by Lola Ford
Soros, Eras, and the others all flying in a circle, nearly biting one another’s tails.
Nerie was tired, exhausted to her very core.
How had her life ended up this way? There were armed guards standing in the same room as her, who had pledged their very lives to keep her alive. She couldn’t take a single step without someone knowing where she was and where she was going. She hadn’t seen her friends in months. She hadn’t been home to her bed since the night before Kiriga had hatched. Hadn’t stood in their bookstore since that morning.
Here she was in the palace.
Had a prince asking for her hand in marriage.
Had a dragon who was the other half of her very soul.
She wanted nothing more than for Kiriga and the other dragons to be able to repopulate their race. Even more than that, she wanted to go searching for the dragons that these eggs had to have come from.
Soros and Eras and their children couldn’t be the last of their mighty race.
They weren’t.
The eggs were physical proof of that.
The colors of the tapestry were starting to blur together and Nerie felt her eyelids get heavy. She pulled the large down blanket over her head and let herself drift off to sleep, Kiriga still blocked from her mind and shut out from her heart.
***
It was dark in the rooms when Nerie awoke. The guards were still there, but only candles had been lit, as not to disturb the princess. She felt… quiet. Only the sound of her steady heartbeat and ragged breaths could be heard.
It was when a flicker of the dim light fell on the tapestry that Nerie realized why.
Kiriga.
She’d not reentered Nerie’s mind while the princess slept. A pang of fear lanced through Nerie, as she quickly reached out to the dragoness.
Kiriga was there waiting. Her normally bubbly mood dark. She needed Nerie’s love and approval as much as Nerie needed hers. Feeling Nerie’s mind once again, Kiriga threw her thoughts and soul at Nerie.
Nerie was reminded forcibly that Kiriga was not even six months old and was still a rapidly growing child. She might be physically large enough to carry Nerie, and mentally old enough to understand deep concepts, but she was still just a babe, fresh from her shell.
I’m sorry Kiriga. You asked me to simply consider the offer, and I shut you out. That was wrong of me, and I’m sorry love, Nerie said, as tenderly as she could.
I thought you didn’t want me anymore, Kiriga’s tone was fretful.
How could I possibly give you up? I love you, and you love me, and together we are whole.
Nerie’s feelings of guilt were building by the second.
Let’s fly together? Kiriga asked hopefully, her voice tight.
Yes, let me get changed. What time is it? Nerie realized without a window and with only the little candles for light, it could have been noon or midnight and she wouldn’t have known the difference.
It’s just after dawn, Kiriga told her, showing her a vision of a light sky, with red clouds on the horizon.
As she started to climb out of the veritable mountain of blankets, both guards bowed diffidently to her, stiffly saying, “Princess,” before turning their backs to her so that she might get changed.
Back into her rumpled riding leathers from the day before, Nerie was ready to fly as soon as she entered the hallway. As she walked quickly to the king’s quarters the tap of her boots, and those of her guards echoed loudly from the stone walls.
Soren’s door was shut, but one of the guards standing outside the door bowed to her before opening it for her to enter. Soren was sitting in the small room where they had often had lunch together, eating a small breakfast. Nerie’s stomach rumbled in agitation, and she realized she hadn’t eaten anything the day before.
She mentally shrugged though, as flying with Kiriga was much more important than her postponing the ride for a quick meal. Soren however, seeing her in her riding gear smiled and motioned her over.
“Nerie, I’m glad to see you up. Kiriga has been in quite the foul mood this morning,” he said as he smiled up at her from his seated position. “I know the topic of discussion yesterday was distressing, and I’m sorry that you are in this situation. However, I would like to talk to you about it.”
Nerie’s mouth opened to tell Soren that she couldn’t talk right now, that Kiriga needed to go for a flight, but he seemed to know what she was going to say.
“It’s alright, I’m not going to stop you from flying.”
He handed her a muffin as he stood from the table.
“I’ll fly on Riya, and we can talk while we fly. Let me change while they get both dragons saddled up, and then we can go.”
He motioned to the rest of the breakfast, and she was sure that he knew that she had not eaten the day before.
In fact, she was quite sure that the king knew more than he was letting on. As he left the room, Vizen disappeared, most likely to get the dragons ready to fly. Nerie looked down at the pastry in her hand, then bit into it with relish. If she had to wait on Soren anyways, might as well enjoy a small breakfast.
It was only a few minutes later when he came stalking back in, but by then Nerie had eaten the pastry, a piece of tender fruit, and several slices of bacon. It was heavier than she would have liked for a preflight meal, but the weakness she had felt before eating had dissipated.
As they walked into the courtyard, Riya was standing before the doors, her great wings tucked in close to her body. In the morning light her scales had a wine color to them, and as Nerie tilted her head to look up at the dragoness’s face she could see streaks of red and purple race past where the light hit.
I itch, she complained, shrugging at the straps that slid around the spikes that protruded from her scales.
You’ll itch more in a moment once they tighten those up, Nerie said, watching as the saddle was placed in the nook at the base of her neck.
Only until I get in the air, Riya sighed.
I don’t itch, Kiriga said smugly from behind her older sister.
Nerie walked over to Kiriga who lowered her wedge-shaped head to nuzzle the girl. Nerie absently scratched at her eye ridges as they watched Riya fail to stop moving long enough to have the straps tighten.
She has not flown with a rider since Justan died, nearly sixty years ago, Kiriga told Nerie quietly. She is anxious.
Soren flies all the time on Eras and Soros, Nerie said, as if that should make the older dragoness relax.
It was a grunt from Eras that finally got Riya to stand still long enough for the servants to finish saddling her.
I would go, but Soros needs me to stay with her to watch the eggs, Eras said, almost apologetically to all involved.
While the eggs had not left Soros’ gaze since arrival, the hatching grounds were under constant surveillance. To prevent anyone other than herself from accessing the eggs, Soros was currently laying in a tight circle around the eggs and would breath fire onto them and the sand every hour. She wanted Eras to stand guard and watch the corners of the hatching ground that she could not see from her position.
Everyone understood of course. The eggs were priceless to the humans, and to the dragons, the hinge of their survival. So Nerie mounted Kiriga, as Soren mounted Riya. The older dragoness finally calm and ready for her rider.
Nerie tightened her leg grip on Kiriga as Riya launched herself into the air. Riya wasn’t as large as her parents or some of her siblings, but she created a large gust of wind. Once she’d cleared the top of the palace Kiriga followed two wingbeats later.
As they always did, the dragons cartwheeled through the air to stretch their wings. Nerie enjoyed the wind through her hair, which streamed behind her like a banner. Karina hadn’t tied it into the plat she normally wore when flying.
Soren whooped in glee as Riya made a dizzying display of acrobatics, arching herself backwards doing a falling loop.
Then she twisted and pumped her wings hard trying to regain her lost altitud
e. Nerie and Kiriga from their higher position, looked down on the red and purple dragoness. In her excitement, Nerie bent over Kiriga’s side to get a better view of the antics.
Even from their lofted position, Nerie could hear the audible snap of leather. See the look of horror that crossed Soren’s face.
Then he was falling.
Riya screamed, twisting in midair to try and dive after him.
Kiriga dived too, her wings tucked sharply against her body.
Soros, Eras, Wyla and Mazen all launched themselves from the palace in the same instant, sensing Riya’s distress.
Only Ilex, whose small wings prevented him from joining them in the sky, was left behind at the palace. That didn’t stop him though. He was running as fast as he could over the terrain towards his falling rider.
It was his scream that echoed across the still land as Soren’s body hit the ground.
It was his terror, grief and rage that radiated through the minds of all the citizens of Roria moments later.
And it was Ilex who reached the body first, as he ran across the grounds from the palace to reach Soren.
The other dragons landed in a strange semicircle around him and Soren, crooning in a hair raising keen.
CHAPTER SIXTY
Graith
They’d made better time heading towards Roria than they’d made from Alluvia to Cian. Graith wasn’t sure if it was because the horses were getting used to their riders, the fact that this road was better paved, or just because now they had confirmation that Brantom, and presumably Zel’s eggs were in fact in the country.
They were four days into the trip when they reached the city of Tocria. It was a small city, but even as they passed through, it was abuzz with talk of Prince Brantom and his entourage. From what they could gather, not only was the dragon Wyla with him, but another dragon, Eras had joined some point after they’d left Cian.
Many residents were voicing their concern that shortly before Prince Brantom had passed through, their own dragon Riya had left, and had yet to return.
Graith wished for not the first time that Zel was closer to them. She’d left Alluvia the day after they’d made it to Cian but had taken a more direct path towards the capital. She was close enough that he could bespeak her if he needed to, but it seemed to be more of a strain at this distance.
That was four dragons they’d learned about in the short time they’d been in Situra, and it seemed like there were several more, if he could interpret the quiet whispers correctly.
They moved quickly through the city, only stopping long enough to purchase a few supplies and ask how far until they reached the next city on the way to Roria. Tocria, too, seemed to be wary of them. They were stared at by nearly every merchant along the street, and as Kade complained later, over charged once again for supplies that should have cost much less.
That night when they stopped to make camp, Kade and Alix took a short walk. They’d both been complaining for hours about their legs hurting after so many days on horseback. Graith was stiff too, but once he’d sat on the ground, he found he couldn’t muster the energy to get back up. Only Kali hadn’t complained, but Graith saw her crossing and re-crossing her legs several times in pain and annoyance.
Kali started a fire while the two boys walked in the dying sunlight. Graith finally managed to stand again, with several protesting pops from his spine. He made his way over to the horses, intent on grooming them before the last of the light disappeared. As foul of mounts as they were, they still deserved to be taken care of, or so Graith thought. The others were not quite of the same mindset.
When Kade and Alix returned, not long after the sun had fully set, they were carrying several large round fruits.
“Look what we found, Graith!” Alix said excitedly, handing Graith one of the slightly hairy fruits.
“A melch?” Graith asked, frowning down at it.
“Yeah! They’re my favorite,” Kade said, even as he sat down to cut into his own.
Graith looked back down at the golden fruit.
Something was wrong with it.
It was a tasty summer treat, ripe around the same time as the longest day of the year.
“Kade -” Graith started, even as the man bit down on his.
“Mhm?” he asked, juice leaking down his face.
“I don’t think this is melch - it’s out of season.”
Kali and Alix were looking at theirs doubtfully now. Graith rubbed a hand on it again. The skin, while soft, was fuzzy rather than smooth. The shape of it was wrong too, a little too oblong.
Kade wiped his mouth, looking down at it.
“It tastes a little sour, but overall good,” he said, cutting off another chunk.
“You don’t even know what it is then,” Kali said, tossing hers behind her without another glance.
“Well, yeah?” Kade didn’t see a problem with that.
“I’m not going to eat it. Sour can be a plant’s way of letting you know that it shouldn’t be eaten,” Graith said, setting his down too.
Alix took a tentative bite out of his but puckered his lips immediately.
“A little sour? Yuck!”
“Fine, more for me,” Kade said, grabbing Alix’s and Graith’s before they could throw them away.
“Are you daft, brother? Graith said not to eat those,” Kali said annoyed, trying to grab another of the not-melches to throw away.
“They taste fine!” Kade said, even as he finished his first and started to eat another.
Alix sat there looking disappointed until Graith handed him his small belt knife and started to show him how to whittle.
Happy to be distracted and actually allowed to hold a knife for once, Alix’s attention was shifted away from the loss of the fruit.
Kade made a point of eating the remaining non-melches loudly.
It wasn’t even the moon’s apex when Kade woke from his sleep, and rushed away from the campsite, stomach gurgling unpleasantly.
***
The following day was slow progress for the quartet. Frequent stops were needed for Kade, who’s bowels had completely given up trying to hold anything in. When he wasn’t stopping to relieve himself of everything he’d ever eaten, Kade was drinking an unbelievable amount of water. They’d had to stop and find a stream at least four times over the course of the day.
Graith felt bad for him, but Kali was cackling like a crow. Every moan or uncomfortable shift on his horse set her off. Jibing him, talking about the winter-melch, and overall, just being a sister enjoying her brother’s misfortune.
By that evening Kade was exhausted. He nearly fell off his horse trying to dismount, but only the fact he also got tangled in the reins kept him from hitting the dirt.
He was asleep before they even had a fire going, and when they tried to wake him the following morning, he only groaned and waved a feeble arm at them.
Unable to do anything other than wait, Graith reached out to Zel. She was closer now, as their path and hers came closer to intersecting.
We need to wait for Kade to recover before we can keep going, Zel, Graith said letting Zel see the young man who was curled into a ball on the ground, sound asleep.
I understand. Dragons can get sick from bad foods too, you know.
She sounded as if she knew from experience.
Graith spent the day working with Alix on his whittling skills while Kali set up a rotted log which she practiced throwing daggers at from increasing distances. While he’d known she was the muscle between her and Kade, he hadn’t ever seen her use her knives. It was unsettling for him to see her accurately and consistently hit the same five-inch square of rotting wood, over and over.
***
By the third morning, Kade had returned to the land of the living. Even before the sun had risen, he’d insisted they get back on the road to make up for lost time. He was restless and would whip his mount trying to get it to go faster. He’d get a few lengths ahead, but then the nag would become stubborn and sto
p moving.
“Kade,” Graith said sharply after the fourth time. “Stop. You’re just upsetting the poor beast more.”
Kade had the good graces to flush with embarrassment and tuck the whip away.
“Sorry Graith, I just feel responsible for delaying us.”
Graith nudged his own mount next to Kade’s and put a hand on the young man’s shoulder.
“It’s alright. We know where they are going. We’re on our way, and Zel understands. All we can do is keep going, but beating your horse isn’t going to get you anywhere substantially faster.”
Kade nodded, and Graith gave his shoulder a brief squeeze before moving his horse into the lead.
With only sound of the horses shod hooves echoing off the brick road, and the sun shining from high overhead, the quartet was making swift progress towards Roria. They’d stopped long enough to fill their waterskins and dig out some lunch, when they felt a rippling scream of anguish rip through their minds. It was strong enough that Alix fell backwards onto his butt, and all four of them were overpowered with the strongest sense of grief and loss they’d ever felt.
Graith and Kali both instinctively had tears in their eyes, and Kade looked as if he was going to be sick once again.
For several minutes they were left reeling, not knowing what the source of the mental shockwave had been.
Graith, Zel said urgently.
What was that Zel? Graith asked. He knew it hadn’t been her, but the closest he’d ever felt to that was when she’d lost an egg.
That was a dragon keening. It came from the capital, she sounded anxious. What if something happened to my eggs? Dragons only keen like that for extreme loss.
Graith could feel her looking side to side, and tail lashing. He wished that he could be there to soothe her, but instead said, We’re on our way, but we are still several days out from Roria.
He felt her annoyance at that, but she kept silent. They continued onward for another hour, Zel becoming more and more restless in Graith’s mind. He tried to calm her multiple times but was pushed out each time.
I’m coming to get you.
Zel had decided they weren’t moving fast enough.
