Lacuna - N.R. Walker Page 0,71
you some of our winterberry mead.”
Tancho left them to bicker and turned to find Crow studying the floor. “There has to be a way to move the tiles to a new destination without breaking up the floor every time,” he said.
“There is,” Maghdlm said, holding open the old book she kept with her. “I was going to tell you before when you asked me to teach you, but you didn’t need my help, apparently.”
Crow stared at her and Tancho bit back a smile. “Well, Maghdlm,” Tancho said, “I would very much appreciate you telling us now.”
“Move away from the compass,” she said, shooing everyone back. “Where to first?”
“Southlands,” Crow answered. Tancho nodded his agreement.
“Aperire ad meridianam,” she murmured.
She didn’t use anything from her pouch of elements and metals, she just repeated the chant over and over until her eyes closed, her hand moving in a circle. And with a mighty creak and the sound of stone rubbing against stone, the outside circle of the compass began to slide. Ever so slowly, it slid from the W toward the S, and Maghdlm kept chanting until the arrow was in place. She opened her eyes and smiled when she saw it had worked.
This time Tancho tried his hand at opening the doorway. He took a small pinch from the pouch and recited the incantation, and he grinned at Crow when a flurry of purple sparks ignited in front of them. As the circle grew in size, Soko, Kohaku, and Karasu took their place to walk through first.
Tancho couldn’t see a great deal through the doorway as they stepped through but Soko, Kohaku and Karasu disappeared through it without any cause for alarm. Crow gave Tancho a smile that was a mix of excitement and trepidation. “Ready?”
“We are, yes,” Tancho replied. “It’s unlikely Elmwood will be able to say the same.”
Crow smirked at that. “Let’s not keep him waiting.”
They stepped through, and the first thing that hit Tancho was the heat and humidity. It was like walking into a room of hot steam, heavy to breathe, and Tancho doubted Crow and Soko would like it much. The second thing to hit Tancho was the noise. There was a lot of shouting, someone screamed, and there was the sound of footsteps running, first away, then getting closer.
“We have incoming,” Soko said. “I asked for Elmwood, but they ran screaming for guards.”
“Keep your hands off your weapons,” Crow said. “Show them we mean no harm.”
The room itself was large, stone floors and walls, and suddenly filled with about twenty guards wearing dark green, armed with axes and clubs. “We come in peace,” Crow said, hands out. “I am the King of Northlands, and this is the King of Westlands,” he said, gesturing to Tancho. “We must speak to Elmwood. It is very important.”
“What is going—” Elmwood said as he barged in. He was wearing the green pants he’d been wearing at Aequi Kentron and dark boots, but he was without a shirt. He was bigger than Tancho remembered, with arms like tree branches and a chest the trunk they stemmed from. “Crow?” he questioned, clearly confused. “Tancho? What are— How? You were heading west, and we’ve only been back a day . . .” And then he noticed the still-open magick doorway and he paled a little. “And what in the name of peatbog is that?”
“Yes, it is us. We have much to explain,” Crow said. He glanced at the closest guard, who still wielded his axe, but turned back to Elmwood. “This is an ancient doorway which we have discovered links all four castles. We need to speak to both you and Samiel, if you would be so kind.”
“We apologise for the entry without warning,” Tancho added. “We are yet to figure out how to do that.”
Elmwood put his hand out. “Stand down,” he ordered his guards. He was still clearly shocked.
“Maghdlm, please close the door,” Crow asked.
She murmured her chant and the door spun to a close, and Elmwood finally seemed to relax a little. “You can travel from your home . . . without trekking a week to Aequi Kentron first?”
Tancho gave a nod. “In a matter of minutes, we have gone from my Westlands to Northlands and now here.”
A quiet gasp sounded and Tancho thought it might have been one of the guards, but it wasn’t. It was Kohaku. He was staring out the window, his face etched with wonder. “This cannot be real!”
Tancho followed his line of sight to the