Chapter 19 Gold and Fools
Vaelros was annoyed.
Not irritated. Not frustrated.
Annoyed.
The kind of annoyed that made his jaw clench while he rummaged through his bag, muttering curses in Valyrian, Common, and whatever language he invented on the spot.
He squinted at the cracked glyphs carved above the melted archway.
"Bank," he read. "Old Valyrian for bank. Of course. Of course you two idiots would drag us into a bank."
Calen and Tharn exchanged a look that said:
We regret nothing.
Vaelros pointed at them with the hand that wasn't shaking from magical exhaustion.
"Well, it looks like you fools somehow got us somewhere valuable. I don't know how you managed it — probably dumb luck — but we're here to gather shit. So grab what you want. Pendants, amulets, anything with Valyrian steel. Bring it to me and I'll enchant it."
He bent down, picked up a twisted amulet, and sighed. "This one looks like it lost a fight with a forge."
Still, he pocketed it.
If he was stuck here, he was going to make the most of it.
He sat cross‑legged on the floor, cracked his knuckles, and began forming the hand signs. His fingers trembled, but the spell took shape — a shimmering, rippling tear in the air like a mirror made of smoke.
Vaelros exhaled sharply.
"There. A small mirror dimension. It can hold up to two million gold coins. Any treasure you want to keep, put it in your bags — but the gold goes in here. This enchantment lasts forever."
Calen and Tharn stared at the portal like it was a dragon doing card tricks.
Then they stared at Vaelros.
Then back at the portal.
Tharn finally spoke. "How… how did you do that?"
Calen added, "And why only two million?"
Vaelros rubbed his temples. "Think of it like a bag that fills with one specific object. If you put something too big inside, it collapses and takes everything with it. Magic is difficult. Especially here."
Calen walked to a half‑melted chest of gold. Most of the coins were fused together, but the loose ones scattered across the floor lifted into the air and spiraled into his amulet like sparks into a forge.
He got maybe half of them before the rest crumbled into slag.
"Damn," he muttered. "This place really burned."
Vaelros wandered deeper into the vault, stepping over melted statues and broken chains. He spotted a cluster of jewelry suspended over a pool of lava — necklaces, rings, a tiara that looked like it belonged to a Valyrian princess. He used a levitation spell to float them over, sweat beading on his brow.
He dropped them into his bag, then held up his own amulet. Gold streamed into it like water.
Two million coins' worth.
He felt the weight settle into the mirror dimension like a heartbeat.
Tharn watched, wide‑eyed. "I've been thinking," he said slowly. "Maybe we should stick together after this job. You two are the closest things to friends I've had in a long time."
Vaelros froze.
Friends.
The word hit him harder than any spell backlash.
He swallowed, then nodded. "I… have plans. I want to start a house in Westeros. Use magic to raise old land from the sea. But doing that will drain me. I'll be unconscious for months — maybe half a year. I'll need people I trust to guard me. To guard the land. To build something new."
He looked at them — really looked.
Calen, with his crooked grin and sharp eyes.
Tharn, with his steady presence and quiet loyalty.
"I want you both with me," Vaelros said. "A family on that land. Your own houses. Your own names. If you stay."
The two men exchanged a long look.
Then identical, idiotic smiles spread across their faces.
Calen shrugged. "If you keep dragging us into places like this, I don't see a reason to say no."
Tharn nodded. "And if you're really going to raise an island from the sea… well, I want to see that."
Vaelros laughed — tired, relieved, and a little overwhelmed.
"Good," he said softly. "Then let's get rich and get out of here."
The three of them stood together in the ruined vault, surrounded by melted gold, broken gargoyles, and the faint hum of ancient magic.
Gold and fools.
But they were his fools.
And for the first time in a long time, Vaelros felt like he wasn't alone.