Read His Cure For Magic (Book 2) Online
Authors: M.R. Forbes
Tags: #Magic, #Fantasy, #Young Adult Fantasy, #Dark Fantasy, #Coming of Age, #Epic Fantasy, #Wizards, #Magic and Wizards, #Sword and Sorcery
His Cure For Magic (Book 2) (33 page)
"You're saying I'm wrong about the mines? About the Cursed? About the cure?"
"I'm not saying you are wrong. I am saying you should trust in me. When you made the promise, you knew what it meant. It isn't your fault you don't remember now. I never wanted to destroy you. I still do not want to, but I will if I must."
Did
he
sound... sad? The hint of the emotion confused Silas. "The Empire is fractured. We've killed more of our own people than the Shifters ever did. How is that the world that we envisioned? How is that the aftermath that we agreed to?"
Silence. They waited for
him
to speak again.
"It is not your concern, Talon. Rossum is gone, which means the healing process can no longer be completed. It was the only reason Genesia remained standing, when all of the other reactors have been long buried."
Another pause.
"If you survive, you will find no safety in the Empire. Every resource I have will be devoted to finding you, and to putting down the rebellion you hope to sow. Understand that it is not because I want to. You have forced this, and even in that I cannot blame you. Goodbye, Talon."
"What does it mean, if it survives?" Oz asked.
The tower began to shiver.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Eryn
Eryn was dreaming. She was sure of it. Wilem was there, and amazingly enough, so was Silas. They were standing in the middle of a round, stone platform, and she was being held by the strangest creature she had ever seen. It was large and rusted and battered, as though it had been used as a target for arms training. Its head turned when she shifted.
"It is awake," it said.
Wilem didn't hear the creature. He was standing in the center of the platform, his face wrinkled in concentration. Silas heard, and he walked over to her.
"Eryn. You have no idea how glad I am to see you."
Her tears fell onto a rusted shoulder. "You're alive," she whispered through a dry throat. "How?"
He smiled. "It is a long story, and one better saved for once we're out of this place."
It was his words that clued her in to their danger. Everything around them was shaking, and she could hear a high-pitched whine.
"What's happening? This isn't a dream?" She looked down at her hands. The grayness was gone. So was the throbbing in her thigh.
"No, not a dream. Is that better or worse?"
"You're here. And Wilem is here. It's better."
"We might die."
It was her turn to smile. "We won't. Not with you here."
The tower shuddered again, the force of it shaking the platform. It rocked side to side, and the edge slammed against the wall with a loud bang. Wilem tensed his face and turned his hands, using his Curse to regain control and help guide them down.
"Did we get what we needed?" she asked. "Do you know where to find
him
?"
Silas' expression changed. He looked unsure. "No, but I think we're closer," he lied. "Some of what we learned should prove to be quite valuable."
The platform began to slow. Silas walked over to the edge and looked down.
"Too fast, Wilem," he said. "You need to stop it."
"I can't," he replied through his clenched teeth. "It's hard enough just to keep it level."
Silas came back to her, leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Oz will get you out. I'll take care of Wilem. Oz, go."
"Is it pleased to follow its command." The creature stomped over to the edge of the platform and jumped off.
Eryn held her breath while they fell, and let it go when they hit the ground a few rapid heartbeats later. She was facing the wrong way to see what happened, but she heard Silas grunt, and both he and Wilem rolled to a stop at the metal man's feet.
"We need to get out," Silas said, pulling himself up. They all started running as the intensity of the shuddering grew. There was a loud boom down below; the platform hitting the ground.
They got through the doorway and made it outside. Eryn held on tight to the creature, closing her eyes when she would be jostled too heavily and her head would erupt in pain and dizziness. The mist was no longer rising from the ground here, but it was all shaking and vibrating, and the soil was beginning to give way.
"Faster," Silas cried.
He ran with a heavy limp, and she could tell he was in horrible pain, but he put his hand under Wilem's shoulder and pulled him along at a quicker pace.
Eryn tightened her grip even more. That something of such size could move as fast as it did was astounding, and she was thankful to Amman for delivering the creature to them.
A loud crack sounded behind them, and then a massive wave of heat pressed against their backs. The force was enough to cause even the juggernaut to fall forward, and it did everything it could to twist its body so it wouldn't land on her. She could see the tower behind them, the ircidium shell cracking and shattering and melting from the gigantic explosion. It rumbled as it fell, sending dust and smoke and ash outward from its center, and spreading it across them.
"Eryn!"
She heard Wilem calling to her.
"I'm here."
The metal man was still, so she pushed the arm away and rose onto unsteady feet. They were surrounded by dust and ash, but she could see Wilem through it, walking over to her. His face was covered in dirt, his clothes torn and tattered, his hair matted and grimy. She smiled as he approached, and then let him wrap her up in his arms.
"I'm so glad you're safe," he said. "I love you."
She had dreamt he had said it to her once before. Now she was sure it was real. "I love you, too."
Someone coughed.
Silas was standing behind them.
Eryn pushed Wilem away and threw her arms around him, holding him so tightly he might have choked. "You look terrible," she said into his ear, the tears running freely from her eyes.
"I've been worse," he replied. "Thank Amman you're alive."
"It is stuck. It is bent. It requires attention."
"What is that thing?" Eryn asked, separating herself from Silas.
"One Zero, get up. That's an order," he said.
The metal man rocked back and forth a few times, managing to get its arm under it and lift itself off the ground. Its left foot was bent nearly sideways, but it managed to balance itself. "It is pleased if First of Nine calls it 'Oz'."
"First of Nine?" Eryn asked.
Silas didn't answer her. He stared straight ahead, through the smoke, as if he were lost.
"Silas?"
He turned around, his mouth opening to answer. Instead, his eyes narrowed, and he put his hand to the hilt of his sword.
Eryn and Wilem both turned to look back towards the tower. The explosion had reduced it to a pile of slagged ircidium and rubble, and now the rubble was moving.
An immense claw pushed its way to the surface, followed by a huge, spike-covered head on a long neck. It cried out with a throaty whine, pulled itself out of Genesia's remains, and spread its gigantic, leathery wings.
"How many wizards did you say it would take to kill a dragon?" Wilem asked, his voice rich with fear.
"Six, at least." Silas replied.
The dragon's head turned. A massive eye found them.
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I grew up with books. When I was eleven, I used to ride my bicycle three miles to the nearest bookstore to check the shelves for any new science fiction or fantasy titles they may have added in the last week, and eagerly put down almost all of my paper route money for the pleasure of escaping to a different place.
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