Page 113 of Soul Forge

“Because I’m not an idiot. I value my sanity.” He set his goblet down and clasped his hands in his lap, looking between the two of them with a demure smile. “The Spirits want you to go there for whatever reason. I think it’s reasonable to assume they won’t allow either of you to go insane.”

“But you didn’t know we’d be coming here,” Elda pressed. “Why pay to dismantle the wards when you couldn’t enter the mountain?”

“Who says you’re the first to come here seeking answers?” Runiel asked wryly. “Others have tried, whether it be in the quest for knowledge or in the hope that they might steal enough moonstone from the mine to make their fortune. All have failed.”

“Others have tried to get into the mines?” Sypher asked. “Even knowing what it did to the king?”

“Yes and no. Several others have tried to get in. None of them knew what the mines did to those who entered. The catalyst of my father’s mental decline isn’t public knowledge.”

“So, you let people go down there knowing what might happen to them?” Elda asked, dropping her bread roll and recoiling.

“I’m fae, my dear,” Falmyr beamed. “We trade in secrets, favours, and information. I made my bargains and held up my end, agreeing to let them take whatever moonstone they couldcarry. It’s not my fault the mountain sent them insane. They simply didn’t ask the right questions.”

“If we return from the mountain unharmed, you’ll get your information,” Sypher answered before Elda could say something that might offend the prince. “As long as the wards are dismantled for our entry and departure. I expect to leave that mountain as easily as I enter.”

Runiel smiled like he’d been caught trying to steal something. “But of course. The wards will be disabled for you to enter the mountain and again as soon as you return. You have my word.”

“You’re absolutely certain?” Sypher asked, narrowing his eyes. “Because if they aren’t, I’ll find a way to tear them down, and then I’ll come looking for you.”

“They will be, Sypher. My word is my bond.” Runiel’s eyes flashed with irritation, but the placid smile remained fixed on his face. A shiver slid down Elda’s spine.

The rest of the meal was spent with Falmyr making amiable chit-chat while Elda forced down food she was too uneasy to want. Sypher ate very little, though Runiel didn’t seem to notice. He needled the Soul Forge with invasive questions that were tactfully avoided or deflected.

Elda kept her mouth shut, deciding it was safer not to say more than a few words at a time when dealing with Falmyr. Like his father, if he wanted something, every word he spoke was a trap waiting to spring. For his part, the prince didn’t appear too upset that his tricks were evaded. He seemed to enjoy the challenge.

Eventually, they were excused for the night, and Elda let out a relieved sigh when the door closed. Sypher locked it behind him and left the key in the door, listening to make sure the steward wasn’t lingering outside.

“It’s safe to talk. He’s gone,” he said at last.

“That was scarier than I expected,” Elda sighed. “You managed not to set your robe on fire.”

“I was busy trying to rein in my demon soul,” he answered dryly. “I thought you’d know what he was like since you’ve met him before.”

“Only at the banquet. He was on his best behaviour then. My father did warn me about Crixus, though I only met him once before he went mad. I was a child then, but I remember him being scary even then.” She flopped back onto the plush gold bedding, feeling herself sink into the mattress. “Do you think the mountain will drive us mad too?”

“The only way to know for sure is to go ourselves,” he shrugged, leaning against the wall beside the door and folding his arms across his chest.

“Great, a trial by fire,” Elda muttered, fear settling heavily in her gut. “Tomorrow is going to be every kind of awful.”

“Are we sure the wards are down?” Elda asked for the twentieth time since they’d approached the base of the mountain. The black stone seemed to soak up the watery sunlight, the white veins glowing among the dark rock. The whole thing felt off, like something inside it had been poisoned.

Gira, Reiner, and Julian walked silently beside them, Julian leading Nox and Reiner with Atlas. The steeds were reluctant to go further, tugging against the reins with every step. It was like they could feel the threat rolling off the stone giant too.

The mine opened before them, its yawning entrance drawing in the sunlight and swallowing it. Despite Sypher’s many assurances that the runes powering the wards had been disabled, the painted signs warning people away made her palms turn clammy.

When she opened her mouth to ask again, Sypher turned and pointed a gloved finger at her. “If you ask me that one more time, I’m going to drop you in the lake,” he warned.

“I’m just making sure,” she muttered, scowling at him. He began to walk towards the mine entrance again when somethingtugged at Elda, a spike of warning that made her grab his gloved hand. The others stopped when he did, turning to face her. “Wait!” she gasped.

His head tilted. “What is it?”

She stared at the opening, at the darkness swirling within, and shivered. Something was trying to buffet her backwards, a soft breeze only she could sense.Not this way,it seemed to whisper.This way lies madness.The foreboding was so strong that it made her skin prickle with goosebumps, the fine hairs on her arms standing on end.

But was it real, or were her own nerves making her imagine the danger? If they didn’t go in through the mines, how else would they enter? The sides were too steep to climb, and there were no other visible cracks or crevices that might hide a way in. She chewed her lip, mulling over her limited options, ignoring the expectant stares of the others.

“I don’t think we should go in there,” she said eventually, the foreboding proving too strong to ignore. Both horses nickered like they agreed with her. “Something is telling me it’s a bad idea. We’ll end up like Crixus.”

Sypher looked back at the entrance for a moment before studying Elda’s face. She waited for him to override her, to tell her that they had no other choice. Eventually, he nodded, and something warm settled in her chest at the trust he placed in her.

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