Maveryck stepped to the doors and pressed his ear against them. I also used my elven senses to detect any sounds beyond the doorway but noted only silence inside.
“I don’t hear anything,” Maveryck said.
“If we enter, how do we know the elves won’t be alerted to our presence?” Kull asked.
“We don’t know for sure,” I said. “But, the elves would have entered through the gateway in the catacombs, not through here, and they would also be expecting us to enter the same way. They didn’t anticipate we would cross through the wild lands and enter through this passage. If we’re going to get inside that room, this would be the best way to do it.”
Heidel inspected the doors, pulling away bits of cobwebs that clung to the surface. “It looks like these doors haven’t been used in some time.”
“I’m still not sure,” Kull said. “The elves would be foolish not to have these doors guarded.”
Maveryck pressed his hand to the door, his fingers splayed, letting his magic weave into the fabric of the stone. He closed his eyes, humming gently, a sound imbued with magic. After a moment, he pulled away. His gray eyes glittered with magic, and I wasn’t sure I liked the feeling of power coming from him.
“It is safe,” he said. “The room is empty.”
“You’re sure?” Heidel said.
“Quite sure.”
Kull crossed his arms. “I don’t know. Perhaps we should find another way inside.”
“We may not have time,” I said. “The elves will start the ritual soon. It could take hours to find another way inside, if another way even exists.”
“I agree with Olive,” Heidel said. “We have to take our chances.”
Kull sighed. “Very well. But we do this quietly. In and out and home for our evening meal, understood?”
“Not happening,” I mumbled.
“Yes, we understand perfectly,” Heidel answered.
Kull nodded to Maveryck, who slowly pushed the doors open. The heavy stone doors slid across the floor, creating half-moon patterns in the dust on the floor.
We stepped onto a narrow balcony overlooking the depths of Tremulac castle. Far below, we saw the vachonette egg, a tiny speck sitting on a raised platform. Lit only by firelight, the egg sat in a seemingly empty void.
“Finally,” Kull said in a whisper. “We’ve found it.”
Chapter 30
My heart raced as I stared at the egg so far below. Kull, Heidel, and Maveryck looked on as the egg shone with a golden luster, reflecting the firelight cast from wide biers surrounding the room. I scanned the huge chamber—seven raised coffins around the vachonette’s platform, the expanse of empty floor, the pillars spanning to the cavern’s ceiling, and the balconies surrounding the walls—but the place was empty.
“It looks like we’re alone for now,” Heidel whispered, the immense room making her voice echo.
“Yeah, let’s hope it stays that way,” Kull said.
Maveryck scanned the room, his eyes intent. “I’m going to go down there,” he said. “I’ll have to do it alone. If there are traps, I can find them, but it’s harder if I have to find them for four people.”
“So we just have to wait here while you take the egg?” Heidel asked.
“Yes.”
She crossed her arms. “I don’t like it.”
“Like it or not,” Kull said, “he’s right. One person has a better chance of avoiding traps than four.”
“But we don’t even know if there are any traps,” Heidel said. “What if he is attacked? What then? We get to sit here and watch him die?”
Maveryck smirked. “I won’t die.”
Heidel sniffed. “I still don’t like it.”
“If it makes you feel better, you can keep watch from here. If anything tries to attack, shoot it.” He reached into his pack and handed her the basita.
She glared as she took it. “I’d rather go with you.”
Maveryck smiled but said nothing and backed away. Then he turned and walked toward the staircase, his footfalls quiet, though not silent. Anyone paying attention would hear him.
Heidel adjusted the weapon and clicked the gears into place. We watched as Maveryck paced down the stairs, his dark blue robes blending in with the background. He moved with practiced stealth. From this distance, I could no longer hear the sound of his footsteps. When he reached a landing midway between the top of the dome and the bottom, he stopped and outstretched his hand. A faint bluish glow emanated from his fingers as he treaded from one edge of the landing to the other.
“What’s he doing?” Heidel asked.
“Checking for enchantments, most likely,” I said.
When he seemed satisfied, he leapt over the staircase banister and climbed the rest of the way down.
“Do you think he found a spell?” Heidel asked.
“He must have found something,” Kull said.
Heidel sighed. “I don’t like this. I’m following him.” She moved toward the staircase when Kull caught her arm.
“Wait,” he said. “Give him a chance.”
“I don’t want to.”
Maveryck reached the bottom of the staircase and walked out onto the floor. Heidel stayed put as he crossed the expanse of tiles, his footsteps silent, his blue robes swirling behind him. The onyx floor swam with patterns of cobalt blue, an odd enchantment that was stained by Maveryck’s shadow as he passed over it.
When he reached the raised platform, he sidestepped the coffins and headed straight for the egg.
My heart pounded as I watched him near the pedestal where the egg rested. As he approached the egg, he held his glowing hand out and approached the dais. It took him longer to reach the egg than I would have liked, but I knew he was only being cautious.
When he finally stopped by the raised column supporting the egg, he circled it several times and then snatched the egg up and placed it inside his bag. I wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but I knew he still had to get back up to us.
He walked quickly off the platform and toward the open floor. Heidel’s shoulders relaxed a tiny bit, though she kept the weapon focused below.
Maveryck slowed, then stopped, as his gaze
