“So the Tower is ‘sequestered’, which means no one will interfere if we try to get inside?” Visk asked as they cleaned their nails with a small knife.

  Veda and Sir Kenneth stood across from us in the labyrinth beneath the city. I was not keen on meeting this ‘Witch Hunter’. Only Sir Kenneth’s earnest endorsement of their intentions had swayed my Visk, then my Cassia, into arranging this meeting.

  Speaking with someone that was neither my direct ally or my enemy was surprisingly uncomfortable. Veda did not help this by keeping their features obscured while in my presence. Like Visk, their scent was muted and hard to learn much from. I could tell that they smelled more ‘human’ than my Dark Elf companion, but I didn’t yet know what that meant.

  “The other Towers have already rearranged their wards to block any attempts at escaping by air and the Castellan has moved his forces to cordon off the Tower from the ground,” Veda confirmed. “For all intents and purposes, they have thrown the Tower of Baedain under the wagon’s wheels to save themselves.”

  The Witch Hunter folded their arms. “I wish I could claim credit for that. Critically injuring the Speaker’s Assistant did more good for my case than anything else. The man is incensed and no one wants to attract his ire.”

  “So what do you want?” I growled at Veda. I’d kept largely silent up to this point, but my suspicion over the elf’s intentions needed to be cleared before we proceeded. “You did not seem at all surprised to see me, but you took the one known as Avery.”

  Visk’s ears wilted at the mention of the man, but I kept staring down the Witch Hunter. Letting Howard Avery live had been a mistake. Edith had asked me to spare him due to the large amount of blood I had already spilled that day, as well as concerns over me being discovered. In turn, Howard had assisted Mortimer in kidnapping Magnus. I intended to correct that mistake once and for all.

  “Howard Avery is the price demanded by the Castellan for his support,” Veda replied flatly. “He intends to hand the bastard over to the Viscount of Montarbres, to secure additional support for House de Flèche here in Osteriath. Even the Towers will tread more carefully if the Viscount’s men are patrolling the streets.”

  I dragged my claws across the stones. Despite the entirely pragmatic reasons Veda gave, my instincts rebelled against this kind of politicking. Letting Avery go once had come back to bite me and those I cared about. Even if the man was to die by another’s hands, the thought of letting him live another day sickened me.

  “... We need their help, Boss,” Visk said quietly. They moved over and pressed their forehead against the scales of my chest. “I… I want to be the one to shove a knife into his eye for all that he’s done… but getting Magnus back is more important, right?”

  I looked down at Visk’s slender shape for several moments. My head dipped down and nudged them with my snout before my gaze turned on Veda.

  “You. You will swear personally, not your ‘Order’, that if Howard Avery does not die, you will pay the price,” I growled deeply. Sir Kenneth moved to protest, but my Cassia grabbed him by his shoulder and pulled him back.

  Veda and I stared at each other in silence.

  After some consideration, the elf bowed at the waist with their hand over their chest. “I, with the given name ‘Veda’, swear on my life that the brigand named Howard Avery will be delivered to and executed by the Viscount of Montarbres. If I fail in this duty, my life will be forfeit.”

  The oath wove through the air. As I focused, I saw a line of Vitae peel away from Veda and move towards me. When it connected, it thrummed like someone had plucked the string of a lute before settling.

  “... Fine,” I grumbled. “But you still haven’t answered what you personally want out of this.”

  “I am dedicated to the mission of my Order,” Veda replied as they stood up straight. “We do not concern ourselves with the mundane crimes of the Empire if we can help it. The threats we face are far too pernicious to become distracted with normal failures of morality.”

  Veda ran their fingers across their staff, which gave off a dull glow so that Cassia and Sir Kenneth could see. “The Tower of Baedain is the probable source of many disappearances over the years, where little evidence was left to investigate. I find it highly likely that if you, a dragon, were not involved; everyone else who witnessed Magnus’s kidnapping would have vanished, never to be seen again.”

  “Most people seem at least a little concerned when they meet me,” I insisted. “Half this city tried to kill me when I went into the open. Visk told me that you wanted to speak to me about another matter. What is it?”

  “It is something that can wait until after we have rescued the child,” Veda responded firmly. “I do not desire to come into conflict, but it is better that we resolve the matter at hand before opening another, yes?”

  “... Don’t think this will let you weasel out of your Oath,” I huffed. “Now what is our plan for entering the Tower? I intend to be present, but don’t trust the other Towers to not take a shot at me if I fly out into the open.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” Veda responded flatly. “When arranging this meeting, Visk mentioned you had spent some time travelling beneath the city. If you can bring me and a squad of my fellows beneath the Tower, we should be able to force an entry.”

  I glanced over at Sir Kenneth and Cassia. Neither looked like they were going to agree to stay behind on this one.

  “Get My People some proper equipment,” I rumbled at Veda. “Then, we will guide you to the place you seek.”

  Cassia tested her new bow’s string as we travelled beneath the city. It was a strange device that was far shorter than the hunting bow she had favored. The metal arms curved back on themselves when it was not properly strung. She had voiced her surprise at the ‘draw weight’, in spite of its size.

  Its compact nature was more suitable for loosing an arrow indoors. Even I could understand that. My bulk was going to be difficult to account for, if we had to fight indoors.

  Visk walked ahead of me and Cassia. They were the most at home with our surroundings out of anyone present. I considered my own sense of direction to be fairly good, but without a connection to follow like the one between me and Cassia, I would have gotten lost.

  Sir Kenneth stuck with Veda and the other Witch Hunters in the back. The hooded figures had stared for a little while when they first saw me, but had quickly settled down to business.

  All of my companions had received some degree of armor and weaponry to defend themselves with. I wasn’t keen on putting them in harm’s way, but I wasn’t going to let them out of my sight again. The safest place for them was by my side, even if that took them into a direct battle against Wizards.

  “We should be right beneath the Tower here Boss,” Visk said as they led us into an open room. Large pillars stood in rows like a forest of stone. Each was carved with the starred sigil of Baedain. “These should be the supports holding the Tower up.”

  Veda and their compatriots moved forward to stand in front of me, their cowled faces tilted towards the ceiling overhead. A glance from my Vitae sight told me that it was heavily protected. Strong magic had been woven through the stones, back and forth, in a heavy mesh.

  “Breaching the wards will take time,” Veda said after a quick examination. “We form a Circle to force our way through. Those on the other side will be alerted, however. They will be waiting for us.”

  “Or you can just… y’know,” Visk said to me. Veda’s mask turned in my direction, their head tilting to one side.

  “... I would prepare yourselves,” I warned those gathered. “I’m tired of waiting. You asked for my help, so you will get it.”

  My eyes locked on the ceiling above us. Visk scampered over and grabbed both Sir Kenneth and Cassia to drag them beneath me. Both only resisted for a moment before they let the elf pull them along. My body was still battered from the beating I’d taken chasing Mortimer through the city, but I pushed those aches and pains to the side.

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  All of the frustration that had built inside of me boiled upwards. The seething feeling of rage that I’d been shoving down slammed through the gates once I opened them a fraction. Scales across my body bristled as heat built underneath them. Steam began to float through the cracks as the damp air of the underground brushed against superheated dragon flesh. Those beneath me had to duck down to not be burned.

  It had been a long time since I had tried to use my dragon’s breath directly. The memory of a rotting hill turned into a crater of glass flicked across my mind and was shunted aside. I was beyond caring about the Consequences, if it could bring this hunt to a close.

  My maw pointed upwards at the ceiling. In front of my eyes, the mesh of Vitae woven into the stones shuddered and flexed from the air passing through my teeth. Out of the corner of my eye, Veda and their Witch Hunter fled to hide behind pillars of stone.

  A valve within my throat opened. Noxious gas filled my mouth. The hard surfaces at the back of my tongue clicked together.

  The Castellan of Osteriath, Estienne de Flèche, glared at the Tower of Baedain. His gathered knights were restless. Many were questioning where the Witch Hunters had got off to. Even he could hear the whispers wondering why they didn’t just march in and kick the door down.

  Every other Tower in the city had turned its back on Baedain. Flickering wards, some only just brought back on line, crowded the air overhead like castle walls made of energy. The Speaker himself was hovering in the sky overhead, ready to smite anyone that dared try and escape his wrath.

  A small collection of normal citizens and lesser Apprentices were sat in rows behind the cordon of Knights, their hands tied behind their backs. Many were only guilty of working for the wrong people. They would be interrogated later.

  Not a single full Wizard of Baedain tried to surrender. They had thrown up the Tower’s wards before the Castellan arrived and showed no signs of coming out.

  A rumble started beneath the Castellan’s feet. He glanced over as his men started shifting around to not trip and fall. Horses held in reserve in case a ground pursuit was necessary started nickering in distress. The hairs on the back of the Castellan’s neck started to rise, like the gaze of a vicious predator had landed upon him.

  In front of him, he saw one of the Tower of Baedain’s wards flicker and die. A sound like shattering glass echoed across the city as the magic unravelled and dispersed into the open air. Men fought to stay in ranks as the shaking of the ground grew more intense. The Castellan had to plant his favored halberd into the stones to keep from falling on his arse.

  Several blocks over, the toppled belfry supported by the Tower of Haejr’s magic slumped and finished its collapse. A deafening clang echoed through the streets when it hit the ground. It was swiftly followed by every other bell in the city swinging back and forth in a clamorous racket. Roof tiles and debris which had not yet been cleaned up rained down on the streets.

  “Who the Hells is doing that?!” The Castellan shouted, barely audible over the noise. Another ward on the Tower of Baedain snapped, sending an ear splitting crack across the city. “None of the Towers are supposed to attack without my orders!”

  “It isn’t one of us,” the Speaker said as he dropped out of the sky. Crackles of light blue magic crawled over his withered lips to project his voice into the Castellan’s ears. “Tower Haejr says it is coming from beneath the ground. They are doing everything they can to stabilize things.”

  If this was how things were with the Wizard’s help, the Castellan didn’t want to know what the city would look like without it.

  A series of concussive booms echoed as the remaining wards protecting the Tower of Baedain gave out one after the other. Raw magic temporarily compressed into physical shape fell as prismatic hail on those below. The shaking abruptly stopped as the wards shattered.

  Within the Tower, a blinding light erupted from the bottom floor. It shot upwards and smashed through the next level, then the one after it. The Castellan had to squint to stave off the glare as a beam of pure energy pierced through the Tower from its bottom floor to its zenith. The intervening floors barely slowed it down. When it finally reached the top, the beam was intercepted by an invisible wall.

  Pure energy fought against the ancient protections woven into the top of the Tower. Beyond any of the wards or spells that Wizards used to protect their petty kingdoms, this was the last line of defense that kept a Tower safe from its enemies. In times long past, it had taken the combined might of every other Tower in the city and the Imperial army to break the sphere of protection atop a single Tower.

  The ruins of Towers which practiced the Banned Discipline told the tale of how that had ended. Both the Castellan and Speaker now watched as that same absolute sphere cracked. It did not shatter, but a small hole was punched through before the beam finally died off.

  “What the hells?” both men whispered in unison.

  My jaw snapped shut.

  A glowing hole was burned in the ceiling above me. Molten stone dribbled down onto my scales, which I flicked off before it could harden. The heat did not bother me. Instead, a deep sense of satisfaction curled inside of my gut.

  That was how a Dragon dealt with those who tried to steal from it.

  A quick check underneath me confirmed that my companions were only lightly singed. I’d have to apologize to them later, but I didn’t intend to wait around for anyone in the Tower above me to rouse themselves.

  “Climb on,” I growled. “We’re going straight to the top. Whoever is in charge will give me Magnus, or the rest of this Tower will burn.”

  Veda and their squad moved out from behind the pillars where they took cover. The elf’s hood had been blasted backwards to reveal their golden blonde hair and their mask was cracked. They reached up and tossed it to the ground. I noted that their ears were just a little longer than a human’s, unlike Visk’s. Both were pricked upwards.

  “As you command, Lord Draconis,” Veda said, suddenly sounding far more deferential than they had before. They brought their staff in front of them and cast a spell, the same one I’d heard Mortimer use with a different inflection. “Daenaetir!”

  A soft glow encased the Witch Hunters’ feet. All five crouched down and jumped upwards. The magic let them soar up into the air like they were light as a feather. At the same time, Cassia and Visk pulled themselves up onto my back.

  Sir Kenneth, for better or worse, was left to hang in my claws by his freshly forged armor.

  The hole above me was wide enough that I was able to flap my wings. They launched me straight upwards. Scents of burning wood and melted stone swelled in my nostrils as I sailed up through the ground and into the Tower’s foyer. Burning desks which had been piled in barricades facing the main doors were scattered across the room. A few men in smoking robes were laying on the ground, either groaning in agony or not moving at all.

  Perhaps I should have felt some sympathy for them, but they were complicit in defending the Tower from those who sought to end its predations.

  My wings flapped again and carried me upwards. Above me, the squad of Witch Hunters were leaping from floor to floor after quickly checking it for defenders. Resistance only started when I reached the sixth floor.

  Far above, where the destruction was less severe, Wizards leaned out over the hole with staves in hand. Bolts of raw energy and force shot downwards, forcing the Witch Hunters to dodge out of the way to avoid being hit. Several struck me on my face or chest as I twisted my body to shield my companions.

  An arrow flew past my shoulder from my back as Cassia clamped her legs against my body and leaned out. It flew up several floors and caught one of the Wizards in their arm, making them curse and pull back. One of the Witch Hunters waved their staff at the same time, causing a purple colored fog to erupt further up and obscure the vision of those above us.

  The response from the Wizards only grew fiercer as each moment passed. I pulled myself through the hole leading to the ninth floor and ducked out of the way of a bolt of lightning.

  “You three must take the stairs,” I ordered Cassia, Visk, and Sir Kenneth. One claw pointed to one of the two spiral staircases on either side of the Tower. “There are too many for me to fight and defend at the same time.”

  If we had been in the open sky, perhaps I could have protected them. Visk and Sir Kenneth did not have any means to fight back as things were. At least I could clear those guarding the stairs from inside each floor as I went to give them a better chance.

  Cassia looked like she wanted to protest, but Sir Kenneth and Visk’s nods forced her to bite her tongue.

  “We will not be separated,” I promised her. “We will pass each floor together.” That seemed to reassure her. Warmth and determination passed across our connection. “Let’s go.”

  I turned to glance up through the hole as the trio dashed towards the stairs. Two of the Witch Hunters were engaged in vicious two or three-on-one duels a few levels above me. Veda was the furthest up. A pure white blade had grown from the end of their staff, which they used to deadly effect. As I watched, they dodged around a conjured boulder swinging through the air and speared the one who had summoned it through the chest.

  The elf kicked the Wizard off of their blade and sent him falling into the abyss below him. He screamed on the way down, until he hit the semi molten side of the hole several levels below and went silent. His crumpled body fell past me a moment later.

  A roar rolled up out of my chest as I launched myself back into the fray.

  Bolts of magic smashed into me as I shot upwards. The lowest Witch Hunter dodged back from the Wizard they had been dueling. The disheveled man grinned in momentary triumph, thinking he had made the Witch Hunter back off. Then my roar hit him from below, followed a second later by my teeth.

  I jerked my head back and forth before tossing what remained towards two men guarding the stairs. They were bowled over just as Sir Kenneth kicked in the door. Visk appeared out of thin air, knives flashing as they leapt on the downed men. One of my Cassia’s arrows shot out from the staircase and pierced another Wizard, up through the hole on the next level up.

  The Witch Hunter whose duel I’d interrupted gave a short bow of their head and launched themself up to the next level, cloak flapping behind them. I followed right after.