“I want to go back up to the temple,” I said. “I want to see the other rooms, the ones I wasn’t able to see before. We found a rune circle the first time. Who knows what we could find by exploring the rest of it? Plus,” I added with a smile, “that place was freaking cool. I might base a video game level off of it one day.”
Blackscale blinked and then was silent for a moment. “Very well,” he said finally. “If you wish to return to the temple, I shall accompany you.”
“Hold on,” said Sarah, approaching from within the nest.
“Sarah, give me a break!” I said. “We’re not doing anything, anyways. And Blackscale’s going to be with me, so I’m completely safe. And no one else even goes up there! What if I learn something that will help us with the Council? What if we learn something else amazing about the dragons and the Realm Keepers?”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I was saying, Calvin. I just wanted to talk to Blackscale about what we’re going to do when the Council reconvenes, so I wanted to know if he could send one of the other dragons along with you to protect you.”
I opened my mouth, paused, and closed it. “Ah,” I muttered. “Well, then…carry on.”
“I shall send Bonebreaker,” said Blackscale. “He should enjoy the possibility, however slight, of conflict.”
“Bonebreaker left to hunt three hours ago, grandfather,” said Nightclaw. “He took Thunderfoot and Skycutter with him.”
Blackscale hummed, a low, rumbling sound that vibrated in the earth beneath my feet. He looked up to the sky and swiveled his head back and forth, as though searching for something. I realized he was probably looking at the dragons spinning in the air far above us. Even though they were just specks to me, Blackscale’s eyes could probably make out their individual scales.
“Ah, of course,” he muttered. “Wingstone!”
I glanced at Sarah. “Who’s Wingstone?”
My words were answered a few seconds later by the familiar thunder of rushing wings. A dragon settled on the ground, one I hadn’t seen before—or at least I didn’t recognize the scale patterns on his face. All I could tell was that it was a male, because of the five claws on the front legs.
The new dragon immediately touched his snout to the ground in reverence. “You called, Elder Blackscale?”
I blinked in surprise. Though his voice was still deep and thunderous and couldn’t be called “quiet” by any human standard, the dragon’s manner was more awkward than any I’d seen yet. His tone of voice was obedient. Nightclaw was respectful to Blackscale, but Wingstone seemed almost…nervous.
“The Keeper of Air wishes to visit the temple,” said Blackscale. “And yet it would be ill of us to let him go without guard. Will you accompany him?”
Wingstone darted a glance up at me before placing his snout firmly against the ground again. “If it is your will, Elder Blackscale, I live but to fulfill it. But I fear you overestimate me for this honor. Surely a task of this import would be better served by the likes of a warrior such as Bonebreaker or—”
“Bonebreaker is hunting,” said Blackscale, his voice wry. “And do not pretend to me that you are as timid as all that. You were not so cautious when you stood by Nightclaw in defense of these humans.”
Wingstone pushed his nose further into the ground, twisting his sinuous neck so that it lay almost parallel to the floor. “A sudden madness seized me, Elder Blackscale. It bears no remark upon my valor.”
“You were the third dragon,” said Miles, stepping out suddenly from behind Sarah. “The one who stood with Nightclaw and Bonebreaker when Redwing tried to come in.”
Wingstone said nothing.
“Thank you,” said Sarah, bowing low. “We owe you one.”
“The Realm Keepers should not bow to one such as me,” said Wingstone quickly. “I serve my clan and the Spire. I did only what I thought was right, which any dragon is bound to do.”
“And in so doing, proved your courage,” said Blackscale. “You will accompany the Keeper of Air to the temple. I place my trust in his safety with you.”
Wingstone raised his head ever so slightly. “You honor me, Elder Blackscale.”
“Hey, man, can I come with?” said Miles. His question sounded nonchalant, but the look in his eyes was almost pleading.
“Lord Miles?” said Melaine, staring at him with daggers in her eyes.
Miles rolled his eyes and faced off against her. “Listen, Melaine, I’m getting bored out of my thick skull in here. I need to get out, move around some. Unless you want to come with me jogging around the mountain, I’m gonna go with Calvin.”
“With all due respect, Lord Miles, if anyone accompanies Calvin it should be me,” said Darren, stepping forward and eyeing me. “But I do not think either of us can do so. Unless you, too, have developed the gift of flight.”
It was time for me to step in. “I can carry him,” I said. “It shouldn’t be a problem. He can just hang on to my back.”
Darren’s eyes narrowed. “You did not propose this plan when I requested to accompany you.”
I pointed a finger at him. “You didn’t request to accompany me, you told me I shouldn’t go. Miles did ask, and he asked before you did. So he wins. Lawyered.”
Darren blinked.
The muscles in Melaine’s jaw were spasming. “Lord Miles, I must insist that you remain with the rest of us.”
“Melaine, come on,” said Miles. “I’m going to go literally crazy if I have to stay in here for one more day. I’m one nervous breakdown away from running around the Wyrmspire wearing nothing but my boots and screaming about crows coming to eat me.”
Despite her best efforts, the corners of Melaine’s mouth twitched. “I think I should almost like to see that.”
“Okay, it’s settled then,” I said firmly, clapping my hands and hoping that neither Darren nor Melaine realized that they hadn’t actually agreed to anything yet. “I’ll go with Miles. My new best pal Wingstone here will go with us as bodyguard. Thanks, guys! See you in a couple of hours! Or whenever they reconvene the Council.”
I whirled and nudged Miles with my elbow, and together the two of us set off down the mountain path toward the open space where we’d take off for the temple.
“Smooth talking,” said Miles.
“I should have been a lawyer,” I said. “Or a politician! That would’ve been something. Still could be, I suppose.”
“Ugh,” said Miles. “I’d join Terrence first.”
We reached the flat open spot. Wingstone landed beside us, having flown around the mountain’s edge since the path we walked was too narrow for him. I turned my back to Miles and patted my shoulders.
“Okay,” I said. “Piggy back.”
“You tell anyone back home about this, and I’ll murder you,” said Miles as he wrapped his arms over my shoulders and clasped his hands around my chest.
“What, that you held on to my back while I used Air to fly into the sky to visit a temple at the peak of the mountain that’s the ancestral homeland of the dragons?” I said. “Fear not, my faithful friend. I think that secret is safe.
Before he could answer I fired a jet of Air into each of my limbs and propelled us into the sky.
“AAAHHH!” screamed Miles, right in my ear.
“Oh my God, calm down!” I shouted back. “You broke one of my eardrums!”
“I changed my mind!” he said. “Put me back down, now!”
“Oh, come on,” I said. “We’re practically there.”
Actually, we weren’t. Truth be told, we were still a long ways off. And with Miles clinging to me, I was beginning to realize something I hadn’t calculated for. Flying by myself, with my five-foot-four hundred-and-ten pound body, was easy. Flying with a high school jock on my back…
“Um, don’t panic, but—” I began.
“How do you expect to say that sentence and have me do anything other than panic?” Miles screamed interrupting me. “What’s wrong?”
“
It’s just…like, wow, man, how much do you eat?”
“What, you’re calling me fat?” said Miles. “I’m at my physical peak. Don’t blame this on my eating. You’re the one who can’t fly us. I’m serious, Calvin, take me back to the ground.”
“Oh, calm yourself,” I grumbled. “It’s just…harder. But I can still totally make it.”
“Calvin…”
“I said you’re fine! Jeez.”
That’s when I heard a thundering roar on the air. Before I could try turning my head to see what was happening, I felt something slam into me from the left. It felt like a Mac truck. A massive green form sped by us, and the slipstream rocked me to my right. My whole body shuddered, and the wind blasted Miles from my back. He wailed as he fell, speeding toward the ground far below us.
“Miles!” I shouted. I took the air I was using to lift myself and reversed it, blasting toward him as fast as I could. About halfway to the ground I snatched his arm, dropping the jets that propelled my arms and instead focusing all my energy on supporting my feet. His descent slowed, stopped, and slowly we began to rise again.
“What was that?” he shouted.
“I don’t know!” I said. “Hang on!”
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught movement. Something large and green, coming fast. I glanced to my left to see a dragon speeding toward us, coming around for another pass. Though my mind was focused on keeping my grip on Miles, my subconscious flashed with recognition: Bloodtooth. His lips were bared in a feral grin.
Bloodtooth blew by us again, and this time the slipstream ripped Miles from my grasp and flung him sideways. He catapulted out over the lip of the mountain’s edge, plummeting away from me as his screams redoubled.
I dove again, pushing my powers as hard as I could as I sped after him. He was falling out into open space, a drop of several hundred feet before he’d slam into the rocky slopes below. That would mean instant death. I was vaguely aware of Wingstone swooping in at Bloodtooth above me. He roared and swiped with his claws, and Bloodtooth veered away. He spun off and fled, assuming his job done.
I stopped paying attention as I pushed everything I had into going after Miles. I was flying faster, faster, but it wasn’t fast enough. Miles was spinning, and I didn’t even know how I’d grab onto him without sending us both into an uncontrolled tumble, but I had to try.
I heard another thunderous roar, and nearly burst into an uncontrolled fit of cursing. But it came too fast. The green shape blew by me on my right. Miles’ yelp was cut suddenly short as the dragon’s claws wrapped around him like a falcon snatching up its prey. I almost cried out until I recognized the scales on the dragon’s face as Wingstone’s.
Wingstone pulled out of the dive and sped up into the air. I snatched myself out of my own free-fall and followed. A couple of minutes later, I sped into the entrance of the temple just ahead of him. I turned to see Wingstone flying toward the entrance at top speed. As with Blackscale, for a moment I was sure he was going to slam into the side of the mountain, until at the last second he twisted, folded in upon himself and earthbound in midair. Miles, no longer in Wingstone’s clutches, gave a final yelp as he tumbled to the stone floor of the entrance. He rolled over and over before finally coming to a stop on his back. He simply lay there, staring up at the ceiling and panting.
I leaned over Mile’s shocked face and gave him a big grin, “See, nothing to it”.
Wingstone’s earthbound form was slightly smaller than Blackscale’s, but still plenty big to me. He had to be at least six-six, six-eight. Immediately he ducked his head and went into a half-bow.
“I am sorry I did not see Bloodtooth coming in time,” he said. “It was my fault that the Keeper of Water nearly perished. Your forgiveness is not deserved.”
“Forgiveness?” I said, aghast. “Are you kidding? Miles has got to be the luckiest guy in Midrealm!”
Miles sat up at that, glaring at me with wide eyes and nostrils flared. “Lucky?” he cried, his voice shrill. “Lucky? How the hell do you think that was lucky?”
I blinked at him and pointed vaguely at Wingstone. “Dude…you got to fly with a dragon. With a dragon!”
Miles gave a wordless, strangled cry and leapt to his feet. He pushed past me and into the door leading to the temple within.
I gave Wingstone a look. “What’s his problem?”
Wingstone raised his head to look at me. I was as bad at reading the expressions of dragons who were earthbound as those who were in their natural form, but I was almost positive he looked confused. “He did very nearly die, Keeper of Air.”
I shrugged. “Oh, please. Like we’ve never gone through that before.”
I entered the temple, Wingstone on my heels. I noticed that as soon as we entered, the dragon scanned the room’s corners and every door. He was probably going to be extra watchful now that he thought he’d almost screwed up and gotten us killed. Privately I thought that there wasn’t anything more he could have done. Bloodtooth came out of nowhere, and if it wasn’t for Wingstone, Miles would be a smear on the rocks. But I was all too happy to have Wingstone on high alert. Especially if another dragon tried to attack us, I’d rather it was Wingstone who fought them instead of us, two humans.
Miles was sitting in the middle of the temple’s main chamber. The reflected light from the skylight above gave everything a soft glow.
“You okay, man?” I said.
Miles turned to glare at me. “I’m getting better. I haven’t been threatened with imminent death in a few days now. It’s just taking my body a minute to remember how to deal with it.”
I nodded hard, my eyes wide. “I totally understand. Happens to me every time.”
Miles gave a disgusted grunt and turned away again.
“So, let’s start checking out these other rooms, huh?” I said.
“Hold on,” said Miles, getting to his feet. He still looked angry, but his curiosity seemed to be getting the better of him. “I didn’t see the rooms you guys saw last time. I want to check those out.”
“Sure!” I said, grinning. “I’ll be your tour guide! Come on!”
Miles rolled his eyes as he followed me into the first room. I held my arms up like Vannah White in front of the statue of the dragon in its natural and earthbound forms.
“This is the nameless dragon,” I said. “The first dragon ever. He’s the one who settled Wyrmspire and made it the dragons’ home. He’s sort of like a legend to them.”
To my surprise, Wingstone stepped past Miles to look at the statue, awe and reverence in his eyes. “Truly? I did not know this was here.”
I blinked. “You’ve never been to the temple before?”
“No,” said Wingstone. “It is unusual for dragons to visit unless they have a reason. And there has been no reason since the humans left us, which happened many years before I hatched.”
“Well then, it looks like I’m touring for two!” I said. “Come on, let’s check out the circle.”
Miles gasped in recognition as soon as we entered the second room. “Holy cow.”
“Right?” I said. I turned to Wingstone. “This stone circle is identical to the one we saw when we were first summoned here. The one in the human kingdom is where new Realm Keepers are summoned. We think this one may be a backup location, a place for Realm Keepers to go if the human circle is taken—which it currently is.”
Wingstone’s eyes were wide, but he didn’t say anything.
Miles stepped up to the pillar that bore the symbol of Water. His hand reached out to it, hesitated, then made contact.
“What the…?” he muttered, glancing down at his belt.
Without thinking about it, I took a step forward. “What? What is it?”
“It’s my stone,” he said. “It’s…humming. Or vibrating.” He took his hand away, then glanced down again. “There. It stopped.”
“Cool,” I breathed. I went to the pillar of Air. Like Miles had, I placed my hand on top of the pillar. Immediately, the leathe
r pouch that held my runestone began to vibrate. There was a sharp tinging sound as it bounced against the golden scale I had in the same pouch. “Whoah,” I said. “It’s like it wants to be on the pillar. Should we should put them on and see what happens!”
“Not a good idea,” said Miles. “What if we accidentally make this the new summoning circle?”
“Isn’t that the point?” I said.
“Not if the dragons decide not to help us,” said Miles, his face solemn. He glanced at Wingstone. “Sorry, I don’t mean to talk like you aren’t here. But if your people decide not to help us, we’re going to get kicked off the mountain and have to go all the way back to Morrowdust. And then what? The summoning circle will be here in Wyrmspire, a thousand miles away from us. If new Realm Keepers are summoned, not only will they be confused and helpless, but we won’t be here to help them adjust to Midrealm. Better for the summoning circle to be in Athorn. Yeah, Terrence has got the place surrounded, but we’ve got a better chance of busting in there than we do traveling all the way back here again without being spotted.”
I frowned. “Shoot. That’s a good point.” I removed my hand from the top of the pillar. The stone in my pouch stopped vibrating.
“Come on,” said Miles. “Let’s see the rest of the temple.”
We pushed into the third room, where once again I got a shock. The room was achingly familiar. A long, ornate wooden table with intricate carvings all along the edge. Six chairs that bore the symbols of the elements, with more scattered around the room’s edges. And at the table’s head, a golden chair. Just like the Runehold in Morrowdust and Faya.
“Another dining hall for the Realm Keepers,” I said. “Look! There’s even a beaten-up old chair for the Watcher.”
“This must be a leftover from the alliance,” said Miles. He shot me a funny look. “You know what that means? That means that the last time the Realm Keepers actually sat here, a different Watcher sat in that chair. Someone that wasn’t Greystone.”
I laughed. “I can’t even imagine. I wonder what he was like.”
“Probably another grumpy old man,” Miles muttered.
“It’s hard to imagine anything else, isn’t it?”
Wyrmspire (Realm Keepers Book 2) Page 65
