Right. I sucked in a gulp of air and willed my nerves to calm. It didn’t work. I had to focus to keep my breaths slow and steady. Nausea swirled in my stomach and sweat dampened my palms.
Slowly. So, so slowly, I crept away from the others, my focus on Kailasa while I kept one eye on the scepter. Nothing else mattered.
Almost to the tail end of the dragon’s body, I trembled. I’d never been so afraid, not even when I’d slipped while climbing up the cliff.
But still the dragon snored, as though her reason for existence wasn’t about to be taken away.
I reached out my hand. Almost, I was almost there. Only a little further. I stretched out my arm.
An explosion shook the ground beneath my feet, and my body suddenly refused to move.
The gigantic beast had sneezed, waking herself from her deep slumber. She whirled around, almost knocking me back with her tail, and put her head between me and the scepter. “I smell mortal blood,” her voice rumbled low from within her wide chest.
My jaw slackened. “You can speak.”
“Of course, I can. Do you believe Celestia would put me on the mortal realm without giving me the knowledge of language?” She brought her triangle-shaped head down lower so she could watch me with one golden slit eye.
“I—uh, no.” I backed up slowly, until I had planted my feet in front of the others. They seemed to be in shock. The three of them had turned the colour of snow, including the brave, sword-wielding, Sepheus.
Kailasa curled her spiked tail around us and turned her body so she could take in the whole group. I prayed she’d eaten recently. If she were hungry, she might turn us into her dinner. Gaining the scepter would be much harder now that she had woken. We had to try to convince her to let us take it. Maybe Phyra’s suggestion was achievable.
“No one has come to my cave in centuries. The bones of the last human who did now litter the ground. Who are you, and why do you want the scepter? Not that I’ll let you have it, but maybe I won’t kill you—if your answer is interesting enough.”
That would be nice, I thought.
Chel and Seph both watched me, waiting for me to answer. Phyra’s mind seemed to be somewhere else altogether. I sucked on my teeth. I guess it’s up to me to convince the dragon.
I lifted my face to stare into her watchful eyes. “I am Auralina of Ventosa, and I’m here on behalf of my kingdom. Someone has brought Vesirus to this world to shut Celestia out. Surely you understand our need for—”
She swung her head beside me so that her face came within inches of Seph, cutting me off. Her long nose was the length of his body. She sniffed in his scent. “And who are you? I sense darkness within you.”
He eased backward and bowed to the silvery dragon. “I am Sepheus. I hail from Terra. The king who brought Vesirus here took the throne from my own king. I would see him restored to power. He is a devoted follower of our goddess. You’re correct, a darkness once plagued my heart, but no longer. The light burned brighter.”
“Why did you bow?” Chel asked through the side of her mouth.
Seph lifted his shoulders as Kailasa turned her attention on the water elemental and waited.
“I am Chelela. Aquila is my home. It was my king who brought the Dark Lord to this world. I fight for the people of my kingdom.”
“Your king brought Vesirus to Sarantoa?” the dragon rumbled, her golden eyes unblinking.
Chel swallowed. “Yes, and together they have used dark spirits to imprison soldiers in their own bodies.”
“You would go against your own king?” The dragon’s voice held an edge of disbelief.
“He needs to be stopped.”
The magnificent beast backed off a little, speaking to herself, “Vesirus in this world… but can I trust them? She might be working with the enemy.”
“No.” Phyra came to the present at last, her emerald eyes clearing. “She’s not working with the enemy.”
Kailasa reared up, towering high above our heads. “How dare you speak to me in such a manner.”
But Phyra stepped up to her and waited for the dragon to lower herself again, a bold move. When Kailasa calmed, the fire elemental said, “I am Zephyra, cousin of the Queen of Solis. Aquila’s king—Vesirus—has placed a dark spirit inside of my beloved queen. He’s using her to help him conquer our entire realm. Once he’s done with her, he’ll likely take her life. If you don’t help us, there shall be no reason to protect your precious scepter. Because if Vesirus succeeds,” she paused, holding the dragon’s stare. “Celestia shall be forgotten. Your goddess put you here. Do you really want to see her world end? Do you want this realm to become another Mnyama? If you don’t let us take the scepter, we’re all doomed.”
Kailasa snorted, the sound echoing off the walls of the cave as clouds of smoke escaped her nostrils. “What can you do with the scepter? You’re mere mortals.”
My answer came easily. I had thought about this since Ramiel had told us we couldn’t reveal our elemental magic to her. I believed him. She’d never hand the scepter over to us if she knew. “One of Celestia’s other guardians has told us we may be able to steal Vesirus’s power with it.”
She snorted, more smoke erupting from her nose. “It would end you. That’s if it worked.”
I pushed my shoulders back, straightening my spine. “I know. I’m prepared to die to save this realm.”
Her deep, low laugh caused the water in the pool to ripple outward. “How noble of you. I’ll tell you what. I’ll let you take the scepter if you can make it through my fire.”
My stomach dropped.
“I’ll do it,” Phyra answered. She met my eyes to offer reassurance. She could do this. Fire didn’t harm her. Well, we knew the flames she created didn’t, whether or not a dragon’s would…
Seph’s hand had flown to the hilt of his sword. “The princess has a death wish.”
“Stay your hand. This princess is about to save your ass,” she muttered to him, earning a chuckle from Chel as she moved closer to the dragon.
Kailasa bared her sharp, pointed teeth at him. “You should listen to your friend. I’ll tear your head off before you free that blade.”
He immediately snatched his hand away from the sword’s hilt.
I had no doubt she would stay true to her word. Her dagger-sharp teeth were about as long as her claws.
Phyra stepped up, and I held my breath. If she couldn’t do this, best case scenario, we’d be down one elemental. Worst case, we’d all find ourselves either burned to a crisp or part of Kailasa’s next meal.
Celestia’s giant guardian opened her jaws, saliva dripping in a translucent strand onto the hard ground. An orange glow lit up the center of her chest as she breathed in deep.
Fire erupted from the dragon’s mouth, knocking me back into Chel. Heat scorched my face. My throat burned as Phyra disappeared into the cloud of golden flames.
She didn’t make a sound. No scream… not one cry for help.
Either she didn’t feel any pain, or she was already dead.
Chel clutched onto Seph’s chest but kept her eyes on the dragon’s fire.
She had to be dead. There was no way anyone could make it through that inferno… not even a fire elemental.
My breath came in gasps as panic set in.
Fire continued to roar, deafening me, the heat unbearable.
We’d lost her. And we’d have to return home without the scepter. Our world would soon tumble into a darkness no one could escape.
And no one was coming to save us.
Chapter 24
A wild roar pierced the air as Phyra leaped from the flames, sparks clinging to her hair, her clothing burned to ash. She clutched the scepter in her fist.
Kailasa tossed her head back and forth. “No. No! How can this be?” Her voice was menacing. Perhaps she’d go back on her word to let us leave her cave alive. “You lied to me! You are no mere mortals.”
I grabbed onto Phyra and threw my cloak around her. “If you kn
ew we were elementals, you would have never given it to us.” My muscles tensed as I prepared to run. “We didn’t lie about Vesirus. We need the scepter to stop him. We won your challenge. You must let us go. We will return it when the Dark Lord is sent back to Mnyama.”
She roared, her tail snapping behind her like a whip. “If you don’t, I will destroy everything until I find you, and then I will feast on your blood!”
With that warning in mind, I took the fire elemental’s hand, and we sprinted away from the enraged beast.
Seph and Chel had already bolted and were winding their way back out of the cave.
Phyra handed the scepter to Sepheus once we caught up to the pair, clutching my cloak around her body. He shoved it into his belt, beside his sword. I watched the exchange silently. He could carry it to Ventosa, but it would be me who used it when the time came.
Darkness enveloped the four of us. I felt along the walls of the cave until Phyra created a ball of flame to light our way out. The fire reflected off her bright red hair, turning it crimson as she led us out of the cave.
My legs ached by the time we burst into open air, met by night. I stared up at the black sky, void of moon and stars. “We’ll have to sleep out here until dawn. It’s too dark to find our way back now.”
“And stay on this island with a dragon who wants to feast on our blood?” Chel protested. “I don’t think so.”
“I think we should go too,” Phyra added. “I can light the way.”
I looked at Seph. “I’ll leave it to you ladies to decide,” he replied.
I growled, “Let’s go then.”
The fire elemental was our beacon. We followed her through the night. I swore each time I stepped on a rock. My feet were blistered and caked with dirt, but so were everyone else’s. We’d soak them in the sea when we got back to the mainland.
The longer we treaded, the more I wondered if we were lost.
We walked on in silence. Hungry, cold, and tired, but at least we were alive. And we had the scepter.
Unable to see anything but the ground right at our feet, finding the cliff side we’d climbed up seemed impossible.
Finally, Phyra stopped and declared, “I think we’re lost. We should rest and try again in the morning.”
I threw up my hands. “Yes, thank you.”
“At least we’re far enough from Kailasa’s cave now,” Chel said.
“Unless we’ve been walking in a big circle and it’s right over there,” Seph taunted, pointing his finger.
She punched him playfully in the shoulder. “It can eat you first.”
He pretended to be offended but then wrapped his arms around her.
I sank down onto the damp grass. Phyra lowered herself down beside me. “I wish we had food,” she muttered.
My stomach whined in agreement. I ignored it. “We’ll find some tomorrow.”
We all curled together for warmth, but the dampness seeped through my clothing, making me shiver through the night. I drifted in and out of sleep, adjusting my position each time I woke to a sore hip or shoulder.
Before dawn, I was pulled into a dream. Ramiel met me there in a world of blue and violet. He no longer had a physical body, but I recognized the pure white light emanating from his silhouette.
“So, this is the real you,” I heard myself say. Not mortal. I don’t know what I thought when I’d imagined we could be together. How could we? His true form was a spirit, the body he’d shown me temporary. I’d fooled myself into thinking he was a man with wings. One I could hold and feel.
I pushed my preposterous thoughts away. Soon, it wouldn’t matter. I’d lose my physical body too, and we’d never see each other again. But I would be reunited with my mother. That knowledge alone kept me going.
I knew this was more than a simple dream. I saw with eyes closed, clearer than day. I had more control over my thoughts, my words. “You left us. Left me to face Kailasa alone,” I accused, my throat tight.
He drifted closer, warmth radiating from his light. “I’m sorry, Auralina, but my physical body wouldn’t let me return to your realm. Leading you to Salais took its toll. Celestia made us this way in case we tried to interfere with the moral world.” I heard his voice inside my head as though I read his thoughts.
“Will you return?” I eyed his astral body. “I mean, when you’re able to?”
His light dimmed a touch. “You no longer need me. You and the others must do this on your own.”
Ice coated my heart, a protective wall. I nodded. “I understand.” I wanted to be angry, to rage at him. But I knew this wasn’t his war. He’d already fought and died in his. Seeing him like this, in his true form, it made me realize how different we really were. He never planned to lead us all the way to the battlefield. His task was complete.
He said in a soft voice into my mind, “I have faith you will succeed in your quest to end darkness. But you need to tell the others what you plan… what the scepter will do to you.”
My physical body stirred, pulling me away from the dream, the vision… away from him. “I will.” My lips moved with my words as my eyelids peeled open, shoving me back into reality.
I felt more tired and miserable when the sky transformed into the same dreary grey as the previous day.
I watched while Seph handed Chel a water skin. She placed the opening over the ground and closed her eyes. After a moment, she took the skin, placed it to her lips, and drank. She passed it around to each of us in turn.
The cool water quenched my thirst but did nothing to calm my aching stomach. Dried meat and berries awaited us in our saddlebags on the mainland, so long as no wild animals had helped themselves to dinner. I prayed the horses stayed safe and unharmed on their own all night.
With the help of daylight, we reached the edge of the island. We’d veered a little off course during the night, disoriented by darkness and our fear of the dragon, but we soon came across familiar landmarks and were able to re-trace our steps.
Shielding my eyes from the wind, I spotted our horses. They’d wandered a bit down the shore and currently picked at the sprouts of grass growing between the rocks.
“Are you ready?” I asked Seph.
“I am.”
Phyra cleared her throat, hugging herself. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable climbing down the side of a cliff wearing only this.” She looked down at the black cloak I’d given her.
Chel began stripping off her tunic and breeches. “Take my clothes and give me the cloak.”
Phyra and I gaped at her while Sepheus wore a crooked grin, eating her up with hungry eyes as she handed her cloak over.
“Go ahead,” Chel urged her. “I learned not to be ashamed of my body when I was a slave in Gwon.”
The fire elemental’s cheeks flushed. “I’m not ashamed of my body. I simply don’t want to display it to all of you.”
“That’s because you haven’t learned not to care what others think. It’s not your fault. You were raised as royalty.”
She pressed her lips together and snatched the clothing from Chel’s hand. She glared at Seph. “Turn around.”
He put his hands up in surrender as he complied.
When she’d finished donning her new garments, she passed the cloak to the water elemental. “Thank you.”
Chel slipped into the cloak that was a little too long for her shorter height and nudged Sepheus. “We’re ready.”
Four vines shot out of the ground and flew down the cliff side. Seph picked one up and wrapped it around his waist before gripping it in his hands. “Do the same as me and you’ll be safe,” he instructed.
We copied his form and began our terrifying rappel down the steep cliff. I couldn’t decide if this, or our encounter with Kailasa, frightened me more. Seph had assured us we were secure, but it did not feel that way dangling from a vine, descending the flat expanse of rock. My breath came quick and my heart raced, drowning out all thoughts except one: don’t fall.
Chel laughed as she slid pas
t me, the wind blowing her cloak up and showing off her pale thighs. It seemed she trusted Seph’s vines completely.
The vines bit into the skin on my palms, but I refused to loosen my grip. As an air elemental, it would make sense if I could command the air to lift me like a bird, but I didn’t dare find out. The consequence of failure wasn’t worth the risk. If only I’d thought to ask Ramiel. My chest ached at the thought of him. I hadn’t been prepared to say goodbye so soon. Hurt turned to anger as I realized his last words to me were in a dream-like-state, and I forced myself to think of something, anything, else. Get off this goddess damned cliff.
Phyra and I were the last ones to touch the ground. I shook out my aching hands and stepped up to the edge of the water beside the others. “I never want to do that again.”
“You and me both,” Phyra replied.
“At least the Lady Water has confidence in my power,” Seph put in.
Chel rolled her eyes at him before concentrating on the sea, her cloak rippling in the wind as she held her arms out wide. As before, the blue water separated, forming a path for us to walk across.
When we reached the mainland, she let the water seep back into place, covering the seafloor as though her magic hadn’t altered it.
We slipped our boots on after rinsing our feet. Phyra and I gathered our tack and supplies. Chel put on the riding dress she’d packed and then went with Seph to fetch the horses.
I nibbled on a handful of berries, watching Phyra create a fire to cook with. Our food wasn’t enough to fill our bellies, especially since we wanted to save some for our journey home. Chel had offered to use her power to obtain our meal.
She returned from the shore with a pair of silvery fish dangling from her hands. “It’s much easier to catch fish in water which isn’t frozen,” she said to Seph.
“Indeed.” He took the two fish from her and pulled out his dagger. He cleaned and gutted our meal and then passed it over to me and Phyra to cook.
I devoured the roasted meat like a starved animal. I’d never been so hungry in my life. Even as a prisoner, I’d eaten well.
The Elemental Diaries - Complete Series Page 88
