Read Online sorcery and science 04.5 - masquerade by Ella Summers - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ella Summers
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protest as Jason tugged them ajar, and they screamed like a tortured prisoner when he pushed them the rest of the way open.
He led the way inside, coughing when the stale air hit his lungs. They walked from room to room, kicking up swirls of dust that followed them around like a little rain cloud. Jason found a room of neatly arranged vials on rows of shelves, but other than the dust collecting inside them, they were all empty. He rummaged through some cabinets with no better luck. Anything of use had either been taken when the Elitions of Eclipse abandoned their town, or long since turned to dust.
“It’s fine, Jason,” Terra said.
He turned away. No, it isn’t fine. There’s nothing here for us.
She set her hand on his shoulder. “They will have serums at Rosewater.”
Jason didn’t feel much like going back to Rosewater, but he turned and walked into the hallway anyway. The portal was down below, refusing to shut up in its nagging call out to him. They went down and cut through a library of books that looked even older than Eclipse was. Row after row, stack after stack, the full bookshelves didn’t seem to end. Finally, they came to a door. It led to a room stuffed with boxes of old junk—moth-eaten robes, broken plates and cups, candles, hundreds of woven baskets…and two slender slates. Jason pulled them out of the box and looked them over. He drew a circle on one of the slates, and it appeared on the other.
“What are those?” Terra asked.
“Sand slates. They’re a pair. With them, we can always talk to each other, no matter where we are.” He held one of the slates out to her. “Here, take it.”
She turned it over in her hands.
“Just don’t let anyone find out,” he told her. “Because if they do, they’ll take it from you.”
“So just our little secret?”
“Yes.”
He unzipped her backpack and tucked the sand slate inside, then she did the same for him. Their packs now loaded, they continued to the other side of the room.
“It’s here. On just the other side,” Jason said as they stopped before a door.
He opened it to find a room no bigger than a closet. In fact, it looked hardly big enough for the two of them to fit inside.
“Cozy,” she said, squeezing through the door with him.
As they passed into the closet, Terra tripped over his foot. The dark underground corner of the temple dissolved, and they tumbled in a mass of intertwined limbs, hitting a wooden shed. Still twisted up with Terra, Jason looked up from the muddy ground into the face of his father.
~ 6 ~
516AX April 18, Chrysalis
JASON QUICKLY DISENTANGLED himself from Terra and stood up. The portal had brought them to Chrysalis.
“Do you know what trouble you two have caused?” Father sighed, closing the door to the shed. “No one knew where either of you were. Rhys sent out search parties to look for Terra, but they found nothing. Lana just told me what you two have been up to these past few months—yes, Jason, your sister is not stupid.”
Jason had never thought that she was. “I’m just surprised she didn’t tattle.”
“Lana cares about you, Jason, even though you could be a good deal nicer to her. She only told me now because she was worried about you. Rhys doesn’t know, thank Aurelia for that,” he added. “I was about to go out and look for you two myself.”
Terra stood up and stepped forward. “I’m sorry. This is all my fault.”
“No, it—” Father froze as he really saw her—the torn clothes, the dried blood, her ghostly pale face. “What happened to you?”
“Siennans,” Jason said, recounting the events of the afternoon.
Father listened in silence, wrinkles rippling across his smooth face, then dissipating again. “We’ll deal with this later. First, let’s get you fixed up, Terra. You look like you won’t last another minute without a potion. An Energy Serum should do the job until a healer can take a look at you. Come with me. I have
He led the way inside, coughing when the stale air hit his lungs. They walked from room to room, kicking up swirls of dust that followed them around like a little rain cloud. Jason found a room of neatly arranged vials on rows of shelves, but other than the dust collecting inside them, they were all empty. He rummaged through some cabinets with no better luck. Anything of use had either been taken when the Elitions of Eclipse abandoned their town, or long since turned to dust.
“It’s fine, Jason,” Terra said.
He turned away. No, it isn’t fine. There’s nothing here for us.
She set her hand on his shoulder. “They will have serums at Rosewater.”
Jason didn’t feel much like going back to Rosewater, but he turned and walked into the hallway anyway. The portal was down below, refusing to shut up in its nagging call out to him. They went down and cut through a library of books that looked even older than Eclipse was. Row after row, stack after stack, the full bookshelves didn’t seem to end. Finally, they came to a door. It led to a room stuffed with boxes of old junk—moth-eaten robes, broken plates and cups, candles, hundreds of woven baskets…and two slender slates. Jason pulled them out of the box and looked them over. He drew a circle on one of the slates, and it appeared on the other.
“What are those?” Terra asked.
“Sand slates. They’re a pair. With them, we can always talk to each other, no matter where we are.” He held one of the slates out to her. “Here, take it.”
She turned it over in her hands.
“Just don’t let anyone find out,” he told her. “Because if they do, they’ll take it from you.”
“So just our little secret?”
“Yes.”
He unzipped her backpack and tucked the sand slate inside, then she did the same for him. Their packs now loaded, they continued to the other side of the room.
“It’s here. On just the other side,” Jason said as they stopped before a door.
He opened it to find a room no bigger than a closet. In fact, it looked hardly big enough for the two of them to fit inside.
“Cozy,” she said, squeezing through the door with him.
As they passed into the closet, Terra tripped over his foot. The dark underground corner of the temple dissolved, and they tumbled in a mass of intertwined limbs, hitting a wooden shed. Still twisted up with Terra, Jason looked up from the muddy ground into the face of his father.
~ 6 ~
516AX April 18, Chrysalis
JASON QUICKLY DISENTANGLED himself from Terra and stood up. The portal had brought them to Chrysalis.
“Do you know what trouble you two have caused?” Father sighed, closing the door to the shed. “No one knew where either of you were. Rhys sent out search parties to look for Terra, but they found nothing. Lana just told me what you two have been up to these past few months—yes, Jason, your sister is not stupid.”
Jason had never thought that she was. “I’m just surprised she didn’t tattle.”
“Lana cares about you, Jason, even though you could be a good deal nicer to her. She only told me now because she was worried about you. Rhys doesn’t know, thank Aurelia for that,” he added. “I was about to go out and look for you two myself.”
Terra stood up and stepped forward. “I’m sorry. This is all my fault.”
“No, it—” Father froze as he really saw her—the torn clothes, the dried blood, her ghostly pale face. “What happened to you?”
“Siennans,” Jason said, recounting the events of the afternoon.
Father listened in silence, wrinkles rippling across his smooth face, then dissipating again. “We’ll deal with this later. First, let’s get you fixed up, Terra. You look like you won’t last another minute without a potion. An Energy Serum should do the job until a healer can take a look at you. Come with me. I have
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