With a Dragon's Heart

by Marissa Farrar

  Warsgra found some more grubs, and Vehel located some small yellow fruit he recognized, so they were able to put something in their bellies before getting on the move again. The day had dawned as bright and hot as the last, and Dela knew within minutes of walking she would have sweat streaming down her brow, and down her chest and back. She wished they had the ponies with them, if only so they had a way of carrying the water, and she cursed herself for not thinking of holding one of the water bladders in her hand while they’d been climbing the ridge to Drusga. At least then they’d have had something when the ponies bolted.

  She slipped her hand into her pocket to touch the Dragonstone. It flared warm beneath her touch, but she wasn’t sure if that was simply because the general temperature of their surroundings was warm, or because of its magic. She hadn’t dreamed of the dragon last night, hadn’t dreamed of soaring through the clouds, and a part of her worried this was all a mistake, and her ability to see through the dragon’s eyes had been a one off. They were walking through this jungle in order to reach the coast to try to find a Seer who might be able to teach her more about her ability and how to master it, but they didn’t even know for sure if they were going in the right direction.

  But what other choice did they have? They could each go back to their homelands, and then what? Would they be at war? Would it be all of the races against each other, or would the Norcs and Elvish and Moerians band together to fight the humans? If so, that made her the enemy, and she couldn’t stand the thought of that. If she was forced to fight them, would she draw a weapon? No, she thought she’d simply stand there and let them do what they wanted. But if they were attacking her parents, would she do nothing then, or would she be forced to defend her family and home?

  Dela didn’t even want to think about it. Her gut twisted at the possibility of what lay ahead in all of their futures. She remembered Orergon’s soft kisses, and Vehel’s, too. She wanted more of those kisses with all of these men, and never wanted to be in a position where she had to lift a hand against them.

  With that as her only other option, she was content to continue to journey with them, even if there was nothing for them at the end.

  Warsgra walked at her side and bumped her hip with his. “You’re quiet today.”

  She gave him a smile. “Just thinking. How’s your back?”

  He winced. “Sore, but I’ll live.”

  “I’ll keep my eyes open for any aloe. It’ll help the healing.”

  “Thanks. What were you and Orergon talking about in the early hours?”

  Ah, so that was why he’d lagged behind to speak with her.

  She looked ahead, to where Vehel and Orergon walked side by side. They were probably within hearing distance, so she dropped her tone slightly. “It was nothing. I’d had a nightmare about my brother, and Orergon woke me. We were talking about Ridley and what it was like when he left and didn’t come back.”

  It wasn’t a lie, as such. They had been talking about Ridley. She just left out the other part.

  Warsgra lifted his eyebrows at her. “You sure that’s all it was?”

  Perhaps Warsgra had overheard them, or maybe he’d noticed them kissing. Her face burned with heat, but she could put that down to the temperature and exertion.

  “Of course,” she said, but didn’t meet his eye.

  Still, she found herself turning over the events. It had been the dead of night, and they’d been caught up in the moment. Perhaps it was some kind of latent guilt about the others that had made Orergon push her away? Maybe she was over-thinking things, and his words had meant nothing?

  Orergon paused up ahead, and a flutter of worry went through her. Had he heard their conversation, or was something else wrong?

  “Hey, can anyone else smell that?” The Moerian had lifted his face to the sky and inhaled deeply through his nose.

  Relieved, Dela hurried to join him. “What is it?”

  “Inhale.”

  She did, but at first she didn’t know what he was talking about. Then Vehel looked to Orergon with a grin. “The ocean. I can smell the ocean.”

  Orergon nodded. “That’s what I thought. I could scent the salt on the air, and figured it must be that.”

  That meant they were near.

  The group picked up their pace, the promise of the end of the jungle nearby giving them speed. Beneath foot, the ground changed in composition, the dirt mixing with sand.

  Dela’s heart lifted with excitement. She’d only ever seen the ocean from a distance, standing behind the eastern gates of the wall that ran around Anthoinia. Ships were launched from the coast on that side of the city, but it wasn’t something normal folk like her were ever involved in. She might have been one day with her skills working with the blacksmith—she’d heard their jobs went beyond simple sword and armor forging during wartime. Ships needed iron on them, too. But the city’s need for ship building hadn’t been great during a time of peace, and traveling on the ocean was dangerous business. So she’d only ever watched the grey swell of the ocean from a distance, and wondered what it must be like to put your hand or foot into such a powerful entity.

  The trees opened up, and suddenly, between the trunks ahead, she caught a glimpse of cobalt. This wasn’t like the Eastern Sea, which was grey and tumultuous. This water was still and as blue as the sky. Small waves rushed in upon a golden beach, and Dela gave a small squeal of joy and ran onto the sand before sitting down and yanking off her boots.

  Warsgra frowned down at her. “What are you doing?”

  “I’ve never felt sand on my toes before, and I’ve never put my feet in the ocean.”

  The Norc’s expression didn’t change. “Why would you want to? Horrible, gritty stuff, it looks like, and you can’t trust the sea. Only the Gods will ever know what sort of creatures it’s hiding.”

  Orergon remained at Warsgra’s side, nodding in agreement, but Vehel’s face had lit up at the sight of the water, and the Elvish prince dropped to the sand beside her. He tugged at his own boots, throwing them to one side.

  “By the Gods, be careful,” Warsgra called out.

  She turned to him with a laugh. It was funny to hear the big man sounding nervous. He’d lived his life in the mountains, and perhaps had never been near the ocean. There weren’t many oceans near the Vast Plains either.

  “We’ll be fine. We’re only going to dip our feet in.”

  She rolled up the legs of her pants then pushed herself back to her feet. Vehel copied her, and she snatched up his hand as they headed, side by side, toward the waves. The sand grew cool and harder beneath foot, and then the first wave washed over the tips of her toes. She grinned at Vehel, and he grinned back.

  “Is this anything like your ocean back home?” she asked him.

  “No, not at all. Ours is far colder, darker, the waves bigger.”

  “Sounds more like the Eastern Sea,” she replied.

  But he shook his head. “No, it’s the same sea as this one. This is still the Deepest Gulf, but it must become the Lonely Strait soon.”

  They’d edged in deeper, and Dela clung tighter to Vehel’s arm as the water slapped around her ankles. It was so clear, she was able to see the sand and shells beneath the surface. A small shoal of fish darted nearby, and she screamed and hopped back.

  “Everything okay?” Warsgra called like an anxious father waiting nervously on the shoreline.

  Vehel laughed. “Just some tiny fish.”

  But she’d never seen fish in the ocean before. She figured they weren’t going to be her last either.

  She wanted to broach the subject of what had happened with Orergon, but she didn’t want to spoil the moment. She didn’t want Orergon to think she was talking about him behind his back either. Maybe there was a way she could bring it up as a group? She didn’t want them to be divided in any way, but she also worried that she was making more of a big deal of what he’d said than it really was. Deep down, she was also feeling a little rejected. She’d known he want
ed her from the way he’d kissed her and touched her, and yet he’d also pushed her away. She was worried about him, but at what point was it simply none of her business?

  “This is all fun and games,” Warsgra called from the shore, “but you’re missing something.”

  She frowned at him over her shoulder. “We are?”

  “We came to the coast to find an island where a Seer is supposed to live.” He gestured at the vast expanse of ocean. “But I don’t see any island—do you?”

  Her stomach sank. She’d got so caught up in the excitement of being on a beach and touching the ocean for the first time, she’d completely forgotten their reason for coming this way in the first place.

  “We should head north.” Vehel pointed up the beach. “There’s a headland. Maybe if we get around that, we’ll be able to see more.”

  They waded back out of the water. Already, she missed the coolness on her feet. She didn’t want to put her boots back on, so she picked them up and carried them instead. Bare-footed, she was able to walk where the sand was the most firm. Vehel joined her, and Warsgra and Orergon walked on the side closest to the jungle which morphed to thick rooted mangroves. She didn’t trust roots so much anymore, and no matter what Warsgra said about the ocean, she figured there were plenty of dangers on land as well.

  Vehel’s pale complexion had got some color over the last few days, and he no longer looked quite as sunburned. The tan made his white-blond hair and pale blue eyes stand out even more, and she kept glancing over at him as they walked.

  After a while, they were all forced away from the water and into the shade of the overhanging trees. They couldn’t keep walking in direct sunlight. They also needed to find more fresh water, but out here everything was tainted by salt. If they didn’t find anything soon, they’d be forced to head back into the jungle to find a fresh water source. In fact, she thought they might have to do so anyway. How long would they last out here with no water?

  They kept going. Walking on sand, Dela discovered, was far harder than walking on solid ground, and her calves threatened to cramp from the exertion and her dehydration, too.

  Up ahead, the beach gave way to a rocky face. Following the others, Dela clambered across it, mindful of the wet stone where it was slippery. It wasn’t a big fall to the water beneath, but she didn’t want to get hurt. They climbed, helping each other across, offering hands for support and guidance across the trickier parts. Though Warsgra hadn’t liked the ocean, he was used to this sort of terrain, and he looked as though he found it easier to navigate than the others, jumping from rock to rock, only stopping to help one of the others if they were struggling.

  As they rounded the headland, the waves became rougher, slapping against the rocks below them and sending salty spray across their skin and hair. Dela tasted salt on her tongue, but she didn’t mind the spray. The sun continued to beat down on them, and her bare shoulders grew hot under its rays. The sea water helped to cool her down.

  Eventually, they rounded the headland to find themselves on another beach, similar to the one they’d just left, only this one was more pebbles than sand. The water wasn’t quite as blue here either, growing grey in patches, the waves a little higher.

  Dela had been concentrating so hard on making sure she was putting her feet in the right places and not slipping on the rocks, that she’d forgotten why they were climbing over here in the first place. It was Orergon’s voice that made her glance up.

  “Look!”

  She turned her face to him. He was standing upright on the rocks, his long black hair swept back by the sea breeze, pointing out to sea. She followed the line of his finger, and her breath caught.

  There, out to sea, was a smaller blob of rocks and greenery.

  The island.

  “We found it,” she said, unbelieving. She realized at that moment that she hadn’t really thought they would. She’d thought they’d have just continued wandering these jungles and beaches together, and a small part of her would have been content to do just that. The four of them, together, with no outside interference from the rest of the world.

  Vehel grinned and nodded. “I knew it would be here.”

  He clearly hadn’t shared her doubts.

  The island didn’t look a huge distance away. It was close enough that she was able to make out a rocky shore, and some of the trees surrounding it. The center of the island rose in a granite peak, and more foliage covered its sides. But they still had an expanse of water between them and the island, and though the waves didn’t look massive from where they were standing on shore, she guessed they’d be a lot larger when they were on top of them.

  Dela climbed the final rocks down onto the beach, and then stood with her hands on her hips, staring out to the island. “It’s great that we’ve found it, but how are we going to get over there? We can’t swim that distance. Apart from it being a long way, we don’t know what kind of creatures are in the water. I don’t want to get eaten along the way, and I’m guessing none of you do either.”

  Warsgra chewed on his lower lip. “Becoming fish food isn’t high on my list of things to do.”

  “We need to build a raft.” Vehel glanced over his shoulder to the jungle behind. “There’s plenty of wood available, and we can find vines to knot the wood together. That will get us across.”

  Orergon frowned. “That’s going to take time, and we don’t have any resources here. We’re going to need food and water—but particularly water.”

  Dela nodded. “You’re right. It feels like forever since we found the last pool.”

  “What about if the two of us go in search of water,” he suggested, “and the other two start building? Vehel is the expert on raft building, so it would make sense for him to stay. Warsgra’s the strongest, so his strength would be needed to haul down the tree trunks.”

  Nerves fluttered inside her belly. “You mean separate?”

  He nodded. “I’m the best at tracking. It doesn’t make any sense for all of us to go back into the jungle.”

  Was he using this as an excuse to get her alone after the previous night? She wasn’t sure, and a horrified little part of her realized she wasn’t certain if she could completely trust Orergon after what he’d said. Did he really have a darkness inside him? And if he did, what if this was the darkness talking now?

  “I … I don’t know. I don’t like the idea of us separating. What if something happens?”

  Orergon shrugged. “We’ll be fine. I’m sure we won’t need to go far.”

  She looked to Vehel. “No chance you could magic up a rainstorm or something?”

  He gave a wry smile and pushed his hand through his hair while shaking his head. “Sorry.”

  She returned his smile. “It was worth asking.”

  Dela didn’t like feeling this way. Orergon had never given her any reason not to trust him. He’d brought her miles and supported her every step of the way. She didn’t need to be nervous around him now.

  “If we’re going to stand any chance of making progress before nightfall, we should go now.”

  Orergon was right. She didn’t want to spend a night with no food or water. They’d find it far harder to search the following day if they were even more weak and dehydrated. Even so, she regretted not mentioning anything to Vehel now. Perhaps she should before they left, so if they were delayed for any reason, the others would have the full picture.

  She took a step toward Vehel. “Vehel, can I just—”

  “We should make a move, Dela,” Orergon said.

  She fixed a smile. “Sure.”

  Dela joined Orergon’s side, and they turned back to the jungle, leaving Warsgra and Vehel behind on the beach.

  Chapter 8

  Vehel

  Vehel watched Dela and Orergon’s retreating backs. He didn’t like that they were separating either, especially being separated from Dela, but Orergon was right. They wouldn’t get far without water, and while they currently had an expanse of water at their feet
, none of it was drinkable.

  Had Dela been trying to ask him something before she’d left? He’d got the impression she was, but then Orergon interrupted them. If it had been anything important, he was sure she would have just gone ahead and asked it. Dela had never had a problem in saying what she thought before.

  “Right.” Warsgra put his hands on his hips. “Where do we start?”

  Vehel forced his mind away from Dela to concentrate on what they were doing. “You see the plant growing out of the ground over there?”

  He nodded. “Looks like big poles with leaves coming off it.”

  “That’s the one. We need them pulled out of the ground, and the leaves stripped off. I’ll go a little deeper and find some vines to bind them together.”

  “Got it.”

  Vehel hid a smile at the Norc’s agreeability. It hadn’t been so long since a Norc wouldn’t even want to be breathing the same air as the Elvish, never mind taking orders from one. Warsgra had softened over the past week—though Vehel would never say so to his face—and he knew it had to do with Dela.

  Vehel left the beach to follow in Dela and Orergon’s wake, though he doubted he’d need to go too far from the beach. He looked up as he walked, peering into the low hanging branches of the surrounding trees. Moss covered this side of the tree trunks, and ferns sprouted from their bases, the leaves curled fingers, beckoning to him.

  He was so focused on looking up that he almost didn’t notice the movement on the ground in front of him before it was too late. He glanced down to find a line of giant ants walking in a procession at his feet. Each ant was easily the size of his fist, but he was relieved they each carried a large piece of torn leaf on their backs. Luckily, unlike the Hunter fly that had taken Dela, it appeared as though these creatures lived off foliage rather than people.