The Spires of Dasny: 2: Queen of Dragons

by Cheryl Rush Cowperthwait

  “Seyra, when the Xi dragon spun, you fell. I dove after you and barely got under you in time. Unfortunately you took a hard impact. We managed to land. Athan still had Grifton fighting the Stone dragon. He was successful in killing it. They found us this cave to seek shelter from the rain. That’s when we found how bad your injuries were. But, my Sparrow, you are healing! Your body is fighting for you. You need to fight, too.”

  I move my arm and see it’s a sickly color of yellow. Picking up the edge of my cloak, I peer underneath. It doesn’t register to me immediately that my garments are missing; all I see is a web of scars. I cringe and snap my eyes shut in disgust. My mid-section looks like I’ve been dipped in yellow and green ochre. I groan. “Who healed me?”

  Grifton, chewing non-stop on the side of his lower lip answers. “You healed yourself, I just helped placing your hands on your injuries.” His look is puzzling, apologetic.

  “How long?” I manage to mutter.

  Dreyth exhales a deep sigh. “This is the third night. And Seyra, don’t shudder at your new-found beauty.”

  I raise my brows. Surely he can’t mean the scars.

  “Never trust anyone who doesn’t embrace your scars. They are part of you, your journey, your growth, and your beauty. It shows you are brave even when fearful, and courageous in spite of the odds.”

  His words soothe the pulling of my skin and bring a slight smile. “When do we leave?”

  “When you are able to sit upright, we will start the journey home. You need rest.”

  That causes me to bolt upright. A scream follows my movement, but it’s old wounds recovering. “Home? Is the battle done? Did I miss everything?” My jaw hangs open like a trap.

  “After you are back in the Spires, Athan and I shall find Hu’gan. We will do all that is necessary.”

  My voice fails me as I try to talk. “No.” The single word hangs suspended like a feather caught in a web.

  I reach for the mug of drink now by my side and take a deep gulp. Tea from the pain tree, I acknowledge. “I will go as we planned. You need both Grifton and myself. We have yet to discover what the crystal can do with Grifton, Elky and myself all together. I think if I took another tunic and bound it around my strengthening bones, I will be as good as new.” It’s only after saying this, it dawns on me. My clothes are missing.

  “W-where’s the clothes I was wearing?”

  Dreyth speaks softly. “It’s a good thing you packed others. Your tunic and jacket were shredded.”

  Athan speaks up. “Grifton, come. We need to check for any lagging invaders.”

  Dreyth drops my other saddle bag near me. “I’ll take guard by the door.”

  I smirk. I know what they’re doing and my love spills slowly down my cheeks.

  I reach into my bag, pulling out a thick moss-colored tunic. Next is a long, white sleeveless camisole. With some practice, I make the wraps around my back and chest, tying it off above my chest. I chug the rest of the lukewarm tea and slide the green tunic overhead. After that, I pull the cloak back on and have it pool around my legs. Thankfully, my leather pants seemed to survive, otherwise it would take me the rest of the night to finagle into them. Swiping the beads of perspiration from my forehead, I feel accomplished. I bend to attempt standing and groan deeply through clenched teeth.

  “I’m here.” Dreyth stands over me. “No need in rising. Tonight we will all sleep. It’s been a rough few nights.”

  Only now do I understanding how much my accident impacted them all. My chin quivers at the thought.

  “We are all family. We do all that we must. Rest, my Sparrow. Tomorrow is soon enough to fly.” He chuckles softly at his play on words, but there is a twinkle in his eyes that has been missing. He rumbles a dragon-purr, and all at once I’m healed from the inside. Not bones or such. Fears are squashed and I breathe with a lightness forgotten until now.

  Grifton and I rummage through our saddlebags, finding enough to fill our growling bellies. Athan and Dreyth take turns as they replenish their energy with food sources abundant in the wild. I catch Grifton staring off into the flames. He doesn’t blink and appears to be lost in its brightness.

  “What are you thinking?”

  He blinks a few times and turns to look at me. “Everything feels different. Have you noticed?” His brows bunch together in thought.

  Tilting my head, I scrunch my lips sideways. “I’m not sure what you mean. For me, it all feels different. I thought I was dead.”

  “Yes, I can see that. What I’m talking about is—” He rubs his chin where hair has sprouted. “I don’t know how to say it. Something has changed and I don’t know what or how. I’m sitting here next to you and I feel very far away. The same as I feel with Elky.”

  “Well, Elky is far away from us,” I remind him.

  He looks down shaking his head. “Even when she was gone before, I felt her close to my chest.” He sneaks a peek at me before dropping his head again. “And you, even as Dreyth took you as his Queen, you still felt close—kindred close. Do you understand?”

  I concentrate and give his thoughts some space to land. As I think about us three, I shiver. There is something different, a bit out of balance…like a braid that is not bound at the end and slowly unravels. Swallowing, I meet his eyes and see in them the same. He sees it in me and returns to the fire. I too, stare into the blaze in search of what’s gone missing.

  Sleep, even though my body craves it, is hard to find. A foreboding seeps through my skin. Grifton is right. Something is wrong and I feel desperate to reach Elky and Hu’gan because of it.

  I awaken to the darkness smothering me. The heat is near unbearable but I don’t see the fire. As I start to move, I relax and fold Dreyth’s wing covering me away from my face, and inhale deeply. It feels like I’m being cocooned with Dreyth’s body wrapped in a tight circle around me. Even with no one standing guard, there is no way anyone could get to me but through Dreyth. Catching the flames shining off his scales, again I see how he is my Night Sky, a millions stars watching over me night or day.

  Chapter 23

  Re-awakening, light presses into the cave’s opening. I slowly sit up and smile. The pain of my bones and muscles have all but disappeared. At last, I can take a deep breath without caution. I slip around Dreyth’s tail to look out into the day. The ground below us is a mixture of clumped grasses and rock, almost like a stream bed, but with only pockets of water left from the raging storm. As I’m gazing at the new day, Dreyth slips behind me. How that mass of a dragon can move so silently, I’ll never know.

  “I see you cannot only sit, but stand and walk. You’re an amazing Healer. As I’ve always told you.” He wiggles his brow bones and makes me grin.

  “We need to move. It’s been days and we’re too far from Hu’gan.” I look across the vista.

  “Truer words never spoken. Grab something to eat and then we’ll prepare to go.” Dreyth dodges out of the cave to do the same.

  Grifton is shuffling about when I return to the fire pit. “Thanks for your help, Grifton.”

  He shrugs. “I didn’t do much. But, I am sorry for hurting you.”

  “Hurting me?” I’m puzzled.

  “Dreyth was afraid to move your arm. He thought he’d use too much pressure. You couldn’t heal yourself, without your hands moving to the broken parts. I had to do that for you. You screamed every time.” He hung his head.

  “Thank you, First Knight. Thank you for doing what I was unable to do and for having courage to continue helping me even when I cried out in pain. You healed me as much as I did.”

  A lopsided smile meets my face and I feel a wave of tension dissipate. I bump his shoulder with mine and his smile grows bigger. Digging into my bag I tear off hunks of cheese and bread, and share with him. We stand together as the friends we were when we started this Dragon Rider journey, years ago. There’s a lightness to my heart I haven’t felt for a while. Even knowing what we’ll be facing in the days to come, it doesn’t quell the h
umming as I prepare for travel. A friend by your side certainly eases one’s troubles.

  Dreyth returns before I have to lug saddle and bags to the entrance. As I place the saddle on him and cinch it down, he rumbles. I peer around his legs to be greeted with a toothy-smile.

  “Welcome back, Seyra.”

  I smile too. I know what he meant. For a time, I traveled between here and there. It’s because of the great love of the three around me I was able to return whole. Without difficulty I climb upon Dreyth, strap myself into the harness and turn to see Grifton giving me a thumbs-up sign. I grin and lean forward running one hand down Dreyth’s side. He rumbles under me and shoots off through the cave’s opening. I catch my breath. Thank the Stars and Moon, I’m flying again. A tear flies away from my cheek as I embrace this new day where all things are possible—until they aren’t.

  We’ve traveled until the sun has passed far behind us and still no sign of Hu’gan and Elky. Or any of the other Beljeem warriors. Dreyth has us fine-tuned to the path Hu’gan travels. Alas, we are far behind them.

  Occasionally, Dreyth reaches out to the dragons but has no response. Frustration boils deeply within—had I not fallen, we wouldn’t be so far behind. Because of me, we’ve wasted days and that could be the difference of overtaking the Xi.

  Before the nightfall, we land to eat and find shelter. Being somewhat sheltered at the base of the foothills, I pick my way through tumbled boulders to refill the water bladders. The stream is clear, and the water sweet. Returning to Dreyth’s side, I lean against a boulder and quench my thirst, the back of my hand dragging away the spilt liquid.

  Grifton joins me. “Athan looks for shelter, then he’ll hunt.”

  “Good. We’ve traveled long enough for today. It feels good to stand and stretch.”

  “He hasn’t heard from any dragons.” Grifton kicks at the gravel around his feet.

  “Neither has Dreyth. I worry that the Xi have found them and blocked us from speaking to them, like they did Ustice and Elky.” The words have hardly fallen from my lips as I realize my blunder. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry, Grifton. I’m sure it’s that they’re still too far away.”

  He's quiet for a moment. Swallowing a hard gulp, his eyes directly meet mine. “You didn’t say anything I hadn’t already thought. I know we travel days behind, but to not see indications of their passing bothers me.”

  I nod in understanding. “True. But logically, we fly high above the ground and don’t stop frequently, not exploring any of the passing areas. It’s possible we have missed seeing rings of campfires, discarded clothing or the skins and bones of the dragons’ dinners. The positive is that Elky can shield the dragons close to her and render the riders invisible.” Placing my hand against his arm, I continue. “They’re more protected than we are against the Xi.”

  Athan swoops down. “I’ve found a cave. Follow me.” Grifton jumps into his saddle as I climb into mine. Dreyth follows on Athan’s tail.

  The cave is small but not cramped. It will provide good shelter from the cold tonight. We work on unsaddling the dragons so they can hunt more freely. Athan hunts first. Upon his return, Dreyth leaves. Hunkering down near the fire Grifton laid, I rustle through my saddlebags for food. Grifton still has bread and gives me a chunk as I chew on dried deer meat.

  The cave now glows amber in the firelight. Night falls quickly in the foothills; I hope Dreyth has no troubles finding food. I rearrange my food pack and move my saddlebag with clothes behind my head. I close my eyes listening to the crackle of the fire, seeing their bright flashes even behind closed lids. I shift on my bags. Something sharp is poking me. Sitting up, I move my hand in the bag and notice light. The crystal!

  Slinging the bag into my lap, I dig it out with the edge of my cloak. A fine trail of golden light emits and weaves towards the cave’s entrance. I rush to the opening and I’m almost plowed down by Dreyth.

  “I saw fire light when I hunted. We have to see whose it is. Load up.” Dreyth announces as I point to the light.

  “What’s this?” he asks.

  “I just discovered it in my bag. When I took the crystal out, the light left a trail.”

  “Hurry! It guides us to somewhere.”

  Grifton and I rush to reload the saddles, packs and bags. The adrenaline is raging through my body. The thought of sleep takes wings with the trail of golden light. Stars and Moon! Let us be in time to help any in trouble.

  We drop out of the cave and fly by the light of the crescent moon and the thin golden trail. I wedge the crystal within the strappings in front of my saddle, alternately watching it and the trail it weaves. In the distance, I see the campfire glow. Dreyth climbs higher into the darkness of the sky until we circle silently overhead. He rumbles his thoughts to me. “These are our dragons and people. It looks to be thirty or so. I still can’t contact them. I worry this is a ruse, to lead us down to them, then attack us.”

  “I don’t know, Dreyth. The golden trail leads to them. There are no Stone dragons?”

  “None that I can see. There are plenty of rock outcroppings close by. They could be in hiding. Why else would our own not hear my call?”

  I can’t answer that question. I only know where the light guides us as well as what Dreyth saw from the distance. “We have to risk it. If they are our own, we need to be with them.”

  His rumble answers without words. We fall from the darkness towards the edge of the encampment. As soon as we land, roars erupt from the perimeter. Dreyth and Athan rush to the center and stir the dragons, riders and warriors. The crystal comes to life, sending gold, silver and blue light around us. We are inside a dome of light with flames licking the exterior.

  Slowly, the people inside the dome stir. The dragons still sleep.

  “Elky!” Grifton shouts, and runs to her.

  I spot Hu’gan and carry the crystal to him. He blinks repetitively and looks like he has been asleep. Dreyth stares across the group now trapped within the light dome.

  “You should not be here,” Hu’gan intones, his face devoid of emotion.

  “Hu’gan, look! We found this in a cave. It has the markings of the three.”

  His head pivots unnaturally, eyes milky-white and level. He isn’t even glancing at the crystal. My gut flip-flops. Are we too late?

  Turning my head, Grifton is dragging Elky towards me, a fierce look in his eyes. I bite my lip. She looks like the last time the Xi had her. A shell…

  Once Grifton is next to me, I see his sheer determination. He grabs her hand and puts it on the crystal, then he places his on top. Glaring at me, I know what he wants. I lay mine over theirs. I don’t know what it will do, but for Grifton, I will stand here as long as it takes to help him with Elky. Looking down at our hands, I see the pulsing of the crystal. A burning heat flares from within. It feels like our hands will be fused against it. I try to pull my hand away and I can’t.

  Suddenly, there is an explosion of sound that knocks everyone within the dome to the ground. My ears feel shattered. The crystal stands in the center of Elky, Grifton and myself, still streaming the colorful dome but the pulsating has stopped.

  Elky cries out, “I knew you’d find us! You never follow orders, do you brother?” Grifton falls against his sister, holding her tight.

  The rest within our dome of protection are moving, slowly coming out of their trance. Hu’gan joins us. “I do not know what or how you did what you’ve done, but we thank you.” He raises a brow to Grifton and is met with a shrug. Hu’gan lets a half-smile slip on his face and bows his head. “Can anyone tell me about this dome?”

  I direct his eyes to the crystal, telling him where we found it and about the markings both on the walls and the crystal. Rather than touching it, he raises his arms and levitates it to eye level. His finger rotates and so does the crystal. He looks at Grifton and myself as he tugs his beard. “It was a brave thing you did to touch this crystal.”

  In shock, I blurt, “Why?”

  “This
is an old magic. It is not meant for man or dragon. In my old country, there is a tale of this crystal. It was placed in the world as it birthed. It contains the protection of Divinity. The tale states it can never be moved or devastation will occur. Three powerful ones may approach it and seek its help. Only the three chosen will find its hiding place. I don’t know how you were able to come in contact with it, but it has saved us.” He places a hand on my shoulder as he allows the crystal to rest against the ground.

  “I didn’t want to move it, but we felt we had no choice…”

  “I’m thankful for the risk taken. The Xi ambushed us and put us in their control. The noise from the crystal broke their hold on us. As soon as this dome drops, we must fight those that remain. They released the Stone dragons to overtake the Spires. We have to stop them.”

  I see the shadows of the swirling lizard-dragons outside of the dome, searching for a way in. By eliminating the Xi and their dragons, we stand a greater chance of battling the Stone dragons when we reach them. “Riders, mount your dragons!”

  Hu’gan raises the crystal and places it in the webbing of the strappings around Dreyth and shakes his head in disbelief. We take our places around the dome, dragons side-by-side around the perimeter. My Ziphan clutched in my right hand I see Grifton at my left, holding his sword high. Elky, to my right, weaves her magic of shielding across all dragons within. Hu’gan is next to her… not sitting, but crouched low on his dragon, Jenkor.

  Since the crystal reacted of its own volition, I’m unsure of how to drop the dome of protection. I feel eyes turning in my direction. “Dome, down!” I say with conviction. The dragons stomp and prepare to leap into battle but the dome remains. I catch Dreyth’s look as his head turns towards me and I shrug my shoulders. This crystal didn’t come with instructions to operate. I hear the belly-fires of dragons ready for battle. Exhaling a held breath, I place my left hand above the top of the crystal and instantaneously the dome disappears and we come face to face with the Xi.

  Chaos breaks out as roars flame and claws rip from dragon to dragon. Hu’gan leaps to one wingless dragon and stabs the Xi in his neck then tosses him away from the dragon. He runs and lodges a blade deep into the dragon’s skull and flips to the next dragon. Flames don’t touch our dragons, as Elky’s shield holds. Dreyth shreds the bobbing dragon in front of us. I’m shocked to see Grifton throwing fireballs, catching Xi Warriors and dragons alike in its blaze. The sound of the battle slams against my eardrums, roars and screams shattering the night air.