The brood dragon bellowed a challenge, followed by the smaller yips and shrieks of her children.
Thea drew her bow and notched an arrow, twisting to look back at the blacks.
“Wait, Thea, wait,” I yelled. “We’ll use the clouds as cover, maybe sneak away from the whole pack without having to fight.”
Something hit Kalax’s side, and we tumbled through the clouds. It was the wild, brood dragon. She had emerged like a mountain through the clouds, and had scraped a claw over Kalax’s side. The blow was meant to gut Kalax, but she seemed unharmed. The Armor Stone was still working for us.
“Thea, hold on!” I shouted. I urged Kalax into a tumbling fall. At the last moment, she spread her wings to slow her descent. The brood dragon fell almost on top of us, and Kalax flared out her legs in a vicious, scratching frenzy. Kalax drew blood from the black. The brood dragon backed off, but the smaller dragons swarmed around us.
“Seb,” Thea shouted, standing up in her saddle to throw a short javelin at the nearest black dragon, where it tangled with the dragon’s wings, sending it spiraling to the ground. That left three more, closing in on us, and the wounded mother still circling.
Leaning back in my harness and saddle, I threw my arms wide, closed my eyes and opened myself to the dragons.
The thoughts of the wild dragons filled me, full of hate and anger.
Beyond the steadier thoughts of their brood mother I sensed something else. A feeling that didn’t feel like it came from a dragon’s mind.
I could hear the summons Lord Vincent had sent out, an awkward command that had annoyed the dragons, even though they couldn’t resist. I could see a pale man—Lord Vincent—but he was surrounded, consumed by a dark cloud, something evil and rank. The blackness behind him was not just a thing—it had intelligence, I knew. I could feel it returning my curiosity. The dragons shrank in fear from that presence, as did I.
The world shifted as I saw the world from the eyes of the smaller dragons. Kalax was swiping her tail and claws to keep them at bay. Because of the Armor Stone, they wouldn’t be able to harm us, but they were delaying us.
Reaching out, I told them, Find Rest. Tired. Sleep. This dragon is too big for you.
The wild dragons shuddered as if hit by a wave of cold, but were still coming.
I poured all my strength through the link, becoming a dragon myself, calling to them with a dragon’s mind.
The brood dragon called out, gathering her smaller dragons and turning tail. Kalax snarled at them—as did I.
For a moment, my mind held with the black dragons. I would fly with them—go with them. Rest. Sleep.
The slap of Thea’s hand on my shoulder shook me from the link.
I opened my eyes, but I was dizzy and exhausted.
Found your Jodreth, Kalax told me.
Glancing down, I saw a foothill with scrubby mountain grass and goats that were scattering, running from Kalax. A small, stone-block house was built half into the side of the hill itself. From afar, it looked another pile of rocks, but a lone figure with a dirty gray cloak stood outside the door, leaning on a staff.
“You found him, Kalax! It’s Jodreth!” Thea said and slapped my shoulder enthusiastically.
The sorcerer—that’s what the wild, brood dragon had called him.
I caught that last bit of memory from my connection to the wild dragons. So they knew him as well. That was odd. Slumping in my saddle, I was almost too tired to even fly Kalax. She swooped down to land on her own, folding her wings around the small stone-built goat shed for warmth as Thea jumped from the saddle and I climbed down like an old man.
“Seb, Agathea.” Jodreth nodded at us. “The skies are thick with the enemy.” He shot me a curious look, but waved us inside.
I hesitated. “But what about Kalax? We…I mean she can’t just sit out here!”
“No,” Thea agreed. “The Darkening will spot her.”
Jodreth bowed his head. “A little patience, please. Now go inside!” He gave us a push inside with his staff.
On the other side of the simple wooden door we found a tiny cottage very similar to the cabin, except this cabin seemed made more of stone and dirt.
Leaning over to Thea, I said, “I wonder how many of these little bolt-holes he has.” She shrugged and moved away to run her fingers over a shelf of scrolls what looked like potions in glass bottles, and a lot of what looked like junk to me, but Merik would have loved it. Stubs of waxy candles had dripped all over the wooden workbenches. Dried herbs hung from the hooks in the walls and from the ceiling, giving the room a faintly spicy smell. I didn’t see a bed, but fire burned low in a small hearth and an iron kettle sat bubbling over the flames.
“Seb, is that normal?” Thea pointing out of the one, deep window that looked out from the rock house. The world seemed to have disappeared into a milky-white fog.
Jodreth came back into the cottage, throwing back his hood. “It won’t last for long, but will give us enough time for a short chat. You are both in grave danger.” He turned to us.
“I think we guessed that already.” Thea faced him, her arms crossed over her chest.
One eyebrow arched high, Jodreth shook his head. “I don’t think you understand. It’s cost me greatly to gain such news—and no, I will not tell you my means—but I’ve learned that Lord Vincent has gone further than any of us thought. He is not only just using the Memory Stone to control the wild dragons and has awakened not just the Darkening, but he has called up the ancient prince himself.”
My stomach lurched. “The old king of the north?” I asked, remembering that dark presence I’d felt behind the dragon’s mind just earlier.
“Yes.” Jodreth looked at me again, his gaze steady and unsettling. It felt as if he could see more than I wanted him to know. “You’ve felt it, haven’t you?” He took a sudden step toward me and I thought he was about to seize me by the neck. “You—you have it, don’t you?”
It took everything not to step back, away from him. His eyes sparked and I wasn’t certain if it was anger or something else in his eyes. Was he speaking of the Armor Stone? I resisted looking at Thea and kept my stare on Jodreth. “Have what?”
“The affinity.” Jodreth threw his arms wide. Overhead, the herbs swayed. “You are what they call a dragon friend—one of those of the old blood, just as he was.”
My throat tightened. I had to swallow hard, then I asked, even though I knew what he was speaking of, “He?”
“The ancient prince. He inherited his blood from his mother, and with it came a connection to the dragons—the ability to link human and dragon minds. That was the gate that he used to grow stronger and to allow darkness into the world.” Jodreth was visibly paler. He stepped back and stroked his beard. “I knew it. When I saw what you did earlier—with the wild dragon—I knew.”
Heart pounding, I faced him. “But…but the affinity…it’s a good thing.” I shook my head. I didn’t want to hear what Jodreth might say against my connection to dragons. “It’s saved me and Thea on more than one occasion, including just now.”
“And it saved a lot of people at the fall of Torvald,” Thea said, glaring at Jodreth.
He nodded, and then shook his head. “Yes, it can be used for good or ill, but it is a danger. If you cannot control it, the Darkening will use it to control you, to command your mind like a puppet. Don’t lie now. You caught a glimpse of that ancient prince—did you not? You saw true evil.”
I swallowed, but I couldn’t speak. Looking away, face burning, I couldn’t meet his stare, or Thea’s. Was this what had started to happen of late? Was the Darkening starting to turn me into more of a dragon—a person it could control and use?
I heard Thea’s boots scuff against the wooden floor. Looking up, I saw she’d put herself in front of Jodreth. “Your brother trusts Seb. Commander Hegarty believed Seb could use his powers to help us all—that he had to use his powers. We need Seb, and we need his affinity. And he’s strong—more than strong enough t
o resist the Darkening! He didn’t give into the illness—and we need the Healing Stone now to help others.”
I’d never heard Thea speak like that…as if she really believed in me.
But I also wasn’t sure she was right. I wasn’t sure I really could resist the affinity. It was growing stronger in me.
Jodreth met her stare, and then looked at me. “I am sorry, young Seb. Perhaps I misspoke out of too much concern.” He glanced at Thea again. “This illness, describe it to me.”
I stayed quiet while Thea told him what we’d seen and felt at the Dragon Rider camp—including how the riders were becoming lazier, depressed, and despondent.
Jodreth listened for a time, then shook his head. “You’re right, it is not Dragon Sickness. It is the Darkening, working through the influence of the Memory Stone in Lord Vincent’s hands, sucking the very life and will from the dragons and all whom it comes near. That energy is being used to power the Darkening itself, to make it even more powerful. The Healing Stone will do little—and it is not in my hands.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “Commander Hegarty didn’t remember where he put it.”
Jodreth nodded sadly. “It may well be that the only thing that can help us is the Dragon Stone itself.”
“That’s just a myth,” Thea said, but she didn’t sound all that certain.
Jodreth chuckled. “After all I’ve told you and all you have seen, you call still say that? Just as the Memory, the Healing and the Armor Stones are real, so is the one stone that brings them all together.”
“But…what about the Armor Stone?” Thea said, her hand moving to her pouch, and, before I could say anything, she drew out the rounded lump of black rock crystal.
Blinking, Jodreth gave a sharp laugh. “Not only is one of you a dragon friend, but you have found the Armor Stone again?” A wide grin cracked his features. “No wonder the same enchantment could not reach you. The Armor Stone protects not just from physical injuries but magic as well.”
The monk made a quick set of movements in the air, and I saw the air between him and Thea ripple as in a heatwave. And then I felt it, a wave of force that pushed me back, setting aside the tables and papers like a powerful blast of cold air. When I staggered to my feet once more, Thea was still standing in the same spot as she had done before, but the rest of the room around her was in disarray.
“You see. It protected you!” Jodreth grinned. He glanced at me. “You two are also linked through your dragon, otherwise, you would have a very sore head right about now.”
Thea’s mouth tightened. She tucked the Armor Stone back in a pocket. “Can’t we extend the Armor Stone protection to all of the dragons and riders?”
Jodreth frowned and pulled at his beard. “I’ve never heard of such a thing, but if Thea is connected to you, and you were connected to every other dragon there—”
“And every dragon is connected to their own rider,” Thea continued. She turned to me, hope shining in her eyes. “We could do it, Seb.”
I wasn’t as certain as she was. What if I connected to all those dragons and lost myself? What if that was all the Darkening needed to gain control over me?
I started to list the reasons this wouldn’t work, but in my mind Kalax almost shouted, dragon approaching!
The cottage rafters rattled as she uncoiled herself from around the scrubby stone buildings.
Kalax was roaring as we ran out of the cottage. The fog that Jodreth had summoned was being torn apart by strong air currents.
“I’ll try to hold it! Go now!” Jodreth shouted, raising his staff to the skies. White fog lifted from the grass, but swirled up and disappeared.
Thea grabbed her bow from off Kalax.
They must have sensed me.
I knew that was the truth. The affinity was proving to be as much of a problem as it was a help. I scrambled up into the saddle. I only had enough time to fasten the essentials of my harness.
I heard Jodreth groan through clenched teeth. The fog he was trying to weave around us billowed and was pushed back by a chill wind. A shadow fell over us, almost turning the day into night. A deep roar echoed.
It sounds big, I thought, and Kalax leapt into the air.
“I can’t find a target,” Thea shouted. She was trying to track the shadow that appeared and then slipped away again into the fog. Looking down, I glimpsed Jodreth fling fog and then clouds up into the sky.
With a roar, a black shape swept down on us. I’d never seen a wild dragon so big—it was easily three times the size of Kalax. For a moment, I thought it was the brood mother come back—but this black was even bigger.
The fog cleared and then I saw the black had a single rider on its back—a tall, thin man with a narrow face and black hair. He turned and stared at me—it was Lord Vincent.
“Fly,” Jodreth shouted at us. He swung his staff up in a circle over his head, throwing a gale at Lord Vincent. The black dragon was pushed back, but swept its huge wings up and down as it struggled to maintain control.
I heard the twang of Thea releasing an arrow. It flashed in the air and hit Lord Vincent.
I saw Vincent twist and slump in the saddle. The huge dragon lurched to one side, suddenly confused by no longer having a rider in command. Oh no. It did the only thing that wild predators knew how to do when confused and attacked—it went after the nearest target.
The black swooped down on Jodreth, claws extended.
I screamed and tried to reach out with my mind to stop the dragon, but it was all over with much too fast. The black caught up Jodreth. The air shuddered and Jodreth’s magic slammed into the black dragon, sending it tumbling down the mountainside.
“He’s—he’s dead.” Thea said. “Jodreth is gone.”
“Come on, if Lord Vincent has the Healing Stone, we’re not safe yet. Let’s at least honor Jodreth’s memory by saving his brother.” I wheeled the agitated and cawing Kalax around to fly as fast as she could back to the Dragon Rider camp.
*
Chapter 20:
Together, Safe
Seb was leaning forward, not talking, just concentrating. Just like at the battle of Torvald, I could tell that he was using every bit of strength he had. I could even feel the thrum of energy off him, that echo of his dragon affinity that I shared with him through Kalax. And I was worried for him. Because Kalax was worried, too.
Behind us, the fog that Jodreth had raised had clung to the edge of the mountains, forming a deep haze as we flew over the ravines and forests and out to the desert and the Dragon Riders camp. I really wanted to fly there and find out that King Justin had managed to rally the troops to fly back to Torvald—but I knew better. Jodreth was gone, the Dragon Riders were still ill, and we were in trouble.
But we have the Armor Stone…and a plan now.
It seemed to take hours to fly back. I pulled out a little of the dried meat and bread from our supplies—there wasn’t much of it left. We were going to need to find better food and a place to sleep—a safe place. It hit me again that the academy might be gone. It had become our home, but now…now it might be just another ruin. I shivered and pulled my cloak tighter.
At last, Seb pointed down to the smoldering campfires, most of them unlit. The camp really hadn’t changed from when we’d left. The dragons still looked ill as they lay on the sands, and I hoped none of them had died. The rider’s tents were starting to look at little wind-battered. I really hoped we’d be able to shake everyone out of this daze.
Seb started to bring Kalax down, urging her to land closer than she had before. I could tell she was uneasy—I was, too. We were protected right now by the Armor Stone, but we had to find a way to spread that protection over everyone.
I looked at Seb to see how he wanted to handle this, but he wouldn’t meet my eyes. He wouldn’t talk to me at all. By the time we’d landed and alighted, his jaw looked clenched tight and he was frowning.
“Seb, what is it?” I said. “We’re here now—we have a chance.”
> He turned and stared at me, his eyes dark. He pulled off his dragon helmet and shook his head. “You heard what Jodreth said. The affinity…I felt the Darkening through the mind of that wild dragon. The Darkening, Lord Vincent, or whatever it is behind him—they got to Jodreth because of me. They found him because of me. I’m becoming the biggest danger around here. And I’m going to end up getting you in trouble again.”
He started to turn away, but I grabbed his arm and swung him back around so he had to face me. “No, Seb. It could have been this that the Darkening sensed.” I drew out the Armor Stone, holding it between us to remind him of our duty. “Jodreth died trying to protect us so we could bring this here and save his brother. Don’t take that away from him. You heard what he said—we need the Dragon Stone if we are going to win!” I held out the Armor Stone. “But first we have to save the king and our friends.”
Seb shook his head again. He opened his mouth like he was going to protest even more. Instead, he slowly put his hand on mine, closing his fist around the Armor Stone. He pushed the stone back to me. “You keep it. You need to stay safe.”
All stay safe, together.
Kalax unfolded her long wings and wrapped them around us, and I knew she was seeking to stop our arguing. For one moment, I felt infinitely warm, protected and secure. Almost at peace. I was leaning against the warm belly of our strong dragon, and in front of me I could feel Seb’s hand on mine, on the Armor Stone.
Together, I thought, and heard that same feeling echo from Kalax to Seb, to Kalax, and back to me again.
A shiver, like an electric spark passed between us, a pulse of power like Seb’s dragon affinity, but this time it was coming from the Armor Stone.
Seb’s eyes widened. “What the…? Did you?”
Together. Safe. Kalax repeated.
If I concentrated, I could feel the ripple of whatever had happened start to expand beyond our tiny circle. It was spreading out like a strong wind, flowing over the camp of Dragon Riders. I could almost sense them starting to remember their duties and who they were.
Looking up in wonder, I watched Kalax stretch up and turn to the nearest dragon—a green who started to snort and cough, as if waking from a long dream.
Dragon Legends (Return of the Darkening Book 2) Page 21
