Silverwitch

by Tamara Grantham

  “By yourself?”

  “I know. Dumb idea. But I’m not sure how much longer I can control my magic.”

  “Do you think we should turn around?”

  “Turn around? No. We have to stop the summoning. I’ll deal with it.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. We don’t really have another choice, do we?”

  “But we can turn back if we have to. I can go with you.”

  “And let Maveryck and Heidel go alone?”

  Kull knit his brows. “Well, I suppose it wouldn’t be the best solution.”

  Inhaling a deep breath, I did my best to keep Theht’s powers locked inside, but with the outside magic growing stronger, I wasn’t sure how much longer I would succeed.

  “We can do this,” I said. “We always have.”

  “Yes. But not without casualties.”

  I knew he was speaking of his father. He was right—confronting the elven queen would come with consequences. I tried to tell myself it was for the greater good, that I was doing something noble and heroic, but deep inside, I was afraid, and not just for myself, but for all of us. Who else would die because we chose to face evil? Heidel? Maveryck? Kull? My stepfather?

  As dusk approached, the trail sloped downward and we entered an ancient crater. The jungle suddenly disappeared, replaced instead by a barren land of stones and sand. In the center of the depression, far in the distance, we found a lake, and at its center sat the glittering towers of an ancient fortress.

  “Tremulac,” Maveryck said in a hushed tone. “We’ve found it.”

  “You’re sure that’s it?” Heidel asked.

  “What else what it be?”

  “I don’t know. A mirage, maybe?”

  “It’s not a mirage,” I said, feeling the magic of the fortress in waves so potent I wasn’t sure I could withstand it. “That’s definitely real. What could be causing so much magic to be focused around one place?”

  “We may not know until we go inside,” Kull said. “Olive, you look even paler than before. Can you manage?”

  I took several deep breaths, trying to let the extra oxygen clear my head. “Yes, I’ll manage.”

  “You don’t always have to be brave, you know,” Kull said.

  “I know.”

  He wrapped his arm around me, and with his strength, I found the power to overcome the darkness. Theht shrank back at his presence, making me wonder if perhaps Theht’s presence knew he would be the one to destroy it. And to destroy me.

  We continued forward. Another invisible ward blocked our path, but we moved through it with ease. Perhaps it was too old to function, or perhaps it was meant to keep someone else out altogether. Or perhaps it was meant to keep someone inside. Whatever the case, we hiked down the sloped path toward the shimmering shore of the dark lake.

  From this angle, the water was glassy and black, and it didn’t ripple in the wind as normal water would. The wind stirred the sand, making dust clouds billow through the air. No one spoke. It seemed that if we did, we would break the spell of silence, or awaken the ghosts that haunted this land.

  I gripped Kull’s hand in mine, his presence the only thing keeping Tremulac’s magic from overwhelming me. The castle’s slender spires seemed to pierce the sky as the sun set behind them, reflecting off their sharp angles. The slim, black towers reminded me of Egyptian architecture.

  Could the castle really be the legendary fortress of Tremulac? It seemed so impossible, yet there it stood. I’d heard the stories as a kid, as I lay on Fan’twar’s dais, listening to the deep sound of his voice as he told me of the seven brothers creating weapons meant to unite the world.

  This was the feeling I would have gotten if I’d discovered King Arthur’s round table—giddy and scared at the same time—yet this place was tainted with evil. Unlike the legendary Earth king’s Camelot, Tremulac was not a place of peace, but of power, of ultimate control.

  It seemed the elves had always had a thing for subjugation.

  We drew nearer and found a narrow bridge spanning from the shore to the castle gates. I saw no guards and felt no wards on the bridge. Still, I wouldn’t cross until I’d made sure it was safe.

  Maveryck and Heidel made it to the foot of the bridge and waited for Kull and me to catch up. I still hadn’t let go of Kull’s hand, and I wasn’t sure I would until we’d left this place.

  “Is it safe?” Heidel asked.

  I studied the arched, narrow beam that extended from shore to gate. It was made of the same glassy material paving the road. Beneath the bridge, the black water remained still, with only small ripples breaking the surface and lapping the sand-covered shore. The air near the castle tasted strongly of salt.

  “I don’t feel any spells,” I said, “but I would still be careful crossing. I don’t trust that lake.”

  “I agree,” Kull said. “It hardly looks inviting. Maveryck, what do you say? Is it safe to cross?”

  Maveryck didn’t answer. He only stared out over the water, his eyes seeming distant, as if he were looking at something else, something too far away to be seen. Finally, he seemed to focus on us. “Sorry, this place… I feel like I’ve seen it before… but it doesn’t make any sense. If I’d been here, I would remember with perfect clarity.”

  “Maybe you saw it when you were a boy?” Heidel suggested.

  “No. If I had, I would remember.”

  “Then what would cause you to forget something?” I asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “Perhaps you dreamed of it,” Kull suggested.

  Maveryck clenched his jaw. “Yes, maybe that’s it.”

  “Should we cross now?”

  “Yes,” Kull answered. “I should like to get this over with.”

  Heidel stepped carefully onto the glassy surface, and I followed her. Kull walked behind me, and Maveryck came last. As we traversed the narrow bridge and made it to the center, the view of the castle and the surrounding landscape came into sharper view. The quiet air was interrupted by a gentle hum, but I couldn’t decide where the noise came from. Magic, perhaps?

  Past the castle, the lake spread out beyond the horizon, so large it seemed to reach the edge of the world. The castle spires glistened in the last rays of sunlight as the water’s reflection shimmered on their surface. The building was much taller than structures the elves had built in modern times, and as we drew nearer, I realized it was much larger than I had first thought. The sight was awe-inspiring on a grand scale, from a time long past, when chaos ruled the world.

  We finally made it across the bridge and to the island where the castle stood. White sand covered the beach, punctuated by small, water-worn pebbles. A chill lingered in the air on this side of the bridge, making goose bumps prickle my skin. Up ahead, we found a large gateway bored into the castle wall, and we headed toward the entrance, our feet shifting in the sand.

  I clenched Kull’s hand so tightly I was surprised he didn’t complain. The fear was almost overwhelming. Usually, I did a pretty good job at controlling my fear, but being in this place, where the magic overpowered mine, where I felt powerless against the goddess within me, made me want to turn around and run as far away as I could. Focusing on my stepfather’s life was the only thing that kept me taking one step after another. I had to do this for Fan’twar. I had to bring him back.

  We traded a path of sand for a cobbled courtyard. Crumbling pillars surrounded us. A few statues of elven gods and goddesses remained intact, standing like sentinels as tall as three men, looking down on us with detached gazes.

  My heart beat wildly in my chest, its persistent thumping echoing loudly in my ears.

  “What will we find when we get in there?” Heidel asked.

  “I’m not sure, but we’re looking for a chamber where the elves are keeping the egg,” I said. “In my vision, the elves were inside a large chamber, and the egg was on a raised platform in the middle of the room. It looked l
ike the room was underground or deep inside the castle because I didn’t see any windows.”

  “Wherever the room is, we should be careful inside,” Kull said. “We have no idea where the queen is. She may be in Lauressa, or she may have entered the gateway under the catacombs and arrived here already.”

  “If she’s inside the chamber, what then?” Heidel asked. “Do we fight her?”

  “If we must, but I’m hopeful we’ll be able to sneak inside and steal the egg before she notices.”

  “How do you plan to do that?” Heidel asked.

  Kull nodded toward Maveryck. “I thought we’d let the professional thief handle it.”

  I glanced back at Maveryck, who didn’t seem to be paying attention to our conversation. His pensive eyes were locked straight ahead.

  “What do you say, Maveryck?” Heidel asked. “Can you handle stealing the egg?”

  Finally, he seemed to focus. “The egg?”

  “Yes, can you steal it quietly?”

  He nodded. “Stealing the egg won’t be a problem.”

  “You see?” Kull said. “We shall be in and out and home in time for our evening meal.”

  “I don’t share your confidence,” Heidel said. “These quests never go as we plan.”

  “I have to agree,” I said.

  “Why not? Just because we’ve had rotten luck on every single mission in the past doesn’t mean it will happen this time. I, for one, intend to have a positive attitude. We shall walk inside, reclaim the egg, and be on our way.”

  “Keep dreaming,” I muttered.

  Behind us, Maveryck mumbled something, and when I turned to look at him, I found him running his fingers along the walls. His fingertips lightly brushed the stones, and his other hand was clenched in a fist. I felt magic in his fisted hand, and his fingers glowed with a faint bluish light, casting shadows beneath his eyes and highlighting his elven cheekbones.

  “Are you all right, Maveryck?” I asked.

  He looked up, seeming to come out of a trance. “I’m not sure. I believe the castle’s magic may be affecting me.”

  “That makes two of us,” I said.

  “It’s hard to withstand the power. I feel like the magic is trying to speak to me, but I don’t know how to answer. I apologize if I am not myself.”

  I squeezed Kull’s hand. He was the only thing standing between me and this place’s power.

  The path ahead widened into a large chamber supported by pillars. Overhead, it looked as if there had once been a large glass dome, but now, only a metal frame remained. Glass littered the floor, but beneath it, a mosaic of tiles reflected the moonlight. A large marble statue of an elven goddess stood watch at the center of the room, though cracks fractured its surface in several places.

  “This must have been a beautiful place,” I said. Although I spoke quietly, my voice echoed.

  “Yes,” Maveryck said, scuffing at the glass with his boot. “It must have been amazing.”

  “Keep to the corners of the room,” Kull said, “and stay alert.”

  We followed Kull as we paced the edge of the room. As we did, I began to see a pattern in the tiles. The mosaic made a picture of waves and a castle, but I couldn’t make out much more.

  “Do you recognize that goddess?” I asked Maveryck.

  “It may be Philigrene, the ancient goddess of the sea, but that’s only a guess.”

  I kept my eyes on the statue as we crossed the room. Elves hadn’t worshipped the old gods in several centuries, preferring science to religious studies, but part of me lamented their abandonment of the old ways. Somehow, the ancient elves had managed to balance religion and science, a trait not found in the modern society.

  After crossing through the domed chamber, we entered an area with a spiraling staircase. It reached below ground level and down into a dark chamber.

  “We’ll need light,” Kull said.

  “I’ll handle that,” I replied. “At least, I think so.”

  I wasn’t sure if my magic would cooperate in this place. It hadn’t worked in the jungle, but I hoped I would be able to manage such a simple spell.

  Balling my hand into a fist, I whispered a word of magic, and a sphere of bluish-white light formed around my hand. I felt the magic leave my body in a painful jolt and had to focus to keep it under control. If that was how all my spells would react, I wasn’t sure how well I could depend on my magic. But the others hadn’t noticed my discomfort, so we started down the staircase without another word.

  The world transformed as we descended into the bowels of the castle. The smell of mold and damp earth filled the air, and images of skulls replaced the gods and goddesses. It seemed that the castle’s creators had had two faces—the one they displayed above, and the one that lurked beneath.

  As we climbed down the stairs, the air grew chillier. The blue light glowing from my hand made everything look silvery and eerie, and I wondered how long it had been since light had touched this part of the castle. If this place was as old as some thought, it might have been thousands of years since any light had touched the carved-stone walls or the broad, glassy staircase.

  I felt as though we had entered another world. Our footsteps rang out against the glass-like stone. A chill crept up through the stone steps, and as we descended from one level to the next, the intensity of the magic increased as well.

  Glancing at the tall staircase spiraling overhead, I noticed the light from the world above had disappeared completely. We were alone in the darkness, the cold as our only companion, on a mission that could easily end in our own deaths, yet we kept going.

  After what felt like an eternity of climbing, we stepped off the staircase and entered a broad foyer with smooth stone walls. Directly in front of us was a set of large doors made of the same onyx-type stones paving the pathway leading to the castle. A large, orb shape was carved in the middle, continuing through both doors, with lines fanning outward, away from the circle pattern. A sunburst—the symbol of elven royalty.

  “The room I saw in the vision must be inside these doors,” I said, feeling the ice-cold tendrils of magic coming from the doors’ surface.

  Maveryck stepped to the doors and pressed his ear against them. I also used my elven senses to detect any sounds beyond the doorway but noted only silence inside.

  “I don’t hear anything,” Maveryck said.

  “If we enter, how do we know the elves won’t be alerted to our presence?” Kull asked.

  “We don’t know for sure,” I said. “But, the elves would have entered through the gateway in the catacombs, not through here, and they would also be expecting us to enter the same way. They didn’t anticipate we would cross through the wild lands and enter through this passage. If we’re going to get inside that room, this would be the best way to do it.”

  Heidel inspected the doors, pulling away bits of cobwebs that clung to the surface. “It looks like these doors haven’t been used in some time.”

  “I’m still not sure,” Kull said. “The elves would be foolish not to have these doors guarded.”

  Maveryck pressed his hand to the door, his fingers splayed, letting his magic weave into the fabric of the stone. He closed his eyes, humming gently, a sound imbued with magic. After a moment, he pulled away. His gray eyes glittered with magic, and I wasn’t sure I liked the feeling of power coming from him.

  “It is safe,” he said. “The room is empty.”

  “You’re sure?” Heidel said.

  “Quite sure.”

  Kull crossed his arms. “I don’t know. Perhaps we should find another way inside.”

  “We may not have time,” I said. “The elves will start the ritual soon. It could take hours to find another way inside, if another way even exists.”

  “I agree with Olive,” Heidel said. “We have to take our chances.”

  Kull sighed. “Very well. But we do this quietly. In and out and home for our evening meal, understood?”
/>
  “Not happening,” I mumbled.

  “Yes, we understand perfectly,” Heidel answered.

  Kull nodded to Maveryck, who slowly pushed the doors open. The heavy stone doors slid across the floor, creating half-moon patterns in the dust on the floor.

  We stepped onto a narrow balcony overlooking the depths of Tremulac castle. Far below, we saw the vachonette egg, a tiny speck sitting on a raised platform. Lit only by firelight, the egg sat in a seemingly empty void.

  “Finally,” Kull said in a whisper. “We’ve found it.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  My heart raced as I stared at the egg so far below. Kull, Heidel, and Maveryck looked on as the egg shone with a golden luster, reflecting the firelight cast from wide biers surrounding the room. I scanned the huge chamber—seven raised coffins around the vachonette’s platform, the expanse of empty floor, the pillars spanning to the cavern’s ceiling, and the balconies surrounding the walls—but the place was empty.

  “It looks like we’re alone for now,” Heidel whispered, the immense room making her voice echo.

  “Yeah, let’s hope it stays that way,” Kull said.

  Maveryck scanned the room, his eyes intent. “I’m going to go down there,” he said. “I’ll have to do it alone. If there are traps, I can find them, but it’s harder if I have to find them for four people.”

  “So we just have to wait here while you take the egg?” Heidel asked.

  “Yes.”

  She crossed her arms. “I don’t like it.”

  “Like it or not,” Kull said, “he’s right. One person has a better chance of avoiding traps than four.”

  “But we don’t even know if there are any traps,” Heidel said. “What if he is attacked? What then? We get to sit here and watch him die?”

  Maveryck smirked. “I won’t die.”

  Heidel sniffed. “I still don’t like it.”

  “If it makes you feel better, you can keep watch from here. If anything tries to attack, shoot it.” He reached into his pack and handed her the basita.