Rapid footfalls sounded from down the hallway and Stuart burst through the door, panting for breath, a stack of books under one arm. "Mistress away from the tower—magic accident—fetching her books—aren't you going to get dressed?"
Emily bit her lip. "Not for an audience! Thank you, Stuart, please keep Lady Elara away from the tower as long as you can."
"Yes ma'am!" Stuart saluted before turning tail and running off.
Stepping out of the bellgrape bucket and dripping on the floor, Emily noted the similarities between her current situation and her arrival in Castle Elid. The main difference was her sense of urgency. However good Stuart's distraction, Elara could only be occupied so long. The manor was crawling with servants, who would certainly not tolerate her streaking through the halls, let alone entering their mistress's private tower.
Emily reminded herself of this as she stepped across the doorframe of the bellgrape threshing room and into the long hallway, leaving her enchanted clothes far behind. There was no time to dwell on the danger of her mission, or on her exposure. But that didn't mean she could stop herself from doing either.
Clinging to a wall on one side of the hallway, Emily walked cautiously forward, ears primed for the sound of movement or voices. Her arms were pressed against her body, though that offered limited coverage. If she encountered anyone, she would have to duck into one of the rooms. But what if the door she tried was locked? Emily shook off the thought and quickened her pace.
The hallway eventually snaked out into the manor's grand foyer, a disgustingly cavernous space for a naked girl. Worse still, she could hear voices! Emily sprinted for a large tapestry hanging from the ceiling to the floor and hid behind it.
Just as she settled into her hiding place, a male and female servant entered the foyer.
"That Stuart boy's really gone and done it now," said the male servant.
"I 'eard the commotion, but what were it about?" the female servant asked.
"Bloody fool left a gryphon cage open," the male servant continued. "Shouldn't be messing with those things. They've had to summon the Mistress herself to catch it. She's none too pleased."
"Never did like gryphons."
"Me either, but our Lady has her fancies."
Once the servants' voices had disappeared down a corridor, Emily peeked out from behind the tapestry. The foyer was empty. She felt a pang of guilt at having been the cause of Stuart getting into such trouble. It did seem to be an effective distraction though, but it would be all for naught if she didn't hurry to the tower.
Up the stairs, to the right, down the corridor, taking the first left. Emily had done enough different jobs in the manor to have a pretty good sense of its layout. Though she hadn't been able to think properly about much with that infernal bonnet squeezing her head, it hadn't stopped her from mentally mapping out the manor. The tower wasn't far now.
Emily turned the next corner and heard a shocked gasp that made her blood run cold. Standing just in front of her was Gladys, her dark-haired roommate. Gladys's eyes were large and round, and the duster she'd been holding had fallen to the floor. "E—Emily!" she cried.
Standing frozen, Emily's eyes locked with Gladys's. Her mind spun out, panicking. She was caught! It was over!
No! Emily told herself to calm down. She'd been seen by one person, and she was so close to the tower. Recalling how she'd reacted to Ethel's madwoman story, Emily knew just how to deal with Gladys.
Throwing her head back, Emily let out a strange cry, "Wahahahaha!" Then she pulled her arms from her body and shook them around, jumping erratically from side to side. Not believing what she was doing, she loped towards Gladys, flailing her arms in a manner that she hoped was sufficiently crazy and menacing.
It worked. "M—madwoman!" Gladys shrieked, her face turning white as a sheet. Then she fainted.
Emily rushed forward and managed to catch Gladys's head before it hit anything hard or sharp. She was out cold, completely unresponsive. Emily gently laid her head down on the carpet. Briefly, she considered taking Gladys's clothes but decided that she'd tormented the poor girl enough. It would take too long to get them off her anyway.
Soon after leaving Gladys, Emily reached a non-descript wooden door at the end of the corridor that opened up to the base of a very narrow spiral staircase. She had reached the tower.
Emily stepped through the door and began ascending the staircase, grateful for the narrow space and relative darkness. After numerous turns, the staircase finally opened up to a circular stone chamber—Lady Elara's private magical workroom.
Heavy mahogany bookshelves lined the walls of the chamber, stuffed with books on all kinds of magic. Surveying the titles, Emily noted "Alchemy of Stardust", "Zephyrs of the Eastern Winds", "Possession Charms for Beginners" and "Investigations into the Essence of Life". Gnarled, ancient tomes were set next to fresh, manuscripts, and rolls of parchment peered out from every nook and cranny.
On a grand desk positioned at the center of the chamber lay a chaos of papers filled with cryptic symbols, and vials of multi-hued liquids. A large space had been cleared in the middle of the desk.
Beside the desk, an open book entitled "Magical Artifacts of Western Thessolan" rested on a stand. It was open to a page containing an illustration of the Stoneshell, surrounded by beautiful calligraphic script.
"The Stoneshell is believed to have been carved by Thurseus Irontail, the first Emperor of Mer," Emily read. "Made from rock originating from the deepest part of the Trench of Trule, it was intended as a betrothal gift to a human woman, Evangeline, whom Thurseus had fallen madly in love with. Evangeline was delighted with the gift and gleefully accepted Thurseus's proposal."
On the opposite page, a smaller illustration depicted a handsome, muscular merman half-submerged in water offering the Stoneshell to a woman standing on the shore.
Emily read on. "Once the Stoneshell left the water, Evangeline discovered that it allowed her to summon fire, which warmed but did not burn her. With this power, she became a formidable sorceress. Some sources ascribe other powers to the Stoneshell—healing, flight, powerful sight and hearing, even clairvoyance—but fire is the only one generally accepted by magical scholars."
Emily let out a low whistle. What if those other powers really did exist?
"As scholars of history will know, Thurseus Irontail was assassinated the day before he was to marry Evangeline, and his empire splintered shortly afterwards. Sources differ on the fate of Evangeline. The Stoneshell was thought to be lost for centuries, before coming into the possession of Raja, a founding member of the Order of Mages. He began a tradition of adding additional small enchantments to the artifact, which is detailed in the next section."
So the Stoneshell was not just a betrothal gift, but a betrothal gift from a man who died before he could marry his love. Emily looked at the illustration of Thurseus and Evangeline again and could feel tears coming to her eyes. Sniffing, she turned the page.
"The Stoneshell is a borne artifact, which chooses its bearer. Its power cannot be wielded by any but its bearer. In the hands of a non-bearer, it increases in weight and may appear in different locations than where it was set down."
Emily glanced at the large empty space on the desk. Presumably, the Stoneshell had been sitting there until quite recently. But where was it now?
"Looking for this?" A calm, syrupy voice spoke from behind Emily, making her nearly jump out of her skin. She turned around to face Lady Aria, who wore a cruel smirk as she dangled the Stoneshell from her fingers.
Emily chided herself for getting so absorbed in reading that she had allowed Elara to sneak up on her.
"You didn't really think I'd just leave this lying around for anyone to find, did you?" Elara said. "I keep it with me at all times. As you may have read, it has a habit of disappearing."
Emily scowled. Here was the woman who had enslaved her and stolen her most important possession, taunting her. And she was defenseless—literally naked.
Elara cast a disdainful eye up and down Emily's body. "Didn't you like the outfit I picked out for you? I thought it rather suited you. You certainly looked more comfortable."
"Y—you enslaved me!" Emily screamed, balling her hands into fists. "You're a thief and an evil, evil woman!"
Elara regarded the Stoneshell dangling from her fingers. "An artifact as powerful as this does not belong in the hands of a silly young girl who can't even keep her clothes on for five minutes! You don't know the first thing about magic! You haven't studied, or sacrificed like I have!"
The venom in Elara's words caused Emily to shrink back, cowering against the desk and covering herself with her hair and hands. In Elara's hand, the Stoneshell moved slightly, as if pulled by an invisible force.
"Yes, cower like the dog you are," Elara spat. "Bessie is on her way with a new outfit for you. The design is greatly improved and imbued with much more powerful magic. It's just a necklace this time, as that's the only thing you seem to want to wear. You won't be cavorting with any servant boys in this one, but I'm sure they'll appreciate the view."
"Bitch!" Emily screamed. The Stoneshell moved again. Emily focused her eyes on it, willing it to come to her.
Elara raised a palm, as if ready to strike Emily. "Stupid, worthless little whore!"
At this, the Stoneshell jumped free of Elara's grasp. She gasped as the necklace sailed through the air, spun around neatly, and hovered above Emily's head for a moment dropping onto her shoulders.
"W—what?! How?!" Elara shrieked.
"I have no idea," snarled Emily, rising up from her crouch. "After all, I'm just a stupid girl who can't keep her clothes on!"
Savoring the fear in Elara's eyes, Emily thrust her right hand forward. Instantly, without her even giving the mental command, a massive ball of flame erupted from her palm. It shot outwards and upwards, blasting through an open window a few feet above Elara's head.
Elara stumbled backwards, tripping over a rug and stumbling backwards into a bookcase. Another fireball appeared in Emily's palm, and she thrust it out between them as she dove for the exit. She was out, down the spiral staircase two steps at a time, almost tripping, blackening the stone wall with the fire in her palm.
Bursting out of the door to the tower, Emily saw Bessie coming up the corridor towards her, a dragonfly necklace on a heavy chain held out in front of her. But Bessie's face turned white as a sheet when she saw Emily, angry, naked and carrying flame in her right hand. The necklace fell from her hands, and she immediately turned around and ran as fast as her stubby legs could carry her.
Emily raced down the corridor, through the foyer and around to the back of the manor. The flame in her palm grew bigger, and she could feel the adrenaline in every limb.
Aria stood in the doorway to the garden, stopping midstride and crying out in joy as her eyes met Emily's. The reunited companions ran towards each other and embraced, Emily holding the flame out behind Aria's back, tears in both their eyes.
"I was free the instant I saw a fireball shoot out from the top of the tower," Aria said. "That was your doing, I trust."
"I'm so sorry, Aria," Emily replied, barely hearing her. "She—she made me give up the Stoneshell."
"It is I who should be sorry, Emily." Aria rubbed a soothing but cold hand across Emily's upper back. "I was too quick to place my trust in Lady Elara, merely because she resembled an ancient friend. I should have known there was something not right about her when she refused to return your cloak and made you sit for dinner in the nude."
Emily missed her cloak. "Let's just go."
The two companions separated from their hug and turned back towards the foyer. The main doors were wide open, but in between them stood Lady Elara, panting from exertion. Her countenance was twisted in fury her eyes were ablaze with a cold fire. In her right hand, she wielded a long wand which appeared to be made of ice. Intricate designs were etched into its surface and a crystal of pure frost capped its end.
"Leaving so soon?" Elara asked, her voice half sweetness and half pure menace. "Please, do not insult the hospitality of House Odonata."
She pointed her wand directly at Emily, and a bolt of ice blasted from its tip. The icy missile hurtled towards Emily and Aria. Operating on pure reflex, Emily thrust both hands out in front of her and imagined a wall of flame. The Stoneshell felt hot against her chest as a barrier of fire erupted before them, clashing with the surge of ice. Steam hissed into the air, clouds of vapor shrouding the foyer.
Icy water splashed against Emily with a force that almost winded her. The Stoneshell's magic was potent, but Elara was an experienced magic user, now equipped with her own powerful artifact.
Aria grasped Emily's arm, whispering urgently. "We cannot win this fight, not now. We must leave!"
"How? She's blocking the entrance!"
Aria thought for a moment, her marble hand still tightly clasping Emily's arm. "I'm sorry, Emily," she whispered, so softly that Emily had to strain to hear her.
Before Emily could reply, Aria pulled her close and she felt cool marble against her bare butt. Aria held her arm firmly behind her back, so that her exposed front faced Elara, and then began marching her forward. "Ow!" Emily cried. "Aria!"
"I have her under control, milady!" Aria shouted, as she grabbed Emily's other arm and pulled it behind her back as well, snuffing the flame in her palm. Emily squirmed in confusion and embarrassment as she was marched towards Elara.
"Well, well, well, this is an interesting development," said Elara, lowering her ice wand. "Why the change of heart, Aria?"
"Only a powerful mage can fully reverse the curse on Castle Elid and help me become flesh again!" Aria spat. "The Stoneshell is useless in the hands of a neophyte!"
Tears welled up in Emily's eyes. She thrashed against Aria's vice grip, and small, sporadic flames erupted from her palms and the Stoneshell itself, but neither action had any effect on Aria.
"A rational conclusion," Elara replied.
But as she walked from the doorway towards Aria and the struggling Emily, Emily felt Aria's grip loosen. Another whisper, barely audible, reached Emily's ear. "Run."
The moment Aria released her, Emily took off sprinting, awkwardly sidestepping Elara, who cried out in shock. She felt four long nails rake against her arm as she raced for the door.
Momentarily glancing behind her as she exited the manor, Emily saw Aria barrel straight into Elara, knocking her flat with the force of her dense marble exterior. Elara's wand fell from her hand and skittered across the floor.
Emily ran faster than she ever had before and Aria was right behind her. They heard a strangled cry of anger and frustration behind them, which only quickened their pace through the orchard in front of the manor.
"Head for the wood!" Aria shouted.
The two companions ran from the neat orchard into the dense and tangled natural woods beyond. The uneven ground hurt Emily's feet, but she ignored the pain and pressed on. Deeper, further, away from the manor, away from Elara, into the cold and wild night.
Finally, Emily could run no longer, and she slowed to a walking pace, ribcage rising and falling as she panted for breath. Aria gained the distance between them and, with a quick and elegant motion, scooped Emily up into her arms. "Rest awhile," she said gently.
The night was silent but for Aria's stone footfalls. The cool air nipped at Emily's skin, and she felt a dull ache in the soles of her feet. She focused her thoughts on the Stoneshell lying against her chest, and slowly its warmth spread through her body.
"You really had me going there, Aria," Emily said, once she'd caught her breath. "I thought you'd betrayed me."
Aria gazed ahead at the dark forest. "That's why it worked. Elara saw the genuine shock and hurt you experienced, and she believed it too. It was the only way I could think of to get her out of the doorway."
Emily thought back to how powerless she had felt in Aria's hold. How the Stoneshell's fire could do nothing against an adversary made of stone. "So you didn't really mean those things you said. About me being unfit to wield the Stoneshell... and to help you turn back."
Aria looked Emily in the eyes and smiled sadly. "Of course I did not. The Stoneshell chose you, never forget that. I have full confidence that as we practise and you learn to master its powers, you will find a way to turn me back to what I once was."
Emily looked away, wishing that she shared Aria's confidence. The confrontation with Elara, brief as it was, had highlighted how much she still had to learn. The Stoneshell had made her powerful against two-bit bandits and lecherous men in taverns, but she was still no match for a real mage. And she had not the slightest idea how she would even begin to try turning Aria back into a human. Then she remembered something.
"There was a book in Elara's study. About magical artifacts. It had a whole section on the Stoneshell, but I didn't have time to read all of it. If only I'd thought to grab the book!"
Emily shared what she had read with Aria, who nodded sagely. "It would seem that our stay in the manor was not a total loss, then."
"Except in terms of clothing," Emily added, wiggling her toes.
"The seashore is not far from here," Aria said. "Now that we know the Stoneshell's origins, we should seek out the merpeople. They may be able to tell us more about it."
"I haven't been to the beach in ages," Emily replied. "Hopefully it's a nude beach."
Aria looked perplexed. "A what?"
"Never mind."