by Priya Ardis
I peered into the supper room. Long tables adorned with white tablecloth and centerpiece garlands and candles had been set up. Doing some quick math, I figured about a few hundred place settings.
I elbowed Matt. “Think we’ll get to eat?”
Matt rolled his eyes. “Is food all you think about?”
“Not always,” I whispered. “Lunch was three hours ago.”
I eyed a beautifully set up punch bowl. It had a gurgling fountain in the middle. I started to gravitate towards it. “How about a small drink?”
Matt grabbed my elbow and pulled me away. “Later.”
Several of the Queen’s staff eyed our group curiously. They greeted Dawson who casually explained us as a special services group. This got an even wider-eyed response, but no one asked any further questions.
Dawson led us inside the ballroom. He pointed at a panel on the wall. “There’s a hidden door there and a secret passageway that leads down. We had the ballroom especially opened for this reason. I can tell you the First Member said Her Majesty was not thrilled about it. But it is the most convenient way for you to slip away a few at a time.”
“Did you relay our message to the First Member?” Aurelius asked.
Dawson inclined his head. “The whole country is watching the protests. The First Member hopes that once the sword is actually pulled we can bring the stone out again. It might satisfy some of the unrest—” Dawson broke off as another guest came up to greet him. He hustled the guest away quickly and turned to Matt. “Master Merlin, you must go first.”
“What do I do?” Matt asked.
“The vault is directly beneath us. You will need to open it.”
The noise level in the room increased as music started. Brightly colored people glittered under the teardrop chandeliers like shiny jewels as they milled around in celebration. They laughed and drank while we stood next to the door that might lead us to our deaths. Appropriately enough the hidden door showed a mural of a lion with wings.
For the first time, I truly noticed the depictions of lions tucked into every corner of the Palace. The Royal symbol itself had a lion. A light bulb went off in my head. My eyes widened.
“Matt,” I said.
Horns blew loudly. The sound bounded down to us. A man in a deep voice announced, “Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth.”
I stared at the diminutive yet radiant woman who stepped out from a closed room at the other end of the banquet. A crown tucked neatly into her hair bun, the Queen had dressed in a sedate gown for the celebration. Except for the crown, she could have passed for a commoner.
I drew Matt aside and whispered, “Is that the seeing stone on her crown?”
CHAPTER 17
THE TEST
From the window, the clouds flitted across the reddening moon marring its luminosity.
“That ruby looks like the one on my amulet.” I pointed to the Queen’s head. A flash of red-hair at the Queen’s side caught my attention. A woman watched the Queen with a hungry gaze. The woman turned and saw me. She looked down quickly to hide her face, but she wasn’t quick enough. It was Marla, Sylvia’s assistant.
“Matt.” I grabbed him and pointed at her. “Marla!”
“Impossible,” Matt said. He mumbled a spell under his breath. A whoosh went through the room. Several men and women clutched their faces. I noticed one by Marla. One minute he looked like a non-descript man, the next minute his face changed into that of a beast’s.
“Gargoyles,” Matt said under his breath.
“Get the Queen,” Aurelius said from directly behind us. “She’s the First Member.”
Aurelius had heard our whole conversation. Matt and I turned just in time to see him clasp his hands together.
“Agni.” His voice boomed through the ballroom.
Fire blew out across the room. Matt raised his arm to stop it.
“Nimita,” Aurelius shouted and the walls trembled. The whole Palace shook.
Screams rent the air as half the ballroom’s floor collapsed.
Matt floated several people in the air. I could see the concentration on his face as he moved them to the sides of the room away from the giant hole in the floor. As soon as they touched ground, the hapless guests scurried under the dinner tables. Before Matt could turn on Aurelius, he and all of the guardians who came with us directed a barrage of blue fire at Matt and the Queen.
Matt wavered under the onslaught. The Queen fell to the ground. I caught Matt before he could fall. Paul and Oliver came up beside me and caught Matt’s other side. Oliver took the brunt of Matt’s weight.
Below the destroyed ballroom floor, the square vault containing the giant Stone stood bared. Fractured light glinted off the Sword.
“How?” Matt gasped as we stood looking down at the vault from the sidelines. “Even combined you are not strong enough.”
“How do you think, Master Merlin? I channeled the gargoyles’ strength,” Aurelius said with a smug smile. I looked across at Marla. Her face changed into its beast form. She smiled at me with large pointed incisors. About twenty or so other guests standing around her also shifted into gargoyles. The remaining guests—presumably all Regulars—cowered under the tables. They huddled together, their eyes locked on the gargoyles in terror.
Aurelius said, “They are at their height tonight, while you are—”
“Diminished by the solstice,” Matt finished for him.
“Exactly. With their power we do not need you anymore.” Aurelius raised his hand. Blue fireballs glowed in his palms. “Goodbye, Merlin.”
Thornton strode forward, but it was not Thornton’s voice that said, “I wouldn’t do that.”
The voice sent a shiver down my spine.
Aurelius squinted at him. “Who are you?”
Thornton’s face morphed into Vane. He winked at me.
“Glamour,” Matt said.
“Catch him,” Aurelius shouted.
“Nice vault. I see a powerful protection spell around it. Do the gargoyles really believe you can get them the stone?” Vane mocked loudly.
In a blink, Marla crossed the room to grab Aurelius by the neck. She put a long nail on a pulsating artery. “You promised us the Stone, wizard. Eef you don’t deliver, we will rip apart everyone in this room piece-by-piece starting with you.”
Aurelius scowled. He threw her hand off with a quick magical blast. “Patience, or neither one of us will get what we want.”
The other traitor guardians turned to Vane, ready to attack.
Aurelius laughed. “They are all pledged to me, Vivane. You are outmatched.” He commanded the guardians, “If he moves, kill him.”
Aurelius strode to the Queen. Marla pulled her up into a chair. Aurelius held a fireball in front of the Queen’s face. “How do we get past the protection spell?”
A few of the guests tried to crawl out from under the tables to help the Queen. Aurelius whispered to the fireball and tossed it at them. It roared loudly and expanded into a fountain of flame, blasting a guest across the arm. He screamed and rubbed his hand on the floor, stamping out the fire. Shaken, the other guests scurried back under the tables.
The Queen shook her head. “I will tell you nothing.”
Marla grabbed the Queen by the neck. The Queen’s wizened face turned purple.
“Killing me will only make the spell stronger,” she choked out.
“A lifeforce spell,” Aurelius said.
Marla dropped the Queen into a chair.
Aurelius mused, “But what is the key?”
“You’re a traitor, Second Member,” the Queen said calmly.
“I am your savior.” Aurelius pointed at Matt who was almost collapsed on top of me. “It’s your ancestor who is the traitor. If it weren’t for him and your support of his ridiculous notions, we wouldn’t be in this mess. I’m not about to change our whole way of life because some old relic woke up with some idealized vision of what we should be.”
“Merlin is a far greater wizard than y
ou could ever hope to be,” she said. “We are approaching a war, Second Member. Merlin’s visions have been our best hope of averting it.”
“His visions are nothing,” Aurelius spat. “If we had stopped selling magic, we would have become weak ages ago. Where would we get the money to train our children? Do you have any idea how much it takes to keep ourselves hidden?” He waved his hand in the air. “Allow me to reply—no, you don’t. Because you don’t actually do anything. I do. I make the plans. I arrange the details. I should be in charge. Period.”
“Greed has clouded your vision,” the Queen said.
“You know nothing!” Aurelius screamed. He blew her backwards until she toppled to the floor. “Open the vault.”
The Queen shook her head.
Aurelius thrust out a hand. He blasted Dawson, who’d been standing on the periphery. Dawson let out a scream of pain so loud it shook the room. He dropped to the floor.
I put my hand to my mouth. I took a step toward Dawson.
“Cease, candidate,” Aurelius barked at me. “How many of these guests do you think I can take out with one fireball?”
“No,” Matt said weakly. Pulling away from Oliver and Paul, he shouted a spell. Swords appeared in the candidates’ hands. The candidates all fanned out in front of us.
Matt sank to the floor. Oliver stood over Matt. His expression turned cruel. “Training is over, Master Merlin.”
Matt’s eyes widened in surprise. Oliver hit him, knocking Matt out.
I turned to go to Matt. Paul blocked my way.
“You will die. My brother deserves as much,” he said, before his face morphed into that of a gargoyle’s.
“Finish her,” Marla snarled.
My eyes on Paul, I backed away. I asked Marla, “Why target me?”
“Your boyfriend still hasn’t told you?” Marla laughed. “Paul, restore your family’s honor. Finish what Morgan could not. Do not fail your queen.”
With the flicker of an eye, Paul lunged at me.
Vane cursed. “Vitisthate.”
A burst of wind blew Paul across the room. His head struck the wall emitting a loud crack.
“Enough!” Aurelius crooked a finger and a guest from below one of the tables floated out. “How many more must die before I get what I want?”
The Queen hurled a ball of light at Aurelius.
Aurelius deflected it. It bounced back on the Queen. With a strangled cry, she collapsed.
“No,” Blake extended his hand with a fireball and lobbed it at a gargoyle.
The gargoyle screamed as the fireball hit him. He rolled on the ground to put out the fire, then, got right back up. The other gargoyles changed into beast form and took out their swords.
The candidates and the gargoyles faced off. The gargoyles formed a line like experienced soldiers ready for hell. Oliver stood against us at the head of the gargoyles, his face alight with anger. He looked ready to kill.
I held my breath, praying that this wasn’t going to be a massacre.
Vane held up a hand. He walked in front of the candidates and looked at Marla and Aurelius. “Stop. Think about this for a moment. We both want to get to the Sword.” He strode over to the Queen and took her crown. “Protection spell or not, I know how to open the vault. Do we have a truce or do you want to keep wasting time?”
Marla and Aurelius glanced at each other.
“Vane, don’t do this,” I pleaded.
Vane looked at me with an insincere smile. “I am sorry, Ryan. The Sword is the most important thing.” He pointed to a dark window. The pink had deepened into red. “Time to play.”
“Hurry, wizard,” Marla commanded.
Vane’s gaze met mine. My amulet warmed.
Vane took out a vial from his pocket. “Lake-water.”
“Trust me.” The words in Vane’s voice whispered at the edges of my hearing.
My gaze jerked to his. He gave the barest hint of a nod of acknowledgement. I had no idea how he was talking to me. Vane turned his head and looked deliberately at Grey.
Grey stood slightly behind me. I could see him out of the corner of my eye. He stood exactly in the spot from where he could support me best. Beside him stood Blake, Gia, Mark, and all of the candidates. They all stared at Vane, set to strike.
I glanced at Matt. He lay on the floor, his body still but his chest rising and falling.
I realized what Vane wanted. It was up to me. Straightening, I faced the candidates. “Let Vane finish.”
Surprise filled Grey’s eyes. The expression echoed in Gia’s, Blake’s, Mark’s, and the rest of the candidates.
“Are you sure?” said Blake.
Grey’s lips thinned. He stared at Marla. “Do you understand what you’re asking? She had to be behind the dragon.”
“We were promised a chance at the Sword. That’s what I’m asking for.” I glanced pointedly at Oliver, then, turned to Marla. “That’s how this stops. Once and for all.“
I looked at Vane. He walked to the Queen.
“What are you going to do?” I asked.
Vane put a hand against the Queen’s head. He opened the vial of Lake-water. “If she’s the lock, this is the master key.”
“But she’s unconscious!” I said.
“That just makes it easier.” Vane poured the vial down the Queen’s throat.
***
The square vault unwrapped as neatly as a Christmas present. It revealed the stone sitting silently inside. Light from the chandeliers caught the hilt of the sword, and for a second, the stone shone like a beacon in a storm. Half of the gargoyles jumped down into the pit. They rushed to the Stone.
Lights flickered. The Stone shot into the air. It crashed into the ceiling.
“What happened?” Aurelius shouted.
In a blink, Marla stood in front of Aurelius. She grabbed a guardian standing on Aurelius’s right. She snapped his neck and dropped him at Aurelius’s feet. She grabbed another guardian from his left. “Figure it out, Aurelius. You don’t want to see me angry.”
Vane ran to Matt. He poured the remaining Lake-water down Matt’s throat.
Matt stirred.
Aurelius put out a hand to blast the Stone.
“Stop,” Matt said. “It’s seeking a power source.”
“The moon,” Vane said.
The Stone tore through the ceiling.
“Get to the roof,” Marla commanded the gargoyles. Like spiders, they started climbing the walls. They went up into the hole.
“Matt, what do we do?” I said.
Vane arched a brow at Matt. Matt gave a grim nod.
Together, they said, “Upari.”
We all floated in the air. Matt and Vane levitated the candidates up through the hole onto the roof. We got up at the same time as the gargoyles. Vane and Matt set us to the side. The stone spun like a top just above the hole. It glowed softly beneath the hauntingly dark sky.
All the gargoyles reverted back from beast form into regular human. One gargoyle climbed up the hole almost to the top, slipped and started falling back down. His other friends caught him and pulled him back up.
“What’s happening to us?” Marla said.
The sky darkened into a black blanket of nothingness.
“The eclipse,” someone said.
The stone spun faster. A wave of light shot out from it. It hit us like a tsunami. I stumbled. The buzz rounded my lobes and stabbed into my eardrums. I fell to my knees. Everyone around me—including the gargoyles—went down too.
A soft ooze of liquid dripped down my ear canal onto my cheeks. Sticky and wet it coated my skin. I touched it and then, held up my hands. It was blood.
“Ryan!” I heard Matt cry out from a distance before I blacked out.
***
The world appeared to be an odd shade of oblivion when I woke. I saw no color anywhere, only black, white, and grey in between painted the world. We’d fallen into an alternate plane of existence.
The stone still spun on the roof.
All around me everyone lay on the rooftop like they’d fallen asleep. I sat on black pavestones. A ring of black monuments, a replica of Stonehenge, surrounded the outer edge of the rooftop, penning us in. Only the light haze of sky appeared behind it.
People started getting up. I didn’t see Matt, Vane, Aurelius, Marla or the other guardians. Only the candidates.
A gargoyle got up and ran to the Stone. He pulled on the Sword. He let out a great scream, and caught on fire. He ran to the rooftop’s ledge and stumbled off.
I jumped up and ran after him. Others followed me. We stopped just beyond the stone circle.
Blake looked over a ledge. “What is this?”
The rooftop ended. And beyond it was… nothing. No street. No people. No building. Nothing at all. Only the rooftop existed. It floated in the air like a lost cloud.
“Limbo,” someone said.
Grey grabbed my arm. “This is the trial.”
A great rumble sounded. The edge of the rooftop started shaking. We backed away from it. The black monuments shuddered. As we watched wide-eyed, the monolithic replicas of Stonehenge broke and fell backwards into limbo. We all jumped back towards the center.
“I guess there’s a time limit,” Mark said from somewhere behind me.
It was my worst nightmare. We were completely alone.
We all turned back to the stone. The Sword beckoned us.
“I still can’t change,” a gargoyle cried.
Oliver stood at the center of the gargoyles. He said, “The Sword is only way out of here. We have to get to it before this whole place collapses.”
The gargoyles rushed towards it.
“Candidates, get to the Sword first,” cried Mark.
Most of Vane’s candidates followed him to the stone.
The gargoyles and candidates, two battling teams, crashed into each other. Each time one tried to reach the Stone someone from the other team who was covering them would attack.
“What do we do?” Blake looked at me.
I spotted Paul. He didn’t look any worse for getting slammed hard against the wall. He made his way toward me with a determined look. I picked up a fallen sword from the ground just before he charged me.
