But nothing except air held them. Then they were tossed deeper into the cave like discarded corn dolls.
Mirhana stumbled beside Brock.
“That was some display of magic,” he said.
“It wasn’t me. Celeste weaved a protection spell over us. But that’s gone now. Anything else happens, and we are on our own.” Chills crept along her skin, but she knew they could not stop. “We must move forward. No doubt Mistress Felonia is even farther ahead of us now.”
She would fight for Landon and the possibility of a future with him.
Chapter Thirty-nine
Around the bend in the cave, they saw the reason for the flames flickering earlier. Tar shaped rocks smoldered with fire.
Mirhana kicked a pebble that went sailing through the air.
When it struck one of the mounds of rock, the tar surged up as if to encase whatever creature loomed near it.
“Great … living tar.” Brock ran a hand through his hair.
“Maybe it’s not as bad as all that.” After she saw the disbelieving look on his face, she continued. “I mean, perhaps they are merely traps based on touch. “If this cave was made to test dragons, what is one thing they have difficulty doing?”
“They can fly, breath fire, walk.” Then after he thought for a moment, he added, “only even when they walk, they’re too big.”
“And even if they crouch as low as they can, their wings folded, they still are taller than the tar rocks.”
She picked up a pebble to test the theory. She tossed it low and it hopped and bumped along the trail until it knocked against one of the rocks. The tar leapt out and up as if attempting to capture prey.
“There, you see?” She smiled triumphantly.
“All right, so we go around them.”
“Nay. I think it is more than that. These rocks must hunt not only on touch, but movement.”
“So we’re back where we started.”
Mirhana knew they had only been down in the cave for an hour or so, but it already felt as if the night had passed. In the distance, she saw the cave turned sharply to the left and blackness waited.
Brock turned back to Mirhana to find her lying on the ground.
“Are you—?”
“Just watch. Stay here, because if I’m wrong you may have to cut me loose from the tar.” She scooted along on her stomach and passed the first tar rock.
She wiggled away from it. When nothing happened, he exhaled. He watched as she crawled past two huge rocks.
“Tis safe enough to come through. Just don’t brush up against any of them and keep as low as you can.”
With a grunt, he knelt down. “I hope this journey here with you eliminates my need to give you and Landon a wedding gift.”
He crawled on his stomach.
From this angle, the mounds appeared as globs of tar, harmless. But they had witnessed the speed of the attacks.
They crawled through the maze. And Mirhana was grateful when she saw the last semicircle of tar ahead.
There was that sharp turn to the left that she had seen earlier. In their haste to reach the end, his sword caught on one of the rocks. Black stickiness swept over him.
“Don’t move!” Mirhana shouted.
Liquid weight pressed down on him. The liquid continued to pour over him. Burning pitch filled him. If she didn’t do something, he’d be dead.
Mirhana reached deep inside herself to summon any and all the magic she had left and was able to force the tar to move. A sliver. She noticed Brock’s sword in his scabbard and removed it, then cut the rest of the tar away. She gathered up a handful of pebbles and tossed them. “Move … they won’t stay confused for long.”
Brock gasped as the air hit him, and crawled an inch forward.
“Hurry!”
“There, we are out of their range now.” She closed her eyes as she waited for Brock to wipe the tar from his face.
If he asked her to make a feather float, she doubted she’d have the strength to blow it, much less use her magic again.
Pushing into a sitting position, he looked behind him. Tar glistened in a trail from where he was struck. “How did you manage to get me out?”
“With these.” She held up a dozen stones in her hand.
He shook his head.
“I tossed them on the other side of the tar you were embedded in. While I made them dance around with my magic the tar that held you reached for the pebbles as I pulled you free.”
“What? Am I burned? Why are you staring at me so strangely?”
“Sorry. I had no idea how to get the tar off and out of you.”
“And?”
“Well,” she pulled her lower lip between her teeth as her green eyes watered to keep from laughing, “it um … well, you still have tar in your hair.”
He waved a hand and stood. “I’ll just have Celeste weave a spell to rid me of it when we’re out of here.”
Her laughter died. “Do you see that?”
“What? I see nothing but a dark cave.”
Instead of answering, she crept forward. The cave was darkness personified. It crept along her skin. It even seemed to pour into her with each breath.
Whatever was in there was some type of magic. For not even they as Elvin could see through its darkness.
Did she hear a hissing sound?
Chapter Forty
“Help me get her out.” She could see the other dragon stuck under a boulder. The dragon hissed as though she could not breathe well.
“Who?” He rushed forward. “I see nothing.”
“Mistress Felonia.” She stopped in front of a jagged boulder and pushed against it. “Help me, she’s trapped.”
Brock staggered forward to the sound of her voice.
“There must have been a cave-in. Help me lift the rock off her.”
Brock’s hand slipped along the wall. “Where is she?”
“Right here. She’s holding it up off her neck, but the pressure’s too great.”
“Take my hand and place it on her head. Just so, I will know where to lift. I can’t see a blasted thing in here.”
Mirhana grasped his hand, grateful for Nivel giving her the gloves, and thrust it down below the lower lip of the boulder. “There. Now let’s push together.”
“But I feel nothing but rock. You are sure she’s here?”
Nivel and Celeste’s voices shouted at them from up ahead. “Come to us, you’ve won the trial, the others can help her. The boulder is too hard for you to lift alone. Come out and then we can help her.”
Brock’s feet were moving away from Mirhana.
“Don’t leave. Help me get this off her.”
“But they say we can’t. Let us get out of here while we can. You’ll win, and the others can help her.”
“She will die.” Mirhana’s hair whispered along her shoulders, as she shook her head no. “You go … I’ll stay here until they come.”
“There’s nothing there, Mirhana. Mistress Felonia is not here.”
“Leave me if you must. But I will not walk away from her while I can help. Bring the others, they’ll believe me.”
Around them Nivel and Celeste’s voices increased in their urgency.
Brock tried to pry Mirhana’s fingers from the boulder and drag her with him, but she kicked his shins, never losing her hold on the rock.
“Listen, this is wrong. She’s not here. This is another test and no doubt she’s already passed this one. Let’s just get out of here.”
“Go.”
“Fine. I’ll bring back the others to show you there is nothing there and you’ll lose Landon.” He dashed toward the pale light at the end of the passage.
Was he right? Was this a trick and she was going to lose everything? Regardless, she would wait until help arrived.
• • •
Landon saw Brock emerge from the cave, but where was Mirhana?
“Why didn’t you tell us she won?” Brock asked, nodding to Felonia. “Did the oth
ers put you up to not telling her?”
“What do you mean?” Nivel cocked his head to the side like a bird watching a fat bug. “We’re forbidden to interfere or speak.”
“But you called to us. Telling Mirhana and me to come out and win the trial, then you’d send others to help.”
“Help what?” Landon fought the urge to dash into the cave and search for Mirhana.
“Damn, I knew it was a trap. Now Mirhana has lost and Landon will marry a dragon.”
Landon rushed forward, intent on saving Mirhana and drag her from the cave. Brock ran behind him, when Master Ad’yra slashed his tail in front of both of them.
“Nay. Once you come out of the trail of the mouth of the dragon, you are forbidden to reenter. And none may enter backwards.”
With a nod, Brock stepped to Celeste’s side. She looked pale, as if her skin was made of stark parchment paper.
Landon opened his mouth to protest when he heard a shuffle from within the cave, then a grunt. Dust puffed out of the cave, and then Mirhana staggered out.
A shaft of moonlight rained over her. It seemed to form the image of a dragonhead upon her neck, the body disappearing under her tunic and trousers.
The sun burst through the horizon and colored the front of the cave. Then the moonlight faded and the image of the dragon was gone.
Celeste and Landon rushed over to her, but it was Celeste who threw her arms around her. “I’m so happy you made it! Even if no one believed me, I knew you would.”
As though embarrassed at the attention, Mirhana gave a half smile to Landon.
“You alone have passed.” Master Ad’yra bowed and all of the others with him.
“But how?” Brock asked. “Mistress Felonia was done long ago.”
“Ah, but Mistress Felonia didn’t pass the last challenge. She is not considered worthy to be called dragon and she will not marry our Treasure.”
“I don’t understand.” Nivel put an arm around Mirhana as a proud father would.
“The last trial is compassion for one’s enemy. She saw Mistress Felonia in a life or death situation, yet the finish lay just ahead. She chose to stay rather than give into selfishness as her competitor did.” Master Ad’yra coughed. “She, despite the warnings, did not stop to offer help when she saw the vision of Mirhana trapped.”
“Warnings? You gave her warnings?” Landon felt the heat creeping up his face. “They went in there blind, and you gave her—”
“We tried to prevent prophecy from coming to pass. Mirhana has proven herself a true dragon and worthy of marring you.”
“What prophecy?” Celeste asked.
“Come, we will speak while we fly.”
Landon clasped Mirhana’s hand and the two leapt onto Master Ad’yra’s back, his russet scales glowing in the sunrise.
“Our ancestors knew a human would claim the right to marry our Treasure someday. To prevent this, they not only devised ways in the cave to cut off any who tried, but also warned us.”
“If you were so determined for Mirhana not to win, why do you sound relieved now?”
“For centuries we’ve guarded the passage. When Landon’s grandmother wanted to marry a human, we refused. We thought we had outsmarted and ended the prophecy. Near the end of her life, she fled and married a human. The prophecy is not entirely horrid, but we dread the forewarning of it.”
“And what warning is that?” Landon asked.
“With the non-dragon to marry the Treasure, it heralds the Spawn of Illian from the ashes of the Bringer of Sorrow.”
“Bringer of Sorrow. That’s your title for the Warloc?” Brock asked.
“Aye. And the prophecy continues. Woe to the dragons that do not safeguard the dragon within. On moonlight scales the world will have a chance of freedom.”
“Curious.” Nivel rubbed his chin.
“Damn, why do all prophecies have to speak in riddles and make no sense until after the fact?” Brock grumbled.
Landon pulled Mirhana closer to him as they rode on Master Ad’yra’s wings, spread wide as they caught an air current. When Landon nuzzled her neck, she moved her head to give him better access.
His growl made her turn her head back further and kiss his mouth. “I wish we were alone.”
“I love you,” she whispered.
How he loved to hear her say the words, but he could not say them back. Not yet. Not until after this battle with the Warloc and the protégé was done. Then he needed to break the betrothal with Kavith, so he would be free to tell and show her of his love.
For now, he teased her, “It’s about time you admitted it. Though I don’t know what took you so long. Ow!” he said when she elbowed him in the stomach.
Chapter Forty-one
“Long ago, our seer felt the grief of mourning of that which is to come, when the Bringer of Sorrow will rise from the ashes. He will be reborn as the Spawn of Illian. Blood and tears will herald his reign. The Treasure’s bride must be marked. Once she is marked, the end will come with the Snow Moon.”
Landon’s mouth dried as if he’d eaten paste. What was this mysterious mark? They didn’t have enough time. “That’s less than three months from now.”
“What does the mark mean?” Nivel asked.
“It shows the bride worthy for her husband, and is her protection since she is not a dragon.”
“Why does she need it?” Celeste asked.
“Tis not for her benefit. It does not matter to us one way or another if a non-dragon is harmed. But her death would make the Treasure destroy himself and us.”
Landon’s skin crawled. He did not even want to think about the monster he would turn into if Mirhana was lost to him forever.
They reached the dragons’ sky lair and dismounted. The mountains stretched far below them.
“Beware … there is one among you who is the Betrayer.” Master Ad’yra shook his tail.
“Betrayer? Tell us of the prophecies concerning such so we may eradicate him.” Brock clenched his fists.
“Is he in this room?” Landon asked.
“It is beyond my reach from the veil of time to know. But he is called friend for now.” The voice quieted as if drifting away from them. “Soon he will have deceived us all.”
“What do you mean? We need to root out this traitor at once. We know about Jeslyn, so how could she deceive us? Tell us more of the prophecies.” Nivel brushed a hand through his silver hair. “All of them.”
“Another time. Let us prepare you for your journey to defeat the Bringer of Sorrows.”
• • •
Outside, Landon and Mirhana met Brock and Celeste.
“They strengthened our cloaks with a coating they called aloyeon.” Mirhana held up her cloak. It seemed as if someone had sewn scale flakes on the inside. “It will warm us during the winter storms in this region.”
“Best to don your cloaks now before we fly.” Master Ad’yra patted Landon’s shoulder, then handed Celeste and Brock their altered cloaks. “With the chill of the season and our speed we don’t want your friends to freeze to death.”
Master Ad’yra carried Landon since the prince refused to shift into his dragon form. On a crimson dragon sat Celeste, white for Mirhana, Jeslyn had a dark blue one, and Brock held onto a pearl colored dragon. Nivel wanted to research the dragons’ prophecies and stayed behind.
Shadowdancer panicked when a white dragon approached him. Celeste used her magic to make her horse sleep.
They soared through the air and Landon’s breath caught. Celeste laughed while Jeslyn’s dragon complained about her choking him. Her screams of gutting the dragon if he dropped her soared on the wind.
When Mirhana gasped, Landon turned to see her. He thought to find her frightened, but she pointed to the ground.
Landon paled. Below, snow covered the ground. “How is this possible? Snow shouldn’t be here for at least three moon cycles.”
Master Ad’yra swung his head around to answer him. It was unnerving that his neck
stretched that far. “I forgot our land is different than yours.”
“Speak plainly.” Landon snatched his cloak as it flapped with the breeze.
“Long ago, we had our sun and moons mimic the human’s days and nights. We grew tired of the shortness.”
“I don’t understand.” Mirhana shook her head.
“Our daylight is about three of your world’s weeks, our moonlight three as well. We used magic to split our world from yours and to make our days fit our stamina.”
“So, we’ve been with you for over six weeks?” Landon tried to keep the aggravation out of his voice.
“Actually, since we didn’t leave until midday, I’d say about seven and half weeks.”
Landon wanted to strangle him. No wonder time dragged. Now they neared the end of the year, the proof being that winter raged below. Less than two months to cross the sea and enter Cape Seyechell before Beltane.
“Why not take us to the sea?” Celeste asked.
“Too many enemies. We risk our lives taking you as close as the forest of Everlang. Only because they will not know Landon, as a dragon and our Treasure, do we allow you to take him.”
“Do not tell me what I can or cannot do. I make my own decisions. I’ve ruled my kingdom since I was a boy.”
The elder dragon huffed.
• • •
On the ground, they thanked the dragons and Master Ad’yra, and set on their way. The dragons flew off. Mirhana wondered what it would be like to fly with Landon in his dragon form. They had delayed their wedding until after the Warloc was defeated.
She heard some of the dragons whisper that they hoped she, as the Treasure’s bride, did not come back alive.
Then another dragon, not part of their travel, touched down, Gillespie on his back. He slid off the dragon onto the snow as though unable to move.
“Gillespie.” Landon helped him up. “I thought you were safe at home.”
“It is not safe there. The dead roam like locust. I only came to tell you your father has recovered. He insists the only way to save your people is proceed with your betrothal and marry Kavith—she and her father will put an end to our misery. Come back with me now and forget this foolish mission and these dragons.”
Son of Dragons Page 19
