by Alison Pensy
It seemed like they’d been moving for a while when Etyran came to an abrupt stop. Faedra felt Etyran stiffen and in an instant her heart raced again, causing her energy to start snaking from her core through her limbs towards her hands. Why was it such an ordeal to keep her energy reined in? She imagined the hose reel again and started reeling it back to her core. This was using immense concentration and she wasn’t sure how long she could keep this up without imploding; not a pleasant image.
A second later, she could here the metal clanking of footsteps a little way ahead and realized why the abrupt stop. One of the redcaps was headed their way. Etyran backed her up against the wall, getting them as close as possible to the cold stone without crushing her beneath him. They stood in silence as the clanking got closer. After what seemed like an eternity of holding her breath, the clanking noise got nearer and nearer, then passed them by close enough that she could smell the stench it left in its wake. She resisted the urge to gag; the urge to live overwhelming it. Etyran pushed them away from the wall and they started moving forward again. This happened twice more in what seemed like regular intervals on their journey through the cave. With each time, she felt herself getting more and more coiled like a spring. She’d been keeping count, though, and so far, if Etyran’s guess was accurate, that meant three redcaps down, one more to go. They must be getting close to the Gatekeeper now. It felt like they’d been walking for miles and her body was starting to ache. Keeping your balance on someone’s feet was not as easy as it looked. It required the use of muscles she didn’t even know she had.
Just as she’d finished her last thought, Etyran stopped again. This time though, he didn’t press them against the cave wall. He stood silent for a long moment then looked down at her.
She looked up. “Are we there?”
“Yes, it’s just up ahead.”
“Oh, thank goodness.” She let out a small sigh and her body relaxed just a little.
“There is one small problem though.”
Her blood turned cold when she saw the look in his eyes. Why could nothing be easy?
She didn’t want to ask but obviously needed to know so she jumped in feet first. “What’s the problem?”
“You know I said I thought there were only four redcaps patrolling the inside of the mountain, so by my count there should only be one left now?”
“Yes,” Faedra replied, the single syllable word laced with caution.
“Well, I was wrong.” And with that remark he shuffled them around, being as quiet as possible, until Faedra could see what he meant.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Faedra sucked in a sharp breath and her eyes grew wide. She choked back a swear word that burst through her thoughts after seeing what stood before her. Would she not get a break on her quest to find her father?
Standing guard in neat formation across the entrance to Zutherindal were ten grisly looking redcaps. They left nothing more than a few inches between them, nowhere near enough room for one invisible person to squeeze through, let alone two.
Faedra’s heart sank. Whoever was guarding the entrance to the realm of dragons, was determined that no one would get through that shouldn’t, but why? She dropped her forehead to Etyran’s chest in defeat and exhaled a sigh that left her deflated.
“Now what do we do?” she whispered into his chest. It was more of a rhetorical question. She wasn’t really expecting an answer. The odds seemed so stacked against them. Even if she used her power, she couldn’t take them all out before they realized what was going on and she didn’t like their chances against ten trained killers. If she was being honest with herself, she didn’t even know if she possessed enough energy to kill them all. She’d only killed six in one go before and that was with the help of a lightning bolt.
“I have an idea,” Etyran said as he backed up the dimly lit cave corridor until they rounded a corner and were out of view of the redcaps.
Faedra waited, her expression heavy with expectation as she watched her companion mull the thought over in his head. After a moment, he closed his eyes and sighed. “No, it’s not going to work, it’s too dangerous.”
“Tell me,” Faedra insisted.
“There’s no point. It won’t work and I won’t put you in that kind of danger,” Etyran replied in a somber tone.
“I think you should let me be the judge of that, don’t you?”
“No, I don’t. I promised Faen I’d keep you safe. I’m not going to stick you in front of that mob with a 50/50 chance that my plan might work.”
“Ahh, so it involves me going out where they could see me?”
“Faedra,” Etyran warned. “No, I’m not going to ask you to do it.”
Faedra was quaking in her boots at the thought of being exposed to all those killing machines standing guard around the corner, but her desire to save her father was overwhelming her fear for herself. She dug out the time-pebble from her jeans pocket, looked at it and swallowed hard. The time-pebble was half covered in red now, which meant they only had a few days left to find her dad before Vivianna did goodness knows what to him. She shuddered at the thought. They had to get to the Gatekeeper; it was the only option available.
She held the pebble for Etyran to see. “Please, tell me your plan. I don’t have much time left. This is the only chance I have to find him and get him home safely. Please.”
Etyran looked at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Faedra’s heart pounded. Partly out of fear for what his plan entailed, and partly out of fear that he may turn them around and go back to the safety of the forest where her hopes of finding her father would be dashed.
After what seemed like an eternity, Etyran’s shoulders slumped in defeat.
“Faen is going to kill me if I allow you to do this,” he whispered.
“Well, if it all goes to plan, he’ll never know, will he? And if it goes wrong, the redcaps will probably do the job for him.” She was trying to sound lighthearted about it but it didn’t come out that way. “So, what’s the plan?”
***
A few minutes later Faedra wandered around the corner and headed straight for the redcaps. Her stomach was knotted so tightly she wondered if it would ever work again, but she plastered a confident smile on her face and strode with purpose towards them.
They all shifted their gaze to her when she came into view, making the move look as if it were synchronized. She swallowed hard and kept the smile plastered on her face.
“Hello, boys,” she said, hoping the cockiness would mask her fear. “I seem to have gotten myself lost. I don’t suppose you could show me the way out, could you?”
For a moment there was stunned silence, and the only thing Faedra could hear was the pounding of her blood in her ears. Then in the next second, five of the redcaps broke rank and started to charge after her, their axe-like weapons pointed straight at her.
She turned on her heel and prayed that the difference in height and the fact they were wearing heavy metal boots, meant she’d have no trouble out-running them. That was the plan anyway.
She disappeared around the first corner and threw a glance over her shoulder; relieved to see they were having trouble keeping up. She could hear the clanging of their boots but she was increasing the gap between them with every stride. Her heart was pounding with such ferocity she hoped it wouldn’t explode inside her chest. As she increased the gap further, she began to feel elation at the thought this plan may actually work.
She sprinted around another corner and Etyran came into view. He was holding his coat open with arms outstretched, waiting for her. She sprinted towards him and used him to stop herself as she slammed against his body. He stood so solid he hardly moved when she rammed into him.
He wrapped his arms around her in a tight cocoon and backed them against the wall. Faedra felt the now familiar ripple telling her they were invisible again. She did everything in her power to calm her breathing and steady herself. She couldn’t let her power seep out now, but the
adrenaline surging through her veins was almost beyond her control. Almost.
She and Etyran held their breath as the sound of clanging metal got closer and closer. She didn’t dare look to see the redcaps charge past them without hesitating, which meant they didn’t see them standing in the shadows.
When the coast was clear and they could hear the sound of metal boots fade into the distance, Etyran pushed them away from the wall.
Faedra gulped in a deep breath and smiled in triumph. “It worked! I can’t believe I did that but it worked! We got rid of half of them!”
Etyran smiled down at her. “Let’s go get the rest of them, shall we?”
Faedra nodded. “This plan might not be as easy to carry out, but I’ll give it my best shot.”
“That’s the spirit.”
Etyran walked them back to where the remaining redcaps were standing guard. They had not moved from their posts even after Faedra’s surprise appearance.
Faedra’s heart started to pound as they got closer to the creatures, she wrinkled her nose as the stench that rolled off them hit her nostrils. Being this close to them was not doing anything for her resolve.
She was standing with her back to Etyran this time. It was much more awkward to balance that way and it meant that she couldn’t be as close to him as when she was ‘hugging’ him, but they needed her to be this way to carry out the next part of their plan. They both prayed that he could still wrap the light around them successfully. It must be working because the redcaps gave no indication that they could see them.
Etyran positioned them close enough in front of two of the creatures that all Faedra had to do was reach out both of her hands. Etyran held her tightly around the waist so that she couldn’t lean too far forward. Faedra carefully pushed her hands through the overcoat that was wrapped around her. Biting back the feeling of disgust, she laid a palm on each of the redcap’s chest and sent a sharp pulse of energy into each creature. Withdrawing her hands so they were out of sight, Etyran moved backwards out of the way.
The two redcaps dropped like stones to the floor rousing the attention of the other three. They moved from their neat line to see what had happened to the two on the floor. One of the remaining redcaps scanned the area, a look of suspicion in his beady black eyes. It sent chills down Faedra’s spine when his gaze seemed to linger on them for a fraction of a second longer than he looked anywhere else.
Etyran backed them up a bit more until they were beyond the wielding range of the axe weapons. The plan was to create enough of a diversion that they could then sneak passed the remaining redcaps without any further intervention.
They almost made it, too, but one of the redcaps decided there was nothing more he could do for the other guards and repositioned himself just as Faedra and Etyran were making their way past his post.
They froze on the spot just inches away from the redcap in question. The redcap looked around as if sensing something was there, then it tilted its head back and sniffed the air with loud snorts through its nose.
It called to the other two that were still attending the guards on the floor. They turned their heads and looked straight at Faedra and Etyran, although, Faedra was pretty certain they were still invisible or they surely would have been skewered by now.
The other redcaps moved towards where they were standing, and, probably without knowing it, they had boxed the two against the wall.
The redcaps looked at each other, nodded and took a step forward.
Etyran moved his mouth so it was almost pressed against Faedra’s ear. “You take two and I’ll take the third,” he whispered so low Faedra could hardly hear him.
She acknowledged him with one nod of her head.
“Now!” came the sharp whisper as he let go of her, unwrapping her from his coat.
Faedra didn’t have time to think about it, she just held up her hands and fired balls of energy at two of the redcaps. It knocked them backwards, but because Faedra was in a bit of a panic, the energy hadn’t been strong enough to knock them out. They got up and surged towards her, pure fury distorting their features.
Faedra mentally cursed herself for not getting it right the first time and had only a few seconds to calm herself and concentrate. The redcaps got close enough to almost touch her when she fired a couple more at them. This time they fell to the floor like rocks. She turned to see where Etyran was and if he needed help. He was skillfully dodging the last remaining redcap’s weapon. It lunged forward using the spear end and almost skewered her temporary guardian. He managed to dodge out of the way in a split second.
“Go invisible!” she yelled. Her exclamation startled both Etyran and his attacker. Etyran gave her a look as if to say ‘Duh, why didn’t I think of that?’ a split second before he disappeared from view. The redcap swung his weapon with renewed vigor in all directions. Thankfully, Faedra did not see that it made contact with anything.
After a few more swings of the weapon, the redcap straightened up and decided to turn his attention on her instead.
It didn’t get very far; Faedra was ready for it this time. The energy ball hit it square in the chest. It gave her a bewildered look before its eyes rolled backwards in their sockets and it fell flat on its back.
“Nice job,” a voice whispered close to her ear.
She smacked her hands together a couple of times as if slapping the dust off them. “Thanks.”
Etyran ‘unwrapped’ the light around himself until he was visible again. It looked like he was peeling the wrapper off a chocolate bar.
They glanced around at their handy work for a moment before Etyran took Faedra’s hand in his and led her towards the large opening.
“Let’s go see the Gatekeeper.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Faedra followed behind Etyran as he led her through the opening in the cave. She wasn’t quite sure what she expected the Gatekeeper to look like. She’d seen enough unusual creatures recently to not be surprised at seeing another. She hadn’t however seen a dragon in person before so she was keeping an open mind. Faedra hoped Draconis wouldn’t be so angry to see her that he’d burn her to a crisp before she could even say ‘hello’.
Once they rounded the corner, they entered an immense cavern. It was lit with dozens of torches along the walls. Faedra gaped in awe as she allowed her eyes to scan the ceiling above them. It was home to the most stunning stalactites she had ever seen. The glow from the torches lit the cavern in sumptuous hues of amber and gold.
Faedra didn’t even realize they’d come to a stop; she was so mesmerized by the beauty of the cave. She also didn’t hear someone clearing their throat to get her attention until they did it much louder the second time.
Snatched from her daydream, she came back to reality with a start, realizing where she was and what she was there for, and turned her attention to Etyran who was looking down at her a little perplexed.
“Sorry,” she whispered, a soft flush sweeping across her cheeks.
“No need,” a gravelly voice replied from a little way inside the cavern. “It is rather beautiful. I find myself gazing at it in wonder sometimes, and I’ve been here over five hundred years.”
Faedra and Etyran’s gazes followed to where the voice came from but could not see to whom it belonged. The shadows cast by the torches created a curtain of darkness concealing anything behind it. Etyran could sense the Gatekeeper was surveying them before showing itself, but before he could question its owner, they saw a large shape move within the shadows. With another few steps, the creature stepped into the light and showed itself.
Faedra went to take an involuntary step backwards as the immense dark red dragon came into view. His scales shimmered in the light cast by the flames from the torches, making it appear as if its whole body was on fire. Etyran, who was still holding onto her hand, squeezed it and held her in place. The dragon would see it as an insult if she backed away from him, especially, as she was here to ask for his help.
“Lightbender, yo
u bring a human before me?” the dragon questioned, a mixture of curiosity and disbelief in his tone.
The dragon stepped forward until he was standing just a few feet in front of them.
Faedra quivered inside but stood her ground; not that she had much choice, Etyran was holding her in place with his cast iron grip.
“Gatekeeper, we need passage into Zutherindal. The human seeks an audience with Draconis,” Etyran explained.
Faedra wasn’t too happy about being called ‘the human’ as if she were a soured piece of meat, but let it drop. She decided she was in no position to gripe about it right then. At that moment, she’d be happy if she got out of there in one piece and not burned to a crisp like the Sunday dinner she’d once attempted to cook.
Etyran’s statement was followed by a gaping silence that filled the cavern with its emptiness. Then in the next second, incredulous laughter echoed off the walls, so loud it made Faedra’s ears ring. She put her free hand up to her ear to soften the noisy blow.
“Have you lost your mind, Lightbender? You have the audacity to ask such a thing? You know the history between dragons and humans.”
Etyran opened his mouth to speak but Faedra beat him to it. She was quaking in her boots but she thought if she could at least ask him nicely, she’d have given it her best shot. She stepped forward and tried to mask the tremble in her voice.
“Sir, I have been told of the history between our two races and I am sorry for the way you were treated by us. I know one apology doesn’t make up for years of wrong doing but, I ask with the utmost respect, if you could please allow us to enter Zutherindal.”
The dragon seemed to regard her with curious interest. He brought a large taloned claw up to his chin and rubbed it. Faedra stayed where she was even though she wanted to run.
