Catalyst(50)

“Hello, Jerrel. How’s the family?”

Jerrel’s jaw tightened for a second. “Fine, thanks for asking.” His face relaxed. “I’m sorry not to give you a warmer welcome. Please enter. I’ll just let the King know you’re arriving.” He nodded to another guard, who ran towards the castle.

“Thank you,” said Prastian. He paused. “Have any other elves passed through here lately? I was hoping to meet some of my kinsmen here.”

Jerrel shook his head. “Not in the castle. There haven’t been any since the last time you were here.”

“Thanks, Jerrel. I’m sorry I didn’t bring any goodies this time around. Next time I see you, I promise I’ll bring something for your children.”

“Thank you, Prastian. Always a pleasure to see you.” He waved us through the open gates. As we passed through the portcullis, the guards eyed me, probably wondering why I was with a bunch of elves.

“Jerrel said he hadn’t seen the other elves Sharald sent,” Demay said. “Think he was telling the truth?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Which means we have bigger problems,” Behast said.

“Yes. Keep your ears sharp.”

As we headed up the hill towards the inner keep, we passed by the royal stables, barracks, and workshops. Eventually, we ended up in a large courtyard. Hedges outlined paths for us to walk. In the center was a large marble fountain. On top of it stood a crouching dragon, reminiscent of Cynder. Water poured constantly from his mouth. I smiled, wondering what Cynder would think of this. Dragons were creatures of fire, not water.

We were just outside the keep. It rose into the skies like a giant, the setting sun turning its white walls a delicate pink. But there was nothing delicate about the heart of Alexandria. Its towers seemed to pierce the clouds.

Although there weren’t many guards on the outer walls of the city, the castle ground crawled with them. Guards blocked our way at the entrance to the keep, challenging us. Prastian negotiated our way in, showing them a special seal given to him by King Sharald.

My heart began to beat faster. Not because of the guards who stared suspiciously at us, but because of the princess. Was she all right? Would I be able to see her? I had no doubt that Prastian would get us an audience with the king, but would Krystal be there?

“You’ll have to leave your weapons here,” a guard said.

“Is something wrong?” Prastian asked. “Normally, we would relinquish our weapons outside the audience chambers.”

“New rules. If you want to enter the keep, you’ll have to go unarmed.” The guards’ bodies tensed, as if they expected us to oppose them. Maybe even hoped we would.

Behast’s hand moved to his sword hilt.

Prastian smiled at the guards. “As you wish.” He took off his weapons, and Demay and Behast followed suit. I left my dagger where it was, under my wizard’s robe. The guards didn’t find it when they patted us down, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Prastian would not be pleased if I caused an incident. I was sure I wasn’t the only one with a hidden weapon.

With our entrance into the castle achieved, our journey had finally ended. However, the mystery and danger had just begun.





CHAPTER 12



The guard escorted us down a long hallway. My feet didn’t make a sound on the thick red carpet. My heart beat so loudly it drowned out Prastian's conversation with the guard. I wiped the sweat from the sides of my cheeks. I was so close to Krystal, but would I be able to see her? If I could just see if she was all right, I would breathe a little easier. I didn’t know if I would get to talk to her. I hadn’t told the elves that I had once met the princess, or that she owed me a debt. I wasn’t sure I wanted them to use that for their own political advantage.

I shook my head. I had to remember I wasn’t here just for her. King Sharald had sent me here for a purpose, and I had agreed to help his cause. Something was wrong with Alexandria. The creatures from the Wastelands should not be getting through. There were also the missing elves to think about. I flexed my fingers until my knuckles cracked. How in the Inferno was I going to handle all of this?

The hallway ended in the throne room. There was no one sitting on the great throne.

“Wait here,” the guard said. “The king will be here shortly.”

Behast grunted, standing with his arms crossed. “I don’t like this. Something has smelled bad since we entered the city, and I don’t mean the sewers.”

“I’m excited!” Demay said. “I’ve never been here before. I wish it was under better circumstances, though.” His face grew sober for a moment, but he couldn’t remain serious for long. Almost immediately his eyes sparkled again, taking in the stained glass windows, the tapestries depicting famous battles, and the alabaster of warriors.