Behind and lower, Serak rode his own mount. Draeken caught several lingering looks from the Father of Guardians, but ignored them. Serak would learn their destination when they arrived. Draeken fleetingly considered if his plan was sound, but discarded the doubt. He’d seen the truth in Serak’s gaze after the battle at Xshaltheria, and the horror on his face had been unmistakable. Serak had raised Draeken to his position and called him master, but he would not remain a servant for long.
Draeken spotted their destination and directed the great red dragon downward. The beast did as ordered, but his mind conveyed an air of seething hatred. Draeken smiled, pleased that the king of dragons knew his place.
They passed through giant peaks and descended into a hidden valley, a shelf of rock surrounded by mountains. A great chasm marked the east side of the city, one surviving bridge reaching to the opposite side, where a canyon cut through the mountains, the narrow passage the only point of ingress to the ruins. Once a mighty fortress, the city had long since fallen to decay.
Verisith.
The city had inspired wonder and mystery among all nations, the stronghold at the heart of the powerful guild of Verinai. Few non-Verinai ever set foot in the city, and fewer still survived to speak of their experience. Since the fall of the Verinai, many had sought its secrets, but none returned, the adventurers falling to the hands of the guardians still tethered to the city foundations. None were as strong as Draeken or Serak, but they were powerful enough to protect the city. Even if they were going mad.
“Why are we coming here?” Serak called as they landed.
The two dragons alighted on the city battlements that overlooked the gorge. Draeken dropped from Gorewrathian’s neck and surveyed the decaying city, a small smile on his features. He recalled exploring its alleys and buildings as the fragment of Shadow, relishing the dark recesses.
Verisith was just a few miles from Cloudy Vale, the place where the fragments had spent the bulk of their youth, and where Draeken recalled so many memories. The fragments remembered the Vale with fondness, but Draeken remembered the Vale as his prison.
“There is one secret we must unearth.” Draeken strode to the stairs and pointed to the keep at the back of the city. “It lies within Elsin’s own chambers.”
Serak’s eyes clouded at the mention of Elsin, and Draeken turned away so Serak would not see his smile. The fragment of Mind had discovered a great deal about Elsin, and her relationship to Serak. The woman had been guildmaster of the Verinai, brought Serak to Lumineia, and turned him into the Father of Guardians. She’d also spent much of her life experimenting with magic, creating numerous spells that many of the guilds still feared.
Draeken descended the steps of the battlements and advanced up the main throughway of the city, marveling at how he’d feared the denizens in his youth. The guardians had been forged from beast and man with various magics. As Shadow, he’d escaped their clutches on countless occasions. Light had disliked the ruins, while Fire had occasionally tested his mettle against the guardians. Now, Draeken walked among the legacy of the Verinai, and knew that he was the greatest.
He advanced up the center of the road, unhurried. One guardian barred the way, a man imbued with the magic of fire. The statue turned to flesh as Draeken and Serak approached, and fire spilled into his hands. Then he caught sight of Draeken and did not strike. Draeken smiled as he passed the guardian, and it turned back to stone. Even they sensed his superiority.
“What do we seek?” Serak asked.
“Did you know that I was originally bonded to a human youth?” Draeken asked.
“I know everything about you,” Serak replied.
“Elsin was the boy’s mother,” Draeken continued as if he had not heard. “I have a few scattered memories of him and know what Elsin looked like. What was most vivid in those child’s memories was Elsin’s determination.”
“It was her defining characteristic,” Serak said.
Draeken swept a hand to the ruins of Verisith. “This city is a testament to her greatest triumph, the power of the guild of Verinai, and her greatest failure, believing she was invulnerable.”
“It was not her fault she failed,” Serak said. “She fought against Elenyr, the most powerful oracle in ages, perhaps in our entire history.”
Draeken flew them up the face of the keep, elevating to enter through a windows on the fifth floor. From there he made his way to the stairs where he ascended to Elsin’s private office. The keep had been carved directly from the cliff face, with the base level a great, open hall. The second hall also contained large windows and a wide promenade, a place for receiving kings and dignitaries. Vines now grew across the ground, and dust and grime coated the surfaces.
Above the halls, the rooms were split, with the front chambers overlooking the city, and the rear chambers set inside the mountain, the windowless rooms providing a secure place for masters to teach apprentices more damaging magic. A corridor separated the back and front sides of the keep, and Draeken led Serak to its topmost level.
Passing the once elegant bedchamber that had belonged to Guildmaster Elsin, Draeken stepped to the office. He swung the door open and came to a halt, where he surveyed the chamber. A desk sat at the back, and a handful of books were placed neatly on a shelf. Paintings had once graced the walls but they were covered in dust and grime, the images worn away. He stepped to one of the paintings and caught the latch, swinging the secret door open.
Draeken advanced down the dark corridor. Light orbs had long since gone dark, so he gestured upward, infusing them with light. Serak strode in his wake, his step hesitant, reserved, but he did not again ask about their purpose.
Draeken reached the chamber at the end and breathed deep of the cool air. Bowl shaped on the ceiling and flat across the floor, the circular room contained a large hole at the center. An enormous sphere of swirling water hovered above the hole, perpetually fed by four small waterfalls trickling down from above.
“The room where you were created,” Serak said, coming to a halt at his side.
“And the one where you professed your love to Elsin,” he replied.
“What secrets lie in here?” Serak asked.
Draeken advanced to the sphere of magic and gazed upward, recalling the moment he was separated from the boy, the first time a guardian had been parted from the flesh that had been its host.
“The secret was not present before,” Draeken said.
“I don’t understand,” Serak replied. “I thought you said it was here.”
“It is,” Draeken said, and turned to Serak. “It just arrived.”
Serak stared at him, and understanding ignited in his eyes. “You think I have kept a secret from you?”
“Of course,” Draeken replied.
“Master,” Serak scoffed, “I created you. I will forever be your most loyal servant.”
“Even when I do not follow your plan?”
A touch of doubt appeared in Serak’s eyes as he shook his head. “I serve you.”
“Even when I use the fiends to destroy the people of Lumineia?”
“Always.”
Serak retreated as Draeken began to advance. “Even when I want to conquer the kingdoms of Lumineia and become their king?”
“You are my master,” Serak insisted.
