Page 79 of A Tower of Half-Truths

Forty-Eight

The more distance they put between themselves and the temple, the more its effects receded. Alain led the way this time, with the Sensing spell anchored to the iron coin he’d once given Mavery.

She thought back to the time Alain had diverted her from his storage room. But now, instead of sending them around an apartment, the ley line took them through woods that were even more dense than the ones they had just traversed.

They walked for nearly half an hour, until they reached the remains of a small cabin. Most of its stone walls had crumbled, and it had no roof. Scattered all around the area were tall plants bearing six-pointed white flowers.

“Asphodel,” Mavery said.

“You’re right,” Ellice said, giving the white petals a closer look. “Strange, I thought these grew further south, closer to Maroba.”

“Then someone must have planted them here.”

Mavery recalled what Selemin had told her: the Order of Asphodel’s meeting place had been a cabin in these very woods, and the Dyadists had burned it to the ground. Though that had happened centuries ago, she could swear the scent of burnt wood lingered in the air.

“This place must have belonged to the Order,” Mavery said.

“Indeed,” Alain said, pointing at what remained of the longest wall. Carved into the crumbling hearth was that same flower symbol from before. Unlike the one on the temple’s pediment, this one had worn away with time; little more than an impression remained.

Alain crouched beside the ley line and pushed aside a tuft of grass. At first glance, the ley line simply ended. But upon taking a closer look, Mavery realized it sank beneath the dirt, in what had once been the center of the room.

“It’s a shame we didn’t bring a shovel,” Alain said.

“No, but we do have a mender,” Mavery said.

They both turned to Ellice.

“All right,” she sighed. “Let’s see what we’re dealing with.”

She lowered herself onto the ground and pushed up her sleeves, then closed her eyes and placed her palms flat against the dirt.

Mavery’s small dose of potion had worn off, and so she Sensed saltwater in the air, though more faintly than when Ellice had created a hole in the fence at the Roven estate.

Mavery realized that Ellice was simply probing the ground, trying to determine what lay beneath it.

Ellice’s brow furrowed as her fingers gripped the dirt.

“There’s definitely something buried down there.” She opened her eyes again. “At least six feet deep.”

“A body?” Neldren asked.

“No, it gave too much resistance to my magic. It’s inorganic—maybe some sort of metal.”

“The anchor,” Alain said. “Can you dig it up?”

She frowned. “This amount of dirt is going to be heavy, which means it’ll require a lot of magic. Probably more than I have to spare, if I’m being honest.”

Mavery turned to Alain. “Did you bring any extra anchors?”

“Only the sort that would help with the spell’s longevity or area of effect. What she needs is something that will amplify her arcana.” He sighed. “If only I still had my gems, or if I’d thought to bring a potion…”

“What if she used one of us?”

“Using another mage as an anchor?” He considered it for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, that should work.”

As he stepped forward, Mavery threw out her arm, stopping him. “You’re still recovering, or have you already forgotten?”

“I’m all but fully recovered, which means I have plenty of arcana to spare.”

“But what if you end up too drained to destroy the anchor, not to mention deal with whatever is inside the temple?”

Alain scoffed. “I hardly think a simple Faisancy spell will—”

“I’ll do it,” Neldren said.

The other three turned to him in unison.

“Seeing as how my magic’s been useless so far.” There was an edge of bitterness to his voice. He lowered himself beside Ellice, then sat back on his heels. “What do I need to do?”

“The majority of it will be Ellice’s doing,” Alain said. “You’ll simply need to maintain physical contact with her for the full duration of the spell.”

“You say that like it’ll be a challenge.” Neldren smirked as he placed a hand on Ellice’s knee. Mavery fought the urge to vomit again.

“Ellice, you’ll need to focus on drawing from his arcana. Imagine illuminating a lamp, but in reverse. It’s an advanced technique, so don’t be disappointed if you’re not successful—”

The scent of saltwater filled the air so strongly, Mavery thought for a second that she’d been transported to the sea. A section of ground directly in front of Ellice fissured, then rose in the air and landed off to the side with a soft thud.

“On the first try,” Alain finished flatly. He looked to Mavery. “Well, it seems you’re not the only fast learner around here.”

Ellice continued to clear away the dirt, one square foot at a time.

Sweat beaded across her forehead, her cheeks turned the same color as her hair.

Neldren wavered slightly as Ellice’s arcana began to feed off his, but never once did he let go of Ellice’s knee.

He even placed his other hand on her lower back as he muttered something beneath his breath.

Rare words of encouragement, Mavery assumed.

Before long, there was a deep hole in the ground and a towering pile of dirt beside it.

Ellice raised her hands, and the anchor was lifted from its resting place.

Mavery gasped. It was the largest slab of copper she’d ever seen, roughly the size of a coffin.

Blinding silver light flooded the immediate area.

With a groan, Ellice lowered her hands and ended the spell.

The anchor plummeted to the ground with enough force to rattle the cabin’s remaining walls.

Neldren and Ellice collapsed backward in unison.

If her spellcasting hadn’t completely drained the arcana from both of them, it had certainly come close.

They lay in the weeds, breathing heavily, as Alain began examining the anchor.

Once Mavery’s eyes adjusted to the light, the ley line itself came into focus. Whereas most were threadlike, this one was as thick as rope. It fizzled with wild energy, much like the magic that shrouded the temple. Alain closed his eyes as he hovered his hands above it.

“Odd,” he said. “I can feel the Ether…and something else.”

“Necromancy?” Mavery asked.

He shook his head. “No, even the most heinous forms of Necromancy are Ethereal in nature. This magic is from no School I’m familiar with.”

Mavery came to his side, closed her eyes, and focused her Senses.

At once, she recognized the Ether caressing her like a soft breeze.

But as she continued to focus, she detected another force that was chaotic, yet solid.

Like a wild animal tugging on a leash, it reminded her of how her own arcana felt just before a magic surge.

She breathed deeply, filling her lungs with an aroma that she’d mistaken as coming from her physical surroundings.

Now, she realized that she’d been Sensing this strange magic ever since arriving at the cabin.

When she opened her eyes, Alain was holding a book she assumed he’d retrieved from the small library in his satchel.

“Could you Sense it?” he asked.

“Yes, it smells like a forest fire and…” She paused to attune her Senses again. “And soil after a rainstorm, strangely enough.”

“Petrichor.”

She nodded. “I’ve never Sensed anything quite like this. What do you think? Can you work with it?”

“Only the part that is undoubtedly Gardemancy. As for this other magic, I’m not sure.” He scratched his chin for a moment, then shrugged. “I think the most straightforward solution is to destroy the anchor.”

Neldren sat up. “Hold on. That amount of copper is worth a small fortune! You’re not actually going to destroy it?”

“It’s either that, or we camp out here until I can fully study this magic and determine which School it’s from. And even then, I’m not entirely certain I’ll be able to disable the spell itself.”

Neldren and Ellice exchanged a look. Mavery could see their collective wheels turning, calculating exactly how much the anchor was worth, and dreaming of the luxuries they could afford with such a score.

“If you would like to take a stab at the strange, all-powerful magic, be my guest,” Mavery said.

She stepped aside and gestured at the anchor. As she suspected, Neldren remained seated. Even if his arcana had been at its full capacity, she doubted he would be that reckless.

“Fine,” he grumbled. “Just seems like a waste…”

“All right,” Alain said, clearing his throat. “Mavery, you’ll want to take a step back.”

She did so, and he kneeled beside the copper slab.

He placed the pad of his index finger against a tiny section that the ley line didn’t touch, then rattled off a long incantation.

Mavery shivered as the Ether brushed against her skin; Alain’s spell contained no trace of that dark, wild magic.

The copper glowed, then an acrid stench filled the air as it transmutated into gray stone.

The ley line dissipated, taking the silver light along with it.

The world grew suddenly dim, the scent of burning wood and petrichor faded to the aroma of pine.

Alain swayed on the spot, clutching his stomach, but the sensation seemed to pass quickly. Taking Mavery’s hand, he rose to his feet and brushed the dirt from his knees.

Neldren sighed with the melancholy of watching a loved one pass away.

“Don’t worry,” Ellice said, patting his knee. “With any luck, whatever’s inside the temple will be just as valuable.”

He laughed coldly, unconvinced.