by Eric Vall
Dragir took a steadying breath. “Do you think I am so much of a fool to believe--”
“Hear me out,” I muttered as I scanned the area to make sure no one was approaching from either direction. “That guy who got killed, Baron Ralish, was the one who sent an assassin after me. The same assassin your sister killed. Then I found out he’d targeted her and Aurora, so I got someone to take care of it last night. I went with them to make sure nothing went wrong, and my women made a huge scene up in Garioch so I’d have an alibi. They went a little over the top, though, which I can’t do anything about, but it’s kind of sweet, even if it gives me a reputation that’s … hard to live up to.”
Dragir narrowed his eyes as he studied me, but then his expression relaxed. “You are not lying.”
“I’m not,” I assured him, “and because this all worked out, Deya and my women won’t be in danger. That’s the only reason I went along with the whole thing to begin with, because I think we both know, I don’t mind handling my own attackers. This was just a delicate situation.”
Dragir nodded as we neared Big Red, who was standing guard at the gates of the Oculus, and the elf exchanged a high five with the giant machine.
“Very few men can rely on their debauchery to save them from authority,” Dragir admitted. “This is impressive.”
“Right?” I chuckled as I summoned my Terra powers to part the gates of the Oculus.
“But you do not scald my sister?” the elf checked.
“No! Noooo, that’s Cayla’s thing,” I assured him. “Deya’s not into that kind of pain.”
Dragir sighed as he leveled me with a pointed look, and I really wished I could kick myself in the ass.
“Pretend I just said no,” I groaned, and the elf headed into the Oculus as he shook his head at me.
Then he got his first glimpse of the underground city, and the sight made him stop in his tracks as he mumbled something in Elvish. I grinned while I admired the vast cavern as well, and I couldn’t remember the last time it was packed with as many mages as this. The best part was no one looked terrified to be there, and I knew this had to do with Bom One, who was circling the quarters just as I’d ordered.
“This is the Oculus,” I explained, and Dragir couldn’t seem to decide which way to look. “It’s the central hub for the Order of the Elementa, and it’s where the majority of our mages live and study their craft.”
“This place is yours?” Dragir asked in awe.
“I mean … it belongs to all of us mages,” I told him. “Aurora and I are the heads of the Order now, so the dealings in the Oculus are under our command, but I think of it more as a magical city I visit rather than something I own.”
“You lead this Order, so it is your city,” Dragir informed me. “I would not bother with your dusty village if I had all this at my disposal.”
“I can understand the sentiment,” I chuckled, “but once the unknown element showed up here, the Master attempted several mass brandings, and the mages needed a place they felt safer until we could secure the city. Now, a lot of them prefer it out there, and even though Falmount suffers more attacks than other places, it’s ideal in a lot of ways. Primarily for training.”
“Yes, your mages fought admirably in your absence,” Dragir agreed as we headed down into the city. “Your protocol works to your advantage there, but this place is … ”
“Indescribable,” I finished for him. “You should stick around and explore a bit while you’re in Illaria. You can’t imagine how much this city has to offer, and all of it’s incredible.”
“I believe it,” the elf muttered while he studied a large fountain to our left, and as plumes of water spiraled around one another without ever hitting the ground, individual droplets shot up to burst in the air like watery fireworks.
Dragir looked starry eyed while we made our way through the magical city, and I smirked when he kept turning full circle to stare at everything we passed. He especially liked to see so many mages bowing to me, though, and when I told him I hadn’t gotten around to sending out my official orders on the no bowing thing, he promptly shot down the idea.
“This city is filled with people who respect your position,” Dragir sighed. “That level of respect requires that you allow them to honor you without sullying it. Your mages know you are approachable, and they will continue to see you as such, but if there is one place where exalting in your superiority is allowed, it is this one. If fact, it is necessary. There is no place in the world like this Oculus, and right now, this city belongs to you.”
I considered this as another four mages bowed in respect to me before they continued on their way, and I could acknowledge that the elf had a point. The mages here weren’t the neighbors I drank with at Flynt’s pub, and I wasn’t in Falmount Rift.
I was in the Oculus, which was the most amazing place I’d ever known, and traditionally, the heads of the Order had always ruled over the underground city like kings. Not even Temin’s orders overruled mine and Aurora’s in here, and who knew when I’d ever find myself in such a distinguished position again.
Strolling through the magical city had always filled me with pride just to be part of something like this, but being bowed to by every resident within the cavern was satisfying in a whole different way. The thought of Abrus’ condescending sneer the first time he met me only added to the sense of how much I’d achieved in this realm, and at this point, I was only getting started.
So, I took Dragir’s advice for a change, and I nodded to the bowing mages we passed instead of insisting they didn’t have to do that, and by the time we reached the great library, I had to hand it to the elf.
He knew a thing or two about enjoying a position of authority.
“Was that so difficult?” Dragir snorted as we entered the library.
“No, it was pretty nice,” I chuckled.
“There you go.”
The mages in the library set aside their studies to bow as well while the two of us headed for the cellars, and when I told Dragir about holding the former head of the Order captive down here, he let out a malicious chuckle.
Then the elf chuckled even more when he saw Wyresus for himself, and the former head of the Order sighed with irritation as he removed his spectacles.
“This frail man is the mage you have replaced?” Dragir clarified.
“Replaced?” Wyresus asked as he looked my way. “Have you really?”
Now, Dragir laughed in earnest and had to brace his hand against the wall, and Barnik was right there with him as he clapped me hard on the shoulder.
“I knew you’d do it, ye’ bastard,” Barnik growled with a toothy grin. “Here, have a Rosh!”
“I’m good,” I chuckled. “This is Dragir of House Quyn, he’s here to take a look at the Scrolls since you mentioned making a breakthrough. Dragir, this is Defender Barnik, and Wyresus.”
“House Quyn … ” Barnik mused, and he studied Dragir’s dusty pink eyes. “You related to that pretty little elf?”
Dragir settled his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Yes, that pretty little elf is my beloved sister.”
The cast of Dragir’s eyes sobered Barnik like a slap to the face, and as the Aer Mage promptly headed for the desk without another word, I decided I had to try that some time with people who spoke about my new ogre sister.
It was such a badass brother move.
“Well, welcome to Illaria,” Wyresus said without concern, “and congratulations, Defender Flynt. I suppose since I am no longer the head of the Order that I am permitted to leave--”
“Nope,” I cut in. “What have you got for me?”
“Right … ” Wyresus mumbled, and he returned his spectacles to his hooked nose as he organized his papers on the desk. “I have devised a system of translation which seems to be adequate enough to decipher the majority of these texts, although there are a few sporadic markings which elude me. However, none of the markings seem to coincide with this elemental degree you mentioned.”
“Dragir says the ancient elves used a coding system,” I said and gestured for the elf to take a look.
“The whole damn language is a coding system,” Barnik snorted.
“This language is superior to your own,” Dragir informed the man without bothering to look over, and Barnik focused on his Rosh instead. “This page … show me what is being discussed.”
Wyresus looked more closely at the text, and he began translating the first few sentences while Dragir followed along carefully. The parchment described some sort of water element without naming it directly, but after a moment, the elf stopped him and pointed to a marking.
“This is something you cannot decipher,” Dragir guessed.
“Yes, it appears to be an embellishment or grammatical symbol, and there are a few others--”
“I know the code,” the elf announced, and I quickly joined him at the desk.
“So, the specific degrees actually are referenced in the text?” I asked.
“No, never,” Dragir replied as he continued to scan the page, “but the four surrounding degrees are. If you find the four elementals and arrange them in the proper mapping, the missing degree coincides with the element the text is discussing.”
“Four tiny lines out of all these symbols?” I clarified, and when Dragir nodded, I exchanged a look with each of the men at the table.
Then the four of us began scouring the pages front and back for the coding pattern, and while Dragir deciphered the placement of the missing degrees, he organized the parchments based on the elemental lines encoded within the text.
My neck ached from hunching so long and studying every miniscule stroke across each page, but when Dragir spotted a pattern that aligned with the new element the Master was using, I could have collapsed from relief.
After several more minutes of frantic searching, though, Dragir informed me there was only the one page referencing the element we needed.
“What does it say?” I asked.
“Give me a moment,” Wyresus muttered, and I tried to remain patient while he compared one symbol after another with the translation system he’d devised. “This seems to be an introductory section. It outlines the basic principle of the element. Most likely the first page of the chapter, I would imagine.”
I felt my chest tighten. “You’re sure this is the only page that refers to it?”
Wyresus flipped the page over to check the other side while Dragir rifled through the other scrolls to double check, but when Wyresus slowly removed his glasses, I tightened my hold on the edge of the table.
“So, the Elven Scrolls I’ve been holding onto all this time contain only the first page from the chapter on the elemental rune that could destroy our chances of survival?”
Wyresus didn’t look like he wanted to answer the question, and it was probably better he stayed quiet, because I was so furious, I might have punched the first person to open their mouth.
Barnik handed his mug of Rosh over instead, though, and I white-knuckled my way through it in two gulps while Dragir ordered Wyresus to translate the page we had.
I took a deep breath as I refilled the mug from the barrel in the corner, and I tried not to register my disappointment while Wyresus began slowly working his way through each word.
The one page basically explained the concept of teleportation in the lengthiest way possible, and I decided it would be wiser for me to keep drinking in the corner for this. I nodded to myself while Wyresus read about the necessity of two identical engravings to transfer beings from one end to the other through an invisible plane, and since none of this was something I hadn’t figured out already, I started pacing while I downed my fifth mug of Rosh.
Then Wyresus began listing the limitations of the element, and it sounded like the Master’s reason for placing so many portals around Illaria was partially to do with a couple of these limitations. Proximity to the portals seemed to be the greatest limiting factor, though, which didn’t seem to line up with how many the Master was using in southern Illaria lately.
“Wait, go back to that section,” I said as I came over to the table. “How could he still use the element so far south?”
Wyresus furrowed his brow as he reread the text, and then he silently continued for a moment before he looked up.
“The proximity issue seems to apply to specific uses,” the Aer Mage explained.
“What uses?” Dragir asked.
“Let’s see … the size of the being who will be transported can hinder the ability to utilize the element at a farther distance. The number of beings who are transported within a short time frame affects things similarly, as well as the frequency of use.”
“Frequency,” I mused. “So … if he only used one portal for multiple attacks--”
“It would cease to function properly,” Wyresus said with a nod.
“Huh,” I muttered as I turned away to refill my mug.
I furrowed my brow while I paced and drank some more, and Wyresus continued translating the texts as I thought back to my encounters with the Master’s portals in case anything in this one page of text could be useful.
Cayla had already guessed the Master was trying to keep me focused on my corner of the kingdom, so the frequency of use issue explained why there were so many different portals littering the woods around Falmount. To send as many attacks my way would require ample portals, but if the number of beings affected the portal as well, then that could be the other reason.
Fewer ogres had arrived than anything else, and they were the largest beasts he’d sent to Falmount so far. Hundreds of those tar-spewing spiders showed up, though, and both of these attacks lined up with the limitations the scrolls described. Smaller creatures meant more beings could be transported, and the Master had sent the spiders through two different portals, which made the attack seem endless.
Except now, I knew it hadn’t been endless. There was a definite limit to the way the Master could use these portals with his troops, and not only was he trying to work around the limitations, but he seemed to be trying to conceal the issue by throwing everything he had at me in seemingly random succession.
Which meant this was a weak spot in his plan, and if I couldn’t counter the element, then maybe I could at least use its limitations to gain the upper hand.
I refilled my mug a seventh time as the Rosh doused any residual fury I had about my predicament, but while I glugged down half the mug, something else occurred to me that made my knees number than the Rosh had.
“Holy shit,” I gasped as I stopped pacing.
“What is it?” Dragir asked.
I blinked as my limbs tingled with the weight of what I’d just stumbled onto, and the three men at the table straightened up as they furrowed their brows at me.
“I know what he’s about to do,” I realized. “That’s our opening.”
“What is?” Barnik asked, but my mind was already reeling a mile a minute, and I chugged the last of my Rosh before I slammed the mug down on the desk.
“Finish translating these scrolls, and as soon as you’re done, get word to me in Falmount,” I told the men, and I ran out of the cellar as Dragir quickly followed.
Then I scaled the steps five at a time, and I didn’t slow my pace as I ran through the library, across the city, and into the darkened tunnel. I couldn’t think of anything except how much I had to get done if I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity, and I was so jacked up with relief and excitement that I registered nothing else around me.
Of course, this could have been from all the Rosh I’d downed when I thought I was screwed, but I didn’t care one way or the other. If there was anything worth celebrating in this realm, it was the moment I finally pieced the last few weeks together, and I couldn’t slow down for anything until I reached my Mustang.
“You’re driving,” I panted as I dropped into the front passenger seat.
At any other time, Dragir’s greedy expression as he ran to take a spot behind the wheel might
have concerned me, but when Bobbie roared to life, I matched his grin while I worked to catch my breath.
“Drive your ass off, man,” I chuckled. “The faster, the better.”
Chapter 24
I was so amped I could hardly sit still the whole way back to Falmount, and every time I tried to explain why I was so excited, it all got garbled in clipped sentences that made no sense to Dragir. That was just how fast my mind was churning, though, because there was so much to take care of, and without knowing my timeframe, all I could do was slam it all together as fast as humanly possible.
So, I fidgeted with the grab bar while I worked through every possible setback I could come across in the next few days, and Dragir had a blast tearing up the hillsides and bombing through the foothills at mach speed.
Then he came to a screeching stop beside my moat, and I was out the door and over the bridge before he blinked.
“Aurora!” I hollered as I barreled into the house.
“What’s wrong?” my half-elf asked and came running from the dining hall. “We were just reading through the updates, and it sounds like something’s--”
I devoured Aurora’s lips before she could get another word out, and even after my women and Dragir joined us, I kept it up like we only had two minutes left to live.
The half-elf’s legs went limp as she heated to a scorching degree, and when I roughly released her, I had to hold her steady while she tried to recover.
“Wh-what was that for?” Aurora stammered.
“You ready to rally some troops?” I panted.
“What?” Cayla asked at once. “We just got back … ”
“You’re not gonna believe this,” I chuckled, and I had to start pacing again to keep my sentences coherent. “We’ve been needing a breakthrough for so long, and holy shit! We just got it.”
Deya smiled as I completed a full lap around them all. “Are you drunk?”