Mercuriel: Aubrey Rising Book 3

By Devlin Richards

Aubrey feels the weight of all those who have been lost to the war, and it is crushing her. As more of her friends suffer and families are ripped apart, she strengthens her resolve to defeat Mercuriel, the last and most powerful of the three sisters. Aubrey and her friends go on a series of dangerous missions to gather support, testing Aubrey and her friends more deeply than she could have imagined. Aubrey has to find within herself the strength to do whatever needs to be done, as the war with the three sisters draws to a final, epic conclusion.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Devlin Richards
• Release date: Nov 4, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311853561

Devlin Richards

Devlin began writing the Aubrey Rising series when she was 13 years old, and finished it just after she turned 15. She is currently 17 years old and is working on her seventh novel. Devlin enjoys writing, karate, and spending time with her friends. She lives in New Hampshire with her parents, brother and dog Cocoa Puff.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

I can feel Mackenna’s sadness like a living thing.

Even a month after the funeral, after her boyfriend Ryan was killed, she is still broken. She’s fixing herself, struggling to put her life back together, but for now she’s still shattered. She can’t sleep, and she’s quiet and still. She misses Ryan. She will always miss Ryan. The sadness will always be a part of her, will always leave her changed.

I feel especially bad about it because I know her sadness is all my fault. That knowledge aches through me, makes a wound in my heart that I can never really heal. If it weren’t for me, Mackenna and Ryan would still be together. Mackenna will probably never trust me again. Not really.

Zephyra captured Ryan, Min, Mackenna, and me, and forced me to choose one of us to die. I chose Ryan, rather than either of my two best friends. Rather than myself. That is a burden I will always carry with me. I’m sleeping as little as Mackenna is. Nightmares haunt me, nightmares where I am killing the people I love and there is nothing I can do to stop. Nightmares where I am a monster, leaving death and destruction in my wake.

Even the fact that I am now officially dating Min cannot lift the heavy cloud of depression that I seem to be suffocating under, although it does help a little. I made us sit down and define the relationship one day, when I desperately wanted one solid thing in my life. It was awkward, but we made it through. Now we’re going out. I mean, we kind of were before, but now it’s official. Min is my boyfriend.

We’ve agreed that we don’t need to really feel obligation to take each other on dates yet, not while the war is going on. If we’re still alive by the end, and we’re still together, we’ll figure it out from there. For now, it’s just too complicated. So to be honest, dating him is not that different from just being really good friends, except with more kissing and holding hands.

Liz, my adoptive mother, is afraid. I can see it in her every movement, all the time. It never leaves her. She’s worried for all of us. She just wants to be able to protect her children. It’s not her fault ‘her children’ encompasses everyone in the School. Now another one of has died, and I can see that it’s taking almost as much of a toll on her as it is on me. She is jumpy, constantly on edge, and I know that she is waking up from nightmares almost as often as I am.

What we really need to do is end this war. If we can end this war, that will make all that we have given up worth it, right? But the end of the war seems impossibly far away, something so unachievable that it doesn’t feel like it’s worth dreaming about. I know that Arden, my dragon, and I need to go to the pointy rock and bring my mother back if we want to win the war. That’s basically our only plan of action right now, in terms of the war. If that doesn’t work, or if we can’t do it, we don’t exactly have a backup.

Our quest to find the pointy rock with the shrine at the top is not exactly going well. Our search was at a standstill for months, since, you know, there just wasn’t anything for us to find. A month ago, when I battled with Zephyra in her library, I found a book with a picture of the rock on the cover. But there’s one catch. We still have no idea where the pointy rock is. The book is in another language. Elvish, Liz is pretty sure. Nobody we know can read elvish. There’s actually not really anyone who can read elvish, as far as we know, aside from the actual elves.

At least there’s one bright side. As long as we don’t know where the pointy rock is, probably Mercuriel, the last of the three sisters, almost infinitely powerful, can’t know either.

Aside from the hopeless search for the Queen’s shrine, the rest of the war isn’t really going well either. We know Mercuriel has a huge army, but we’re not even sure where it is. And Mercuriel has Zephyra’s power now too, and the other half of Tempeste’s power. She’s as powerful as three people combined into one. Without bringing the Queen back, we have next to no chance of defeating her.

Liz has started up some group thing, like a Board of Teachers with all the other magic schools. They are trying to come up with solutions, and making sure everything is coordinated and everyone has help if they need it. It’s a pretty good idea, I’m honestly not sure why we didn’t have something like this before. This way, wherever we know Mercuriel has soldiers, we have soldiers too. If we find out a place that is about to be attacked, all of the schools together can rally around that place. And of course it is much easier to share information like this. I know a lot of the other members want me to join, as the Princess of the Wilderness and pretty much the key to this whole thing, but Liz won’t let me. I have enough on my plate without being part of it, so I’m glad she’s looking out for me.

I’m staying at Liz’s house for the first time in at least a month. Rowan and Storm are with us too. Liz wants everyone to have a house they can stay at in case of emergency, not just the School. That way if we are attacked we’re not just sitting ducks, tied to the School because we have literally nowhere else to go.

I’m a little mad because Liz won’t let Min stay over now that we’re dating, even though it’s his best option and he’s stayed over before. But I guess I get it, I mean it is Liz’s job to act like a parent, even if sometimes the stuff she does makes me a tiny bit angry. Min is with Marco, staying at his family's house.

Mackenna is with her father, obviously, and the other two boys, Drew and Seth, are staying at Jessie’s house. Jessie was Ryan’s sister, and I think her family is just trying to fill the empty space that Ryan left. But based on the dark circles under Jessie’s eyes every day when I see her in class, it’s not really working.

There’s dinner on the table, but nobody is eating it. Well, nobody except Paige. I can tell she’s starving, but she keeps pausing and looking around uncomfortably at the rest of us. Storm looks small and scared, but I can tell she kind of wants to start eating too. Rowan seems like she’s about to fall asleep, and isn’t even a little focused on the food. Liz is staring off anxiously into the distance. Lily is too perceptive of the general atmosphere to eat, even though she’s so young. I’m sick with constant fear, and the guilt of killing Ryan has kept me from eating almost anything in the past few weeks.

I’m almost zoning out when all of a sudden Liz looks up. Elves, she blurts out.

She looks around the table like she’s expecting us to break into applause. I don’t know how to respond. Storm and Paige exchange glances. Rowan nods, but clearly doesn’t understand any better than I do. Lily just looks confused.

That’s it! she gasps. I can’t believe I never thought of it before.

Then she gets up from the table and runs into another room without explaining herself. The rest of us try to wait for her, but she takes too long. Eventually, we decide to clear the table. We settle down to watch TV, but Rowan can’t really enjoy TV because she can’t see the screen, and then Paige decides it’s time to put Lily to bed anyway. It’s just me and Storm now.

So... she begins, You and Min?

For the past week or two, Min and I have been a favorite topic of conversation. For some reason people think we’re unusually adorable together, and it’s easier to talk about us then to talk about Ryan, or the war, or anything else. Storm and I have talked about it before, but I don’t mind. I mean, I like talking about Min too.

Yup, I say. Me and Min.

There’s a moment of calculating silence. Is it better? she asks suddenly.

I’m a little confused. Because up until now, all of these conversations have gone more or less the same. But there’s a seriousness to Storm’s voice, an edge of melancholy, that makes me sit up and listen.

What do you mean? I ask her.

Is it better to be this? Or was it better to be friends? Do you ever miss how it was before?

I blink, start to say something, stop. Nobody has ever asked me this before. Nobody but maybe Mackenna would care, I thought. It’s complicated, I say. But this is better.

Why?

I hesitate. It just is.

That’s not a good enough answer.

I try to put the concept into words. Because...I love him, and it hurts not to be with him. And before, when we were just friends, something about us felt...unfinished. Like we were a loose end that was threatening to unravel my entire life, like I could never be with anyone else because in the back of my mind I would always be thinking about him. So this is better, I guess.

Storm looks satisfied. So it was worth it?

Yeah. I mean, I think so. What’s with all the questions?

She sighs. I like someone. I might even love them. But I want to make sure it’s absolutely worth it before I do anything. I mean, before I even think about doing anything. I still might not do anything. She sounds a little nervous to be talking to me, like she’s afraid I’m going to burst out laughing even though that’s something I would never do.

I smile encouragingly at her. Mackenna’s lost love life has been taking over everything, almost overwhelming even my own. I’ve been hearing about it a lot. I’m not complaining, but it’s nice to talk about something a little happier for a change.

Who? I ask.

Marco. She laughs a little, nervously. Ironic, isn’t it?

She doesn’t need to explain the irony to me. Marco’s older sister and Storm’s older brother were in love, despite being on opposite sides of the war. They both ended up dead, killed by Tempeste. I decide not to comment.

Well, good luck with it, I say, and I mean it. I don’t know Marco quite as well as I know some of the other kids my age, but still, as a class we’ve spent a lot of time together. I can picture him with Storm. They would be cute.

Storm starts to say something, but then Paige comes back in from putting Lily to bed.

What did I miss?

Nobody fills her in, but I don’t think she expected anyone to. The conversation is over. Now that I’m not distracted, my mind is whirling with Mackenna’s pain again. Storm and Paige start talking, but I can’t listen. Eventually I go up to bed, my head physically hurting with the guilt and grief I don’t know how to show.

CHAPTER 2

The next morning during breakfast, Liz makes an announcement.

We need to send a mission to go find the elves, she says.

I nod, not looking up from my cereal. I know other schools have sent people to the elves, and no one has been able to find them. Even so, it’s still something Liz would want to try.

I don’t know much about the elves. All I really know is that they’re pretty powerful, and that they wrote a book. And on the cover of that book is a picture of that pointy rock with the shrine at the top. Honestly, when people first started talking about them, I thought they were kidding. I mean, I know that dragons and stuff like that are real, but elves? Most stories like that are based in truth, but for some reason I find elves the hardest to believe.

Although, really, we don’t know for sure that they do exist. They could have gone extinct a long time ago for all the contact that we’ve had with them.

Liz continues. I think it should just be you, Min, and Mackenna.

My glass of orange juice slips out of my hand and goes everywhere. Excuse me? I can’t keep the edge out of my voice. Min, Mackenna, and I are not nearly experienced enough to take on such a complex and important mission by ourselves.

Liz looks a little defensive, like she was expecting me to be happy. And maybe in the past I would have been. I just feel too beaten down lately, and the idea of taking on any sort of mission myself feels overwhelming.

"If it’s only the three of you, I think they’ll be more likely to show themselves. The other missions have all contained only adults, but I think they’ll feel less threatened by you since you’re younger. And you’re the Daughter of the Wilderness. You should be their natural ally. They’ll want to show themselves to you. I...I think."

But...we can’t. We don’t even know where they are.

Yes we do. And that part doesn’t matter as much anyway. If they want you to find them, you’ll find them.

Mackenna will never agree.

She already has. I talked to her father last night.

Min won’t agree then.

She just looks at me. She doesn’t need to say anything. We both know it’s a lie. Of course Min will agree. Min is literally up for anything, especially if it is of the important and potentially dangerous variety.

Why are you fighting this? Liz asks me desperately.

I take a deep breath, preparing to argue, then pause. Why am I fighting this? The honest, deep down truth is that I have no idea. It’s just that I’m tired. I’m tired, and this is just another thing resting on my shoulders. I’m too tired for this, for any of it. I want off. I don’t want this life anymore.

Fine, I say. I’ll do it. Because honestly, I’m too tired to argue too. I just want this all to be over.

Liz brightens quickly. Great. There will probably be a few weeks of preparation before you guys can go. You can just relax today, and I’ll put some stuff together and brief all three of you tomorrow.

Yeah, okay. I wander away, completely lost in thought. Then I come back. Can you take me over to the School? I want to talk to Min and Mackenna.

Mackenna’s not at the School. She’s at her father’s house. You know that.

And now I have to choose. Because they’re not in the same place, and I can’t see both of them today. I hesitate.

Can you take me to Mackenna’s house, then? I finally say. Because right now Mackenna needs me more than Min does. Also, I need her loyalty, her simplicity. My friendship with Mackenna is far from uncomplicated, but it is still easier than my relationship with Min. We hurt each other, we forgive each other, and we move past it, because we are strong, and united, and fiercely loyal. Even though she is the one in pain right now, I need her just as much as she needs me.

Liz drives me over to Mackenna’s house. I don’t bother knocking. I know she’s home and that I’m always welcome. Her father tells me she’s in her bedroom.

I remember when I visited her about a week after the funeral. Mackenna’s bedroom was destroyed, ripped apart by a storm of grief. Clothes and things were strewn across the floor, the curtains were closed and everything was slightly singed. It looked like the room of a highly depressed pyro.

Now, three weeks after that, the room is transformed. It’s spotless. Nothing is out of place, or dirty, or dusty, or rumpled. Not only is nothing out of place, but there’s nothing there. Aside from the bare essentials, bed, lamp, dresser, the room is empty. All the little special details that made it Mackenna’s are gone.

Mackenna herself is busy vacuuming an already spotless floor. Going back and forth, doing the same spot over and over and over.

Hey, I say.

Hi. She looks up from her vacuuming, but her smile doesn’t touch her eyes.

How have you been? I saw her about three days ago, but that was a school day so we didn’t really get a chance to talk. I was over here a week after the funeral, but Mackenna was too much of a mess to have a real conversation. I guess the last time we actually talked was the day of the funeral, when I told her I was the one who killed Ryan.

How are you really doing?

She sits down in the middle of her perfectly spotless room. I really am better. She says it desperately, like she’s trying to convince herself of it as much as me. I keep going. It’s not so hard during the day, as long as I stay busy. That’s why I did this.... She gestures sweepingly at her room. But at night I can’t believe it’s real. Still. And it hurts so badly that I curl into a ball so I won’t fly into a million pieces. And I feel happy sometimes, and that’s really the hardest. I feel so guilty. How can I be happy when he’s not here? Why do I have the right to be happy when he’s dead and I’m still alive?

There are tears welling up in my eyes. Simultaneously, there is a horrible sort of panic welling up in me. I want to be there for Mackenna, but I actually don’t want to talk about this anymore. I don’t want to take the blame for this, but at the same time it feels almost worse to ignore it. I feel like I can’t quite breathe properly.

I don’t know, I finally gasp. I know it’s not the right answer, not a good enough answer. It’s not fair how some people go their whole lives with barely a brush with death, and some people have its whole force thrust upon their shoulders, especially so young. It’s not fair. But nobody said it would be fair. It’ll be okay.

She sniffs, but looks maybe a little brighter. My chest still feels tight. We are together, but both of us are so, so alone. So...why are you here? she asks.

Can’t I visit my best friend without a reason? But then I remember that I actually do have a reason, and I tell her everything Liz told me.

Her father had told her some of it, but not the whole thing. Alone? she whispers desperately when I’m done.

I nod.

She looks concerned. "I don’t know if we can do it. I mean, what if something goes wrong? We would be alone."

I’m sure it will be fine, I say. I don’t know why I’m comforting her, considering I don’t think it’s a great idea either. But Mackenna is still weak, so I know need to be strong. I need to reassure her. It will all be okay. Maybe.

The next morning, Liz gathers Min, Mackenna, and I all up into her office. Min is all business, which is slightly annoying, because I want him to be holding my hand or something at least.

I assume Aubrey has told both of you what I told her?

Min shakes his head, looking over at me. No. She didn’t.

I didn’t see you! I didn’t know what to say! I didn’t....

He raises his eyebrows. It’s fine. I just want to know what’s going on.

Liz starts to answer, but I cut across her. For some reason, I still want to be the one to tell Min about the mission. Liz wants us to go on a mission to find the elves.

He doesn’t say anything, just nods. He looks unconcerned.

Alone.

I’m expecting a bigger reaction, but he still doesn’t look worried. Cool, he says.

Cool? That’s all you have to say is cool?

Aubrey! Liz is trying not to smile. Focus. This is about the mission right now, not your boyfriend.

I blush from the tips of my ears all the way down to my neck. Why does Liz have to be so embarrassing? It does force me to focus though.

You can leave in about a week. You will be driven to the edge of the the elves’ forest. Then there will be a hike of about another week, maybe more. At some point during the week you will pass into the elves’ valley, which is a place set aside by magic, similar to the place where the dragons were. There is a field with a tree in the middle. If you make it that far, the elves will sense your presence. They will either make an appearance or they won’t. If they don’t, you can return the same way you came. If they do, it will be up to you three, especially Aubrey, to convince them to join the war.

How? I interrupt.

It should be fairly easy. If they reveal themselves to you, it means they are already at least considering your plan.

Min is thinking about more practical concerns. How will we carry enough food and water for that long? Not to mention supplies, weapons, and everything else?

You will have to carry any supplies and weapons you may want, in addition to your magic. But the three of you should be able to hunt and find edible plants, and there should always be fresh water nearby. You won’t have to carry much food.

I search frantically for another problem, another reason we shouldn’t do it. But I can’t think of anything. I don’t even know why I’m so opposed to the whole idea of the mission. It’s just a vague sense of foreboding I feel, not defined enough to be a vision, but sharp enough that I still think I may be perceiving.

Liz is rummaging through her desk. Here, I have maps and plans, it really shouldn’t take too long to get this all set up.

I bite my lip. I wish there was some way to delay this, put a stop to it. But Mackenna and Min both seem excited. And I have no evidence that it’s the wrong decision, except for the terrible foreboding.

You guys can leave now, I guess. That’s really all I have to tell you so far.

We walk out. Min pulls ahead, not paying attention to me. I want to call out to him, but hesitate. Is he just walking normally, or is he ignoring me for some reason? If I call out to him, will I seem weird and clingy? When I finally get up the courage to call after him, he’s turned the corner.

For some reason, Mackenna completely misses this whole thing. Aubrey, she asks, if there are only two tents, you won’t make me sleep alone, will you?

Oh, Mackenna, I whisper. No, no. You’re my best friend. I promise you won’t be forgotten. We would never make you sleep alone. If anyone has to sleep in a different tent, it will be him.

Are you sure?

Yeah. I’m sure.

She smiles. Thanks.

That night, we sleep together in our room at the School for the first time since Ryan’s death.

CHAPTER 3

The next day, Min and I don’t talk. The problem is that I’m honestly not sure if it’s intentional or not. We don’t see each other at all. I know we see each other almost every day, but I can’t remember if we try or it just happens like that. Do I normally have to go to him in order to ensure we see each other? I consider looking for him, but something stops me.

That night I work myself into a state. I convince myself that he’s ignoring me, that he’s mad at me, that it’s all my fault. I’m freaking out a little bit now. But I don’t want to seem desperate, and if he needs some space I don’t want to push him. I decide I won’t talk to him either. I’ll avoid him on purpose if I need to.

Min and I have classes together the next day. He comes into the room and starts toward me, but I don’t greet him as I normally do. It takes me about three seconds to realize that if he was coming toward me, obviously he wasn’t ignoring me. I start to go toward him, to say something to fix it, but now he thinks I’m mad at him and he really is ignoring me. We are distant and cool to each other for the rest of the day.

Liz wants me to stay with her that night, so I don’t even have Mackenna to talk to about it. I consider asking one of the other girls, but decide not to. I end up going to bed early, but tossing and turning, not sure what’s going on or how to make it better. And for the first time I find myself thinking longingly of when we were just friends, when we were either mad or not mad, and nothing was ever this complicated.

I can’t even express how terrified I am to go on a mission while still being mad at Min. I need to be able to trust him, to rely on him. I need this all to be better before we leave. But I’m not sure how. And I’m not brave enough anyway.

We’re leaving in two days and I still haven’t talked to Min. I’m not even sure if we’re actually fighting or