23 - To the palace
| Session 1 | Session 22 | Session 23 | ||
| ◀◀ | ◀ | ▲ | ▶ | ▶▶ |
| Ashira Brolin Frostbite | Ashira | Ashira |
Where is Kelek?
The door opened. Then closed.
I didn't see it, but I knew it was Zephyr. He whispered a spell and vanished the moment we heard the sound of the double door opening. Sometimes I wonder what goes on in his head.
We waited. Footsteps came. Then a knock. A voice—hers. Endelyn. “Open the door,” she said.
I didn't. I slipped behind the desk like a shadow that didn’t want to be seen. Brolin and Frostbite took to the balcony. We became silence.
She opened the door anyway. She said she didn’t want a fight. Said we’d win, in a way. Said she’d die, and we would too. Some of us, at least. But she’d be back the next day, and we wouldn’t. Her voice held certainty, like someone bored of knowing how the play ends.
Maeve stood in full view, not hiding. She exploded into a storm of words, sick of riddles and hag games and endless errands. I don’t blame her. I let her speak. Sometimes silence says more anyway.
Endelyn let her finish. Then made her pitch: take Skylla and deal with Kelek. I stepped out. I asked if it mattered whether Skylla made it out alive. Babysitting wasn’t on my list. Endelyn said it didn’t. Good.
Then we heard yelling from the hallway: “Intruders, Intruders!” Of course. Zephyr.
Endelyn frowned and asked us to call him back. I told her we didn’t know where he was. Truth, for once. But as we walked to her room, a sudden flutter in the air caught both our attention. Wind above us. He was invisible, flying. Not careful enough. Endelyn noticed it too. She told us to get Skylla and go. Then she shut the door behind us.
Skylla
We returned to the tower. I saw Skylla from the balcony. Told her Endelyn wanted her to come. She listened. Strange. She joined us. She didn't like being called Skylla and prefered Charmay. So I continued calling her Skylla. She explained Kelek was a mage, and his bodyguard was someone called Warduke.
I asked her what her skills were: acting? She said no, I'm a warlock.
If I could’ve smiled, I would’ve. Did she just admit she couldn't act?
The giant cranes arrived. I don’t like flying. I made sure I sat properly. Tight grip. Don’t look down.
While we flew, Skylla told of the League of Malevolence and how they came to the palace to blackmail Zybilna. But that the hags froze all in time. And unfroze the league. Not much of it made sense—maybe the wind took some words.
She said Kelek broke his deal with the hags. That he wanted Ringlerun’s staff. Ringlerun, of Valor’s Call. And that she, Skylla, didn’t like that. So she chose the hags over her own league.
The pieces don’t quite fit, but there’s enough of a picture to know not to trust anyone.
The Palace
Eventually, after hours of flying, we saw the palace through the mist.
Huge veins twisted around it. One vein held up a floating tower. We landed in the garden. It was full of scent—flowers, bees, butterflies—but they didn’t move. Not a twitch. The stream made no sound. Everything frozen, suspended, as if time took a deep breath and forgot to exhale.
Only the pavilion ahead had life. Laughter. Music. Voices.
And then a dragon passed above us. Just a shadow across the sky. I felt it in my chest.
We split. Frostbite wandered to the palace itself. Zephyr got distracted—stones in a circle caught his eye. Typical.
I went to the pavilion with the others. There was a tea party. Not a joke.
Badgers played music. A talking bear spoke about scones. A headless dwarf. Frozen figures. Other guests. All waiting—for Zybilna. They’d been waiting since the palace froze. They didn’t know it. That was the worst part. No clocks here. Just waiting.
I asked questions. About Kelek. Maeve pulled me away, afraid I’d say too much. She’s probably right. Still—while she dragged me, I saw something on the table.
A package. Names on it. Ours.
I opened it, careful to block Skylla's view. Inside: an amulet. And a note. In Draconic. Of course. We needed Frostbite...
But where is he?
| Session 1 | Session 22 | Session 23 | ||
| ◀◀ | ◀ | ▲ | ▶ | ▶▶ |
| Ashira Brolin Frostbite | Ashira | Ashira |
Updated on: 20:33
