Kenzo clattered his beak. “No problem. I’m always good at entertaining children, magical or otherwise.” He partially unfolded his wings in preparation for flight. “And it sounds like I’ll be eating well…a definite perk of this assignment.” With a wink of one huge eye, he flapped off in silent flight.
She watched him sail down the corridor, chuckling and poking fun at the guard stationed near the far end. Seeing his usual cheerfulness return brought a smile to her lips.
Back inside, she resettled herself into the all too familiar dent in her cushion and pulled her notebook to her. She jotted down main ideas from her last reading. Flipping through Elisabeth’s bloodswear document, she located the next important scene—taking the Emtori Ruby from the Black Dragon. Only a few pages remained in the book. Lyra shuddered. She knew Sire Garrett would die soon. The parallels between her life and Elisabeth’s bothered her. She took hold of the amulet and reminded herself that while she and the first Scribe were closely related energetically, Cullen and Garrett shared little. Lyra was happy to see the Tortoise and Mimio return down the stairs. “I’d like you to sit with me while I read this next scene.”
“Gladly,” the Tortoise called out as bound documents flew above his head. “What is its nature?”
“Claiming the ruby from the Black Dragon.”
“Ah. Absolutely, I want to hear that part aloud,” he replied and took a seat on her right, with Mimio already at Lyra’s left.
Lyra placed a finger at the beginning of the scene and began reading.
Retracing our path into the lair of the Dark Realm, I was grateful to have spent even a few short days learning some magic craft. Perhaps, this time I could get power to leave my fingers more easily now. If nothing else, the schooling served to boost my confidence. That helped me overlook how tired my physical body felt. My legs and feet ached from travel. A painful kink lodged in my back from sleeping on the ground the past nights, traveling from Terza to Silva Nocens.
Kon’s words encouraged me. I felt my fire power, given from my birthmate star, might allow me a few moments to be on an equal plane with the ruby. With judicious use of that time, I might destroy it—the expected outcome of my bloodswear oath and quest. I had related my plan to Garrett, and he came equipped with a sledgehammer fixed to his wide leather belt. Considering the excessive weight, I appealed to him to magically lighten its mass. He refused, concerned that in the case he was incapacitated, as before, he’d be unable to restore its usual heft.
The determination in Garrett’s surefooted step revealed his enormous sense of duty to me and the Alliance. His demeanor was infectious. I held my head high…until we reentered the red glow of the Black Dragon’s chamber.
This time I was prepared for the enticement of the Emtori Ruby. I skillfully kept my gaze from where the gem rested on the same crude rock platform. My nose wrinkled at a fetid odor. I quickly scanned the room for the Black Dragon lurking in shadows. By stroke of good fortune, he wasn’t present. The putrid stench came from rotting carcasses scattered about the chamber. Their bellies swollen with gases caused them to float in several inky pools. I squelched my initial elation, considering that the leader might have simply been hiding under a cloak of magic. Cautious speed and maximum control of my aura were my tools. Cautious speed and control. I repeated the phrase over and over like a mantra to maintain my focus.
I shielded my eyes with my left hand and walked assertively toward the origin of the red light. In my palm, I held a ready ball of my aura, spinning and swirling through my fingers. It acted as a barrier between my eyes and the connection the keystone. The skin of my hand and face prickled icy hot with my own energy.
The ruby reacted to my aura. Beams shot from it in all directions, each in succession wider and more vivid. Some rays even bent, seeking my eyes. Through the dense haze of my own golden aura, I saw both their aim and deflection. My hope surged, knowing my power held against the powerful stone.
Garrett followed, covering my back, another predetermined strategy. This tactic provided protection from surprise attacks by the leader entering the room. It also permitted Garrett to divert his eyes and not be incapacitated by the ruby’s powers as before. Hopefully, his estimation would prove correct, that indirect contact with its aura would pose him little trouble.
When my feet neared the base of the granite shelf, I slowed and felt his leg contact mine. I reached behind with my right hand and accepted the sledge as he passed it. My heart thumped as though it would rise up out of my chest.
During the next second, time seemed to halt. My breath rattled through my stiffened rib cage. I knew what I was expected to do but couldn’t force myself onward. I willed my hand to move away from my face, but it wouldn’t react. I needed two hands to drive the sledge downward onto the ruby. I wondered if the gem itself realized my intent and blocked my motion. I forced that thought into a far recess of my mind, locked my gaze onto my feet, and yanked my arm down to the handle of the sledge. My aura surging from that hand fused the tool with my body. I raised it over my head. It became a part of me, my magic threading within the wood and metal construction. I felt its end as precisely as my own fingertips.
I glanced at the ruby, needing but one swift second to mark my aim.
The gem’s lasers instantly located my eyes and would not allow me to look away.
I gritted my teeth, and an ache shot along my jaw. The pain awakened my sense of self apart from the ruby. My internal fire boiled. The muscles of my arms flexed, spasming to extend and release. My blow swept through the air, followed by an arch of my golden aura.
A pin-point beam shot from the gem. It pierced my left eye, blinding me with a sharp pain. Rage burned through my mind, and I cursed the stone.
My sledge landed with a heavy crash, chunking away a huge section of the granite pedestal. The noise reverberated along the chamber walls, and roars from multiple creatures echoed replies in the outer tunnel.
“Elisabeth, we must leave! They’re coming!” Garrett commanded, taking hold of my elbow.
My searing anger burst into startled awe. I couldn’t imagine why I even had the thought of attempting such a foolish act—destroying such a remarkable natural source of power. In one swift motion, I closed my eyes to the paralyzing red light, grabbed the ruby into my hands, and stuffed it within my inner tunic pouch. Connected to the ruby, my entire being transformed.
Garrett’s form appeared diaphanous, like an ethereal ghost. I could only view his aura, a filmy white form following the general shape of his body.
“Elisabeth! Are you all right? Can you hear me?”
I nodded, but my throat burned so badly I couldn’t reply.
He motioned for me to follow and led the way toward the open archway, glancing over his shoulder as much as looking forward.
I glided after him and then panicked, fearing my legs had been paralyzed. No sensation reported from them. I looked down and saw them moving reflexively in a normal gait but not contacting the floor. However, I was ambulating, I willed the motion to happen faster, keeping pace behind Garrett.
Behind us a maze of red limbs moved in rapid rhythms—drakes and other evil beasts in chase, snarling and roaring. The fire channeling through my body urged me to stand fearless and conquer them all. Only Garrett prompted me forward. With every motion he made to keep me abreast, subtle waves of coolness flowed through my chest. His force in my heart rivaled the fire. Unable to reason, I followed.
Garrett’s pale white image darted through a circuitous path of smaller tunnels, unfortunately still tall enough for the drakes to pass. At last, it ended in an empty chamber. He ran to a large boulder and uttered an incantation. The rock slowly undulated back and forth on its base. Slowly, it rolled to one side, revealing a narrow opening to what appeared to be another tunnel. “This way.” He pointed into the darkness, encouraging me to pass first.
I flowed into the pitch black passageway. My body moved like liquid, easing around rocky projections in the close quarters.
Garrett worked to fit himself through the opening. The breadth of his shoulders required him to tip and twist for a considerable time.
Footsteps thudded on the stone outside the chamber. He endured a long gouge scraped into his skin to wrench one shoulder clear. Bleeding and tired, he misspoke the incantation to replace the rock.
Clawed arms of the drakes reached past the opening toward us. They charged against the wall, making it shake and crack.
The acrid stench of the Black Dragon permeated the close air around us.
Reflexively, I pushed power into my hand and willed the golden-red mass to act as a magnet, rolling the boulder across the opening. The rock obeyed my command, pinning the arm of a drake who shrieked under its crushing weight.
The roar of the leader thundered through the wall. I identified with the primal feeling in the outpouring of his desperate loss. It rang raw in the loud wails that followed as Garrett led me deeper along the black tunnel. I shuddered, never wanting to feel the intensity of separating from the ruby.
Lyra closed the book and took a moment to steady herself with her amulet before she looked at the Tortoise and his assistant.
Mimio placed a hand lightly on Lyra’s back. “Are you all right, dear?”
“Yes. Just frightened. It’s like looking in a mirror. I don’t know whether I can control the ruby. Elisabeth seemed overwhelmed but grateful for the connection she had with Garrett. She mentioned how their bond cooled her heart against the fire. I could feel their bond of love underneath her words. It was magical like mine and Cullen’s. Garrett worked to protect her heart from the fire of the ruby’s power. If it got in there, she and the ruby would have become one. She would have lost her aura and her soul.” Lyra sighed. “I’m glad Cullen will be with me.”
“I’m certain Sire Drake will protect you with his life,” replied the sorceress, rubbing Lyra’s back.
The Tortoise touched his front foot to Lyra’s hand. “He was willing to give up Alliance magic that keeps him alive to keep you from the harm of additional seizures. You need not doubt him.”
“Oh, no. I don’t doubt Cullen. I doubt myself. What if damage from these seizures has made me less capable of controlling the ruby than Elisabeth? At least she was able to hold all that power within her and recognize Garrett’s love at the same time. That much is enormous.” She shook her head. “I don’t know how I compare.” Lyra paused and looked at each of them, hoping for any ideas.
“I wish I had your answer,” the Tortoise replied. “You’ve been working hard this morning without any difficulty. You must be tired though. Why don’t you take a short break. It might ease your mind.”
Lyra pushed away from the table and slowly extended her cramped knees. She waited for blood flow to remove the tingly numbness. “Yes. I have been here awhile. I need to move around. I think I’ll go to the Imperial Dragon’s study and consult the Spheres of Sidus about my question.”
The Tortoise lengthened his neck. “Be certain you avoid contact with the Regulus fire star.” He nodded to his assistant. “Mimio, perhaps you should accompany her.”
“Absolutely. I agree.” The sorceress scrambled to her feet.
Lyra didn’t want anyone along but understood the potential danger if she was drawn to take in more energy from the fire star. Deep in thought, she and Mimio walked in silence through the deserted corridor. Those halls usually bustled with blue dragon guards and workers from the village. They passed only two elderly sentries. The stillness made Lyra shiver.
***
In the observatory, Lyra turned her back to the sky and aligned the darkest onyx ball to represent the sky location of the generation before her—her grandmother. She glanced at Mimio. “I’m not sure of the sky track for Grammy’s Sagittarius star. Will you check outside and direct me to place the ball?”
“Certainly.” The sorceress craned her neck to look at an angle from the far left pane. “It’s far to the east in this spring sky.” She turned and pointed to a spot on the felted table top.
Lyra placed the onyx sphere accordingly. “Now for my own star to represent both present and future. That is easy enough. Hamal is riding low on the horizon over here on the table, just barely visible.” She rolled the gray and white onyx balls to the same point.
She fixed her gaze on the larger rainbow moonstone rondure that represented the person asking the question—herself. Centering the question in her mind, she rolled the rondure into position beside the last two and powered it with golden aura. Without taking her eyes from the moonstone, she asked, “Will I have the control necessary to safely hold the Emtori Ruby keystone?”
After a few moments, the rondure sent up a cloud of vapor that morphed into an image of Lyra holding the large ruby. She and the ruby were enveloped by a golden-red haze, the two auras combined. The conjoined aura extended farther than what she learned while reading about the first Scribe’s experiences. The image retreated back into the rondure. That didn’t tell her much. If it answered her question, it was hidden in some sort of riddle. Lyra sighed. “All I know now is that I’m able to hold the ruby. For one second or days, we don’t know. And, was it me or the keystone in control of that enormous aura?” She shrugged.
“The readings from the Spheres of Sidus are always true, but often cryptic,” Mimio replied.
Tired and impatient, Lyra didn’t want the frustration of solving a trail of clues. There was one other way she might learn her answer. “I’m going to the kitchen and find a snack. I didn’t take time to eat much at lunch. I’ll meet you back at the library.”
“That sounds splendid, Lyra. Would you please bring me a pot of tea? I’d be very grateful.”
Lyra nodded. “No problem. See you soon.” On her way out the door, the empty pans of the Elementum Arcesso in the display case caught her attention. Empty pans that were her duty to fill. She scurried down the stone paved halls to the kitchen, hoping her guess would be correct and not a misuse of time better spent unlocking the clues in the ancient texts.
Chapter Eleven: Hide and Seek
Savory aromas of earthy vegetables simmering in large stock pots greeted Lyra when she entered the lair’s kitchen. The few times she’d visited there, the commotion prevented her from passing through. Now the two head cooks, one human and one dragon, with a staff of five others seemed dwarfed by the tremendous food preparation area.
Nillea looked up from her vegetable chopping and flashed a smile at Lyra.
Lyra returned her smile and caught the attention of the cooks.
“How may we help our Scribe?” the human chef asked, standing straight and wiping her hands on her long white apron. Her round cheeks plumped into rosy apples as she spoke.
“I’m looking for a snack, since I worked through lunch. Something simple. I don’t want to be a bother. And Sorceress Mimio requests a pot of tea. I’ll be glad to take that back to her.”
“You are no bother at all. We have some egg sandwiches left, if those are to your liking?”
“That sounds great. Thank you.”
The dragon chef nodded to his partner, then walked into what looked like a walk-in closet. Air currents billowed out across the floor, then rose as wisps of vapor condensing in the warmer air of the main room. He was small for a blue, the size of a drake, only three times the height of the human cook. His long tail remained outside the ice room, twitching in the fast moving air.
Lyra noticed Kenzo fly past the doorway leading to the butler’s pantry, which stored the servingware. She smiled hearing Kessa’s laughter following his flight maneuvers.
The dragon chef’s tail suddenly disappeared as he turned around and hurried out with a plate of sandwiches. He laid it on a planked oak table with enough seating to serve at least a dozen humans. “There you are. If you’d like, I’d be pleased to warm up your meal with a cup of hot tomato soup.”
“Thank you. Yes, I’d like that.” Lyra took her seat and enjoyed a big mouthful of the sandwich. Her excuse to visit the kitch
en wasn’t really a lie; she was hungry. When he returned with the soup and a tall glass of milk, she thanked him again and quickly ate her late lunch. With half a sandwich in hand, she walked into the dish pantry. Glass cases and open shelves, filled with hundreds of bowls and plates of all sizes, covered every wall up to the ceiling of the long, narrow room. Only a dragon could reach the tallest storage. High wooden prep tables dotted the central aisle. Lyra reminded herself that Kessa was a child who’d had a hard past. To gain her trust and help, she’d need to first become her friend.
Kenzo sailed the length of the room. He tilted his wings slightly to release sparks of silver that jetted his tight turns around the islands in a game of hide and seek with Kessa. Noticing Lyra, he perched on the top of a chair back in front of her. “Hello, Lady Lyra. Getting a mid-afternoon snack?”
“Yes.” She raised the last bite of her sandwich before popping it into her mouth. “Egg salad. Yummy. The best I’ve ever had.”
Kessa stepped stiff-legged with her braces to join them. “Maema made that! And I helped,” she said proudly, her face lit with a grin.
“Hello Kessa.” Lyra bent and gave the child a hug. “It was very good. Just what I needed. Thank you.”
“I like to help Maema. People are nice here.” She looked at Kenzo. “I have friends to play with.”
“You’re a wonderful girl. We like having you here. Don’t you have friends in the village that play with you?”
Kessa hung her head. “No.”
Lyra sat on the floor in front of the child. Looking between the dark blond strands at the child’s dropped face, Lyra asked, “Is it because you can’t run like the other children?”
The girl didn’t respond. After a moment, a tear fell onto Lyra’s folded knee.
“What is it, Kessa?” she asked, taking the child’s hands into own.
“They don’t like me because I see things.”
Enchanted Bookstore Legends (5-book complete epic fantasy romance box set) Page 94