Everyone cheered, shaking the hall. The dwarves dispersed to make preparations. My shoulders slumped in relief. I was also tired from that mana-consuming spell. Now, if only we could make it to Alexandria in time.
“Nice work, lad,” Jastillian said. “For a second, you had me worried. That’s the way to show them strength.”
I opened my mouth to tell him that what I did was more of an accident, and that my emotions had gotten the best of me again, but decided against it. “I’m just glad I was able to get their help.”
Jastillian had turned to leave, when I stopped him. “What should I do in the meantime?”
“Sorry, lad. I got caught up in all the excitement. I can feel my warrior’s blood boiling to the surface, and it feels good.” He stood erect, took a deep breath, and clenched his mighty fists. Then he said, “You can look around Erlam if you like. Are you going to leave tomorrow?”
I nodded. “At first light.”
“I'll get you one of the fastest horses I can.”
“Thank you, and thanks for all your help. Without you, your mother, and Artesia, I wouldn't have gotten the help I needed. I really appreciate it.”
“Nonsense, lad. You made your case well. I'm just sorry that Gort made it more difficult than it had to be.” He sighed. “But that's what family's for.”
I raised my eyebrow. “Gort's your brother?”
“Aye. I take it you have no siblings.”
“None.”
“You're lucky. Gort and I don't exactly see eye to eye. Never have, never will.” Jastillian put his massive hand on my shoulder. “But that has nothing to do with now. Go. Have fun, explore, or prepare if you want, but remember to get some sleep. I’ll come get you an hour before sunrise.”
“Where will I sleep tonight?”
“Sorry about that, I completely forgot.” He burst out with a laugh so loud it echoed in the near-empty hall. “We’re going to be busy, so any empty room in this place will be fine.”
“How will you know where I’ll be?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll find you,” Jastillian said, and left.
A part of me wanted to explore the city of Erlam, as it might be the only time I ever saw it. I didn't. A larger part of me worried and fretted over the upcoming battle, the safety of the people of Alexandria, and how to convince Master Stradus to help me. To calm my nerves, I found a quiet, empty bedroom and spent most of my time in meditation. I tried to focus my energy and get lost in the mana that was all around me. It was hard, yet, as Master Stradus had taught me, that was the point of meditating. So that I could concentrate under any circumstances.
----
The next morning, Jastillian came right when he said he would. The bags under his eyes were deep. I felt bad because I hadn’t worked as hard as him or any of the other dwarves as they prepared their army. I expressed this, and he said not to worry. They expected me to be the magic against magic.
I got on my horse and headed west back towards the White Mountain, wondering if Master Stradus would not only be grateful to see me, but willing to help me. Could I convince the hermit to leave the comfort of his caves and prophecies, to help me defeat Premier?
CHAPTER 19
I arrived at the White Mountain in the middle of the night. It shone against the dark sky, its frosted surface glistening. I got off my horse and sat cross-legged in front of the mountain. I focused on the fire within until I gathered enough power to perform my spell.
I raised my hands high into the sky, my sleeves tumbling down. I pictured the entrance to the cave. Blocking out all noise, I encased my mind in silence. I said an incantation and let a portion of the fire flow outward, shooting up in the sky. I focused hard on the flaming geyser, pushing my mind against the cold and wind. The stream of fire forced itself closer to the mountain and reached the mouth of the cave, shooting inward. I said a word to disperse it and created a great, flashing, fiery show that hopefully illuminated the whole cave and got someone's attention, even at this late hour.
Creating such a huge spell drained me. I leaned over, breathing heavily. As I waited for a response, I tried to think of another way to contact Master Stradus if this didn’t work. Soon enough, though, a monstrous shadowy figure flew down from the mountain. He landed right beside me, hard and fast, causing a wind that almost sent me to the ground. As usual. The horse whinnied and shied in response. I had to hurry over and restrain him before he took off. The horse's large, black eyes became even larger, and his nostrils flared as he sighted the dragon. He pulled against the reins.
“Back so soon?” Cynder asked. He snorted a puff of fire and yawned. “Real world too much for you? I was having a good night’s sleep until you decided to perform that little light show. Some of us higher beings need our sleep. What kind of spell was that, anyway? If I had been in the tunnel, I wouldn't have appreciated it.”