Cory and Lindell found nothing about the rod among the books. Cory left the library to search the books at the office of Phoenix, which were about more obscure magical things. Lindell went back to the museum. Bazza wasn’t in his office, so maybe he was still talking to the knights. There was no one else at the museum, which was odd at this time of day. Lindell found a note on Bazza’s desk that explained it.

  A sigh escaped. Everyone had quit, not wanting to be associated with the museum with all that was happening with the nobles and the court. And now an artifact was missing. Everyone in Shale knew about the incidents with other artifacts, and those hadn’t even fallen into the wrong hands. Had whoever took the rod known it had magic? What would they use it for? This made Lindell feel even worse. Whatever bad things happened with the rod, it was the museum’s fault. It was his fault for bringing the rod into Shale. A small part of him pointed out it was Bazza who had sent him to retrieve it, but Lindell could have left it behind, or refused to find it.

  “You didn’t know it had magic,” Ricliri said quietly.

  Lindell hadn’t realized the spirit was awake. “I’ll still feel responsible for whatever is done with it. No matter how unreasonable.” He said it out loud, since there was no one but Ricliri there to hear him.

  Lindell went upstairs. He had almost forgotten to look for the seed Nevyn had told him about. He found it in the room closest to the stairs, on a table with a few other objects. Lindell stared at the seed in its vial, which was smaller than he’d thought it would be. Something flickered along the glass, like a blueish thread wrapped around the vial.

  Sometimes the thread was entirely visible, then it would fade away again. He also felt something from the vial, something suppressing the magic of the seed. He didn’t know how he knew that. Lindell didn’t quite dare touch the vial and that odd thread.

  “What you see and feel is magic,” Ricliri said.

  “The magic of the seed is awake?” Lindell asked.

  “It is,” Ricliri said. “The magic of the vial is suppressing the magic of the seed, holding it back. I don’t know what the seed is capable of, but it’s very powerful…” His words trailed off as he went back to sleep.

  Even with Ricliri asleep, Lindell could still see and feel the magic in the vial. He could see and feel it from every artifact on the table. It felt different depending on what artifact he looked at. The magic all appeared as threads, but they were different colors. Some were dim, some bright. Lindell backed away from the table, looking at the staff that hung on the wall. It had magic too. Wallace and Cory had been looking at artifacts on the first floor before. They may not have gotten to these yet.

  Lindell went into the next room. The artifacts there had magic of varying strengths too. He searched each room upstairs, finding the same thing in each of them. All the upstairs artifacts had magic. Not all of it was strong, but everything had magic. Lindell’s heart beat fast. How many of these artifacts were dangerous? He went downstairs and looked at those. So far none of those had magic. Bazza came in just as Lindell was staring at the set of spoons hanging on the wall. They didn’t have magic either.

  “What are you doing?” Bazza asked.

  Lindell hesitated, but only for a moment. “Just looking at the artifacts.” He felt guilty about hiding the truth, but Bazza had other things on his mind.

  There was too much going on right then. And Lindell wasn’t sure yet what to think about the upstairs artifacts. Cory came into the museum, breaking the strange silence. He was out of breath, as though he had run there.

  “A knight found Kath unconscious in an alleyway,” Cory said. “Someone used the rod on her. We found out more about it.”

  “Is Kath alright?” Lindell asked.

  “She was cursed by the rod,” Cory said. “She’s asleep and won’t wake up. Wallace and I will try to break the curse. Hopefully when Kath wakes up, she can tell us who attacked her. Will you come with me?” The last was directed at Lindell.

  Lindell nodded. He glanced at Bazza, but Bazza continued to say nothing, his expression unreadable. Lindell left the museum with Cory.

  “What did you find about the rod?” Lindell asked on the way to the healer’s.

  “It was used during the uprising against King Gregory, the tyrant,” Cory said. “That was who the rebellion put a stop to. The rod traps people in nightmares and eventually…” His lips pressed into a thin line. “Eventually, they die.”

  Hopefully Wallace and Cory could break the curse. The creator of the rod might not have known about soul magic, since most believed it to be a myth. Maybe their magic could break the curse.

  The door into the main room of the healer’s was open. There were beds on either wall, with three doors that led into other rooms. The one on the right, closest to the front door, was closed. The healer, an older woman, sat behind a desk at the far end of the room, but she only glanced up from the papers and books on her desk briefly.

  Cory knocked lightly on the closed door.

  “Come in.” Wallace’s voice was muffled.

  The two of them entered the room, Cory closing the door behind them. There were three beds in the room, but only the one furthest from the door was occupied. Kath was barely breathing. She didn’t open her eyes when Wallace put a hand on hers. When he looked at Lindell and Cory, his eyes flickered dark purple.

  “Ready?” Cory asked.

  Wallace nodded. He turned away and breathed in sharply as he released his corruption.

  Cory released his corruption as well. The two of them stood next to Kath’s bed, blocking her from sight. Lindell glimpsed their red magic and could feel it. It was strange, but he couldn’t place how it was strange. Ricliri had called Cory’s magic strange before, but the spirit was asleep, so Lindell couldn’t ask him about it. Kath breathed in sharply. She pulled Wallace close, hugging him tightly. He hugged her too. Cory pulled back his corruption and sat on the edge of the next bed, looking exhausted. When Kath let go of Wallace, he pulled back his own corruption and sat at the foot of her bed.

  “That rod needs to be found,” Kath said, looking at Lindell. “And it needs to be destroyed.”

  “I’ll make sure it’s destroyed,” Lindell said. “As soon as it’s found.”

  Kath looked surprised. “You really are more reasonable than Bazza.”

  “Did you see who attacked you?” Wallace asked.

  Kath shook her head. “They must have come out of a side alleyway.” She frowned hard. “They snuck up on me from behind.”

  -- --

  Lindell left while Wallace and Cory were talking quietly. Kath had closed her eyes, likely worn out from the nightmares. Lindell went back to the museum, finding Bazza at his desk, staring at the note about everyone quitting. He let the note fall to the desk when Lindell sat across from him.

  “Kath is awake,” Lindell said. “The curse is broken.”

  “How?” Bazza asked.

  “Magic,” Lindell said. It wasn’t for him to tell Bazza about Wallace and Cory being corrupt soul mages.

  Surprisingly, Bazza didn’t ask further questions, instead setting to work on the papers on his desk. He clearly didn’t want to talk. Maybe he knew Lindell was keeping things from him, or he really was mad that Lindell had let Ricliri into him. Lindell left for the forest ruins. Now he knew the seed was at the museum, but he would rather tell Eireen than Nevyn. Thankfully, she was alone, sitting on the edge of the well. Lindell sat beside her.

  “I’m sorry about Nevyn,” she said. “I trust you not to betray us.”

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  “Thank you,” Lindell said. “I found the seed at the museum.” He hesitated as what she’d said about Bazza came rushing back into his mind.

  Eireen took his hands in hers. “I’ll tell Nevyn about the seed and he’ll decide what to do. I won’t ask you to steal it for us, and I’ll make sure Nevyn doesn’t either.”

  Lindell had been worried that’s what would come next, but the worry was nothing compared to his other worries. “It’s another dangerous artifact the museum has, and it happened to be upstairs. All the dangerous artifacts have been stored upstairs.” He didn’t know where he was going with that thought, but he didn’t like it.

  Eireen nodded slowly. “Does Bazza decide where the artifacts go?”

  “Yes,” Lindell said quietly.

  What if Bazza really had known the artifacts had magic and had sought them out because of it?

  “How are you sure all the upstairs artifacts have magic?” Eireen asked.

  With all that had happened, Lindell had entirely forgotten to tell her. He told her about the mirror and about Ricliri.

  “Are you alright?” Eireen asked.

  “His magic hasn’t done anything to me,” Lindell said. “Usually, he’s asleep. I do hope he’s alright…”

  Eireen smiled. “How very like you.” Her smile faltered and she let go of his hands. “What if—” She shook her head.

  “What?” Lindell asked.

  When she spoke again, her words were quieter. “What if Bazza used the rod on Kath?”

  Lindell stood. “Why would he do that? He wouldn’t.”

  “Just be careful,” Eireen said, frowning hard. “Something is going on. I should tell Nevyn about the seed.” She left quickly.

  He hoped she wasn’t in a hurry to get away from him, but he couldn’t believe Bazza would attack Kath. And why would he attack her? The rod was Ivran, but that didn’t mean Bazza had taken it and used it. It didn’t mean he was a part of the Flame of Ivra and wanted to wipe out Oenum. Lindell was lost in thought on his way back through the forest. When he reached the upper district, he almost walked into Irwin.

  “I heard about Knight Captain Vine,” Irwin said with a scowl. “Another of the museum’s artifacts has proven to be dangerous.” He moved in uncomfortably close and lowered his voice to hardly above a whisper. “Close the museum and stop collecting artifacts, or I will have to do something about it.” He walked away.

  A shiver ran through Lindell. It was getting late, so he went home to a light, restless sleep. Cory was waiting outside the museum when Lindell got there in the morning.

  “Phoenix is going to search for the rod,” Cory said. “Wallace has a theory, and Vedrix is back, so he can destroy it if we find it. I thought you might want to come.”

  “I do,” Lindell said. “I’ll help however I can.”

  The two of them went to the library, where Wallace and one other were waiting outside. The other was Vedrix, the God of Magic. He didn’t advertise the fact he was a god, or what some knew to be a demon, but his odd hair color did stand out. His long pale purple hair was tied back. His light gray eyes looked worried.

  He stared at Lindell for a moment, without expression. “Have there been any lasting effects from the Amulet of Nightmares?”

  Lindell’s mind shuddered at the mention of the amulet. “No.”

  Vedrix nodded. “Good.” He set off, with Lindell, Wallace, and Cory following close behind.

  “Are the other members of Phoenix still away?” Lindell asked.

  “They are,” Wallace said. “Right now, it’s just the three of us.” He sighed. “One office really isn’t enough, but there aren’t enough of us to run another office.”

  They turned down an otherwise empty alleyway. Vedrix slowed, glancing at Wallace, who nodded. It was likely the alleyway where Kath was attacked.

  “She didn’t see whoever it was…” Vedrix muttered. “Where exactly was she found?”

  Wallace walked ahead, stopping just in front of a narrow, dark side alleyway. Vedrix went down the side alleyway, which wasn’t paved with cobblestones. He dug around in the dirt and darkness for a moment, then came back holding the rod, but the metal was somehow duller than before.

  “The magic has run out,” Vedrix said. “It must have been used up when the rod was used.” He frowned hard. “I suspect using it on Kath was a test. Despite the magic being gone, I will destroy it. In case the magic could be restored.” He looked at Lindell, as though expecting him to argue.

  “If you think it best, then destroy it,” Lindell said. “I don’t want anyone else to get hurt with it.”

  Vedrix smiled briefly. His eyes turned amber and glowed as he stared at the rod.

  Lindell let himself see magic, something he had realized last night he could do. The gray strands of inert magic that floated lazily in the air flared amber, rushing in around the rod, then burrowing into it like so many worms. The metal cracked, then it crumbled away into dust that slid through Vedrix’s fingers, disappearing before it reached the ground. Lindell stopped seeing magic. Vedrix’s eyes returned to the gray of inert magic, but he was frowning at Lindell.

  “You have magic, and it is not the magic of a witch,” Vedrix said. “There is a spirit of illusion inside of you, his magic becoming one with you.” His stare was uncomfortably intense.

  “There was a spirit trapped in a mirror,” Lindell said. “He was dying. I became his host.” For the moment, Ricliri was asleep.

  “You became the host of a spirit,” Vedrix said, staring at him oddly. “I do not know if that is commendable or foolish.” He shook his head. “There is no undoing it now.”

  “I don’t regret it,” Lindell said.

  “You may soon,” Vedrix said.

  He sounded so certain… Lindell tried not to worry. He had made his choice, and given the chance, he would make the same choice again. Vedrix, Wallace, and Cory went back to the office of Phoenix, and Lindell went to the museum. Bazza was in his office when he got there, but the door was open. With no one else working at the museum, there was no need to keep the door closed.

  Lindell sat in the chair across from him.

  “The rod?” Bazza asked.

  “Vedrix destroyed it,” Lindell said. “It was too dangerous.”

  Bazza frowned hard, then the tension went out of him. “I hadn’t much hope we would get it back at this point.” He shook his head. “We need a way to improve the noble’s opinions of us.”

  How would they do that?

  “More artifacts wouldn’t help,” Lindell said carefully.

  Bazza frowned hard. “I will think about it.”

  About getting more artifacts, or improving relations with the nobles? Bazza went back to the papers on his desk, busily writing what appeared to be a letter. Lindell left the room, looking at the rest of the artifacts on the first floor of the museum. None of them had magic. It was just the ones on the second floor. But what did it mean? It was getting late when Bazza called Lindell back into his office. A letter lay open on the desk. He had piled the papers in a neat stack off to the side.

  His friend smiled, something he rarely did anymore. “There’s another artifact I have received word of. An old box.” He continued before Lindell could say anything. “We’ll talk about it more in the morning. It’s getting late.” He got to his feet and walked past Lindell, leaving the office.

  Lindell watched as Bazza left the museum. That had been so sudden… Had he known Lindell wouldn’t want to retrieve the artifact? How was this going to help things with the nobles? He sighed, then he left the museum as well, locking up behind him. He was lost in unpleasant thoughts on his way home. What would this artifact be? Magical? Dangerous? He hoped it would be normal, like the artifacts on the first floor. He almost walked into someone who stepped out of an alleyway in front of him.

  “Sorry…” he muttered before realizing who it was. “Eireen?”

  “I’m worried about you,” Eireen said. “All that’s happening with the museum, with the artifacts.”

  A brisk wind blew past and the two shivered.

  “Do you want to stay with me?” Lindell asked.

  Eireen smiled and nodded. When she came to Shale, she sometimes stayed at his house, even if only for a night or two. The two of them walked the short distance to his house in silence. After Lindell got a fire going in the hearth in the parlor, they sat in the two chairs in front of it. With her there, he felt better than he had all day. Until he recalled his conversation, if it could be called that, with Irwin the day before.

  “Irwin warned me to close the museum and stop collecting artifacts,” Lindell said. “Or he’ll have to do something about it.”

  Eireen frowned. “What if the rumors are true? What if all those nobles Irwin didn’t approve of didn’t really leave Shale and he did something to them?”

  Now it was Lindell who shivered. “I’ll just have to hope the court closes the museum soon.”