“What happened to him?” Brer’s voice behind her made her jump, and she backed out.
“I’m not sure, but the people I’m looking for aren’t here.”
Had Vehel’s magic done that? They’d clearly escaped, so were they somewhere else in the castle? Would they continue with the mission the Seer had given her, and gone to find the dragon’s egg? She didn’t know if they would bother—after all, what use was a dragon egg without the Dragonsayer or the dragon? But perhaps they simply hadn’t given up on her yet.
“Take me to the vault,” she told Brer.
He’d peered over her shoulder when she’d been looking into the dungeon, but now he backed away, an expression of horror on his face. “I don’t like this, Dela. I think you should leave.”
“None of this would be happening if you’d only kept your mouth shut,” she snapped. “Now take me to the vault.”
“What do you want with the vault? Are you going to steal something?”
“Don’t worry. I’m not interested in gold or diamonds.”
Still in shock from the sight of the dead man, Brer didn’t argue with her any further. He backed away then turned the way they’d come. They entered the maze of corridors again, each ceiling lower than the last. Brer seemed to know where he was heading, winding down one to reach a T junction and taking a left.
He suddenly stopped and put out his hand to halt her as well.
There was movement ahead.
Three figures approached. It didn’t matter that they were in an unfamiliar place and the light was poor, Dela would have recognized them anywhere.
Her heart swelled with happiness. “It’s them!”
She broke away from Brer and ran toward them. The group stopped, brandishing a couple of swords they must have taken from the guards, clearly not seeing who she was in the dim light.
“War!” she cried. “Vehel, Orergon. It’s me.”
Warsgra was the first to lower his weapon. “Dela?”
She slammed into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He scooped her up in a bear hug and held her tight. She kissed the side of his broad, strong neck, inhaling the familiar scent of him. Safe, he always made her feel safe, and she couldn’t put into words how good it felt to be back in his arms.
She still needed to greet the others, so she unwound herself from his embrace. Only when he set her back on the floor did she notice that her fingertips came away bloodied. “By the Gods! You’re hurt!”
He shrugged. “Only a flesh wound.” He reached out his hand and touched her cheek. “We thought we might never see you again.”
She cupped his hand with her own, and pressed a kiss to his palm, then she turned to the others.
“Orergon” she said, and he caught her up as well. The Moerian’s arms folded around her waist, pressing her against his body, and his face fit into the space between her shoulder and neck. She laced her fingers in his hair, holding him tight. “You okay, Orergon?” she whispered, instinctively knowing something was wrong.
“Better now that you’re here,” he replied, his voice muffled against her skin.
She squeezed him one last time and turned to Vehel. She slipped her arms around the Elvish prince’s neck. His hands found her back, palms flat against her spine, and she squeezed her eyes shut as she held him, suddenly emotional. It felt so good to be back with them all again. She couldn’t imagine life without them now.
Vehel released her but only enough to hold her away from him, inspecting her in much the same way her father had done when she’d returned home.
“It was the dragon, wasn’t it?” he asked.
Dela smiled. “Yes. He saved me.”
“I’d prayed to the Gods that would be the case.”
“And your magic worked, too,” she said. “You’re all here.”
“Yes, though it took getting arrested to get inside the castle.” He frowned. “How did you get in?”
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later.”
They seemed to notice Brer still lurking in the shadows. “Who’s this?” Warsgra asked.
“An old friend of my brother. He was helping me find you, and now he’s going to take us to the vault.” She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Aren’t you, Brer?”
The young man’s eyes darted nervously between the three new arrivals and the swords they were carrying. “Sure.”
“Which way should we go?” Orergon asked.
“Down to the end here, and then turn right,” Brer said. “The corridors down here are like a rabbit warren, but we want to reach the most westerly point. That’s where the vault is located.”
“Good.” Dela nodded. “Let’s keep moving, then.”
She thought Brer would have led the way, but instead he hung back as the others kept going. He clearly wanted to speak with her.
“You’re siding with the other races?” he hissed out of the side of his mouth.
“It doesn’t need to be them and us, Brer. We’re the ones who are being used in all of this.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t you see how we live? Our family members plucked out of our homes every six months and sent off to die. And for what? Because the king and queen want to line the coffers with more gold and diamonds.”
He frowned and shook his head, “No, that’s not true. They send food to the other races. They’re helping.”
“The other races wouldn’t need that food if they were allowed to live wherever they wanted, and we wouldn’t be forced to starve in the weeks running up to the Passover either. We might see the other races as the ones who are being repressed, but the truth is that our lives are even worse than theirs—at least they have wide open spaces and aren’t picked off every six months, or live in fear for their lives if they dare try to leave the city. And the worst part is that we sit and do nothing while the very people who are doing this to us live in luxury right beside us!”
He stared around. “That can’t be true.”
“It is, Brer. Why do you think they’ve sent an army out now? They don’t want the Elvish doing magic because they know how powerful it is. They want to crush the other races, and they’re using normal folk like us to do their dirty work for them.”
The others had got wind of their conversation and had slowed to overhear it.
Vehel nodded in agreement. “It’s true. Our magic is powerful, but unlike your king and queen, we don’t want war. We only want to live in peace, but we’ve been barred for years from doing what comes most naturally for us. It’s either that or we starve.”
She put her hand on Brer’s arm. “So, please, Brer. Don’t say anything.”
Warsgra glowered at him. “You know we could physically make you quiet if we wanted.”
She shook her head at the Norc. “There’s no need for that.” She looked to the young man. “Is there, Brer?”
“No.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “Then show us to the vault.”
His expression faltered. “I thought you weren’t here for the gold and diamonds.”
“We’re not.”
“What else is in there?” he asked.
“You’ll find out if you help us.”
He shook his head. “You’ll never get it open. It’s locked down tight. Only the castle treasurer and the king and queen have keys.”
She looked to Vehel as she addressed Brer. “You forget who we have with us.”
Brer paled. “Oh, yeah. Magic.”
“That’s right,” Vehel said.
The young man nodded. “We need to move then.”
The strange group got going again, moving at a steady jog through the underground passages of Castle Tearos.
Warsgra slowed and lifted a finger in warning. “Wait, someone’s coming.”
Muffled voices filtered down the narrow passageway. The group drew to a halt, and Dela moved side on, pressing her back against the cold, stone walls. The voices were clearly heading in their directi
on. Warsgra and Orergon both had the swords, and they stepped forward, ready to defend the others.
Two City Guards walked around the corner. Deep in conversation, they didn’t notice the group of strangers at first. It wasn’t until they were almost upon them that one let out a yell of surprise and immediately drew his longsword. They were in a tight space, meaning there was no room for any of the others to fight as well. It was Warsgra and Orergon against the two guards, and Dela hoped that whatever had happened back in the dungeon wasn’t going to happen again.
Warsgra didn’t hesitate in attacking. He stormed forward, his massive bulk taking up most of the space. Despite his size, he was also fast and accomplished, and the guard barely managed to lift his sword in time to block Warsgra’s attack. Orergon took on the second guard, and the passage was filled with grunts and the clang of metal on metal. Dela flinched each time it looked as though Orergon or Warsgra appeared to be losing, and she lifted her hand to hide her eyes but couldn’t quite bring herself not to look.
They parried, moving around each other with a strange grace that reminded Dela of a dance. Warsgra was the aggressor, fighting with his massive strength, but the guard was smaller and faster and managed to block each of his strikes. The movement had opened up Warsgra’s previous wound, and blood ran down his naked, heavily muscled back.
Orergon and the second guard appeared more evenly matched, but Orergon was still the stronger fighter. They rounded each other as they parried, blade skating down blade, until finally Orergon got a cut in the guard’s side which brought him to the ground. He lifted his foot to kick the guard the rest of the way down. Warsgra delivered a final strike to the first guard, the blade cutting across his throat, before swinging back around and stabbing the sword down into the second guard’s chest.
With a grunt, Warsgra yanked the sword from the guard’s body and gave a nod to Orergon. Orergon nodded in return, and Dela watched the exchange with curiosity. It was almost as though Warsgra had known Orergon wouldn’t have wanted to be the one to kill the man.
“Come on.” Warsgra was breathing hard. “Let’s keep going before more of their friends arrive.”
They left the bodies behind. Brer led the way, and the others followed. Finally, they reached the end of a long passageway. A huge iron door blocked the way, as wide as it was high.
“That’s it,” Brer said.
Positioned in the middle of the door was a dial.
“Can you get it open, Vehel?” Dela asked him.
He nodded. “Let me concentrate.”
They fell silent. Brer shot Dela a baffled glance, but she frowned at him to tell him to stay quiet.
King and Queen Crowmere would have been informed of the capture of Warsgra, Orergon, and Vehel by now, and would most likely be on their way down to the dungeon to question their new captives. The moment they saw the empty cells and the dead guards, the castle would be put on high alert, and everyone would be looking for them. Time was running out. They still needed to get their hands on the dragon egg, and then somehow figure a way to get out of the castle.
Vehel’s eyes were shut as he lifted his hand in the direction of the vault’s door. The air crackled with the energy he created. The skin on Dela’s arms rose in goose bumps, and the fine hairs on her head prickled as though tiny, invisible fingers palpitated her scalp. A familiar blue light appeared in an orb around the dial, and slowly it began to move. A loud clicking sounded from somewhere deep within the mechanism. Dela glanced at Vehel’s face. Fine lines appeared between his white eyebrows as he concentrated, his magic working to align the mechanics to the right positions to open the door.
Come on, come on, she willed. She glanced back over her shoulder, making sure they didn’t have company. Their luck was going to run out soon, however; she could feel it in her bones.
The huge metal door gave a final click and swung open a couple of inches. Vehel’s blue light faded.
She took a breath, her heart pounding. This was it. She hoped they’d be able to find the egg quickly.
Dela stepped inside the vault, and her heart sank. The place was huge. Candles were positioned along the walls, and Vehel said a few words under his breath and waved his hand. The wicks burst into flame. Chests, and sacks, and pots were stacked against the walls as far as the eye could see.
Orergon stared around in dismay. “We’re never going to find a single egg in all of this.”
“Start looking.” She turned to Brer. “Stay at the entrance. Keep an eye out and let us know if anyone is coming.”
The four of them separated, each taking a different part of the vault. Dela pulled open sacks and lifted the lids of chests, running her fingers through the contents of sparkling diamonds in the candlelight, or lifting the small ingots of gold in case the egg was hidden somewhere behind. At no point did she consider taking some of the wealth for herself. The gold and jewels meant nothing. The egg was the most precious thing in here.
“Anything?” she called out to the others, but they all looked up from what they were doing and shook their heads in unison.
They got back to searching, but time was running out.
“Vehel,” she said in desperation. “Can you use your magic?”
“I don’t know how to use it to find something like that.” His teeth dug into his lower lip. “But you could.”
She frowned in confusion. “Now isn’t the time for riddles, Vehel. Tell me what you mean.”
“You have the Dragonstone, don’t you? Use that to see if it can locate the egg.”
She felt like smacking herself on the forehead. Of course. Why hadn’t she thought of that?
With her heart in her throat, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the smooth, black and red stone. Immediately, it grew hotter in her palm. A part of her was nervous the dragon would be angry with her for using it again, but she reminded herself that she was doing this for them both. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine the egg, though she had no idea what it looked like. Her hand suddenly jerked forward, as though someone—or something—had hold of her and was pulling her along.
Her eyes snapped open. It was the stone. It was like a magnet being pulled toward metal, and she had no choice but to go with it. Her fist was curled around the Dragonstone, and she didn’t dare let it go, for fear of it flying out of her grasp and vanishing somewhere among all the wealth. It pulled her in the direction of the rear of the vault. They’d already looked there, but it wasn’t as though she could argue with a stone.
She wound her way around sacks and chests until the feeling of the stone pulling died away and the heat against her skin faded. Shoving the stone back in her pocket, she got to work, dragging away all the bags of coins and gold and diamonds that were stacked up.
Finally, behind them all, she revealed another chest—only this one was upright, so it opened at the front. Her breath caught. This was it. She could feel it in her bones. With a trembling hand, she reached out and opened the front of the chest. In the center, nestled within red silk cushions, was the dragon egg.
It was beautiful.
Like the dragon, the surface was an emerald green, but with swirls of blues and purples running through it in the candlelight.
Vehel’s voice came from behind her shoulder. “You found it.”
She nodded, her tongue tied.
Knowing they wouldn’t be able to move swiftly while carrying the chest, she reached in with both hands and scooped up the egg. It was large—easily ten times as large as a hen’s egg, and she nestled it protectively against her chest. At her touch, the shell grew warm, and she was certain she could feel it pulse with the rhythm of her heartbeat.
She looked up to the others, blinking back tears of joy and amazement. “I think it’s alive.”
Warsgra looked toward the exit. “Let’s get out of here.”
They turned to leave, but Brer’s yell stopped them.
“They’re in here!”
Chapter Twenty-eight
Vehe
l
FROM THE PASSAGEWAY outside, the sound of multiple heavy feet pounded toward them. Vehel glanced at the others in concern. There was no other way out of the vault, and the route they’d taken to bring them here only went in one direction. They were trapped.
Warsgra and Orergon stepped forward, ready with the swords they’d taken from the guards in the dungeon.
“Brer, you son of a bitch,” Dela spat as she glared, narrow-eyed, at the young man who’d supposed to have been keeping a look out. “You traitor!”
“You’re the traitor, Dela,” he replied, obviously feeling braver now that he had the City Guard to back him up.
Orergon looked to Vehel. “Vehel, can you use your magic to get us out of here?”
He glanced back toward the dragon egg. “I don’t dare. We normally lose whatever we’re holding when I do that. What if I try it and it smashes the egg?”
Dela nodded, frantic. “He’s right. We can’t risk it.”
“We’re going to have to do something,” Warsgra said, brandishing the sword, “because it sounds like half the castle is on its way.”
Vehel turned to Dela. He’d thought of something and quickly lifted his hand to her. They didn’t have much time. He fixed his gaze on the egg, and the blue light that signaled his magic flooded over the egg and spread around her hands, before coiling around her wrists and up her arms.
Dela stared down at the light, her lips parted. “What are you doing?”
“A binding spell. It’ll connect you, physically, to the egg. No one will be able to take it away from you, and if I can manage to move us, it will protect it. I hope.”
She looked up at him with wide eyes. “‘I hope’ isn’t good enough, Vehel. I won’t risk the dragon egg being broken.”
City Guards rushed into the vault, each armed with swords. Warsgra and Orergon stepped forward, steel clashing in the candlelight, roars and grunts of anger and exertion filling the confined space. Brer had made a run for it, probably not wanting to get caught up in the fight, and most likely aware Dela would kill him herself if she got her hands on him.
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