The Dreg Trilogy Omnibus

by Bethany Hoeflich

  Ethan returned with a mug of tea for Mara, then he sat beside Ruby and poured more elixir in her mug. She drank deeply and smacked her wrinkled lips together. “That’s good.” She patted him on the knee. “Such a good boy.”

  Mara took a sip of the tea. “Ruby, I wanted to ask you something. I tried searching when I was in Merrowhaven, but no one seemed to know what I was talking about.”

  “You want to ask about Augeos.”

  Mara started. “How did you know?”

  “I’m a Seer, child, it’s what I do.”

  “Do you know anything?” She held her breath, hoping that the Seer would know something. So far, her search had led her to a string of dead ends. If she hadn’t owned an Augeo and felt its power, she would have been convinced it was all a dream.

  “I do.”

  Mara wanted to jump up and cheer, but she restrained herself. Instead, she tucked her legs beneath her to get comfortable and settled in.

  Ruby’s eyes unfocused like she was drawing from a memory. “Augeos and Deleos are two sides of the same coin.”

  Mara pulled a face. “Except Deleos are evil.”

  Ruby chuckled. “They’re not evil—they’re tools.”

  “If you say so,” she said doubtfully.

  “A shovel or an axe could be used by a bad person to do terrible things. Does that mean the tool is evil? Pah.” Ruby took a sip of her drink. “Deleos are the same.”

  “But what could they be used for except cause harm to other people?”

  “Let me explain. As you know by now, Gifts usually don’t form until adulthood, but in rare cases some children do develop them early. Some are Ignises, some are Armises, and some are even Imprigas. Uncontrolled, those Gifts can be dangerous. Until they are old enough to learn control, the children would wear Deleos to minimize the damage. If you had been born in Tregydar, I imagine we would have harnessed your Gift, too.”

  “But Opal destroyed Steel’s . . .”

  “Ah,” Ruby tapped the side of her head, ‘but that Deleo was meant to drain him, not help him.”

  “I guess that makes sense.” Mara frowned. She hadn’t considered the possibility of Deleos being used for good before. “How do they work?”

  “A Deleo is like a cup with a hole in the bottom. No matter how much you pour into it, it will never be filled. It’s forever thirsty. An Augeo is the opposite—a cup that will never run out.”

  “So, how are they made? Is it difficult?” Mara avoided looking at Ethan. He might not like the idea of getting another Augeo, but if it could help them win against the Order, Mara was willing to do anything to give them an edge.

  “A Guardian removes a Gift and puts it into an object—usually jewelry of some sort. Then a Farber binds it with runes to seal it.”

  “That’s how a Deleo is made. I want to know how to make an Augeo,” she said, unable to keep the excitement from her voice.

  Ethan glanced up sharply, his gray eyes narrowing. Mara schooled her face into mild interest and kept her eyes trained on Ruby.

  “They are made the same way.”

  “The same way?” Mara’s brows furrowed, and she bit her lip. “I don’t understand.”

  “Intent is everything.”

  “Why should that matter?”

  “You’ve touched a Guardian, haven’t you?” Mara nodded, and Ruby continued, “So why do you still have a Gift?”

  Understanding dawned on her.

  “When a Guardian takes a Gift, the energy of the Gift changes,” Ruby explained. “It will only ever be used to take. The opposite is true for an Augeo. When it is freely given, it will continue to give. It was a tradition of sorts in the past. When a Gifted was approaching the end of his or her life, they would ask a Guardian to take their Gift and bind it inside an Augeo that they could pass down to their children and grandchildren. Heirlooms, you might call them. It was their way of strengthening the next generation.”

  Mara’s hand went to her throat where the Augeo had rested. When he’d given it to her, her father had mentioned that the pendant was an old family heirloom.

  Oblivious to Mara’s revelation, Ruby prattled on. “Of course, that was before the Order came into power. Having a bunch of over-powered Gifted running loose created chaos that needed to be reined in. Could you imagine the wars and destruction? The Augeos were confiscated and destroyed, and their knowledge forgotten except by a select few. I’m surprised the Order didn’t keep them to use, but I suppose even the most ambitious men have to be reasonable sometimes—"

  Mara jumped to her feet, spilling her tea in the process. “I have to go.”

  Ethan’s eyes bulged, and his mouth dropped open. “Mara, what—”

  “I’m so sorry. Thank you for the tea!” Before he could say anything else, she turned and ran from the room.

  Mind reeling from the implications of what Ruby had said, Mara hurried to find Alex. If this worked, it could turn the battle in their favor and give them an edge over Cadmus. She raced down the tunnel and into the fortress before climbing the stairs to the second level. Chest heaving, she skidded to a halt outside of Alex’s room and pounded on the door.

  Muffled footsteps sounded from inside the room. Alex opened the door and rubbed his eyes. “Mara? What’s wrong?”

  “I need your help.”

  Alex opened the door the whole way and invited her inside. “What is it?”

  “You might want to sit down first.”

  He sat down on the edge of his bed and Mara began to pace. Now that she was here, she wasn’t sure what she could say. She took a deep breath and told him what Ruby had said about the Deleos and Augeos. When she was finished she asked, “Do you understand?”

  Alex rubbed his neck and shrugged. “I understand what you said, yes, but I don’t understand what it has to do with me.”

  “You’re going to help me create an Augeo.”

  He shot out of his seat like it burned him. “I’m going to what?”

  “Create an Augeo,” she repeated slowly.

  “You’ve lost your mind.”

  “Probably. You can do this for me.”

  “I know I can do it,” he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, “but who would be stupid enough to sacrifice their Gift for something like this?”

  Mara pulled her shoulders back and raised her chin. “Me.”

  30

  “No. Absolutely not. Ethan would kill me.” Alex shook his head so fast Mara thought it was going to fly off. He held his hands up in front of him and backed away, looking like a cornered animal.

  Mara raised her chin higher. “It’s not Ethan’s decision to make. The way I see it, we can keep throwing bodies at Cadmus and hope for the best and he’ll defeat us every time or we can stack the tiles in our favor. We’re not going to win this battle with brute strength. He has my Augeo—he’ll see us coming. But if we have someone like him on our side . . .”

  “Think about what you’re saying. If I take your Gift, you’ll never get it back.”

  “I know.”

  “If you’re not going to use the Augeo, then who will?”

  “Ethan,” she said without hesitation. “He’ll be able to See what Cadmus’s disciples are going to strike and we can counter with minimal losses.”

  Alex shook his head. “Do you know what you’re asking me to do?”

  Her expression softened. “I wouldn’t ask if I had any other choice. Look, I understand what you’re feeling. I know how much you hate your Gift and what this would mean to you. I know what Cadmus has forced you to do, and I wouldn’t ask you if I had any other choice.”

  Alex sank back onto his bed and Mara sat next to him. She took a deep breath. “If you still say no, I’ll respect your wishes. We’ll find another way. But look at it from my perspective. We have to take him down, and this way we can do it with the least amount of lives lost. I don’t want all these people to die fighting my war. If by giving up my Gift I can ensure they live long enough to enjoy theirs, then it’s a
sacrifice I’m happy to make.

  Alex ran a hand down his face and tugged the ends of his locks. “Okay. What do we need to do?”

  An hour later, everything was ready. Mara had found a pendant that would work to hold her Gift while a Farber could bind it. It wasn’t like the one she’d had before—the shape was slightly different, and the gem was a rich cobalt. She wondered if it would change color once it was full. Ruby hadn’t specifically said that a gem was necessary for the process, but Mara wasn’t taking any chances.

  A Farber—she couldn’t remember his name—sat at the desk, etching the first two runes in the corners based on the description Mara gave him from memory. These would bind the Gift to the pendant, but he’d have to wait to etch the last until after Alex had taken her Gift. She could only hope that she’d gotten them correct.

  Alex dragged a chair over to the desk. Mara sat down and tried to steady her nerves. It was one thing to offer when she was feeling brave, but now that the moment was here, she was terrified. Her whole life she’d wanted to be Gifted. She’d thought that having a Gift would solve all her problems. Instead, it seemed to cause more. She tried to remember that empty feeling. The powerlessness. Was that how life would be like from this moment on?

  It was worth it.

  It had to be.

  The Farber held up the pendant. “It’s ready.”

  Mara wiped her hands on her trousers and took a deep breath. “Good. That’s very good.”

  Alex held out his hand, his fingers trembling slightly. “Are you sure about this?”

  She swallowed and stretched her hand toward him.

  A knock sounded on the door. Mara pulled back with a squeak. What if it was Ethan? She debated wedging herself under the bed to hide.

  Alex crossed the room and opened the door to reveal Ruby waiting with a serene smile on her face.

  “Ruby, what a nice surprise. Here, let me help you back to your room,” Mara said, concerned that the elixir had worn off and the Seer was now wandering the fortress by herself. Her mind went back to the time in Oxrest when Ruby had kissed a Guardian. There was no limit to how much trouble she could get into.

  “No need, child.” She brushed Mara away and folded her hands before her. “I’m here to help.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re making an Augeo, and I want to help.” Ruby pushed her way into the room and clucked her tongue. She turned in a slow circle. “Your décor is bleak. Is that because you’re a Guardian or because you have no taste?”

  Alex choked. “Um . . .”

  Mara interrupted. “That’s very kind of you, but I’m not sure how you could help. We have everything that we need. Why don’t you go back to your room and lie down for a bit?”

  “Do you?” Ruby clucked her tongue. “Figures you young people would jump into things head first without being prepared. If you want to do it properly, you’ll need this.” Ruby pulled a scroll from a hidden pocket in her cloak.

  “What’s that?”

  “Detailed instructions on the process to make sure it’s successful. Unless you’d prefer to lose your Gift for nothing? I don’t know what you young people are into, and far be it from me to judge. In my prime, I spent three glorious nights with the Rei.” She fanned her face and winked at Mara. “Phew, if you could have seen those bulging muscles and—"

  “Can I see that?” Alex asked. Ruby handed it over and unfastened her cloak.

  Mara frowned at her. “What are you doing?”

  Ruby began to roll back her sleeves of her. She glanced up at Mara, surprise crossing her face. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m adding my Gift to the Augeo, too.”

  “What!” Alex whirled around, dropping the scroll in the process. “Oh no. No, no, no. That’s not happening.”

  “Of course it is, foolish boy.”

  “But why?” Mara asked. “Isn’t my Gift enough?”

  “If all we needed was power you’d have it in buckets. But that’s not all we need, is it? Because Cadmus is my son, he inherited certain traits from me.”

  Alex recovered from his shock and retrieved the scroll from the floor. “Like his ability to Read someone without having to touch them?”

  “Exactly. By infusing my Seer Gift into the Augeo along with Mara’s Impriga Gift, it should give Ethan the same ability.”

  “But you’re not certain,” Mara pressed.

  “Nothing in life is certain, but why should that stop us? Sometimes the best things in life come with the greatest risk.”

  “Some risks aren’t worth it. I really don’t think you should do this.”

  “Don’t argue with me, child. I’m eighty-two years old. You’ll lose.”

  Mara gaped.

  “Close your mouth or you’ll catch flies.” She shuffled over to the desk and peeked over the Farber’s shoulder to get a better look at the Augeo. “Very good. You’ll want to extend that line a bit further down. And make sure you get the last rune correct.”

  The Farber squinted at her. “What happens if it’s not?”

  “Do you truly need me to spell it out? What are they teaching youngsters these days?” She sighed. “Getting it wrong will either render it completely useless or cause an explosion that will destroy half this room and everyone in it. Because we’re combining two Gifts, I’d wager on the latter.”

  The Farber paled noticeably and bent over his notes.

  Ruby sat next to the desk and snapped her fingers at Alex. “Well come on then. We’d better hurry up and get this over with. I can feel the effects of that elixir wearing off and I’d rather not have an episode in the middle of it.”

  Alex pulled over another chair for Mara, then he sat across from her and Ruby. Mara chewed on her lip. “Will it hurt?”

  “Of course it will hurt, foolish girl. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.”

  Alex muttered under his breath. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this. Ethan is going to kill me.”

  “Pah, he’ll understand eventually.”

  Alex rubbed his hands on his pants. “Okay, who’s going first?”

  “You can’t do it at the same time?” Mara asked him.

  “If you’re set on doing this, I’d rather get it right.”

  Ruby got a strange look on her face that Mara couldn’t read. “Best do the girl first, then take mine. It will go easier.”

  Mara fought down a flutter of nerves and reached for Alex. He folded her hand in his and closed his eyes.

  “Wait!” She snatched her hand back. “Before we do this . . . can you See what’s going to happen? Do you think this will make a difference?”

  “If you’re asking if I can have a vision like some sort of trick pony, the answer is no—they don’t come on command. But I can tell you that you will have a better shot at winning if you have the same advantages as Cadmus.”

  “That’s all I needed to know.” Without hesitation, she put her hand in Alex’s.

  At first the tugging felt like when the Impriga had stolen her energy and she nearly pulled her hand away again. Alex tightened his grip and drew faster. It felt like her insides were being torn from her body. She arched her back in the chair and screamed.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Alex whispered. With one final yank, he ripped away the final threads of her Gift.

  The one thing she’d always wanted. Gone forever.

  Mara collapsed, too exhausted to move. She couldn’t even lift her head to watch as Alex reached for Ruby. The Seer grunted but otherwise didn’t make a sound until she slumped over in her chair.

  The Farber held out the pendant and Alex cradled it in his hands like an egg he was terrified to break. He handed it back to the Farber who wasted no time in etching the final rune. The new Augeo flashed brightly then faded.

  Mara struggled to sit up. Alex braced his arm behind her back, trying to lift her into a more comfortable position. Her head lolled to the side. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Ruby’s hand hanging limp at her side
and let out a cry of dismay. “Ruby!”

  “She’s fine, Mara. See?” He pointed to the slight rise and fall of her chest. “She’s still breathing.”

  Mara panted. “Did it work?”

  He stared at the pendant in his hands. “I don’t know. I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

  Her stomach churned as the implications of what she’d done started to set in. “Let me rest for a bit, then I’ll go tell Ethan.”

  ***

  Mara stood outside the door to Ethan’s room. She wrapped her arms around her belly and leaned her head on the cool wood, hoping it would lessen the empty ache inside. She knew she had made the right decision, but how was she going to explain?

  She glanced down the hallway toward her own room, wishing she could lay down and sleep for a week. It would be so easy to slip away and let someone else tell him the news. It was too late to take it back.

  Before she could change her mind, she tapped on the door.

  Ethan opened it, his expression transforming into a smile. “Mara? I wasn’t expecting—”

  “I need to tell you something.” Tears sprang unbidden to her eyes.

  “What happened?” He rested his hands on her shoulders, holding her at arm’s length as he searched her face. “Did someone hurt you?”

  She pinched her lips together and shook her head. “Can I come in?”

  “Of course.” He stepped to the side and gestured for her to enter.

  Mara wiped her face with her sleeve. He ushered her to a seat by the window before sitting across from her. He reached out and took her hand. The gesture only made her cry harder. An hour ago, it had been Alex holding her hand, but for entirely different reasons.

  Concern flooded his face. He pulled a handkerchief from a pocket in his tunic and gave it to her. “Mara, you’re scaring me.”

  She hiccupped and blew her nose. “It’s Ruby.”

  Ethan sat back and blinked rapidly. “What about her? Did something happen?”

  Mara said nothing. The moment had come, and words deserted her. Slowly, she reached in her pocket and pulled out the Augeo. She held it up, letting it dangle from its chain.

  He shot to his feet, sending the chair crashing to the floor, and his face drained of color. “What have you done?”