I had to find a way. A way back home.
A way to escape.
Chapter 22
Elariya
“The Shape of His Name”
Wolfe summoned another meeting.
It was late morning. Everyone sat in the same places as yesterday, with him at the head of the table. But no one seemed entirely relaxed.
I would have preferred to be excluded. I’d been up for hours, but I was no less furious. I didn’t wish to be in Wolfe—or anyone else’s—presence so soon after yesterday’s disaster. But it was wise to attend.
If I had any hope of escaping, I needed to know Wolfe’s plan, and everyone else’s movements.
Wolfe’s gaze moved across the room, ensuring every eye was on him.
“I wanted everyone here so there would be no confusion about what comes next,” he said evenly, jumping straight into the discussion. I was glad he’d skipped the pleasantries. Then again, I hadn’t seen him be pleasant. Maybe this was what he was usually like.
“Even with everything that’s happened, I believe our priority should remain the ring.” His voice carried easily through the chamber. “So we’ll be resuming our efforts to find it.”
“What do you propose, my lord?” Alaric asked, his voice still heavy with disagreement. “The Seer’s counsel has changed our previous plan. We now know we can’t simply cast a blood-tracking spell to locate it.”
The plan had changed because the Seer revealed that my magic was the key to finding the ring. Not my blood. Blood was just the first step in making the connection to the path.
Wolfe rested his hands on the edge of the table and his eyes flicked briefly toward me. “I propose Elariya resumes training with Arielle, along with her studies at Hyxian. Garrick will also resume his watch of the girls, but with Alaric on standby.” He looked across at Bastian. “You’re with me, unless you’re needed here.”
They all nodded their agreement.
I just watched, watched another decision being made for me as if I wasn’t even in the room.
“It’s imperative we get Elariya back up to speed as quickly as possible. We’ve lost enough time.” The room fell quiet again as he spoke. “Every delay strengthens the forces already moving against us. We need to make progress before the next reset.”
“My Lord, if I may speak,” Arielle said, leaning forward. “I am not so certain we can do all that the Seer suggested in twenty-one days. Of course I am willing to try. It’s just that we’re talking about time magic, which is hard to master by itself, and also the possibility of finding a familiar.A dragon. Another equally hard task.”
“I’m aware. I’ve been thinking about that and trying to figure out the ring’s intentions. I don’t believe they’re as streamlined as we think.”
“What do you mean?” I spoke up before anyone else could.
Wolfe looked at me, his eyes guarded, free of the emotion he showed yesterday.
“The Seer said you need only locate the ring to get your memories back and break your curse,” he began. “You wouldn’t need to recover it. I believe that means the ring needs your memories intact to actually retrieve it.”
“How can you be certain of this?” I searched his eyes.
“You’re my tracker. The ring would have thought things through in the most effective way, so you’d have the full capacity of your powers to guide me. That won’t happen in twenty-one days.”
Arielle seemed to relax on hearing that. I couldn’t share her ease because I was still on edge. Probably because I wasn’t used to magical objects having a mind of their own.
“So for now, I’d just have to get myself to the level of power needed to locate the ring,” I surmised.
“Exactly,” Wolfe said calmly. “I came to the conclusion because a dragon bond requires immense power. Dragons will only bond when an individual has reached a level where their power can match the creature’s own abilities. Both have to be ready.”
I absorbed the information quietly, wishing I already had the dragon. I’d simply fly out of here.
“In my journal, I noted that the Seer said the dragon would call to me when I was ready to make the bond.” I wasn’t going to be here long enough to make that bond but I still wanted to know. The master of the dragons was the best person to tell me. “She also said it was here in the caves in a temporal space.”
