I almost couldn’t believe we had made it, but the corridor that led to the courtyard was blocked by a huge pile of rubble.
“Oh no,” I breathed in horror.
Thomas sagged heavily against a wall, shaking his head. “I… I can’t move any of that,” he moaned.
“Shit,” Dani said in agreement, he dropped to his knees, breathing hard.
We were so close. How could we fail now? The castle gave another threatening rumble and followed by a deafening crash that just kept coming. Something big was collapsing somewhere.
“Are we positive this is where the doorway is?” TS asked. “Is there anywhere else?!”
“There were two on the island,” Charlie said.
“And two in the park…” I said slowly. They all looked at me in surprise. “There has to be another here… I can’t imagine Alaria didn’t have a private one. I was trying to look down on the lower levels, where all the blood casters stayed.”
“We’ve been down there,” Thomas said grimly.
“Holy shit, I know where it is,” Dani gasped.
Every head turned to look at him. He took a deep, shaky breath and struggled to his feet.
“Where?” I pressed.
“There’s a hallway…” Dani gestured weakly at Thomas. “The freaky one…”
Thomas sucked in a sharp breath, then narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “I almost… I almost forgot about it.”
The castle rumbled and something else, somewhere, fell with a series of crashes.
“We have to be sure,” said TS. “We can’t afford to waste time looking.”
“I felt like I had been there before…” Dani looked at me. “I was there. With you.”
“What?” I asked, confused.
“After Mystic Cay… when we went into the wrong doorway.”
I gasped. Dani and I had taken the wrong path out of the labyrinth and ended up in a stone corridor. Now that I thought about it, it easily could have been here.
“I think you’re right,” I breathed in shock.
“Let’s go,” said Thomas.
I prayed that it wasn’t too far away and that we were going the right way. I didn’t think any of them could take much more. Thomas leaned heavily against me, stumbling as we went. Every once in a while he hesitated and tried to catch his breath. TS seemed winded and I couldn’t tell if it was just him or because of Thomas. Maybe both. The wood had made a huge difference for Charlie, but it was obviously taking all of his energy to help Dani, who was having even more trouble than Thomas staying on his feet.
We passed several collapsed corridors and staircases, but as we got deeper into the castle the shaking seemed to get weaker.
“There’s water,” Dani said abruptly, turning his head.
“You need some?” I asked in concern.
“Yes, but no.” He frowned. “There’s water flooding the castle, that way.”
“We have to hurry,” Charlie said.
Thankfully, we were going another direction. I was just starting to think we would never make it, when Thomas stopped in front of an open hallway.
“Here.”
We hurried in, but after a few steps Thomas slowed. “It doesn’t feel the same…”
“It’s the right one,” Dani said, voice raspy but confident.
Soon we reached the end and came face-to-face with nothing but a solid stone wall. The hall did look like the one Dani and I had been in. I took a deep breath and pressed my hand against the wall. Nothing.
We all heaved a sigh of despair.
“Blood,” TS said.
Of course! I braced myself and put my hand on the wall again, scraping open the injury on my palm. I held my breath, waiting, and then my hand sank into the wall, just as the castle shuddered and the thunderous echo of something collapsing.
“Go!” Thomas gasped.
We all pushed through the wall and found ourselves back in the seven-doored chamber of the labyrinth.
But something was wrong. A strong wind was whipping around, roaring so loudly I could hardly hear. It stung my skin and lashed my hair.
“What’s happening?” Thomas yelled.
“Nothing good!” TS cried. “We have to get to the center!”
The wind almost seemed to push us back as we struggled. Dani dropped to his knees with a gasp.
“Shit,” he groaned. “I can’t…”
Thomas sagged against me and I could see his ear was bleeding again.
“Well, well,” said a voice. “What have we here?”
I spun and planted myself between the newcomer and my friends. A man I had never seen before was standing there, looking calm, despite the wind whipping around him.
“I did not expect to see you here again,” he said.
“Again?” I asked. “Who are you?”
He smiled, then raised a hand toward a staircase. “You want that one. I would hurry, the labyrinth is collapsing.”
“What?!” I cried. “How?”
“Alaria is dead,” the man said, smile widening.
“As I said, I would hurry,” he repeated. Large pieces of rock broke off the walls and began to swirl around us. He pointed to the doorway again. “I will hold it open until you have passed through; it is the least I can do.”
“You’re… the minotaur?” I gasped.
“No longer, thanks to you. Go.”
I stared at him for a moment longer, then we all turned and headed for the stairway he had pointed to. The wind continued to whirl around us as we spiraled up.
All at once, we were surrounded by trees and the wind was gone.
I sensed a rush of shock, then joy from Rak and he didn’t seem very far away at all.
We were back. All of us.
Chapter Twelve
Jen
I could hardly believe we pulled it off. I stood there for a minute, trying to sort out the array of feelings I was sensing from Rak; at last I decided he was preparing to bring help. For the first time in months, I felt like I could relax.
Of course, it wasn't over quite that easily…
“Can we… find some water?” Dani groaned, sitting heavily on the ground.
“Which way?” TS asked.
Dani pointed and we made our way as quickly as we could through the woods. Soon came upon a small stream; Dani dropped right into it with a sigh and slid completely under, which always made me nervous. Charlie sat down right next to him on the edge of the stream, clearly with no intention of going anywhere. My arm was absolutely throbbing from the blood magic, but I was still pretty sure I was in the best shape out of all of us, so I got up and gathered some sticks and brought them to him.
“Thanks, Jen,” he said gratefully when I set them down next to him. “For everything,” he added as I straightened.
TS shifted and settled down right next to him, letting Thomas lean against him for support. The only thing that would heal TS was rest, which was more efficient while in his wolf form, so I stroked the top of his head for a moment, smiling as his tail thumped weakly against the ground. Thomas extended an arm to me, so I accepted the invitation and snuggled up next to him.
“I can't believe it's you,” he said, voice still somewhat weak and hoarse.
“I can't believe we did it,” I said.
“How did you even…”
I smiled at him. “It's a long story. Do you need some blood?”
He considered it and then softly said, “please.”
I readjusted the way I was sitting and offered my neck, as I did I felt just the slightest twinge of concern about letting him bite my neck and immediately felt disgusted with myself for it. I supposed that so many weeks of pretending to hate vampires had rubbed off a little more than I would have liked. I resolved to get over it quickly.
He finished after a minute or so, not taking nearly as much as I knew he probably needed, like he always did. I sensed a sudden thrill of excitement from Rak and I could tell he was coming closer.
“They're o
n the way,” I announced to a collective sigh of relief.
Dani sat up, already looking significantly better. “Oh, that's something I never want to do again,” he said with just a hint of his usual grin.
“Are you okay?” Charlie asked. The wood was obviously aiding his recovery too, although he was still covered in the dark network of veins caused by blood magic.
“Yeah,” Dani said. “I’ll be fine.” He narrowed his eyes. “Except…”
“Except?” asked Charlie in alarm.
“I don't think I'm ever going to be able to eat lobster again.”
Charlie heaved a long-suffering sigh and rolled his eyes. I felt Thomas chuckle, before he tightened his arms around me and kissed my cheek.
“What happened to you?” I asked, looking down at him. “There’s so much blood…”
“That's a long story,” he said with a weak laugh. “I’m healing though…” He looked at me and wrinkled his nose. “You smell really strange. I thought it was just my ears, but you sound funny too.”
“No, she doesn’t,” Dani said from the water.
We turned to look at him in surprise.
“Yes, she does,” TS said.
“I took a potion,” I explained. “It changed my appearance, my smell, and my voice.”
Dani snorted in amusement. “Well, whoever brewed that potion didn't bother to consult a water elemental.”
“I don't sound different?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “You sound different, but you kind of just sound like you… trying not to sound like you. No offense, but I didn't realize it was a potion, I thought it was just, you know, you.”
“Really?”
Dani nodded. “Maybe a somewhat crappy recording of you, but you don't sound all that different in my opinion.”
I thought of how readily Dani had encouraged Charlie to destroy the wand. “Did you know it was me the whole time?!”
“Of course I did,” Dani said with a smirk.
“How long did you know Jen was there?!” Thomas demanded in alarm.
Dani held up his hands. “Whoa, calm down. Not that long. Although there was that one time...”
“When?” I asked.
“Yeah, when?” echoed Thomas.
“I don’t know, a few weeks go,” said Dani. He waved a hand and continued before Thomas could say anything. “It was right after a fight and I honestly wasn't paying any attention; I thought for a second that I recognized Jen's voice, but I looked around and…” He gestured to me. “Obviously I didn't see her. I figured I was just imagining things. Didn’t hear it again until today, otherwise I would have said something.”
“But you knew it was me earlier?”
Dani nodded. “As soon as you opened your mouth. I thought maybe I was just hearing things, seeing as my brains were a little fried…” He chuckled and Charlie groaned. “But after you said that stuff about not having been a witch for very long, I figured it really was you.”
We settled into silence again and I closed my eyes and rested against Thomas contentedly. I must have dozed off because I woke to a thrill of excitement and realized that Rak was very close. I stretched and stood.
“They’re here,” I said.
TS stood, still favoring one front leg and shook himself. “Shannon's coming,” he said in delight, letting his tongue roll out.
Soon, bounding through the trees, vanishing and reappearing closer amid wisps of gray smoke, came Rak. I started to run and held out my arms to meet him. He jumped and reappeared just as he crashed into my chest. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him as hard as I could while he purred like a motor. We didn't say anything; we didn't need to. I just buried my face in his fur and cried.
Moments later, Shannon burst into view.
“Oh my god, Jenny!” she gasped, hurtling into me and throwing her arms around me. “You’re okay!” She stepped back. “Are you okay?!”
“Yeah, I am.”
TS bumped his large head against her, tail wagging wildly. Shannon hugged him around the neck and began scratching behind his ears. Then he looked back toward the trees as Jon, Ember, and Mariana came running out.
Ember caught me a tight, almost painfully hot, hug. “Thank you!” she gasped against my shoulder, before releasing me and sprinting away. Dani had dried himself off, probably while I was distracted by Rak, and was standing on the grass, still looking slightly unsteady. Ember let out a sob and dove into his arms. Charlie wrapped them both in a hug and the three stood there in silence, broken only by Ember crying softly.
After giving them some time, Mariana thanked me with a tearful hug and then launched herself at Dani. They both fell backward into the water, but neither cared; they just sat there in the stream hugging.
Jon had never struck me as the hugging type, but he embraced Thomas and honestly looked like he was holding back tears as they spoke quietly.
To my surprise, Jon then came and hugged me. Then stepped back with a low bow. “Thank you,” he murmured.
“So, what happened?” Ember said. “I want to know everything!”
~~~***~~~
A week later, I found myself telling the entire story over again – with the help of everyone else – this time to Jon and several high ranking members of MES, including a few from the board of directors.
Greyson Turner was cooperating with MES in exchange for forgiveness and had already led them to a number of blood casters, some of them at Cavaliers. Serana was proving impossible to track, but she left behind enough information for MES to start tracking the remnants of Victor’s people, as well as wishes to be left alone to pursue a quiet life without the shadow of her sister.
“It seems,” Jon said quietly when we finally – after several hours and a lunch break – finished our tale. “that we owe you all a great deal. Especially you, Jennifer.”
The managers and directors all nodded and murmured in agreement. Thomas cleared his throat and all eyes turned to him.
“Jen has two non-magic family members,” he said. “I think allowing her to get two permits – without the twenty-year waiting period between – is the least we can do.”
For a moment, my heart soared at the idea of being able to tell Rachel and Emily at the same time. My hopes were quickly crushed when I remembered that the waiting period wasn’t the problem. I shot Thomas a look, hoping he’d realize what I was trying to convey; I couldn’t apply for permits, the process required a truth potion which I could take, the risk of accidentally revealing Thomas had broken the law by turning Shannon was too great.
“That sounds reasonable,” said a director. “Yes, I have no problem with Miss Maddox being allowed to apply for two permits at once.”
“Not apply,” Thomas corrected. “She just saved all of us. She shouldn’t have to apply. She deserves to be able to tell her family.”
There were a few mutters and to my surprise, it looked like some of them actually agreed!
“I think we still must go through the process, as a formality,” said one. “Even if the permits will be approved.”
“She can fill out the forms, but she cannot take a truth potion,” Thomas announced.
Everyone turned to stare at him and my breath hitched. What the hell was he doing?!
“Of course, she can take a truth potion,” said a witch. “It’s part of the process.”
“Yes, it is,” said Thomas. “A process I think we can all agree should be waived for her, considering what she has done. Without administering a truth potion.”
“Her actions are extraordinary and deserve a reward,” Jon said firmly. But he didn’t know Thomas had turned Shannon and my heart sank as he sided with the others. “However, I don’t understand why Jennifer should be exempt from a truth potion.”
“Because she knows arcanism,” said Thomas, as if it was obvious. “She said herself, she knows how the wand is made and she knows the spell. Can we really risk the wrong person asking her about it while she’s under the influence of a truth po
tion? We have already found a dozen blood casters within MES in the last week. Even if the person interviewing her is completely trustworthy, they would still remember any answers she gives. What if they are given a truth potion?”
After a tense couple minutes of mumbling together, one of the directors finally straightened and turned to me. “We will take it into consideration.”
“Th-thank you,” I said, stunned.
As the meeting turned to formalities and everyone started to leave, I let myself daydream for a minute that I really would be able to tell my step-mother and my sister the truth. Shannon and Mariana – using her ability to mimic to pose as me – had worked together to keep Rachel from getting suspicious, but I could tell after just one phone call that she knew something had been going on.
Soon, all of the other managers and directors were gone and it was just us.
“Thank you, for everything,” Jon said, bowing to us. He sat down at his desk and nodded to us. “Please, take the rest of the day off and enjoy yourselves.”
We all stretched and headed for the door as we said our goodbyes. Suddenly, Dani stopped. “Hang on.”
He crossed the room back to Jon and started talking quietly. I glanced over at Thomas and saw his eyes were wide. I shot him a questioning look, but he was busy listening in.
After a moment, Jon stood and bowed low. To my surprise, Dani returned it with the deepest, most formal bow I had ever seen from him. As he straightened, he pulled his badge out of his back pocket and held it out to Jon. We all stared as Dani walked casually back toward us; Charlie spluttered and Dani just shrugged at him.
“I thought about it,” he said simply. Charlie threw his arms around Dani with a choked gasp in response. Dani arched an eyebrow toward Thomas. “You better not back out on me, Tommy.”
Thomas chuckled. “I’m just surprised you went first is all.” With that he kissed me quickly on the cheek and then went over to Jon.
After they spoke, they both bowed again and, just like Dani, Thomas handed over his badge.
“What…” I stammered as Thomas returned. “Did you just… quit?!”
“Only as agents,” Thomas said. “We’ll still work here. We just figured it was time for something…”
Rise of the Arcanist Series: Books 1 - 6 Page 76
