Conceal, Mosaic Chronicles Book Six Read online

  “We’re about to have company,” Jacob said. “Several of the Aretes on the upper floors are moving—they’re on their way down.”

  “Lead us,” Nicole said.

  “Back to the stairs,” Jacob called over his shoulder, already heading that way. “We can’t jump from this height.”

  The four of them raced downstairs as quickly as they could, stumbling over the loose and crumbling gravel.

  They dashed across the courtyard. Nicole wished they had time to find a door—the best exit possible would be creating a link away from the island—but they couldn’t risk having the people catch up with them while they put something together.

  Without warning, the courtyard lit up around them. A whoosh sounded near Nicole, and the blistering heat that followed made her scream. The fireball slammed against the ground near them.

  The courtyard lit up again as another flaming ball was flung in their direction.

  Nicole and the others dashed around a corner just as the flames exploded across the broken-up cement. They narrowly missed hitting them.

  “Where’s the boat?” Jacob yelled as they raced toward the edge of the island.

  “We don’t have time to wait,” Nicole said. She wrung her hands, looking the way they’d come as she sensed several Arete pulses heading in their direction.

  “Nicole, you control air, right?” Jacob asked, grabbing her arm.

  She nodded. “What do you have in mind?”

  “A bubble. We have to get out of sight as soon as possible. I can create a shield to hold air. If we jump into the ocean inside it, we might be able to float away under the water’s surface.”

  Nicole shook her head. So many problems with the plan. How deep was the water here? Would they sink, or would they float? Could she—

  “They’re coming!” Jacob yelled.

  Nicole looked. She couldn’t see them, but she didn’t question. “Let’s do it.” She pushed the talisman deeper into her front pocket, praying it would stay there.

  Jacob molded the air with his hands, and that shimmering shield sprang up in front of him.

  Aretes began streaming out of the buildings behind them.

  “This is crazy,” Nicole said as the silky bubble surrounded her and the others. “This is insane!”

  Once Jacob completed the bubble, he motioned for everyone to jump over the wall.

  They did so, landing in the water with a splash. Nicole gasped at the cold water that whooshed in on them as Jacob’s magic faltered.

  “Bubble? Bubble!”

  “Working on it,” Jacob said, his face contorting.

  The shield surrounded their bodies again, bobbing them to the top of the water, and Jacob dropped to the floor and started pushing it into the ocean.

  Nicole inhaled sharply as she and the other women were pulled underwater. The shield sucked against her skin, shrunken by the pressure of the massive waves that beat against her and the others.

  She was surprised to find that the bubble was holding. But there wasn’t a lot of available air—she had to get to work now.

  Letting Jacob continue pulling them away from the island, since only he could manipulate the shield, Nicole gripped Lizzie’s arm, motioning for her and Juri to hold on to each other as well. Lizzie took hold of Jacob’s ankle, and Juri grabbed his other leg.

  Satisfied that if the bubble broke, Nicole would still be attached to her friends, she began drawing her powers to herself, watching as the top of the bubble went completely under the water. She saw Aretes with flames in their hands leaning over the edge of the island, scanning, searching the water, but unable to see her and the others in the darkness.

  Jacob’s plan had worked so far, but it wasn’t possible for them to reach the mainland this way.

  Once she had enough magic gathered, Nicole directed it to pull air from the frothy ocean water that surrounded them. She created a pocket of oxygen by the bubble, making it grow and grow, then pressed it against the bubble.

  Jacob probably sensed the air because he opened up a section of his shield, allowing most of the air in and sealing it before water rushed in as well.

  Nicole breathed a sigh of relief when it worked. But she realized they needed to go deeper—the surface waves were messing them up, causing too much work for Jacob.

  He must have figured that out too because suddenly, they dropped again. Lizzie screamed—Nicole barely heard it. The sound didn’t bounce against the bubble sides, but went through it, disappearing into the massive waves around them.

  The deeper they went, the darker it got, and the more pressure there was against the shield. The sides of it crushed even more around her. She worked as fast as she could, gathering air and pulling it to the bubble’s side. Were they even heading in the right direction?

  Nicole sensed it when Jacob started weakening. The bubble slowed considerably, then abruptly began rushing toward the surface, pulled upward by the air and buoyant people inside.

  The four of them burst out of the ocean as the shield broke and disappeared. Nicole gasped at the cold water that surrounded her. She nearly lost hold of Lizzie’s arm.

  Jacob grabbed Lizzie and Juri, and the four of them floated toward each other.

  “What now?” Jacob asked. “I’m outta ideas.”

  Nicole scanned the waters—they’d only gone about fifty feet from the island. It had been enough, though, since the Aretes no longer waited on the wall.

  She gasped as a frigid wave rushed over her. “Which way to the mainland?” she asked Juri.

  Juri pointed. Nicole could barely see the larger island—waves continued to crash over them. She wasn’t able to tell how far away the island was.

  Realizing she was the only one who could do something about their situation, Nicole closed her eyes, tightening her grip on Lizzie’s arm. She’d only ever worked with water a few times in her life, and now was not the time to overdo it, but she had to do something.

  Gathering as much magic as she could, Nicole gently encouraged it to smooth and calm the water immediately surrounding them.

  Nothing happened. Instead, warmth flowed over her, and the pain she felt from her earlier burns disappeared. She’d already overdone it.

  “Guys, I can’t get us out of here,” she said.

  Lizzie shook her head, her teeth chattering. “We didn’t expect you to.”

  “Look!” Juri yelled, pointing. “A boat!”

  The four of them started screaming, calling out, waving their hands. The boat nearly passed, then suddenly, it headed in their direction.

  The driver cut the engine and the boat drifted up alongside them. Nicole sighed with relief when she recognized their driver.

  “Get in,” he said, jerking his thumb toward the back.

  Nicole and the rest swam around to where a ladder was attached. She pulled herself up, then turned to help the others.

  Soon, they were all sprawled across the floor of the boat. The driver turned around, heading back the way he’d come.

  “I had almost given up on you,” he shouted over the sound of the engine and crashing waves.

  “We’re glad you didn’t,” Nicole said.

  The drive back to the mainland was long and cold. The man had one blanket. It was scratchy wool, but Nicole didn’t care. She and the others huddled close to each other under it.

  The moment they hit land and the driver had the rest of his money—now soggy from the ocean water—he shooed them away.

  Obviously not caring that the man might still be watching, Jacob pulled the key out of his pocket and created a link using the first door they came to. He took them to Juri’s apartment.

  Juri insisted on caring for her new friends before letting them leave, and Nicole, Lizzie, and Jacob decided to let her. She handed out large towels to everyone, then tossed their still-wet clothes in the washing machine.

  Once they’d all taken a turn at a shower, Juri fed them homemade chicken noodle soup and got some ice for poor Lizzie’s face and salve
for her burns. Then Nicole took charge and sent their hostess to warm up in a shower of her own while Nicole put the clothes in the dryer.

  Two hours after arriving, Nicole, Lizzie, and Jacob keyed to the Makalo village to get Austin and Coolidge.

  Chapter Eight

  Nicole woke when something tickled her face. She jerked, swatting the air.

  A tiny scream followed by a giggle made her open her eyes. Early floated in the air above her, a big grin on her face.

  “Jacob sent me to tell you he’s on his way. You and Lizzie are supposed to attend an important meeting.”

  “Okay. Thanks for letting me know.”

  Early disappeared to get Lizzie. Nicole assumed her best friend was also still sleeping. They’d had a rough two days.

  Nicole swung her feet out from under her covers and rubbed her eyes. Her hands came away with dark smudges on them—she hadn’t removed her makeup before dropping into bed. Waterproof mascara was a lifesaver. The fact that it had survived everything really said something about the cement-like quality of the stuff.

  She dressed, fully awake now as she thought over their trip to Japan. She couldn’t believe they’d actually succeeded in their task! And without help from Austin and Coolidge.

  She pulled the talisman out from under her pillow and inspected it for a moment. It was beautiful—intricately designed, the glow a little less obvious in the light of day. Rose and white gold entwined asymmetrically. Usually, things that weren’t symmetrical bothered her, but in this case, it was fitting and perfect. She wondered how old the talisman was.

  When Early appeared in her room wondering if Nicole was ready, she carefully tucked the magical item into her pocket, then went to find Lizzie.

  ***

  Jacob picked them up a few minutes later on his way to get Austin. Nicole still wasn’t used to this magical key business of Jacob’s—traveling was so easy with it.

  Instead of the interior of the castle that she’d come to expect, Nicole was surprised when Jacob opened the door to a dark, dingy hallway.

  “We’re here!” he called out, striding down the small corridor.

  Nicole followed, careful not to touch the dust-covered walls. The hall opened into the most cluttered living room she’d ever seen. Stacks of papers and books littered nearly every single available surface, including the orange-and-brown couch.

  “Someone’s doing a lot of studying,” she said with a smile.

  “Welcome to my cabin!” the Fat Lady said from an adjoining room. “And yes, we’ve been researching. This is how it usually looks, though. You’ll adjust to it.”

  She motioned to the couch and said, “Sit down,” then turned away.

  Nicole glanced sidelong at Lizzie and saw that her friend was just as confused about how they were supposed to sit when the whole thing was covered with stuff. She ignored Coolidge’s chuckle from where he leaned against a wall with his arms folded. Jacob and Austin had both elected to sit on the floor. They looked small, surrounded by huge piles of papers and books.

  Rather than creating an awkward situation, Nicole grabbed a stack and put it on top of the nearest pile of books, then sat in the cleared space. Lizzie did the same.

  The Fat Lady came out of the other room, which Nicole saw was a kitchen. It was small and as cluttered as the living room, and Nicole wondered how the Fat Lady functioned with such chaos. She must be incredibly nimble.

  The Fat Lady motioned to Aldo, who Nicole hadn’t even noticed sitting in a corner of the living room. “We’ve got some fantastic news. But first, Coolidge has some information for you.”

  Coolidge straightened. “Jacob mentioned that Lizzie had been called by the talisman,” he said. “We’ve discovered that the talismans respond to and are attracted to specific Arete powers. I’d heard this, but because my talisman didn’t care about my ability, it never occurred to me that what people said was accurate.”

  He motioned to Nicole. “Do you have it?”

  Nicole nodded, pulling the talisman out of her pocket and handing it over.

  He stared at it for a moment. “It still looks so new—I would have expected it to be as weathered-looking as Jacob’s key. The magic that created it must have been extraordinary.” He glanced at the others. “I think it’s pretty obvious that this is the fire talisman, though I never thought someone who wasn’t a Silver would have been able to retrieve it.” His gaze went toward Nicole. “We have additional information on that topic, though, that the Fat Lady will discuss in a bit.” He handed the talisman back to Nicole.

  “Don’t you want to keep it?” she asked.

  “Not right now—it’s as safe with you as it is with me. And I believe Keitus would be less likely to suspect you.”

  Nicole handed the talisman to Lizzie, who’d been watching it get passed around with an expression of sadness on her face. “I think Lizzie should take care of it for now—Keitus really wouldn’t suspect her.”

  “Good point.” Coolidge glanced at Lizzie. “Just for the next day or so. Until we know what to do with it.”

  Lizzie nodded, gently and reverently tucking the talisman into her pocket.

  “By the way,” Coolidge said, “if given a choice, the talismans will always choose the younger and stronger Aretes. Youth over experience.”

  “Are you done yet?” the Fat Lady asked.

  Coolidge grinned at her. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Good.” She turned to face everyone. “We’ve been able to translate the pictures Nicole emailed to Jacob.” She pointed at Nicole. “And we’re going to send you back to Shonlin as soon as possible.”

  “Why?”

  “The book you took photographs of is a ledger of magical items. It supposedly gives a more detailed history of the talismans, along with all sorts of other magical things. The language is long—Shiengols used a lot of words to explain things—so we weren’t able to get to any of the actual information. Just the table of contents.” She got excited for a moment. “Which mentions the guardians of Shonlin, and judging by what we already knew, we have very strong reason to believe that you, Nicole, are one. This means that you would have access to information on every single magical item ever created.”

  The Fat Lady paused, waiting to see what Nicole’s reaction would be.

  Nicole blinked. It took her a moment to take in what the Fat Lady had said. “How is that possible? Every single magical item ever?”

  The Fat Lady nodded. “Pretty much. Whenever an item is created, it is the guardians’ job to find out all the information about that object. I don’t know how it works, but I know it involves the forest you found.”

  Nicole tilted her head. “I didn’t tell you about a forest.”

  The Fat Lady raised an eyebrow. “I already knew it existed—I’d heard of it several times before. You were drawn to it, weren’t you?”

  Nicole nodded. “Very.”

  “It was inevitable. Anyway, we need you to return.”

  “When?”

  “Now—everything is ready for you to leave. We need you to figure out how to use Shonlin as soon as you can, as we won’t be able to get information on the other talismans without your help.” She glanced at Aldo, who jumped to his feet.

  “This time, we’re going to have Akeno set up a door outside of the city, where Broalt’s magic doesn’t reach. It looks like we’ll be accessing the Edana library regularly from now on.”

  Nicole swallowed. Her body wasn’t looking forward to walking, but her heart was already singing. She couldn’t wait to visit that room again.

  “Let’s go, then,” she said.

  The Fat Lady clapped. “Wonderful!”

  ***

  Nicole’s feet would have been blistered beyond recognition if Akeno hadn’t soaked her socks in the Kaede sap concoction he made. She was so grateful for that stuff. It really helped.

  She was surprised that they didn’t see any of the natives or the vampire birds the entire trip. Not even Lirone bothered them. When she men
tioned this, Jacob glanced at her.

  “Lirone doesn’t usually stay in one spot,” he said. “He’s probably off terrorizing someone else. We’ll always want to be careful, though.”

  “And the natives?” Nicole asked.

  “They’re out there,” Jacob responded, staring through the forest. “I can see their emotions. Judging by how they acted last time we came through, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re helping us where the birds are concerned.”

  Austin had a thoughtful expression on his face. “What are they feeling?”

  “Peace—calm. Not as curious as last time.”

  That made Nicole feel better. She hadn’t exactly enjoyed having them stare at her. And it definitely was nice that the birds were gone.

  Austin’s thoughtful look hadn’t left. “They’ve played an important part in the history of Edana.” His gaze drifted to Jacob. “Especially since your ancestors left. The city has been in their control for years. I wouldn’t be surprised if we run into them in the future.”

  That gave Nicole something to think about, and she found herself lost in thought for a long time after.

  Once they arrived at the library, everyone followed Nicole up to the fifth floor. She had them wait near the balcony that overlooked the massive and grand front entrance, then she turned and walked toward Shonlin.

  Even though she was expecting it to happen, the moment the guard appeared, she still jumped.

  “You’ve returned.”

  Nicole nodded. “Yes. I need information. Why am I allowed in the room?”

  “You’re a guardian of all things magical.”

  Even though the Fat Lady had already said this, Nicole still felt a sense of wonder cascade over her. How was she a guardian? What had she done to gain that status?

  She pulled the talisman out of her pocket. “Do I have to leave this here?” The creature didn’t respond, so Nicole tucked it back in. “I need to find out where the other talismans are. How do I do that?”

  “Touch the lantern—you will know what you must do.”

  “Okay, thanks.”