “You’re the oracle of the dead.”

  The deer’s ears twitched again.

  Of course. It seemed so obvious. They were using a creature from my memories to communicate with me. Declan was likely having an entirely different experience right now.

  “I need to ask you my question, don’t I?”

  The deer didn’t respond.

  “Where can I find Bryn Morrow?”

  The deer turned her head back to the river. At first, I thought an image would appear on the surface and wondered how easily I’d see it given the fast rush of the water, but the vision was to come another way. White foam rose from the river and morphed into hexagonal honeycomb shapes that I quickly identified.

  “Salt flats,” I said aloud.

  Wherever this place was, I knew it was the brotherhood’s hideout. Nick had assumed that Luca had been near a beach because he’d smelled salt at Folsom Falls, but Luca hadn’t come from the beach to steal the drinking horn.

  He’d come from these flats.

  The brothers were using the horn as part of the blood ritual. It made perfect sense, given what we’d learned.

  But what about the variegated rock we’d seen? Where was that?

  More foam crested into mountains that surrounded the salt flats. There were my rocks. Bryn was being held somewhere in that image. I gasped when I realized the location.

  Balor’s Basin.

  I knew all about Balor’s Basin thanks to Warden Armitage. According to the warden, he’d had a chance encounter with Volans Moldark at the basin. He’d been pursuing a money launderer there when Moldark seemed to appear out of nowhere. But what if it hadn’t been nowhere? What if it had been one of Moldark’s secret hideouts and the Fraternal Order of Hermes knew about it? What if they were attempting to resurrect Moldark there because it had never been discovered?

  “Thank the gods,” I whispered. I knew how to find Bryn.

  The image dissipated almost as quickly as it had appeared. I turned to thank the red hind and saw that she was gone.

  I should have left a trail of breadcrumbs so I could find my way back to the elevator. Lesson learned.

  I concentrated on retracing my steps, but it almost seemed that the path changed every time I made a decision. Finally, I broke through the trees and found myself in a mirrored hallway. Hundreds of Mias walked alongside me. It was both comforting and disconcerting.

  A buzzing sound drew my attention to the far end of the hallway. This seemed an unlikely place for bees or hornets. Maybe locusts. I inched forward, hugging the mirrored wall. The last thing I needed was to be carried off into the underworld by a swarm of locusts. When I reached a curve in the path, I halted and pressed my back flat against the wall. The buzzing sound grew louder, and my heart beat wildly in response. The noise was so intense that my head would have been more comfortable in a vice right now.

  And then it stopped.

  A foul stench hit me and I instinctively coughed. Not locusts then. A loud screech filled the hallway and I ducked as a winged creature swooped overhead. Her skin was black as coal and matched her bat-like wings. She landed behind me and I whipped around with my wand brandished.

  “Stay back,” I said. “I don’t want to cause any trouble.”

  The creature observed the mirrored hallway and I noticed the serpents twisted through her strands of dark hair. “Interesting choice.”

  I glanced at my reflection. “Choice? I didn’t choose this place.”

  “Of course you did. You wanted to be seen, and now you are.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t want to be seen by anyone. I’m only trying to leave this place.”

  The creature cackled. “You shall leave when I give you permission and not a moment before.” A whip appeared in her right hand and she snapped it on the ground in warning.

  “Who are you?” I asked.

  “They call me Tisiphone,” the monstrous creature replied.

  Fear seized me. “You’re one of the Furies.” The three Furies were legendary for torturing the shades of the damned in the underworld.

  Her smile made my blood run cold. “That is one name for us. Others call us the Erinyes.”

  “Angry ones,” I said. “Why are you trying to stop me from leaving? I’m not a shade. I need to return to the overworld.”

  Tisiphone stroked one of the serpents in her hair and it hissed, as though it were a purring kitten. “Do you know what our role is?”

  “You torment those in the underworld who deserve it,” I said. I really wanted to emphasize the word ‘deserve,’ but I thought it best not to provoke her.

  She tilted her head and the snakes writhed through her hair. “Is that all?”

  “You…You drive others mad,” I said.

  Tisiphone took a menacing step toward me. “Anyone or just some in particular?”

  I blinked, my memory freezing. “I don’t remember.”

  Tisiphone shrieked and slashed the whip on the ground. I resisted the urge to jump back. “Justice.” She took another step toward me. “Vengeance. We punish wrongdoers.” The Fury stood directly in front of me and inhaled deeply. “You do not smell of wrongdoing. Quite the opposite, in fact.” She sounded disappointed.

  “Then why block my path? Let me be on my way. I have urgent business in the overworld.” Nobody could argue that my mission wasn’t an emergency.

  The sound of footsteps startled me. If Tisiphone’s sisters were about to join her, my chances of leaving here were somewhere between nil and never, which meant Bryn wouldn’t be found.

  “She’s here,” a familiar voice said.

  “Declan!” I’d never been so relieved to see the demigod. My smile quickly faded when I saw he was flanked by the other two Furies. Not only flanked, but he had one arm looped through each of theirs.

  “Sisters,” Tisiphone said, drawing out the word. “What have you brought?”

  “This is the son of Cicoluis,” the Fury on the left said. Other than her dark purple hair, she looked identical to Tisiphone.

  “He is the bearer of distressing news, sister,” the other Fury said. She was also identical to her sisters aside from her green hair, which blended with the skin of the serpents twisted in the strands.

  Tisiphone regarded them. “What is this news?”

  “The Shadow Sorcerer has plans to return to the overworld,” the purple-haired Fury said.

  Tisiphone gasped and
the snakes hissed in unison. “This cannot be. How?”

  “He has minions working on his behalf,” Declan explained. He unhooked his arms from the Furies and reached for my hand. “My girlfriend and I are trying to stop them. We don’t have much time.”

  Tisiphone glanced from Declan to me. “You are a mere demigod and a witch. How do you propose to stop this?”

  Declan didn’t seem bothered by the phrase ‘a mere demigod.’ The guy’s ego was basically nonexistent. Another bristle in the broomstick as far as I was concerned.

  “However we can,” I said. “The minions have kidnapped my friend to use as part of their ritual. She shares his blood. That’s why we’re here—to consult the Oracle of the Dead and see if we can find her.”

  “And have you?” Tisiphone asked.

  “Yes,” I said. “And now I need to tell my friends so we can rescue her before it’s too late.” Despite my effort to seem tough and stoic in the face of danger, tears welled in my eyes. The green-haired Fury met my gaze and her serpentine hair seemed to calm.

  “We have no desire to see the return of the Shadow Sorcerer,” she said.

  “Indeed. He is undeserving,” Tisiphone said. “His living flame was extinguished and rightfully so.”

  “Then help us,” I implored. “Bryn is like my sister. She’s family.” My gaze flicked from one sister to the next. “I’d do anything to save her and stop the resurrection.”

  “And I would do anything for Allecto and Megaera,” Tisiphone said.

  “You told me your job is to mete out justice and vengeance,” I said. “Volans Moldark was one of the most evil sorcerers in history. His misdeeds were infamous in our world.”

  Tisiphone’s grip tightened on the handle of her whip. “And those who wish to see him resurrected. Justice must be served to them as well, wouldn’t you agree, sisters?”

  The Furies fixed me with three penetrating stares. “Tell us where to go, young witch,” Allecto said, “and we shall be there.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Back at the academy, I stood in front of the hellhound enclosure with Warden Armitage and Fonthill, the groundskeeper.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?” I asked.

  “Mind?” Warden Armitage repeated. “How could I mind? This is Morrow we’re talking about. If I’m getting rid of her, it’s going to be the old-fashioned way—graduation.”