“What do you suggest we do?”
“I don’t know. Everything we’ve tried has either backfired or been useless.” We jumped apart as the new snake head crashed into the ground between us. “I don’t even think Nexxa can help us at this point.” Kitfox snarled as he took hold of the neck and jerked sharply. A sickening crunch later, and the snake head fell limp.
“That’s not going to last long.” I said before launching spells at both chimeras. The little one flew to the opposite wall and I finally caught a glimpse of Shazza.
“It’s better than having to dodge it constantly.”
“Come on.” I grabbed his arm and pulled him after me. We dodged the chimera’s sweeping horns as I led the way to Shazza. She glanced back at us as we stopped behind her. I hurled a spell at the chimera, knocking the beast away, and called for Thera. The Feykin was quick to fly to our position. With her help, a barrier was erected to shield us from the beasts. I told Shazza to hurry up with whatever was taking her so long.
“Two minutes.”
“We might not have that long.”
Thera cried out as the big chimera slammed into the barrier. I pulled energy from the Dragon’s Eye Amulet and used it to reinforce the wall around us. I seriously doubted the magic boost would last the whole two minutes Shazza needed.
Thera struggled to remain standing as the chimera struck the barrier again. “Please hurry, Shazza!”
Shazza did not respond.
“Thera, use my energy.” Kitfox demanded as he placed his hand on her shoulder. A combined strike from the chimeras left all three of us shaking from the power drain. One more combined strike drained Thera and Kitfox of everything they had left and they slumped to the ground.
I had to think of something, and fast! Another hit like that would finish me. The chimeras seemed to realize that they had the upper hand. They looked down on me smugly as they prepared to strike the barrier. As their combined mass collided with the wall of magic, I thought, So this is the end.
The barrier caved and so did I. The last thing I remembered before the world went black was a brilliant, green light.
◆◆◆
Everything was black; never-ending, freezing. I was weightless; floating, numb. Seconds passed slowly. I let them. I wasn’t in a hurry anymore. I was at peace.
A streak of sapphire flashed a ways ahead. A growing rumble echoed. I wasn’t afraid; I no longer needed to feel. I was too numb. A crystalline sea serpent swam through the blackness, heading towards me. It was Atlidmé, I realized. He had come to collect me. I was willing to go with Him, but only if Kitfox was with me.
The God of Water and Death stopped just meters away. Beneath rainbow horns and turquoise fins, His green eyes studied me. He seemed sad.
Ja la mishi, nena.
Lost? I am lost? How could that be? I died.
Ja la nan mert. Iram ger.
Go back? Go back. Yes. Yes, I must go back! I was still needed. Atlidmé nodded and swam around me. He disappeared into the blackness. I smiled as I sent a thank you after him. I let my eyes drift shut. I had to go back.
Wake up!
Yes; I had to wake up.
Please, Xy! Open your eyes.
I felt something shaking me. I forced my eyes to open. The fuzzy visage cleared after a moment. It was Shazza. Relief washed over her features and she sighed.
“About time you came to. I was beginning to think I’d have to carry all three of you out of here.”
I groaned as I sat up. “How long was I out of it?”
“About an hour or so.” Shazza said as she retreated from me to check on Kitfox and Thera. I noticed Visler managed to free himself from the confines of Thera’s coat. He was now lying beside her, licking her face as if trying to rouse her from slumber.
Kitfox groaned and rolled onto his side. He found me and smiled. “What happened? Last thing I remember was…”
“I solved the puzzle and unlocked the route to Nexxa just as the chimeras smashed through Xy’s barrier.” Shazza replied as she tried to rouse Thera. “The instant the path opened, a light shot out and the chimeras turned to dust.”
“I shall thank the Gods for your good timing.” Thera mumbled groggily. She reached up to soothe Visler as he chattered happily at her revival.
Almost another hour had passed before Thera, Kitfox and I had recovered enough to move on. Shazza cautiously led the way along the route she had unlocked. We found ourselves in an even larger room, surrounded by bronze chimera statues and marble pillars.
Sitting in the middle of the room, looking as smug as a thief on the Golden Isle, sat a sage green dragon. Her white wings were flared as if ready for a fight. And her bladed tail whipped to and fro impatiently. Nexxa nodded her head in respects as we approached.
“It’s about time you returned for me.”
I glared at Nexxa. “What do you mean ‘it’s about time’? Do you have any idea what we just went through to free your ungrateful ass?”
The dragon’s jaw fell slack in surprise. Kitfox snickered and covered his mouth with a hand as he fought the urge to laugh. Thera and Shazza, on the other hand, stared at me in disbelief. Visler peeped and cocked his head to one side in confusion.
Nexxa shook her head and snorted. “Don’t blame me because you made the mistake of triggering your own trap!”
“I didn’t know there was one!”
“You set it!” Nexxa slammed her tail into the ground, easily cracking the black marble. “How could you not know?”
“Ladies, please!” Kitfox shouted as he put himself between me and the dragon. He turned to Nexxa after she and I calmed down a little. “Nexxa, Xy lost all her memories a few years ago. That is why she did not know of the trap until we had accidently triggered it.” Kitfox turned to me. “Xy, please calm down. I know you are angry about what happened here and exhausted, but there’s no need to take out your frustrations on your dragon.”
I took a few steps towards him and caught him in a hug. He sighed in relief and rubbed my back. It helped me calm down even more. I kissed his cheek and whispered, “Thank you.”
Nexxa sighed and yanked her tail out of the marble floor. “I apologize for my comments and temper, Keeper.”
“And I apologize for mine, Nexxa.”
“Well, now that that is settled,” Shazza cleared her throat, “where do we go from here?”
“I suggest a long nap.” Thera said after a yawn. “Xy and I spent so much energy on the chimeras that we could probably sleep for seven days straight!”
“I’m already sleeping.” I murmured against Kitfox’s chest. He chuckled.
“Might I suggest you leave this tomb before you sleep?” Said Nexxa. “Even without the chimera, it is still rather dangerous to be in here.”
“Not only that, but the smell is enough to make me want to vomit.” Shazza turned on her heel and took off for the chimera’s chamber. Thera followed slowly, urged on by Visler and her own desire to get out of the tomb. I was barely awake when Nexxa faded into her element. Green globules of goo swam in the air before entering the Dragon’s Eye. A pale green jewel flashed into existence amidst the filigree.
Nexxa was mine.
Bedeb’s rings, though not nearly as grand as Saturn’s, provide us with a spectacular treat. At night, when the moons are at just the right angles, their light reflects off of the rings, and breaks into countless rainbows. It is even more beautiful than aurorae.
– FROM “HISTORY OF BEDEB, VOL I” BY ACASIA FLEMENTH, MAGISTRATE ELECT
I didn’t remember Kitfox carrying me out of Nexxa’s tomb or that four dragons had been summoned to watch over us. All I remember was sleep; deep, blessed, uninterrupted sleep. I don’t even remember dreaming.
What I do remember is waking up in Kitfox’s arms in the dead of night. He was holding me close, providing extra warmth as he himself dozed. We were tucked between two thick sleeping furs and Wildfire was curled about us. Her wings and tail created an insulated tent to fend off the
frigid temperatures.
A growing buzz in the back of my mind signaled to me that the other dragons were awake and concerned. I let their essences trickle into my mind.
It is good to see you awake, Hatchling.
Yeah, we were getting worried about you.
I smiled at their concern. How long have I been asleep?
Almost three days. Nexxa deadpanned.
Three days?! Is everyone else alright?
“Everyone is fine, Love.” Kitfox murmured and kissed my forehead. I exhaled the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “Shazza and I have been checking on you and Thera often to make sure of it.”
“I’m glad.” I said with a kiss.
“I should probably get you something to eat.” Kitfox peeled away from me and rolled out from under the covers. I heard him shiver as he crawled over to the saddle bag still hanging from Wildfire. He removed a few things and quickly returned to my side. He set them beside me before slipping back between the blankets. “Don’t walk on snow barefoot.”
I spent the next half hour or so warming him back up. When at last he stopped shivering, I propped myself up on my elbows to snack on the food he delivered. “I can’t wait to get out of this frozen wasteland.”
Kitfox wholeheartedly agreed.
“Abaddon and Zenith.” I thought aloud.
“Hum?”
I looked Kitfox in the eye. “Just two dragons left.”
“Yeah.”
“Then it’s off to face Dimitri and his Twelve.” That very thought terrified me.
“He’s nowhere near as powerful as that chimera.”
He wasn’t before he had the Shadow Dragons in his possession. Helios stated matter-of-factly. Who knows how powerful he’s gotten since you last faced him.
Kitfox frowned. You are not helping.
I’m simply saying—
I know what you’re saying, Helios. I do. But I’m trying not to think so darkly about our next confrontation with Dimitri.
Forewarned is forearmed.
Kitfox growled in annoyance.
We will be ready for anything Dimitri throws at us. I said firmly.
I certainly hope so. With that, Helios’s presence vanished.
“Were they always such pessimistic pains in the a—”
“Yes.”
“How in Havel are you able to put up with it?”
I finished my snack and smiled as I snuggled up to him. “I have you, Thera, and Shazza to keep me sane.”
He laughed at that.
Kitfox and I spent the next few hours talking about nothing in particular. We finally drifted off to sleep shortly after dawn painted the eastern sky. This time I did dream. I dreamt of peace and of the man I loved. I dreamt of a beautiful girl with dragon green eyes and lavender fox ears.
◆◆◆
I awoke with a start as a blast of cold air struck my face. Kitfox bolted upright with a fierce growl. We both relaxed when we realized it was Thera and Shazza who had slipped through Wildfire’s wing, not an enemy.
Shazza quirked an eyebrow.
Thera acted like nothing had happened and summoned a chair from the snow. “I’m vexed.” She said quietly.
I asked what was bothering her as I sat up and wrapped the furs around me and Kitfox.
“‘Abaddon guards the Dead of old; Through Havel’s Ancient gates of gold.’”
It took a minute for what the Feykin said to register in my still sleepy mind. “So Abaddon is our next dragon.”
Shazza scoffed. “You apparently didn’t listen to the riddle. ‘Through Havel’?”
“Yeah. I caught that part.”
“We have to go to Havel to get the next dragon?” Kitfox was definitely appalled at the very thought.
“According to the riddle, yes.”
“And just how are we supposed to do that?”
The three of them argued rather loudly about options and the rules for entering and exiting Havel. Every single one of them involved someone dying and somehow coming back to life. While they argued, I repeated the riddle quietly to myself over and over.
Ancient. Ancient? Why does Ancient feel familiar? A vision of an ancient, stone ruin flashed through my mind. “That’s it!”
My three teammates gawked at me in stunned silence. Thera was the first to speak. “Uh… What’s ‘it’?”
“The Forgotten City!” I beamed. “There is a path to Havel hidden within the ruins. I’ve seen it.”
Shazza looked more skeptical than usual. “Are you sure you’re not in some energy-deprived state of insanity?”
“Fine. You don’t believe me, but Thera knows what I’m talking about.”
The Feykin blinked in surprise. “I do?”
“Remember back when we first got Vortex? I told you and Teka that I had a dream about some old stone building that was overgrown and we talked about the forest of white trees.”
“Oh yeah!” Thera laughed. “I remember that now.”
“That building hides the path to Havel!”
“Wow. Imagine if Teka was here now.” Thera chuckled. “She’d be dancing like a crazy woman and singing about how her theory of a dragon in the Ancient City was correct.”
Shazza cleared her throat. “I hate to interrupt this trip down Memory Lane, but since we now know how to get where we need to go, maybe we should, I don’t know, get moving?”
I blew a raspberry at her.
Kitfox tried not to laugh as he asked, “Which direction do we go from here?”
“North to Mekora Lesca, then west, to the island at the end of the Bangorian Mountains.”
“Oh good!” He smiled. “Someplace warmer.”
“Not good.” Said Shazza. “Bakari-Tokai is on Mekora Lesca.”
“I know that.”
“Well, if I’m right about Dimitri, he’ll be holed up in the Grand Capitol while his forces patrol the area. We’ve been lucky so far that we haven’t run into any soldiers, but that luck won’t do us any good if we fly right into the heart of that bastard’s forces.”
“First of all, we’re not flying anywhere near Bakari-Tokai. Second, no matter what you say or feel, we need to get this dragon. And lastly,” I paused, knowing what I was about to say would be a huge blow to Shazza’s ego, “what kind of Dákun Daju is afraid of a fight?”
I was right. Her sunburst eyes burned with rage and her hands turned to fists. In an instant, she was in front of me. Kitfox was on his feet in that same heartbeat, holding her at bay and growling.
“Xyleena-sortim is right, Shazza.” Said Thera. “You have been afraid since Kkorian betrayed us.”
“Shut up!” Shazza screamed.
Thera didn’t listen. “You are afraid because you loved Kkorian. I don’t know, maybe you still love him.”
Shazza roared her fury and fought against Kitfox even harder. The Demon held fast to the enraged Dákun Daju, not letting her escape.
“You also fear you may have grown to love the three of us like family. And that is why you are avoiding fights. You don’t want to go through the pain of losing us too.”
Shazza stopped struggling. She stared straight ahead as if in a trance. A tear slipped from her eye. Her lip quivered. Kitfox released her with a gasp. She collapsed to her knees, hiding her face with her hands. She swayed as she lamented. “I hate him! I hate him for doing this to me.”
I choked back my own tears and dared to hug her. “You don’t hate Kkorian.”
“He left me weak!”
“No.” Kitfox knelt in front of her. “Kkorian left you stronger.”
Shazza looked up, into Kitfox’s amber eyes. “Stronger?”
Kitfox smiled as he glanced at me. “Love has a strange way of making people stronger in the end.”
I reached out to take Kitfox’s hand in my own. “People in love will put themselves in danger to protect the person who holds their heart, even if it costs them their life.”
“That makes you stronger?”
“Absolutely
!” Thera affirmed. “I would die for my sister, but I wouldn’t go down without putting up one heck of a fight in the process.”
It was several minutes of silence before a small smile etched its way across Shazza’s lips. “Thank you, everyone.” She wiped her tears away and looked me in the eye. “Let’s go get Abaddon.”
It was on the Golden Isle of Symbilla that I realized Xyleena was no longer the weak and self-doubting girl she had been when this quest started. Somewhere along the way, she had changed; grown stronger both mentally and physically. Now she really was the Dragon Keeper I had been looking for. And I would gladly follow this her into battle.
– FROM “THE SECOND KEEPER” BY THERA ONYX
Jetep was a queer little town nestled between the spectacular Bangorian Mountains and the southern ocean. Unlike most of the towns on Ithnez, Jetep thrived on illegalities. Huge casinos and whore houses brought in many an unattractive visitor. It provided the perfect environment for hiring mercenaries and other shady dealings. Jetep was usually a lively place… Usually.
As I looked upon Jetep from our hiding spot in the surrounding trees, I quickly realized the reason for the town’s bizarre calm. A battalion of well-armed soldiers had taken over, leaving Jetep a mere ghost of what it was. From what I could tell, only the inn and the general store remained open for business.
I heard Thera and Kúskú approach. “Well?”
“It’s just as we feared, but we’ll have to risk it.” I said with a sigh. I finally tore my gaze away from the town to look at my friend. “We need those riding leathers or we can’t fly anywhere.”
“Agreed.” Thera began to disguise herself with her magic. As she was doing so, Kúskú cast his illusion. I watched in amazement as the silver dragon turned into a beat-up, wyvern-drawn cart.
“You two watch yourselves in there, okay?”
Thera nodded. The fake wyvern grunted.
“Good luck.”
Thera waved as she took off for the main road to Jetep. Kúskú fell in step right behind her. The minute Thera stepped on the cobblestones, she struck up a lively song. The false wyvern whistled along happily. Almost an hour later, the duo was upon the town.
Culmination Page 22
