We continued forward. Another invisible ward blocked our path, but we moved through it with ease. Perhaps it was too old to function, or perhaps it was meant to keep someone else out altogether. Or perhaps it was meant to keep someone inside. Whatever the case, we hiked down the sloped path toward the shimmering shore of the dark lake.
From this angle, the water was glassy and black, and it didn’t ripple in the wind as normal water would. The wind stirred the sand, making dust clouds billow through the air. No one spoke. It seemed that if we did, we would break the spell of silence, or awaken the ghosts that haunted this land.
I gripped Kull’s hand in mine, his presence the only thing keeping Tremulac’s magic from overwhelming me. The castle’s slender spires seemed to pierce the sky as the sun set behind them, reflecting off their sharp angles. The slim, black towers reminded me of Egyptian architecture.
Could the castle really be the legendary fortress of Tremulac? It seemed so impossible, yet there it stood. I’d heard the stories as a kid, as I lay on Fan’twar’s dais, listening to the deep sound of his voice as he told me of the seven brothers creating weapons meant to unite the world.
This was the feeling I would have gotten if I’d discovered King Arthur’s round table—giddy and scared at the same time—yet this place was tainted with evil. Unlike the legendary Earth king’s Camelot, Tremulac was not a place of peace, but of power, of ultimate control.
It seemed the elves had always had a thing for subjugation.
We drew nearer and found a narrow bridge spanning from the shore to the castle gates. I saw no guards and felt no wards on the bridge. Still, I wouldn’t cross until I’d made sure it was safe.
Maveryck and Heidel made it to the foot of the bridge and waited for Kull and me to catch up. I still hadn’t let go of Kull’s hand, and I wasn’t sure I would until we’d left this place.
“Is it safe?” Heidel asked.
I studied the arched, narrow beam that extended from shore to gate. It was made of the same glassy material paving the road. Beneath the bridge, the black water remained still, with only small ripples breaking the surface and lapping the sand-covered shore. The air near the castle tasted strongly of salt.
“I don’t feel any spells,” I said, “but I would still be careful crossing. I don’t trust that lake.”
“I agree,” Kull said. “It hardly looks inviting. Maveryck, what do you say? Is it safe to cross?”
Maveryck didn’t answer. He only stared out over the water, his eyes seeming distant, as if he were looking at something else, something too far away to be seen. Finally, he seemed to focus on us. “Sorry, this place… I feel like I’ve seen it before… but it doesn’t make any sense. If I’d been here, I would remember with perfect clarity.”
“Maybe you saw it when you were a boy?” Heidel suggested.
“No. If I had, I would remember.”
“Then what would cause you to forget something?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
“Perhaps you dreamed of it,” Kull suggested.
Maveryck clenched his jaw. “Yes, maybe that’s it.”
“Should we cross now?”
“Yes,” Kull answered. “I should like to get this over with.”
Heidel stepped carefully onto the glassy surface, and I followed her. Kull walked behind me, and Maveryck came last. As we traversed the narrow bridge and made it to the center, the view of the castle and the surrounding landscape came into sharper view. The quiet air was interrupted by a gentle hum, but I couldn’t decide where the noise came from. Magic, perhaps?
Past the castle, the lake spread out beyond the horizon, so large it seemed to reach the edge of the world. The castle spires glistened in the last rays of sunlight as the water’s reflection shimmered on their surface. The building was much taller than structures the elves had built in modern times, and as we drew nearer, I realized it was much larger than I had first thought. The sight was awe-inspiring on a grand scale, from a time long past, when chaos ruled the world.
We finally made it across the bridge and to the island where the castle stood. White sand covered the beach, punctuated by small, water-worn pebbles. A chill lingered in the air on this side of the bridge, making goose bumps prickle my skin. Up ahead, we found a large gateway bored into the castle wall, and we headed toward the entrance, our feet shifting in the sand.
I clenched Kull’s hand so tightly I was surprised he didn’t complain. The fear was almost overwhelming. Usually, I did a pretty good job at controlling my fear, but being in this place, where the magic overpowered mine, where I felt powerless against the goddess within me, made me want to turn around and run as far away as I could. Focusing on my stepfather’s life was the only thing that kept me taking one step after another. I had to do this for Fan’twar. I had to bring him back.
We traded a path of sand for a cobbled courtyard. Crumbling pillars surrounded us. A few statues of elven gods and goddesses remained intact, standing like sentinels as tall as three men, looking down on us with detached gazes.
My heart beat wildly in my chest, its persistent thumping echoing loudly in my ears.
“What will we find when we get in there?” Heidel asked.
“I’m not sure, but we’re looking for a chamber where the elves are keeping the egg,” I said. “In my vision, the elves were inside a large chamber, and the egg was on a raised platform in the middle of the room. It looked like the room was underground or deep inside the castle because I didn’t see any windows.”
“Wherever the room is, we should be careful inside,” Kull said. “We have no idea where the
