by Mara Amberly
Elena Briette indicated a small latch on the back of the shelf. “It’s here. Do you see it?”
Jonas leaned in to take a closer look, and nodded.
The back of the bookshelf was solid, so it seemed it was necessary to have magick to access it from the apothecary without breaking or dismantling it. From inside the passage, he could press the lever.
“The door just has the one key?” he asked, noticing she’d returned it to her pocket.
“Most likely, but this isn’t it. This is a skeleton key that can open most doors. Jarlath would have the actual key. We can close the bookshelf around without locking the door again.”
Jonas nodded, though he suspected Elena Briette could lock it with magick if she wanted to.
“Come on, let’s go. Jarlath usually sleeps through until mid-morning, but he wakes up sometimes.”
“Lead the way,” he asked of her, and she did just that.
He suspected he would see soon enough whether Elena Briette could be trusted, and if he’d made a wise choice or a fatal misstep in following her.
***
The tunnel was longer than Jonas had expected, given they were underground. He’d thought there would be a simple basement, but this reminded him more of the tunnels of his people, who had served as protectors of the manses for many centuries.
His parents had once told him that the creators of the manses tweaked their most devoted servants, so they would be able to better protect the manses and keep them from falling into the wrong hands. Jonas knew what the Guardians had become after the ancient sorcerers had destroyed themselves and each other: scholars and keepers of lore, who were prepared to do little when the Nemorans extended their hand and took what should never have been theirs.
He wasn’t sure if it was cowardice or whether his people had merely changed over the centuries, but he suspected he was the only one in a position to do something about the manse. He wondered if any of his people had tried. If so, they’d likely failed because the manse was still in Feidhlim and still in Jarlath’s possession.
It was Jonas’s hope that would soon change.
Light played off the minerals in the rock as they reached a curve in the tunnel. There was a metal gate fitted further ahead, blocking the way. Metal bars were fitted above it and to the sides, and Jonas wondered if the same key of Elena Briette’s would open this one. In the distance, he could see stairs leading down on the far side of the gate, but their destination was out of sight.
Elena Briette reminded him of a phantom in the darkness, with her flowing gown and the lantern held high. As he moved toward the gate, she lowered her lantern and stopped him.
“Don’t touch it, Jonas. The gate’s a trap. A current of power runs through the metal and any normal person who touches it would die. Here,” she said, closing her eyes as she seemed to reach out with her mind.
It was apparent to Jonas now how unprepared he truly was to reclaim the manse, because without her help, he wouldn’t stand a chance. He hadn’t just expected to swoop in and grab it, but this wasn’t what he’d expected either.
He waited patiently for Elena Briette, not wanting to speak in case he disturbed her concentration.
She gasped and opened her eyes. “This is more power than I’ve seen run through the gate before. I don’t know if he was expecting trouble, but it’s not going to be easy to open this.”
Jonas grew more agitated, because he wanted to retrieve the manse and leave as quickly as possible. “Is there anything I can do to help open it?” he asked, worriedly.
“Perhaps,” she said, extending her hand to him.
Jonas took it, wondering what she had in mind.
“Jarlath would kill you if he knew you held my hand now,” she told him.
“Is there anything Jarlath wouldn’t kill me for?” he asked with a frown of annoyance.
She cracked a smile. “Probably not. He’s a monster, my brother.”
Jonas’s eyes widened. He had no idea she was his sister! He might not have come down here with her if he’d known.
“Don’t worry,” she reassured him, perhaps sensing his thoughts or discomfort. “Concentrate on sending me energy, while I try to snap the latch. It looks like Jarlath wanted to be sure only he could open the door. I’m not strong enough but together we should be able to–”
There was a noticeable snap and the gate swung outward toward them.
Jonas grinned with joy, reaching out his free hand without a thought. There was no glow of magick, but the moment his fingers touched the cool metal, he felt a massive jolt. He still held Elena Briette’s hand, so the energy flowed straight through him to her. Neither was prepared for the harsh, destructive energy Jarlath had left to protect the manse.
Jonas blacked out within moments and Elena Briette fell alongside him. They were unconscious before they hit the floor.
Chapter 13
Knave and the three Sisters walked toward the town Alexa had seen in her vision, only stopping for a lengthy break after night had fallen.
Ariane had been helping prepare a well-earned meal, when she gestured quickly and urgently to the others.
“I just received a message from Magister Kelcedone. They’ve successfully freed the Sisters who were taken captive by the Nemorans. Not all of them survived, but most of them were well and very happy to be rescued.”
Cassia clapped her hands together. “That’s incredible news. I’m so happy they were saved. It’s wonderful to get some good news too. I don’t want to even think what fate might’ve awaited them if they weren’t rescued.”
Knave smiled. “I’m glad the lasses are alright. That’s a victory against the Nemorans.”
“I’m so relieved for them,” Alexa confessed, in much brighter spirits than before. “If you’re going to respond, we should tell the Magister what’s going on here.”
“Lots of walking?” Knave asked with a wry smile.
Alexa grinned. “Perhaps tell her the tunnel was damaged and we left it early, and found many people dead below-ground. I think it would also be good to tell her we’re heading for a town, which is now cloaked with magick.”
“What about the dragon?” Ariane asked, glancing up at the sky. The young dragon still hadn’t returned.
“I don’t think there’s any need to mention him,” Alexa replied with a soft smile.
She didn’t want to admit it to the others, but she didn’t want to give the Magister any opportunity to interfere with her decision to bring the dragon along with them.
Ariane nodded, not entirely convinced, but she would let it go.
Cassia considered what else might be missing from the account.
“Maybe tell her that we’re not in the desert here, but somewhere more like… uh, what do you call this? It’s not plains, is it? I don’t know. Maybe tell her we’ll be in touch when we know what to expect of the hidden town west of the passage.”
Alexa shook her head. “East, not west, but that’s a good idea.”
Ariane nodded. “I’ll do that.”
It took some time for Ariane to relay the message, but soon it was away.
They were eating their dinner when the Magister contacted them again, this time speaking to all three of the Sisters telepathically.
“Hello ladies. Thank you for the information. I find it strange that the tunnel was damaged, but they’ve been there for a long time and were bound to crumble eventually.
If the interference was magickal, it would take great skill, unless the magick had also weakened with time. It’s possible, I suppose. We can’t account for everything.
Be careful of the town. There are few sources of magick strong enough to mask such a large area and a manse is one of them. This might work in our favour because it would run down the manse’s charge, rendering it weaker. My guess is you’re approaching the cult’s territory so I suggest caution. If possible, avoid a direct confrontation.
I’d suggest you scout around the town for now – find out where you
are and how strong a presence the cult has there. Contact me again with the information you find. If you believe it’s safe, go in but keep your heads down. Try not to stand out or attract any unwanted attention. Report back to me and we’ll proceed from there. Be safe and the Gods be with you.”
Once her presence was gone, the three priestesses turned to each other, each with varying degrees of uncertainty. Knave seemed none the wiser about what was going on, as he relaxed with his food in hand.
“She doesn’t want us to go after the manse?” Cassia asked, confused. “If time is of the essence, why are we holding back?”
Alexa shrugged slightly, considering the Magister’s strategy. “I think she wants to know what’s going on there. That way if something happens to us, the Sisters of Destiny won’t be in the dark and the details we learn wouldn’t be lost. I believe she’s right and that this probably is the cult’s territory.”
The thought unnerved Alexa; but it was what it was.
“If so, we’re in danger here or will be once we get close to the town. It also explains why the people in the tunnels might’ve been killed. The cultists mightn’t have wanted them so close to their territory. I could be wrong – there might be more to the story, but it’s hard to know. Maybe Magister Kelcedone will send backup if we need it and this turns out to be the Nemoran stronghold.”
Ariane seemed unconvinced. “I’m not sure there’s much backup to speak of, Alexa. The other Sisters are off pursuing other manses, but perhaps you’re right. We know what we’ve been told to do, so I for one plan to do it. Besides, stealth is my forte. I enjoy blending into the shadows.”
Cassia smiled at that, remembering her time on the road to Kelbani, when she’d tried to blend in among the tavern patrons. It brought Knave to mind; he was still eating when she glanced his way.
“We can bear that in mind, and do we seems best at the time,” Cassia suggested with a smile.
She was discomforted by the thought of no backup, but perhaps the others would come if they were needed. After all, the abducted Sisters had been rescued and they might too. She realised though that any backup would likely be slow to arrive.
“So what do you want to do now?” Cassia asked.
Knave moved closer, so he could join the conversation with the Sisters.
“Should we camp here for the night?” he asked. “I for one have aching feet and it’s bloody dark out there now, if you’ll forgive my language.”
Alexa grinned. “Actually, I think we should try and get some more walking done. We’ll be that much closer tomorrow if we do.”
Knave rubbed his chin. “Do you have any idea how far away it is now? You said it’s vanished from your senses. Are you sure it hasn’t returned?”
Alexa shook her head. “I haven’t checked but I can tell you.”
She closed her eyes and reached out with her mind, searching the landscape for the town she’d sensed. For a moment she thought she perceived something that stood apart from the landscape, but then it was gone. There was nothing there at all, but as her mind scanned their other surroundings, she sensed great fear, anxiety and upset.
Her eyes opened wide with shock. “The dragon – it needs our help. Either something’s caught it or it tried to catch something too big for it, and it’s in trouble.”
She focused her thoughts and tried to contact it.
“What’s wrong?” she asked the dragon, gently probing its thoughts.
She received a flash of images and terrified thoughts, as the dragon fought to escape something that confined it.
“I’m coming for you,” she promised the dragon, speaking aloud as she spoke the words telepathically.
“You’re what?” Knave asked, frowning with worry.
He knew that if she was as exhausted as he felt, she wouldn’t be in her best form to fight. None of them would. What they needed was rest.
“I’m going after him. I have to,” she told Knave, climbing to her feet. “Cassia, would you come with me, please? Neither of you have to if you’d prefer not to,” she told the others. “We’ll find our way back to you.”
Cassia frowned. “I haven’t agreed yet, but you know I will.”
With a nod, Alexa confirmed that she knew. “I appreciate it.”
Trading glances, Ariane and Knave gathered up their cooking utensils.
“The way I see it,” Knave said, “we were heading in roughly that direction anyway. We might as well just go now, even if my feet say otherwise.”
Alexa didn’t want to wait for the others, but they didn’t take long. With their gear packed up, they soon hurried toward the dragon’s location.
Alexa felt its keening in her mind and the way it fought its confinement. She asked it what had happened to it, but she couldn’t get a straight answer. All she could tell was that the dragon was trapped close to the ground and its wings were pinned close to its body.
She’d thought it was dark before, but it was far darker out by the time night fully fell. A multitude of stars glittered in the night sky, and it was a beautiful sight, but she was sure she sensed the dragon weakening.
“Hold on,” she told him, but she feared that like his mother, he might die or be fed to the manse. “Are there people there?” she asked him, wondering if the Nemorans had him.
Before she tried reaching out her senses again, the dragon answered “no.”
The distance had felt large when she’d first sensed it, but she knew now that they grew closer. The landscape had become rockier with rises and dips in the landscape, which seemed like they might lead to hillier country.
“We’re getting close to him,” she told the others in a quiet voice. Sound seemed to travel further than usual at night.
The others slowed, as did she, and she tried to sense a clear direction.
“There, just over that hill,” she told them. “I don’t know what has him; if it’s a trap, or an animal, or something else.”
They moved together carefully as a group, the others behind Alexa, as she felt an overpowering urge to return to the dragon’s side. She wasn’t sure why – if it was more than merely compassion, but she knew she wouldn’t rest until she knew for sure what had become of the dragon, and helped it if she could.
“Alexa, slow down,” Cassia exclaimed, but she only stopped when she noticed unnerving signs in her surroundings. There were webs on the ground and wrapped around trees. They weren’t small, like your run of the mill spider’s web either. These were massive, and seemed almost to glow with radiance in the moonlight.
Beside her, she heard Ariane gasp. “Spiders. Why did it have to be spiders?”
Alexa’s eyes widened in fear, wondering if one had got her dragon.
She knew she should be careful, but she didn’t want to waste a moment.
Alexa drew her sword, slicing through any spider webs she passed, which spanned the places between rocks and the distance between what few trees grew here. She kept her senses attuned, feeling the way the others followed her, though their words seemed to blur together as she placed greater emphasis on her other senses.
She could tell where the dragon was, up ahead.
“Cassia, would you cast some light please?” she asked, knowing it might be visible in the distance, but she didn’t want to be left in darkness with spiders near – potentially the extra-large kind.
Cassia did as she asked, though she kept the light small and close to the ground. A summoned ball of yellow flame tracked ahead of them, leaving shadows of varying depths on the rocky ground until it neared where she sensed the dragon must be.
“There,” Alexa exclaimed. She hurried forward, her sword in hand, watching as the light passed over a massive spider, which was biting or draining blood from the young dragon. The web was larger than the dragon and bigger than herself. It was at least three times as tall as she was, strung between a rocky alcove and the side of a boulder.
She wanted to rescue the dragon but the spider was massive and hairy. It wouldn’t h
ave been out of place in her worst nightmares.
“You’re not killing him,” she told it, reaching out with her mind toward the spider.
She sensed little – only that it was a spider and hungry; nothing more.
“Go or I will kill you,” she told it.
Its cry of “my food,” was ignored, as she stepped in and thrust with her sword.
The spider defied her, defending its prey with bared fangs. Avoiding her sword, it scuttled down the web toward her.
“Alexa, we need to get out of here!” Knave shouted.
She reached out with her thoughts and soon knew they weren’t alone. There were other spiders coming – a lot of spiders!
She saw the dragon twitch and fight the sticky web that trapped it, while the largest spider tried to attack her.
It was hard to see well in the poor light, but she had her other sense to rely on. She slashed at the creature with her sword, but the spider dodged it and rushed in to bite her. She kicked it away with her boot, grateful they’d been able to get the heavier leather boots from the Temple of Victory.
A fireball flew past her out of nowhere, striking the spider and killing it in one firm, fiery blow.
“Alexa, get the dragon out of there and let’s go.” Cassia was angry, frightened and resolute that she had no intention of staying there any longer.
Alexa quickly slashed the web around the dragon, and helped catch it when it fell.
The dragon was huge, and it was clearly weak, but with Knave’s help, they got it out of there and retreated back the way they’d come.
Soon there was no sign of spiders, but Cassia’s light revealed that a large swathe of the landscape was covered with webs.
Once they were well clear of danger, Cassia brought the light closer to the dragon while they checked its wounds. It had a multitude of bites, but only a few had penetrated between its scales.
Alexa cleaned them with water and covered the worst of the wounds with soft bandages.
“Does anyone know if those spiders would have venom?” she asked the others with worry.
