Chapter 36
Thirty-Six
VAUGHN
Ryker drops us off at the foot of Indigo Mountain and then disappears without a word. I feel bad for Aurora that she has to be trained by the likes of him. It’s up to Solomon to guide us the rest of the way, and he does so while muttering curses under his breath.
“So, where exactly does the Elder dragon live?” I ask.
“At the top of the mountain, naturally,” Solomon replies.
I look up and can’t even see the peak because it’s so tall. “Fuck me. Please tell me we don’t have to climb the mountain. I’m getting dizzy just looking at it.”
“There’s another way. We can reach the top from inside, but I’m afraid not climbing anything is not possible, unless you can fly.”
A growl nearby makes me jump and step closer to Karl. “What was that?”
“Who knows? Let’s not wait here to find out,” Solomon says.
“Where’s the entrance? I hope it’s not far,” I say.
“You’re still afraid of the dark, I see,” Karl chimes in.
“I said it already, I’m not afraid of the dark,” I grit out.
“Sure, you aren’t, Chunk.”
I glare at Karl, but I don’t want to piss him off too much, so I don’t offer a retort. He’s a wolf shifter, after all; if there are any monsters in the area, I very much want him to assist. Not that Karl would ever abandon us like that asshole Ryker.
“The entrance is on the other side of that boulder,” Solomon says. “Come on.”
My phone finally vibrates in my pocket, making my heart skip a beat. I let Karl walk ahead of me so I can check the message. He’s dialed in, checking the perimeter, and doesn’t notice I’ve lagged behind.
I smile. It’s a text from Sophie.
SOPHIE: Oh, what happened? I hope nothing serious.
I realize that I was super vague before, and I feel bad. She’s probably worried.
Lucca and Vivi returned from Ellnesari.
SOPHIE: Did they rescue Miranda and Rikkon?
Yes, but there’s an issue. Lucca’s sister stayed behind. Now we need to open another portal to Ellnesari to get her.
SOPHIE: How are you going to do that?
We’re about to pay a visit to the Elder dragon.
SOPHIE: What? Are you crazy? She’s dangerous.
Shit. Her message doesn’t bring me comfort.
It’s the only way. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.
SOPHIE: You can’t ask me that. Of course I’m going to worry.
Since I don’t know if I’ll make it out of the dragon’s lair alive, I don’t hold back.
I love you.
My heart gets stuck in my throat, and all my insecurities come to the forefront of my mind. What if she doesn’t feel the same and believes I’m a creep?
SOPHIE: I love you too.
I smile before I pocket my phone. Now I’m ready to face my doom.
We round the boulder, but there’s nothing but a smooth wall. “I don’t see any entrance.”
Solomon looks over his shoulder with a glint of pure contempt in his eyes. “It’s concealed. Do you think the Elder dragon wants any idiot stumbling upon her lair?”
“I assume you know the spell to reveal the entrance to us,” Karl says.
The dry crack of a twig breaking sounds nearby. For fuck’s sake. I do hate nature.
“What are you waiting for? For the monster prowling to attack us?” I complain.
Solomon wastes precious seconds glaring at me before he faces the mountain and begins to recite a spell in a language I don’t recognize. The rocky wall in front of us vibrates and then caves inward, revealing a dark passage.
“Voilà.” Solomon makes a grand gesture with his arm. “You can go first, Vaughn, since you’re so afraid of monsters.”
Jackass. I should go first to prove to him I’m not afraid, but as I stare at the black void, my legs won’t move.
“I’ll go first.” Karl strides forward.
No sooner are we all inside the tunnel than the wall solidifies again behind us.
“I hope the spell to open that is the same,” I say.
“Stop bitching and move,” Solomon barks. “Manu is still trapped in Ellnesari, and we don’t know how long it will take to convince the Elder dragon to part with the mirror. You know how dragons love their treasures.”
I’m surprised how quickly my eyes adjust to the gloom.
The dark void was only at the entrance of the cave.
It’s not completely dark inside the mountain.
There’s light coming from fissures in the ceiling, but I don’t know if they’re magical or natural.
At the end of the tunnel, I see the beginning of stairs.
“How many steps do you reckon until we get to the top?” I ask.
“No idea. Why don’t you count?” Karl jokes.
I flatten my lips. Granted, it was a stupid question. It’s almost a disease that words come out of my mouth without me thinking first whenever I’m this tense. I don’t think I will ever not be the butt of everyone’s jokes.
It takes us at least an hour to reach the top of the mountain, and my legs turned to jelly ten minutes ago. I have to crawl up the last steps, panting. It’s embarrassing how out of shape I am. “Jesus fucking Christ. I think climbing the mountain from outside would have been easier.”
“Pathetic.” Solomon steps over me, looking fresh as hell. How is that possible? He must have used magic.
“How are you not tired?” Karl asks, massaging his legs.
“I suppose I’m built of better stuff than you lot.”
“Pishposh,” a voice echoes in the large chamber before us, and the ground shakes with the noise.
My heart leaps into my throat, getting stuck there. That must be the Elder dragon. I stagger back to my feet and stare ahead.
“You’re not built of better stuff, Corvicus. You just know more spells.”
Son of a bitch. I knew it! The asshole could have helped with the ascension.
The Elder dragon finally steps from under the shadows to stand right beneath the moonlight coming from the opening at the top of the humongous room.
I’m not a super-religious person, but I feel compelled to make the sign of the cross.
Unlikely that will protect us against the three-headed monster staring at us, though.
She’s more terrifying than I imagined. Her scales are silver and shimmer under the moonlight, but it’s the size of her talons and her sharp teeth that has me shaking where I stand.
“My, my, my. I never thought I’d see your face again,” the head in the middle says, staring at Solomon.
“Trust me, I had no desire to ever come here again, but I had no choice.”
The dragon switches her attention to Karl and me, using her left and right heads to do so. “Oh, you brought me gifts?”
I glance at Karl, not hiding that I’m losing my shit. My chest is tight, and I can’t seem to get enough air into my lungs. He shakes his head, trying to signal for me to calm the fuck down.
I’m trying, man.
“A vampire and the wolf shifter familiar. Interesting,” the head in the middle says.
The head closest to me takes a whiff of me, making me flinch. “This one was turned recently.”
“As I had foreseen,” the head on the left pipes up.
“What do you want, Corvicus?” the middle head says. She seems to be the one in charge here.
“I came for the Nightingale mirror,” Solomon replies.
The heads rear back and then glance at one another. A second later, all three laugh loudly.
I shiver. We’re so screwed, not even the most powerful screwdriver could save our asses.
“You’re a comedian, Corvicus,” the middle head says.
“He’s not joking. We don’t want to keep the mirror. We just want to use it to open a portal into Ellnesari,” Karl says.
“The portals have been closed for a reason, boy. Do not open that can of worms again.”
“I need to return. It’s a life-and-death situation,” he grits out.
“Oh, I see great pain in your past,” the head on the right says.
“And more pain in your future,” the left head adds.
Karl throws his hands in the air. “Great. I’m cursed to suffer forever. I still need the mirror.”
“And what would you give us in return for it?” the head in the middle asks.
“What do you want?”
“Foolish boy. Don’t ask them what they want,” Solomon chimes in.
“Hmmm. We haven’t had company in a very long time. How about we play a little game?” the middle head asks.
“Oh no, no, no.” Solomon steps in front of Karl, shaking his head and wagging his finger. “We’re not doing this again. That’s how I lost the mirror to you in the first place.”
“We do not wish to play with you, old fool.” The head in the middle glowers at him.
“Besides, it’s not your decision,” the head closest to me adds.
“That’s right. It’s my decision,” Karl replies. “We don’t have time for games.”
“But we like to play games. We rarely have company.”
“I could sing,” I suggest.
The Elder dragon seems intrigued at first, but suddenly she stands at her full height, and then the head in the middle lets out a piercing roar that makes the walls tremble and the ground shake. Pieces of rock detach from the ceiling and rain down on us.
Son of a bitch. I didn’t think she’d get that mad about my offer to sing. Now she’s going to bury us alive. Nice going, dumbass.
“I think she really hates that idea,” Karl tells me.
“She isn’t mad at you. Something ticked her off,” Solomon explains, then furrows his brow. “Ah hell. Those stupid fools. I told them not to come.”
“Who came?” Karl asks.
Solomon looks at him. “It seems your friend Vivienne decided to crash this party. And she brought company.”
“Who?” Karl’s eyes widen.
“Your sister.”