Up ahead, the hulking bones of the church came into view, a crumbling stone structure with a bell tower that reached into the night sky, hiding the stars. Someone must live in the place as there were several lit candles glowing from the remaining windows. We approached the building and found Maveryck and his wolf standing outside under a tall tree. He smiled as we walked toward him and stopped under the tree.
“I’m glad you have arrived so promptly,” Maveryck said. “We shall cross through the field here until we reach the foot of the mountain. The entrance to the vault is through a spellcasted cave. If you’ll follow me.”
He turned away from us and walked toward the open field. As we followed, tall grass brushed against our legs. The chirp of night insects stirred the air, while the soft white glow of nobbinflies appeared now and again.
Ahead of us, the mountain range was almost indistinguishable from the sky, but I could just make out the ridge where the rocky cliffs stood in a jagged line against the stars. Somewhere up there stood the silverwitch’s fortress. Recalling the power she’d wielded made a chill run down my spine. There was a reason Fan’twar had sent us with an experienced thief to her castle. Confronting her directly could very easily end in our deaths. Although Fan’twar had faith in my abilities, I doubted I stood a chance against her in a head-to-head battle.
The flat field began to slope upwards, and small stones and pebbles replaced the grass. Boulders appeared as we drew closer to Dragon Spine Mountain. The balmy night air made my clothes stick to my skin. As we trudged upward, our torches sputtered and grew dimmer as they burned through the kerosene-soaked rags.
Maveryck stopped us as we neared a rock wall. Firelight reflected off the broad, flat surface.
“Wait here,” Maveryck said quietly as he neared the rock face and moved along the wall. His boots quietly crunched stray pebbles as he lightly ran his fingers along the surface, his ever-present wolf pacing at his side.
“What is he doing?” Heidel asked.
“Maybe looking for the opening?” I suggested.
“In the dark?” Heidel asked. “He doesn’t even have a torch with him. How can he expect to see anything?”
Maveryck stopped a distance away from us, almost indistinguishable from the mountain. “Come,” he called to us.
We did as he said and crossed the distance, then stopped behind him. As the firelight illuminated the sheer wall of rock, I noticed symbols etched into the stone.
“Runes,” Kull said, “written in the old language.”
“Do you know what they say?” Heidel asked.
Kull studied the three characters. “Protect,” he said, pointing to the rune on the left. “Power is the rune in the center, and enter is the symbol on the right.”
“Yes,” Maveryck answered. “Your Viking ancestors knew this was a place of power but had no idea how to control it. They placed these runes here in an attempt to protect the powers that lie within the stone.”
“Do you know how to control it?” I asked.
He nodded.
“How? Do you possess magic?”
“Yes, I had an elven maternal grandmother. I’ve got just enough elven blood flowing through my veins to control a limited amount of magic.”
He turned to the wall and rested his hand on the runes. As his thumb, middle finger, and pinkie finger connected with each of the three symbols, magic gathered around him. Electric blue light swirled around his hands, then coursed under his skin and through his veins, highlighting the bones and tendons in his fingers. The light pulsed outward and ignited the runes one by one. First, the rune at his thumb, then his pinkie, and finally the middle rune glowed bright blue, flowing with an almost-liquid magic that pulsed with its own heartbeat.
I stared in awe at the three glowing runes. I’d never felt magic like his—almost as if it were a living thing—but before I could question him, the ground began to shake. Small pebbles dislodged and crumbled, and then a seam opened up in the rock face.
“Everyone step back,” Maveryck instructed.
We moved away from the wall as the fissure grew into a long, narrow hallway. Sapphire-blue light sparkled from the rough-hewn walls. When the shaking stopped, we walked toward the entrance as it cast bluish light on our faces and hands. Kull got to the opening first, and he unsheathed a sword that I’d never seen him use. Its wide blade and heavy, Wult-style pommel seemed sturdy enough, yet it didn’t fit him in the same way as Bloodbane.
“This will take us to the witch’s castle?” Heidel asked.
“It will take us into her vaults, which are underground and separate from her castle. You won’t need the torches.”
Kull and Heidel doused the flames, then left the smoking torches alongside the rock face. We entered the tunnel with magic lighting our path. Bursts of azure radiated around the walls and rock-strewn ground. The ocean of light made me feel as if we were walking underwater.
The path sloped downward, the only sound coming from our booted feet as our footsteps echoed in the widening tunnel. Small crystals grew like flowers along the floor and in recesses in the walls. Most glowed blue, but occasionally we came across clusters of green or black-tinted crystals. Magic pulsed from the surrounding cave walls and through my hands, making my fingertips tingle.
As we walked, I felt the presence of Theht deep inside my consciousness, a presence I did my best to ignore. It was like a thorn under my skin, constantly throbbing, reminding me it was there.
The tunnel grew brighter as the sound of rushing water came from up ahead and the smell of damp earth filled the air. Soon our path broadened, and we stood on the bank of an
