Book 5 Epilogue
Brox pulled out the buzzing rock. Many years ago he'd had it carved with a remarkable likeness of Sarya’s scowl. It vibrated aggressively, and he watched it carefully to see how long it would buzz for. The Elothian Rangers he was with looked back at him with tight faces, each concerned by the noise but unwilling to tell him to his face to be quiet.
After all, they were hunting dangerous prey. Brox had asked for something exciting, and they’d taken him to hunt dragonwolves. The rangers wanted to surprise the fire-breathing predators, but Brox knew that wouldn’t work. Catching creatures like this by surprise was a fool’s game. Besides, he didn’t really felt like lying still for hours in the attempt.
That being said, he didn’t much feel like abandoning Elothia right now. He’d been looking forward to hunting the dangerous wildlife that abounded on this continent. He’d start small, with prey like the dragonwolves, then ramp up to bigger game. He’d been looking forward to going up against one of the hillboars. But the rock in his hand continued to vibrate, and after the fifth pulse he looked up at the rangers who’d accompanied him and swore.
“Quenfi’s flaming teats. You’ll have to finish this hunt without me. Stalk silently and all that.” He didn’t wait for a response before he turned and dashed away, the brush of the forest crackling with the speed of his movement. As soon as he was out of sight he activated his teleport and appeared in the conference hall Sarya preferred for important chats amongst her grid. The room was made of enchanted glass and lay far beneath her palace, protruding out into the waters of the ocean. Monsters swam around them, lured to the life of the port but unable to breach the enchantments that kept them below the surface. Similar enchantments protected this room, giving Brox a close-up view of several monsters he’d love to fight.
Then he breathed out and turned towards the table in the center of the room. Only Sarya was present, and she gestured him towards his place, where an enchanted goblet filled with opalescent liquid waited for him.
Brox’s eyebrows rose. “You opened a bottle of the Sungold?” He walked over and picked up the chalice, letting the vapors waft up and caress his skin like fingers of sunlight.
“I did,” Sarya replied. She took a careless gulp of the millennia-old and utterly irreplaceable liquor, then gave him an irritated look. “Because of your mistake.”
He took a gentle sip, letting the effervescent light move up into his sinuses before evaporating into his brain. “By Edes, what’s got you upset now? Was it what I did in Itonia? Those seers exist to be used, and look at where it took me! It can’t be Gemore. I know the prizes that bout earned.” He waggled his finger at her. “We’re winning this conflict now! Is that what this is about? How to capitalize on that victory? My victory?”
Sarya shook her head and sighed. “No - but we should wait for our companions before discussing it.”