I wiggled my fingers down by my sides, attempting to get circulation flowing.
Stone steps led us up into a dark abyss.
I squinted and kept my hands near my guns.
This place didn’t sit well in my gut.
Lord Xenon opened another door at the top of the stairs.
Blinding white light pierced all of us.
Lord Pippin glanced back at me, stating cheerfully, “If you aren’t supposed to be up here, the magic will kill you when you cross the entryway.”
“That’s…pleasant.” I ignored Adelie’s instant jabbing in my back with a pointed finger. “Who grants access?”
“The magic.” He snorted as if I should have known.
“And that’s comforting,” I mumbled.
But there was no stopping me. I knew what I wanted. And that meant crossing the threshold. I quickly followed the overlords the rest of the way up the stairs and grabbed Adelie’s hand. I placed my other in front of my eyes to shade them from the blinding light, but it wasn’t coming from one particular place. It merely came from everywhere—probably even my own body by the way the back of my hand close to my face only hurt my eyes worse.
Inhaling quickly, I rushed past the entrance.
Dragging a struggling and silent Adelie in behind me.
Neither of us died. Instead, a potent pine smell floated around us. The blinding light died away where we stood stock still.
Adelie and I peered at one another, our eyes roaming up and down each other’s frames checking for any injuries. We were healthy and whole, even if a little disheveled and wide-eyed.
Lord Otto commanded, “Over here.”
Instantly, we peered around the sweet smelling room we were in.
A glass pane covered one wall, looking down on the cavern. The rest of the wall was shaped in a crescent moon curving around to make a lopsided circle. There were stars in the ceiling as the lighting, or at least they appeared that way. Red couches, a wooden table and chairs, a small kitchen and bathroom occupied the edges of the room.
And in the center, there was a cauldron.
An honest to God cauldron.
It frothed white at the top, the mixture inside it scalding. Smoke lifted into the air and disappeared once it hit the ceiling. The smell of forests was coming from the bubbling brew inside the cauldron’s depths. And there was no fire beneath it to even warm a single cup of water. Magic danced around the pot, almost tangible in the air.
A small choked gasp emanated from Adelie’s throat.
I merely patted her shoulder, my eyes on the overlords. Then I came closer to their huddled circle around the black pot.
Their eyes were on me as I stepped into their circle.
Curious, I asked, “What is this place?”
Lord Belshazzar supplied, “It was the guard room. Where they took their breaks.”
I flicked a finger at the magic cauldron centered between us. “And this?”
“Well, that wasn’t here before.” He smirked. “We bring it out on special occasions.”
I jerked, freezing in place, eyes enormous on my face.
Cato had rolled up one shirtsleeve and dunked his hand down into the scalding brew.
