As we left the stale air of the mushroom behind, a fresh breeze played through my braid. Blinking in rapid succession, I waited for my eyes to adjust to the bright light of the sun. The terrain around us shifted as we walked. It was awe-inspiring to have crossed such a vast distance in such a short amount of time.
And I could tell the moment we passed through the Fae crossing, exiting the Autumn Court, back into the Kingdom of Uvrakar. The change from autumn leaves to loose rock and mountain wildflowers would still have cued me in, even if I hadn’t been able to sense the magic of the boundary.
At least I was gainingsomeexperience from all of my travels. I admired the new scenery, stopping to breathe in the minty aroma wafting from the wildflowers. They must be a hardyvariety to thrive in Uvrakar’s desert climate.If I uprooted one, would it grow back home on the island?Perhaps I could start a flower garden unique to each kingdom. Nix and I set off in the direction of the mountain. It wasn’t hard to miss—its jagged peaks formed a looming beacon on the horizon.
“Ready for a difficult hike?” Nix asked, licking his chops after our light meal.
“I guess so,” I replied, shoving one last apple slice into my mouth.
Hiking to the base of the mountain took up a significant portion of the afternoon. Even so, the worst was yet to come. The path thus far had been level, if not a bit overgrown with brush. The path up the mountain, however, would involve a steep change in elevation and the added obstacle of rocky paths.
It was a wonder there were any paths at all carved into the mountainside. But the dragon who lived here must have welcomed the occasional human visitor because a trail system was clearly marked on Rogam’s stolen map. Still, overprotective dragons and sheer mountainsides were not for the faint of heart. I doubted the mountain was a particularly popular destination, and we hadn’t yet come across a single soul to challenge that assumption.
The start of the path was right where the map said it would be, partially hidden by some vegetation. Bending a tree branch so it wouldn’t snap back and whack me in the face, I passed through the foliage and stepped onto the mountain path, officially starting our ascent.
Luckily, we didn’t have to hike all the way to the summit to reach the cave marked on Rogam’s map. I had no illusions about actually conquering the mountain. Flying with Corvin had all buttaken away my fear of heights, but he wasn’t here, so I needed to be cautious. There would be no quick escape from danger today.
And heights could be treacherous.
Periodically as we hiked, I dragged the sleeve of my tunic across my forehead, wicking away an embarrassing amount of sweat that continually threatened to drop into my eyes. In retrospect, hiking during the hottest part of the day had not been the best part of our plan. The path was too rocky for me to be distracted by sweat in the eyes. Already I’d nearly twisted an ankle several times, stumbling over an unanticipated rock or twig sticking out of the ground. Gritting my teeth, I resumed hiking, picking something ahead so I could reward myself with a small break whenever I caught up to my destination.
“Why did Kaylin banish you from the cottage?” I asked Nix, pausing to rest my hands on my knees.
“She thought I was a spy sent to report on her whereabouts. She suspected the island was being watched after Juniper’s murder. She wasn’t wrong to be worried. It was my failing that I never gained her trust,” Nix mourned, bounding up the trail without waiting for my reply.
Hours passed—hiking ever upward. At first, we made steady progress. Conversing with Nix kept me from focusing on the change in elevation. Even if the uncomfortable popping sensation in my ears kept trying to remind me. Our progress slowed, however, when the path began to wind perilously close to the edge of the mountainside. Each time I caught a glimpse of the ground below, I found myself clinging to the wall of the mountain, needing a moment to collect myself.
As the sun began to set, I rejoiced, more than ready for things to cool down. Nix and I stopped for a short break. My mind was eager to reach our destination, but my body demanded rest and some water to recover from all that sweating. We sat close enough to the mountain’s edge that I could peer over its side.The view was dizzying. Haunting thoughts of Rogam shoving me off the mountain danced through my mind.
Undeniably, a fall at this height would be deadly. But the chances Rogam would return to the scene of his crime seemed slim.You probably didn’t loot the same place twice if you wanted to avoid detection.Probably. “It’s possible this wasn’t a good idea,” I told Nix, finally looking away from the sheer drop. “Quite possible,” he agreed, not one for false reassurances. “At least we’re almost there,” I said, standing up and promptly retreating to the mountain wall.
I avoided looking down for the rest of the hike.
The mouth of the cave was a menacing black abyss.No, not an abyss—a portal.For those brave enough to step through. To treasures unknown. And hopefully, moonstones. I double-checked Rogam’s map to make sure we arrived at the correct cave system. Nix was kind enough not to comment on my obvious attempt to stall our approach.
Taking a deep breath, I entered the mouth of the cave—and immediately froze.
A large, cavernous chamber stretched before us. There was no dragon, but it was far from abandoned. Almost half a dozen winged beasts slumbered together in the center of the chamber.New residents.Making themselves right at home from the looks of it.
They were the size of a horse, with the head and the shaggy mane of a lion—something I’d only ever seen depicted in books. Even so, I was more fixated on their scorpion-esque tails, which ended in a wicked barb, likely intended for striking prey. The beast’s wings were feathered, like an eagle’s. Briefly, my mind turned toward Corvin. Apparently, I couldn’t see a feather without thinking about him and his magic now. I nearly jumped out of my skin when Nix whispered in my ear, “Manticores. Their poisonous tails can paralyze as well as kill.”
A rumbling sound drew my attention to the nearest beast. Was it snoring? Each manticore appeared to be in a deep sleep. Possibly a post-meal nap, judging by the animal carcasses and bones littering the floor nearby where they dozed. Was that ahumanskull? I clutched my stomach, suddenly feeling queasy. Another snore split the silence—this one accompanied by a small crackle of lightning, discharged from its nostrils.
Nix’s soft nose brushed my ear again. “Touch your moonstone necklace. It will help guide you.” I did as I was told, bringing my hand to my necklace. Did that mean he thought we should continue? Easy for him to say, draped across my shoulders. They would probably eat me first. I took a tentative step forward. The beasts didn’t stir, their chests continually rising and falling in a steady rhythm. I took another step—hugging the very edge of the cavern as I made my way slowly around toward the back of the room. My eyes never drifted from the slumbering manticores, looking for any sign they were about to awaken.
But they continued to sleep, evidently satiated from whatever dinner they recently consumed. I continued my slow shuffle around the cavern, one hand pressed to my necklace. There appeared to be a tunnel at the back of the room, and as I drew close, my moonstone pulsed, affirming I was heading in the right direction. Excitement rushed through me—I might actually find some moonstones.Now all I had to do was obtain them without waking up a bunch of dangerous beasts. I’d already been poisoned once recently, and I had no desire to repeat the experience again anytime soon.
I managed to reach the back of the cavern without alerting its residents, slipping into the tunnel and winding my way farther into the cavern’s depths. Following the moonstone necklace’s lead, I wound my way back until I came to a fork in the road, myintuition guiding me to the left, where the tunnel expanded into a small room. A small room that had clearly been looted.
Overturned wooden chests, loose drawers, shattered glass, and torn cloth greeted me. They hadn’t taken everything though—plenty of valuables were still visible, haphazardly strewn around. Had their looting been interrupted by the beasts outside? Or had something else drawn them away? Resolving to find the moonstones as quickly as possible, I set to work searching. A slew of rubies spilled forth from a torn bag, so I started in that corner of the room, thinking gemstones might have been grouped together at some point.
My necklace grew warm as I peered into a broken wooden chest. A silver drawstring bag sat at its bottom. Retrieving the bag, I eagerly pulled on its strings, smiling in triumph at the milky-white gemstones forged from moonlight glistening up at me. “Why do you think they left these behind?” I asked Nix, happily bouncing the bag up and down, savoring the sound of all those moonstones clinking together. “Diamonds are shinier,” Nix guessed. Then, more morosely, “And the Midnight Sovereign has all but been forgotten.”
“Not if I can help it,” I responded. “That’s all going to change soon.” Nix let out a soft, approving purr.
I decided against taking anything else from the room. It felt too much like stealing. Even if the cavern was truly abandoned by its original owner. I didn’t know the context behind its current state, or if the dragon would return someday. If they did ever return and demand repayment, I had moonflowers I could offer them. The same couldn’t be said for the other treasures. Leaving everything else in place seemed like the right thing to do for now.
Clutching the bag of moonstones, I retraced our steps until we emerged at the back of the cavern once more, where the manticores still slumbered. I counted their numbers twice over,just to make sure they were all accounted for, sleeping together in the center of the room. Plastering myself against the wall, I began to circumnavigate the cavern.
