by S. M. Boyce
Victoria lifted her hands in gentle surrender. “I’m sorry, Fyrn. I take it back.”
“I’ll find you a spell. We have other options.” Fyrn stroked his beard, but something in the old wizard’s face had shifted. As she watched him gaze around the cave, Victoria wondered how much he believed what he was saying. Maybe deep in his heart he suspected what she was already beginning to believe: no spell was going to help her.
She had to face the facts. Spells had limits the Rhazdon Artifacts didn’t have.
Even when she had mastered the Rhazdon Artifact in her arm, she wouldn't be strong enough to actively wield the weapons she summoned. It wouldn't do any good for her to have the knowledge but no practical ability to use it. She needed some kind of supplement, some way to get stronger than any human ever could, and so far it seemed like only another Rhazdon Artifact could do that.
Yes, perhaps getting another would destroy her, but she had a powerful enemy who wanted her dead. He had massacred her parents and set a ravenous snarx loose on the city of Fairhaven, killing dozens. That thing may have had a funny name, but it had been nothing to laugh at when it had decapitated Fairhaven citizens and left orphans in its wake. If Victoria hadn’t put her life on the line, the king would have let his people die. Or worse, Luak might have taken over and killed hundreds more.
This was life or death.
Anyway, it wasn't as if she could go out and shop for a second Rhazdon Artifact. She would wait to see what Fyrn came up with, but the dark magic in her body had so far done only good. She had saved Fairhaven from the snarx, and been welcomed by many of its citizens—though not all—as a hero. Maybe the magic of the Rhazdon Artifacts didn't have the same effect on her as it did for others, or maybe it was unjustly feared.
Her powers were all she could use to get her revenge on Luak, and she wouldn't rule out using more dark magic if it meant she got justice for everyone that evil bastard had murdered.
***
Screw training. Screw patience. Screw inner peace. Victoria needed a break.
During the championship Berserk match for the season, she raced along the city’s main Berserk field while the crowd roared on either side of her. They faced the Chezlewok team today. Apparently it was some kind of slithering monster with fangs and a lightning-quick bite.
Didn’t matter. They would lose to the Plits.
“Victoria, here!” Audrey waved her hands, pointing to a pair of black fidgets—fifty points each!—rolling near her. She charged for one, and Victoria lunged toward the other.
It slipped out of her fingers as she hit the ground. Audrey fell as well, missing her fidget by a few inches as it scuttled through the grass.
Across the field an ogre snorted, his eyes focused on Audrey’s sprawled body.
Oh, shit.
Such was the game, after all: hurt your opponent until they went to the medic and were disqualified from continuing. And boy, did this team love trying to take out the fidget chasers.
He ran toward them, the ground rumbling under his massive feet. It wasn’t long before his eight-foot-tall body towered over them—he looked ready to flatten Audrey. She scrambled to stand, but her shoes slipped on the wet ground cover.
Victoria dove for her friend, grabbing her shoulder and rolling them both out of the way seconds before the ogre toppled onto them both.
Audrey grinned. “You’re the best.”
“I know.” Victoria winked.
A green fidget squeaked beneath the ogre’s leg, its indestructible body pinned momentarily by the monster. Victoria snatched it free and its tiny feet wriggled like a fish out of water. “A hundred points! Damn!”
An elf on their team—Georgie—sped by and plucked the fidget from Victoria’s hands. “Thanks, ladies!”
As the opposing team’s ogre pushed himself to his feet, Bertha’s brother Edgar plowed into him from the side. Bones cracked, dirt kicked into the air, and Victoria winced in sympathy.
That had to hurt.
Audrey, however, chuckled. “That’s what you get for messing with Team Plit!”
“Damn right! Now let’s win this thing,” Victoria said, fist-bumping her buddy. Her eyes scanned the field for the next fidget.
As they ran through the field of ogres and elves tackling each other, Victoria felt strangely at home. These were her people—her team, her buddies. They would always have her back.
Always.
***
Victoria sat on the floor of the cave she and Audrey had slept in when they first came to Fairhaven. Back propped against the jagged wall, she gently tapped her head against the rock as she tried to make sense of her runaway thoughts. Styx flew in circles above her to wear himself out. Otherwise he would be up all night rummaging through the kitchen cupboards. Victoria might have been rich thanks to her parents’ forethought, but this pixie would eat her out of house and home if she wasn’t careful.
Even though she had initially brought up finding a second Rhazdon Artifact as a joke, the idea made more sense to her the longer she thought about it.
And that scared her.
She didn’t know what worried her more: The idea of having more dark magic pulsing through her veins or the fear that she might be chasing power the same way as others who had been corrupted by the Rhazdon Artifacts fused with their bodies had.
After all, Fyrn had once mentioned how he watched host after host be destroyed by their own greed and lust for power. She could hear the reasoning now: just a little more, and I'll stop. Just a little more, and I'll have enough. Just a little more, and I'll be happy.
Just a little more.
“I wouldn’t mind some company,” Shiloh said.
Victoria jumped, heart skipping a beat when the ghost tied to her Rhazdon Artifact appeared. He lounged against a boulder, examining his nails in the same bored fashion as always.
“Some company?” she asked.
He nodded. “Get another Rhazdon Artifact ghost for me.”
“Wouldn’t you just find it boring?”
“Probably, but it’s worth a try. Do it, and I might hate you less.”
She frowned. “That’s a terrible reason to fuse with another Artifact.”
“Suit yourself.” Shiloh shrugged, and as fast as he had appeared, he disappeared again.
Sometimes she hated that ghost. True, he didn’t have a choice about being forever tied to the dagger in her arm, but he didn’t have to make her miserable. Lately he had taken to hiding wherever it was ghosts hung out, and she had rather enjoyed the peace. Sometimes she even forgot he existed.
Happy times.
Elbow resting on her knee, Victoria stared at beautiful Fairhaven below her as her mind wandered. The city had become her refuge, the safe space she called home. Luak had threatened them in an effort to take control of the city and she had stopped him, thanks to the power of her Rhazdon Artifact. It, and it alone, had given her the ability to kill the snarx. She couldn't have done that without magic, and she couldn't deny that the dark magic had become a part of her. Being a Rhazdon host was a life sentence, since removing the artifact would kill her. She would never again be without it, so there was no point in hating what she was.
But to add another? That would be pushing her luck.
She sighed, rubbing her eyes as she forced herself to face the bitter truth. Dark magic was dangerous, and she was treading a thin line between greed and having enough power to get justice and do what was right.
If she listened to her heart, she would always make the right choice. And right now it told her to wait.
Victoria would do whatever it took to take care of her city, her friends, and the magical world that had quickly captured her imagination. She adored Fairhaven, and if it meant destroying herself to save it, that’s what she would do.
Until then, she would wait.
CHAPTER 2
As the overhead crystals in the Fairhaven cavern began to dim, signaling the end of another day, Audrey leaned her elbows on the window
sill and watched the street for Victoria.
The townspeople of Fairhaven had reacted quite surprisingly to Victoria being a Rhazdon host. Half of them seemed to adore her, even thanking her in the street, while the other half kept their distance and watched her suspiciously.
But they had all ignored Audrey.
It wasn't fair. Audrey had fought the snarx too. She had helped drag its head back to town. She had stood on the balcony when Luak threatened Victoria, sword at the ready in case shit went down.
At every step of the way, Audrey had put her life on the line to keep Victoria alive, but no one here cared. As usual, they fawned over Victoria while Audrey stood in her friend's shadow.
She blew a raspberry, forehead pressed against the windowpane.
Around a bend in the street, a mop of braided strawberry blonde hair appeared in the crowd. Victoria. She had several elves in tow, their gorgeous and ornate gowns trailing on the cobblestone street. They fawned over her, laughing at something she said as she wildly gestured with her hands. They had likely asked about her training or her magical exploits, eager to hear stories from a Rhazdon host who was for some reason not actively trying to kill them.
A heroic Rhazdon host was like a horse walking into a supermarket: no one knew quite what to make of it, but everyone wanted a closer look.
Fuck! What Audrey wouldn’t give to walk a day in Victoria’s shoes. To be adored, respected. Hell, she would settle for being noticed.
A pang of guilt shot through Audrey like lightning, and she left her post at the window to pace the room with her hands in her pockets. Part of her wished she could stuff these emotions down deep and pretend they didn't exist…but they did. Resentment and envy burned deep within her soul, and they grew stronger every day as she tried to ignore them.
Curious about what was keeping Victoria, Audrey peeked through the window again to find her friend surrounded by even more people in the middle of the street. Elves and ogres alike mobbed her, hanging on her every word.
Before she could help herself, Audrey scoffed in disgust. The moment the sound escaped her lips, she blushed and clamped a hand over her mouth.
She had to get her jealousy under control.
For now, a walk sounded like a great way to cool off. She trotted down the stairs and out the back door to avoid Victoria and her fans, not quite in the mood to deal with crowds or be reminded of her envy.
The thin alley between their house—well, Victoria’s house—and the next was paved with smooth stones that reminded Audrey of river rocks. Her boots clacked over them as she retreated from the home she shared with her best friend and headed into one of the city’s dozens of markets. Maybe she could distract herself by window shopping. Even though she didn't really enjoy browsing, she could use the occasion to discover a new section of Fairhaven. She already knew Bertha's street and the entire route to Fyrn's house by heart, but there were plenty of markets closer to the palace that she hadn't yet wandered through.
With each step, the massive white palace in the center of town neared. She loved looking at the towering spires, especially the centermost one that climbed almost all the way to the largest of the magnificent glowing green crystals overhead.
As her feet carried her into the tourist district, she scanned the shops to learn more about this section of the city. The ogres had thinned out and there were only elves everywhere, both behind the cash registers and browsing the aisles. In this district, there didn’t seem to be a single non-elfish creature. This shopping area wasn't as busy as Main Street, but plenty of people surrounded her. Most, however, gave her space. After all, she was a human in their midst. Dozens of almond-shaped eyes watched her from delicate faces with pointy ears, and many leaned to their neighbors to murmur as she passed.
Hmm. Perhaps she didn’t want to be noticed after all.
A curve in the road led to a large open-air marketplace, tables having been set up on both sides of the thoroughfare. White cloth covered the shopkeepers and their wares, and the tables displayed everything from folded suits to umbrellas and knickknacks. Audrey’s eyes began to ache from moving constantly as she scanned every table, relishing the distraction.
Something glittering on a nearby stand caught her attention. The table was covered with carved crystals. She recognized a few of the statues—a cat and a small mouse—but many were mighty animals she hadn’t seen before, immortalized in formidable poses with raised claws and bared fangs.
Beside the crystal figurines were four statues carved from some kind of white stone: a koi, a butterfly, a dolphin, and a dragon. Their eyes glimmered like tiny suns, full of fire. A ping in her chest urged her to pick them up and buy them all, whatever the cost.
For no logical reason, her instinct said these were special.
Audrey picked up the koi, and her fingers crackled with electricity when the cold stone met her skin. The figurine glowed as brilliantly as the center of a star. She jerked her hand back in surprise, dropping the small statue back onto the table, and the light show caught the clerk’s attention.
The elf jogged over, his long black hair frizzy. “What did you do?”
“I don’t know,” Audrey said softly, mystified.
“You break it, you buy it. These aren’t cheap, kid.”
“What are they?”
He grinned, flashing a mischievous smile that reminded Audrey of a used car salesman’s. “These are ancient relics from lost civilizations. You name the kingdom, and I guarantee I have something from it you can buy. But be warned—no one knows what magic each of these contains!”
She rolled her eyes. Laying it on pretty thick there, aren’t you, buddy?
“Where are these from?” She pointed to the alabaster figurines.
“Ah, I’m not allowed to say.” He winked.
She quirked an eyebrow, waiting in silence for him to get on with his sales pitch.
The shopkeeper picked up the koi, and Audrey suppressed the desire to pluck it from his hands. “The man who sold me these said I was never to tell anyone where I got them, but I will tell you, my dear, because I can see that you’re special. They’re from the one and only Atlantis.”
Audrey frowned, astounded at his blatant showmanship. “Atlantis?”
“I can tell you don’t believe me, but I assure you it’s true.”
“Uh-huh.” Perhaps that was her cue to leave. This guy was obviously trying to pull the wool over her eyes, but she couldn’t deny what she had seen. Carefully Audrey reached for the butterfly, curious to see what would happen if she touched a different figurine. As before, energy crackled through her body and the stone glowed.
Wait. Hold on.
She frowned, stepping away from the booth as a thought occurred to her. This was a parlor trick. He must have enchanted them somehow to encourage fools to buy his wares. Without another word she disappeared back into the crowd, but the haunting tug continued to pull her toward the white stone trinkets.
They’re special. She knew it with every fiber of her being even if she had no idea why or how.
Careful to stay out of sight, she ducked into an alley where she could watch the booth. As she stared at the trinkets, a jealous twinge told her to go buy them now, before anyone else had the chance. Body tense, she leaned against the wall and forced herself to wait.
An elvish woman in a brilliant purple gown paused by the stall, eyes on the figurines. The woman lifted the koi figurine, her dainty fingers exploring the statue’s curves. Audrey bristled, suppressing the utterly irrational impulse to run over and buy the white stone carvings out from under her.
But nothing happened. The stone didn’t glow. In fact, the brilliant fire to the crystal eyes faded almost completely.
Audrey perked up, curious about her discovery. The figurines had reacted to her.
Only to her.
To test her theory, she waited while four more elvish women and a rare ogre handled the figurines. Everyone seemed drawn to their elegance and beauty, but no one could
make them glow like she had.
Sold.
Audrey returned to the booth and gestured to the figurines. “What are you asking for these?”
“Fifteen each. But for you, I can go as low as ten.”
“Thirty for all four.”
His eyebrows shot nearly into his hairline. “I would be taking a loss! I have a family to feed, and—”
“I think we both know that’s not true.”
He smirked, his offended expression dissolving in an instant. “Clever girl. Fine. You have yourself a deal.”
