Then an invisible pulse rushed out of Asta. Sara felt it, and Kraden seemed to faintly as he looked all around as though expecting to see something. Snowball, Petal, and Krinnk were all oblivious to it. But the one most affected by it was Altracia. The drake swallowed the growl and dropped to the ground, prostrating herself.

  “Great one.”

  Asta said, “Rise, little cousin.”

  Altracia seemed reluctant to move at all. “How is this possible?”

  That pungent odor drifted back towards Sara, and she realized this was taking too long. “Yes, she’s a dragon. No, I haven’t seen her as anything other than she appears now. She says she is very weak and needs a long time to recover her strength. I came to rescue her from the dwarves, and now she is leading us to a place she calls the inner world.”

  Altracia hissed, “Fledgling, you must show respect.”

  Asta looked more and more weary by the moment. Whatever that pulse had been it seemed to have pushed her recovery even further back. Her voice came out as little more than a whisper. “She is my rescuer. It is I who owe respect to her.”

  Altracia stayed pressed against the ground, but Sara felt pride surge through her. Not pride in herself, but pride in her friend, Sara, and joy that they were bonded. Then the drake said, “The dwarves must pay.”

  Sara nodded. “I don’t know about that. For now, we need to find somewhere to rest, then figure out a way to get home.”

  None of them argued, although Kraden gave his heart approval. Sara walked over to Snowball and nuzzled her face against the large thumper’s shoulder while reaching up to scratch her ear. “I’m sorry, Snowball, you must have thought I forgot about you. I didn’t. Thank you for coming. I love you, too.”

  That set off a round of hugs as all the monster friends wanted another hug, even Altracia, although she kept glancing over at Asta. For her part, Asta started to stumble, but Kraden caught her. She was forced to lean on his arm for support but didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she ran her arm over his magical wooden arm and let out a low soothing sound as she touched it with wonder in her eyes, but she didn’t say anything.

  Sara asked, “Does anyone know what that rancid smell is?”

  Asta was too weak to answer, but fortunately, Krinnk knew the answer. “That is bad smell. Smell of mountain troll.”

  “Ugh,” Sara groaned. Trolls were always bad news. She had learned that even before leaving Earth as her father insisted that those little creatures with brightly colored hair were not trolls, and she wasn’t allowed to watch the cartoon or play with the toys.

  Sara walked over next to Asta. Petal flowed from her arm and wrapped around the dragon-become-elf. Healing power flowed from her, and it gave Asta just enough energy to stand on her own. Then Sara asked, “Are there trolls in the inner world?”

  “Of course. There are all kinds of monsters. Most of the monsters that were Tier 4 or higher I put in here when the refugees arrived on Talos. There are also some weaker ones, but you need to know that the monsters in there are on average stronger than what you have encountered on the outside.

  “Once I have my strength back, I will be able to protect you, but until then we will need to hide and lay low. It will be important for all of you to become stronger. If you are what I believe you to be, then you may be a breath of hope for Eloria.”

  Sara wasn’t sure what that was supposed to mean but decided not to ask now. “What about the trolls? Are they guarding the entrance?”

  “That is likely. I created a bridge at the entryway to the inner world. Trolls have a thing for bridges. It’s sorta their quirk. Don’t ask me why?”

  Altracia said, “Bah, we can handle a single troll, even if it is a mountain troll.”

  The dragon woman shrugged. “Perhaps, but it may also be an entire family of trolls. They usually cluster in small groups of three to six.”

  Kraden said, “I heard reports of some of the various monsters from Lord Nelson, your father. A group of trolls would be quite challenging.”

  Sara said, “Oh, I got my class and reached Tier 3, so I’m not helpless anymore.”

  “I would never have assumed your mother’s daughter was helpless, but how could I look at your parents if something happened to you, after everything they have done for me.”

  “Don’t worry, we can do this.”

  Krinnk was shivering, but he asked, “How?”

  “As a team of course.”

  Interlude 2

  Jalaqai hurt all over. What had that human done? One minute everything was going exactly as she wanted. She had a foolish human noble to question and not just any noble. No, he was to be a prince of Miromar and was the son of the most powerful duke in Albia.

  She didn’t know much about Eris’ Rise, but her contacts told stories about a massive rout of the goblin army. Jalaqai remembered how she and her brothers had laughed when they heard about it. Anything that stifled the plans of Seimion and his master pleased her. The foul creature had thought to use them and had even threatened their mother.

  Hearing that the mage was dead made her happy. The only thing better would have been if she had been the one to slit his black throat and watch as the life faded from his eyes. The oddness of this human though didn’t end with that. It seemed that he was somehow connected to Earth, the strange place her mother had come from before arriving in Eloria.

  Truthfully, Jalaqai and Naraan had never fully believed their mother’s stories. They both loved her dearly but had written it off as part of the trauma she had experienced as a clanless before Father found her. Khunbish always believed, but then again, he was something of a momma’s boy.

  None of that changed anything though. Jalaqai hadn’t always been like this. When she was young, she liked to play with dolls, cook with her mother, or watch Mother practice her runecrafting. But when Father became a clan chieftain it was clear that her brother would, and so she would end up being his third.

  Triplets were a sacred thing for the orcs, which was odd in and of itself. The number three didn’t have any special significance for the orc god, Bal Zar. Ironically, it did for the followers of the human gods, but what that meant for orcs was beyond her.

  So when her destiny became clear, she threw herself into it wholeheartedly. She learned the forbidden skill of reading. It was very unbecoming for an orc to have their face buried in a book, but she had to be able to in order to run their spies and scouts. More than that, Jalaqai learned over the years that being third meant that only results mattered.

  The common expression was that she did what her brother couldn’t be seen to do, but that was only part of it. She got results. Jalaqai was very good at her job and she knew it. She also realized it had hardened her.

  That was the thought that went through her head as she was contemplating the human boy. If he had, in fact, been kind to her mother and perhaps even actually rescued her from minotaurs then she owed him a blood debt. It was even worse that she was going to torture him for information, but she would pay for her sins someday. Now, she had to get results.

  She considered herself a good judge of people and believed that the human, Jackson Nelson, had been trying to be honest. It was too late for that. She would find her mother. It was good to know that the humans didn’t know where he was. She could pull her agents back and focus on her own search. That and she would have to find a way to track another spider mage.

  For now, though, she had to heal up. She had been burnt badly, and even healing magic didn’t remove all the scars. Family came first, so rescuing Mother was the first priority, but after that, she had to learn what the human had done to cause an explosion that destroyed an entire building and left her as the sole survivor—well, apart from the human.

  She was positive that it hadn’t been magic, but that simply meant there was a new force in Eloria. If the human could use it then Jalaqai could use it to raise orcs to their proper place. She would see to it that her brother was not just khan of the orcs but also the warlord of Talos.

  Draznei’kai was free. He didn’t know how long he had been imprisoned in his crypt waiting to be reborn after the humans had destroyed him. The fool of a human hadn’t taken up the mantle of the death knight. Well, his loss was the reason that Draznei’kai could live again—or live as much as an undead ever could.

  He would have his revenge, but the list was staggering. He felt like he had been betrayed by Seimion and Alucien. Neither of them gave him the support that he needed. His former master was supposed to be all-knowing, yet he had not been warned about the humans at that little village. They wielded power far beyond that of any farmer or logger, especially that cursed priestess.

  Failing to warn him was either proof that Alucien and his pet mage had offered Draznei’kai up as a sacrifice or that Alucien wasn’t quite so all-knowing. Either of those options were a betrayal of what had been promised to him. Once again, though, he was reborn.

  He came back this time far more powerful, which suggested that he had been out for some time. Supposedly, his power upon being reborn was meant to reflect the power of the one who had destroyed him and then rejected the mantle of the death knight. That was part of his curse but a part he relished. He could be destroyed but then come back stronger than the one who had slain him.

  The fact that he was nearly Tier 6 now spoke to the power that human, David Nelson, must have acquired during his lifetime. It was unlikely that it had been less than decades for him to have risen so high. Ah well, it was good to be stronger.

  Draznei’kai regretted striking down the spider mage. He had only just risen from his crypt and was still disoriented. In that state, he had mistaken one spider mage for another. Striking down Seimion would have been quite satisfying, but as it was the mage should have been left alive. He would have been the best source of information.

  As it was, all he had was the orc woman. She would have to give him the information he sought. The question was what was the best way to get it. Perhaps it would be better to release her and then see where she went. She must have been important to Alucien for a spiderkin to have taken her captive, and anything that spoiled his plans would please Draznei’kai. Yes, the more he thought about it, the more he decided to release her, but a few questions first couldn’t hurt… much.

  Master Jaems found his normal patience was evading him. “I understand the problem a fiend could present, but we should still be trying to combine our knowledge, Master Hidenori.”

  The old archdruid stood next to the moon elf throne where their ruler, Yua, sat. Her husband was leading a force to try and track down the fiend that Mira had said was responsible for the attack. Niko was angry that his trip to the moon elves had turned out like this.

  He genuinely liked Miranda Nelson, even if she was only a half-elf. She had a way of seeing magic that was so refreshing. The entire reason that Niko had taken this posting was to compare sun elf magic with moon elf magic. Their races had once been united, but, at least since coming to Talos, that was not the case. For centuries, they had bickered with occasional fighting, but the formation of the human nations had finally resulted in a buffer.

  Now he had hoped to learn more. Instead, he had lost an important human noble and perhaps the most talented mage he had ever met. Yua didn’t seem to be very interested in discussing an exchange of information but instead was all about ridding the world of this fiend incursion.

  He could understand that at some level, but there were always threats. That didn’t mean that knowledge shouldn’t be advanced. What was worse was that Yua now sat there staring off into space like he wasn’t even here. She hadn’t responded to anything he said for the last few minutes.

  Hidenori said, “I too like to learn. You are not the only scholar here, Master Jaems, but I fear you have lost sight of the bigger picture.”

  “Perhaps, but at least I am not daydreaming.”

  The archdruid took a step forward. Fury was all over his face. “Ambassador or not, friend of the Nelsons or not, such impudence will not be tolerated before the Throne. You would do well to remember that for you don’t know of what you speak.”

  As if on cue, Yua shook her head and lost that far-off gaze. “Don’t be too rough on our guest, Hidenori. By all accounts, he is more scholar than ambassador. Hopefully, his knowledge will come in handy for I have just learned some terrifying things.”

  She turned her gaze on Niko and said, “I was speaking to Lady Emiri via a magical link. I meant no disrespect to you or your people. But now you must head home and carry a message for us. The seer of Shanelle may not be an elf, but she has always spoken truth. She has prophesied that full-out war is coming to Talos. We must still deal with the fiend, but after that, we will begin our preparations for war.”

  King Danoc of Skotia walked in front of the assembled troops. Ostensibly, the troops were being gathered to test readiness. While only glancing at the gear on the men in front of him he asked the officers who were with him, “How are the other cells coming?”

  “We are at 30% of your instructed goals, Sire,” replied a general.

  “Hmm… this isn’t going quickly enough. They need to be at 100% when the order comes.”

  “Sire, there are only so many things we can do to recruit more men. The press gangs are working overtime, but we have to train and equip them. Also, since we don’t know where they are going to be sent, it is harder to know exactly what gear to provide them with.”

  “Increase the bandit raids and tell the privateers they will get a bonus if they can increase their haul in the south seas. We must have all fifty thousand troops ready when the time comes.”

  The general looked at the captain next to him. Their young king was charismatic but impractical at times. The two men didn’t believe it was possible to meet his instructions, but they were working away all the same as loyal Skotians.

  “It shall be as you wish, Your Majesty, but it will likely take 5 years.”

  “Then pray that you have that long.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  How my heart weeps for those around me. They go about their days unaware that they are blind to the true wonder of the world. – Journal of the Grand Enchantress

  Solun- Mira Nelson

  Mira felt the world around her tug and pull. It was akin to what teleporting felt like but on steroids. Up was down, and down was up. She had no sense of how the world around her worked. She simply knew she was being pulled.

  Her first instinct had been to resist. She saw the thread, no make that cables of magic, that latched onto her. This had been a well-prepared spell, not something thrown together at the last moment, and it was her own probing of the pendant that had triggered it.

  Within the weave of the spell, Mira saw the tendrils of her own mana as they were incorporated. The spell worked not only to pull her to a new place but to keep her from freeing herself. She might be able to but wasn’t certain. Worse there was resistance for this spell.

  Even this grand spell was having to pull her through some type of resistance. The spell worked and strove, and she worried that if she broke it even partially, she would be scattered about as so much dust in the wind. No, better to prepare her defenses for when she got to wherever she was going.

  She had both seen metal hands extend through the portal and then felt their grasp upon her arms. Now, there was no indication of such hands or a creature they might belong to. There was only the magic around her.

  This teleportation was taking much longer than any she had experienced up to this point. Admittedly, those were limited because of how rare the teleportation scrolls were. Mastering this type of magic was high on her list of personal goals, so at some point, she lost herself in the wonder of examining the spell.

  She could admire the work of a master. As she looked more closely, Mira saw two different hands at work in this spell. Both were beyond her, which said something. She had met both an archmage and, although only briefly, an archdruid. Neither had displayed the level of finesse she saw here in this spell. Mira was used to being able to see magic in ways that others couldn’t, but whoever had crafted this clearly had much to teach her.

  That was the outer frame of the spell. It was a beauty to behold. But what lay beneath was something entirely different. If the outer layer was a masterpiece, then what lay beneath was divinely sublime. The magic curled and turned in on itself, creating the most intricate patterns and amplifying the power of the spell in ways that she couldn’t figure out. It was entirely beyond her, but she hungered to know more.

  Then the spell finally came to an end. It might have only been a few minutes, but it had felt like hours. It had been evening when she was taken from Tsukishiti, but it was impossible for her to say what time it was here.

  The room she found herself in was a perfect square. The walls were lined with metal plates and inscribed with runes. Woven in and around the runes were enchantments layered upon enchantments. Mira didn’t have the time to examine them, but her quick glance conveyed the weight of ages in them.

  There was no way in or out of the room that she could see, but a magical sphere of light floated overhead, making the room well-illuminated. She had stumbled briefly when she arrived but then had caught herself. Looking down, the floor was also inscribed with runes and a magical circle.

  Instead of being drawn with chalk, this one was etched into the metal plate beneath her. She could feel its power as it sought to hold onto her, yet the weave kept slipping off. This spell was meant to hold something powerful, but not her. It would bear examining but not now.