Page 57 of Winter Goddess
But there it is, a black structure that’s both part of the mountain and separate from it. Lava is flowing over the castle walls, but they don’t seem damaged at all. The perfect fortress. Surrounded by lava, the walls unscalable. The only way in is through the air. I bet they have some good defences there as well. We’re about to find out.
The dragons in front of us start to descend. This seems to be our destination. Great. We’re going to land on a volcano. Could someone wake me up, please? This can’t be real.
I hold tight as my own dragon begins to tilt downwards. The steep angle she’s taking is making me queasy. If I didn’t have my magic, I’d no doubt have already fallen to my death. Next time, maybe the dragons could supply some reins and a saddle? I guess there won’t be a next time though. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I should be enjoying it… and I did, but now… The dragon swerves right and I almost lose my grip. My stomach lurches as the world tilts and black walls appear all around us. We’re in the castle. How were there no defences? That’s suspicious, very much so.
We land more elegantly than I expected from such a large creature. It’s hot here, incredibly hot, and even some cooling air magic doesn’t quite get rid of the heat. I slide down the dragon’s side, grateful to be back on solid ground. Which suddenly trembles. How safe is this place? Could the volcano destroy it?
I smile grimly when I realise what I’m thinking. I’m about to confront the Morrigan. A little earthquake is the least of my worries.
Chapter Eighteen
My Guardians land beside me and immediately surround me in their favourite defensive formation.
“Guys, I can look after myself,” I complain, but they don’t budge. I sigh and head towards the front of the dragon flock. All of them are still in their dragon shape, except for one. Dewi. Her hair is wrapped around her head like a crown and her body is covered in an armour that looks like it’s made from dragon scales. It’s beautiful and probably very efficient. And if she’s lucky, it’s even lighter than my own. I’ve almost got used to the feeling of wearing my armour, but after being on the dragon, my bones are a little stiff.
How much time has passed since I spoke to the other Gods? Fifteen minutes perhaps? Twenty? Let’s hope the Morrigan is still here. And Flora. Alive. I don’t think I can hope for unharmed, not after what she said earlier, but at least alive. Crispin is here with me and he’s the best healer in my Realm. He’ll look after her.
“She’s here, I can feel her. Down below, not far. She’s weak though. We need to hurry.”
“Can your people keep watch up here?” I ask and she nods. “I can feel demons all around us but for some reason, they haven’t reacted yet. How did we get through their defences? There must have been some?”
Dewi grins. “Dragon scales repel magic. You must have been close enough to us not to be affected.”
“That’s a useful skill to have,” Storm says in surprise. Seems I’m not the only one who didn’t know this before. These dragons turn out to be even more useful allies by the second.
“Lead on,” I tell her and Dewi’s smile disappears, giving way to a more guarded, serious expression.
“I could probably teleport us there, but who knows how many demons are waiting for us inside the castle. Safer to take the longer route.”
I nod in agreement and she heads towards a door in one of the walls, almost invisible because it’s the same stone as everything else. I’m keeping my magic at the ready. Not seeing a single demon so far is making me very suspicious. There are no demons on the walls because there’s lava there that would burn them alive, but still, there are two doors leading into the courtyard we’re in and neither has opened.
I feel like we’re being watched, but my magic doesn’t show anyone nearby. Strange. And very, very worrying.
Dewi opens the door, her hands extended, ready to throw magic at whoever is awaiting us, but the dark corridor is empty.
“There are demons below us, but none on this level,” I whisper. Dewi walks a little faster and we hurry to follow. When we reach some stairs leading down, she stops and I concentrate on my magic again.
“Ten demons waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs. More up ahead, but I don’t think there are any really powerful ones.”
“We’ll deal with them,” Storm announces and steps forward, followed by the other Guardians.
I’m about to protest, but Dewi holds me back.
“Let them. They need to feel needed,” she whispers. “It’s the same with Agierth. Sometimes, you just need to step back and let them do their protector thing.”
I sigh and stay where I am, although I still keep my magic at the ready. Just because I’m not with my Guardians doesn’t mean I’m leaving them to fight on their own. I’m not that kind of woman.
Screams come from the other end of the stairs, but those aren’t the voices of my Guardians. They are demon screams, raw and full of pain. Good riddance. I wish I could feel empathy for them, but after one of them abducted my parents and tortured them in the process, I no longer can. Right now, they’re nothing but obstacles in my way to reach the Morrigan.
“Clear!” Storm shouts from below and I hurry down the stairs, followed by Dewi. I ignore the corpses on the ground and the blood stains on my men’s armour. They are not important.
“Two more floors down,” Dewi informs us. “Flora’s in pain. Our connection is getting stronger, I can almost feel the pain myself now.” She shudders visibly. “Let’s hurry up.”
She doesn’t let the Guardians take the lead this time. Instead, she rushes ahead and only stops when I tell her that more demons are coming. There are five of them and I kill them with an icicle each through the heart. Nobody says a word and we hurry on. This is war, there’s no time for sentimentality.
Twenty dead demons and two more staircases later, we arrive in the dungeons. They’re just like you’d imagine prison cells in an evil fortress to look like. Rusty bars in front of dark, small compartments. It reeks of pain and decay. I suppress a shiver.
“Is she close?” I ask Dewi and the Goddess nods.
