Alchemist Illusion (The Alchemist Book 3)

by Dan Michaelson

  With his legs bound, Sam attempted to slide away and separate the bindings by using a hint of power from the source. It wasn’t enough. Everything within him screamed.

  The tension along his legs started to shift, leaving him with pain searing along his thighs, up his chest, down his arms. Sam cried out, wanting to ignore that burning sensation, but he couldn’t. The agony was too much for him, a kind he had never felt before, and that left his entire being throbbing in pain.

  Where was Lilith?

  He couldn’t see her. He couldn’t hear her anymore.

  The sound of his breathing and his heartbeat hammered in his ears, drowning out everything but the water that rushed beneath him…

  Water.

  Sam had read about how various natural energies in the world could be utilized, drawn upon, in order to strengthen various types of angulation. It was why they learned about botany, chemistry and why in later years, he would learn such things as anatomy and zoology.

  Water was significant.

  Water was a part of the world and could influence all types of arcane arts.

  As well as alchemy.

  He crawled back.

  Sam still had the almanac clutched in his arms, which made what he intended to do next risky. He shoved the almanac underneath his shirt. Sam used the source differently than before. He didn’t try to use anything from the almanac or the lessons it offered him. He used what he had learned of angulation, creating a mesh of power, patterns that he had read about.

  He wrapped that around himself, sealing it off. It was a thin barrier, nothing more than that, but hopefully, it would keep the almanac safe.

  Sam leaned on the wall of the bridge.

  He had no choice, did he?

  The man watched him, amusement glittering in his eyes. A surge of pale white movement came behind him.

  Sam couldn’t wait. More arcane arts would come at him if he didn’t do anything.

  When the man started to turn his attention back to him, Sam braced for what he needed to do.

  He jumped over the bridge.

  He could feel power chasing him, but he ignored it.

  Sam splashed into the water and felt the power swirling around him. The only things he focused on were clinging to the almanac, holding on to the power within him, and maintaining the barrier around him and the current as he floated downstream.

  Chapter Twenty

  The river carried Sam. Lilith had said that she was trying to get him back, which meant that she was trying to carry him all the way to Tavran.

  That she had gotten distracted, pulled, suggested that they had at least traveled part of the way, hadn't they? Maybe Sam was closer to the city than he knew.

  A river did flow through the city. It was possible, though unlikely that she had carried him almost to Tavran.

  How far away could he be?

  Too far, much like his ability to relock the seal, was too far from his ability. He hadn’t learned enough.

  With as fast as the water flowed, Sam was also forced to watch the rapid current to ensure he didn’t slam into anything. There were small whitecaps around him, but some of them might’ve been from the wind that gusted.

  His teeth chattered with the cold, though some of the bite was mitigated by the barrier. The magic seemed to help him withstand the worst, though he needed to try to hold on to more than just the barrier.

  Lilith had some way of using Alchemy to travel, so she would have been able to take them somewhere. Instead, she was gone. Dead or captured.

  I left her, he thought. He told himself he couldn’t have done anything about it.

  Sam didn’t know how to feel. Lilith had taken him from the Academy, but she hadn’t harmed him. Without him being held in the tower, he wasn’t sure that he would have learned how to use the power of the source—or the knowledge within the almanac.

  It was because of Lilith that he’d learned what he had.

  A storm reminded him of the Barlands, especially with the power, but there was something else within it that was not quite the same. Sam had felt the power of the storm. It almost seemed as if the storm itself was connecting him to the source, as if it were granting him some access to it or replenishing him.

  He floated, trying to think through what he needed to do.

  Shoreline streamed past him, trees growing in sections, grasses and others, but he saw no sign of life otherwise. No sign of cities, no sign of buildings.

  At one point, he had started to drift off, and he snapped awake, worried that he had lost his barrier and that water would sneak through it. The storm still thundered, though distant now, not nearly as loud or violent as before.

  Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe Lilith hadn’t brought him closer to Tavran. He should have seen something. Buildings, farms, sign of the military, but there was nothing.

  Just then, a burst of lightning flashed in the sky, briefly blinding him.

  As his vision started to clear, he noticed in the distance the outline of something that raised his spirits.

  Buildings.

  He recognized the outline of the buildings. And as he did, he knew where he was.

  Tavran.

  He had floated so far and so long that he had reached the city.

  His head still throbbed from where he’d been hit, and he had been focusing on maintaining the barriers that he didn’t lose control of the almanac, both of which made it difficult for him to think. Still, he was certain that he had finally reached Tavran.

  Lilith had brought him much closer than she had known.

  Of course, she would’ve wanted to have gotten him all the way into the city. That was the plan, after all.

  But now that he was here, he knew what he needed to do. He had to get inside, get back to the Academy, and somehow figure out how to seal off the lock again and keep Rasan Tel from escaping.

  In the distance, he noted fires blazing.

  The current continued to push him downstream, and the water was cool but not nearly as cold as he would’ve expected it to be, something that he thought was tied to how he had the barrier wrapped around him. Thankfully that barrier offered him a layer of protection. Otherwise, he might have frozen during his journey down the river. He looked over to the fires longingly until he realized what they were and what they represented.

  The military.

  Tara had spoken to him about how the armies had been moved out to confront the Nighlan, but they were now here scattered around the city.

  Which meant that the Nighlan had moved closer to Tavran.

  The city was under attack.

  Why had he thought anything else would have happened, though? He had known that the city was going to be attacked and had seen that danger himself.

  But now…

  Now there was a real threat here.

  He could feel that danger.

  More than that, he could see the blasts all around, lines of angulation, power that exploded, and energy that threatened.

  He saw a battle being waged.

  Sam wasn’t entirely sure that he wanted to watch, though. He saw arcane arts used, blooming, powerful lines of energy that crisscrossed as they formed some different patterns that he couldn’t even follow. He wished Tara were there with him.

  But Tara was back in the Academy.

  And all of Tavran was under attack.

  Maybe it was better that Tara not be here. Maybe it was better that no one be here.

  There was too much at stake. Too much in danger.

  Too much to be lost.

  Sam tore his gaze away from the assault, instead focusing on the city near him.

  He needed to get out of the water.

  That was a challenge.

  He floated, and the current was carrying him downstream, moving faster than he could swim against.

  He didn’t see any signs of ships, though, in the time that he had been within Tavran, he hadn’t seen any ships traveling through the river. Maybe it was too dangerous to navigat
e, or maybe it was to keep the city as safe as possible.

  There might be a way to direct himself toward the shore, but it would involve using a blast of power.

  He was tired.

  Sam focused and tried to use a simple blast of the vrandal behind him. It sent him through the water, toward the shoreline.

  He did it again. This time, he tried to control it. It guided him closer to the shore.

  Sam blasted again, and again he could feel himself push toward the shore.

  He tried to grab for a rock, something that he could catch onto, but he couldn’t.

  The water was pulling on him. With another blast through the vrandal, Sam was thrust forward. He managed to grab a handhold on a rock buried beneath the water, and the current tried to spray around him, spilling up and over him, before he kicked once and rolled, flopping onto the shoreline.

  He laid there for a moment, panting.

  All around, he could feel the energy still building, power cascading everywhere, that of the arcane arts, and the attack that was blasting out and around the city.

  He needed to move. He needed to get back to the Academy. He needed to lock the seal and prevent the Nighlan from succeeding.

  As he sat up, he pulled the almanac out from underneath his cloak. He hoped his barrier had protected it from water and was thankful to see that it was dry. He got to his feet and started along the shoreline. He needed to get into the city, but he could travel this way for a while and wouldn’t have to worry about navigating through crowded streets.

  The sound of thunder behind him continued to build. It almost felt as if there were bursts of power. When lightning struck, he could almost feel the source. That was imagined. Nothing else.

  Sam passed a darkened building. In the distance, lanterns glowed in some of the windows, but not these near the river.

  People were afraid of the fighting.

  He continued to hold onto the almanac, maintaining his connection to the source, ready for the possibility of an attack. He kept a barrier around himself, finding that surprisingly easy to do so.

  He hurried forward. As he jogged past more darkened buildings, he saw activity in the distance. But not yet.

  Hopefully, the Academy would remain safe. There were those within the Academy who were skilled enough to defend against this kind of power, skilled enough to deflect the Nighlan. Maybe Chasten and Okun had managed to call the alchemists to protect the city.

  He had to hope that was the case.

  Another burst of lightning struck.

  Sam hurried forward.

  He needed to get to others before the Nighlan discovered that he was here. With the attack outside the city, how long would it be before Bethal and the others with her knew where to find him? How long before they managed to chase him down and attack?

  He slipped his hand into his pocket, reaching for the vrandal. He felt around frantically for a few seconds, thinking that he must’ve lost it during his journey but that he felt metal under his fingers. He paused, backing up against one of the darkened buildings. He ducked into an alley, trying to stay out of sight. Sam paused and focused on the energy he might be able to detect as he listened.

  He felt for power. There was a distant sense of it, though it was far enough away that he thought he was safe for now. He could feel that energy as it swept around the entire city.

  A barrier. Hopefully, the Academy had been the ones to seal the city inside of that barrier.

  As he made his way forward, he continued to focus on the source. He pushed power out from him, letting that flow into his own barrier, a way of defending himself against the Nighlan. He was ready, but he had no idea what more he might need to do.

  Then a surge of power flared. That power came toward him, and there was something within it that he recognized—something dangerous. Someone had detected his use of magic. It was coming toward him, making its way along the river. Something coming from behind him.

  The Nighlan had found him.

  Sam looked down a nearby alley, then ran. Squeezing between the buildings, he searched for a way out. He emerged onto another street, one that was familiar. From here, the city he knew stretched out below him.

  The barrier wasn’t far from him. Even without closing his eyes, he could feel the energy, practically see it shimmering in the air. If he could see it, would he also be able to see the strands of power within it?

  Sam stared as he focused on that power, thinking about the energy around him, and the light glowed in front of him as it radiated around the city. As he suspected, the barrier consisted of strands of power, but not only one kind of magic—another was woven within it.

  There were thousands of strands.

  He had a sense that if someone were to pluck at one of them and cut it off, it wouldn’t even matter. They were so expertly intertwined that he doubted he would even be able to do anything to bypass it.

  How was he supposed to get through that?

  Shadows moved near him and caught his attention. There was power within them.

  He looked over and realized that he had made a mistake. He was standing out in the open, and now three people were headed toward him.

  They moved with purpose. One of them glowed, and considerable lines of power came from them. Not nearly as much as the man he had faced on the bridge, but still enough that Sam didn’t know if he would be able to sever that connection. The others didn’t have anything quite like it, but he could feel friction—an energy—within them. The energy suggested that they were tied to a different sort of power. If that were the case, then they were using something similar to what he possessed.

  He wrapped the barrier around himself more tightly and backed along the street. There was shadowy movement behind him as well.

  He was going to be trapped.

  Sam spun toward one of the other alleys. At least he somewhat knew where he was in the city. What if he could reach the hidden room that would allow him access to the Academy?

  He sprinted through the street. Power chased him, and Sam tried to ignore it. Instead, he paid more attention to the energy that was within him. He focused on that, trying not to think about how potent the power was that pursued him now.

  In the distance, he caught another flicker of movement and ducked down a different alleyway. They were forcing him back, away from the barrier, the Academy, and those that he had come to help.

  Sam had to make a decision. Either he would fight, or he would run. He didn’t know the right answer, only that there didn’t seem to be any other choice. As he continued to back away, he considered his options.

  He heard the sound of burbling water nearby, which gave him an idea. If the river had carried him to Tavran, could it not carry him to the Academy?

  It would be dangerous. He had no idea if the barrier could extend over the river. Still, given the nature of water and its effect on Alchemy, he believed that there was something beneficial within it.

  Sam raced toward the water as power continued to pursue him. Something struck him in the back, sending him staggering, but the barrier he had wrapped around himself protected him. He let out a sigh of relief as he caught himself and managed to keep on his feet, then scrambled along the road.

  The farther he went, the more he began to question whether he would be fast enough. He hurried, racing as quickly as he could toward the distant sound of the water.

  All he needed was to get to it, and then…

  He saw it glistening in the distance and ran toward it, but something crashed into him, sending him sprawling. Sam tried to get to his feet, but power pressed down on him. There was something familiar within it.

  He looked up, and the man he had faced on the bridge stalked toward him along the street. Two other Nighlan flanked him, both of them glowing with a soft white light.

  Sam struggled to get to his feet, and he found that he couldn’t. They held him down so that he couldn’t move at all. They squeezed him, pressing him against the stones and holding him he
re. Within moments, they would reach him.

  After everything he had been through, he had made it back to Tavran, but he wouldn’t be able to assist those who needed his help. Tears of frustration washed down his face, and he wanted to beat his fists on the ground, but he couldn’t.

  Power began to build, and he braced for the coming impact. The explosion burst with a surge of white light, and then there was nothing.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Sam lay motionless for a long time, trying to comprehend what had just happened. The pressure on him had eased suddenly.

  He scrambled forward to his feet and sprinted. He didn’t pay any attention to what was around him, focusing only on the distant sense of the river. He could hear the rushing sound of the water coming near him. All he needed was to get to it and throw himself in, and he would have some sense of safety.

  He was getting close. He ran as quickly as he could, trying to get to the water.

  Power slammed into his back, and he was thrown forward. In a split second, he focused on the source and welcomed it as he pushed power out. When he flew off his feet, the barrier took the brunt of the fall. Sam staggered forward.

  There was another attack, this one closer. It pressed into him, the power trying to squeeze him again and hold him down. He recognized the nature of that attack. It was the same man.

  Sam wasn’t going to be able to get away. He stretched out his hand, trying to crawl, and he splashed into the water. Immediately, the pressure upon him started to ease.

  He dragged himself toward the river. There was still pressure on his legs, but with the water he’d reached, he found he could separate from some aspect of that magic. He used everything within him to pull himself along the street. The energy around him was almost too much. He tried to reach into the source and hold on to the barrier, worried that he would lose his protection over the almanac—and around him—if he didn’t.

  Sam stumbled. Then he splashed fully into the water. He pushed off from the shore, expanding the barrier outward, which sent him toward the middle of the river. As the current carried him, he breathed out, relieved to be in the safety of the water.