Tristan headed to the Queen’s Wood and down the ramp to the depths. “What will I find in there?” he asked Zeltana.

  She replied in his mind. Another scroll. As for the object within? It is a surprise. Possibly one you will welcome.

  “Thanks for being useless.”

  Hey! I’m just letting the suspense build up.

  He reached the open vault doors and walked through until he arrived at the sixth one. A more intricate seal than the prior ones. Spirals that expanded out in a large swirl. “Can you at least tell me how many vaults there are?”

  Seven. One for each Order of spell. I never focused on essence weaving too much, and so didn’t bother training my crucible. For the purpose of being this Primordial Being? It felt like the quality of my crucible was more important than its capacity. A larger funnel for the realm’s ambient essence.

  “And I have a divine one already,” Tristan replied.

  Yes. You don’t need to continue to progress your essence-weaving capabilities. Meditation will hardly do anything for you now.

  “Dragon crucibles let me jump leaps and bounds.”

  True. That’s how you went from almost to Sixth Order to now being able to open the corresponding vault door. But why do you care so much?

  “Grandfather’s friend, Jacoby, and that encoded spell. It feels incredible having those draconic features manifested. Taking on their power to increase my own potential. It’s intoxicating.”

  Yes, I experienced your memories and that hunt-urge. It seems to be getting stronger and more compelling the more crucibles you consume. I can only wonder what will happen when you are at fifty or more like your grandfather.

  “He said eighty-seven.”

  Close enough.

  The Matriarch walked down the passage in her Elfanoid form. “Lord Tristan, you are ready?”

  Tristan nodded and knelt, placing his knees in the shallow grooves, and planting his hands on the door before him. Spinning his crucible full-force, he surged the essence down his arms and into the wood. The spiral filled rapidly, and he felt exhaustion drag at his consciousness as he drained himself empty. But, the spiral filled, and he still had a little bit of essence left. As the door slid aside, he staggered to his feet and reverse-spun his crucible to suck in ambient essence and refill his capacity. “Let’s see what awaits.”

  Another chamber just like the prior ones. Roots shaped into a pedestal, with a glowing lantern-like bulb just above. A black box of stone covered the pillar. He walked in and easily flipped the stone off with a single movement.

  Underneath the box was a large crystal. A sapphire, shaped like a solid orb. Something was trapped within, and Tristan lifted the fist-sized gem and put it up to his eye. He could not see what lay within. “Interesting.” He turned and handed it to The Matriarch, who also inspected it. He turned back and grabbed the scroll, unfurling it and speaking aloud.

  =====================================================================

  New abilities lay ahead

  If this far you descend,

  You have grown in power

  And prepare to go and scour.

  Read close and learn the first

  Step to take and rehearse

  The order that must begin

  To make new species in the realm, within.

  Visualize the shape you seek to build

  And expand it until it has filled

  the size that you envision

  And then make necessary revision.

  After, take them from your mind

  and affix them in a place assigned

  Breathe life into their faces

  And think about what their place is

  State the following phrase without fault,

  And a new species will awaken, resolved.

  “I want the [species] to be brought to life.

  Given form, thought, and joined to the Fey Realm”

  =====================================================================

  I couldn’t make the last lines rhyme, Zeltana said in Tristan’s mind. I’m not perfect. The dryads helped a lot with the rhyming. One of those, “place is” and “faces” that’s called a slant rhyme. Neat, huh?

  Tristan furled the scroll and handed it to The Matriarch. He then gestured for the blue orb, and took it from her when offered. “Well, I already know how to make a new species, so this information is moot. But, for a Winterbloom who was learning from scratch, without guidance? I could see how this would be useful.”

  The Matriarch nodded as she clasped her hands in front of her. “Thank you, for that. Making the species that were lost. It is greatly appreciated.” She paused, then spoke softly. “I think you should hold off on any new grafts until this business with the Demon Realm is concluded. I spoke to Felicity, and she shared a tale of your prowess from this recent Wild Realm excursion. I do not believe you need further assistance in this matter. I would instead focus on building up and choosing who to take with you in this strike force you mentioned that would go for the Demon King and his assassins.”

  “Not a bad idea,” Tristan replied as he toyed with the sphere in his hands, turning it end over end. It was rough-hewn, not smooth and polished. Maybe if I get the gnomes to polish it, we’ll see what’s inside. “Have the dryads look for access to the Demon Realm—”

  “Willow found it already,” The Matriarch replied as she turned and gestured for Tristan to follow through the tunnels. “We can open up the incursion at any time. And you are sure about the location and the plan?”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Yes.” Tristan quickly shared the message he sent Duberceix and the misdirection it involved. “. . . I think that the best course of action is still to have Krik stage a false front to draw the military forces further from the capital.”

  “They would arrive at the edge of the Demon Realm.”

  “Good. Then they can begin right as the uprisings of the various Demon Houses start.” They reached the ground floor of the Queen’s Wood, and The Matriarch gestured for them to continue walking up the spiral to the top boughs. “Once we are a week or so into the uprising, and scouts report that Duberceix’s forces are clearing out from the capital, my strike team goes in.”

  “It seems prudent,” The Matriarch replied. “I sincerely hope that he remains in his capital, or else your scouring will be for naught.”

  Tristan let out a brief, barking laugh. “I’ll find him. I have the Locate spell artificed into my cloak. Duberceix will die. All of his assassins will perish for good.” Tristan’s word were filled with a venom and spite that he felt was justified.

  The Matriarch, though, had never heard that tone and inflection, and she looked down at him with motherly concern. “I hope you keep your senses about you.”

  Tristan nodded. “I am clear in my path and purpose.”

  “Good.”

  They reached the top boughs and The Matriarch walked over to the edge of the platform with Tristan right beside her. “Why did you want to come up here?” Tristan asked.

  “It has been less than a year . . . and you have done all of this.” She gestured out to the Fey Realm, with particular attention paid to the Sunlit Summit and its flowering moss and miniature Queen’s Wood. “Still four sub-seals remain. But I never imagined that a Winterbloom would accomplish this much in such a short time.” She turned to him with a wide, broad smile that reached her ears. “Thank you. The realm is almost whole once more.”

  “It has progressed rapidly,” Tristan replied. “Thanks to eating dragons. And, hard work.”

  “Do you feel like you’ve earned it?”

  “Oh yes,” Tristan replied. “I earned this. Sure, I was this “chosen one” being the last Winterbloom alive . . . but I’ve more than earned the right to rule.” He looked at her with a sidelong glance. “How would you say I have ruled thus far?”

  “Well. Incredibly so. Just and prudent, though at times a little na?ve – but that naivete comes with youth.”

  Wow, she is really laying it on thick. Bet you she’s going to ask for something.

  Tristan smiled. “Thanks for the compliment.”

  The Matriarch sighed and her smile lapsed. “I had one request—”

  Called it!

  “—that you allow for another partial grafting.” She gestured to the skies above. “Logos and I desire physical intimacy.”

  “He has a body?” Tristan asked.

  He’s got a dick? Zeltana added in his mind.

  “He can shift his physical form,” The Matriarch replied. “Actually . . . this would not be a graft. It would be a Realm Bridge.”

  Tristan spoke. “A blend between a partial graft and a full graft. He could travel here freely, and vice-versa.” He tapped his head. “Zeltana informed me.”

  “Good.”

  “My concern is that it opens us up to invasion from that realm.”

  She smirked. “None can survive in Logos’ realm except himself and his two children. Betty, whom I believe you have met, and his son Tebby, who is currently in the Heavenly Realm.”

  “Logos could come here in person?”

  “For small windows, yes. He cannot leave the Thought Realm for a long time, as he cannot neglect divinations and leave them to the species that serve him alone in that realm.”

  Tristan nodded. “What do we get in return?”

  “Well, firstly, we have access to an entity with the entirety of all knowledge at his beck and call. Secondly, we can take a trait to apply to our own. For instance, perfect recollection.”

  “That sounds extremely useful,” Tristan replied. “What does he get from us?”

  “The ability to lie,” she replied. “So that he can give false divination results to those he deems unworthy . . . such as the assassins who seek your downfall. Or other foes.” She leaned forward and whispered to him. “This stays between us, and as long as you never tell another soul, he will not know this part. Zeltana doesn’t count since she is a consciousness.”

  Wow, that’s insulting.

  The Matriarch continued. “I believe that I can control Logos through our relationship. Do not misconstrue my intentions for false feelings; I do care deeply for Logos – an entity on my level in both intelligence and longevity. But through our relationship, I can ensure that he is always on our side and serving our interests. Plus, we can sever the Realm Bridge at any time.”

  Oh, I love this crafty bitch. This? This is why I made fairy dragons capricious fuckers.

  Tristan replied. “Instant memorization of spells phrases and gestures? Being able to recall all knowledge? Zeltana, what do you think?”

  It sounds like a good deal. I’m curious how he plans on screwing The Matriarch. I can’t wait to watch that!

  Tristan ignored her lewd comment and replied to The Matriarch. “I consent to a Realm Bridge. Let’s have it open up somewhere farther from the Queen’s Wood, even if that may be inconvenient to you.”

  “I understand. I will choose an empty section of the Fey Realm. Just so you are aware, it has two possible forms it can take. The first is similar to The Witchwood’s enclave; a separate “slice” of the Fey Realm connected by a small tunnel of the edges of the realm. The other option is a focal point. He has expressed interest in a tower atop a cloud.”

  “As long as it is toward the edge of the Realm, and not near the Queen’s Wood.”

  The Matriarch bowed. “Of course.”

  “Now, please go and ask for volunteers to meet me in three hours at the training field. Any who wish to be part of an elite strike force. I will be putting them through the wringer. Oh, and please ask Hurvun and Bertram to be there to help me evaluate. The same goes for Krik.”

  “I will set my children to the task.” The Matriarch leapt off the platform and manifested her wings, falling momentarily before swooping off toward the edge of the Fey Realm.

  Tristan manifested his wings and glided down to the crafting area. “I need a jeweler,” he muttered. And he spotted Beatrice, who was busy learning from a gnome who was working a lathe. “Perfect.” He walked over to the duo. “I need to have this gemstone appraised.”

  Both Beatrice and the gnome looked up. Beatrice’s eyes went wide. “Oh, it’s so big.”

  Pff. Zeltana giggled.

  Tristan handed her the massive blue stone. “Any idea what it is?”

  “It’s like a sapphire, uncut, but really big.”

  The gnome nodded. “Yes. There’s something within. Let’s cut and polish it.” He stopped pedaling the lathe and got up, walking over to another nearby bench that had a small stream of water running over leathery belts. He began working a simple wheel device with his foot, causing the belt to spin, and he slowly set to polishing the stone. A few moments passed, and the gnome held up the sapphire, which was far brighter. Tristan could see a small spiral within.

  Beatrice frowned. “What the heck is it?”

  “Great question,” Tristan said. “What if we cracked it open? It’s not like we’re wanting for sapphires.”

  I would advise against that. Perhaps you should use Discern Artifice.

  Tristan frowned. “On second thought, let me have it.” The gnome handed it to him, and Tristan quickly moved over to a table with ink and parchment. He performed the Discern Artifice spell, and as the essence flowed down his arm and into the pen, his curiosity strengthened.

  =====================================================================

  The Heartgem

  Imprisonment (Seventh) [Binding]

  If empty, throw the gem at a target, and it will be subjected to the Imprisonment spell; kept in a permanent stasis. If full, throw the gem with all of your might while pushing essence into it. Upon landing, it will release the imprisoned subject. The gemstone can be re-used, but must be recovered from the ground.

  =====================================================================

  “What’s stored inside?” he muttered.

  Beatrice looked over his shoulder. “A creature?”

  The gnome grunted. “Maybe some treasure?”

  A pain in the ass I couldn’t kill. But a treat for you.

  Tristan felt his pulse quicken. “Is a dragon trapped within?”

  Ah, good guess. Yes. A dragon who tried to invade the Fey Realm. I couldn’t kill the fucker permanently, so I trapped it.

  “Maybe,” Beatrice said. “That looks like it might be a tail of some type. But it’s too small and cloudy to tell.”

  The gnome glanced at Tristan. “Don’t release it here.”

  I second that. Not anywhere in this realm, preferably.

  “Thanks,” Tristan said as he headed away and walked toward the training field. He whispered to Zeltana. “What did it use? Or do?”

  The thing roared, and shockwaves burst forth that decimated my forces.

  “Sound elementalism . . . that’s really esoteric. I didn’t know there was an Elemental Realm of Sound.”

  Well, that whole place was noisy. I ended up cutting my losses and not conquering it. We sealed that incursion and left it be. Had to deal with my children moaning and complaining about ringing in their ears for decades after.

  Tristan nodded. “This . . .” he cracked a smile. “This is perfect.”

  How so?

  “It keeps the target in a permanent stasis. I can use this on anyone I don’t want to kill, but want to remove from a plot.”

  It could be used against you, as well. Remember, once thrown, you must recover it.

  “Right. That’s a problem. I don’t want to be put into stasis.” He sighed and put the gemstone into his hip pouch. “Well, that’s something for future me to think about.” He took a seat on one of the benches at the edge of the training area. “For now, I have to look at who is going to be going with me.”