Summer: The Guardians of Magic, #4

By Melissa Nash

As the true identity of the threat to the Guardians reveals itself, they realise how big of a challenge they now face. Determined not to give up, Shumuti leads the others on a desperate journey for knowledge; one that will lead them to uncover ancient secrets about the nature of Magic itself. But their enemies have plans as well, and it may already be too late to prevent them from unfolding. 

 

Summer is the final book in the Guardians of Magic series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Riversong Books
• Release date: Jan 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9781958139097

Melissa Nash

Melissa Nash was born in South Africa, grew up in Yorkshire and studied geography at Aberystwyth University in Wales. She has spent the last few years travelling and working as a freelance cartographer, while also gathering ideas to combine her interest in the natural environment and fantasy into her book series, The Guardians of Magic.

Book preview

Prologue

A Wellspring

~Aurielle~

Deep beneath the surface of Nimaz, two figures made their way through a labyrinth of dark, forgotten tunnels. Until now, their presence under Ringstone Keep had gone unnoticed. No one else walked these paths, and Aurielle wondered how many even knew of their existence, as silence stretched out for miles around them. She paused and drew her fingers away from the damp wall she was using for guidance. A moment later, Ewan laid a hand on her other shoulder.

What is it? he asked.

I…think we’re getting close.

The pair had been travelling underground for days now and still, the path wound relentlessly down. They were suffering from a lack of food and the aftereffects of being held prisoner in the Keep. It felt as though they could easily wander these passages for the rest of their lives, and they both knew it was a long road back to the surface from here. Whenever that thought occurred to Aurielle, she had to fight back the sense of claustrophobia that told her to run for the surface and not halt until she hit open air. But she wasn’t even sure if she knew the way back anymore.

She was being guided onwards instead. Beneath them lay a source of Magic that rivalled the strength of Dagaz. The further they travelled, the stronger it radiated and with every step, Aurielle grew more intrigued to learn what was hidden here at the core of Nimaz. She breathed in, invigorated not by the air, but by a rich abundance of energy below her feet. Although it was still not enough to restore her connection to Magic completely, she couldn’t help wondering if the source might.

Is Annah nearby? Ewan whispered.

We don’t know that she’s here, Aurielle reminded him.

When they had set off from the fortress of Ringstone Keep, Aurielle had also thought it must be Annah they were tracking. But as they had kept moving, the levels of Magic had only increased, even as the source felt further away. Now she believed it was larger than any one Guardian. She had mentioned this to Ewan, but he had ignored her doubts, set on reuniting with his partner. Despite her own misgivings, Aurielle knew he had a point; there was no one else left who it could be. Unless Dagaz was keeping a secret of his own down here.

Come on, she said.

Her hand found the stone on the tunnel side once more, but she let her link to Magic guide the way forward. The origin of the energy drew her magnetically to it, calling her in stronger with every step they took.

The tunnel before them branched off into three more possibilities, but Aurielle took the left fork without hesitation, knowing exactly which way to go. Her pace quickened as their goal grew closer, and the angle of the descent increased.

Eventually, the tunnel levelled out and continued straight for a time. Aurielle fought to keep her pace steady and remain cautious. A little further along the route, she halted again and stared out at the darkness ahead, confirming her suspicions. Here, the tunnel finally ended, and she was certain they had arrived.

Before them was a simple statue carved out of volcanic stone, invisible to anybody else’s eyes. To Aurielle, though, a clear wreath of golden Magic surrounded the sculpture, flickering over an igneous rock that was rich with gemstones and mineral deposits. The whole feature looked as though it had fallen from a great height and now jutted out of the ground at an angle. Several areas of the stone were fractured, and it barely looked as though it was holding itself together. At the foot of the statue, no light shone, and a dark shape was curled at its foot. Aurielle walked forward and knelt at the base of the sculpture.

There’s someone here, she said.

Where?

Aurielle took Ewan’s arm and guided him towards where the figure lay. There was a catch in his breath as he whispered, Annah?

Both of them jumped slightly when they heard a reply. E…Ewan?

She’s here, Aurielle said in disbelief.

I have you, Ewan said to Annah, digging out a knife and cutting the rope that bound her to the structure.

Aurielle stood up to study the sculpture while he worked. Magic illuminated the clusters of minerals and precious stones which grew in recesses around the surface of the rock and at its foot. It looked almost like a place of worship or a shrine. Apprehensively, she reached out and touched the stone. The Magic glinted gold beneath her touch. She tried to summon some water, but it was impossible. Although her connection to it felt stronger than before, she still could not use her Magic.

In that same moment, Aurielle felt another shift of energy. Her fingers closed around the lip of the shrine, hoping she must be mistaken, but the feeling remained. With dread, she knew that something was drawing closer.

Dagaz, she said. He’s coming.

We have to get out of here, Ewan said.

The way we came is the only one out.

Then we must hide, Ewan said, supporting Annah to her feet beside him. Aurielle ran behind the shrine and uncovered a hollow in the rock that was hopefully large enough to squeeze inside. She led the other two over to it and helped them clamber inside.

Wait, Aurielle said, just as she was about to follow.

What is it? Ewan asked.

I think Dagaz will know I’m here. My Magic has returned enough that he might be able to detect me if I’m close by.

She turned back to the weave of golden Magic. Stay here. I’ll hide behind the shrine. Maybe its Magic will be enough to mask mine.

Aurielle, no, Ewan hissed.

If I stay with you, I could expose us all. We don’t have the time to argue. He’s almost here.

She turned and dashed back to the shrine, flattening herself as close to the back of it as possible. It was only then it struck Aurielle that Annah ought to be giving off a Magic signal of her own, but there was nothing emanating from the crevasse. She felt a prickle of unease. There was no time to return to Ewan though, as the next minute, she knew Dagaz was in the tunnel with them.

Aurielle huddled further against the rock, sure the sound of her heartbeat would give her away over any trace of Magic. Embers from his body illuminated the cave a little, casting light in some areas and deepening the shadow elsewhere. He steadily approached the shrine. She closed her eyes, focusing everything instead on following his position.

Dagaz had stepped up to the other side of the shrine and paused there. For an extended moment, he waited, until it almost felt too long. If he was going to notice her, she almost wished he would get it over with. She flinched as the concentration of Magic in the tunnel shifted, but then realised he had knelt in front of the shrine.

Remorse? A female voice echoed around the tunnel, and Aurielle opened her eyes. Was she wrong? Was this not Dagaz? The time for that has long since passed. Get up. We have work to do. For the time being, I am forced to still use you.

Perhaps I no longer wish to be used. This time it was Dagaz who spoke.

A low hiss drifted through the tunnel. We struck a bargain, remember? One that cannot be broken. I saved your life, and you are bound to me now. The price for that is steep.

Aurielle twisted her head slightly. In the shadow cast on the wall, she glimpsed the outline of only one figure.

I did not know what that meant at the time, Dagaz said. I had not been ready to die then. You promised me power greater than all the others.

And I delivered. The female voice sizzled in the air.

You said I would be able to do anything I could imagine, Dagaz said. That was a lie. You still could not give me what I wanted.

It is too late for you to die now.

There was a pause from the other side of the shrine, and all Aurielle could hear was the catch of Dagaz’s ragged breath. Where is Annah?

Aurielle tensed, preparing for her imminent discovery. She reached for the rusted knife tucked into her belt, all the while knowing it was next to useless.

We must find her, Dagaz said.

No. The female voice ordered. You must do what we came here for. You can search for her after.

Are you sure?

This is more important.

Dagaz hesitated for a moment. If we take from this location, the last great reserve of Magic in Nimaz will be gone.

Then it will be time to move further afield.

How? Dagaz asked. My plan failed.

I have my own way.

You will not confide in me?

Continue to aid me and I will share everything with you.

The concentration of Magic shifted again, and Aurielle knew Dagaz was touching the shrine once more. A flash of red light flared up the sides of the tunnel. Dagaz gasped, and she heard the female voice cackle with delight as they drew energy from the shrine.

Aurielle gritted her teeth, reeling from the Magic that ran through it. The stone glowed brighter and brighter as more flowed through it. She dug herself into the shadows, but they were reducing by the second. There was more energy being drawn into Dagaz than she had ever felt before. Ewan and Annah’s hiding place became illuminated, and Aurielle could just make out the wide eyes of Ewan watching her. Flames engulfed the tunnel, but Dagaz was not burnt, and the Magic intensified around him until only fire remained.

Ewan ducked away as the flames reached him, and Aurielle fought the urge to scream as the situation reminded her vividly of the summit of the Ember Mountain with Gabriel’s fire, only this time she had no Magic to defend herself.

The shrine protected her against the worst of it, though, and what felt like an age later, the flow of energy finally ceased. There was a resounding crack and a portion of the sculpture crumbled behind Aurielle’s back. It had cleaved into two pieces, its Magic consumed. The chasm darkened once more, but flames crackled around Dagaz’s body instead, replacing the patches of mist surrounding him with fire.

You said I was too weak to get you across the river, Dagaz spoke to the darkness.

That remains true. You still are.

I don’t understand. Your attempt to replace me backfired, so what is your plan now?

My time in Nimaz has ended, and the supply of Magic has run out. Even though Seaglen’s daughter was useless to me, her memories were not.

An image was projected in fire above the shrine, and Aurielle could just make out glimpses of it from her hiding place. It showed three figures gathered in what resembled the edge of a desert. The location was familiar to Aurielle. She recognised Shumuti and Sara, and they were talking to a taller woman dressed in black. Xeylia. She handed them a long, thin bundle before they spoke.

Are you sure you will not stay? Shumuti asked. You are quite welcome, however it might appear.

You must understand, Shumuti. Xeylia looked at her. This is the only day I have a year to see Boctor. Even then, I am prevented from crossing over its borders and travelling further, but for now, seeing this region is more than enough.

Why can’t you cross the river?

The Winterburn is more than a natural boundary between regions. It is also a magical one, one that I cannot cross. I am bound to Boctor, always.

Why?

Perhaps one day, if you return, I will share my story with you.

Flames burned through the memory, and Shumuti and Sara were gone.

It appears I have to thank the Lare of Boctor for aiding me one last time, the female voice said.

She is like you, Dagaz said.

Xeylia is her name now.

Is she right? Is the Winterburn River the barrier that keeps you confined to Nimaz?

Yes, I finally have my answer. Now that I know the truth, we shall break out of Nimaz for good, you and me. We have stripped this land of all its resources, but there is an abundance of Magic still contained in the rest of Meteorath. This supply will be enough to deal with the river, but we are going to require more if I am going to maintain either of our existences.

Seaglen will stand in our way again, now that he is free.

Once I have an abundance of Magic at my call once more, it will take more than a hundred of them to bring me down. Just get me to the Winterburn River, and I will do the rest.

Chapter 1

Following a Lead

~Alexia~

Alexia hid her hands inside her coat and turned away from the road that wound down to Thayll below. The settlement in the valley was quiet, and the skies above had finally calmed after a week of intense storms and rain. The aftershocks of Dagaz’s assault on them as they fled Nimaz were at last receding.

Alejandro, Gabriel and Sara were also recovering from the shock of Alexia’s news to them. With the encouragement of Shumuti, she had revealed her secret two days ago. All of them now knew that Dagaz, their enemy, was her father. It felt terrifying to reveal to other people a secret that she had kept to herself for so many years, but now she was finally sharing it, Alexia felt an immense relief as well. The weight of the information had been pressing on her more than she had realised, and sharing it had lifted a little of that burden, even if she worried what their opinion of her now was.

The others had taken the revelation initially with anger that she had kept something like this from them, but they seemed willing to forgive her in time. She had never had friends like these before, who she felt she could confide her secrets with. It was a welcome feeling, and Alexia wished she had summoned the courage to reveal her secret earlier.

Shumuti’s father, Seaglen, had been the most encouraging, though. He had spent a lot of time with Alexia, no doubt trying to decide for himself whether he saw any resemblance to Dagaz in her. She believed she had passed his test, and Shumuti hadn’t approached her asking her to leave, as she had feared.

Alexia nodded to Sara in the garden before heading inside and down the corridor at the rear of the house. When she reached its end, she laid a palm on the back wall and opened up the hidden passageway that led further into the hill behind the house. After a few minutes of walking, the narrow tunnel opened out below her into a tiered, circular room. There was an intricate symbol of spirals and circles emblazoned on the floor. Sitting cross-legged in the centre of the design were Seaglen, Gabriel and Shumuti, their eyes closed.

Alejandro was waiting on the first tier of steps, and Alexia descended as quietly as she could to join him.

Have they had any luck? she whispered.

No. They’ve been at it for almost an hour now.

Over the last few days, all five of the Guardians had been working together to search for any hint of Aurielle’s location in Nimaz. They had missed her in Ringstone Keep, and now everyone was determined to do as much as possible to find her. Each of them had been taking it in turns to pair with Seaglen. Using his honed ability to locate Magic over greater distances, they were scanning Nimaz for Aurielle’s Magic. At the moment, it was unclear whether she had escaped from Ringstone Keep.

Did they check the Keep again? Alexia asked.

Alejandro nodded. That’s where they said they would search first, so I assume they found no trace of her there.

Shumuti is doing well to keep it up for so long.

Yes, but I think she would be glad to have a break.

Alexia nodded in understanding and stood up. Walking over to the trio, she laid a hand on Seaglen’s shoulder to let him know she was there.

Shumuti, Seaglen said softly, take some rest.

Her forehead furrowed slightly. No, I can keep going.

Alexia touched her shoulder instead. I can take over.

Shumuti’s eyes fluttered open. She looked tired, having only barely recovered herself from their time in Nimaz. She gave Alexia a despondent smile as they traded places, and she went to rest beside Alejandro.

Alexia closed her own eyes and reached out for her connection to Magic. Seaglen and Gabriel were waiting for her, and she accepted the boost to her own strength that they offered. She gathered and sent the three of them whirling up through a crack in the rock above, out into the open sky. Alexia soared over Merrywater in her mind, and it was not long before Nimaz rose into view before her.

She was adept at this kind of Magic now, after having spent days trying to locate Aurielle, but the feeling of letting her consciousness become a part of Magic had not yet lost its initial thrill.

We will scout the south of Nimaz, Seaglen said. I do not think Aurielle would have got this far, but it’s the only area we have left to check.

Obediently, Alexia navigated their course through the skies of Nimaz. There were fewer ravines below them, and Dagaz’s reach did not seem to extend so heavily down here. This was closer to her home region of Boctor and more resembled the vast deserts she knew all too well.

They flew a course for almost another hour themselves, with Gabriel and Seaglen steadily boosting Alexia’s Magic with their own to allow her to keep searching. But Seaglen remained silent, and Alexia’s hope dwindled as the border river to Boctor came into view. Eventually, he spoke.

I think we should leave it there for now. Even the training room cannot provide us with Magic forever.

Alexia returned them to Thayll and opened her eyes. Gabriel got up without a word and made his way back to the house. Her gaze fell on Shumuti, who was sitting alone on the first step, waiting to hear their progress. Seaglen stood up wearily and left after Gabriel, while Alexia collapsed down beside Shumuti.

Nothing at all? Shumuti asked.

There was no sign of her, Alexia said.

It doesn’t make sense. The other prisoners from Ringstone Keep said Aurielle’s Magic was returning to her. It was weak then, but it shouldn’t still be now.

Then she is either very good at hiding, or something has reversed that. Alexia did not voice the third option aloud to Shumuti. There was always the possibility that they couldn’t detect Aurielle’s Magic because she was no longer alive.

If she is still around Ringstone Keep, Dagaz’s presence there might mask a signal she would give off.

True, and Nimaz isn’t just a wide place to search, it’s a deep one as well. She could have evaded detection if she’s within the gorges.

Shumuti slumped down off her step to join Alexia on the floor of the training room. Gabriel will leave tomorrow, regardless.

Can’t you stop him? This is a foolish plan. He has even less chance of finding her on foot than we do like this.

I can barely stop myself from going, let alone Gabriel. Especially since he knows his father is out there, too. He will search for them as long as he has to. I would too, if it was Seaglen in Ewan’s place.

We could still go with him.

No. Shumuti paused. I want nothing more than to find Aurielle, but I know I have to think about Dagaz as well. Seaglen is right, we can’t risk all of us being captured again. The rest of us have to figure out how to bring Dagaz and Niamh down. I really wanted to find some trace of Aurielle this way, but I think it’s time to admit that isn’t going to happen. Come on, I want to meet with the others before Gabriel leaves.

They left Seaglen’s training cave and returned to the house. Shumuti stopped by the study and clicked open the latch. Alejandro and Sara were already sitting on chairs around the table, along with Gabriel. Occupying the table before them was an array of maps, notes and books.

The trouble is that Magic is so much of an unknown concept that there is nothing we can use to research, Alejandro was saying.

We shall have to get creative if we want to defeat Dagaz, Gabriel said.

It would help if we could uncover more information. Shumuti took a seat beside them. It seems to me that our best lead is going to see Xeylia in Boctor. We can guess as much as we like, but she may provide us with answers.

The others nodded in agreement. Shumuti had told them that Dagaz’s Magic was being amplified by a spirit known as a Lare. She had encountered this being herself, and it had reminded her of someone else she had met on their travels. Xeylia lived in Boctor, but Alexia had never heard of her, only Shumuti, Sara and Aurielle had. She certainly could use Magic, Shumuti had said, but it was a strange type that seemed out of place and more potent than anything the five of them could wield.

Since their rescue mission to Ringstone Keep in Nimaz, they had learned more about where Magic had originally come from and how it had passed onto them. There were a handful of these Lares, guardian spirits of Magic, and one had shared their power with the first generation of Guardians, which included Shumuti’s father. They had needed others to keep the balance of Magic in check while they focused on keeping whatever was now working with Dagaz confined within the boundaries of Nimaz.

Well, I wish you all luck, Gabriel said, but I leave today. I can’t wait around any longer.

At least one of us should come with you, Sara said.

No. You all need to remain set on uncovering a way to defeat Dagaz. I will focus on Aurielle.

How are you going to find her? Alexia asked. Aurielle was free, the last we heard, but we don’t know how far she made it. If we’ve had no luck from here, you don’t stand a chance alone in the wilderness.

While there is still the smallest hope she is alive, I can’t leave her out there, he said. I wish you all luck, but for now, I have to say goodbye.

Gabriel glanced up at Shumuti, and the two of them shared an acknowledgement. He got to his feet, and the others filed out of the room as well. He had packed his belongings days ago, so he simply gathered up his saddlebags and slung them over his shoulder before heading to the stables. Alexia recognised a second wrapped sword that they had brought back from Ringstone Keep, belonging to Aurielle, already strapped onto the saddle. Gabriel mounted his tall, black horse and looked down at them all one last time. Aztec, who was no longer a young wolf, sat patiently on the road, waiting for him to leave.

Gabriel. Alejandro stepped forward with a translucent vial in his hands. You should take this. It’s Cogrot’s venom. Seen as it appears that it can take Magic away for a time, it might be a useful thing to carry on you.

What do I do with it? He tilted the vial up to the light,