But not as big as Resso.
If Lenna could get to the dragon lair…could she beg the dragon to help Esmeray take on Adara above the Palace?
Her fingers snagged on a small knot beneath the wall. Her breath hitched.
Tentatively, Lenna pressed her finger against it, the wall shivering before turning translucent. Lenna slipped through without a second thought, praying she wouldn’t be stuck down here. But she had come to care for the beings in the throne room fighting for the truth thatsherevealed. She could do this.
Jagged black rock walls and a narrow stone walkway that turned into steep stairs greeted her–the air musty and cold. The moment she passed through the magic, only silence greeted her–all noise from the battle in the Great Hall cut off. Sliding the Prism snugly between her breasts, Lenna palmed the second dagger and began the descent, the stagnant heaviness pressing into her nerves as the temperature dropped rapidly. With a huff, Lenna followed the path the God of Sight sent her on.
Down, down, the air growing thinner as she wheezed, taking the tight, winding staircase as quickly as she dared, praying she wouldn’t trip. A roiling black wall of smoke blocked her path, but she pushed through without a moment’s hesitation, her steps hurrying as the iciness of the barricade rubbed over her.
The staircase ended abruptly at a ledge, opening into an airy cavern. Lenna craned her head up, spotting the glimmering glass floor of the Obsidian Palace’s throne room high above her.
The magical barricade was a portal that connected the two Palaces together. She faintly remembered the vision-Esmeray saying something about that, but a whoosh of air was her only warning as Resso rose from the shadows below, his maw snaking out towards her curiously.
Hovering in place, his huge wings keeping him airborne, Resso appraised Lenna. His nostrils flared as if he was scenting her, and a spark of intrigue flickered in the dragon’s moon-colored eyes.
Lenna’s hands shook as she laid both daggers on the stone floor, keeping her eyes locked on the mighty dragon in front of her. She didn’t want Resso to consider her a threat–or dinner.
Resso growled. Lenna backed up, her spine colliding with the icy rock wall. Hands still trembling with fear, Lenna reached down her bodice, presenting the Prism to the ancient beast.
“I am the Oracle of Terramere,” Lenna whispered quietly, holding the Prism above her head, her curls buffeted in the bursts of wind coming off Resso’s wings. “And I need your help.”
She had no idea if the dragon remembered her from the throne room above, or if he even cared that she was the Oracle. Her feet sidestepped towards the entrance to the stairs. If Resso decided he wanted to eat her, she could escape up the staircase, run back through the weird portal, and pray that he didn’t unleash a torrent of fire to turn her to ash.
Resso cocked his head, staying level with the ledge.
Lenna wished her Oracle prowess included being able to mind speak with dragons.
“Queen Esmeray is in the mountains above this Palace, taking on Adara for the throne. Adara killed King Scottrell and Queen Elera.”
Resso’s slitted eyes seemed to widen. Queen Elera had ruled from the throne here. Lenna prayed the dragon liked the gargoyle Queen enough to care who her murderer was.
“I think I can show you, with the Prism, if you don’t believe me,” Lenna added, her voice cracking with fear. In response, the dragon snorted, white smoke curling out of his nostrils.
Then, without warning, Resso let out an ear-splitting screech and shot up, up, to the glass floor that trembled and shone as he disappeared through it. Lenna sent a prayer to whatever gods would listen from down here that Resso was on his way to aid Esmeray.
Lenna stayed rooted to the spot for a moment, until another roar shook the caverns. Remembering then that Resso was not the only cave dragon down here, Lenna bolted, swiping both daggers up with one hand. Gripping the Prism tightly in the other, she turned and ran back up the stone staircase, back through the magical portal, back into the Opal Palace.
She was not only Lenna. She was the Oracle of Terramere, and she would face whatever evil came for her and her friends. Even if that put her in league with the beasts from her nightmares.
Chapter fifty-six
Laurent
Theringinginhisears from the immediate and utter silence was deafening as the gold light flashed and the two Queens disappeared.
“Where did Esmeray go?” Keerian yelled as he shifted back into his original form. His white tunic immediately became stained with blood from where Adara’s talons had sliced into his Sentry’s hide, but the bleeding was ebbing quickly, his gargoyle healing abilities already clotting the wound. “Where ismy mate?”
The Golden Gargoyle bellowed Esmeray’s name, over and over, until his voice cracked under the weight of Esmeray’s decision. Laurent’s own heart felt as if it was ripping in two as Keerian’s panic smothered the room in anxious energy.
“Esmeray waned them out–but why?” With Adara gone, the cage holding Sparrow and Merrick disappeared, the former keeping a sharp eye on the latter. “Why would Meer do that?”
Keerian buried his face in his hands, groaning, “Because she realized we were losing. So, she made the choice to finish it herself.” He blew out a deep breath, and Laurent knew the fearsome Commander was making his own peace with death in case Esmeray fell against Adara and the soultie yanked him to Minmere. “She didn’t want to put you in any more danger.”
“We were here supporting her–supporting her claim,” Sparrow shot back.
Keerian shook his head in grim acknowledgement. “She would’ve fought death itself if one of you met your end.”
