“They’re sentimental fools,” the blue one, also male, muttered.
Aristo snapped his teeth at him. “No, Ulster, they are young. They haven’t seen what we’ve seen.” Turning back to me, he explained, “In the nearly one thousand years since we settled here, Senia and Aster are the only two dragons to hatch from eggs. The only two, Nerine. We know the signs. We know what to look for. Sadly, we know when the eggs are duds. And those three eggs—”
“But I felt something,” I protested. “From the smallest one! I touched it and it pulsed.”
“Did you?” Aristo was gazing at me curiously while the other two dragons exchanged dismayed looks over his back.
“You shouldn’t get his hopes up,” the brown one said.
I decided to ignore those two and stared up into Aristo’s large blue eyes. “Please. Just give them a chance. This time is different. I know it is.”
“You’re just a human,” Ulster said. “What do you know?”
“Enough,” Aristo snapped. “Leave, both of you.” The dragons looked like they were about to protest, but when Aristo growled, a low noise deep within his chest, they left the cave, shooting us nasty looks as they did. Once they were gone, Aristo turned his attention back to me. “I’m sorry about that.”
“It’s fine. He was right—I am just a human and I know nothing about dragons.” I wrapped my arms around myself. “I shouldn’t be here telling you what to do. Of course they’re going to get mad at me. But I thought you should know that I felt something. I want your children to have a chance at life before you give up on them.”
Aristo sighed loudly, the smell of sulfur filling the cave. He sat and lowered his head so we were eye level. “I want them to have that chance too. But I just don’t know if that’s possible, Nerine. We fled from the west, where the magic flows freely over everyone and everything, and came here, to a land without magic. It was such a drastic change, but a good one, too. We were finally free of what had nearly destroyed us. But…” Aristo glanced upward and I followed his gaze to the shadows above our heads. “But there’s no such thing as a land with no magic. Did you know that, Nerine? That magic exists in these mountains? It’s probably what drew us here in the first place. We just didn’t realize it until much later.”
“Magic… is here?” I’d had no idea. We were taught this was a magicless land. No one in Meradell could wield magic, not even the original settlers. “Where?”
“It’s dying,” Aristo said without a trace of emotion in his voice. “I don’t know why, none of us do, but it’s fading. Maybe it was fading before we even settled here. Like I said, we didn’t discover it until much later. And by then, it was almost all gone. But there must have been enough to coax Senia and later Aster into existence. For dragons are magical beings. Without magic, we will not hatch.”
“Where’s the magic?” I asked curiously.
“The scrying pool,” Maya murmured. She looked at Aristo for confirmation and he nodded.
“There are other pockets scattered around the mountains, but the magic is most prevalent at the pool,” he said.
“Can’t you move the eggs to the pool, then?” Trey asked. When Aristo frowned at him, like he’d just noticed Trey, my friend said quickly, “Sorry, I’m Trey. Neri’s friend.”
The great dragon shook his head. “Despite their thick shells, the eggs are delicate. The pool is outside, exposed to the elements. The eggs would not last long.”
Trey’s face fell with disappointment. “Oh.”
“It was a good idea,” I said, squeezing his hand quickly before returning my attention to Aristo. “What can we do?”
Again the dragon sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t think there’s anything we can do. That’s why I told Aster to prepare herself. It wasn’t that I was giving up, just that I’ve seen this happen too many times to other dragons. The heartbreak… I wanted to spare her from that.”
“You love her,” I said, a bit of wonder creeping into my voice.
“She is my mate,” he replied dryly. “I would hope that I do.” Aristo glanced at me. “Did you really feel something from one of the eggs?”
I nodded.
“Then perhaps it’s too soon to give up hope,” he murmured.
Next to me, Maya gave a little gasp of surprise as my heart jumped in my chest. I glanced at her, grinning, and she returned the smile with one of her own. It lit up her face and her eyes were sparkling. “You did it,” she whispered.
“Thank you,” I told Aristo.
“No, I should be thanking you,” he said. “For reminding me what’s important. I was so eager to protect my mate that I didn’t see I was hurting both her and the children in the process.” Seeing our smiling faces, Aristo frowned. “We need to be cautious. This unfortunately does not change anything. But I will stop pressuring Aster to give up. I promise.”
“Maybe in the meantime, we can come up with a way to help those eggs hatch?” Trey asked.
“How?” Maya asked.
He scratched the back of his neck. “If magic isn’t here, and the dragons need magic to survive, then we need to somehow bring magic here, don’t we?”
“No,” Aristo said before we could speak. “It’s too dangerous.” For the first time since we’d entered the cave, Aristo looked angry. “I won’t bring the war to my home.”
“But if you need magic to survive and the magic is dying here, then how much longer will you last?” I asked him in a small voice.
The fire that’d been burning in his eyes diminished as quickly as it’d appeared. “I don’t know.” Aristo’s voice had gone very soft and he slumped over, as if exhausted. “This is something we’ve been debating for years. Unfortunately, we are no closer to an answer. But I know, deep within my heart, that leaving these mountains will bring about the end of our kind.” He turned away and settled down on the ground, signaling the end to our conversation.
Maya tapped me on the arm and gestured toward the front of the cave. Still, I hesitated, my emotions in turmoil. I was elated that I’d been able to change Aristo’s mind about the eggs, but upset over the dying magic. Were the dragons doomed to die, no matter what they did? It seemed unfair that they’d traveled from their lands to escape death by the hands of the magicians, only to end up here, where their days were numbered.
I’d spent my entire life believing the dragons were safe, nestled high up in the mountains.
How naïve I’d been.
Chapter Ten
After returning from Aristo’s, Trey and I collapsed in Maya’s cave while she went to tell Aster and Senia the good news. I told myself I’d just shut my eyes for a moment while I waited for her to return, but I must have fallen asleep because someone was shaking me awake. Figuring it was Trey, I lashed out, hitting him on the shoulder before turning over and mumbling, “Go away.”
“Neri. Neri. Wake up!”
My eyes popped open. That wasn’t Trey. It wasn’t even Maya. I turned back over and sat up in alarm when I saw it was Nicolas who was leaning over me, his face white with fear as he stretched his hand out like he was about to grab me again.
“What’s going on?” Sleep made my words stick together, but somehow Nicolas knew what I was trying to say.
“It’s the dragons. And—”
In the distance a terrible roar filled the air and the ground itself trembled. Next to me Trey cried out and sat up. “What is that?”
“The dragons are fighting,” Nicolas explained hurriedly. “It’s Grendel and Ulster. Maya and I were sitting outside the cave when they showed up, saying they wanted to talk to Aster about the eggs.”
My mind was racing. Ulster was the blue dragon we’d seen earlier, in Aristo’s cave, and I could only assume that Grendel was the one with the brown scales.
As another roar echoed outside, Trey said, “That doesn’t sound like talking to me.”
Nicolas shook his head. “At first they were, but then we heard Senia shout something, and the next thing we knew, they were
fighting. Grendel has always been interested in Aster; I don’t think he’s ever forgiven her for choosing Aristo over him. He probably told her to give up on the eggs and start a family with him, which would have been enough to anger Senia.”
I didn’t blame her. How many times had she listened to the other dragons tell her sister to move on? She’d probably had enough and lost her temper.
Nicolas wasn’t done speaking. “I couldn’t stop Maya—she rushed into Aster’s cave and told me to come here to prevent you from following her, but…” Nicolas’s blue eyes were desperate as he searched my face. “I can’t leave her alone in there. I can’t stay here and do nothing.”
My heart skipped a beat at the thought of my sister in that cave with a bunch of warring dragons. Even if Nicolas had tried to stop me, I wouldn’t have let him. “Let’s go,” I said. Nicolas sighed in relief and he and Trey followed me out of the cave.
Outside the sky was dark and still, as if the entire mountain was holding its breath. The fire had died out, forcing us to go slow as we stumbled toward the entrance to Aster’s cave. Another dragon cry filled the air and I forgot all about being careful as I ran toward the noise.
The spacious cave felt like it’d shrunk since I’d last been inside. Senia and Aster were facing off against Ulster and Grendel. Aristo was nowhere to be seen, but I imagined he’d heard the roars and would be here soon. But would he come in time? Senia was snapping her teeth at the two male dragons while Aster shuffled back, her head constantly turning to assess the eggs at her feet.
The eggs!
My eyes widened as I saw my sister crouched next to the eggs, her arms encircling them as she watched the fighting dragons. She’s going to get crushed!
“Go to Maya,” Nicolas shouted, coming up behind me. “Trey and I will distract the dragons. Just get your sister out of here!” He lifted his arms over his head and began bellowing at the dragons. Next to him, Trey jumped up and down, shouting curses. The dragons paused in their fighting to assess the boys and I knew this was my chance.
Sticking to the shadows at the edge of the cave, I slowly inched my way toward Maya. The dragons were too busy watching Nicolas and Trey to pay attention to me and I made it to the nest without being seen. My sister jumped and brandished a knife when I touched her on the arm, her mouth falling open when she saw me. “Neri? I told Nic to keep you away!”
“Did you actually think we’d listen to you?” I demanded. “Never mind; what can I do?” I crouched next to her. Whatever Maya said in response was lost as I looked closely at the eggs. The smallest one had a crack in it. “It’s hatching?”
Maya shook her head. “That’s from when Grendel hit it with his tail.”
I looked closer and realized it wasn’t just a crack; part of the egg had been smashed in. Liquid dribbled out from the crack, trailing down the side of the egg. It was too dark to tell what it was, but I hoped it wasn’t blood. I looked in Grendel’s direction, feeling a strong sense of hatred toward him. “Does he think he’ll convince Aster to move on with him by destroying her children?”
“No,” Maya said. “He didn’t mean to. He was fighting with Senia, and then it just happened.”
I couldn’t believe she was defending him after what he’d done. But it didn’t matter if it was an accident or not. The dragons were still battling and at any moment, they could take a step toward us and hit one of the eggs again, this time smashing it under their foot or body.
Fearing that, I pulled the smallest egg into my arms, relieved that it was still warm. That was a good thing, right? I touched the trail of liquid that dripped from the shell and discovered that it was watery. Not blood, then. Grendel hadn’t killed the hatchling. It still had a chance at life.
I met my sister’s gaze. “What do we do now?”
Before she could answer me, Aristo entered the cave with a roar like thunder, nearly trampling Nicolas and Trey in the process. I screamed, my heart stopping in my chest until I saw Trey stumble away from the dragon, looking dazed but otherwise uninjured.
Aristo launched himself at Ulster, grabbing the dragon by the neck and hauling him away from Senia. “I can fight my own battles,” the ruby dragon snarled at Aristo, her tail lashing out in irritation.
Taking advantage of Senia’s distraction, Grendel hurled himself at her. Their writhing bodies came crashing down in our direction and Maya shoved me out of the way. “Run, Neri! Run!”
But how could I flee when my sister was in danger? Holding the egg carefully, I watched as Grendel’s tail narrowly missed hitting Maya in the head.
Then Aster was there, protecting Maya and the eggs with her body. She roared at Grendel, slashing out at him with her sharp claws and even sharper teeth. Their feet came closer to the two remaining eggs and Maya dove forward, protecting them with her body.
“Maya!”
“Run, Neri!” Maya screamed again as she picked up one egg and reached for the other. “Go into the tunnels and don’t look back! I’ll be right behind you!”
I wanted to ask her if she could manage both eggs. I wanted her to promise that things would be all right, that we would survive this. But the fighting was escalating and my palms were growing sweaty, and all I could hear was Aristo telling me how fragile the eggs were. They wouldn’t survive much more of this if they remained.
I might by the only chance this egg had at surviving.
My eyes locked with Maya’s as she scooped up the second egg. I could see the moment she realized I was going to listen to her for once; her shoulders straightened and her eyes shone with relief.
“I love you,” I told her, and then I was running, the egg cradled against my chest as I entered the tunnels.
I didn’t look back as the roaring escalated.
I didn’t stop when the sound of fighting reached my ears.
I started sobbing when I heard a dragon cry out in pain.
I began praying when I didn’t hear Maya’s footsteps behind me. Every moment that passed, I thought, Now. Now she’s going to join me. She’s just right around this corner. She’ll catch up here. Here. Here.
With my breath rasping in my ears, I paused. If I continued following the path Maya had shown us the day before, I would end up at the top of the mountain with nothing but a deadly drop in front of me. I needed to go a different route.
I needed to go down. Hide in the forest until this mess was over with and Maya and Trey came to find me. Maybe Senia would show up and make me ride on her back. She’d probably scold me for taking the egg, but secretly she’d be pleased.
I took a moment to adjust the egg in my arms. I’d gone to bed wearing my coat and now I tucked the egg inside of it before rebuttoning it. It was pressing against my chest and I wondered if the dragon could hear my heart racing. “It’s going to be all right,” I told it, running my hand over the cracked shell as tears fell down my cheeks. “I won’t let them hurt you any further. I swear it.”
Ignoring the tunnel we’d taken the day before, I choose my escape at random and silently pleaded with whoever was listening that it would take me to safety.
Chapter Eleven
The tunnel was pitch black, forcing me to slow down until I was inching forward, much too slowly for my liking. With one arm I cradled the egg while I extended the other in front of me to prevent me from crashing into the rocky wall. The tunnel twisted and turned, but the ground was angled downward. I heaved a sigh of relief. I was heading down, away from the danger.
At least, I thought I was.
This was beyond anything I’d ever done before. Climbing rooftops, swimming to the islands in the middle of the lake in Meradell, disobeying my parents… None of that came close to stealing a dragon’s egg and fleeing for my life. What was I supposed to do next? What if Maya didn’t find me? Did I go home? Tuck the egg in my bed and hope no one noticed a baby dragon after it hatched?
“Stop,” I whispered to myself in the darkness. Instead of focusing on the future, I needed to worry about my present. O
ne step at a time before I worked myself into a panic, trapped inside a mountain with no idea where the exit was.
My heart started racing. I was making things worse. Just put one foot in front of the other. Keep moving, Neri. The dragon is relying on you. I tucked the egg closer to my body. I would not fail it.
I walked for what felt like hours. My eyes must have grown accustomed to the darkness because now I could make out the tunnel walls. No… That was light. I was close to an exit!
Picking up my pace, I rounded one last corner. Warm, fresh air greeted me and I gulped it down greedily as I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. My heart was still racing, but I fought to control my breathing. It’s done. You made it. Now keep going.
The sky was brightening as I emerged from the cave. The sun hadn’t risen yet, but there was enough light to guide me forward. I was still in the mountains, but closer to the ground than the peaks. Trees grew here and I headed to the densest area. I’d hide there until Maya showed up or I came up with a plan. Hopefully Maya would arrive soon, because I was fresh out of ideas.
But I’ve made it this far, I thought as I leaned against a tree and slid down to the ground, exhausted. Unbuttoning the top buttons of my coat, I studied the egg. Even though it’d been smashed in at the top, the shell was still somehow whole. But the crack at the top had grown, running across the length of the egg now like a spider web. I wiped away the watery liquid that spilled from the crack with the sleeve of my coat, again feeling a flash of anger. If only Grendel and Ulster hadn’t gone to Aster’s cave. It didn’t matter how much Grendel wanted Aster to be his mate; if he’d stayed away, the eggs would have been unharmed. And even if the egg turned out to be a dud, it should still have been treated with respect.
I ran a finger along the crack as anger and sadness warred inside of me. “I’m sorry. For everything. I don’t know if you’re still alive, but if you are… There’re a lot of dragons and people who want to meet you. So don’t give up.”
Run and Touch the Sky (Smoke and Mirrors Novella Book 2) Page 7
