"Renau, I can heal that wound for you," Konrad offered.

　　The captain held up his hands and shook his head, taking several steps backward. "No magic."

　　"We have to get out of the cold," Rolo called.

　　"We should go back to the cave; there`s food and a fire," Serena replied.

　　Konrad didn`t need to be told twice; they all felt cold now, but he was sure that the knowledge of the Linium deposit under their feet would soon warm the hearts of the northman, the captain, and the witch.

　　The fire in the cave crackled and the ocean crashed in the darkness outside. The small group shared out what little food and water they had, and Konrad explained what Casovan had told him. The knowledge that there was a sizeable deposit of Linium below the mountain certainly had an effect on Rolo. He started pacing excitedly, muttering to himself about how to secure it from his enemies and how this heralded a return to prosperity for the north and his family.

　　"Rolo, this mountain was given to Konrad, not to your family," Serena said, causing the northman to pause.

　　An awkward silence extended, but as grateful as he was to Serena for speaking up for him, no amount of Linium was worth his friendship with Rolo.

　　"I can`t do anything with it; I just want some of the Linium, and you can have the rest, Rolo," Konrad suggested.

　　"I hadn`t forgotten that this place was given to you, Konrad. If you let us work here, then we`ll reward you," Rolo said.

　　Renau coughed theatrically from where he lounged by the fire.

　　"Of course there will be rewards for everyone, but it`ll take some time before we can process anything here. There are also risks; anyone who knows about this place will likely want to secure it for themselves."

　　Rolo`s excitement to see the Linum in the mines was unquenchable and so after only a brief rest they returned to the circular room and took the doorway to the left. In the glow from their torches, they found several carts sitting abandoned next to thin metal tracks. Rolo reached in and pulled out a rock with a light blueish hue.

　　"Your small god didn`t lie, Konrad; this is Linium Ore. There could be a sizable deposit in these caves; I have to go and check."

　　"I`ll wait for you here," said Serena.

　　"Me too," added Konrad.

　　"Me, three," Renau said, touching his back tenderly.

　　Spirit whined gently as she watched the hazy glow of Rolo`s torchlight slowly get smaller and smaller.

　　"Go with him, just be careful," Konrad said, and she bounded off into the darkness.

　　There was plenty of dry wood from the broken carts lying around, and they quickly had a small fire burning to chase away the cold.

　　"Why is Linium so important to the arcanists? Rolo said it was for the flying cities, but it must have another use," Konrad asked.

　　"Linium is the only material that can conduct magic," Renau replied.

　　Serena`s eyebrows rose so high they almost disappeared in her hairline.

　　"What, everyone knows that," Renau said guardedly.

　　"How does it work?" Konrad asked.

　　Serena used a stick to draw a round shape in the dusty floor. In the light of the fire, he saw it had five flat sides, each themselves with five sides.

　　"This is a Hedron, the arcanists make them. The outside is made of metal and glass, but inside, fine wire made from Linium crisscrosses from each point and meets in the middle."

　　"What does it do?"

　　Serena looked at Renau expectantly, but the captain ignored her, picking up a stick and jabbing at the fire.

　　"They`re used to trap magic," Serena explained.

　　"Is this how you made the fireballs?"

　　Serena shook her head, dipped a finger into her pouch, and pulled out a pinch of ash. "Most witches and arcanists don`t need a Hedron to control magic."

　　A small ball of fire revolved on Serena`s palm, like a miniature sun. When it was the size of a melon, it shot up into the air and cast a brilliant light that illuminated the cavern before winking out.

　　Renau gave Serena a dark look and shuffled slightly further away from her.

　　"What else can you do?" Konrad asked, thinking of the reaction Serena would get in the small Clod village he came from; Jasper would be beside himself.

　　"It`s not easy to do, and it tires me greatly. Everyone has their own limits, but I would need to rest before I could do anything else. The struggle with the demon drained me significantly."

　　"Is that why you need Hedrons?"

　　"The Hedrons are for arcanists who lack control over magic or for creating a magical reaction that is beyond the control of any one person."Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author`s consent. Report any sightings.

　　"They`re dangerous," Renau added.

　　Serena nodded. "He`s right, they are dangerous; only someone who can touch the laylines can touch a Hedron. If either of you tried, you could be burned to a crisp, depending on how strong it was."

　　"But I have powers; aren`t my gifts magic?"

　　Serena shook her head. "Champion`s powers are granted by the divine and come from another plane of existence entirely. I can`t claim to know much about them; would you show me?"

　　"I can try."

　　Renau moved even further away, and Konrad felt a thrill of anticipation deep in his stomach. He recalled the moment that Casovan had shown him the image of the frozen coastline and breathed out. A shimmering cloud of ice crystals settled in the air before him, moving slowly until they settled into a perfect image of Alice.

　　"Pretty girl," Renau commented.

　　Konrad blushed furiously and waved a hand to disperse the crystals.

　　"It`s an impressive gift, but I wouldn`t even presume to understand how it works. I doubt that any of the gods do either. Similarly, they don`t really seem to know a lot about magic," Serena said.

　　Konrad thought back to Lyran and Avram both being unable to help lift magical curses. The troubling knowledge that he might have been cursed lingered at the back of his mind, but he wasn`t ready to share that with Serena, and Renau seemed like magic was the last thing he wanted to discuss.

　　"Is that what you want Linium for—to build a Hedron?"

　　"I told you before that I can`t tell you; it`s something for the witches only."

　　From deeper in the cave, Rolo gave a great howl of triumph and bounded back to the fire, proudly depositing two thin bars of slivery blue metal onto the floor.

　　Serena scrambled forward and plucked one up, turning it carefully. "Is this really Linium?"

　　"It certainly is," Rolo confirmed. "Only two bars for now, but there`s a large deposit here. Not the largest, but several years worth for skilled workers to mine."

　　Serena sat back and clutched the bar to her chest, seeming to let go of a tension that she had been holding since Konrad had met her.

　　"Then it wasn`t for nothing," she said quietly, and Konrad knew that she was talking about the sacrifice of her friends in the quiet pools above them.

　　"We should go and check the rest of this place; there might be more Linium," Rolo said.

　　The stairs down from the third and final doorway were wet and slippery, and the sound of water could be heard lapping below. The cave at the bottom was large and rugged, with a jagged natural opening that led out to the ocean. To the side of the cave was a long wooden structure that somehow had managed to resist the ravages of both time and the gently lapping water. The wood was dark black and seemed to glisten slightly.

　　"It must be rotten as a pear," Rolo said.

　　In fact, the dock was whole and undamaged, made from the same black wood as the heavy throne room doors on the mountain top.

　　"Remarkable," said Renau.

　　He threw some seawater from a small rock pool at the wood, and it dripped straight off of the surface as if it were made of glass.

　　"It resists water," Serena said, scratching at the strange, dark substance that coated the outside of the boat, sniffing it, and tasting it tentatively on the end of her tongue. "I`ve no idea what it is; perhaps some forgotten skill of the snow elves."

　　"There`s not a single barnacle on it," Rolo added.

　　"Give me a ship made of this wood, and I would be the greatest sailor in Pathanea," Renau declared.

　　Although he certainly talked about it a great deal, and he wore the clothes of a pirate, Konrad couldn`t recall Renau actually doing any sailing since they had left the Last Harbour.

　　"Right now, I would settle for any ship," Rolo muttered.

　　Spirit`s bark echoed around the rock walls, and the group found her at the back of the cavern, wagging her tail in delight.

　　"What about that one?" Konrad said to Rolo.

　　The ship sat on two wooden rails, which sloped down into the water. It had a high, pointed bow, and the carved figurehead was that of an elven woman with an imperious gaze.

　　"Be careful," Serena cautioned as the group approached.

　　The boat must have been hundreds of years old, but like the docks, it looked brand new. The dark wood resisting the ravages of time. Konrad climbed the stairs that had been cut into the rocks and joined the rest of the group on the deck.

　　"She needs a little work, perhaps," Renau admitted.

　　"It`s got no sail," Konrad said blankly, kicking through the layer of dust that was all that remained of the fabric sails and the ropes.

　　"I`ll call her The Blue-Faced Booby Two`," Renau breathed, touching the mast tenderly.

　　"Again, this is Konrad`s ship, Renau," Serena said, folding her arms and glaring at him.

　　"He can have it," Konrad said quickly. He needed his own ship about as much as he needed a mountain, and if Avram was right, what he really needed was Renau. "On two conditions."

　　"I`m listening," Renau said carefully.

　　"I get to name it, and you have to take me where I want to go for my next quest."

　　Renau raised his finger and opened his mouth to reply before catching the stares of Serena and Rolo. "Very well," he snapped.

　　"What will you call her?" Rolo asked.

　　"How about Elena?" Konrad suggested. He had not recounted the whole story of Lot and his quest for vengeance, but he felt pity for him in a way. He knew what it was like to be treated unfairly and to feel as if you didn`t matter.

　　"Elena," Renau repeated. "I like it."

　　A full search of the ship yielded little of value, but there was one surprise. The tang of strong spirits led them into the captain`s quarters, where they found a very cold, very drunk old sailor with a pipe clasped firmly between his lips.

　　-

　　Hours later, Konrad stood with his feet planted firmly on the deck of Elena, clutching at a rope. Briarstone stood unsteadily at the helm, gripping the wheel, while Renau, Rolo, and Serena held long poles that they would use to keep them away from the sharp rocks and steer them out of the narrow cave entrance.

　　"Now," Briarstone cried and heaved at the rope. The blocks that held the ship in place on the rails flew out, and Elena slid down the smooth wooden ramp and crashed into the frigid water.

　　"Push off," Renau yelled, and Rolo and Serena wrestled with the poles, jabbing at the walls of the cave desperately trying to avoid a collision.

　　Elena swung neatly around and slowly drifted through the opening, finally escaping from the coldest mountain.

　　The group whooped and cheered as they were swiftly caught up in a fast-moving current, and Spirit ran around the deck, caught up in the excitement and bouncing up, trying to lick as many faces as she could.

　　"You`re sure we can make it without the sails?" Konrad asked.

　　"The current at this time of year will take us directly to Montdun," Briarstone reassured him.

　　"Don`t worry, Konrad; I know every current in every ocean; their movements are as familiar to me as a lover`s caress," Renau added.

　　"Getting there will be easy, but getting out will be the challenge," Rolo muttered.

　　As soon as they had decided to leave for the northern city of Montdun, Rolo had become withdrawn. Only Konrad had some idea of the problems they might face, and he vowed to do everything he could to help his friend.

　　That night, Konrad found himself alone on the deck. His companions were below, resting, and he had been given instructions to remain vigilant for rocks or ice in their path. Thankfully, the moon was full in the cloudless sky, and each small wave was picked out in the moonlight.

　　Whatever he thought might happen to him when he left Talen Vale, he could never have predicted he would end up here. As proud as he was to have completed two quests, it was his companions who made his adventures what they were. He felt a slight pang of regret knowing that Serena and Rolo would leave when they reached Montdun, and in some way he wished that they could sail on throughout the night forever.