Storm Born Page 0,44

am."

Gawyn said no more, and I pondered his words, feeling kind of surprised. Considering what Dorian had told me, I hadn't expected Roland to have fans in the Otherworld. Then again, Dorian had also said that some - what was her name? Maiwenn? - had opposed Storm King. They might very well view Roland as a hero.

We traveled in relative silence after that, broken occasionally when Finn would happily spout about what a great party Dorian had had. Like before, we crossed in and out of the various kingdoms and their climatic changes. I still felt like we traveled in circles. More than once, Gawyn called us to a halt, scratched his head, and mumbled to himself. I didn't find that reassuring. At one point, he led us off the trail and into a forest, and I hoped one of my minions would speak up if we'd gotten completely lost. Everything was tropically warm and flourishing here, so presumably we rode in the Alder Land again. Gawyn came to a stop.

"Here," he said.

I looked around. Night insects sang in the trees around us, and the smell of dirt, fresh growth, and decaying plants permeated the air. It had been dark before, but now the canopy of leaves blocked out even starlight. Gawyn climbed off his horse, nearly falling into a heap on the ground. I started to get down and help him, but he soon righted himself. He walked a few paces forward and then slammed his foot against the ground. A hard, solid sound answered back.

I dismounted as well. "What is that?"

Volusian, back in a legged form, walked over. "A door of sorts. Built into the ground."

"Yes," said Gawyn triumphantly. "Built for sieges. But never used anymore."

"Does it lead into Aeson's fortress thing?" I asked.

"To the cellar. Stairs from the cellar lead up to the kitchen. From the kitchen, you take the servants' stairs - "

"Whoa, hang on."

I wanted to make sure I had it all. Volusian created blue flame to cast light, and we drew a map in a clear spot of dirt based on Gawyn's recollections. I might have doubted his memories, but he spoke with certainty, and he had managed to lead us to this obscure place. Maybe Dorian had been right in the "razor sharp" assessment. When Gawyn felt we had the directions to the residential wing memorized, he told us he wouldn't join us. He would wait here to tell Dorian what became of us. That was fine by me. I didn't really regard Gawyn as a battle asset - or Wil, for that matter. Unlike the old man, however, the ghostly conspiracy theorist didn't take being left behind so well.

"But I told you, I need to reassure her - "

"No," I said firmly. "I let you come this far, and you almost ruined things with those riders. Now you wait. If Jasmine's scared, she'll hold on a few more minutes until we bring her out to you."

I worried I'd have to bind him - I could actually do it since he was here in spirit, not in body - but it didn't come to that. He conceded, so I entered the trapdoor with just my minions in tow.

"Truly," remarked Nandi as we entered a darkened tunnel, "it is amazing that you have not died yet, mistress."

"Well, hang in there. The night is young."

Volusian provided light again, and we let it guide us along a stone-encased tunnel that smelled damp. Rats ran by at one point. Finn had been right. Apparently the Otherworld did have its share of animals and vermin.

When the tunnel sloped upward, I knew we had reached the end. A wooden door in the ceiling marked our next gateway. I asked the spirits to go into an insubstantial form. Hitherto, they'd walked along looking very human. I needed them obscured now. Compliant, all three shifted to what looked like a fine mist surrounding me.

I pushed open the door and climbed out, finding myself in a small enclosed space. The mist that was Volusian glowed once more, and I made out the shapes of bags and boxes. If Gawyn was right about this attaching to the kitchen, then those containers probably contained food or other supplies. Twenty feet in front of me, a doorway was outlined in light shining through from the other side. I walked up about ten steps and gingerly opened the door.

I now stood in a kitchen, a very rustic one compared to my own, but completely on par