by Rain Oxford
I shook my head. “We’ve been dealing with thieves, jailbreaks, and secrets. Wow. My life has changed a lot since I met Merlin.” I pulled out all five pieces of the scroll and laid them on the table. When I held the crystal over the final piece, it showed nothing. “So much for that.”
Merlin studied them for a moment before rearranging them. The instant he removed his paw, the scroll pieces started glowing and fused together into one. I still couldn’t read it, though. “Try again,” he suggested.
This time, there was a design across the whole page. “It’s a portal.”
Merlin and Gmork both looked. “That is the portal to Raksel, the same as the one in Gmork’s magic room,” Merlin said.
Gmork shook his head. “That is not possible. Erica told me where the heart was. She just could not get to the scroll, so she could not get to the heart.”
“Why didn’t you tell us earlier?”
“I do not trust you.”
“Where is it?”
“I still do not trust you. I will take you there, but I will not let you leave me here.”
“If this isn’t the portal to the heart, why was it in your magic room? Where and when does it lead to exactly?”
“I don’t know. Erica made it for herself. When I asked her where it led, she said that if someone ever came after her, she needed a place to hide. She told me nothing about the place, but every once in a while, she would go there. Every time she came back, it looked like she had been at war.”
“It was Baltezore’s home world,” Merlin said.
Gmork looked surprised. “Why would she choose to go there?”
“Maybe she was afraid of her father,” I said.
“But if Baltezore thought he killed her, why would she be afraid of him?” Gmork asked.
“I know what it’s like to have a murderous parent out for your blood. Rationality has nothing to do with it. Ilvera Dracre is on another world with no magic and no way back, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if she appeared in front of me at this very instant. I will never underestimate her hatred for me.”
“Baltezore was stripped of his true form on Raksel. It is possible that the dragons who did it could still be alive and would be willing to help us defeat Erica.”
“Then we should go there,” I said.
“Not so fast,” Gmork said. “Erica goes there regularly, meaning she probably has allies there.”
“If she has allies, I bet she has enemies, too.”
“I know where the heart is.”
“But Cennuth left these clues for us, and I trust him over you,” Merlin said.
“Cennuth is Baltezore’s brother, though,” I said in Merlin’s mind. “Are you sure we can trust him?”
“You know as well as I that brothers do not always get along. He wants us to go here.”
“Well, I suppose it can’t be that bad. They hated Baltezore, so maybe they’re good people.”
“We will prepare ourselves as best as possible.”
“Erica comes back from there with burns, broken bones, bruises, and cuts,” Gmork said.
“Maybe that means they don’t like her, either,” I said.
“I’m not going,” Gmork insisted.
“You don’t have to. I’m just surprised that you trust Erica more than the dragon who trained Merlin after what she did to you.”
Gmork considered that.
“Should I know what anyone is talking about?” Arrow asked.
“I’ve been dragged into most of their troubles, and I don’t even know,” Vactarus said. “Merlin can’t resist trouble.”
Merlin scowled and opened his mouth to say something that would go right over my head. “What about going invisible?” I asked before he could.
Merlin shook his head. “Raksel is supposedly the original home of dragons, and dragons would be able to smell you. It might work in a pinch to distract an opponent, but if we show up with it in place, we are advertising our distrust and draining your energy. Instead, transform your staff into a sword.”
“You need armor, too,” Gmork said.
“Yes, that is a good point,” Merlin agreed. “Dragons prefer crunchy snacks.”
“That’s not encouraging!” I said.
“When facing dragons, I find the best encouragement is realism. Realistically, we may not have to face a dragon.”
“What if we do?”
“Then it hardly matters what I say. Bathe in garlic and maybe that will discourage them from eating you.”
“I forgot how bad you were at pep talks,” Gmork said. “You were raised by a dragon; you know better than anyone how to prepare him for them.”
“I was never taught how to fight dragons; I was taught to respect them. I learned dragon magic and can somewhat speak their language. I remember when you stubbornly refused to fight a dragon.”
“Well, I’ve met some since then. They’re not all good. What about my galaxy stone?”
“Against one dragon, perhaps that would work. I am afraid you would be out of your depths otherwise.”
“My robe will protect me,” I pointed out.
“Not enough,” Merlin said.
“If we’re going to face dragons and not rely on my galaxy stone or robe, then we need to go to the Rynorms,” I said. “They cherish dragons, but they’re also sorcerers and are going to know how to protect themselves from dragons.” My father’s family “trained” dragons.
“Great. Another ship ride,” Merlin said sourly.
“I don’t have the energy to transport us there.”
“We do not have a month to reach the Rynorms. Erica could decide any minute to kill Nimue.”
“Then you should go after the heart instead of following the silly scroll,” Gmork said.
“Why not fly?” Arrow asked.
“Because we don’t have wings,” I said.
Arrow left the room without a word and returned a moment later with the fabric roll. “I stole this from my love’s fiancé. I think you can use it more than me.”
“What is it?” I asked. He unrolled a rug on the floor. It was rich red with gold patterns and tassels, which were the same as the Rynorm colors. “How will a carpet help us?”
“It’s not a regular carpet.” He snapped his fingers and the rug rose off the floor. “Tell it where you want to go, and it will take you there.”
I gaped. “You have a flying carpet? I thought those were myths!”
“They are rare and have limited lifespans.”
“So this one could die at any moment?” Gmork asked.
“No. You can tell how much life they have left.” He grabbed one of the tassels gently. “As its power is depleted, it will lose its tassels. Treat it right and it will live a long time.” He snapped his fingers and the rug settled back onto the floor.
“You would give us something so valuable?” I asked.
“You saved me when you had no reason to.” He pulled out the teapot and held it lovingly. “Besides, the only thing truly valuable I’ve ever attained is friendship and love.”
“Hold on… you didn’t even have a bag on you when we left the tavern, only that small pot. Where did you get the carpet?”
“I told you, from my love’s---”
“No, since then? How did you get it here from the tavern?”
“By carrying it, of course.”
I rubbed my temples. “Later. We’ll get to that later.”
“I will have to stay here,” Merlin said. “I have no way of holding on. Furthermore, my weight would probably decrease the carpet’s lifespan.”
“You’re going to let him go alone?” Gmork asked.
“I’m capable of taking care of myself,” I said.
“You aren’t worried he’ll end up dead in a ditch somewhere?” Gmork continued, ignoring me.
Merlin scowled. “Well, now I am.”
“We don’t know that there will be any dragons on Raksel anyway,” I pointed out.
“Nevertheless, I do not want us to be unpr
epared.”
* * *
We were outside and I only had my wand and robe. Merlin instructed Arrow to tie a rope around me and the carpet. When I asked why, he simply said that seatbelts save lives.
“Snap your fingers to wake it up,” Arrow said.
I did, and it lifted me up into the air. It felt unstable because it wasn’t stiff and instead dipped under my body pressure. “Hello, Carpet,” I said hesitantly. “I’m Ayden. Please don’t drop me.” One of the tassels waved and I felt a little better. “Please take me to the Rynorm family in the Kalika islands, in the Moaning Mountains.”
Suddenly, it shot up into the sky. The sound I made was not one of bravery, and I was glad Merlin hadn’t heard me. I held on and even wrapped my arms around it and kept my eyes closed. It was the scariest thing I had ever done in my life.
And it felt like forever.
As the sun set, however, the carpet slowed. It dipped in and out of low clouds that covered me in chilly water droplets. Fortunately, my robe protected me from the cold and wind well. When I finally released my grip on it, I didn’t fall to my death. It knew how to bend and flex so that I wouldn’t fall. Slowly, I sat up. My body hurt desperately from being tensed for so long, but the sunset had never been more gorgeous.
Before the sunlight faded, I even braved a glance over the side. We weren’t that high up anymore, so when we passed over villages, I could see people going about their chores and children playing.
“This is kind of fun,” I finally admitted. We were over the ocean then and moonlight glittered off of the waves. Soon, we reached the islands.
Kalika was the name of a cluster of islands. At the center was a tight knot of massive snow-covered mountains. The Rynorms lived at the northern base of the Moaning Mountain, which was the largest mountain. I knew that mountain was filled with dragons, hatchlings, and eggs. I could also sense their power from a distance.
When the carpet landed gently, I untied myself and stepped off. The carpet hovered above the ground. “Thank you, Carpet. I’m going to let you sleep now, if that’s okay.”
One of the tassels waved and I snapped my fingers. When it settled on the ground, I rolled it up and carried it to my grandmother’s cabin. It was nestled in a valley between two mountains. From the outside, it appeared to be a small, cozy cabin that couldn’t possibly house the entire Rynorm family. It was made of thick logs and had a large, covered front porch. Windows on either side of the door were completely black. This was a common effect of the spell that made a house larger on the inside than it was on the outside.
I knocked on the door, a little concerned by how quiet it was. No one answered. Just when I started to worry that something had happened to them, Malaki came around the side of the house. “No one is in there,” he said. My eldest uncle wasn’t one of the largest men I’d ever seen, but his posture warned of danger. His rust-colored eyes were a stark contrast to his short black hair.
“I thought you were in Ademora, helping the Romanus family get set up for dragons.”
“I was, but Mother had some business to take care of and wanted me back here to protect the dragons. What do you need?” I followed him to the back of the cabin where there were several piles of cut wood and another pile of logs. He chopped while I gave him a rough rundown of what I had to do.
When I was done, Malaki continued chopping as he looked at me. “I suggest you not go. Your goals are clearly not the same as Cennuth’s. Gmork might be leading you to a trap, but Cennuth might be, too. Erica has no reason to lie about where the heart is if she wants you to get it.”
“But Cennuth might have a weapon or something we can use against Erica that’s even better than the heart.”
Malaki nodded. “Who do you trust? Cennuth or Erica?”
“I trust Merlin. So, do you have anything that can protect us against a dragon?”
“My mother’s weapons and protective gear are locked up, unfortunately.”
“You’re her oldest child and she doesn’t trust you?”
“She’s a sorceress; she’s too smart to trust me. She will eventually choose a granddaughter to inherit her treasures, if she doesn’t have a daughter by then. I can help you with some magic, though.” He stopped chopping and gestured for me to roll up my sleeve. When I did, his wand appeared in his hand. Then he pressed the tip of his wand to my skin and a magic sigil appeared.
I couldn’t read it, but even upside down, I recognized what it was. “That’s the dragons’ language.”
“It is, thanks to my dragon’s eye. This will disguise your scent and magic for a few days. You know how to make yourself invisible, right?”
“Yes.”
“Normally, that wouldn’t work on dragons. It will work with this spell.”
I wanted him to show me how to do it on Merlin, but since it was his galaxy stone that let you do it, that wouldn’t have worked.
“Killian should have taught you this.”
“Who?” I asked.
He frowned. “Your father.”
“My father is Kille Rynorm.”
“Kille is short for Killian. You don’t know your own father’s name?”
“I’ve only ever heard him called Kille.”
“Krain couldn’t pronounce Killian’s name and instead called him Kille, so everyone just called him that.”
I felt like I really should have known my father’s name. “You won’t tell him I didn’t know it, will you?”
“Of course I will. I have lots of nieces, but very few nephews I get to tease.”
To my surprise, I felt a little more like a Rynorm as I left. The trip back to the mansion was a lot smoother, and although I didn’t fall asleep, I was able to relax. When I got there, Merlin was happy to see me, while the others hadn’t stayed awake.
Chapter 18
“Are you refusing to go because you are afraid?” Merlin asked.
“I am refusing because I do not believe in it. I only care about saving Nimue.”
It was midafternoon the next day and Merlin, Gmork, and I were in the magic room. I had already drawn the portal to Raksel.
“So you are not planning to trap us there somehow?”
“No. As much as I wish otherwise, I need your help to save her.”
I opened the door and we entered the magic room. “Do you believe him?” I asked in Merlin’s mind.
“For the most part,” Merlin said. “He was always easy to read.”
“I think we should give him the scroll.” He considered me for a moment before nodding. I pulled it out of my pocket, turned to Gmork, and held it out for him. “In case we die and you’re Nimue’s only hope, take the scroll.”
He looked at Merlin, who said nothing for once. Gmork took it with his paw by curling his claws around it. When it looked like he was considering trying to talk us out of going again, I got to work activating the portal.
“You will need this,” Gmork said, gesturing to the Siren around his neck. I had to take it off for him.
In worried silence, Merlin and I stepped into the portal. A strange thought occurred to me as the world faded. Merlin had explained that portals were doorways into another place and time, unlike my transportation magic.
Doorways usually worked both ways.
* * *
The world that appeared around me was shocking. More shocking than anything I had seen when Merlin and I explored other worlds. Definitely more shocking than any monsters I had faced.
It was night, but there were lights everywhere. They were not candles or torches but brightly glowing glass and flashing signs. The warm, wet air was thick with smoke, causing me to cough. Unfortunately, that only made me inhale deeper breaths of the foul air, which further irritated my lungs.
Buildings made of glass and metal reached for the sky like the sides of a cliff, blocking out any stars that might have shown in the sky. What would they need moonlight for when they had too much light on the ground as it was? Despite their grand size, the buildings were
dirty and there were more broken glass windows than intact ones. There was also painted words and symbols all over them in different colors. Although they appeared to be separate establishments judging by the signs, they were all pressed together, leaving only a narrow road that disappeared in either direction.
The ground I stood on was hard as stone, covered in black grease and mud. At least, I hoped it was mud, because it sure didn’t smell like mud. In fact, everything stank. I smelled rotten food, wet animals, and all manner of unnatural substances. I had been fascinated by plastic I’d seen on another world, but here, it littered the ground. There were sounds everywhere, and none were pleasant. Screaming, angry shouts, whistles, horns, chimes, and beeps all blended together to create panic and urgency.
Everything else was suddenly less important when I sensed motion above me and looked up. A black dragon flew overhead before disappearing in the darkness. “There are dragons here!”
“Move!” Merlin shouted, shoving against me. Before I could see what the problem was, blinding light filled the space and a loud horn sounded. Instinctively, I scrambled away from the sound.
As the lights turned away, I realized it was a car that had almost run me over. Unlike the three I had seen when Merlin and I visited other worlds, this one was not impressive. It was wooden and looked halfway like a rundown carriage. It was taller than it was long with patches missing out of the sides. I couldn’t get a good look before it disappeared down the other end of the road. The man hadn’t even slowed down when he saw me in his way.
“Merlin, are you okay?”
“Yes, young sorcerer. We should get out of the alley, though.”
“Where do we go?”
“When in doubt, look for a tavern. Unless there are pirates.”
“But I thought pirates like taverns.”
“Exactly. Pirates are not normally as nice as those you have met on Caldaca. In fact, I have never met nice pirates outside of Caldaca.”
We walked down the road until we found a shop selling grilled meat with strange sides. It was like the first floor of a building, except it only had three walls and was open to outside. Only three columns held the roof up, and considering the dozen stories above it, that was scary. There was a man behind a glass counter along the wall to the left. He was tall and thin. His hair was short, spiky, black against his scalp, and white at the ends. He was wearing a leather suit that was orange with black buckles and straps. There were ten small tables in the room that were made of metal, and each one had a cup of sticks. Aside from the huge opening, there was a door behind the counter and a door on the far wall.