Of Caverns and Casters ✓ [TLRQ #1]

Chapter 58 - Aster

In the darkness, the manor rises in front of us like a foreboding master I've only just escaped. Glaring down, it seems to mock me. Coming back, are you? Did you not learn the first time?

I set my jaw. We will accomplish what we came to.

Sean and the witch walk beside me. She is relatively quiet, but Sean's steps are like thunder in my ears. She tries to shush him, but he doesn't seem to understand how to be quieter.

The thick clouds weigh so heavy above us, it feels as though the bottom could drop out any minute. My nerves itch to get this over with before the storm overtakes us, but my training has taught me better. A hundred yards from the manor, I gesture for my companions to stop. Pulling my cloak up, I lightfoot through the snow, grateful now for the cloud's cover. Once I reach the gate, I relax. No guards. I wave the others on.

As they catch up, I survey the gate. Metal decorations stretch from bar to bar, making it impossible to reach through and lift the crosspiece that locks the gate.

"What do we do now?" Idyne whispers.

I adjust my angle so I can see the bar better.

"We can't lift it from this side," Sean says.

"Clearly," I reply. "Leavi and I planned everything out. Remember?"

His nostrils flare, but he stays quiet.

Satisfied with the amount of the crosspiece that I can see, I take a pinch of powder from its pouch and cast. "Et væ." My outstretched hands direct the bar up and off the notch supporting it.

This spell is my favorite. Relatively simple for even a beginner to cast, its ability to move objects within sight has many applications. All I have to do is practice them.

The bar is in the air now, and my fingers guide it to the snow beside the gate. I end the spell with a sharp gesture, and the bar drops into the drift. Idyne claps her hands together soundlessly.

"Thanks!" she breathes, pushing the gate open. We slip through.

I lead the way, sneaking from shadow to shadow across the snow. Lights flicker from the manor windows, but the bare trees just outside the wall throw reaching darkness. It's as if they're previous victims of Amarris, begging us to turn back and escape the danger ahead.

Sean points the way to the servants' entrance, and we ghost up to it. We cram into the shadows surrounding the door, hopefully invisible to anyone that might be around.

Idyne whispers, "When's Leavi going to get here?"

"When she knows it's safe."

"If that's the case, she'll never come," Sean snarks.

I ignore him, returning my attention to the door. Several minutes more pass before the lock clicks. The door swings open, revealing Leavi behind it.