Higher and higher Senia climbed, leading us toward the tallest of the Fale Mountains as the sky turned a deep shade of purple and the stars began appearing, one after the other, as if they were welcoming us to the land of the dragons.
Chapter Five
In the distance a fire burned, and Senia headed toward it, circling twice before descending. She landed gracefully, but that didn’t stop both Trey and me from falling off her back in two undignified heaps. Glancing at us over her shoulder, Senia huffed out a laugh.
My entire body was numb with the cold and refused to move as I lay there, staring at our surroundings. While we weren’t at the peak of the mountain, we were high enough that the air was frigid and my breath came out in white, cloudy puffs. Senia had landed in a relatively flat area, large enough for her and probably three other dragons to stand comfortably. Directly in front of us was a flickering campfire, and beyond the fire was the darkened mouth of a cave. Was this where Senia lived?
Surrounding us were mountains, and they loomed over us ominously. It was quiet except for the wind and crackling fire. I expected to hear other dragons roaring or talking, but it was as if the three of us were the only ones up here.
“Ow, my body,” Trey moaned as he struggled to sit up. My limbs were tingling as if they’d just woken up, and I tentatively shook out one hand, then the other. When I stood, my legs were wobbling, and I didn’t think that was because of the cold.
I walked over to the edge and looked up. The top of the mountains were shrouded in dense clouds and I reached for them, laughing at my foolishness a moment later. As if a human could touch the sky. We weren’t born with wings for a reason. Up here, the world belonged to the dragons. To have the chance to experience all of this…
I turned to Senia and said, “Thank you.”
She nodded. Beside me, Trey groaned again and the corner of Senia’s mouth tugged up into a smile. “He doesn’t seem to be as grateful as you.”
“Come on, Trey.” I held out a hand. “You’re missing out on everything!”
He allowed me to pull him to his feet and then he waddled over to the fire, holding out his hands. After a moment, Trey looked around and said, “Where are we? Is that your cave, Senia?”
“It belongs to my sister—”
“Nerine?” Maya emerged from the cave, her brown eyes wide with shock.
Despite my earlier resolve, I couldn’t help the flutter of butterflies in my stomach that took flight the moment I saw my sister standing there. She was dressed in her long coat, trousers, and boots, and a red scarf was wrapped around her neck. Her hair was in its usual braid; I touched my own tresses, which had gone even wilder in the wind, and quickly copied her hairstyle, using one of the bands I wore around my wrist to tie off the end. The entire time I worked on my hair, Maya simply stood there, staring at me as if I were a ghost.
She can’t send us back, I thought. Even if she ordered me to go, I wouldn’t listen. I had a feeling Senia wouldn’t listen, either.
When Maya still didn’t say anything, I held up a hand. “I know what you’re thinking, but—”
“I’m so glad you’re here!” Maya closed the distance between us and threw her arms around me. Shocked, I could do nothing but hug her back. Over Maya’s shoulder I met Senia’s eye, and the dragon gave me a grave look in return. Something fell into place and I realized Senia had brought us here for a reason.
My sister needed me.
Still, that didn’t stop me from saying, “You are?” Trey gave me a warning look, but instead of getting angry with me, Maya sniffled loudly. I tried to pull back so I could see her face, but she wouldn’t relinquish her hold on me. “Maya, what is it? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Everything.” Releasing me, she rubbed at her eyes before managing to give me a small smile. “I’m just really glad you’re here. I missed you.”
“So you’re not going to send us back?” I asked hesitantly, even as my heart sang happily. She’d missed me!
Maya shook her head. “Unless you want to go?”
“No! We just got here! I want to see everything!” I glanced at the cave Maya had emerged from. “Are the eggs in there?”
Maya’s smile slipped away. “They are, but there’s nothing to see. No one thinks they’re going to hatch.”
Senia growled at that.
“Well, not everyone,” Maya said. “Senia and poor Aster are the only ones who believe there’s still a chance. And me, of course, although who’s going to listen to a human, right?”
“How is Aster doing?” I kept expecting the dragon to emerge from the cave to see whom Maya was talking to, but maybe she was reluctant to leave the eggs.
“She’s sad. She’s been ignoring me for most of the evening.” Maya looked at Senia. “Maybe you could talk to her?” The ruby dragon was already heading to the cave. Watching her go, Maya sighed with relief. “I hope she can help Aster. Cheer her up, since I can’t. I can’t do anything to help her.”
“I’m sure she appreciates you being here with her,” I told my sister. I led her to the fire and we sat down, Trey on my left and Maya on my right. “When did the elders decide the eggs weren’t going to hatch?”
“Two days ago.” Maya picked at her cuticle, a habit she’d had since we were little kids. “Aristo agrees it’s time to give up, but Aster refuses to listen to him, even if he’s the leader of the clan. So they fought.” She shuddered. “Watching dragons fight is a truly terrifying thing, Neri.”
I imagined the two powerful beasts launching themselves at each other, slashing with their claws and biting with their sharp teeth. “Did anyone get hurt?”
Maya laughed quietly. “Only Aristo’s pride. But then he left, and Aster has been melancholy ever since. I could barely get her to drink or eat anything. I’m really worried about her.”
“What about Aster and Senia’s parents?” I’d never met them, but I assumed they would refuse to give up on their future grandchildren. “Have they offered any advice? They were the last ones to have their eggs hatch, so they should know something about how this works, right?”
Shaking her head, Maya glanced at the cave before whispering, “They don’t speak with Aster and Senia. They never approved of Aster mating with Aristo—they aren’t very fond of him and never thought he was good enough for their daughter. This is a sore spot with both Aster and Senia—especially Senia—so don’t mention their parents when they’re in earshot, all right?”
“But that’s awful,” Trey murmured and I couldn’t help agreeing.
“These are their grandchildren we’re talking about,” I said.
“Didn’t you know?” Maya rolled her eyes. “Dragons are incredibly stubborn and can hold grudges forever. Don’t waste your time worrying about them. They’ll never make up with their daughters. Not in our lifetime, anyway.”
“That’s their loss,” I grumbled.
“Yes, it is.” Maya nudged me with her shoulder. “Did Senia find you and bring you here for me?”
Should I tell her the truth or not? After exchanging a look with Trey, I confessed, “Actually, she found us climbing the mountain.”
“What?” Maya’s shout echoed off the mountains. “You were climbing the Fale Mountains?”
Ah. There was my sister. I knew I wouldn’t be able to avoid her yelling at me for what I’d done.
“Trey.” Maya leaned forward so she could glare at my friend. “You went along with her?”
He shrunk down, making himself smaller, but it wasn’t very effective since he was still a head taller than both of us. “You know I can’t say no to Neri. And besides, I wanted to see the hatchlings, too!”
“Did you even tell anyone you were coming up here? Or leave a note for Mom and Dad?” When we didn’t answer, Maya threw her hands in the air. “What am I going to do with you two?”
“What’s the big deal?” I asked sourely. “Two seconds ago you were fine with Senia bringing us up here, but now that you found out we climbed the mountai
n, you’re mad at us?”
“You could have died!” she yelled.
“But we didn’t,” I pointed out. “So there’s no reason to get angry.”
“No reason?” Maya stared at me, her brown eyes reflecting the fire’s light. “So I shouldn’t care about your well-being? Is that what you’re saying? Maybe I shouldn’t since you obviously don’t.”
I stood up, suddenly angry myself. “I wanted to see you! You’re never home, and when you are, you’re never around. It’s always Aster or Nic. And now it’s the hatchlings. What about me, Maya? Or Mom and Dad? Are we just supposed to forget that you exist? That you’re part of this family?”
Maya’s mouth dropped open. Maybe it hadn’t dawned on her, what her absence had been doing to me. To us. Now she knew. But would she care?
To my horror, her eyes filled with tears again. Then she stood and wrapped her arms around me, squeezing me even tighter than before. It was like she was afraid if she let me go, I’d disappear.
But I wouldn’t. I wasn’t the one who was always leaving. She was.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered in my ear. “I didn’t even realize. You’re right. I have been avoiding you.”
“But why?”
Maya pulled away, assessing me. I held my breath and felt Trey go very still next to me. It was like we both feared if we so much as moved, we’d frighten Maya off like a deer in the woods, and we’d lose this opportunity forever. She’d send us packing down the mountain, and I’d never find out why she was avoiding me. Or why she was so quick to tears tonight. Maya was fierce and almost never cried, so what was going on? Was she only saddened by what was happening with the hatchlings, or was it something else altogether?
My sister opened her mouth to answer me, but a new voice cut across the air, startling all three of us.
“I see we have visitors.” Nicolas stepped into the firelight, sending my stomach plummeting down to my toes.
Chapter Six
“What’s he doing here?” I didn’t bother disguising the disappointment in my voice, not caring if Nicolas heard it.
Did I imagine the look of unease that flickered in Maya’s eye? It was brief, gone in a flash as she turned to me and scolded, “Neri, be nice!”
I rolled my eyes before plastering on a fake smile and saying, “Nicolas! So nice to see you!”
As he walked up to us, Trey stood, his solid presence a comfort I always knew I could rely on in situations like this.
“What’s going on?” It didn’t escape my attention that Nicolas kept some distance from us—from Maya. I narrowed my eyes. Had he done something? Was he the reason for her tears? “Why are Neri and Trey here?”
“Senia brought them.” Maya’s tone of voice was happier than it’d been moments before. “She must have known that I wanted to see my sister. Isn’t this great, Nic?”
“Great,” he echoed. He flashed us a smile, but it was more strained than welcoming. “How long are they staying?”
“We haven’t figured that out yet.” Maya hooked her arm through mine. “The night at least, definitely.”
“We want to see the hatchlings.” As soon as I said that, I realized it was the wrong thing to say. A dark cloud settled over the camp as my sister shifted uneasily while Nicolas stiffened.
“You didn’t tell them?” he asked Maya. Before she could answer, he continued. “The eggs aren’t going to hatch. You came here for nothing.” His tanned skin had paled, making the freckles that ran across the bridge of his nose stand out, even in the firelight.
“No.” I pulled my sister closer to me while giving Nicolas an even look. “Not for nothing. I’m getting to spend time with my sister.”
Nicolas opened his mouth before shutting it and nodding tersely. “Of course. I bet you miss her.”
“I do.”
“Then it’s good you’re here.” Nicolas glanced at the cave. “But you shouldn’t get your hopes up about the eggs.” I was surprised to see pain flicker across Nicolas’s face. Catching me staring, he said, “This isn’t easy for any of us, Neri.”
“But it sounds like you want to give up on them. You’re siding with Aristo, aren’t you?” Trey said, his voice thick with disgust.
Nicolas shook his head. “It’s not giving up. I’m trying to spare Maya from heartbreak. What do we know about dragons and their eggs? If the elders—if the dragon I’m bonded with is saying there’s no way they’ll hatch…” He gestured toward the cave. “Why prolong this?”
Oddly enough, I understood what he was saying. If there was no chance the eggs would hatch, then Aster and Maya shouldn’t continue to torture themselves like this. But… “If my sister and Aster think there’s still a chance, then I believe them,” I said. “And you should, too!”
Nicolas flushed at that. “I—I do.”
“Really?” Maya demanded. “Then what have we been fighting about for the past two days?” Two red spots appeared on her cheeks and I could feel her begin to shake.
They’d been fighting? I’d never seen Maya and Nicolas so much as bicker in the three years they’d been together. No wonder she was crying! “Maya.” I touched her shoulder to get her attention before she launched herself at her boyfriend. “Let’s go see the eggs.”
Breathing in deeply, Maya nodded as some of the tension drained from her shoulders. “All right.”
As she led me to the cave, I noticed Trey was still standing by the fire. “Aren’t you coming?”
“Go ahead.” He shooed me away with his hands. “I’ll check them out later.” Meeting my gaze, Trey held it for a long moment, telling me without words that I was the one my sister needed right now.
I nodded, mouthing “thank you,” and followed my sister into the cave.
***
Inside the cave it was dark and I went slowly, afraid I’d trip and somehow manage to land on the eggs. When she noticed me shuffling along, Maya grabbed my hand and pulled me forward through a twisting passage that opened up into a large room. Another fire burned in the center, throwing off both heat and light. The room was circular and the ceiling stretched so high, it was lost to the shadows. I gulped, wondering just how much mountain was above us. No, I don’t want to know.
Aster was laying by the fire, her head resting on the ground and her tail curled up around her body, looking like the stray cat Trey fed every morning on our way to school. Her golden eyes were open and she regarded us silently as we approached. Next to her, sitting up, was Senia, who looked both irritated and worried. I wondered if she’d been fighting with her sister, much like I’d been doing with Maya outside.
Maya dropped my hand to touch Aster’s long neck. “How are you doing? Did you eat anything?”
“Senia forced me to,” Aster said wearily.
Senia huffed. “I wouldn’t have had to force you if you weren’t behaving like such a child.”
Aster’s eyes flashed with anger, but she didn’t respond. I felt awkward standing there, like I was witnessing something I shouldn’t be allowed to see. Trey and I shouldn’t have come. We were so excited to see hatchlings that we hadn’t even thought there would be a problem with the eggs, something we should have kept in mind considering Aster was the last dragon to hatch over two hundred years ago.
I was so selfish. I’d only been thinking about myself and my jealousy, and now what was I supposed to do? Stand here with a stupid grin on my face and ask to see the eggs? Make her feel even more miserable than she already was?
“Neri, come here.” Maya, oblivious to my thoughts, waved me over. To Aster she said, “Can she see the eggs?”
“Maya,” I said warningly. But my protests trailed off as Aster lifted her left wing and moved her tail out of the way, revealing a nest with three eggs nestled inside. Something inside me shifted and I felt overwhelmed, like I didn’t know if I should be jumping with excitement or sobbing. Honestly, they were just eggs—large, golden, dragon eggs.
Staring at them, I wanted them to hatch so badly. For Aster and May
a and Senia and all the other dragons who, as each day passed, wondered if they really were on the path to extinction. They may have survived the wars, but if they couldn’t reproduce, how long would their race last?
“You can come closer,” Aster said when I didn’t move. I swallowed and inched closer. Maya was already kneeling by the eggs, touching them each in turn. I squatted next to her and slowly reached out, my fingertips grazing the egg closest to me. The texture was similar to a chicken’s egg, but the golden sheen was unlike anything I’d ever seen before.
And it was so warm. Feeling braver, I sat down, scooted forward, and laid both of my palms flat against the egg. “Wow,” I breathed softly.
Maya’s face was glowing. “Right?”
“They’re beautiful, Aster,” I told the dragon sincerely. She hummed in response, laying her head back down and watching us fuss over the eggs, a gleam of pride in her eyes. Maya moved out of the way so I could touch the other two; when I got to the third one, which was slightly smaller than the others, I swore I felt something pulse inside. Jolting backward, I sucked in a breath, and the two dragons and my sister looked at me in alarm.
“What is it?” Senia demanded, looking like she wanted to nose me out of the way so she could assess the egg herself.
“I don’t know…” I frowned, trying to concentrate. “I thought I felt… something.” When nothing else happened, I shook my head. “Maybe it’s my imagination. Sorry, Aster.”
“Don’t be,” she said softly as she nudged the egg with the tip of her nose. “I, too, feel… things, sometimes. But the elders say I’m wrong.”
“You’re not.” Senia’s voice was gruff as she touched the egg too. “There is still hope, Aster. You mustn’t give up. Remember your dream of showing your children the world. It will happen.”
Nodding, Aster laid her head down once more and closed her eyes. I glanced at my sister, raising my eyebrows. Aster wanted to take the hatchlings from the mountains? Since the dragons had first settled here, they’d never left. They hunted the surrounding area, of course, but they never traveled across the ocean to revisit the lands they’d fled during the wars.
Run and Touch the Sky Page 4
