“Elf. Male. Alynatalos.” Sath boosted Gin up to look through the window. “His clothes look rather modern, don’t you think?”
“They do.” Gin cocked her head to one side. “It isn’t anyone I know, but how could it be if he has been here since –“ The man turned and looked right at her as Gin’s eyes widened. He mouthed something at her as he balled up his fists and struck out at the invisible barrier that kept him inside the room. “Sath, if we can see him move, then maybe he hasn’t been here that long. We have to get him out of there.” She vaulted out of Sath’s arms and flung the door open before he could stop her.
“Gin, wait!” Sath swiped for her, but she ducked out of his arms and ran headlong into a magical barrier and was hurled backward into him. It felt as though she had been struck down by wizard’s lightning, and she looked down at herself for signs of charred clothing or flesh but found nothing.
“Do NOT do that,” she said, shaking her head and blinking. Once she could again see clearly, she looked up into the face of the high elf. He had moved over to the barrier and was staring down at her with concern. He said something, but she couldn’t hear him. “I wish he could make the bond, Sath, we could –“
“No.” Gin’s head swiveled as she looked at Sath in surprise. “We can’t get him out of there. That is strong magic – dragon magic. We have nothing to match that on a good day.”
“I killed Lord Taanyth, don’t forget.”
“With the wizard’s assistance.” Sath helped her to her feet and moved closer to the barrier. The man shrank back, looking back and forth between Gin and Sath and pointing frantically as he shouted. “Well, I guess I know what period he is from, don’t I?” Sath raised his hands and stepped away from Gin, and the man calmed down. “He thinks I’m the Bane of the Forest.”
Gin moved in front of Sath. The closer she got, the more she could hear the muffled sound of the man’s pleas, but she still could not understand the words. “Listen to me,” she said, pulling in all of the power of the Nature Walkers past that she could summon. The man stilled. “Good. I know you can’t understand me, but I will return for you. I promise.”
Gin. Sath was an irritating presence in the back of her mind, but she mentally waved him off.
I will come back and save him, and you can come with me if you like. Gin looked at Sath pointedly as he fumed and ranted through their bond, but he eventually stilled.
I can’t just leave him here, but we have to keep moving for now. We will return once we have more magic to combat the trap. Sath? The silent treatment? Really?
Let’s just keep moving.
There was only one more door, near the end of the hall. Gin sprinted ahead and opened it, finding a staircase. Checking with Sath in the bond first, they moved quickly down the stairs, only stopping for a moment to look out the window at the landing when it turned back on itself.
What can you see?
Water. Lots of it, off on the horizon. Perhaps we are on an island? I can’t see straight down, so I don’t know how close we are to the shore. Maybe she left me here to rot and brought you here to join me?
Perhaps. Can you see anything else?
No. There’s mist rising off the water, and it’s obscuring the—wait, Sath, I can see the sun, it’s about midday I’d say.
Good. I’ve no desire to explore in the dark, thank you.
Me either.
Gin paused a moment, enjoying the safety that came with her bond with Sath. So many times in the past, he had come for her but had to find her first. Now he always knew where she was—and how she felt, and, once she allowed him in—what she was thinking. That last one might take a bit of time. She resumed her careful trek down the stairs to find an archway at the bottom—no door. Gin held up a hand to tell Sath to wait and stuck her head out of the arch to look around. Again, just like the room at the top of the stairs, there was no one guarding the outside.
Let’s go. It looks clear.
Dragons aren’t nocturnal, are they? Does this seem at all odd to you?
Very odd, but I’m not going to complain.
Sath reached for her hand as she slipped out the archway, moving as quietly as she could. They stayed close to the outer wall of the building, occasionally pressing up against its cold stones when they came to a corner. The building was not as big as the Great Halls in the Outpost, but almost, and was built similarly. Gin ran her hand along the stones, feeling the nearly undetectable marks in the bricks left by the tools made to create it. The mortar in between the large bricks was weathered—most likely by the salt air—but held firm.
Sath, I think that this is older than the buildings back home, at least older than the buildings in the Outpost.
Aye, it does seem to have withstood a lot more, but think about the design of the Outpost—it has a high wall around it, and that may protect it.
Maybe.
Still no one around?
I’m not sure. This mist is a lot thicker down here on the ground, and I think it might be magical somehow. That may be why I can’t sense anyone through it.
By design, I’m sure, if this is a prison. It looks so much like Bellesea. I’d almost swear that’s where we are. But that isn’t possible, is it?
I’m not sure. Let’s keep moving.
Gin made mental notes of the landscape that she could see as they moved
