Page 39 of The Dragonrider and the Void
“Could it have been from a nursery rhyme?” Yarla said, bringing her thumb and forefinger to her chin in thought. “An elven one from when we were both back in Gambria?”
“That could be,” he said. Venrick took a few steps toward the crag entrance, then stopped abruptly. He crouched, examining the stone pathway. “Someone’s been here since you left.”
“Are you sure?” Lark asked, joining him.
“The frost you described from your last visit left marks in the stone,” Venrick said, tracing a finger along a deep groove. “But these footprints...” He pointed to faint impressions in the dirt collected between the paving stones. “They track dirty tread over the scarring.”
“Rimeshade only leave behind frozen traces,” Yarla said.
“And these tracks are too wide and long to be mine,” Lark noted.
White Eye growled, his massive head swinging toward the archive building.
“Barrik,” she whispered. “It has to be him. He must’ve returned and discovered this place before returning to Skol.”
“If he’s still working with the corrupt members of the Magi Order, that means he’ll be connected to Lady Sanj. He might’ve already known about this place if this is where the bulk of the harvested magic was being put to use,” Venrick said, standing.
“Then we need to assume Barrik knows what we know,” Lark said. “And he has a head start.”
“Cheyanne wants us to find out what the Entity is and why it took the Realmstone. But if Barrik already discovered it, he might already be trying to use it to his advantage,” Venrick said.
Yarla took a tentative step toward the archives, her silver hair catching the fading daylight. “We should see what’s left. If this Entity truly created the rimeshade, if it’s now free with this Realmstone, then our world could change drastically, despite what Barrik or any other rider might know about it.” She let the implication hang in the air between them.
Lark nodded, facing her companions fully. “Yarla’s right. We need to see what remains in the archives. Much of the archives were destroyed during our last visit, but there might be something that survived, something that could tell us what we’re facing.”
Venrick met her gaze, the question in his eyes clear:Was this worth leaving our friends behind?
Lark didn’t look away. “Now that we found each other, I know you’re anxious to get back to Hardin and the others. I am, too. But White Eye brought me here for a reason.” She glanced at her dragon. White Eye remained alert, his attention fixed on the archive building. “There are answers here that we need.”
“Answers about what?” Venrick asked.
Lark took a deep breath, feeling the weight of what she was about to say. “About what’s coming. About why the rimeshade are working with Magi to harvest magic. And about what happens if the Realmstone is what the name suggests and can dissolve the barriers between realms completely.”
“If that were true, and the veils protecting Sataran from the creatures of other realms were destroyed, our world could be subject to invasion,” Venrick suggested.
“We could be facing a much bigger threat than a vengeful race of fae turned shade and set on controlling the sources of magic in our world,” Yarla agreed.
“Much bigger than a few corrupt Kings and their magicians toying with powers beyond their scope of practice,” Lark added.
A cold wind swept through the courtyard, carrying with it the faint scent of frost, despite the sanctuary’s eternal spring. Yarla wrapped her arms around herself, her eyes haunted.
“We should hurry,” she said softly. “I can feel it watching.”
Lark didn’t need to ask what “it” was. The presence of the Entity seemed to linger in the sanctuary, like an echo that wouldn’t fade. She nodded to White Eye, who would stand guard while they headed toward the archives.
“Stay close,” she warned. “Whatever secrets this place still holds… we’re not the only ones seeking them.”
The archive’s massive stone façade was weathered by centuries of mountain winds. Unlike the other buildings in the sanctuary, the archives bore deliberate marks of violence. Deep gouges marked the stone doorway, windows were shattered from within, and the remnants of frost still clung to the shadows.
“This is where I encountered the rimeshade,” Lark said, pausing at the entrance. “The Entity had already broken free from its prison by then.”
Venrick drew his sword, the Yogo Sapphire in its pommel glinting dully in the fading light. “Do you think there could be more of them inside?”
“No,” Lark replied, though uncertainty tightened her voice. “At least... I don’t think so. White Eye would sense them.”
As if in response, her dragon rumbled from his position in the courtyard, sending reassurance through their bond. For now, they were alone.
Yarla stepped forward, her fingers tracing the edge of the doorframe where ancient runes had been carved. “These symbols... they’re fascinating. The craftsmanship reminds me of the oldest elven work in Gambria, but the patterns are different.”
