“This is a terrible idea,” Garrick huffed, his voice echoing off the stone walls. “Wolfe is going to kill me.Actually, kill me. Not in the metaphorical friend way.”
Arielle didn’t slow. “He won’t kill you, stop complaining.”
“He absolutely will. Youknowhe will.” He shot her a look. “The dragons don’t like magic being done in their caves when Wolfe isn’t around. And they do not likeme.”
A distant rumble vibrated through the cavern, subtle but unmistakable. That sounded like Hedion.
Garrick pointed upward toward where the sound came from. “You hear that? They’re already restless.”
“They’re not restless,” Arielle said calmly.
“Theyareabsolutely fucking restless.” His scowl deepened. “Next thing you know they’ll be trying to tear off my face.”
“Gods, what the hells is wrong with you? Shut up already.” Arielle elbowed him in the gut. “They’reaware. There’s a difference. They can sense Elariya’s presence.”
“That’s even worse. That means they’ll come looking for her.” Garrick moved closer. “I swear, if Wolfe asks, I tried to stop this.”
“You didn’t, though,” Arielle teased with a playful smile.
“I considered it,” he retorted.
“If this works,” Arielle added quietly, “you’ll have had a hand in restoring Elariya’s memories. Imagine how happy Wolfe will be.”
Garrick pondered that and a thoughtful smile spread across his face. “Hmmm, that might get him off my back for at least a week. Maybe two.”
Arielle nodded with an enticing smile. “Now you’re thinking.”
“Fine. But let’s be quick about it. Especially in here. You know I’m right about the dragons. I don’t want to get eaten.”
“You won’t.” Arielle rolled her eyes at him. “We just need to get a little deeper.”
And that’s what we did.
We went deeper into the cavern where the air grew heavier. The stone here curved inward like the ribs of something enormous long dead.
I’d expected to see the twins but I sensed that they were sleeping. Hedion probably woke for a few minutes when he sensed me.
Given Garrick’s fears, it was probably best the dragons stayed away.
We reached the inner chamber where ancient scorch marks painted the walls in spirals. The stone floor was smooth, worn down by the creatures that had passed through over the centuries.
Arielle turned to me. “Let’s stop here. The dragons would have gathered as a group here.”
I looked around, my heart warming at the prospect of our plan working. Seeing the Nyzith strands helped. It gave me faith that we were at least on the right track. Now we’d find out if we wereright.
“Center yourself,” Arielle said, taking the lantern from me. “Remember when you summon the threads, all you have to focus on is sensing your dragon. Magic responds to likeness.”
So, I had to focus on sensing magic that felt like mine.
I nodded.
“Please make sure you stop if you feel like you’re in danger,” Garrick warned. “This cave has hosted ancient dragons since the dawn of time. The residual magic here is unrestrained and unpredictable.”
“I’ll be careful,” I promised.
I grounded myself with a deep breath, took a moment to center myself, then focused on my magic. The moment it sparked I channeled it and invoked the time threads.
They appeared cluster by cluster, like stars twinkling in the night sky. And they weren’t gold. These were silver with a blueish tint.
