Getting right down to business, Lorian tried to bring the dwarf up to speed by remarking, “My understanding from Soliander and the scroll is that there is no way to free the dragons from the inside, so someone on Honyn had to do it.”
“Who would do that, and why?” Anna asked, sipping her glass.
Rognir’s grey eyes fell on her. “A better question is who could do that. The spells Soliander wove around the device were strong, and he was one of the most powerful wizards on any world. To dispel them and reach the gate would require equal skill, such as wielded by only three men on Honyn.”
“Who?” Ryan interrupted, lifting his drink.
“Rohr of Marillon, Dieranon of Kianna, and Sonneri of Olliana,” the dwarf replied.
Ryan’s goblet stopped halfway to his mouth. “The queen’s wizard?”
“Yes,” answered Lorian. “Given the speed of the attacks on you after your arrival, he seems a likely suspect, for the others would not have learned of your arrival for days.”
“But why would he summon us to stop the dragons if he’s the one who freed them?” Ryan asked.
“Because they never meant the summons to work,” Eric reminded him.
“Correct,” agreed Morven, chiming in.
Rognir added, “You were attacked within hours, so whoever ordered it had to arrange it quickly, and know where you were staying. If it was not Sonneri, then it is possibly conspiracy from within the court, maybe someone secretly in league with the Dragon Cult.”
“Great,” muttered the knight, frowning, “we can’t even trust those who brought us here. Maybe we should just tell everyone the truth.”
Lorian shook his head. “I’m afraid that won’t do any good. Whoever wants the champions dead would extend that to you now.”
“Why?” Eric asked, not liking it.
“For any number of reasons, including an assumption you know their whereabouts. You have inherited their identities and now their enemies.”
Great, the rogue thought. It had seemed a simple thing to play along until they knew what to say or do, but it was getting increasingly out of control. How many enemies did the real champions have after disrupting the world domination plans of countless evil bad guys on one world after another? Powerful people had powerful enemies.
As if thinking the same thing, Anna remarked faintly, “I hope we’ve inherited their friends, too.”
Rognir winked at her. “You certainly have, my dear. You certainly have.”
“You know,” started Matt, “whoever stole the original scroll knows about this soclarin ore and has a motive to open the gate, to get the ore, so they can make strong magic items from it.”
Ryan asked, “Yeah, but how would they open the gate unless they already have something made from soclarin?”
“Maybe they stole something of Soliander’s first,” the wizard answered. “You know, maybe someone stole the scroll, learned of the ore, stole something of Soliander’s to access the gate, got past the spells at the castle, then opened the gate, and then went inside to get more ore.”
“You might be on to something,” Eric admitted. “Then again, if they can steal Soliander’s stuff, why do they need to go through all the trouble to get to the raw ore when they’ve got his stash?”
“That’s a good question,” Matt admitted, frowning. “Maybe they wanted to make different items than what Soliander created.”
Eric turned to Lorian. “Are all of these wizards able to travel between worlds? Maybe they went to Soliander’s, uh, tower, or something, and tried to get in.”
The elf nodded slowly. “Yes, they can.”
“Sonneri had access to the scroll,” observed Eric, “but no reason to steal it. He could’ve read it and just put it back, so in a way it suggests it wasn’t him.”
A brief silence followed before Anna observed, “Or that both he and another wizard know about it, so it could be either of them. He also could’ve arranged to have it stolen so he wouldn’t be suspected.”
“Very cunning,” admitted Rognir, puffing on his pipe, “but not unreasonable.”
Eric nodded but remarked, “We should focus on the most obvious explanation as being the likely one.”
“The Dragon Cult was suspected in the theft,” Lorian remarked, “since the scroll contains details on the gate and might presumably aid in opening it but does not.”
“How many people knew about the scroll?” Eric asked. “That narrows the suspect list.”
Morven replied, “We have no way of knowing.”
“What about the other two wizards?” the rogue asked. “Have they been mysteriously absent or showing signs of powerful magic items that can’t be explained?”
Lorian answered, “Not that we know of.”
Frustrated, Ryan drained his goblet and said, “Okay, so we know the dragons are out but didn’t release themselves, and there’s one at Castle Darlonon. Has there been any word of some wizard walking around there? He’d be the one who did it.”
Rognir cocked an eyebrow. “No, but we only know of Nir’lion because she was spotted flying. If the perpetrator is there, he has not revealed himself. It is possible that a wizard of great power is lying in wait for our arrival.”
The four friends exchanged alarmed looks.
“Doesn’t anyone have any good news?” Ryan asked in exasperation.
Lorian advised, “A complement of elves will take this quest with you, some quite well-versed in magic, and all skilled warriors. We also have a trained dragon slayer with us. You may not be the champions Olliana expected, but together we will fulfill this quest.”
Eric wasn’t so sure but was glad for the help. Otherwise they’d never see Earth again or return to their lives. All of this was far beyond intrusive, their lives put on hold in the meantime. It reminded him of something.
“I have a question,” the rogue started, slouching. “The champions couldn’t refuse a summons
