“To think that I only got to the Seven Realms by accident,” I said. “If it wasn’t for that dragon in the sword, I never would have found my way here.”
“Dragon?” she asked.
“That’s what she said she was. A dragon totem or spirit or something like that, in a sword I found in my world. I was carrying it—her—when I fell off a cliff and was transported here.”
“Do you still have this dragon sword?”
“No, it didn’t come with me. The only time I’ve heard from Nydarth since was in a dream.”
Remembering that dream, the human version of Nydarth naked and pressed against me, I felt heat rise in my body. I ran a hand across Faryn’s breasts, hoping that we might make a second round of the gentler sort of sparring.
“The dragon’s name was Nydarth?” Faryn asked.
It wasn’t the reaction I’d expected. She sounded more distracted than aroused. When I looked up, I saw her brow furrowed into a frown.
“You know who she is?” I asked.
“I know her,” Faryn replied. “She’s ancient and powerful. And she’s from this world.”
“I guess that explains how I got here,” I said. “Or it’s the start of an explanation, at least. But how did she get to me in my world?”
“I don’t know. Not how she made herself heard or how she brought you here. Dragons are powerful, mysterious, and ancient. They can do things far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary Augmenter. If you want to know what Nydarth was up to, you’ll have to ask her.”
“Can I do that?” I sat bolt upright. Thoughts of sex didn’t entirely vanish from my mind—after all, Faryn was still lying there naked—but they took a distant second place to wanting to know more about what had happened to me.
“You can,” Faryn said, not looking me in the eye. “If you can find her.”
She wasn’t telling me something; that much was obvious from the way she tensed her shoulders and looked away. If she ever tried poker, she would lose the shirt off her back in no time flat.
“Do you know where I can find her?” I asked.
“I’m not sure I should tell you. You’re the Swordslinger. I shouldn’t meddle with your path.”
“Uhh, you’re kind of meddling already, aren’t you?”
“You want me to leave?” she asked.
“Of course, not. I just want to know where the sword is.”
“I cannot tell you. The Swordslinger forges his own path, whether it be here or in a hundred other worlds.”
Other worlds. The phrase reminded me of Earth. As much as I missed some of the luxuries of the modern world, I’d never been with such a beautiful woman, nor had I wielded magic. I hadn’t even believed the supernatural existed, but now, I couldn’t imagine living without it.
And I’d been called the Immortal Swordslinger. Whatever that meant. All I knew was that Faryn was hiding something. She had information about the Sundered Heart Sword. I knew that my destiny, or whatever it was called, was connected to that weapon.
“Tolin wouldn’t want you getting distracted from the Swordslinger’s path,” Faryn said, breaking me from my thoughts.
I took her chin between my thumb and forefinger and tilted it until she looked straight at me.
“Faryn,” I whispered, “do you really think that Tolin should decide how I live my life?”
“He trusted me to guide you,” she replied.
“And now, I’m trusting you to help me. Where can I find Nydarth?”
She sighed. “She’s trapped in the Ember Cavern.”
“I’ve been there. I saw no sign of her.”
“She is deep within its depths.”
“Can you tell me more about how she’s trapped?”
“Yes.”
“Then, I guess I know why she brought me to the Seven Realms.” I remembered Nydarth’s voice, how she’d helped me in the Himalayas, and how she’d felt in my dream. “I’m here to rescue her.”
“But your training…”
“Not right now,” I said. “I’m patient; I can wait for my chance.” I ran a hand down her side and saw her smile return. “Besides, I have better things to do tonight.”
Chapter Eleven
Three weeks after my nocturnal meeting with Faryn, I still hadn’t visited the Ember Cavern. I wanted more than anything to sneak away in the middle of the night in search of it, but nighttime security had increased a hundredfold. Had I been the cause for the increased watchfulness? No; I was certain no one had seen me leave or return to the guild house. Then, I remembered Hamon leaving on the same night, and I wondered whether he had been caught and if the tutors and masters had become stricter because of it.
Nevertheless, I couldn’t let anything prevent me from going into the Ember Cavern again and retrieving the Sundered Heart Sword.
Every night, I attempted to sneak out from my bunk, but a master would be waiting outside the room. A few times, the floorboards creaked beneath my feet, and I managed to slip back into bed before the master investigated. Except for one time when Rutmonlir pretended he didn’t hear me. He waited for me to enter the hallway, and then snatched my robes in his massive hand. He’d reprimanded me for almost 10 minutes before ordering me to return to my bunk.
Suffice it to say, I was growing tired of attempting to escape for the night.
I figured venturing to the Ember Cavern in the daytime would be easier, except guards stood atop the battlements and would easily see an initiate leaving the guild house. No one had been given permission to leave the estate since that night when I’d seen Hamon sneak away. Besides, there were so few hours without lessons or drills, and those were mostly spent eating or training inside the practice yard. The masters seemed as if they didn’t want to leave us with a spare moment, but rumors from my fellow initiates suggested there was a purpose to the incessant learning and conditioning.
The rumor was that Guildmaster Xilarion was planning a
