by David Ekrut
“Did you not hear me?” she said, voice shaking. “If you go after him, we all die. You, me, Elwin. Our people. All of us will be killed. I am not ordering you to do anything. I know better now. But Feffer, please, just this once believe in me. Please!”
He wanted to argue, but he couldn’t look away from her eyes. He’d never seen her so impassioned. Deep concern and sincerity filled her gaze. Beyond that, he could see something he’d never seen before from Zarah. Terror.
Feffer stopped fighting her. She must have seen it in his expression, because her shoulders relaxed. She continued staring at him. He couldn’t look away from her.
“I do believe you,” he said at last.
“Thank you,” it came out a whisper.
He stepped back from her. Every part of him screamed to turn and run after Elwin. How was he even here? Instead, he gestured toward the small platform. “Have you figured out how to get us up?”
“I believe so,” she said, voice still holding a slight tremor. “These are not meant to ensnare us. They are a map of sorts. I think. Much like artifacts crafted by the Elements, activating the appropriate sequence of glyphs will transport us to our desired location.”
“And you know the proper sequence.”
“In theory.”
“We are going to need more than that.”
“You see these symbols?”
The glyphs she pointed out were a series of thin strokes on either side of a thick sigil. Feffer nodded to her.
“This is the same mark I saw on the rug in the entryway. If this document is correct, one family served only one dragon. Though, a dragon will have the service of many families. These other paths will take us to the other lords’ portals who are pledged to the same dragon. In theory, we should be able to activate this one to go up to the aerie.”
“What are we waiting for then?”
He stepped onto the dais. After grabbing her tome, Zarah joined him. She mumbled a prayer, then activated the glyph with a swipe of her finger.
Feffer blinked.
His body was numb for less than a second. The roof was gone. An immense cavern surrounded him, but the walls were smooth and well-polished. At the far side, a sleeping dragon, made of stone, curled around itself, filling most of the space. Beneath it was gold and treasure beyond his wildest imaginings. A handful of that could feed him for life.
He looked down. A ledge was not far behind him. The city of Abadaria stretched out below. Nothing but air separated him from the long drop to the cobblestone streets. He stumbled away from the dais and fell to hands and knees.
He felt Zarah’s hand on his shoulder. “You alright?”
“We are really high up. It’s a bit hard to breathe.”
“Water will help,” she said, offering him her flask.
He took several long drinks. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” She turned to the far wall. “Now is the hard part.”
He followed her gaze to the podiums at the far wall. An assortment of objects and swords rested atop discs of stone. Zarah approached them with extreme caution, stopping several paces from the first artifact.
“This is probably a good time to tell you,” she said. “In my Vision, this is about the time I was turned into a statue.”
Feffer took a step back. “I thought we died going after Elwin?”
“You were killed going after him. Shot through the eye, actually. I died here.”
“So, you are hoping we can both avoid dying in that manner? Or are you hoping to spend eternity with me as a statue?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Can you take anything seriously?”
“If you can’t laugh at death, what’s the point of living? Besides, if what you say is true, we’ve averted dying now, right?” He still yearned to chase after Elwin, but he resisted. For Zarah, he could resist.
“Our both being here at the same time is different from my Vision, so this gives me hope. But we need to be cautious.”
“You see. A little optimism doesn’t hurt.”
Zarah took off her pack and set it aside. With only her book, she moved closer to the first podium. The base was covered in more of those glyphs. There was a knapsack atop the platform. It appeared to be made of some sort of leather, but if that was the case, it would have decayed long before now. Unless, of course, servants came here from time to time to clean and dust.
“Who cares about some pack?” Feffer asked.
“I just want a look at the symbols. In my Vision, I began with the heartblade. You know how that turns out.”
“Good point.”
While she studied her book, Feffer came to a realization. “You said the snare will turn you to stone, right?”
She looked up from her book. “Yes.”
“This happened when you touched it, right?”
“Correct.”
“Can I see the tome?”
“I am reading it. There are descriptions about these artifacts, but it does not say anything about removing the items. I am trying to see if there are any clues on these other pages.”
“Look. I have an idea. I trusted you. Now you trust me.”
With some reluctance, she handed him the tome.
“You might want to step back.”
“What are you—”
“For the love of Life. Just step back.”
She did so, but with a deep frown. He took his own advice, moving several paces away. Closing the tome, he turned it parallel to the disc and lobbed it underhanded.
“No!” Zarah cried, as it left his fingers.
The tome crashed into the bag. As both soared from the podium, there was a brilliant flash of energy that stopped well short of them.
He felt a sharp pain on his arm. Zarah held a fist up to him. She’d hit him and was rearing back to swing again.
“Have you lost your wits?” she said. “I said we need to be cautious.”
He glowered at her, rubbing his sore arm and moving out of her reach. “I was being cautious. I didn’t want to touch that thing. And I sure as the abyss didn’t want you touching it. Look.”
The glyphs had vanished from the base of the podium. The tome and knapsack were on the cavern floor, just a few paces away.
Zarah smiled. “You brilliant idiot.”
He frowned at her. “An apology would have sufficed.”
She inspected the pack before picking it up. “It is just a bag. But why would …”
“What?”
“This is—I have never seen anything like this.”
He looked over her shoulder into the container and blinked. Inside was a room, complete with bedding and shelves, mostly empty, save for a few books and odd trinkets.
“That is impossible,” he told her.
“Yet, we both see it.”
“That’ll make traveling back home a might more comfortable.”
“Yes it will. But this is not why we came.” She set the pack to the side and picked up her tome.
Feffer followed her to the heartblades. Both of the great swords bore a striking resemblance to the weapon Zaak carried.
“All this trouble, and he had a heartblade the entire time.”
“We do not know how to use it. We need these manuscripts. And if they will kill the dragons, we need as many as we can get ahold of.”
She aimed the tome and let loose. It flapped open when striking the scabbard and flipped up. Like before, energy filled the space around the podium.
“That was a terrible throw,” Feffer said, retrieving the tome. “I’ll get the next one.”
He pushed aside the tome and grabbed the great sword by the scabbard. The ornate symbols appeared as though they’d been polished that morning. Despite its size, the weapon felt lighter than any he’d swung. When he gripped the hilt, one of the symbols f
lared to life. He dropped the weapon, but the symbol remained on his palm.
“Feffer!” Zarah cried. “No, no, no!”
He tried to step away but couldn’t move. An odd numbness made its way up his legs. He looked down. His feet and ankles had turned to bronze. He tried to wiggle his toes. They itched, but he couldn’t feel them move in his boots.
This was it. He’d come this far, lost so much; his father, brother, and only friend. But it would be over soon. This was where his journey ended. Zarah was beside him, staring down at his lower half in horror. Looking at her, he felt pangs of regret. He had so much to say and not enough time left to get it all out. He would lose her too.
“I’m sorry,” he told her with a smile. “I won’t be able to get in your way anymore.”
“No,” she said. “This is not how it is supposed to happen.”
“You’ll save them. I have faith in you, Zarah Lifesong.”
When she looked up, tears filled her eyes. She took his face in both hands and pressed her lips to his. He wanted to hold her, but his arms wouldn’t move. He breathed her in, trying to savor his last few moments with her.
“I love you,” he said, not knowing the truth of those words until he’d spoken them.
Then he couldn’t breathe. Air wouldn’t come. Her lips moved, but he couldn’t hear her. She stared at him, tears falling down her perfect cheeks.
She held onto him, but he was beyond feeling her touch.
~
Jesnia appeared in a cave, atop a dais. Looking at her feet, she realized she had no idea which of these symbols would take her back down. None of them looked like the one to bring her here. For all she knew, the wrong would send her to the sun. Not her finest escape, but she was away from those magi for now. Maybe, there were clues inside here somewhere.
Glancing over the edge, the city appeared very small now, but across from her, the aeries were clearer. Some were of a height. Each one jutted out from the stone in the side of the mountain. They looked like long thin arms, holding boulders. Structurally, this was not possible. The caves were all far too heavy to stand without support. Yet, here they all stood.
Behind her, the cavern looked empty. There was a small pile of gold. A harp hung on the wall next to a shelf with other instruments. Nothing else was here.
Jesnia stepped back on the dais and activated another symbol. It took her to another cavern with more useless artifacts. Moving back to the round platform, she saw the symbols were not the same as the previous portals.
“Curse it all! How in the abyss do I get down from here?”
She activated the most intricate of the symbols.
This aerie was larger than the others. Flashes of energy came from the cavern across from her. It was too high to see anything inside. Turning, she saw a pile of gold and jewels larger than most buildings in the corner, beneath the statue of a dragon.
Several artifacts rested atop podiums.
Jesnia stopped. Slowly, she pulled her bow from her shoulder. She watched as a girl with auburn curls shoved a pack around the head of a bronze statue. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she worked the bag around the torso. Once past the hips, the rest of the man’s legs went into the pack. Impossibly, the bag still looked empty.
Now, that was a treasure.
The young woman stood, wiping snot from her nose. She inspected a sword at her feet. Taking several deep breaths, she gripped the weapon by the sheath. She lifted the weapon and stared at it with a mixture of anger and amazement. Face filled with contempt, she threw the sword into the bag.
A stride away was a book, folded open but face down. The woman picked it up and moved to the next podium. She looked at a second sword. Shaking her head, she walked past it and studied a thick tome. Her face came very near the cover without actually touching it.
Jesnia stalked closer.
Nodding to herself, the girl backed up several steps, then she lifted the book and threw it. Both books tumbled to the ground. A red flash filled the space around the podium. The air looked thicker for several seconds, crackled, then vanished. The woman waited to a count of ten before moving hesitantly forward.
She picked up the one from the podium first, using her cloak to scoop it into the sack. Then she dropped the second one in and slung the bag onto her shoulder.
Rising, she turned away from the podium. Her eyes locked onto Jesnia and the girl froze. Jesnia had closed most of the distance.
“Hello, there,” she said, giving her a smile. “Do you have a bounty on your head, little thief?”
“I am not a thief. I am Zarah Lifesong, daughter-heir to Justice. These dragons and their magi have declared war on my people. They would see elementalists extinct. I take from them the power to save my kind. Please, step aside.”
Jesnia lowered her aim. Whatever she’d expected, that had been at the bottom of the list. The woman was either a very gifted liar or telling the truth. She knew the girl’s surname.
“Justice, eh? You are a long way from home.”
“I am,” she said, raising her chin in defiance. “And I wish to get back there as soon as possible.”
They watched each other, neither one moving. This girl was nobility. Her haughty stare and mannerisms suggested many hours beneath the eyes of a master of etiquette.
She was probably worth a pretty copper or two to someone.
Chapter 61
The Orb of Incantus
Impressing one’s will upon an object to make a trap or artifact requires the mastery of one’s incantia. And though infusing wards with incantations requires a precise hand and strong mind, defeating the most complex trap only requires a bit of luck or perseverance.
~Asianda’s Incantia, 127 A.R.
~
“Do you at least know which one it is?” Elwin asked, frustrated with the thumping puzzle. “Maybe we can find a different way to get it.”
Mardic shook his head. “If there is, I cannot see it.”
“Maybe there are clues about.”
“Would you leave the key to your vault at your bedside?”
“No,” Elwin said. “I would keep it on me.”
“If I could only tame,” Mardic said, frustrations clear in his voice as well.
“Wait,” Elwin said. “Do you think an essence would trigger the trap?”
Mardic considered the question for several seconds, then shook his head. “Incanted snares require physical contact.”
“You are certain?”
“Yes,” Mardic said, stepping up to the first pedestal.
Elwin felt the other man’s essence shift, and he took a step back. Mardic’s essence rivaled his own.
“You are powerful,” Elwin breathed.
“This one does nothing,” Mardic said, moving to the next one. “Search the others. If you feel a heightening of Elemental energies, you will know.”
Elwin went to the far podium and moved his essence to surround the orb. He focused his awareness and was surprised to feel energies stir within.
“There is something in this one.”
“This one as well,” Mardic said. “It feels like—”
“Another essence,” Elwin finished for him.
“Aye,” Mardic said, voice going cold. “They are stealing our essences and putting them here.”
“How in the abyss is that even possible?”
“I do not know,” he said. “But we need to find the orb. Now.”
“Agreed,” Elwin said, looking over the next artifact.
The moment his essence touched the orb, his body rippled with energy. He could sense the Air around every corner of the room. The power beckoned him to harness it.
He felt, more than saw, two figures appear on the portal by the cave’s entrance. Even at this great distance, there was no mistaking the newcomers as they ran toward h
im.
“Jax,” Elwin said in disbelief.
Daren gripped his huge blade in both hands and looked at Mardic with unmistakable intent. Upon seeing Jax and Daren, recognition shone in Mardic’s expression.
“Mardic,” Elwin called in warning.
The elementalist looked up from the orb in front of him. Seeing the two approach, he pivoted, hand going to his hilt.
“What happened to Jesnia?” Elwin asked. “Did you rob her, too?”
“I never should have left,” Jax said, stalking forward. “Do you know who your companion is?”
“These men are fools,” Mardic said. “We need to find the orb, so I can—”
“That,” Jax said, aiming his sword toward Mardic, “is Bain Solsec. You cannot trust him.”
“What?” Elwin asked. “Have you gone mad? This man is trying to stop the dragons.”
Elwin looked at the other elementalist anew. Studying the man’s face, he felt like a fool for not noticing the high-cheekbones and narrow face sooner. And the man’s essence was easily as large as Elwin’s.
“It is true,” Bain said, holding his hands up in a calming gesture. “I apologize for the deception, but nothing is as it appears. My quest remains the same.”
“You are Bain?” It felt dumb, asking what had already been answered, but he didn’t know what else to say.
“Yes, Elwin. I am Bain.”
Jax and Daren shifted into position to flank Bain between them and Elwin.
“You are a murderer and worse,” Elwin accused, moving closer to the orb. “You killed my friends and family.”
“I only wished to stop this before the dragons rose,” Bain said, voice filled with passion. “What would you have done in my shoes? I have only ever wanted to free the elementalists from the guardians’ rule. Now look at us. We fear our own shadows. We can end this now. Help me.”
Was it true then? Had Bain come to send the dragons back to their slumber? Bain had not feigned his anger at discovering these orbs and the essences trapped inside. His companions had died to save Elwin. Despite what he’d heard about the man, there was compassion in Bain’s gaze.
“Don’t listen to him,” Jax said. “Whatever he’s promised you, it’s all lies.”