Crystal Caged (Air Awakens: Vortex Chronicles Book 5), Page 3

  “Not the mighty Champion and her terrifying, blunt-as-a-butter-knife dagger.” Deneya gasped. Vi gave a mock snarl, playfully jabbing the air in Deneya’s direction until the woman let go of her plate. “Mercy, I’m unarmed.”

  “Perhaps I should level the playing field, then.” Vi set down the knife, forgetting the food a moment, and untied the crystal sword from her hip. Deneya stopped laughing.

  Vi drew the sword and held it out before her, parallel to the ground, at eye level. She focused on it, feeling the magic that collected together and gave the crystals shape. Vi tightened her grip, imagining her hold on the magic becoming greater in turn.

  Change shape, she willed the crystals. Magic moved through the blade, invisible to anyone but her, and collected in the far tip of the sword. The blade thinned, transforming into a pole. The magic at the end jutted outward.

  By the time the light faded, Vi was holding an axe of crystal.

  “You’ve been making more progress than you’ve let on,” Deneya said with quiet awe.

  “You can hold it.” Vi stretched her arm across the table.

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yes.”

  Deneya took the weapon and twirled it once. She stood, swung it two times, and let out a low whistle. “I could cleave so many heads from shoulders with this.”

  Vi laughed.

  “She’s accomplished incredible things,” Taavin said warmly. Vi glanced at him, the pride in his voice nearly making her blush.

  “So, you can manipulate crystals however you please in addition to transferring power between them and the Caverns.” Deneya turned back, passing her the axe. “It’s what we were hoping for, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.” Vi took the axe in both hands. She was silent a moment, intense focus overtaking her as she shifted the magic within the crystals once more. Like ice melting in sunlight, some of the crystals vanished, others jutted out, smoothed over, and the sword took shape once more.

  “When the crystal weapons are taken to the Caverns, Vi will be there to transfer the power and—”

  “The magic weapons won’t actually be destroyed and the Caverns will remain intact,” Deneya interrupted Taavin. “Then we’ll combine the collective magic of the crystal weapons, the Caverns themselves, and what’s trapped in the flame of Yargen in Risen to give a physical form to the Goddess herself. Then she’ll duel Raspian in another battle of light and dark, yes, yes, I know.”

  “For a battle that the fate of the world hinges on, you make it sound boring,” Taavin remarked.

  “The fate of the world has been boring these past fourteen years,” Deneya quipped without looking at him. She shoveled food into her mouth and Vi took the opportunity to do the same. “What I’m asking is… now that she can do this, what are our next steps?”

  “We’ll approach the weapons in order, based on Taavin’s knowledge of past histories and stones in the river of fate,” Vi mused aloud. “First is the sword. We know where the scythe is, so that won’t be a problem.”

  “Glad getting to Meru is listed as ‘not a problem’,” Deneya muttered. Vi ignored her obvious disbelief and continued.

  “The axe is safely hidden away in the North—or it should be.”

  “It’s never been found before the War in the North.” Taavin gave Vi a nod.

  “That leaves the crown, then,” Deneya said from behind her hand as she chewed. “Where do we think that one is?”

  “Almost impossible to say. The crown is always so variable in its location.” Taavin scowled. The crown was never a pleasant topic of conversation. It had the most variables and made them all nervous.

  “For the time being, we work with the stones in the river. We try to vary the timeline as little as possible,” Vi said calmly. “We’ll go to the Capital and see Aldrik gets the sword so he can fulfill that stone in the river of fate: him bringing the sword to the Caverns.”

  “You’re giving him the sword?” Deneya blinked in shock.

  “Of course not,” she said with a laugh. “I’m going to need you to make me a new one.”

  “Me make a new—” Deneya stopped herself, comprehension dawning on her face “—oh, I get it.”

  “And, honoring the stones in the river, will help ensure the birth of a new Champion,” Taavin said with an approving nod.

  The words grated her, but Vi didn’t let it show. How were they supposed to look toward success if they were constantly planning for failure? For the time being, it wasn’t a question she was ready to pose to him. They were on the same page, and the night was going beautifully.

  She swallowed the uncomfortable thoughts with a hunk of rabbit and washed it down with a long drink.

  “Then it’s clear where we’re headed next.” She punctuated the statement by setting down her wooden cup heavily.

  “Back to Norin?” Deneya said with a smirk, knowing full well what Vi was about to say.

  “If you’d like.” Vi played into the woman’s jest. “But I’ll be heading to the capital of the Solaris Empire.”

  “About time.”

  “About time?” Vi snorted. “Imagine how I feel… it’s taken about thirty-two years and one rebuilding of the world for me to get to the home of my forefathers.”

  Solarin, the capital of the Solaris Empire, was nestled atop a twin-peaked mountain. At the very top of the city, stretching toward the taller of the two summits, was the Imperial Palace. It spilled downward into stone buildings with tiled roofs.

  Even from the switch-back road leading up to the city, Vi could see the castle’s golden-tipped spires and gigantic pennons forever fluttering in the mountain breezes.

  “It’s smaller than I imagined,” Deneya said from the horse next to her, Midsummer. Vi rode Prism. Both women held lead ropes for the yearlings trailing close behind.

  “Smaller, really?” From where Vi sat, it was massive. And they were still a good half hour down the mountain.

  Deneya shrugged. “Nothing on the Dark Isle compares to Risen.”

  “You can’t compare Solaris to Meru.” Vi chuckled. They spoke of a world not too far from their own, yet the travelers around them continued on none the wiser. Anyone who overheard their conversation likely wouldn’t believe or make sense of the remarks anyway.

  They arrived at the main gate of the capital in good time. Their warstriders towered over most men and beasts; even their young offspring were the size of a regular horse. Rather than trying to fit in, Vi worked to stand out with her Western horses and dark hair.

  “Excuse me, sir.” They rode for one of the Imperial guards stationed by the gate.

  “May I help you?”

  “I’m looking to speak with the master of horse at the Imperial palace. We bring a gift for the young prince’s fifteenth birthday and coming-of-age ceremony.” Vi motioned to the yearlings and added the slightest hint of a Western accent to her words.

  “That ceremony isn’t for months yet.”

  “Horses take time to settle and train,” she countered calmly.

  “Head down the main road. It’s hard to miss the castle entrance. You’ll ask for Augus when you get to the stables,” the guard answered dully.

  “Thank you.” Vi gave him a nod and they continued plodding along the main road of Solarin.

  A sensation much like the first time she’d stepped foot on Meru overtook her. Icicles shone in the morning light hanging off undisturbed windowsills and gutters. Men leaned over balconies, taking drags off pipes that filled the air with sweet smoke. Music she didn’t know lofted over the sounds of people talking.

  This was the place where she should’ve lived… in another world.

  The palace was built in layers up the mountainside. At its lowest point were long rows of stables that reminded Vi somewhat sadly of the castle in Norin. They were stopped by two guards at the gates.

  “Business?” one of the men demanded.

  “We’re here to speak with Augus.” Vi motioned to the all-black colt with a stripe of white
on his forehead. “We have a gift for the prince.”

  “A moment.” The guard ran into the stables and returned with a barrel-chested man who had a thick coating of golden hair over his forearms.

  “I hear you’ve got something for the prince.” The man pushed up his sleeves a little farther. “Well, bring him in, let me see the creature.”

  Argus led them into the stables, heading for an empty stall toward the back. Both women dismounted when they came to a stop. Vi untied the lead rope of the black yearling from her saddle, passing it to Argus. The stable master did a quick round of the horse and let out a low whistle. His eyes swept across the four mounts.

  “Where’d you come across these lovely creatures?”

  “My father was a horse trainer for the royal family.” Vi thickened her Western accent slightly.

  “Your father? Does he have a name?”

  Vi wrung her hands, looking askance. “I shouldn’t say.”

  “I can’t rightly give the crown prince a gift that I can’t verify.”

  “Clearly they’re warstriders of good stock,” Deneya huffed.

  “Yes, I can see that, but the Emperor will insist.”

  “Then the Emperor is—”

  “It’s all right, Danya,” Vi said hastily, interrupting the woman with the fake name they had agreed on. She looked over at the stable master, attempting to be the living embodiment of insecurity. “Between you and me?”

  “Yes?” The man’s eyebrows arched.

  “My father was Ronaldo.” There were a few events that Vi would never need Taavin’s help recalling, and the night she escaped Norin with Fiera was one of them. The stablemaster in Norin had assumed she was taking Prism to Ronaldo for boarding, following the birth of the prince.

  “Ronaldo… you can’t be talking about the Ronaldo? Legendary breeder for warstriders?” Vi gave a meek nod. “I thought he only had two sons.”

  “I’m not…” Vi intentionally fumbled her words.

  “Vivian was conceived on the wrong side of the sheets. Or barn, as it were,” Deneya finished for her.

  “Ronaldo, the dog.” Augus shook his head. “Right, well, this all explains the apparent quality of the animals. You willing to part with the other yearling as well? Perhaps the whole family? I know the black one with the stripe is a gift for the prince. But I could pay you for the others.”

  Vi and Deneya exchanged a glance. They hadn’t really discussed this. They’d managed to stretch the gold Vi had taken from Norin for years due to their own resourcefulness, with help from Deneya’s profits selling her wares. But it couldn’t hurt to have a little extra coin.

  It also didn’t hurt to have a swift getaway on good horses they didn’t have to steal.

  “I hadn’t planned on it,” Vi started slowly, hoping her hesitation read as a bastard daughter’s love for tokens gifted from her father. “The other yearling we might be willing to part with.” Vi looked at the creature. “But the parents…”

  “The yearling is a start.” Argus stroked his chin. “How long are you staying in the city? At least a year?”

  “Hopefully longer than that. We wanted to find work,” Deneya answered. “Perhaps establish a life here.”

  “You seem like an able-bodied young woman. I could put you to work here, in the stables. Even board these fine beasts at no extra cost to you.”

  “Really? That’d be great!” Deneya flashed him a bright smile.

  “Excellent. And perhaps, if you’re still here come summer… you’d let me breed these two again and sell me that foal too?” Argus showed the root of his kindness. “Warstriders of this caliber are hard to come by, and I would be remiss to let you go so easily.”

  He gave a genuine chuckle. The whole time the stable master had been stroking the mounts. Vi doubted he even realized that he’d gone through all of their bridals, checking them.

  “Perhaps,” Vi relented. Deneya had a job in the palace without too much effort. The longer the man thought they’d be useful to him, the better. “Thanks for offering my friend a job.”

  “No trouble. I could put you to work as well? Daughter of Ronaldo would be a welcome addition to my staff.”

  “Thank you, but I’m hoping to find a job that doesn’t involve horses. I’ve mucked enough stables for one lifetime.”

  Argus chuckled at that. “Well, if you change your mind, come back. And you, Danya, I’ll see you with the sun tomorrow.”

  “Of course.” Deneya forced a smile so false that Vi had to struggle not to laugh at it.

  “If you’ll excuse us, we’re meeting an acquaintance in the Imperial Library.”

  “Is that right? Marc!” Argus called for the guard from earlier, who begrudgingly stepped over. “Take these two up to the library through the castle.” He looked back to them. “Much faster than going through the city.”

  Vi and Deneya said their thanks and followed behind Marc into the palace of Solaris.

  Gooseflesh covered her arms the moment they crossed the threshold and Vi let out a sigh of equal parts delight and awe. They went into a side hall that wound around the throne room and receiving area. Her breath hitched as they turned a corner, the room opening into a sitting area. Vi delicately lifted a hand, feeling the fitted stones of the wall.

  She touched the masonry of the palace like she was greeting a long-lost friend.

  Every twist and turn of the candle-lit halls thrilled her. Every stairwell that rounded back on itself, overlooking Solarin on each landing, sent shivers up her spine.

  She knew this castle better than anywhere in the world, even though this was the first time she’d stepped foot in it. She knew the pathways that would head to the royal wing, guarded with a stunning gold gate. She knew the secret servants’ halls her mother spoke of and that she’d delighted in finding on her maps.

  She knew the moment they laid eyes on the library doors.

  The heavy door glided over the plush carpet silently at the guard’s slightest push. The smell of leather and parchment filled her nose. Vi’s eyes settled on the gold-gilded cherry wood bookcases that lined up in rows down the center hallway of the library. She stared at the center circulation desk, and the ancient looking man behind it who didn’t even so much as look up from what he was working on.

  With a soft click, the doors behind them shut, and Vi was snapped back into reality.

  “It’s just as she said,” Vi whispered. She was drawn to the books as if by a trance. Her hand closed around one of the metal sliding ladders that allowed people to reach the tops of the dizzyingly tall shelves.

  “What is? Who?” Deneya asked.

  “My mother.” Vi ran her fingers along the spines. She looked ahead to the outer wall she knew was lined with windows. Her mother had spoken fondly of a particular window where she would always sit to read. Would Vi be able to tell which, even though Vhalla had yet to step foot in the castle in this world? Would she feel it in her marrow as keenly as she could feel Yargen’s magic? “She always said she wanted to introduce me to her friends here.”

  “I doubt your mother’s friends will show up for a few years yet.” Deneya laced her fingers, placing them behind her head as Vi let out a soft laugh.

  “Her friends weren’t people… they were books.”

  “Books? Your mother sounds like a dull person.”

  Vi grinned at Deneya. “My mother’s life was anything but. You’ll see soon enough.”

  They reached the end of the bookshelf and Vi looked down the long line of windows. Each one had a seat carved out beneath its glass. Cerulean pillows turned them into comfortable reading nooks.

  Vi couldn’t tell which one had been, and would become, her mother’s.

  “So, now that we’ve met your mother’s ‘friends’ and I somehow ended up with a job that will involve literal shit… it’s your turn.”

  “Yes.” Vi tore her eyes from the windows. “You wait here while I—”

  “I’m not waiting with a bunch of books.” Deneya’
s tone reminded Vi of the woman’s disdain for reading. “I’m going to explore the city and begin to get a lay of the land.”

  “Where will I find you?”

  “In the closest pub to this frosty library, I’d bet.”

  “Are you exploring the city or getting drunk?” Vi asked dryly.

  “It’s been a while since we had the comforts of a city.” Deneya grinned.

  “Keep your head about you and the gold in our pockets, please.”

  “I always have my head about me. And I have a job, remember? I’ll be spending my coin how I please.” Deneya stepped away with a wave and vanished among the rows of books.

  Vi watched her for a moment before going in the opposite direction. She’d made it into the castle. Now it was time to break in to the Tower of Sorcerers.

  Chapter Three

  There were a few principles Uncle Jax had taught her since Vi was a little girl. Right at the top of the list was that the South hated sorcerers above all else.

  Vi hadn’t understood why when she was younger. She’d merely accepted it, as children do. But experience had taught her that the hatred went all the way back to the original, magic-less settlers of the Dark Isle, fleeing persecution on Meru. While that history had long been lost on the general public, it established Vi’s expectation for her time here.

  Starting with finding the Tower of Sorcerers.

  The Tower was hidden in plain sight to prevent the servants and citizens of Solarin from being on edge all the time. There was a main entry accessible to the public, though even that was difficult to find. Vi knew where it was, of course. But she was closer to a back door. Sneaking in would have a far greater impact.

  She stopped along one of the many hallways of the palace. She’d taken the long way to get here, savoring every step. No one stopped her. It was miraculous how far she could go when she walked with confidence.

  Vi stood in front of a seemingly plain stone wall. On one of the stones was a symbol of two halves of a circle, broken apart and off-set from each other. It was a simplified version of the Broken Moon, the symbol of the Tower of Sorcerers.