AFTER RUNNING FOR CLOSE TO half an hour, Courtney began to slow down to verify a landmark. Her breath came quickly, dirt smeared across her face from branches and the occasional fall.
She slowed further as they came upon a segment of tumbled rock. It looked more like a giant had thrown random boulders across the landscape. Checking all directions, she darted towards a specific mass of stone and ducked into a shadow, Tyler right behind her.
The shadow became a short tunnel that led to a cavern. Inside, she'd stashed basic camping equipment. There were a few sleeping bags, a dismantled tent, some cooking gear, and some dry rations. Courtney came to a stop inside the cavern and slumped over, trying to catch her breath.
Tyler entered more cautiously, the last vestiges of the protective web dissolving as he did so. “Nice place,” he commented, heading towards the sleeping bags. He set Anwen on one of the unrolled bags thrust against the wall, caressing her face with one finger.
Courtney moved further in, casting a rushed spell on the entrance to keep intruders out. The enchantment made it look like just another rock in the pile from outside. Finished, she slumped down on the ground. “So what do you think happened to her? I mean, she was fine before she fell.”
Taking one of Anwen's hands in his own, Tyler closed his eyes. “I'm not sure. It feels like a spell of some kind.” He turned to look around. “Do you have any water handy? I left my pack back at the Mill and I don't see Anna's. Did she take it off somewhere?”
Courtney shook her head. “I don't remember. Maybe? It all happened so fast. Maybe if I think about it a bit I'll remember more.” Reaching for her own pack, she brought out the only water bottle she had. “Here.”
Tyler took it without a word. Pulling out a handkerchief, he dampened it and pressed it against Anwen's forehead. “Could be something that exacerbated the concussion,” he mused, “though it doesn't seem likely. It has to be something else.” He looked up, one possibility sticking out in his mind. “Did you notice the Fallen earlier?”
Hearing the name, Courtney's hands went still. “Fallen? Are you serious? There was one here? But why? No one's seen one in over a hundred years! There's no way they'd come out. Unless--” she glanced down at Anwen's face in disbelief. “She can't be.”
Tyler looked up from his ministrations, staring intently at her. “Can't be what?” His muscles tensed, his hand momentarily suspended from wiping Anwen's brow.
She shook her head. “But it's not possible. They were all exiled. And her last name is Post. She can't be one of them. Can she?”
Tyler slowly moved into a crouch, feet pressing against the ground like a starting block. One hand slid to his pocket where he kept a carved bone, its edge sharp on one side. “What can't she be?”
Courtney looked him straight in the eye, her expression filled with fear and awe. “A Key Keeper,” she whispered.
He almost flung himself at her, knife thrusting forward, but managed to restrain himself. He might not know everything there was to know about this girl, but she'd never given any sign that she was anything more than petty. Now faced with a life-changing situation, she seemed completely out of her element. He only hoped his observations were correct.
Letting out his breath, Tyler released his hold on the weapon, already stained with blood from earlier that day. Calmly, he moved his hand from his pocket and forced himself to check on Anwen to at least make sure she was still breathing. “What do you know about the Key Keepers?”
Taking a seat on the dusty ground, Courtney tried to think back. “The first time I heard of them was from my grandmother. I'm sure you already knew she was a dragon mage. I admit I was kind of surprised you knew I was one too.” She shrugged when he didn’t answer.
“Grandmother told me the Keepers were all exiled as traitors. That they were never again allowed in the Village, under penalty of death. That's why the Fallen were created, to act as guard dogs against them coming and reopening the Mountain.”
Tyler had heard this version of history before and nodded for her to continue. He wasn't about to tell her all he knew about those events, waiting to feel her out before sharing anything else with her. He knew the Fallen dated back to a much earlier time, though he wasn't about to correct her.
Courtney paused a moment to get her bearings. “I later heard that this might not be true. I don't think I was supposed to hear about that part, though. I was listening in at the door to the Millard's place one night. I knew Madame Millard was a member of the Mage Circle. I'd once thought about applying to be an apprentice there but decided to let my mother train me instead.”
Tyler pursed his lips, thankful she hadn't. Chances were good she had no idea just exactly what the Circle stood for.
He hoped she never had to find out.
“And then, much later, I heard something else,” the girl admitted as she wrapped her arms around her chest. “I never thought I'd hear something like that. All I wanted to do was get some information so I went out the night of the storm.”
“Just a few nights back?” Tyler asked, interrupting her narrative. He sat forward, balancing on the balls of his feet, eyes intent.
Courtney nodded. “Yes. Everyone had gone to bed in the village but I was upset and more than a little jealous of Anna, because of the attention you were giving her. I went over to spy on the inn because I thought maybe I could get some dirt on her to keep you away.” She hung her head.
"Go on," Tyler encouraged in a tight voice.
“But instead, I heard Madame Millard talking. She mentioned something about the possibility of a Key Keeper arriving in the village. I'm not sure who all was with her, but I think her husband was there. I'm sure there was at least one other mage there as well.” She looked up, clenching her hands. “I'm not sure about this next part, but it's what I heard.”
“Tell me,” he commanded, clutching the damp cloth in his hands, not daring to breathe.
Courtney almost broke down again. “I heard Mr. Millard mention it was impossible for a Key Keeper to be there. He'd personally hunted down the last known Keeper only a few years ago. He said he'd taken him out during a rain storm.”
She paused for breath, the tears running down her face. “When I heard that, I ran. I didn't want them to know I’d overheard. I mean having a Key Keeper punished for breaking exile is one thing. Purposely going out to kill them, when they might never intend to come here in the first place, is something else entirely.”
Tyler closed his eyes. He'd had his suspicions. To have them confirmed like this, learning why Anwen's father had really been killed-- It was a bit overwhelming. He rocked back on his heels just thinking about it. “That explains a few things,” he mused.
Anwen groaned in her sleep, causing both to look her direction. Sweat beaded on her forehead from fever.
Tyler took Anwen's hand in his once more, feeling the clammy skin. “I don't like this,” he confessed. “I don't like it at all. But you're right. Anna is a Key Keeper, the last Key Keeper. Only her name isn't Anna. It's Anwen.”
Courtney almost fell backyards at the revelation. “The last? But how? Mr. Millard said--?”
Tyler rubbed Anwen's hand, trying to warm it with the friction. “I've been following potential Key Keepers for years. Like you, I'd thought they had all been hunted down. Until I met Anwen.
“As odd as it may sound, it was her air of mystery that first made me wonder. She acted like she was hiding something when she came off that train in Blaucii. And when I learned she was on her way here, I had to make sure.” His explanation wasn't strictly the truth, but close enough to count.
Courtney shook her head. “But you're only eighteen. When did you start searching--?” She trailed off as she focused her gaze on Tyler once more.
Her eyes went wide as a thought struck her. “No. You can't be. It's not possible. I mean, they were all sealed away. But you are one, aren't you? I'd heard rumors, but I didn't think they were true. Is it true?”
Tyler didn't say
anything as he took up Anwen's other hand, trying to bring back some warmth to it as well. He paused in his ministrations to check her eyes, noting they were dilated. His shoulders made a rigid line.
Moving closer to him, Courtney nodded. “So it is true. You are one of them. And now you've found the last Key Keeper. It can't be coincidence, can it?”
“Definitely looks like a mage spell,” Tyler commented, ignoring her. “I'm not sure what I can do without knowing which one though.”
“You're planning to open the Mountain,” Courtney pressed. “I know you are. You're trying to get back to Tarragon.”
Tyler passed the handkerchief over to Courtney. “Here, keep dabbing her face with this. I'm going to try and discover what kind of enchantment was used.”
Courtney took the cloth, hesitating only for a moment before moving closer so she could reach Anwen's head. Pouring more water onto the fabric, she applied it as instructed, watching Tyler the whole time.
The dragon placed both of his hands over Anwen's heart, one hand on top of the other. Closing his eyes, he bowed over her prostrate body. White light began to emanate from around his fingers. It spread to a gentle glow, illuminating the darkening cavern like a lantern.
His breathing slowed, chest rising and falling slower and slower. He'd merged with her energies before, back at the Shrine. But this time was different. This time he was trying to find the strands that didn't belong. And he didn't have the help of the Boundary Circle to do it.
Courtney waited with held breath. If she were further along in her training, she might be able to do exactly what he was doing. She could have searched Anwen's soul energy for the entangling threads that had done this to her. But she was not. All the same, she could feel the amount of power placed in his hands, trying to find the source of Anwen's illness.
It was awe inspiring to realize that this was the same kind of raw power passed down to her kind. Only to be diluted over the generations. Few had the full Talent anymore, and those who did guarded it jealously. Daphne was one, as was her aunt.
The white light spread even further along Anwen's skin as Tyler's energy expanded. It traced every vein and artery in her body. He cocked his head to one side as if listening, head turned towards where Anwen's head lay. The light moved to illuminate her face, except for a small shadow of darkness focused at the nape of her neck.
Tyler opened his eyes and lifted his hands from her chest. “Found it,” he breathed, “but it would seem that I can't just remove it with a simple charm.”
Moving to let him turn Anwen on her side, Courtney watched as he felt for something at the base of her neck. “Why not? Why can't you just remove it?”
“It's a complex spell,” Tyler explained as he looked up from his ministrations. “Whoever did this was quite skilled, with a good deal of Talent behind it. It's going to take some doing to discharge, unlike the simpler version you tried on her on the mountain path.”
Courtney hung her head in shame. The enchantment she'd used was a simple spell that played on one's fears. It had the potential to triple fear's effect on the individual. But if what Tyler said was true, this spell could easily be ten times worse. It could use a loop of fear-induced toxins, created by the victim's own body, to eventually kill its target.
“Who would do such a thing?” she whispered.
Shaking his head, Tyler continued to feel down the length of Anwen's spine, trying to locate the point of origin. “I don't know. I'm not exactly privy to what goes on in the Mage Circle. We're not exactly on speaking terms, if you know what I mean. My concerns were more towards keeping guard over the Gates until the Key Keepers returned.”
Courtney pressed at the bridge of her nose. “Wait, you're telling me you expected someone to come along someday to reopen the Mountain? But what about the forced exile?”
Tyler's expression was grim as he sat back. “It was all a ruse,” he replied, “a ruse to keep the Mage Circle from being able to reenter the Mountain.
“There's a lot of history you don't know. I don't have time to tell you all it. Just know that it was foretold that one day a Keeper would return and open the Mountain. That Keeper would release the dragons from their long slumber. I volunteered to stay outside and keep watch for this Keeper.
“And now her life, and the lives of all dragons and mages, are in danger. And it's all because humans decided they were better than their dragon counterparts.” He let out a heavy sigh as he contemplated what that meant.
Courtney looked down where she'd doodled in the dirt. It was a meaningless series of spirals that led nowhere, like everything she'd ever been led to believe. “And what about Anna, I mean Anwen? Does she know about all this?”
Turning Anwen back to her original resting position, Tyler smoothed her hair. “For some reason, I don't think she does. When I first met her, she mentioned searching for her past. And other than knowing that one of her ancestors came from here, I doubt she knows why or what their role in our society was. But I do know she was visited in visions by The Nurrim.”
Courtney's eyes went wide, mouth almost dropping open. “Nurrim? The Nurrim? The First and Oldest of all dragons? That Nurrim?”
Tyler nodded. “One and the same. Even though his body is sealed in the Mountain in a deep slumber, his soul is free to roam. He contacted her the day she fell and hit her head.”
Courtney stared at Anwen with growing awe. No one, to her knowledge, had ever had such an honor. Not since the great Gates were sealed, long before her time. “But what about her condition? I mean, if you can't remove the enchantment, then how is she supposed to do whatever it is she's supposed to do?”
Standing, Tyler moved towards the cavern's entrance. “I didn't say I couldn't remove it. I said I couldn't do it yet. There are a few things I need to retrieve, a few herbs and other things I'll need. In the meantime, I’m going to ask you to keep an eye on her. If anything happens, anything at all, send me word and I'll come as fast as the wind can carry me. Understand?"
The girl nodded.
“But should you betray her, or me, I will hunt you down and kill you, just as I hunted down that Fallen and killed it.” Tyler's blue eyes glittered with a menacing quality in the fading light.
Biting her lip, Courtney nodded. Her heart pounded, as she realized he wasn't joking. The cold look in his eye was more than enough to convince her of that. “I won't betray either of you,” she promised. “I swear.”
Satisfied, Tyler took one last look at Anwen's pale face, far more pale than its usual color. He stepped out from the protecting awning of stone. Invoking a simple charm, he blended in with the background and was gone.
Courtney watched from the cavern's mouth for only a minute before going back into the cave. Maybe she couldn't do a whole lot right now, but she could keep an eye on her friend and make sure she at least didn't get any worse. Using a simple enchantment, she conjured a small ball of yellow light, which moved to float near the top of the room.
thirteen