After she mounted the dragon’s neck, they dashed into the sky. The cold numbed Celesia’s cheeks. “How high are we going? Beyond the mountaintops?”
“Higher! Hold tight. The clouds are rough!”
Celesia closed her eyes as they plowed through the hovering mists, the air heavy and dense like the fogs of Olgena, only cool and crisp, better than a forest after a light drizzle. She opened her eyes to an ocean of clouds churning beneath her. A soft blue light reflected from them. They tumbled and soared, her stomach flipping with every swoop, like a swarm of butterflies inside her.
Most astonishing of all was the cerulean glow of the moon. A yawning cobalt had replaced its gray spots.
Never had Celesia felt so free or exhilarated, or seen such beauty in the heavens. “This is amazing!”
“I see Groth snoring as hard as he normally does,” Flint said with a warm voice. Warmer than ever. “What do you think, Princess? Is this how you imagined it?”
“Better than I imagined. It’s beautiful.”
Flint looked her way, enough to see her with one eye. “This is why I fly so much. It clears my mind, sharpens my senses. Touching the sky is a gift of my curse.”
“Will you miss it? When the curse is gone?”
The moon had climbed higher over the mountainous peaks. Flint made a pass around the clouds for a better view. “What good is flying when the joys of life happen on the ground? Removing ashes from the hearth of a warm fireplace, feeling cramped after sleeping on a hill of rocks, tolerating an undercooked meal—all common occurrences that humans overlook. I wish for nothing more than to experience this; treasure both unpleasant and pleasant moments. Life has meaning in that.”
Celesia held fast, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. She stared at the moon for a time, feeling the wind press against her face as they soared high above the earth. The color of the moon matched the Dragon’s Heart, and the dragon’s eyes. For the first time in their journey, she looked deeply in Flint’s blue eye, the very window to his soul. There was no dragon inside them. She saw his compassion, his strength and kindness—
—and love.
Celesia couldn’t deny her nurtured feelings for him, whenever he was present—having grown stronger than being in Lyell or Tuke’s presence. By some miracle, she was awake. Sleep didn’t rob her of this moment, nor did she try to cause harm to Flint while she wasn’t aware.
She loved the prince, deep inside the dragon.
She embraced his neck with no hesitation.
Is this what it feels like? To be truly in love?
“Are you frightened? You’re choking me.”
Celesia smiled as she loosened her grip. “I’m never frightened when you’re near. Thank you for this. I’ll treasure it for as long as I live—forever and always.”
“Forever and always?” Flint chuckled. “Might I share this forever and always with you?”
She smiled. “You already are—don’t worry, Flint. I will find your true name, even if it kills me.”
“Careful, Celesia. I’m not sure I could face a world without you in it. But if you find it, don’t be in harm’s way. I would like to see you through human eyes.”
“Yes, I promise,” Celesia answered.
His smile widened more than ever.
They soared the skies and over the mountaintops for what felt like hours, enjoying the moon’s blue light until the signs of dawn ascended over the horizon. As they returned, she promised to free Flint of his enchantment, no matter the cost. And after that, Celesia could only speculate as to where this relationship would take them. Only by lifting his curse would they know for sure.
˙ ˚ ˚ ˚ ˙
Celesia slept as the others woke up. Groth had found a few ostrich eggs and was frying them in a large skillet, loaned to him by the magician. He removed the tarp from his cart and pulled out a large trunk. Inside was an unorganized collection of sadirons, fabrics and spices.
He scavenged through his inventory and pulled out a small bottle filled with dried saffron. He handed this to the ogre. Groth sprinkled some of the dried herb over the melon-sized yokes. Hilander and his sister were still lying next to each other. Unmoved. Unchanged.
Groth nudged Celesia. “Time to wake up.”
“Morning, Groth.” She yawned as she stretched. Her mind felt cloudy. “I’m sorry for sleeping late. What’re you making? Wherever did you find such large eggs?”
“An ostrich nest. It’s a tragedy, really. I wouldn’t take eggs from a parent’s nest unless we faced starvation, but these eggs have no mum and dad to look after them.”
“When the ogre left to go hunt, he found a nest with two slaughtered ostriches,” Nichasin explained.
Celesia’s eyes widened. “Slaughtered?”
“It was awful,” Groth added. “It was the same claw markings that we found here. Master Flint went to look for the monster. Never seen him so scared before.”
For some strange reason, Celesia was compelled to wrap her fingers around the Dragon’s Heart. Never had she felt more protective of the stone. “What frightened him? He’s a dragon. He’s not afraid of anything.”
“An excuse to leave, I think,” Nichasin said.
One of the horses stirred, and raised its head. “Oh,” moaned the mare. “W-who are you all?”
“Morning!” Groth called with a friendly wave of his massive hand. “Mended up nicely, you have.”
“An ogre—here?” The mare shook nervously. “You have not eaten me, so you must be friends. You never mentioned him, Hilander. Who are the humans?”
“Nichasin is by his cart,” Celesia said, volunteering to make the introductions. “He’s the magician who saved your life. I am Celesia, Princess of Bëdoustram.”
“You’re here!” The mare stood on her weak legs and walked with careful steps. “Princess Celesia, on behalf of my herd, I thank you. My brother never would have returned to me without you. Are you really the princess who will restore the land’s ancient magic that was lost?”
Celesia held up the stone. “Some think so.”
“What a beautiful stone—and foreboding,” the mare whinnied. “My name is Tamsyn. I am something of a princess too, for my herd.”
“So your father is the leader?” Groth revered. “That would make Hilander something of a prince himself. Scratch my earlobes, you never told us that!”
“Told you what?” Hilander raised his head from the grass, yawned and looked at the empty space where the mare once slept. “Tamsyn? Tamsyn?! Where is she?”
“Over here,” she neighed. “You are jumpy.”
Hilander scurried to her side, a little taller and larger than her. “You gave me a start leaving me like that. You really should not move so much. Are you hurt?”
“Not at all,” Tamsyn said. “Should I be in pain? Why do you look so afraid, brother?”
“So, you have no memory of what happened?” The look of terror on Hilander’s face was still apparent. “We were attacked by a monster. It nearly killed you!”
Tamsyn shook her mane. “I recall nothing.”
“It’s possibly a side effect,” Nichasin replied. “I may have conjured more magic than I hoped for—curing your body and mind. You may not remember yesterday at all.” Nichasin hopped out of his cart, and fastened the latches on his blind horse. “I believe I’ve helped you all as much as I can. It’s time that I move on.”
“You won’t stay?” Celesia asked. “You have been a great help. Won’t you travel with us?”
“I’ve been to Trisontia, and I must make up time if I’m to reach Caperholm as I’ve planned. Again, I thank you Princess, for believing in me. I’m unable to believe in myself just yet. We may see each other again, but I will make no promise of that. I wish you all the luck in the world in stopping the Alchemist. Good day.”
Taika hovered over Celesia. “Good riddance!”
She flashed her a look as she waved to the chandler. “Thank you for saving Tamsyn!”
Nichasin i
gnored the fairy’s taunt as he gathered up the bridle of his horse. With a swift call, he encouraged the beast to move. The others watched as the magician traveled due south, at a pace faster than his casual walk. Celesia had so many unanswered questions about him: What business did he have in Caperholm? Why did he seem so agitated when he heard Sarandretta’s name?
The magician soon vanished over the hills. The smell of burning eggs snapped Celesia out of her stupor.
“Slug relish!” Groth sprinted for the fire.
“Will he be alright alone?” Celesia asked.
“He will decide when the time is right,” Tamsyn said with a touch of perspective, like the wisdom her brother often shared. “He carries more possessions with him than he has in his cart—the blind leading the blind.”
Groth returned with a smoking pan in his hand. He brushed the good eggs to the side. Despite his efforts, the burnt smell of herbs was no longer appetizing. “I knew I shoulda stayed close to this. I was able to salvage some of it. Anyone want to share this grub with me?”
“Not after that story earlier,” Celesia said.
Taika darted around them like a hummingbird, and landed on Celesia’s shoulder. She made herself cozy, as if she had made plans to sit there for a while. Groth ate some of the meal before scraping the refuse out of the pan with a wooden spoon. Celesia wanted to speak with Tamsyn, but as Groth doused the fire, an unexpected rush of wind howled over them. Flint landed hard, his body like a cat on his guard from a threat to its life. His eyes were thin and untrusting. “We must leave,” he barked. “Gather your things. We’re going now!”
Groth stared at him. “What have you—?”
“—there’s no time!” Flint yelled urgently. “I can’t travel with you, but I’ll watch the skies as you walk. Be quick. We must reach Trisontia before it’s too late!”
Before anyone could react, Flint jumped back into the sky and climbed out of sight. Celesia stared at the sky, unnerved by the danger they were supposedly in.
Or is it Trisontia that’s in trouble?
Hilander offered to carry Celesia, as he had before, while Tamsyn insisted that she should join them in their quest to restore the Dragon’s Heart. Taika objected, as expected, but the others outvoted her. Even though their company was again united, a rush of anxiety still flowed through Celesia’s chest. An unforeseen sense of doom consumed her throughout the rest of the day.
What on earth had the dragon discovered?
Chapter 20
Reproving the Prince
The afternoon sky darkened as the company marched eastward. Celesia watched as the clouds folded with the wind, not slowly as they had the night before. A storm was coming. Rolling thunder cascaded over them by midday and continued for hours. Something evil lurked in the skies, hidden by malevolent clouds. With only an hour left until sunset, the company found a small village to the south with a trail of people walking away from it, pulling carts of all sizes—some with crying children.
“Take me there, Hilander,” Celesia said. “Maybe they can tell us what’s happening. Go on ahead, Groth.”
Hilander ran to the villagers without dithering. The closer they approached, the more serious their situation appeared. Dark ash smudged their faces. Soot covered their clothing. Mothers were carrying sleeping children. Mules and old men pulled carts. There wasn’t a single young man among them. Few took notice of her as she came near, and most of the others ignored her.
“What happened here?” she asked an old man with curly white hair. “Where is everyone going?”
“Our people are headed to Caperholm, to the island fortress,” the man answered without looking at her. “The old fortress is surrounded by water, so we should be safe there.”
“From what? How will water protect you?”
“It despises water. The beast despises water.”
Beast? Whatever could he mean by that? Celesia was about to ask, but the man repeated himself, as Tamsyn had done in her state of shock. It was better to leave him alone. “Let’s get back to the others, Hilander.”
They ran north to meet their companions, passing the burned village as they approached. Now that Celesia could see the village, she understood the condition of the people who left. Thick trails of black smoke wisped from each broken house. What kind of monster would do this? She told the others what she had heard. Groth placed his hand on his chin without saying anything. All they could do was press on, as Flint had instructed.
Without stopping for a meal, they continued into the dusk. The mountain ranges of the north became jagged and rigid, sloping sharply the farther east they walked.
They passed a low valley with many desolate features. Enormous geysers blew jets of hot water into the air. Celesia wondered what other dangers lurked beyond the harsh wasteland. The more they seemed to travel, the more treacherous their surroundings had become.
“What a dreadful terrain,” Groth said, his voice worn and sore. “I do hope Master Flint will tell us what he’s up to. What did you discuss with him last night?”
Celesia turned to him. “What do you mean?”
“You and Master Flint left camp, and didn’t come back until after midnight. I couldn’t find the two of you, so I waited until you landed before I fell asleep again.”
His claim was accurate, and Celesia didn’t know how to answer. “You didn’t have to stay up for us. Flint and I went to have a look around, nothing more.”
“Did he explain why we must travel in such haste?” Hilander asked. “Why is Flint so distressed?”
“I don’t know; he didn’t have a care in the world last night,” Celesia answered, “and he said nothing about his worries. Something must’ve happened since then.”
“What did you two talk about?” Tamsyn asked.
So many questions. Celesia wasn’t prepared for any of them. She had to think first, fearing that her budding infatuation for the dragon would slip. “We only talked about the journey and the clues we’ve uncovered so far, and I’ve given some thought to names that could be a good match for Flint. None are sticking, though.”
Taika raced back to her, leaving a trail of glittery dust in the air, laughing for no apparent reason. “What kind of names? Wilfred? Donnie? Carmichael?”
Celesia smiled at the fairy’s silly, but amusing antics. “Nothing that absurd. He must have a kingly name, one the Royal Magical Family would agree on. The problem is ... how could they name him? The oldest son had died years before Flint was born.”
“What are the names of the family?” Tamsyn asked. “I remember King Axel and Queen Rhea, but what are the names of their children?”
Celesia reached into the depths of her mind. “I can’t remember all of them. There was a Zaram, I think. I can’t even recall the name of the first son who died.”
“Hold on.” Groth unbuttoned one of his pouches and rummaged through a couple of his little booklets. He then removed a page of paper with large words he had written on it. “Let’s see here ... From the oldest to last was Thoth, Icerus, Zaram, Althea, and Noita.”
Celesia looked at the parchment. “Yes, those are their names! Where did you get that?”
The ogre grinned. “I wrote them when we were in that room of books. The part you showed me looked important, so I duplicated it—just in case.”
Celesia read over the words again and handed the parchment back to him. “Thank you, Groth. I have no place to keep this safe. Will you hold onto this?”
“I’m the only bloke among us with pockets.”
“You dare copy Ereman’s hand?” Taika growled.
Groth swatted at her. “I doubt he would care!”
Celesia laughed for the first time since they started that the day. Groth grumbled and shifted his shoulders as they continued into the night without a sign of where Flint was, until they reached the edge of Trisontia.
None of them expected such a horrific sight.
The great castle of Trisontia burned with small fires on its parapets. They
heard the distant groaning of men, along with cries of pain and wails of death. Celesia had heard her father speak of the LaVóndian wars, when the other realms had once battled against each other.
Never before had she seen the result of war.
Celesia withdrew her dagger. “I’ll go alone.”
“Not on your life!” Groth opposed her by standing in front of the stallion with outstretched arms. “Perish the thought. There will be desperation in that kingdom. We had better stay put until Master Flint finds us.”
“There’s someone I must find there—I can’t stand here and do nothing.” Celesia pointed Hilander in the direction where she wanted to go. “Wait for us here.”
Taika jumped onto her shoulder. “I’m coming!”
“Me too,” Tamsyn said. “I will run with you.”
The ogre frowned. “You’re leaving me alone?”
“I’m sorry, Groth.” Celesia handed him her cloak. “Wait for us by the road. We have no time to argue.”
Celesia prepared herself for the absolute worst as they ran into the remains of Trisontia. Something had smashed the walls next to the castle gate. She couldn’t see how the structure had fallen until Hilander jumped over an enormous hand. She asked the stallion to stop and turn back, to make certain that what she had seen wasn’t her imagination. On the ground was the charred, curled hand of a dead giant. The creature had fallen over three houses, its massive palm lying in the street beyond the entrance of a shingled inn.
“Giants?” Celesia asked as the others caught up.
Taika held her hand over his nose. “Since when do giants make war? Not since ancient times! There aren’t many left. Hopefully not all of them were here.”
It seemed that her hope was in vain. The further they pressed for the castle walls, the more dead giants they passed, with some dozen or so men slain for every giant who had fallen. Many surviving knights tried to clear the roads while searching for others who were still alive.
The bridge to the castle was down, so they crossed a muddied moat to the inner courtyard. Many valiant men were resting in the grass, aided by women and servants. Celesia told Taika to go back and tell Groth what they had found. She was hesitant to agree, but she left.
The Dragon's Heart Page 19
