Then I’ll be right back to square one, but at least with a charged crystal, I have a shot at beating Merglan one-on-one.
That’s a dangerous path.
But one I feel myself being pulled down. Remember what Solomon told me. Follow my heart.
He also said you could be led down a path of self-destruction.
He didn’t say that.
It was implied. I read between the lines, Zahara said.
Well, we don’t have very many choices. Either we learn how to recharge the crystals or displace their power. That’s the only way I can see us taking Merglan down.
What about them? Zahara asked, motioning toward Maija and Raffagaun. We could train them to be riders like us and we could fight together.
That will take too much time, something we don’t have. If we did seclude ourselves and focused on honing our abilities, we’d be leaving all of Kartania unprotected for Merglan’s taking. By the time we were ready to face him, his forces would be too strong for us to defeat. Right now, we still have time to stop him in Southland.
It might already be too late. He’s controlling dragons in Nagano, his kurr are running wild here in the Everlight Kingdom, his orcs are flooding Southland. What’s to say he hasn’t invaded Westland already?
Don’t say that, Anders said.
Why not? It’s a rational train of thought. If he’s got influence here, why wouldn’t he have it in Westland, too?
Because I sent Kirsten, Thomas, Max and Bo back there assuming that they would be returning to safety, he said, feeling his heartbeat quicken.
Sorry, but I’m just stating something we might expect to learn when we reach Cedarbridge.
I know, but I hope you’re wrong about this.
Anders sped up the trail to tell Maija that he and Zahara were ready to take flight. When he came alongside her, she asked, “Did you get your plans sorted out?”
“More or less. Hopefully, they’ll still be receptive to us returning,” he said.
“Let me guess, because you left with their new king in a hurry to kill their queen before proving to the High Council that Lageena really did do it?” Maija asked.
“That sums it up nicely,” Anders nodded.
“Should be interesting,” Maija said.
“Yeah,” Anders said, looking through the gaps in the canopy at the sky. Clouds formed, darkening to the west. “I think we’re far enough from the border with Nagano now to take a look at where we are.”
Maija and Raffa waited as Anders and Zahara launched through the canopy, snapping a few tree limbs with her large wings to reach the open sky. They hadn’t sensed any dragons nearby, but Anders instantly surveyed to the north and east. He thought himself well enough to trust his senses and the absence of dragons on the horizon confirmed it for him.
As he and Zahara circled slowly above the trees, looking out in each direction to pinpoint their location, Anders quickly began to identify familiar landmarks. He could see the distant blue to the south, marking the Marauder’s Sea. The wash of green treetops extended far to the west until it ran abruptly into the distant Frozentip Mountains. Mount Bloodtooth hid behind a wall of dark clouds, building above the forest. A strong draft pulled in toward the ominous clouds and shook Zahara, causing her to struggle to keep her balance in flight. The thunderhead forming just above the trees blocked the remaining mountain peaks that Anders had hoped to use to gauge the location of the hidden elf city. Using his memory to envision their present location relative to Cedarbridge, Anders gathered a clear picture of the city and found it to be directly below the center of the enormous, threatening thunderhead.
Diving back down into the trees, Anders and Zahara landed abruptly. Maija and Raffa stood awaiting their report. After discussing the distance to the hidden city, he and Zahara agreed that the safest route would be to continue on foot to the city. The last thing Anders and Zahara wanted was to crash and further injure themselves by flying into the storm. Not only that, but if they weren’t recognized in the darkness of the storm, they might be assumed to be enemies and, consequently, mistakenly attacked. If they entered on foot, they would have a better opportunity to show who they were, unless they didn’t make it before nightfall. He gauged the position of the sun one last time and was convinced they could make it before sunset.
As they made their way through the forest, they noted several paths created by the kurr. Kurr activity this close to the elven city raised their concern for the welfare of this kingdom and their allies. Anders hoped that the elves and resident dragons hadn’t suffered any attacks while they’d been away. He didn’t think that was possible given that the city was hidden and protected with magic, but then again, Lageena had been able to sneak her way into the city and carry out all kinds of evil, including the murder of a respected king.
The skies darkened in the early afternoon as the towering clouds amassed further. The trees in the forest swayed and rustled violently from gusts pulling inward in the storm’s updraft. Anders had watched many storms roll into Highborn Bay over the years. They arrived with updrafts followed by down-drafting winds when the storm wall hit, but this thunderhead seemed to be acting differently. It remained firmly over the elven city and didn’t move regardless of the wind’s direction. The storm continually drew inward, but when they passed under the storm wall, the downdraft didn’t hit. Anders watched the treetops bend and sway, leaning together toward the storm.
As they neared the city, darkness fell early. Anders found he had to rely on his other senses to navigate their way along the path. The sound of rushing wind and swaying trees roared in their ears.
Maija tapped him on the shoulder, “Hey, Anders, did you hear that?”
Anders shook his head, “No, hear what?”
“The marching?”
“What, no. I didn’t hear anything.”
“It’s coming this way.”
Anders opened his senses, scanning the area around them. Suddenly he realized that they were about to be attacked. Anders could feel a group of enemies running directly toward them.
Looking to Maija, he shouted over the wind, “Kurr, they’re coming this way!”
Zahara and Raffa readied themselves for a fight. Anders drew his sword, and Maija gripped the dagger Anders handed her.
“They’re almost here,” Maija said.
Just when Anders thought he could finally hear the stampeding over the wind, it vanished. A muffled thwacking noise replaced it.
“What’s happening?” Anders asked Maija, searching his senses for them again. Anders realized he was relying on her as much as he was his magic.
“They stopped. Something else got them,” she said.
Anders sensed killing, a slaughter was happening in the trees not far from where they stood.
