werelight lanterns. In a while, the moon would come up from behind the mountain.
Out of the darkness came a rustle of wings and a darker shadow. Another bird. It landed on the step and hopped over to me. I untied the quill it carriedand pulled out the third note. The paper felt smooth and cool under my fingers.
I sat with the birds perched next to me on the step, waiting for the moon to come up so I could see to read. A breeze blew across the cave mouth, making a hollow, moaning sound, hooo , hoooo .
Finally the moon peeked up over the edge of the mountain, shining down over my shoulder. I held up the note. The black letters stood out on the bright-white page.
----
Curse it, boy, where are you? I have received a letter from Lady Rowan, who says you have been taken away by a dragon. Think she must be mistaken, as dragons have been extinct for hundreds of years.
During the past few days, Wellmet has become infested with white predator-cats, like the ones you said accompanied the sorcerer-king everywhere. You know as well as I do the meaning of this: The cats are agents of the dread magic, which means Arhionvar is approaching the city. I have visited the pit where Dusk House once stood; the magic there is behaving erratically. Have tried communicating with it, as you say is possible, but magic does not respond. The duchess’s health is failing. The magisters are in disarray. The only defense is thepyrotechnic traps we’ve been working on. I have contacted the pyrotechnists, Embre and Sparks, and we have made some progress in assembling explosive traps at various points in the city. But you, Conn, are our connection with the magic. You must return at once, with or without your locus magicalicus.
—N.
----
I dropped Nevery’s third letter to the stone doorstep and stood up. Arhionvar was almost in Wellmet. I had to go home.
Grabbing up my knapsack, I headed for the stone steps. Down one, skinning the palm of my hand on the rock; down the next, and the next.
I glanced back over my shoulder. The mountain peak loomed like a black shard across the rising full moon. Clinging to the spire above the cave mouth was a darker shadow and two points of flame—the eyes of the dragon, watching me. I heard the umbrella whoosh of its wings opening.
“No!” I shouted. The flaming eyes swooped down toward me. I flung myself down onto the rock, then scurry-climbed down to the next step. It wasn’t going to catch me.
Another swoop of wind, and the flame dragon dropped down right onto my step, knocked me over, and grabbed me up in its claw. A great thunderstorm of wings, and we hurtled back toward the cave mouth. The dragon banked and flungme away. I went tumbling into the cave, sliding into a pile; rocks and stones went rattling across the floor.
Ow. Right. I wasn’t leaving yet.
CHAPTER 20
“ L othfalas ,” I said for the thousandth time, my voice hoarse.
Half the night was gone; I hadn’t seen even a spark of lothfalas light. The cave darkness pressed around me like when I pulled my black wool sweater over my head. By feel,shuffling my feet along the floor, I made my way across the cave until I bumped into the next pile of stones. “ Lothfalas .”
I sifted through the pile.
Drats! I didn’t have time for this.
The sweater-black cave lightened to gray; the sun was coming up on the other side of the mountain.
“ Lothfalas !” I shouted.
From the corner of my eye I caught a quick glimpse of light. I whirled around and said the light spell again. From high up on the wall of the cave, another glimmer. The light brightened, dazzle-bright, and the call of my locus magicalicus washed over me.
I jumped from the pile and slithered to the floor, stones rattling down with me, then scuffed a path through the stones to the wall and looked up. Almost at the ceiling, behind a row of spire-spikes, I saw the glow of my locus stone like the sun behind a cloud.
I looked for a way up. Now that I could see themup
Out of the darkness came a rustle of wings and a darker shadow. Another bird. It landed on the step and hopped over to me. I untied the quill it carriedand pulled out the third note. The paper felt smooth and cool under my fingers.
I sat with the birds perched next to me on the step, waiting for the moon to come up so I could see to read. A breeze blew across the cave mouth, making a hollow, moaning sound, hooo , hoooo .
Finally the moon peeked up over the edge of the mountain, shining down over my shoulder. I held up the note. The black letters stood out on the bright-white page.
----
Curse it, boy, where are you? I have received a letter from Lady Rowan, who says you have been taken away by a dragon. Think she must be mistaken, as dragons have been extinct for hundreds of years.
During the past few days, Wellmet has become infested with white predator-cats, like the ones you said accompanied the sorcerer-king everywhere. You know as well as I do the meaning of this: The cats are agents of the dread magic, which means Arhionvar is approaching the city. I have visited the pit where Dusk House once stood; the magic there is behaving erratically. Have tried communicating with it, as you say is possible, but magic does not respond. The duchess’s health is failing. The magisters are in disarray. The only defense is thepyrotechnic traps we’ve been working on. I have contacted the pyrotechnists, Embre and Sparks, and we have made some progress in assembling explosive traps at various points in the city. But you, Conn, are our connection with the magic. You must return at once, with or without your locus magicalicus.
—N.
----
I dropped Nevery’s third letter to the stone doorstep and stood up. Arhionvar was almost in Wellmet. I had to go home.
Grabbing up my knapsack, I headed for the stone steps. Down one, skinning the palm of my hand on the rock; down the next, and the next.
I glanced back over my shoulder. The mountain peak loomed like a black shard across the rising full moon. Clinging to the spire above the cave mouth was a darker shadow and two points of flame—the eyes of the dragon, watching me. I heard the umbrella whoosh of its wings opening.
“No!” I shouted. The flaming eyes swooped down toward me. I flung myself down onto the rock, then scurry-climbed down to the next step. It wasn’t going to catch me.
Another swoop of wind, and the flame dragon dropped down right onto my step, knocked me over, and grabbed me up in its claw. A great thunderstorm of wings, and we hurtled back toward the cave mouth. The dragon banked and flungme away. I went tumbling into the cave, sliding into a pile; rocks and stones went rattling across the floor.
Ow. Right. I wasn’t leaving yet.
CHAPTER 20
“ L othfalas ,” I said for the thousandth time, my voice hoarse.
Half the night was gone; I hadn’t seen even a spark of lothfalas light. The cave darkness pressed around me like when I pulled my black wool sweater over my head. By feel,shuffling my feet along the floor, I made my way across the cave until I bumped into the next pile of stones. “ Lothfalas .”
I sifted through the pile.
Drats! I didn’t have time for this.
The sweater-black cave lightened to gray; the sun was coming up on the other side of the mountain.
“ Lothfalas !” I shouted.
From the corner of my eye I caught a quick glimpse of light. I whirled around and said the light spell again. From high up on the wall of the cave, another glimmer. The light brightened, dazzle-bright, and the call of my locus magicalicus washed over me.
I jumped from the pile and slithered to the floor, stones rattling down with me, then scuffed a path through the stones to the wall and looked up. Almost at the ceiling, behind a row of spire-spikes, I saw the glow of my locus stone like the sun behind a cloud.
I looked for a way up. Now that I could see themup
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