The Obsidian Palace (Through the Fire Book 3)

by Benjamin Medrano

  The room went quiet as the others stared at Ruethwyn. She was about to retract the suggestion, but Alaran cleared his throat and spoke. “No, they haven’t. Mellesyn appears entirely abandoned, and not even the patrols seem to want to go there. Enough people died that I suspect they consider it dangerous. We should be able to visit if that’s what you desire.”

  “Oh. Well… I would, then,” Ruethwyn said, drawing in a deep breath, then letting it out. “My apologies for interrupting. What about after we’re inside the Dominion’s borders?”

  “It’s not a problem, Ruethwyn. It’s about eighty miles from there to Dragonreach, the town below the palace itself,” Alaran continued, his voice slightly more somber. “By foot, we should anticipate that will take about three and a half days. We’re going to want to avoid drawing attention, but there are enough travelers in the Dominion that we shouldn’t have too many difficulties. There are spies in Dragonreach, and they’ll have additional information for us once we’re there. They’ve told me that they estimate there are approximately thirty captive women in the palace, which is about what I expected, and they believe they’ve located a hidden escape tunnel. That would’ve been nice to find last time.”

  “Thirty sounds like a lot of people,” Sella said, looking worried. “Trying to get that many people out of the Dominion sounds… well, hard.”

  “It would be, if we were trying to get them out normally. However, after the previous attempt, I didn’t have time to retrieve a charm we’d hidden,” Alaran agreed. “It’s intended to allow a mass-teleportation if we get them to a small, relatively unknown node south of Dragonreach. The node connects to one near the southern border of the Dominion, near Ovara, and they’re certain to shelter us and allow us to cross the pass back to Selwyn. Getting in and out of the palace are going to be the difficult parts. Ruethwyn, you said that you had tools to help with that, didn’t you?”

  “I did,” Ruethwyn confirmed, and she turned to pick up her satchel and opened it.

  One by one, she pulled out the enchanted items she’d made over the previous year. First came six thin silver disks, then three small silver wands tipped in crystal, each no more than three inches long. After that, she pulled out four copper circles that were three inches across, though they were somewhat jagged, with runes running around their edges. She hesitated before pulling out a gold ring, two silver cubes an inch on a side, then two steel cubes, and finally, the circular hoop with the web of copper wire she’d used to track down Tadrick and Sella in the caves beneath the Frostglades. Each of the cubes were covered in runes, and Ruethwyn heard Tadrick whistle under his breath.

  “I knew you were working on enchanted items, Rue, but I didn’t have any idea you’d made this many. Are they all single-use?” Tadrick asked, leaning forward to look at the array of items more closely. Ruethwyn was a bit gratified to see that even Alaran looked surprised.

  “No, not all of them. These two can be used as much as necessary,” Ruethwyn said, setting the gold ring and tracking ring to the side carefully. “The rest are single-use, though some have longer durations.”

  “I recognize these,” Alaran said, reaching out to tap one of the copper circles. “The military uses them from time to time. They’re ward breachers, used to dispel magic, correct? I’ve never seen ones of this power quite this small before… they’re expensive to make small. I’ve also generally seen ones that were intended to be used three or four times.”

  “That’s right. I had to balance the cost with the size and weight, but these are designed to unleash all their power in a single surge. One should be able to break any ward which isn’t cast and maintained by an archmage,” Ruethwyn confirmed, nodding and smiling thinly. “They aren’t the most expensive of the items I made, but they’re close, since I wanted to be able to get through Essryl’s wards.”

  “A good plan,” Alaran agreed, sitting back.

  “What are the cubes?” Korima asked, and Ruethwyn sighed.

  “I’ll get to those, give me a minute to explain?” Ruethwyn asked, pausing to make sure the others settled down, then touched one of the silver disks. “Alright, so we know what the ward breachers are, so these are my invisibility charms. They can turn you invisible for up to ten minutes, but using significant amounts of magic or excessively interacting with objects while using them will break the enchantment. They’re single-use, and you have to keep the disk on you while it’s active. Lose the disk, the spell ends. The wands are enchanted to cause up to four people who’re nearby one another, about ten feet, to fall unconscious. It’s not sleep but unconsciousness, because I don’t exactly want them to get up when something goes wrong. Unfortunately, the effect is somewhat visible when they’re activated, so I have to be cautious with them.

  “Most of you recognize my tracking ring, you put an item associated with the object or person you want to track in the middle of the web and trickle mana into it, and the wires light up to point in the direction of the subject you’re seeking. The ring is one of my last projects; when active, it muffles outgoing sound around the wearer and hides their scent. It makes talking difficult, though, and it consumes a little more mana than I’d like,” Ruethwyn explained, then hesitated before touching a steel cube cautiously. “This is a bit more dangerous; it’s enchanted to transmute stone to mud, or earth to sand, in about a five-foot area around it. Not necessarily the safest, but I think it’ll be useful to have. And last… I don’t know what to call them, exactly. These are a combination of air and energy spheres, they freeze the air around them in a bubble about the same size as the other cubes, making it effectively invulnerable, since it amounts to freezing time in the bubble, and it dimensionally anchors the area as well, all for about two to five minutes.”

  “What’s that used for?” Sella asked, frowning.

  “I was originally thinking of it as a shield that would block even Resvarygrath’s breath, but it could also keep Essryl from using her shadow-walking to get next to me,” Ruethwyn said, then smiled. “It’d also give me time to prepare, rather than letting them hurt me.”

  “Fascinating. I’ve seen items like the rest of these before, though you’ve obviously put far more work into yours than most of the ones I’ve encountered,” Alaran murmured, leaning forward to study the silver cubes carefully. “That one, though… I’ve heard of similar effects for the individual parts, but not in a single item. I’m not sure how useful it’ll be, but it’s certainly interesting.”

  “I’m not sure, either. I mostly made them because anything which I think could stop his breath is worth having on hand. So, what do you think? Will they be useful?” Ruethwyn asked nervously, a bit worried that he might think her preparations weren’t enough.

  “For the most part, I think they’ll be extremely useful. The only ones I’m somewhat skeptical about are the cubes, but I suspect that’s why you only made two of each,” Alaran said, then smiled as he added, “However, you didn’t get two things I think would be quite useful.”

  “What might those be?” Korima asked, her eyes bright with excitement.

  “The Obsidian Palace is atop a ridge and surrounded by many sheer cliffs. As such, spells or items that allow you to climb the walls would be very useful, and even more useful are items to slow your fall. After being thrown off, I learned that lesson,” Alaran said, grimacing unhappily. “It would also be a good way of quickly making an escape, but I’d rather we didn’t have to. The secret passage would be far preferable.”

  “Oh, I… I can understand that. I have a levitation spell, and one to slow falls,” Ruethwyn said, blinking and looking at the others.

  “I’ve got a spell to stick to rock, so a cliff isn’t hard to deal with,” Korima said promptly, then frowned. “Nothing for a fall, though. I might be able to turn the ground at the bottom to mud, but that probably wouldn’t help.”

  “I don’t have anything for that,” Tadrick said, shaking his head regretfully.

  “Me neither,” Sella agreed, sighing. “Sorry,
Sir Whisperblade.”

  “Alaran,” he said firmly, but smiled as he continued. “Fortunately, I thought that might be the case. I asked a friend of mine to brew some potions that contained the magic necessary, and I was somewhat excessive. I’ve got a half dozen potions for climbing, and twenty for slowing the fall of the drinker.”

  “Oh! That’s… I didn’t expect you to purchase that many potions,” Ruethwyn said, blinking in surprise. “That must have cost quite a bit, too!”

  “Not as much as you might think. The falling spell is relatively simple, and I got a discount for buying them in bulk. It helps that I’ve saved a lot over the years,” Alaran said, smiling broadly. “Still, that means that aside from food and the like, I think we’re mostly set for the attempt. I’m not sure how good of a chance we have, not from here, but I think we have at least decent odds. Unless they’ve reinforced the wards on the wing I tried to breach massively, we’re likely going to get in just fine.”

  Ruethwyn smiled in relief, relaxing into her chair and letting her appearance return to normal. Her estimates hadn’t been as optimistic as Alaran’s were, so his confidence was a bit of a relief. It was also a huge weight off her shoulders to have someone who had so much more experience coming along with her. As much as she liked Korima, Sella, and Tadrick, much like her, they lacked experience with what they were going to attempt.

  “He does seem competent, doesn’t he? I think I like him. Handsome, skilled…” Eretha murmured, and sighed. “Ah, to be a kitsune again…”

  “I’m fairly sure he’s involved with the queen,” Ruethwyn said, trying to keep a straight face.

  “Drat.” Eretha sounded disappointed.

  “Great! So, when do we plan to leave? I can get food easily enough today… Yalline showed us a good place for supplies like that,” Korima said, almost bouncing in her chair.

  “That depends. How soon do you want to leave, Ruethwyn? I can be ready about any time, though arranging transport to the border might take a day or two,” Alaran explained, sitting back. “Probably not two, but the sooner we start, the easier it’ll be to arrange.”

  “What do you think, tomorrow if we can?” Ruethwyn asked, looking at the others as she released Eretha gently. As the patterns on her skin faded, she began packing her enchanted items again. As Korima began reaching for one of the silver disks, Ruethwyn swatted her hand gently. “No, Korima.”

  “Aww…” Korima pouted, but she didn’t seem too put out. “That sounds good to me. Is the clothing much different than here in Selwyn, Alaran?”

  “No, it’s mostly the same. Formal clothing is somewhat different, but that shouldn’t be a concern,” he replied promptly, smiling at the kitsune. “An excellent question, though.”

  “I’d say let’s go tomorrow, then,” Tadrick agreed, sitting back. “I’d rather start earlier than later. It seems safer.”

  Sella nodded in agreement, smiling as she glanced at Ruethwyn. “If all else fails, Rue does have the cloth sphere, so we can get new clothing if we have to. That means food and similar supplies are the important thing. I’ve got most of what I need from the trip into the Frostglades, I think.”

  “I’ll see what I can arrange, then,” Alaran said, standing up. “I’d bring food for at least a week, preferably a bit more to be safe. Water shouldn’t be an issue, as we’ll be near plenty of rivers along the way.”

  “That would be wonderful,” Ruethwyn said, standing up calmly. “How should we arrange meeting one another? Should we come by this evening to figure things out?”

  “No, that’s not necessary. I’ll be going into the city to arrange matters, so if you’ll let me know where you’re staying, I’ll come by to let you know,” Alaran replied calmly, nodding to the others as they stood.

  “We decided to try the Aspen Crown this time. I’m sure you know where it is,” Tadrick explained, taking his chair back to where it’d been.

  “Of course, I’ve been there several times. I’ll come by around sundown, if that’s acceptable,” Alaran offered politely.

  “I believe that’ll give us more than enough time,” Ruethwyn agreed. “Thank you very much.”

  “It isn’t a problem, Ruethwyn. You and I have the same goal, to retrieve those who Resvarygrath has stolen,” Alaran said, and his gaze sharpened as his smile faded. “He’s stolen enough as it is.”

  “On that, we’re entirely in agreement,” Ruethwyn said, her own smile fading. “We’ll see you tonight, then.”

  Bidding Alaran farewell, they departed. After a minute, Sella let out a breath and said, “That… was a surprise. I can’t believe that he renounced his title!”

  “It’s probably going to send some shockwaves through the nobility,” Tadrick agreed, sounding a little worried. “I’m not sure it’s for the best, though. He’s been a stabilizing influence on Her Majesty, and if he’s gone…”

  “I’m sure he’s taken that into account,” Ruethwyn replied, and smiled. “Would she have let him go, otherwise?”

  “Exactly!” Korima said, grinning at the others. “Besides, do you really think she’d want him to be unhappy? I don’t think so.”

  “True, true…” Tadrick said, sighing heavily. “I’m just concerned.”

  “Come on, let’s get the shopping we need done. I want to be ready if we can go tomorrow,” Ruethwyn said, and quickened her pace as she headed toward the city center.

  Korima just giggled and hurried after her.

  Chapter 31

  Ruethwyn hadn’t expected to wake early again. Waking in the middle of the night wasn’t something that had happened often to her growing up, and it was becoming a depressingly common occurrence of late. A small part of her was beginning to suspect that she didn’t need to sleep as much after being reborn, but she wasn’t going to summon Zaria just to ask. So instead, she laid in the bed of the inn and stared at the ceiling for a minute, listening to the soft sound of wind through the trees outside. There were a few other sounds as well, including the distant barks of a few dogs and the chirps of insects, but nothing that was very interesting.

  Eventually, she sighed and gave up on sleeping more, instead slipping out of the bed. A tiny part of her was tempted to go outside and share the night with Umbra again, but she pushed the impulse back since she didn’t want to expend the mana it’d require before having a clue how busy the day might be.

  Instead, Ruethwyn got dressed and slipped out of her room, trying to be quiet. Her room was on the second floor of the inn and gave a good view of the common room, which was mostly dark at this point, only faint light from the dying embers in the fireplace providing illumination. Ruethwyn paused, though, as even with the dim light she could see the silhouette of a woman in a chair near the fireplace, and she recognized the foxlike ears, since there wasn’t a kitsune other than Korima in the inn.

  Ruethwyn took the stairs downward into the main room, considering what she wanted to say. Mostly she was wondering what Korima was doing awake, but as she opened her mouth, Korima spoke first.

  “Hello, Rue. I didn’t expect you to get up at this hour.” Korima’s voice was soft and calm, almost unusually so, and that caused Ruethwyn’s tension to heighten slightly.

  “I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night a lot,” Ruethwyn replied, shrugging as she circled around one of the tables to sit in the chair next to Korima. She could just see Korima’s eyes glittering green from the glowing coals as the other woman watched her. Ruethwyn continued calmly. “I wasn’t expecting to find you awake, either.”

  “I couldn’t sleep well to begin with,” Korima replied calmly, watching Ruethwyn steadily. “I’ve been worrying a little.”

  “About the trip? You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. I know it’s dangerous and wouldn’t blame you in the slightest,” Ruethwyn said, watching Korima in worry. She didn’t see Korima acting like this often, and that made her attitude worrying.

  “The trip? No, that isn’t it at all!” Korima said, giggling softly, obvious
ly having to put effort into keeping her voice down. “I’m worried that we’ll get hurt or die, don’t get me wrong, but that isn’t the main worry I have. I’m worried about you, Rue.”

  “Me?” Ruethwyn asked, taken aback. She paused for a moment, then asked, “Why would you be worried about me?”

  “With everything that you’ve done, all the effort you’ve put into this… even if you don’t get hurt in the rescue, I worry about what happens afterward. You’ve sacrificed a lot to have a chance of rescuing Anara,” Korima waved a hand as she continued. “Oh, I know that you’ve said you’re doing it to rescue all the others, but it’s obvious that she’s the main reason you’ve kept going for this long. Don’t you dare try to deny it.”

  Ruethwyn’s protest died in her throat, and she sighed as she settled back to look at Korima, and her voice was soft as she spoke. “And? What are you meaning, Korima?”

  “How is she going to react? How much of a chance is there of you two getting along, even slightly?” Korima asked, looking at Ruethwyn in concern. “She likely doesn’t have a clue about how much you’ve changed, Rue. You don’t know if she’s changed, either. I’m afraid that if you rescue her and your hopes are too high, she’s going to hurt you. After everything you’ve done… well, it worries me. I’ve seen bad depression before, and I don’t want to see you go through that.”

  “I told you, I just want to clear the air between us, Korima. I’m…” Ruethwyn began, then paused for a long moment. Finally, she sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know how I feel about Anara anymore. She’s a little like a dream in some ways. A glittering memory that reminds me of better times. It’s been a year, and I sometimes wonder if the clarity of her face in my memory is something I’ve made up. In the end, though… it doesn’t matter that much.”

  “Why do you say that?” Korima asked, her tone a touch outraged. “Of course it matters! I don’t want you to get hurt.”