“The general did say we might have visitors,” he said to the other two Drakaar, who had just noticed us and hurried over. “But we weren’t expecting the Dawnstar herself.”
He looked the three of us over. “I don’t see the dark prince.” He grinned, flashing his razor-sharp teeth. “Finally, you are at our mercy, Dawnstar. The general tells us you have lost your fae magic.” His clawed fingers curved into a fist, and the shadows that wound around us tightened. I gasped for breath, my sword falling from my hand and clattering to the ground.
Rafe and Penelope struggled with their bonds, and Penelope’s magic flashed dangerously as the shadows around her broke and reformed. It was not enough. Only the fire-fae were any match for the Drakaar.
“We will take great pleasure in killing you, Shadowbreaker,” he sneered. “We will—”
His words were cut off as a flaming sword appeared out of nowhere and the Drakaar’s head was severed from his body.
I looked up.
Tristan stood over the fallen Drakaar, twin swords blazing in his hands and eyes flashing with silver stars. He eyed the other two Drakaar, who had already started backing away at the sight of him. “Why don’t you ever learn?” Tristan scowled. “If you want the Dawnstar, you are going to have to go through me.”
Ashara stepped up beside him, the jewels on her staff glowing dangerously bright. “And me too, apparently,” she scoffed and flipped her braid over her shoulder, flicking a glance at Tristan. “Do you want to deal with this, or should I?”
Tristan grinned, the smile wholly genuine. “Be my guest,” he said, and stepped out of the way.
Ashara launched herself at the Drakaar, who turned to run as soon as they saw the warrior witch coming at them. But they were not fast enough. Ashara made quick work of the Drakaar, while we watched in awe of her strength and power.
Tristan sheathed his swords and threw a look at Rafe. “So where is this secret entrance?”
Penelope arched an eyebrow. “How did you two get here so fast? The portal closed behind us while you were fighting the dark fae.”
Tristan’s mouth twitched upward. “It seems Ashara was not exaggerating about her powers. She made two identical witchstones, just in case.”
Penelope’s jaw dropped. “Two at the same time?”
He flicked a glance at the warrior witch. “Apparently so.”
We followed a steep mountain path down to a section of rock covered by shrubs and bushes. Rafe parted the foliage and searched along the rock with his hand.
“Have you used this entrance before?” I asked Rafe.
“No, but my father explained where it was. This is the place, I’m sure of it.”
“So you have no idea if it will actually work?” Penelope asked.
“No,” said Rafe, his voice clipped as he drew his dagger and sliced it across his palm, drawing blood. He placed his bleeding hand on the rock.
The rockface started to shimmer. Rafe drew in a sharp breath. He raised an eyebrow and smirked at me. “Who wants to go first?”
Tristan stepped forward and glanced at Ashara. “I will make sure it is safe.” He stepped into the rock and disappeared.
Ashara rolled her eyes and followed.
“After you,” said Rafe.
I stepped inside.
I got a sudden feeling of claustrophobia as the rock closed around me, but in a moment I was standing in a vast hall deep within the mountain. Tristan and Ashara were already scanning our surroundings, the jewels on the witch’s staff giving off an eerie glow and illuminating the cavern.
As my eyes adjusted to the light, I willed my heart to calm while I caught my breath. My hand lit up with mage light as I looked around. We stood in a large, rectangular room with massive carved pillars holding up the stone ceiling. The walls of the cavern were polished to a smooth sheen and carved with dwarven symbols that rose into the darkness. We walked through the hall toward an arched opening where light streamed in, and I stepped out of the smaller cavern onto a ledge overlooking the biggest cavern I had ever seen. There was no sky visible here, but the top of the cavern seemed to glitter with sparkling light globes that floated around aimlessly, illuminating the whole place in a dim glow.
“The ancient city of Stonegate,” Penelope breathed, her eyes taking in the expanse that lay before us.
Terraced levels with stone houses and opulent buildings were built on the different levels encircling the sides of the cavern. The walls looked like a labyrinth with roads and steps and small stone bridges that connected the city dwellings. My mouth fell open in awe as we traversed the small steep steps down through the different levels.
An ancient underground complex, Stonegate was an architectural marvel. Each level had numerous carved passageways, chambers, and pillared halls like the one we came through, which disappeared into the darkness of the mountain beyond. According to Penelope, the upper levels housed the mansions of the nobility and rich merchants, and they traveled among their levels via slender bridges, ornate arches, and wide steps made of carved stone and secured by dwarven magic. The lower levels of the workers and miners led into another whole network of twisted tunnels and dark passages that changed to primordial caverns where light never reached and nameless creatures lay in wait. I shuddered at her description of the darker parts of Stonegate as we reached the cavern floor.
Penelope pointed opposite us in the distance, at a monstrous structure of stone pillars and arches created seemingly for giants. “The palace is there. We will have to go through the city to get to it.”
Rafe scanned his surroundings. “I just hope we are not too late.”
We followed the road through the city, where shops and houses dotted the area, leading off into smaller arched entrances and dingy streets. A river ran along the side, disappearing into the mountain beyond. The city was quiet, although a few of Stonegate’s citizens hurried through the streets,
