Chapter Five Hundred and Ninety-Three

It was just Desiree, Guinevere and I that stepped off the Beaver. I was a little worried that my friends would be nervous when they didn’t find us, but we weren’t going too far, and... well, I didn’t trust the Black Avatars entirely, but I didn’t think they were mean or likely to try and hurt us, so it was probably fine to follow the foxkin lady off the ship.

Guinevere walked us across the small docks above the castle, then into the long, stone corridors within.

“This is the newer section of the castle,” she said as she gestured around. “This entire wing was built... oh, ninety years ago? We needed more room for storage and for personal space for our members. That, and we wanted to expand some of the other facilities we have, but to do that would require that we take out other rooms that would need to be relocated.”

“I see,” Desiree replied as she looked about.

The space was kind of... empty? It lacked a bit of a homey touch, though there were a few tapestries on some walls that added a splash of colour here and there. Otherwise, though, the walls were mostly a dark-greyish stone, occasionally broken up by arches around solid wooden doors. 

There weren’t very many windows, though we did cross a space where I think a window used to be.

“Ah, you noticed that, huh?” Guinevere said when she caught me staring. There was an arch at about the height I’d expect a window to be, but it was bricked over. The colour and pattern of the stone was just a bit off from the rest. 

“Was there a window here?” I asked.

“There was, at one time. A lot of the glass broke when we launched the castle. A predictable result. What was less predictable was the difficulty in keeping windows intact. The storm protects us but it can also be harmful. Most of all when a natural storm rolls in.”

“Huh? Why’s that?” I asked.

“Those tend to drag in plenty of detritus, and they make the winds shift in an unpredictable manner. We don’t have many members that are versed in working glass, and every few weeks, we had windows shattering. The exception is the greenhouse, but it has its own magical protections. Besides, what would the windows be good for? Seeing into the side of a grey cloud all day?”

“I guess. But a bad view might still be better than nothing?”

“Hmm, perhaps. We have slitted windows in some places to let in some natural light. They can even be opened to let in a breeze when it’s warm. The summers can be stifling. This way.”

Rather than take the same route that led to the library where we met Tristain, we took another passage, then went down a set of stairs lit by a small magical lamp. That led into yet another corridor, this one lined by small rooms that looked like they were for storage. A few doors had been left open, and I saw dusty casks on old shelves lining the inside of small rooms. Others looked like pantries for jars of preserved food, and yet others were just filled with knick-knacks, old tools, and the usual kinds of things someone would shove into a closet and forget about.

“Do you not have issues with rodents and pests?” Desiree asked.

“Here? No. Sometimes a rat will sneak aboard one of the small ships we use to buy provisions, but for the most part it’s not an issue. We have a pair of old tomcats that live on the island and wander about, hunting them down. As for insects, we have plenty of Black Avatars with spells that can kill them. I haven’t seen a mosquito in years, and we don’t have flies either. We do have bees, in a tiny apiary near the gardens, but it’s a small hive.”

How strange! I supposed it was kind of a... semi-closed environment. The Black Avatars on the island only had what they had, and not much else. If they wanted something else, they’d have to wait for it to come in from one of their shipments out of the castle, and I wasn’t sure how often that happened, but it sounded like it wasn’t a frequent thing. It wasn’t like a weekly drive to the grocery store for milk and bread.

Guinevere turned around a corner, then another, and then we were in front of a heavy wooden door with three locking bars across it, a door that was reinforced by iron bands. 

“This is the domain of Black Avatar Mathew,” she said. “He’s Nicholas’ brother. Not the strongest of our members, but he’s been around for a while, and is an expert in a rare field of magical study, same as I.”

“What field is that?” I asked.

Guinevere grinned. “Macro magics.”

I blinked. That had translated correctly, probably, but that didn’t mean that I knew what she was talking about. Marco meant big, right? I wished Amaryllis was here, she was my number one expert in magic and was good at ranting about her special interest. 

Guinevere undid the latches on the door, then paused before opening it. “There are... creatures in this room. They’re not dangerous. Be mindful of them, however.”

“Okay?” I said. Now I was starting to be a little worried.

She opened the door, and we followed her into a tight little corridor, only this one led right into a wide, open room.

The floor lowered down by a few steps and the ceiling was arched upwards, leading up to a ceiling where a dozen magical lanterns hung off of chains and cast different shades of yellow-white light across the room.

There was, to one side, a small workspace and what looked like a very old laboratory, with alembics and little magical devices. On the other side of the room was a space filled with boxes, cushions, and thick rugs on the floors and walls. 

And across from us, in a nook carved into the stone of the island, was a dungeon core surrounded by large machines.

I came to a stop, vaguely aware that there were creatures off to my right and someone to my left, but my attention was mostly on the core.

It sat on a plinth, like all dungeon cores I’d seen. Around it were several large disks that looked like they were made of some sort of coppery material. They were glowing faintly, and large, thick wires came off of those and ran out to some big machines tucked up against another wall near the workspace. They looked almost like computers, but like... very early computers, with plenty of rods and visible gearing and small weights.

“Is that a dungeon core?” I asked, even if I knew. It wasn’t giving off the overwhelming waves of raw mana that a dungeon core usually did, but I could still feel a tingle of magic in the air, and I knew what I was looking at.

“It is,” Guinevere said. “A rescue, of sorts. It’s a long story. But it empowers the enchantments that float our humble home, and the excess power created and maintains the storm keeping us safe.”

“How did you manage such a feat?” Desiree asked.

“Well, it was a massive pain in the tails, I’ll tell you that much,” Gunivere said as she placed her hands on her hips. She looked inordinately smug, however. “This is probably one of the greatest feats of magical engineering in the world. Perhaps not the greatest, but I’m still young!”

“And still full of yourself,” the other person in the room said.

I glanced over and discovered... an older guy. He looked like he was maybe in his fifties, with a few wispy grey hairs mixed in with some brown. I got a sense that he was pretty strong, though, even if he had the build of a wizard rather than a fighter. 

“Hello. You must be our... wayward guests. A pleasure. Don’t poke at the dungeon core. It’s safe, but I don’t want anyone touching it, and especially not the machinery around it. If you don’t know what you’re doing, then you’re causing issues.”

I nodded quickly. “I’ll keep my hands to myself,” I promised.

“Good,” he said. “I’m Mathew, a magical researcher. And full-time babysitter for the dungeon’s monsters.”

“The monsters?” I asked.

He gestured across the room. I glanced that way, then noticed that the heap of randomly scattered boxes and cushions were inhabited. There were lots of wide-eyed little balls of fluff staring out at us while trying to remain at least partially hidden behind and within their homes. 

“Oh,” I said. Then I smiled. “Hi there! I’m Broccoli! Are you friendly?”

“Fren?” one of the fluff balls asked. Its head shifted, and two long, stringy and fur-covered ears popped up. 

Well, that was strange, but they looked very cute. For some reason, I felt an instant kinship with whatever that dungeon monster was.

***