The Loyal Friend (Unstoppable Liv Beaufont Book 5) Read online

  “You must know that I didn’t want it to go this way,” Adler explained. “You left me no choice.”

  “How did you lock our magic without the other Councilors knowing?” Theodore asked. “Without me?”

  Adler shook his head, his eyes skirting to where Guinevere was traversing down the steep slope, inches from grabbing Inexorabilis. “I’ve never needed all of you to lock or unlock magic. You only thought I did. It was better that way. The God Magician changed things long ago.”

  Only two more inches and she’d have her sword.

  “Why are you telling us this?” Theodore asked, probably sensing that Guinevere needed him to stall. They both knew why Adler was divulging his secrets.

  “Because I know you’ll never be able to share them.” With a blinding flash from his staff, Adler sent a blast at Guinevere, knocking her back. She soared over the edge of the cliff, and the fall wasn’t something she could survive without magic.

  “No!” Theodore yelled, running after his wife. He halted at the edge, looking down at the rolling fog that blanketed the rocky ground hundreds of feet below. With raw vengeance in his eyes, he flipped his head up, glaring at the man before him. “What have you done?!”

  Adler sighed softly. “I’ve preserved the future for magicians. You can’t see it, but this is better for everyone, including your children.”

  The red light burst from Adler’s staff and struck Theodore in the chest. He was powerless against the magic without his own, and exactly like his wife, he flew over the edge and fell through the mist to his death below.

  Adler didn’t bother looking over the cliff at the two magicians lying next to each other, dead. He hadn’t enjoyed killing them. However, he would do it many times over if that was what was necessary to protect the truth. It had stayed buried for a long, long time, and he had no reason to think that anyone would try to uncover it again. The Beaufonts had been an anomaly, but with them dead, the House of Seven could operate the way it had for centuries: ruling the magical world without involvement from mortals.

  Adler spun to gaze up at the Matterhorn, unaware that buried among sharp rocks and bits of gravel was a sword that knew his secrets. It knew all of Guinevere Beautfont’s secrets. Inexorabilis glowed for a moment in an act of dedication to the person it had served, who was now gone forever. When the first snowflakes began to fall, the sword dimmed, growing cold as it was slowly buried.

  It would stay hidden for a long, long time.

  Chapter Two

  Present Day

  Winter in Los Angeles was so brief that most would have missed it. The locals, though, complained bitterly about how they were tired of weeks of partial clouds and lows in the mid-fifties.

  Liv Beaufont didn’t much care for small talk about the weather, but lately, she had been looking for a distraction. She pulled her black hood tighter around her head, trying to keep the chilly wind out of her ears.

  “How much longer until we’ve got sunny weather again?” she asked Plato, who was beside her.

  The two were striding quickly down the sidewalk to Rory Lauren’s house. She’d been bugging the giant to open a magic portal so that she could simply step from her apartment onto the sidewalk outside his front yard, but he had declined, telling her that having portal accessibility into her house was unsafe.

  “Anyone could enter your place,” he’d explained.

  “Which means I can too,” Liv retorted. “I’m not good at commuting, and that would make it easier.”

  Rory then explained how most magical creatures disabled portal magic in and around their homes and businesses to prevent others from gaining access. She knew he was right, but she’d been deluding herself into believing that no one would want to trespass into her tiny studio apartment. She’d been able to convince herself of that until recently, but she had too many enemies now, and the list was growing. She was certain she wasn’t even aware of all the baddies out there who wanted to bring her down. Recently she’d made enemies of a dozen different magical creatures, all in the name of getting the job done.

  “It’s not like you’re going to put on flip flops and trot on down to the beach,” Plato replied. “Why do you care if it’s a little cool?”

  Liv shrugged. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. A beach day would be nice, though. How long has it been since I’ve stuck my feet in the sand?”

  Plato gave her a questioning look. “If you mean since I’ve known you, then five years.”

  Liv laughed, but it didn’t sound natural. “Maybe I’ll take up a hobby like paddle-boarding or something.”

  “With all your spare time?” Plato asked.

  “I’m sure I can figure out a reverse time spell so I can get an extra hour in at the end of each day,” Liv reasoned. “Remember that elf I met on Roya Lane? He said having a twenty-five-hour day isn’t all that difficult.”

  “He was also on hallucinogens,” Plato reasoned.

  “Was he?” Liv asked. “I thought that was just how hippie elves spoke.”

  “They aren’t all hippies,” Plato explained. “Although that’s the majority, there are normal ones who have regular jobs and don’t run cross-comparisons on hemp-seed oil or burn candles that clear your chakras.”

  “I’d be interested in meeting one of these ‘normal’ elves,” Liv said with a laugh.

  “Do you want to keep up the small talk, or would you rather discuss what’s bothering you?” Plato asked.

  Liv frowned. Of course, he knew. How could he not? Liv hadn’t slept properly since finding out the “truth.” And now she was going to have to tell Rory about it, and for some reason, that would make it real. Before, it had been a dream she’d been trying to shake off. A new reality that in time would disappear, and she could go back to her old life. However, once she told Rory, there would be no going back.

  “If we talk about the weather one more time, I might puke,” Liv admitted.

  Plato agreed with a nod. “I’m glad to hear it, because it’s growing sort of insufferable.”

  “Was that why you disabled the weather app on my phone?”

  “Well, yes, and also because you can simply go outside and know what the weather is like,” he answered.

  “Yes, but what if I want to know what the weather is like in Alaska or Canada or whatever?”

  “It’s cold,” he replied. “It’s always cold.”

  “What about New York or Cairo or wherever else?”

  “You’re a magician,” he stated plainly. “You’ll adapt, but not if you’re one of those people who start out every conversation by saying things like ‘this is some weather we’ve been having.’ I’m currently working on something to erase all of those people from the Earth.”

  Liv halted in front of Rory’s house. “You really should have bigger dreams and less time on your hands.”

  “Well, what can I say? I’ve mastered the thirty-six-hour work day.”

  “And you’re not on hallucinogens?” Liv teased.

  Plato nodded in the direction of the modest home. “You ready to do this? Once you tell another soul, it will be real for you.”

  Liv sighed. “First of all, get out of my head, you creeper. And secondly, you didn’t answer my question about being on drugs.”

  “Didn’t I?” Plato said coyly.

  “Will you go in there with me?” Liv asked after they’d been quiet for a long stretch.

  “You know that’s probably not a good idea,” he answered.

  “Because of the kittens?” Liv asked.

  “They are all in the backyard digging holes, catching lizards, or sleeping,” Plato told her.

  “I don’t want to know how you know that.”

  “I was thinking that it wasn’t a good idea because Bermuda Laurens is in there,” he said, nodding in the direction of the house.

  “Then I really want you to go with me,” Liv stated. “That women is…”

  “Large?” Plato supplied.

  Liv laughed. “Yes, she’s that,
but I was thinking something else.”

  “She cheats at board games,” Plato offered.

  Liv gave him a look of surprise. “How very random of you. No, I was going to say rude. She’s just plain rude to me.”

  “Since when has that mattered?” Plato challenged. “Bianca Mantovani is rude to you all the time, and it doesn’t bother you.”

  “Yeah, but she’s a snobbish jerk who fastens her high-collared dresses too tightly, which always puts her in a sour mood. What do I care if she likes me?”

  “But Bermuda Laurens is Rory’s mother, and also a leading source on magical creatures, so you want her to respect you, right?” Plato asked.

  Liv shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. But don’t tell anyone that I care what someone else thinks, or I might simply die from embarrassment.”

  “Then it would seem that you care what more than just one person thinks,” Plato mused.

  Liv rolled her eyes and trotted down the path to the front door. When she was almost there, she turned and put her hands on her hips. “Are you coming or not?”

  “Yes, but only if you remember that Bermuda Laurens is a crazy old woman, blinded by her biases.” Plato strolled by Liv, his tail high.

  “Noted,” she agreed. When she was about to knock, the door swung open as it usually did. She was grateful to see that things were sort of returning to normal. Rory’s house was neither messy nor overly clean, as it had been when Bermuda had first moved in. The place looked lived in and comfortable, like before.

  Liv expected to find him doing Tai Chi or spinning his pottery wheel when she entered. That was why she was surprised to find the living room empty.

  “You’re cheating,” Rory said with a note of frustration in his voice.

  Bermuda gasped at him, holding her closed fist in the air. “I am not. How dare you? I simply rolled that.”

  “Three times, back to back?” he questioned his mum.

  Bermuda threw the dice on the table in front of them, smiling broadly. “Looks like it’s four times.”

  “Ummm, are you two playing Yahtzee?” Liv asked.

  “We don’t call it that,” Rory said, scooping up the dice and throwing them on the table, his attention absorbed by the game.

  “We can’t start the game over for you,” Bermuda asserted, not looking up from the table.

  “I wasn’t going to ask you to,” Liv replied as she strode over.

  “And I polished the other chairs, so you can’t sit down,” Bermuda continued.

  “I’m good actually. I prefer to stand,” Liv said, feeling the restless energy trying to bound out of her, as it had been doing most of the day.

  “And…” Bermuda trailed off, sniffing the air. She glanced in Liv’s and Plato’s direction, her eyes widening. “Aristocles! What did I say I’d do to you if you ever came near me again?”

  “Call me by my correct name, which is Plato?” the lynx guessed.

  Bermuda stood, nearly knocking the chair over. She pointed a shaking finger at him. “What is that lynx doing here?”

  Liv glared down at Plato.

  “You were warned,” he said in response to the curious look she was giving him.

  “Was I?” Liv inquired.

  “Mum, I know, but Liv insists on keeping him around,” Rory explained, standing next to his mum and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

  Bermuda’s glare shot to Liv. “You? You keep this vermin around? Do you have a death wish?”

  “Just the opposite,” Liv responded. “Recently Plato saved my life when I was trying to get away from the mermaid, although I can’t remember the exact details.” When she thought about the lion who had helped retrieve Serena’s body from the fountain, the images were fuzzy in her head. The more she tried to think about it, the harder it was to remember.

  Bermuda stuck her hands on her hips. “That’s because he’s full of lies and manipulations.”

  “Sure wish I knew what she was talking about,” Liv muttered from the side of her mouth to Plato.

  “She’s still mad over a silly misunderstanding,” Plato answered.

  Rory and Liv both gazed at Bermuda. “Misunderstanding? You left me in the middle of the Sahara Desert without a transport stone or any other way to get home! If I hadn’t made friends with the sand trolls, I probably would have died.”

  Rory and Liv shot their eyes at Plato, who sort of shrugged. “A misunderstanding, as I said. I was waiting for you by the rendezvous spot.”

  Bermuda threw her hands up. “How could I find it? The sand dunes all looked alike.”

  Plato shot Liv a knowing look. “As I said, misunderstanding.”

  “This is all very strange and confusing, but can we move on?” Liv asked, giving Rory a meaningful look.

  He must have seen the urgency in her eyes because he nodded and put away their game. “So you were successful with the mermaid? That’s good.”

  “Well, if by successful, you mean I can never wear a dress again,” Liv imparted.

  Everyone, including Plato, laughed at this.

  When they’d recovered, Rory shook his head. “When would you wear a dress?”

  Liv blanched. “I did that one time.”

  “So the mermaid bit you?” Bermuda asked. “How much longer do you have? Have you picked out a casket? I’m sure we can have a small service for you in the back. Your one or two friends will fit back there.”

  Liv rolled her eyes. “I was bitten by a mermaid, but since I had recently been bitten by a lophos, the antivenom was still in my system.”

  Bermuda’s sudden good mood deflated. “Oh, so you’re not going to die?”

  “Not any time soon,” Liv stated dully.

  Bermuda shrugged. “Well, there’s always the adventures of tomorrow. I hear there is a rogue anaconda loose in the sewer systems here under Los Angeles. Have you tried wrestling the beast?”

  Liv contained herself. Rory had put his mum in her place once, but she didn’t expect him to keep doing it. Bermuda was set in her ways, and that meant that she was going to protect her son from anyone dangerous—and that was Liv and Plato, according to her.

  “I came here to tell you two about what I learned when I entered the Ancient Chamber,” Liv stated.

  They both stared at her. Now she had their attention. She continued to tell them everything she’d learned since then. When she was done, no one said anything for a long, long time.

  Chapter Three

  The grandfather clock chimed, filling the quiet room with noise suddenly. This seemed to stir Bermuda from the daze she’d been in, making her straighten suddenly. Rory followed suit, blinking as he looked around the room.

  “I never would have thought this,” Bermuda said, tapping her fingers on the table rhythmically.

  “This is big,” Rory said in a hush.

  Liv laughed. “And coming from a giant, that actually means something.”

  Bermuda and Rory both gave her disdainful glares. She held up her hands. “Oh fine. You’re not ready for jokes. Still processing. I get it. Let me know when I can make light of things.”

  Bermuda leaned across the table, talking to her son. “If we say never, does that mean she’ll stop telling bad jokes all the time?”

  Rory shook his head. “It’s highly unlikely.”

  “Ha-ha,” Liv said humorlessly. “I’m so sorry that I’m the only one in the room with a sense of humor.”

  Bermuda gave Rory a confused look. “I don’t think the magician is actually sorry about this affliction of hers.”

  He nodded. “It’s sarcasm. She employs it often as a means of communication.”

  “I’m standing right here, and I can hear you both talking about me,” Liv grumbled dryly.

  Bermuda’s eyes skirted to Liv briefly, then she leaned down lower. “I don’t think it’s a very good form of communication. It’s a bit deceitful if you ask me.”

  Liv threw up her hands. “Oh, my God, you guys are the absolute worst.” She glanced down
at Plato. “Do all giants take themselves too seriously and not know how to take a joke?”

  The lynx didn’t reply. Liv had been surprised to hear him say as much as he had to Bermuda, and she suspected it wouldn’t happen again. Plato had a firm rule that he only spoke to her, and had only broken it on rare occasions. She was still hoping he’d speak in front of John at some point so that he’d stop thinking she was making that up.

  Bermuda stood abruptly, summoning a carpetbag and an umbrella into her hands. “Well, I think I know what needs to be done.”

  “Return Mary Poppins’ stuff to her?” Liv asked.

  Bermuda tilted her head at her, blinking dully. “Mary who?”

  Liv waved her off. “Nothing. It was another one of those jokes. Pop-culture reference. You wouldn’t get it.”

  “Which means you probably shouldn’t have said it,” Bermuda shot back, lifting her chin high.

  “Where are you going, Mum?” Rory inquired.

  “Well, it appears to me that there are two important things which must be done first,” Bermuda began. “There must be a strong memory charm on the population to have rewritten history. I’m going to investigate this and see what I can learn.”

  “Is that safe?” Rory asked, worry etching his face.

  “No, it most assuredly is not,” Bermuda stated. “However, before I was trying to find out what the secret was. House of Fourteen—I never would have suspected that, and I’m certain that without Liv, we would never have discovered it.”

  “That sounded like a compliment,” Liv bragged.

  “It was a fact,” Bermuda said smugly. “Now that I know the truth, I know where to look for more information. I’ll have to be careful, but I suspect that whoever is behind all this is protecting the initial secret by putting guards around that. Hopefully, me investigating the gap in history and the mind charms will go unnoticed.”