by Lisa Shearin
“That’s what you’re going to get,” Elsu told her. She handed Agata a small, pointed rock. “Scratch an outline of the shallow part.”
Agata did.
Elsu nodded in approval. “I can work with that. And if we grease up Das, we might manage to get him through.”
Dasant gave her a look. “Very funny.”
“Why thank you. I was only going for mildly amusing.” Elsu removed her gloves. “I need everyone to move back.”
We did as told.
Elsu raised her right hand, palm facing the wall she was about to obliterate. Within moments a needle-fine beam of red light shot from the center of her palm. When the beam struck the upper part of Agata’s outline, the rock began to disintegrate in a cloud of dust. It took nearly half an hour, but Elsu’s skill carved us a way through to the other side.
We squirmed through, to find ourselves in a continuation of the same cave. About twenty yards to our left lay the other half of the rockfall. It was huge. It would have taken weeks to have tunneled through, if it could have been done at all.
“Good work, Elsu,” I heard Dasant whisper.
We walked for hours before finding a small cave that not only offered protection, but had a stream nearby with fish large enough to make them worth cooking. We weren’t about to pass up a dinner of something other than dry field rations. Phaelan and Jash volunteered to catch dinner, and Malik volunteered to stand guard and critique their fishing skills. I was surprised Malik didn’t go for an involuntary swim.
The fish that they caught were freakish-looking, eyeless and pale as ghosts, but we were hungry. Elsu had conjured a fire that was smokeless, but provided both heat and a way to cook the fish. She wasn’t a firemage, but if it could be done with fire of any kind, Elsu was the one who could do it. Indigo had left his perch on Talon’s right shoulder and had taken it upon himself to guard the cooking fish. Elsu was rewarding his heroic efforts with bits of fish from the prongs.
Agata pulled me aside out of hearing of the others. “I could have kept going. We don’t have time to stop.”
“We also don’t have time for our gem mage to collapse,” I told her. “You and Talon nearly drowned less than forty-eight hours ago. We’ve flown all night, and walked for nearly half a day.” I sat on a rock and rested my back against the wall. “I don’t know about you, but my legs are aching from being on a dragon all night, sprinting for my life across a booby-trapped floor, and trudging through a dark cave. All of us need to take a break. We don’t know what’s ahead, but we know what was behind us—Khrynsani, Sythsaurians, and something big and mean enough to kill all of them. If we run into any of those, we need to be rested.”
Agata glanced back at the others sitting around the fire and lowered her voice further. “I just don’t want to be the one holding us up.”
“You’re not.” I stepped closer. “If there had been any choice, I would have left you and Talon with the ships.”
Agata bristled. “I didn’t come all—”
I held up a hand. “In an ideal world, the two of you would still be in bed and under a doctor’s care. Nothing in our world is ideal right now, and unless we’re the first ones to find the Heart, things will get worse and not get better ever again. We have no choice but to have you with us. We need you. I need you. But all of us need rest. You never pass up the chance for sleep, food, and water when you get it. Who knows when or if it’ll happen again.”
Agata’s hand strayed to the disk pendant. “If we must stop, I’ll make good use of the time.”
“To rest.”
“That too. We’re still being given no choice of which direction to go. That can’t last much longer. When we have options, I want to ensure we’re closing in on the Heart.”
“Eat first and lie down for a while. Then try to make contact.”
Agata gazed at me, her expression unreadable. I thought for a moment she was going to argue with me, but then she turned and without another word went to where she’d left her pack, and Elsu handed her a plate with a portion of today’s catch.
After our meal, Dasant and Elsu took up guard positions. I’d expected sleep to elude me, but I think I was out before my head hit my pack.
Chapter Thirteen
I was dreaming.
I knew I was dreaming, but I couldn’t wake up.
I hated it when that happened.
At least I wasn’t on the edge of a cliff with Sarad Nukpana.
I was in a room unlike any I had ever seen. A room I had never been in, but yet one I remembered.
The center of the Cha’Nidaar people. A gathering place.
The throne room.
The floor was made of the white tile we’d encountered in the booby-trapped room, though here I didn’t get a sense of any of them being a danger. There were sconces mounted on all four walls, set with flickering dragon egg–sized gems—the same stone as the Heart of Nidaar. I hoped this was a figment of my over-tired imagination and not the reality. If it wasn’t, Agata was going to have her work cut out for her in pinpointing the Heart’s location.
Then there was the throne itself.
It was carved from a single piece of Heartstone.
“Yes. You remember.”
I froze. The voice wasn’t speaking a language that I should have understood. It was a version of Goblin, but one that had not been heard in thousands of years. Yet I understood it perfectly, even though I had not heard it with my ears.
The words had appeared in my mind.
Unlike in my dream with Sarad Nukpana, I had not tried to draw a weapon. I knew I would not have one, nor did I try to summon magic. To attempt such an act in this place and before this individual would be the height of rudeness, not to mention ineffective.
I slowly turned and beheld the woman I instinctively knew I would see before me.
Baeseria, the queen of Nidaar.
She was tall, slender, and ageless. Her skin was as burnished gold, and her long hair straight and the purest white, as were her robes. A simple gold crown rested on her brow and was set with a single, flickering Heartstone.
The stone in my ring glowed in response.
Baeseria smiled, wistful yet oddly warm. “I know you cannot be Kansbar Nathrach, yet you favor him.”
I bowed. “He was a distant ancestor, Your Majesty.”
I was caked with cave dust and desert sand, but I was a representative of the goblin king and my people. Some of those people had brought the ultimate betrayal to this land. My best manners were called for, even in a dream.
“I sensed when you landed on our shores, and knew that the ring and pendant had come home. I thought that it might be Kansbar returning.”
“No, ma’am, that wouldn’t be possible.”
“An honorable man. Do you know if he had a good life?”
“No, Your Majesty. He did not.”
“Khrynsani.” She didn’t ask it as a question.
“Yes.”
“You are very much like him. As to him being a distant ancestor, distance isn’t always measured in years or even centuries. True power is in the blood. You are of Kansbar’s blood. The gift you possess is the same, passed down through your line.”
“Gift, Your Majesty?”
A hint of a smile passed over Baeseria’s lips. “It is no coincidence that you—and your son—have journeyed to our shores and found your way into the outer reaches of our home.”
“So Nidaar still exists.”
“It does.”
“And your people?”
The smile faded. “You will discover this for yourself.”
“Why have you…” I gestured in the general direction of my head.
“Come to you in a dream? Because you must be warned.”
“But it is your people and the Heart that are in danger. We—”
The queen waved her hand, cutting me off. “The danger is not to us. It is to you, to any who come here. You must turn around, you must take your people, your loved ones, and leave
while you still can. If you—”
Tongues of flame, like those inside the Heartstones, rose up between me and the Nidaarian queen, sweeping her words away and blocking her from my sight.
The tile beneath my feet opened, and I dropped into icy darkness, tumbling down, falling faster and faster. Hands reached out from the darkness, grabbing me… .
Jash was shaking me awake.
My head was still resting on my pack, but it felt like I’d gone a couple of rounds with the nearest rock. I groaned and swatted at my friend, who wasn’t going to be that for much longer if he didn’t stop.
“Are you all right?” Jash asked. “You look like crap.”
It was all I could do to get my eyes open. “Good morning to you, too.”
“Seriously, Tam. You don’t look good. Didn’t you get any sleep?”
“I slept. I even dreamed.”
“It wasn’t Sarad, was it?”
I tried to sit up, wincing with the effort. “No. Queen Baeseria.”
I now had the undivided attention of the entire team.
I squinted toward Elsu’s fire and quickly looked away. Way too bright. I couldn’t see the pot of coffee brewing there, but I could sure smell it.
“If one of you would put me out of my misery and get me a cup of that, I’ll tell you all about it.”
Elsu poured me a cup, and I accepted it with abnormally cold hands.
I dropped into icy darkness, tumbling down, falling faster… .
I shook my head to clear it and groaned.
“Movement is bad,” I whispered.
The coffee was too hot to drink, but a burned tongue was a small price to get that sensation out of my head.
After I’d downed half a cup, I felt up to telling them what had happened.
“Do you think it was real?” Talon asked when I’d finished.
I nodded, slowly. “There was a vague description of Baeseria’s throne room in Rudra’s book. What I experienced was far too detailed.”
“Do you believe that was the same Baeseria who met your ancestor?” Agata asked.
“It wouldn’t be the first time that contact with a stone of power lengthened a lifespan. So yes, I believe it’s entirely possible.”
“With a throne carved from a solid block of the Heartstone.” Agata leaned back against the cave wall and briefly closed her eyes. “I’m looking for a specific piece of hay in what’s turning out to be a very large haystack. Can’t any part of this be simple?”
Malik knelt next to her. “Magus Azul, Tamnais knows what is at stake here. We all do. The fate of the Seven Kingdoms is in our hands.”
Dasant cleared his throat. “Uh, Mal, I don’t think you’re helping here.”
“Give me a chance to finish, and I will.”
Dasant raised his hands. “Far be it from me to interrupt one of your pep talks.”
“Magus Azul,” Malik continued. “Tamnais brought only the very best on this mission. You included. If he did not believe you capable of finding that piece of hay in a haystack, I assure you, you would not be here.”
Agata tried for a smile. “Thank you, Malik.”
“Most of all,” I began, “the throne doesn’t have the power to cause earthquakes. The Heart does. You’ll be able to tell the difference.”
Phaelan took several deep gulps from a cup that I suspected had more than coffee in it. “And now we’re in danger from some unknown killer who will take down anyone who gets too close to the rock.”
“Not just anyone,” Agata said. “Anyone other than the Cha’Nidaar.”
The elf shrugged. “They protect the thing. It has to like them.”
“Not necessarily,” I said. “Remember the Saghred?”
“I’d rather not.”
“It thought nothing of consuming those devoted to it,” I said. “Food was food. When it hungered, it would take whoever was available. The Heart is self-sustaining. Baeseria only warned of danger; she didn’t mention the Heart. The danger was to all who came here, regardless of their motives.”
“I’d say the things that butchered and ate that squad of Khrynsani and Sythsaurians would be a danger to anyone,” Elsu said.
I shook my head. “I think it was something else.”
“There’s something worse than Khrynsani, lizard men, or the monsters who ate—or at least tasted—them,” Malik said. “I, for one, am positively giddy with anticipation. Anyone else?”
Silence.
Malik took Dasant’s place on guard duty so the big mage could at least take a nap. Though he was probably hoping to have his curiosity satisfied if something worse than goblin-eating monsters happened by. Jash joined him.
I’d slept for less than an hour, but I wasn’t anxious to try for more. I was still groggy from my dream experience, plus I had guard duty of my own.
Since we were now in the Nidaarian cave system, Agata wanted to conduct a more in-depth ritual to pinpoint the Heart.
She cleared a space near the front of the cave, dusting away sand and debris until she had an area of smooth rock. She used a piece of white chalk mixed with silver dust to draw a ritual circle roughly six feet across, giving herself enough room to sit with space to ward against interference from the presence of the rest of us. I’d given her my ring to strengthen the signal as much as possible, and we had all moved away and behind her, stilling our own magic so as not to distract from any possibility of direct contact with the Heart.
She completed the circle, then sat cross-legged, placing the items she would need before her. She selected a small silver knife and pricked her finger, squeezing the tip to get a single drop of blood, and used it to seal the circle. Agata removed the pendant from around her neck and bowed her head over her open hand. With the same knife, she carefully cut her palm, waiting until enough blood had pooled, then laid the pendant in her bloody palm, placing her other hand that was wearing my ring over it, enclosing the pendant completely.
She sat utterly still for nearly half an hour, eyes closed, her brow furrowing and shoulders tensing as she searched.
I kept my emotions as quiet as my magic, not wanting to add to the difficulty she was obviously having.
I was having difficulty of another kind.
Staying awake.
When Agata finally opened her eyes and broke whatever contact she had made, we all remained quiet as she bandaged her hand and cleaned the pendant, hanging its chain back around her neck. Only when she had broken her ritual circle did we release the holds we’d had on our own magics.
She turned, her dark eyes finding mine, her frustration apparent.
“Did you find it?” I asked.
“Yes and no. Yes, I believe I found the Heart, but I also found similar signatures between us and it. So no, I couldn’t get an exact fix. You wouldn’t want to take another nap and ask the queen for directions, would you?”
I smiled. “If she contacts me again, I guarantee that will be the first topic of discussion. In the meantime, we’ll go in the direction of the strongest signature. And if that leads us to the throne room, perhaps we can speak to Baeseria in person.”
Jash suddenly appeared from where he’d been standing guard at the entrance to our cave. “I smell Khrynsani.”
Chapter Fourteen
Agata scrambled to her feet, swearing under her breath. “It’s my fault. I tried to be quiet, but I wasn’t getting enough information, so I said screw it, and pushed hard.”
“Not a chance,” Jash told her. “I sensed them. They haven’t sensed us. Something’s keeping them busy in a bad way, but it’s not in looking for us.”
Malik grinned. “Shall we see what we can do to further ruin their day?”
In moments, everyone was geared up and ready to move.
I pulled my blades where I could get to them fast. “Jash, we’ll take point. Das and Elsu back us up. Then Phaelan, Agata, and Talon. Mal, make sure no one comes at us from behind. Let’s go.”
I had no intention of engaging until I kn
ew what we were dealing with. The Khrynsani didn’t know we were here, and I’d prefer it stayed that way, though my preferences had been getting short shrift lately. I knew what my team was capable of and wasn’t concerned about any pack of Khrynsani outfighting them, either with steel or spells. If they had Sythsaurians with them, that could pitch the scales more in their favor, or not. The only magic I’d experienced firsthand was them conjuring and controlling the goblin ghost crew of the Wraith. Hand-to-hand combat was an unknown.
Phaelan was good in a fight with mortal weapons. He’d even brought a weapon of a type I’d never seen before. Phaelan called it a shoulder cannon. It was a metal tube about the length of his arm with a mounting stock that fit on top of his shoulder. He had a pouch of ammunition for it slung across his chest. Inside was a padded box that protected the plum-sized pouches from water and sudden impact. I strongly suspected the contents were Nebian black powder. I suspected because I didn’t want to ask and have my concerns confirmed. Nebian black powder was one of the most powerful explosives known. It could also be extremely unstable when subjected to the wrong conditions. Kind of like a certain elf pirate captain. Instead of cannonballs, Phaelan said it was built to use any fist-sized stone. He’d brought some with him, and with all the rocks around, he’d be able to quickly scavenge for more.
I didn’t like traveling with Nebian black powder, but as our team’s demolitions expert and the only magical null, Phaelan might be the only one able to get anywhere near the Heart, so those pouches of highly unstable powder might mean the difference between success and failure, life for the Seven Kingdoms or death. As lethal as I knew Phaelan and his accoutrements to be, I still wanted to keep him in the middle of the pack. Raine would never forgive me if anything happened to her cousin, whom she loved like a brother.
Talon was as much of an unknown as any Sythsaurians we might run into. He had power to spare, but he was just discovering what he was capable of. That made for hesitation or false starts, which could be deadly to him or any one of us.