Verath the Red (Dragonwall Series #3)

Chapter 13 - Beneath the Keep

Kastali Dun

Saffra descended into the depths of the keep, making her way down to the mysterious cave beneath. Desaree and Jocelyn followed behind her. Orbs illuminated their way, creating pools of light and shadow. Given her magical abilities, she'd volunteered to take the lead.

Nearly three days had passed since Claire's departure north. They were determined to find answers while she was away. Saffra had wanted to come sooner, but it was a challenge getting Desaree away from Verath these days, especially in the evening. The two of them spent an increasing amount of time together. But today, Verath was out in the city on a personal mission of sorts, leaving Desaree free for the taking.

"Tell me again about your dreams?" Desaree asked as they walked, retracing their previous path. They followed their original dusty footprints, but in the dim light, they were often forced to stop and backtrack.

"I've told you all I know," she answered, pausing to glance down a dark corridor that took off perpendicular to the one they followed. She frowned, glanced down again, and then continued on.

"Well, perhaps you missed something."

"Perhaps." She sighed. "Dreams are not as straightforward as visions. Even now, everything feels so vague."

"But aren't they the same thing? A telling of the future?"

She opened her mouth, but Jocelyn beat her to it. "Not necessarily, Des. Both can tell the future, the past, and the present. But Saffra's visions take her at any time. They are fully fleshed out scenes. Not so with her dreams, which come while she sleeps, and are usually difficult to comprehend, especially come morning."

"Which is why these have been particularly frustrating," she muttered, glancing down another darkened corridor before continuing on.

"Well, what do you remember?" Desaree asked.

She shrugged. "Just...dragons. Lots of them. A battle. The Drengr. Fear. Death. Loss. I..." She shook her head. "It's hard to say."

They descended a narrow flight of stairs, one after the other, which took them deeper underground. "Hmm...Dragons..." Desaree sounded thoughtful. "What if there is going to be a great battle between the dragons and the Drengr?"

"Gods, I hope not. But if current events are anything to go from, it seems inevitable." Saffra shuddered at the thought. "And if that's what I'm seeing, then it will likely happen sooner rather than later. But when? And where?"

"Perhaps in the North?" Desaree ventured. "Surely we're safe here."

"Safe indeed!" She snorted. "For how long? Here—I think it's down this hallway. These are our old footprints, and I remember the roughness of the walls."

"So there really is a cave?" Jocelyn asked.

"We wouldn't lie to you, dear Jocelyn," Saffra answered. All too soon, the narrow walls widened, spilling out into a vast space. "See? We're here." She sent along her orbs, soaring high into the center of the cavern, casting the entire chamber with a soft glow.

Jocelyn and Desaree crowded close to her, trying to get a better look.

"Incredible!" Jocelyn whispered. "To think, it's right under the city and no one knows about it."

"That was my reaction too," Desaree said.

"There—" Saffra pointed. "There's the Gate. And the monument building beside it." Everything looked exactly as it had when she and Desaree first discovered it. Untouched. Undisturbed.

"Let's get a closer look!" Jocelyn's voice oozed excitement. She shimmied past them and down into the cave, clearly more adventurous than Saffra might have expected.