Up ahead, we finally found Grace. She frantically scratched at something in the ground.
“What’s she doing?” Brodnik asked.
“No idea,” Heidel answered. “She’s been acting strange since we arrived in this world.”
We approached the wolf and stood over her. She glanced up at Heidel, let out a short whine, and then started digging again. Heidel knelt beside Grace.
“What’s got her so stirred up?” Rolf asked.
“Maybe she found something?” I asked. As I examined the wall, I realized the bones were arranged vertically. Could it be a door?
“Does that look like an entrance?” I asked
The others looked up.
“Could be,” Kull said.
“Should we try to go inside?” Rolf asked.
“How?” Heidel asked.
“Push it open?” he answered.
Kull took a step toward the gate, but I stopped him. “I wouldn’t touch it,” I said. “There’s magic in it, and it’s more powerful here.”
Grace let out a long whine, looking from Heidel to the gate. I gripped my staff, the wood warm in my hands, and felt its magic tugging my senses, pushing me in the direction of the gate.
“Then again,” I said, “the staff’s pointing me in that direction. Maybe we should try to get through.”
“But what about the magic?” Heidel asked. “Shouldn’t you try to remove the spell?”
“I can try, but if I do, there’s a possibility I’ll alert whoever lives beyond the wall.”
“Risk it,” Kull said. “We’ll have to get inside anyway. Chances are they’ll be alerted to us at some point.”
I nodded, then stepped to the gate. The magic coiled around me. It felt thick, fluid, and very strong. It wasn’t a tainted magic like the Regaymor used, but it was powerful. And I could tell that it didn’t want us to enter.
Reaching out, I let the magic gather around me. Holding the staff, I repeated the process of gathering magic from the air, the stones, and the sand, letting it fuel the staff. Then, when I felt ready, I attempted to strip the spell away from the gate.
The gate’s magic hit me in the chest, tossing me backward, just as a shield of shimmering magic ignited around us. I landed on the ground hard, my back taking the brunt of the impact. I lay on the ground, staring overhead at the shimmering dome, when Kull knelt beside me.
“You okay?”
“I’m all right, but that didn’t turn out how I planned.”
“How do we get out of here?” Heidel said as she kicked the dome with her boot. It echoed with a drum-like sound and a silver glow radiated outward, like ripples on a pond.
Brodnik pulled out his sword and attempted to stab the wall, but the blade wouldn’t penetrate the shield. He tried several more times with no luck. His blade hadn’t even left a nick.
“It’s bloody impossible,” he said.
“It’s made of magic—that’s why,” I said. “Swords won’t have any effect on it.”
“Can’t you work a spell to get us out of here?” Rolf asked.
So far, my magic hadn’t been much help. I’d chased off the Regaymor and used a spell for healing. Except for that, my skills in magic were extremely lacking. It wouldn’t be long before Theht made my powers totally useless and all my friends lost faith in me.
“Let her magic recover first,” Kull said.
Overhead, we heard the sound of beating wings. Staring up through the silver light of the dome, I could only make out the silhouette of an enormous creature descending toward us. The whooshing wings stirred the air and made the sand billow. If we hadn’t been in the dome, the sand would have blinded us.
The ground rumbled as the beast landed beside the dome. As the sand settled, a dragon came into view—though unlike any dragon I’d ever seen before. This was a behemoth, black in color, with frills and spines covering its head and ridges down its back to its tail. As we focused on the dragon, I noticed a rider perched atop its back. The rider tossed a rope ladder to the ground and climbed down. After he stepped to the ground, he turned to face us.
I tightened my grip on the staff as the others readied their weapons. I wasn’t ready for another fight, but it looked like I couldn’t avoid it.
Chapter 7
The man approached the dome. Through the silvery glow, it was hard to make out his features, but I could tell that he wore long, beige-colored robes and had a grizzled, light-colored beard. His eyes made me take a step back. They glowed red—even through the dome, I could see it. What sort of creature was he?
The stranger reached the dome. Peering inside, his eyes narrowed as he focused on us.
“Who are you?” he demanded, his voice slightly muffled by the shield.
“We’re travelers,” Rolf shouted back. “Who are you?”
He cocked his head but didn’t answer. “What are you doing in my lands?”
“We’re looking for someone,” Kull answered. “A druid named Lucretian.”
“Ever heard of him?” Heidel called.
The man placed a hand on the dome, drawing attention to his fingers that ended in claws. Black-tinged magic surrounded his hand, and then the dome disappeared. The Wults pointed their weapons at the man. He knitted his brow, and I noticed his leathery, wrinkled skin. His eyes glowed, even in the sunlight, and fangs protruded from his upper jaw, extending over his bottom lip.
“You’re trespassing,” he said.
“We didn’t know,” Brodnik said. “Should’ve put up a sign or something.”
The man narrowed his eyes. “Do you know what I do to trespassers?”
Rolf thrust his sword in the man’s face. “If you try to harm us, you’ll regret it.”
Magic glowed around the man’s fisted hands. “Do you dare to threaten me?”
I stepped forward. “Hey,” I said. “No need for violence. We’ll get off your land if that’s what you want, but first, we need to find someone. Maybe you know him?”
“Goes by Lucretian,” Kull repeated.
The man focused on my staff. His eyes widened. “Where did you get that?”
I gripped the staff but didn’t answer.
“Who are you?” he asked, eyes narrowed.
“Maybe you should tell us who you are
