Glissa stood. She was back in the same forest of her flare. It looked just as she had remembered-green and gold, bright and warm. Water droplets clung to the moss and flowers at her feet, glistening in the bright rays of sunshine that filtered through the leaves. The metal covering her arms and legs was gone. Instead, she was draped in vines and leaves. She felt calm, the stress of the Dross melting away along with the memory of her other life. This was where she belonged.
She began walking. A voice inside her beckoned her. Her inner serenity was replaced by fear, but Glissa knew she could not turn back. Her destiny lay ahead of her. After a time, the trees gave way to a clearing. Within the grove, she saw many elves dressed in leaves and vines. More appeared at its edges and walked forward without speech or expression toward a bright light in the middle of the clearing.
Glissa felt a sense of doom overtake her as she stared at the globe of light. It didn’t belong in the forest. It didn’t belong in this world. Glissa tried to stop, to back away, but her legs would not obey her.
She raised her hands in front of her to shield her eyes and shouted, “No! Stop. Stay away!” but she was too late. The globe of light flashed, expanding out to engulf the entire clearing. Glissa was falling. The bodies of the other elves, silhouetted in the bright light, fell with her.
* * * * *
Glissa was back in the Mephidross, drenched in muck. She looked up to see the golem’s face, with Slobad peeking around from behind. She was being carried through the Dross.
“Awake now, huh?” said Slobad. “Crazy elf pick funny time for nap. Fall facedown into Dross, huh? Not good. Slobad know, huh? Slobad know.”
“It was a flare,” said Glissa. “A vision we elves get.” She looked over her shoulder to see where they were going but could not see the Vault of Whispers any longer. “Where are we? What happened to the figure?”
“We not see anything, but you fall into Dross,” said Slobad. “Plop. Face first. Lucky you call us, or you still there, huh? The golem pull you out, and we head back to Glimmervoid.”
Glissa struggled to escape the golem’s grip. “No!” she said. “We have to go back. I saw the figure from the Tangle, the one in Ushanti’s vision. He had silver birds flying above him, just like the ones Geth described.” Glissa quickly told them what she had learned from the ruler of the Vault.
“Nim come swarming from Vault, after you fall,” said Slobad. “Plop. Right into Dross. No robed figure or silver birds, huh? Just lots of nim and another reaper. Bad if we stay, huh? Had to leave.”
“You’re right, of course,” she said. “I’m sorry, Slobad. At least I have this.” Glissa pulled the vial of serum from her dagger sheath and showed it to the goblin.
“What is that, huh?”
“I was hoping you could tell me. This was the payment Geth received for his attacks on Taj Nar. You’ve never seen it before? Geth called it serum.”
As soon as that word left Glissa’s mouth, the golem halted. Glissa almost fell from the sudden stop. She looked up at the golem’s face. His eyes had narrowed, and he was staring at the vial in her hand.
“What’s the matter, golem?” asked Glissa. “What is it?”
“Memnarch,” said the golem.
Glissa stared up at the golem. “Did he just talk?” she asked.
“Yes,” said Slobad.
“Has he done that before?”
Slobad shook his head. “No.”
“What do you think ‘Memnarch’ means?” asked Glissa.
“I don’t know.”
“Huh.”
CHAPTER 11
The trip to Taj Nar was quick and uneventful. Even laden with Slobad and Glissa, the golem moved twice as fast as Glissa could on foot. The metal man was tireless. By morning, they got to the edge of the Razor Fields, having met no resistance on their way out. Glissa saw groups of nim several times, only to see them change course and veer away. Perhaps Geth had gotten the message. Perhaps he was no longer being paid. Either way, Glissa was happy to avoid conflict.
Once out of the Dross, the golem moved even faster. The trip took only a single rotation. However, the golem remained mute after its single utterance, and Glissa was no closer to deciphering the riddle of the serum and the word “Memnarch” when they arrived at Taj Nar than she was when they had left the Mephidross.
“Maybe Raksha knows what serum is, huh?” said Slobad as they crested the hill surrounding Taj Nar.
“I’m more interested in talking to Ushanti,” said Glissa. “This vial feels magical to me.”
When they reached the base of Taj Nar, the gate stood open. When the guards saw Glissa and Slobad riding the golem, they came to attention and drew their weapons.
“Halt!” said one. “Proceed no farther.”
Glissa jumped down from the golem’s hands and bowed low. “I am Glissa of the Tangle and this is Slobad,” she said, indicating the goblin still perched on the shoulders of the golem. “We have come from the Mephidross with information for Raksha.”
“We know who you are,” said the guard. “You are welcome. Raksha will see you immediately. But this creature is not known to us. It must remain outside the walls of Taj Nar.”
Glissa furrowed her brow. “The golem?” she asked. “It’s perfectly safe. In fact, this metal man saved our lives in the Dross. I will vouch for it.”
“I apologize,” said the guard. “However, our orders are clear. You and the goblin may enter. No one else.”
“Look,” said Glissa. “Do you think you’d even be standing here if the golem wasn’t safe? It could tear you apart before you moved.…”
Slobad coughed behind Glissa, stopping her in mid-rant. She glared back at the goblin, while he motioned her to be calm.
“Not a problem, huh?” said Slobad as he winked at Glissa. “Slobad stay here with golem. You talk with Raksha, huh? No problem.”
Glissa took a deep breath and nodded. As the guard led her into the city, she thought about how odd their trio must look-an elf, a goblin, and a golem running from some madman with a domed head. Perhaps she had been too quick to trust. What did she really know about Slobad and the golem? But they had both saved her life. Surely not everyone was an enemy.
Her musings came to an abrupt halt when the guard ushered Glissa into Raksha’s throne room. She was duly impressed. The room was large and ornate. Bright shields lined both walls, each one carved with a different pattern. Shining suns were a common motif. Some depicted a proud warrior basking in the light, while others showed visions of Taj Nar or a great battle playing out beneath the bright orb. The sun pattern was displayed on the floor as well. A golden orb was inlaid upon a dais at the end of the room, its rays radiating out to each wall.
Instead of resting on the dais, the throne stood behind a large, silver table in the middle of the room. The table was filled with charts and papers. Raksha sat on his throne, staring at the papers. Glissa and the guard stood quietly waiting for the leader to finish his work. When he finally looked up, he motioned for Glissa to sit in a chair opposite him before going back to his work. All business, noticed Glissa. The leonin obviously did not believe in ceremony where their Kha was concerned.
“It is good to see you well,” said Raksha in between scribbling notes. He sniffed the air. “It is obvious you have been to the Dross. You have brought much of it back with you. But you look well enough. Where is the little goblin? We know he must have survived the trip. Nothing on this world is capable of killing that one.”
Glissa couldn’t help smiling. Slobad had said that Raksha did not trust easily, but he certainly trusted deeply. “Slobad awaits below with our newest ally-a golem we found in the Dross. Your guards were wary. The golem is imposing.”