Page 92 of Wild Flame

He shrugged. “It’s hard work and can be dangerous at times, but for most, it is worth it in the end.”

I glanced back and found Malik studying me. Embarrassment overtook me, realizing they probably had more important things to discuss than assuaging my curiosity. “Sorry,” I mumbled.

“Don’t apologize,” Malik said, giving me a reassuring smile. Then he looked to Kheer.

“The theft happened just over ten days ago,” Kheer reported as we continued walking, “during the night shift, when the workers are asleep, and we have the fewest guards on staff. The guards working were killed. Their throats were slit. It appeared they did not even have time to draw their weapons. We have no leads as to who it was. The thief left no scent behind.”

The thief had been well prepared then and had resources. Scent canceling potions were by no means exclusive to The Order, but they were hard to come by and expensive.

We stopped at a wide door with iron bars that blocked the entire passage. Kheer used the key he had taken from his desk to unlock it. After we all passed through, he locked it again and led us further down. This time, it was only a few minutes until we came upon another locked door with three guards standing before it. They nodded respectfully to Kheer and Taj, then their eyes widened when they saw Malik behind them.

“Your Majesty,” they all said in unison as they put their fists to their hearts in The Sign of The Warrior and bowed low. Kheer then introduced me, and they looked even more shocked at my presence as they bowed to me as well.

They moved aside as Kheer took a key from around his neck and unlocked the door. We followed him down a flight of roughly carved stone stairs to yet another door. This one, however, had no handle and no lock. Instead, I could feel a pulse of something coming off the door, and there was a heaviness—a kind of weight to the surrounding air.Magic,I realized.Powerful magic.

Looking down, I immediately saw the source. Warding bones had been placed on the ground on either side of the door. The bones of magical creatures, when sprinkled with the wood dust from a gnarled Crone tree, could be used as a protection against intruders. The more powerful the creature, the more powerful the ward. Only a piece of the same creature’s bones could grant someone entry, acting as a key of sorts. I shivered. With all theseprecautions, I couldn’t help but wonder once again what had been stolen. It had to be more than just obsidian.

“How did the thief disable the wards?” Taj asked.

Kheer eyed me pointedly.

“You may speak freely in front of Leida,” Malik said.

Kheer simply nodded before reporting, “I’m not certain. The ward bones weren’t destroyed or tampered with. And they are griffin bones. The only thing powerful enough to disrupt a warding barrier of that strength would be—"

“A dragon,” Malik finished with a grim look.

Kheer nodded. “More specifically, dragon blood. And it would have to have been fresh—at its most powerful. The dragon would have to have been present.”

“Then you think a dragon rider is responsible?” I surmised.

All the magic in Palasia came from the land and its magical creatures. Humans did not innately have their own magic, so they used nature and its creatures to access it. This was what made riders so formidable, since dragons were the most powerful magical creatures of all.

Kheer shrugged. “It’s the only explanation that makes sense. Whoever did this was careful and wiped any scent or trace of the blood clean.”

No one said anything as Kheer placed his hand—now holding a small bone—on the door. The air shimmered, then the heavy weight lifted. We all stepped inside, to what I quickly realized was a small cave of sorts. There were no lights inside, so it was hard to make out any definitive details. Kheer took a small torch lit by the entrance and began lighting several other torches around the space.

And as I gazed around, my eyes nearly bugged out of my head. The entire cave was filled with bars and bars of obsidian. The black stone gleamed in the torchlight, sitting neatly piled instacked rows. One bar of the precious stone would be worth a fortune, and there were hundreds of them.

“There are several of these caches all over the mines,” Kheer explained, for my benefit. “It’s a precaution, so all the obsidian isn’t stored in the same place.”

I nodded. That was smart. “So why did the thief rob this one?” I asked pointedly. “With how far we’ve traveled into the mine, there had to be one of these caches closer to the entrance.”

Malik’s eyes gleamed. “Obsidian wasn’t their only goal. The thief was after something else.” He tipped his head to Kheer, and he moved to one of the piles of bars and lifted up a section of the top layer—which I hadn’t realized until now was on a wooden slab—and slid it aside. I stepped closer and saw that inside was a hidden compartment concealing a chest. Excitement buzzed through me at finally getting to learn what had been stolen and what had warranted our traveling so far to see.

Kheer pulled back the lid. Inside were dozens of what looked to be clear to opaque river rocks of all different sizes. They were beautiful to be sure, but other than their unique coloring, I saw nothing special about them.

“How many did they take?” Malik asked gravely.

“A single chest.”

Malik looked surprised. “That’s it?”

Kheer shrugged. “Likely all they could transport without getting caught.”

“I’m confused,” I confessed. “Theseare what they stole?” I stared blankly at the three riders around me. “What’s so special about some rocks? What am I missing?”

Malik reached into the chest and pulled out a stone. “This,” he explained, “is Moonstone. It is extremely rare, and the only substance in Palasia that can stop dragons from using their magic. As long as they are in contact with it, it prevents them from shifting, healing, or breathing fire.”

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