Clash of Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Amazon Book 3) Read online

“Thank fates.” I leaned against the bannister and surveyed the rest of the library. It was a massive, ten-story affair with a huge open atrium in the middle that led all the way up to the domed skylight. Each level of the library was a circle surrounding the atrium.

  “Let’s go,” Florian said. “I don’t want to test that theory.”

  “Couldn’t agree more.” I followed him up the stairs, ascending five flights to the middle of the ghost library where it joined with the main library.

  We slipped through a narrow door in the shelves, emerging into the warmth and color of the main library.

  Immediately, the prickly chill that had enveloped me disappeared. Unlike the ghost library, which was round, this room was a tall, massive rectangle. The books were well cared for and gleamed with colorful leather spines. Four massive fireplaces crackled merrily, sharing their warmth with fat, cozy armchairs.

  The Pugs of Destruction, three ghostly inhabitants of the castle, snoozed away in front of one of the fires.

  I collapsed into one of the chairs next to Florian, my muscles shaking from the adrenaline high.

  “Did you get what you came for?” Florian asked.

  With a trembling hand, I withdrew the phone from my pocket. “I hope so.”

  I clicked the buttons, pulling up the photo and squinting at it. The image was a bit fuzzy, but I could read it all. “Oh, thank fates.”

  “You have it.” There was a smile in Florian’s voice. “Quick thinking with your little gadget there. That page was too long to memorize.”

  “No kidding.” I inspected the list of ingredients in the spell. I recognized almost all of them, but there was one that was unfamiliar. “What’s a Veil of Power?”

  Florian frowned. “It wants a Veil of Power? Those are quite rare.”

  “Do we have one here?”

  “We do, I believe. But for you to obtain access to it, as a student…” He shook his head. “That is unlikely.”

  “I’ll just have to convince Jude that I need it.”

  A doubtful frown tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Do you think you can?”

  “I’m going to have to.”

  Chapter Two

  “So, I was hoping that I could have access to the Veil of Power. I need it for a spell that will tell me what the Stryx are up to.” I gave Jude a hopeful look. It was just one ingredient in the spell, but it was vital.

  Her starry blue eyes narrowed as she thought, her smooth dark brow creasing. The braids that hung down her back glinted in the light of the sconces. I’d cornered her right before class and spelled out what had happened down at the bottom of the ghost library.

  “You went to see the wraith at the bottom of the library by yourself?” Her scowl deepened.

  I nodded tentatively. True, it was against the rules and I’d known it when I’d done it, but I’d had to. “I had Florian.”

  “You know he doesn’t count.”

  “You’re right. I knew it was a risk, but I had to take it. I’ve looked everywhere else in the library for answers and found none. And you know how dangerous the Stryx are.”

  They’d killed people. Lots of people. And now they were up to something even darker. I was sure of it.

  Jude gave a long-suffering sigh. “I know they’re dangerous. Just like I know the wraith is dangerous.”

  “This is bigger than all of us, Jude.”

  “I know it is. And you’ve proven yourself capable ever since you started at the Protectorate. More than capable.”

  “So I can use the Veil of Power?”

  Jude squinted down at my cell phone, which she held in her hand. Her gaze traveled over the words on the screen. “I think you’re going to have to be the one to use the Veil of Power. This spell requires so much raw magic that you and your sisters are some of the few with the strength.” Her gaze flicked up to mine. “Do you think you’re ready for this?”

  “Yes.” I nodded firmly. I needed to be ready for this. The Stryx were forging ahead with their plans. They wouldn’t wait for me and my wonky magic to catch up.

  “Fine. You can use the Veil of Power. As long as you do so with Hedy’s supervision.”

  “Of course.” I grinned. It was better that way, actually. Hedy was our resident Research & Development witch, and easily the most accomplished spell worker at the Undercover Protectorate. We needed for this spell to go right, and her help would be invaluable.

  “You’ll conduct the spell as part of class,” Jude said. “It can be part of one of the lessons.”

  I swallowed hard. In class?

  That meant in front of an audience. An audience of people I didn’t really like. And who definitely didn’t like me.

  But what choice did I have? I nodded. “Okay. How about in this class, since we’re down here in the spell room anyway?”

  At least that way, I could get it over with quickly. And I wanted my answers ASAP.

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

  The stone-walled room on the castle’s bottom floor was where all the spellwork classes were conducted, largely because the walls were thick and heavy enough to keep any wayward magic from hurting the rest of the castle. We didn’t have these classes often, and I didn’t want to wait to figure out what the Stryx had learned from the Truth Teller. Since a class was starting in twenty minutes, there was no need to wait.

  “I’ll bring the Veil of Power to class.” Jude gave me a serious look. “Be sure you’re ready to try this, because it won’t be an easy spell. It will take a lot of your magic to accomplish.”

  The first tendrils of nerves crept over my spine. A lot of my magic.

  I did have a lot of magic.

  What I didn’t have was a lot of control over it. I’d been getting new powers from the Greek gods, and to say that there was a learning curve was an understatement. I had lightning power from Zeus and water magic from Poseidon, but it was my strange death magic that scared the crap out of me. I had to assume it was a gift from Hades, and it gave me the ability to suck the life from plants and use it as my own.

  But it was just so…dark.

  I was resisting practicing it, and I knew it was dumb, but I couldn’t help myself. With the Rebel Gods’ dark magic stuffed down deep inside me, I didn’t want to do anything to wake it.

  “I can do it, Jude,” I said. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

  I saw no skepticism in her face, which warmed me slightly.

  While Jude went to speak to Hedy about the Veil of Power, I hurried back to my apartment to grab the Truth Teller. I’d won it in the Intermagic Games obstacle course a few days ago. Unfortunately, the Stryx had immediately stolen it from me and used it. There’d been a hell of a fight to get it back. They’d managed to get information from it first, though, and that was what I needed to figure out with the Veil of Power.

  As for the Truth Teller, I’d had a few days with it myself to ask it questions and try to figure out what the Stryx were up to. Soon, I’d give it to the Protectorate so they could use it in their work to help people.

  By the time I made it back down to the classroom, the other students were in place. They sat at long, heavy wooden tables, all of them clustered together. Lavender glared at me, and I returned the favor, shooting my archnemesis a scowl.

  In fairness, I didn’t dislike her that much. I had real problems and real enemies, and Lavender didn’t figure into that. She might make my life in class hell, but we were still on the same team. I could appreciate that, at least. But it was kind of fun to pretend I had an archnemesis.

  I sat at a long table near the other students, my gaze glued to the big table at the front of the room. That was where demonstrations were done. No doubt I’d go up there to cast my own spell.

  The room was large, the walls made of huge heavy stones. The vaulted ceiling was also made of stone, and I had one quick, horrible vision of my magic going awry and ricocheting wildly around the room.

  I shook away the thought.

  Nope
. I had this under control. I could do this.

  Jude swept into the room a moment later, a small wooden box in her hand. My heart leapt as my gaze zeroed in on it. That was it. It had to be.

  Hedy followed her into the room, her lavender hair flowing behind her and her colorful skirts swishing around her legs. She took a seat near the front while Jude headed up to the main table and set the box down. She didn’t mention it, just started up with class as if everything were normal.

  We were discussing proper technique when performing unfamiliar spells. Jude explained that our assignment was to replicate a spell from a spell book. Lavender and Angus went first, and I barely registered what they were doing.

  Frankly, it was all a blur. By the time it was my turn, tension vibrated through my muscles.

  Jude’s gaze found mine. “Rowan, it’s your turn.”

  I stood, reaching into my pocket for my cell phone. Excitement and nerves thrummed through me as I headed to the front of the class. I focused most of my time at the Academy on combat and tracking, so this was unusual. I hadn’t always been great at spellwork, but with so much on the line, I was determined to change my record.

  Hedy joined me at the table, and I heard Lavender snicker. “She needs a supervisor.”

  Jude didn’t seem to hear her, and I was grateful. I didn’t need my future boss knowing that I was having a spat with my colleague. And the last thing I wanted was anyone defending me.

  I fought my own battles, thanks.

  I looked at the class, feeling the weight of their gazes. “I’m going to be conducting a spell that reveals what the Truth Teller showed to a person who used it last.”

  The crowd stared at me, slightly dumbfounded. They weren’t quite up to date on all that had been happening with the Stryx, and I wasn’t about to enlighten them. I just had to get my answers.

  I pulled the Truth Teller from my pocket and set the small stone on the table. It gleamed golden in the light, a tiny object that held so many answers. Unfortunately, it wasn’t always easy to get those answers out.

  Next, I pulled up the spell on my phone and set it on the table. Hedy leaned over my shoulder and peered at it.

  “Won’t be easy,” she murmured. “Though there’s a lot of ingredients here, it relies mostly on raw power. Without it, the spell won’t work.”

  That wasn’t great. I was a wizard with potions ingredients. Not so much with my raw magic, unfortunately.

  This time, though, I’d get it right.

  I had to.

  The box containing the Veil of Power buzzed with magic. I could almost see the wood vibrating. I picked it up and opened it, then removed a lacy little cloth that looked like it’d been spun by spiders. Magic prickled against my fingertips, feeling like popping champagne bubbles.

  Carefully, I laid the veil over the Truth Teller. At her seat, Lavender leaned over and whispered to Angus. I ignored her, focusing on the tiny text on my phone. There were a few ingredients I had to mix before I could start the incantation.

  Working quickly, I picked up the proper vials and poured tiny droplets into an onyx bowl. The liquid smoked as it hit the stone.

  “This is taking forever,” Lavender whispered.

  I scowled. If Jude reprimanded her, I didn’t hear it. I was too focused on the task at hand. Each measurement of the various ingredients had to be perfect. If I so much as trembled, this would fail.

  Finally, the potion was mixed. It smoked lightly, smelling of lilacs and burning tires—a weird combo.

  I glanced at Hedy, the question clear in my eyes. Did I get this right?

  “You’re doing well,” Hedy murmured.

  That was because we hadn’t reached the hard part yet.

  I drew in a deep breath and held the potion over the veil. Carefully, I poured the liquid onto the lace, which flared a bright gold. Magic burst from it, a wave of power that blew my hair back from my face.

  As quickly as I could, I put down the onyx bowl and touched the little stone with both hands. I fed my magic into the rock, acting as a battery for the spell. It flowed from me, through the veil, and into the stone. It all combined to form something greater, something more powerful than the sum of the ingredients.

  “That’s it,” Hedy murmured. “Keep going. It’s going to need more than that.”

  I reached for the magic deep inside me, feeding it into the lacy cloth that was soaked in potion. This was where it got tricky. I had magic on the surface that was easy to control. But the bulk of my power resided deep inside me. It was a mix of my own power, the power from the Greek gods, and a bit of the darkness from the Rebel Gods who’d held me prisoner for years.

  I couldn’t put the dark stuff into this spell, so I focused on drawing out only the light. When I tried to take the magic that Zeus had given me—the crackling lightning—it snapped and burned inside me. I stayed far away from Hades’s magic.

  Shaking, I fed the power into the veil. Sweat dripped down my spine, and my muscles ached. I squeezed my eyes shut and focused, trying to keep my grip on the magic, feeding it in a steady stream. It thrashed inside me, wanting to burst out in a powerful blast.

  Lightning was not an easily controlled substance, that was for sure.

  “Careful,” Hedy murmured, clearly able to sense that I was losing control.

  My arms shook as I tried to keep it together, using every bit of strength and will not to blow it entirely.

  “That’s it,” Hedy said. “You’re getting it.”

  I opened my eyes to see a haze of smoke forming above the stone. It coalesced to form an image, just like it had when the Stryx had first used it. I’d caught the barest glance of it then, but had only been able to decipher a vision of mountains and lightning.

  Now, I could see a blazing red sunset and hear explosions. The mountain was black, formed of volcanic rubble. At least, that’s what I thought I was seeing. I squinted, trying to make out the details.

  Every inch of me ached as I fed more magic into the spell, powering the potion and the veil so that they could do their work. Weakness sucked at my limbs, exhaustion pulling at my mind. The lightning within me cracked and burst, trying to break free of the carefully controlled stream that I was feeding into the veil.

  My muscles trembled uncontrollably.

  “Rowan, you’re weakening.” Concern echoed in Hedy’s voice. “Perhaps you should slow down.”

  Slow down? We were so close! The image projected by the Truth Teller and the veil was growing more detailed. We had to see more!

  I ignored her words, pushing more of my magic into the spell. Sweat dripped down my temple.

  “Rowan, stop.”

  But I couldn’t. I needed to see. I needed to stop the Stryx. I knew deep in my heart that they were up to something that would hurt thousands. Millions.

  But my magic was so hard to control. It took everything I had.

  But it wasn’t enough.

  The power burst out of me, a lightning bolt that shot to the ceiling. It ricocheted off, just as I’d imagined, and slammed toward the ground, hitting the tables where the other students sat. They flew backward, screams breaking through the quiet room.

  I stumbled away from the Truth Teller, a gasp tearing from my throat. The magic inside me died down, the pressure released.

  Wild-eyed, I looked toward the Truth Teller. The vision had faded.

  Damn it.

  I looked up, catching sight of Jude’s gaze.

  Oh, shit.

  She looked pissed.

  In the middle of the room, the other students were rising to their feet, glaring at me.

  “You’ve done it now,” Hedy murmured, sympathy in her gaze.

  “Yep.”

  She squeezed my arm. “You did well until the end.”

  “Thanks.” Dread coiled inside me as Jude helped the class fix the overturned tables and chairs, then dismissed them.

  I tried to ignore what was going on, instead focusing my attention on cleaning up the supplies
I’d used. I created neat little rows of potion bottles and packed the Veil of Power away in its box. The scrap of lace looked tattered and ratty now, as if the surge of my power had damaged it.

  Jude approached the table, her starry blue eyes serious. “You didn’t listen to Hedy when she told you to stop.”

  I just nodded. There was nothing I could say. I had ignored Hedy. The results were obvious. There was a giant freaking divot in the ceiling that was burned black from my lightning.

  “You need to get control of your magic, Rowan. These new gifts from the gods aren’t resting easily inside of you.”

  She was right on that, and I suspected it might be because of the dark magic in my soul. I might have repressed it, but it was still hanging out alongside the good magic. The result was less than desirable.

  “I’ll get it under control,” I said.

  “Maximus has been busy with the Order, as I’m sure you may know, but he’ll return to help train you next week.”

  I nodded, trying to keep my cheeks from flaring red. Maximus, the powerful gladiator mage whom I definitely had some feelings for, had been away from the Protectorate the last few days. He was a freelancer with the Order of the Magica and the Undercover Protectorate both, a difficult position given that I had magic that the Order would love to see me thrown in prison for possessing.

  Maximus kept my secret, thank fates. It was easy for him, since he was so wealthy it didn’t matter if the Order fired him.

  As much as I could probably use his help getting my power under control, I also wanted to see him. I liked him, damn it. More than I should.

  “Until you’ve got your magic together, I’m not sure that you should practice around the other students,” Jude said.

  My heart plummeted. The only way to join the PITs—the Paranormal Investigative Team where my sisters worked—was to pass the Academy. If I couldn’t go to class, I couldn’t pass.

  Shit.

  “It’s a matter of safety,” Jude said. “You’re the most accomplished student here, when things go well. When they don’t…”

  “I’m a danger.” I finished the sentence for her, unable to help myself. For all the good things I’d accomplished, there were still some messy areas of my life.