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“Okay, and…?” Holly was confused as to why the dates were important. They had a rough idea from the Fae as to when the Metallicum disappeared.
“Well, when Malcolm called with the snippet of information that the dragons had provided a key safety measure, it got me thinking,” Roderick said. “Dragons are very protective of our children, partly because, due to our nature, we don’t have very many. Around the same time the Fae Metallicum went missing, a young boy in Maxios’s clan went missing as well. Maxios promised the parents he would look into it, but I’ll never forget how calm he was.” Roderick’s fists clenched, and Mara laid a hand across one of them. “Children are so precious to us, and he was so… almost uncaring about it. Arran and I tried to offer our clans to help look for the young boy, Luca, who had just shifted for the first time into his green dragon, but Maxios insisted he could take care of it himself. Which was odd, because when it comes to the protection of our children, that’s something that unites the clans, even during times of war. He came back a few weeks later and said he suspected the Elves or Fae had taken the young dragon, which only served to sway the dragons even more to his side.”
Roderick’s fierce words had Holly’s heart aching for that little boy, Luca, and the fierce loyalty the Dragons showed toward each other. Witches were all about power and bloodlines. If a child had disappeared from a coven, it was likely the coven would be blamed for letting it happen, and very few covens would volunteer to help. Brandlevine was one of the few exceptions, but it had turned a blind eye to a lot of things as well.
“You think the key safety measure that Maxios provided was the young dragon?” Synora asked quietly, putting the pieces together.
“Dragons protect a few things fiercely. Their clan, their family, and their hoard. If someone were to remove their clan and family, they would protect their hoard like the end of the Realm was coming for it. While we can’t wield magic, we are imbued with a natural magic that helps protect our hoards. A magic that makes us even fiercer with our fangs and claws,” Roderick explained.
“If they took that poor young boy,” Mara said, her eyes watering at the thought, “and made him feel like he was all alone in the world, or worse, manipulated that natural magic against him, they would have the perfect protection for those stolen ingredients.”
“It’s all just a theory,” Roderick said grimly, “but as soon as Malcolm called with that information, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It would explain why Maxios didn’t search for him and why no one has been able to find him since.”
“Where do you think the hoard would be?” Kallan asked, leaning forward with his elbows on the table, eyes bright at the thought of a lead. He looked so fierce in that moment, and he nearly took Holly’s breath away. He caught her watching, and his fierce expression softened slightly before he turned back to Roderick.
“Knowing that information, if I had to guess, it would be on the border of the Dragon Mountains and the shifter territory. Maxios’s clan has held that stretch of mountains for centuries. I can highlight a few areas on the map I think you should check out.”
“You haven’t sent men there already?” Kieran asked.
“We thought about it, but if Fae Metallicum is involved, you and your brother would be the best people to handle it without risk to my people. Besides, Malcolm has asked us to be on alert for the Fae lands. I can’t split my forces too thin while the prisoners still roam free.”
Kallan nodded and stood. “We need to go now. We need to find that hoard before the escaped prisoners reach it.”
Or before the right-hand person took the rest of the ingredients to build a second ultimate weapon, Holly thought grimly.
* * *
Mara and Roderickguided them through a maze of tunnels that led them safely to the border of Maxios’s clan’s territory. Finally, the tunnels opened up, and Holly took a deep breath of the crisp air. Winter was coming in the Realm, and when the breeze whipped up the side of the mountain, she shivered as a chill went up her spine.
A soft shawl settled over her shoulders. Synora fussed with it until it fell smoothly across Holly’s back, and Holly snagged one of her hands once she was done and squeezed it gently. “Thank you,” she murmured, taking the chance to stand up on her tiptoes and press a quick kiss to Synora’s cheek. Her Elf’s eyes darkened, and she gripped Holly’s hand tighter as she tucked her into her side.
“Follow this trail down to the tree line,” Roderick said. “Our best guess is they stashed everything up on this side of the mountain.”
Holly looked out in the direction he was pointing. The woods crept up the mountains on this side, covering the rock with a thick green blanket. Holly frowned. There was something that felt… off about the woods.
“What is it?” Synora asked, stepping closer to her, as if shielding Holly from the woods.
“I don’t know.” Holly bit the inside of her cheek. “Something just feels off.”
Synora lifted her hand and cupped Holly’s chin. She rubbed her thumb across the cheek that Holly was currently abusing, and Holly exhaled and stopped biting at it. “What feels off?” Synora asked.
Holly could feel Kallan’s and Kieran’s eyes on them, and she shrugged. “I can’t pinpoint it. Not yet. But I would say Roderick is right. The hoard is likely in the woods. That or there’s something else wrong there.”
Kallan and Kieran exchanged tense looks, and Synora dropped her hand from Holly’s cheek but kept her tucked close to her side.
“Be careful,” Mara said solemnly. “We will keep a lookout posted on this trail. If you run into trouble, send up an emergency signal and you’ll have us there shortly.”
“We will,” Kallan said. “Let’s go.”
Holly gave Mara a quick hug before Mara and Roderick disappeared back into the mountain. Kallan led the way down the trail with Holly right behind him and Synora behind her. The trail was steep, and the rock was loose. She tried to watch her step, but inevitably, her foot slipped, and she fell forward into Kallan.
“Sorry,” she said quickly.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his hands on her hips, steadying her.
Holly looked up and got distracted by his intense blue eyes. “Fine,” she said breathlessly.
The smallest smile flashed on his face and disappeared just as quickly, as if he was amused with her reaction to him. “Careful, now. We’ve got a lot of mountains below.”
