AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Augustus downed it like a shot, thinking that it would hurt less. He was wrong. He tasted verdant rain forest air, the musk of the Leopard Sorcerer's magic, the tears of knowing his closest friend killed Emmaline.
Augustus gagged but forced the brew to go down. Mara's hand closed over his, and that tiny bit of comfort gave him the courage to hold out his cup once more.
Mara poured. "I love you," she said, and he knew that it was in case she didn't get another chance.
"I love you too, Saint of the brokenhearted." And before he could hesitate, Augustus drank his final cup.
Death burned his tongue. Blood and ashes and wild dark magic poured down his throat until he was choking on it. He covered his mouth with his hands, stopping the tea and bile from forcing their way out. Augustus swallowed and toppled backward onto the floor.
Mara was beside him in a second. "Augustus! Keep your eyes open. Breathe, my love. Don't stop."
A pulse of magic hit the teashop. The walls swayed and warped, glass jars fell from their shelves, and teapots exploded. The fabric of reality heaved and roared.
With a flash of lightning and a bang loud enough to wake the dead, the teashop disappeared, leaving only smoking concrete to show it had ever been there.
Twenty-Five
"There isa blessing that can pour forth from a martyrdom, but the martyred are never there to witness it." — Sayings of the Blessed Crow.
One moment, Mara was in her teashop, her body thrown over Augustus to protect him from the shattering glass, and the next, she was in a dark cave.
"Augustus?" she croaked, searching the ground around her.
There was a flare of magic, and the cave lit up. Hundreds of glow worms cast an iridescent aqua and blue light around them. Augustus was on his side, his back to her. Mara scrambled over the mossy, damp ground and tipped him over.
"Augustus? Wake up!" she begged.
He frowned, and his eyes opened. "What the fuck happened?"
Mara let out a gasp of relief. "I don't know. The teashop exploded, and we were suddenly here."
Augustus's eyes focused and then widened. "Fuck."
"What?"
"We are back. This is the cave where I broke the magic. Melba Gully," he said, sitting up. "You see these glow worms? They never used to glow until the magic filled these caves."
"You've been back here?" Mara asked, rubbing at her arms.
"Many times. I tried everything I could think of to repair the tear we created that night." Augustus looked about, his face pale in the eerie light. Mara helped him stand, and he pulled her into his chest. "I thought that last cup killed me for sure."
"Magic and fate aren't done with you yet, sorcerer." Mara went up on her tiptoes and kissed his jaw. "And neither am I. Now, let's figure out why we were brought here."
There was a panicked meow, and Athanasius came bolting out of the darkness and leaped into their arms.
"Mara! Mara! The shop's gone! What's going on?" he shouted.
"Hush, we are trying to figure it out. I'm glad to see you are okay," Mara said and lifted him up to her shoulder. "Stay there."
Augustus took her hand. "Now, let's try and find a way out."
Unfortunately, the caves weren't interested in letting them out. The glow worms flashed, and they followed deeper and deeper.
"We should have been out by now," Augustus whispered. He placed his hand on the damp cave wall and pulled it back instantly. "Fuck."
"What is it?"
"It's magic. It's coating everything. I think it's leading us, like a path through a labyrinth," he replied, the whites of his eyes glowing silver.
