Chapter 32

  “Cari! Don’t!”

  But there was no stopping her. The young explorer let out a squeal, racing up the stone steps and onto the long bridge. Her hair was growing fast, already it fell below her shoulders. It whipped around her face, caught in the wind as she ran. And she was taller, not by much, but just enough to cause concern. Cari would not be young forever.

  “Don’t leave my sight,” Fia sighed, calling after her as she trailed behind, studying the bridge. It was burnt black, and strewn across its length were bodies, leftovers from a vicious skirmish. She saw the tattered sapphire and topaz banners of House Weiss and the standard of the White Hawk that had met them. No matter where they went, they could not escape the mark of war.

  “Look!” Shouted Cari. She ran back to Fia, holding up a third flag. The red sun, haloed in gold, and bleeding from its core. “They were here! But which side do you think they were on?”

  “They must fight for the King,” she mused. “Whatever they are, they move freely throughout Orent.” There were so many factions, so many minor houses vying for power. Fia was not familiar with this one, but Timor had said to expect more changes. And this rising force was proof of it. She continued to think, watching absently as Cari picked through the battlefield, searching for trophies. But there was little to salvage. Whatever fire had burned across the siege had left the bridge in an unnatural ruin. Steel and plate, melted down into pools of an unrecognizable alloy. And in places, the stone itself had turned to glass. It was no ordinary flame that could cause such destruction.

  “Stay close,” she reminded Cari, who nodded solemnly, her excitement dulled by the utter lack of treasure.

  “Was it a mage?”

  ‘I don’t know…perhaps.” It certainly could have been. A fire that could burn through stone would be no trouble for one of the King’s Magi, but there were other possibilities.

  They continued across the chasm. Far below, the thin blue snake of the Aurin cut along the canyon walls.

  At the end of the long bridge stood the Crag, and hewn into the cliff, the gates to the Forge. It, too, had been touched by flame and burst through. The great iron seal lay twisted amongst shards of glass and shattered rock.

  “Listen.” Fia placed a hand on Cari’s shoulder, pulling her close. The girl tilted her head up, and her spectacles slid back against her brow. Still too big, but they seemed to shrink with every day that passed.

  “Yes,” she whispered, eyes sparkling.

  “It may be dangerous in there.”

  “Right.”

  “No more running ahead.”

  “I know.” But she was already looking through Fia, staring into the darkness behind the gates, bouncing up and down in anticipation.

  “Cari,” she raised her voice, and the girl looked back quickly.

  “I know,” she repeated, crossing her arms.

  “You know I didn’t want to bring you.”

  “Hmph.”

  “But,” she paused as Cari glared up at her, “You were right. I can’t always be there to protect you. So, you need to learn. It’s something I wish… Well, it's something I missed out on learning when I had the chance.”

  Cari’s frown faded, curling into a smile. She took hold of Fia’s hand and, with her other hand, drew the Trident from the strap on her back.

  “It’s going to be fine,” she whispered. “I’ve got this.” She flourished the Trident, spinning it in her hand, its golden embellishments gleaming in the dying light. “And—”

  “—And you’ll listen to me?”

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  “No matter what!”

  No matter what…

  “Well, let’s get going then.”

  Fia closed her eyes. She thought of her young ward. Of their first nights together in the loop. How the poor girl had been unable to sleep, her dreams plagued by ill spirits, haunted by the whispers of the life she had left behind. Fia had stayed with her. Holding her through the nightmares, cradling her as she wept, hoping to help lead her from the darkness. And when the dreams finally ended and Cari slept in peace, a weight was lifted from Fia. The shadow that had taken hold of her was banished, driven out by a light that filled her heart.

  And the glow spilled from her, pooling around them, and coming together, weaving into golden threads to form a shining bauble, a guiding light.

  They stepped through the gate and into the forge.

  The gateway opened into a grand hall. A majestic room with pillars spiraling up towards the mountain’s peak, holding up ceilings so far above that they could not be seen in the dim golden light. The fire had passed through here, burning away the heraldic carvings and brilliant regalia that once adorned the hall. The fire had faded, but there was still a warmth to the remaining stones. A lingering heat permeated from the floor, and though the last embers had long since burned out, the memory of the inferno scared the keep.

  “Do you see anything?” Fia asked.

  “Hmmmm,” Cari stared into the room, her emerald eyes squinting behind thick lenses. “It's too dark!” she complained.

  “Focus, use your staff.”

  “Trident,” Cari corrected.

  It was a staff in essence, but Cari was stubborn and would only allow it to be referred to by its proper title.

  They stood in silence, Cari with the Trident held out as she took deep, slow breaths. “On the ceiling?” she finally offered.

  “Very good,” Fia smiled. “The fire that swept through this hall was of magical origin. That type of power doesn’t just go away. Not without leaving something behind.”

  “What did it leave?” Her voice squeaked, but she steadied her hand, looking out fiercely into the dark.

  “Some sort of slime, I’d expect. Ash, maybe Ember, it really depends on how much mana was left over.”

  “Are they dangerous?”

  “They can be, if you’re taken by surprise or if you aren’t familiar with the terrain. That’s why they hide on the ceiling, to drop down on unsuspecting explorers.” She saw Cari’s eyes fill with worry. “But we’ll be fine,” she said reassuringly, “We know they’re there.”

  “And you’re going to take care of them?”

  “Don’t you want to practice?”

  Cari looked down, rocking back and forth on her heels as she fidgeted with her sleeves.

  “I’ll make sure nothing happens to you.”

  “Okay,” Cari mumbled, but she didn’t seem convinced

  “I’m going to send a light up.”

  A second orb shimmered into view and began to drift upwards. On the ceiling were several mounds, large gray piles of smoldering rock.

  “Looks like they are Ashen,” Fia called, “Shouldn’t be too much trouble.”

  And Cari stepped forward, jaw clenched, eyes narrowed. She held up the Trident and from its prongs poured three streams, the waters of Kalidros. They swirled around her, frothing like ocean waves in a rising storm. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the water roaring, flying up to the ceiling.

  There was a violent hiss as water hit the rocks, a furious sputtering as steam screamed into the light. And out of the steaming clouds they fell, like liquid fire, in waves of crimson and gold crashing down upon the hall.

  “So not Ashen then…Magma. Don’t worry, Cari, I’ll handle this.” She stepped by the girl, but as she passed, she felt Cari’s hand catch her arm.

  “I’ve got this,” she growled.

  “That’s my girl.”

  There were five of them. Towering piles of molten rock, cracking and tearing as they slid forward, chewing through the floor, adding more fuel to their piles. Magma Slimes were imposing creatures and hard to kill, but like all slimes, they were far too slow to be a real threat once exposed. They did have one trick, but it had already been played; they burned too hot to be doused in water. It was lucky the ceilings had been so high; they had escaped the worst of the—

  —Cari sent another wave at them, and the room exploded in a burst of steam.

  Fia’s shields flashed up, deflecting the steam just in time.

  “Cari!” she scolded, “We already know water doesn’t work!”

  “Sorry…But what else can I do?”

  “Perhaps ice?”

  “Ice is just water, you know.”

  “Well…frost then. Focus on cooling them. But it’ll need to be quite cold, so we’ll do it together.”

  They sat. Holding hands to channel their mana, raising their staffs to chill the room.

  The magma was still so far away, creeping towards them at a menacing crawl. And from far away, the air began to change, growing cold and biting at them. And they slowed. It was hard to tell because of how slow they already were, but they did. They grew slower and slower, as little bits hardened and crumbled from their surface. Until finally, they moved no more.

  “There we go,” Fia smiled. She closed her eyes, sending spears of light flying to shatter the mounds, returning them to stone. “That wasn’t so bad.”

  “For you. I didn’t do anything.”

  “Yes, you did! We did it together.”

  Cari sighed, kicking at the rocks, “Don’t help me next time. I need to do this on my own.”

  “Okay.”

  “Do you promise?”

  “I promise… Until you ask for it.”

  Cari grinned, “Deal.”

  They walked a while, journeying down into the depths of the keep. But the deeper they delved, the brighter it grew. Soon, there was no need for the golden light of Fia’s orb. The walls were lined with strange sconces, unlit and yet emanating a warm glow.

  In the distance, deep below the earth, they could hear a low rumble. The growling hiss of fresh air rushing through creaking bellows, the sharp ring of steel folding into place, the roar of flames devouring. Someone was working the forge.

  Fia reached into her pocket, and the compass burned, white hot.

  Cycle: Cari 19-1