12.

“You can eat spirits, Pompous?” Sammus asked as they explored the corners of the lab. Erak hadn’t found anything of use, or edible, as he tore through desks and overturned inert computers. There wasn’t much left aside from a pile of meat in the corner, scraps of cloth all that was left of their individuality. Pieces of lab coat showed that there had been a small science detachment here.

“I did. I consumed most of the spirit’s knowledge and power. He was fairly weak, did little to advance me further, but it will take me most of the next few days to fully absorb and comprehend his knowledge.”

“Would you be able to replace Sword?”

“HAHAHAHAHA,” Pomp exploded into laughter, his voice surprisingly deep as he fell off Erak’s shoulder and to the floor. Sammus and Erak both stopped moving and turned to look at the little dragon laughing on the floor.

“She’d skin me without trying and use my scales as decorative pieces on her hull.”

“Could have just said no,” Sammus said. Erak grunted in agreement as he went back toward the rest of the lab. There were no traces of the Emperor or the prince, at least the clothes didn’t look like something either of them would wear. Erak turned around and left the dingy corner and waited for Sammus to finish looking through the final desk.

“Look what we found, Erak! A note!” Sammus was holding up a piece of paper triumphantly. Erak stared at him waiting.

“It’s an invoice for something. Some type of chemical place? I don’t know what these words mean,” Sammus said. Pomp crawled up Sammus’s leg in a blur of motion and then he was peering over the prince’s shoulder and down at the paper.

“It’s cleaning supplies. And a few other things that could be used for a myriad of reasons. But I think the note scribbled on it saying “Helthod Keep” is where we should focus.”

“Helthod Keep? I know that name, where have I heard that name?” Sammus said as they worked their way back up to the top of the stairs and into the house. They took a few minutes to quickly look around the abandoned villa, but there was little there to take. The pantry was bare and any weapon that was in the house was purely decorational.

The woods outside of the house were still there and they began the long trek toward the dwarven keep as Sammus continued to mutter under his breath. Erak kept his senses alert as they walked.

“Helthop Keep! It’s far from here, I don’t know if the Emperor or the prince would make it there in any noticeable time.” Erak hummed questioningly as the woods were filled with the song of birds.

“It’s a hunting lodge near the border of the Middle Kingdom. It’s supposed to overlook Tirimax’s Fall.” Erak and Pomp just both stared at the prince until he told them more.

“You are disturbingly uneducated in our society’s history,” Sammus said. Erak signed awkwardly to him with one hand.

“Not my society,” Erak reminded him.

“Tirimax was one of the ancient dragons of old, before the ascended to the heavens. Some say he was the last dragon on the planet, but that’s mainly propaganda. Emperor Vanthris the Second hunted him and slew him with a party numbering nearly three hundred. As Tirimax fell it is said that magic fled the world, his crash created a deep canyon, and the Emperor died from an infection from his wounds. His son erected Helthop Keep in memorial to his father.”

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“There’s a dragon skeleton down there?” Erak asked.

“Tirimax was said to be the size of a mountain when he crashed down to earth. He ripped apart the hills and formed a great canyon system. Hundreds of bones and teeth have been found in the river beds over the centuries.”

“Dragon bones and teeth?” Erak asked.

“Some. A few teeth for sure. It's deep in the wilds, the territory is hard to get to. Of the dragon graves, it’s likely the least touched. If it's all true.”

“Dragon obsessed Emperor has a keep overlooking the final resting spot of the final dragon. It seems like it's a good lead,” Erak said as they followed the road.

“I never knew my father was so obsessive. It took an invasion of hell creatures to showcase his passions.”

“But how will he get there? He’s old,” Pomp asked.

“And the prince was even further behind,” Erak signed.

“You know, we didn’t see any vehicles in Villa Draconis. If their personal vehicles managed to change like the ones did in the Armory, then they could have taken them.”

“We will have to convince Victoria to send us there with the Sword of Empire,” Erak signed.

“Have you ever been to a dwarven stronghold?” Sammus asked. Their walk through the forest was calm, the previous nights fight nothing more than history.

“There are no dwarves on the ice,” Erak told him.

“I went twice. It's very small. I’m looking forward to watching you walk around their halls.”

“I hope they have a smith and armorer on hand.”

“You are looking a little worse for the wear my friend. Positively battered.”

“Each of these dents could have been placed in your skull instead of in steel,” Erak reminded him.

“For that I am eternally thankful. But you still look like you’ve gone five rounds with a pneumatic jack and have lost all of them.”

“Next fight you can stand in front of all of them and I’ll stand behind you. I’m sure you will still look pretty afterwards,” Erak signed. He was smiling under his helmet, the banter a light reminder to his old days with Lord Glacies guard.

“You think I’m pretty?” Sammus said with a straight face. A smile spread a moment later and the prince laughed loudly as they kept walking down the lane. The woods were empty, the demons were gone, and all that was left was just an empty wood for the three of them to walk through.

“Prettier than me,” Erak said.

Sammus went silent for a moment and they walked in silence further into the forest.

“Was it in service to Victoria? Or earlier?” Sammus asked very quietly. Erak had told the story many times and had had it told even more. Lord Glacies knew the effect of having someone on his retainer that was as scarred as he. There was a psychological effect to having a menacing, scarred man staring at you as you tried to negotiate trade deals.

“Acid. It was thrown at Victoria while we were out in the town. A terrorist who disagreed with Lord Glacies and his policies. The doctors were good, they managed to save my eyes.”

“How old were you?”

“Eighteen. She was fifteen. Just a girl. She didn’t know why someone had come to throw acid on her or wanted her hurt.”

“I was twelve when I saw my first assassination attempt. It wasn’t even for father’s side, believe it or not. It was mother’s cousin, a lower Lord. He made a poor ruling apparently and there were some disgruntled folks who didn’t mind using violence to make their opinions known.”

“Did they succeed?” Erak asked.

“They did. A car bomb. Killed him and his family. Mother left after that. She was tired of the court life and went back home.”

“Were you close with her?”

“Yes. Father is very busy and has quite a few Queens and children running around if you hadn’t noticed. So me and Illyria were left with mother for the majority of our time. Her and our tutors.”

“She still alive?”

“Was before those portals opened up.”

“We can go and find her if you want. Once we find the Emperor.”

“Thank you, Erak.” The three of them lapsed in companionable silence and kept walking through the forest.