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It was hard to sleep that night knowing Nedarya was a step ahead of them. They were less than half a day from Alamond and before the sun had risen, everyone was packed and walking briskly in its direction. Nobody knew how long it would take for her to begin enacting her plans, but Dusk had a feeling she wouldn’t delay for long.
Around mid morning Dusk and Lex moved to the front of the group, taking point to attempt to lead them to the secret entrance to Alamond. The two towers of the city were in sight and with Lex he tried to locate where they’d gone off the road all those months ago. As soon as they left the road the entire group drew their weapons. Heading into the trees, scouts were placed on the outer edges of the troop to keep watch for any of Nedarya’s men that might be out patrolling.
Dusk and Lex searched the trees, looking for any sign of their campfire the previous year. They circled the same area for a while, expanding their circle further and further in search of the camp remains. After months of rain, snow, and dense foliage, it seemed all traces had been wiped away. An hour slipped by easily and Dusk called his allies back.
“We’ll need to try something else,” he said, looking up at the five of them. “Lex and I found the entrance not far from here. If we spread out and walk until we hit the ruins, we should be able to find it.”
“What about the dragon?” Diana asked, glancing up at the sky. “We can’t go inside without her help.”
“That entire place will set upon us in an instant,” Ciaran added. “When the alarm is rung, it’s all hands on deck. We won’t stand a chance.”
“We can’t risk waiting any longer,” Dusk replied, the urgency in his voice. “If she’s already fixed the heart, we don’t have time left.”
“And if we go into the ruins now, without Lyra, we’ll be fucked,” Tara said, crossing her arms. “Those soldiers will destroy us before we get anywhere near her. This group was meant for sneaking, not for defeating an army. We don’t have the numbers or the resources for that.”
“Maybe we should get a better idea of what we’re up against before we make any decisions,” Lex suggested, getting between them. “A few of us can keep hidden enough to see what kind of operation she’s running here. Maybe she doesn't have as many soldiers as we thought.”
“I second that decision,” Cyrilo chimed in. “No offense Dusk, but running blindly in a panic will get us nowhere. We’re sure to lose if we take that path.” He flexed his fingers, the metal knuckles catching the sunlight. “Let’s see what we’re up against and give Lyra a bit more time to get here.”
“I don’t like it,” Dusk began.
“None of us do,” Diana replied. “But we have to play this smart. We’re only going to get one shot at this.”
“Tell your men to fan out and begin looking for the entrance,” Lex said, turning to Diana. “You’ll find it at the base of a stone building. Be careful though, if someone goes down it they aren’t coming back up anytime soon.”
“Understood.”
“Cyrilo, Dusk, and I will sneak into the city and see what’s going on. Give us two hours. If we’re not back by then, assume we’ve been caught.”
“I want to come with ya,” Ciaran said, looking at Cyrilo. “Yer gonna need some protectin’.”
“As much as I love your dedication,” Cyrilo replied, “you’re the least sneaky person I know. You’re great in battle, but subtlety is not something you excel at.”
“Are ya sure you’ll be alright?”
“Promise.”
“I’ll help them search,” Tara added. “You three be careful out there.”
“We’ll be back as fast as we can,” Lex nodded.
He grabbed Dusk by the arm and wheeled him away from the group. Cyrilo followed close behind, his footsteps almost silent in the forest litter beneath them. Dusk kept quiet as they walked along, each of them keeping an eye out for any patrol around Alamond. He was convinced they were wasting precious time, but he couldn’t force the others into a dangerous situation. The odds were stacked against them from the beginning and although they had valid reasons for postponing the assault, it seemed foolish. Not only that, but their last foray through the mines had left him itching worse than ever to use more magic. He’d been doing his best to resist until they were in Alamond, but now that they were within arm’s reach he could barely contain himself. His hand was already resting on the crystal horn in his bag. He wanted to burst through the trees and set the grounds ablaze, taking all the soldiers and Circle members down with a ferocious wildfire.
“Dusk, stop!” Lex whispered, grabbing his hand forcefully, snapping him away from his thoughts.
Dusk realized he was rubbing his fingers together while his other hand was in the satchel as always. In front of him a small pile of dry leaves caught fire, the white smoke rising up from the embers. Lex stomped them out with Cyrilo’s help, kicking dirt over them to smother out the smoke. Dusk pulled his hand out of the satchel, unaware that he’d even begun casting. How had he done that without knowing? He flipped open the satchel and looked down at the horn that was now badly corroded and nearly half the size it had been when he’d last looked at it. The realization dawned on him that he’d been casting for days without noticing it, tiny imperceptible magic that had worn away their only resources considerably. He looked up at Lex with fear in his eyes.
“Dusk,” Cyrilo said softly, flipping the satchel closed. “Why don’t you let me carry that for a while, okay?”
“Yeah...” Dusk muttered, horrified by what he’d seen. Lex was still staring at him, a look somewhere between anger and concern on his face. “I... I didn’t know...”
Lex took a deep breath. “Lyra told us it was addictive, but I didn’t realize it was that bad.”
Dusk felt a deep sense of shame wash over him. He’d known he was doing some of the magic, giving into temptation when he could no longer resist it. But somehow he’d crossed a point where he was no longer noticing it. What had he been doing the whole time? Setting leaves on fire? Enhancing his senses? He didn’t feel any different and couldn’t remember any changes on the road.
“What have I done?” he uttered. “How did I not notice? Where did it all go?”
Lex just shook his head. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen anything strange until now.”
“I think I do,” Cyrilo said, taking Dusk’s left hand.
It was the one that had been touching the horn, and he turned it over. There was a smudge of green on each of his fingertips and most of the skin was slightly stained.
“There’s some of it,” he said, looking over it curiously.
He pulled Dusk’s sleeve up to reveal a glossy green pattern over his skin, like lichen or moss. It was ashy-green and shimmered in the sunlight like thousands of little crystals. Dusk reached up with his other hand, running a finger across the surface. It had a strange, crunchy texture, but didn’t feel unlike his own skin at the same time.
“I think you absorbed it somehow,” Cyrilo guessed, looking over the arm closely.
“Is that possible?” Lex asked.
“I’m not sure...”
Dusk’s heart sank as he remembered Nedarya. He looked back at Lex. “It’s happening. I’m just like her...”
Before anyone got a chance to respond there was a rustling of leaves nearby and each of them ducked to the ground. Heavy footfalls approached, snapping twigs and kicking up forest litter as they went.
“I thought I heard something,” a feminine voice said from no more than twenty feet away.
“What was it?” a husky voice replied to her.
There was a long silence as the trio held their breaths, keeping close to the ground and concealed behind the foliage. None of them dared move or even breathe. The last thing they wanted to do was announce their presence to everyone in Alamond by accident.
“Hmm. Must have been the wind,” the first said.
Her steps began again, moving away from their location and back into the forest. Lex looked at the other two, held a finger to his lips, and crept away, motioning for them to follow him. For the next twenty minutes they tip-toed through the trees, eventually pushing their way around some of the stone ruins and the remnants of streets. Slowly the buildings began to get closer and closer together and the underbrush thinned. In some places it looked like it had been cleared away entirely and new trails established for the current residents of Alamond. Their sneaking became more calculated as they drew closer to the center, some of the buildings starting to look familiar to Dusk. At last they spotted the entrance to the underground ruins, the one Lex and Dusk had escaped from all those months ago. Keeping low they ducked into a crumbling building, the walls held up only by the trees that grew inside.
Peering through small cracks in the stone, they surveyed the scene in front of them. The once overgrown city center had been cleared away, revealing what was left of the ancient cobblestones underneath. The two giant towers reached up into the sky, one broken long ago while the other remained mostly intact. Large military tents had been erected along with areas for weapons training and even a small stable for a handful of horses. Dozens of soldiers and others in dark cloaks wandered through, going about their business. In the very center of the circle was an enormous pile of white sparkling sand. On one side it had been sheared away, but instead of sand there was an enormous sheet of glass. Scorch marks still covered the cobblestones in front of it. Dusk immediately knew what it was. Tiernan’s portal. After his multiple attempts with mirrors had failed, he’d created something that would be unbreakable and big enough to transport the heart through when he finally got it. Unfortunately his plans had been shattered when Nedarya betrayed him and threw his body into the volcano.
As Dusk strained his eyes for further details, he noticed the broken stones and deep gouges leading from the glass to the entrance of Alamond. It looked as if something had been dragged through. Something big. The closer he looked the more he realized it had to have been the heart. He began to understand Lyra had underestimated Nedarya’s tenacity. It seemed she found a way to bring the heart through her portal no matter how much of the obsidian had been destroyed. She hadn’t needed it in the end to accomplish her task.
After a few long minutes Lex motioned for the other two to follow him. For the next half hour, with great care, they untangled themselves from the ruins and moved back toward the southern side where the rest of their group was waiting. As soon as they arrived back the questions began to flow. Lex gave a full account of what they’d seen while Dusk provided a little insight into what he thought had happened with the heart.
“So she’s been back here for a while then?” Tara asked.
“It seems like it,” Dusk replied. “Even with everything we’ve done, we’re over a week ahead of schedule according to Lyra with some time to spare. The only explanation is that Nedarya found another way to get back here much faster than anyone anticipated.”
“Can you reach Lyra?”
“No. She’s too far off yet. Even if I could, I don’t think she’d get here any faster.”
“There’s too many soldiers for us to just waltz in there,” Diana added. “If we attacked now, not a single one of us would get back out.”
“I think we should hold out for Lyra,” Ciaran said, gesturing back toward the southern sky. “Nedarya hasn’t started her plans just yet, we can wait a little bit longer. Besides, Diana’s right. We won’t be gettin’ much more than an early grave if we go now.”
“We’ll wait as long as we can,” Lex said, nodding in agreement. “Did you manage to find the hidden entrance?”
“One of the men nearly fell down it, but yes,” Diana replied. She pointed off into the woods back toward the ruins. “We’ve got it marked and the ropes ready. We can go at any time.”
“Are we all agreed then?” Tara asked. “We’ll wait as long as possible?”
All their heads nodded except Dusk’s. He looked at each of them in turn, then finally to Tara. He didn’t want to wait, but he knew they didn’t stand a chance without Lyra.
“Alright,” he said. “We wait.”
The group set up camp and posted sentries near the secret entrance into the deep of Alamond. Their meals were cold for fear of giving away their position with smoke. The afternoon slowly ticked by, filled with restless tension. Word had spread through the rest of the guild about what they were facing inside the ruins and although none turned back, Dusk could tell they were apprehensive. But then again, who wouldn’t be? Marching into almost certain death wasn’t what most people ever wanted to do. Dusk was a stranger to them for the most part and although they understood the job was important, he wasn’t convinced all of them understood the gravity of the situation. Still, he had to admire their loyalty to Diana and dedication to fight even against such terrible odds. He hoped it would hold out once they entered the ruins.
Dusk kept his eyes set on the southern horizon well into the evening, looking for any hint that Lyra was coming their way. Every few minutes he reached out with his thoughts, attempting to pluck at the thread connecting them. Unfortunately, there was never a response. The stars came out as the last hints of sunset faded and Gartha rose in the sky. He was even able to catch a glimpse of the crystal moon as it shone through the trees before slipping into shadow.
“Any sign of her?” Lex asked, stepping up beside him.
“Not yet.”
“I wanted to talk to you,” Lex continued. “About what you said earlier.”
Dusk was silent.
“You’re not like her, like Nedarya. You know that, right?”
Again, silence.
“Nedarya was implanted with the power of the heart and then she warped it to fit her own means. We all knew the risks of using the dragon skeletons. It’s not your fault.”
“I used up our only weapon against her. And now I’ve soaked it into my body just like she did with the heart. Lyra trusted me... that horn was part of her partner.”
“She doesn’t have to know. Once this is over it’ll all be gone. We won’t have to worry about it anymore.”
“Won’t we?” Dusk asked, a bit more forceful than he meant to. “Will my body recover from using this stuff? My skin is already ashen and doing magic is always on my mind. Will I ever be rid of this constant need to destroy things because of it? What if magic never comes back and all I’m left with is the urges? How will I deal with this itch I’ll always have?”
“We don’t know if it will last.”
“We don’t know anything about it. Nobody does. That’s the problem. I’ve tried to cast without the horn and nothing happens. What if this is just eating me from the inside out?”
“We’ll figure it out,” Lex replied, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Together. And I’m sure Lyra will be able to help. We’re all in this as a team, nobody will have to do this alone.”
Dusk sighed. The pressure was getting to him and his shoulders were heavy with the weight. He looked up at Lex, watching the stars reflect in those blue eyes. He knew as long as he could gaze into those, he’d be okay. But as he watched them a bright beam of white light reflected back at him. Whipping around they both looked up toward the two ruined towers as a massive pillar of light penetrated the sky with a high pitched whistle reverberating in the air. It flew higher and higher like a reversed shooting star, illuminating the forest around them.
All at once there was a bright burst as the beam collided with something. Just as quickly as it had come, it faded away, the sound dispersing with it. Left behind was the crystal moon glowing once more. But this time, instead of its usual white color, it was a shimmering red as if wreathed in flame.
“I don’t think we can wait any longer...” Dusk said, his voice trembling.