by N. M. Howell
“I got there as fast as I could. The estate was just coming in sight when I started to see trees falling. As I got closer I could hardly believe my eyes: there was a man and woman there knocking the trees down with their bare hands, like the trunks with nothing but foam. I figured they were Dead. I was lucky enough to take the man out by catching him by surprise with a strong spell, but the woman wasn’t so easy. I can hardly even begin to describe the way she moved. Strong, agile, so fast I couldn’t even keep up with her. She nearly killed me. I kept trying to defend myself and she would dash by me in a flash and send me flying. Finally, I was able to trap her and then get her still long enough to get in close with my wind daggers. I’d don’t like the idea of ever facing one of them again.”
“Don’t worry,” Saeryn said. “When the time comes it will be the dragonborn who face them. This has been a long time coming.”
“Fortunately, she and the other one had already done most of the work. Before I snuck up on them, I let them clear the way and dig up the ground. Less work for me. That time I was prepared. I’d paid some people I could trust to keep quiet to move the portal. Now it’s beside the other one under the mansion of House Polyhymnia.”
“Is that safe?” Andie asked. “If they figure out that the stories are true they’ll search for their portal. And when they go under their house and find not one, but two portals, I don’t think they’re going to be too shy about using them. We have to go get them. Now.”
“They’re safe, Andie.”
“How can you think that?”
“Because Bonhaus and I wiped the memories of all of his family.”
“Bonhaus and you? You honestly think you can trust this guy? Yara...”
“He’s in love with me. I kind of... manipulated him. I had no choice. I needed someone on the inside, someone I could trust.”
Andie just hugged Yara. Yara cautiously put her arms around her, too. By the bed, Saeryn stood, looking at Yara intently. Saeryn walked around the end of the bed, never taking her eyes off Yara, who looked back at her over Andie’s shoulder.
“Everything you’ve done,” Andie said, still holding her friend. “It must have been hard.”
“You have no idea,” Yara said.
“Back and forth across Noelle, taking on the Dead, giving up everything for this cause. And then having to endure a son of a founding family. I’m so sorry.”
“Andie, there’s something you should know. In the interest of being totally honest.”
“Yes, I thought so,” said Saeryn.
As Andie released Yara, Saeryn came nearer and placed her hand on Yara’s shoulder.
“I can see it on you,” Saeryn said. “I wonder if the best thing might be to leave the subject as it is for now. I’m sure we’ll have ample time to discuss it later. Perhaps now it is most prudent to leave the city and rejoin our party on the outskirts of New Carthage.”
“Leave what subject?” Andie asked. “What aren’t you telling me, Yara?”
“Bonhaus. We worked side by side for so long and I was so... alone. I was doing it all by myself and then something happened. Between us. And I fell in love with him, too.”
Andie took several steps back, looking both disgusted and horrified. Saeryn moved to touch her, but Andie shook her off. She advanced on Yara so menacingly that Yara took a step back in surprise.
“You fell in love with him?” Andie asked. “With a member of House Polyhymnia? One of the seven families who have been hunting and killing my people for centuries? Are you serious?”
“Andie, you don’t know what it was like out there!” Yara countered. “I was all alone and I missed my friends, my city. I missed you! It was my own fault that I was out there, but when I needed someone Bonhaus was there. He gave me the information that helped me track the battalion and find both of the portals.”
“He’s one of them!”
“He went against his own family for me! For all of us! For you! He doesn’t believe what they believe and he’s never killed a dragonborn all his life. He’s never even met one.”
“He has the blood of killers and liars! It’s in his blood, he’s poisonous! They’re all poisonous!”
“Andie, I would think you of all people would be the last one to judge someone because of what’s in their blood.”
“I don’t care!”
“You act as if evil can be inherited like dragon blood. That’s not the way it works, Andie, and I think you know that. I understand this is hard for you and I know that if I were in your shoes I’d be judging me, too, but I need you to hear me out. Yes, I was the one who stole, traveled, fought, infiltrated, manipulated, bought, bribed, and climbed my way to what I needed for you and for Arvall. But the information behind all of that comes from Bonhaus. He was the one who introduced me to important people and helped me get in places. He was the one who put countless hours into research over the last few months. He was the one who stitched me up after the Dead woman almost killed me. He kept me going. I know what he is and what he comes from, but that’s not who he is or who he wants to be. You don’t know him, I get it. Don’t trust him, trust me.”
Andie couldn’t even bring herself to look at Yara. She spoke to the wall.
“Yara, I cant... I... I can’t even begin to tell you how much I missed you. When we finally found out the truth, every one of us was devastated. I’ve cried myself to sleep thinking of you and not a day has gone by when letting you get taken by that dragon hasn’t been the biggest regret of my life. But you need to understand that I’m not okay with this. I can’t be okay with this. You’re telling me that you fell in love with a man who is a son of the most evil syndicate of people to ever walk in Noelle, whose ancestors murdered thousands of my people, of Saeryn’s people. His family has played a continuous part in the longest, most widespread, most malicious, most damning lie of all time. People in his family use to hunt dragonborn and rape them, rob them, skin them alive, eviscerate them, carry out all other kinds of atrocities against them. For centuries. Relentlessly for years and years and years. It’s because of people like him that my mother is dead, my father, Marvo, my friends, your friends. How many millions of corpses can point to his family as the cause of their death? So I’m happy to see you, but there is nothing about your feelings that is okay.”
“Andie... I love him.”
“Then love someone else!”
The two girls stood face to face, not furious, but firm, immovable. Saeryn stood nearby, unsure of what to do or if she should do anything at all. Andie slowly shook her head, trying to deny that this was happening or that she’d heard these words, still unbelieving. Yara stood with her arms held to her sides, overjoyed to be reunited with her friend and exonerated, but unwilling to abandon what she has gained in the meantime. Eventually, Andie reached for her bag and turned for the door.
“Saeryn’s right,” she said. “We need to get out of the city and regroup with the warriors outside.”
She left without waiting for the others to get their things. Fortunately, it didn’t take Saeryn and Yara long to catch up. The three women took the elevator down to the main floor and Andie poked out into the hall cautiously. She looked both ways and then checked for cameras, wishing they had been able to save the craiceanns. She saw one of the city police approaching and quickly leaned back inside the elevator, readying her hand to cast at him as soon as he was close enough.
“Andie, it’s fine,” Yara said. “You don’t need to fight him.”
“Me versus an overweight street cop? Not much of a fight.”
“No, I mean I‘ve taken care of it. No policeman in the city of New Carthage is going to give us any trouble.”
Andie turned to face Yara, incredulous.
“And exactly how did you manage to do that?”
“When I first arrived in the city, I put on the craiceann I was wearing when you and I crossed paths, but while you were unconscious I just figured it would be easier if we didn’t have to worry about sneaking around. I t
old you. Any police force can be bought for the right price.”
“Well then.”
Andie exited the elevator briskly and headed straight for the front of the hotel. As she passed the officer, he looked at her just long enough to register her face and then he turned deliberately away. So did the two guards standing at the entrance doors. Even the concierge conspicuously tucked his head into a book. They made it outside and just as they reached the street, a police car pulled up and stopped in front of them.
“I’m here to escort you to the outskirts of the city.”
“What?” Andie asked, confused, looking behind and beside her to make sure the man was talking to her.
“You’re the three, right? Andie, Saeryn, and Yara?”
“Yeah...”
“I’m your escort.”
Andie looked over to Yara, who nodded in return. Saeryn needed no convincing and got in without hesitation, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Andie was still looking at Yara.
“I can’t believe you bought off the police. How much money do you have, anyway?”
“The real kicker is that I paid them in money I got from fencing the godhearts I stole from them.”
The drive to the city wall was relatively long; the hotel was considerably further from the last place Andie was before she fainted. As the buildings passed her window, Andie reflected on how wonderful the city would be to visit under better circumstances, even if a large number of buildings were unfinished. As they rolled along, Andie counted at least seven major construction sites, and they went through several detours. Andie didn’t say anything the entire car ride, though Saeryn and Yara spoke in low tones beside her. Soon enough the car was dropping the three of them off outside of the gates. Saeryn led them over into the woods where the dragonborn were waiting anxiously. Saeryn’s dragon came over to her and nuzzled her with its massive, enchanting face. Once the dragonborn warriors saw Yara, they looked shocked, and not a bit defensive.
“Apologies for the delay,” said Saeryn. “But as you can see, we ran into a ghost. We’d best be going now.”
The warriors mounted up and so did Saeryn.
“I’ll see you all soon,” Yara said, taking a few steps back.
“What do you mean?” Andie asked. “You’re coming with us.”
“I can’t. I can’t ride your dragons.”
“But they can still carry you in their arms. It won’t be the most comfortable, but—”
“I have another mission, Andie. And Bonhaus is waiting for me.”
“Right.”
The two girls watched each other, maybe waiting to see what the other would do. Andie was so furious and so confused that a part of her just wished the moment were over. But another part of her thought about Yara and how intelligent, brave, and strong she had to be to do everything she did on her own. She wanted to say something, anything, to let Yara know that she appreciated her. That she missed her.
“Did you tell the police who we are?” she asked. “If they know that we’re not only dragonborn, but the Queen and princess, it’ll be a diplomatic nightmare. They haven’t chosen a side yet and there’s still hope they could side with us.”
“No, they don’t know. I told them our first names, but they’re not bright enough to figure it out. I don’t know if anyone in this city has ever even seen a dragonborn before. As for them choosing sides, I don’t know if they’ll formally align with you, but I told them it was the battalion who stole from the godhearts, so I know they won’t be siding with them. Speaking of, here.”
Yara reached in her backpack and pulled out a smaller satchel. She opened it and Andie saw that it was full of godhearts. Gorgeous, priceless godhearts.
“I may have left out the part about my own pillaging. Take these with you. You’d be amazed how many doors open up to you when you tell people you have some.”
“Thank you. When will we see you again?”
“Saeryn tells me you know how to operate the portals now. I’ll go back to Bonhaus’ mansion and wait there. When you get back to Arvall and you’re ready for me just come through the portal. I’ll be there.”
“You and him.”
“Me and Bonhaus.”
Andie slide the satchel over her head and onto her shoulder. She turned from Yara.
“Take care of yourself,” she said.
“You, too, Andie.”
Andie got up on the dragon behind Saeryn and the party lifted off. Yara turned and headed on to her work.
Chapter Fifteen
Three days later, Andie and Saeryn stood at the entrance to the Black Grotto, on the southern coast of Noelle. It was the most sinister looking place Andie had ever seen. Every inch of the environment was blacker than any night sky she’d ever laid eyes on: the stone, the grass, even the water flowing through the grotto and the walls of the grotto itself. The air was thick and moved in acidic layers, the result of some dark incantation. They had not seen or heard a single life form within a hundred kilometers of the place and even the dragons, bravest of beasts, were unsteady here.
A day and a half before, Andie and the party landed just behind the suburban outskirts of Mastield, a wealthy southern city and the home of House Urania. The journal said the portal was hidden somewhere on the family’s property, House Urania being rather paranoid and extremely suspicious. When they couldn’t figure out how to proceed after an entire afternoon and morning of thought, Andie took a page from Yara’s book and broke into the estate, finding the head of the family enjoying a brandy in the cigar room. He was the oldest son of Rasputraenir, whom the Chancellor had killed at the University. After a painful episode, he’d told Andie of a legend he remembered. The story ended with the family’s most prized possession being stolen by an unknown group of infiltrators and taken away to the south. Andie and Saeryn searched the papers in the family’s vault and discovered a watchlist of the family’s enemies. Andie had heard of most of the groups and knew most of them didn’t have the resources or foresight to know House Urania had a portal, let alone break in and take it. Saeryn was able to exclude a few more. Eventually, they were left with a list of five.
They spent the next day moving through Mastield and interrogating the groups on their list. Two of the groups had lost all their power and disbanded years ago. One had been completely forgotten when all of its members were slaughtered in a retaliation attack by a rival group. Another group was still together and still neck deep in dastardly deeds, but had absolutely nothing useful to say, even when Andie started breaking their bones. The final group on their list had split into organizations, one involved in corporate espionage and the other in the sale of black market goods. The latter sounded most promising, but Saeryn went to speak to the corporate group anyway. By the time they gathered that morning, Andie had gotten the location of the “large, round thing” the black-market group had stolen and Saeryn had turned the police onto the corporate espionage group.
Now they were there, at the Black Grotto, hesitant to go in, when they finally decided to enter, Saeryn instructed the warriors to follow them at a distance of one hundred meters. Just as a precaution.
“I’ve seen some shady places in my day,” said Andie. “But this is the worst. By far.”
“I can taste the dark magic in the very air,” Saeryn said. “I fear terrible things characterize the history of this place.”
“I’m more worried about terrible things happening today. It’s getting harder to see.”
The deeper they went into the grotto, the less they could discern about their environment. Eventually, the light was no more than a dot far behind them.
“Solas,” Andie and Saeryn say in unison.
Light appeared as a ball in each of their hands, but it didn’t shine very far. The magic of the grotto was strong. The dragonborn warriors behind them echoed the spell and still there was hardly any light at all. In fact, as each new light came into the dark, the power of the other lights dimmed considerably and by the time the fin
al warrior cast her spell, the lights of all were almost completely extinguished. Andie noticed this.
“Wait,” she said. “Myra, put your light out again.”
The warrior extinguished her light and the rest grow brighter.
“Now you, Thydron.”
The next warrior extinguished his light and again the rest grow brighter.
“Every further light brought to the darkness decreases the ones already lit,” Saeryn said. “What manner of magic lies in these walls?”
“I don’t know, but I’m liking it less by the second,” Andie said, looking around her. “Okay, everyone put out your light. Saeryn will hold hers and we’ll all have to stick close.”
Andie put out her light and so did the rest. Saeryn’s light grew much brighter, but it still showed no more than a couple meters ahead. Andie moved closer to Saeryn and put her hand on the Queen’s shoulder. They move forward.
Deeper and deeper they went, surprised and dismayed by how deep the grotto ran. The only sound was that of the black water flowing back the way they came. Aside from that, it was eerily quiet. The black of the grotto was so pure and impenetrable that Andie began to believe she could taste it, feel the darkness coming over her skin. She’s not afraid, but she grows more and more suspicious that they’re following bad information. She can’t see above them, but she can tell from the way the sound changed that the ceiling has opened, grown more cavernous.
“Saeryn, throw your light up,” she said. “I want to see what we’ve gotten ourselves into.”
Saeryn took the light and formed a hard ball. She threw it up and it just kept going higher until they lost sight of it. They waited. A few moments passed and then the tiny ball came into view again as it fell. Andie was not at all pleased with their circumstances; it reminded her too much of the months they spent hiding in the tunnels beneath the University. As the light came back down to find Saeryn’s hand they all jumped back in terrible surprise and then the light went out. Just before the light was gone they got a glimpse of a man’s torso, heavily muscled and shirtless, tall and fierce and standing not one meter from Saeryn’s face.
