The Crystal Trials

52

On Astrus, we set out to meet Volar him after diner. Our group consisted of Ameer and I, Taury, Garren, and Faolan. We tried to include Dath, but every time we did, he was practicing in the training yard or couldn't be found. He had bulked up since the winter ball a couple of months ago. He was changing, effected by the death of his grandma, and using magic. We all were, but Dath stood out the most. I could see my pointed ears in the mirror each morning. I noticed I could see far away, and my hearing had gotten keen. The only thing I couldn't do was shift like the others.

As Ameer led us down some back streets, we talked about Emyr. It had been a slow week waiting for Volar to contact Ameer. With Emyr being infected by the parasite, we were glad we had him contact the Axion long before then. We hoped Volar had some answers. Emyr was running out of time.

Taury and Garren had explained to me what they had discovered in the red tome. It had claimed that there was a ninth element controlled by magical blood. The ninth element annoyingly went unnamed. I had wondered if the purple light I had seen Atiweh use in Lambert's memory was the element the book spoke of. But it did not even remotely fit the description.

What is it that you think about, Nik? Ameer's voice entered my mind.

It startled me since he had been walking next to me and hadn't even turned to look at me while he spoke. A small grin split his face at my reaction. I fought the urge to shove him. So, I took a guess and sent him an image of my middle finger and he barked a laugh out loud. Ha. I won.

I was thinking about the ninth element that was in the red book. It doesn't explicitly name the supposed element and only describes it. I finally answered him.

We will ask Volar then. Maybe he knows. Now, block me.

I whipped my head to him. Now?

Now.

I don't know what substance to imagine! I complained.

Diamond. You are a diamond. Rare. Beautiful. And strong. And cutting it, only makes it shine brighter.

Um. Wow. Ok. I swallowed and pictured a diamond wall as he suggested. And he brushed up against the wall as if his panther was rubbing on my leg. Beside me I could practically feel him purr. Achar on my arm agreed and spun around in circles looking for a comfortable place to nap. "Lazy." I whispered to it. The dammed winged lion had the gall to yawn.

Perfect. We approach.

Ameer had walked us to the old temple of Phaewen. I avoided looking at the feet of the statue, memories surfacing. Memories I was not in a place to deal with in that moment. Behind the dais the statue sat upon, Volar appeared. He waved us forward and led us to a door that blended seamlessly into the stone. He looked to Ameer. Their silent communication obvious to me now that I could do it as well.

The wall opened and the five of us followed the Axion leader down steep stairs. The stairs we declined were so old that there were divots worn into the center of each stone step. Volar closed the door behind us with earth magic and lit the area in front of us with a ball of light. The trek down was long and we were huffing by the time we reached the landing.

Around us was a full village worth of lodgings. The place was enormous. There were whole families down there. Children ran around, their ears varying from pointed to round and everything in between. Some little ones were even chasing each other and casting small magics. Taury and Garren eye each other, clearly thinking that same thing I was. This was definitely not the same Axion that was attacking the halflings in the city.

Some of the people looked at as with curiosity, others with wariness. But no one wore faces of distain or contempt. We followed Volar to the back of the area and through a wooden door. Inside was a makeshift office. He ushered us to sit down on the cushioned stone benches in front of his desk.

"Ameer insisted that we meet as soon as possible. What has happened?"

The five of us rattled off the events of the last few weeks. Faolan spoke of Emyr and her episode. We all attested to her condition and the worsening of it. Taury and Garren explained their findings in the ninth element book so far. They apologized for their slow progress as the writing was old and hardly legible. Volar explained that he knew of the book based on some inside information but had never been able to read it for himself. He had placed the numbers on the card in hopes of finding some students to aid him. They had been trying to find the culprit for killing off students for many years with no results. He admitted that we were the first group of students that had followed through so far. Apparently, one student a few years ago even tried to expose them and that was what caused them to relocate under the temple ruins.

"Do you have any idea how we can remove the gauntlets? Our friend is dying." Taury asked as soon as everyone had finished relaying the recent events.

"Unfortunately, I don't. We have been trying for so many years. Every time we attempted to remove them. The student ended up dying. There were at Hells' door as it was, but that doesn't make the less any less than."

We were all visibly saddened at that news.

Garren lifted his head and asked, "Do you know what the ninth element is?"

"Yes."

We looked at each other. Faolan bounced on his cushion. I fidgeted with my sleeve and Ameer spun his nose ring. Volar looked down first as if contemplating if he should tell us.

"Do you have the book with you?"

Taury removed it from her bag, the corners getting stuck at the seems from the massive size of it. I wasn't sure how she fit anything else in her bag with it. She pushed it towards him on the desk. Volar flipped through the pages carefully and with the utmost respect. He landed well past Taury's bookmark, indicating he must have either had the page memorized, or had an idea of where the information lay. Taury leaned forward to read the page out loud.

"The blood of magic descent will help a quartz gain power. The gem must have access to fresh blood in order for the syphoning of power to be successful. There is a delicate balance between the relationship of the crystal and the blood bound. Should the crystal remain intact for an undetermined amount of time, a toxic relationship is built with it. If the toxic relationship is established, the quartz will transform over time into a shadow quartz.

"Shadow quartz is its own gem in every manner. The physical and magical composition is forever changed and tainted. The blood of magic descent enters the vein of the crystal creating an entirely new element to access."

Taury turned the book sideways to read more along the long edge of the page. "Over here are some written notes by someone that must have done some experiments. It goes on to explain that-" Taury went white. She took a deep breath than uttered, "The quartz converts the magical blood into Shadow Magic."

Volar agreed grimly, "The ninth element."

Faolan spoke up first, "Is that what Rion is trying to do? Kill the students with shadow magic?"

"We need to save Emyr first. How do we fight shadow magic? If there are nine elements, there is no opposite to the ninth one."

"Now that is exactly why we need help." Volar leaned against his desk, legs crossed in front of him. "Will you help us?"

The decision was unanimous.Yes, we would. Rion was not going to get away with killing so many students.