After asking around the monastery, Makaela and Karin found Madame Alizeh with a few other Vayan monks in the botany wing of the building. The curved, glass ceiling allowed plenty of sunlight to stream down onto them while protecting the lush foliage inside from the harsh conditions outside.

Shelves of various plants—magical and ordinary—populated most of the greenhouse. Stacks of black cauldrons were seen laying around in random spots, nearly tripping up monks as they whizzed past on rotating spheres of air.

"What's she doing in here?" Makaela asked as she carefully stepped over a thorny root belonging to a Thalascia tree—native to some parts of India and most of Asia—that stretched toward the cracked stone rafters above them. Its bright red leaves filtered the sunlight coming through, projecting a vibrant crimson hue onto the ground below.

She gazed up at the behemoth of a tree with her mouth slightly agape.

It was her first time venturing this deep inside the greenhouse. She had no reason to journey within the plant emporium; woodland magic wasn't her discipline and she was hopeless when it came to potion-making.

Most of her time in Tenzin was spent in the meditation circle or the small combat platforms placed around the compound.

"Madame Alizeh's always in here," Karin explained as they turned a corner into an aisle that sported poisonous plants. "Hold your breath."

"Why?"

"Do you want to pass out?"

"Point taken."

She sucked in a breath, careful not to inhale too much of the sickly sweet aromas floating in the air around her. The fluorescent petals of the hanging flowers around her looked like they belonged in the bottom of a cave somewhere. Their stems coiled around the iron bars holding up the shelves, making them look more like snakes than plants. Mushrooms and dark roots resided in potted plants on the shelves towering next to her.

Finally, they found Madame Alizeh standing next to a bald, brown-skinned monk with the silver markings of House Vaya tattooed onto their head. The two of them were marveling over a neon green plant with light purple trim on the edge of its teardrop-shaped leaves.

"Ah!" Madame Alizeh waved the two girls over to her upon seeing them approaching. "Come, come. Look at what Ismael found for us!"

Makaela nodded slowly, not particularly interested in the plant. "Yeah, that's cool and all but we have something to tell you—"

"It's ghostweed!" She picked off a leaf and examined it under the sunlight. A faint, ethereal hue radiated off the underside of it as she rotated it. "Brewed correctly, a potion containing this plant can render the user completely invisible for a time."

"Oh, wow." Makaela did her best to sound interested. That was easier said than done. Gritting her teeth, she tapped her foot impatiently as the woman continued to gush over her plant.

"They're so rare. I have no idea how Ismael was able to find—"

Karin slammed her hand on the table next to her. Madame Alizeh, Ismael, and Makaela froze at the sudden noise.

The girl narrowed her eyes at her teacher. "We don't have time for show and tell." She gestured at Makaela. "Go on. Tell her what you did."

"It was an accident," she hissed back at her. Her face warmed at the thought of her earlier mistake during her dream. She already felt bad enough about revealing to Thorian where she was. She didn't need Karin making her feel any worse. "Lay off, would you?"

"Hold on," Madame Alizeh said. She set her plant down. "What was an accident?"

She sighed, dragging a hand down her face. "I...might have...sort of told Thorian I was here in Tenzin."

The woman's eyes widened with anger.

"Not in so many words, but he figured it out," Makaela continued, her voice shrinking. "I'm sorry, alright. I didn't mean to let it slip. It just...happened."

"How did you even get in a position to tell him that?"

"You were right. Karin is a great dreamwatching teacher. With her help, I was able to find my way to Castle Braexus to talk with him. I planned to try and trick him into revealing something but..."

Karin snickered. "Thorian might as well be a trickster god. That was a terrible plan."

"Shut it."

Madame Alizeh grumbled something under her breath. "Well, at least your training is going well." The monk turned to Ismael. "Listen to the winds for me. I have a feeling we will be having visitors soon."

Ismael nodded, bowing his head. He then formed pressed his fingertips together, conjuring a gust of air. After compacting it into a tight ball, he threw it onto the ground, mounted it, and sped out of the greenhouse.

"I've got to learn how to do that," Makaela muttered as she watched his fleeting figure.

"Was that all you had to tell me?" Madame Alizeh asked her.

Shaking her head, Karin stepped forward. "Thorian's going after the tower. He wants to destroy it."

"The tower...?" Realization exploded onto her face like a firework. "Oh no. This is bad. This is very bad."

"Why is that bad?" Makaela asked, her tone uncertain. "What happens if he destroys that tower?"

"Lumi may be fading slowly now," the woman began, "but if Thorian topples her tower, then she will be gone for good. Mauvorin will have tipped the scales in his favor, rendering himself and the Order of the Black Lotus more powerful than any of us could ever imagine. With the Eldenarian Artifacts on their side, they will be virtually unstoppable."

Makaela drew her brows together, her nose scrunching. "But he would only have five out of the seven." She held up her ring-clad hand while gesturing at Madame Alizeh with her free hand. "The Illumio is with me and you have your house's artifact."

She nodded. "That may be true, but I'm afraid it will not matter. Even with just five of them in his possession, he will be a force to be reckoned with. Mauvorin using him as a conduit means he has access to unlimited amounts of dark vitalae."

Karin's eyebrows lifted. "So, he is Mauvorin's host..." She grinned triumphantly. "I knew it! No man that deranged could be acting alone. Not even him."

"The dark spirit has taken advantage of him," Madame Alizeh revealed. A bit of pity could be heard in her soft voice. "His grief, his guilt, his willingness to serve his people. All of that was exactly what Mauvorin needed to turn him to his side all those years ago."

Makaela thought back to The Marking ceremony. She remembered how Sebastian told her his mother had disappeared. Then Thorian showed up with his new eye covering. She knew what he had given up to obtain it. The love of his life had been sacrificed for the dark charm. In exchange for her soul, he was given the eyesight of Mauvorin himself.

Her stomach churned as she thought of something.

Thorian assumed he was getting something from Mauvorin when he sacrificed Xandra. But something told her the god of chaos got something else besides the woman.

"The mauvue charm..." Makaela trailed off. "I think Mauvorin is controlling Thorian through it."

Karin peered at her skeptically. "Are you sure?" She turned to Madame Alizeh. "Can he even do that?"

The woman shrugged. "I'm not completely sure. But if Lumi was able to speak to me for all of those years, I wouldn't put it past Mauvorin to have been doing the same for the Black Lotus."

Makaela shivered at the use of the man's prophecy title.

He truly was a black flower, only blooming in the deepest, darkest pits of Nordor. It was where he went to make that sacrifice. It was there that he was reborn, armed with a new weapon and a quest to conquer the world.

She faced Madame Alizeh, the muscles in her face taut with determination. "I need to get to Lumi's tower before he does."

The monk dismissed her with a wave. "No. You must continue your training here."

"You said it yourself; we can't let him destroy it."

"I can send a band of my monks. You will not be going. End of—"

"No, not 'end of discussion'," she argued. "Thorian will kill your people in the blink of an eye. I'm the only one who can match him in a duel right now."

"You barely survived the last time," the woman pointed out, her voice showing signs of irritation. "And the time before that. You've always needed help when it comes to fighting him."

"Then let me accompany the monks," she pleaded. "Please, I have to do this. If it's truly Lumi's tower, maybe I'll be able to help with her fading."

Madame Alizeh paused. Her cloudy eyes narrowed as she dropped her gaze to the white tiles beneath her leather sandals. Nearby, Karin rubbed the back of her neck.

"She may have a point," the girl said timidly. She cleared her throat nervously upon coming under fire from her master's glare. "I'm just saying. If she was able to find the tower, she might be the only one who could make contact with Lumi. Unless you have another Lumaian magician laying around the monastery somewhere, I don't see anyone more qualified than her."

Makaela blinked at the silver-haired girl.

Karin? Sticking up for me?

She almost couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Karin noticed Makaela gawking and rolled her eyes. "What?"

"Nothing. Just surprised is all."

"Get over it."

Suppressing a grin, she nodded. She turned back to Madame Alizeh, who was still mulling over her proposal. Softening her eyes, she grabbed the woman's hands. "I have to do this."

Madame Alizeh opened her mouth. Then she closed it. After a few tense moments, she finally nodded. "You're right. We must find and protect the tower from Thorian at all costs."

Makaela's eyes lit up. She immediately wrapped the woman in a hug, nearly crushing her thin, bony frame in the process. She let her go and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, sorry."

"Careful now," the woman said while rubbing her sharp shoulder. "My bones are old. One bad fall and I can shatter like a glass."

"Nonsense," Karin huffed. "You're as strong as an ox."

She blushed and thanked her student.

"There's only one issue with your plan to protect Lumi's tower from Thorian," she continued.

Makaela lifted a brow at her. "Oh, yeah? What's that?"

"No one has seen it for centuries. You will be in for a difficult and dangerous journey."

"I can handle it."

"You're saying that now, but when you're in the thick of a blizzard on top of a mountain, I'm sure you will be singing an entirely different tune."

Karin grinned. "Let me go with her."

The woman frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. This is what I've been training for, isn't it?"

She chuckled as if she was sharing a joke with herself. "I suppose it has." The humor vanished from her face like a candle losing its flames. "This will be unlike anything you have ever experience." She turned her attention to Makaela. "Nothing I say or do can truly prepare you for what may happen on your journey to the tower."

Karin squared her shoulders and lifted her chin slightly. A proud look covered her face. "Our house wasn't there for House Lumai. We weren't there when the Order was hunting Makaela and we weren't there for Lumi while she was losing her power. We cannot fail the Light again."

Makaela stared at the girl. A swell of gratitude and admiration ballooned in her chest. She felt tears welling in her eyes.

For years House Vaya had abandoned the magician community—specifically House Lumai. When Makaela's people need them, they didn't come to their aid. She never thought they would be able to make it right. Perhaps she had been wrong.

If they managed to find the tower before Thorian did, they could've thwarted his plans of vanquishing Lumi for good.

She couldn't let the goddess of light fade. She couldn't let the light fade. If it did, then all was lost. All of the fighting and the death and the anguish would have been in vain. The souls lost in the conflict would have been lost for nothing. Her fists clenched at her side.

She had to find that tower.

"How do we find it?" she asked Madame Alizeh. "I don't suppose there are any maps to it, considering all expeditions were banned years ago."

"That may be true," the woman began with a sly smile, "but I may have something that will aid you in your quest."

Makaela and Karin exchanged a glance before returning their eyes to the head of House Vaya.

Instead of embellishing on her cryptic response, she breezed past the two girls, her grey robes fluttering behind her. Before disappearing down an aisle of drooping plants, she gestured for them to follow.

#

Madame Alizeh led the pair out of the greenhouse and down into the southern wing of the monastery. The deeper they traveled down the corridors, the darker it got. There were no windows and no openings to any courtyards outside. Pots full of orange flames lined the floor on either side, casting dancing shadows on the walls.

Even with the burning fires, the wide passageway was darker than Makaela would have liked. She held her hand open and conjured a ball of light. Flicking her wrist, she sent it above her head. It trailed behind her like a balloon on a string.

Shivering, she wrapped around arms around herself as she reluctantly followed the woman. Karin trailed behind her teacher, unfazed by the eerie environment around them.

"Where are we?" she asked them.

"The oldest section of the monastery," Madame Alizeh answered. She kept her face forward as she navigated the darkness.

Grey and white runes had been carved into the stone walls. They pulsed with faint traces of magic. The magic tickled Makaela's skin as she let her fingertips graze the growing markings.

"Why'd you take us down here?"

"Many of my fellow councilmembers carry their artifact on their person." She gestured at Makaela's hand, which sported the Illumio on her middle finger. The golden gemstone on the ring had been inactive as of late, but it still allowed her to call upon its power whenever she required it.

She frowned at the woman as she glanced at her ring. "Well, where else am I supposed to put it?"

"If someone wanted to steal it, all they would have to do is kill you. As I'm sure you already know."

"Killing me isn't as easy as you make it seem."

"That's not what I was implying," Madame Alizeh countered. "A bit of extra security for one of the most powerful artifacts in the world could be useful is all I was getting at." She stopped, as the hall came to an abrupt end.

The wall was blank and nondescript. Cracks riddled the bricks and moss grew where they touched the ground. Makaela screwed her face as she watched the woman staring at it.

"Er, what's this?"

Madame Alizeh ignored her. She placed her palm on one of the center bricks and closed her eyes. A bright flash went off from her mark and spread into the wall. White lines filled the cracks in the stone, spiderwebbing until they formed the symbol of House Vaya—a decorative V with clouds and lightning in the background.

The symbol vanished, leaving an open doorway in its wake.

The monk stepped aside with a cheeky smile on her face. She gestured before her.

"After you."

Makaela carefully stepped through the doorway. She was met with a set of stairs that took her deeper into the earth. Stone brick walls gave way to packed dirt with lanterns hanging from iron fixtures.

Eventually, they arrived in a small room. The only thing inside was a white altar decorated with smooth rocks with electric-like patterns streaking across their surfaces and unopened scrolls.

Makaela faced Madame Alizeh, confusion present across her features.

"This is where you keep your artifact?"

"Yes," she replied. "And it's called the Andhis. It means orb of the storm in the ancient tongue our ancestors spoke." She winked at Makaela. "Yours isn't the only one with a fancy name."

Makaela smiled back at her.

"How's does this room count as 'extra protection'?" Karin inquired.

"Not only is it fitted with the same cloaking wards that protect Tenzin, but only the current leader of our house can open the passageway that leads to the Andhis' shrine. Even if Thorian were to attack Tenzin, he wouldn't be able to find it. Not without me relinquishing the location of the room to him."

Makaela nodded. She felt her shoulders relax a bit. Her words brought her peace of mind when it came to Thorian obtaining another artifact. If he managed to steal the Illumio from her, he still wouldn't be able to obtain the Andhis'...

Not without killing Madame Alizeh.

Swallowing hard, she banished the thought from her brain. While she knew the woman was a skilled caster, she wasn't sure how she would fare in a duel against the dark lord. Especially if he was being controlled and enhanced by Mauvorin. It would be better for them all if they never found out.

"What did you bring us down here for?" Karin yawned. "We're wasting valuable time that could be spent looking for the tower."

Madame Alizeh gave the girl a disappointed shake of the head. "Patience has never been your strong suit. You must work on that if you ever want to lead our people. Patience is one of our—"

"—key virtues," Karin finished with a roll of her eyes. "Yes, yes. I know." She put on a fake smile and clasped her hands behind her back. "Go on then. I'll be more patient."

Makaela stifled a laugh.

The monk ahead of her strutted over to the altar at the end of the room. Kneeling before the white stone, she held her hands out and closed her eyes. Her fingers moved at lightning speed as she performed a complex spell sequence. Seconds later, a glass orb materialized in the center of the podium she knelt before.

Makaela squinted at it. A storm seemed to be raging inside of it. Its inner contents were a stormy grey and lightning crackled within the glass container. Electric blue lines ran along the glossy surface, creating a pattern that she couldn't make out. In the middle of the silver circle implanted in the center of the orb was House Vaya's insignia. Madame Alizeh hovered her hand above the artifact. It zipped up into her palm as if they both were magnetized.

A low buzzing sound emanated from the orb as she carefully rolled it around in her hand. It was about the size of a large grapefruit and seemed to be a tad bit heavier. Makaela had never seen an object like it.

Most of the other houses had weapons as their artifact or tools that aided them in their specific disciple. House Aegeon's gauntlet granted the wielder control of the seas while House Doragon's spear allowed them to summon the hottest flames possible.

But the Andhis...

Makaela wasn't sure what function an orb could have.

"How is that going to help us find the tower?" Karin's eyes were glued to the orb, her grey eyes wide with amazement. "And when do I get to learn how to use it?"

"The Andhis' holds the first storm within its core. When unleashed, the wielder can control the skies and lightning with the simplest of thoughts."

"That still doesn't answer anything," Karin said.

"I was getting to it," the woman hissed. "What happened to you practicing patience?"

"Sorry, sorry. Go on."

"Thank you. Now, as I was saying, the Andhis allows me to become the ultimate weathermaster. But that's not all it does. All of the Eldenarian Artifacts have secrets within them; it is up to their masters to learn them. Over the years, I discovered that deep within the Andhis' core lies the map to Lumi's tower."

Makaela blinked twice, stunned. "Huh?"

Karin nearly jumped for joy at the news. "No way! You've had the map all this time?! And you didn't tell anyone?" Her demeanor quickly turned from excited child to hardened attorney. A stern expression enveloped her features. She jabbed at a finger at her teacher. "How come you didn't go look for it."

"Just because you have a map doesn't make the journey any less difficult." She waved her hand. "Also, there was no need to find the tower. It wasn't like we needed another prophecy."

You got that right.

"So, how do we see the map?" Makaela asked. "Do we just put our eye to the glass or...?"

Madame Alizeh deadpanned at her. "Of course not. That would be foolish. And unsanitary." She used her unoccupied hand to perform an unlocking spell on the orb. The metal panel in its center vanished, unleashing the storm clouds inside. They rose out the artifact and lifted toward the low ceiling. Lightning flashed across the stormy expanse; the sound of thunder cracking boomed around them, rattling Makaela's eardrums.

As she squinted at the miniature raging storm above her, she noticed glowing points in the cloud. Her eyes widened. The woman wasn't lying. There truly was a map inside of the Andhis.

Karin studied it for a few seconds before turning back to the monk. "I'm sorry, but how is anyone supposed to make sense of this? There's no labels, no key, no distance scale. How do we even know where the first point is?"

"I can tell you where the first point is," Madame Alizeh said. "Alas, that's about all the information I can give you. That is another reason why I never sent anyone out on expeditions for it. I couldn't risk losing more magicians for a fool's errand."

"Where's the beginning then?"

"A temple in Nepal. You will have to take a trip through an Ordinaire town to get to it."

"Ordinaires?" Karin made a gagging motion with her finger while glancing at Makaela. "God, their cities are so...boring. I have no clue how they live without even knowing magic exists."

Makaela laughed. "Yeah, you and me both."

Madame Alizeh performed another spell. The storm cloud was sucked back into the Andhis, its metal cap holding it inside until called upon again.

"You have got to teach me how to use that thing when we get back," Karin told her.

"No need to wait until then." She handed the girl the orb. Blinking rapidly, Karin took it with both hands. She stuttered, unable to get her words out. "What? Cat got your tongue?"

"Why are you giving it to me?"

"It has the map in it. How else are you going to find the tower? Unless you had some other method—"

"But it's yours. It won't be safe with me."

"Oh, sure it will." Madame Alizeh placed a hand on Karin's shoulder and squeezed it gently. "You are me protégé. My brightest pupil. My heir. You were going to have to learn to protect it someday. Now is as good of a time than ever."

Karin shook her head. "I don't know if I can."

As Makaela watched her hold the orb, she couldn't help but think it weighed a ton. The girl's hand trembled. If she wasn't careful, the Andhis would fall right out of her hands.

Makaela couldn't help but be a bit skeptical at Madame Alizeh's lack of concern about them having two Eldenarian Artifacts in their possession while they went searching for Lumi's tower. If Thorian or the Shades found out they were also looking for it, they would be risking the completion of Thorian's ultimate goal.

She steadied herself and nodded.

They would just have to protect them both.

"Time to get going you two," Madame Alizeh said while gesturing toward the doorway behind them. "A long journey awaits."