Pain flashed down my right side as the second ghoulin attacked. The creature’s claw didn’t cut through the armor, but I knew I’d have a bruise on my ribs. With a growl, I brought my left arm across with my shield angled to drive the steel rim into the monster’s face. The blow staggered the ghoulin backward, and it stumbled over a fallen corpse. Before it could rise, I flipped my axe and drove the pick side into its face. Brain matter splattered the ground and black blood spread out in a grisly pool.
I felt a sudden chill in the air beside my head, and my heart stopped as I saw the tips of a ghoulin claw poking through a wall of ice two inches from my ears. Arieste’s ice dome was too thin to hold the monster for more than a second, but she’d saved my life.
“Irenya, do your thing!” I shouted as I darted backward.
“My thing?” the red-haired woman asked from behind me.
“Burn the fuckers!” I yelled.
Power flared behind me as Irenya summoned her fire magic. I grabbed Sergeant Dai, hauled him out of the way, and saw Captain Daxos doing the same with the lieutenant. A moment later, a bright thread of fire shot like a spear down the hallway to punch through two ghoulins. I whirled back toward the hallway, tapped into my own fire powers, and summoned the largest pillar of fire I could manage. My flames engulfed the entire hallway, and the ghoulins’ gurgling cries turned into shrieks of agony.
The stink of charred flesh filled the air in the chamber as the stream of magical flames died out. I didn’t try to tap into the fire magic again because I saw that none of the ghoulins had survived. Nothing but smoldering corpses remained in the hallway, and the cries of the monsters had fallen silent.
The three Blackguards stared at me in shocked surprise, and I gave them a shrug. Captain Daxos had seen me on the Windwall, but I could see by the look in his eyes that this first-hand exposure to my magical abilities left him stunned. Lieutenant Trosken and Sergeant Dai regarded me with an expression of mingled fear and awe.
“Well, that worked out nicely,” Irenya said with a cheerful grin. “Though maybe next time, just start with the magical attack in the first place, eh?”
“I’d rather not risk drawing Vozaath’s attention just yet,” I told her. “Not until we’re ready.”
It wasn’t totally a lie as I had guessed the demon would sense the magical powers similar to the way dragons could. But the truth was that using so much magic left me feeling drained and tired. I wanted to sit down and rest, but the threat of the ghoulins gave a whole new urgency to our mission here.
“Now, Vozaath isn’t the only threat we’re facing down here,” I said to Captain Daxos and his two Blackguards. “If the ghoulins find the way we came in--”
“They’re going to find the path to Windwall,” the captain said, and horror filled his expression.
“There’s no way to block up the hole in the magical door, and there’s no way just two Blackguards can hold off a group even this small.” My gut twisted as I realized the danger facing the city above. “We need to warn them of the ghoulins.”
“But how?” asked Captain Daxos. “Only those with magical abilities can navigate these passages without risking getting lost. And what if there are more ghoulins above? There is no guarantee any one or even two of us could make it back safely.” His eyes went to Arieste and Irenya. “Unless…”
I hesitated a moment. If I sent one of the women back up, they could use their magic to lead one of the Blackguards to the exit to Windwall and warn the Councilors of the ghoulins’ threat. But if I did that, I would only have one dragon to face Vozaath. From all the stories I’d heard of the demon, I was pretty sure I’d need the help of both dragons to bring it down.
So, what was the better choice? If we got the Circlet of Darksight and killed Vozaath, we could hurry back to Windwall, hopefully before the ghoulins wandering the tunnels stumbled onto the right way out. We’d need the Circlet to get rid of Emroth, and her minions with her.
“No,” I said with a shake of my head. “We cannot risk being separated. As you said, there’s no guarantee any one or two of us would get out in time to make a difference, but I will guarantee that getting the Circlet of Darksight and killing Vozaath will change the tide of this war forever. The only way out is down.”
Captain Daxos’ expression grew pensive. I could see his mind working through the same train of thought as I’d had. He shot a glance at Lieutenant Trosken and Sergeant Dai, and both men nodded agreement.
“So be it, Sir Ethan,” Captain Daxos said with a nod. “The tunnels are endless and the way is dark. We can pray to the Goddesses that the ghoulins do not find the way.”
“And on top of those prayers,” I said and shot him a grin, “we can haul ass and find this Lost City.”
“On that,” Captain Daxos said, and his grin mirrored mine, “you have my complete agreement.”
I shouldered my pack and slung the straps of my new shield over one arm, but then I paused when I felt Arieste’s eyes on me. She was staring at my right side where the ghoulin had struck me. I glanced down and found four deep furrows carved into my armor. One of the claws had actually ripped a few of the armor scales free, punched through the cloth backing, and scored the padded gambeson beneath.
“Thank you,” I told her as I took her hand and squeezed it. “You saved my life back there.”
“It’s why I’m here,” she said with a little grin that didn’t hide the worry in her eyes. “You wanted us to watch your back.”
“You’re doing an awesome job.” I shot her a wink. “And looking great doing it.”
She gave a demure blush, and her eyes dropped from mine. When I turned to leave, I noticed Irenya staring at us. There was anger written in her eyes though her expression hadn’t changed from the light-hearted grin.
I led the way out of the small tunnel and back to the main passage with Captain Daxos beside me, the women behind me, and the Sergeant and Lieutenant in the rear. The white runes still glowed brightly enough for us to see down the tunnel which was empty. When I reached out with the Mark of the Guardian, I could sense no sign of magic around us.
“The way’s clear,” I said with as much confidence as I could muster. But as I strode down the tunnel at a fast walk, I couldn’t help but wonder how true that was. I hadn’t felt the ghoulins’ presence in the passages until they were within a few hundred yards of our position. Perhaps it was the runes carved into the stone walls that made other magic difficult to sense, or maybe the stone itself interfered with my magic in the way solid concrete messed with wireless signals. Either way, I didn’t know how far the range of my magical senses extended. I’d have to pay closer attention so we wouldn’t be surprised again.
“I’m sorry,” said Captain Daxos in a quiet voice. “When I saw the claw marks on the implings, I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want it to be real.”
The meaningful look he’d shared with his men suddenly made sense. The captain had recognized the wounds left by ghoulin claws, but he hadn’t wanted to admit it, either to himself or to me. He’d kept the information from me in a desperate hope he was wrong.
“I understand,” I told him. “I recognize the threat this poses to Windwall. You have my word that I will do everything in my power to make sure your city is safe.”
For a long moment, the captain remained silent. “Thank you,” he finally said in a quiet voice. “You are a good man, Sir Ethan.”
“As are you, Captain Daxos.” I shot him a grin. “And a good sword to have at my side.”
“To death or success, my sword is yours to command,” the captain said as he looked at the magical weapon I had given him.
“Let’s hope like hell it’s the second one, eh?”
Captain Daxos’s tense expression broke, and a small smile played on his lips as he nodded.
A sense of urgency mounted within me as we moved, and I found myself walking faster and faster until I was nearly running. The others seemed to sense my urgency because they kept pace without c
omplaint. No one wanted to think about what would happen if the ghoulins found their way out.
I kept checking the hallways around us for any signs of magic, but for the next hour I felt nothing but the spark of power in the shield on my arm, the magic of Captain Daxos’ sword, and the two women behind me. The faster pace soon set my ribs throbbing where the ghoulin had hit me.
The pain gave me an idea. The ghoulins’ claws did little more than scratch the coating of ice protecting my shield but hadn’t damaged the wood beneath. So, what if I could do something like that to my armor? If I could use my own magical abilities to create a shield of ice around my scale mail, the ice could help protect my body from damage.
I resolved to give it a try the next time we stopped. I couldn’t just use a solid ice shield, as there was no way I’d be able to swing my axe or run in a single, unbroken coating of ice. I’d have to fiddle a bit with it until I found a way to make it work. For now, I just concentrated on maintaining the fast pace, keeping the glowing runes lit, and checking for any sign of danger.
My legs soon burned from the steady descent, and I could feel my spine aching from the weight of my shield, pack, and armor. I could hear the ragged breathing of the women behind me. Even Captain Daxos and his men seemed exhausted by the interminable descent. We’d been walking for hours, and the fight had only drained us all further. I pushed as hard as I dared, then called a short halt just beyond the next intersection to take a break.
Arieste’s face was covered in sweat as she gingerly took a seat against one stone wall. Irenya sagged against the other with a tired sigh, then reached into her pack and pulled out a little ceramic bottle like the one Commerce Councilor Lavinus always carried. The smell of strong rice wine filled the cavern as she pulled out the cork and took a long drink.
“That is simply going to increase your risk of dehydration,” Arieste said stiffly.
“Maybe,” Irenya shrugged. “But it tastes better than boring old water.”
“Boring?” Arieste raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, boring,” Irenya insisted. She took another swig of the rice wine for emphasis. “These last few days have made me realize how much there is for me to experience. Good food, tasty drinks, and so much more.” Her eyes darted to mine, and I saw the hunger written there. “I’m going to make the most of it, and nothing you can say will change my mind. Live life to the fullest, that’s my new motto.”
“Then prepare to die young,” Arieste muttered.
In response, Irenya wrinkled her nose at Arieste and then rolled her eyes. I found the expression odd, and my mind begin to fire off questions I didn’t have the answers to. Where the hell had she learned that? She’d been a human for just two days and seemed naturally suited to it. Then I realized that Arieste had been the same way. Yeah, there was some confusion about how to eat with silverware, but the woman who was once a frost dragon didn’t need to learn how to behave beyond that.
These dragons took to being human very rapidly, and it didn’t make a lot of sense to me.
I was about to ask Nyvea about my observations, but then I noticed a slight tremble in the red-haired woman’s hands as she took another sip. Her face had gone a little pale, and it wasn’t just from the exertion. From the way her eyes darted to the walls and roof of the tunnel, I could tell her claustrophobia was threatening to return.
Nothing like exertion to take her mind off it. I forced myself to ignore my stiff back and aching legs as I stood.
“We need to get moving,” I said. “We’ve got to get as far down as we can before we rest for the night.” I had no idea how far we’d descended or how long we’d been trekking, but I figured we could get another three or four hours before we ran out of steam.
None of the others made any protest. They just stood, shouldered their packs, and began the descent along with me. They knew the stakes we faced, so there was no question that we needed to cover as much ground as we could.
We walked in tense silence for what had to be two or three hours, and I could see the tension in Captain Daxos’ face as he scanned the tunnels ahead for any sign of enemies. I could sense nothing but the magic in the people beside me, but that didn’t mean there were no ghoulins ahead or around us.
Suddenly, I felt a subtle change in the air, and I commanded everyone to halt. For long minutes, I couldn’t tell quite what it was, yet something was different. The air wasn’t quite as thick and heavy, and a hint of a new smell joined the dusty scent of the tunnels. I couldn’t be sure it was real, but I desperately wanted it to be.
Then came a sound, a faraway humming whisper almost too faint to hear. But a glance at Captain Daxos told me he’d heard it too. Without a word, we all moved faster, eager to find the source of that sound. The air grew noticeably lighter with every step deeper into the tunnels, and the humming grew louder. I could almost feel the vibrations through the stone walls around me.
The trail of white lights ran down a long, straight tunnel then simply ended in blackness. A thread of fresher air whispered across my face and carried a familiar scent.
Water.
As we approached the darkened end of the tunnel, I recognized the sound of a river. It came from somewhere far below us, but there was no mistaking it.
I broke into a dead run, and I heard the pounding of boots behind me as my companions did likewise. As I reached the end of the passage, I summoned a little thread of fire to my palm and held up my hand for an improvised torch. The stone walls and ceiling ended, but the floor ran for another five yards after exiting the tunnel. I skidded to a halt and stared at the new world around me.
I had stepped into a cavern so enormous I couldn’t begin to guess its dimensions. The black stone wall behind me rose at a gentle inward curve high above my head, and it disappeared into the darkness all around me. What looked like twinkling blue stars shone on the ceiling of the cavern. One of the blue stars sprouted from the wall just above the mouth of the tunnel. It wasn’t a star, but a plant with spiky leaves, a furry stem, and a bulb that let off a soft sapphire bioluminescence.
The light of the blue plants filled the cavern with a gentle glow. I couldn’t make out much, but tall dark shapes were visible all around me. My eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light, and I realized the straight lines of the stones were too precise to be random. They were buildings, like skyscrapers carved from the rock itself.
There was only one thing this cavern could be. We had found the lost city of Ironfast.
Chapter Eleven
“It’s even more beautiful than I imagined!” Wonder echoed in Captain Daxos’s voice. The Blackguard captain stood beside me, and I saw excitement shining in his eyes. “My father told me every story he knew of our people, our lives here before Vozaath. I never imagined I’d see it.”
“Well, believe it,” I said with a grin and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “We’ve already done more than anyone thought possible. Time to go and do the rest.”
Now I just needed to figure out how exactly we were supposed to do that. The dim blue light of the glowing mushrooms provided about as much illumination as stars on a dark night. We had torches to light our way, but no way we’d be able to search an entire city to find the Iron Keep from the ground. Our only hope was to fly around the enormous cavern to find the tallest tower.
The look in Arieste’s eyes told me she’d been thinking the same thing, but she gave a little shake of her head.
“I would not be able to sustain the change for very long,” she told me. “The day’s exertions have tired me too much. The magic could overwhelm my flesh, and I would be unable to consciously make the change back to this human form. I could be trapped as a dragon, and you might have to kill me to--”
“Don’t even say it,” I cut her off with a slashing gesture. “If you say you’re too tired, then we’ll just have to find a place to rest until you’re feeling up to it.”
“So be it,” Arieste said, and I saw the tension in her shoulders fade. “A few hours of sleep s
hould suffice to restore my strength.”
“Then we’ll find somewhere to rest,” I said, and then I turned to Captain Daxos. “We can’t make camp here, not when there’s a chance there are ghoulins in the tunnels behind us.”
“What do you suggest?” the captain asked.
“We go down,” I said and pointed to the towering stone shapes that spread out in the darkness of the cavern. “People lived in Ironfast before, so we should have no trouble finding an abandoned home where we can rest for the night.”
“A good course of action,” Captain Daxos said, and his two Blackguards nodded agreement. “I believe I would sleep more soundly within a roof and four walls.” The way his eyes sparkled made it clear he was thrilled at the idea of exploring Ironfast.
“Let’s get those torches lit and see if we can’t find a way down,” I told them. I had thought of using the dragons to fly us down but quickly discarded the idea. “If Vozaath really is lurking somewhere out there, I’d rather not do anything to draw its attention before we’re ready to deal with it.”
Once again, I used the Mark of the Guardian to sense the cavern around me, and I could feel no magic emanating anywhere in the darkness ahead of us. Either the demon died long ago, or it had a way to cloak its magical presence, the same way Emroth camouflaged her physical presence. Until the two women were at their full strength, I would rely on the more mundane methods of transportation unless absolutely necessary.
I figured a bit of magic couldn’t hurt, so Irenya and I helped the Blackguards light their torches instead of waiting for their flint and steels to strike sparks. Within minutes, we had three flickering brands to guide our way.
The rocky shelf we stood on was about ten yards long and forty yards wide, with the mouth of the tunnel on what Captain Daxos guessed was the north side of the shelf. On the south side, a trail descended from the shelf, along the cliff, and hopefully led all the way to the city of Ironfast below. When I held a torch over the edge, I could see the trail went down for what looked like two hundred feet.
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