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'Then why did he do that?'

'Because he's an idiot.'

'Fyia …'

She rounded on him. 'Don't lecture me, unless you want to talk about Essa … What, in all the Seven Hells, is going on between you two?'

Veau shut down. He shook his head, then followed the others. She would never understand her brother, or the special kind of torture he and Essa put themselves through.

Axus led them along a labyrinth of passages, winding this way and that through the mountain. They descended and descended, the air becoming colder, damper, and Fyia shivered as a thick layer of magic coated the air.

'Can you feel that?' Fyia asked Veau.

He nodded, flicking wary eyes to Axus, and Fyia said no more, wondering about the dynamic between the two.

They eventually reached a stone door, which Axus unlocked using his magic, placing a hand on the stone. He heaved it open, putting all his weight into pulling it towards him, and as soon as it cracked, ancient air rushed out, ruffling their hair.

'What was that?' asked Edu, stepping towards Fyia.

'That magic has been trapped inside for a long time,' said Axus. 'It wanted to escape.'

'Where will it go?' asked Adigos.

'Wherever it wants,' said Axus, stepping through the doorway.

They followed, and it surprised Fyia to find a maze of metal runners adorned the walls. A metal ball—presumably from the dragon clock above—slid down a section of runner, then disappeared into a trough of water against the wall. A raised circular pool full of shimmering amethyst-colored liquid stood in the middle of the room.

'What's that?' Fyia asked. She turned toward Axus, who was playing with dials and levers set into the wall next to the door.

He ignored her, and a deep rumbling filled the air. Edu and Adigos closed ranks around Fyia, looking for the threat. Veau walked towards the purple liquid. 'I wouldn't get too close,' said Axus, and Veau stopped in his tracks.

The rumbling became louder, rising through the ground beneath their feet. The noise was almost unbearable, and then three metal runners slid out of the pool, up into the air. They kept rising, lifting a copper platform through the liquid. It stopped just above the surface, then everything went silent.

Axus walked urgently to the platform, running a hand over the metal.

'What's wrong?' said Fyia, stepping up beside him. 'Where's the dragon egg?'

'The egg should be here,' he mumbled, 'on top of the platform. It's … gone.'

Roaring filled Fyia's ears. 'Has it hatched?' she asked, but Axus didn't seem to hear her. He was casting about wildly, as though the egg might have fallen to the floor.

'Could it still be down there?' asked Adigos. 'Maybe it came off the platform on the way up?'

Axus shook his head, then closed his eyes. A woman appeared, as though stepping through his body, wisps of white smoke obscuring her as she walked towards the platform.

Veau and Axus dropped to one knee, their heads bowed, eyes on the floor. Only one person could elicit that response.

'Isa,' said Fyia, unable to hide the awe in her voice. She was ancient … as old as the hills, if the legends could be believed, and powerful.

Isa ran her hand over the platform, standing still for several moments before turning to face the others. 'The magic is still intact,' she said. Her tone was wraithlike, seeming to be in the room, but also far away. 'I do not know how …'

'When was the egg last seen?' asked Fyia.

'No one has been in this room in more than a hundred years,' said Isa. The smoke cleared long enough for Fyia to make out her short stature, long auburn hair and pointed ears.

'Was the egg here then?' asked Fyia. Frustration crept into her tone; she was in no mood for Fae'ch word games.

'I do not know,' said Isa.