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

  He glanced over his shoulder. “Ready?”

  “Yes.” It came out as more of a squeak than a real affirmative.

  “Here we go.” He raised his hand. “Darkness bind…”

  A thrum of power ran through her, shaking her to the bone. She could no longer make out what he was saying. The psychic vibrations increased with each word until he completed the spell. In her mind’s eye a deep, black pit appeared and six glowing red eyes stared back at her.

  The pulling Mrs. Lenore described felt more like her soul being wrenched from her body. The darkness inside him was trying to devour her.

  Kelsie broke the connection and fled the room. She stumbled down the hall, her heart racing and her breath coming in gasps. A few feet from the door she fell to her knees and tried not to hyperventilate as tears poured from her eyes.

  A hand on her back returned her to the moment. She looked up to find Mrs. Lenore staring at her.

  “What happened, dear?”

  Kelsie described the darkness and the eyes. “It was so overwhelming I panicked. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s my fault. I didn’t expect you to be able to see into his portal. Those eyes were Cerberus. Conryu was forced to make a pact with him to keep minor demons from slipping through the gate every time he casts a spell. You don’t need to be afraid, the demon dog can’t affect anything in our world.”

  “But it felt like he was trying to pull my soul out of my body.”

  “I didn’t expect that either. Maybe I should have practiced this with Conryu myself before I tried to instruct you.” Mrs. Lenore hung her head. “I’m a terrible teacher.”

  Now Kelsie felt equally bad about upsetting Mrs. Lenore and jealous at the idea of someone else practicing with Conryu.

  She straightened and pulled Mrs. Lenore with her. “I’m okay now. I’d like to give it another try.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t want to force you.”

  She nodded once. “I’m sure.”

  Conryu stared as Mrs. Lenore ran after Kelsie. He didn’t know what had her so upset. Everything was going smoothly then bang, she broke contact and ran off. It screwed up the spell and now the glowing sphere sat on the table mocking him. While he had no doubt about his ability to destroy the thing on his own, that wasn’t the point of the exercise.

  The other girls had stopped their practice and were glaring at him. People seemed to enjoy glaring at him and he was getting sick of it. He hadn’t done anything wrong. At least he didn’t think he had.

  Finally Kelsie and Mrs. Lenore returned. Kelsie’s cheeks were red and she’d been crying. He still couldn’t figure out what had bothered her.

  She didn’t say anything, simply moved around behind him and put her hand on his back. “Let’s try again.”

  He looked at Mrs. Lenore who nodded.

  Well, here goes. “Darkness bind our power as one, Break and Shatter!” He focused on the sphere and compelled the magic to affect nothing else. When he finished Kelsie stiffened, but didn’t run.

  A black lance of energy shot out and struck the sphere. One second it was there and the next not even a pile of metal shavings remained.

  He grinned. That’s the way it was supposed to work.

  Kelsie took her hand off his back and peeked around him. “Where’s the sphere?”

  “Gone. We obliterated it. Good work, partner.” He gave her hand a squeeze and she managed a weak smile.

  “Let’s call that good for today, you two,” Mrs. Lenore said. “Kelsie, why don’t you try working with Meg and Caitlin on a trio casting.”

  Kelsie looked up at him then nodded and went to join the other girls. When they were fully engrossed in their practice Mrs. Lenore said, “She caught a glimpse of Cerberus and it scared her.”

  Having seen Cerberus up close he understood how she might have that reaction. “What did you say to calm her down?”

  “Beats me, I’m glad she pulled it together though. How did the spell feel?”

  “I didn’t notice much difference. I know I’m not supposed to ask, but what did she score on the test?”

  “I guess it couldn’t hurt to tell you, but keep it to yourself. She pulled a nine hundred, respectable but not above average.”

  “That’s less than ten percent of my full power.”

  Mrs. Lenore nodded. “We’re just going through the motions here, I recognize that, but I don’t know what else to do.”

  Conryu didn’t either. Maybe Mrs. Umbra would have some more ideas.

  Class wrapped up and the girls all left. Ten minutes later Mrs. Umbra arrived. She had a scroll in her left hand, bigger than the one the pixie brought, but still not huge.

  “Did you bring me a present?”

  “No. This is a diagram of how a normal wizard develops.” She spread it out on the big desk and when it tried to roll back up she muttered something that made it go rigid. “Now pay attention.”

  Conryu moved up beside her and examined the scroll. It didn’t make for very exciting reading. There was a series of four bars, each more full than the last.

  Mrs. Umbra pointed at the first one. “This represents a typical first-year student. She would be able to use about a third of her power safely by the end of the year. The percentage increases each year until the new wizard reaches her full potential in her final year. That is our most important task, shepherding young wizards through these critical first four years. We’ve chosen the spells and techniques we teach carefully so as not to overwhelm new wizards.”

  “What does that mean for me?”

  “It means following our standard curriculum is pointless. I don’t need to ease you through the process because, for some reason, you’re already operating at full strength. If I taught you the most powerful spell I know you could cast it without batting an eye. There’s one problem. Regardless of its pointlessness, we only have the one lesson plan and you’ll graduate before the Department approves a new one.”

  Conryu’s headache was coming back. “So, what, I just show up, put in my time, and pass whatever the final is?”

  “Basically. Feel free to learn anything you like from your book, just don’t cast any new spells without me. The only reason I restricted you was for your safety. Now that it’s clear you’re in no danger you may as well learn whatever you can.”

  An overwhelming urge to beat his head against the wall came over Conryu. Not only was he stuck learning a subject that didn’t interest him, now his teacher tells him the whole process was pointless. If not for the law he’d be just as well off studying at home in his spare time and coming in to take the tests.

  Four years of his life flushed down the toilet to no apparent purpose. Fantastic.

  The rest of the week passed quickly. Conryu and Kelsie worked on fusion magic for ten minutes every day before she went to practice circle casting with the other girls, leaving him free to study his Infernal. There were still a lot of words he didn’t know and until he was fluent in the language his dark magic potential remained limited.

  Sunday arrived at last and with it his weekly visit with Angus. The boring visits used to annoy him, now he hoped the professor didn’t have any news for him, especially today as he was supposed to meet the supply train and collect the engine and tools Mr. Kane had arranged for him. He was a little nervous, not knowing what style of motor he’d find. Hopefully it would be something simple, without a lot of computer-controlled components he’d have to work around.

  Angus’s door was open when he arrived which was a good sign. Conryu poked his head in and relaxed when he found the professor alone. “Please tell me you don’t have any messages?”

  “No, though I’m curious how you made out on your mission.” Angus looked at him, all bright-eyed and eager.

  “I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to say so you’d better ask Mr. Kane about it. See you next week.”

  Conryu left the crestfallen professor behind and jogged toward the train platform. Maria said she was working with her light magic t
eacher today so he didn’t have to meet her until dinner. He didn’t know what had happened last week, but Maria seemed more content than she had since winter break. She was also determined to be at the top of her class after finals.

  He smiled. No one could fault Maria’s dedication when it came to schoolwork. He hated it, but when a bunch of crazy wizards wanted you dead there wasn’t much to be done. Not to mention it seemed he’d be on call to lend the Department a hand anytime they needed him.

  That didn’t seem right, but according to Mr. Kane he was the only one available powerful enough to do what was required, at least until the northern incursion was sorted out and god only knew how long that would be, summer at least. So for now he was their only option. With any luck it would be a temporary thing.

  After a short, cold walk he arrived at the platform. His engine, a mercifully simple, single-cylinder job that looked like it came from a dirt bike, was sitting on a black pallet beside a large toolbox. Off to one side the delivery people unloaded boxes of food and other supplies. One of the teachers, a water wizard in her mid forties with a stern air about her, was overseeing the unloading, marking items off a list as they were brought out.

  He was reluctant to bother her, but Conryu had no idea how he was supposed to transport the engine without a forklift or something.

  Conryu bit the bullet and walked over to the teacher. “Excuse me?”

  She looked at him wearing the same expression with which you might regard a puppy that shit on the rug. “I was told to expect you. You should know I don’t approve of violating the no technology ban.”

  “Well, we’re turning the engine into something that runs on magic, so that will make it a magic item when we’re finished and that won’t break any rules, right?”

  She grunted.

  “Anyway, how am I supposed to move it to our workshop?”

  “No one explained to you how the lift pallets work?”

  He wanted to tell her that if someone had explained to him how the pallets worked he wouldn’t have asked her, but instead he just shook his head.

  “Just touch the master rune, that’s the biggest one on the pallet, and it will lift off the ground and follow you until you touch it again. Simple.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  Conryu followed her instructions and was soon trudging toward the club’s shack with the pallet following along behind like a dog at heel. A path had been cut through the snow, so it only took him a few minutes to make the walk.

  When he arrived steam was rising off the roof and the door was cracked open, a warm glow leaking out. The moment he opened the door Sonja bounced to her feet and rushed over to the pallet. She pushed it in and touched the rune without so much as a hello.

  Crystal was seated on the floor, still looking glum about not making the team, her hands held out toward the fire orb that was heating the place. She stood up with obvious reluctance and ambled over to the pallet which now rested on the ground.

  “You got it, awesome.” Sonja circled the engine, a huge smile on her face. She looked up at him. “What now?”

  “Now I’ll tear it apart, clean everything, and show you how it all works. Unless you guys are familiar with engines already.”

  Crystal shook her head. “All I know is that they start when I turn the key. You really think we can make this thing run on magic?”

  “I don’t see why not. One type of energy should motivate it as well as another.”

  “The only reason we might fail is a lack of imagination,” Sonja said. “And that’s one thing I have plenty of.”

  Conryu started working on the engine and by the time noon rolled around he had it mostly torn down. He explained what everything did as he went and by the time they parted ways the girls seemed confident they could have it going no problem.

  6

  The Hunt for Mercia

  Terra scratched the final rune in the side of her lantern. She’d been working on the artifact twelve hours a day every day for the past three weeks. At last the task was complete.

  She tossed her tiny chisel onto her workshop table and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She called the device a lantern because it almost exactly resembled an old-fashioned metal-and-glass hurricane lamp. The difference was this one didn’t give off light, instead it would hold the blob of necroplasma that bounced incessantly against the unseen walls of the spell circle that still held it.

  With any luck her creation would act like a compass, leading them to Mercia. After their failure last month to secure the boxes they had no other hope than to locate Mercia and capture or kill her before she triggered the summoning. Failing that… Terra didn’t want to think about it.

  Taking up the device Terra went to the opposite side of the room and studied the erratic black blob as it struggled to escape its prison. You’d think the thing would wear out after a while, but so far it hadn’t stopped moving since she captured it.

  She set the lantern beside the spell circle and frowned. Though preparing the artifact had taken the most time, transferring the necroplasma was the most difficult part of the project. The fact that she was completely unfamiliar with the substance didn’t make the task any easier.

  Why hadn’t she taken the time to consult with Conryu’s scholomantic when it was here? She reluctantly admitted it was her overconfidence, thinking that they’d be able to retrieve the boxes and thus wouldn’t have any need of the blob that had led to her mistake in judgment. Well, stuff happened, now she had to deal with it.

  She removed the glass portion of the lantern revealing the rune-inscribed chamber that would hold the blob. A deep breath cleared her mind and she began a dark magic domination spell. It wasn’t powerful enough to control a demon, but she should be able to use it to coax the necroplasma from one prison to the other.

  As she chanted the blob finally went still. She completed the spell and willed the necroplasma to move left. When it complied she gave herself a mental high-five. A second command moved it to the opposite side of the circle.

  So far so good. Now was when it might get tricky. Using her thumb she rubbed out a portion of the spell circle, just enough for the blob to pass through. She commanded it to move into the lantern.

  The blob extended a pseudopod out the gap then inched out. It oozed over to the lantern and stopped.

  It fought her control. It was nothing but a fist-sized gob of mindless evil and it still resisted her. Terra ground her teeth and focused all her will on the necroplasma.

  “Do it, now!”

  With a final quiver the blob entered the lantern. Terra slid the glass back in place and relaxed. The pressure in her mind receded and she let out the breath she’d been holding.

  The blob slammed back and forth in its new prison, but her work had paid off. It couldn’t escape.

  Terra allowed herself ten minutes to recover from the transfer then grabbed the lantern and headed for Chief Kane’s office. It was already late afternoon, but she knew he’d want an update at once.

  The moment she stepped out of the elevator the chief’s secretary waved her through. Terra pushed through the doors and found her boss standing at the window staring out over the city. It was pretty, with a fresh coating of snow over everything.

  She’d only been vaguely aware of the weather since she’d been sleeping in her office while she worked on the lantern.

  “Sir?”

  Orin turned to face her. He was nothing more than a silhouette standing in front of the bright window. “Please tell me you have some good news.”

  “Well, I’m not sure if it’s good or not, but I finished the artifact and transferred the necroplasma. We can begin the hunt first thing in the morning.”

  He stepped away from the window and sat in his chair. This crisis had aged him. There were new lines around his eyes and she was certain he’d lost weight.

  “That’s something. Are you certain you can’t start today?”

  She shook her head. “Too close to nightfall. If w
e have to deal with shadow beasts it’ll be better to do it in the daylight. Besides, I’m so tired I can’t see straight. I’ll get a good night’s sleep and be ready to go in the morning.”

  He rubbed his face. “Of course. I didn’t mean to sound unreasonable. It’s just I need this sorted, sooner rather than later.”

  “I think we all feel that way, at least I know I do. But there’s only so much you can do in a day.” She debated saying more then shrugged. “Why don’t you have an early quit, sir? Go home, see Shizuku, take a little rest. No offense, but you look like hell.”

  His laugh held no amusement. “That’s better than I feel. I have some things to finish up then I’ll head out, okay?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Lin, Terra, and Clair were gathered in the chief’s office. Light poured through the window in an almost blinding glare. On the desk the blob in Terra’s lantern was still for once. The nasty thing didn’t like the sun. Lin wasn’t all that thrilled to see it this morning either. It meant it was hunting time again and so far he hadn’t been much use when dealing with these supernatural threats. Other than shooting a few zombies he’d been more hindrance than help.

  Chief Kane peered at the lantern then looked up at them. “So this thing’s going to lead you to Mercia?”

  “That’s the theory according to Conryu’s scholomantic,” Terra said. “I’m in no way ashamed to admit that this is all outside my area of expertise. However, given my complete lack of other ideas, I didn’t know what else to try.”

  “Don’t give it a second thought. All avenues must be explored.” Chief Kane opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a long box. “Lin, this is for you.”

  The chief opened the box revealing a shiny silver pistol and six full clips. They looked like 9mm, the same as his service weapon.

  “Thank you, sir, but I’m more familiar with my current weapon.”

  Chief Kane thumbed one of the cartridges out of its clip and tossed it to Lin. “Look at the bullet.”