Shadowstorm (Sorcery and Science Book 6) (10 page)

Cameron spread the artifacts across the table in the temple’s library, brushing his fingers across and down the rows. They were dark—that was for sure. Even rendered inert by the effects of the Wilderness, they oozed vile energy, singing hints of sinister secrets. Cameron felt dirty just touching them.

But they didn’t feel old. Any Xenen artifact couldn’t be younger than five hundred years old; that was when the Xenens had been expelled. These were younger. As in, only years rather than centuries old. He shared the thought.

“Memories imprinted on objects are imprecise, Cameron. If these things were sitting dormant for centuries and only found in the last year or so, the recent memories would drown out the old,” said Lana.

That sounded reasonable—except Lana wasn’t a Prior. She learned a lot from reading books, but Cameron had
lived
the power of Memory. It wasn’t nearly as clean-cut as she thought. Priors navigated memories more through feeling than process—well, at least Cameron did. But there was no point in arguing. Cameron’s feeling didn’t make sense anyway. Unless some Xenens had remained behind, hiding out until they’d all of a sudden decided to start making artifacts again. No, that didn’t make any sense either. If any Xenens had managed to evade the expulsion, someone would have figured it out by now. Sometime in half a millennium, an Elition Phantom would have felt their presence, or a Prior would have seen echoes of their escape.

“There’s something else,” Cameron declared. “These pieces here feel like they’re connected—like they are somehow part of the same collection.”

“That’s a Phantom inkling,” Lana pointed out.

Cameron shrugged. He could feel the strings between the artifacts, binding them together. There was no doubt in his mind that they belonged together.

“I feel it too,” Terra said, hovering her hand over the table.

Well, at least he wasn’t going crazy.

“They feel like…like they can be put together to make something bigger,” she added.

“Like what?” asked Lana.

Terra shook her head. “I’m not sure. It’s just this feeling I’m getting from them.”

“Intriguing,” Lana said. “Silver has been speculating that you were classified as a ‘Prophet with Triad tendencies’, Terra, because you’re the Elite Prophet. And he believes the Elite Prophet, Prior, and Phantom each occasionally manifest the abilities of the others to some degree. He’d like to have the three of you come to his office for some testing when you all have the time.”

“It sounds like Silver is bored and looking for a new pet project,” Jason declared as he popped up beside them.

He must have just come up the stairs that spilled right into the middle of the library. All that was down there in the basement were the storage rooms holding old furniture and the temple’s sand pit. Since Jason saw as little worth in interior decorating as he did in joyous outbursts of laughter, it wasn’t hard to guess which room he’d visited.

“Well, you can’t really blame Silver. After all, you did rob him of his project to reform you,” Lana teased her brother.

“His strange drug concoctions were getting in the way of business,” Jason replied stonily, stepping over to the table. “And they’re right, by the way. These artifacts are part of a bigger whole.”

“What do they make?" Everett asked.

“You’ll need an engineer to tell you that,” he said. “And the rest of the parts. It’s incomplete. There are two pieces missing.”

“I see,” said Everett. “And do you have any idea where the missing pieces are?”

Jason closed his eyes so briefly that it was more like a blink. “I can sense one of them in Sundrop Loop. Inside the Treasury.”

“The Treasury,” Terra muttered. “That’s where I’m supposed to go. That’s where I’ll find what I need.”

“I’m not sure about the other one,” Jason said to Everett, though he’d turned his cold stare on Terra. “It could be too far away for me to feel from here.”

Everett looked over Jason’s black traveling clothes, which weren’t much different from Jason’s black home clothes. “Since you’re the only one who seems able to track these things, do you think you could spare a few days to help me find them?”

“No.”

“No?”

“I have dallied here too long already.” Jason’s eyes fell on Terra, who frowned and crossed her arms. His stare remained fixed on her as he said, “I need to look into these Elition experiments. And I will destroy them. Utterly. Totally. I’ll obliterate them so thoroughly that no one will experiment on us ever again.”

Those were strong words from Jason, and the vicious glower in his eyes teetered on feral. He was angry. Really angry. Cameron almost felt bad for anyone who stood in his way.

“Now before I go, Lana, I need you to promise to do something for me,” Jason began, the dark gleam in his eyes foreboding.

Cameron knew that tone. And that look. For once, though, it wasn’t directed at him. It was fixed purely on Terra.

“Do not let Terra out of your sight. Keep her in Eclipse.” He glared at Terra. “Tie her up if you have to.”

Metal screeched, and before Lana could respond, Terra had drawn her sword and was swinging it toward Jason.

CHAPTER NINE

~
Fury ~

527AX January 9, Eclipse

IN A SINGLE fluid movement, Jason sidestepped and drew his own sword. Steel clashed against steel as he blocked Terra’s attack, and fiery tremors split down her arm, threatening to tear it apart from the inside out.

Damn Phantoms. They hit hard.

Terra bit back the pain and slashed forward once more. Jason blocked, and with his other fist he hammered down hard on her arm, knocking the sword from her hand. As she took a step back, he kicked her sword across the room.

“In a sword fight, one is typically expected to hold onto one’s weapon,” he said calmly, his eyes cold, his face expressionless.

Oh, that smug bastard.
Terra suppressed a growl and instead planted a wide smile on her lips.

“That’s all right,” she replied, smiling even wider as she reached back to draw her second sword. “I have another one right here.”

She happened to catch a glimpse of herself in one of the wall mirrors, and she looked positively murderous. And yet, Jason seemed unmoved by her fury.

“Try not to drop that one too,” he said.

Terra darted toward him. The staccato song of rapidly striking swords filled the library, drowning out all but Terra’s fury. A breeze ripped through both their bodies and split through the air, rustling the pages of the books and making the bookcases quake.

“Stop it! Both of you!” Lana shouted out.

Terra hardly heard her, but she froze mid-strike when Lana stepped between them. On the other side of her, Jason stood like a statue, his sword in the air.

“This is no fighting pit. It’s a library.” She extended both hands out, one toward Terra and the other toward Jason. “Your swords.”

Jason handed his over without a word. Terra sighed and did the same. As Lana turned and walked toward the table, Terra glared at Jason. He held her gaze and made his eyes phase obsidian.

Lana had just set the swords down on the table, meaning she was well out of danger. Terra ran straight for Jason and kicked out hard and high, aiming for his chest. He wouldn’t look so smug with the wind knocked out of him.

But his left hand sprang up, catching her foot before it made contact. She knew what he was planning before she even felt him move. He was going to throw her back-first flat on the floor. Using his hold on her foot for leverage, Terra spun around quickly, touching down with her hands on the floor as she kicked out with all her power toward the side of his head. Such a hit would instantly knock out most anyone. It would even momentarily stun a Phantom, giving her a few precious seconds to take him down.

Unfortunately—unfathomably—Jason caught her foot before it made contact. In the split second as Terra was being thrown to the floor, her only thought was that no one could be that fast. Not even Jason Chanz.

It just wasn’t fair.

Her head hit the floor so hard that she very nearly passed out. Barely seeing past the black splotches dancing across her eyes, Terra made out Jason’s form right above her. She tried to move but couldn’t. As her mind and eyes cleared, she realized he had her pinned down. His weight pushed down on her legs, pressing her knees to her chest as her feet dangled uselessly midair. Her arms were free, but she didn’t have enough leverage to fight back, let alone stand up.

He was close—so close that his scent was pouring through her nose, drowning her in it. Though she was still trembling with rage at him, she felt her heart thump in her chest, betraying her.

“Stay,” he whispered, tapping his finger to her forehead.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” she snapped back, trying to kick out.

The insufferable weight that was Jason did not budge. “Yes,” he said. Then, before she could sense him move, he was standing above her, looking down. “I’ll check on you when I return.”

Then without so much as a goodbye, he snatched up his sword and walked out of the library, the Phantom wind trailing in his wake. The tremors harassing the books and shelves died out instantly.

“Well, that was exciting,” declared Everett, yawning.

Lana collapsed into the nearest chair with a heavy sigh.

“So, when are we leaving for Sundrop Loop?” Cameron asked Everett.

“I haven’t said I’m bringing you along,” he replied.

Terra stumbled to her feet. “Oh, but you are. Both of us.”

“Hmm.” Everett rubbed his prickly chin. “Perhaps you two could be useful in tracking down the artifacts.”

“Do I need to remind you three that just minutes ago, Jason asked me to keep Terra in Eclipse?” Lana spoke up.

Everett snorted. “Come on, Lana. You didn’t honestly expect that you could keep a leash on those two, did you?”

CHAPTER TEN

~
The Labyrinth ~

527AX January 10, Sundrop Loop

TERRA PAUSED AT the edge of Sundrop Loop. This was Ariella’s home. It had been a month since she’d gone to Ariella’s apartment in the Selpe imperial palace at Orion, asking her for that one last favor—to help her with her plan to free Jason from the palace’s underground prison—before they would part ways forever. Terra wouldn’t turn the Selpes’ wrath toward Ariella, so she’d vowed to stay away from her friend. Ariella had insisted they would see each other again, and Terra almost wished she would find her here amongst the trees of Sundrop Loop.

Cameron and Everett stopped beside Terra, and for a moment they all stared into the shadowed forest of red-barked giants before going inside. It was near dusk. The last remnants of sunlight were fading quickly from the sky, and the temperature was dropping quickly. It had been a cold winter in Elitia. Terra shivered in her down-lined jacket, wishing that she still had the coldsuit Jason had given her. She sighed.

Terra felt a gentle squeeze of her hand, and looked to her right to find Cameron walking beside her, his hand in hers. His icy blue eyes twinkled, and he smiled at her.

“There,” he said, pointing at an enormous circular building that looked like a very large coin. “The artifact is in there.”

“Yes,” she agreed.

“What is it?” Everett asked, stopping to stare up at the building.

It was the tallest structure in all of Sundrop Loop—and the most beautiful. Even in shadow, its stone walls sparkled golden-brown, twinkling like a million little stars. Terra brushed her fingers across its smooth-as-satin surface. Unlike marble, it was not cold to the touch, even in winter. A warmth permeated its walls, the warmth of Elition magic.

“The Treasury,” she told him. “There are many treasures stored within, both Elition and Selpe.”

Everett lifted his hand toward the doorknob. It turned smoothly. “It’s unlocked,” he said with surprise.

“The protection lies within,” she explained, pushing against the door.

It
opened directly to a doorway cut into a hedge, the kind of thick, impenetrable shrubbery that formed a labyrinth. The green spiral extended outward, further than Terra could see, splicing into a thousand new paths—and a thousand dead ends.

“Cameron?” she asked.

He stared at the green wall for a few seconds. “This way,” he finally said, pointing to the rightmost path at the intersection. “The artifact was brought this way. I think.”

Everett stared dubiously down the path Cameron had selected. “You think?”

“Following a memory is not like reading a map, Everett. It’s shrouded in uncertainty.”

“Try following a foresight,” said Terra.

Cameron nodded. “Yeah, that’s even worse.”

They walked along in silence for the next half hour, trusting Cameron to lead them through the meandering maze.

“I hope we can find our way out again,” Everett commented countless turns later.

“We have taken a lot of turns,” Terra agreed.

“I can get us back out,” Cameron said, fully confident this time.

Terra was inclined to believe him. Priors could
see
the path they had taken—literally. As the Elite Prior, he could probably, if he concentrated hard enough, see the path everyone who had ever entered the labyrinth had taken. Though for the purpose of their mission, he had to filter that all out and just follow the Xenen artifact’s path.

A nauseating bubble popped in Terra’s stomach. “We should hurry.”

“What’s wrong?” Everett asked her.

She shook her head. “I’m not sure. Just a feeling.”

“Have you been taking your Balancing Serum?” inquired Cameron.

“Yes, Silver has weaned me off the Inhibiting Serum completely. It always gave me a stomach ache, anyway,” she said. “And with the help of the Balancing Serum, I’m handling the foresights. I’m getting better at choosing when to see. I’m really out of practice, though, so I’m trying not to force it. I just have this feeling. A feeling that we’re not the only ones in here.”