by Rain Oxford
“I do not trust Gmork or Erica. This could be a trap.”
“But why would Erica release me if Gmork is working with her to capture me?”
“Because you are more important to Merlin than my mother,” Gmork said. “If she captured you, Merlin would do anything to save you. However, I know Merlin cannot do this without you; he does not have magic.”
“How did you gain your magic back?” Merlin asked.
“I released it. You taught me many spells when we were friends. Help me save my mother and I will teach you how to release your magic. Now, why are we not going after the heart she wants instead?”
“A dragon’s heart is a terrible weapon, and Baltezore’s is more dangerous than others. We cannot allow her to get her hands on it. We will sneak in as Gmork suggested, so that Ayden does not have to save her alone.”
“You will help me, then?”
“I want my magic back,” Merlin said.
I knew Merlin well; he wasn’t agreeing to help Gmork because of magic. Merlin still cared about his childhood friend.
* * *
We went to Merlin’s old cabin to use the potion ingredients. The cabin was a decent size for a one-room home. There was a front door, a covered porch, and a window to the left of the door. Cobwebs covered the window and leaves blanketed the porch.
Inside, the cabin was dark and warm. There was a bed in the northwest corner and a reading chair in the northeast corner. A large table, covered with esoteric instruments, took up most of the north wall. On the east wall was a bookshelf full of mostly books, but also bottles of ingredients and other weird things. Although the cabin was the same size on the inside as it was on the outside, the window was larger and devoid of cobwebs.
Gmork could barely fit in the cabin. Merlin mentally sent me the floor plan of Gmork’s castle, which I drew out on paper. Then Gmork explained where to find the secret passageways. Sigrid had been kept in the second tower of Gmork’s castle, needing constant care to remain in her… not dead state.
Assuming Erica kept her in the tower, he knew how to sneak in.
“I’m supposed to stick the what in the where?”
Gmork rolled his wolf eyes. “The candle has a metal plate in the bottom with key pins. Stick it into the underside of the second shelf from the bottom.”
“Where was the candle again?”
Gmork sighed. “Is this what he’s like when you teach him?” he asked Merlin.
“He is paying attention to you, which is better than normal.”
“Why are we assuming Erica is keeping your mother in her own tower? Wouldn’t she be in a dungeon somewhere else?”
“Erica has taken over the castle and she would not want Sigrid far from her,” Merlin said. “The further your assets are, the easier they are for your opponents to take them.”
“Kalyn would have been really useful here.”
“All of us are powerless around Erica and that amulet,” Merlin reminded me.
“I know. It’s not just her magic that is helpful, though.”
Gmork whispered, “His first crush?” to Merlin, and Merlin nodded.
I considered correcting them, but decided against it. I did like Kalyn. It didn’t even deter me that if my grandmother found out, she would kill Kalyn and me.
* * *
Sneaking in was a lot easier than I had expected. With Erica out of range, I levitated us over the wall and turned us invisible. It was a little more strenuous than usual, but Merlin believed that was due to the sleeping curse and it would wear off soon. We took a servant’s door through the side that was rarely used and it led to the kitchen. I held onto a scruff of Merlin’s neck so that we couldn’t get separated.
If Gmork got separated, it wouldn’t break my heart.
From there, we had to ascend the service steps into the study. For Merlin and me, it was no big deal. For Gmork, however, it was a tight squeeze. Merlin said something about a diet that enraged Gmork enough to claw his way through, and then I had to stand between them while Gmork gathered his composure.
The study was quaint, and something I wished I had time to examine further, but we were in a hurry. It had wall-to-wall bookshelves, a huge writing desk, and a door out into the hallway. “The candle,” Gmork said, pointing to a fat candle on the desk that had never been burned.
“If you were going for a secret key, you may want to rethink this. It’s really suspicious.” I picked it up and saw the pattern on the metal base.
“Underside of the second shelf from the bottom,” Gmork said.
I looked at all the bookshelves. “What?”
He rolled his eyes. “I told you. The bookshelf behind the desk.”
“Oh, right.” I went to the shelf, knelt, and saw a metal plate that looked nothing like a keyhole. Nevertheless, when I pressed the candle base on it and twisted a little, it locked into place. I turned it until a latch released and the bookshelf swung free like a door. I stood and pulled the door all the way open to reveal a secret entrance to the second tower.
It was designed the same as the magic room with three floors and a winding staircase. However, it was furnished as a bedroom. On the first floor was a bookshelf built into the wall, a table to eat or write at, and a comfortable chair to read in. On the second floor were potion ingredients, spell books, and magical tools. Clearly, Sigrid still enjoyed doing magic. On the top floor, there was a bed, wardrobe, and bathtub. The circular wall had a dozen large, evenly spaced windows.
On the bed, Sigrid was crying. Gmork grasped her shoulder with his massive paw gently. “You do not have to weep, Mother. We are here to save you.”
“Save me from what? From my prison or my bedroom?”
“I do not understand,” Gmork said. “Erica captured you.”
“And she decided my own room was enough of a prison. She did capture me… after I finally escaped.”
“Escaped?”
“I’ve waited so long until you were gone so that I could escape. Nimue helped me.”
Gmork growled. “You ran from me? You know if you left the castle, you would die as the sun set. Have I treated you so badly that you would rather die than live here with me?”
“You have never mistreated me, but I can’t stand this anymore.” She grasped his paw. “Please let me go.”
“What am I not giving you?”
“You can’t give me my husband. You can’t give me the freedom to swim in the lake, travel to kingdoms for festivals, or ride a horse. You and Nimue are the only people I’m even allowed to talk to.”
“Nobody else would understand,” Gmork said.
“It’s you who doesn’t understand. Can you remember what I looked like? What I sounded like? My smile?”
Gmork hesitated. “Not well.”
“The longer I live like this, the more you will forget who I was. Please let me go.”
“How can I?”
“I want to see the sunset from the lake where I met your father.”
After a moment he nodded. “So be it. We will have to sneak you out of here, because Erica would just kill you.”
“Can we make it to the lake by sunset?”
“I can run that fast. You will have to ride on my back.”
“Wait, we came here to save her, and now we’re not going to save her?” I asked.
“To free her is to save her,” Merlin said.
I helped her up and guided her downstairs. I felt like it was too easy. Then again, whether Erica won or lost, Gmork was the one who got hurt. Gmork was confident in his stealth skills. Merlin was apprehensive. Before we could make it out the side door, we heard arguing from elsewhere in the castle. We all recognized the voice immediately.
“That is why getting this far was so easy,” Merlin said. “Nimue is distracting Erica.”
“We will get Sigrid out and come back for Nimue,” I promised. Merlin ignored me until I tugged on his fur. Then I made us invisible and we snuck out the same way we had snuck in. It was just as easy, thanks to Nimue.
/> Once outside the wall, I helped Sigrid onto Gmork’s back. “I cannot leave Nimue to---”
“We’ll save her,” I interrupted. “You do what you have to for your mother.”
“Meet us at my cabin afterwards,” Merlin said.
Gmork took off running. “Does that amulet work on a dragon?” I asked once Gmork was gone.
“Are you referring to Veðrgramr, or a living dragon? Veðrgramr is merely the soul of the dragon your galaxy stone came from, so the amulet probably would make him useless if you could conjure him at all. Living dragons are creatures of magic, but even without using it, their claws and fangs are quite fearsome. The difficult part is getting the help of a dragon.”
“Veðrgramr said that I could still call to nearby dragons for help.”
“But they are not required to help. We went in guns blazing the first time and it blew up in our---”
“We did what?”
He sighed. “It is an expression. We tried attacking. If we do it again, Nimue could get killed.”
“Erica isn’t going to kill us because she wants the heart. Can we use our magic on her without her knowledge? Can we sneak up on her while she sleeps?”
“I highly doubt it. We need someone on the inside.”
Using my invisibility and levitation, we snuck back into the kitchen. There, my invisibility faded, telling me that Erica was close. We waited until a servant entered, and fortunately, it was Halo. He was carrying way to many dishes, which made it nearly impossible for him to see where he was going.
“Where is Nimue?” I asked.
He squeaked and jumped, dumping dishes all over the floor. “Why does everyone have to keep sneaking up on me? Erica found out you had freed Gmork’s mother. She decided that Nimue helped you and locked her up. Now she’s going to kill Nimue if you don’t bring her the heart.”
“Where is Nimue locked up?”
“In her room.”
Merlin and I looked at each other. “Erica isn’t very good at this.”
“There are guards at the door. Plus, no one can use magic. How much more powerful does she need to be?”
“If she gets the heart, she’ll be more powerful. We have to stop her. Can you help?”
He shook his head. “I like Nimue, really, but I don’t want to die for her. I never cared for heroism. I’m going to keep my mouth shut and my head down and pray for a gentle death in the far distant future.”
I couldn’t fault him. Merlin and I kept getting ourselves up against terrible odds. Nevertheless, we snuck to Nimue’s room. It wasn’t easy and took so long I was wondering why everyone wasn’t in bed already. When we reached the hallway, we glanced over the corner to see two guards in front of Nimue’s door.
“We can handle this. We have no magic, I can’t transform my staff into a sword, and I’m not even half their size… we can absolutely handle this. Right, Merlin?”
“I am going to be the distraction,” he said instead of answering me. “When you see your moment, run for it.”
“I don’t like this plan.”
“Neither do I.”
Then he ran out in front of them and started nipping at them. He could have actually hurt them, but he wasn’t trying to. As soon as they were turned away, I crept up behind them. The sorcerer in me wanted to knock them over the head with my crystal. The wizard in me couldn’t do it, and Merlin knew that, so he wasn’t expecting me to. Instead, I went for the doorknob, which opened easily.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t Nimue inside. Erica was sitting on Nimue’s bed, clearly waiting for us. “Did you really think it was going to be that easy?”
“I was hoping.” One of the guards shoved me in the room and Merlin charged in after me, but he was too smart to attack Erica.
She made a gesture and Merlin slid closer to her against his will, like she was pulling him by a rope. I reacted instinctively by focusing my mind on wanting Erica to be peaceful. Just as I felt the stone react, the staff was ripped from my hand and flew across the room.
Merlin yelped as her sharp fingernails dug into his skin and she laughed cruelly. “Really? You tried to use a galaxy stone on me? You really are a foolish child. Try again and see what I do.” She gripped Merlin’s ear as if she was going to tear it off. I didn’t try anything.
“If you knew we were coming back for Nimue, why did you let us in?”
“I like to see horror and despair on your faces. It’s my favorite part about what I do. I let you free Sigrid. I never wanted the old crone and knew Nimue would make a better prisoner. This way, Gmork is emotionally scarred for the rest of his life and you, Merlin, are going to be blamed.”
“How could I be blamed?”
“Because it’s you that I will make suffer. Anything that happens to everyone else will be because of you. Anyway, you won’t be saving Nimue without giving me the heart.”
“Where are you keeping her?”
She smiled. “Somewhere warm. Very warm, in fact. What is the temperature of lava?”
“If you kill her, you will never get the---”
“Oh, don’t bother. I’ll send you a couple of warnings before killing her. Would you prefer a hand or foot first?”
Merlin growled. “How long do we have?”
“I’m not going to tell you, because then you might think you have spare time. I could kill her if I think you’re wasting time. I suggest you stop playing around and testing my power. If you waste anymore of my time, I might just kill Nimue and take Ayden as my prisoner.” He growled. “Guards, show them out.” One of the guards grabbed me and the other pulled Merlin by the scruff of the neck. “I need my staff,” I said.
Erica waved her hand and it hovered behind me, just out of reach. Neither of us fought back, since it wasn’t the guards’ fault. Erica was just too powerful.
For now.
Everyone had a weakness, though, and we would find out Erica’s before it was too late. We had to.
Chapter 10
Merlin and I returned to Merlin’s cabin to rest and recover. He was quiet, which worried me. I rested as best as I could, but worry kept me awake. I wasn’t afraid Erica would suddenly attack, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to open my eyes again. Kalyn wasn’t there to help. I didn’t want to be unable to sleep alone again.
Sorcerers weren’t afraid of the dark, and I refused to let this haunt me. I had to sleep.
Unfortunately, every time I started to drift off, I felt my breathing slow and it would jolt me awake. My heart would pound as if I was in the middle of battle. Several times, it woke Merlin, but he pretended it didn’t because he knew I wasn’t ready to admit that I had a problem.
* * *
Gmork returned the next morning and I explained what had happened. He fell silent as well, but I couldn’t read his emotions. While Merlin blamed himself, I suspected Gmork blamed us. It was Erica’s fault, though, not ours.
“What’s your next plan?” Gmork asked.
Assuming he was talking to Merlin, I didn’t speak.
“Ayden?”
“What?”
“I asked you what your plan was.”
“Ask Merlin.”
“Neither of us is emotionally neutral to the situation,” Merlin said. “Our judgment is not trustworthy.”
“You’ve always said to trust my heart.”
“However, emotions will blind you. Your heart is pure and selfless. Both Gmork and I want to save Nimue for ourselves. Your heart will lead us true.”
Instead of arguing, I considered our options. “Erica is the daughter of Baltezore, who is a dragon. Galaxy stones should work on her. She separated me from my staff as if she was afraid I could use it against her.”
“If you are powerful enough to wield Baltezore’s, and if it is a galaxy stone, there is a chance.”
Not all dragon hearts were galaxy stones. A special ritual had to be done on a dragon’s heart to make it a galaxy stone. “Why would she be after it if it weren’t one?”
“Becau
se it could be made into one.”
“If we don’t get it, she’ll kill Nimue for sure. If we give it to her, I bet she’ll kill more people with it. We need to get it, but not give it to her.”
“You propose a trick?” Gmork asked.
“I don’t know yet. We can decide on the way.”
“Great. Where do we go?”
“Merlin?” I asked. His expression was regretful. “Do you think he kept the heart with him? Or hide it on his home world?”
“If I had something as important as the heart of my true love, I would never let it far from my sight.”
“Do we have to go to his cave?”
“No. I scoured that cave from top to bottom. I read every word written in it. He never mentioned the heart.”
“But you haven’t been there in years. Maybe he went back there. If Erica was right that he wanted you to find it, maybe he left you clues.”
“I am not convinced he wanted me to find it. Why would he?”
“I wouldn’t know. We should find out.”
“I can show you the portal to the cave.”
“What about the portal in Gmork’s magic room?”
“Forget that portal,” Gmork said. “You do not want to go there.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“It does not open to anything you want.”
“If it leads to Baltezore’s home world, isn’t that where the heart would be?”
“I doubt it,” Merlin said. “Baltezore was shamed when he was stripped of his superior form, so I highly doubt he would ever show his face there, if he even could.”
* * *
Merlin switched with me so that he could make some potions. I didn’t mind at all because I liked the wolf. I liked the freedom I had as a wolf. Fortunately, because Merlin knew this, he had modified the strap of my bag so that I could carry it in my wolf form.
The problem was Gmork. Although the black wolf was ten times my size, my wolf wanted to attack him. Unlike me, the wolf wasn’t hesitant of attacking an enemy. He wasn’t modest or forgiving. I felt my fur rise and growled at him.
“How are you able to regain your mortal body?” Gmork asked, ignoring me.
