Whispers of Time

by Gwendolyn Ilimaris

  “We must move,” Raven yelled over the battle sounds coming from the rest of the camp. “They may need our assistance elsewhere.”

  Jake nodded and stuck his head inside the tent. Paige and Sara were both awake now and they looked up at him. He motioned for them to follow, “Stay close.” They followed Raven toward the other end of the camp. Hikaru took up position behind the girls and kept an eye on their back.

  ***

  “We are under attack!” Rin yelled in elven as she raced through the camp. Any enemy that came within arm’s reach of her dropped dead. “Clear out the camp then secure our perimeter!”

  The battle-hardened elves were immediately at the ready and they formed into quick battle groups of five or six. They followed Rin’s orders without question. She continued to cut through the enemy until she skidded to a halt by her brother’s tent. Wren and Jaeha stood back to back with katanas drawn on the ruins of Wren’s tent, surrounded by a large group of orcs and massive horse sized wolves with more pouring in from the forest. The wargs circled around the orcs with loud snarls as their riders directed them where to go.

  Rin narrowed her eyes when she saw that her brother was already injured. His shoulder was covered in blood from what looked like a warg bite. She blew a slow, low whistle. Anyone not trained to listen for that sound would have over looked it with all the battle sounds, but Wren looked up as soon as he heard it. The two made eye contact and Rin raised her arm.

  “No!” He yelled, but she ignored him.

  “Pevanas!” A strong wind slammed into a group of orcs and sent ten of them sailing across the clearing. Without waiting for the rest of the surprised orcs to react, she began making a path through them. In a matter of seconds, bodies of orcs were strewn around her feet as she made her way forward. Kaedin moved with her, his katana in hand, as he killed any orc that came up behind her.

  They fought their way through the orcs until they reached Jaeha and Wren. As soon as they reached them, Jaeha pushed Wren in front of him and they started to make their way back through the path Rin and Kaedin had created. They did not make it very far when they felt the ground begin to shake. Rin glanced over her shoulder and saw a troll bearing down on them. She spun and pushed her brother hard. He staggered to the side out of the way of the troll’s club. Rin leapt back but got caught by the edge of the club. She yelped in pain when it sent her flying across the clearing. She landed twenty feet away and went down in a tangle of orcs. Grimacing, she fought her way free and got back to her feet. Her steps were unsteady when she had to jump to the side and the troll’s club crashed into the ground causing it to shake. She prepared to dodge again when the troll raised its club again, but before it could swing at her it was pierced by multiple arrows. It howled in pain and turned its attention away from her.

  Rin glanced behind her and saw that the rest of the elves were coming to help. They had secured their camp and could now focus on pushing the rest of the enemy back. When she found the elf leading the rest, she nodded to him. He pressed a fist to his chest in response before he turned his attention back to the troll.

  Returning her attention to the battle, she scanned the area until she caught sight of her brother and Jaeha again. Kaedin was still with them helping to protect Wren. She started to move toward them when she saw a glimpse of something metal in the trees. Taking a closer look, she saw that Jyldar was in the tree with an arrow trained on Wren. She gasped and took off at a sprint across the clearing. Without warning a warg leapt into her path from the side. She dropped and slid underneath it. Thrusting her daggers up, she stabbed it in the stomach as she flew under. Pushing herself back up with her hands, she kept her forward momentum going.

  “Ksāetras,” she yelled when she saw Jyldar release the arrow. A force wall sprang to life between the arrow and her brother. She kept running toward Jyldar and watched as he waved his hand the second before the arrow hit the wall. It changed direction and flew right at her.

  “Pevanas,” she gasped and barely had time to get her hand up to cast the wind spell. It managed to turn the arrow but left a small scrape across the palm of her hand before it dropped to the ground. Her gaze flew back to the tree and her face clouded with anger when Jyldar was gone. Muttering under her breath, she spun and dropped several more orcs before they began to retreat into the trees. She watched them go until a sharp pain in her hand caused her to look down at it. Her brows furrowed when she saw several strange looking black lines across her palm and a sudden wave of dizziness washed over her. Shaking her head, she attempted to shake off the feeling as she reached down to pick up the arrow Jyldar shot at Wren. Before she could touch it, Jaeha grabbed her hand.

  “Do not touch that,” he said, his voice sharp. He reached down and picked it up before he smelled it. His expression grew angry as he slammed the tip into the ground. “It smells of everdark.”

  “What is everdark?” Jake’s voice caused Rin to glance up. Raven, Hikaru, Paige, and Sara joined them as a large group of elven warriors busied themselves with picking off any remaining stragglers.

  “It is a poison,” Jaeha replied with a frown. “A quite lethal one.”

  Rin clamped her right hand closed as she made her way over to Wren. She put her left hand over his shoulder and closed her eyes to heal the wound. Wren’s eyebrow rose when he noticed her using her nondominant hand to heal him.

  “What does it do?” Jake asked. The doctor in him took over as he tried to gather as much information about the poison as possible. If he could have to deal with it, he needed to know about it.

  “The effects to someone who is not bonded is too gruesome to describe,” Jaeha said before he paused and glanced at Wren. “I do not understand why he would try and poison Wren with this. While there is no form of healing, anyone with a bonded would not die. He had to be aware of this.”

  “What would happen to them?”

  “The poison would spread through their bodies turning every vein black. It shall fade but some could be permanent. They would be on death’s doorstep and only their bonded’s blood would keep them alive. It is quite painful and fast acting.” Jaeha paused. “It could be seen as advantageous to some since the elf would then be immune to the effects in the future.”

  “If it kills an elf how would the blood of another elf keep them alive?” Jake asked, something about all of this seemed off to him. Jaeha only tilted his head before he looked over at Wren.

  Rin was finished healing his shoulder, but she staggered when she stepped away from him and grabbed her right hand as another sharp pain lanced through it. Kaedin glanced at her when he sensed the pain and moved so that he was standing beside her.

  Wren frowned as he watched Kaedin move closer to his sister. “Show me.”

  Rin’s head snapped up and she grimaced when she realized that her brother already knew something was wrong. With a heavy sigh, she opened her right hand and showed him the palm of her hand. He grabbed her hand, so he could get a better look. She flinched but did not make a sound. The whole palm of her hand was already covered in black lines that were creeping up her wrist.

  “We are not waiting until morning,” Wren said, his voice serious. “We are leaving tonight and shall be flying. We must make it to the stronghold at Lyrin as soon as possible.” He paused and looked around before he waved an elf over. “Captain Lielpe, you are to secure this camp in case of another attack. I am leaving now.”

  “Yes, my lord,” the captain replied before he disappeared into the camp.

  “All of you shall meet me over by your tent in about fifteen minutes,” Wren said as he headed over to the remains of his tent with Jaeha. Raven and Hikaru disappeared with Jake and the girls in the direction of their tent.

  Kaedin and Rin made their way that direction, but they moved slower. Rin ground her teeth together in frustration. She had not even been home a day and had already been wounded twice. It made her feel like she was a burden to her brother. Kaedin glanced at her when he sensed the change in her emotions.
He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. She leaned into him and took comfort in his presence.

  When they arrived back at the tent, they found Raven had the tent bag slung over his shoulder while they waited on Wren.

  “Why aren’t we going to port?” Jake asked now that they had a moment they were not moving.

  Raven glanced over at him. “There are port blocks on all of the settlements and cities, plus large areas around military outposts. It is safer and easier to avoid detection if we fly.”

  Jake opened his mouth to ask another question, but Wren came striding up with a small bag on his back.

  “Let us go,” he said without pausing. They all headed into the open area beyond the tents. Jaeha, Hikaru, and Kaedin walked a short distance away from everyone and began to glow. Jake’s mouth dropped open in shock when they changed into silver dragons. His head started to shake as he took in their appearance. The size between them varied a great deal, but they all had a ridge of spines that ran from the top of their head to the tip of their tail. Their silver color appeared an almost bluish-silver in the light of the fires and the moon.

  “They’re dragons,” Jake said, his voice flat. “That’s what you were attempting to hide until now. A bonded is an elf and dragon pair that share blood. That’s why their blood would keep the elf alive.”

  Wren tilted his head with a frown when he looked over at Jake, “I have attempted to conceal nothing from you.”

  “They have,” Jake said looking over at the dragons. “I don’t understand what they could gain from it.”

  A low growl from Jaeha caused Jake to look up at him. He had to take a few steps back when Jaeha moved closer to him or he could not see his face. The dragon was huge. He was noticeably the largest of the three and he looked much older in dragon form. Kaedin was the smallest and Jake could tell he was not as old.

  “We did not wish to reveal our true nature until we were certain that we could trust all of you,” Jaeha growled. “If your people were interested in experimenting on an elf could you imagine their interest in a dragon? We only exist in your legends.”

  Jake frowned but could not argue with him, “That’s probably true, but I wouldn’t be one of them.”

  Jaeha regarded Jake for a moment before he growled again and bowed his head to the side. “I apologize for keeping our secret for so long. You speak the truth when you say that you do not act as most of the others we witnessed in your world. Forgive me.”

  “It’s fine,” Jake said as he folded his arms over his chest. “I would appreciate no more secrets.” When Jaeha nodded, he glanced over at Rin. She was making her way over to Kaedin.

  “No,” Wren said. “You will be flying with me. Kaedin shall take Jake and Sara.”

  Rin looked back over her shoulder. “What? You cannot possibly put them on a dragon alone. They have never flown before and should be paired with us.”

  “And when the poison affects you enough that you cannot stay on? Who shall keep Sara from falling then?”

  “I am not as weak as you believe,” Rin snapped at him. He only raised an eyebrow before he led Jake and Sara over to Kaedin.

  “There is a break in the spines on his back,” Wren said as he pointed up at a place between Kaedin’s wings. “You shall sit there. Once you are on, you can hold the spine for balance if you must, but you should be all right. Kaedin will be gentle, I am certain.” He glanced at Kaedin before he turned, grabbed Rin’s arm, and headed over to Jaeha.

  Jake watched him leave before he looked back at Kaedin. He could not conceal all of his apprehension and Kaedin growled under his breath.

  “I don’t like this any more than you do,” Jake snapped before he picked Sara up by the waist. She could not reach to climb up and Kaedin was forced to lay down flat on the ground before she could get up. Once she was finally situated, Jake hesitated and looked at Kaedin again.

  “Get it over with,” he said with a loud growl.

  Jake narrowed his eyes in irritation before he climbed up Kaedin’s side and sat down behind Sara. When he was seated, he glanced around and saw that Paige was sitting behind Raven on Hikaru, and a very unhappy Rin was sitting in front of her brother on Jaeha.

  “Let us go,” Wren called when he was certain that everyone was ready. The dragons spread their wings and leapt into the air. They set a brisk pace as they flew away from the camp.

  Several hours later the sun was rising, and Rin glanced toward Kaedin. They were still traveling fast, and she could sense that he was beginning to tire. A scowl crossed her face when she could not attempt to lessen his exhaustion with magic since she was stuck with Wren. She looked up at her brother to say something when Jaeha veered off to the side to put some distance between them and the others.

  “The young one is struggling,” he growled. “He is still small to be carrying two.” He had noticed that Kaedin was starting to lag a little bit.

  Wren looked over at Kaedin and sighed, “Find a place and we shall rest for an hour or two.”

  Jaeha drifted closer to Kaedin and Hikaru before he roared. The three dragons started to descend. A little while later Jaeha found a small shelter clearing for them to land in and they all dropped to the ground. The large dragon sank his claws into the forest floor and before he could close his wings Rin slid off his back. She turned and glowered at her brother.

  “As you can see, I am just fine,” she snapped. “I am half dragon besides having a bonded. I shall remain with Kaedin from now on.” Without letting her brother respond, she spun on her heel and marched away.

  Wren slid down Jaeha’s side as he watched her walk away. A look of disapproval was fixed on his face when he could see all of her veins were already black.

  “Our lady is a handful as always,” Jaeha said with a low growl. “It is good to see that has not changed after her ordeal.” He growled again when Wren did nothing other than glance at him.

  Rin slowed to an unhurried walk once she was out of earshot. Her face contorted into a grimace of pain when she grabbed her hand. The point of the poison entry was causing her the most pain. She pushed her pain away when she got close to Kaedin. He was back in elven form and was laying on the ground with his arm over his face. She sense that he was exhausted and sat down beside him. Taking hold of the hand not over his face, she closed her eyes, “Āijabūeta.”

  He sighed as soon as the word was out of her mouth. Her magic flowed into him and relieved some of his fatigue.

  “Thank you,” he said, his voice quiet. He lifted his arm off his face and when he saw her his eyes opened wide.

  “I look that poorly?” She asked with a forced smile.

  His expression shifted to one of concern, “You are in pain.”

  She tilted her head with a sigh. It was not a question. She knew he could sense that she was hurting.

  “It is not more than I can handle,” she said.

  Kaedin frowned before he motioned for her to lay down next to him. He knew she was in worse shape than she was letting on. After he extended his arm on the ground, she laid down beside him and rested her head on it. He draped his other arm over her and a few short minutes later they were both fast asleep.

  Jake, Paige, and Sara were sitting with Raven and Hikaru a little way away from Rin and Kaedin. Hikaru was sprawled out on the grass next to Raven already asleep.

  “Why is there such a size difference between the dragons?” Jake asked, breaking the silence.

  Raven looked up at him, “Their age determines their size.” When Jake gave him an expectant stare he sighed. “Jaeha is the oldest so he is the largest, but even he is not full grown yet.”

  Jake’s eyes widened in surprise when he realized Jaeha would get larger. The massive dragon already stood fifty feet tall, and from the tip of his nose to tail was one hundred and ten feet long. His wings fully extended were a full one hundred and thirty-five feet.

  “I’m afraid to ask this, but how old are all of you?” Jake asked, his eyes filling
with curiosity. “I get the feeling that you are much older than we think you are.”

  Raven shifted, his discomfort visible, before he glanced at Paige with a frown.

  “What?” She asked with a pout. He only shrugged before he sighed and looked back over at Jake.

  “I supposed I shall start with the youngest,” he said. “Lady Rin and Kaedin are both four hundred and nineteen. This is why Kaedin is so much smaller than Jaeha and Hikaru. He is still only a young adult dragon.”

  “The youngest?” Jake could not keep from interrupting.

  Raven nodded slowly, and his expression grew wary before he continued, “Hikaru and I are next, we are both around eight hundred and fourteen. This makes Hikaru an adult dragon.” He paused as if trying to gauge his reaction. “Lord Wren and Jaeha are the oldest of our group. They are both one thousand two hundred and nineteen, I believe. We do not keep close track of our ages.” He paused to collect his thoughts before he continued, “Jaeha is an ancient dragon but he will not be considered fully grown until he reaches elder at fifteen hundred.”

  Jake could only stare at him in complete disbelief. The idea of living so long was such a foreign concept that he could not wrap his head around it.

  “How do you live so long?” Sara’s quiet voice caused Raven to look over at her. He hesitated before he frowned again.

  “My people, as well as most races in my world, are immortal,” he replied. “We only die if we are killed.” Raven watched Paige, Jake, and Sara for a few minutes before he turned his attention away from them. They needed a moment to process everything he just told them.

  “You’re over eight hundred years old?” Paige asked. She had her hands on her hips when she looked over at Raven. When he only nodded, she scowled at him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I did not have much of an opportunity before now,” he said with a tilt of his head. “Besides, I did not wish for you to react as you are now. It has made you uncomfortable.”