“You, Olive, have been destined to wield three forms of magic from the beginning of your life.”
Chapter 8
I descended the stairs with Lucretian following behind me, my mind buzzing with new information, still in shock to learn that I was indeed a witch. It was true that I hadn’t inherited black magic, yet the art could be learned, and the more time I spent on this world, the easier the power came to me.
It would have saved Kull and me a lot of trouble if I’d learned all this a few months ago, before he’d been captured by the silverwitch. Silvestra had been so certain that I could use black magic—she’d even referred to the prophecy as proof—and I’d thought she’d been off-her-rocker crazy for thinking it. Looked like she was right after all.
The druid and I made it back to the dining area where my companions sat around the table, talking quietly. Maveryck kept his arm wrapped around Heidel’s shoulder as she leaned into his chest.
Heidel had never accepted his death, and it looked like she’d been right about that, too. Seemed I was getting a lot of things wrong lately.
Kull looked up and gave me a gentle smile as I sat beside him.
“We were just discussing how we’re going to get that sword back,” he said.
“How do you plan to do it?”
“It won’t be easy,” Maveryck answered. “Jeven is the high ruler of this planet’s last remaining city. He keeps the sword hidden in an unknown location in his tower—a basically impenetrable fortress located at the town’s center where the magic is strongest. The sword is protected by a web of spells that are fueled by the same energy powering most of the city.”
“But get this,” Kull added. “You remember how the unicorn’s stone was stolen several years ago, and how we were able to find the fairies’ stone but never located the unicorn’s stone?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“It seems Jeven and his people lured the bloodthorn—who was then a unicorn—into their lands. They used him to steal the unicorn’s stone and bring it to them. Now, it seems they’ve been using that very stone as a partial power source for their city.”
“And,” Maveryck added, “they also use it as a protection against the Regaymor. But it won’t last long, which is why they tried to use the bloodthorn to steal the fairies’ stone for them, so they could replace the unicorn’s stone with it.”
“Wow,” I said. “I never knew.”
“No, none of us had any way of knowing,” Maveryck said. “Also, they thought that by bringing the two stones to their land, they could restore their world. You see, they once worshipped Theht, but the ancient goddess disappeared completely from this world. She withdrew all her powers, which had once protected them. The people here thrived on her energy, and when she left, millions died, leaving only a handful of people behind. Now, they all live in that city, surviving in part on the magic of the stolen unicorn’s stone.”
“And,” Kull added, “if we want to remove the sword from Jeven’s tower, we’ll have to take away the source of the magic keeping it locked inside.”
“If we wish to take the sword,” Maveryck said, “we’ll have to remove the unicorn’s stone first.”
“So…” Brodnik said. “That’s two things we’ve got to steal—the sword and the stone.”
My eyebrows rose. If a King Arthur reference went unnoticed by everyone at the table except for me, was it still a King Arthur reference?
“Why are you smiling?” Rolf asked me.
“Inside joke,” I answered. “But yeah, let’s talk about this. How are we supposed to steal the sword and the stone at the same time?”
“We’ll have to split up,” Maveryck said. “That’s the only way to do it. We actually have to split into three groups. One group will wait outside the city gates with Lucretian.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because,” Lucretian answered. “Long ago, Jeven and I were friends, but he craved power and sought to take my magic from me. We battled one another. I beat him, and he failed in taking my powers, but he managed to place an aaric’s spell on me, making it impossible for me to enter the city. Jeven holds the city and everything in it. If I were to enter, the guards would be immediately alerted to my presence and I would be taken prisoner. It would end our quest to remove the sword before it ever began.”
“Someone must wait with Lucretian outside the city walls,” Maveryck said. “It won’t be an easy task. Inside the city, there is protection from the Regaymor, but outside, there is none. However, once we retrieve both the sword and the stone, we will have to leave the city as quickly as possible and make our way outside the gates where Lucretian will create a portal for us to escape back to Faythander.
“Escaping through a portal is the only way we’ll elude Jeven’s guards. We’ll have to do it quickly, and even then, I’m not sure it’s possible. Still, we have no choice but to try.” Maveryck nodded at the two Wult men sitting at the end of the table. “Rolf and Brodnik have agreed to guard the druid while we enter the city, but they can’t do it alone. Lucretian will need the staff of Zaladin.”
“Why does he need the staff?”
“Because its magic has the ability to repel the Regaymor.”
Made sense. “While Lucretian, Brodnik, and Rolf are camped outside the city, what will the rest of us be doing?” I asked.
Heidel spoke up. “We thought you and my brother would take the sword from Jeven while Maveryck and I retrieve the stone. Neither task will be easy.”
“But if we want the sword back,” Kull said, “they’ll both have to be done.”
I sat back in my chair. “Let me see if I have this straight. Kull and
