Page 106
The Everhand itself is a little challenging to see through all that protection. Intricate metalwork, covered in symbols that hurt to look at directly worm each edge of the case. Guards posted in all four directions provide an extra layer of protection.
Around us, conversations swirl.
“—been acting strange lately—”
“—pulsing more frequently. Almost like it’s breathing—”
“—warm to the touch, the guards said—”
“—can’t explain it. None of their tests—”
A man in expensive clothes leans close to his companion. “I heard the Onyx Knight is actually leaving the Withered Undulations for this.”
His companion’s eyebrows climb. “For a magical artifact? Must be more valuable than they’re saying.”
“Or more dangerous.”
Another group of nobles loiters near the dais, their conversation carrying. “Dragon eggs, the rumors say. That’s what the Everhand is connected to. A cure for the Withering in Meridia.”
I catch Agnar’s eye, and he nods. He heard that last one too. “Where are these rumors coming from?”
Agnar shakes his head, but his eyes track the man who spoke. Strangely enough, he resembles a Meridian, wearing the baggy pants we prefer and not the tightly wrapped leggings of The Havens. “No idea. But it’s strange that everyone knows this much. Usually tournament organizers keep prize details quiet until the final bout.”
“Unless someone wants people to know.” I observe how the nobles stick together and whisper. “Unless someone’s spreading misinformation deliberately.”
Agnar’s jaw tightens. He sees it as well. The wrongness of this.
But we’re here now, and we have to work with what we’re given.
Agnar marches along the perimeter, studying the hall with professional attention. Counting guards. Checking exits. Noting the positions of windows, the height of the ceiling, and the flow of foot traffic.
I focus on the Everhand.
Shuffling my feet, I drift closer, like I’m another curious onlooker drawn by the spectacle who wants to get as near to the dais as the guards will allow.
The sensation hits me like a wave of cold water.
Some living thing lies trapped inside all that crystal and metal. I feel its presence like a tugging awareness in the back of my skull, the same way I sense animals in the wild.
But this is different. The life trapped in the crystal feels diminished. No…compressed, like something vast is folded into a space far too small to contain it.
And it’s suffering.
My stomach squirms. Whatever’s inside the Everhand shouldn’t be caged like this. Shouldn’t be displayed like some curiosity for nobles to gawk at.
I force myself to exhale slowly. To not visibly react. To keep scrutinizing the case like I’m interested in the craftsmanship even though all I want to do is smash it to the ground and release the suffering entity inside.
The locks aren’t entirely mechanical.
Serpentine creatures coil around the glittering case. Their shimmering scales shift in color between copper and a rainbow oil-slick, transforming with the light. Each creature has too many eyes, clusters of them running down their elongated heads, some open and some closed. They blink in unsynchronized patterns.
The vibrant colors are mesmerizing in the same way many venomous reptiles are. But they’re also deeply unsettling, their proportions slightly off from what my brain expects to see.
One of the creatures turns its head, and multiple eyes fixate on me.
My pulse kicks, and I root in place.
The creature’s tongue flickers out, tasting the air. Then it settles back into its coil, satisfied I’m not a threat.
