The trolls back on the ledge shouted curses and taunts as they worked to drag their fellows off the fallen bridge. Beside them, the fire giant raged and bellowed. Fortunately, Lefty and Calista were out of arrow range, so the climb was little more than a formality. Even Lefty found easy footholds in the rope. So when they finally reached the top, Calista helped her friend up onto the ledge where they looked out at the cavern.

Vevic and Severin were still locked in a deadly struggle. The dragon had abandoned her flame and was chasing the arch-mage through the air. Her claws swiped and slashed as Severin dodged this way and that to avoid the furious wyrm. Lightning, flame, and ice shot forth from his fingertips as he fought. Calista could see Vevic was wearing down. Her hide was scarred and bleeding in several spots and one eye was beginning to swell.

Then Lefty stepped beside her. “There’s no exit here. I checked. Whatever magic Lady Loveless used to teleport us here must have been a one-way ticket.”

“It’s a boss room,” explained Calista. “The only way out is through the boss.”

“I don’t know if that’s true,” Lefty replied. “That building over there on the third level looks awfully suspicious. If I were to guess, that’s where we need to use the keys.”

“There’s just one problem with that,” she answered.

“I know, you only have the four of them but what else are we going to do?” Lefty asked.

“I agree, but the keys are only part of the solution, remember? When I was sent here, my quest giver said there were secrets I needed to find. And after I got here, I found out there were secrets for every key and I only have a few guesses as to what those secrets even are.”

Lefty shook his head in frustration. “So now we’re here in the boss room with only four keys, no secrets, and no way out except through that madman who’s flying through the air as he solos a black dragon. Great.”

They then both looked up in the air where Severin was now getting the better of Vevic. Several spines on the dragon’s back were broken and bleeding and several large gashes marked the dragon’s sides. Vevic backed off as she reverted to blasting at Severin with her breath weapon. However, the arch-mage was far ahead of her now as he blocked every blast with a shield of red energy. Between blasts of dragonfire, the mage retaliated with bolts of electricity and razor sharp shards of ice that flew through the air like heat seeking missiles at the wyrm.

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“You know,” Lefty said, “I don’t know about you, but I feel no need to go up there and try to get between the two of them.”

Calista nodded her agreement.

“So unless you have a better suggestion, I say we fly on over to that building and investigate. Maybe we can see if another key turns up or something there tells us about these secrets you were supposedly sent here to find.”

Why didn’t I think of that? Calista frowned as she looked over at the black building. She could totally see this room containing some kind of puzzle they had to figure out while navigating a boss battle. “You know … I’m not saying you’re right, but I’m not saying you’re wrong either.”

“That’s what I thought.” Lefty touched her shoulder as he muttered, “Sene Pondere.”

They made sure to fly high against the cavern ceiling to avoid the troll archers. Several arrows still came close, striking the ceiling or falling just short as the two of them soared overhead. However, both of the managed to avoid the missiles until they were past the first two levels of the fortress where they turned downward and took aim for the black building.

Trolls were now running up the stairs from the first level to the second. There looked to be around a hundred of them now, all of them armed to the teeth. The fire giant bypassed the stairs, crushing several trolls as he ran for the ledge to the second level where he simply jumped, grabbed the ledge, and pulled himself up. Hoping to buy as much time as possible, they landed on the far side of the black building where it would block the view of their pursuers.

Windowless black stone, the building might have been mistaken for a monolith if it were not for the door facing them. Silver with golden runes hammered into its face, the door had an ominous look to it. As Calista ran her hands over the silver plating, a chill ran through her body.

“I wouldn’t touch that if I were you.”

Severin’s voice preceded a fiery roar of pain as the dragon Vevic came crashing down. Calista and Lefty leapt to the side as the wounded dragon landed with a sickening thud against the stone floor. Calista could hear bones crunch and then scales scrape against the stone as Vevic landed, rolled, and slid to a stop where the wyrm lay motionless against the wall of the cavern.

Above, his ominous black robes fluttering in the air was the floating form of Severin. His eyes gleamed with an evil green light as his hands glowed with black flame. “I don’t remember telling you that you could do that.”

“I don’t remember asking permission, asshole,” Calista growled.

Smirking, Severin wagged a glowing finger. “You’re not getting in there until you go through me.”

“Deal,” Calista glanced at her partner. “Lefty, you remember the plan?”

The mage rolled his eyes, “Ah yes, this is the part where I probably die horribly. I remember it quite well.” He then touched her shoulder. “Nos potesti verderi!”