Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

B efore anyone stepped out, Emrys altered the spinning rune above to become invisible. He glanced at Solomon, who nodded in thanks.

Bella walked out of the portal with the two guides following. With a snap of her fingers, the portal disappeared. She glanced at Julian and Emrys, then studied the vines — both the charred ones and the three holding the energy balls. Then she returned her attention to Solomon, who held one.

He regretted nothing. Emrys and Julian were the most trustworthy men he knew. There were others, but that would have to wait.

::The same energy that created this spell is here. It is not the headmistress. One newcomer that stepped on our lands. It is dark and intense,:: Gloriosa said only in Solomon’s mind.

/That is what I believe. The last ball is a tracker spell. One that sends our location back to the ones that could hurt the academy, the students, and anyone with them. Including your dryad, druid, the grove, and would, eventually, take all the laumeldite./

::How would they know this?::

/They don’t. Yet. We stopped the tracker spell from returning by sending the magic through the gemstones. They captured everything. Someone is lying and hiding. Using children horribly to find the ones who protect them./

::Shall I stop the one that connects to this spell?::

/Please. Wrap around them tight so they can’t call their magic. Do not poke them with any elixir. Not yet./

::On your order, Master Mage.::

“Solomon? What happened?” Bella stepped forward. “Greetings, Julian, Emrys.”

“Bella,” Julian said. “There was an energy disturbance here that became a minor earthquake. You can see the destruction upon my poor vines. They took the brunt of the damage. Since the fire, I remain a little jumpy and nervous. Emrys and Solomon were indulging my concerns.”

Solomon noticed the expression on the dryad’s face. Even Emrys moved into a relaxed position. The dryad cleverly covered things. One reason he trusted the dryad with everything inside him was to not only protect him, but the academy and Nucira. Since the fire, Solomon trusted the druid in the same way. Now he knew, with no reservation, that Cormac and Grayson would have the same honor, respect, and trust. If he could ever get near Mac to explain.

“Ahh. What was the cause? Do you know?” Bella asked.

“An underground energy bubble burst that generated a minor earthquake, but the gemstones absorbed most of the dangerous waves. Nothing too destructive except an impact upon the gemstones and vines,” Solomon said.

“We need to leave. Continue our travels after this… unfortunate ending,” the man said.

“Of course, yes, then everything is prepared?” Solomon asked.

“It is,” the lady answered. “The headmistress wanted to check with you before we made our departure. It is urgent we return.”

“Right. Yes. There is one more thing.” Solomon flickered his energy. /Now, Gloriosa!/

Several vines shot up and wove tight around the lady guide before she could move. With the vine's ability to control magic, she couldn’t use her magic. Then the large leaves rolled back and several spines emerged around her neck.

“How dare you attack me? Remove these vines!” she shouted.

“I wouldn’t move or wiggle,” Julian said. “Those are the spines of the Spiny Leaved Gloriosa Vine, a sentient vine that protects a valuable gemstone and the entire Nucira realm. Those spines can deliver a deadly dose of poison straight into your veins.”

Another vine punched up and circled around Julian, reaching out like it wanted a pet. Which Julian gave it a few strokes of his fingers along the vine and broad shiny leaf.

“Poison?”

“If the Gloriosa deems you dangerous, but sincere in your acts, the poison is deadly, but pain-free. If the Gloriosa discovers you are insincere and destructive, the pain will be extraordinary. You’ll beg for death, but it will not happen for some time. Sometimes hours. Days. Up to annuals.” Julian continued to stroke the leaves. “Another option is a dosage that keeps you docile during intensive questioning. You lose all control, but you will answer every question truthfully. Either way, you cannot hide your secrets and deceptions from the Gloriosa.”

Emrys waved his hand behind his back to make Solomon step back and let Julian handle things.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Have you heard about the prisoners in Ibemar? The ones found guilty of attacking this grove and academy seven annuals ago.”

“Of course. Everyone watched those court cases.”

“And the reports of their unusual illnesses?”

All the color left her face.

“They are alive, but their punishment is far more than being stuck in a cage. Just punishment for what they tried to do inside my grove.” Julian waved a hand toward his home. “Do you continue to disbelieve me?”

She remained mute.

“What is happening here?” the other guide said.

“Seems we have a few moles in our ranks,” Bella said.

“In our leadership,” Solomon added.

“What? That high up? No, it can’t be true. We’ve been so careful,” Bella said.

“Here, yes. But in other realms? We don’t know about their security or internal control practices,” Solomon said.

“What about me?” the woman asked.

After studying her, Solomon shifted his attention to her traveling companion. “Your name?”

“We’re guides and supposed to remain anonymous to continue our work,” the man said.

“Not anymore. Time to break the rules. Forget anonymity. Not with the treachery we’re facing. You haven’t felt the malice in those spells attached to the boy’s magic. The illegality of them.” Solomon moved his stare to the woman. “The deliberation of those spells that would only end, not only in the boy’s death, but anyone standing close to him and not behind several layers of protective wards.”

The woman’s eyes widened. She tried to shake her head, but stopped when the Gloriosa adjusted the spines. “No. No. That wasn’t me. Only the tracking spell. On my hon?—”

“If you say honor, after what happened, I will have the Gloriosa deliver the nastiest poison it can create,” Solomon said. A harsh edge thickened his voice.

“Only the tracking spell. I swear,” she repeated.

“Names?” Solomon snapped. He looked to the male guide first. “Now.”

“Layton Fletcher of Numond, Plesetria Realm, North,” the male guide said. “I alternate between multiple central testing facilities to avoid repetition. I’m low grade. Strictly a guide outside of my regular position as a bookkeeper.”

“But you would remember every facility you visited, the children you escorted, and where they ended up,” Emrys said.

“Psionic spells or gifts can extract any information,” Solomon said. “The Carmine wouldn’t stop at the morals of torture to remove arcane from the realms.”

“The Society of the Carmine Knot?” Emrys asked.

“That is the one we are fighting against. We know the Carmine can be ruthless.” Solomon kept his attention on Layton. “Am I correct?”

Layton shuddered. Visibly. “My gift is minor, barely acknowledged on any tests if I suppress it. I use it to enhance my portals to keep them under anyone’s radar patterns and off the grid between general transportation.”

“It’s why you’re an excellent guide to bring children out of the Central realms,” Emrys said.

“Yes, it has made me valuable. Especially if there are top priority targets deep within the territories saturated with Carmine followers,” Layton said.

“And you—” Solomon returned his attention to the trapped woman. “Name?”

“Helene Godwinson of Kanta, Cirirat Realm, South,” Helene said.

“Main location?”

“My primary station is the Testing Bureau of Lybster in Allemond, the Central-South realm. I conducted tests and analyzed responses.”

“You weren’t an assigned guide.”

“No.”

“Yet here you are.”

Tears appeared in her eyes. “Carmine has control of my child.”

Emrys created a specialized druid rune. It flashed color and altered its runes in front of her. “That would be a lie. You have no children.”

The tears instantly disappeared. The expression altered into something dark. When one spine pierced her skin, she didn’t wince. Droplets of blood trickled down her neck.

“How did they get you to turn?” Solomon asked.

“Why do you believe I ever turned in the first place?”

“Because you couldn’t be in a training facility without arcane magic, at least, not one of ours,” Bella said.

“There are ways around the rules. Especially if you’re placed to alter them.” Helene grinned. It wasn’t a pleasant expression. “Or alter the records.”

“How long were you in our facilities?”

“Multiple annuals. No one suspected a thing.”

“Why did you leave with this child?” Solomon asked.

“They wanted me to get inside Lunore and figure out what was happening with this academy. Someone knew they could increase the child’s magic to make sure it was taken to Lunore. Quite the mystery. So far out in the east. Then there was that little fire incident.” Her gaze drifted to Julian. Deliberately. “Regarding a dryad. And a male one. This intrigued all the elders. I volunteered. My career was going nowhere.”

“The Carmine plays with children’s lives. Like they are toys,” Solomon said. The edge was back in his voice that leaned it toward a snarl.

“Pieces on a chessboard. Moving our pawns and pieces forward. In an ongoing match that favors my elders.”

“Who created those spells?”

“An elder.”

“Which one?”

“I’m not given that information,” she said.

Solomon glanced at Emrys’s rune circle.

“Truth, but barely,” Emrys said.

“Do you know the names of the Guild members that answer to the Carmine?”

“I’m not given that information either.”

“Truth,” Emrys said.

Solomon squeezed his fists. “How many of your kind are in our facilities?”

“I’m not the only one, but, again, only the elders would know.”

“Truth again,” Emrys said.

“How do you contact each other?”

“Drop messages. The same as your members. Only we’re more careful to not let ours get intercepted.”

Solomon rocked back on his heels.

“This is bigger than us, Solomon,” Bella said. “We must alert?—”

“Who? Alert who? We don’t know who is with the Carmine or loyal to the Guild,” Solomon said.

“Such a pity. Losing trust. Such a vital thing. Snapped—” Helene gurgled when a spine pierced her neck. Then she went limp.

“What… No…” Solomon moved closer to check the spy.

“Unconscious only. Not dead or poisoned,” Julian said.

“She could have given us more.”

“Or twisted the information to what you wanted to hear and not set off Emrys’s rune.”

“It wasn’t your decision.”

“It was when you sent that magic into my grove,” Julian said.

“You have no idea what she could have told me. I barely started asking her questions.”

“And all of her answers were lies or half-truths.”

“Solomon is correct. You had no right to make that decision,” Bella said.

“Since your secrets are in my grove, yes, I have every right.” Julian glared at them. “I considered myself your oldest and closest friend. To both of you. Now. After this—” He threw up his hands. “I don’t know who you truly are.”

“If we kept secrets, it was to protect Lunore. There are dangerous people out there,” Solomon said.

“You weren’t supposed to tell anyone,” Bella said. “Why would you break the Guild’s rules?”

“The time for secrets and lies is done. Have you read this flyer?” Solomon retrieved the flyer from earlier. He shook it out for Bella and Layton to read.

“‘If you value the lives and education of your children, you will demand full access to all academies and search for those mages damaging society. Stop the illegal magic. Stop those illegal mages from harming your children! Destroy all arcane!’” Layton read aloud. “Oh, dear sweet flames.”

“It will not stop at a flyer.”

“They’ll never stop until they conquer everything.” Layton handed the flyer back to Solomon, who sent it back to the pocket.

Bella kept quiet.

“That’s why I’m breaking the rules. We need allies.” Solomon studied his friends. “Especially after the fire, Julian. The Society of the Carmine Knot is a far worse enemy than the ones who nearly killed you.”

“I know more than enough about the dangers out there. While trying to understand the reason behind the horrific attacks, it opened my eyes to the truth. We can’t let them near the academies,” Julian said.

“Since I could first reach for my magic and realized it was different, I tried to understand why. I was six annuals old when my life changed forever.” Solomon waved toward the immobilized guide. “This was what I tried to fight against. Protecting children like me.”

“Enough, you two. Back off and calm down.” Emrys altered the rune and moved closer to Layton. “May I check you for any altered magic she or others might have left?”

“Please, yes.” Layton held out his arms.

Emrys moved the rune closer and sent it floating all over Layton to inspect and assess him for alterations or hidden ticks.

“Like the energy balls, do not look for arcane magic. The Carmine has no arcane users, except for the ones they turned to their cause,” Solomon said.

“I already made the adjustments,” Emrys said. “He’s clean.”

“Thank all the gods. If I had done anything, even unknowingly, to these children—” Layton ran a hand down his face.

Emrys’s circle flickered around the guide’s wrist. “Wait. What is this?”

Solomon motioned with his hand to call up a spell. A white bracelet of energy circled around Layton’s wrist appeared from its hidden spell. “An arcane protection bracelet. How did you get this?”

“After several guides went missing, presumed tortured and murdered, the local Sentinel called us to a safe-house building. They explained what was happening and offered the protection bracelets. Those who accepted took a revised oath, and received the bracelet,” Layton said.

“And the rest?”

“Transferred to lesser positions within the ranks and watched. Carefully. Some of them disappeared.”

“Either taken or left of their own accord.”

“No one knows the full reason.”

Solomon rubbed his hands together. “Unless we can end this battle and find some records, if there are any to be found, we’ll never know.”

“What does a protection bracelet do?” Julian asked.

“Depends. The bracelet is a tracker or it can create a protective barrier around the person, or protect them from a variety of spells.” Solomon studied the glowing bracelet. “It all depends on the spells used with its initial creation.”

“We never heard the spells. The bracelets appeared on our wrists,” Layton said.

“It was a mass creation. Even more difficult to personalize them,” Solomon said.

“Can you figure out the spells?” Julian asked.

“It would take time, but yes. I don’t want to disturb the bracelet, because it could send out something we don’t want to happen,” Solomon said.

“Like some type of enemy popping out from portals. Then we would know what it doesn’t do,” Emrys said.

“Nasty way to find out, but that could happen,” Julian said. “Thank you, darling, for thinking about that worst-case scenario.”

“Always a pleasure,” Emrys said with a grin to tease his dryad lover.

“Perhaps I could adjust the bracelet to help you feel more secure. Let me think about how I can manipulate the settings,” Solomon said.

“Could you do it?” Layton asked.

“I can get away with some manipulation because of my skill level.”

“I would appreciate that.”

“Too bad you couldn’t add a way for the bracelet to alert Layton if it senses the different dark magic. If they use those dark spells often, you can sense it on other bad guys,” Emrys suggested.

“That’s an option. Wonder how I could do that.” Solomon considered his options. Realizing how quiet one of them became, he turned to face Bella. “You’ve been quiet.”

Visibly trembling, Bella placed one hand near her mouth.

Julian touched Bella’s shoulder. “Tell me what is happening.”

“I’m too afraid to consider the possibilities,” Bella said. “How many of our ranks are spies? Traitors to our sacred oath and path. Now they want to attack the academies. Our home. Our students. We don’t have the type of security to stop them from storming past the walls. What if there are parents who want to pull their students? Will the academy survive?”

“Bella!” Solomon snapped.

Blinking, she shook her head.

“Perhaps we should take this back inside. For everyone’s protection.” Emrys made the spinning rune reappear above their heads.

Layton lifted his gaze. “What is that?”

“A protection spell that acts as a listening barrier and a way to keep secrets. I’m druid trained so my magic is different. We can’t stay out here. I think this will take some time for us to discuss everything,” Emrys said.

“What? No. We can’t tell you everything, because?—”

Emrys held up a hand to stop Solomon. “If Julian and I accept one of those bracelets and swear that we’ll say nothing and protect the secret, would that help? It could work the same way as this rune.”

“Em—” Julian said.

“They’re your closest friends and our colleagues. They helped you when you were in dire need. Let us return the favor. I have a feeling they’re going to need us.”

“Em—”

“Please, Julian, we will need help to defend the academy if the Carmine dare to attack. Solomon is right. It is time to speak up,” Bella said. Her voice was shaky. No longer the confident, powerful headmistress. The realization of spies in their ranks spooked Bella, but to reveal the secrets. Even with the bracelets. “You need to tell them everything. I need to devise ways to protect the academy.”

“What about me? What do you want me to do?” Layton asked. “I need to return to the Central realms and my post. Not that we’re expecting another transfer.”

“Still, it would be odd for you not returning,” Solomon said.

“Could you return without her?” Emrys asked.

“Yes, we’re supposed to return to separate areas and mingle before going to our preset destinations for a debrief,” Layton said.

“Set up your return, but instead of your preset. Take the… body back to the facility. The parents need to be informed. It was a magical backlash. Unstoppable,” Solomon said.

“I will do that, Professor. This was the oath I took for these children. Alive or dead,” Layton said.

“Let me corral these spells first. We’ll need them as evidence if it ever gets to that point.” Solomon called in a large box made of a special stone to contain dangerous magical devices or spells. Around each energy ball, he added a specialized protective shield. He worked with the Gloriosa to release each ball into the box. Then he locked the box three different ways and sent it into a magical hidden spot.

“What about her?” Emrys asked.

“We could float her back. We’ll hide her with a look away spell. Gloriosa, could you cut off the ends of the vines, but make sure they stay around her?” Solomon asked.

::Of course. If you and the druid magically touch the vine, the vines will stay alive. The elixir will flow.::

/Thank you./ Solomon levitated the spy and tilted her into a laying position. /Cut them off now./

The Gloriosa snapped off the three vines that surrounded the woman.

“We need to send a bit of our magic into the vines to keep them alive. My arcane. Your druidic earth magic.”

“Figured it might be something.” Emrys snapped his fingers to remove the rune. Then he touched the vines. His gold and green magic flickered.

Solomon covered the brilliant flickers with his pure white magic. Then he added a floating spell along with a look away spell. “Keep her feet between you, Emrys, Julian. Bella and I will take the lead with her head. Layton, please follow. You can create a portal from the protected room once we release the wards.”

This time everyone remained quiet, but fell into position.

::Before you leave ? —::

/I can’t leave the East./

::You must leave to save the realms, arcane mage. Before you leave Nucira, please return to the field. You will need a few things from us before your journey. Something that could contribute to getting the assistance you require.::

Solomon glanced, but no one else responded to the Gloriosa. /Of course. I’m not sure what will happen next, but I will return if that is your request. Could you somehow sense the odd magics in other realms?/

::Possibly. We’re not the only sentient vine. We could send out a request.::

/Towards the Central realms. Can you bypass the barrier wards?/

::We are beyond the wards. Sentient plants have our own connections, no matter the distance.::

/Thank you. And… One more request./

::What would you like us to do, arcane mage?::

/See if that carnival is back. You remember that unusual magic./

::Very different magic from anything found in the realms. We will send out that request too. If the Carnival is here, we shall locate it.::

/Thank you./

With that, Solomon led the little group away from the damaged field.

The Gloriosa will clean up everything.

Bella created a portal and everyone stepped through to take it back to the Academy.