Death Incarnate: Aegis of Merlin Book 7 (The Aegis of Merlin) Read online

  Angus groaned and levered himself to his feet, distracting her from her plans. He stretched and stalked over to the ghost. “What exactly are you? A ghost, spirit, what? Have you been secretly manipulating us to ensure Conryu would be born?”

  If it were possible for a spirit to be taken aback, the Librarian was. “I am unable to affect anything outside the library and even within my powers are extremely limited. As to what I am, I suppose the nearest thing you’d understand is a scholomantic. Like the candidate’s book, I am a copy of Gideon’s memories. Everything he knew in life, I know now. I suppose the process of making me gave me a little of his personality.”

  Angus’s frown deepened and he glared around. “You don’t even have any chairs. Are we supposed to sit on the floor while Conryu finishes whatever he’s doing?”

  The Librarian’s expression lightened. “That is something I can help you with.”

  As the Librarian’s hand rose, a pair of translucent chairs, simple things like you’d find at a school, rose out of the floor and solidified. “There you are. As I said I have some limited abilities within the library.”

  While Angus settled into one of the chairs, Maria asked, “Do you know the contents of all these books?”

  “I know their titles and basic contents, but nothing detailed. Even Gideon’s great memory wasn’t up to retaining that much knowledge. Why?”

  “I’ve been endeavoring to determine the name of an efreet bound to a magical ring. I hoped your library might have something I couldn’t find anywhere else.”

  “What makes you think it’s an efreet bound to the ring?”

  “Well, the inscription mentioned a prince of flame, so I assumed that would be an efreet. Do you think otherwise?” Maria genuinely wanted to know what the ghost thought. Unlike some people she knew, having others challenge her theories didn’t offend her.

  “I don’t know, but there are other powerful fire spirits that might be considered reasonable contenders for such a title. Surtr comes to mind as a potential candidate. Please understand that I offer his name only as an example of another powerful flame spirit that you might consider.”

  She’d never even considered the fire giant as a possibility. Dark elves were a prominent part of Norse mythology, so maybe the legendary elves were in fact the same as the elves that invaded Earth. Given that possibility, she needed to consider Surtr and his minions.

  How many other powerful fire spirits had she overlooked in her narrow search? Maria wanted to shout her frustration on one hand and on the other the new angle excited her. Now she needed to find some way to prove it.

  “If you wish to make a closer study of Surtr,” the Librarian said, “there’s a book on the truth behind Norse spirits.”

  The spirit pointed and one of the books began to glow. It might come to nothing, but at least she’d have something to do to kill time while Conryu completed his tasks. If she finished her research, maybe she’d have a powerful weapon as well.

  Out of the white nothingness, which felt different somehow than the black nothingness of Hell, a golden gate appeared floating amidst clouds. It certainly looked like he’d arrived in Heaven. Conryu settled on the clouds and found them soft, like sand. He looked left and right, but as far as he could see in either direction there was nothing but more clouds and golden fence.

  “What do you think, pal?”

  Prime’s pages rippled when he shuddered. “I think we should complete our mission as quickly as possible and flee this horrid place. Nothing good can come from us being here.”

  “It’s only natural you’d feel that way, being a demon. The energy of this place feels quite welcoming to me. It’s warm and fills me with strength.”

  “Wonderful, Master.” Prime looked around as if expecting an attack. “Why don’t you knock on the gate and see if anyone’s home? Standing here isn’t getting us anywhere.”

  Prime had a point. Conryu walked across the spongy clouds toward the golden gate. When he was about ten yards away a glow filled the air and a moment later solidified into a shining lion that towered five feet over his head. It looked very much like the one he’d summoned for his sophomore final. In fact it looked exactly the same.

  “Is that you, Brightclaw?” He took a step closer and held out his hand.

  “This might not be the best idea, Master.” Prime cowered behind him as he took another step closer to the golden lion.

  Conryu ignored his chicken-hearted scholomantic. “You remember me, right? Come on, be a good boy.”

  The guardian snuffled and leaned forward, butting his head against Conryu’s hand. The angelic lion’s fur felt so much like a real cat’s that he had to remind himself that it was a spirit.

  “That’s right.” He pet the giant beast behind the ears. “You like that, don’t you?”

  Brightclaw’s purr was a deep rumble that Conryu felt in his chest as much as he heard. After a minute of scratching, the lion flopped over on his back allowing Conryu to rub his stomach.

  He grinned and scratched Brightclaw’s belly. He’d barely gotten started when a second glow appeared a little ways away. It formed into a white-robed giant with huge dove wings, a golden halo, and a spear big enough to run through a bear. Most disconcerting, the angel had no head, only a cowl with two gold disks for eyes.

  Brightclaw sprang to his paws and padded over to the angel, shaggy head hanging. The golden lion hadn’t been acting much like a guard. Hopefully he wouldn’t get into too much trouble.

  To Conryu’s relief, the angel patted Brightclaw on the head. His relief vanished when it turned those glowing eyes on him.

  “A new master of all elements has arisen,” the angel said. She had a high, bright voice that reminded him of clear, ringing bells. “An age and more has passed since Gideon stood before me. I sense your connection to the Staff of All Elements. I know you have the Reaper’s mark. Tell me, why do you seek my blessing and with it the power of Heaven?”

  Conryu found he couldn’t look away from her glowing eyes. “Well, ma’am, the truth is I wasn’t really looking for the power of Heaven. I just need the staff to acknowledge me so I can leave Gideon’s library. His ghost said the only way to do that is to gain your approval.”

  “Interesting. What do you want, mortal?”

  He blinked then spoke without thinking. “To live a quiet life and for my family and friends to be safe and well.”

  “A good answer. You understand that if I give you what you need, you can’t have what you want?”

  Conryu barked a laugh. “I’ve long since given up on the life I wanted, except in my dreams. I don’t believe in fate, but if I did, I’d think he had it in for me.”

  “The universe works in strange ways, seldom to its benefit. I think you may be one of those exceptions. Brightclaw thinks so too.”

  The golden lion roared his approval bringing a smile to Conryu’s face.

  “You remind me of Gideon when you smile. He had a kind smile as well. I think that as much as anything convinced me to grant him my blessing.”

  “Who are you?” Conryu asked.

  “I have many names. In old times I was known as the Mother, Bringer of Life. That was always my favorite. What I’m called is less important than what I am.”

  “What are you?”

  “Null’s opposite. He is the end and I am the beginning. He is the death rattle and I am the cry of a newborn. When you call on his power you gain the gift of death. When you call on mine you gain the gift of life.”

  “Are you the goddess for whom Touch of the Goddess is named?”

  “I suppose I am, though there are no true gods, just especially powerful spirits.” She reached out with her spear and tapped him on each shoulder.

  Warmth and light and joy flooded through him. It felt exactly the opposite as when the Reaper struck him with his scythe. He glanced at his arms, but found no new mark.

  “My sigil is called golden wings and you will find it on your back. Take my blessing and use it w
ell.”

  “I will. Can you give me any advice about the other elemental spirits I’ll need to deal with?”

  “All I can tell you is that they are simply expressions of their nature, just as Null and I are. Keep that in mind and you will do fine.”

  His vision blurred and he found himself falling once more through the white void. The Goddess hadn’t been much help, but at least she’d given him her blessing. Only four more to go.

  4

  The Lonely Rock

  Lady Dragon sat at the rail of the boat and took slow, deep breaths of ocean air. The sun blazed overhead and a pair of gulls that had been following them since they left the beach squawked. She wanted to burn them out of the sky, but couldn’t muster the energy.

  For most of three days they’d been powering towards the Lonely Rock, bouncing over waves, and even enduring a minor squall. Minor in retrospect at least. At the time she’d believed the water spirits were making an effort to drag her to the ocean floor and drown her. Her stomach still hadn’t settled completely after that episode, hence her need to breathe and stay calm. Even if it was a prison, the island was solid ground and she couldn’t wait to reach it.

  Lady Tiger stood at the wheel and guided them south. The second fire wizard in the group handled the trip better than Lady Dragon mostly because she was used to it and the anti-seasickness spell was centered on the control console. If she’d had any idea how to drive a boat, Lady Dragon would have demanded her spot.

  “We’re getting close,” Lady Tiger said. “My GPS just flashed a warning that we were approaching a restricted area.”

  Lady Dragon levered herself up and away from the rail. The sun’s glare off the water nearly blinded her, but in the distance a single dark speck stood out against the horizon. There was nothing else visible in any direction. The Alliance couldn’t have selected a more remote location. Not that location had anything to do with their choice to put the prison here. The anti-magic zone on the island was a naturally occurring phenomenon, they just took advantage of it after someone discovered its properties.

  Mile by painful mile they moved ever closer. After an hour the walls and guard towers came into view. Soon enough they’d enter the magic dead zone. Lady Dragon pulled the artifact out from the folds of her robe and focused on her aligned element.

  After five minutes of intense mental effort, a red glow filled the loop and the connection between her and the artifact was complete. Next she conjured the Scepter of Morgana and took her place at the front of the boat. Let the guards try and stop them. In the mood she was in now, Lady Dragon relished the chance to take her misery out on someone.

  Lady Dragon flinched and her sea sickness vanished. There was no bright line in the sea, but they must have crossed into the magic dead zone. Even from a mile out, the towering cliffs of the island looked intimidating. At their highest point, walls jutted up from the bare stone.

  Movement drew her gaze lower. A pair of speed boats with machine guns mounted in the front pulled away from the dock. She smiled; the first targets of the day.

  Lady Dragon chanted a spell and thrust the scepter toward them. Two flaming spheres streaked out and exploded on impact.

  The boats burst into the air before flaming debris sizzled into the water. The artifact worked flawlessly. She didn’t feel even the slightest loss of power from her spells.

  Lady Tiger guided them around the patches of still-burning debris and up to the dock. When they were tied up, Lady Dragon leapt out onto the wooden platform. She wove a fire screen around her then extended it out to the sides to protect her subordinates.

  She finished the spell not a moment too soon. A squad of six soldiers in camouflage uniforms and armed with rifles appeared at the bottom of a narrow staircase carved into the cliff.

  They fired a stream of bullets, each one of which instantly vaporized when it hit the screen. The men shouted and one of them pulled the pin on a grenade.

  She pointed her scepter and focused on the metal case. The grenade heated up to two thousand degrees in an instant then exploded, tearing the soldiers to pieces.

  Lady Dragon led the way down the dock to the staircase. It looked like a couple hundred yards up to the top and they couldn’t use flying magic. No matter. The long-anticipated day had finally arrived and a little hike wasn’t going to daunt her.

  The florescent light buzzed and cast its unnatural, cold light across the lab. Morgana hated that light. It had been buzzing like that for the past few months and no one took the time to change it. Bad enough the researchers stripped her naked, strapped her down, and dragged her into the lab every day to poke and prod, draw blood samples, and slice thin layers of skin from various parts of her body. The least they could do was change the goddamn light.

  She twisted her arm and hand like she always did and like always the leather strap didn’t give at all. Even without her magic, the weaklings were terrified of her. Pathetic humans. It was a wonder the elves hadn’t wiped them all out during the invasion. A wonder and a pity. Earth would be better off without the vermin crawling all over it.

  Morgana turned her head a fraction, bringing the stainless steel table covered with surgical tools into view. Her gaze went to the scalpel first. How much of her flesh had that little blade claimed? Ten pounds over the centuries? More? She didn’t know or expect to find out. Whatever they took regenerated in hours anyway, a gift of her elvish creators. The longest she’d taken to heal was when they sliced off one of her pointed ears. That had taken a full day to grow back and oh how it hurt.

  The door creaked and she snapped her head to the other side. In walked Professor Butcher. At least that’s what Morgana had named him. Every so often the face changed, but they were all Butchers. He had on his white coat and little round glasses that perched on the tip of his nose.

  “Good morning, Morgana,” he said as he walked around the gurney to the table where his tools rested. “I understand you refused your breakfast again. Can’t have that. You need to keep your strength up. Don’t want you catching cold.”

  As if she could catch cold. They’d had her in this dank, miserable dungeon for centuries and she’d never gotten sick. His feigned concern nauseated her more than any virus.

  He poured something out and the sharp stink of alcohol stung her nostrils. “We’re going to try something different today. I was reading some of the old journals last night and found notes on a fascinating experiment the director at the time performed three hundred years ago. Do you remember it?”

  She remained silent. How was she supposed to remember something that happened that long ago?

  Butcher continued, clearly not expecting an answer. “It seems they removed a piece of your liver and put it in a vat of chemicals to see if it would regenerate outside your body. The experiment was a failure, but I’ve devised a new solution and have hopes that it will prove more effective.”

  He took the scalpel off the table and moved closer. Butcher hovered over her, an eager gleam in his eye. In another time the bastard would have been a torturer, but now they called him a scientist.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  She’d long since given up talking to the fools they sent to cut her. Nothing she had to say would make any difference.

  He probed her bare midriff with one sweaty hand, looking for the right place to cut. When he found a location that suited him he bared his teeth in an eager smile and lowered the blade.

  An explosion sent a trickle of dust falling from the ceiling. The razor-sharp edge paused an inch above her skin.

  She felt something. A familiar tingle that made her hair stand on end. So very faint, like a butterfly’s wing on her skin. She had no doubts, though, even after all this time. Someone was using magic nearby.

  Butcher scowled at the interruption. “What the devil was that?”

  “They’ve come for me,” Morgana said.

  The scalpel clattered to the floor and he stared at her with wide eyes. It was the first time she’d spoken sin
ce this Butcher arrived.

  “You can speak?”

  She nodded.

  “What did you mean, they’ve come for you?”

  “My followers, the Society of Magic.”

  He laughed. “The Society of Magic no longer exists and your followers have been dead for centuries. Besides, no magic can function on the Rock.”

  Morgana nodded and allowed a slow smile to spread across her face.

  The door to the operating room burst open. “We’re under attack.”

  Morgana couldn’t see who had entered, but the fear in his voice confirmed her beliefs. Her time had come at last.

  “By whom?” Butcher asked.

  “A wizard.”

  “Ridiculous.” Butcher’s voice held a tremor now. “Magic doesn’t work here.”

  “Well someone forgot to tell the crazy masked chick coming up the steps and hurling fireballs like they were water balloons.”

  “Take me to the control room. I need to find out what’s going on.”

  “What about her?” the guard asked.

  “Where’s she going to go?”

  Butcher and the guard hurried away, leaving her alone in the operating room. Whatever the fool thought, the Society was coming for her. When she finally escaped this place, she’d burn a city for every year they held her prisoner.

  A blaring alarm dragged Malice out of her office at Department headquarters in Central. When she opened the door gray-robed wizards and civilians were running up and down the hall, though as far as she could tell, none of them had a destination. She grabbed the first wizard to pass within arm’s reach.

  The woman couldn’t have been more than twenty-three, a fresh hire straight out of the Academy. Not her first choice for a source of information, but she’d have to do.

  “What’s going on?” Malice asked.

  “I don’t know, Director,” she said. “I was on my way to see my supervisor to find out.”

  Useless. Malice released her and gave a disgusted wave of dismissal. She shouldn’t have wasted her time asking. Operations would know what was happening. She limped down to the elevators, people parting around her like she was a great stone in a river.