Stormwood: The Descendant (book 1)

Chapter 4- Easter River Bridge (part 3)

Colia watches as Augustus runs a hand against the cobblestone bridge walls until it halts on the stone he's looking for. As he pushes it in, a square of 16 stones in the center of Eastern River Bridge begins to rise into the air, creating a hole beneath. He jumps through, and the stones return back to their place as if nothing had ever happened.

Everyone is still for a moment. 

"What--" Emi begins but can't seem to find the words she's searching for.

Colia and Kyler understand, anyway. 

Colia starts over to the bridge, and Kyler asks, "What are you doing?"

"If Augustus is AB, we're meant to follow him, right?" she replies.

"Now, you want us to follow him?" Kyler asks with a humorless laugh, fear in his voice. "Maybe, this whole 'AB' thing is a trick. Maybe, it's a trap."

"Why would it be a trap?" Emi joins in, siding with Colia. "I think we should do it."

"He's a Storm and we're Burns. Sort of." That last part is directed toward Colia. "What other motives does he need?"

Colia raises her hands, forgetting neither of them can see her and says, "Hold on, you guys can stay here if you want. He obviously didn't want anyone else to see the note. It was meant for me and me alone, so I'll go alone."

"No, that's not happening," Emi declares as she approaches Colia. "Kyler can make his own choice, but I'm coming."

They wait expectantly for Kyler's reply. A moment passes. And another. The novaly's shadow comes closer and footsteps appear in the dirt in front of Colia, heading in her direction. They disappear a few seconds later like on the night Colia came to Stormwood. Kyler makes an exasperated sound. "Fine," he says in defeat, his voice closer than previously.

Colia smiles. "Perfect."

She runs her hand against the walls as she climbs, copying what Augustus had done. At the center of the bridge, she feels an engravement in one of the stones. Crouching down, a scratched-in spiral catches her eye. She lightly runs a finger against the design before applying force.  It shifts backward, and scraping stones rise behind her.

"It's a mark of push magic, a spell," Kyler explains, referring to the engravement. 

Colia looks down through the bridge's hole, where multiple stones had been before. The water underneath is parted and a pit travels farther beneath; It's a long drop. Nearby, the novaly arrow points toward it. "I think the twin novaly is down there."

As Kyler moves around the hole, the arrow continues to point at its center.

"Okay, Kyler, you jump first?" Emi suggests. 

"You want me to jump?" Kyler asks with a laugh. That seems to be his tell-tale sign of nervousness.

"You can't keep us invisible from up here, can you?"

"No, but-"

"Then, you better get down there. Unless you're scared of course."

"I'm not scared," he defends tightly, "but I'm not stupid." He pauses. "You owe me for this, Emi."

"Yeah, yeah."

Kyler counts down from three before jumping, falling soundlessly through the air. His landing is too far to see. Colia and Emi reappear without Kyler's shadow influence.

"Who's next?" Emi questions, looking calm and collected, her voice level.

"You can go," Colia replies quickly. Unlike Emi, her knees wobble and her hands shake. She clutches them together to keep them still. Emi notices.

"I'll meet you down there." Emi smiles reassuringly. "You'll be fine." And with that, Colia is alone. 

She takes a shaky breath, feeling her heartbeat pound rapidly throughout her body. 

Never in a million would she have thought she'd be in this position, but one night changed everything. And now, here she is, about to leap into the unknown.

She closes her eyes as she leans over the edge, a free fall more than a jump. Air pushes against her, and when she reopens her eyes a split second later, the ground is approaching fast. Bracing herself for impact, she tries her best to steady herself in the air. But impact never comes, and she stays hovering above the ground. In confusion, she looks around at the walls of a massive cave. This isn't her magic; she knows for sure.

"Walk forward," a voice commands quietly. It's Kyler.

She does as instructed and begins forward, the floor remaining a few feet beneath. After a few steps, the invisible force is gone and her feet touch solid ground again. 

Kyler and Emi are out of sight thanks to Kyler's shadow magic, but Colia remains visible. It's her who is to meet with Augustus, assuming Augustus is AB. He is unseen as well.

Scrutinizing her surroundings, Colia notices tunnels branching out from the round, cave-like room where she stands. The walls are made of ancient stone similar to the rest of Stormwood but unlike the well-lit corridors of the Academy, only torches lining the room provide the room with light.

In the center of the room, the stones in the floor are slightly larger and marked with the same spiral symbol as on the bridge.

"That's a caeliqualis, another push magic spell," Kyler says. "I'm sure you'll learn more about spells once you start classes."

Colia nods, wondering how Kyler knows so much about push magic.

A commotion comes from one of the six tunnels nearby, and she follows the noise. Footsteps behind her tell Colia the others follow. They tiptoe to the end of the tunnel where another room lies, this one full of people sitting around a table. Augustus is one of them.

Only muffled noises can be heard from where Colia stands.

"Is that your father?" Emi whispers from Colia's right, surprising her. Sure enough, Iason Storm is seated at the head of the table, currently speaking to the crowd.

"Yes," Colia answers, "and there's Augustus." She points.

"No, Augustus's over there," Kyler counters, "behind you."

Turning around, Colia sees he's right, but she was too. There appears to be two Augustus's, one in the meeting room and the other in the tunnel picking a flat disk off the ground: a novally.

"Shapeshifter," Emi says. "Who are you?" she calls but not loud enough for anyone in the room to hear.

The shapeshifter glances up with wide eyes at Colia. He doesn't answer.

Colia opens her mouth to speak again, but before she can do so, a loud ringing sounds throughout the tunnels. It's an alarm. People inside the meeting room stand and begin piling out of the room, marching past Colia, Emi, and Kyler where they stand invisible. 

Just in time, the shapeshifter shifts into a large grey and white bird and flies away.