Page 51 of The Dragonrider and the Void
“Yes, with my reputation, I think I’ll need to use that line more than a few times to get other riders to work with us if Cheyanne has any success with her objective.”
“Trying to turn the people against their monarch will be controversial,” Venrick said. “What we’re trying to do is downright treason.”
“Let’s hope we can pull this off then,” Sasja said. “I’ll be joining Cheyanne when she arrives, helping create the distraction for you all.”
“I’ll be posted at the Keep’s ward boundary,” Hardin said. “Yarla has been coaching me through some of the protections in the wards that Cheyanne’s described.”
“Yarla, where will you be for all this?” Lark asked.
“I’m feeling strong enough to help, though not enough to accompany you and Venrick into the Keep. I’m still not feeling like myself. My magical senses are…” she said, trailing off and making a vague gesture with her hand.
“Raw,” Hardin supplied. “That’s how Cheyanne described it. The rimeshade’s extraction process left her magical pathways damaged.”
“But not destroyed,” Yarla added firmly. “I can maintain contact with you through these.” She indicated a small collection of stones embedded with Yogo Sapphire fragments on the table. “These are the communication stones I was telling you about. Gambrian elves have been developing these for decades. Cheyanne’s allowed me to incorporate them into our plan to help maintain communication between posts during this operation.”
Venrick moved to the maps spread across the table. “What have you learned about the Keep’s defenses?”
Hardin pointed to several marked locations on the detailed schematic of Vermillion Keep. “The outer wards are strongest here, here, and here,” he said pointing to the main northern entrance and the two side gates to the south and west. “But there’s a weakness in the pattern near the eastern servants’ entrance. It’s not an oversight. It’s deliberate, designed to catch anyone trying to exploit it.”
“But you can work around it?” Lark asked, noting the confidence in his tone.
Hardin nodded. “I think so. My Ward Walking abilities have grown stronger since bonding with Quin. I can sense the patterns more clearly now. I was able to manipulate them without breaking them completely at Cheyanne’s camp. It wasn’t the prettiest operation, and I thought I might not be able to hold it for Quin to pass through. For the two of you, though, I should be able to make an opening and hold it long enough for you to slip through.”
“Should be able to?” Venrick asked.
For the first time, Lark saw a flicker of doubt cross Hardin’s face. A calling back to the version of him she had come to know earlier. Not experienced in magic, combat, or its strategy, but he was bold.
Bold enough to do this if he’s not really ready?she questioned.
“From what Cheyanne’s told us and what we’ve gleaned through these plans,” Yarla said, “once you’re inside, the challenge will be to reach the lower levels. According to what we’ve pieced together from the sanctuary records and Cheyanne’s intelligence, the original sanctuary core should be somewhere beneath the Keep’s central tower.”
“What about guards?” Venrick asked. “With the festival in full swing, surely security is tighter than usual.”
“Actually, the festival works in our favor,” Hardin replied. “Most of the elite guards are assigned to the Nobles and visiting dignitaries. The internal patrols are stretched thin, especially in the less frequented areas.”
Lark leaned over the map, her fingers tracing the possible routes. “And once we find the sanctuary core?”
“That’s where things get tricky,” Yarla said. “The core will almost certainly be warded, probably with the same type of dual magic we saw in the Northern sanctuary. You’ll need to use both your dragon bond and Nix’s fae magic to gain entry.”
Nix flickered nervously. “I’ll have to be extremely careful. There are Paragons in the Keep who could sense me from a hundred paces if I’m not contained within the pendant.”
“There will be dragonriders, magi, and elves among the Paragons here at the Keep. They could sense me if they were looking in the right places. Luckily, they’ve only ever seen me in brismil plate armor. Without White Eye, they may not recognize me right away,” Lark noted.
“But Venrick on the other hand,” Sasja said.
“They’ll know me if I’m seen,” he admitted.
“There’s also the possibility that Barrik will be there,” Lark began.
“We have no evidence that he’s here in Astral City,” Hardin countered.
“And Barrik wouldn’t be mingling with Paragons at the Vermillion Keep in public. His influence will more than likely be seen in people like General Ashbrook or the Archmagus Hierro De Vonte,” Venrick said.
“But, if he is on the same path as we are, he could be here in secret, too. He’s got friends here on the inside. At least a connection with the King. If Barrik is here, he would recognize us both instantly,” Lark said.
A heavy silence fell over the room. The plan was taking shape, but the risks were enormous. If they were discovered, there would be no rescue, no second chance. The penalty for infiltrating the Vermillion Keep was death, and for a known dragonrider like Lark, it would be a public execution.
“We should go tomorrow night,” Venrick said finally. “The seventh day of the festival includes a grand feast and magic display in the main courtyard. All eyes will be looking upward.”
