by Brandon Mull
“Who are you?” Kendra asked.
The woman smiled without warmth, emerald eyes glittering. “How could you forget me? Were you not comfortable? Your taste still lingers on my tongue.”
“Jaleesa,” Kendra said.
“And you?” Seth asked the man in the other direction.
“As a dragon I was Obregon,” the man said in a gruff voice.
“Didn’t Raxtus replace you?” Seth asked.
“He filled my position for a season,” Obregon said.
“Celebrant trusts Obregon more than anyone in his guard,” Jaleesa said. “That’s why he could count on him to temporarily step down.”
“Hand over the coin and we will spare your lives,” Obregon said.
“We have no coin,” Lockland replied. “And you are in no position to threaten.”
Growling, Obregon charged forward. Jaleesa dashed at them as well. Sword ready, Lomo stepped forward to confront Obregon. Heading the other way, Seth drew his sword to face Jaleesa.
She was taller than him, emerald hair blowing behind her as she ran. Her long sword had a slight curve at the end. She looked eager.
“Don’t resist them,” Lockland shouted, having made no move to defend himself.
Sidestepping away from her charge, Seth deflected Jaleesa’s first swing, feeling the shock of impact in his wrists and elbows. Her next swing was too quick, the blade hissing through the air until it bit into the side of his neck.
The instant the blade parted his skin, the entire sword turned to smoke, along with the arm wielding it. Surprised to be alive, blinking at the dissipating particles, Seth reached up to where the blade had kissed his neck. His fingertips came away red from the small cut there. The blade had disintegrated before it could bite deep.
Shocked, Jaleesa staggered back, eyes roving the empty space where her arm should have been. No blood issued from her shoulder—skin had grown over the remaining nub as if it had been that way for a long time. Seth stared at the one-armed woman, deciding not to attack with his sword.
Lomo had avoided several swings of the ax. After seeing Jaleesa, Obregon stepped back and let the weapon hang at his side, leaving himself open to an attack.
“Don’t strike him!” Lockland called, lunging toward Jaleesa, who cowered away, cupping her armless shoulder with her remaining hand. He chased her until his gloved hand closed around her neck, and Seth watched platinum spread quickly across her from the point of contact.
Obregon fled.
“Should we chase him?” Lomo asked.
“Not now,” Lockland said.
“What happened to her arm?” Seth asked.
“Shed no blood,” Lockland said. “Break no bones. Stop no heart. The warning is serious. The moment her blade drew blood it vanished, along with the arm wielding it.”
“We should move,” Kendra said. “Obregon knows our location.”
“This way,” Lockland said.
“We’re going after the coin?” Seth whispered.
“Just in case it remains where I left it,” Lockland said.
“What are the chances?” Seth asked.
“It’s possible,” Lockland said. “I was in the Quiet Box for a very long time. But the metallic people can move quickly only at the end of festival nights. Over an entire year, they move roughly as much as they would at normal speed in a single day. My brothers are free to search every day, and I’m sure they do. But I hid it well.”
They started up some stairs.
“Where did you originally find the gold coin?” Seth asked.
“Cunningly hidden inside a tapestry,” Lockland said. “The image depicted a dragon with a treasure hoard. The coin was woven into the scene. Touching the coin caused it to detach from the image and materialize.”
“That must have taken a long time to find,” Seth said.
“A very long time,” Lockland said. “I found the platinum coin in the crypt. We place coins over the eyes of our dead. The platinum coin covered one of the eyes of my great-grandmother.”
“And you lost the gold one when you grabbed it?” Seth asked.
“The gold coin vanished and became concealed in a new spot,” Lockland said. “Whether I hold the coins or my platinum statues carry them in my behalf, it all works the same. They are direct extensions of my will, so together we can only hold one coin. Same for gold or silver.”
“That means we really could help you,” Kendra said. “If we can each hold our own coin, working together, we could throw in all three.”
“It’s worth a try,” Lockland said. “Assuming you can hold a coin. And if we can keep you from being transformed.”
“Should we hunt down the dragons?” Seth asked. “Turn them to platinum?”
“It may not be easy,” Lockland said. “Now that they understand they really can’t shed blood, break bones, or stop hearts, they’ll fight smarter.” He raised his gloved hand, flexing his fingers. “If they come our way, I’ll do my best to transform them.”
“You accidentally touched some people?” Seth asked.
“It happens,” Lockland said. “If I were you, I’d stay away from me, especially the side of me with the glove. If you get touched, I can’t reverse it.”
“What about our friends who were changed?” Kendra asked.
“It could be permanent,” Lockland said. “Only Humbuggle knows the whole story.”
Seth didn’t like the news, but he was far from giving up on Tanu and Knox. Hopefully the dwarf would know a way to undo what happened. Or perhaps the power of the Wizenstone could help?
Lockland opened a door to a covered walkway connecting two towers. They were up quite high. Though Seth could see beyond the castle walls, all seemed shrouded in darkness, perhaps because the light globes around the castle were ruining his night vision.
“Somebody will probably see us up here,” Lockland said. “Can’t be helped.” He stepped onto the railing of the walkway and swung up onto the roof. After a moment, Seth heard a crunch, and then Lockland came down holding a single shingle. “Come on.”
Seth, Kendra, and Lomo followed Lockland back indoors. They hurried down some stairs and then along a corridor.
“These roof tiles are ceramic,” Lockland said. “Not only do they last a long time, but the spell on the castle seems to preserve the physical structure without maintenance. I learned how to make the roof tiles when I was younger, so I baked the platinum coin into one and swapped it with a tile on the walkway roof in the middle of the night. Stand back.”
Seth stepped well away from Lockland, who raised the ceramic shingle high, then hurled it to the stone floor. The roof tile broke into three pieces. Part of the platinum coin projected from one of the fragments. Lockland grabbed the fragment with the coin and banged it against the floor until he had the coin free. After wiping the dust off as best he could, he held it up for inspection. Still dusty, the coin featured a bearded dwarf standing on the front and what looked like the back of the same dwarf on the opposite side.
“Who wants to carry it?” Lockland asked.
“Why not you?” Kendra asked.
Lockland set the coin on the floor and raised both hands. “I chose to drop out of this contest. That decision stands. I’ll help you try to end it, but I’m not looking to win it.”
“We’ve got company,” Lomo said as Tregain stalked into view.
Seth drew his sword as Kendra retrieved the coin from the floor. Lomo took up a position between them and Tregain.
“Lockland,” Tregain said, stopping several paces from Lomo. “You’re back in the hunt.”
“I want this over,” Lockland said, striding past Lomo so he stood closest to his brother.
“At any cost?” Tregain asked. “I had the gold coin. Intruders seized it.”
“The dragons?” Lockland asked.
Tregain gave a nod. “I suspected they might be powerful creatures in human form.”
“They could hold it?” Lockland asked.
“Aye,” Tregain said. “They filched it from my room when I was away.”
“You didn’t keep it on you?” Lockland asked.
“I was hoping to find another,” Tregain said through gritted teeth.
“And you can’t possess two at once,” Lockland said. “I turned one of the dragons to platinum. Only two left. They can’t win the contest with two.”
Tregain glanced past Lockland to Lomo, Seth, and Kendra. “I see three people with you.”
“Yes,” Lockland said. “Two mortals and one of the Folk.”
“The girl has the platinum coin,” Tregain said.
“I fail to see the problem,” Lockland said.
A wild look came into Tregain’s eyes. “Don’t you? This is slipping away! Whatever happens, we have to keep it in the family, Lock.”
“The family hasn’t gotten much done for several centuries, Treg,” Lockland said.
“And so you would hand the prize over to strangers?” Tregain asked, spittle flying from his lips.
“No offense, Tregain, but I know I can’t trust you,” Lockland said. “At least with the girl there is a chance.”
Tregain grabbed at his hair and pulled, raising his voice even more. “Here I stand, betrayed by my own kin. You would rather dragons take the prize? Or children?”
“I want the curse broken,” Lockland said. “We cursed ourselves by entering the contest. I want it finished.”
“At what cost?” Tregain blurted. “The world will pay if the dragons win it! Or fools! Turn and help your brother. Let us purify these interlopers into silver and platinum. All platinum, if you prefer. Or all silver. And then the dragons. Then we can sort out the rest among family.”
Lockland laughed. “You’ll use me, and then you’ll do the same as you’ve always done. Nothing will get sorted out.”
Tregain started shouting. “Now is the time to teach me a lesson? Now is the hour to mistrust your own blood? By delivering power to strangers?”
“They know it is the Wizenstone,” Lockland said.
“Is that supposed to comfort me?” Tregain cried.
“So do the dragons,” Lockland said. “They will keep coming. We must deliver the Wizenstone to the safest option.”
“How is that not the rightful heir?” Tregain asked.
“Because you care only about yourself,” Lockland said. “Heath too. We could have obtained the Wizenstone long ago had we worked together.”
“You care about nothing!” Tregain spat, waving an arm. “You’re an anarchist! You prefer strangers over family!”
“I prefer sanity over madness,” Lockland said.
Growling, Tregain charged forward, and Lockland wrapped both arms around him, tackling him to the ground. Grunting and straining, they wrestled until Tregain ended up on top, holding Lockland down.
“Shall I help?” Lomo offered.
“Avoid his glove,” Lockland said. “And mine. Hold him still, and I can remove it.”
“You would strip me of what is rightfully mine?” Tregain bellowed.
“It’s a contest,” Lockland said.
As Lomo moved to get behind Tregain, the angry prince pushed away from Lockland and returned to his feet. Rather than attack Lomo, he backed away. Lockland stood, positioning himself in front of Lomo.
“Look at you,” Tregain said derisively. “So smug. We’ll see how satisfied you are when the world falls to ruins.”
After a final digusted look at his brother, he turned and fled.
“And I thought my family didn’t get along,” Seth said.
Lockland gave a rueful chuckle. “Neither of my brothers listens to reason. They are both so intent on claiming the prize for themselves that they are willing to keep the possibility of winning it forever out of reach.”
“That is about to change,” spoke a clear, authoritative voice.
Seth whirled. From the other end of the walkway, a man approached. He had regal features, with steel-gray hair and a closely trimmed beard, and he wore a chain-mail shirt that hung well past his waist and heavy trousers. Seth knew the voice, but usually it sounded like many voices speaking in unison and was magnified. In this form, Celebrant sounded human.
Behind him came Obregon, no longer holding his golden ax. Seth noticed that neither man had a visible weapon. But Celebrant wore a golden glove on one hand.
“That’s close enough,” Lomo said.
Celebrant and Obregon halted. “Very well. We overheard enough to grasp the situation. You have the platinum coin.”
“Maybe we were bluffing,” Seth said.
“We possess the other two,” Celebrant said. “Gold and silver.”
“Along with Heath’s glove,” Lockland said.
“My glove now,” Celebrant replied, spreading his gloved fingers wide. “A fairly remarkable item. Please thank Tregain for the uproarious conversation. It simplified the matter of locating you.”
“Heath?” Lockland asked.
“As golden as his former minions,” Celebrant said. “We partnered with him at first. After we acquired the gold coin from Tregain, our relationship with Heath soured.”
“You pinned him down and took the glove?” Kendra asked.
“We did,” Celebrant said. “I started turning gold when I removed it, but putting it on reversed the process. Everything is so tedious in these pathetic human bodies, but using the glove is amusing.” He touched the railing of the walkway and smiled as a portion of it turned to gold.
Seth and Kendra shared a glance. He suspected she was thinking along the same lines as he was. They should be able to save their cousin by putting a glove on him. Maybe Lockland would lend them his? Could they save Tanu that way, too? Would it work on a fully transformed person?
“Heath was liberal with his glove,” Lockland said.
“I observed,” Celebrant replied. “His entire room was gilded. Every item, every block, every tile. Now he matches.”
“What is your offer?” Kendra asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Celebrant asked. “We lost Jaleesa. To move forward, we need one more person to hold a coin. I could wait for more dragons to come three months from now on the next festival night, but I would rather settle this now. Wouldn’t you?”
“You want to throw the coins in the fountain together?” Seth asked.
“Naturally,” Celebrant said. “Keep things progressing.”
“What about the prize?” Kendra asked.
Celebrant shrugged. “May the best treasure hunter win.”
“Can we have a minute to talk about this in privacy?” Kendra asked.
“I fail to see the need,” Celebrant said. “You will not succeed in taking the coins from us. But I could turn you to gold in short order.”
“Or we could turn you to platinum,” Seth replied.
“Or I could steal the platinum glove,” Celebrant countered. “Instead I offer a full truce until we toss in the coins. If the Wizenstone materializes, we will all do our best to get it. Or if there are more steps to win the prize, we will take them as they come.”
“If we wish to move the contest forward, it’s a reasonable offer,” Lomo said.
“We don’t want to wait for more dragons,” Seth said.
“All right,” Kendra said. “Truce.”
Celebrant turned away briskly. “Shall we, then? The night is not getting any younger.”
He and Obregon started walking. Seth, Kendra, Lomo, and Lockland followed.
“I expected to see you in heavy armor,” Seth called ahead.
“You expected correctly,” Celebrant replied without looking back. “Cumbersome armor did not match the circumstances
. I don’t require protection from blows, and it was slowing me down.”
“And normally a dragon in human form has magically reinforced strength,” Lockland murmured. “Without inhuman strength and endurance, a full suit of armor quickly becomes ponderous.”
As they descended toward the courtyard, Seth tried to devise a strategy. How could they gain advantage in this situation? Dealing with the dragons probably made sense for now, but what would stop them from turning everyone to gold once the coins had been thrown? Or what if the Wizenstone appeared? Would it just be a matter of who was first to pick it up? No matter what, they could not let it fall into Celebrant’s hands. Was there a realistic way to stop him?
Seth moved over to Lomo. “We’ll have to be ready for anything,” Seth muttered quietly.
Lomo gave a nod. “A lot is riding on the next few moments.”
They exited to the courtyard and crossed to the fountain. Water splashed from seven spouts across multiple shelves into the wide basin. Celebrant produced the gold coin, and Obregon held up the silver.
“Give us the silver coin,” Kendra said.
“That was not the arrangement I offered,” Celebrant said.
“You need help putting the coins in the fountain, give us the silver,” Kendra said. “We throw two, you throw one.”
“I’ll have help in three months,” Celebrant said. “I can wait.”
“Are you sure you’ll have help?” Kendra asked. “I can’t imagine you trusting many dragons with this information.”
“Not many,” Celebrant replied, his gaze hard. “Is it easier to imagine me without contingency plans?”
Seth thought Celebrant looked like he was telling the truth. He could just be a good bluffer.
“Who cares who throws the coins?” Kendra said. “It saves you three months at least. Let us throw two.”
“I care,” Celebrant said. “I offered a truce under the condition that you would throw your coin with us. Would you prefer to break the truce?”
Seth knew Kendra had moved onto shaky ground. Trouble could start any second.
Kendra took the platinum coin from her pocket. “I’ll play along.”
Lockland stepped near to Seth and whispered, “If this goes bad, run and hide.”