“I must enter the water of the vein. It’s close to here. I can feel it.”
“And swarming with Midnight Guards, unfortunately,” the oracle said.
“You wouldn’t happen to know how we could get close enough for Liane to enter, would you?” Erich asked the oracle.
“That’s for you to figure out, shield. I’m just here to provide sage insights and spiritual wisdom,” she said with a wry smile.
Three faces were staring back at him. He knew what must be done, though he wished he had Ludwig as backup still. Time was of the essence, and they couldn’t wait to see if he’d made it out alive. They needed the cover of night to make this plan work.
“First, I’ll do some reconnaissance, see what we’re up against, and make a plan from there.”
“Couldn’t you fly me there?” Liane asked.
Erich shook his head. “Even if I had full control over the change, I doubt I’d have the strength. One transformation depletes most of my strength.”
She nodded thoughtfully, then turned to Fritz. “How did you get here so fast?” Liane asked Fritz and the oracle.
“It was the elf.” The oracle nodded toward him. “He took me through some dark doorway, and all of a sudden, we were here.”
“Could you do it again, bring me close to the water’s edge?” she asked, her gaze suddenly intensely upon Fritz.
Fritz was never flustered, but he looked flustered in that moment, stammering his reply. “I’m afraid I can’t provide much help. The shadow travel drains me, I won’t be able to use it for a while.”
Erich had figured as much. He himself felt drained from his partial dragon transformation. The more he used the power, the more he felt limp and weak afterward.
“Fritz and I will search for a path together while you and the oracle wait for the others,” Erich said.
Liane’s eyebrows rose to her hairline as if she were considering protesting.
“It’s for your safety,” Erich assured her before she could voice any complaints.
“Besides, I have sage wisdom to impart, remember?” the oracle said.
Liane seemed assuaged, and they parted ways. It hurt him to walk away from her; the dragon, who’d been quiet, grew restless with every step he took. But this was a feeling he’d have to learn to live with. While she’d forget him, he knew he’d never forget her. He and Fritz walked along together in silence, and Fritz, who normally had an easygoing nature, seemed on edge. His head was on a swivel as he surveyed their surroundings.
He spotted lanterns of their encampment off in the distance and tracks in the grass where they’d patrolled. They crouched down in the bushes to wait for a patrol to come by. They’d need to ambush them to clear a way to the pool, and even after that, time wouldn’t be on their side. Erich sat poised, waiting for the sound of horse hooves.
“You flew, huh?” Fritz looked at him sidelong. “You’re embracing your dragon more. That’s good.”
A flush burned across Erich’s face. He wasn’t sure how good that was, considering how close he’d come to losing control. He’d killed many people in the temple, and had he not gotten control when he did, he might have hurt Liane too.
He grunted to end the conversation there.
They waited a few moments longer, until he heard the soft patter of horse hooves. A single guard trotted by holding up a lantern to the shadows. He was young, perhaps a recruit, not expecting something to be lingering in the shadows. Erich lunged for him and pulled him from his horse. The animal nearly bolted, but Fritz grabbed its reins as Erich knocked the guard unconscious before tying him and his horse to the tree. He had enough blood on his hands, and without Liane’s life in imminent danger, he didn’t feel compelled to kill again.
“Liane doesn’t seem to mind the dragon part of you either,” Fritz said, picking up the thread of their conversation, as they made their way back to Liane and the oracle.
“Is there a point to this?” Erich asked.
“Mostly a distraction. I’ve had a bad feeling since we left the temple. Like a dark shroud is gathering, though I cannot see where it comes from.”
Erich didn’t like the sound of that. But without a concrete threat to prepare for, he decided to push forward. “Who knows? We just need to focus on getting Liane into the water and the sword out of her back, and once we’re out of Neolyra, we can go our separate ways.”
Fritz stopped short. “What are you talking about?”
Erich turned to him. “My role is finished. I helped you get her out of the temple. The oracle will guide her through the transformation, or whatever would happen in the water. What else is there for me to do?”
“Getting her and the sword free of the temple is just the beginning. You have a destiny to fulfill to protect her. Didn’t you hear the oracle? She called you her shield.”
