When the hatch opened, depositing them into another hallway, Pirin feared that he'd have to keep walking for a few more hours.

But this hallway was short. Already, he could see the end, and he liked what he saw on the other side. He began to run, with Gray right behind him. Crystal stalactites and stalagmites filled the tunnel, and they crept along the wall in thick, tight veins. Rune-lines ran parallel to the floor, as if shepherding the crystals out to the vent culvert, but even some of them had been covered over and disrupted.

If Pirin had to guess, the door to this tunnel was supposed to stay open, the Essence reactor fuelling the rune. But the crystal buildup had slowly—over what was likely thousands of years—disrupted the runes and shut the hatches. The entire place had slowly decayed and turned off.

"Any idea what it was supposed to do?" he asked, looking back at Gray. She walked just behind him, hopping along and chirping softly. The hatch they had just passed through began to fall shut behind them, creaking under its weight and grinding against the stone. Pirin didn't know if he'd be able to open it from the inside, but for now, it gave them just a bit of a lead on their pursuers.

I've got no idea what is does, Gray responded. I imagine you'd have a better guess than I would.

"Maybe, but I've got nothing either." Pirin had to crouch under an especially large shard of crystal—which Gray plowed through head-first moments later. "Maybe I should just let you lead..."

But the small hallway ended after a few more steps. The floor fell off and away, and the walls spread out on all sides like a great sandstone cliff. They curved with the same subtle pitch as the wall outside the hatch

Pirin dropped to his knees for balance and pressed his hand against the lip of the tunnel. In front of him was a cavernous, spherical cavern, big enough to fit an entire city inside it. Crystals had accumulated on the walls, and they spread around in veins. Some shards looked just like frosty fluff from a distance, but Pirin figured they'd be four—if not five—times his height up close.

At the center of the sphere, a mountain of accumulated shards rose up, reaching for the ceiling, and at their very tip, at the center of the chamber, something glowed brighter than the rest of the crystals.

Pirin's mouth slipped open. "All these crystals...they're permanently manifested Essence, left so long they've lost most of their power."

Not to be a bother, but that hatch won't hold forever, Gray said. Whoever's behind us will get through soon enough.

Pirin gulped, then stood back up. "If the Reign gems are anywhere, then they're at the tip of that crystal spire."

The tunnel had deposited them almost exactly at the sphere's equator. But if he just slipped off, he could slide down, riding the curve of the canyon's wall. “Keep up, Gray.” He sat down, steadied himself with a breath, then pushed off.

Oh, you’ll have to do better than that to outrun me! She jumped out of the tunnel and dove after him.

Pirin dug his heels into the wall and pressed his elbows back. He pulled his sleeves over his wrists so he wouldn’t lose all the skin on his hands—not that he had much left to lose—and arched his back.

The bottom of the spherical chamber had accumulated a floor of crystal dust, making the bottom of the sphere flat. Pirin aimed for the floor, sliding between shards of crystals and swerving around the largest cracks in the stone.

Gray swooped past overhead, circling and aiming for the flat floor the same as Pirin. Just before he arrived, she tucked her wings and swooped, then fluttered to a halt, kicking up a tidal wave of dust.

Pirin lifted an arm and shielded his eyes as he came to a halt. “I guess there is no beating a gnatsnapper for speed…”

You might have stood a chance if there was someone in my saddle, Gray said. But alas, I was all alone.

After pushing himself to his feet, Pirin set off across the bottom of the sphere. The crystal sand was completely flat—not even a single dune—but it shifted with every step. His walk turned to a run. He aimed directly at the central crystal spire. “You wouldn’t happen to be able to fly me up there, would you?” he asked, looking back at Gray. She hopped along a few steps behind.

We could get up, but hovering in place isn’t an option, she said, opening her wings just a little.

“What if we flew up to that…chain,” Pirin said, pointing up to the crystal spire. A thick chain hung from the center of the ceiling on a spool, suspending a block of stone. The stone looked carved, and if Pirin squinted, he could make out little windows in its sides. It was hollow. He could climb down from that little hanging room, and he’d be right at the top of the spire.

I can drop you on the roof, Gray said. Then I’ll circle back and land on it when I don’t have a rider—when I’m lighter. There isn’t much of a runway up there.

Pirin stopped running about halfway to the spire. He swung up into Gray’s saddle, then signalled for her to take off. She ran along the sandy ground for a few seconds until she had enough speed to lift off. She flapped her wings, climbing and circling around the central crystal spire.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Pirin’s gaze latched on to the tip of the spire. The glow that he’d seen earlier stayed, and now it had a blue tint. There was something embedded in the crystal, that was sure enough.

Gray pulled up into a steep climb right before she hit the hanging room, then opened her wings and angled forward so she glided over the roof of the room. If you’re gonna jump, now would be a good time!

Pirin pulled his feet out of the stirrups and pushed off, aiming for the point where the chain met the stone.

He skidded along the roof of the chamber a few feet, then clutched onto the lowest link of the chain. It was covered in rust, but it was still as thick as a tree trunk, and it didn’t budge when he grabbed it.

The entire block was so sturdy that, even though it was hanging, it didn’t even sway when he landed. He climbed to his feet. Tracing the chain up to the ceiling with his gaze, he searched for a way to lower the chain even further. There was an opening at the very top of the sphere, and even though the shadows were thick up there, he thought he could make out a spool that the chain would have wound around.

But that probably had something to do with the runes and rune-lines and the long-forgotten power this place held. He wouldn’t be able to make it move even if he wanted to. He’d have to get down to the crystal spire the old-fashioned way—jumping.

He walked to the edge of the block, then swung down over the lip. There was a window just below, and with the help of a Winged Kick, he launched himself into the little room.

The walls sloped outwards, and almost every surface inside had a window carved into it. A few still had glass shards in their frames. Pirin turned in a circle, trying to observe the little room. It must have been a control room of some sort. All along the floor, rune-lines snaked around. There were little circles where a wizard would have knelt to activate the lines, and even some scorch marks from intense Essence surges. A few cabinets lined the edges of the room, no doubt where ancient wizards would have kept supplies.

Gray’s talons clicked on the ceiling above. I can feel you’re not dead. You’re inside there?

“I’m down,” Pirin shouted. “If you…” All the windows were open, but none of them would be big enough for Gray to squish through. “You’re not going to fit in here! I’ll be quick and get down to the spire! You keep watch.”

He ran to the edge of the room and leaned out. The central crystal spire was only a few yards before, but he just needed a good place to land—where a crystal spike wouldn’t impale him.

As he leaned out further, his leg brushed against a small cabinet at the edge of the room. Despite a few large and obvious preservation runes, the rotting wood crumbled, and the cabinet tilted over. Runes couldn’t hold on forever.

This cabinet had a few golden trinkets in it, but Pirin didn’t know what they did. He still pocketed them—he didn’t know when gold might come in handy.

But if these cabinets still had equipment in them, he might find some rope!

You might want to hurry up… Gray warned. I’m seeing Essence flashes from the little hatch we came from! They’re…greenish.

“Oh, Eane-foresake it…” Pirin grumbled. “It’s Lady Clase, probably!”

All the more reason to go faster!

Pirin ran around the edge of the control room, pulling open the cabinets, or pushing them over. Their contents spilled out. Most just contained dust, or objects that had decayed long ago. But one cabinet—one with some of the strongest preservation runes plastered all over it—contained a drawer filled with Smoke tablets. There wasn’t time to light them, but Pirin suspected they’d demonstrate some kind of ancient magical technique, and he couldn’t leave that behind. He stuffed them into his haversack.

Another cabinet contained some umberstone pebbles, which he also shovelled into his haversack. Next, some long fabric strips that felt like a cross between leather and silk when he rubbed them between his fingers. They weren’t long enough to use as a rope, though. He left those behind.

In the last cabinet, he unveiled a few spools of chain. It was thin and rusty, but it would support an elf’s weight easily enough. He dragged it out and wrapped it around the window frame and tied it. When he pulled on it, it didn’t budge.

He threw the chain out the window and climbed down. When he descended to the tip of the crystal spire, he wrapped the chain around his foot and ankle to support his weight, then he reached out and grasped the tip of the spire with one arm.

Buried deep within the dusty white crystal was a sky-blue gemstone. He drew his sword and tapped at the tip of the spire with the pommel, knocking off small shards on useless crystal.

I get that you’re being cautious, Gray said, leaning over the edge of the control room above. But I think your Saltspray friends got the hatch open again. Or maybe Clase just blasted through it. Either way, there was a big flash.

Pirin pulled his arm back, then gave the crystal spire a heavy bash with the pommel of the sword. The outer casing cracked. He struck it with a Winged Punch, scouring the dust and outer layer away, until there was only a glowing blue core. It was thin enough to wrap his hand around, and it would fit into the palm of his hand. As soon as he touched it, it vibrated, and let off a high-pitched chime that made his heart quiver. He snapped it off.

A pulse of power surged out of the crystal, whipping his hair into a frenzy and nearly pushing him off the spire. He clung to the crystal, tightening his fingers.

“Got it!” he yelled.

Great. Now get up! We’re getting out of here!

Pirin climbed back up the ladder to the control room. As he scaled the ladder, he called, “Alright, Nomad! I got your gems! I got them!” He wasn’t sure if the man was even close enough to hear.

There was no response. Pirin hauled himself back into the control room, then jumped up onto one of the window sills. He grabbed the upper roof of the control room and hauled himself back up to the top.

Finally! Gray said. Now, we can run! Or, a tactical retreat if that makes you feel better!

Pirin was about to stuff the Reign gem back in his haversack, but he stopped.

There was no way he was getting past them, and nowhere close to run. He couldn’t defeat two wizards on his own—not when they were stages ahead of him—and he doubted Lady Clase would let him out without a fight.

He needed to finish Nomad’s quest, and he would need to finish it now. He needed a stronger wizard on his side.

He set the Reign gem down on the sandstone roof. “Gray,” he said. “I know this sounds like a bad idea—”

Oh no. Please no…

“—but I need to use the Gem now. We’re not running.”