Thalia tried to take it all in, the mountain looming larger the closer they got to the stone city built into its side. She caught sight of little blobs flying into and out of open windows.
“What are those?” she asked, pointing.
“Shifters,” Cassius replied.
Thalia stared in awe as the distant shapes continued to enter and exit the citadel. The trio slowed their horses when they came to a closedgate, its wood gleaming with moisture. All sorts of whorls and designs that Thalia couldn’t decipher had been carved into its surface.
One of the guards standing watch stepped forward. He nodded. “Lord Cassius, Lord Keegan, we’ve been expecting you.”
The gates swung open on their own, and Cassius nodded his thanks as they rode into Perden.
The city was laid out on cobblestone streets, all winding up the mountain, each level grander than the last. Various shops and cafés lined the streets at the bottom, the scent of crisp apples and roasted honey drifting into Thalia’s nose. The second level held homes and other, nicer storefronts. Thalia’s lips twitched as a group of children ran by pushing a hoop on a stick, their laughter chasing her as she and her companions climbed through the city.
They finally stopped when they got to the very top of the citadel. The castle’s courtyard was made of stone and fossilized tree trunks. Cassius dismounted before the entrance, helping her down. She turned, sucking in a deep breath at the view.
They were high enough to see the expanse of the horizon. She squinted, and though she knew she was too far away, she could have sworn she saw the forest bordering their worlds.
She shivered, a crisp breeze tugging at the strands of her hair.
Thalia turned back just as Camilla and Lady Decima greeted them.
“Lord Cassius.” Lady Decima inclined her head. “I hope the journey was uneventful.”
Thalia resisted the urge to snort as Cassius replied, “You could say that.”
Lady Decima gestured for them to follow her inside. Thalia glanced at Camilla, but the shifter just smirked, trailing after them.
The inside of the castle was carved into the mountain itself, and covered hallways and arches bled to different areas. They all followed after Lady Decima, heading deeper.
Cold air nipped at Thalia’s cheeks, even though the wind off the mountain couldn’t reach them here. Carvings of various creatures, ones Thalia didn’t recognize, covered the walls. Strange beings that seemed to dance in starlight.
She shivered, and Cassius glanced over his shoulder as Lady Decima continued to speak about the progress happening within Lorceium itself.
“We’ve managed to find two more pockets,” she said as they entered an octagonal room. A stone table had been erected in the middle. A carving of a fox with multiple teeth grinned in the center.
“Where?” Keegan asked.
Lady Decima took a seat in one of the chairs. Everyone else followed suit. “The lower levels of the mountain. Deeper than we’d anticipated.”
Cassius’s jaw flickered. “You said there was a setback?”
Lady Decima cocked her dark head. “The deeper we dig, the less stable the mountain becomes. There was a cave-in two weeks ago.”
Keegan sucked in a sharp breath. “Was anyone hurt?”
Shadows crossed Lady Decima’s eyes. “We had a number of casualties. But we cannot keep doing this, Lord Cassius, no matter what your prince says. If we continue, the whole mountain will collapse and the pockets of magic will be lost to us.”
Which meant the backup plan to bring the Vampyrs here to escape the creature would be null and void.
“Camilla said the Mages have found something else? What is it?” Cassius asked, his words sharp.
“Perhaps I can explain.”
Everyone except Thalia stood as a new person entered the room. Thalia stared in shock at the woman who’d entered.
She was by far one of the most beautiful women Thalia had ever seen. Dark lashes framed her upturned oval eyes, highlighting her silver irises. Her long, straight black hair fell to her waist. She wore a peacock-blue dress of thick velvet, cinched at the waist with a belt of golden brocade.
“Larellia.” Cassius inclined his head, and everyone took to their seats. “What have the Mages found?”
