Page 113 of Skalterra By Nightmare
“It’s beautiful.”
“It’s not what it used to be,” Iseult said, “but it’s the best I’ve ever seen it.”
She leaned against a pillar with her arms crossed to watch Galahad fill his bottles. A tiny frown pulled at her face, and silver hair fell over her shoulder.
“What did it used to look like?” I asked.
“Not like a pile of rubble.” She snorted and looked up at the stars through the missing ceiling. “My mother told me this entire chamber used to be full of Skal, but she wouldn’t know either. It was sucked dry before she was born.”
“Sucked dry?” I repeated. There was more Skal in the chamber than I could imagine being used in a lifetime. If there had been even more, I wasn’t sure what could’ve used up all that magick.
“At the Fall of Tulyr.” Iseult looked at me with a cocked eyebrow. “Did Grandfather not tell you?”
“Galahad doesn’t tell me much. I’m more of a tool than a teammate to him.”
Iseult sighed and pushed away from her pillar.
“That sounds like Grandfather. He’s always been practical. Maybe he has to be, though, to make up for what happened at the Fall.” She strode along the pathway along the perimeter of the chamber, and I followed. “Do you know why the Seven Provinces outlawed lucid Nightmares?”
I wasn’t expecting the question and fumbled for an answer.
“We’re dangerous,” I said. “We can do things normal Nightmares can’t, and we’re harder to control.”
“And you know too much.”
“About Skalterra.” I nodded in confirmation.
“No.” Iseult stopped, and her gray eyes bore into me. “About Keldori.”
I stared at Iseult, unsure of what she meant, but feeling dread creep up my chest all the same.
“I don’t understand,” I admitted.
“Have you told them about your home?” She shifted her gaze to Galahad. He paused between filling each bottle to fold his hands together and bow his head to the statue.
“No,” I said automatically, but that wasn’t entirely true. “I mean, a little, but not too much.”
“You shouldn’t tell them anything. A lot of Skalterrans assume Keldori hasn’t progressed since losing all its Magicians, but based off the rumors I’ve heard, Keldori has far exceeded Skalterra in terms of technology. It sounds comfortable.”
“I guess, but—”
“You shouldn’t tell me about Keldori either, Nightmare. Your home is a tempting prize. It was for Balin, at least.”
“Balin?” I asked.
“Grandfather’s brother. They were the Riftkeepers in charge of keeping the Tulyrs alive. Grandfather was happy protecting the Divine Sovereigns, and so was Balin for a time, until his favorite lucid Nightmare told him all about Keldori. Balin became bitter, and he sought to free the Frozen God, subdue him, and take both Skalterra and Keldori for himself.”
“The Baron thought she could do the same.” I rolled my eyes.
“The Baron is an idiot. The Frozen God is trapped in a glacier that separates Keldori from Skalterra, and it took three of the most powerful Magicians to imprison him there. If freed, there are very few who could overpower him, but Balin? He might’ve stood a chance.”
“But he failed, obviously,” I said. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here."
“Balin was a skilled nocturmancer. One night, he raised an army of Nightmares and took control of the city centrum. But Grandfather was powerful too. He made his own Nightmares, and the ensuing battle ended with the Tulyrs dead and half the city destroyed.”
“And the other half?” I asked.
Iseult responded with a wry smile.
