Chapter 32

  The descent through the Crag was treacherous. A twisted labyrinth of false paths and hidden walkways spiraling deep into the mountain. Though it must have been home to thousands, they came across no shops, taverns, or living quarters. The Keep had been designed for one purpose: to deny access to the Forge. Indeed, with even a fraction of the garrison remaining, the city would have been impenetrable.

  But the Crag was abandoned, its defenses laid bare. All was silent. The crenel-lined walls no longer sang with the strumming of bowstrings or the hiss of arrows flung from dark corners. No screams echoed between the gates as fire rained down from secret murder holes. And every wrong turn that had once been met by a sharp gasp and a quick drop was now only cause for a half-hearted shrug and sheepish grin.

  They followed the cobblestone paths, led through the maze by a cool breeze. In the depths, the bellows groaned, creaking as they drew fresh air from the surface to feed the flames. It whistled through the halls, pushing at their backs, guiding them forward.

  “They must have made it to the Forge.” Cari shuddered, delicately picking her way through a collage of azure and topaz, burned deep into the stone.

  “Certainly, they made it farther than we would have,” replied Fia. “We should be glad they cleared such a path for us.”

  “We could have taken them!” She swung her fists wildly as they walked, the Trident shimmering on her back.

  “We wouldn’t have stood a chance.” Fia smiled. The girl was nothing if not fierce.

  “It's they who wouldn’t have stood a chance!” Cari protested, “And besides, Ella would have saved us!”

  She was probably right, but no good would come from letting the girl think so. She was already rash enough as is. “We can’t be so reliant on her, Cari,” Fia argued, “Most of all, you. If Ella gets you out of every pickle, you won’t know how to do it when she’s not there.”

  “Oh, I’d be just fine,” She growled, reaching over her shoulder to grip the Godslayer.

  Fia couldn’t help but laugh at this, though she quickly stifled the sound, hiding it in a series of coughs as Cari shot her a withering glance. The girl was wild. A fiery boldness burned inside her tiny figure, and its flames tickled Fia’s heart, making it nearly impossible to be firm with her. It was something she knew she must change; Cari would never be safe if she did not first learn some hard lessons. Had Sophie ever felt that way about her? No, Sophie had not wanted her to face danger at all. Regardless, it was safe enough here, and while Cari did not know it, she was always more guarded than it seemed.

  They followed the wind for hours. As its pull grew in strength, the gray rock, once stacked like endless pages in a dusty tome, turned dark, folding into itself, the waves of ancient ocean, long dried. And finally, they found its source, a crack in the stone, though it was more like a gash. A great hole, clawed into the side of the mountain, as wide as ten men. And through it, the wind rushed.

  “Must we go in there?” Cari asked, peering into the abyss, her eyes filled with doubt.

  “So, it would seem.” Fia cast her light into the shaft. It was a steep drop, but cut into the side was a staircase. They could walk down it, at least for a little while. When she tilted her head to check above the break, she saw in the far distance, the tiny dot of sunlight. It was an air tunnel, but something had torn its way in and the bellows could no longer draw enough air to feed the Forge. Perhaps it had not been a mage that had burnt their way through the city. A harrowing thought, but one she need not share with Cari.

  “I guess they made it down here too…”

  “What?” She lifted her head to see Cari holding up a banner, the red sun. Behind her, stacked against the walls, were dozens of the same standard.

  “They just left them here…”

  There were no corpses, and there had been no sign of them on the journey down.

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  “They must have come through after the fighting was done. Probably didn’t want them getting caught in the wind. We need to be more careful from now on. They are likely the ones working the forge.”

  Cari nodded slowly, but then stopped frowning. “Fia?”

  “What is it?”

  “They’re not like the other soldiers.”

  “No, I suppose not. They have not been in Orent long. But remember, Timor said there would be changes.” She placed a hand on Cari, gently squeezing her shoulder, “Don’t worry, there is no change that would make me give you up. You’re stuck with me now.”

  “That’s not what I mean. Have you seen them? Around the city? It’s like they’re waiting for something, it's like…their eyes… they remind me of…” She fell silent, staring blankly past Fia, her hands twitching restlessly. It was as if she were lost in a dream. “We'd better find them,” she finally whispered, before stepping into the tunnel.

  The staircase wound around the edge of the shaft, hewn into the rock, as it corkscrewed down towards the Forge. And though the wind howled mere feet away, it could not enter the recess. The stone itself was smooth to touch, almost unnaturally so. Even though it had been carved into the stone, outside of the steps themselves, there were no edges.

  “It’s just like the tunnels beneath the shop!” Cari shouted over the wind.

  She was right. It was just like that. The Tomb of Orikelos, that’s what Malachai had called it. But what was this? They were too far from Orent for these to be the same ruins. How many places like this existed, hidden in the forgotten depths of the world? There was an order dedicated to uncovering these relics. Had they known of this place? Or had she and Cari stumbled upon a lost city?

  “A ruby, right?” Cari called out, interrupting her thoughts.

  “Oh…yes.” The burning eye, a crimson stone at the heart of the Crag, from which the Forge’s fire was drawn. It had another name, a true name, but this was as close as Timor had been able to translate from the language spoken on Kalmar.

  “It must be huge!” She cried, “To power a forge that needs wind tunnels of this size! How are we ever going to bring it back?”

  Fia had not thought of this. It had never occurred to her that the ruby might be massive. But it would make sense. Rubies were plentiful, there must be something about this one that made it unique and so desired. Would Timor have said anything? Surely, he would have, if he knew. But he never really knew as much as he seemed to.

  “Well, we’ll figure something out if that becomes an issue. No sense in worrying over something that may not even be.” But she was worried. Why? Even if the gem was too large, they could always return later. Such was the benefit of infinite time. There hadn’t even been any danger, she tried to reassure herself, and yet she could not shake the feeling that this was going to be a problem. They needed to get it now, the world was changing too quickly.

  “Chop it up into smaller pieces?” Cari mused. She had wandered further down the steps and was keenly observing the strange runes that lined the staircase. A soft glow sparkled from the carvings, illuminating the steps in starlight.

  “I don’t think Timor would like that,” she chuckled.

  “If he doesn’t like it,” Cari cried, turning back her face bathed in the pale blue light, “He can come get it himself!”

  “Wouldn’t that be something…”

  At the bottom of the stairs stood a great stone doorway. It hung half open, and through it, they could see the warm light of a fire and the shadows it cast, dancing along a golden floor.

  “Shhhhh,” Fia held a finger up to her lips and with her other hand motioned to Cari to step away from the light.

  The young girl nodded, retreating behind her obediently. But Fia could already feel her little hands carefully moving the folds in her sleeve to peek out into the chamber.

  In the center of the hall was the forge. A towering hearth dripping in the molten glow of flaming iron. Rivers of liquid fire flowed from heavy crucibles, snaking down into the earth like veins pumping into the heart. Underneath, the bellows groaned, and above, thick plumes of smoke curled towards the high ceiling, drawn into a gaping shaft to be funneled out into open sky. At its base stood a black anvil, nearly the height of three men and as wide as ten abreast.

  But there was no one to work it. A heavy hammer lay upon its surface, buried in ash and soot. And before it, the charred remains of dozens of men. The host of the red sun. They had been caught in the same fire that had taken the bridge above. The same fire that had destroyed the Iron Eye that held the Crag’s gate in place. Where had it come from?

  Surrounding the forge was a mountain of gold. Thousands of coins piled high, stacked towards the ceiling, looming over the burnt bodies.

  “Looks like it's all clear!” The young girl skipped past her.

  “Cari! No! Wait!”

  It was too late. As she stepped into the light, the gold began to shake, rumbling and sliding, falling away as dark shadows uncurled to rise above it. Great wings, tattered leathery sinews, those of a bat. And they beat down upon Cari like a wild storm, bending the poor girl to her knees. The gold parted, falling back, breaking upon the diamond head rising from its slumber. The thin stretched lids peeled away, revealing the slitted eyes, and from deep within, a fire ignited. Flame bubbled up its long neck, dripping from its fangs and pouring from its jaw.

  The fire rained down on Cari, and her screams were lost to the wind…

  But it did not touch her. The light from Fia’s staff was too quick; it surrounded Cari in a shield that the fire could not break, pulling the sobbing girl away, back into her outstretched arms.

  There was a long silence as the serpentine eyes watched them curiously, and then the dragon spoke.

  Cycle: Cari 19-1