Sac'a'rith (43 page)

“How did he take it?” I asked. The builder was a large stone golem of some kind. He had slept for the last ten thousand years until Shira awoke the fortress with her sun staff on our first visit here. Since then, he’d been tirelessly rebuilding and protecting the castle. We finally met him this time on our second night back. I never thought I would see a walking, talking stone statue, especially one so excited to see us. I swear he would have bounced if he could have managed it. He had grown very attached to us even before we’d met him, especially Shira, to whom he referred as ‘Princess’. She tried to pretend that she didn’t like the attention he paid her, but I knew better.

“Oh, he’ll be fine,” she said.

“For a giant rock monster, he’s a real softie,” commented Marcus.

“So what’s our plan, Zah’rak?” asked Ragnar.

“Raquel, do any of the remaining gates open to a place in our realm?”

“No,” she said. “The network was originally intended to allow the Sac’a’rith to operate in many realms at once. The wizards maintained a network of gates in our realm, so there was no need for more than one here.”

The rune that represented the Night Wisp gate had disappeared from the ring, so we knew that gate had been destroyed. That meant there was no way back from here, wherever ‘here’ was. Marcus had been unable to find a match in any of the databases remaining in his head which depicted the stars overhead. That put us in one of the vast uncharted regions of the galaxy, otherwise know as ‘lost’.

I looked at my team and knew they needed me to make a decision about our future. I had made the decision for myself. Since the Night Wisp had been destroyed, this was the perfect opportunity to escape the life of a special agent and I planned to take it; alone if I had to, but I didn’t think that would be an issue.

“Raquel, you can get back to the Wizard Kingdom, can’t you?”

She hesitated. I hadn’t asked her that before, but I thought it to be likely.

“Yes,” she said. “I can leave the realm by the gate, and from there I can use my own spells to open a gate back into this realm at Alpha Academy.”

“So can you get food and supplies? That way we could mope around for a while longer yet,” said Marcus.

I waved away any answer that might be forthcoming. “Raquel, if you wish to return to your post, go with our blessing.”

“Thank you,” she said, without moving. “What are your plans?”

“Shira tells me of a forest world through the gate, one which is unspoiled by technology. I think we should go there. In a forest we should be able to support ourselves, and it will allow Shira and myself to study our art free from distraction.” I paused to turn to Ragnar, and then continued, “I can send you back to Korshalemia, if you like; otherwise, you could return with Raquel or you can come with us.”

He smiled. “I have no place to go back to, so you’re stuck with me. Besides, I could use a break from technology.”

Turning to Marcus, I said, “Well, I guess you really have the same choice: you can go back with Raquel or come with us.”

He looked down at his completely human hands and sighed. “A fresh start would be good. I think I’ll stick it out with you. There’s too much temptation, too many memories of what I’ve just lost, to go back to civilization just yet.”

I looked at Shira, but before I could say anything she smiled and said, “No need to ask; we all know I’m staying with you.”

“Well, there you have it, Raquel. Sounds like we’ll be moving on,” I said.

She sighed deeply and looked around at the fortress. “I lived most of my first life here. There really is no place like it. Even with the foul beasts surrounding it, I could call no other place home. Not really.” She paused and looked at us before continuing. “Zah’rak, I meant it when I said that the Sac’a’rith was for you and Shira to rebuild, but I would still like to be part of it. I need to go back and report in but after that, if you’ll have me, I would like to join you and help with your training.”

I nodded. “You’re one of us now, Raquel; but don’t you have to take care of the Phareon region for Grandmaster Vydor?”

She sighed. “Yes, I’ll probably be sent back out there. There’s still much to do to establish our presence in that region. They need me, but I will find you and stop in from time to time to guide your training.”

“Will he be upset that we’re not returning?” asked Shira.

“No, I’m sure he’ll understand that everyone needs some time away to study and heal. He may wish to visit you in your new home someday, and the door will always be open for all of you to return,” said Raquel.

“Then we are decided,” I said. “Let’s gather what we have left and move out.”

###

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The Silverleaf Chronicles

The Silverleaf Chronicles: Season One follows the life of Silverleaf, a young dragonmaster who was born into a world without dragons, and doomed to die as a madman alone in the wilderness until a young woman enters his life, and a mysterious army marches across the land destroying all its path.

• Introduction
  
• Time Line So Far
  
• Chapter One
  
• Chapter Two
  
• Chapter Three
  
• Chapter Four
  
• Chapter Five
  
• Chapter Six
  
• Chapter Seven
  
• Chapter Eight
  
• Chapter Nine
  
• Chapter Ten
  
• Chapter Eleven
  
• Chapter Twelve
  
• Chapter Thirteen
  
• Chapter Fourteen
  
• Chapter Fifteen
  
• Chapter Sixteen
  
• Chapter Seventeen
  
• Chapter Eighteen
  
• Chapter Nineteen
  
• Chapter Twenty
  
• Chapter Twenty-One
  
• Chapter Twenty-Two
  
• Chapter Twenty-Three
  
• Chapter Twenty-Four
  
• Chapter Twenty-Five
  
• Chapter Twenty-Six
  
• Chapter Twenty-Seven
  
• Chapter Twenty-Eight
  
• Chapter Twenty-Nine
  
• Chapter Thirty
  
• Chapter Thirty-One
  
• Chapter Thirty-Two
  
• Chapter Thirty-Three
  
• Chapter Thirty-Four
  
• Chapter Thirty-Five
  
• Chapter Thirty-Six
  
• Chapter Thirty-Seven
  
• Chapter Thirty-Eight
  
• Chapter Thirty-Nine
  
• Chapter Forty
  
• Chapter Forty-One
  
• Chapter Forty-Two
  
• Chapter Forty-Three
  
• Chapter Forty-Four
  
• Chapter Forty-Five
  
• Chapter Forty-Six
  
• Chapter Forty-Seven
  
• Chapter Forty-Eight
  
• Chapter Forty-Nine
  
• Chapter Fifty
  
• Chapter Fifty-One
  
• Chapter Fifty-Two
  
• Chapter Fifty-Three
  
• Chapter Fifty-Four
  
• Chapter Fifty-Five
  
• Chapter Fifty-Six
  
• Chapter Fifty-Seven
  
• Chapter Fifty-Eight
  
• Epilogue
  
• Also by Vincent Trigili