[The Elustria Chronicles: Magic Born 04.0] Magic Hunted Read online

  Magic Hunted

  The Elustria Chronicles: Magic Born - Book 4

  Caethes Faron

  Contents

  About Magic Hunted

  1. One

  2. Two

  3. Three

  4. Four

  5. Five

  6. Six

  7. Seven

  8. Eight

  9. Nine

  10. Ten

  11. Eleven

  12. Twelve

  13. Thirteen

  14. Fourteen

  15. Fifteen

  16. Sixteen

  17. Seventeen

  18. Eighteen

  19. Nineteen

  20. Twenty

  21. Twenty-One

  22. Twenty-Two

  23. Twenty-Three

  24. Twenty-Four

  25. Twenty-Five

  26. Twenty-Six

  27. Twenty-Seven

  28. Twenty-Eight

  29. Twenty-Nine

  30. Thirty

  31. Thirty-One

  32. Thirty-Two

  33. Thirty-Three

  34. Thirty-Four

  35. Thirty-Five

  36. Thirty-Six

  37. Thirty-Seven

  Thank you!

  Also by Caethes Faron

  About the Author

  About Magic Hunted

  A hunt for power. A family's legacy. A daughter who longs to break free.

  Kat's back on Earth and reunited with her friends. But this isn't a happy reunion. The Director is hunting the secret to stealing a sorcerer's magic, and it's a race to see who can get there first.

  It's going to take more than the help of her friends to defeat the Director. Kat's only chance for victory lies in trusting an old enemy. If she fails, it'll mean all-out war between the mages and sorcerers...but success may come at too high a cost.

  Magic Hunted is the conclusion of the Magic Born series and is intended to be read after the previous three books.

  Get sneak peeks and stay up to date on new releases by signing up for the author’s Insider Newsletter. You’ll also get a free copy of the Insider exclusive story Magic Tracked, a prequel to Magic Born.

  http://CaethesFaron.com/magic-tracked

  One

  “Mmmm.” I couldn’t help the moan of pleasure that escaped my lips. Nicole, Alex, and Millhook stared at me as we sat in Nicole’s living room. I didn’t care. This was too good, and it had been too long.

  “You need a little privacy with the pizza?” Nicole asked through her laughter.

  Nothing in Elustria could compare to hot, gooey cheese on a thick, buttery, garlicky crust. “Mock all you want, I don’t care. This is so good. You don’t think about how much you’ll miss pizza until you don’t have it anymore.”

  “I hear you, I just wish I could get a man to look at me the way you’re looking at that slice. If I’d known you’d miss pizza so much, I would have lured you back with one ages ago.”

  We all sat around her coffee table, two pizza boxes open in front of us. I moved to sit beside Nicole and stuffed the last of my pizza slice into my mouth. With my hands freed, I wrapped my arms around her in an exaggerated hug.

  “I missed you most of all,” I said, my mouth full of food as I rocked her back and forth in a hug.

  Nicole’s laughter increased as she pushed me away. “Get off me, you goof. What do they feed you in Elustria anyway?”

  “The food in Elustria’s fine, it’s actually not that much different than what we eat here, but for some reason, they haven’t adapted a form of pizza.” I grabbed a slice of the vegetarian pizza Nicole had ordered and stole a few pepperonis from Alex and Millhook’s. Nicole wasn’t super healthy in her eating or anything, but when she was ordering something like pizza, she liked to at least pretend it was healthy by making it vegetarian. In my opinion, that kind of defeated the point, but whatever.

  “I don’t know why we couldn’t have this in Elustria,” Millhook said. “I second the motion that we introduce it. We shall be heralded as saviors.” He licked his fingers and reached for another slice.

  “What the—” Nicole’s jaw dropped, and we all followed her gaze to my communication orb. Her question was cut short by a voice.

  “Esstrasa,” the orb said, announcing the caller.

  I hadn’t even realized I’d brought a communication orb. It had become second nature to carry one with me at all times. Seeing it floating above the pizza was a weird clash of my worlds. What was a mundane sight back in the Citadel seemed oddly out of place here.

  “Accept,” I told the orb. Esstrasa’s face appeared, and I couldn’t help but smile at seeing her again. A rush of affection for the guardian of the archives flooded me, and if it weren’t for Nicole’s gasp, I would’ve forgotten that Ess’s appearance was strange to the uninitiated. To me, the curly blue hair and the right eye stuck in a state of perpetual surprise were comforting in their familiarity. “Ess, it’s good to see you. Is everything all right? Are the archives fine? Did they make you move out of the crypt?”

  Ess scoffed. “As long as there’s breath in my body, the archives are protected. And like I’d be telling you where they’re at through an orb like this, not knowing who’s even in the room listening with you. You young ’uns don’t know nothing about security. That’s how all this happened in the first place. Everything is topsy-turvy because some people don’t know their business.”

  The truth of her words stabbed. I’d left behind a mess. And while I knew it was better for me to be here rather than helping clean it up, it didn’t make me feel any better about it. “I’m sorry, Ess. I really am. I’m fine taking whatever reprimand you want to dish out.”

  “Oh, it wasn’t a failing on your part, dearie. I meant the general nature of things. Golem magic is the greatest threat we’ve ever faced. At least you’re not susceptible to it, being a pidge. It doesn’t work on anyone who has magic in their blood. Anyway, Thaddeus told me everything. Everyone else is too busy with operations, so I’m going to be your liaison.”

  Relief at having read Thaddeus correctly washed over me. Back at the Citadel, he couldn’t come out and tell me to leave and pursue Marguerite on my own, but I’d read between the lines. He’d stopped me from apologizing for the past and told me to look forward and do what needed to be done. He trusted my judgement, and I needed to do the same. “So he’s not mad at me?”

  “No more than he is with everyone else. Now, he asked me to pass along some information. Before I do, who else is listening in? Who’s there with you?” She looked around. “I don’t know these other people.”

  “The imp is Millhook. He’s does work for the Council, specifically Calista and Thaddeus. The shifter is Alex. He’s a friend of mine, and the Council trusts him.”

  “Is that a human girl with you?” Ess said it as if Nicole were some exotic species.

  “Yes, this is my friend Nicole. She’s helped out with operations in the past.” It was technically true. She’d helped plenty with Sibelius and Casper in Vienna.

  “I don’t know how anyone without magic can be a help to anyone,” Ess sniffed.

  “They can all be trusted. You can confirm with Thaddeus if you need to.”

  “No, I’ve heard Millhook’s name enough to know he can be trusted. And I remember hearing something about this Alex creature. As for the human, it doesn’t really matter if she overhears. It’s not like she can do anything with the information.”

  “Hey, I can do plenty,” Nicole said.

  “Oh, there, there, don’t get yourself in a tizzy.” Ess turned back to me. “I don’t know how that little misf
it group of yours can get anything done, but that’s not my concern. No one consults me about anything. What do I know? I’m just Ess, the guardian of the crypt. Crazy old Ess they call me, like I don’t know. But I’ve outlasted all of them, and I’ll outlast more yet.”

  “I don’t doubt it, Ess. What did Thaddeus want to pass along?” He wouldn’t waste my time or his with anything unimportant.

  “We got a hit on that imprint you were watching. With everything going on, it took a while for the report to get through, but it’s two mages with a familial relationship to the imprint. They were definitely speaking with Marguerite, who we now know to be the Director. That’s a bad bunch you come from, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, Ess, but let’s not forget, they didn’t raise me. Was there any more intelligence that came through with the report? Have they learned anything new?”

  “We’ve just gotten some general rumblings here and there. The Directorate, from what we’re hearing, are in a bit of chaos. Apparently, your aunt pissed off a lot of people, or rather, a lot of people pissed her off, even in the Directorate. She’s determined to see this plan of hers through. We gather that she hasn’t been successful yet, so she’s taking things into her own hands, leaving the rest the organization to fend for themselves, or at least that’s the impression our agents have been getting. You’ve never seen anything like it. Given what she’s after though, it makes sense. If she figures out how to steal a sorcerer’s magic, she’ll be practically unstoppable.”

  The pizza had turned into a cold lump in my stomach. As much as I wanted to act like this was a warm homecoming with Nicole, it wasn’t. I was here to work on an impossible task. “Did Thaddeus have any other message for me? Orders of some kind?”

  “No, you’re kind of in a gray area right now. This isn’t exactly a CCS mission. I’m simply here to provide you with any help you require. Anything from the archives that you need, contact me, and I’ll get you what you’re looking for. You have to stop that aunt of yours getting what she needs to succeed. You do whatever it takes. That mother of yours figured it out, and it’s just a matter of time until Marguerite does. You can’t let that happen.”

  “I know.”

  “Good. Remember what those who came before you have sacrificed. Don’t let us down.” Ess’s face disappeared, and I slouched against the sofa.

  “Wow. Intense much? Why does she look so…blah?” Nicole splayed her hands out and stuck out her tongue while crossing her eyes.

  I tried to laugh at her impression, but all I could manage was half a smile. “She used to be an agent. On her last mission, something went wrong. It screwed up her magic and left her looking like that. But don’t let her appearance fool you. She’s tougher than old leather and harder than nails.”

  “So when she mentioned sacrifices…” Nicole trailed off.

  I nodded. “She meant herself and countless others.”

  “Looks like you read Thaddeus correctly,” Alex said. “At least this way we have some connection to the CCS. I don’t know how we’re going to do this even with their help, but we have a better chance now than we did before.”

  I met his yellow eyes across the coffee table, their warmth and steadiness were the same as they’d been in my memories during our months apart. “Do you think we can do this?”

  Alex pursed his lips in thought and then nodded. “With their support and a little bit of luck, I think you can. You’ve done everything else.”

  I drew strength from his faith in me, but in order to stop Marguerite, we had to know what Sadie had found in the cave in Scotland. For that, I had no idea where to begin.

  Two

  I woke up to the smell of breakfast. It had to be Alex cooking. I’d never seen Millhook prepare any type of food, and I doubted he knew how. Odd that he could live this long and not know how to cook. Nicole stirred next to me on the bed. My stretching must’ve woken her.

  “Smells yummy,” Nicole said as she opened her eyes and popped out of bed. “This is the best part about having Alex visit.”

  “Does he do this every morning?”

  “Yep. Not sure why. I never asked him to, but I don’t want it to stop. He’s a decent cook.”

  The little ember of jealousy that flared in my chest surprised me. Ridiculous, of course. I had chosen to stay away, to work with the CCS instead of being with Alex. Still, I had missed him, and I couldn’t help feeling jealousy that Nicole had gotten to spend time with him when I hadn’t.

  “Hey, before you go out,” I said, stopping Nicole at the door of her bedroom, “I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry for leaving like I did and not visiting.”

  Nicole crinkled her eyebrows as she shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. You did what you had to.”

  “I’m sorry for all of this.” I stood in front of her so she could see the sincerity in my eyes. “I feel like I keep popping into your life when I’m in trouble or need something. It’s not fair to you.”

  “Seriously, stop apologizing.” Nicole rubbed my arm in reassurance. “That’s what friends are for. You used to spend hours helping me in-game, grinding for quest rewards.”

  I laughed at the comparison. “That’s hardly the same thing.”

  “No, now it’s all real. This is really cool for me, Kat.”

  I sobered. “And dangerous.”

  “I trust you guys. And if I weren’t helping you, it would just be more dangerous for you.”

  Nothing, it seemed, would deter her. She should be pissed at me, but I understood her position. If the roles were reversed, I’d feel the same way. “You really are the best kind of friend.”

  “Yeah, but if you keep up all this silly apologizing business and breakfast gets cold, I’m going to turn into a cranky friend.” She opened the door, and I followed her to the living room.

  “Breakfast will be ready in a few. There’s milk and juice on the table,” Alex called from the kitchen. Millhook already sat at the dining room table holding the newspaper open in front of him, obscuring his face.

  “I didn’t know you read the paper, Millhook,” I said as I took my seat.

  Millhook peeked around the paper. “Of course I do. Brilliant invention. Don’t understand why we don’t have it back in Elustria. A paper printing up all the news of the day? Genius I tell you.” His head disappeared back behind the paper.

  Alex came from the kitchen carrying two plates of pancakes and eggs. He set one down in front of me and gave me a smile. A tingle rushed through me. I had missed him. Being here with him felt so natural and right, as if the entire time we were apart I’d been constricted and now I was freed. This attraction had nothing to do with the talisman or any other magical source.

  “Thank you,” I said as he moved to give Nicole hers.

  “You’re going to need all the energy you can get. If that’s not enough, I can always fix more.”

  I looked down at the stack of three pancakes and two fried eggs and laughed. “Oh, this’ll be more than enough. I usually just grab a piece of fruit or some pastry in the mornings.”

  Alex frowned and went back to the kitchen to retrieve his plate and Millhook’s. “That’s not enough, especially given what the CCS asks of you. Doing magic takes energy just like physical exercise.”

  “Furball’s right. I eat any chance I can get.” Millhook folded the paper when Alex appeared with his plate. “Eating and napping, two things that you would do well to do more of.” Indeed, Millhook’s plate had twice the amount of food mine did, and Alex had even more than that. Of course, you’d never know it looking at the two of them. I, on the other hand, could have one toaster pastry too many back in college and I’d have problems zipping up my jeans.

  “Oh my god, this tastes amazing,” I said as soon as I put the first forkful of pancakes in my mouth. Alex smiled and continued eating.

  “See, I told you,” Nicole said.

  “Yes, you did.” I crammed a few forkfuls of pancakes into my mouth and pushed away the plate. There was no way I c
ould finish that much food. “We should really get to work. We have to find out what was in that cave in Scotland. It’s the only clue to where to go next. Millhook, you need to tell me everything from the beginning.”

  Millhook pushed both his plate and newspaper back so he could rest his arms on the table. “There’s nothing helpful there. We all went together.” He gestured to Alex and Nicole. “I could tell there’d been some mage magic in the area. I got the imprint, convinced some tourists I was a leprechaun, and we teleported out.”

  Something didn’t add up. “We know the imprint belonged to Sadie. But the question is, how did she even know to go to Scotland? As far as I know, the only thing pointing there was one cryptic line in Meglana’s notes. By the way, thanks for figuring that out, Nicole. Millhook was very excited about using the ‘interwebs’ to solve that one.”

  Nicole chuckled. “No problem. I mean, it was rather genius the way we figured it out. You see, Inchnadamph, the town in Scotland, means ‘meadow of the stags’ and the cave was named Uamh an Claonaite, which means ‘cave of the sloping rock.’ So, when Meglana wrote that her knowledge was in the ‘sloping rock in the meadow of the stags,’ that’s the only place it could be. She was actually really smart about it. If Meglana wanted to keep this stuff secret from mages who spend all their time in Elustria, she couldn’t have picked a better way to do it.”

  “That brings us back to how on earth did Sadie know to go there?” I looked around the silent table. “Really, I’m asking you guys. No guess is too ridiculous at this point.”