“Wait—they had a meeting without us? How? Not enough time has gone by.”
Austin chuckled. “It’s been a full day since we got back from Renforth’s planet. We all missed class today.”
Nicole gasped. “It’s Monday? Are you serious?”
Austin nodded. “Yeah. I could have gone back today, but I didn’t want to leave you guys. Plus, it’s been interesting, learning about Akeno and the other creatures here.” A smile played at the corners of his mouth. “For example, there’s this little creature called a Yoon that’s about the size of a cat. It has an arm growing out of its back that points out magical barriers and seals. The Yoon can break through pretty much any barrier out there.”
Nicole raised her eyebrows. “Considering I haven’t really come across a lot of magical barriers during my life, I’m not sure how useful that ability would be.” She tilted her head. “I wonder if it could break into Coolidge’s cabinet. You know, the one where my leather journal was locked up for a while.”
“I’ll bet it could,” Akeno said.
“Where is everyone else?” Nicole asked. “Jacob, Coolidge, the Fat Lady, Aldo?”
“Jacob is at school,” Akeno said. “Mr. Coolidge went back to see if he can get in contact with the guy he knows who owns a talisman, and the Fat Lady and Aldo are doing their own research here.”
Nicole was about to ask how Jacob was going to watch Keitus and go to school until she remembered that the guy could see into the past. He’d be able to catch up on a regular basis. Hopefully, it would be good enough.
“How long do you think it’ll take Lizzie to wake up?” she asked.
Akeno looked at his watch. “Well, Azuriah woke up about five hours ago, then Austin three hours after that, then you. I don’t know how bad off she was. She could wake up any time, or she might sleep for a few more hours. Who knows?”
Nicole sighed. “Well, since she’s comfortable where she is, I won’t worry about her.”
“Do you want to go home now?” Akeno asked. “We could probably ask Jacob to come back from school.”
“No, I don’t want to interrupt him.” She glanced at Akeno. “I’d love to take a look at the castle, though, if you’re interested in giving us a tour.”
Akeno brightened. “That’s a great idea! We’ll bring Lizzie’s container—the minute she wakes up, I’ll enlarge her. You’ll love this place. It’s absolutely fantastic.”
He jumped down from his chair, picked up the container where Lizzie slept, and tucked it in his pocket.
“Will that hurt her?” Nicole asked.
Akeno shook his head. “She’s surrounded by stuff that heals and lots of cushioning. She won’t even notice it.”
“And it won’t delay her waking up?”
He again shook his head. “Nope.”
Reassured that Lizzie would be fine, Nicole allowed herself to relax and enjoy the tour. The castle was a beautiful structure—stained-glass windows, magnificent marble-and-stone staircases, huge bedrooms, halls, and bathrooms, several ballrooms, and a very modern-looking kitchen.
“Where do the plumbing and electricity come from?” Austin asked. “I haven’t seen power lines anywhere here.”
Akeno raised his hand, wiggling his glowing ring finger. “Makalos control electricity. It’s that whole molecule, et cetera thing. We’re able to gather and store it, then direct it along channels. If Jacob were here to key us, I’d show you my home back in Taga Village. You’d love it—we have all sorts of cool things that only Makalos use.”
“You don’t live in the castle?” Nicole asked.
Akeno shook his head. “No, it’s too big. I’m used to much humbler surroundings.” He startled, then laughed. “I think Lizzie is awake now,” he said, pulling the container from his pocket. He opened it and helped Lizzie onto his hand, then enlarged her.
Nicole was excited to see it happen. Now that she better understood what was going on, she was able to sense his magic as he put Lizzie back the way she was before. While Jacob’s powers were like a river, Akeno’s came in pops and bursts, like static. It was fascinating.
After Akeno explained to Lizzie what was going on and what had happened, the Aretes and Makalo returned to the throne room to wait for Jacob to come back from school.
***
“Great, just great,” Coolidge said after the three Aretes told him what Renforth had said. His voice sounded small, coming from Austin’s phone where it lay on Nicole’s kitchen counter. “Well, as long as no one can reach the body . . . It sounds like the only thing we can do is get the talismans before Keitus reaches the rest of them.”
Nicole agreed with that. “So, how are we going to do all this, including school, at the same time?”
“I’ve been thinking about it,” Coolidge said. “I believe we’re going to need to petition for help from the university again. If we can prove that the searches we’ll do can benefit the university, I think they’ll be open to helping out.”
“Do you think they’ll want to do it?” she asked.
Coolidge snorted. “Nicole, after everything you did for Aretes this past summer, I’d be surprised if they didn’t let you take a cruise to the Bahamas on their dime.”
Nicole flushed. “No one has ever said anything to me—I didn’t even know they knew about it.”
“How could they not?” Austin asked.
“They watch the news too,” Coolidge said. “The whole visit from the Great Ones was televised to the entire world, as you should remember.”
Nicole did remember. And she also remembered the role her parents played in that situation. Coolidge’s thoughts must have gone that direction too because he asked her if she’d heard from them recently.
“Not Tiffany—no, I doubt she’ll ever get in contact with me again. But Dad has written once or twice.”
Lizzie glanced at Nicole. “How much time will they have to serve?”
“My mom, at least ten years, if not more. Dad will probably be in for five.”
“Well, too bad things had to go that way,” Coolidge said.
Lizzie chuckled. “And I say good riddance. You didn’t grow up near them—they weren’t the best neighbors.”
Coolidge laughed. “I’d better get going. We’ll most likely have a meeting with Professor Smith to discuss any assistance from the university. I need to arrange that. I’m also still trying to get in contact with my friend in Japan.”
“When do you think we’ll go get that talisman?”
Coolidge sighed. “I wish I had an answer for that, but hopefully, as soon as I can get in touch with Takashi. I’ll let you know when that happens.” He was silent for a moment. “It’s the only talisman I know of. I’m not sure where we’ll go to find the others.”
“Well, keep us posted,” Nicole said.
They ended the call and Nicole turned to Austin. “Do you think the Fat Lady will have any info on the locations of the other talismans?”
Austin shrugged. “I’m not sure. But from what I’ve heard, once we find out where the talismans have been in the past, Jacob will be able to watch them move from person to person with his ability. Shouldn’t be more than just allowing him time to figure things out.”
“That’s really handy,” Nicole said. “I’d like to know how all that works.”
“I’m sure he’d be willing to show you.” Austin said it casually, and Nicole wondered if he was still a little jealous about her interest in the boy—er, teenager. Nicole needed to stop thinking about Jacob like he was a kid. He wasn’t—he was at least twice her weight, and several inches over six feet. Definitely not a kid.
“Speaking of abilities,” Nicole said, “we still haven’t practiced together. Do you want to work on something now?”
Austin nodded. “Sure. Where do you want to go?”
“Somewhere safe—maybe where wind won’t matter.”
“To a park, then,” Austin suggested.
“Have fun,” Lizzie said.
“What ar
e you going to do?” Nicole asked.
“Homework. What else?”
Austin and Nicole chuckled at that, then left the apartment and hopped in Austin’s car. They headed to the same park where they’d played Ultimate Frisbee so long ago. Nicole grabbed Austin’s hand and squeezed it. The last time they’d been there, Austin’s ex had been too, and he’d been struggling with wanting to get to know Nicole or going back to dating Savannah. Nicole wondered briefly what happened with Savannah, but didn’t want to bring her up.
Austin parked the car and they got out and walked through the little thicket of trees to the park.
Nicole suddenly felt shy—nervous. This would be the first time she’d help Austin. Usually, it was the other way around, as he was a much more experienced Arete. He’d Restarted before fifteen, and she hadn’t Restarted until the traditional age of eighteen.
Restarting was when the magic that flowed around the Arete became available to use. It overloaded the system, requiring the body to “restart” itself. Most Aretes passed out briefly. Nicole had puked, then passed out in her puke for ten minutes. And of course, it had happened in school, in front of tons of people, including her new boyfriend.
That relationship had ended really quickly.
Austin, on the other hand, had experienced a very graceful Restart. He’d been milking a cow on his dad’s ranch in Montana when he’d passed out, and he was only unconscious for a split second. He hadn’t fallen over or even skipped a beat. He just went right back to milking, not realizing he’d Restarted. It wasn’t until later when his dad sensed the change that they figured out what had happened.
Austin turned to Nicole once they reached the center of the grassy field. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“What exactly do you want to work on?” Nicole asked, trying to hide her nerves.
“What’s the easiest thing to master?”
“It depends on your focus, or at least, your sub-ability.”
Austin grunted. “That’s going to make things interesting.”
Nicole nodded. Austin hadn’t needed a focus—something unheard of for Aretes. His powers had come without anything holding them back. Basically, he’d been able to Channel Earth properties immediately without any of the snags Nicole had experienced with Wind powers.
“Let’s start with my sub-ability,” Nicole said.
“Stopping sound?”
“Yes. It’s my strongest skill—I’ll be able to see if you’re doing it correctly.”
Nicole held out her hand and he took it, stepping closer, his gaze boring into hers.
His brown eyes had captivated her right away—since that first time in Professor Coolidge’s class when he had been called on to do a magic demonstration. Nicole got chills thinking about that day. Austin had been so hot and so powerful. Even Coolidge had been impressed with his abilities.
“Should I stand closer?” Austin asked, a teasing glint in his eyes. “Would that help you sense my magic better?”
Nicole smiled at him. They both knew it wouldn’t—she could sense his powers fine from where he was, but she loved that he was flirting. “Definitely. The closer you are, the better.”
Austin put his arms around Nicole’s waist, and she put hers around his neck. She shivered and a smile played at the corners of his mouth.
“That good?”
“Mmmm . . . it’s perfect.” She forced her mind back to their task. “Okay, I’m going to talk for a while. Concentrate on the wind as it leaves my lungs and swirls inside my mouth, forming words. Find the point where it escapes through my vocal folds, and command it to stop there.” She looked at him. “Ready?”
“Yes.” Austin’s eyes closed, and Nicole closed hers as well.
She began by reciting the Declaration of Independence. She felt his magic pulse increase and build up, and she felt when he pushed it toward her throat. For a moment, she nearly panicked when the powers tried to stop her sound from escaping. But then the magic swirled away. Nicole opened her eyes.
Austin had a frustrated expression on his face and drops of sweat on his forehead. “Let me try again.”
Nicole nodded. She knew how difficult it was to branch out into other areas of magic. When he indicated that he was ready, she started counting out loud.
Once again, Nicole felt when Austin’s powers neared her throat, and once again, the magic swirled away right when it reached her pathways.
This time, however, Austin startled and scowled. Then he pulled her arms from around him and jerked away. “Get off me!”
Great.
“Austin, it’s me—Nicole. Your girlfriend.”
“I think I’d know my girlfriend. And you are not her.”
“If I’m not, why are you here with me? Think back—how did you get here?”
Austin’s face clouded over. He obviously struggled with remembering. Then he glared at her. “Don’t touch me again.”
Nicole almost told him he’d regret it if she obeyed that, but she knew better than to provoke him. The poor guy had obviously overdone it. This was one of the hardest parts of being an Arete. When they used their magic too much, the pineal gland—where Arete powers originated—would borrow from other areas of the brain. This always resulted in the Arete temporarily losing one of their senses.
When Austin overdid it, he lost the ability to recognize faces. It was always accompanied by a short episode of memory loss and would take around half an hour for the sense to return. If it returned. There was always the risk that permanent damage would occur.
Austin stared at Nicole for a moment longer, then spun and strode back to his car and drove away.
Nicole chuckled, shaking her head as she pulled out her phone and asked Lizzie to come get her, then sat on some benches to wait.
Austin would feel awful once he realized what had happened, but in the meantime, Nicole didn’t want to wait for him to return—it would be at least an hour before that happened.
Lizzie laughed when Nicole told her about Austin overdoing it. “It’s really too bad that happens to him,” she said. “I’d hate to have a boyfriend who blew hot and cold to such an extreme.”
“We’ve never really had a problem with it,” Nicole said. “He so rarely maxes out on his powers. It’s like the guy has a limitless supply of magic.”
Lizzie glanced at her, pulling into their parking structure. “He’s been practicing long enough, I’m not surprised.” She sighed. “Someday we’ll figure out which sense I lose when I overdo it.”
Lizzie hadn’t ever maxed out on her powers, as she still struggled with Channeling.
“Hopefully, it won’t be something dangerous.”
Lizzie laughed. “I think all the senses can be dangerous if lost.”
“The sense of smell isn’t as bad in a high-stakes situation.”
“True.” Lizzie glanced at Nicole. “Unless—”
Nicole laughed, holding up her hands. “There’s always an exception.”
They entered their apartment and tossed their purses on the couch, then started making dinner. Halfway through cooking, Nicole’s phone rang—Austin. She answered immediately.
“Do you remember your girlfriend again?” she asked with a smile.
“I’m so, so sorry, Nicole. Do you need me to come get you?”
“Nope—Lizzie already did. I figured it would be a while before you turned around.” She glanced at her best friend. “But if you’d like to make it up to us, you could come over for dinner . . . and bring dessert.”
Austin agreed immediately. “Any requests?”
“Cheesecake!” Lizzie called out, obviously able to hear the conversation.
Austin chuckled. “As long as my wonderful and amazing girlfriend is fine with that, cheesecake it is.”
“I love everything you make,” Nicole said.
“Great. I’ll be there soon. And we’ll need a few hours for the cheesecake to set.”
Austin came as quickly as he could and helped finish cooking dinner, the
n he, Nicole, and Lizzie chatted while he made the dessert. They ate dinner and watched a couple of movies while waiting for the cheesecake to set.
By the time they were able to enjoy it, it was nearly midnight.
***
Once Professor Coolidge’s class had ended the next afternoon, he motioned for Nicole to come to his desk to talk with him and Austin.
“We have a meeting with the dean of the Arete department in half an hour,” Coolidge said. “I only just got an email from him confirming the time. Otherwise, I would’ve let you know earlier.” He glanced at Nicole. “I sent an email to your math teacher asking that you be excused from class today.”
Nicole nodded—math was supposed to start in a few minutes. “Thanks.”
They chatted for a while, then the three of them headed to the dean’s office. Coolidge knocked on Professor Smith’s door, then opened it when the dean invited them in.
The moment Nicole stepped through the door, Professor Smith was right there, grabbing and shaking her hand.
“Nicole, we’re so grateful for what you did for Aretes during the summer. And we’re especially grateful you and your professor were thoughtful enough to invite the university to sponsor the expedition. We’re sorry we weren’t able to help more, but from what we can tell, you used what we provided.”
Nicole nodded. Unfortunately, a lot of the equipment the university had supplied had been destroyed. Nicole’s trust fund had forked over two and a half million dollars to replace the damaged equipment, and she was grateful she hadn’t needed to bat an eye at the amount. Her account was significantly larger than two million dollars.
The dean invited them to sit down while he perched on the edge of his desk. He spoke mostly to Coolidge, but his gaze continued to flit to Nicole. It was apparent that he wanted her to feel like she was part of the conversation. She appreciated that, though she didn’t think it was necessary with such a small group. She’d never been shy about her opinions.
Conceal, Mosaic Chronicles Book Six Page 11
