by Sever Bronny
Bridget took her turn after, saying, “I am so incredibly sorry for doubting you yet so incredibly proud of you at the same time, Brother-in-war.”
Augum accepted their apologies with grace; he was mostly just thrilled that dragons existed. This was life-changing—no, Sithesia-changing news! Now they truly stood a chance. Now they could repel the invaders and destroy the siege engine!
“All right, all right, read on,” Augum giddily urged, the trio now standing in excitement.
Leera continued from the sentence prior. “ ‘That lone rebel Dreadnought informed the Arcaners there was a very ancient way to destroy the siege engines using dragons—’ ” She glanced up to smile at him. “ ‘—for only the arcane might of a dragon could blow through the steel wrought by the fusion of Dreadnought and Rivican craftsmanship. But dragons were pure spiritual beings, and only the purest Arcaner was allowed to summon them. This became the foundation of the chivalric code of honor, for only by following that code, using the test of the shield as a measure and guide, would an Arcaner be pure enough to be allowed to step into the mythic realm of the dragon and, after undertaking a harrowing test of character, bond with a dragon for life. Dragons were the purest expression of wild arcanery and came in eight primary elements: lightning, earth, water, air, ice, fire, healing, and necromancy.’ ”
“Whoa, wait, necromancy?” Augum said. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, should I?”
Bridget bit the knuckle of her index finger. “Some arcaneologists consider necromancy a lawful study of death, as healing studies life. Perhaps that is the context here. Regardless, this is riveting, riveting stuff. A dragon realm … think about that. Straight out of a children’s tale. I cannot believe what we are reading.”
Leera scoffed. “Now who’s being naive. Anyway, this whole thing reads like a children’s tale. All right, reading on. ‘The renegade Dreadnought informed the Arcaners that the knowledge to enter the dragon realm was kept in the ancient Leyan Library. One of these Arcaners sought out the Seers of the North and asked how they could enter Ley, and was granted that knowledge. The group went on to Ley and, after a knowledge quest, discovered how to enter the dragon plane. There they each undertook a sacred quest. Some prevailed, but most perished. Those who returned to Sithesia brought with them the power to summon a dragon and use that dragon to attack and damage the siege engines. Thereafter, a cataclysmic war broke out.’ ”
Leera raised a finger, indicating an important point was coming. “ ‘The Rivicans lost two siege engines before burying the third in a field of oaks. They took the Heart of the Colossus and fled, but Tiberran Arcaners hunted them down and killed them.’ ”
“There’s our first mention of the Heart of the Colossus,” Augum said. They were close here, he could smell it.
“ ‘The Canterrans killed off any remaining Rivicans. Non-Arcaners of all kingdoms then lobbied for the destruction of the final siege engine, but Arcaners were hesitant to destroy knowledge as it went against their ethos. In a sacred pact, they divided up the knowledge of the siege engine between them. Solian Arcaners would guard the location of the buried last Rivican siege engine while Tiberran Arcaners were tasked with guarding the Heart of the Colossus, a critical component required to make the siege engine run. The Canterran Arcaners were given nothing, for there existed a small seed of animosity between them and the other Arcaners. That animosity and distrust grew over time.’ ”
Leera expelled a deep breath. “This is heavy.” She read on. “ ‘Arcaners flourished, keeping the peace between the kingdoms for thousands of years. This came to be known as The Great Peace. But it did not last. One day, Solian Arcaners killed the brother of a Canterran Arcaner. The Canterran Arcaner, whose name was Riktus—’ ”
“That’s the man who founded Whisper Blades,” Augum interrupted. “It was in the exam.”
“ ‘—refused to believe his own brother was corrupt, and raged that the Solian Arcaner order was wrong. Old animosities reared their ugly heads. He convinced fellow Canterran Arcaners that the Solian Arcaners were corrupt. That fervent belief also allowed those Canterran Arcaners to summon their dragons, causing mass destruction in the city of Haven, thereafter renamed Blackhaven due to the charring. This was only possible because of the Canterrans’ absolute belief they were eliminating corruption. Nonetheless, Riktus’ Arcaner shield dimmed from the carnage, for doubt had crept in. But it was only with the accidental death of an infant child, which Riktus knew was absolutely wrong, did the words on his shield disappear and along with them his ability to summon a dragon. This knowledge and guilt of wrongdoing was an infection that destroyed the others’ ability to summon their dragons as well, dimming all shields to darkness. Following this event, the Canterran order became Arcaners in Disgrace. For a time Riktus felt remorse, but then acceptance set in, and finally rage and a burning desire for vengeance over perceived wrongs. He went on to found the guild of Whisper Blades and taught them how to counteract Arcaner powers, swearing to hunt down and murder any and all Arcaners. But Whisper Blades succumbed to internal strife and distrust and eventually became nothing more than an enclave of mercenaries, albeit one with a unique skill set—the ability to counter warlocks. Nonetheless, Arcaners would remain as their traditional enemy.’ ”
Augum ran a hand through his hair, incredulous at the sheer volume of historic information present in this sacred document.
“ ‘After Arcaners saw how much devastation even a single rogue Arcaner could unleash, they realized the knowledge of how to summon dragons was too dangerous to possess, and stopped passing that knowledge on to future Arcaner generations. But doing so weakened the order, particularly against the nobility, who hired Whisper Blade assassins to continually harass and murder Arcaners. In time, the order dwindled all over Sithesia, and—’ ” Leera ceased reading.
“And … what?” Augum prodded. “What’s it say next?”
“That’s all there is. There’s a blood stain and a char mark below, so I think Chauncey entered combat.” She nodded at the wall. “And there’s a bloody thumbprint, telling us he hid the scroll here while injured then tried to escape, only for the assassin to track him down and kill him.”
Bridget placed her hands on top of her head, interlocking the fingers together, and tilted her head back. “This is … incredible knowledge. We just learned that dragons exist in their own realm, and Arcaners once used them to defeat the siege engines. We now know the knowledge to attain the rank of dragon is hidden in Ley, and to get in, we need to visit the Seers.”
Augum recalled that the Seers of the North allowed every person to ask them a single question per lifetime. They lived high up in the Northern Peaks of Ohm and would be difficult to reach. Mrs. Stone once told Augum it was better to trek there when one was old and wise and could ask the right question. Unfortunately, that might not be an option if they were to pursue this path, for the Leyan plane had been cut off from Sithesia in the war against the Legion.
Bridget leveled her gaze at Augum and Leera. “A grave and final moral decision lies before us, one we must be sure about. If we hand over the Heart of the Colossus—which we have yet to find—Emperor Sepherin might use it to slaughter the other kingdoms to collect other blood debts.”
“I feel like we need to take a moment and discuss this,” Augum said.
And so they gathered before the giant hearth in the communal room and used the Reveal spell on their stacks of research notes out of sheer paranoia. Satisfied Katrina wasn’t listening in, they plopped down on plush cushions, wrapped themselves with blankets, and launched into a thorough discussion on the matter. They hashed out all the possibilities, coming against the inescapable fact that if they did not hand over the Heart of the Colossus, Emperor Sepherin would redeem the blood debt against Solia one way or another, and then do the same against the other kingdoms—if he did not find the artifact himself. Yes, Sepherin could use the siege engine to quicken that pace, but by handing over the Heart of the Colossus, the trio could sav
e a quarter million Solian lives. It was a terrible calculation, but a human one. And since they now knew how to destroy the siege engine, they deemed the risk worth taking because of the benefit of saving so many lives at once, and buying time to then save other kingdoms. Thus, from their perspective, they only had one real choice.
Augum stared into the fire as he voiced his thoughts. “So, again, we find the Heart of the Colossus and hand it over—trusting Sepherin to keep his word—then trek to the Seers and ask how to get into Ley, where we learn how to summon dragons. We use those dragons to destroy the siege engine and vanquish King Samuel and his army.”
“Sounds easy enough,” Leera sarcastically sniped from beside Augum, the pair covered by the same blanket. “At least we’ll get to see Mrs. Stone.” She shrugged. “And get to summon dragons, which would be just about the most awesome thing ever … if we survive. That dragon realm sounds dangerous.”
“There are a lot more ifs in there,” Bridget said. “If the Seers will even tell us—they could be cryptic and not necessarily reveal how to get into Ley. If Sepherin keeps his word and doesn’t murder us after we hand over the heart of the Colossus. And even if Sepherin keeps his word, you know he’ll go on to make war on the other kingdoms with the siege engine.”
“Which is why we dispatch secret emissaries to warn them,” Augum said. “It’s the honorable thing to do.”
They watched the flames in the hearth dance, the only source of light in the dark communal room.
At long last, Bridget heaved a great sigh and stood, allowing the blanket to fall off her shoulders. “So be it.” She wandered over to the pile of research parchments, books and scrolls. “Let’s hope the names of the siege engines are useful.” She bent down and extricated Caireen’s parchment notebook from the pile. She flipped the pages, scanning as she went. At last, she whispered, “Thank you, Caireen,” and cleared her throat. “Here we are. Rivican deities—which we now know they named their siege engines after. Interestingly, the Rivicans only had three deities. Sincus, after the Rivican God of Death. Attessa, after the Rivican Goddess of Life. And …” She froze, paling.
Augum and Leera tensed.
Bridget closed the notebook. “And Orion, after the Rivican God of War.”
Frantic
Augum shot to his feet, dumbfounded. All this time, the Orb of Orion was the Heart of the Colossus. And it made so much sense too, for the ancient artifact had been gifted to the academy upon its founding by the Tiberrans, who had been charged with keeping the artifact safe. And since two siege engines had been destroyed, the only possible siege engine heart that could have survived was the one the Tiberrans had been charged with keeping safe. The Tiberrans must have forgotten its true purpose after possessing it for so long, well beyond the lifespan of the Tiberran Arcaner order, and for whatever reason, they had chosen it as the gift to give the academy. Like so much other knowledge, that reason may have perished to history …
The Orb of Orion now sat behind arcane glass in the Hall of Heroes portion of the Elements Wing. And buried underneath the academy, underneath Oakenfield Keep, was the siege engine named after the Rivican God of War—Orion.
“The Orb of Orion is protected by extremely powerful enchantments,” Bridget said as they strolled to a wall with an oval portal rune, leaving their satchels behind. “I hate to say it, but it’s likely that only the headmaster can free it from its glass display. Since the Canterrans arrested all the arcanists, we’d need to convince them we’ve found the Heart of the Colossus, but need Byron to get it.”
“Will they count that as Solian citizens finding it and cease the slaughter?” Leera asked.
“If they’re honorable, I don’t see why not.”
“Trusting the Canterrans,” Leera muttered. “What could possibly go wrong …”
Bridget placed her hand to the oval. “We don’t have a choice but to trust them.” She activated the portal and allowed Augum and Leera to step through first. But when Augum appeared on the other side, he flinched reflexively, for standing on the sand of the arena floor was a smirking Katrina and Darby, flanked by twelve overseers and a single Black Eagle—Ethios Kamagant, The Butcher. The steely-eyed warlock gripped a gaunt and pale Jez, who stared mutely at the ground in defeat, hair disheveled. Her hands were shackled and her robe was filthy with mud.
“Oh, Jez …” Leera cried out as soon as she spotted her. When Bridget appeared from the portal, she gasped at the sight.
“Lower those eyes, ladies,” Katrina sang. “You’re in the presence of the Head Path Disciple.”
Bridget and Leera reluctantly did as she commanded while Augum studied every detail of the enemy—their positions, stances, ages, equipment, and so on.
“Well, well, well, so our intrepid adventurers have returned,” Katrina continued, idly twirling her scepter like a baton. She wore her usual amber warlock robe and tiara, the latter askew on her shiny, dark hair. “I knew you had not perished. No one believed me, but I knew.” She pointed the scepter over her shoulder. “That’s why I enchanted the outer doorknob. I was in the library searching for any scrap of information on that cursed artifact—not that there was much since most of it is missing or already borrowed, interestingly. Anyway, there I was studiously researching when, lo and behold, the alarm sounded in my head. I knew exactly who it was. I have to say, it certainly took you long enough. Truly the best Endyear gift a princess could receive.”
But whereas Katrina’s demeanor was playful, Darby’s was cold. “Let us dispense with the pleasantries,” he said. “The Heart of the Colossus—where is it? Raise your shields and confess.”
The trio hesitated.
Katrina glanced at Ethios Kamagant. The Black Eagle grabbed Jez’s neck and roughly brought her forth.
Katrina gripped the scepter with both hands. “I was really hoping to avoid crudeness,” she said in a sweet voice that hinted otherwise. “Hence the … motivation. Although I’m mighty curious about what interesting powers you brought back from your trial, I’d rather make history by presenting Emperor Samuel with the Heart of the Colossus.”
Augum stiffened. “Emperor Samuel promised to spare the kingdom should we bring him the Heart of—”
Katrina spoke through clenched teeth. “Did. You. Find. It. Or. Not? Swear on your shield or watch your mentor die.”
“We will tell the emperor directly,” Augum pressed, “so we can be sure he will keep his promise—”
“You dare,” Darby hissed. “You are in no position to negotiate.”
“My betrothed is rather hot-tempered, as you can see,” Katrina said and dropped her voice to a cloying whisper. “You have to understand you’ve been quite the thorn in his side. That said, I feel like you might need a little prodding.” She smirked at Ethios, who smoothly placed a dagger to Jez’s throat.
Jez’s eyes, ringed with black circles from sleep deprivation, wandered tiredly. “Do it, you traitor,” she said, only to yelp as Ethios squeezed her neck.
“I have had it with your lip, woman,” he snarled. “And I am sworn to serve the crown, nobody else.”
A memory from the war flashed through Augum’s mind, a memory of seeing someone he cared about die in such a manner, neck carved with a Nodian smile.
“Wait—” Augum blurted. Seeing no recourse, he flexed his forearm and summoned his shield.
Katrina burst with a laugh upon seeing it. “I don’t see a castle. Seems they have failed in becoming dragoons.”
But Darby ignored her, roaring at Augum, “Where is it—!”
“I swear on my honor as an Arcaner squire we have not recovered the Heart of the Colossus.”
Katrina’s and Darby’s eyes flared with rage as the dagger dug deeper into Jez’s neck. Ethios bent her head, revealing he had drawn blood. And there was no mistaking the malice in the man’s hard eyes—she was a hairsbreadth from death.
Augum, still vividly recalling his friend’s throat being slit in the war, realized there was only one way to sway K
atrina. He dropped to his knees. Humiliation meant nothing to him in the face of someone’s life. “I beg you, Princess Katrina Von Edgeworth, to spare my mentor’s life.”
“Then tell me where the Heart of the Colossus is.”
Augum closed his eyes, not wanting to contemplate the repercussions. “It’s the Orb of Orion. I swear it on my honor as an Arcaner squire. It’s the Orb of Orion.” He opened his eyes. “Please … don’t hurt her.”
Katrina shivered. “Gods, I cannot tell you how pleasurable it is to hear you beg. Better than a chest full of treasure. And although it’s not before the entire kingdom, I suppose it will have to do.” She sighed contentedly and turned to Darby. “We shall require the headmaster to get to the orb. Is he still alive, my betrothed?”
“I believe so.”
“And you will reward me with what you promised?”
“Consider it my wedding gift to you, my honey precious.”
Katrina smiled and turned her attention back to the trio. “Arcaners have historically been so easy to exploit. And hey—just be grateful I had the cat’s water dish filled.” She glanced at Darby. “Now that the Von Edgeworth line has been so thoroughly avenged, I think we can agree we are both quite sick of these three, are we not?”
“Very much so, my ambitious princess.”
Augum stood. “You’re going to take the Orb of Orion to give to the emperor yourself, is that it?”
Katrina giggled. “And you are hoping that will stop the slaughter? Your naivety astounds me, Augum. You see, His Emperorship specifically said he would only stop the slaughter if a Solian brought him the Heart of the Colossus. Alas, the Von Edgeworth line is Canterran. Shame, isn’t it? You see, we need a sandbox to play in, to test what is to come. An empire needs fuel.”
Augum’s instincts told him this discussion was rapidly hurtling toward violence. They were planning on murdering him and the girls, now that they had no use for them. So as she yakked on, making cheap rationalizations, his blood raced, mind sharpening, conscious of exactly where the blade near Jez’s throat was. At last, The Butcher relaxed, opening a small but precious window of opportunity.