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He poured all of the salt he had over the mess in the pot. Still nothing. It wasn’t like he’d truly expected anything.
Now, all he had to do was make sure his blob couldn’t be found. If someone touched the gold now, would they bear the weight of Mammon? Most likely, since destroying the items had done nothing for him.
He figured burying it was the best thing he could do. John must have found the crown and the rose in a cave since he doubted Elira or Mukta came here and left them lying about any old where. Honestly, he wanted to strangle Mukta who must have decided to leave the key in the lion’s mouth. Sure, it had remained hidden for ages with that damn statue staying in the family for centuries upon centuries, but he should have guessedsomeonewould have eventually gotten a hold of it.
Honestly, Mukta should have sent the items on a rowboat into the Mists instead of leaving two in the Kingdom where the trouble had all started. The Mists had existed back then, right?Sure, they might have washed up later, but it was better than his original idea.
He had a small crystal lantern and was about to head into the cave when he noticed something. He’d gilded a couple of weeds in his sleep at some point. At least it wasn’t Jari, and Aurelius would never do that again. In an hour or two, everything in the realm would be safe from him. The golden weeds cracked when he stomped them into the ground.
The air cooled inside the cave, and the eggy smell increased. He wrinkled his nose as he followed the curve of the tunnel. The dirt flooring was quite smooth, and he decided that inside the volcano would be his best bet after all. To avoid others finding the gold, he hoped the damn thing erupted one day. Nobody would find it once it was further buried.
He wondered if it was possible to go so far in, he’d be able to find some of that liquid fire to toss the filthy blob into. Would it be too hot to get near it or would it be like a blacksmith’s forge where a person was able to stand at a reasonable distance to work with it?
He’d gone around a few curves when he hit a dead end of smooth, flat stone. He could dig in the dirt there and bury the items, but before he was able to do anything, a grating sound came from the stone.
Aurelius jumped, and his first thought was that either the cave was collapsing, or the volcano was about to blow. He held out the lantern as the wall started to slide down, and he backed up a step.
“What the fuck?” he muttered, clutching the pot tighter.
Dust puffed as the wall vanished into the ground and revealed a small room. There shouldn’t be anything like that here where no fairies lived. He took a step into the small room. The sides were plain like the rest of the tunnel, and in the center, a flat-bottomed stone bowl sat. It came up to his knee, and the inside was quite smooth and empty.
Had Elira or Mukta put the items here? Perhaps the door had been spelled with blood that would react to descendants too, but why? Neither should have wanted anyone to find those items again.
The edges had some sort of markings, and he squinted, trying to see if it was writing. If it was, it was too faded to make out. He walked to the opposite side and whipped around as the wall grated behind him, opposite of where he’d come in. A short tunnel led into another room, and Aurelius nearly dropped his pot and the lantern as he stared ahead.
Light came from above, and he knew he must be below the hole he’d noticed outside. Except…thatshould be there. It was impossible. He passed through the short tunnel and gaped at the enormous space.
Vast riches that would have made Tourwin weep with joy lay inside. It had all been piled into a massive heap more than twice Aurelius’s height. Gold coins, boxes, jeweled cups, and daggers. A tiara studded with diamonds lay near the base, and money had been scattered all over. The coins weren’t the lans, dins, or kops that Aurelius knew.
Everything besides the gems was gold, and Aurelius spotted a crown with round things around the base that may have been gems at one point, but they were gold.
More interesting and terrifying was the enormous thing on top of the mountain of treasure. It looked like it had been dropped in through the gap above. One wing was spread out as if trying to protect the hoard, and the top arch was hooked. What Aurelius assumed was skin gleamed brighter than any of the treasure, but it had folds like real skin. The bony arches supporting the wing were thick.
Four legs with gold claws, wings, a body that had once been powerful enough to fight a Goddess, and a crested head. Each scale, bigger than a platter, shined as if the Goddess herself had polished them all, and the sides didn’t move with breath. While other stories through the ages might have been false, he knew where the story first originated, although it had been twisted and the truth mostly lost to time.
If alive, one of the massive feet could smush Aurelius. A golden eye, only partially opened, seemed to watch Aurelius who stared back at the dragon.
Mammon.
“Hello, brother.”
Aurelius’s heart soared as his eye flicked to the bony, textured ridge that traveled down the length of the dragon’s back and tail. Gullveig clambered over it. His hair was shaggy, and his plain clothing was dirty and torn, but he still managed a lordly sneer as he stood near the base of the wing. He wore a pack.
Aurelius didn’t know what to say for a moment.
“What?” Gullveig pushed back his messy hair. “No hello for the only dear brother you’ve got left?”
“How did you get here?” demanded Aurelius.
“Someone got me out of Morning Glory, and I’d packed ahead. It wasn’t hard to get a small ship here. I paid a couple of men.” He grinned at Aurelius, and his voice turned mocking. “Stupid. How did you get here? Did you fly?”
His boat must have been docked on the other side of the island.
Gullveig tilted his head as he studied Aurelius. “You called me greedy and said I was lost. You’re the one with a nearly gold eye. I’m surprised you’re not shitting yourself and babbling on the floor. Then again, maybe not everyone is doomed to insanity, and you just said that because you wanted everything. My two friends know of my power, and that’s why they’re following.”
“They won’t follow if you’re crazy.”
“I’m not going crazy.”
