“The old World Tree kept multiple access points to every continent and combined them with the local Gate Networks to allow their Chroniclers to reach any place on Mogar quickly. The current Tree probably does the same.”
“You must be right, Grandma.” Lith nodded. “Now I can’t see Solus’ light anymore but I know she’s alive. The Yggdrasill must have closed all access points to their Fringe for- Never mind, I can see her again.”
“This is great.” Silverwing rolled her eyes. “If we have to wait for the World Tree to open a specific access point long enough for you to track it down, it will take us a lot of time and luck. Can you tell which one is the closest to us at least?”
“No.” Lith shook his head. “They open and close too quickly. The light gives me the general direction and the annoyance I feel should give me an estimate of the distance but I don’t have the time to adjust before the access point collapses.”
“Oh, gods.” Silverwing held her head between her hands. “Now what?”
“Now we face one problem at a time.” Lith replied. “Solus’ position is irrelevant until we have put together a force powerful enough to give us a chance to save her. Zoreth?”
“You can count on Bytra and me for sure.” The Shadow Dragon nodded. “I can ask the other core members of the Organization to help us and they surely will. Yet if we do, you must decide how much you want to reveal to them.
“They are not stupid. They’ll understand Solus isn’t just your relative, otherwise the Tree would have had no reason to kidnap her. You can choose not to tell them about the tower but if they look for a human woman, they’ll ignore a stone ring.”
“Point taken.” Lith sighed while pondering the issue. “Valtak?”
“I’m fine, if that’s what you’re asking me.” The Father of Fire released a powerful bright violet aura. “If you want to know how many Dragons I can muster, instead, I can ask the Brood for help, but they’ll want something in return.
“On top of that, if you want any Dragon to move their scaly bottom, you’d better tell them that Solus is bound to some kind of priceless treasure.”
“Why?” Everyone asked in unison.
“Because Dragon greed.” Valtak shrugged. “There are many Wyrms I know who would call you incompetent and foolish for losing your treasure but there are many others who would help you retrieve it.
“No Dragon can suffer the thought of anyone robbing them and by helping you, they ensure that if they ever find themselves in your position, you’ll return the favor.”
“Point taken.” Lith nodded. “What if we tell everyone Solus knows the location of the focus of my omni pocket? It would explain why the Tree kidnapped her and tried to kill me.”
“A perfect blend of lies and truth.” Zoreth replied. “It’s a perfect cover, considering that the pocket dimension holds all your magical resources.”
“Agreed, but what about the reward?” Valtak asked. “It must be good or no one will even consider helping you.”
“Is this enough?” Lith took the Apprentice Ears of Menadion out of his dimensional amulet where Ragnarök had stored it. “One piece of the legendary Menadion set as the bounty for my partner. Whoever saves her gets the prize.”
“Good gods!” Many said in unison and the Ernas girls were among them.
Zoreth and Valtak looked at the helm with Dragon greed but Bytra’s eyes shone with desire no less than theirs.
“Big sis, do you think the Organization might be interested? Before answering, I have to tell you I don’t know how to unlock the Ears like Maergron did. Every piece of the Set is sealed in tutorial mode unless a secret physical code is inputted.”
“Gods, yes!” She said with too much enthusiasm for everyone’s liking. “I mean, sure, but the other Eldritches will still wonder why you are willing to give away such a powerful artifact, even if I ‘forget’ to mention the seal part.”
“I’m not.” Lith shook his head. “Unless we find and save Solus, no one gets anything. The Ears are bait to rally powerful beings to my aid. Also, in case anyone asks, tell them I’ve tried the Ears and it puts too much strain on my cracked life force.
“After all, Grandma can remove the imprint with Creation Magic so it’s a plausible excuse. Everyone knows how much I care about my family. Sacrificing a powerful artifact I can’t use to save someone I love makes sense.”
“Speaking of which, do you mind if I take the Ears for a ride?” Friya asked.
“After a meal?” Lith raised his eyebrow. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, but sure. Help yourself.”
“Meaning?” Friya looked at the artifact as if it were a coiled venomous snake ready to bite.
“I have yet to try the Ears but I’ve seen it in action. It suffers from sensory overload like the Eyes. You are in the presence of powerful beings wearing powerful artifacts. What do you think will happen when the Ears deliver the collected information to your brain at once?” Lith replied.
“That I’ll get a splitting headache and puke my guts out at best and faint at worst.” Friya said.
“Correct. That’s how we defeated Maergron.” Zoreth nodded.
“Wait, Lady Yaga, don’t you know how the Ears work?” Quylla asked.
“I know that Lith’s assumption is correct, but that’s it.” The Mother shook her head. “I can also tell you that the Ears are the most combat-oriented of the four pieces of the Menadion Set. It’s the reason Ripha never shared anything about it with me.
“In case one day we fought on different sides.”
“That’s…” Valtak’s voice rose several octaves and his tail came out of his back, wagging like that of a dog in front of its favorite treat. “I mean, that’s going to be a huge help during the recruiting phase.
“A treasure for a treasure is a deal many Dragons are willing to take. Even though it’s more a rat race than a bounty, never underestimate a Dragon’s greed.”
“This will put me into trouble, but I can guarantee you the Organization’s aid.” Zoreth said.
“You have my help too, little brother.” Sinmara walked through the door. “Reward or not, I’ll do everything I can to help you. If I’m the one to rescue Solus, you can keep the Ears of Menadion for yourself.
“I’ll be your strawman so that if anyone is tempted to steal it once we get back home, they’ll come after me instead of you.”
“You can count on us as well.” Surtr and Rethia were just one step behind her. “We came as soon as we received news of your awakening. We didn’t arrive sooner because we didn’t want to intrude in your family reunion.
“I give up on the reward as well, but if the Ears end up in the hands of one of your friends, I would greatly appreciate it if they could lend it to me from time to time.”
“Dear!” Rethia nudged him hard enough to make the Dragon of Light take a side step. “That’s rude and insensitive!”
