Conceal, Mosaic Chronicles Book Six Page 4

  And she’d need to do it in parts. Trying to turn the whole cup at the same time was still too advanced.

  She started with a small section—barely a quarter of a teaspoon. She stared at it and gently pressed her magic toward the glass, asking it to change the shape of the molecules back to what they’d been previously.

  The tiny section of glass glowed, then with a slight cracking sound, dissolved into light-brown sand.

  Nicole leaned back in her seat and sent a grin to Tess. “I did it!”

  “Great. Only fifty more quarter-teaspoons to go.”

  Nicole laughed. Tess was right, though—she needed to try a bigger section. She took a half-teaspoon and did the same thing. This was a little tougher. Remembering her bracelet, she pulled it out of her pocket and turned it on, then strapped it to her wrist.

  The electrical pulse immediately zapped her.

  “Ouch,” she whispered.

  That first zap of electrocution was always the worst. Nicole smiled at Tess’s raised eyebrow. “Helps me know if I’m pushing myself too far. If I stop feeling pain, it’s time to quit.”

  “Ah,” Tess said, nodding. “Smart.” She looked at the bracelet. “Did Professor Coolidge get that for you?”

  “Yes, he did.”

  “I figured as much. It seems like something he’d have access to.” Tess motioned to the pile of sand. “Continue.”

  So Nicole did, taking three-quarters of a teaspoon and focusing, willing it to change to sand.

  This time, however, the pieces fused together.

  The corner of Tess’s mouth twitched. “You’re going backwards now.”

  Nicole pulled away, head tilted, and examined the lump. “You’re right.” And not only was she going backwards, but she also couldn’t feel the zap of the bracelet anymore.

  “I think a half-teaspoon is the best I’m going to get right now,” she said, sending an apologetic smile to Tess. “I need to wait until I can feel the bracelet again.”

  “Do you mind if I correct papers in the meantime?” Tess asked.

  “Definitely not. It’ll take about twenty minutes.”

  Tess settled into her seat at the other side of the table. She slid her finger across her tablet, occasionally making notes. Nicole slumped into her chair, head resting on the back, and stared at the ceiling above.

  She had nearly fallen asleep when the zap returned, making her jump.

  Tess chuckled. “Ready to start again?”

  “Yes.”

  Nicole leaned forward. Sticking with a quarter and occasionally half a teaspoon would take forever, but she didn’t care—brain damage was much worse than a bad grade.

  Two hours later, Nicole exhaled, dropping her head to her forearms. “That was horrible.”

  “It usually is, the first time.”

  She looked at Tess. “How do you have patience for this?”

  The woman shrugged. “Nearly every Arete does the task differently—it’s always fun to see which way someone will go.”

  “There’s more than one way to change glass back into sand?”

  Tess nodded. “Some Aretes take a lower grade in the beginning to get the cup into more manageable pieces. I’ve had a couple drop the glass on the floor first, which automatically equals a full grade lower.”

  Nicole blinked. “That didn’t even occur to me.”

  “That’s because you like doing things correctly the first time.”

  Nicole nodded. “It’s true.” She glanced at the tablet in Tess’s hands. “So . . . how did I do?”

  “Well, let’s just say there’s a lot of room for improvement. And hopefully, you’ll find that improvement before the end of the semester because I don’t think you’ll like the grade you got today.”

  “What was it?”

  Tess turned the tablet around, and Nicole gasped. “A D? Are you serious?”

  “Most Aretes start at this point. If you dedicate yourself, though, by the end of the semester, you should be able to turn glass into sand in a couple of seconds.” Tess pulled out another wine glass. “Would you like that demonstration now?”

  “Wouldn’t that be cheating, since I have to take the test again?”

  Tess shook her head. “We use a different object each time to make sure you’re grasping the concept instead of just memorizing the process. Each one requires a different approach.”

  Nicole nodded. That made sense. A wine glass was fragile, but a goblet or a bowl was sturdier and would probably need a firmer hand, so to speak.

  Tess set the glass on the table, and before Nicole could even sense what was going on, the cup had dissolved into a pile of fine sand.

  Nicole choked, then swallowed. “Uh, if you’d shown me before I took the test, I still wouldn’t have gotten anything better than a D. How’d you do it so fast? I couldn’t even tell what your magic was doing.”

  Tess grinned. “You’ll get there too—your powers will know exactly what you want them to do the instant you think it, and you won’t have to direct them so much.”

  Tess started cleaning up the room, and Nicole helped, her mind swirling with the mental exhaustion of the last three hours and the potential Tess seemed to think she had. What if she never got as fast as Tess? No—she couldn’t think that way. She’d get there. She’d already progressed much faster than most students, so she was well on her way.

  The women said goodbye, and Nicole walked back to her car, head still swimming. The fresh air felt good on her skin and in her lungs, and she breathed deeply, turning her face to the sun that warmed her. Sun in Seattle—she definitely took advantage of that when it happened.

  Lizzie and Austin were waiting for her when she arrived at her apartment.

  “How’d it go?” Lizzie asked.

  Nicole snorted. “I got a D. First one in my life.”

  A concerned expression crossed Austin’s face, and he put his arms around her. “Are you okay?”

  “Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” She pecked him on the lips, then stepped away. “Let me freshen up so we can go.”

  Once everyone was in Austin’s car, Nicole told them about the test.

  “So,” Lizzie said, “that’s not your final grade, but more of a starting point?”

  “Yes. The test was designed to see how far I’ve come with Earth properties.”

  Austin glanced at her. “It hardly seems fair that you have to be tested on something I’ve never even worked with.”

  Nicole raised her eyebrows. “You haven’t mastered glass?”

  “It wasn’t required. I demonstrated a complete mastery of everything they put in front of me, and as they can’t possibly test on every aspect of every element, glass wasn’t one of the things I had to do. And I haven’t had to mess around with it at home, either.” He looked at her. “But don’t worry—I’m positive I’d be able to handle it.”

  “Oh, really? You’re that confident?”

  “Of course. Have you ever seen me fail at magic?”

  Nicole scoffed. “You still can’t control a windstorm, so yes.”

  Austin grinned at her. “Give me until the end of the semester, and I’ll be doing that too.”

  “I doubt that very much. Wind is the element most foreign to you, and you’ve barely started.”

  “I know. But my girlfriend is an exceptionally talented Wind Arete, and she’ll help me.”

  Nicole sent Austin a teasing glance. “Who is this person you speak of? You’re not cheating on me, are you?”

  He grabbed her hand, pulling it to his mouth and kissing her fingers. “You know I’d never do that.”

  Nicole grinned, ignoring Lizzie’s groaning from the backseat. The fact that Austin even refused to joke about the matter made her heart happy. “I know.”

  “So, will you help me?”

  She gave him an incredulous look. “Let me get this straight. You want to start a contest with me, and you expect me to help you win?”

  “Sounds about right.”

  Nicole l
aughed. “Fine, fine, I’ll do it.” She mock-glared at him. “But only if you help me figure out how to work with glass.”

  “It’s a deal.”

  Nicole leaned back in her seat, satisfied. She couldn’t wait to begin studying with Austin, even if he did end up winning.

  ***

  Jacob was waiting when Nicole and the others arrived at Coolidge’s place. “I’ve already taken Mr. Coolidge to the castle—wanted him to get settled in before the meeting started.”

  Nicole nodded, grateful Jacob had done so.

  “Ready?” he asked, and when the Aretes indicated that they were, he turned and created a link to Eklaron, the world where King Dmitri and Queen Arien ruled.

  Nicole had been in other dimensions before, but she wasn’t sure if they were separate planets like Eklaron. At first, she expected to feel different, but she didn’t, and she was soon able to concentrate on her surroundings rather than the placement of her steps.

  Jacob didn’t take them straight to the castle. Instead, they walked down a magnificent street into a beautiful city.

  He turned to face them, walking backwards. “This is Maivoryl City,” he said, hands sweeping out on either side, his face glowing with excitement. “The town closest to the castle.”

  “It’s gorgeous,” Nicole said, admiring the mature trees and flowers that lined the street. Tall red-brick structures with large ornate windows that gleamed in the sunlight rose on either side, and lush grass grew between the buildings.

  Jacob grinned. “Agreed. It definitely didn’t look like this the first time I came, though.”

  “What was it like?” Lizzie asked.

  Jacob sobered. “I can’t even describe it—you would have to experience it yourself. Keitus used to live here, and he didn’t like sunshine, so he cast a permanent cloud over the place.”

  “Sounds like Seattle,” Lizzie said.

  “No,” Jacob replied. “I’ve been to Seattle several times. This cloud wasn’t anything like what you have there—it wasn’t healthy. It affected everyone’s emotions and even the color of the air.” He took a breath, then smiled. “But after a lot of work, you can’t tell a murderous dictator was in charge, can you?”

  Nicole shook her head. The city was obviously thriving—townspeople bartered in stalls along the sides of the road, animals darted about with children laughing and following, and ornate gold-and-green flags waved from poles at the corner of each building. It looked and felt like royalty was nearby.

  “Okay, we can go to the castle now,” Jacob said, pulling his key out of his pocket.

  “Isn’t that what we’re already doing?” Austin asked.

  A smile played at the corner of Jacob’s mouth. “Not exactly. I wanted you to see Maivoryl City first. The castle is about a mile away—it’ll be faster to key there.”

  Lizzie rolled her eyes. “There he goes again. ‘Key’ is not a verb!”

  Nicole laughed. She and the others followed Jacob through a door and into a spacious throne room, where Coolidge had been set up in a plush recliner. She abruptly stopped when she saw people who had to be the king and queen waiting at the other end. “Um . . . are we in the right place?”

  Jacob chuckled. “They’re not typical royalty.”

  “I can see that.”

  King Dmitri wore jeans and a polo. He was almost completely bald, with only a fringe of dark hair remaining, and he wasn’t wearing a crown. Queen Arien, well-dressed in black pants and a deep blue top which set off her auburn hair nicely, looked more like the neighborhood soccer mom than a queen.

  King Dmitri rose as his visitors approached. “Before any of you worry about greetings, please call me Dmitri. You’re not my subjects and I’d rather you view me as your equal.”

  Queen Arien nodded. “The same goes for me.”

  Once Nicole and the rest agreed, Dmitri clapped his hands, and a servant entered the room. Dmitri gave him instructions, and soon, the place was bustling as people brought in a large folding table and multiple folding chairs, which they set up near Coolidge and his recliner.

  Lizzie glanced sidelong at Nicole and whispered, “Hard to act like he’s not a king when that happens. And isn’t that the same table we were looking at in Walmart the other day?”

  Nicole grinned. “Looks like it.”

  She and the others took seats around the table. They’d barely settled themselves when Jacob came through the door, leading an elderly man with crazy hair and an incredibly large woman. Nicole’s eyes widened. This woman was huge—well over six feet and probably five hundred pounds.

  The woman laughed at the expressions before her. “Come on, people, this isn’t the first time you’ve seen a fat lady like me, is it? Oh, wait, of course it is.” She grinned, revealing pearly whites on the bottom and browned teeth on top. “Good ta meetcha.” She settled into a large chair that had obviously been brought for her, and the elderly man sat next to her, placing several books on the table.

  Nicole swallowed, forcing herself to look away from the Fat Lady’s unkempt bun and disheveled clothing. This woman would be interesting to get to know.

  Dmitri clasped his hands and leaned forward. “Arien and I were dismayed to find that Keitus is still around and is bent on causing problems.” He glanced at his wife. “We shouldn’t have been surprised, however.”

  She nodded. “Keitus is definitely a one-of-a-kind individual.”

  Dmitri motioned toward the Fat Lady and Aldo, the elderly man. “What have you found so far?”

  “Jacob was right,” the Fat Lady said. “The talismans originated on Eklaron.”

  Nicole saw Austin and Coolidge’s gazes meet. They looked surprised, but she wasn’t sure why—they’d been thrown a lot of surprises lately. It was hard to be shocked anymore.

  The Fat Lady continued. “Together, the talismans create the crest for Kilenya’s kingdom.”

  “Who’s Kilenya?” Lizzie asked.

  “The princess my key was made for,” Jacob said.

  Aldo nodded. “We need to go to the old kingdom library to find more information on the talismans. What they do, why they were created, et cetera. None of us even knew they were magical.”

  Austin brightened at the mention of the library, and Nicole grinned to herself, happy the guy she was dating loved books and learning so much.

  “This library,” he said. “How long has it been open?”

  “For several hundred years—six or seven, probably,” Aldo replied.

  Aldo glanced at the Fat Lady, who said, “But it’s not exactly accessible anymore.”

  “Why not?” Coolidge asked.

  Dmitri clasped his hands and nodded toward Arien. “The kingdom fell apart when our ancestors left.”

  Jacob groaned. “You guys are related? Disgusting!”

  Arien smiled at him. “Everyone is, sweetie, if you go back far enough.”

  “So, what’s going on with the library now?” Austin asked.

  The Fat Lady looked at him. “The land of Edana is overrun with creatures from Eklaron that are controlled by a tribe of people who don’t have much access to the outer world. It’s going to be fun, gaining access to the books.”

  “Shouldn’t be difficult,” Jacob said. “I’ll just key us all there.”

  Aldo shook his head. “You can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “King Broalt was able to convince a Makalo to fashion a contraption that prevents the keys from opening links to that section of Eklaron. You’ll have to go on foot.”

  Lizzie shook her head, raising her hands. “Hold on, hold on. You’re going too fast. Who’s King Broalt and what in the heck is a Makalo?”

  “King Broalt is the guy who wanted to marry Kilenya,” Jacob said. “He wasn’t a good king. And a Makalo is a magical creature from Eklaron.”

  The Fat Lady snorted. “Does Akeno know you call him a creature?”

  Jacob reddened. “No—please don’t tell him I said that.” He looked at Nicole and the other people
from the Arete dimension. “Makalos are intelligent and look like they could be human. There are a few differences, though.”

  “Like what?” Lizzie asked.

  “Well, they glow blue, for instance, and they don’t have eyelashes. They’re also really short, though that isn’t too weird.”

  Austin glanced at Dmitri. “So why don’t we have Jacob create a link from here to the door nearest Edana?”

  “The closest one is in Macaria,” Dmitri said. “So, yes, it’ll save you time, but you’ll still have to go on foot for several days, at least.”

  “Any chance we’ll be able to classify this as a university expedition?” Nicole asked. She was only partially joking.

  Coolidge laughed. “Probably not this time. We’ll have to leave Thursday after you get out of class, skip school on Friday and all of next week, and return Monday evening of the following week.”

  “Austin and I are both going, I assume?” Nicole asked.

  Dmitri nodded. “You, Akeno, Jacob, Austin, and Coolidge will make up the team.” He glanced at Lizzie. “Sorry—we need to keep the group small. Otherwise, you would be included.” His eyes got a faraway look in them. “And I’d love to go, for that matter. I’ve always wanted to visit my forefather’s home.”

  Arien cleared her throat. “As would I, but we have a kingdom to run.”

  “Yes, you’re right,” Dmitri said.

  After discussing a few more particulars, he excused everyone, and Jacob took the Aretes back to Coolidge’s house.

  In the car on the way home, Nicole looked back at Lizzie. “While doing my test, I think I performed a bit of Fire magic.”

  She told them about turning the sand back into glass, which would have required heat—an aspect of Fire.

  Lizzie’s jaw dropped. “Already?” she wailed. “I haven’t even done that much.”

  “It doesn’t bother you, does it?” Nicole asked. “Last we talked—like, two days ago—you were still bent on becoming a nurse, not mastering your powers.”