Ialin rolled his eyes.
Not wanting to look the fool again, Collins considered. "That must be what the magic she did was all about."
"Lucky guess," Ialin grumbled.
"She's sleeping," Zylas announced. "We'll have to stay and keep her safe until she's strong again."
It seemed only fair. Prinivere had exhausted herself for him, and he owed her at least that much. Nevertheless, Collins could not stay the icy seep of disappointment overtaking him. "The portal," he said to no one in particular, now far enough beyond shock and confusion to realize that Prinivere would only have assumed he needed to communicate with the people of Barakhai if she knew she could not get him home soon.
Collins anticipated a verbal onslaught from Ialin about how he should feel grateful for what the dragon sacrificed for him, but it did not come. The hummingbird/man stood in silence, letting Zylas answer.
The albino patted one of the chests, then sat. Collins came over, taking the place beside the one person he trusted completely in this world.
Zylas stared at the ceiling for several moments, collecting his thoughts before beginning. "I'm as masuniat as they come…" He paused.
Collins remembered masuniat as the word for people more entrenched in their human than animal forms. He nodded his understanding.
"… I don't know a thing about magic except what the lady has told me. But-" Zylas glanced around at his companions' expectant faces. "As I understand it, the spell she just threw is a particularly simple one. She's old, even for a dragon; that and simple healings are the extent of her magic nowadays." He turned the tender look of a grandson upon the sleeping creature. "I wouldn't dare ask her to do even the spell she just cast again. Next time, it might kill her."
"She made your translation stone," Collins suggested. Zylas shook his head. "She has made translation stones, but not mine and not in the last few decades. Making spells portable, casting onto rocks and crystals, takes a lot more energy than just throwing a bit of magic at someone." He displayed the piece of quartz. "And I told you mine's unique. Centuries old and very special. A family heirloom."
Ialin balanced, cross-legged, on the other chest, listening. Falima sat beside Collins, opposite Zylas. Attempting to anticipate Zylas' point, Collins considered whether or not creating a portal would require an item. He clung to the memory of Prinivere stating that she might have the power to make one.
"We already know Lady Prinivere does not have the strength to magic another stone."
Collins could not hold back the significant query any longer. "A portal?"
Zylas bit his lip and met Collins' gaze, clearly measuring his reaction. "Or make a portal."
Collins felt horse-kicked. "But she said-"
Zylas raised a forestalling hand. "There is a crystal, already made, that can enhance her magic."
Though reborn, Collins' hope remained guarded. It seemed that every time something started going his way, something worse intervened. "Don't tell me. It's in the possession of an eight-headed hydra."
"No."
"A werewolf?"
"What?"
"A giant; the minotaur; Medusa; titans; the bogeyman; a fire-breathing, man-eating demon vampire unicorn." Having exhausted his repertoire of monsters, Collins fell silent, hands folded across his lap. Anything they mentioned now had to sound puny in comparison.
All three regarded him with open-mouthed curiosity.
"So." Collins broke the silence. "From who or what do we have to get this crystal thingy?"
"Um," Zylas said, licking his lips. "We think the king has it."
"And there's no 'we' to it," Ialin added sulkily.
Surprised he had actually gotten things close to right, Collins brought up the matter he had expected to come to light first. "Couldn't we just ask someone with younger magic for help?"
Zylas smiled weakly. "Lady Prinivere has the youngest magic we know of."
Shocked, Collins leaned backward. "You mean you know someone older?"
Ialin slapped his own forehead. "You numbskull! She's the only one with magic any of us knows. She's the last dragon. Ipso facto, the last user of magic."
Surprised to hear Latin from his alien friends, Collins let the insult pass. He wondered what Ialin might possibly have said in Barakhain that the magic would translate into "ipso facto" rather than "therefore." Collins went for funny. "So, in your quaint lovable way, you're trying to tell me that only dragons have magic."
"Exactly." Ialin ignored the sarcasm.
"And Lady Prinivere is the last dragon. And as far as practically anyone knows, she doesn't even exist."
"Right," Zylas confirmed.
That left an enormous gap in Collins' understanding. "Then why would magic be illegal?" He patted Zylas' pocket to indicate the translation stone. "Wouldn't people just assume it doesn't exist?"
This time, Falima answered. "Because of item magic, rare stuff left behind from the days when dragons were commonplace."
"Centuries ago," Collins remembered. "Does the king know about Lady Prinivere?"
"No," they all chorused with a suddenness and expressions that revealed such a thing would prove catastrophic. Zylas added, "What a horrible thought."
Certain they meant that the king would have Prinivere executed, Collins continued his questioning. "Does he know this crystal thingy is magical?"
Still wide-eyed and pursed-lipped, the others fell into an uncomfortable hush before Zylas answered. "We don't know."
Collins tried to put everything together. "So, if I fetch this crystal and bring it back, Prinivere can make a portal for me?"
Nods circumnavigated the room.
Finally, something Ialin had said sank in. "What did you mean, 'there's no "we" to it?' That I have to get this thing all by myself?"
Ialin flicked his head in a birdlike fashion. "You're not as stupid as I thought."
Collins smiled. "Thanks. That's the nicest thing you've said to or about me so far." He looked accusingly at Zylas. "Let's face it. A magic amplifier doesn't just help me. Long after I'm gone, you can use it to make and do all kinds of things. Why wouldn't you guys help me get it?"
Falima developed an inordinate interest in her feet. Ialin yawned, leaving only Zylas to answer. "We don't really know what this crystal can do. It's possible it only works one time." He glanced at the others for help, but Falima headed across the cave to check on Prinivere and Ialin got caught up in a luxurious stretch. "But mainly, it's because the royal chambers can only be accessed by stable people."
Still in half-stretch, Ialin clarified. "Meaning people without a switch-form." His tone suggested that he did not believe Collins fit the other definition of "stable."
"We switchers would get caught for sure," Falima added from across the room. "And killed. But you…"
… are already condemned to die? Collins believed he had uncovered the real reason, one his companions would never say aloud.
"… won't set off the security. If you did get caught, you could pass yourself off as minor nobility come to learn, to valet, or to assist," Falima finished.
"Sure. Except I know nothing about any of those things." Collins could not stop himself from arguing, though it would do him no good. If he wanted to go home, he had to get this crystal. He might die in the attempt, but remaining in Barakhai without the support of his friends also would result in his swift demise. He might just as well charge the archers guarding the other portal and get it over with swiftly.
Ialin addressed the spoken thought. "You don't have to know much about nobility. Just the fact that you don't switch should keep you safe there. Who would suspect you're not of this world?"
Collins refused to put too much faith in that explanation. "Perhaps the royal archers guarding the portal?"
Ialin interjected, almost too quickly. "From what I heard while spying, they just know there's something magical there that bears watching. They're not going to let anyone near it."