If those eggs don’t hatch, I don’t think she’ll survive this.
Catching me staring, Senia nudged me forward with her head. “Go. She will be fine, Nerine.”
Surprising us both, I gave Senia a quick hug.
“Sentimental human,” she huffed.
“Grumpy baby dragon,” I retorted, yowling when she smacked me with her tail.
“Senia,” Aster said impatiently, like she’d scolded her older sister a thousand times already for hitting humans. For all I knew, maybe she had.
“Neri.” Maya’s tone of voice matched Aster’s exactly as she returned for me. Pulling me forward, she said, “Sorry, Senia, for whatever stupid thing Neri said this time!”
The dragon laughed, showing her teeth. “Don’t apologize. I enjoy hitting her.”
“Horrible dragon,” I teased.
Maya gave me a shake. “Do you want her to eat you? Wait, don’t answer that. I’m afraid you’ll say yes.”
When we joined Trey, he shook his head. “What did Neri do now?” he asked, handing Maya back her torch.
I kicked him in the shin and stomped away farther into the darkness. Here it was much cooler, and I was grateful Maya had told me to put my coat back on before entering the cave. The air smelled musty and stale. Unused. I wondered how many humans traversed these tunnels. It couldn’t be many.
“We are so lucky,” I said quietly, afraid if I spoke too loud I’d destroy something sacred. Trey, limping after me, grunted his agreement while Maya nodded.
“Don’t take any of this for granted,” she said, leading us into a tunnel. It was narrow, and it twisted and turned enough that I was starting to feel dizzy. The ground sloped upward and my legs, which still hadn’t recovered from the previous day’s climb, began aching.
“Where are we going?” Behind me, Trey was struggling to catch his breath. I slowed down to match his pace—not because I was winded, but because I felt bad for him, I told myself.
Maya spun around and put her free hand on her hip when she saw how we were lagging. “I don’t believe you two! This is nothing!”
“It’s Trey!” I protested between pants. “I’m… fine!”
Maya lifted her brows. “Really?”
“Yes, really!”
“I’d yell at you if I weren’t too busy dying,” Trey said, stumbling to a halt to hold his side. “Ow. Maya, you’re going to have to carry me the rest of the way.”
“I’ll just drag you by your arm,” she shot back. “Now stop wasting your energy complaining and come on! It’s just around this corner.”
Turns out, Maya was a liar, because we turned at least four more corners before the tunnel grew brighter and fresh air kissed our cheeks. Abandoning Trey, I joined my sister, the two of us blinking in the sunshine as we emerged from the cave.
My stomach proceeded to drop to my toes. There was a ledge directly in front of us, big enough for all three of us to fit comfortably, but beyond that it was a sheer drop to the ground. While Maya and Trey went to the edge to enjoy the view, I stayed by the mouth of the cave with one hand on the rocky surface to brace myself. Maybe I’d gotten over my fear while we were climbing and later flying on Senia’s back, but this was something else entirely. The wind blew against me hard enough that I worried it would toss me off this tiny ledge if I ventured any closer to the edge.
We were at the top of the world. From our perch, we could see the mountain peaks, no longer obscured by thick clouds. We were higher than the clouds. Could I reach out and touch the sky? I wasn’t brave enough to try.
The mountain peaks were jagged and sharp, like dragon’s teeth, and I wondered if that was what had drawn the dragons to this area in the first place. It was beautiful. But it was also intimidating, and I felt about as big as an ant as I stood there, marveling over the size of the mountains.
“You can see Meradell from here,” Trey said as he tried to get me to join him. I waved his attempts off and shuffled backward instead of forward. “Is that my house? I can’t tell.”
Maya cupped a hand over her eyes. “I think so. And look, there’s our house. You can see Mom yelling about Neri from here.”
“Ha ha,” I said sourly, sitting down. Maya had tucked her torch in a crevice in the cave’s inner wall, and the smoke blew in my eyes, irritating them. “Are we done yet?”
“Not yet. Neri, come on.” Maya joined me where I was sitting, a bemused expression on her face as she stared down at me. A few strands of hair had escaped from her braid, and she brushed them aside from her face. “You’re going to miss the best part.”
“What’s the best part?” I asked, suspicious.
She gave me a sly smile. “You’re going to have to join us if you want to see.”
Over Maya’s shoulder, Trey gestured impatiently. “Neri, come here.”
Maya squatted in front of me and tilted her head sideways. “I won’t let anything happen to you up here. Do you trust me?”
I did trust Maya. We may have fought and grown distant over the past few months, but today she was acting like the sister I remembered. The one I’d climbed a mountain for. I knew she’d never push me to do something I didn’t want to do, but I wouldn’t be able to stand seeing disappointment in her eyes if she thought I didn’t trust her. That, and I was curious about what she wanted to show us. “I do trust you,” I said, standing slowly. “But how close to the edge do I need to be?”
“You don’t have to go all the way. Here is fine.” Maya walked to a spot about halfway from the edge. I swallowed hard as I remembered how I’d felt the day before when Trey had coaxed me onward. I’d conquered my fear then and I would do it again. For my sister.
And for me.
Even though it was cold, sweat dripped down my neck, escaping under my collar to run down my back. I shivered. Why was it so cold, anyway? Weren’t we closer to the sun? Shouldn’t it be warmer up here?
“Neri, stop thinking so hard about whatever has got you distracted,” Maya chided, “and look.”
Thoughts about the sun and the temperature flew from my mind as I listened to her. I thought the view from halfway up the mountain had been breathtaking, but this was something else entirely.
From here I could see the ocean sparkling like a diamond. And there was Meradell, although the buildings were so tiny, there was no way I could pick out which one was my house. Trey and Maya must have been pulling my leg in hopes of getting me to join them at the edge. I scowled at them, which they ignored.
“It’s time for the best part.” Maya nudged me. “Look at the sky.”
At first, I didn’t know what she meant, but then a few dark shapes emerged in the cloudless sky. As they came closer, I realized they were dragons. Eight in total with scales every color of the rainbow, they were flying in a v-shaped formation. The one in the lead, a dark gray dragon I realized half a beat later was Aristo, let out a roar that the other seven answered. I swore the mountains themselves trembled in response.
Closer and closer the dragons flew and I wondered if we were their intended targets. Maya was welcome here, but what about Trey or me?
But no, at the last moment they veered sharply to their left, the wind from their wings powerful enough to send the three of us stumbling back a few steps. As they passed us, more dragons appeared, emerging from their caves. They roared and joined the eight in the sky until the air was so thick with dragons, they blotted out the sun. Over us, below us, and past us they flew, their bodies forming a hypnotic dance they must have been performing for thousands of years. Each dragon had a role to play, a part of the sky that belonged only to him or her. As they twisted and turned, they never collided with one another.
The longer I watched, the more I realized I was witnessing something very few had ever experienced. Somehow my feet had pulled me to the edge of the cliff where Trey was standing. Wordlessly, he held out a hand, which I took. With my other one, I held Maya’s. I wanted to thank her for bringing us here, for showing us this, but the words were stuck
in my throat. So I simply stood there with two of the people I loved most in this world, and watched the dragons dance.
I knew I would never forget this moment, no matter how long I lived.
Chapter Nine
We explored until the sun began dipping in the sky, but nothing we saw could compare to witnessing the dragons’ flight earlier. According to Maya, the dragons danced like that every day, but despite seeing it numerous times, it always managed to take her breath away.
“Can we watch it tomorrow?” I asked. If she said no, I was already planning on begging her.
Maya smiled. “Of course. Now let’s get something to eat.”
We returned to the camp, Maya checking in on Aster while Trey and I settled by the fire roasting more meat Maya had given us before disappearing. “Where do they get their food from?” Trey asked.
“Maybe Maya and Nic go hunting?” I glanced around. “Not that I care, but where is he? He’s not going to pop out from behind a rock, is he?”
“I hope not.” Trey stood, and with his skewer in one hand, he made a show of walking around the camp and checking behind each and every rock. “Not here. Nope, not here either.”
“Sit down, you idiot,” I said, laughing.
“What are you doing?” Maya emerged from the cave, frowning. She took a moment to wipe her eyes and I shot Trey an alarmed look.
Correctly interpreting what I was trying to say, he stopped fooling around and rejoined me in front of the fire. “Nothing,” he said. “We thought we heard something, so I went to check it out.”
“Are you all right?” I asked my sister as she sat down next to me with a sigh. My heart skipped a beat. “Is it the eggs—?”
“They’re fine,” she said quickly. “And by fine, I mean, nothing’s changed.”
“They’re not ready yet,” Trey said. He touched the cooked meat gingerly, wincing when it burned his fingers. After blowing on the meat for a few seconds, he continued. “Why is everyone in such a rush? I know new dragons are a big deal, but give them a chance! They’ll hatch when they’re ready.”
Maya smiled sadly. “If only the others, like Aristo, were as wise as you are, Trey.”
Aristo… I frowned, staring hard at the fire as I continued to cook my meat. An idea began forming in my head, one that scared me the more I thought about it. I’d never spoken with Aristo, had only seen him from afar the few times he’d visited Meradell, but if he was the reason Aster and Maya were upset, then maybe…
It was a ridiculous idea. I was only a fifteen-year-old human girl. Like Trey had said earlier, I knew nothing about dragons or their eggs.
But someone needed to speak with Aristo. Someone needed to tell him to give those eggs a chance, if not for their sake, then Aster’s. Didn’t he see the pain he was causing his mate?
Didn’t he care?
“Neri, your dinner!” Maya’s sharp words snapped me back to the present and I watched in horror as my meat, charred beyond recognition, fell off its skewer and into the fire.
I cursed, eyeing Trey’s skewer. Noticing my gaze, he shoved the whole thing into his mouth, nearly choking in the process.
“Have mine,” Maya said before a war could break out.
After we’d finished eating, Trey stretched out his long legs and rested his hands on his stomach, a content look on his face. Maya and I huddled together by the fire, both of us sitting cross-legged. She was playing with the tail of her braid again, her eyes distant. “Maya…” I started hesitantly. I wasn’t sure how to broach the subject, so when she glanced at me, I blurted out, “I want to visit Aristo.”
Trey sat up quickly, his face alarmed. “What?”
“Neri,” Maya began.
“I want to talk to him!” When Maya didn’t say anything, I frowned. “Is that a bad idea?” She still didn’t say anything. “Have you talked to him? About the eggs, I mean.”
She shook her head, avoiding my gaze. “I wanted to, but Nic didn’t think it was a good idea.”
“So Nic’s the expert now?”
Maya’s eyes flashed. “He’s bonded with Aristo, so yes, he knows a bit more about his dragon than you or me.” Anger made her voice rise in volume. “You don’t know what it’s like being bonded, Neri, so don’t act like you do!”
I recoiled, as if my sister had struck me. Hot tears flooded my eyes, but I blinked them away furiously. “I never said that I did.”
“All right, hang on.” Trey scrambled over so he was sitting in front of us, his back to the fire. That close to the flames, he would start sweating in minutes, but he didn’t seem to care as he stared at both of us in turn. “We’re all on the same side here, remember? We all want to see those eggs hatch.” He paused. “And I think Neri is right, Maya.”
“Of course you do.” My sister huffed. “No matter what she says, you’ll always take her side.”
“But why is it such a bad idea?” Trey asked. “What’s the harm in trying? What’s the worst he’ll do?”
“Send you back to Meradell.”
I clenched my hands into fists. “That’s a risk I’m willing to take. Please, Maya? Let me do this. Let me be useful.”
She sat hunched over, glaring at her lap. “I thought you had a good time today.”
That wasn’t what I’d expected her to say, and my mouth dropped open in surprise. Did she think I was ungrateful? Unhappy? “I did! Maya, I did, and I’m sorry if I didn’t express how much—”
“Tomorrow I was going to show you the scrying pool,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I think you’d really like that. And then we’d see the dragons fly again. But if you want to speak with Aristo… If you think it’s a good idea…”
Trey and I exchanged triumphant glances. “We do,” I said, speaking for the both of us.
Maya sighed. “I never could say no to you.” She stood up. “Fine. You win. Let’s go see if you can convince the leader of the dragons to give those eggs more time.”
I hugged her tightly. “Thank you. You won’t regret this, I promise!”
“I know I won’t,” Maya said, returning my embrace.
***
Maya led us through the dark and twisting tunnels with an assurance that told me she traveled this path often. If Nicolas stayed with Aristo, then it made sense that she knew the route by heart. I wondered how often she’d ventured there, excited and breathless to see her boyfriend. Tonight, she took each step with a look of trepidation on her face. Even though I’d convinced her to take me to Aristo, I could see she didn’t believe it was a good idea.
I would just have to prove her wrong.
“Is there anything we should know about Aristo?” Trey asked as we stumbled after my sister. “Like, is there anything we shouldn’t talk about? He won’t eat us, will he?”
Maya lifted her torch higher. “Careful, there’s a bump here. Don’t trip.”
Trey and I exchanged alarmed looks. “She didn’t answer the question,” he hissed.
“I know.”
“Please don’t get yourself eaten,” he said.
I shoved him. “How about you worry about yourself instead of me?”
“Because you have a better chance of being eaten than I do!” Trey darted out of the way before I could shove him again.
By the time we emerged from the tunnels into the night air I was so turned around I had no idea where we were. How does Maya keep track of it all? My amazement quickly turned to shock when I realized we weren’t alone.
Dragons were lounging on the rocks all around us, their scales winking in the moonlight. Next to me Trey sucked in a sharp breath, letting me know he saw them, too. My sister was the only one unperturbed. There was a small pool of water to her left; walking over to it, she doused her torch and set it down before heading toward another cave. This one was larger than Aster’s, with an entrance that resembled an open mouth, frozen in midscream. I shuddered and followed Maya, feeling the dragons’ eyes on my back. If they didn’t want us here, they didn’t say.
Inside the cave we found Aristo sitting with two other dragons. One had brown scales and was even bigger than Aristo, and the other was smaller with scales the color of a sapphire. They glanced at us as we entered before turning their gaze to Aristo. The gray-scaled dragon sat up straighter and smiled. It was actually terrifying, the amount of teeth he had.
“Maya,” Aristo said, his voice deep and booming. “Welcome to my home. If you’re looking for Nicolas, he’s not here.”
I frowned. If Nicolas wasn’t with Maya or Aristo, then where was he?
“I know,” my sister replied. “He had something else to do.”
“Gazing at the stars again, no doubt,” the brown-scaled dragon—another male—
said while the blue one laughed. When Aristo didn’t join them, they shut up.
“If you’re not here for Nicolas, then what are you here for?” Aristo stood and stretched. He towered over us, taller than the tallest trees that grew in the forest. Next to me Trey had gone very still as he watched the dragon with wide eyes.
Maya didn’t answer Aristo and I realized with a start she was waiting for me to speak, which made sense. It was my idea to come here. Clearing my throat, I stepped forward. “Uh… Hi?”
Aristo blinked at me. “Hello?”
“I’m Maya’s sister. Neri—Nerine.” My voice squeaked as I said my name and I blushed, furious with myself. You wanted to come here, so stop acting like you’re scared out of your mind! “We—I wanted to talk to you about the eggs.”
Aristo’s blue eyes darkened. Had I angered him? “The eggs,” he repeated hoarsely, and I realized he wasn’t mad but sad. “My children that I’ll never meet.”
“But how do you know that?” I asked, feeling brave enough to take another step forward. “Why are you saying they won’t hatch while Aster and Senia still believe they will?”
Run and Touch the Sky (Smoke and Mirrors Novella Book 2) Page 6
