The Quest (The Hidden Realm Book 5) by A. Giannetti Read Free Book Online

rank of Torquatus’s servants and guarded by an impregnable gate built by Dwarf hands. Even the land around it conspires to defend it, for it is surrounded by sheer cliffs and bare, stony peaks. Nothing can approach it without being seen by the sleepless eyes which stand guard in the hidden places around it.”
    “Can you not use your powers to open a path into Anthea’s cell, Elerian?” asked Dacien hopefully. “We might then rescue her before Torquatus is even aware of us.” Elerian made no reply for a moment as he considered Dacien’s question.
    “You give me too much credit, Dacien,” he replied at last. “With time I might discover or craft the necessary spells, but I have not the power to use them to open a portal large enough for us to pass through it.”
    “Had you made your ring of power as Dymiter instructed you, you would have had all the power you required,” an accusing voice in Elerian’s mind reminded him. Overcome with sudden regret for the choice that he had made in Ennodius to limit the power of his ring, he groaned silently to himself. “By weakening the ring to protect myself from its influence, I may have doomed Anthea to a horrible death,” he thought wretchedly to himself.
    “If neither magic nor strength of arms will bring us into Tyranus then how are we to rescue my sister?” wondered Dacien aloud, despair creeping into his voice.
    “There are other forms of magic besides portals which can accomplish that task,” Elerian assured Dacien. “If Ascilius is able to tell me where Tyranus rears its ugly peak, I will fly there in my hawk form as soon as we quit this passageway, hoping to find some way to rescue Anthea when I arrive.”
    “I will not say one word about Tyranus unless you give up this reckless plan at once,” replied Ascilius, his voice full of alarm. “Even if you managed to reach the prison without being killed or captured, you would arrive there alone and weaponless. I can assure you now that your spells alone will not suffice to extract Anthea from that place. The more likely outcome is that you would fall into Torquatus’s clutches yourself. Endless torments would be your lot then and Anthea’s, too, for it would add to his delight to torture the two of you in sight of each other.”
    “At least we would die together,” replied Elerian morosely.
    “That is no rational answer to my objections,” retorted Ascilius impatiently.
    “What would you advise then?” asked Elerian angrily. “I cannot stand by and do nothing.”
    “I am not advising you to do naught,” replied Ascilius impatiently. “My point is that a reasoned, careful effort to rescue Anthea will serve her better than some impetuous attempt that will come to nothing. Travel to Tyranus on foot carrying the weapons that you made in Ennodius. With those in your hands and a few stout companions to guard your back, you will have the best chance of finding some way to rescue Anthea.”
    “Your plan would involve a journey of many days,” objected Elerian, his voice rising and his eyes becoming over bright from anger and desperation. “I would go mad thinking about what was happening to Anthea in the mean time!”
    “The deceits of the Goblin King are many, Elerian,” cautioned Ascilius, trying to keep his voice measured and reasonable. “Torquatus’s threat to dismember Anthea may by nothing more than a falsehood intended to impair Orianus’s judgment and to prompt him to act impulsively, rushing from Niveaus to wage a rash war.”
    “My orb tells me that her torment is real!” insisted Elerian wildly.
    “Your orb is untrustworthy as you, yourself, have admitted,” replied Ascilius patiently. “If, however, you still insist on believing that Anthea is being tortured then consider this. The wounds she receives will not threaten her life for many days yet. We will have more than enough time to reach Tyranus and to mount some sort of rescue attempt before she receives a mortal