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DRAGAN

Mortal Ruins

“Is the perimeter set?” I ask Myerdoth. Belroth stands just beside him.

The loyal gargoyle grunts his response and follows me into the new war room.

Eilish stands beside Theren as they whisper between themselves.

My anger surges, but I don’t wish to upset her with any aimless argument.

She’s been through enough and the days ahead are going to be even more difficult.

Luckily, however, she smiles as she catches sight of me entering the room.

I snarl at Theren and snatch Eilish away.

She falls against my chest and I stake my claim with a kiss.

Baron and Pyre chuckle. The necromancer grins unabashedly and leans forward in his chair.

“Tell me, Dragan... how do I taste?”

I release Eilish as she cowers behind Theren to hide her blush. Pyre and Baron’s laughter grows obnoxiously loud as they fall over themselves. I kick Pyre’s chair and glare at him. “Keep your filth to yourself, Death Speaker,” I sneer.

Pyre is unfazed by my irritation. “Do you like to join in like Baron or watch like Cambion?”

Eilish groans and covers her face, but I hear her laughter.

Flumph makes a face that’s reminiscent of a stomach virus and gags towards the floor.

Noni covers her ears, gasping at her master as though seeing this side of him for the first time.

Pyre rarely banters with us, usually keeping to himself or running off with Baron or Eilish.

It’s a nice change. But something tells me his question of my preferences is more genuine than he lets on.

I place my hands on the table and lean forward, meeting his challenge.

“Both.”

Pyre doesn’t balk or smirk. He simply nods and turns back towards Baron.

“The perimeter is set. Myerdoth and I wish to petition you, My Queen.” My words get the reaction I desire as Eilish glances at me over her shoulder.

Gone is the meek blush. In its place is the fiery temptress I’ve come to love greatly.

“We require a small band of soldiers to accompany us to retrieve the Stone Grimoire. A golem or two would help as well.”

She nods. “Take as many as you need, but don’t leave us defenseless,” she answers a bit breathlessly.

I reach over and grasp her hand, bringing it to my lips for a kiss.

Eilish graces me with her beautiful smile and I saunter back out of the room.

Myerdoth and I barely make it halfway down the corridor before Theren comes after us.

“What do you want?” I grumble.

“To help.”

We stop in our tracks. “Eilish won’t let you come with us.”

“I don’t wish to come with you, only to get you there quicker.”

“How?”

“Mirror gate. No blood magic involved.” Theren crosses his heart mockingly.

“And getting us back again?” I ask.

He nods. “Luckily for you, I’ve already considered that question.

” He hands me a new communication ring. Mine had been broken in the fight.

“Zir managed to get them working without using towers or energy frequencies. They connect us directly now. Just speak my name and I’ll be able to hear you perfectly, as if you were standing in front of me. ”

“Give the artificer my praises.”

Theren chuckles. “Give them to her yourself. She’s practically begging to tell someone about her water filtration ideas and how to turn the power back on in the buildings. With her help, we’ve already gotten four cars mobile for the runs into the city. The more we salvage the better.”

I send Myerdoth to gather the soldiers and meet with Theren in the courtyard where little fae creatures hand out bowls of food and blankets.

Theren casts a spell to widen his mirror and an image appears in its reflection.

Rolling green hills and open pastures. Twinkling stars in a peaceful night sky as a herd of sheep roam the lands.

“Just make sure you’re back here before daylight,” Theren says. “We wouldn’t want Myerdoth to turn to stone in an unknown land.”

“No, we wouldn’t,” I echo.

He nods. “Be swift and I wish you well on this journey, Dragan.”

“Your kind aren’t known for showing this sort of kindness, Theren.”

“I guess we’re all exceptions to the rule. If I recall correctly, allying outside your own race wasn’t something gargoyles were known for.”

Myerdoth turns me away from the confrontation and steps through the mirror gate.

I’m the last to go, watching as my soldiers venture safely to the other side.

When I cross through the mirror’s surface, I realize it’s much different than shadow walking or using one of Pyre’s portals.

The sensation is warm but not uncomfortable.

I expected the glass to be cold and unyielding. Even so, it does what Theren promised.

I can feel the brush of wind against my skin and smell the dewy grass beneath my feet.

Belroth jerks his head towards four stone structures on a hill.

“That look a bit witchy to you?” the golem asks.

We walk along a stone path towards the structures.

They are large columns formed from stone, etched with fine markings that are much too intricate for me to see clearly.

At the center of the columns is a gaping hole that seems like an endless pit.

I jump without hesitation. My form straightens until the last minute when I spread my wings to break the fall.

Water. Deep water that goes on for miles.

But I see light that indicates another tunnel.

One by one, the soldiers, Myerdoth, and Belroth drop into the water beside me.

The golems glowing veins illuminate the way down.

Deeper and deeper we swim, all the while, I feel an uncomfortable burn in my lungs.

We reach the second tunnel and see that it arches upward to a pocket of air. I swim for it, leading the others as they trail behind me. I break through the surface of the water and smell blood.

Myerdoth turns to me. “We aren’t alone down here.”

Yes, I sense them too. Something dead and yet not.

“Tread carefully.”

***

DRAGAN

Crypt of The Moonlight Coven

Water drips from my limbs as I summon my blade of shadow.

One step at a time, I inch my way through the narrow passage.

It opens to a room filled with doors that could lead anywhere or nowhere at all.

I don’t know what sort of trickery these witches have enspelled into their resting place, but I feel the magic in the musty air.

Myerdoth stands beside me, awaiting my orders. I step towards the middle most door and place my hand on the markings. They burn slightly against my palm. I move to the next, doing the same as I did before, but the sensation is different.

Finally, I reach a door with markings I recognize. “Soul Runes.”

“What?” Myerdoth asks.

“Back in Oronrel, there were doors that wouldn’t open unless someone possessed darkness within their soul. These runes are similar. We need to push our arm through the lock and…”

“Wait,” Myerdoth shouts. “You may be right, but I doubt there’s enough darkness within you to complete such a trial.”

“You doubt the darkness within me?” I ask, surprised.

“I don’t doubt that you still possess the power to be the King of Shadow, but darkness.

.. Lady Fulthain has changed you. The more she feeds from your darkness and fills you will love, the less malice exists in your heart.

I don’t think darkness is what they’re measuring, but evilness. None of us is entirely evil.”

Belroth shakes his head and points at the runes. “These are encrypted. They aren’t what they appear. We must decipher the runes.”

“That could take days or even weeks.” I tap into the communication ring. “Pyre.”

It takes a while for the necromancer to answer. “What is it, Dragan?”

“I’m sending you an image. Do you think you can figure out the encryption of the runes?”

I wait patiently for his response. If, in this case, patience means pacing across the floor with my upper lip curled. Pyre doesn’t answer for some time. The soldiers begin to inspect the other doors.

Finally, he responds. “You need four other runes hidden in the other doors. They will all have something to do with stone or the soul. Put them in the correct order and spin the dial on the lock. After you turn the key, you’ll hear it catch. That should open the crypt.”

Pyre walks me through deciphering the key.

I reach the door and turn the first dial until it lands on the proper rune.

The second dial requires more force to turn, but I force it into place.

Belroth and Myerdoth flank me as I reach for the third and final dial.

A quick twist of my wrist spins the locking mechanism.

It clicks and a loud thud rings through the chamber.

The door opens with a gasping plume of dust and the stench of rotting corpses. I hear shuffling and take a step back.

“Who is there?!”

No voice or intelligible words follow my call, only the nasally snarl of something vile.

I forge on. A ghostly glow of opal light fills the room.

Four sarcophagi form a circle at the center of the room.

On an altar rests the Stone Grimoire. Myerdoth holds his axe out in front of him as the creature we heard reveals itself.

Chunks of flesh cling to broken bones. Pus oozes from lesions of diseased skin and an awful blech escapes lips that are peeled back into a macabre grin of sharp teeth. Soulless eyes and mangled features shuffle towards us.

The sarcophagi slide open.

One by one, corpses in tattered gowns climb from their resting places.

“Hold them off while I grab the book,” I order and lunge towards the Grimoire, only to be struck by a spell.

My body hits the wall of the chamber and my companions charge the undead witches. I feel the spell break free and I lunge for the book. The moment my hands touch the Grimoire, the book disappears along with the witches. An illusion is broken, but I don’t know where the Grimoire is.

Belroth calls for me. I make my way to his side as he pushes open the last sarcophagus to reveal the Grimoire clutched in the arms of a beautiful woman.

Untouched by time, her loveliness is almost enchanting. I remove the book from her arms and leave her to rest peacefully. Glancing over at Myerdoth, I see he’s just as shaken as I am. Why? Because we have now seen the face of our maker.

“Let’s leave this place. I don’t wish to disturb her any further,” I say.

We make our way back through the ancient crypt and into the first signs of dawn. Theren’s mirror gate remains open.

I owe the Unseelie more than I care to admit.

***

EILISH

Mortal Ruins

“How far have we come with the plans for the orphanage?” I ask, leaning over the table as I stare down at the list of things that still require my attention. Cambion and Baron hover nearby, pouring themselves over the objectives of the day.

Baron hands over a rough outline for what’s still needed for the orphanage.

Beds are difficult to come by with half the city flooded, so it was the first thing on the list. “Check the taller buildings and a few of the places Pyre pointed out that aren’t under water.

There could at least be materials we can use to build new beds. ”

I point out the areas on the map to Baron before I turn to Cambion.

“Is there anything we need for the experiments?”

“Zir and I were working on cloaking devices before the attack. We’re still looking for a new place to rebuild so we can pick up where we left off,” he sighs.

“Pyre and the wraith warriors believe there may be dark spirits lingering in the labs that were once used by humans. If they can clear out the other buildings, Zir and I can gather whatever resources might be left intact to help us with testing.”

I chew the inside of my cheek as I wonder what other threats might be lingering in these ancient halls. “Any signs of demons so far or anything else we’ll have to worry about?”

“There were a few stragglers along the west end of the city,” Pyre says. “The waters seem safe for now, but I wouldn’t venture too far into the ruins, unless we’re prepared to encounter a conflict. Though it may seem quiet now, there’s no guarantee it will stay that way for long.”

The doors to the war room open and Dragan steps in.

“Dragan,” I say in relief as I hurry to him.

He lifts me into his arms and spins me around.

He kisses me on top of the head and sets me back on my feet.

Myerdoth hands him a bundle of leather and Dragan unfolds the Stone Grimoire from its center.

I congratulate him with another kiss and he wraps his arms around me, holding me close.

I moan into the kiss until I hear an irritable growl.

Dragan releases me and I shake my head at Baron. I know he’s teasing as usual, but Dragan has a short temper as it is. Pyre and the others congratulate Dragan on his success and we take our seats at the table to discuss our worries and the plans going forward.

“So, we know what we’re doing about the new Vindication, but what about us?” I inquire. “There are major threats that could attack any minute. Variant’s army is bound to recover soon, as well.”

“Variant might be dead but Morrigan is still alive,” Aima nods in agreement.

“Once Zir and I get those cloaking devices finished, we’ll be able to hide this location from anyone,” Cambion offers.

“Whether they use magic or technology, this place will be safe from prying.” Cambion sets the remnants of one of the devices on the table.

“If we can finish it, this device may be the key to saving all of our people from further attacks.”

I open my mouth to ask Cambion a question, but a burst of light blinds me. I hear the expressions of shock from everyone else assembled as I bring my arms up to hide my eyes.

It takes me a second or so to open them. The light is so bright, it’s garish. Near impossible to even see. But I’m able to delineate two forms within the center.

Silvanus and… Variant?

Dragan immediately hoists his arm back and tosses a blade of shadow and it whirls towards Variant. Silvanus blocks the attack.

Baron hisses with a flash of fangs, lunging for the King of Light’s throat, only to get knocked back.

“Calm yourselves,” Silvanus orders, his voice echoing through the room. “Abedon has awakened.”

The End