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The five of them made their way out of the rear gate that evening, leaving word that they would return in a few hours. Everyone had worn their normal clothing, but Lady d’Ronja, always prepared, was dressed in full studded leathers, daggers strapped to her legs, and a rapier at her hip. She looked less like she was going to meet a dragon and more like she was about to lead an army to war. Lex had been concerned about her intentions at first, but she assured him that she wanted to be prepared for anything, but wasn’t planning on attacking the dragon. Dusk had secretly laughed at the idea that she stood any chance against Lyra even if she tried. Although he had to admit, given her demeanor thus far, she may have landed a few blows on Lyra before her demise.
Tara had purchased a sword during their foray into the city and the shining new blade was now strapped to her back in her usual fashion. Dusk had his bow and a handful of new arrows fletched with white swan feathers. They looked almost too pretty and clean to shoot. He’d wanted to get ones that were more practical, but Lex wouldn’t hear of it. Lex, on the other hand, had raided his parents armory for another rapier, choosing to take one of his mother’s old blades. It had an elegant wire-wrapped handle of gold and silver intertwined together and a single piece of dark yellow amber set into the hilt. He’d wanted to commission a new one in town, but it would have taken several days to forge to his specifications and they weren’t yet sure of their timeline. A handful of daggers had also found their way onto his person, hidden anyplace they would fit. It seemed like a bit much, but considering how often Lex had been disarmed, having a backup seemed like a good idea for him.
With both Lex and his mother decked out like they were going to war, Lord d’Ronja looked severely underdressed for their escapade into the forest that night. He wore nothing beyond his fine clothes but a long dark cloak and a single dagger as his side. Dusk hoped there was no chance of being attacked in the forest because Lord d’Ronja would be the first one to go. As he thought back on it, he realized he’d never really seen him fight. It couldn’t be possible for him not to know how, but for some reason he avoided it at all costs. Dusk was beginning to understand why Lady d’Ronja always seemed to be the one leading the charge.
The woods were alive and well with wildlife and insects as they traveled. Each of them carried a small silver lantern to light the way, but the fireflies and the moon would have been enough, even under the dense canopy. Tara led the way through the trees, taking them back towards the base of the mountain where they’d left Lyra. Lord d’Ronja managed to trip and fall four times before they finally came to the clearing, scaring away all the animals within a mile. On second thought, it was good he was mostly unarmed because he would have run himself through with his own sword at the rate he was going. Dusk breathed a sigh of relief as they came out of the trees into the tall grass. Lex’s father was becoming less of a person to hate and more of a helpless creature to pity.
“I don’t remember that being so difficult last time,” Lord d’Ronja wheezed, standing next to his wife who wasn’t even winded. “There were so many obstacles...”
“Try holding your lantern a little lower next time dear,” his wife said absentmindedly, looking around the clearing for Lyra. “It’s much easier to see when it’s not right next to your face.”
“We’re here, Lyra,” Dusk called out in his mind, turning away from the conversation and making the connection with her once more.
“I heard you coming,” she replied. “I think everything in the forest did.”
“Lex’s dad is a menace...”
“I won’t tell him you said that. He’s a sweet man, but he’s not cut out for the wilds.”
“How do you know that?”
“He and I spent plenty of nights talking while the rest of you were busy or when he couldn’t sleep.” Dusk could hear the smile in her voice, although the reason for it was unclear. “I’ll be there in a moment.”
They didn’t have to wait long. A few seconds passed by before they all turned to the unmistakable sound of giant wings approaching from the south. A dark shape silhouetted against the moon made a few lazy circles before finally touching down in the grass. Red scales sparkled in the starlight and blazing violet eyes stared down at them all. Lyra nodded to the trio as she walked over, but her sights fell on the lord and lady. Lord d’Ronja seemed shy, giving her a small wave, but Lady d’Ronja was completely awestruck. Without thinking she held out her hand and took a few steps forward, as if she were going to try to pet Lyra.
“Maybe we should introduce ourselves first,” Lyra said, moving herself back a few inches from the outstretched hand, seemingly repulsed by the gesture.
“My sincerest apologies,” Lady d’Ronja replied, shaking her head and dropping her hand to her side. “My name is Lucia d’Ronja and I’m the lady of this city. I welcome you most graciously to our home.”
“I am called Lyra,” she responded, bowing her head slightly. “I’m the last of my kind and the guardian of the crystal. I thank you for your hospitality and letting me stay in your beautiful forest.”
“If there is anything we can get you, please let us know. Game, ale, gold, you name it and I will have it brought to you.”
“You’ll find I don’t have the sickness like other dragons you’ve heard of,” Lyra nodded in thanks. “I don’t require gold or riches of any kind and I’m more than capable of getting my own food. Your deer here are quite slow.”
“Of course, I didn’t mean to insinuate anything. Forgive my ignorance of your kind.”
“I’ve talked extensively with your son and husband. Both have informed me of the dire lack of information regarding my kind and our ways. But rest assured I take no offense. You cannot know the things you do not know.”
“You are most gracious,” Lady d’Ronja said with a small bow.
“Why are you two talking so weird?” Lex interjected, looking between them both. “This is a strange social dance we really don’t have time for right now.” He looked to his mother, who was glaring in his direction. “You can invite Lyra for tea and a chat some other time, right now there’s a lot more at stake.”
“I was merely trying to be hospitable, Alexander!”
“He’s right,” Lyra said, cutting Lex off before he could respond. “The fate of the world is at stake, of that much I’m certain. We have quite a bit to talk about and some decisions must be made tonight.” She glanced around the clearing, then up at the stars. “Our future is always shaped by our choices, but on this night they are exceedingly dire.”
“Man, you all really know how to throw a fucking party,” Tara sighed, leaning her back against a nearby rock. “Let’s get this started before everyone gets too crazy.”
Lyra nodded and swiped her tail across the ground to her side. Dusk watched as all the grass went flat, not broken, but merely bent at the stem creating a comfy clearing for them to sit. Everyone except Tara took a seat. Settling down and crossing her claws, similar to the day Dusk first met her, Lyra made herself comfortable. She looked back up at the stars for a long moment and Dusk followed her gaze. The crystal moon was shining softly in the early night sky, but wouldn’t be alight much longer.
“Where to begin?” she asked, still gazing upwards.
“How much time do we have?” Tara suggested, crossing her arms. “We won’t be able to figure out much without a timeline.”
“I think that’s wise.” Lyra brought her gaze back down to the group. “To begin with, the crystal heart cannot be transported through the obsidian walls, I made sure of that before we left. That means, most likely, that Nedarya will have to take it by land and sea to get it back to Alamond so it can be joined with the other half. She’ll be able to use her magic to speed the journey along of course, but I’m confident she doesn’t have enough power to do it at an astounding pace. Even if she were to take more pieces from the heart, she’ll find that her power cannot grow much further before all the pieces are reunited.”
She took a deep breath. “Then there is the fusing of the two halves to consider. She’ll need the power of the crystal eye to accomplish that feat and since Tephyss will undoubtedly refuse to help her, she’ll need to recharge it completely before the ritual can begin. Tephyss will buy us some time by being wholly unhelpful, but he will not be able to stop the reunion from happening from his current prison. All of these things will force Nedarya to take longer than she plans.”
“But how long?” Tara repeated, growing impatient for a straight answer.
“I should think about a month, give or take a week.”
Dusk felt his heart sink. That wasn’t a lot of time.
“Beyond that I’m unsure what she’ll need to do to accomplish her goal.” Lyra looked at Tara. “You said she planned to bring down the crystal moon, but such a feat has never been attempted before. It took three dragons to put it up there.” She gestured upwards with her snout. “Two of their bodies still cling to the moon while Tephyss’s lies some miles south of here, or what’s left of it at least. But with the crystal heart complete, the eye imbedded within it, and all the magical tomes left in existence at her disposal, I have no doubt she’ll find a way to do it.”
Everyone was quiet for a long moment. Dusk turned his head up to the sky and watched the crystal moon slowly fade out of existence as it passed into the shadow of Udalara. It looked so small up in the sky, especially compared to the ruddy-red Gartha. How much damage could it really do?
“Nedarya? The princess of Eblesal?” Lady d’Ronja asked as she turned to her husband. “I thought I misheard you when you said she was miraculously back to life...”
“It’s true,” Lyra replied. “She’s mad and drunk with power. Death and resurrection removed any sense of life and morality she once had. All she feels now is vengeance and the target of that hate has spread to everyone in Ditania, not just those who hurt her. She must be destroyed.”
Dusk watched as Tara’s head dipped to the side, taking her eyes off Lyra. It must have been difficult to hear them talk like that, even if she knew it was true.
“But how do we kill her?” Lex asked, leaning forward. “She’s so powerful. Even if we could get near her, we wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“That is where you’re wrong,” Lyra said, turning back to him. “The crystal heart, to be completed, will require that she shed all the shards embedded within her body. Once that is finished she’ll have no direct magic of her own. With the crowns she will still have control of the heart, but with its power focused on drawing down the moon, she will be considerably weakened. If we can surprise her at the right moment, we may stand a chance of stopping her with enough time to prevent the moon from falling completely.”
“How will we stop the moon once we kill her?”
“I don’t know,” she sighed. “But I do know Tephyss will be fully recovered and Dusk will be able to tap into that connection.” Her shining eyes settled on him. “Between Tephyss’s substantial power and your abilities as a Weaver, I’m certain you’ll be able to put it back where it belongs.”
“And if I can’t?” Dusk asked, bracing himself for the answer he already knew.
“I don’t know. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” She heaved a deep sigh, looking amongst them all. “There’s no good plan for this type of threat. Even Nozzera wasn’t attempting to do anything as insane as this. He just wanted to take the power and control away from the dragons. Even with his plans failing he still succeeded in the end. But Nedarya only wants destruction and death. I’m afraid that doesn’t leave us with many options beyond being sneaky, tactful, and waiting for the opportune moment to strike.”
“The Ditanian army, the remains of the Circle, and all of Alamond stand in our way,” Lex mused, leaning back on his elbows. “That’s a lot of obstacles for just three people.”
“Then we’ll get help,” Tara said, pushing herself away from the rock. “You said we need to be stealthy, right? Well we know an entire thieves guild in Emerald Deep. Diana would help us if we asked. And, if we can get there soon, we might have enough time to get them back up here to Alamond.”
Dusk nodded. It was a good idea. A small battalion of thieves and assassins might be just what they needed to get through Alamond without detection, not to mention break through its defenses it came down to a fight. They would be a priceless ally.
“There’s going to be a lot of mages there,” Lex added. “That’s going to be tough with just swords and bows. Even Lyra was badly injured by their comrades. It would be nothing for them to pick us all off with one big blast.”
“I can use the dust if we can get ahold of some,” Dusk replied. “I know it’s not good for your body, but this is sort of an emergency. Besides, I’ve already used it before.” He looked down at the silver ring on his index finger and a thought occurred to him. “It’s too bad Cyrilo is so far away... being a Rhyka he can already use magic, the dust would just make him stronger.”
“There’s a very small amount of dust in the chateau,” Lady d’Ronja said, surprising them all. “After Lex ran off, Tiernan made a few visits while overseeing some new project at the mines. He disappeared in the middle of the night and I found it sitting in front of the mirror in his room. I didn’t know what it was at first, but listening to your stories I’m glad I left it there.”
“It’s not much, but I think Cyrilo would be a great help to us,” Lex added, turning to Dusk. “He’s proved himself more than capable even without magic and he’d have our backs.”
“We’d never get him here in time though,” Dusk sighed. “Even with Lyra, getting to the southern continent, finding him, and then getting back would take way more than a month. We’ll be lucky if Diana and her men can get here in time.”
“I think I can help with that and the magic,” Lyra cut in. “Did you happen across the Crystal Gate on your travels?”
“Yes,” Dusk replied, confused as to why that was important.
“The gate is more than just a pretty gift Tephyss left the world. It has special powers of its own.” Her lips curled up at the corners into an almost terrifying smile, exposing her sharp fangs. “It’s not only a physical gate, but a magical one as well.” Her eyes locked onto Dusk’s. “And it can only be activated by a dragon.”
Dusk felt his stomach flutter. “Where does it lead?”
“It will take you anywhere a dragon has grown their crystals to mark their territory.”
His mind flashed back to all the caves full of glowing crystals where the dragon skeletons had been. Each one had been a unique color and shape, marking the lairs as their own. He had suspected the stones were connected to the creatures, but that fact had never been confirmed until now.
“Is there one on the southern continent?”
“Yes. High atop a mountain where my dear friend Haldura used to reside. She grew the most beautiful peridot crystals ever seen. Her body still lies there and I’m sure she would allow you to use some of it with her permission.”
“And you can take us there?”
“Of course. From there we can fly back to Emerald Deep across the island chains.”
Dusk thought for a long moment. Getting to the crystal gate would take them less than a week with Lyra’s help. There they could speak with Diana and give her and her men time to prepare while they went southward in search of Cyrilo. Once they got back to Emerald Deep they could use the gate once more to come back to...
“Tephyss...” Dusk looked up at Lyra, seeing the flicker of sadness in her eyes at the mention of his name. “You’ll have to send us back to his cavern to get us near Alamond.” He turned his gaze to Lex. “We’re going to have to go through the mines.”