17. Pallas

Ihad been alive for over five hundred years, of course I had worn pants before. ButI never realized how much the fine dresses worn to court had become a part of the armor I wrapped around myself until Avlyn had thrown a pair of simple linen trousers at me.

Ichanged into them, and a simple shift tied closed at the neck by a single cotton string. I pulled it out to tie my hair away from my face. The neckline was open slightly, making the curves of my breasts more visible. It was not much armor, but enough for the moment. Spinner joined me in the room, and I gave a small spin. "How do I look?"

Thecreature chirped, and the sound seemed positive.

Iopened the door and presented myself to Avlyn. Their gaze dipped for a fraction of a breath before they bid me to follow them. The spider and I were led deep into the castle, and I thought maybe they reconsidered just taking me to the dungeons when we halted. I peered around Avlyn and almost missed the low hole in the wall hidden away in a dark alcove.

"Where exactly are we going, Commander?" I asked as Avlyn ducked down to look inside the narrow passageway.

"To the foundation of the castle; that's where the wards are."

"Are they tied into the ley lines?"

Avlyngave me a quizzical look over their shoulder. "Yes, how did you know that?"

"I know a lot of things, Commander."

"Clearly, but most people think ley lines are a myth."

"Much knowledge is lost with time. Many humans believe that dragons are just a story told by their ancestors. I've seen too much in my life to discount such mysteries so quickly. Besides…" I didn't continue the thought.

WhenAvlyn realized I would not continue, they turned back to the passage. "It's a tight fit and a long way. Let me know if you need a break, ok?"

"I can handle myself, Commander." I said, crossing my arms.

Theylet out a small laugh. "I have no doubt about that." They waved towards the passage. "Now… ladies first."

Allmy bravado fled as I looked at the very narrow, very dark hole. Spinner pressed past my leg and headed down the tunnel without hesitation. I had no choice but to follow suit.

Icrouched down; my legs bent so much that my ass almost touched the ground as I awkwardly waddled down the passage. The little light disappeared as Avlyn ducked into the tunnel behind me.

"Are we going to travel the entire way in the dark?" I asked.

"Keep a hand on the wall; in a few minutes, you'll be able to see again," Avlyn responded.

Thejourney in my bent position was hard enough that I didn't argue. My fingers traced the roughhewn wall, and I kept moving forward. Slowly, my eyes adjusted, and I saw that tiny tendrils of moss and dim blue mushrooms clung to the corners of the tunnel. They each had a soft glow that provided a little light, but my fae vision adjusted. There was only one way to go, anyway.

Afterwhat felt like an eternity, my back ached from crouching, and I wasn't paying much attention anymore. My foot slipped on a small rock, and I fell flat on my ass. My pride was wounded more than anything, but I heard Avlyn say, "Careful, my lady. I don't want to have to drag you out of here."

Inthe dark, I saw the shadow of Spinner approach us, and he pressed his head into my hand as he tried to crawl into my lap.

"You're getting too big for this, spider." He ignored me and almost pushed my body all the way over.

"Maybe a brief rest couldn't hurt?" Avlyn suggested, giving me an out for my aching back.

"Anything to delay my night in the dungeon."

Evenin the dim, I saw the commander frown.

"What, no dungeon? You lot really are terrible kidnappers."

Theyfrowned. "Would you prefer that?"

Ihad to stop myself from responding yes, but Avlyn saw the answer on my face anyway.

Theycrouched down low, so we were eye to eye. "That would be easier, wouldn't it? It would put us on familiar ground. Me, threatening to chain you up and commenting on how much I'd like seeing you that way." They hit me with an apologetic smile. "I can't do that to you, Pallas."

"Why? Is it no fun to break what's already broken?"

Ihated the sadness that crossed their face. "You're not broken, Pallas. That much is obvious to me."

"Why?"

Theirshoulders slumped, and they leaned back against the tunnel wall, their head scraping against the ceiling. "I've been a soldier all my life. I've seen more battles than I care to remember. On the battlefield, a person is stripped down to their base self. Fear and a primal drive completely take over the mind. That's why we train as much as we do, so our movements are done on memory, not conscious thought. If you overthink on the battlefield, you die." They sighed. "On the beach, I saw a glimpse of the real you. You were scared and had no idea how to fight, but you fought anyway." They gave me a soft smile. "No broken person would throw themselves at the enemy to protect the one they care for. No, you've just been caged so long that freedom chafes. It grates against you in the worst way with the unending possibilities of choice."

Ihad nothing of value to say, no way to accurately respond to words my very soul knew were true. Nevertheless, Avlyn looked at me with such misplaced kindness that I had to say something. "Wise words from a brute."

Theysmiled. "What can I say? I'm a very multifaceted person." Their grin was infectious, so much so the corner of my mouth twitched without my consent. "You may not believe me, but I promise you are safe here, Pallas. You're safe with me. I won't let you come to harm."

"It's hard for me to believe you when you've trapped me in an endless stone tunnel with a man-eating spider." I heard Spinner hiss angrily from up ahead at my comment.

Avlynlaughed. "No one larger than a cat has gone missing at his pincers, as far as I know. But as he gets bigger, we will have to keep him well-fed." Spinner chirped happily at that.

I stood up in the enclave we entered. The stone walls were smooth, like the space inside of a bubble that solidified at the base of the castle. The light blue glow from the mushrooms dimly lit the space. On the far wall, a circle of glyphs glowed a very faint emerald green. I approached and ran my hand over the spell. The markings had been carved directly into the stone; a permanent spell that needed to be recharged with magic every few years.

Avlynapproached me and set a gentle hand on my shoulder. "So, what's the plan, my lady?"

Ispun around. "You don't know what to do?" I asked incredulously.

Theyshrugged. "Not really. Magic was never my thing. It was already half dead when I was born. I figured, why waste the time learning it?"

"I take back what I said before. You're nothing but a brute."

Theysmiled mischievously. "Never denied it, gorgeous. Now…" Grabbing my shoulders, they spun me back around. "…let's see just how much you know."

Ihuffed in irritation but couldn't resist running my fingers over the glyphs for locking, for pulling, warding, and many others. "This spell taps into the ley line that runs under the castle. It uses the mana, or wild magic of the earth, that travels along it to create a protective barrier against other magical attacks. I'm surprised Abraxas maintained it all these years."

"I think you know exactly who this barrier was kept in place for." Yes, I did. Avlyn ran their finger over the glyphs, and the faint green light shuddered under their fingers. "I guess, as a bonus, it kept our shadow-walking friend out until now, as well. So how do we fix it?"

"It needs to receive a direct injection of animavigo to act as a catalyst for the spell to pull from the ley line," I disclosed.

Avlyn'sface was blank. "Maybe try explaining it like I'm a brute?"

Ilaughed, not a soft, elegant laugh, but one that gripped me so tightly my stomach clenched. I couldn't find my breath again. WhenI finally recovered, Avlyn was smiling again.

"GladI amuse you so much, my lady."

"Sorry, your face was just… anyway… where to start? Animavigo is the term academics use for what is commonly called magic. It is the energy that dwells within every mortal living thing"s heart. For animals and plants, it's just a drop. For fae and some humans, that well is deeper. Magic users of old could call on this energy and manifest it into the world. Everyone's manifestation was unique, a mirror of their soul. Like the king's flames, Jun's voice…" I paused. "...your control of water."

Avlyndidn't balk but rubbed their chin in thought. "This is why I never learned about magic. Too complicated. If everyone has these wells of energy, this animavigo, why did magic die off?"

"That's the great mystery, isn't it? We don't know. We don't know why we stopped being able to tap into this power. Well, at least most people did." I eyed them again, but they ignored me.

"And how is that different from the great beasts?" Avlyn inquired.

"Beasts, like the dragons, don't have a well. It's more like a channel, a direct connection to the mana of the earth. The only limit to what they could do was what the earth would provide. A fae can't call on more energy than their heart can contain without risking their life. But a dragon or…" I trailed off, and Avlyn's eyes grew serious. We were both thinking about the princess. "…luckily, aside from dragons, none seemed very interested in using this power directly."

Avlynturned back to the wall. "So, what are we doing here?"

"This spell calls upon the mana of the earth so that it can run continuously without interference. It can do this because the castle has been tied into a ley line, one of the earth"s channels of power. But it needs… a spark, let's say. Something to get the flow started. That's where you come in."

"Me?" They looked perplexed.

"Yes, you. You still have access to your magic; we need that for the spark."

Theirface twisted into a deep frown. "Can't you just say some magic words or something?"

Icrossed my arms. "No, I cannot." I motioned to the glyph before pushing Avlyn forward.

Theyplaced a hand on the glyph and furrowed their eyebrows. I waited patiently for a few minutes, but nothing happened.

"Everything alright?"

"Look, I told you, I don't know what I'm doing." Something like shame passed over Avlyn's face.

Movingcloser, I gently touched their back, letting my other hand land on top of theirs on the glyph circle. "Your magic manifests as water, right? Think about what that feels like. Visualize the flow from your heart to your fingertips."

"I was never one for all this mindfulness shit." Avlyn's frustration cut through their normally calm voice.

Itook a deep breath. "Close your eyes. Now, breathe with me. Focus on my voice. Imagine the blood flowing through your body and how the current moves and keeps you alive. Follow that stream to your heart; let it settle there. Do you see the light? Let it flow to your fingertips." Avlyn's breath steadied, and the glyphs' fading green light shifted to a warm, deep amber.

Avlynopened their eyes. "Whoa! Did it work?"

"It did indeed." I couldn't keep the grin from my face, and they returned it in earnest. "It looks perfect."

"What, my face?" Avlyn pointed to themselves, and their contagious grin grew more mischievous.

BeforeI could think about it, my hand flew out and smacked them on the chest.

"Whoa, easy there hellcat," Avlyn laughed. "Glad to see you've still got some energy, as we still have three more of these to go!" They pointed to an even smaller tunnel I hadn't noticed.

Igroaned; my back twinged at just the thought of stooping over again. Suddenly, the dungeons really didn't seem so bad.

As we finally crawled out of the last tunnel back into the castle proper, I saw the sun cresting the horizon through the floor-to-ceiling windows lining the hall we entered. I was exhausted and covered in dust and sweat, but somehow, I felt satisfied. The satisfaction of a task earned through hard work. For a moment, I basked in the feeling, forgetting just how worthless I was.

"Well, that's a job well done. Looks like we won't have any more late-night visitors. Well, except for the ones we invite, that is." Avlyn winked at me, and I turned away to hide the blush that rose up on my face. What was I, a youngling again?

"Sorry that you won't be able to foist me off onto someone else so easily now, Commander." I said still unable to face them.

"Pallas…" Avlyn placed their finger under my chin and, ever so gently, turned my face to look at them. "LikeI said before, I won't let any harm come to you. Of any kind."

Icouldn't stand their kind gaze. "Why?" I'm your enemy. I'm worthless. I'm nothing.

"That's what I do. I protect those who need protecting." Their smile was soft; it cut straight through the crack in my heart that seemed to be eroding like earth after a rainstorm.

"Have a thing for rescuing damsels in distress, huh?"

Theylaughed, "You can only rescue someone who wants to be rescued. Do you want to be rescued, Pallas?"

Ididn't answer because I didn't know the answer.

Avlyngave me that soft smile again. "When you figure it out, let me know, and I'll be first in line." They took my hand and placed a soft kiss on my knuckles before heading down the hall, leaving me with my head spinning.