The Rise of the Fourteen (22 page)

“I can’t hold it any longer.” Anima cries. Luna tries to
pour even more energy into Anima’s shaking body, but it is no use. Anima
collapses and the aegis falls.

“Anima!” Demetri screams. He grabs the girl’s limp form and
jumps through the portal, not eager to see a repeat of what happened to
Nuntios.

Sorem turns and glares at Erus and Luna. “This portal won’t
stay open forever! Come on!”
She gestures to the two remaining
mahi
,
still standing shell-shocked.

Luna’s eyes widen suddenly as an ebony shaft crosses her
vision. “Erus, look out!” She jumps in front of the French boy just as a beam
of shadow comes hurtling towards him. It hits her square in the chest, the
arrowhead piercing her heart.

She gasps in pain and vainly tries to pluck at the barb, but
her hands fail her, merely passing through smoke. She grunts in pain again,
tears beginning to fall down her face. Ice lances through her core,
crescendoing until there is no feeling, only numbness.

She claws at her chest, but to no avail, and sinks to her
knees, her consciousness slipping away. Her eyes cloud over, and she feels one
last shaky breath leave her body before she collapses entirely, falling to the
cave floor.

“Luna!” Erus grabs her limp hand, but it is already cold. He
squeezes it tightly, but barely maintains his grip on her as Sorem drags him
through the shrinking portal.

Heroines are meant to have last words,
Erus thinks
bitterly.
They’re supposed to have moments to remember everything they did,
everything they stood for, everyone they saved.
He looks down at the dead
girl’s hand, which he is still holding.
She did save my sorry ass in the
end, and she didn’t even get to say I told you so.

Erus keeps looking down at Luna’s limp hand and her lifeless
eyes, only because he can’t bring himself to face Arden, sitting on the
opposite side of Luna’s body. They sit, in silence on the marble floor of the
sanctuary foyer, where it all began.
The light that streams through the
high windows is eerie and foreign. The staircase is shrouded in shadow, teeming
with apparitions.

The usually rambunctious crowd is quiet and solemn. Ten
mahi
stand vigil, barely breathing, not speaking. Mortas took one look at Luna’s
corpse and fled the room. Ferula had followed her swiftly, and it had all become
silent once more. They sit and wait for the longest time
—w
aiting for a miracle that isn't going to
happen.

It’s funny,
Arden thinks bitterly as he looks at his dead
sister,
that we have seen hellish creatures and can wield colorful flames. I
can shoot beams of light from my fingertips. I have friends who can read minds,
force people to their knees, and bend water. But you cannot cheat death. You
cannot play God.
He looks across at Erus, his eyes burning.
But some of
us are luckier than others.

 Callida can feel it swirling in the room
—t
he regret, the pain, the
loss. She can read the guilt in Erus’s mind, and the anguish in Arden’s. She
can feel the hole where Luna was, her mind no longer reachable. And it is all
suffocating. She can barely hear her own thoughts, so loud are the thoughts of
others, and her head begins to spin. The marble floor collides with the vaulted
ceiling in her vision.

She shivers involuntarily and is tempted to curl into a
ball, but she will not break her vigil. She stands, silent, her face contorted
with pain.

Faber nudges her gently with his elbow.
Are you okay?

His thoughts float through her mind, clear as day. She
merely shakes her head.
No.
He puts an arm around her shoulder and pulls
her in protectively. She does not protest and rests her head on his chest,
eager for shelter from the swirling storm.

Demetri stands beside his sister, his breathing shallow. For
all of the centuries and searching and looking, a girl lies dead on the stone
floor. He can barely bring himself to look at the semicircle of blank faces.
The
mahi endure, as they must,
he thinks bitterly,
but it is not good enough
.

He looks at the scroll with the instructions, hastily
discarded and now resting by the potted plant next to the staircase. Demetri
can scarcely look at it, let alone think of opening it.
Luna’s blood is on
that scroll. How can I forget that
?

He surveys the
mahi
once more and sees them for what
they truly are
—
teenagers,
driven together by a common purpose, who now wallow in despair.
He sees
no tears, though, only a silent grief
—
one to be shared with friends.

He sees Armifer’s tough, callused hand take Nuntios’s slim,
pale hand. The faint twitching of the mouth as their fingers are interlaced.
And
loved ones,
Demetri adds silently.

He steps carefully across the alabaster floor and makes his
way towards the plant. He bends down and picks up the scroll carefully, not
trusting the papyrus to not crumble at his touch. He stands again and looks
upon the
mahi
. He gazes down at the dead girl, her face still contorted
in suffering.

The real work is only just beginning.

Akalme:
An innate openness to
practicing magic, only found in certain people.

Askelpae:
The name for healing
magic, the magic Sorem and Demetri used to heal Nuntios’s injuries when he
first arrives at the sanctuary.

Eidolon:
The Eidolon are spirits not
at rest that still remain in this world. These are the spirits that eventually
turn against Nuntios.

Evomo:
Another one of the maghta,
the beast that nearly killed Armifer and Nuntios.

Kerykeion:
The name of the staff
Nuntios uses when he and Armifer battle Evomo the first time. It is a staff
that can only be summoned in times of great need by a worthy mahi.

Maghta:
The general name for the
dark deities in the novel.

Magister:
The name given to
sorcerers who showed great prowess in magic and would become the next generation
of teachers to young sorcerers.

Mahi:
An ancient name given to young
sorcerers, used to describe the fourteen teenagers in the novel.

Nakiste/Demons:
The Nakiste and
Demons are other dark creatures that the Maghta control. These creatures
feature most heavily in the final battle of the story.

Prima Magic:
The strongest form of
magic a sorcerer can practice. A sorcerer’s prima magic will vary based on what
branch of magic they practice.

Remex:
One of the maghta
—
the boss of the executive
that took Terrance from his home.

Ripple:
Every time magic is used, it
sends out a ripple of power that can be traced and detected.

Somnum draft:
A powerful sleeping
draft brewed using magic. This is what Demetri uses to “drug” Nuptia.

The Source:
The source of all
magical power in the world. Its physical form is a great fire in the center of
the earth known as the Stelarian.

The Underworld:
A series of ancient underground cities that supposedly guarded the path to the
source. The archeological site where the final battle takes place is one of
those cities.

Catherine G. Carter is a high school student who finally got
around to writing her first novel after years of daydreaming. She likes tea,
listening to music, and watching TV shows. Catherine is also a classical
pianist and plays with her school orchestra. She has traveled to dozens of
countries around the world, but feels most at home with a good book. Catherine
currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where you can probably find her
at a coffee shop, working on her second novel.

[email protected]

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