by Aleah Raynes
Luna snatched at Ayla and Pyria’s capes, pulling them along while Caspian lunged for the beast’s red eye. He missed. The tip of his blade grazed the corner of the rock eye, causing a spark of flame to pop into the eyeball.
It screamed. The ear-splitting sound dropped me to my knees. I writhed in pain, wishing the monster would stop or die. I preferred it died. Jaden grabbed me under the arm and lifted me to my feet. I could see his mouth moving, but couldn’t hear a word of what he said. He pushed me backwards several steps before pointing to the monster.
Caspian and Vander were battling the thing. While Vander distracted it, Caspian attempted to stab the remaining eye. The unholy sound it made came from the fact the fire blinded his right eye.
“We have to go!” Finally, I could hear Jaden. “Run.”
“No,” I answered, shaking my head. “Where is my brother?”
“He’s safe. Van and Cas can take care of the beast.” Jaden dragged me away from the grizzly sight of the enflamed eye. “We have to find Ayla.”
My head whipped around. Ayla. I had to find her. Make certain she hadn’t been hurt. A scream of agony pierced the air and I covered my ears. The sound trilled in my head, echoing until I thought I’d go deaf once more from the noise. I closed my eyes, desperately wishing for it to stop. I wanted everything to cease.
A delicate hand touched my shoulder and I blinked. Ayla stood over me, concern filling her face as she observed me. When I glanced around us, my brother stood with Jaden and Caspian. Ena, Pyria, and Luna were huddled together as well. What happened?
Ayla knelt in front of me. “You did it.”
I’d done nothing, except act like a coward. I shook my head. “No.”
She smiled. The softened quality of it did something funny to my insides. “Yes, you did. You saved us.”
“Where is it?”
“Dead,” she answered, pointing behind me.
I turned to find where she pointed and blinked. How is this possible? I’d seen it come alive. I’d seen it attack us, yet, the rocky knoll had become just that. A knoll. I looked at my brother who gave me a cocky smirk before patting Caspian on the back.
We made it.
Who knew how long our freedom would last or if we’d find someplace safe to lay our heads. It didn’t matter to me. I wanted to enjoy the first moments of breathing in the fresh air of our liberation. It tasted sweeter on my tongue—light as a feather dancing in the breeze. I wanted to revel in the fact we’d fought a monster and came out of it in one piece. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Wow.”
Ayla giggled. “Intense, huh?”
“Very,” I agreed.
We had to find shelter and keep ourselves hidden. Getting caught now would be counterproductive. And the king’s guard would come looking for us. We had to get moving.
“We have to keep going,” Vander said, coming over to us. “Are you better?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Good,” Caspian grunted. “Were you hurt?”
I didn’t know and I don’t think I could have explained it either, since no one else seemed affected by the monster’s screams. Did that mean my dragon was starting to awake? My senses were becoming more sensitive? “When the rock creature screamed, I felt like I had a million hot needles poking my eardrums.”
“Ouch,” Vander muttered.
I shrugged it off. “No time to dwell.” I stood slowly then waited as a wave of vertigo washed over me then subsided. “I’m ready.”
We ran through the woods, following the stream nearby. It had to lead somewhere, whether to a river or a town. The sticky mud clung to our clothes, seeping into the weaved fabric, chilling me to the bone. Yet, in some way, it felt natural. The water called to me. I didn’t understand it nor would I speak about it.
The thought that my dragon, hidden deep inside me, could be awakening played in my mind. He could be elemental. Could water be my element?
There was no time to ponder on things unknown at the moment.
Besides, it could be detrimental to our journey to spout off with, “I like the water. I think it talks to me.” Ayla and her sisters would think I was insane and they’d desert us. So, I kept it to myself.
The girls were huddled together chattering in hushed tones while continuing to follow us. We didn’t have much of a plan except to get them home. Vander’s suggestion of Oighear would be the best place to start, which would mean we’d have to make camp for the night, unless our prospects turned up something better suited for Ayla and her sisters.
“Do you feel it?” Jaden muttered. “Like a scratching at the back of your neck and you don’t know why or what’s causing it?”
I did. I associated it with the water. “Yeah, what about it?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure. It started after we left the camp. Seems to be getting stronger the longer we’re with the sisters.” Vander gave me a once over. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah. Just wish I understood it.”
“Craziest thing I have ever seen,” Vander added. “Just glad you’re all right.”
Me, too. I glanced up to where Jaden had been staring. The sisters had allowed their glamour to fall away and their wings fluttered with each step they took. The translucent shades of blues in Ayla’s wings glimmered in the hazy sunlight, casting glittery shadows dancing upon the muddy trail. It was as if they’d taken on a life of their own.
“Interesting,” I murmured. “Have you ever seen anything so…”
Jaden elbowed me. “You like her.”
I shook my head. “No. We were charged with freeing them. It’s a job.” Yet, even as the words tumbled from my tongue, I knew it was a lie. I did like her.
“Sure. We need to find shelter. It’ll be getting dark soon.” Jaden had been right. Already the sun casted long shadows over the forest floor.
“We might have to make a camp. We’ll set it against the bank. It’ll keep a fire hidden and us sheltered for the night.” I pointed to the edge of the stream.
“Good idea,” he answered.
“Smoke,” Caspian called out. “Not more than a quarter-mile from here.”
I looked up, startled and surprised by the wisps of greyish white smoke reaching for the sky. The scent of wood burning drifted in the air the closer we got. Fear gripped my guts. What if it was the cugs? What if the guards from the camp followed us and planned to ambush us along the way?
“We should go in the other direction.” I stopped where I stood, unable to move. After our little run in, I didn’t want to disturb any other forest creatures who could eat all of us without compunction.
“It’s an inn,” Luna proclaimed. “I can see it.”
An inn? Out here? “Are you sure?”
She turned to me and rolled her eyes. “Don’t be so daft. We’re out in the middle of nowhere. If we were going to be caught, they would have come for us by now. We’ve been out here for hours. We’re tired, we’re hungry and we need to sleep. If you don’t want to follow, fine. So be it. We can get home from here on our own.”
Ayla grabbed her sister’s arm. “Luna, stop. They’re only trying to keep us safe.”
Luna frowned at her sister. “You like him. You’re biased.”
The pink tinge to her snow-white cheeks gave her a beautiful glow. “Maybe. However, he has a point in being skeptical. We were kidnapped, bound, and left to work in a deplorable place with other children being treated worse than us. And the rock thing tried to eat us…”
No, not necessarily. Children died every day from sickness or being worked too hard with little to no food. The sisters, though, there as a punishment were still healthy like me and my brothers. As for the monster, well, I don’t think I’d ever be able to explain it.
“We’ll go to the inn.” If we got caught in a situation we couldn’t get out of…I couldn’t think about it. I had to think positive. We had so far to go and to already express those bleak emotions would only serve to hurt us along the way.
“Dain?” Vander cocked a brow. As his twin, we connected on a different level than I did with the others. He basically knew my every thought. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “We need shelter. The clouds are getting thicker again, and the scent of rain is in the air.”
“Then it’s settled,” my brother answered. “We’ll stay there, but I have one request.”
Pyria blew out a breath. “What? Honestly, you boys are very tiring sometimes.”
“We go first. We stake out the place. Make sure it’s safe, then we’ll come back for you,” he replied.
“Where?” Ayla directed her question to me.
“Against the bank of the creek. It should only take a few minutes to make sure.”
She nodded. “We’ll do it.”
When I was satisfied the girls were safe, we headed toward the structure in the distance. The two-story rock building faced the rolling hills covered in weeds. The crisp green grass faded into dead, burnt foliage. I didn’t understand the contrast, nor the oppressive, dry air surrounding us. Three feet backwards and we were back in the wet forest; here, everything was dead.
Vander and I circled the building from the west side while Caspian and Jaden met us on the east side. No one was outside, yet the smoke poured from the chimney. Someone had to be there. When we were sure nothing would jump out and attack us, Vander and I went back to gather the girls. A light misty rain had begun to fall near where we left the sisters.
“It’s safe. We should hurry, though. No sense in staying out where we could potentially be spotted,” I said, reaching out to Ayla to help her up.
“Thank you,” she whispered, taking my hand.
“You’re welcome, princess.”
We arrived at the inn and found Caspian and Jaden outside waiting for us. They appeared anxious and on edge. The worry in their gazes did nothing to ease the ball of dread taking up residence in the pit of my stomach. I wanted to ask what happened, but I didn’t have to. What hadn’t happened to us? We escaped, and stood in the open, easy to find if something tried to locate us.
I opened the door and stepped inside, grateful when I noticed no one sat at the long tables near a giant fireplace. A small counter to the side done in black stone and wooden boards held a small basket of biscuits. My stomach growled. All of our stomachs did in fact. My mouth watered and I took a step forward. The wooden boards under my feet creaked, and I stilled.
“Be right there,” the deep, male voice announced.
A few seconds later, a man the size of a giant appeared at the counter. Short, stark white hair framed the sides of his head and connected to his trimmed white beard. Piercing blue eyes stared at them, and a frown marred his face.
“Ayla?” the man whispered. “Pyria, Luna, and Ena?”
Ayla stepped forward, away from my grasp. “Baxter?” She tilted her head to the side. “Is it really you?”
His features lightened, the dull uncertainty disappeared. “It’s you.” Baxter came around the counter and gathered her up in his arms. “All of you.” He beckoned her sisters to him and they willing went. “I thought he killed you.”
He who?
“We made it out with the help of our friends.” Ayla pointed to us. “They were sent to save us.”
Baxter nodded. “I knew your father had a plan.” He motioned to us to join him. “Sit at the table, warm yourselves. I’ll bring you food. You look half starved.”
Little did he realize. “Who is he?” I’d waited ‘til he stepped away before I asked any questions.
“Baxter was my father’s sergeant at arms,” Luna stated. “If anyone knew our father, it was Baxter.”
The man appeared a few minutes later. He had a tray in his hands laden with food. There were rolls of bread, cheese, meats, fruits. My stomach gave another appreciative growl as he placed it in front of us. He left us again, giving us a chance to eat.
“How did he get here?” I grabbed an apple first. “Who was he talking about?”
“Arolan,” Ena stated in disgust.
I sat for a moment, trying to digest what she’d just said. “Are you serious?”
She nodded. “Baxter must have been sent away before everything happened.”
“I escaped, actually,” the man said, placing a pitcher and cups on the table. “After your parents were killed, I tried to get to you before your uncle did, but I was too late. The guards seized me and Corinne. We were taken to different sides of the dungeons.”
Everyone fell silent. Sadness hung in the air like a thick fog. Too much loss.
After a few moments, Baxter placed a journal on the table in front of Ayla. “Your father wanted you girls to have this with Ayla reading it first. I assume the seer he communicated with had advised him of which daughter to hand the book to first. It tells you about each relic hidden within the kingdoms. Although by the state Oighear is in, I believe the relics aren’t where they need to be. If Arolan finds them before you, the kingdoms will be destroyed and we will lose everything.”
Ayla glanced at me before grabbing the book. She licked her bottom lip before opening it. Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes as she traced her finger over the script on the page. “Our father’s handwriting.”
“He said you and your sisters were the only ones I could trust with this book. He said you’d know what to do with it once you’ve seen it.”
She gave the man a watery smile. “We do.”
“He’d be very proud of you,” Baxter murmured. “To see how well you’ve taken care of yourselves and stayed alive. He wanted me to tell you, everything he did, he did for all of you.”
She sniffled and bit her trembling bottom lip. Her sisters hung onto her, embracing her in a hug. “Thank you, Baxter. This will help us. I promise we will right the kingdom.”
“You don’t have to convince me, girl. I already know you will.” He smiled as he stood. “Eat up, now. I will make you a place out in the barn for safety so you can rest. Don’t need prying eyes to find you.”
No, they didn’t. The barn would also give us easy access to leave should someone stumble upon us. We continued to eat while Ayla read the journal. When she closed the book, a look of determination filled her cobalt eyes.
“We have to find the dragon’s tear,” she announced. “There is also a blue feather, a fire opal, and enchanted water. The items have been hidden within the realms for safe keeping.”
“Doesn’t happen to say where, does it?” I cocked a brow, curious about what else was in the book.
She shook her head. “My father said our intuition and gifts would aid in finding them.”
“Interesting,” I said, grabbing another piece of meat. “We should rest soon. We still have a long journey ahead of us. It would be good if we leave before the sun completely rises.”
“I agree,” Vander stated. “The longer we can keep ourselves hidden, the better advantage we have.”
“I have one more thing for you,” Baxter announced. “I’m not quite sure how you’re supposed to care for this, but it arrived earlier. I suspect because someone knew you would be coming. My guess is the seer your father often talked about.” He placed the wooden box in front of Ayla. “It’s safe to open, princess.”
She reached for it without hesitation. Opening it, she gasped. “Oh my. The journal said it was hidden.”
My curiosity had been piqued. I eased up, and leaned toward the box. There, lying in a bed of red crushed velvet, laid a melting teardrop from a dragon. “It can’t melt.” I’m not sure how I realized the implication of it melting, but something deep within my soul told me, we had to keep it frozen.
“The weather isn’t cooperating, if you hadn’t noticed,” Luna snipped.
“No, it’s not.” Frustrated, I stood. “We have to figure it out.”
Ayla touched my arm. “We will.”
I hoped so.
We studied the tear and the journal for a while longer before retiring to the barn. Baxter had cl
eaned out the farthest stall and covered it in mounds of hay. Blankets were stacked along the wall to keep us warm through the night, along with eight sacks of non-perishable food for our journey.
I sat closest to Ayla as we stared at the tear. A part of my soul cried out in anguish as I watched another drop of liquid fall from the frozen tear. “It can’t thaw completely.”
“I feel it, too,” she whispered, taking my hand. “Perhaps we should read my father’s journal more. There has to be answers in here.”
“Yes, it won’t hurt to try.” I brought one of the candles closer as Ayla opened the leather-bound book. “What does that say?” I pointed to the tiny words carved on the outside of the box.
Ayla studied it, then read the words. “Recover the tear before evil is done.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m not sure.” Ayla fell silent as if in thought.
After a moment, I said, “I’m glad we found a friend today.”
“Me, too.” She glanced up at me and grinned. “Thank you. I should have said it the minute we were away from the camp.”
“You’re welcome,” I answered. “I’m glad you trusted us enough to make it this far.”
“It would seem our destinies are intertwined now, and we have to stick together.” She gave my hand a squeeze.
“I believe you’re right.”
A Dragon’s Frozen Tear…
Ayla
I woke wrapped in warmth. Then I remembered it snowed the night before. Why was I warm?
A soft mutter sounded on my ear and I froze. Dain. Flinging my eyes open, I met Luna’s amused stare. Dain muttered a sleepy, “Morning,” and squeezed me closer to him. My eyes widened, pleading with my sister to help me. Or at least tell me what to do.
To make matters worse, the guys came over. Vander scoffed and kicked at Dain’s foot. “Dain. Get up.”
Dain sat straight, eyes wide. “What happened?”
I sucked in my bottom lips to keep from giggling. Vander rolled his eyes and walked back to his makeshift bed. Dain glanced to me and laid down, throwing an arm over his face. It didn’t keep me from seeing the blush.
