by Aleah Raynes
Ayla gasped when she saw the remains of the tear. The small vile of dragon’s blood settled within it could almost be seen. My heart hurt at the thought something could happen to this relic. If, together, we could fix this tear and take it wherever it should be, maybe we’d have a chance to save it.
“You hold it,” I said, placing the wet cloth in her hands. “I’ll get the water. If this doesn’t work, it’s another experiment to our hypothesis.”
Ayla inclined her chin. “We have to. It can’t melt.”
Right. No pressure on either of us. I carried the bowl of water over to where she sat, not sure exactly how this would go. Slowly, I transferred the water to the melted glob of what used to be a pristine tear shape.
At first, I didn’t think anything was happening, and we were making a bigger mess than anything. Then, gradually, the ice began to take shape. The deepest recesses of the form needed the most water to freeze properly.
I don’t know how long we sat together, completing the painstaking task. When the tear resembled what it had been, Ayla and I let out a breath just as a knock came at the door, startling both of us.
“Put it away,” she whispered. “We now understand how this works.”
“Yes,” I answered as she went to the door. Her sister Ena stood there with Pyria, Luna, Vander, Caspian, and Jaden.
“What were you doing? We’ve been waiting for the two of you to arrive,” Luna said, pushing forward. Her gaze narrowed as she took in the space.
“Nothing,” I answered. “Checking on the tear.”
She frowned. “Is it melted?”
“No,” Ayla said. “Totally fine.”
“Can’t be,” Vander interjected. “It’s been melting.”
“I figured it out last night, I believe.” I shrugged after hefting the pack onto my shoulder. “It’s like being closer to home is waking the dragon within.” I glanced at Vander. “Isn’t yours?”
He shook his head. “No.”
Weren’t we all a great group of people. The only ones of us who could reach their abilities were Ayla and me. How could we defeat the king without an army and without more of us with abilities? A moment of defeat flashed through me. We weren’t even a quarter of the way home, and yet I felt like giving up. What was the point of all of this?
“Don’t worry,” Ena stated, placing her hand on his shoulder. “They’ll show up.”
My brother didn’t appear to believe her. I had to agree with Ena, though. The longer we were within the walls of Oighear, I could feel it. Manipulating the water had been the first of it, who knows what would happen next.
“If we’re done singing the praises of restoring the tear, I believe Mary has breakfast for us and it is almost time to be on our way,” Pyria stated.
The sun creeped higher into the early morning sky and I frowned. With all the triumphs of the morning, it was easy to forget the truth beyond the inn walls. The weather hadn’t been right. The ground was dying. People were gone. Kids were slaves. I celebrated a mini victory when I should have been mourning what we’d all lost.
“You’re right. No time to dally. Perhaps, we should wrap the food and break it into rations for the remainder of the trip. Who knows when we’ll find another place to lay our heads.”
A soft rumble of agreements filled the room. “Luna and I will pack the food. Vander and Jaden, why don’t you check to see if there are any guards about,” Caspian stated, starting for their room. “We should meet here in ten minutes.”
Ayla took my hand in hers, something she’d been doing since the second day of our trip. I couldn’t say I didn’t like it. It was comforting, nudged something deep within me. I’d always felt as though I knew her, however, the deepness of which solidified into place the minute we began to work together, restoring the tear. Water and ice. Only she wasn’t technically ice, but she could create it with a conduit, me.
“We will make it, princess,” I encouraged. “We’ve figured out this much, haven’t we?”
She gifted me with one of her brilliant smiles, the one that made her cobalt blue eyes twinkle with belief and merriment. “Yes, we will. I can’t believe we did it, though.”
I could. Even though I might despair, our quest was true. We were on the path of right, and as long as we continued down it, we would be victorious, even when it didn’t appear to be going our way. “I can.”
I turned her toward me and pushed a lock of her hair out of her face. “We are special. All of us. We were all called to this duty for a reason. We repaired the tear because we were meant to. It is why it was given to us.”
“You’re so confident,” she said. “More so than I am sometimes.”
“I believe.” I tipped her chin up. “You did, too. I could feel it.” I don’t know why I did it, but I pressed my lips to hers in a chaste kiss. When we parted, she stared at me, her lips parted and a cute hint of pink colored her cheeks.
“You believe,” she said more to herself than to me. “We can fix this.”
“Yes, we can.”
When Vander and Jaden returned, we’d already split up the food equally among us, and had wrapped it in cloths to keep it separate from our belongings. Mary had offered us a place to stay longer, but I feared if we did such, we’d press our meager luck and we’d be found before we could finish the task at hand.
We set out of the inn while the dew still clung to the shards of grass where it did grow. A low mist wrapped around the trunks of trees and sent spindly fingers toward the center of the small village we stood in, almost as feelers to see who was out and about so early. The one thing I couldn’t get used to? The silence.
There was no laughter. No talking. Not even a peep of greeting. Animals lay in the muck while chickens roamed the roads. Blacksmith hovels lay empty, waiting for someone to take up the tools and begin creating once more. Bakery stands were empty. Carts where local gardeners would sell their flowers were barren, as well. None of this reminded me of home.
We followed the cobbled lane until it became a dirt path. Ahead of us, on top of a mountain which should have been covered in snow, sat Oighear Castle. None of the flags waved. The place, though not abandoned, seemed so. A trick for certain. I could sense it. From our position, it would take another days’ walk, maybe two, to get there. Then what? Figure out where the tear belonged and…what?
I couldn’t think about it. We had to keep the princesses safe. We had to make sure they returned to their rightful homes. Afterwards, when everyone was reunited and the slave camps disbanded, then I could think about the future and what it would hold for me—us.
“I don’t feel as oppressed here, do you?” Ayla had been talking to me on and off as we walked, mostly since we were away from the village.
“No,” I answered. It was true. A lightness, through much destruction, seemed to be burning through me. “It’s different. I experienced it before all this. Like I could take on the world.”
I wouldn’t tell her about the times when I was younger, and I would pretend to be a dragon and jump off the highest cliffs to soar through the air. Most dragons didn’t shift until their late teens. It was called a transition.
Usually, but not always, clan elders would take those who could feel the dragon stirring within to the clearings to learn how to control themselves. I experienced it once. I followed those who were learning and taught myself. I suppose I could have hurt myself, but I never did. I never told Vander, though. I knew he would be angry with me. I knew the others who were on the cliffs that day. They were all dead now because of the new king.
“Yes,” she answered. “I suppose we are doing such, aren’t we?”
“You shouldn’t be romanticizing this,” Luna admonished her sister. “We’re trying to bring back the crown to the rightful owners—us.”
Ayla rolled her eyes. “Yes, of course, we are. But if you haven’t taken a look around you, everything is destroyed. We have to build the morale of our kingdom. In order to accomplish that, we have to have hope. We have to have love, d
on’t we?”
“I agree,” Ena murmured. “We’re doing this for everyone. Shouldn’t we have a moment to laugh, to have fun?”
“There is nothing fun about this!” Pyria motioned toward the dying forest. “What kind of fun would you like to have?”
I realized stress and sadness were to blame for the sisters being at each other’s throats. “All right, they get it.” I stopped the group. “We’re doing our best here and your sister reminded me last night, it’s either us or them. It has to be us. Don’t add more pressure to a situation no one has any control over. It only makes it worse.”
Ayla grabbed my arm then whispered in my ear, “A little help?” She motioned to a small creek of water to our right.
I grinned. I never tried this, but Ena had a point–for a minute, we could have some fun. “Jaden, Caspian, make sure we’re not being watched.” They both gave me curious glances, but scouted ahead. When they returned, we’d settled in by the creek to eat lunch.
“Nothing is out there for miles. Why did you make us check?” Jaden sat beside Pyria.
“Because.” I cleaned my hands off and waited for Ayla to give me the sign. When she was ready, I reached for the water and within seconds, we made it snow in an area no bigger than where we sat.
The more I extended my abilities, the stronger I became. The more I could feel the dragon within stretch and claw at me, excited by the prospect of being awakened at this time. It should have scared me. What if I shifted and hurt someone? Or worse, what if I shifted and the king’s guard found us? I pushed down the worry and allowed us a minute of entertainment. Ayla’s and Ena’s laughter had been worth it. So had Luna’s and Pyria’s, even if they didn’t want anyone to know they enjoyed it as well.
When we were done with lunch, we packed our things. The sun had already melted any trace of us being there and the water remaining slid downhill into the creek. One day soon, the snow would return for good and when it did, I would take Ayla out to play in it. I made the solemn promise as we continued along the path to where we’d seek shelter for the night.
Castle Oighear
Ayla
The climb up the mountain was taxing. I was tempted to remove my cloak and fly to the top. We couldn’t afford the attention. If my uncles had spies flying overhead, they’d spot us.
After climbing over another group of boulders, a dirt path came into view. I sagged in relief. We were almost there. Had to be.
Dain laced his fingers with mine. The warmth of his hand eased some of my anxiety. I still couldn’t shake the feeling something was about to happen. Or it wasn’t right. The air was too warm at this altitude.
We reached the top of the hill where the road to the castle once was. My insides twisted in worry as I glanced up at the large dark castle looming. When my gaze settled to the path in front of us, I gasped, covering my mouth and stopping in my tracks.
Dain stopped with me. “Oh gods.” He circled his arms around me. I sensed he needed the hug as much as I did.
The ground was littered with bones of dragons and men. There were also decomposing bodies of both species scattered. “Why haven’t they been buried?”
“Gross. It’s like a war zone,” Ena said at my other side. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jared take her hand and draw her close.
Bile stuck in my throat and the smell threatened everything I ate to reappear.
“We have to keep going,” Dain whispered as he held me close.
It was funny how I was getting used to being near him, in his arms. What did that say about me? My thoughts instantly went to my mom. She would have told me what to do.
“Yeah, we can’t turn back now.” I stepped out of his embrace and took his hand. “Do you feel…I don’t know. Like we are meant to be here?”
Dain nodded. “I do.”
I lifted my free hand, which was covered by the sleeve of my cloak, and placed it over my nose. It helped to block out the worse of the smell of rotting flesh.
“Do you think there are more dragons close by?”
Dain squeezed my hand. “Yes. It’s odd but I can almost sense them.”
“Maybe they’re guarding the castle.”
Luna spoke a few feet ahead of us. “Then we need to take extra care. Be on alert. We don’t know how welcoming they will be to us.”
True. It might’ve appeared they fought our evil uncles, but that didn’t mean they would be open-armed about us showing up.
“They might be still looking for the tear.” Pyria glanced at me over her shoulder. I saw the concern in her eyes but felt the fear she hid from everyone else.
“Then we’ll bargain. The tear for their alliance.” I straightened my spine a little more.
Luna glanced at me then and nodded. “Agreed.”
We walked the last few yards to the castle doors in silence. I shook from the inside out, not sure if we were walking to our deaths or not.
Just as Caspian lifted his hand to knock, a large dark blue dragon dropped to the ground, as if coming out of nowhere. Dain stood in front me with one hand wrapped around my forearm. The other guys moved in similar ways in front of my sisters.
The dragon narrowed his golden eyes at us, then sniffed the air. A low rumble of a growl escaped him. “You smell like royal scum.”
“We don’t want any trouble,” Dain said.
The dragon snarled. “Then leave us.”
Us? Then there were more. I stepped around Dain and removed my hood. “We’ve come to seek your help to defeat Ievos.”
The dragon stepped back and shook his big head. Suddenly the door at our backs opened. A tall man walked out. “Darrius, don’t be rude.”
My little group turned to face the man. He had long black hair and silver eyes. He stared at each of us before saying, “Welcome, princesses and gentlemen. Come in.”
I glanced at Dain. The man seemed to have been waiting for our arrival. Dain gave a reassuring nod then gestured for me to go in.
The inside of the castle was in better shape than the outside. Lanterns were lit and hung on the stone walls. Dark blue drapes hung in front of the windows, blocking out all light. I bet it also blocked prying eyes. It was clean. Although it still needed fixing up, magic mingled in the air. It teased my senses, strengthening and healing. A sense of home enveloped me. Odd.
Once we were inside and the door closed behind us, the man faced us. “I’m Nolan, dragon elder of Oighear.” He paused and stared at me and Dain for a long moment. “Do you have the tear?”
I went to take it out of Dain’s backpack when Luna stepped forward. “Wait. We want protection and your alliance to put a stop to our uncle’s reign.”
Nolan’s lips lifted. “That is why we are here. Why you are here.” He turned suddenly and walked toward the kitchens. We followed, not knowing what else to do.
Nolan spoke as he guided us through the lower level of the castle. “We’ve known you would come. A seer predicted it long before the war started.”
The war? I glanced at Dain and he shrugged.
Nolan stopped at the study door and faced us. “Only the fairy princesses of Croi can save us. They…you will set things on the correct path and reclaim the crowns you were born to.”
What in the four kingdoms was he talking about? Before I could question him, he pushed a notch in the door frame and the wall shifted, opening to a secret passage.
“Whoa. Cool,” one of the guys said, but I wasn’t sure who.
In single file, we descended the narrow stairs to an underground room. Candles lit the room at our presence. I wondered if Nolan possessed the power to light them with his mind.
In the middle of the room stood a stone pillar about three feet tall. A black satin pillow lay at the top.
Pointing to the pillar, Nolan fixed his gaze on me. “This is where the tear belongs. In the heart of the castle and above the land. It is the key to keeping the balance and beauty of Oighear.”
Sadness filled me. “When it was stolen, the land starte
d to die.”
Nolan nodded.
I pulled out the tear from Dain’s backpack, then walked over to the pillar. With great care, I sat the box on top of the satin pillow. Nothing happened.
Frowning, I glanced around at everyone. Luna said, “Open the box.”
I did and still nothing. “I don’t understand.”
Nolan bunched his brows together. “Me, neither. The seer said only the ice princess can return it.”
Just then the castle shook. A siren sounded an alarm. Nolan rushed to the door, then turned. “Stay here.”
“What’s happening?” I asked.
“You uncle’s guards are back to get their…well, they… We’re under attack.” Then he left.
My stomach churned and I stared at the tear. How many more dragons would die before they figure out how to stop Ievos?
An Ice Fae and Water Dragon Must Work as One
Dain
“Give up, and there will be no blood spilt this day.” Shouts sounded from the courtyard. I assumed it was the mad king. When I glanced out the one small window, I saw it was not Ievos, but his brother, Hastos. He must be the one ruling over Oighear. “The water dragons are done for. This land is mine, as are the people who remain.” A snide smirk curled the corner of his mouth.
From where we were on a lower level of the castle, I couldn’t see much, but this man…the evil rolled off him in sickening waves. The right side of his face had been mangled by a set of claws, maybe fire…I couldn’t be too sure. But the milky film over a dull blue eye denoted his blindness in at least one of his eyes. The skin of a grey dragon had been fashioned into a cloak along with the pelt of a timber wolf around the collar.
“We need to hurry,” I muttered. “I fear for what will happen to us if we can’t get the tear to work.”
“We’re trying,” Luna snapped. “It would go a lot smoother if you wouldn’t put pressure on us.”
Because I didn’t feel it, too? A quick glance out the window confirmed my fears, the dragons wouldn’t be giving up, which meant a war was breaking out feet from us. My palms became sweaty. My heart pounded. I didn’t understand the reaction. I thought perhaps fear, but it was more. The need to get out there, protect what belonged to Ayla, made it difficult to stand where I was and not do anything stupid.
