Page 71 of The Dragonrider and the Void
It dissolved completely, leaving only frost patterns on the floor as evidence of its visit. The torches flared back to normal. Warmth gradually returned to the chamber.
Lark released a shuddering breath. The encounter had been terrifying, but informative. The ritual pages Venrick escaped with were incomplete. Barrik held crucial information that he might die retrieving. And most importantly, the Void Drinker had confirmed her suspicion that the runes in her cell had weaknesses.
She studied them with renewed focus, tracing the patterns with her eyes. These dragonrider runes were in standard Lamarian script, but the fae symbols were different from those she’d seen in the Northern Sanctuary. More angular, less fluid. As if whoever had carved them had been working from an imperfect copy.
A faint but persistent warmth stirred against her chest. The pendant housing Nix’s essence was responding to her scrutiny of the fae runes.
“Nix?” she whispered. “Can you hear me?”
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the pendant grew warmer, and a tiny spark spiraled upward, condensing into Nix’s form. She appeared in her fiery figure, though considerably smaller and dimmer than usual.
“Lark,” the fire fae’s voice was barely audible. “The bindings, they’re draining me.”
“Save your strength,” Lark whispered, glancing nervously at the door. “Can you tell me anything about these runes? They seem different from the ones in the Northern Sanctuary.”
Nix flickered, her flame struggling to maintain cohesion. “Yes, I recognize these. Though the spells within them are designed to contain us, these runes were never used as suppressants in my realm. They’re meant to connect.”
“Connect? To what?”
“The fae realm.” Nix’s form stabilized slightly, though still diminished. “This chamber wasn’t designed to be a prison. I think it was designed to be a gateway.”
Lark’s eyes widened. “A gateway to the fae realm?”
Nix nodded, her flame pulsing with effort. “I remember one of my mentors telling us about the Kings of Lamar once. They used to maintain communication with the fae courts. It was before the wars. Even before the dragons first came to Lamar.”
Lark’s mind raced with implications as she considered the Void Drinker’s version of historical events.
“Maybe King Agadorn has access to the schematics. I bet the Void Drinker saw how similar the runes were to what imprisoned him and thought they created a prison, but in doing so made a platform to get to the fae realm.”
“Can we use it? To escape?”
“Possibly. The Entity did say the veil between worlds was thinning even now.” Nix flickered again, her voice growing fainter. “But if we try this, I need to tell you something I should have told you a long time ago.”
“You’ve been keeping a secret?” Lark asked.
“I wasn’t just bound to you by chance.” Nix’s flame trembled. “Our paths were set to intersect before you ever came through to the fae realm when you were young.”
Lark tried to remember it, the memory flashing in fragmented images. She’d gone into the mines under theEverburning Forest, found a pool at the base of a cascade deep within the earth and swam down. She’d found a necklace there at the bottom. A golden lark, then there was nothing until she emerged back into Sataran with Nix.
“The necklace belonged to a fae who was sent by the Summer Court. His name was Zadar, and he was in disguise as a mage apprenticing with the Magi Order. They’d heard rumors that the rimeshade’s influences were growing and starting to affect organizations as powerful as the Magi Order. They wanted to know if the rimeshade were trying to release the Void Drinker.”
Lark stared at Nix. “Why me?”
“Because of your bloodline. Your connection to Skol’s royal house. And because of the prophecy my people have about a princess of the North having the potential for a dual bond to stop the Entity from destroying magic.” Nix’s flame guttered dangerously. “I have to remain hidden. The runes are draining me too quickly. But think about it, Lark. These aren’t meant to keep magic in. They’re meant to let magic through, in a controlled way.”
With that, Nix’s form dissolved back into a spark and then wisps of her essence retreated to the safety of the pendant. But her revelations left Lark’s mind spinning with possibilities.
If the chamber was designed for communication with the fae realm, perhaps it could be repurposed. Not just for escape, but as a means to contact allies against the Void Drinker. If the Summer Court had been keeping up with rimeshade activity here on Sataran, perhaps they would be willing to help.
But how can I activate the gateway without alerting my captors?
Lark closed her eyes, focusing inward. She needed to test a theory. If the runes suppressed outward connection but allowed directed energy toward the fae realm, perhaps she could use both her bonds simultaneously.
She reached first for White Eye, finding that thin thread of connection. Instead of trying to send a message outward, she drew his energy inward, pulling it into herself. Then, concentrating on the pendant, she did the same with Nix’s essence.
For several heartbeats, nothing happened. Then, slowly, she felt the two energies begin to intertwine within her center. Not fighting each other to be independent as they usually did, but harmonizing, creating something new.
The runes on the walls began to glow faintly. First the dragonrider script illuminated with green light, then the fae symbols answered with silver. Where they intersected, a purple luminescence formed, pulsing in rhythm with Lark’s heartbeat.
