Crucible and the Crown (Misfits of Magic Book 3)

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Merlin led them deeper into the cavern into a section that hadn’t been visible before. He glided across the floor soundlessly as if his feet weren’t even touching the ground. When he came to a stop in front of a massive white stone, he gestured toward it.

“Do your best.”

Then, he just stood there…waiting.

“Do my best at what?” Micah growled in frustration. “What the fuck does that even mean?”

Merlin refused to answer.

“Ah, Micah?” Kellen called out as he moved around the massive rock to get a better look at it. “I think he means do your best at pulling that out of the stone.”

“Pulling what out of where?”

Micah’s voice trailed off as he finally saw it. There on the top of the massive rock was the hilt of a sword sticking out of the stone.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he breathed out. “I’m supposed to pull the sword out of the stone? And what? Become a Knight of the Round Table? That’s not really a thing, is it?”

Merlin looked confused by the question. “We did have a round table, but I’m not sure why that is important. It is simply where we used to sit when the twelve most powerful reapers convened for gatherings.”

“Oh my god,” Lia breathed out. “That legend is real? But if anyone who comes to the Realm of Illusions is stuck here, how in the world do people in the Human Realm know about it?”

“That…is a good question,” Kellen murmured.

“There are a few other reapers out there. The story must have been passed around by one of them.” Micah considered that for a moment. “I’m not the first one to attempt to pull the sword out, am I?”

“You are.” Merlin’s glowing gaze was intense as he asked, “Are you willing? Will you take up the mantle and become the guardian? Will you save your mate and the other reapers?”

“I will sure as hell try.”

Even as he spoke, doubts flickered through Micah’s head. He could really use a conversation with Jackie right about now. This is the kind of shit he loved talking out with her. She would certainly know what to do. It seemed like an easy decision, yet something warned him that it wasn’t as simple a request as the dark god made it out to be.

That didn’t matter, though.

If this was the only way to save Jackie and the reapers, he’d do whatever it took to succeed. He would also accept whatever consequences there were after the fact.

“What else is there to say? Man up, get your ass up there and pull the fucking sword out,” Kellen said bluntly.

“You’re a dark angel plus you can manipulate metal. If anyone can pull a magical sword out of that stone, it’s going to be you,” Lia encouraged.

“I said I’d do it,” Micah muttered. “I’m just preparing myself.”

Since his wings were already out, he spread them wide and used them to fly himself up to the top of the rock. Sure enough, there was a hilt of a sword sticking out of the top of the stone.

“Okay, I can do this,” he muttered to himself.

He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous, but he was. Landing on the stone, he took a deep breath as he studied the hilt of the sword. There was nothing special looking about it, except for the way it softly pulsed with light. Forcing himself to reach out, he grabbed hold of it and closed his eyes.

When he pulled on the hilt, nothing happened.

Disappointment surged into him.

Perhaps he wasn’t worthy after all.

Then, it began.

Magic slowly began to flow into him from where his hand was touching the hilt of the sword. The power and strength of it was so startling, he almost let go. Or he would have if his hand wasn’t magically stuck to the sword. Understanding flooded his mind, making his eyes fly open again.

It wasn’t a test.

It was a magical transference.

“What have you done?” he whispered, then he raised his voice to a shout. “Merlin, what have you done?”

“What is it?” Lia demanded. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s not a test,” Micah explained, panic-stricken. “He’s using the sword to transfer his magic to me.”

The ancient reaper smiled up at him as his own form pulsed with the same light as the sword. Only, as the sword grew brighter, his got dimmer. “You’ve finally figured it out.”

“Stop!” Micah demanded. “You’re giving me everything. If you do, you’ll die.”

“This was always meant to happen. It was always meant to be you.” Merlin sighed with contentment. “I am not afraid to die. I’m tired, boy. I’m ready to rest. I’ve waited a long time for you, and as my time ends, yours is just beginning.”

“You knew I’d come?”

Merlin nodded as his form grew fainter. “I’ve always had a touch of premonition, but only when it comes to significant events in my life. You might gain that ability through my magic, or you might not. I guess you’ll have to wait and see what your reaper powers will be. The moment I saw your wings, I knew you were the one I had been waiting for.”

“This is crazy. You can’t just make me a god.”

“It is possible if both participants are willing and strong enough to endure the transfer. While I might have used a little trickery to get you to agree, the intent was still there. You accepted your fate, just as I have. And with your new magic, you will be able to save your mate and destroy the Goddess of Illusions. When that is finished, you must find a way to save the reapers. As a guardian, it is your responsibility now. Farewell, young one. Live well.”

With that, Merlin’s light was extinguished and all traces of him simply vanished.

Micah gasped as he felt the heart-wrenching loss of the ancient reaper’s presence. The sword disappeared from his grasp as well, and he fell to his knees as his legs gave out. The magical transfer may have been completed, but he was not done processing all of the new magic yet.

His own body had started to pulse with light, growing brighter and brighter until he couldn’t stand it any longer. With Merlin and the sword gone, he now had to close his eyes against the intensity.

Merlin had been an original dark god, one of the most powerful of his kind. Trying to contain that much magic in his own body seemed impossible. Micah had never felt such raw power before, and it was completely overwhelming to his senses. He began to shake as the reaper magic seeped into his every cell, and his wings curled around his body like a protective cocoon. It felt like he was being completely ripped apart and reformed into a new being.

Knowledge and understanding filled his mind.

The sword in the stone had represented the part of Merlin’s soul that had been trapped by whatever spell had put the reapers to sleep. By accepting the magic transfer, Micah had unbound the ancient reaper.

Merlin had been waiting for Micah for centuries, and now he was finally free.

Emotions welled up inside of him. He hadn’t just received Merlin’s magic. All of his memories and experiences had been transferred to him as well. Micah now knew the entire history of what had happened to the reapers and how to use the new magic within him.

But it had come at the cost of Merlin’s life.

That type of sacrifice was hard to accept, even if the ancient reaper had been willing. It was a gift beyond measure, and Micah vowed never to forget to be grateful for it. With his new powers, he would keep his promise to figure out a way to free the other reapers.

But first, he had a mate to save and a goddess to kill.

The moment his new powers completely merged within him, Micah felt himself collapse. He felt lightheaded from the overload of magic and information. Before he could tumble off of the stone, he teleported himself safely to the ground. He was relieved when his legs held him steady, and he shook his arms and wings to get rid of any lingering aches. Even as he did that, he was pleased to discover that there were none.

Physically, he felt better than he ever had before, but that wasn’t surprising considering he was a dark god now.

However, emotionally, he was a fucking wreck. The loss of Merlin felt like a deep, aching wound that would never heal. He’d only just met the ancient reaper, but sharing his memories and learning about him through the magic transfer made it feel like he’d been a lifelong friend.

His emotions still running high, Micah croaked out, “I killed him.”

“You didn’t,” Kellen denied.

“But I—”

“No,” Lia said forcefully. “Don’t do that. This was his choice. He didn’t tell you what was going to happen when you agreed to do the trial. He chose to give you his powers so you could finish what he couldn’t. Can you imagine how hard it has been for him to be trapped in here all this time?”

Micah didn’t have to imagine it.

He knew exactly how difficult it had been. For centuries, Merlin had tried everything imaginable to free himself, but nothing had worked. For someone as powerful as he was, that was akin to pure torture. Time and loneliness had slowly driven him insane.

He’d raged.

He had plotted.

He’d put himself to sleep for years to help pass the time.

Merlin could have ended his torment, but he had chosen to do the honorable thing and stick around to guard his friends until someone else could take over the task for him. Without the premonition of Micah’s arrival, things could have gone very differently.

Pushing those thoughts aside before they overwhelmed him, Micah sighed. “I guess we should check out the reapers’ resting place before—holy shit, my wings are glowing!”

He pulled one of his wings forward to get a better look at it. Not only were the inky black wings now shimmering as if brushed by starlight, the dark appendages were actually surrounded by a dark glowing aura.

“Your eyes are glowing as well,” Lia said faintly.

“This is weird. Do you notice any other differences?”

“The power I feel coming off of you is intense.” Kellen held out a hand as if testing the air around Micah. “Actually, being around you feels the same as it does whenever I’m near Braxton.”

“This is going to take some getting used to.” Micah gestured toward the large stone the sword had been stuck in. “The reapers are in there.”

Lia shot him a confused look. “In…the stone?”

Using his new magic, Micah waved his hand in front of the stone and a doorway appeared. He led the way through the opening, with Kellen and Lia following closely behind. The dark room lit up with a brilliant display of color and light the moment they entered another large cavern that seemed to be made of pure crystal.

Dozens of bodies lay prone on jewel-toned crystal altars. All of them looked like they were sleeping peacefully when the truth was much more sinister. They had been in stasis for centuries, forced into an eternal sleep, though it was meant to be far worse.

They had been cursed to die.

Only swift action by Merlin and a handful of other reapers had stopped the curse from killing them all. Merlin had survived while the other reapers had perished, but he had suffered more than any of them. His goal had been to wake his brethren and return them to their full glory in the Hell Realm.

The problem was Micah had no fucking clue how to break the curse.

“There are so many of them,” Lia breathed out.

“How?” Kellen growled. “How did someone manage to take down so many powerful reapers with one curse?”

“It wasn’t a single person,” Micah explained softly. “It was a strong spell cast by several powerful individuals who had colluded together to destroy the Realm of Souls. I’m not sure of all the details yet or how to undo it, but I’ll have to figure it out to keep my promise to Merlin.”

“We’ll help you,” Lia promised.

“Of course, we will,” Kellen agreed. “Now that we know where they are, I’m sure we can get a lot of people to help us figure out how to wake them.”

“True. But first, I need to find Jackie and kill her mom.” Micah squeezed his eyes shut and groaned. “I mean, her fake mom. Fuck, I’m really going to need serious therapy after this.”

“I think we all are,” Kellen said dryly. “Let’s leave the sleeping reapers in peace and go back into the cavern to come up with a rescue plan.”

As they headed back in the cavern they had started in, Micah retracted his wings and was shocked when they melted back into him instantly. It took no effort, and there wasn’t even a second of discomfort like there usually was.

“What can we do to help?” Kellen asked.

“Besides helping me come up with a plan, I don’t think you can. While my new god powers should allow me to hold my own against the goddess, the entire realm is under her control,” Micah remined them. “You will be at her mercy the moment you leave this cavern.”

“Right, I almost forgot about that part,” Kellen shook his head. “We can’t leave here until she’s dead, or she could use us against you. She already has Jackie as a hostage, so we don’t want to give her any more leverage.”

“That’s right. We should—”

That thought was cut short when Micah felt Jackie reaching for him through their bond. The connection was weak since it was still being blocked by whatever magic was trying to keep them apart. But even through that faint connection, he heard her whisper-soft voice clearly enough.

“Micah…”

The moment she spoke, her pain struck him full force.

It stole his breath and sent him down to his knees. But worse than experiencing a shadow of whatever physical torment she was suffering was the knowledge that came with it. She didn’t think she was going to survive whatever it was, and she was trying to say goodbye.

Fuck that.

“What is it?” Lia asked. “What’s happening?”

“Jackie is in trouble,” Micah said through clenched teeth. “I have to go.”

“Wait! What if—”

“I’m done waiting” Micah snarled. “Stay here. I’m going to go get my mate.”

And he would destroy the entire fucking realm if that’s what it took to save her.