The table Kairu was lying on suddenly lurched into motion, rattling as its wheels rolled across the wooden floor. A tremor of fear ran through Kairu. He realized the threats weren’t empty, that Saelin truly intended to do something to him. They were wheeling him somewhere. Above, only the ceiling passed by, dim reflections of torches flickering. Only once did a bright flash of light break the gloomy semi-darkness. Turning his head slightly, Kairu suddenly saw something gleam blindingly through an ajar door.

  Saelin didn’t stop. The two servants were rolling the table so fast they barely managed to navigate the turns. Doors and side corridors flickered past, and then, under a metal arch, the table rolled into a vast white room filled with a cold, blinding light. But this wasn’t the Lake of Aktida—it was the cutting glare of electric lamps, though Kairu couldn't have known that, not knowing what electricity was.

  The white ceiling swayed and stopped. That bitter smell of unfamiliar chemicals filled the air again. Breathing heavily, Kairu tried once more to break free from the straps, but they held firm. Saelin glanced dispassionately at his face just once, then said dryly:

  "Prepare the equipment, turn on the monitors, and bring clean test tubes and scalpels. We’ll start with a blood analysis. Orwell, my dear, leave the room. It's unhygienic to walk into an operating theater without a white coat and slippers. Thank you. Gentlemen, I’ll return in five minutes—make sure everything is ready by the time I’m back!"

  And he left. Only the low hum of machines and the assistants’ footsteps on the floor remained. Kairu squinted. Above him descended a huge white lamp, scalpels clinked in metal trays. Quiet voices murmured nearby.

  Straining his neck, Kairu managed to turn his head to the left, and flinched with joy. Right beside him, within reach of his left hand, was a tray of scalpels. If only he could free one hand, he could reach the other… But how to reach a blade if his left hand was strapped tightly to the table?

  His throat went dry with fear. The orderlies were talking among themselves as they connected a long tube to a tall pole that had sensors and wires on the other side. Kairu tried to bend his arm, to break free somehow, but only his hand could move freely. He twisted it, feeling along the table, searching for any edge or lever to break free, praying to every god he knew, and thinking only one thought: let there be a miracle… For Aktos’ sake… A miracle…

  "Cassander!" Kairu shouted, surprised himself by how weak his voice sounded. He was sure the pirate wouldn’t hear or would ignore the cries of a victim. But he heard. Heavy footsteps echoed.

  "A last request?" the admiral smirked, leaning over him.

  "Do you remember," Kairu whispered, "once… you said this would be a fair fight. That you’d kill me in a duel. Don’t you regret it?"

  Cassander was silent.

  "Your name is Kairu Kenai, isn’t it?" he asked. "Yes… I admit, I do regret it. I gave you your life and planned to take it one day—not so soon. After you became famous… successful… And you could’ve had that future, I’m sure of it."

  "Free… me," Kairu whispered with effort. "And then I promise—we’ll meet again. I’ll find you. I give you my word. You know why? You killed my father, Cassander. And Petros—my best friend."

  The admiral smirked. Kairu said:

  "A village… not far from Nalvin. You raided it, killed almost everyone, and burned what was left… I swore to one day face you again. To the death. And either get revenge, or die. Understand? Free me. And I swear I’ll keep that vow."

  "You won’t keep it. By then I’ll be dead. Saelin will order me hanged, because you’re the most important prisoner in his Castle. If I free you, I forfeit my life."

  "Let’s be realistic," Kairu whispered, barely holding back a smirk. "You heard how he speaks to you? Saelin’s lying to you. He didn’t give you the weapons you needed to take Mainor, and then he blamed your generals for losing… But you know that’s nonsense, right? He set you up, Cassander. He wanted your army weakened so he wouldn’t have to pay his debts. What did he promise you? All of Aktida? The most he’ll give you is a pathetic scrap of the Southern Province—and only because your men are already in Surrel and Nalvin. You’ll see—he’ll cheat you just like he cheated Petros."

  Cassander was silent. Kairu could feel his heavy breathing right next to his ear. That silence spoke louder than any words. He had struck a nerve.

  "I am a Seer…" Kairu breathed. "I’ve seen the future. You’re not in it. Talaska will remain a land of exiles. If Saelin cuts open my skull, he’ll gain absolute power—and you’ll be of no use to him. He’ll kill you. The pirate army will collapse into warring bands again. And in a few years, Vaimar’s army will conquer Talaska."

  He managed to turn his head and meet the gaze of Cassander’s one bottomless eye. A chill ran down Kairu’s spine. That eye was vast, hypnotic, devoid of emotion, as cold as the glaciers of Talaska’s harsh mountains.

  "But there is another future," Kairu said in barely a whisper. "In that future, you help me escape. Saelin won’t get what he wants, and soon his power will wane—and when it does, you can overthrow him. Take everything you were promised—and more."

  "You’re ridiculous," the admiral rasped. "You want me to help you escape? So you can turn on me later? You dream of killing me, boy. I see the hatred in your eyes. It gives you strength. Why would I free another enemy?"

  "Because you’re an honorable opponent. You spared my life once when I couldn’t go on. What would you prefer? A traitor’s death by poison from Saelin’s wine cup? Or a worthy death in open battle, at the hands of a rival stronger than you? Which will the gods honor more? I won’t stop hating you. But I swear that when I have a sword in hand and my arms are free, I’ll give you a fair fight."

  Cassander allowed himself the faintest smirk.

  "Help me—just a little," Kairu whispered. The admiral leaned in closer. "A scalpel… to my left hand. That’s all. The war’s not over, Cassander. I’ll find you—or you’ll find me. But we’ll meet again. It’s simple, damn it… No one will know… The prisoner managed to loosen the straps and escape… The orderlies can be killed so they don’t talk. That’s all. It’s simple…"

  "Your friends coming for you?" Cassander asked mockingly. "Where will you go? There’s a fire raging in the forest, everything’s burning. You won’t get out of Tepei-Kuon, boy. It’s pointless."

  "Give me a chance," Kairu said hoarsely.

  Cassander was silent. Then he said quietly and clearly:

  "Straight down the corridor, left, then immediately right. Your sword is in the room there. Come back, run to the end of the corridor, turn left, and behind the second door is what you came for. If you make it out, go right again—the exit is at the end. That’s in case a miracle does happen. I respect vengeance. I won’t help you escape—but if you survive, and if you told the truth—find me. Find me, and we’ll meet again. When you have a weapon in hand. Got it?"

  And he turned and left, taking with him the last hope of salvation.

  The door slammed. The footsteps faded. Kairu sighed desperately and hopelessly.

  And he felt the tiny blade chilling the skin of his left arm.

  Cold sweat broke out on him—just for a moment. Then he came to his senses and began cutting. The orderlies were fussing over a table in the corner of the room, sorting some flasks and beakers. Kairu sawed away, feeling pain start to shoot through his fingers and the wrist of his twisted arm, but he didn’t stop. He wanted to live too badly.

  The strap was giving way poorly. Kairu bit his lip and sawed with all his might, almost not feeling the pain—it didn’t matter now. Thread by thread. Fiber by fiber. The cut grew.

  Suddenly, shouting erupted upstairs. Gunfire. And the muffled clashing of swords. Kairu paid no attention. With a deathly dry throat and drenched in cold sweat, he kept sawing, hiding the tiny, lifesaving blade in his palm.

  The strap tightened. Kairu yanked it forcefully, going mad with the sudden rush of hope. And he pulled so hard that the last fibers snapped with a crack, and his numbed arm suddenly jerked, returning to its natural position.

  The orderlies turned. One of them rushed at the prisoner, but Kairu, snarling with rage, already lunged, writhing in his bindings, reached the tray and grabbed one of the scalpels. As the man in the white coat came near, Kairu struck him right in the stomach, putting all his strength into the stab. The orderly screamed wildly, long and drawn-out. His face turned a pale gray as he clutched the rapidly spreading crimson stain on his coat. He slowly dropped to his knees. Kairu was already twisting in the other direction, sawing at the second strap with the edge of the blade. This time it tore so easily that the bindings gave way in a few seconds. The door banged open. Another assistant ran screaming for help out of the operating room.

  Kairu sat up on the table, swayed, grabbed the lamp post beside him, and fell sideways with the table, knocking over the tray, scattering scalpels, syringes, and beakers across the floor. He doubled over, hastily sawing at the straps binding his legs. He freed one leg, yanked the other free, tearing the skin down to the flesh, collapsed to the floor, powerless, crawled first across the sparkling clean tiles, then managed to get onto all fours and rise, holding onto a small table with vials. He looked around, eyes wild. Somewhere beyond the wall came the thunder and crackle of gunfire.

  He grabbed a scalpel with his other hand, rushed to the door, flung it open, and, instinctively ducking, slashed the throat of another soldier just rushing in. A second soldier managed to swing his sword, but Kairu, dropping the weapon, caught the man's arm, twisted it behind his back, and slammed his head into the doorframe, dropping him. He dashed down the corridor—thankfully empty—reached the end, turned left, and immediately saw a staircase behind a door on the right. He ran up it and burst into a room lit by a single smoking torch. A frightened guard leapt to his feet, but Kairu dodged his uncertain sword swing, dashed to the corner where Alaskrit lay on the table, grabbed it, and only then turned triumphantly to the guard.

  "I did it!" he roared. "I did it! Come on, you bastards!"

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  What followed looked like a gruesome, bloody dance. The guard was the first to die. He managed to parry two blows, but the third struck true. Kairu raced down the stairs, returned to the corridor, stumbled forward in a frenzy, intoxicated by the feeling that his sword was once again in his hand, and no straps bound his arms. He was free, and just steps away from his goal.

  Then two soldiers guarding the Room with the Lake of Aktida died. They tried to resist, but Kairu, in his fury, didn’t even notice that one of their blades wounded him in the shoulder. He fought like a maddened tiger. He burst into the room, rushed to the diamond resting on a special pedestal under a glass dome, grabbed it—and at once, a mad scream echoed in his mind. Saelin had felt it too.

  He ran out. Raced right along a corridor filling with smoke. Flames crackled nearby. Kairu reached the end, turned back. On the left, stairs led down, and up them came Cassander… Seeing him, the admiral roared with elation. But Kairu had no time to stop: he carried too precious a burden. And he knew, deep inside, that he wasn't ready for this fight.

  So Kairu turned and ran.

  He saw the soldiers chasing him. Bullets whizzed past his head, miraculously missing. He saw other terrible giant creatures with yellow glowing eyes and weapons in hand. At the last moment, he glimpsed Saelin rounding the corner, his face twisted in furious madness and fear… The spell struck the wall, splinters flew, and Kairu, ducking behind the corner just in time, ran on, more afraid of encountering the professor than even Cassander.

  He burst out of the bunker hidden deep in the forest. The horizon was barely glowing with dull dawn. But the sky blazed with lightning, and everything around was filled with acrid smoke, crackling, and flashes of flame, because the Citadel, its towers looming behind the trees, was engulfed in fire. As if it were the epilogue of the battle just past…

  Kairu ran, keeping his eyes on the Citadel’s donjon, which was clearly visible from here. He leapt over flames, scorching his bare feet, trampled smoldering branches, dry moss, and coals, howling from pain and running faster. All around dissolved into chaos, a whirl of light and shadow, flame and predawn mist, choked with gunpowder smoke, heat, and the smell of wood and resin…

  He ran. Feeling the pursuit close behind, knowing it wasn’t over yet. Shadows flitted among the trees. Trunks groaned as insatiable fire consumed them, collapsing with dreadful moans from their intertwining branches and crowns. Blinding tongues of fire made Kairu abandon his sense of direction. He got lost in the glowing, searing labyrinth, missing his only landmark: the Citadel’s towers.

  "Kairu!"

  He saw them. Atgard shouting, sword drawn; Viggo gripping his axe; Yuf drawing his crossbow… And above the trees, wings outstretched, a blinding silver dragon roared, shaking the trees as it passed, its massive jaws open wide. It soared up, circling above the burning forest as the people on its back kept calling out. The dragon vanished behind the trees and reappeared, folding its clawed limbs, flying straight at Kairu.

  Bullets rang out between the trees, and Kairu, glancing back, realized the pursuit had caught up… About a dozen of them—goblins. Real goblins from the Desert Lands, armed with sabers and scimitars, muskets slung across their massive armored backs, headbands, rings in their huge noses, massive tusks, short powerful necks, and terrifying yellow eyes…

  "Kairu!" Atgard shouted again. Yuf raised his crossbow. Kairu saw it just before the dragon soared over his head, its tail barely missing him. Kairu ran. Gasping, shaking from shock, moving purely on instinct, barely processing what was happening, he sprinted, leaping over fallen trees, crashing through bushes and walls of fire, ignoring his battered feet and smoldering trousers. The dragon let out a triumphant roar, flashed in the sky brighter than the sun, soared upward, and dove like a stone. Just at that moment Kairu burst into a clearing, stopped, and raised his hands…

  It happened in an instant. The dragon washed over him with the heat of white flame, and before he could react, the beast, skillfully maneuvering, swept past him. Atgard, hunched low, grabbed his raised hands and yanked him into the air so forcefully that Kairu screamed in shock. Dazed and shaken, but still gripping the sword, he was pulled onto Daredevil’s back.

  The wind hit his face. Kairu instinctively clutched the dragon’s thick scales and howled with joy and the adrenaline surging in his blood—such an incredible sensation. The dragon roared, shot into the sky, and his stomach and insides seemed to fall away. His breath caught in his throat…

  And only then did he realize, that he was soaring toward the star-lit dawn sky.

  ***

  They screamed from fear and intoxicating exhilaration, as Daredevil executed several dizzying pirouettes, yet somehow never flipped over, flying higher and faster—their hair stood on end and streamed in the hurricane wind. Kairu howled, clinging to the back of the screaming Yuf, hearing Anzerrat’s roar, Viggo and Atgard’s frantic cries, and Joanna’s shriek as she hit the highest note she could possibly reach. Demetra sat at the very front, eyes closed in a kind of sleepy trance. Rodrigo held on right behind her, and behind Rodrigo was Remiz, silently clutching on. The sky rushed toward them at a soul-snatching speed, dark shreds of cloud just overhead. It seemed they’d crash into that ash-gray haze at full speed, pierce through it, and emerge somewhere even the gods had never been.

  The dragon leveled out for just a few seconds, and from this dizzying, surreal height, Kairu looked down… He saw all of Tepei-Kuon, the central part of which was engulfed in fire. A vast black blanket was blooming with the bright orange orchid of flames—that was the forest. A dark spot in the flickering lights was the Citadel. Beyond it, stretching almost to the horizon were jungle. Farther still where the pinkish dawn sky met the ashen earth, a strip of plateau turned into desert and the silhouette of dark, brooding mountains whose peaks vanished into the clouds. In the far north stood the Man-Made Mountains, though from here they looked so small… so unreal… And ahead, though not yet visible from here, far beyond the horizon lay Onklag.

  Kairu felt nauseous and, trying to fight it, closed his eyes and pressed against Lainter’s back. He had completely lost his sense of space and time, but the glow on the horizon meant it must be around four in the morning. The diamond had already cooled, but Kairu still felt its weight in his pocket.

  The dragon arched and surged toward the clouds. In the next instant, Kairu was hit with a bracing cold, instantly soaked, smelled the sharp scent of burning in the air. Then he trembled, clutching Daredevil’s scales and staring wide-eyed at the vast, pure starry sky. It looked just like it had the first time they climbed Rokastr. But now the view was even more breathtaking: just deep blue, stars, a misty gray shifting sea, the wind in his face, and a dragon flying steady and true.

  "Well done, little brother," Kairu heard Yuf whisper. "You did it."

  It was cold, the wind tugging at the cloak Atgard had thrown over Kairu’s nearly bare shoulders. Daredevil flew so smoothly and steadily now that they could relax, no longer needing to grip the scales so tightly. The whole group fit comfortably on his massive back. Silence reigned, broken only by the muffled beats of wings.

  "You have the Lake of Aktida?" Atgard asked quietly from behind.

  "Yeah," Kairu muttered wearily. His burned feet, scratched by branches and leaves, felt like they were on fire, the pain unbearable. Burns covered his hands and face as well. Now they all itched, and his shoulder throbbed from the pirate’s sword wound. And yet, Kairu just wanted to sleep.

  "That’s good."

  "I know. I guess those words of yours made the whole second attempt worth it, huh?"

  Atgard chuckled. Anzerrat, sitting at the front, turned toward them.

  "Why did you break the plan?" he asked irritably. "It was utter madness to go in alone! Lucky for you the battle started during the night, everyone woke up and noticed the empty sleeping bag!"

  "Sorry," Kairu mumbled. "It was my fault. But I’m grateful to you, my friends, because you arrived just in time. A little longer and I would’ve been done for... How did you manage it?"

  "Oh, it was masterful flying!" boomed Viggo, glowing with pride. "A perfect mix of finesse and military cunning..."

  "It was dumb luck," Yuf interrupted. "The army of Emerlun tried to break through the Citadel’s surrounding checkpoints at night. That’s when the real chaos started. An entire army marched out from the castle gates, and everyone scattered into the woods. We were camped out waiting for you, terrified that a regiment from either Saelin’s or Geonar’s army would find us... Demetra suggested riding the dragon. At first it sounded insane, but she convinced us, praise Aktos, and we saddled this flying beast and started circling the forest, looking for you. Rodrigo says she’ll need a full day to recover. That kind of exertion takes a huge toll."

  "Thank you," said Kairu. "I’m in your eternal debt, my friends, one I can never repay. But damn, where are we flying to now?"

  "Demetra said we can make it to Estogil. She’s got energy left for three or four more hours of flight, and then we’ll land somewhere and walk the rest. Most of the way will be behind us. We’ve got all our stuff with us, left nothing in the camp."

  "Perfect. I’ll tell everything once we land. But right now, I’m dead tired."

  "Yeah, some night this turned out to be," confirmed Viggo from behind. "Old Saelin’s probably exploding with rage, ha!"

  "He won’t explode," Joanna muttered. "He’ll just send pursuit and raze Estogil to the ground, then track us down to the ends of the world for that diamond. Honestly, I feel sorry for Ashley. We shouldn’t have put her in this kind of danger..."

  "Well, right now our army won’t let any pursuit break through," Atgard countered. "So we’ve got a bit of time, though I think Saelin will push them back toward the Flyliene. But we won’t stay in Onklag long. We’ll take Ashley and Roger and go as far away as possible. They’d have had to evacuate anyway. Kairu, you’re becoming a dangerously high-profile companion. He’ll be hunting you first, as you are the Seer and the diamond’s keeper. I think it’s not the last time that we meet those goblins..."

  Kairu didn’t hear him. He was already falling asleep.

  He only woke up when Daredevil tilted his wings and dove sharply downward, breaking through the clouds. He lifted his heavy head, blinking sleepily, recalling the journey to the Citadel, the captivity, and the miraculous escape like a terrible dream. A fresh morning wind was blowing. It was cold.

  Ahead, Onklag loomed in the distance, the white tower visible, though from here it looked tiny. Dawn had already broken, and the sun was climbing high above the horizon, flooding the lifeless jungles of Tepei-Kuon and the groves surrounding Estogil with its light.

  Daredevil glided slowly and landed on a slope near the tower gates. They were noticed immediately. The doors opened, and Ashley and Roger ran out to meet the weary, cold, and soaked travelers. Atgard and Viggo were asleep on their feet, Joanna kept flinching every few moments as she recovered from the flight, staggering slightly on land. Kairu could barely walk and only made it to the tower with Yuf’s help. Demetra was carried in the strong arms of Rodrigo Antan, and he immediately laid her down on a bed in her room.

  Then came the customary greetings and questions, multiple hugs with both Nielders, and finally, everyone dispersed to their rooms, unpacked their backpacks, and changed into robes. After that, they slept until well past noon. Ashley and Roger didn’t rush them, though they were eager to hear every detail.

  Only after they had all taken turns in the bathhouse, scrubbing away the road’s dirt, the fear, and exhaustion with long, relaxing washes—only then, after everyone was seated at the table, did Kairu place the diamond on it. For the first time in a long while, he looked into its radiant light himself, which shimmered like the surface of the sea on a sunny day. As if he hadn’t looked at it enough in Petista and in the Olmaer Mountains… But now he saw it completely differently.

  Everyone embraced him, congratulated him, without even asking how or at what cost he had obtained the treasure. There was a true euphoria in the unexpected success, the brilliant conclusion of their mission. Then Kairu suggested they cover the Lake of Aktida with a scarf. He remembered the stories of the diamond’s magic and preferred that no one else look into it.

  And then, of course, they fell upon lunch like starving wolves. Afterward, Kairu, in a state close to heavenly bliss, let Atgard do the talking while he drowsily looked around the table. Someone was missing.

  "Where are Rita and Norton?" he asked. "How are they?"

  "They’re fine," Ashley immediately lowered her voice. "They’re sleeping in their rooms—we don’t want to wake them. They need rest for now, but they’re already up and walking around, getting fresh air. Tomorrow, you can tell them everything and see Rita. I think she’ll want to hear the story from the man who pulled her out of the fire with his own hands. Norton’s already running around, waiting for news. He’s bored here."

  "That’s okay, we’ll cheer him up," Kairu grinned. His heart felt light and joyful. So it hadn’t been in vain—risking his life in the Citadel of the Wolf less than a day ago! At least some people were still alive who could appreciate his deeds...

  It was hard to believe that just yesterday morning, he was bouncing on horseback through the jungles of Tepei-Kuon, that by nightfall, he was tied to an operating table, preparing to die—and then flying through the sky on the back of a massive dragon. All of it felt unreal, distant, unnecessary. Reality was here, around him. And for the first time in a while, it felt like happiness.

  I've spent a lot of time rewriting this chapter and trying to find the best way for Kairu to escape that would not feel like a Deus ex Machina moment.

  What do you think of the final version? Is it likely that Cassander would help him?

  By the way, at this chapter, we are exactly halfway through the series!

  If you've made it this far, I'm really curious to hear your thoughts about the story in the comments, or as a rating/review! And thank you for reading!