think makes the crystals glow?”
He shrugged. “How should I know?”
“It’s probably magic,” she said. “I bet this whole place is filled with it. What do you think, Ethan?”
“Maybe.”
“I bet that’s why we can’t find a door. It’s been hidden by magic.”
“Or maybe it doesn’t exist, and we’ve been led by a fool on a fool’s errand,” snapped Markus.
“Jonas isn’t a fool,” Kat retorted. She looked at Ethan. “You don’t think that, do you?”
He spread his hands. “I don’t know what to think. But I have to agree with Markus. This looks like a dead end.”
Kat crinkled her nose and frowned. “You should have more faith. He’s gotten us this far.”
“He’s gotten us this far?” Markus scoffed. “If it wasn’t for him, we’d already be at the coast by now. Not cornered in a forgotten cave, looking for a door that doesn’t exist.”
“He’ll find it,” she shot back. “You’ll see.” She flashed Ethan a smile. “Then we’ll both be able to learn magic together.”
“What makes you think the dwarves can teach you magic?” Markus asked.
“I don’t know. But if they were friends with Ethan’s family, I bet they have books…or something like that.”
“Don’t count on it,” Markus told her. “I don’t know much about mages. But I do know that dwarves don’t use magic.”
“Then how do they make magic weapons?” she challenged.
“You ask too many questions,” he growled, then shifted so that his back was to her.
“They’ll know something,” she said in a half whisper, determined to have the last word.
Jonas continued to scour the walls for another two hours before finally giving up. He refused to make eye contact with Markus, and when Ethan attempted to speak with him he waved him away, muttering incoherently.
They waited until they were confident it must be well past sundown before heading back toward the entrance. Jonas looked sadly over his shoulder and shook his head.
“It’s all right,” Ethan consoled him. “It was a long time ago. I’m sure there used to be a way inside back then.”
Before Jonas could respond, the sudden clatter of steel and stomping of boots echoed loudly down the tunnel. Markus and Ethan both quickly drew their swords.
“I don’t suppose you can burn them like you did the Rakasa,” asked Markus.
Ethan desperately wished that he could. They could now see the light from a dozen torches as the enemy crested the top of the slope. But they did not advance any further.
“Dragonvein!” The voice of Hronso thundered out, sending fear into Ethan’s heart. “I know you’re down there.”
Ethan strained his eyes, but could not see him. “I’m here,” he called back.
“I underestimated you, mage,” he said. “I have not suffered injury in many centuries. That is a mistake I shall not make twice.”
“Leave my friends alone and I’ll come with you,” he offered.
Both Kat and Jonas grabbed his shoulders, pulling him back.
“You can’t,” said Jonas in a loud whisper. “Shinzan will kill you.”
Kat simply looked at him with pleading eyes.
Ethan jerked away. “It’s my choice.”
“I can hear you, you know,” Hronso called out. “Specter can live. But your servant has to come with me too. And I think I’ll need the young girl as well. Something tells me that she might be of interest to the Emperor.”
“You don’t need anyone but me. And if you try to take my friends, I’ll burn you again.” He hoped his bluff would at least buy them a short time to think of something.
“Perhaps you could,” Hronso responded. “Perhaps it was your own power and not the dragon’s last time. But then again, if you were able to, I think you would have done so already. I, on the other hand, can definitely burn you.”
Ethan saw a bright red light begin to flash sporadically, drowning out the torchlight. Markus snatched his collar and threw him toward the rear of the cavern.
“Run!” he shouted to the others.
Kat and Jonas obeyed instantly. But they had only made a few steps when a tremendous roar ripped through the air. Ethan glanced over his shoulder and saw a massive ball of flame streaking toward them.
“Get down!” he cried out.
They all hit the ground an instant before the inferno would have consumed them. Ethan could feel the intense heat from it blistering the flesh of his back. There was the sudden stench of singed hair.
Moments after passing over them, the fireball smashed into the far wall and exploded with a thunderous boom. The cavern rumbled and shook, showering them with dust and debris.
“He’s got a dwarf weapon,” coughed