The Alchemists had gathered a city around them. Each of the major schools of alchemy, which was led by a specific Alchemist, had claimed its own little sector in which the Alchemist’s tower was the dominant structure. As a result, the city had sprawled outward over the years, from the main tower belonging to the Grand High Alchemist, to be surrounded by smaller buildings, shops and houses punctuated here and there along the skyline by other towers.
None was as tall or broad as the Grand High Alchemist’s tower, of course. That central symbol of power was the largest of them all, though some were notable for their color or design, they were all kept shorter by order of the Grand High Alchemist. Osmian had built and lived in a black tower at the eastern end of the city before his rise to power. He’d moved into the central tower when he became Grand High Alchemist, and one of his senior students had been given leave to run the black tower while Osmian remained in power.
Zallra had brought this information to the group before departure this morning, having learned all she could from the Jinn spymaster in the hours before their mission began. Even knowing a bit of what to expect, Luc was still baffled by the structure of the city, when it came into view. Stark towers stuck up high into the air in no sensible arrangement that he could divine, surrounded by all sorts of lower one- and two-story structures. Around each tower, banners flew from many of the smaller structures. Each sector seemed to fly the colors of their tower so that from above, the city was like a hive with each irregular cell holding a different tint of color.
The dragons had decided on this part of the mission. They’d planned how best to approach and create the right atmosphere for the two-legged members of the group to do the rest. Zallra flew between Shilayla and Grennulf, the small black dragon flanked by two enormous white snow dragons. Lilly and Luc rode on Shilayla’s back, Detlif had Jimnel up behind him on Gren’s back, and Alric hugged Zallra’s neck, riding as if he’d been born to do so. He could not be convinced to stay home, and Luc had to admire the man’s courage. Blind, he may be, but Alric was braver than any warrior Luc had ever known.
Most of the contingent of dragons and riders that had gone to Alric’s capital with Det were flying in a chevron pattern behind and around the main trio. They were an honor Guard and a layer of protection, each snow dragon ridden by a honed warrior. Fighting pairs who had lived and trained together for many years. They were the best of the best of those who defended the enclave that lived under the Veil and they would do all they could to make certain no harm came to Alric on this mission.
The central tower of the Grand High Alchemist was built of dark gray weathered stone. It had crenelated walls on top and slightly irregular shapes protruding here, and there with large openings at uneven intervals. Some of those openings had pipes that led upwards. Chimneys for smoke, Luc thought. Other openings had things hanging in them that looked like large bundles of herbs, drying in the breeze. Still others had pipes leading downward over the side of the tower, carrying something away from the rooms to which they were attached. Water? Other effluents of the Alchemist’s occupation? Luc wasn’t sure.
But what mattered most was that there were plenty of places all along the tower that would allow the dragons to perch. The plan called for an initial show of force, which was easy the way the city was laid out. There was plenty of room between the towers for the dragons to fly. A whirlwind of white wings circled the Grand High Alchemists’ tower as people below and within the tower paused to watch with awe and fear on their faces.
Once they had everyone’s attention, some of the dragons picked out places to land. Some perched on the large pipes that ran up and down the outside of the tower. Some went for the more stable surfaces of the roof crenels and the roof itself. Some pushed in the wide openings, dislodging drying herbs or other things. It was one of these that discovered the Grand High Alchemist’s location.
The dragons kept in touch, reporting all they saw in the search for Osmian. It was a seasoned pair—the snow dragon, Zentailleron, and his heartmate, Ulrick—who first pushed into that particular opening at the top of the tower, startling the men gathered within the workroom. Ulrick leapt from Zen’s back, brandishing his weapons, while Zen used his momentum to slide across the polished stone floor and block the room’s only door. The only way in or out with the dragon’s bulk in front of the door was the wide-open window.
“Osmian!” Ulrick shouted.
“How dare you?” the Grand High Alchemist himself replied with affront, stepping out from behind an old man who wore a green velvet robe. Osmian was wearing the black that he was said to favor, richly embroidered in gold with alchemical symbols running down the front and along the hem and sleeves of his robe. He had black hair and dark eyes set in a handsome face that seemed somehow familiar. Yes, that was the man they’d come for. Ulrick smiled and reported his find to the others.
A few moments later, after Ulrick had searched the room as best as he could and found little danger to the others, two more snow dragons entered through the giant window, followed by a smaller, but no less mighty, black dragon. All the riders immediately jumped down off the dragons, heavily armed and ready for action. Only the rider of the black dragon stayed on the creature’s back. That was the plan, and Alric adhered to it, everyone was relieved to see. Ulrick moved to his heartmate’s side, standing ready to defend the door to the rest of the tower while the others moved into positions around the circular room.
Lilly was one of the first in behind the fey scouting pair that had discovered Osmian’s location. She hit the ground, sliding off of Shilayla’s back as if she’d trained in doing so all her life. It was still amazing to her, when she stopped to think about it, how easily she’d gotten used to the dragon’s presence, not to mention her heartmate’s. Luc was next to Lilly in the blink of an eye, stalking the large tower room with her, weapons drawn, each guarding the other’s back.
There weren’t that many people in the room. But one man stood out, in his fancy black robes. He had to be Osmian, himself. Aside from their target, there was an older man in green robes and a few younger men wearing gray. Acolytes, Lilly assumed. Students of Osmian’s alchemical order. They were off to the right, under the watchful eye of the first dragon to have entered the room and signaled to the rest of them.
Detlif and Gren angled around to help watch the three younger men, leaving the man in green to Luc and Shilayla. That way, Lilly and Jimnel were positioned on either side of Zallra and the King. So far, so good. Now, if they could just make the rest of this work as planned, Lilly would breathe easier.
“I understand I have you to thank for my blindness.” Alric’s voice rang through the room, commanding the attention of everyone present. “I have been told that you also have the antidote. I want it.”
Osmian’s face held surprise for one startled moment, then his expression turned ugly. “You can want it all you like, but I’ll never give it to you. I like it that you know what it’s like to want something you can’t have. Hurts, doesn’t it?”
Alric’s brows drew together. “Why do you hate me so much? What did I ever do to you?”
“You exist,” Osmian spit back angrily, sneering. “That’s enough. That’s more than enough.”