Tegan nodded before he dropped them down to inspect the rest of the area. “They are, but do you see him?”

  I raised my light and illuminated the small area. My bright glow, however, couldn’t penetrate the darkness behind one of the fangy stalagmites. “There. There’s something behind that rock.”

  Tegan stood and led the way to the impenetrable shadows. They turned out to be another smaller tunnel that led even further down into the mountain. Tegan paused beside the opening and leaned an arm over the edge. His sharp eyes darted over the darkness that I could barely look into.

  There was something about his demeanor that made the hairs on my arms stand on end. “What is it?”

  He continued to stare into the tunnel as he shook his head. “I don’t know. There’s just something not right about the air that’s coming out of there.” He turned his head to me. “I think you should-”

  “Lead the way?” I finished for him as I steeled myself. “Gladly.”

  I slipped past the surprised Tegan and into the dank hole. Immediately I knew what Tegan had felt. There was something oppressive about the air that dampened any good thoughts that tried to surface, not that there were too many dancing in my mind as I strode down the tunnel.

  The decline on this path was far steeper than the last one and the walls twisted and curled like a snake, sometimes forcing us back on ourselves and just below where we had traveled. The walls were rougher than before as if it had been dug with a hurried hand. A few bits of rock here and there showed the tunnel was a natural route that had been expanded.

  We turned a sharp corner and Tegan grabbed my shoulder before I could make it all the way around. I could feel his tension through his fingers and his voice was low and sharp. “Let me ahead.”

  I stepped aside and he swept past me. His pace was slow and careful and his glowing eyes darted over the narrow tunnel. We finally came to the end and found ourselves in a grotto smaller than the one above us. The pointed stones were missing from the domed ceiling and roughly flat floor, but only because something had shattered all of them. Their rubbled corpses littered the ground of the roughly circular room.

  Something lay in the middle of that room. It was a hunched figure covered in rags. The thing breathed up and down with great strain as evidenced by their humped back.

  “Gy,” I whispered.

  The figure froze before they whipped around to face us. My light fell over their face and I found myself staring in horror at a ruined visage. The skin was a grotesque mixture of flaking flesh and hard scales that jutted out at odd angles. A few stray strands of hair hung over their face but much of the head had bald patches. The eyes glowed a bright greenish brown and were dilated to mere slits.

  My hand instinctually flew to my mouth and I accidentally extinguished my light. The room fell into darkness. All except those hideous glowing eyes.

  I heard Tegan step in front of me, blocking my view of the hideous figure. “Gy! Do you understand me?”

  A terrible garbled groan came from the darkness. I opened my palm and, like a lighter when you most need it, tried to illuminate my hand without much luck. A few sparks shot out and landed on the ground at my feet, but not much else.

  I heard a quick shuffle of feet and Tegan pushed me back. That threw off my balance and I fell onto my ass. A clash of hard material on hard material came from in front of me. Several feet shuffled about as though in dance but I had no misconceptions about the battle that raged in front of me.

  I scrambled backward on my ass a few feet and cupped my hands together in front of me. “Come on!” I hissed at my palms. “Light up! I need to help Tegan!”

  A nearly blinding ball of light burst out of my hand and illuminated the entire grotto. It revealed Tegan being shoved back by the hunched Gy. My dragon nearly tumbled into me, but I scurried to my feet and stepped backward out of his path.

  “Is that really Gy?” I yelled at Tegan.

  His reply was tense and filled with disgust. “It is.”

  “What the hell happened to him?!” I shouted.

  Tegan shook his head. “I’m not sure, but we need to-” He ducked another blow from the wildly swinging Gy and took another step back. “We need to get him to Doc Sefte!”

  “I don’t think he’s going to go quietly!” I countered.

  Gy emphasized my point by throwing his head back and letting loose a terrible roar. He grasped his hands together over his head and swung his arms downward to strike a terrible blow atop Tegan’s head. Tegan threw his arms up to protect himself and a blast of red light burst from his hands. The illumination caused the monstrous Gy to stumble back with a pain-filled cry.

  Tegan lowered his arms and gaped at the two flaming swords he held in each hand. My wide eyes reflected his own as I nodded at the weapons. “Could you always do that?”

  He shook his head but that’s all the reply he had time for before Gy rushed us again. Gy drew his hands out of his long sleeves and revealed talons where fingers should have been. He swiped them at Tegan’s head but Tegan blocked them with his swords. Fire and hard bone met, and the fire won. The tips of the bone caught fire and Gy stumbled back with a cry like a wounded animal.

  He spun around and tried to scurry away, but his feet stumbled and he fell to the ground. His head hit the stones hard and his body slumped over.

  Tegan and I stood over the fallen man but there was no feeling of victory. Though he was unconscious, Gy’s body heaved up and down with every effort to breathe. It was painful to watch and listen to.

  Tegan fisted his hands and his swords vanished. “Let’s get him to Doc.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  The way back was no less difficult with our heavy load. Tegan managed to squeeze them both into the narrow tunnel and I followed, though I paused on the threshold. A tingling at the back of my mind made me turn around. Nothing stirred in the shadowed hall but I felt there was something wrong about the area.

  “Kate!” Tegan shouted.

  “Coming!” I called back as I hurried to catch up.

  After a grueling hour, we finally emerged from the dank cave. The sun had begun its descent toward the horizon and a chill wind warned of a cold night. Tegan drew out his wings and wrapped his arms around Gy’s limp body which he then pressed against his chest.

  I looked over Tegan’s wings. “Are you sure you can carry him?”

  “We don’t have much of a choice unless we strap him to your broom,” he pointed out as he spread his wings.

  I couldn’t deny that nor did I want to imagine what would happen if Gy, strapped to my broom, woke up halfway to town. The crash would be terrible and very painful, so I climbed aboard my broom and followed Tegan. We flew close to the town before I noticed a flyer approaching us. It was Heard on his broom and an unlit lantern adorned the front.

  His eyes widened as he beheld Tegan’s load. “What’s happened?”

  “Nothing a little medicine from the doctor won’t fix,” Tegan assured him.

  I didn’t quite believe what Tegan said but it was enough for Heard who nodded. “Alright, but watch yourselves. Someone spotted an unfamiliar flyer near town an hour ago and everyone’s on edge.”

  “We’ll be careful,” Tegan promised.

  We continued our flight and soon arrived at Doc Sefte’s office. All was quiet and calm except for a few people who existed. By their anxiety-filled faces, I assumed they were family members. Tegan hefted Gy into his arms and I opened the door. He swept inside with me close behind and we found ourselves in a makeshift hospital. A dozen beds had been made from tables and patients rested peacefully on top of piles of blankets and pillows.

  Our arrival was heralded by a jingle above the entrance. The door to the interior doctor’s office opened and an exhausted Sefte stepped out. There were dark lines under his eyes and his face was slightly pale. He paused on the threshold and furrowed his brow. “What have you there, Bael?”

  “It’s Gy and there’s something very wrong with him,” Tegan replied.

  Tegan’s voice gave the doctor all the information he needed and he stepped aside. “Bring him in here.”

  We hurried into the small office and Tegan lay Gy down on the table. The man’s ragged coverings partially came off his arms and my eyes widened as I beheld more scales than flesh. Sefte closed the door behind us and strode up to the other side of the bed.

  He drew up the man’s sleeves and pulled off the makeshift hood, revealing a mess of scales and grotesque flesh. Some of the skin had hideous sores where the thick flakes protruded. His hands with their burnt clawed ends twitched. The doctor removed his shoes and his eyes widened as he beheld the five digits that had melded into three thick toes.

  “My God. . .” I heard him murmur.

  “What’s happened to him?” Tegan questioned the doctor.

  Sefte lifted one of Gy’s arms and studied the scales as he shook his head. “I. . .I can only guess, but I would say this man has taken an overdose of tacen powder, but it shouldn’t be possible.”

  “Why not?” I spoke up. “Couldn’t he have just eaten a whole bunch and gotten this way?”

  The doctor shook his head. “The amount of powder needed to create this drastic of a change would be impossible to measure.” He brushed his hands over Gy’s claws. “And the change happened incredibly quickly. Impossibly so. I myself saw Gy’s hands only a week ago and they were as normal as any of ours.”

  “Is there anything you can do for him?” Tegan wondered.

  Sefte set Gy’s limb back on the table and folded his arms over his chest. “I’m not sure. The remedy is several days confinement to allow the powder to run its course, but this-” He forlornly shook his head. “This is far beyond anything I have ever dealt with.”

  “Then Terwine needs to know about this,” Tegan commented as he turned to me. “Stay here with the doctor until I get back.”

  I nodded. No sense trying to make a fuss about a short trip to the mayor’s house. Tegan hurried out of the room and I took his spot beside the table. The doctor had turned to his medicine cabinet and removed bandages, sutures, and some antiseptic.

  “We may not be able to reverse the process but we can make him more comfortable,” the doctor mused as he turned to me with the supplies. “I would be grateful for your assistance, Miss Harrow. My hands are a little weary from my busy day.”

  “I’d be glad to help,” I offered as I took up the disinfectant.

  The doctor handed me a cloth to gently apply the medicine while he worked at cleaning some of the more egregious wounds. I got to work dabbing the open sores around the scales. My hand brushed against some of the worst of the gnarled mess. I started back when a soft light flowed out of my fingers and into the open sores.

  Sefte’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open. “What did you do?”

  I shook my head. “I-I don’t know.”

  The doctor scooted around the table and I gladly stepped back so he could take my place. He lifted the man’s arm and studied the scales, or rather, the lack of. Some of the hideous flakes had sunk into Gy’s body, leaving irritated skin where they had been.

  Sefte studied the inflamed flesh for a moment before he lifted his surprised eyes to me. “Miss Harrow, I would be very interested to know how you did that.”

  “I’d like to know, too, doc,” I countered as I lifted my hands. There wasn’t a single sparkle from my fingers. “I just touched him and the magic came out.”

  The doctor’s sharp eyes searched my face. “What sort of magic do you have, Miss Harrow?” Indecision ruled my brain as I struggled to decide whether or not to tell him. He set a hand on my arm and met my eyes with his soft gaze. “Please, Miss Harrow. This man’s life may depend on your answer.”

  No pressure. I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I. . .I have Clasp magic.”

  His eyebrows lifted. “Then may I assume Bael is your partner in that union?”

  I nodded. “He’s the Key.”

  “A dragon as a Key. . .” Sefte murmured as he turned his gaze to his patient. “But you do not have the power of fire. Am I correct in thinking that?”

  “Yeah,” I confirmed as a snort escaped me. “I can blind people instead of catching them on fire.”

  “You can do more than that, Miss Harrow,” he insisted as he lifted Gy’s mended arm. “You healed this man’s arm of whatever affliction that has him in its grasp.”

  I winced. “I don’t know if I can do that again.”

  He half-turned to me and stepped aside before he gestured to Gy. “Let us see.”

  Doubt nibbled at my thoughts as I stepped up to the table. I stretched out my shaking hand and grazed more of the man’s wounds. My heart skipped a beat when my magic reignited. The light flowed over the scales and wounded flesh and knitted his humanity back together. The glow didn’t stop at his arm, however, as it flowed over his whole body. The flakes sank into his body wherever the magic touched and soon Gy was left with only a mess of red skin.

  I was left with exhaustion.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Sefte caught me before I crumpled to the floor and he set me in the chair behind me. “Breathe in even intervals,” he instructed me as he fetched a glass of water that he offered me.

  My whole body felt like a quivering puddle, but I took the cup and sipped on the cool liquid. It took several minutes before I felt well enough to sit up.

  “My sincerest apologies to you, Miss Harrow,” Sefte spoke up as he refilled my cup. “I had no idea the effort would be so strenuous.”

  I gave him a wry smile as I accepted the cup. “Neither did I.” I paused in my sipping and nodded at Gy. “How is he?”

  The doctor stepped closer to his patient and smiled. “As far as I can tell nothing remains of his malady. You have cured him.”

  I grasped the cup in both hands and stared at the contents. “Now I just wish we knew what it was I cured him of.”

  “Where did you find him?” Sefte wondered.

  I nodded in the general direction of the mountains. “In a cave in the hillside. He was really far down in the rocks and we found him lying in the middle of some forgotten cavern.”

  Sefte folded his arms over his chest and cupped his chin in one hand. “Very curious. Did you see anything that would have caused his transformation?”

  I shook my head. “No. . .”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “You seem doubtful about your answer. Is there something else you can tell me?”

  I bit my lower lip. “It’s just. . .when we were leaving I felt like there was something down there. Something I couldn’t see.”

  A dark cloud settled on the doctor’s brow. “A troubling suggestion, but how are you feeling?”

  “A lot better,” I assured him as I swung my feet in front of me.

  “Do you have the strength to go into the lobby?” he asked me.

  I blinked at him. “I think so, but why?”

  “Please follow me, Miss Harrow. There is something I wish to test.”

  I eased myself out of the chair and reluctantly followed the doctor out of the room and over to one of his other patients. The man had a bloodied bandage around his arm which the doctor unwrapped to reveal a terrible gash. The tear had been cleaned but there was nothing to cover the bits of torn sinew that peeked out of the flesh.

  Sefte turned to me and gestured to the wound. “Please try to heal this man’s wound.”

  I swallowed the bile that threatened to rise from within me and held out my shaking hand. My fingers brushed against the terrible wound. Nothing happened, so I pressed harder. The result was the same.

  My heart fell and I drew my hand back. “I don’t think it’ll work.”

  Sefte smiled as he grabbed a roll of clean bandage from a nearby table. “There’s no need to apologize, Miss Harrow. You can only do what your powers will allow you.”

  I raised my hand and frowned at my palm. “But why won’t my magic let me heal this guy but it helped with Gy?”

  The doctor furrowed his brow as he went to work rewrapping the man’s wound. “I must admit magic is not my area of expertise, but I may venture to guess that you are only able to combat magic with magic. This gentleman’s wounds here were not caused by magic but by a falling ceiling, thus you cannot heal his wounds.”

  My eyes widened. “Does that mean Gy’s, um, wounds were caused by magic?”

  “That is what I believe, but I may be wrong,” he admitted as he finished wrapping the wound. “Now then, let us see if we might rouse our patient and learn what he remembers of his ordeal.”

  We returned to the room and found Gy as prostrate as before. The doctor shook one of his shoulders. “Gy? Gy, can you hear me?”

  The man on the table was slightly roused and a few mumbled words passed his lips. I couldn’t make out any of them.

  The doctor’s eyes twinkled as he leaned down and raised his voice just slightly. “We have your gold, Gy.”

  Gy’s eyes flew open and he shot up so fast his forehead nearly collided with Sefte’s nose. The doctor jerked out of the way just in time to avoid one hell of a headache for both of them. Gy’s wild and furious eyes darted about the room.

  “It’s my gold, ya hear! Nobody but me can have it!”

  Sefte folded his arms over his chest and smiled at his patient. “Have what, Mr. Gy?”

  Gy’s face drooped and he blinked at the two of us. “What’s going on? Why am I here?”

  “We were hoping you had the answer to your first question,” Sefte told him as he nodded at me. “Miss Harrow here and Mr. Arsa found you in quite a state in a mountain cave.”

  Gy narrowed his eyes and seemed to shrink into himself. “Why were they snooping in there?”

  “To see if you were alright,” I told him.

  “Well, I was so don’t go back in there!” he snapped.

  Sefte frowned and his voice took on a sharper tone. “Mr. Gy.”

 

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