“Don’t jinx us,” I said to Oliver. “I’m exhausted. Do you guys mind if I take first sleep shift?”
Lucas shook his head. “You and Oliver rest. I’ll wake Oliver in a few hours. We can each get six hours of sleep and be ready to leave by sunrise.”
Oliver agreed and we both got comfortable. They continued to discuss plans for tomorrow while I drifted off to sleep. It didn’t sound like tomorrow was going to be an easy day, so I wasn’t going to waste a minute of my allowed sleep time.
5
Someone was repeatedly jabbing me in my side. I took this to mean whoever continued to drive me crazy wanted to lose a limb. I swiftly kicked my feet out, knocking them on their ass and climbed on top.
“Why in the world are you annoying me to death?” I snapped at Lucas. The smirk on his face said he had expected this reaction out of me, making my take down a little less satisfying than it should have been.
“Well, I tried softly whispering your name, but that didn’t work. Prodding at you until you attacked seemed like the next logical step.”
I sneered at him. “Where’s my breakfast?”
“Over here,” Oliver called out.
I grinned at my current favorite friend. Their status changed by the hour depending on which one was driving me more crazy. I really needed to find at least one of them a Meraki, so I’d have a girl on my side.
I snatched the granola bar and dried fruit from Oliver while searching around for the coffee I smelled. Lucas moved up a few spots on my nice list again as he handed me a steaming cup of life force. It wasn’t going to be the flavored kind I preferred, but campfire coffee was still good enough for me.
“We need to leave soon. According to the map and the information we received from the giant ape and our books yesterday, I think we’re about two hours from the entrance to the Forbidden Tunnels they mentioned. Well, that’s if we find it right away.” Lucas sighed. “We could be out there all day. I don’t imagine there is going to be neon sign above the entrance saying ‘enter here’.”
Lucas was right. We needed to get out there as quickly as possible and keep moving. I downed my coffee and gobbled up my food before getting up to throw some fresh clothes on. Once I was dressed and had my bag repacked, I met the guys outside of the cave’s entrance.
“Let’s get this show on the road!” I said with more enthusiasm than I felt on the inside. What I really wanted to do was curl up in my bed at home and sleep until noon.
Oliver and Lucas nodded, and we headed out. Moving swiftly and quietly through the terrain, we had our guards up even more now that we had more information. We kept our full attention on our surroundings instead of keeping up conversation.
“Look over there.” Lucas pointed to the left. “See how that whole side of the mountain shimmers in the sunlight except the bottom right corner? Think that’s worth checking out?”
I pulled out the map to see if we were near the area Spiro had told us to go to. Scanning it quickly, I located the mountain Lucas pointed to. It was right at the edge of the area we had circled. I turned the map toward the guys, so they could see, too.
“It’s not far off our path,” Oliver said. “Let’s check it out.”
Lucas and I nodded our agreement. I folded the map back up, sticking it back in the side pocket of my bag. “Alright, last one there has to let me give them a makeover when we get home!”
I didn’t wait for their response and took off running. My bag slapped against my back as my feet pounded against the hard ground beneath me. I was laughing at the grunts I heard behind me as the guys tried to catch up. I peeked behind me to see if they were gaining on me, but before I could catch a glimpse of them, everything went dark. My feet lost traction and my ass hit the ground. Hard.
I began sliding down a dark hole, screaming my lungs out. I couldn’t see a thing and I had no idea where I was headed. The guys were going to lose it over this. I just hoped they kept their wits about them long enough to find me before they got themselves into trouble. They didn’t often do well without me. I was the backbone of the group. The responsible one. As I was potentially falling to my death, those thoughts brought a grin to my face. I was so not the responsible one.
Ouch! I slammed into a wall as the tunnel curved and hit several more walls before finally coming to a hard stop on rough ground. There was no light down here, so I created a light orb and shined it around my surroundings. I was in another cave, but this one took my breath away.
The walls were filled with rubies of all different sizes. The individual facets reflected back to me as my light shone across the room I was in. I took stock of myself once I realized I was alone and in no immediate danger. My arms were scraped to shit, and a trickle of blood ran down the side of my face. I rummaged through my bag and removed some bandages from the first aid kit I always kept handy.
Once I was as cleaned up as I was going to get, I stood back up and shined the orb around again, this time looking for an exit. I couldn’t find anything, but I did spot an out of place circle of diamonds along the furthest wall. I strode toward the cluster and as I got closer, I saw the diamonds weren’t in a circle but arranged in some sort of symbol.
The outer diamonds which had first caught my eye were about half an inch in diameter and pointed. Smoother, more intricate ones swirled haphazardly throughout the center. They were absolutely mesmerizing. I ran my hand gently over the stones. The steel-colored wall was cool to the touch, while the diamonds emanated a slight amount of heat.
Dammit! I shoved my thumb in my mouth to staunch the blood. I must have cut it on one of the diamonds. I glanced back up at the wall and my mouth dropped open. What in the actual hell?
The few droplets of blood I had spilled on the wall began swirling through the stones. As the blood reached a stone, it would turn a deep red color and illuminate. I stared in fascination as this continued with each diamond. Once each one was shining brightly, I heard a groaning sound from the walls. Taking a step back, I watched as the wall separated and a hallway appeared.
I dissolved my light orb and stepped into the hallway. There were fire sconces on the walls leading the way down a stone path. To where? I had no idea, but it had to be better than being stuck in the ruby room for the rest of my life.
I continued walking, then picked up speed as carvings appeared on the walls. I recognized the etchings from the classes I attended during Guardian training in Arvata. There was a thick, winding line that ran through the middle, representing the Serpentine River. On the top half were flying dragons, some breathing fire, while the rest soared the sky. Below the river line was an ancient language. Symbols ran along the bottom, telling a story that would likely give me nightmares.
This was not good. I was in a dragon’s lair and my chances of making it out were slim.
6
Rumbles could be heard from up ahead. I slowed my pace and glanced around for another exit. All I saw were more and more gem stones and piles of gold. This dragon certainly liked its flair. Crap! I needed to get out of here quickly, before the dragon realized I had invaded its space.
I turned to go back the way I came. Locked in the first room was starting to sound better than being snack food to the beast I could hear moving around not very far from me.
I made it three steps before I was being summoned. “Come here, child. You don’t need to fear me.” The dragon’s voice was sweet and almost angelic. I would not let my guard down, but now I was curious. Was the crazy beast luring me in for an easier kill, or could she really be friendly? I shrugged my shoulders at that thought. Only one way to find out.
I unstrapped the sword Spiro had given back to me from my bag and unsheathed it. If I was going down, I’d at least be going down like a badass, fighting a dragon. I tentatively stepped around the corner and sucked in a breath. She was gorgeous.
Deep teal scales shimmered around her. Each scale appeared to have a different variation of aqua blue, no two alike. Her eyes were a piercing silver color
with ebony slits in the middle. She was average size for a dragon, seeming to be around ten feet in height and twice the length. Definitely not the biggest I had heard about, but I imagined she could hold her own in a fight. Her wings were folded against her body and I craved to see them extended. Her image matched her voice perfectly until she grinned at me. Well, I think she grinned. I was seeing teeth and hoping it was done in a friendly gesture.
“Come in and have a seat.” She nodded her head toward a rock that was shaped like a bench. Her mouth didn’t move as she spoke, but somehow her voice still projected. “My name is Yelah. Sorry to have brought you here under such circumstances, but when I felt you near, I didn’t want to chance you getting away.”
I shook my head in confusion. This dragon was off her rocker and needed to do a bit more explaining. “Felt me near? Care to elaborate on that tidbit for me?”
“Your sword. It calls to me. It’s made from rare metals we can no longer find here in the Otherworld. Most importantly, it is the only thing that will stop Zendar from destroying our species.”
I brought the sword out in front of me, examining it closer. “This sword right here? Are you sure? This was a gift from the Elves. All they told me was that it could channel my power. Nothing about being able to slay dragons in particular.”
Yelah let out a snort which caused me to squeal. Dragon snorts could be dangerous, and she was a little too close for my liking. “Of course, they wouldn’t. Elves keep to themselves and don’t get directly involved in such matters as what we’re dealing with right now, but they knew exactly what they gave you when they did it. That sword is the last object in the worlds which can take down Zendar. He will come for you if he realizes the sword is near, and he will kill you. We have to stop him before this happens.”
Holy frick! Thanks for the heads-up, Fates, I thought. It sounded like I was on a suicide mission now. “What about my friends? Why did you leave them behind, and can we find them now? They’re a little overprotective and are probably throwing a fit in their search to find me.”
Yelah nodded. “You trust these men? You were running from them. I thought I might have been helping you when I took only you.”
I smacked my hand against my forehead. “We’re also competitive.” I shrugged. “We were racing, and I was winning. They’re my best friends and would have my back during any fight. I wouldn’t want to do this without them.”
“Very well. I’ll summon them. Probably best to do it now, anyway, before they destroy any more of the minerals above. They’re causing quite a bit of havoc up there.”
Yelah closed her eyes and began humming softly. If she wasn’t standing before me in her glorious dragon form, I would have believed her to be Siren. The melody she used was alluring, and I was enchanted.
Before I knew it, a circular hole opened in the ceiling. I stood up as Lucas appeared on the ground with a thud first, followed by Oliver, who landed halfway on top of Lucas. It was quite the sight. “About damn time you two showed up,” I teased.
They both scrambled up and gave me a group hug, barely allowing me to breathe until they realized we weren’t alone. As soon as they saw Yelah, I was thrown behind them while they each made angry red orbs, ready for attack.
“Calm down, boys. She’s friendly.”
Lucas twisted his head back at me. “Only you would fall down a hole and make friends with a dragon.”
“I’m talented, what can I say? Speaking of, how did you do that?” I asked Yelah.
“Dragon magic.” She grinned at me again. Someone really needed to let her know how frightening that was. I would not be that someone, though.
“Alright, then. Let’s leave it at that. What do we do now?” I asked.
“How about you tell us who this is?” Oliver asked, warily.
“Don’t be such a chicken. This is Yelah. We’re in her lair. My sword called to her, so she brought me here to ask for our help. I know why the Fates asked us to help with the Dragon problem. Apparently, this sword is made from the only metals which can kill the beast causing all the mayhem in the Otherworld.”
Lucas shook his head. “Again, I say, only you.”
I grinned at him. I was glad it was my sword. I loved a good fight, and this one seemed even more promising now that we had a dragon on our side.
“I need to call on a couple members of my clan,” Yelah said. “If you want your friends to come with us, then they need their own dragons. We will be flying over Inferno Valley, unless you care to venture through it.”
Lucas and Oliver grinned widely at each other and spoke at the same time. “We’ll take a dragon.”
I sat back down and let Yelah do her thing while finally taking the time to check out her home. Her lair was huge and cavernous. The ceiling was easily fifty feet tall and wide. Beautiful etchings of ancient symbols were placed around the walls, accented by rubies and diamonds. More fire sconces lit up the area, not only brightening up the room, but keeping it warm. There were several dozen animal pelts in the corner, laid out where I assumed Yelah relaxed, and nearby was a small waterfall that trickled down into a basin.
With as big as the room was, I hoped it would be enough to hold three dragons, but just in case, I wanted to be as far off to the side as possible to avoid being an accidental casualty of a dragon arrival.
Lucas and Oliver joined me on the rock bench, each taking a seat next to me, so I was in the middle. “You really scared us, Princess,” Oliver whispered.
“We were blowing holes in the ground with orbs, but couldn’t get anything to penetrate further than four or five feet down,” Lucas added. “Try not to do that again.”
I gave them each a hug. “I knew you guys loved me. Yelah thought I was running from you or she would have summoned all of us. Guess the race wasn’t the best idea.” I grinned. “I so would have won though.”
“Of course, you would have,” Oliver said condescendingly. “So, you trust this dragon?”
I shrugged. “We don’t have much choice at this point. She’s pretty damn powerful if she can just call us to her like that. So far, she’s seemed sincere and I’m not getting any bad vibes, but let’s keep our guards up just in case.”
“As long as we don’t get separated again, I’m good with it.” Lucas shuddered. “Twice within twenty-four hours is not what I call fun. Plus, I wouldn’t want to be the one to tell Brooks or Dalila that we lost their pseudo-daughter. They’d likely fire me as their protector, then kill me. I quite like living and helping them, so don’t die or get kidnapped again, please.”
I patted Lucas’s knee. “I’m glad your life and job were your biggest concerns. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind later.”
He let out a belly laugh, and it was good to hear. Oliver and I joined in and the tension was released. As long as we managed to stick together, we’d make it out of this okay.
Before I could voice any other opinions on the matter, the walls began to quake. I held on to my best friends, waiting for what was coming. The charcoal-colored rock opened up at the ceiling, allowing two mammoth-sized dragons to swoop in. I grabbed Lucas’s and Oliver’s arms, dragging them to the furthest corner in search of a safe haven. These beasts were massive, and their tails appeared to have a mind of their own.
The first one to land was golden in color and had bronze, depthless eyes. Its tail was forked and barbed. Scars ran along the sides of this dragon, which told of the years he had battled. The second dragon was only slightly shorter than the first, but its width certainly made up for that. Its scales were smoky gray and silver intermingled together. Its tail was forked like the other dragon, but not barbed.
“Welcome, Drake and Ladon. These are our new friends.” Yelah used her snout to gesture toward us cowering in the corner. “Jordan, Lucas, and Oliver will be helping with Zendar. Jordan will be flying with me and each of you will be responsible for one of the other Guardians. We will prepare and rest tonight, then leave at first light tomorrow.”
The silver
one, I think he was Drake, eyed us carefully. “How do you know you can trust them?” he asked suspiciously.
“Jordan, will you unsheathe your sword again, please?” Yelah asked. I nodded and complied. “Can you not sense the magic within her weapon? This is what we have been waiting for to defeat Zendar. They will be the key to our success.”
I hadn’t noticed the excitement from Yelah earlier, but she was radiating with happiness now. As nervous as I had been about going against dragons, I was happy to help these ones have an easier life. Nobody deserved to live in fear. Zendar was going to die, and I was going to happily deliver his punishment.
Drake nodded, while Ladon remained silent. I wasn’t sure what to think of our newest editions, but I was confident Lucas and Oliver could hold their own when the time came. I glanced at my guys, grinning at the expressions on both their faces. It wasn’t often we were in the presence of one dragon, let alone three.
“So, what now?” I asked. “Do we get a tour of this place and a warm bed to sleep in?”
Oliver elbowed me in the side. “What?” I asked. “You can’t tell me you don’t want a tour of a Dragon’s lair. When are we going to have another opportunity like this?”
“Hopefully never,” Oliver groaned. He and Lucas didn’t know how to fully embrace life sometimes. I, on the other hand, lived life as if each day was my last. I’d seen a lot of loss in my life and vowed several decades ago to truly live mine.
“I’d be happy to give you a tour, Jordan. It’s the least I can do considering you didn’t run for the hills when you saw me for the first time earlier.” She grinned again, and I couldn’t take it.
“Yelah, you are a magnificent creature, absolutely stunning. But please, for the greater good, don’t smile. Your teeth freak me out and remind me I should have run from you.”
Lucas and Oliver stiffened, while the three dragons before us snorted in what I assumed was their form of laughter. Small puffs of smoke came out of their nostrils and their eyes squeezed closed.
Rebels and Realms: A Limited Edition Urban Fantasy Collection Page 28
