A retelling of the treasure hunt at Usslyn Manor in Chapter Seventeen of Sleeping Dragon, as told from Kailes’s perspective.

 They’d almost made it to the garden when the first dragon roared into the sky.

Kaile’s heart sank when he recognized Velia’s dull gray full form escaping them yet again. Two more unfamiliar drakes followed her into the air, flanking her in a protective formation.

Then Caleb’s sleek red and black banded scales streaked after them.

Against the backdrop of the star-strung sky, Kaile watched helplessly as Caleb fought valiantly against uneven odds.  He watched with pride as the prince outmaneuvered the bodyguards and set his sights on Velia.

And watched with his heart in his throat as the prince’s full form shifted in mid-air. As Caleb’s fragile human body plunged toward the earth only to be snatched up by one of the guards.

All why Kaile stood, uselessly earthbound, unable to do a single thing to stop Velia and her minion’s from taking Caleb and disappearing into the night.

“Evie!”

Gwen’s cry startled them all into motion.

She pushed passed Kaile, rushing into the garden with Becket right behind.

Kaile glanced one last time up at the dark sky in frustration. But there was nothing he could do for the prince.

Finding and protecting Evie was his priority now.

***

They found Evie in the open center of the garden, on her knees with her hands plunged deep into a patch of churned-up earth. Her eyes were closed and her face with rigid determination.

The warm, wild, earthy buzz Kaile had learned to associate with Evie’s strange fey magic surrounded him. It built in the air, thick and untamed until the hairs on his arms stood on end. A primal, dangerous fear crawled through him as feral, uncontrolled energy intensified around them.

Then Gwen dropped down beside Evie, covering the princess’s hands with her own and the power steadied. The imminent sense of danger eased and Kaile exhaled sharply in relief.

Between the two women, the earth began to seethe and spin. Like an invisible auger drilled relentlessly down into the stone and dirt.

Kaile and Becket stood across from Evie and Gwen, weapons ready and senses on high alert.

Prepared to defend against whatever came their way.

Kaile let the sensation of the magic slip through him. And did his best to ignore the sliver of jealousy that speared him as he watched the ease with which they wielded unfathomable power.

It brought back the bittersweet memory of the pure joy that coursed through him the first time he touched a relic. The feeling of completeness he experienced when he first recognized the magic inside an old crystal. And when the magic first recognized him.

Kaile remembered the pride that had puffed through him when the old wizard had claimed him as an apprentice.

He also remembered the dawning frustration and horror when he realized the man was too greedy and paranoid to teach him anything of use. That the wizard had only taken an apprentice because he needed a servant and a keeper as age stole his vitality.

Kaile had endured the beatings and the cruelty and the insults for years, eager for the few crumbs of guidance the old man occasionally offered. Eventually, though he couldn’t endure

one more day. He stole a notebook and some maps and ran away to search for knowledge and relics on his own.

And fate finally smiled on him, because those pilfered charts led him straight to Sterling and Becket and the rest of the men who’d one day become his pack.

An abrupt, spiraling wave of power jerked Kaile’s attention back to the hole. Just in time to hear the whoosh of displaced air and watch a black stone box shoot out of the earth.

It hovered for a second, three feet above the ground, before giving in to the pull of gravity.

Without thought, Kaile leaned forward, stretching out his hand to catch the box before it fell straight back down into the hole.

Evie closed her eyes with a sigh of relief before flashing a grateful grin in Kaile’s direction.

“Nice catch.”

He laughed and reached across the displaced dirt to hand over the onyx box with a shrug.

“Hey, you didn’t make me dig a ten-foot hole. It was the least I could do.”

Evie stared at the box, a faint frown of concentration marring her brow, before glancing uncertainly at Gwen.

The older woman shook her head at the unspoken question and shrugged. “It’s still the same for me. I can feel something but not enough to recognize the magic in there.”

Evie’s hands trembled slightly, but her mouth set in a firm line of resolve when she focused her gaze on Becket and Kaile.

“The two of you might want to move away. Just in case.”

Right. Like they were going to run from this, after everything they’d already faced.

“Nope,” Kaile replied, planting himself more firmly next to her. “We’re all in this together.”

Beside him, Beckett gave a decisive nod of agreement.

Bracing herself, Evie lifted the lid slowly, tense and obviously ready for anything. She’d barely cracked it open when Gwen inhaled sharply, eyes rounding with hopeful surprise. Spurred on by the reaction, Evie slid the lid all the way up, revealing a platinum triangle lying on a black silk lining.

The stress bled of her and she reached inside to brush her fingers over the smooth metal with an awed expression.

It pulsed with the same wild, earthy energy of fey magic. But there was a peace to it that made it different. A sense of steadiness and ancientness that Kaile had only ever felt one other time.

A wide, satisfied grin curved Evie’s lips and Kaile allowed himself to hope that they’d finally found what they needed to defeat Velia, once and for all.

“From the looks of the two of you, I’m assuming it’s a good thing,” Beckett said dryly, amusement and curiosity bright in his eyes. “What is it?”

“A Resonance Tyn,” Gwen answered with breathless excitement.

Kaile searched his memory for every scrap of lore and history he’d collected over the years, but nothing came to him. He’d never heard of this particular bit of magic before. Unable to hold back his curiosity, Kaile leaned over to stare in the box and asked, “What does it do?’

“Do you remember when we talked about the stories that led you to the monastery and the wand? The legends of the fey cities disappearing overnight when the Migration began?” Gwen asked, more restrained then Evie in her excitement, but satisfaction sharpening her eyes all the same.

“Yes…” Kaile answered hesitantly, glancing at Becket, who looked equally confused by the change of subject.

“It wasn’t quite overnight,” Gwen continued, “but the cities were dismantled in a matter of days. And then were rebuilt on the Otherside nearly as quickly. It was only possible because of the handful of Resonance Tyns that remained from the Old Ones.”

“Old Ones?” Beckett asked, barely beating Kaile to the question.

“The fey are a myth to you,” Gwen answered with a soft smile. “The Old Ones are the stories we tell our young. They are the ones who came before. Who harnessed magic for the first time. Some legends claim they created magic. And all the beings that came after them.”

“Gods?” Kaile asked, interest flaring to life inside of him.

“Perhaps. But, again, there are some among you who treat the stories of fairies like they are divinity.” Gwen rolled her eyes dismissively. “And I assure you, we are not.”

Kaile’s curiosity burned with a dozen questions about the Old Ones. He wanted to know everything. Wanted to hear all the tale and secrets. He’d been searching for knowledge his whole life, without really understanding what he was looking for. Maybe he’d finally find some answers to satisfy him.

Before he could ask the first question, though, Beckett nudged the conversation back on track.

“So you’re excited about a piece of jewelry that builds cities?” Beckett asked. Then his eyes narrowed in consideration and his voice darkened. “Or are you thinking about tearing down Calmoore to get to Velia? I don’t think Caleb or his family will be happy about that.”

“That’s not…” Evie sputtered with exasperation. “The Tyn is a tool that allowed the fey to harness the magic of individuals together. To create things as a group that no one being could hope to accomplish.”

“Fey magic is wild and incredibly varied,” Gwen added. “Our individual powers are hard to harmonize. The Tyn channels the power. Smooths out the magics then blends them so that they can work together seamlessly toward one goal. It allows a multitude to do what something a single magic user would find impossible.”

“Like build a city,” Beckett murmured thoughtfully.

“Exactly,” Evie confirmed. “For an individual, it can focus, sharpen and enhance any magic filtered through it.”

“Sounds useful.”

“It will be,” Evie agreed. Closing the lid with certainty. Then, to Kaile’s surprise, she held out the box and looked to Gwen. “This has to get to my sisters as soon as possible.”

“What about Caleb?” Becket demanded. “Velia has him. And the mercs are packing up to follow her in a hurry. Shouldn’t we be trying to get him back before the Enchantress has reinforcements?”

“We are going after Caleb,” Evie agreed with a gesture than encompassed herself, Becket and Kaile.

Kaile had no doubt his own expression looked just as puzzled and uncertain as Becket’s. Evie’s sigh of resignation confirmed it.

“Velia got hold of the wand before she took Caleb,” she admitted, a faint flush staining the top of her cheekbone. “Even with the Tyn, it’s not enough to fight her. We’re going to need reinforcements of our own.”

Evie pressed the box firmly into Gwen’s reluctant hands. “Take this to Pip. I’ll send a pigeon to Beatrix and have her meet up with you. Take Lucan.”

 The two women stared at one another in a silent war of wills. Gwen blinked first though, ducking her head before climbing astride Lucan with a great show of resignation.

She did, however, give Evie one last, admonishing look and said, “Don’t do anything stupid until I get there.”

“When have I ever listened to that advice?” Evie asked with an impudent grin. “If you hurry up, I won’t have time to do anything stupid.”

“It doesn’t take you long to find the most reckless plan,” Gwen muttered, but her eyes sparkled with humor. Then she unbuckled her bag of magic relics and handed it down to Evie. “Take this. You’ll need it more than I will.”

Then Gwen gently nudged Lucan’s side. The not-quite-a-horse blurred, and they were gone.

With Gwen on her way, there was no reason to linger. After collecting their supplies and horses from camp, Evie sent a pigeon off to Beatrix and the three of them headed for the High Road.

“So, what’s the plan once we get to Ardell?” Becket asked once they’d put some distance between themselves and camp.

“I don’t have a plan, really,” Evie admitted with a shrug. “Just get to Calmoore. Then figure out a way to get into the city and the palace unnoticed.”

Evie’s sarcasm and self-depreciation were impossible to miss. But Beckett and Kaile exchanged grins, their eyes sparking with anticipation.

“We know a way in.”