by Eric Vall
“Suit yourself,” I chuckled. “We’ll be in there soon.”
“Fine,” Naomi said and spun around to leave without another word.
“She is rather stubborn,” Aaliyah pouted as she slid back into the water and grabbed a bar of soap.
“Don’t worry,” I assured her. “She’ll warm up to us soon enough.”
Aaliyah and I finished our baths and got dressed. Then we walked down to the dining hall, where everyone else was seated around the table. There were several trays of sliced bread and cheese, as well as a couple trays of various sliced cold meat to make sandwiches. Another tray was filled with cubes of orange fruit, and each place at the table had a mug of some fruity-smelling wine.
I walked around to my seat next to Alyona and looked across the table at Naomi, but the lizard mage avoided my gaze as she began to assemble her sandwich and stabbed some fruit onto her plate.
“I assume the trip was a success?” Nike broke the silence.
“Yes, we have the Flame,” I confirmed with a nod. “Now, we just have to find the Sundex and new hiding places for all three artifacts.”
“Oh, that’s it, huh?” the noble chuckled. “Nothing we can’t handle.”
“Nah,” I agreed with a grin.
“How was the oasis?” Naomi asked as she finally looked up with interest.
“It was, ah, interesting,” I replied as I recalled the naked water sprites and my own naked dip in the lake. “The most important part is we got the Flame, and we can’t let anyone else have it. We think it may actually be more of a threat than the Bow.”
“How?” Ravi wondered as she cocked her head in a bird-like gesture of curiosity. “The Bow is an actual weapon.”
“Well, the Flame seems to have stronger magic,” I explained. “It, ah, yeah, seems stronger. Not sure why yet.”
I considered going into more detail about how it moved in my direction, but I decided against it. No need to worry all of them. Besides, we didn’t even know why it reached out to me like that, so there was no use telling everyone else about it right now. Maybe Alyona could do some research for me.
“So, what do we do now?” Vallen asked with worry in his yellow eyes.
“Now, we find Milo and take back the Sundex,” I growled as I thought of the thief. “Then, we can take care of the Celestial Triad before anyone else comes for it.”
My inner dragon roared at the idea of another opponent.
We would tear apart anyone who came after the relics again.
Chapter 17
Once I finished eating, I sat back against my chair with a full belly, but my hunger to take back the Sundex only grew. It was part of my treasure now, and Milo would pay dearly for taking it from me.
“My lord, we should probably update my father,” Alyona suggested and interrupted my hoarding fantasy. “He doesn’t know we solved his riddles yet.”
“Good point,” I agreed. “Let’s call him, but we should talk to him somewhere a little more private. I need to tell him everything.”
That is a good idea, Miraya interjected. The king may be able to help you.
Alyona nodded, and we stood up from the table.
“Please, excuse us,” she said to the rest of the table with a small bow. “We will return shortly.”
Then we walked out of the dining hall and into the living room, and the sculptures and paintings kept a watchful eye on us as we sat down in the chairs near the wall. The princess reached into her spatial storage and pulled out the white jade hand mirror. Then she murmured a few words, and the shiny surface began to shimmer and ripple before King Rodion’s face appeared.
The king’s white hair was tied back into a ponytail, and the tumultuous sky circled around behind him. The black clouds looked ready to pour rain down on him, and his features were creased with worry before he looked down at his own mirror.
“Daughter, did you receive my message?” the king asked with a hopeful expression.
“Yes, and we have retrieved the relics,” Alyona replied.
“Already?” King Rodion looked surprised before he shook his head. “That was… quick.”
“We didn’t want to take any chances,” I chuckled. “Though the artifacts seem to be a little more powerful than we even expected.”
“What do you mean?” he asked as he leaned closer to the mirror and raised a white eyebrow.
“Well, they call out to me,” I answered with a shrug. “The Bow has been begging me to use it, and the Flame reaches for me any time I’m near it. When we saw the Sundex, I felt overcome with feelings of dread, but I haven’t been close enough to hear its voice. Is that normal?”
“Hmmmm,” King Rodion hummed before he cleared his throat. “Not exactly. To be honest, I’ve never heard of that at all. It’s very strange indeed. Have you answered them?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I’ve been doing my best to just ignore them.”
“And how is that going?” the king asked as he shifted in his seat, and I could practically feel his laser gaze through the glass.
“Uhhh,” I hesitated as I ran my fingers through my hair. “It’s going well as long as they’re not in my spatial storage. I can’t hear them as well when they’re outside of it.”
“So, where are they?” He sat straight up and stared into the mirror.
“The Bow is hidden beneath the city with a rather unconventional guard,” Alyona answered with a smile. “It would take some work to get to it right now. And I have the Flame in my spacial storage. I don’t hear its voice as Lord Evan does, so it doesn’t bother me in there. We’re going to retrieve the Sundex next.”
“Good,” King Rodion said as he leaned back. “You shouldn’t put them in the same place. We don’t need to combine them. It could end in a disaster. What is your plan to get the Sundex back from the thieves? Are you sure they haven’t sold the relic yet?”
“Well, we’ve killed nearly all of them already.” I smirked. “I believe there’s only one mage left, so we just have to find that Milo bastard and finish him off. Then we’ll take it back. It seems the bandit is quite desperate to have all three artifacts before he makes his deal.”
“Milo?” the king repeated and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “The name seems familiar, but I can’t quite place it. Anyway, we cannot let him sell it to the Green Glass Sect or anyone else who would help the demons. This war is hard enough without giving the demons any help.”
King Rodion glanced over his shoulder at the black and purple clouds that swirled in the air behind him. The wind had died down some since the last time we’d spoken, but it was obviously still a turbulent atmosphere. A gust of air billowed the king’s white robes around him, but it settled within a few seconds, and the king stared at me expectantly.
“We will find it,” I confirmed. “We aren’t sure how yet, but we’ll get it back. I promise.”
“Have you tried magical help?” The king turned slightly to focus on Alyona.
“You mean a spell?” the princess asked as she twisted her black forelock around her finger. “I wasn’t sure what to try. And I didn’t want to make things worse by experimenting.”
“There must be something you can find, my daughter,” King Rodion replied. “I have faith in your magical ability, and so should you. Just read carefully over each spell before you perform it. The power is in the words, so you simply must ensure the words will find what you need.”
“Thank you, Father,” Alyona said with a blush. “I will start my research immediately.”
“Oh, yeah, Lady Naomi has a huge collection of books and magical stuff,” I told the king. “I’m sure we can find something useful in there.”
“Perfect,” he responded, and he looked over his shoulder again as sprinkles of rain began to leak from the black clouds. “I must return to my post. Good luck to you both.”
“Thank you, sir,” I said with a nod. “We won’t disappoint you.”
“I know.” The king dipped his head in return, and then hi
s face shimmered and disappeared.
The mirror’s surface returned to a shiny reflection of our faces, and Alyona returned the hand mirror to her spacial storage with a sigh.
“Looks like we have some work to do,” I declared.
“I’m just not sure what to look for,” Alyona admitted. “I’ve never needed such a spell before. What if I do something wrong? What if I accidentally help Milo use the Sundex to escape? There are so many things that could happen if I don’t do this right.”
“Listen, if you can bring a random dude from a whole other realm over to Inati with a spell, I’m sure you can do anything,” I chuckled. “I’m your living proof of your skill.”
“Well, I didn’t know that’s what I was doing,” she giggled and blushed.
“Then it’s time to go try some stuff,” I said and stood up. “I know you can do this.”
I turned to my fiancée and held out my hand. She grabbed it with a smile, and I pulled her up to her feet. Then I squeezed her hand and led her back to the dining hall.
“Everything okay?” Nike asked as he narrowed his silver eyes at Alyona’s worried expression.
“All good, brother,” I replied. “We just have some work to do.”
“What kind of work?” Naomi asked and cocked her head to the side.
“Actually, we would like to use your library, if that’s alright,” Alyona answered. “My father said there should be a spell that can help us find Milo and the Sundex.”
“Any idea what you’re looking for?” The lizard mage raised a magenta eyebrow. “You saw for yourself how many texts are in there, and I have barely skimmed the surface of the information inside. It could take quite some time.”
“Not really,” the princess admitted. “I think with all of us working together, we should be able to find something that could help, though. I should be able to figure out which spell will serve our purpose.”
“If you say so,” Naomi replied with a shrug as she pushed her chair back from the table. “Let’s go see what we can find.”
The loud squeaks and scrapes of table legs across the floor echoed around the dining hall, and everyone rose to follow after Naomi to her magical library. We walked down the hallway to the small door and into the plain antechamber, and as Naomi opened the secret passage to her room, we followed her inside.
“Where would you like to begin, milady?” Vallen asked Alyona as he wrung his hands and gazed over the shelves of books.
“We should divide up and take sections to read,” the princess replied and traced the spine of a book with her delicate fingers. “If it sounds even slightly helpful, I’ll look at it.”
“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Ravi chirped as she headed for the “P” section.
So, we spread out across the books and started our search.
I plucked a book from the shelf and opened to the first page.
To Learn How to Use Your Voice
Well, as interesting as that sounded, I didn’t think it would help us find the Sundex.
To Find Your True Nature
To Explore Your Spiritual Sea
I flipped through all the pages of what was apparently a book of spells for self-discovery with an annoyed grunt. Then I slammed the book closed and returned it to the shelf.
It was fairly unlikely that you’d find the correct spell in the first book, Miraya giggled as she sat on the beach of my spiritual sea near the anchors. I know you’re ready to handle Milo, but you must keep trying.
“I know,” I sighed quietly. “I just want to find the Sundex now. We have to make sure it’s safe.”
We will, Miraya replied in a firm voice as she traced the ropes of the soul bridges.
Vallen whistled as he skimmed through the pages of his own text and then slid it back onto the shelf, while the dryads tittered over the spells they found.
“Love spells,” Polina giggled.
“Why would anyone want a magical love?” Marina rolled her eyes.
“Not everyone gets to fall in love with a sexy dragon,” Trina pointed out with a grin. “Though, I’m sure everyone wishes they could.”
“But what’s a Fruitful Seed spell?” Marina asked as they turned through the pages.
“Could I see that?” Alyona asked, and she peered over the dryads at the page as she read through the spell. “It won’t help right now, but let’s save that one for later.”
“Of course, milady,” Polina replied as she marked the page with a flower from her hair.
The princess smiled and returned to her own section, and I wondered what she was up to.
“Oh!” Aaliyah suddenly gasped and pointed excitedly at the spell in her book. “What about this?”
“Let me see.” Alyona hurried over to the lioness and scanned the page. “A location spell could help … oh, darn. You need a replica of the item you wish to locate. And it has to be exact. We would need to get the inscriptions, the color, even the shape perfect.”
“We don’t have time for that,” I grunted as I grabbed another book. “Let’s see what else we can find.”
Aaliyah dipped her head with a sigh and continued looking through the book.
I slammed my book about soulmates closed, and I reached for another, turned the first page, and flipped through another forty pages. I had nearly given up on the book when I reached the last page and saw an interesting title.
To Find a Magical Object
“Alyona?” I asked as I pointed to the page. “Would this work?”
The princess craned her neck around me to read the page.
“Yes, finding a magical object,” she murmured as she read. “Any object which contains magic… using only a few items… oh!”
“What?” I asked as I tried to find what she’d read.
“It, ah, it requires a blood sacrifice,” she replied in a near whisper.
“Fuck that,” I growled and ripped the page from the book. “No one needs that one.”
Alyona nodded as I conjured a small flame in my hand and torched the page. I watched the flames lick up the parchment and wondered for a moment if this was the kind of spell Olivier had used when he left behind scores of bodies in the caves near Hatra. The thought of the children he’d killed for his blood magic made my stomach turn, and a growl rumbled in my chest as the spell turned to ash in my hand. He had yet to pay for his crimes, but he would.
And I would enjoy every moment of ripping out his throat.
I gave myself a mental shake to return to the present and placed the book back onto the shelf with a soft thud.
Another hour passed, and spell after spell sounded good until it required some ridiculous ingredient like blood from the first prince or needed days to create it.
“There has to be something!” I grunted as I slammed another book closed. “We need to find the fucking spell.”
You will find it, Miraya assured me.
Before I could answer, Naomi stood up with an open book.
“Wait, my lord,” she murmured. “I may have something here.”
Alyona hurried over to the lizard mage and took the spell book. The princess hummed through the page, and her amethyst eyes brightened with excitement.
“Lord Evan!” she cried out. “This could work! It’s used to find power.”
“Okay, what do we need to do?” I asked and placed my book back onto the shelf.
“We need a few things,” the princess replied. “There’s only one I’m not sure about. Do you have any tacca flowers near here, Lady Naomi?”
“There are rumors of rare plants growing in the Kawaii Forest where we hunt,” Naomi answered as she scanned the page. “I can’t say for certain because we’ve never looked for them, but it would make sense for tacca flowers to grow there. It’s the right environment for them to flourish.”
“Well, it seems like we need to look for them now,” I said. “What else do we need?”
“In addition to the seed of a tacca flower, the spell requires bones of a raven, the
tears of a phoenix, a pure sapphire, and the blood of a dragon,” Alyona read off the ingredients and giggled. “I’m sure the writer of this spell thought a couple of those would be hard to find.”
“Guess they didn’t see us coming,” I chuckled. “Okay, Naomi and Aaliyah, come with me to the forest. Miraya is already with me, and she can help. We’ll get the flower. Lord Vallen, please help Lord Nikolas and Laika find a pure sapphire. I imagine you have one in your treasures?”
“Yes, I’m sure we do,” the lizard Demi-Human agreed.
“Good,” I said. “Ravi and the dryads can collect some raven bones, while Alyona stays in here to start the spell. Sounds good?”
“Of course, my lord,” the phoenix replied with a smile.
“Perfect, let’s get to it,” I directed, and then I led Naomi and Aaliyah out of the library and down the hall.
“I can have the guards prepare a wagon for us,” Naomi offered as we walked into the great hall.
“No time,” I replied. “We’ll fly.”
“Fly?” the lizard mage repeated as her jaw dropped open. “I can’t fly.”
“No,” I chuckled, “but I can.”
We stepped out into the afternoon sunlight, and I motioned for the women to stop as I continued out onto the street. Then I grinned as I shifted into my dragon form, and my black scales glistened in the bright sun.
Aaliyah grinned back as she skipped over to me and grabbed a spike to pull herself up onto my spine.
“Uh, is it safe for both of us?” Naomi asked with a doubtful expression. “I can always stay and help find the sapphire.”
“Yes, it’s safe,” I laughed. “I would never put you into any danger, but we do need your help to find what we need in the forest.”
“You should have joined us earlier,” Aaliyah purred with a Cheshire cat grin. “You’d be more used to riding Lord Evan.”
Naomi blushed so deeply, her face nearly matched the magenta scales on her neck, and she climbed onto my back without another word.
Oh, your women can get used to being with you? Miraya asked in surprise. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to you.
Another laugh rumbled in my chest, and I waited until the women gripped my spikes tightly before I took off into the sky. The sun beat down on us as we flew over the city gates and into the desert, and the warmth felt good on my scales.
