by J. A. Curtis
What was going on? Where was Margus?
“Margus... invisible...” Arius grunted between blows.
No. Way.
Arius’s feet were still tied which meant he couldn’t stand. A huge disadvantage. But somehow, Arius could still see him, which had kept us from getting chopped in half. For now.
I needed to do something before Margus overpowered Arius, and we both went down. I swung my legs around and kicked toward what I hoped were Margus’s shins. I missed, but I saw the spot where pinecones crunched under his feet when he jumped back to avoid my kick. I concentrated and pulled my faerie guardian back onto my arm. I focused on the spot where Margus stood, prepared to release my griffin on him.
Sirens sounded in the distance. I froze. Someone had called the cops.
“Well played tonight, cousin.” Margus appeared and sheathed his sword. His wyvern disengaged from its fight with Arius’s golem and flew to him. He climbed onto the wyvern’s back. “But you can’t defeat time. The Fomori are on the rise. We will find the queen.”
With that, Margus and his wyvern flew off into the night sky. I turned to Arius. The sirens were getting louder.
“We need to go,” I said.
His golem shrunk onto his arm and he worked on untying his feet while I released my griffin. I climbed up its front right leg, not even waiting for it to crouch before settling onto its back. Arius climbed up behind me, his hands gripping my waist. We took off. We burst above the trees just as the flashing lights came into view.
27
Night Flight
“Sometimes you just need sleep.”
“MINA, WHAT HAPPENED with the queen? Is she safe?”
I rolled my eyes. I should have known those would be the first words out of his mouth. Not, ‘thank you, Mina, for saving my life,’ or ‘man, you were awesome tonight, Mina,’ or ‘sorry, Mina, for doubting you. You were right all along.’
No, Arius was all soldier.
“She’s safe, Arius,” I said. “I took Nuada to a friend’s home—someone I knew would help me out. We were nowhere near the queen.”
“How did you pass it off as the home of the queen?”
“I visited my friend Kris when I escaped from the Haven. While I was there, I found a newspaper article about the queen. I told Nuada about the room I was in when I found the queen—Kris’s bedroom. Nuada believed I meant the queen’s bedroom. Kris always sleeps with her window unlocked. While Nuada and I took the long way, I sent my faerie guardian ahead to Kris’s home.”
“Not the griffin,” Arius said.
“No. I sent myself.” I paused. “Oh yeah, you don’t know. I can change my faerie guardian into a replica of myself.”
“That explains a lot.”
“My faerie guardian explained to her I was in trouble and needed her help. My replica swore her to secrecy, sent her downstairs, and took her place in bed. When Nuada showed up, she saw a teenage girl facing away from the window, sleeping under the covers.”
“When Nuada saw your faerie guardian, she assumed it was the queen,” he said.
“Nuada said she was only doing reconnaissance, but she tried to kill her, Arius.”
“How come she didn’t notice your faerie guardian was missing?” Arius asked.
“That part was risky. I had to keep her from noticing it was gone. I walked ahead of her most of the time and distracted her by giving her details. Since I keep it on my left arm, I only ever pointed things out with my right arm. Plus, I don’t think she knew that I had figured out how to change my faerie guardian into different forms. Either way, if she had noticed, you might not be here.”
“Splitting them up was a good plan. What happened to Nuada?”
“She got a new start at life,” I said.
“You should have ended her,” Arius said darkly.
I pictured Iris’s still, pale form and shuddered. “She won’t be a problem anymore and she may be an asset to us in a future life.”
Arius only grunted.
“She killed Iris,” I said softly. “Permanently. She aimed for Dramian, and Iris, he... he jumped in the way to save his brother.”
Iris's mouth, open as if in a silent scream—and sightless eyes, reflecting the sickly yellow glow of the small glen flashed through my mind.
“Dramian was involved?” There was no anger or sorrow in the words, only simple curiosity.
I swallowed back my emotions and nodded. “They captured both you and Dramian to persuade me to be truthful,” I said. “They left Dramian behind when we left to find the queen. They didn’t want to be outnumbered.”
“But they took me,” Arius said.
I hesitated. “Yep.”
Arius didn’t comment, and I hoped he wouldn’t ask. We flew in silence. I wished I could talk to him more about Iris. Did he even appreciate Iris’s dying for Dramian? Dramian was as innocent as Arius in all this. Arius had to make that connection, eventually.
“You could have refused them straight out,” Arius spoke as if he were choosing his words carefully.
“If I had, you and Dramian would be gone. For good,” I said, flatly.
“As General, your foremost duty is to the queen. If you had to sacrifice one or both of us to protect her, you would be well within your rights to do so.”
I sat up. “Do you think your life is any less valuable to me than the queen’s? After everything I just went through, how dare you compare me to her.”
“Her?”
“I am not Nuada,” I said. “Your life is not expendable for some greater purpose.” I stared out into the night, unable to see Arius’s face as I waited for him to respond.
“I’m sorry.”
I softened. “You are more than some soldier to me, Arius. To lose you would be as devastating to me as losing the queen. I did everything I could to save your life, and I don’t think for a second that it was a waste.”
Arius again fell silent. Had my words meant anything to him? I twisted to look at him sitting behind me. His face somber, his eyes met mine filled with a gentleness I had never seen before. I stared into those dark depths, remembering the first time I had met him, how his intense gaze had been trying to figure me out. Now there was a deep level of understanding, as if he finally saw the core of who I was.
I faced back around, unable to maintain the gaze and think. We passed over Lake Coeur d’Alene, lost in our own thoughts. The fatigue caused by the stress of the last few days made me want to lie down and sleep.
“Mina,” Arius said, and I jerked to attention. I had nodded off and slipped to the side. Arius’s hands on my waist had held me in place and steadied me.
“If I fall asleep, what will happen to my faerie guardian?” I asked.
“It will continue to do what you told it to do,” he said, “as long as you give it the instructions to keep doing it. Otherwise, it will return to your arm.”
“Right. Well, griffin, keep flying even if I fall asleep.” We didn’t want a sudden fall out of the sky from this height. Maybe we wouldn’t die, but after hitting the ground from this high up, we might wish that we could.
We flew for a few more minutes, but I felt myself starting to drift off again.
“We should land,” I said, yawning.
“We can keep flying,” Arius said.
I pictured my body tipping over off the griffin and plummeting to the earth.
“But—” I started.
Arius removed his hand from my waist and encompassed me in his arms. He pulled me back against his chest. I settled back into his warmth, enjoying his arms around me. I turned my head to the side and breathed.
“Go to sleep,” he said.
“You won’t let me fall?” I murmured already falling asleep.
Arius’s arms tightened around me. “Never.”
28
Feud
“Family relationships are complicated.”
DAYLIGHT GROUNDED US. We were off any main roads but still close enough to risk running into
humans. The clear, crisp morning air promised a day of fun for hikers and others of the more adventurous spirit.
We found a grassy open section and landed as the sun began to rise. Arius had stayed up to make sure I didn’t take a dive off my griffin. I insisted we stop so he could sleep before continuing. After I promised to keep watch, he laid down, stretched out in the grass, and closed his eyes.
I sat down next to him and stared up into the clear blue sky. With no clouds, we’d be walking most of the day.
Returning to the Haven had been a mistake. The domovye had warned me, but I thought they just wanted me gone like everyone else. But somehow, they knew what was coming and tried to warn me. I hadn’t listened. My return had placed Arius and Dramian in mortal peril. It had cost Iris his life.
Something flew toward us—something big. I squinted. It was still a ways off, but closing in fast. The creature flapped large wings. Had Margus come to finish us? But the sun flashed down on the creature’s bright scales and I saw a flash of red. Not Margus. Dramian. Relief mixed with dread in my gut. Confronting Dramian meant I would have to tell him how Iris died. But I would rather face Dramian than have a rematch with Margus. Even with Arius, there was no guarantee the two of us could defeat him.
I squatted and laid a hand on his arm. “Arius.”
His eyes opened, instantly alert. He looked at me and I pointed to the sky, rising to my feet.
“Someone is coming,” I said.
Arius stood, his eyes following the line of my finger, making out details I couldn’t.
“Dramian,” he confirmed. “He doesn’t look happy.”
I stood in front of Arius, squinting up into the sky. The brightness of the sun shining off the dragon scales didn’t help me make out any details.
“Of course he’s not happy,” I mumbled.
“Foolish,” Arius said. “He’s breaking the rules of flight. He’s going to get us all in trouble.”
But Dramian didn’t seem to care. The dragon drew closer. It descended toward us, opening its gaping jaws. A light sparked in its mouth. Arius grabbed my arm and jerked me behind him. His golem came to life, standing in front of us. It lifted a massive arm right as a cascade of molten fire rained down on the giant rock man shielding us from what would have been a fiery end.
Dramian’s dragon didn’t let up. The golem roared and bent under the weight of the intensity—even rocks could melt or shatter under such heat. The dragon continued to drop and stopped blowing fire only a few seconds before it crashed into the golem. This time, I grabbed Arius’s arm, pulling him with me as I jumped to the side. The golem bent over backward, slamming into the ground right where we had been standing. My movements had been so rushed that we both fell to the earth, landing on our sides. I rolled onto my back in time to see Dramian drop from his dragon’s back and stride toward us, sword in hand.
“You crossed a line, brother,” Dramian said.
The dragon poured another bout of fire over the golem, and Arius didn’t move. I sat up as Dramian reached us. He kicked Arius in the chest, rolling him onto his back, then drove his sword straight down into Arius’s shoulder. Arius didn’t even have the strength to cry out.
Dramian leaned down over Arius, his face contorted into a look of hatred. “And now you will pay for it, piece by piece.”
My griffin flew off my arm and gathered Dramian up in its claws. Dramian struggled, but the claws held tightly, although I was careful not to crush him. My griffin flew several feet away and held Dramian captive. I crawled to Arius. His eyes were open, but he looked spent. To be honest, I was surprised he hadn’t fallen yet. Blood seeped out of the wound, the sword still embedded in his shoulder. The dragon turned its huge head and glared down at us as it clambered off the charred rock monster.
“Dramian, stop,” I said. “Why are you doing this?”
“Out of the way, Mina,” Dramian said, “or suffer the same fate as my murderous brother.”
Suddenly I understood. Dramian had been unconscious—he didn’t know what happened. He must have assumed that if anyone had killed Iris, it must have been Arius. But would telling him Nuada had done it or that Margus had been in on it calm him down? Would he even believe me? I got to my feet, stepping over Arius and placed myself between Arius and the approaching dragon.
“Arius didn’t kill Iris,” I said. The dragon’s large head was now inches from me. “I did.”
“Stop protecting him,” Dramian said. The dragon hissed, and smoke shot from its nostrils into my face making my eyes sting.
“It’s true,” I said. “Think about it. Would Arius kill Iris and then leave you bound in the woods? What benefit is it to him to take him and leave you alive?”
His dragon didn’t move, it stood still watching me.
“I killed him.” My body trembled as I admitted the truth. “It was me.”
“Why?” Dramian demanded.
“I was trying to protect you and Arius. Nuada and Margus, they’ve been working together all this time. They wanted me to answer their questions, things only I could know. They threatened to kill you and Arius if I didn’t answer them.”
“Margus and Nuada would never work together. They are mortal enemies.”
“No, they made you and Arius mortal enemies,” I said, “because they knew the two of you, Arius and Dramian, sons of tempest, masters of earth and sky, together would be unstoppable. I know what you once were. I have seen it. Together you were strong, powerful, the last to fall. Iris, he—I think he envied you, both of you. He was working for Margus and Nuada, but he didn’t understand what their endgame would be. He didn’t know they would threaten to kill you if I couldn’t give them the information they needed. I think he wanted to prove to you, to both of you, that he could lead.”
I stared at Dramian’s dragon because it was easier than looking at Dramian as I continued my confession.
“I failed,” I said. “My answers weren’t good enough. As punishment, Nuada decided to use her manticore to kill you, Dramian. Iris jumped in front of you. What you found sticking out of Iris’s shoulder were the poisonous quills of the manticore.”
I reached out and touched the dragon between the nostrils. My hand trembled. “It‘s my fault Iris is gone,” I said. “So if you are going to take anyone’s life for what happened, take mine.”
The dragon growled low in its throat but did not attack. I didn’t know if Dramian believed me or what he would do. Maybe he didn’t know, either. But I stood there vulnerable. Let Dramian judge me. If he could find it within himself to spare me, then maybe I could begin to forgive myself.
With an earthshaking roar, Arius’s golem rose out of the dirt, charred and smoldering. It clamped one stone fist down under the dragon’s neck and lifted it away from me before crushing it back down to the earth. Dramian’s flying beast roared and clawed at the air as a stone fist slammed into it over and over. It tried to release fire but the rock giant still had a hold of its neck. The dragon shot fire off into the tall grass, setting it ablaze but doing little damage otherwise.
I dropped to my knees beside Arius. “Arius, stop this. Did you even hear what I said? They used you, both of you. You are not enemies.”
Arius met my gaze but his face was hard, set. He wouldn’t be backing down. I directed my griffin to break up the fight. It laid Dramian’s now weakened body into the grass.
The golem pounded Dramian’s dragon again. If this kept up, Dramian would fall. My griffin flapped its wings and charged forward. It landed right on top of Dramian’s dragon and transformed into a duplicate of myself, holding up her hands. The golem’s fist was coming down right on top of my faerie guardian but paused inches from the top of other Mina’s head.
“Move,” Arius said.
“Not until you back down,” I replied.
Arius’s faerie guardian opened its fist and held out a rock palm.
“Release him,” I said, willing my faerie guardian to stand her ground.
The golem let out a l
ow rumble but let go of the dragon’s neck. The dragon no longer shot fire and lay on the ground, barely moving. I directed my guardian to step onto the rock palm, grateful my gamble had paid off.
Arius’s golem lifted my faerie guardian. It turned and lowered it back to the ground, setting my twin down right next to me and Arius. Then the golem roared and turned. It brought two strong fists down toward the dragon.
Dramian’s winged beast recovered its strength and leapt out of the way. The rock fists crushed down into the earth. The dragon circled the golem, wings raised, crushing jaws snarling and snapping. I looked over to Dramian, and he was on his hands and knees.
Pulling its massive rock arms out of the ground, the golem then swung toward the dragon, who released a deluge of fire at the rock monster. The golem’s swing connected with the dragon, driving its head downward and cutting off the firestorm. The dragon drew its head out and clawed backward away from the golem. It flapped its massive wings and rose into the sky, high above the golem’s head.
I looked from dragon to golem, uncertain what to do. I could try to intervene again, but it didn’t seem like it would stop the two from fighting. If I attacked one in an attempt to stop them, I would only weaken him and give the other the advantage of a two on one barrage that might make one of them fall.
Dramian’s faerie guardian circled in the sky, well out of reach, then turned and swooped down over Dramian. The agile faerie boy thrust upwards and caught the tail of his dragon. With a swing of his legs, he was upright on the dragon, running up its back and dropping when he reached its neck. Agility was Dramian’s special ability, I remembered. Wings pushed and flapped, and the dragon rose into the sky, taking Dramian with it into the distance.
29
Aftermath
DRAMIAN WAS GONE, AND Arius had a sword in his shoulder.
Arius had a freaking sword in his shoulder.
I dropped next to him and took in his arm covered in blood. I stared down at him. We had nothing. No cloth, no bandages. Nothing.
