Crown of the Queen (The Wardbreaker Book 3) Read online

  I’d refused to tell him the names of the others involved, and then I’d resisted his attempts at digging the information out of my head with his magic—I had Ifrit to thank for that. I also told him about what had happened with and to Asmodius, how he had disappeared, why he had disappeared, and how, as Magister, he must publicly condemn the man for his actions.

  The only name I couldn’t leave out was Axel’s.

  Needless to say, Eliphas—Magister of the New York Council of Mages—wasn’t impressed. Or, he was, but he couldn’t exactly come out and say it. Not if he wanted to at least make it look like he didn’t condone thievery.

  Eliphas pulled a handkerchief out of his suit pocket and used it to dab away the film of sweat forming above his eyebrows. Some of the veins there had popped, and his entire face had gone red from the stress of having to reel in his emotional response to the things I was saying. Becket would’ve sat there, calm as a block of stone, if that had been him. The two could’ve have been more different.

  “Alright,” Eliphas said, sliding the handkerchief back into his suit pocket. “So…” he paused, shook his head, like he was trying to process everything that had just been said; and failing. “You almost unmade the world… you agree to that assertion?”

  “I do,” I said.

  “And you’re okay with that?”

  “I mean… we’re still here, aren’t we?”

  “Yes, but… do you have any idea what the rest of the Council will say when they hear about this?”

  “Probably best if we don’t tell all the big wigs, then, right? Keep this between us… I mean, it’s not like you told anyone you had anything stolen.”

  Eliphas frowned. “How do you know I didn’t report the theft to the rest of the Council?”

  I shrugged. “Because then you’d have looked incompetent. You told the Council there’d been a security breach, but you’d managed to keep that breach under control and—better yet—you’d caught the three actual morons responsible. No harm, no foul, no need to raise a possible Armageddon alarm.”

  A moment of silence passed. “She isn’t wrong,” Becket said, breaking it. “If you’d told anyone what was missing from your vault, news would’ve spread like blood through water. You would never have contained it. You may have even been forced out of your position.”

  “It wasn’t incompetence,” Eliphas snapped, scrambling to hold onto his pride. “You have a gift of some kind, a gift no one could’ve predicted someone would have.”

  “I could’ve predicted it,” Becket said, “And I did, once before. But she’s still quite the thief.”

  Becket gave me a sidelong smirk. One of approval. In another life, I’d have corrected him; told him I wasn’t a thief. But, let’s face it, that’s what I was. A thief. I stole things from people who didn’t want to have stuff stolen from them. And I was damn good at it, too. At least I wasn’t a common thief. That was the new line in the sand.

  “As much as it pains me to say it,” Eliphas said, “Part of me is grateful you were able to open the box and the scroll inside. I’d been wanting to know what was written on it for the longest time.”

  “And we didn’t all explode, right?” I asked.

  “Well, yes, of course. That also…” he paused, scanned our faces, then licked his lips. “So… what did it say?”

  I hadn’t told him yet. Like a good storyteller, I’d left the tastiest bit of the story out as an incentive for him to let me tell it all. He needed to know the whole thing, you know, so he wouldn’t just decide to kill me for having crossed him. Context was important, here. But he’d listened, I wasn’t already on my way to prison, and I’d managed to keep my friends’ identities a secret.

  Now it was time to tell him what he wanted to know.

  “It’s a map,” I said, “A map that’s going to take us to the drowned Queen’s city.”

  Eliphas frowned. “I thought you said you couldn’t read it.”

  “We can’t,” Becket put in, “There are elements of the map that are missing. Latitudes, longitudes, landmarks. The map itself is perfectly preserved; time isn’t to blame for its illegibility. This was done on purpose. Another security system, I suspect. That’s why we need you.”

  “Me?” Eliphas asked, “What can I do?”

  “Have you ever heard of Aetherglass?”

  The Magister stared at Becket, the cogs in his mind working hard to summon an answer that just wasn’t there. In his defense, I didn’t know the answer either. The most frustrating thing about being a Mage was, there was no quick internet search you could do to find the answer to a question; and worse, no online video tutorials.

  “Remind me…” Eliphas said.

  “If I have to remind you, then you don’t have what I need, this conversation is over, and we will leave.”

  Becket went to stand, but Eliphas shot up first. “If you leave now, I’ll have the Legionnaires take you both in for stealing from me.”

  My heart slammed against my chest so hard it made my vision wobble. I got up too, but that only made Eliphas even more jittery. He took a defensive stance, his hands at the ready, magic already starting to swirl around us—invisible, but present all the same.

  “One thought,” the Magister warned, “One thought, and this room will be filled with them. You may be able to take down one or two of them, but eventually, you’ll fall.”

  The brothers glared at each other from across the table. The room was tense, charged not just with magic, but with sibling rivalry. Just by looking at them both I could tell that, even though at times during their lives they’d been allies, there had always been rivalry between them—one always trying to be better than the other one.

  “Think carefully about what you’re doing,” Becket warned, the red glow in his eyes intensifying.

  “Are you willing to let your people die like rats? Because I won’t take them down, I will put them down and make you watch.”

  A warm rush pushed into the pit of my stomach. Holy shit. I’d never heard Becket talk like that. He’d just threatened to murder Magistrate Legionnaires in front of the Magister himself, and he’d done it so calmly. It reminded me that I didn’t really know too much about Becket, not really. Not beyond what he’d told me.

  Eliphas’ expression tightened. “You would dare threaten the Magister of the New York Council?”

  “I have, and I will again, but that isn’t why I came. Think about where we are. We’re on the cusp of discovering the drowned Queen’s city. Are you going to throw that away to satisfy your vanity?”

  “You clearly don’t know me very well.”

  “I know you better than most. That’s why I’m going to do you a favor and tell you how your vanity would be better served.”

  “And how is that?”

  “When we find the drowned city, I plan on sharing the discovery with the rest of our kind—as it was always meant to be. You could be at the head of that discovery. The brothers who resurfaced an ancient jewel.”

  Eliphas ground his teeth, swapping between staring at me and then back at his brother. After a beat, he seemed to relax. “I don’t have any Aetherglass,” Eliphas said, his memory on the subject having suddenly cleared up, “Do you have any idea how rare that is?”

  “I do, but you are a collector,” Becket said, “I thought perhaps you happened to own some.”

  “Well, I don’t. I mean, it isn’t something Mages happen to have lying around. Creating it requires more skill and ability than most Mages living today have.”

  “Which is exactly why I haven’t simply created some for myself. I’m not afraid of admitting my shortcomings, and this is one of them. The practice, the discipline, and the power necessary to produce Aetherglass is out of my reach.”

  “What about Asmodius?” I asked. “Would he have had any?”

  “Doubtful,” Becket said, “If he had, he would have been far more difficult to defeat.”

  “I hardly think we defeated him. Honestly, we probably only inc
onvenienced him.”

  “Still, a win is a win.”

  The Magister took his seat, Becket mirroring his actions. I followed, allowing myself to sit down again now that the tension was gone. Eliphas shook his head. “This is ridiculous,” he said, “You’re asking for Aetherglass, knowing full well how difficult it is to acquire?”

  “Aetherglass is one of the rarest substances on Earth,” Becket said. “So rare, in fact, because it isn’t from this planet; it even doesn’t occur naturally within our dimension. Aetherglass comes from the Tempest. It is magic in its purest form, drawn out of the Tempest and refined into a physical object. It’s like drawing enough dust from the air to fashion a working katana; a painstaking, elaborate, sublime process almost impossible to successfully perform.”

  “It sounds kinda beautiful,” I said.

  “It is. Unfortunately, the practice of creating it is also forbidden, hence its rarity. So, yes, I know exactly how difficult it is to acquire.”

  “Forbidden? Why?” I asked.

  “Because of how powerful it is,” Eliphas said. “Well, it’s not that the substance itself is powerful, more like it amplifies a Mage’s magic. Even having a little of it to focus a spell through is enough to make that spell easily ten times more powerful.”

  “More like a hundredfold,” Becket said. “It is one of the most dangerous substances known to Mage kind.”

  “And you thought he owned some?” I asked, “That sounds kinda far-fetched now, doesn’t it?”

  “Not necessarily. In order for Aetherglass to be of use to any Mage, it must be properly tempered. Otherwise it’s about as useful as a diamond. An indestructible, pretty rock, but a rock nonetheless. Many Mages collect such pieces for their sanctums; those who can afford the asking price, of course.”

  “So, he doesn’t have any, and even if he did, it would need to be properly tempered by someone who knows how to do that, and that someone isn’t in this room. What exactly are we doing here?”

  Eliphas lowered his head. Sighed. “Because I know where you can find someone who can temper Aetherglass.”

  Becket grinned. “And thus, the true purpose of our visit is brough to light. I need to speak to him.”

  “You can’t,” the Magister’s head came up again. “I can’t help you.”

  “Of course, you can. You’re the Magister of New York. You can do whatever you want.”

  “I can’t, and you know it.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he doesn’t work for the Magistrate anymore. He defected a long time ago. I couldn’t help you if I wanted to, no one in the Magistrate can.”

  “Because you don’t know where he is?”

  “No, we know where he is. The only problem is Magistrate Mages are forbidden from following him where he’s gone. That’s why he went there.”

  “You let him reach Devil Falls?” Becket asked.

  “We didn’t let him do anything,” Eliphas said, “We all knew he could create magic amplifiers. When he wanted to leave, we let him. What choice did we have?”

  The Magister was speaking, but I started losing track of what he was saying. Devil Falls. Everybody knew about Devil Falls. It was the wrong side of the tracks. The haunted house at the end of the street. That dark alley where people get mugged, shot, and kidnapped. It was a place even angels feared to tread.

  In Devil Falls, the Magistrate had no power. Mages who wore badges of authority or tried to wield any political might were killed before they could say in the name of. It’s a place where natives and outsiders openly did battle. A place where the worst of the worst went to play their dark games.

  But they had good bagel places, so there was that.

  “As I told you,” Eliphas said, “I can’t help you reach him… but, if you can somehow find him, I will make sure you have all of the Magistrate’s resources at your disposal to help you track down the drowned city.”

  I cocked an eyebrow. “Just so we’re clear,” I said, “You’re leaving the task of locating him, convincing him to help us, and coming back with the Aetherglass all for us to figure out… and then at the end you’ll come in and help us find the drowned city?”

  “Maybe one day you’ll learn some rules are not meant to be broken,” Eliphas said. “Not only for the good of the one, but for the good of the many. If the Magistrate starts flexing its muscles near Devil Falls, dangerous agents could take that as a declaration of war, and then we’ll have a big problem right at our doorstep. Now, do we have a deal?”

  It was Eliphas this time who stood and stretched his hand. Becket got to his feet and stared at the hand in front of him. I followed, watching this all play out. Something about it didn’t seem right, and I was sure Becket could feel it too. His senses were way keener than mine. Besides, he knew exactly who he was dealing with; a liar, a cheat, a con man.

  Still, he took his brother’s hand and shook it. That was the first time I’d seen the Magister touch someone. Proof that he was willing to break rules in pursuit of the drowned Queen’s treasure. Did that mean I trusted him even one bit?

  Fuck no.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “Absolutely no way,” Danvers said, shaking her head and shutting her eyes. She looked like a kid being offered a spoonful of mushy vegetables, her face all screwed up like that. I was the unfortunate parent who had to make sure she ate those vegetables, though, because she was our only real way into Devil Falls.

  “Look, I’m not trying to throw you into a tough spot,” I said, “But we could really use your help here.”

  “Devil Falls? Do you really want to go to Devil fucking Falls? I spent most of my life trying to get out of that place, what makes you think I’d ever want to go back? They should’ve called it the Devil’s Asshole, because that’s what it is. Just a whole district full of devil shit.”

  “Okay… I’m starting to sense you may have some strong feelings toward it.”

  “No shit.” Danvers walked over to her window and stared out at New York beyond it. “You’ve never been there, have you?” she asked, turning to look at me.

  I shook my head. “No. I mean, the place isn’t exactly a tourist attraction.”

  “I lived there my entire young life. I saw some things I’m never gonna forget for as long as I live.”

  “I’ve only ever heard about the place. It’s like an urban legend.”

  “Nah, urban legends are mostly bullshit. This is one-hundred-percent real. It’s literally the place where souls go to die.”

  I walked over to the edge of her bed and sat down. “I need to find this guy. He’s the only one who can help us read the map, and without the map… I mean, what’s any of this been for if we can’t read the map?”

  Danvers scoffed. “Fuck the map. We’re probably better off not going down there anyway. Who knows what’s waiting for us?”

  Despite being an actual teenager, it was usually pretty easy to forget how young she really was. She was so confident, so strong. She always made it look like she didn’t need anybody, like other people were just thorns in her side at worse, or dead weight at best. But right now, with the prospect of going near the very place she’d sworn never to set foot in again, it was as if the mask had slipped, even if only just a little bit.

  This was rare.

  “Do you know what Aetherglass is?” I asked.

  “Any Tempest worth their salt knows what it is,” she said, “We’re the only ones with the power to harvest and temper it.”

  “Could you do it?”

  Another scoff. “Hardly. The rituals alone take years of practice to master. You need to commit them to memory before you can even attempt the harvesting process; that alone could kill a Mage who isn’t properly prepared. Oh, and as if that wasn’t a high enough barrier for entry, the only Mages who know the rituals are those who have already mastered the art, and good luck getting them to share that knowledge with you.”

  “I think you just stressed exactly how important this guy is to us. If he real
ly can make Aetherglass, we need to find him, and we need to get him to make some for us so we can read the map.”

  Danvers snapped around and glared at me. “I’ve already told you; you can shove that map. I’m not going back to Devil Falls.”

  “You won’t be going alone. You’ll have me, us.”

  “You think Karim has what it takes to survive out there? They’ll eat him alive. And RJ? Trust me, the monsters down there can smell a Legionnaire coming from a mile away, and they’ll do everything they can to put that Legionnaire six feet under. It doesn’t matter if he isn’t actively serving the Magistrate; that’s a stink that just never washes off.”

  “I get it. Devil Falls is dangerous, but there’s much more at stake here than just finding a few treasures in a city underwater somewhere. Think of the discoveries we could make—discoveries you could make. This is it, Cassidy. The drowned city, the Queen. You’re the only person who can find this guy. I need you.”

  Danvers stared at me from where she stood and rolled her eyes. “Need me less.”

  I smiled at her. “Not gonna happen.” I stood up and walked across to where she was standing, sensing that her defenses were coming down. Slowly, but surely. “I don’t know what we’re gonna find on the other side of that map. There’s no one living who can answer that question. But you know exactly what we’re gonna find in Devil Falls.”

  “Pssh, yeah. Fiends. Vampires. Psycho Mages. Naga. The list goes on.”

  “You really think any of us stands a chance down there without you?”

  Danvers looked up at me, her eyes betraying a truth she wasn’t going to give up easily. “You won’t understand,” she said.

  I took her hand. “Make me understand it. I want to.”

  “What the hell good will it do? You’re just gonna find a way to convince me to do this, even though I don’t want to, and then I’ll look like the asshole for saying no.”

  “I’m not going to do that. If you put your foot down, I’ll respect your decision. But I want to know why you won’t go back.”