by Kyle West
“I mean it as a negotiating tool,” Isaru said. “Novans will be deep in enemy territory and surrounded on all sides. Even they would see the sense of making peace in those circumstances.”
“Not to mention when they realize their ally has turned into their enemy,” Shara said.
“That too,” Isaru said. “After flying on our way back, I’m convinced they are no longer going to Colonia. They probably believe the city is cornered, and until they learn otherwise, they will head to the Xenoplain, where there’s enough food to feed their legions. From there, they either go for Haven, if they learn of my betrayal, or they finish off Sylva. This is all assuming that they mean to maintain this war, despite the circumstances.”
“We need to move quickly,” I said. “What about the ship, Pallos? Is there any hope of repairing it?”
“It’s doubtful,” he said. “Not as isolated as we are out here. The parts I need can’t be manufactured without the Collective’s technology.”
It was as I had feared. “Is there a way to make it fly as far as Shenshi?”
“It’s possible,” Pallos said. “But any solutions I devise would be rather crude, and I would need full command of King Arius’ forges. With some rivets and the right molds, the hull could be repaired. The engine, however . . . I can’t promise anything.”
“It must get as far as Shenshi,” I said. “It must.”
“Perhaps further research will elucidate the problem,” Pallos said. “Needless to say, I will need a lot of uninterrupted time to focus on this. I don’t even know the full scope of the problem.”
“Do what you need to do, with my full authority,” I said. “We need Odin more than ever.”
“What now, then?” Fiona asked.
“We fly to Kalear,” I said. “And we pray that humanity isn’t stupid and crazy enough to fight each other at the worst time possible.”
“A tall order,” Isaru said.
“We have to hope for a lot of the impossible to even have a chance,” I said. “We’ve come this far. Why not a few steps further?”
“I like the positivity,” Shara said. “I still can’t believe the Colonians agreed to your terms, even under threat of dragons.”
“Times are changing,” I said. “I feel like all of this is a house of cards that will tumble at any moment.”
“We need to stack a few more cards before all is said and done,” Isaru said.
“Unfortunately,” I said.
At that moment, sheer exhaustion hit me, and hunger such as I had never known.
“I can’t go on,” I said.
“We could all use some rest,” Fiona said. “The palace was mostly spared the destruction. Why don’t we go up there and get some food and sleep?”
I was ready to protest, but I realized that she was right. I wasn’t going to do any good without sleep or food.
I stumbled more than walked up to the palace. Everything passed as if it were a dream. Makai soldiers keeping the peace. Hollowed-out shells of houses that had been scorched and razed by flames. An entire deck had crashed through the trees from a meteor impact. People milled about, directionless and homeless.
The crowds thickened at the three trees in which the palace was built; the guards kept them back, but allowed us to come in.
King Arius stood in the entry hall, talking to some other men who might have been noblemen or advisors. He excused himself and approached us.
“We need food and beds, Uncle,” Fiona said. “They’re exhausted, having just flown back from Colonia with the dragons.”
“Of course,” King Arius said, holding back his questions for now. “It will be as you say.”
Fiona led us herself to the guest rooms, laying me down on a bed so soft it was as if I were floating on a cloud.
“Close your eyes,” she said. “Food is on the way.”
I nodded, but even the promise of a hot meal was not enough to keep the exhaustion at bay.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
WHEN I AWOKE, MORNING AND afternoon had already passed. I could still smell smoke carried by the warm breeze through the open window. I got up and rubbed my eyes, opening them to see food on a table beside the bed – several slices of bread with cuts of chicken and some sort of pink sauce on top of it.
I was too hungry to care exactly what the sauce was, and ending up scarfing the whole plate down within a few moments. Once done, I drank from the glass of tea provided, watered down from the ice that had been melting for hours by now. I poured another glass, draining that one as well.
I wanted nothing more than a hot bath and clean clothes, and my hair was a complete mess, but nothing could be done about either for now. There were far more pressing concerns.
I went to the window, and gazed out at the burnt-out town. Many of the buildings and walkways were being repaired already, and for the first time, I noticed the sounds of hammers and saws. Sunset was perhaps an hour away.
There was a knock at the door, followed by it being slowly opened. Shara stood in the doorway.
“All rested up?”
I shrugged. “As much as I can be. Any news?”
Shara sat at the foot of the bed. “All’s quiet. The others are still resting, though Fiona is visiting her uncle.”
“Did the rocks fall elsewhere in the Red Wild?”
“No one really knows,” Shara said. “The dragon scouts King Arius sent out haven’t returned yet.”
“I see.”
I had rested, so all I could do was think of what to do next. There wasn’t time for any of it, and Odin being out of commission didn’t make things any easier.
“There’s something I have to do,” I said. “But it will mean leaving the rest of you behind.”
Shara raised her eyebrows. “Behind? What are you talking about?”
“It’s Alex. He’s still up there at Ragnarok Crater. I can’t leave him there like that. I’m afraid the longer he’s in there, the greater the chance he’ll get hurt trying to protect us all.”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” Shara said, with a frown. “I figured all that was pretty much taken care of.”
Not in the slightest, I thought. “Shal must be destroyed for good. Alex can only hold him off. I have to finish the job.”
“How?”
“Just like Isaru said. We must get Rakhim to end it. The Hyperfold has caused this world too much pain. With Odium here, it will only cause more. Its dissolution must happen soon, or not at all.”
“Then take us with you,” Shara said. “Take me, at least. I’m your best friend. I’ve always got your back.”
“I know that,” I said. “But there are too many things left undone here in the Red Wild. I’ll need everyone to stay behind, except Isaru.”
“Why him?” Shara asked.
Her voice seemed to say, why him and not me? Hopefully my answer would be good enough to satisfy her.
“He’s the only one who’s seen the other side. Perhaps he can find a way where we can’t.”
“I’ve seen the other side, too, in my own way,” Shara said. “For months, the Hunters kept me under their spell, and they used the power of the Hyperfold as well.”
Shara had a point there, one I didn’t give her fair credit for. “Let it be three, then,” I said. “Isa will probably try to argue her way to come with us, but . . .”
At the mere mention of her name, footsteps sounded from the hallway outside. Isa stood in the doorway with hands on her hips. Her blue eyes were not amused. “You weren’t going to leave me behind, were you?”
“We’re going to destroy the Hyperfold, Isa,” I said. “Once and for all. Its destruction could very well mean our destruction if we don’t get out in time.”
“I’ve already signed up for this,” Isa said. “I’m not going to stay here if there’s something I could be doing to help.”
“Staying here is an important role, too,” I said. “Are Fiona and Pallos to be left doing it all on their own?”
“Pallos
is just tinkering with the ship, trying to get it worthy enough to reach Shenshi,” Isa said. “I can hardly help there. And Fiona is already making plans with King Arius concerning governance and the army. I’m just taking up space.” She looked at me seriously. “Give me five seconds and I’ll be back from my room, with my bow and all my stuff.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at her tenacity. “All right. The three will become four, then.”
As good as her word, she was gone and back within seconds. Shara and I just looked at each other, amused.
“Well, we’re not leaving right this minute,” Shara said.
“Not until after I’ve had a bath at least,” I said. “Getting to Ragnarok Crater will take much longer than we’re used to. Three days as the dragon flies.”
“Still much faster than the original journey,” Shara said, reminiscing. “Hopefully we’ll never have to do that again.”
“Where’s Isaru?” I asked.
“Getting some rest,” Isa said. “I can go wake him and let him know.”
Isa left the room, leaving Shara and I alone.
“We can each take our own dragon,” I said. “The rest of the dragons can protect our border to the south, not allowing Odium to get any sense of the land.”
“And if they attack in force?”
“We’ll have to hope that they don’t, because we’re not ready for that.”
Shara didn’t have a response for that, so she kept quiet.
“We should go see the king and let him know our plans,” I said. “Isa and Isaru will know to look for us there.”
* * *
Fiona and King Arius sat silently around the dinner table at which we were gathered. The food had mostly gone uneaten, such were the discussions taking place.
“There’s nothing else to be done, I suppose,” King Arius said, slowly. “We will hold here, such as we have done since the founding of this city during the Exile.”
“The dragons will just . . . protect us?” Fiona asked. “They won’t go back to how they were with you gone, will they?”
I shook my head. “They are as Elekai as you and me, now. Until the death of the Xenofold.”
Which would come sooner than we all liked if we failed.
“Let us pray that never happens, by Elekim and the Goddess’s grace,” King Arius said.
No one pointed out the irony that both of those entities were sitting in the same room and were now the very same person. Judging by Arius’s glance toward me which seemed to ask forgiveness, Fiona had told him everything that had happened in the last few days.
“Old habits die hard,” the king said. “All the same, the meaning doesn’t change. You’re the only one who can save us from what’s coming. If indeed there is any manner of salvation.”
“I will do everything I can,” I said. “All of us will.”
“Stay the night at least,” King Arius said. “Though you slept through the day, you will need more rest for the long journey ahead. My servants can see that your dragons are packed in the morning.”
“I’m afraid that if we’re going to sleep, it will have to be in the air,” I said. “We’ve already spent too much time here, and Hyperborea is far. Enough time has passed that the Radaskim could be reaching our position, or even going around to pass undetected. We’ll have to fly out sometime in the next hour. Everything in the Red Wild will have to wait. I must stop the Hyperfold for good. There can be no failure this time.”
There was no argument against this point, only foreboding silence. Everyone recognized the gravity of those words, and perhaps even the futility of them.
* * *
The next hour was spent preparing for the final ride to Hyperborea. I had packed everything in my new leather bag given to me by King Arius. It was a welcome replacement over the tattered old one that I’d been carrying ever since I acquired it in the Sanctum as an initiate. I also got new clothes, including heavy winter clothing, gloves, a scarf, and a hat. Where we were going, it was getting close to winter, unlike the southern Wild, which was still balmy. The coat would also be useful flying several thousand feet above the ground, where the air was thinner and colder.
The four of us – Isa, Shara, Isaru, and I – walked outside King Arius’s palace, where his servants had gathered several more packs filled with food and other supplies we would need.
Waiting beside the packs were Fiona, King Arius, and Pallos, their expressions solemn. Fiona had come back from her meditation to see us off.
I called four dragons, and within a couple of minutes, they had landed on the platform from the trees of the forest to the city’s west. Among them were Flame and Falling Star, along with two others who had named themselves Redtail and Comet. The former had a tail reddish in hue, despite being black on most of its body, while the latter had a long, sleek form that looked built for speed.
I got on Flame while Isaru took Falling Star, while Isa got on Redtail and Shara got on Comet, looking a little queasy about it.
Fiona and Pallos handed us our bags, and helped us tie them down to the saddles. Normally I would have ridden without a saddle, but the packs made the saddles necessary, or else there would have been nothing to tie them to.
When all was ready, everyone stood back for the final goodbyes.
“Come back soon,” Fiona said. “I will work hard here to make sure Sylva is safe.”
“I will, too,” Pallos said, with a smile. “I can speak to the dragons, now. I wanted to tell you earlier, but there was no time.”
“That’s good, Pallos,” I said. “I’m sorry to leave all of you like this. I know it’s for the best, but that doesn’t make it any easier.”
Suddenly, it all felt very real. This could be the last time I saw either of them.
“We will meet again,” Fiona said. “We must believe in the possibility.”
“Goodbye,” Shara said. “We won’t fail.”
Isa wiped her eyes and said nothing. Isaru remained silent.
I waited only a moment longer before urging Flame skyward. Just a moment later, the others took off after me. Sylva fell away all too quickly, and at that moment, the sun set over the western trees. With its departure, the wailing of dragons could be heard filling the night.
They mourn your departure, Elekim, Flame said. They want nothing more than to follow you.
They must stay here. They know that.
Yes, Flame said. They know, but still they mourn.
I’m not dead yet.
Flame said nothing in response. They probably felt as if we were as good as dead.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
LITTLE WAS SAID DURING THE long journey north across the Red Wild. Smoke rose from the meteor impacts scarring the land – there was always at least one or two visible from the backs of the dragons. The land I was supposed to defend was being destroyed before my eyes.
Around early afternoon, we flew over a burning village not far past Kalear. We were powerless to do anything about it, and even if we could have helped, we wouldn’t have had the time.
As night fell, we continued on. Isa signaled that we wouldn’t be stopping for the night by being the first to fall asleep, wrapping her scarf tight around her neck while drawing up her hood and clinging tight to the neck of her dragon. Isaru soon did the same, followed by Shara.
I stayed awake far into the night, watching the glowing land smoldering with flames.
* * *
I woke when the sunlight hit my face, having fallen asleep at some point I couldn’t quite remember. The others were already up, and I looked down to see the land below wrapped in thick fog, through which the peaks of mountains poked through. The mist did not clear as time passed, even as the sun grew stronger. It was horribly cold, and without the heat radiating from the dragons’ backs and into us, I doubted we could have ridden for so long without going onto the ground for a reprieve.
I instructed Flame to land. We had to eat, and warm ourselves by a fire, and to wrap ourselves in more cloth
ing. It would only grow colder as we flew further north. We found a copse in a misted valley in the Red Mountains, where there was plenty of firewood, though none of it was very dry. Isa was able to get a fire going nonetheless, which we sat around and ate in silence. We lingered a few minutes longer than we should have, all of us knowing the long journey ahead of us.
Within minutes we were back in the air, flying above the mist and mountains. It was clear that the mist was unnatural, stubbornly clinging on when it shouldn’t have.
It was late morning when Flame made a comment on it.
This must be the reversion in our memories, he said. It is greater than any of us have remembered it.
Though Flame had only been awakened two days ago, he still had access to the memories stored in the Xenofold, memories that told of a large reversion that dominated the majority of the Northern Wild.
It’s spread further south, I said. Much further.
When will it stop? Flame asked.
I thought about it for a moment, but I didn’t like the answer I came up. I don’t think it does stop, Flame. I think it just keeps going. If it keeps up, I’m afraid there won’t be a Red Wild to defend by the time we’re ready.
Then we must go on to the Cursed Crater, Flame said. We must go on to stop the Hyperfold.
Yes, I said.
Sleep, Flame said. I am young, and there is enough power in our wings to see us through to the end. It won’t be long now, and you will need your rest to face what is to come.
I didn’t feel much like sleeping, and wished I had an extra layer of clothing against the biting wind, which had grown colder despite the brightness of the sun. The mountains passed for hours on end, and fell into darkness with the setting of the sun. The sky above was streaked with shooting stars; though beautiful, I knew a few of them were destined to make impact with the planet.
