Conrad Edison and the Anchored World (Overworld Arcanum Book 2) (39 page)

I took the packet from him. "Why won't it be able to detect it?"

"Diamond fiber repels magic." Galfandor took the remaining branch of silverwood and strapped it across his back. "Unfortunately, neutralizing Serena's ward most likely alerted her to our presence."

I put the pebble into the diamond fiber packet and tucked it in my pocket. "Without the silverwood, she won't be able to make another rod, though, right?"

"Provided this is all of it," he said, and picked up the rod. It tugged his hand up. "Interesting. It has already detected another fragment of the anchor stone."

I frowned. "Maybe it's the piece I gave to Evadora."

"We'll need to put hers in the diamond fiber pouch with yours so it doesn't interfere with our hunt for bigger game," Galfandor said. "I believe our search will go faster with her help."

Back up the stairs, the divining rod led us up the snaking staircase instead of back toward the terrace. We followed its pull, winding our way up nearly twenty staircases.

Panting from the exertion of climbing so many stairs, I said, "I wonder what Evadora is doing up here."

"I'm not certain." Galfandor leaned over the balustrade and looked up. "We're nearly to the top." He climbed on his broom. "Perhaps it would be better to fly."

He got no argument from me. I climbed on my broom and went out over the railing. The divining rod pointed nearly straight up, so we drifted in that direction until it leveled out, pointing to the only door on the top floor. We got off our brooms on the landing. Galfandor set his broom and rod against the wall and peeked into the entrance.

He stiffened at whatever he saw.

"Come," said an emotionless voice.

The headmaster straightened and entered. "Greetings, Queen Naeve."

"Come, boy," she said. "I know you are out there."

Taking a deep breath, I followed the headmaster inside. Shaped like a large pinecone, the walls of the room sloped inward, ending at a wide hole at the top. Spiky black vines ran across nearly every inch of the walls, across the floor and thrusting upward into a throne nearly ten feet high. A beam of moonlight shined down through the opening and onto the lone occupant of that high seat: The Glimmer Queen.

I knew she wasn't Cora, but it was still like seeing a ghost.

The headmaster bowed and flourished his cap. "I am Galfandor, headmaster of Arcane University. It is an honor to meet you, Queen Naeve."

Naeve looked down at us with unblinking eyes for a moment. Finally, she spoke. "What brings you to my private chambers?"

"Conrad informed me of his agreement with you about your wish for immortality outside the Glimmer." Galfandor folded his arms across his chest. "I thought I would help him in his quest."

The throne sank slowly toward the floor, the vines receding along the floor and walls with the crack and scrape of rough, thorny wood.

The queen stood. "What is the price for your help, Headmaster Galfandor?"

"That you swear a magical oath to never attack Eden, and you ban Victus and Delectra Edison and any of their associates from the Glimmer."

"This is because they seek immortality," Naeve said. "They never intended to seek my help invading Eden, but to use my accommodations to ease their search."

My breath quickened and a ball of ice formed in my stomach.

Galfandor's eye twitched, but he simply nodded. "I'm afraid so. We, however, will help you, so long as you take the oath."

Naeve blinked. "Is that so?" She turned and walked toward the back wall. "This is one situation where emotions would benefit me."

"Emotions can be helpful, or harmful," Galfandor said. "I imagine after a seeming eternity of void, it will take some getting used to. I believe it would be easiest to ease into the experience so it doesn't overwhelm you."

"Perhaps." Naeve flicked a finger and the vines on the far wall parted, revealing a small girl bound to the stone. Eyes wide and full of terror, she wriggled, but the vines held her fast and covered her mouth. Another section of vines parted, revealing Serena. The woman blinked as if awakening and instantly looked just as frightened as Evadora, but was also prevented from speaking by vines.

"Evadora!" I cried. "What have you done to her?"

Galfandor took a step back. "What is the meaning of this, Naeve?"

The queen stared blankly at us. "Since I cannot fully appreciate this moment without emotions, I believe my long wait has ended." She plucked the bottle of tears from Evadora's waist and uncorked it.

"Please, no," Evadora cried out. "Not my tears!"

"Why did you tie up Evadora?" I asked. "What did she do?" I didn't bother asking about Serena, but the queen had probably interrogated them both. That was how she knew what my parents wanted.

"The girl finally told me the truth," the queen said. Another flick of her finger and a mound of vines pulled away from a rough green rock the size of my head—an anchor stone fragment. "You withheld the truth about the anchor stone, child. Like your parents, you sought advantage over me."

"No, it wasn't like that," I said in a pleading tone. "We couldn't find any anchor stone fragments. I wanted her to find one for you before we said anything."

"Where do you think your fragment of anchor stone came from?" Naeve said. "This is only a fragment of a larger deposit Cora discovered long ago." She waved a hand and the vine around Serena's mouth came free. "Tell me, witch, by your calculations, how much anchor stone is needed for true immortality?"

"Queen Naeve, I assure you I had every intention of coming to you with my findings," Serena said. "I—" She made an awful choking sound as a vine wrapped tight around her throat.

"I see through your skin, witch." Naeve's cold gaze remained upon us. "Do not make me chew your bones."

Serena's eyes widened. The vine pulled away, and this time she didn't try pleading with the queen. "By my calculations, you have enough anchor stone to be invulnerable so long as you spend at least six hours a day within close proximity of it."

Galfandor raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying anyone who spent that much time near it would be indestructible?"

"Yes, but it would take some months for anyone not already exposed to reach that level." Serena's eyes grew pleading. "I would dearly love to explore—"

The vine covered her mouth once again.

"It seems everyone except for me knew the truth of the anchor stone," Naeve said in a deadly quiet voice. "The truth was hidden from me by Cora's death, but now I know she died because her small fragment was not enough to make her invulnerable."

"We didn't know for sure," I said. "Please let Evadora go."

Naeve ignored my plea. "I am curious what emotions I should be feeling right now." She looked at Evadora's bottle. "I believe it is time to find out." Naeve put the bottle to her lips and drank deeply. The bottle shifted from red to blue and through a dozen other hues as she gulped greedily.

I had no doubts what the queen would feel first.

Rage.

Chapter 35

The ice in my stomach ran through my veins. "I don't think we're going to like what she feels, sir."

Galfandor shook his head. "I believe you're right." He stared at the anchor stone across the room and said in a low voice, "The advantage is hers, Conrad. Be prepared to flee."

I looked down at the vines beneath my feet. "What if she traps us?"

He held his wand by his side. "I will do what I can."

"What about Evadora?"

Galfandor shook his head slowly. "I don't know."

Serena and Evadora writhed against the vines, all to no avail.

Naeve dropped the bottle. It clattered against the floor. Shivers ran through her body, growing more violent with each second.

"Conrad, go now." Galfandor flicked his wand toward Evadora. The vines around her wrists and legs splintered and she tumbled to the floor. "Run, child!" He glanced at Serena, but didn't free her.

Evadora sprinted to the anchor stone and managed to lift it.

"Forget the stone," I said. "Run!"

She dropped it and raced toward us as Naeve fell to the floor gibbering and shaking. Serena's eyes bulged. Galfandor sighed and blasted the vines around Serena's arms and legs, then stared at the queen. "Forgive me, but I cannot let Naeve live."

"The emotions will make her crazy," Evadora said.

"You can't kill her, you imbecile!" Serena shouted. She dug a broom from beneath a pile of vines and hopped onto it. "Flee while you can!" With that, she soared out of the hole in the top of the room.

The headmaster didn't listen. Galfandor whirled his wand, gathering a nebula of white energy above it, then flung it toward the queen.

Naeve screamed and threw up her hand. The killing blow seared her skin, turning it bright red. Before I could blink, the blistered skin healed. Vines pulled Naeve to her feet like strings on a puppet. "You dare to strike down the immortal Glimmer Queen?" She reared back her head and laughed. "You cannot kill me here, wizard. Here beneath the moon, I am eternal."

"I prefer the term Arcane," Galfandor said, backing toward the door and motioning me out. "In any case, I do hope you enjoy your emotions." He thrust his wand at the floor beneath his feet. The vines there withered to ash. Galfandor pushed me through the door and into the hallway. "Get your broom, Conrad."

Naeve screeched at the top of her lungs. "You cannot escape me in my realm, wizard."

Galfandor waved his wand at Evadora. "I put a weight reduction spell on the girl so you can both fly on your broom."

I moved forward in the seat. "Get on!" I told her.

She leapt up behind me and wrapped her arms around my torso. "Go, go, go!"

Vines burst from the doorway like tentacles on an enraged octopus just as Galfandor and I dove our brooms off the ledge and toward the floor far below. At the last minute, I pulled out of the dive, flying straight and true through the archway. We swept through the throne room and out onto the terrace a split second before swarming vines blocked the exit.

Shrieks echoed from far above. I looked up and saw Naeve riding a wave of vines down the peak of the mountain. A huge bird swept in beneath the queen. She perched on its back and speared a finger toward us.

My heart nearly stopped.

"Keep going, boy!" Galfandor shouted as he flung spells toward the pursuing queen.

We flew straight for the closest empty expanse between islands. From here it was difficult to know which island had the pond we'd used to get into the Glimmer. I hoped Galfandor knew.

As we raced across the next island, the mewling of an enraged feline echoed through the land.

"The queen is calling the mewlers," Evadora said. "Watch out!"

Before I had time to process what she'd said, a black cloud rose from the trees in front of us and swarmed our way. I remembered Evadora's story of the bat-like cats devouring one of the small ponies and imagined them rending us down to bones before we even hit the ground.

"Behind me, Conrad!" Galfandor shouted.

I did as instructed and readied my wand, though I had no idea what spell to cast.

The headmaster cried out and the tip of his wand glowed brilliant white. The light pulsed brighter and brighter into a crackling sphere. Just as the dark vortex of mewlers funneled at him, he unleashed a cascading wave of blinding energy.  With a great chorus of screeches, the cloud parted before us and we flew through a narrow tunnel of claws and fangs, scratching and biting at my arms and head. I ducked lower to avoid losing my eyes to the feral creatures.

Evadora shrieked and I felt her bury her face in my back. Finally, we burst into clear air. I looked back and saw the swarm twisting our way. A tree branch suddenly snapped up, grasping at my leg. I pulled up, narrowly avoiding it.

"She's got everything after us," I shouted above the din of creaking wood and snapping limbs in the now living and moving forest below.

"Over there," Galfandor shouted above the noise.

I saw the island with the pond and headed for it.

"Ready the pebble, Conrad," Galfandor shouted over his shoulder.

I couldn't dig in my pocket easily from my seated position while maintaining control of the broom. "Can you get it from my right pocket, Evadora?"

She furrowed her hand inside and I straightened my leg the best I could to help her. "Got it!"

We swooped into the glade and hopped off our brooms. Already, the trees here began to creak and come to life, branches thrashing, roots tearing from the ground. I snatched the diamond fiber pouch from Evadora and took out the pebble.

Galfandor grabbed my hand, and stretched out the other to Evadora. She took it as I fumbled to hold my broom under one arm. A tree swiped at us and thundered forward.

"As above, so below!" I shouted. We leapt. Another limb whooshed over my head the instant we hit the surface of the pond.

We sprang from the other side into the reflected world.

"Hurry," Galfandor said, releasing our hands and heading into the crack to the rift.

"Did the queen have a piece of that huge stone?" I asked Evadora.

She frowned. "I don't know. Everything happened so fast."

"Let's assume she does and make haste," Galfandor said, boarding his broom and flying across the starry rift to the other side.

Evadora and I followed on my broom then hopped off to follow the headmaster into the tunnel on the other side. After quickly crawling through the tunnel and emerging from the trees next to the ruined mansion, we once again flew to the pond.

Galfandor cocked an ear as we prepared to make the next leap. "I don't hear anything, so hopefully we're in the clear."

The moment he said it, a keening wail echoed eerily across the land. "Betrayal!" Naeve screamed. "Never have I felt such delicious pain!"

Evadora's eyes flared. "She's gone insane with emotions."

"Is she crawling through the tunnel?" I asked.

"She'd have no choice," Galfandor said. He reached out his hands. "Quickly, through the water, Conrad."

I gripped his hand, said the words in reverse, and we leapt through.