The Second Day

  We decided not to try and follow the two down right away. It was too narrow a passage and we couldn’t see ahead of us. On one hand, this meant we likely couldn’t be seen if we followed, but it also meant we’d have only one direction to go if they did. I was… reluctant to go underground in a tight space while following a man who was likely a mage of some variety. Margaret had wanted to, and I saw that in her eyes, but she didn’t push me. She knew as well as I did why I didn’t want to go down there, at least when we knew Luke was waiting for us. She tried to follow them herself. It was safe for her, after all. But she could only go a little way down before she started to dissolve. She needed my aura to sustain her existence. By the time we’d come to a conclusion, the water in the fountain stopped, and it slid—seemingly on its own—back into place.

  I was tired, and it had been a long day, so she allowed me to sleep while she kept watch. I did end up using the side door to enter the church and find a quiet pew to sleep on. It was hardly comfortable, and every tiny creak and noise nearly sent me bolting like a rabbit, but I did get rest. Margaret stayed by the window in the front door, watching for the fountain to move again. Throughout the restless night, no one else came or went from the temple. I was awoken not by Margaret, but by the loud grinding of the fountain opening up again. Margaret was on her way to alert me, but I scrambled from my pew before she had a chance. I ran to the door she’d been waiting by and watched as the same man and woman emerged from wherever they’d been all night.

  I worried they’d come to the temple, and I’d have to hide, but they simply made their way back down the path they’d come from. Margaret and I watched them go with pounding hearts. The water stopped in the fountain, and it began sliding back into place long before the pair were far enough away for either of us to investigate. Margaret looked over at me as the pair finally disappeared, and the gate to the courtyard was locked.

  “Did you get the sleep you needed?” she asked. I rubbed an ache in my neck.

  “Not really, but I never do,” I replied honestly. I then looked around the large temple, now that daylight was shining through the stained glass and revealing the scope of the building. It was old, but it was well-maintained. “I wonder why he doesn’t hold his services here. It would be more comfortable than the garden.”

  “What does that matter?” Margaret asked. I shrugged.

  “He must do it for some reason, right? After last night, I am almost certain he is involved in whatever is happening to the girls and your mother. There is no way he isn’t. Which means everything we can learn about his motives matters.” Margaret looked back at the empty temple and sighed.

  “Whatever is going on underground might explain that, I suppose. If he wants to keep people away from it,” she guessed.

  “He’s got people sitting next to corpses. If he can control them enough that they aren’t phased by that, what would upset them?” I asked.

  “Maybe he isn’t responsible for both things? Or maybe this is dangerous and that isn’t.” Margaret guessed. I sighed. There really was no way to know for sure.

  “I suppose we’d better go and take a look,” I finally said. Margaret raised an eyebrow at me.

  “How are we going to do that? The fountain moved back over the entrance, and I don’t know how they moved it in the first place. They are gone now, but we can’t get in,” she pointed out. What happened next surprised me a bit. It was a small thing, but it was an expression I hadn’t made since the first time I saved a life with ‘Undone’. I smirked.

  “Well, let’s see if I can’t do something about that,” I quipped, then pushed the large temple door open. I took my ribbon out of my messy hair and went about the work of re-tying my bun in a more secure knot. When I was done, I ran my fingers along the smooth texture of the design on my grimoire. I looked around at the courtyard in the light of day. Now that I could see everything properly, I realized this temple had been abandoned for longer than I thought. The hedges by the building had been attended to, but much of the flora around the rest of the grounds were clearly abandoned and neglected. The fountain was dry, and the rose bushes were dead. The building was stone, and clearly used. But whoever used it clearly lacked the funds or staff to maintain the entire property. It was a bit sad. I’d never seen one of Aethon’s temples so poorly tended to.

  I couldn’t dwell on it, so I looked up at Margaret and smiled, then began to chant. The sparks that flew off of me like dandelion seeds were blue, meaning they were entirely my own. They skated across the stone courtyard and ran toward the dry fountain like antelope, enveloping the entire stone structure with each word that left my mouth. I didn’t know how Luke had opened it, although I had a suspicion. It moved when filled with water, and moved back when it was dry. If, instead of earth magic, Luke’s focus was water, it would be a very effective way to keep it closed to anyone who didn’t also have water magic. It could be turned on via some hidden mechanisms, but the way the water stopped as the pair disappeared made me think magic was more likely. Or, perhaps, I had simply been working with magic for too long and wanted to attribute everything to it.

  In either case, at least for the next hour, water wasn’t the only magic that would open it. Only a few minutes in the past, the fountain had been open. That, at least, I could handle. As I finished casting ‘Undone’, the fountain moved easily out of our way, and I began to descend the stairs.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “Oh,” Margaret said. I chuckled.

  “Shall we?” I asked.

  Made of aura as she was, Margaret was apparently as invisible to the walls of this path as she was to everyone but me, and I had to keep unused aura dancing along my arms as we climbed down the stairs, especially once the fountain began returning to its position over the entrance and blocking out Aethon’s grace.

  “Looks like we have about an hour. After that, I won’t be able to move the fountain myself anymore,” I warned. It turned out we’d spend far less time underground than that, however. Before we reached the bottom of the stairs, we ran into another obstacle. Whatever space was hidden under the temple, it was flooded. I wasn’t actually a particularly strong swimmer, either.

  “What now?” Margaret asked. I bit my lip.

  “I’ll have to try ‘Undone’ again,” I answered. “Either Luke slept on the stairs, or this water hasn’t been here all night.” Even as I explained, aura climbed my body and flickered off of me like sparks from a bonfire. I began to chant again, my aura entering the water and swimming through it like a school of glowing fish. It flowed with currents that couldn’t exist, and it lit a deep world I had no hope of exploring. I could feel how deep my aura was traveling and grimaced. I’d hoped for some sort of barrier that allowed a small amount of water to build up, but the entire space was filled with it, and it was deep. As my spell continued, the water did part like two dams had risen in the center, confirming my concern about Luke’s water focus. Unfortunately, the moment my spell finished, the water collapsed in on itself, splashing onto me and leaving our route blocked again. I sighed as I looked down at it and at my own soaked clothes.

  “Well. Can you try that spell where you stop time?” she asked. I thought for a long moment.

  “Perhaps. But I’m not strong or fast enough. Not right now. I need more of that teal aura. The magic you used.”

  “How do you get that?” she asked.

  “Like I said before, I need to save the people of this city. One at a time. It’s the only way I know to get the aura I need. But I don’t know how to help anyone. I have no spells that can free anyone from whatever is controlling them. I… I don’t know what to do next,” I admit. Margaret tilted her head at me.

  “Can you swim? Even a little? I can go out ahead of you and see how much we can see,” she offered. I shook my head.

  “Not well, and it’s too deep. Besides, will you be able to see if you aren’t next to me? You don’t seem to use your eyes, but do you not need light at all?” I asked. She scowled.

  “No, you’re right, I need light,” she agreed.

  “So again, I don’t know what to do,” I said. She looked down at the water for a moment.

  “This may sound a bit hypocritical coming from me, I acknowledge that. But… have you considered asking for help?” she asked. I paused.

  “From whom, exactly?” I responded. “I only know of one likely water mage nearby, and I haven’t exactly been instant friends with the other mages I’ve met here so far.” Margaret winced, then grimaced.

  “Well, I don’t know about mages, but my sister used to work at the church here. She may know more about this place, and how to get inside" she shrugged. “It’s worth a shot.” It was my turn to grimace.

  “Anyone else come to mind?” I tried.

  “Why, what’s wrong with Skyla?” Margaret said.

  “She’s probably still grieving right now, for one,” I answered.

  “And for two?” Margaret pressed. I sighed.

  “She shoved a fire poker into my head once. I just… don’t really trust her, after that,” I said. Margaret’s face fell.

  “I’m sorry. That was my fault too, wasn’t it?” she asked. I chose to change the subject rather than answer.

  “Well, it’s a fishing town; I’m certain there are plenty of people who can help. It’ll have more than a few strong swimmers, at the very least.. Harrison maybe? Oh, but I don’t want to leave the girls alone. Maybe Marcus? No, he’s only got… well, he’s under the spell’s influence by now in any case. I’m not sure. But, we’ll find someone,” I responded.

  “And if we don’t?” Margaret pushed. I frowned.

  “We’ll find someone,” I insisted.

  We had to leave the temple. We were going to find help even if, as Margaret had suggested, it had to be Scylla. We were walking toward the girls first, since I hadn’t seen Harrison since leaving him with the girls. I was passing the stage where the performance about Aethon would be shown today, when a voice stopped me.

  “Do you trust Aethon, Mars?” Chandara asked. I froze, then turned. She didn’t usually stop me.

  “I suppose I do,” I responded. I turned and looked into the vibrant and crystal blue eyes, which so sharply contrasted with the girl’s dark skin. She looked almost hurt, for a moment. She was in her Luna costume and had her arms crossed. Then she shrugged and moved her arms behind her head. Well, come watch our show then! We’ve all worked so hard on it!”

  I shook my head. “I’m sorry, I’m a bit busy. And I’ve already seen this one. Maybe I’ll go to the next one?” I offered. Chandara pouted.

  “Luna doesn’t like liars, Mars. Besides, you’re wrong. You haven’t seen this one yet, no one has!” she replied. I stopped. I looked up at Margaret, who stood awkwardly with her hands in her pockets. I’d give her that I’d never seen a performance quite like theirs, but everyone knew the story they were telling. And yet, for some reason, I believed her. Stranger still, I really wanted to watch the show. So, despite the vague urgency driving me forward, despite images of a flooded tunnel in a hidden stairwell and the man who used it, despite memories of terrified girls, magically chained to their mother’s corpse, I nodded.

  “Yeah, alright, I’ll go,” I agreed.

  “Yay!” Chandara exclaimed, hopping up onto her toes and clapping her hands. “You’ll both love it, I promise!”