flew straight for the company of soldiers marching across the snow field toward the cave, roaring as he passed overhead. Most of the men scattered in terror but one man caught Abigail’s eye. Haldir was leading them to the cave, his arms bound to a stout limb resting across his shoulders and tied to his neck. His torso was bare, red from the cold and from the blood oozing out of dozens of shallow slices cut across his chest. He slumped to his knees as he watched Ixabrax soar overhead with a mixture of vindication and awe.
Several hours later, Ixabrax arrived at the crevasse where Alexander had first found him. They made camp, waiting for Alexander to return and help them plan their attack. After several days, they ran out of food and firewood. Ixabrax left them to hunt. He was gone for nearly a day before he returned with a stag and a fallen log.
“Now I’m really worried about Alexander,” Abigail said while they prepared their first hot meal in days.
Anatoly nodded. “This isn’t like him. Something must have happened.”
“Have faith. He’ll return,” Magda said.
“My patience grows thin,” Ixabrax said. “I have delivered on my part of the bargain, yet your brother is nowhere to be seen.”
“Maybe we should think about making our move without him,” Abigail said.
“We’ve already been over this,” Anatoly said. “Our best chance for success is to wait. Without Alexander, we’d be going in blind.”
“I know the layout of the aerie,” Ixabrax said.
“What about the rest of the keep?” Anatoly said. “The best chance your family has is to wait for Alexander to guide us.”
“I agree,” Magda said. “We’ll free your family, Ixabrax … just not today.”
Several more days passed, everyone growing more restless and uncertain by the hour before Alexander finally appeared.
“Where have you been, Human?” Ixabrax demanded.
“Searching for my wife,” he said. “She’s buried under a mountain and I can’t find her.”
Abigail, Anatoly, and Magda surged to their feet, but no one knew what to say.
“I’m still hoping she’s alive but I can’t know for certain.”
“I don’t understand, why can’t you go to her as you have to us?” Ixabrax asked.
“She went after the bones of an ancient creature that won’t allow magic to work anywhere nearby. Every time I get close, I wind up back in my body on Tyr.”
“I’m sorry, Alex,” Abigail said. “I wish I could give you a hug.”
“Me too,” he said, closing off his emotions and focusing on the task at hand. “I’ve already spent too much time looking for her, knowing full well that the same thing’s going to happen whenever I get close, no matter which angle I approach from. It’s time to focus my efforts where I can be useful and hope she can dig her way out.”
“So you have a plan then?” Ixabrax said.
“I do. Unfortunately, the book I sent Zuhl didn’t kill him. I’m not sure why, but he survived, so I plan to distract him while you enter the aerie and free the dragons.”
He gestured to the ground beside their fire pit and a scale model of the enormous white marble fortress appeared, rotating until the section in question was facing them. It was a huge dome with a hole wide enough for a dragon to fly through in the center of the roof. Six towers rose from the edges of the dome, each culminating in a battlement, and each manned by two soldiers.
The entire domed building was surrounded by the main walls of the keep, which also featured manned watchtowers at even increments. The main building, Zuhl’s manor, butted up against one side of the dome with many towers rising high overhead, offering a commanding view of the entire city and keep.
“As you can see, the place is a literal fortress. His men are vigilant, never hesitating to sound the alarm, so going over the walls is out of the question. They’d spot you before you even got close.”
“That doesn’t sound like a very optimistic assessment,” Anatoly said.
“Notice here,” Alexander said, pointing to a point in the outer wall where a small stream flowed through a grate and into the keep. “This stream feeds the main cistern, which in turn feeds the dragon aerie. The grate is stout enough to stop an angry bull, but the Thinblade will make short work of it. Once you’re in, you’ll be up to your armpits in freezing water, so we need to find a way to keep you warm. I was hoping you might