He was standing in the ruins of Castle Emankor, to the untrained eye nothing more substantial than a few half-fallen pillars and floor stones covered in moss. What those of us who knew better could see was a hall not unlike the one at the crossroads, though smaller and with far fewer gateways to other places.
“Welcome back.” Coltor ducked his head and reached out, his grip firm as he shook my hand.
“The wards are much stronger,” I said, the sensation of the magic surrounding the glade, and especially the ruins, heavier than the last time I’d visited.
Coltor nodded, looking pleased. “Thanks to Ophelia, they’ve come a long way. I still can’t believe she’s visited more than once. But she’s a very good teacher. Hopefully my efforts only get better thanks to her additions.”
The ancient stone kin sorceress was known for her solitary living in her little hut inside the Dread Forest, which was named so mostly because of her terrifying presence and powerful wards. They were potent enough to make even powerful mages like mybrother Rylan and the strongest of stone kin kind want to flee once they got too close to her home.
“Definitely something nobody could have predicted,” Seir nodded, eyes wide.
“Your brother Tormund sends his greetings,” I said, and Coltor’s eyes went wide.
“Where on earth did you happen to encounter him?”
“Vincara. He’s been posted there, I guess. He looked well.”
Coltor nodded. “Unexpected news but appreciated. So, what brings you out here?”
I scanned the few doorways that were visible, finding the same calm, gentle energy that flowed through the crossroads. The old magic in the ruins was its own unique presence as well, like a sparkling wine bubbling against my skin.
“I’ve seen some oddities lately. I just wanted to see if you were experiencing the same.”
“Oddities?”
“Inconsistent activity in some doorways that have long been dormant. Several of them I personally decommissioned.”
A crease formed between Coltor’s pitch-black eyebrows. “I’ve had a few momentary sparks the last little while, but I looked into them as soon as they happened. Nothing concerning. I figured it was just normal magical energy build up releasing.”
I pushed my glasses up my nose. “Do you recall which ones you investigated?”
“It’s all recorded. I can make you a copy of my logs.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“Should I be concerned? Am I looking for something in particular?” Coltor crossed his arms, expression serious. He was nothing if not just as dedicated to his post as I was. I appreciated that about him more than he knew.
“I don’t know yet. But I’ll keep you informed if I learn anything.”
He nodded solemnly. “I’m sure you didn’t come all the way here to do the same job you do at the crossroads.”
“The ladies are bonding,” Seir chuckled.
“Ah.” Coltor gestured to the stones, and we all took a position. “Be my guests then, there’s certainly plenty to go around.”
Together, the three of us performed a check of all the open portals. The routine was so much like what I spent my every hour doing that it brought a sense of comfort. Mostly, it was incredibly dull, our job, but occasionally, something wandered out of its realm, or magic went rogue and had to be contained. There was a sense of accomplishment that came with making sure everything was in its place.
“Well, that will make patrol a little simpler tonight,” Coltor said, brushing his hands on his trousers. “Appreciated.”
“My pleasure,” I said, and I meant it. It was nice to see a different hall for a little while, and finding no disturbances always settled a very particular part of my soul.
“Oh. Hello there.”
I turned, curious who Seir was greeting. At the edge of the ruins, just where the path back into the glade started, sat a sleek black dog. Its pointed ears were straight up, slender snout angled to scent the breeze.
“Where’d adogcome from?” Coltor asked, sounding offended that something had slipped through his defensive measures.
“That’s no dog,” Seir grinned. “Well, it is. But it’s not.”
