“But where are we?” Charlie asked. “We’re not in the park.”
“Did we take the wrong doorway?” Mariana asked. “The minotaur said three stones!”
Oh no. “He also said to kill Alaria,” I groaned.
TS growled. “The minotaur wasn’t telling us how to get back to the park, he sent us through the doorway to Alaria.”
“We got our asses kicked by one blood wizard,” Dani said. “How the hell are we supposed to fight this mistress?”
I gasped. “Fletcher said that!”
“Said what?”
“Fletcher used the word mistress, didn’t he?” I said.
“He did,” TS confirmed. “Same one, you think?”
“Could be,” Thomas said grimly.
Mariana cleared her throat. “The minotaur said Alaria is something more than a blood witch… you don’t think…”
“Arcanist,” TS snarled. “Impossible.”
“We are even more fucked,” Dani groaned.
“Before that, we need to figure out where we are,” TS said. “Carefully.”
“Danio?” Thomas asked.
“Well, you’re not going to like this,” Dani said. “But we’re on an island.” He looked around cautiously, then went down to the water and dipped his hand in. “Atlantic, at least,” he said almost instantly as he pulled out a small ball of water. He took a bite out of it like an apple, letting the rest of the water fall away. He frowned. “Caribbean.” He stood and shook his head. “We’re on an island in the Caribbean.”
“Which island?” Thomas asked.
“I don’t know that!” Dani jerked a thumb at Mariana. “She’s the one who vacationed here.”
“Once, a few years ago, and we only went to a couple of the main islands,” Mariana said. “There are thousands down here!”
“Guess we have to look around then,” TS said grimly. “Find a way to contact Jon if we can. Worst case, we’ll have to have Dani just swim somewhere and send help.”
Dani glanced at Charlie, but nodded.
We made our way down the beach nervously. I couldn’t believe we managed to escape the labyrinth only to be stranded on an island. Dani and Mariana would be able to swim away, but Charlie wouldn’t survive even a few minutes in the ocean. I also doubted the two of them could take anyone else with them, not from here all the way to New York.
I was just starting to wonder if the island was inhabited, when we rounded a dune and found ourselves in the shadow of a huge building. It was made of large pink concrete and looked like some sort of mermaid castle.
“What the hell?” Dani asked.
A huge dock, easily big enough for a cruise ship, jutted out into the water away from the castle. There was a large sign on the beach.
“Welcome to Mystic Cay; the Caribbean’s best-kept secret,” I read. “All-inclusive resort.”
“Key,” Mariana said.
I turned to her, confused. “What?”
“When I was here with my family,” she explained, “our guide told us it isn’t “kay,” it’s pronounced “key”.”
“As in mystic key?” I cried.
“Mystic key,” Dani echoed. “like the thing Fletcher told Jen to find if she wants to become a blood witch?!”
We all looked at each other in horror.
“It wasn’t a thing, it was a place,” TS breathed.
“And we’re here,” I whispered.
Mystic Cay. The place a blood wizard wanted me to go, the place where we were supposed to find and kill someone who might be an arcanist.
“I say we leave,” Thomas said. “We need reinforcements.”
Nobody argued. Quietly, urgently, we rushed back down the beach to the cave. But our footprints only led back to a solid wall of dunes. The entrance to the labyrinth was gone.
~~~***~~~
Magic Awakened
Rise of the Arcanist
Book Three
A More than Magic Serial
Elizabeth Kirke
Copyright 2020 Elizabeth Kirke
Cover by T.M. Franklin
Editing by Rachael Riches
Formatting by EK Formatting
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author.
Chapter One
Mariana
Honestly, Mystic Cay seemed exactly like the Caribbean Islands I visited with my family a couple of years ago. It was surrounded by peaceful clear waters that I was itching to dive in to and the palm tree dotted beach we were standing on was the sort of place I could imagine sunbathing for hours. Even the somewhat gaudy resort screamed tropical paradise, with its pink cement walls and over-the-top nautical theme.
There was just one problem with it all…
“Okay, let me get this straight,” Thomas said, looking pained. “Fletcher told you that if you want to become a blood witch, you need to find the mystic key?”
Jen swallowed hard and nodded.
“Then the minotaur,” Thomas continued, obviously still coming to terms with the fact we all just fought a real, live minotaur, “decided to let us live if we promised to kill this “Mistress Alaria” who is either a powerful blood witch or an actual arcanist…”
Jen nodded again.
“And the labyrinth dumped us here.” Thomas gestured around in annoyance. “on a place called Mystic Cay, which is…” He turned and looked at me.
“Pronounced key, not kay,” I said. “According to my tour guide, anyway.”
Everyone, including me, turned to Dani for confirmation.
“Don’t look at me,” he said. “I’m a water elemental, not a linguistic elemental. I’ve never even been to the Caribbean. I have no idea how to pronounce it.” He crossed his arms over his chest and added. “For the record this is why I hate English.” Dani added something in Greek and TS, the only other one of us who spoke it, chuckled.
Jen shrugged. “It can’t be a coincidence. Fletcher told me to find the mystic key and now we’re supposed to kill a blood witch on an island called Mystic Cay.”
TS cursed. “No, I don’t think it is a coincidence. Right, we should—Tom?!”
Thomas had suddenly snapped his head toward the water and was looking out over it with a frown. “I think I heard a ship. Danio?”
Dani looked the same direction and his eyes swirled with darker shades of blues as he focused on the water. “There’s something disrupting the current… little too far to… wait…” He waded out into the water and stood still, eyes narrowed. “Yes. There is a ship. It’s small though.” He shook his head. “Can’t tell any more than that at this distance. Want me to check it out?”
“No,” TS said quickly. “Not until we figure out more about the island. No sense in taking an unnecessary risk for what could just be a ship passing by.”
We stayed put for a while, hoping the doorway to the labyrinth would reopen and trying to come up with a way to explore the resort without alerting the blood casters to our presence. It soon became clear that the ship was not just passing by; it sailed into view, with several blasts from its horn, heading straight for the island.
We carefully made our way back toward the dock and watched as the ship approached. It wasn’t a very large ship, clearly not designed to travel very far; I could only see a couple of decks, one made of large windows, and an open one above it, both lined with people.
As it drew closer, we could see it said Mystic Cay Ferry on the side, along with a painted cartoon fairy.
“I guess tropical blood casters prefer tacky to creepy?” said Dani.
Using the dunes as cover, we crept as close as we dared, keeping an eye out for anyone nearby.
It took some time and I was starting to long to get out of the sun and into the water, but at last, people started disembarking. Some looked like they were ready for a day at
the beach with towels and totes, while others had fairly large suitcases, and some had nothing at all. The line slowly moved as people got off the ferry. It seemed like they were stopping somewhere, then slowly they began to break off, most heading for the resort, some ambling down to the beach.
“They smell like non-magics,” Thomas said as a breeze blew in our favor.
“Charlie, is anyone the wrong temperature for non-magics?” Dani asked.
“No…” Charlie answered slowly, eyes flickering as he watched them with thermal vision. “Doesn’t look like it.”
“What would a bunch of blood casters be doing running a resort full of non-magics?” Thomas asked.
“Maybe they aren’t running it?” Jen suggested, although she didn’t look very convinced. “Honestly, we aren’t even sure Alaria is here. The only thing we have to go on is Mystic Cay. Maybe…” She pulled out her phone and frowned at it, then held it high, obviously trying to get a signal.
TS took out his own and glared at it. “Of course,” he snorted in annoyance. “Why would we be lucky enough to have service? Anyone?”
We all checked and shook our heads.
“Mine won’t even turn on,” Thomas said. “Probably ruined in that stupid ocean.”
“Bugger. Right then, we need to get closer.” TS turned and studied us. “Tom, you’re in; we’ll need your ears and nose down there. I’d go, but I’m bloody useless while the sun is up. If anything happens… well, it’s best we’re split up anyway, so we know.”
Thomas nodded grimly.
“Plus, you look human,” TS continued. “If there are blood casters or other kinds of magics down there, you won’t draw attention to yourself. With any luck you’d smell them before they got too close anyway.”
“I suppose that means we’re both out,” Dani said, tilting his head toward Charlie.
“I’m afraid so.” To my surprise, TS turned to me. “I want you with Tom.”
“Me?”
He nodded. “I don’t want Tom down there alone, but with Jen’s connection to Rak if something happens to her… Besides, with our phones not working we need another way to get word to Jon, if all else fails we’ll have to send Danio, then Rak will be the only way they know we’re okay and where to find us. That means the last place we want Jen right now is in the middle of things. If you do think you’re in danger, just get to the water and get clear.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“She may be human,” Dani said, “But her hair is going to be a dead giveaway if someone sees her.”
I pulled a handful of it from over my shoulder and frowned at the obvious streaks of green mixed in with blonde. A non-magic couldn’t even see it, but a magic would know immediately I was a mermaid. If only I had something to cover it with… actually…
“I have an idea!” I said. “Since we need to blend in with tourists anyway…” I certainly wasn’t going to need my sweatshirt here, so I untied it from my waist, then grabbed my knife and cut off a sleeve.
“Question,” Dani said.
“You’ll see.”
I tugged the larger side over my hair like a massive ponytail holder and started trying to adjust it.
“Clever,” Dani said, coming over to help. He fiddled with it for a moment, humming softly in Panth.
“Oh, don’t let him near your hair,” Charlie groaned. After watching briefly, he came over and shouldered Dani out of the way. “Move before you cause permanent damage.”
“Hey!” Dani chuckled, stepping willing aside.
I couldn’t see what Charlie was doing, but a minute later he backed away in satisfaction.
“I’m… actually impressed,” Thomas said.
“I wouldn’t know it was a sweatshirt if I hadn’t seen it,” said Jen.
“Why are you so good at that?” Dani demanded.
“I have a twin sister,” replied Charlie, “and a daughter.”
“I have the same daughter!”
“And she won’t let you near her hair.”
Dani shrugged agreeably. “Yeah, that’s fair.”
“As nice as it is to see something Dani isn’t obnoxiously good at—” began TS.
“Hey!”
“—you two need to get down there and mingle with the crowd before they get too far from the ferry.”
Thomas nodded to me and the two of us headed down the beach toward the dock.
“Stick close,” he said. “If I say run, get to the water and swim like hell.”
I hummed agreeably but slipped a hand into my pocket and clenched it around my knife.
The soft sand turned into sand-covered boards as we headed up a ramp onto the dock over the shallows. We hadn’t gone far when I heard a quiet whistle, followed by a splash. We both turned toward the water. There was nobody there, but two pairs of sunglasses were sitting on the edge of the dock.
“Perfect,” I said, kneeling down to grab them.
“Where did he get those?” Thomas demanded as I handed him a pair.
“People lose their sunglasses near docks all the time,” I told him. “There are probably a hundred down there.” I inspected mine and was pleased to see Dani had cleaned them quite thoroughly. “Be glad he didn’t get you a girly pair.”
Thomas chuckled and put them on. “Oh, that’s actually much better, even if they are just to help us blend in.”
As we walked along the dock we watched the people gathered alongside the ferry. The line of people disembarking turned into more of a cluster as people filled up the dock. Thomas and I wordlessly stopped just on the outside of it – nobody seemed to notice or care. In just a few minutes we were folded into the milling crowd.
I stepped on something and looked down to see a damp towel. As I moved away from it, I noticed that Mystic Cay was embroidered along the edge. Several people around me were holding identical towels, so I surreptitiously picked it up and draped it over my arm, making sure the logo was easily visible. Thomas noticed and shot me a small smile and a nod.
The crowd gradually moved down the dock and we went with it. If Thomas heard or smelled anything, he kept it to himself. I craned my neck over the people and could see several podiums set up, each one had someone in a colorful polo greeting guests.
It wasn’t long before we were at the front of the dwindling crowd. A woman at a podium waved us over and, with a nervous glance at each other, Thomas and I joined her.
“Welcome to Mystic Cay!” she said happily. “The Caribbean’s best-kept secret! Is this your first visit?”
“Yes,” Thomas said, forcing a smile at her.
“Wonderful, welcome, welcome! Did you get a chance to go over how everything works while you were on board?”
“We uh…” Thomas began.
I added an embarrassed giggle for show and the woman smiled at us.
“Not to worry, I know it’s a bit hectic and exciting,” she said. “Let me go over it all quickly with you. Mystic Cay is all-inclusive…” We both nodded and she continued. “The ferry arrives at eleven and leaves promptly at six; you’ll be back in Miami by ten.”
Miami! I swallowed hard. Miami was where our list of suspected blood casters kept visiting. It was either a coincidence or we were smack in the middle of something huge and probably dangerous.
“Dinner is served onboard, just like breakfast was,” she continued. “You’re here for lunch; we have two restaurants and a buffet, all paid for when you purchased your tickets, some of our guided activities are included as well. When you boarded they gave you cards and told you to keep them…”
“Yes…” Thomas said carefully.
I reflexively reached for my purse and sighed in relief as she waved a hand at me. “No need to show me, just don’t throw them out! If you choose any activities or rentals that aren’t covered, they’ll need to mark your cards. When you return to Miami, they’ll check them over and you’ll pay any additional fees before disembarking… Let’s see… you, of course, can also choose to stay overnight in our luxury ho
tel. Your cards are dated, so you’ll be charged accordingly per night and based on three meals a day, although our buffet is always open, for the duration of your visit.”
“How long can we stay?” I asked.
“As long as you want!” She grabbed a booklet from a pile on her podium. “Here’s a map of the resort, please stay in the designated areas for safety. It also includes a list of activities, with meeting times and places – we have snorkeling, kayaking, nature hikes – and restaurant hours… basically everything you need to know!” With a wide smile she handed me the guide. “If you do want to stay the night, just head up to the hotel and they’ll help you out in the lobby. Any other questions?”
“No, um… Well, how long have you worked here?” Thomas asked.
“This is going to be my third summer!”
“Do you like it?” I asked.
“Oh, it’s the best. The pay isn’t… great,” she whispered, then shrugged. “But I don’t pay a cent while I’m here; no rent, no food cost, they provide the uniform… and I get paid to live on a tropical island! And everyone is so friendly.”
“How do you get a job like this?” asked Thomas.
The girl shrugged. “I saw it advertised on the internet.”
“Cool. Thanks,” Thomas said.
“Enjoy your visit!” she called as we started walking up an oyster-shell path to the gaudy pink castle.
“What was she?” I asked as we walked.
“Non-magic.” Thomas glanced behind us with a frown. “They all are; I haven’t smelled a single magic since we got here.”
“So, the blood casters are running a non-magic resort?”
“That’s what it seems…” He trailed off and yawned. “Excuse me.”
I smiled sympathetically. God, he must have been exhausted. I was too and so were the others. It had easily been an entire day since I had slept, no exaggeration. Escaping the vines and other things in the labyrinth had been tiring enough, not to mention walking for miles upon miles. Poor Charlie was still suffering from blood magic too; throw in just the emotional strain and I was honestly surprised I wasn’t ready to collapse, although I did have a headache.
Rise of the Arcanist Series: Books 1 - 6 Page 30
