“Are you sure, Ridan?” Ben asked him, his brows pulled into a deep frown. “There are a lot of us, this time. Approximately four dozen, my friend.”
Ridan nodded. “I’m not sure you remember, but I’m quite big in my dragon form.”
With the confidence that had gotten him into GASP in the first place, Ridan removed his backpack, his weapons, and his clothes, politely handing them over to Amane with a sheepish smile.
“Sorry, I just don’t have that many spare clothes,” he said to her.
Varga covered his eyes. “Dude, you should still announce when you go buck naked. Lots of ladies around, you know!”
“The only lady I see who’s embarrassed is you,” Raphael said, stifling a grin.
Ridan laughed lightly, then walked away from the group, putting enough distance between us to make it safe for him to turn. He burst into dragon form, and I instantly remembered exactly how big he was—huge, in fact, and perfectly capable of carrying us all on his spiked back. Granted, we had to be careful and hold on tight, but he was definitely our fastest way back to Merinos.
“Wait, what about the supplies we got?” Heron asked, pointing at our wheeled containers.
We’d worked hard to get those over here, so I completely understood his question, despite the seemingly urgent situation of Rose not picking up her comms. Lumi gave Taeral a nudge.
“You’re good with teleporting yourself across long distances, right?” she asked him.
“Yeah. We’ll leave them here, and I’ll be back for them once we find out what’s up with Rose and the base camp,” he replied. “I memorized the blue rock’s location. I can come back here from anywhere, now.”
“Me too,” Kailani said. “I’ll help you.”
“Good, then let’s go,” I cut in.
One by one, we climbed on Ridan’s massive back. The Faulties and the Draenir were initially reluctant to get on, but Amane and Raphael urged them forward. Douma was downright excited to ride a dragon, and, judging by the permanent grin on Raphael’s and Amane’s faces, so were they.
As soon as we were all settled along his spine and firmly gripping the big scales within our reach, Ridan turned his head to look at us. I tossed an invisibility spell pouch at him, which he caught in his jaws and immediately swallowed. A second later, he turned invisible and, as he’d said, we too were cloaked. I put my red lens on as Ridan flapped his wings twice and took off. He shot through the sky at such high speed that my breath was cut off.
But even so, and even with Derek, Caleb, and the others carefully listening through their earpieces, I kept my cool and focused on what came next. If something had happened to Rose, we had to do everything in our power to help her.
Elonora
The ride was beyond thrilling.
I’d never flown by dragon before, and this… well, this was simply out of this world.
I held on tight to Ridan’s large, rock-hard scales, with Nevis right behind me, as the dragon flew over the thousands of islands of Strava. It all looked so different from above—patches of white sand, lush green jungles, and stony mountain peaks with reddish trees sprinkled along the sharp ridges, each island a multicolored gemstone expertly mounted on a turquoise ocean setting.
The more I looked down at it, the more determined I became to save this world and not let Ta’Zan’s ambitions lead to its destruction. We deserved better, and so did the Draenir, the Faulties, and even the Perfects.
Nevis’s body felt warm against my back, his firm frame hugging mine while the air brushed past us. I was still surprised by the contrast between his Dhaxanian nature and his physical body—a warm-blooded creature that could cast ice.
It was hot for about a dozen miles, forcing me to keep my hood, my mask, and my smoky goggles on, but that didn’t last long. Before we knew it, Ridan pierced through the strange weather cluster of multiple harsh winters and scorching summers, intersected by raging storms and aggressive bolts of lightning.
The ride quickly turned bumpy, as the dragon flew valiantly against all possible weather conditions. Amane was right in front of me, clutching his scales with both hands and practically glued to his back, much like a cat trapped on a vertical drape. She was equal parts terrified and excited, her heart booming in my ears.
I heard her gasp whenever Ridan dropped in altitude, or suddenly changed course, or went back up, beyond the storm clouds. The view above was simply breathtaking, flashes of light rippling through the charcoal clouds.
“It’s okay, Amane,” I said to her. “We’ll all get there in one piece.”
Other Faulties and Draenir were making various sounds whenever they had to hold on tighter. They certainly weren’t used to such a supernatural mode of transportation. Raphael, on the other hand, was over the moon, holding on to just one scale with his left hand as he kept the right one in the air. He looked like a cowboy at a rodeo, enchanted by this experience and enjoying every second of it.
“It’s just not something you get used to, easily,” Amane replied, while Raphael squealed with pure, unadulterated joy.
“Meh, you’ll get the hang of it,” I said.
Nevis’s voice in my ear made my muscles stiffen in the blink of an eye, his hot breath undisturbed by my hood’s fabric. “Your heart is racing, Elonora.”
“I’m flying on a dragon’s back. You can’t possibly be chill about it,” I said, without the courage to look over my shoulder. I feared that, if I turned my head, his lips would be too close to mine, and mask be damned, I wouldn’t resist the temptation anymore.
His arm snaked around my waist, and he held me tight. My heart wasn’t racing. It was falling down an endless set of stairs.
“I’ve got you, don’t worry,” Nevis whispered.
Good grief, you most certainly do.
“Um. Thank you,” I murmured, then gradually relaxed in his embrace. It felt incredibly right, as if nature had designed us both to fit together perfectly. I’d felt the same when we ended up sleeping next to each other. Nevis was definitely the ideal spooner.
Merinos rose in the distance, covered with low-altitude rainclouds. It was smack in the middle of a storm strip, between a tropical and a freezing bubble. It looked so weird from above—this one island on the border, with sunny skies on one side, and winter clouds on the other. I’d only seen this part of Strava from telescope photography, but none of the images truly did justice to its beautiful weirdness.
My stomach churned as I thought about what we’d find there.
We tried reaching out via Telluris and our earpieces to Rose, Bogdana, and the wards, but still, we couldn’t get through. Our only hope was to get to Merinos as fast as possible and check out the campsite. I held on to the hope that maybe the comms signal was scrambled in these parts of Strava, given the horrid weather.
The closer we got to the island, the better I could see it. I used my True Sight and held my breath as I first scanned the riverside, then the thick jungle. There was something wrong down there.
“Guys, the campsite. It’s empty!” Varga exclaimed from behind.
He, too, had checked the place out. But the fact that the camp was empty wasn’t the worst part. Thin threads of black smoke rose from multiple dying fires. The last tents had been taken down, and… Rakkhan’s hut had been blasted to mere shingles and spikes.
Ridan landed by the river, the flutter of his wings causing a draft powerful enough to temporarily bend the nearby trees. He whispered “Morfuris” to turn himself and all of us attached to him visible again. We slid off his back and rushed toward the camp, preparing our weapons for the worst—though we weren’t sure what that was, just yet.
My throat closed up when we reached the tribe’s camp. It had been ravaged, and several Draenir had lost their lives, their bodies left behind. An attack had taken place here, one intended to kill everyone on sight, but there was no sign of Rose, Wallah, Rakkhan, Bogdana, Leah, Samael, Heron’s wards, or the other Draenir we’d left with them. They were gone, and I could
n’t track their scent. I looked at Dmitri and Hunter, our prime trackers, and they were equally befuddled as they shook their heads at me.
“They’re gone,” Hunter said.
“Yeah, but where?” I asked.
“Oh, no… My brothers and sisters…” Wanna stepped forward and crouched by one of the Draenir bodies.
Their blood soaked the wet grass and the ground beneath. Rain started pouring and washed everything down. But water couldn’t clean the murders that had occurred here. Raphael and Douma moved and looked around, frowning as they analyzed the entire scene.
Ben pressed his earpiece again. “Dammit, Rose, say something! Are you okay?”
“Where is she? Isn’t she there?” Caleb’s voice rang in my ear. I cringed at the sound of it, letting a deep sigh come out before I replied.
“No. Caleb, we’ll find her. You know we will,” I murmured.
“What happened?” he asked.
I glanced around, watching my team and our new allies spread out, turning every stone and piece of charred wood as they tried to make sense of what had taken place here. Scattered along the edge of the camp and soon to be completely dissolved by the rain was an irregular thread of ashes, piling up here and there.
“I think Perfects attacked the camp,” I said. “There’s no sign of Rose or the others, but several Draenir died. Their bodies were left behind.”
“Elonora, look around.” Derek’s voice came through on the comms system. “Do you see weapons on the ground? Shields? Anything, besides the bodies?”
I shook my head. “No. Nothing.”
“That might be a good thing,” Derek replied. Caleb sighed on the line, adding to my angst. “Rose might’ve made off with the rest of the crew after they fought Perfects at that camp.”
Varga and Ben had spent the better part of our flight here bringing Derek’s and Caleb’s sides up to speed with what we’d done, and what we were planning next. But none of it really mattered until we figured out what had happened to Rose’s group.
Raphael returned from the stronghold with a grim look on his face.
“They destroyed it, too,” he muttered. “They blasted the topside rock from above, then shoved it down and crushed everything inside. The bunker collapsed in on itself.”
“Was there anyone there?” I asked, my pulse racing.
“No. And no scent,” Raphael replied. “If they fled, they probably used the black dust to cover their tracks.”
“Rose! Where are you?!” Ben shouted, close to losing control at this point.
I couldn’t blame him. I’d gone through a similar phase when we’d first learned that Varga had been on one of the starships. There was a mixture of crippling fear and grief eating away at Ben. He turned around a number of times, as if Rose was going to pop out of nowhere, somehow.
Draven put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing until Ben recovered his normal breathing rhythm, and preventing a full-on panic attack.
“Where could they have gone?” Kailani mumbled.
“We’ll use a tracking spell,” Lumi replied. “It’s fine. We’ve got everything we need.”
“Wait. What if Ta’Zan took them?” Douma asked. “What if your tracking spell will take us back to his colosseum?”
“We need to know where they are!” Lumi said. “If they’re in the colosseum, Derek would know something about it. Right, Derek?”
Derek exhaled. “Depends on when they were taken, if that’s the case,” he replied. “Over here, there’s quite a buzz outside because of the explosions and the ravaged ships. But no new prisoners were brought over.”
Ben’s shoulders dropping were a mixed signal of both concern and relief. Maybe this wasn’t Ta’Zan’s doing. Maybe Rose was still somewhere out there, and we just needed to find her with a tracking spell.
My mind sneaked into the worst possible scenarios. Despite my attempt at optimism, the camp’s destruction and the Draenir deaths were not a good sign. On the contrary. Something terrible had taken place here, and Rose had been at the very center of it. My biggest worry was that we couldn’t reach her, not even via Telluris. Or perhaps our calls had been heard, but she was unable to respond.
There must’ve been some change in my expression, as Nevis walked over to the edge of the camp, where I’d stopped to take a breath. I couldn’t shake the dark thoughts from my head, and I couldn’t hide it. I felt as though I was a popped balloon. I’d returned to the blue rock with great successes under my belt, despite the four Draenir boys we’d lost in the process. My soul had been full of energy, and I’d been ready to tackle whatever came next. But then, Rose and her group vanished, leaving behind a ravaged camp, and I could feel the initial enthusiasm slipping out through a crack in the window.
“Are you okay?” Nevis asked, keeping his voice low.
I looked down. He got closer, to the point where I could feel his breath tickling my forehead, but I didn’t have the courage to look up. I heard pieces of wood and stone being turned over or cast aside, as our entire delegation proceeded to comb the campsite for any sign of Rose and the others.
He used his thumb and index to clasp my chin and raise my head. Our eyes met, and, for a brief moment, the entire world seemed to disappear. My heart was aching, and fear was gnawing at my stomach, and yet, I found myself lost in the icy blue pools of his eyes.
“I don’t have to be a sentry to understand what you’re going through,” he said. “You can just let it out, if it’ll make you feel better.”
As if responding to a command, tears sprang up and rolled down my cheeks, as I shuddered and cried. I’d been holding a lot in, lately, and this issue with Rose felt like a kick in the knees just as I’d finally managed to get back up. It was exhausting to constantly go through these cycles, and I didn’t know how much I’d be able to take. Strava clearly wasn’t anywhere near done with me.
Nevis didn’t move. Gold glimmered around him, as he gradually lowered his head without taking his eyes off me.
“I… I don’t know what else to do. I’ve done everything I could, and… whenever I feel like things will finally work out… something else happens,” I managed.
He briefly glanced over his shoulder, seemingly content to see that no one was paying attention to us. My vision was blurry from the tears, anyway, and his tall figure blocked most of what lay beyond him. All I could do was look at him, feeling my spirit crumble on the inside.
“Elonora, you know where we are. You understand that this is war, and that there will be casualties,” he said.
“Don’t talk like that! This is Rose we’re—”
“She’s not invincible,” he cut me off, his grip on my chin firm and, at the same time, eerily soothing. “That being said, she’s not an idiot. We’ll find her. But I… We need you to keep it together, Elonora. Your crew depends on you. And I’m not much good without you by my side, anyway.”
I blinked rapidly, trying to process what he’d just said. His gaze softened, his lips slowly stretching into a warm half-smile. Whatever was happening between us, I didn’t want it to stop.
“You’re the prince of Dhaxanians. I’m just… I’m just a hybrid girl who’s finally getting some war action, and I’m afraid I may be in over my head,” I replied.
“You’re a princess of Nevertide, Elonora. A warrior, a sister, and a friend to many. Do not sell yourself short in a fleeting moment of weakness. It’s unbecoming of the woman who somehow got her claws in my heart.”
Again, my brain got stuck.
“Wait… what?” I croaked.
Nevis rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “I thought you could read emotions.”
“Yours are mostly a mess!” I said.
“And now? What do you see?”
I held my breath, realizing that we were mere inches apart at this point. He didn’t wait for me to answer. He closed the distance between us and kissed me. The softness of his lips was much like silk, and it broke the film of my consciousness altogether.
My
eyes closed instinctively, and I surrendered to him. Nevis deepened the kiss as I parted my lips. He tasted and explored, while his hands settled on my hips and held me close, a blob of mod-podge against his firm body. I’d kissed before, but never had it felt like such a transcendental experience.
The universe fluttered away in a trillion strings of colors, before they all came up and wrapped themselves around us, bringing our beings closer together. His fingers traced the contours of my waist, while my hands came up and cupped his face—his skin felt as silky as his lips, and I briefly wondered what it would be like to kiss every inch of it.
He breathed heavily as he pulled back, his gaze darkened by desire and… something else, something more, far more profound and intense than anything I’d ever read in another being. Then, reality slapped me back on my feet.
“Now, snap out of it, and let’s find Rose and her crew,” he said firmly, then took my hand and pulled me back to the center of the camp, where Lumi and Kailani were preparing a tracking spell.
Everything had happened so quickly, yet with such magnitude, that I was still processing the last five minutes of my existence. Somehow, my soul had gotten entangled with Nevis’s, and they both refused to part. Who was I to break up such an interesting arrangement, after all?
Sunshine blossomed in my chest, while I tried to shift my focus back to the task at hand. Nevis had this way of sweeping me off my feet and throwing me on the ground—whether he did it deliberately or not, I’d yet to figure out. But I had to admit, I loved it.
Ben gasped and came to a sudden halt in his dash across the campsite.
“Rose.” He exhaled, his expression relaxing into a broad smile. “You’re okay!”
“Rose?” Caleb came through my earpiece again. We were on the common channel, but I couldn’t hear Rose. Only Ben could. They had their own comms line, in case of emergencies, and their private Telluris connection.
Ben looked at me. “She’s okay. She reached out to me via Telluris,” he said.
A Shade of Vampire 65: A Plague of Deceit Page 24
