by Andi Van
“I appreciate the warning,” the giantess answered before starting her next round of chanting.
Kelwin reached down to pat Daro, who was now pressed against his leg protectively, then put a hand on the box. The moment his skin came in contact with the wood, Tasis’s pendant lit up as if it were on fire. Jorget waited with more than a little anxiety, but nothing else appeared to happen, and after another tense moment, he laughed. “Well, that was anticlimactic.”
“Wait until I’ve got the box moved,” Kelwin suggested, putting his other hand on the box and lifting. It seemed to go easily enough, and a look of confusion crossed Kelwin’s face as he straightened himself.
“What is it?” Jorget asked.
Kelwin shook his head a fraction of a movement, brow wrinkled. “I don’t know,” he finally said. “Whatever’s in here is alive, though. I can almost hear it.”
Which meant it could be the dragon, Jorget supposed, though he’d expected it to be a little bigger. The box was only maybe a foot and a half across, and only half that in height and depth. The thought of a living creature being trapped in such a small space was uncomfortable at best. “Talk to it,” Jorget suggested. “Can’t hurt. Maybe it won’t turn you into a bird thing if it knows you don’t mean any harm.”
Kelwin glanced up at him and gave a short nod before focusing on the box again. He cleared his throat, and began to speak. “I am Kelwin Tiovolk, bondmate of Tasis Kadara, who is the current leader of the Mages’ Guild of the Dragon’s Claw. We were sent here because the king of Archai was searching for a weapon rumored to be within this mountain. We think he meant you. We’re here to keep you from being turned into that weapon.” He paused and took a breath, looking as if he felt horribly awkward at the one-sided conversation. “War solves nothing and helps no one.”
“Mages’ Guild of the Dragon’s Claw?” Jorget asked. “Is that what he’s calling it now?”
“Triv told us that was its proper name,” Kelwin explained. “Vashk concurred.”
At the other dragon’s name, the stone around Kelwin’s neck brightened further, and this time it was answered with a glow from within the stone circle. It wavered, then flared so brilliantly Jorget was forced to close his eyes. When the light was no longer trying to blind him through his eyelids, he opened them cautiously, and let out a wordless exclamation when his gaze was met by a bright shaft of light extending from the bottom of the circle to the room’s ceiling. “What is it?”
“I don’t know, but I think I’ve got this figured out,” Emlynn told them. “One more try. I think Falcon is getting loose.”
And indeed, the cries were less frustration and more anger again. That couldn’t be a good sign.
“Do it, Em,” Kelwin said. “Then we’ll get out of here.”
The giantess nodded and began to chant again. The entryway exploded, and the force of the blast threw Jorget through the light.
And then he was falling.
Chapter 15
THERE WAS a special kind of pain involved with being blasted across a room deep within a mountain, Kelwin decided as he struggled to make his way back to consciousness. His body felt as if he’d been hit by the entirety of the cave-in Emlynn had produced, and he was afraid to try to move something for fear every bone he had was smashed to pieces. Tasis was, indeed, going to kill him.
It took him a minute of lying facedown on the ground, being careful to not move, before he realized it was quiet. In fact, the silence was so palpable it could have been its own entity. Kelwin wondered if the blast had deafened him, or if they were in worse trouble than he thought.
A whine near his ear made him flinch, and movement did indeed hurt as much as he’d been afraid it would. He managed, somehow, to crack open one eye only to find Daro staring at him. “Hi,” he croaked at the clearly anxious wolf.
Daro immediately proceeded to lick Kelwin’s face, making the elf sputter. “Stop,” he grumbled. “Well, you seem okay. Is anyone else alive?”
“That’s debatable,” another voice croaked from the other side of the room. Kelwin was pretty sure it was Jorget, but he sounded awful. “I landed on my pack. If I move, my body’s going to shatter into a million pieces.”
“I’m not sure if that’s better or worse than waking up with your face against the floor,” Kelwin admitted, slowly flexing his fingers. They seemed okay, so he tried his toes, then his hands and his feet. Eventually, after assuring himself nothing was actually broken, he managed to pull himself into a seated position and take a look around.
One thing was certain; they were no longer in the room in the mountain, but the box was with them. Kelwin tried to get his thoughts together enough to remember what had happened, but it was slow going. They’d been in the room, trying to cave in the door before the harpy that had once been Falcon could reach them. Tasis’s pendant had….
He grabbed the pendant, sighing in relief to find it still around his neck. Tasis might have forgiven him for losing it, but he would have had a hard time forgiving himself. He held up the stone to take a look at it. It was no longer warm to the touch, and the glow it had been giving off was gone. He’d touched the box, and there was a light. And then an explosion, and he’d gone flying. Then he’d been falling.
“Was it the column of light?” Kelwin asked aloud as he continued to look at the room. There was a stone circle on the floor in here as well, though there was no ash in this one. The room was perhaps twice as wide as he was tall, in both directions. The ceiling seemed a similar height to any number of buildings he’d been in recently, far different from the room in the mountain. And the walls…. “The walls,” he whispered.
“I think it has to do with the light, yeah,” Jorget agreed as he grunted and groaned his way up, sitting much as Kelwin was. “But what was that about walls?”
“They’re glowing,” Kelwin said, pointing at the wall nearest to them. “Really glowing, not like in the mountain.”
Jorget began to take stock of their surroundings as well, though he winced more than once as he looked around. “So you think we’re not in the mountain anymore?”
“Well, it wouldn’t make sense for only one room to be glowing like this when the rest of the entire guild was so dimly lit,” Kelwin pointed out. He cautiously pulled himself to his feet, aided in part by Daro, who let Kelwin lean on him. He paced the room, his eyes narrowing. “No door, no windows. But people have clearly been in here at some point.”
“Huh.” Jorget tried to stand, but he didn’t make it far. Kelwin stepped in front of him and offered him a hand up. Once Jorget was on his feet, he looked around as well. “You’re right. Plus, the air doesn’t smell stale. Fresh air is getting in here somehow. Maybe we should see if we can figure out from where.”
Kelwin nodded in agreement. It certainly made sense. Any airflow would indicate where they could blast a hole in the wall, if nothing else. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that, though. If they were in yet another guild, this one could still house people, and it wouldn’t do to make enemies when they were going to need help getting home. “Oh Maker,” Kelwin groaned. “Home. I have no idea how long we’ve been out, but the rest of the group is going to get back to the giant’s village and Tasis is going to freak out.”
“Can’t blame him for that,” Jorget said. Then a startled expression came over his face, replaced by a grin. “Except I might be able to help you there.” He slid off his pack carefully, obviously still quite sore, and dug through it until he pulled out a cloth-wrapped object. “Please don’t be broken, please don’t be broken….”
Kelwin had completely forgotten about Jorget’s mirror, and he wanted to cry with relief when the cloth slipped away and the glass proved to be in one piece. The mirror was fogged—someone was trying to reach them, which shouldn’t have been a surprise. As Kelwin pressed close so he could see better, Jorget quickly said the words to activate their end of the connection. The fog cleared, and there was Tasis’s handsome, tear-stained face, turned to look at someone else
in the room. “No,” he was yelling. “I am not going to move away from this damnable mirror until he answers. He’ll answer. I know he will.” Tasis hiccupped a sob and shook his head. “They’re not dead.”
“No, but we kind of wish we were,” Jorget said, looking embarrassed once the words were out, and Kelwin guessed he hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
It didn’t matter, though. The view shifted dramatically as Tasis yelped, probably startled by the sudden words. When things were righted again, Tasis practically had his nose pressed against the glass on his end. “Where in Skaarn’s dark underworld are you?” he demanded, still yelling. “Why didn’t you answer? Do you have any idea how terrified I was something had happened to you? The others got back and said something about a light and how you guys were thrown into it and then you vanished.”
Kelwin looked at Jorget, then glanced at the mirror before looking back again. The other man must have gotten the hint, because he smiled and handed the mirror over. Kelwin held the glass carefully with one hand and touched the surface showing his beloved’s face with the fingers of the other. “Oh love,” he breathed softly. “I am so sorry.”
Tasis opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a sob. He shook his head, and the view shifted again to show Reikos. “Don’t worry,” the young guard said before Kelwin could comment. “Zaree’s got him. I’ll hand the mirror back when he’s a little calmer.”
“Thank you,” Kelwin said. “Who all is in the room to hear us?”
Reikos looked around him. “Uh, everyone, basically,” he admitted. “We’re at Brolt’s. We’d been discussing your fate when you finally answered. What happened, anyway? The entry caved in and you guys were gone when the dust settled.”
“How long ago was that?” Jorget asked as he peered over Kelwin’s shoulder, clearly realizing the tender, mushy part of the conversation was over for the moment. “If you’re back at the village, I imagine it’s been a few hours. We only came to a few minutes ago. And how did you get out?”
“We did exactly what we said we were going to do,” Reikos told them with a grin. “Emlynn blasted through the ceiling. Bahz carried up one of the climbing ropes from her pack, and we climbed up. Then we ran for it. We stopped long enough to block the entrance as best we could without making it impossible for us to get back in. It should keep Falcon in the mountain, even without Bahz guarding the entrance.”
“Bahz didn’t stay?” Kelwin asked. He certainly couldn’t blame the bird for wanting to leave the post he’d kept for… well, centuries.
There was a hiccup and a weak mumble from nearby Reikos, and he laughed at whatever had been said. “Yeah, exactly,” he said to who Kelwin suspected was Tasis. “It turns out the bond between him and Falcon had broken a long time ago. He kind of stayed out of a sense of obligation. He’s decided Emlynn is his new mage.”
“Seriously?” Jorget asked with a laugh. “That’s amazing. Way to go, Em.”
“Yeah, apparently he knew when she climbed the mountain. That’s why he gave her the feather.”
“Really?” That made Kelwin a little nervous. If the familiar giving Em one of his feathers had been a sign of their bond, what did that say about the gryphon who’d done the same for Zaree? But maybe he was overthinking the situation. It could have been a sign of gratitude. Zaree was definitely not a magic user, and the gryphon hadn’t been a familiar.
The mirror was handed over again, and Kelwin wished it would stop exchanging hands. It was making him dizzy. Any discomfort was forgotten when Tasis came into view again, however. “So what happened?” Tasis asked, sniffling hard. “Also, I’m really mad at you for scaring me like that, but I’m too relieved you’re okay to yell at you again.”
“Understood,” Kelwin said, smothering the urge to grin. Tasis would certainly yell at him if he knew he’d completely failed at being serious. “To answer your question, the last thing I remember is being thrown in the direction of the light.”
“And falling,” Jorget added. “I definitely remember feeling like I was falling.”
“And you’re sure you’re not still in the mountain somewhere?”
Kelwin exchanged a glance with Jorget and aimed the mirror in the direction of the room so he could see for himself. Not that he’d know, he realized belatedly. Tasis hadn’t gotten a chance to see the abandoned guild. Reikos came to his rescue, though, as he was looking over Tasis’s shoulder when Kelwin turned the mirror toward him again. “Yeah, definitely not the same place. For one, it’s too bright.”
“The question remains, then,” Tasis said with a frown, his brows drawing together. “Where are you?”
“Wish I could tell you,” Kelwin sighed. “Jorget was the first to realize we’re getting fresh air somehow, but that’s all I know. I’m guessing the room was walled in as an afterthought.”
“Wait” came Zaree’s voice, and the raven-haired beauty practically shoved Reikos out of the way to see into the mirror. “Can you hear anything?”
Jorget shook his head before Kelwin could answer. “Nah, walls are too thick.”
Zaree nodded as if she’d expected that. “Okay, then what about smells? What does it smell like to you?”
Kelwin gave her a skeptical look before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He could smell dirt and a hint of long-gone decay. Underneath those odors, though, there was something he recognized.
“The ocean,” Jorget cried out.
“Yeah.” Kelwin opened his eyes to look at him and gave him a small nod. “You don’t think…?” The half-formed question was said in a voice choked with restrained hope.
Tasis took a deep breath and let it out slowly, biting at his lower lip as he did. “I’m going to contact Josephina,” he said. “I’m trying really hard not to get my hopes up, but maybe she’ll know of a room like the one you’re in, or maybe she’ll know how to see if she can sense you on the isle.” He took another deep breath and rubbed at his face. “Maker, please be on the isle. Keep the mirror handy, I’ll contact you once I’ve spoken to Josephina.”
“Tasis,” Kelwin said suddenly, wanting to say one more thing before the boy he loved left his sight.
Tasis cocked his head to one side, looking concerned. “What?”
“I love you. That’s all.”
“That’s all?” Tasis asked with a watery laugh. “That’s everything.”
When the mirror cleared, Kelwin was grinning like an idiot. He handed the mirror back to Jorget, not bothering to try to school his expression. “Okay,” Jorget said, smiling almost as widely. “I’ll admit it, you two are damn sweet together.” He looked around the room again, eyes narrowed in thought. “You think we could be on the isle?”
“We could be on the edge of the world for all I know,” Kelwin chuckled. “So there’s no reason to discount the idea.”
“Yeah, I suppose not,” Jorget said before taking a seat on the floor next to where Daro was curled up. The wolf raised his head to see what was going on, then began to pant happily as Jorget rubbed between his furry ears. “Huh. I didn’t expect his fur to be so soft, somehow.”
“It’s amazing during cold weather,” Kelwin admitted. “The castle stays a fairly constant temperature, but some days nothing keeps the cold away completely. He’s incredibly warm to curl up with, and I’ve gone into the library more than once to find Tasis using him as a furry pillow.” He grinned and leaned over to give the wolf a friendly pat. “Lucky wolf.”
Jorget glanced at the mirror and sighed. “I wonder how long it’ll be until he’s done talking to Josephina.”
“He’s probably keeping her in contact with him as she does whatever it is she needs to do. He’ll want to know immediately if we’re here.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Jorget said with a nod. “Guess I wish they’d hurry. It’s a little claustrophobic in here.” He glanced at the mirror again, then looked at Kelwin. Come to think of it, he did look a little pale. “If we’re on the isle, what’s the first thing you’
re going to do?”
Kelwin pointed to the box on the other side of the room, still bound in chains. “First thing I’m doing is taking that to Vashk to see if it’s safe to open. Then I’m going to take a very long bath, eat Firea’s delicious food, and pick Aldris’s brain about the plant samples I brought back.”
“Sounds… relaxing,” Jorget said skeptically. “But, you know, whatever makes you happy.”
Kelwin laughed, lifting his arms above his head to stretch. His back popped in a few places, making him wince. He was going to be sore for days after their trip to wherever they were. “Well, if there’s a dragon in that box, we need to open it and get him out. I imagine after being locked up for….”
“Ever,” Jorget suggested. “It’s probably best we not try to come up with a number. I don’t think my brain can handle that.”
“That works. After being locked up forever, there may be something it needs. I have no idea how it’s alive.”
“Do dragons eat?”
It was a fair question. Kelwin could only shrug in response. “I’ve seen Vashk eat,” he admitted. “But I have no idea if it’s because he enjoys it or if it’s because he needs to. He’s a dragon. You’ll come to discover a lot of rules don’t necessarily apply to him.”
Jorget frowned, but he didn’t answer, and they waited in silence until Jorget finally let out a cheer and invoked the mirror. “What’s the verdict?” he asked, not even giving Tasis a chance to greet them.
From the smile they got in response, they could guess the answer. But there was still no better feeling to Kelwin than when Tasis said the two words he’d wanted to hear more than anything right then. “Welcome home.”
“Oh thank the Maker,” Kelwin groaned, sliding to the floor. “Where are we, though? I’ve never seen this room before.”