Magic Unveiled (Rise of the Arcanist): More than Magic, #8

By Elizabeth Kirke

It has been six long months since Thomas and Dani were taken. Six months with no word and no news; all we know is they're alive. But for how long?

 

At last, we have a lead. One that takes us to a very unexpected pair of magics. They claim we can trust them and we really don't have a choice, they're the only ones who can help us. They say there is a way to save our friends and stop the evil witch Alaria and her cult of blood casters.

 

Too bad it seems like I'm the only one who can pull it off. If I fail, Alaria will kill me and the people I love… that is, if the woman calling herself my ally doesn't kill me first.

Magic Unveiled is Book Eight in the Urban Fantasy series, More than Magic, featuring witches, dark magic, vampires, and more. If you like your books full of plot twists and your magic mixed with a dose of mystery and thrills, get Magic Unveiled now!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elizabeth Kirke
• Release date: Apr 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201406202

Book preview

Magic Unveiled

Rise of the Arcanist

More than Magic

Book Eight

Elizabeth Kirke

Copyright 2020 Elizabeth Kirke

Cover by T.M. Franklin

Editing by Rachael Riches

Formatting by EK Formatting

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter One

Ember

Ember, Jen said softly.

I glanced down and noticed that, once again, I had set fire to the carpet of the car.

Sorry. I patted the little flame out and then clenched my fists to stop from snapping my fingers and creating more sparks. I'm just nervous. Nervous was an understatement.

We all are, Mariana said.

I nodded, but the sentiment didn't help that much. How long have we been sitting here? I asked, even though the clock was right in front of me.

Two and a half hours, Shannon said.

I groaned and wiggled my back against my seat, trying to get comfortable. I felt like the closer we got, the longer everything seemed to take. Rak climbed from the center console and onto my lap, purring. The sound was comforting, but I had to wonder if he was also keeping an eye on me, so I didn’t set anything else on fire.

Someone’s here! Jen said suddenly.

I looked up at the parking lot across the street, watching as a car pulled in and parked. For the last hour the only movement in the parking lot had been people leaving. This was new. After a tense minute, people started to get out of the car.

The first thing I noticed was a woman with long, bright red hair, which transitioned to orange and then yellow as it grew out. The hair was a dead giveaway, but I switched briefly into thermal vision to check her temperature anyway.

Fire elemental, I said softly.

Mariana gasped and leaned forward, between the two front seats. And that’s Anthony!

I didn’t know what he looked like, but Shannon nodded. That’s him, alright, she said grimly.

Looks like the guy with the raven is in charge, said Jen.

Yeah, I agreed.

The other two were walking behind him, but something about it seemed more like a formation than just three friends walking from their car into a restaurant. Or maybe that was just because I knew that at least one of them was involved in this whole thing.

I guess something is actually happening now. Can you hear what they’re saying? Jen whispered.

No, Shannon breathed, But if that guy is a vampire, he might be able to hear us.

There was no way to tell at this distance if he was a wizard or vampire, but considering the nature of the group, I doubted he was human.

We all fell silent, watching out the windshield as the trio went into the restaurant. I could feel my heart pounding as I waited for something to happen, but of course, just like the last two and a half hours, the outside of the restaurant was unchanged, giving no clue as to what was happening inside.

I don't like this, Mariana said suddenly. It’s stupid. If Dani and Thomas haven't been able to even contact us in six months, what good are TS and Charlie going to be able to do?

I don't like it either, Jen said. "But it has been six months. If they haven't been able to get back to us, then the only choice we have is to go to them."

What happens when they don't come back either? I blurted.

It’s a risk they’re willing to take, Shannon said softly. We all feel the same, we’re just... not the ones who can do it.

I sighed, they were all right, of course. It was the same argument we had been having for weeks now. One with no good answer.

Mariana was right; Dani and Thomas were supposed to be some of the best agents in the region and they hadn't even found a way to contact us yet, nevermind getting away from... wherever the hell they were. Sending two people in to rescue them was just going to result in having to rescue four people instead.

But Jen was right too. If they couldn’t get out, the only answer was to go in after them.

Shannon, too, was right. We all wanted to go rescue them. In fact, we spent a long time debating who among us were the best choices. It had to be at least two, nobody was going in alone, but it couldn’t be all of us either. Someone had to stay behind in case...

We were also forced to rely on just ourselves for this. Knowing these people had someone inside MES, we couldn’t risk making it a big thing until we knew who the spy was. Jon told us we absolutely were not to try and find Thomas and Dani by going to Cavaliers, in case we fell into the same trap, but I suspected he knew that wouldn’t stop us. He couldn’t possibly keep TS from looking for his soul-packmate and it would be just as hard to stop my dad from looking for Dani. With the added complication from the blood casters, we couldn’t even try to turn to anyone else. It was just us.

Jen couldn’t go, seeing as she was a witch. As desperate as I was to go find them, I was the only one with the knowledge of getting around the MES database, not to mention my dad shot down the suggestion immediately. I was no happier with him going, but I couldn’t argue with him – not that I hadn’t tried – and I wasn’t stupid enough to try and sneak along, no matter how much I wanted to.

That left Shannon and Mariana. We arranged a meeting for them, and for TS and Charlie, with Anthony, just in case not everyone was chosen. It seemed we were right to be cautious, TS and Charlie were given instructions to come to the meeting, Shannon and Mariana were thanked and that was that.

We sat in tense silence, all eyes on Cavaliers, for several minutes. Just when I was starting to feel like I couldn’t stand to wait any longer, the door opened and the guy with the raven came back out, followed by Anthony and several people. TS was the tallest and I noticed him right away. For one panicked moment, I couldn’t see my dad, then I realized there was heat coming from behind TS. As they gathered around, I spotted him and sighed in relief.

They stood around for a while as the guy with the raven talked. Then, they lined up and took turns putting stuff into a box. We all exchanged a curious look. I started to say something but Shannon frantically shushed me and pointed to her ear, then at the man across the street. I nodded and forced myself to stay quiet.

Jen sucked in a breath and waved for our attention, then pointed. A bus was arriving! We watched as it pulled into the parking lot and then stopped near the group. I held my breath as they all slowly boarded the bus. For a couple of minutes, it sat there idling.

Heat! I gasped and turned my attention back to the building; there was a very hot spot growing in the center.

Fire! I hissed as quietly as I could. In Cavaliers!

It burned for a minute – too hot for a normal fire. Then, it died down. A moment later the fire elemental woman walked out.

Was it her? Jen asked.

Yeah, I whispered. I think she burned something.

I wonder what, said Mariana.

We all nodded in agreement.

The fire elemental woman got on the bus and then it began to pull away. My breath hitched and I clenched my fists, praying that I hadn’t just seen my dad for the last time. The last six months, not knowing where Dani was or if even if he was okay had been torture. I couldn’t imagine even six days now without him and my dad. I couldn’t lose them both...

Ember, Rak said, gently curving his claws into my thigh to get my attention.

I realized I had just raised the temperature in the car by ten degrees and muttered an apology before getting myself under control.

Jen started the car and slowly pulled out, after giving the bus time to get ahead of us. Here we go, she muttered.

We drove in tense silence, trying to keep far enough back so nobody would realize we were following, but not so far we would lose them.

The minutes passed as the bus rumbled along. Then the hours. The bus exited onto a small highway and I read a sign without really reading it. A few seconds later, it sank in.

That sign, I gasped, turning in my seat. We’re heading toward Allegany State Park!

Everyone sucked in a breath.

It’s a big park... Mariana said slowly. We might just be going near it...

But just a few minutes later, the bus turned onto a road that led to a campground. A gated campground.

Ashes, I muttered, as the gate raised, allowing the bus through, before lowering in front of us. I watched in growing alarm as the bus continued into the campground.

We pulled up to the gatehouse and a man leaned out. Hello. Do you have a reservation for a cabin?

Oh, no, Jen said. She hesitated and then said, We’re just checking out the campground. Mind if we drive around a bit?

It’s a little late for that, he said skeptically.

We’re ghost hunters, Shannon called from the backseat, flashing a huge smile at the man. We love campgrounds at night!

He stared at her for a moment, then cleared his throat. Sure. Okay... he said, Let me get you a pass... He pulled back into his gatehouse with a shiver and started writing.

"Skata," I spat; I had lost sight of the bus.

The man handed us a pass, which Jen stuck onto the dashboard. Happy uh... hunting? he offered.

Thanks! Jen told him.

The gate rose, so slowly I wanted to scream, and we drove through.

Drive faster! I snapped, even though