The Chimera Jar: The Aegis of Merlin Book 3 Read online

  The ghoul ripped a hunk of flesh from the lump with a taloned hand and stuffed it into its dripping mouth. “Mine,” it said as it slunk closer.

  Terra threw a hand out. “Flames of destruction incinerate my enemy, Fire Blast!” A searing jet of flame shot out.

  The ghoul lunged to one side, faster than she expected. The stink of seared flesh indicated that she hadn’t missed altogether.

  It circled around her, forcing Terra to spin to keep it in sight.

  “Fire Blast!”

  It dodged a second jet of flames then a third. It was too quick for such an imprecise spell.

  She switched to wind magic. “Father of winds lend this unworthy fire wizard the gift of your protection, Tornado Trap!”

  A small tornado lifted the ghoul up and smashed it into the top of the culvert, pinning it in place.

  She raised a hand. Now that she had it trapped she couldn’t miss.

  Something snaked around her ankle and yanked her off her feet. The impact broke her concentration and the ghoul fell to the floor.

  A fleshy tentacle from the pile of ghoul food had her by the ankle. The light barrier kept it from hurting her, but it was pulling her closer.

  Behind her the ghoul’s talons scrabbled against steel as it climbed to its feet.

  Terra pointed at the tentacle and hissed. A dart of flame severed it six inches from her foot. She rolled over, cupped her hands, and chanted. “Flood the world with flames, Fire Surge!” A river of flames gushed from her hands and roared into the ghoul’s mouth. Its head exploded in a shower of gore.

  She sighed and climbed to her feet. More shots rang out.

  Right, Lin was counting on her. A piece of the ghoul’s skull had landed on her shoe. It slid off and worked its way toward the unmoving body. Other pieces were doing the same. Even with its head completely destroyed the ghoul was trying to heal.

  She needed to focus. At the rate it was recovering she had maybe five minutes to complete the sealing spell. That should be plenty. Hopefully.

  Terra raised her hands and began to chant in Angelic. “Seal the darkness, bind the evil.” Glowing runes appeared one after another around the flesh heap. She chanted the phrase over and over as she circled the fleshy mass and drew runes with her fingers.

  It extruded more pseudopods and sent one flying at her.

  Terra stepped to the side and kept casting. She couldn’t break her rhythm or the warding would fail and she’d have to start over.

  She crouched down to avoid another attack. The circle was halfway complete.

  Two tentacles shot at her this time. Terra dodged one and took a grazing blow to the ribs from the other. She ignored the pain and kept going.

  Four tentacles formed. No way to dodge all those and continue the spell.

  She had to finish first. Terra picked up the pace of her casting, risking a mistaken enunciation.

  The last syllable fell from her lips a moment before the first tentacle shot out. It slammed into her barrier, but failed to smash through.

  Good.

  She turned to the ghoul and found the remaining pieces of its broken skull had stopped moving.

  Shots rang out in quick succession then there was silence. Terra stumbled toward the entrance to the culvert. Lin still needed her.

  She stepped into the fading sunlight. Lin was walking toward her, tucking his pistol back into his shoulder holster. He was okay.

  Thank god.

  “So after I finished warding the culvert Lin called the police to retrieve the bodies and we came straight back here.”

  Terra finished her report leaving Orin with a pounding headache. He’d been sitting in his office all day drinking coffee and waiting for news. Now that he had the news the waiting didn’t seem so bad. At least Terra and Lin hadn’t been seriously injured in the confrontation.

  Clair had given her report half an hour ago. She and Adam hadn’t run into any monsters, but neither of his wizards had been remotely successful in dealing with the actual problem. He shouldn’t have been surprised given how ineffective they’d been with the first box, but it was still a disappointment.

  “So what do you suggest we do about it? Your wards won’t stop Mercia from activating the artifacts when the island returns, will they?”

  “No, they’re very simple defenses designed to keep ordinary citizens from wandering into a dangerous location.” Terra slumped in her chair. “We need to call him back. There’s simply no other option.”

  “You realize how it looks, the Department of Magic having to rely on a first-year academy student to solve our problems for us?”

  “It looks terrible, but given the alternative…” She shrugged.

  There it was. That simple, exhausted shrug spoke volumes. However much Orin would have liked to spare Conryu any more trouble, he had no choice. With the northern incursion stretching their wizards thin, he had to rely on the assets available.

  “Do you think we could wrap it up in a day?”

  “With Conryu’s power he could break the wards in an afternoon, but that assumes no traps are activated when he does. I have no certainties to offer you save one. If we do nothing, on June 25 the city will be flooded with nether spirits. Enough that it will probably take every wizard the Department can muster to destroy them all and even then I’d expect massive casualties.”

  “I’ll call Dean Blane and make the arrangements. If we can bring him in Sunday morning and get him back before classes on Monday, no one will even need to know about the threat. The last thing we need is to start a panic.”

  4

  Chaos on Sunday

  Another Sunday had rolled around, once more forcing Conryu to make the walk to Angus’s dinky office to check in. Conryu’s mind was a million miles away. Who would have thought it would be so difficult to find an engine? Everyone he asked turned him down. Over and over the same thing: it was against the no technology rule. He wanted to turn it into a magic item, but that didn’t do much to convince them. It looked like his experiment was going to end before it began.

  Sonja would be so disappointed. She’d really been looking forward to the project, so had he for that matter. He really hoped the professor didn’t feel the need to share any more of his life story. He didn’t have the patience for it today.

  Conryu adjusted his grip on the scholomantic. Despite another two weeks of practice he still hadn’t managed to summon Prime through a portal yet. Mrs. Umbra assured him that it was the most complex thing he’d attempted so far and he shouldn’t be disappointed if he couldn’t master it right away.

  He frowned when he reached Angus’s office. The door was closed tight. Usually he left it open until Conryu arrived.

  Conryu’s knock was met with a quick, “Come in.”

  He pushed the door open and stuck his head in. Dean Blane was sitting in his chair.

  “Get in here and shut the door,” she said.

  He complied at once, shutting the door tight. “What—”

  She pressed a finger to her lips. When he fell silent she cast a spell in the whispery language of the wind. “Okay, we can talk now.”

  “What’s going on?”

  Dean Blane took a breath, but Angus cleared his throat before she spoke. “Fine, you tell him.”

  “Thank you.” Angus smoothed the front of his tweed jacket. “I have a message from Chief Kane. You’re needed back in Sentinel City. The rest of the boxes have been located and you’re the only one strong enough to break the wards protecting them. Isn’t this wonderful? People are already starting to recognize how special you are.”

  Conryu resisted the almost overwhelming urge to punch Angus in the face and turned to Dean Blane. She shook her head. “There’s no one else. Don’t worry, it’ll be a quick trip. You’ll be back before classes on Monday.”

  “How? The train ride there and back takes most of a day.”

  “You’ll only be taking the train as far as Central. From there you’ll go the rest of the way by dark port
al. We receive regular deliveries so it won’t seem strange for the train to come and go an extra time today.”

  “Well, maybe I can arrange to have an engine delivered while I’m out. That way the day won’t be a total loss.”

  “I got word you were trying to find one. What’s that about?”

  Conryu explained and when he finished she grinned. “That’s about the most impractical thing I’ve ever heard of. Technically it violates the no technology rule, but I’ll grant you an exemption since you’re conducting a magical experiment. It’ll be interesting to see if you can make it work. More importantly, it makes a perfect cover for your outing. Let’s go, time’s a-wasting.”

  “I can’t just disappear without telling Maria and the club, they’re all expecting me.”

  “I’ll tell everyone what they need to know.” Dean Blane stood up. They were almost pressed together in the small space. “All you need to focus on is your mission. I’ll walk you to the train.”

  “Good luck, my boy.” Angus was positively beaming at him.

  At least someone was excited. Regardless of his wishes to the contrary, it seemed he was getting drawn deeper and deeper into the magical world. Mr. Kane had told him last summer the government regarded him as a valuable resource. They certainly weren’t shy about using him. At least it was to help his home town. If they’d asked him to go to North Port or Santa Angeles on the west coast he might have complained more. Not that it would have probably done much good.

  He followed Dean Blane out of Angus’s office and down the hall. “Don’t say anything about the mission outside of a warded room. There’s no way to know who might be listening. I’ve assured our privacy in case you have any more questions. Listen to Terra and don’t do anything they don’t ask you to do.”

  “Don’t worry about that. The last thing I want is to do more than necessary. Do you have any idea how long I’m going to be on call?”

  “You’re, what, eighteen? Given an average life span—”

  “Okay, okay, I get it.”

  He followed Dean Blane down some back halls he didn’t even know existed until they emerged from a small side door. She whispered something and a chill settled over him. The next thing he knew they were flying.

  “Jesus!”

  They went just high enough to clear the trees before landing on the train platform. Today only the engine and a single car waited on the tracks. The door was open and inside were piles of crates, sacks, and a bunch of shelves.

  “Looks comfy.”

  “It’s only half an hour. This train doesn’t go to the station, but a warehouse. A Department car will meet you there. Good luck.”

  He stepped into the train and before he knew it they were moving.

  Maria paced just inside the main doors of the lecture hall. Everyone else was busy with their clubs or studying so she had the large foyer to herself. Conryu was late again. That was getting to be a habit. She hoped the professor wasn’t telling him more of his life’s story. Conryu was one of the more patient and gentle people she knew, but even he had his breaking point.

  Speaking of breaking points Maria was approaching her own with Mrs. Alustrial. Her light magic teacher wouldn’t look at her much less acknowledge her questions in class. If there was a point she didn’t understand she was out of luck. It didn’t seem like a very professional attitude, but when ego was involved sometimes nothing else mattered.

  “Maria.” Dean Blane approached at a quick walk.

  A queasy feeling settled in Maria’s stomach. “Have you seen Conryu?”

  “As a matter of fact I have.”

  “Oh?” Please let him be okay.

  The dean muttered a spell. “He had to return to the city. An emergency came up and your father needed him for another breaking.”

  “Oh god. Is it something dangerous?”

  “Not at all. It’s just the magic involved is a little more than the wizards at the Department can handle. Don’t worry, he’ll be back by Monday.”

  She forced herself to take slow breaths. Dad wouldn’t put Conryu in danger. “Thanks for telling me. I should probably get to my alchemy club.”

  “Actually.” Dean Blane moved to block her when she took a step. “There’s something I need you to do for me. While Conryu’s task isn’t dangerous, it is something we want kept quiet. I need you to take a message to the girls in his club. If I do it they might grow suspicious.”

  “Of course.” If they were asking for favors this might be a good chance to get Mrs. Alustrial to straighten up her act. Maria hated dragging someone else into her problems, but there was nothing she could do on her own. “Maybe you could help me with something as well.”

  “Like what?”

  Maria told her what was happening in her class. “I was hoping I could switch teachers.”

  Dean Blane frowned. “All the other light magic teachers have other classes. I’ll have a talk with Mrs. Alustrial. I assure you when Monday rolls around, you’ll have no further problems from her.”

  Maria shivered at the dean’s cold tone. She wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of a lecture from the dean, not when she was in that mood. “So what did you want me to tell Conryu’s club?”

  “Tell them he’s gone to Central to arrange an engine and that he won’t be back until late.” She gave Maria directions to the club’s shed and they parted ways.

  She left the lecture hall and trudged across the campus to the ragged little shack sitting right at the edge of the woods. Steam rose from the roof and all the snow was melted in a ten-yard circle around it. The promise of heat quickened her pace.

  Maria knocked on the door and it slid open revealing Sonja and Crystal.

  “Conryu?” Sonja sounded far too eager. “Oh, Maria right? He’s not here.”

  “I know. Conryu asked me to bring you a message. Dean Blane gave him permission to go to Central to pick up an engine for your project. She’s suspending the rules and calling it a magical experiment.”

  Sonja grinned. “It’s about time. I was starting to wonder if this job was ever going to begin. How come he didn’t tell us himself?”

  Maria’s heart raced. She hated lying. “It was a spur of the moment thing and he had to rush to catch the train. He won’t be back until late tonight.”

  “Huh.” Sonja looked up at Crystal. “Guess there’s nothing to do today. Want to go to the cafeteria and have an ice cream?”

  “Sure.”

  Sonja returned her attention to Maria. “You can join us if you’d like.”

  “No, thank you. I have to get to alchemy club.” She fled before she had to answer any more questions.

  It seemed like they’d barely gotten moving when the train began to slow down again. Conryu held on to the shelves until the final lurch. The door slid open at once and a middle-aged woman in a gray robe glared up at him.

  “Well, come on then.”

  She moved to one side and he hopped down. Ten yards from the track was the biggest warehouse he’d ever seen. The black sedan parked next to it looked like a toy. The Department of Magic’s pentagram logo was painted on the side of both car and warehouse.

  The wizard marched toward it and he fell in step behind her. Not much for chit chat, these Department wizards. This one was every bit as friendly as the one that tested him.

  She pointed at the back seat door and climbed in behind the wheel. He hadn’t even gotten his seatbelt fastened when she stomped on the accelerator and they went screeching out of the lot. The buckle finally clicked into place and not a minute too soon the way his chauffeur drove. At least the soft leather of the seat was more comfortable than the sack of onions he sat on during the train ride.

  “So is it safe to talk in here?” Conryu asked.

  “Yep.” She swerved around a dump truck, zipped past it, and pulled back in front.

  “Do you know any more about what’s happening?”

  “Nope.” She stepped harder on the gas.

  Conryu caught a
glimpse of the speedometer as it crept past eighty. “Did you by any chance ever drive a race car?”

  That drew a laugh. “Boss wants you at HQ double quick. When the boss says jump you by god better jump.”

  “Who’s the boss?”

  She looked at him in the rearview mirror. “You kidding?”

  “No, ma’am. Everything in this business is new to me. I assume you’re talking about the Central Station Chief.”

  “Not just the Central Chief, Malice Kincade is the head of the whole Department. She answers only to the president, and some say he answers to her, at least on magical matters.”

  “Kincade, you mean the famous Kincades?”

  “If it has to do with magic they’re the only Kincades. Malice turned the business over to her middle daughter ten years ago when she took over the Department. I’m not the least ashamed to admit she scares the shit out of me.”

  The Department wizard fell silent after that. Conryu looked out the window at the Central City skyline. The various designs looked even more impressive up close. One in particular drew his eye, a black, cylindrical skyscraper maybe forty stories high. A ten-story pentagram was engraved in the glass. Talk about an intimidating building.

  Ten minutes later they were parking in a connected garage. Conryu scrambled out, relieved to have made it in one piece, and followed his guide through a set of automatic double doors. Inside, the halls were gray and undecorated. Not so much as a single piece of art cluttered the walls. They stopped in front of a bank of elevators and she pressed the call button.

  “So what’s with the book?”

  Conryu glanced down at Prime. “It has some notes Dean Blane thought might be useful.”

  The scholomantic sent its annoyance through their link, but the wizard appeared to accept his explanation. The elevator chimed and the doors slid open. She motioned Conryu in first then followed.

  The control panel had four basement levels and thirty-eight above-ground levels. The Department wizard waved her hand in front of the panel and spoke a short phrase. It wasn’t Infernal so he didn’t know what she said. A basement level five button appeared and she pushed it.