“Where are our wyverns?” Shazza demanded.
Everyone instantly rounded on Kkorian.
He raised his hands in defense. “I swear I didn’t touch them!”
“Yeah rig– ” Kitfox froze and sniffed the air. With a growl, he turned and jumped onto Helios’ back and scanned the surrounding land. He groaned in defeat. “There they go, ridden by you-know-who and his gang.”
Thera spread her wings and took flight only to land on the highest point of the gate. Shazza soon joined her, using her Dákun Daju height and strength to boost her to the top. I frowned, wishing for the same vantage point. Helios’s tail suddenly snaked around me and lifted me up so that I was beside Kitfox. The Fox Demon held me steady and showed me where to look.
“Yup, that’s them.” I sighed. “Great.”
“It is going to be a long walk back to Kamédan,” Shazza muttered.
“Why walk?” Helios looked at me over his shoulder. “You have four dragons to ride.”
I stared at Helios, dumbfounded, as the others whooped.
“I never even thought of that.”
Kitfox chuckled and squeezed my shoulders. “Don’t worry, Xy. None of us did.”
The four of us returned to the ground and faced Kkorian. After a round of apologies to him, we set about making a camp for the night. Helios instructed us on how to create rudimentary saddles for dragon riding. Then we ate, and the five of us fell asleep beneath Helios’s wings.
I was once told ‘bravery is stupidity that gets a statue after’. I must be pretty stupid, because this is the bravest thing I have ever done.
– FROM “CONVERSATIONS WITH AMOREZ” BY DJURDAK ZA’CAR
Long after the suns had vanished and the three moons came out in full, a shadow snuck away from Xyleena’s camp. Once safely out of hearing range, the shadow whistled a bird’s call. An answer came from farther ahead. The shadow ran along until it reached a rocky outcrop. It paused to catch a breath as two more shadows silently joined it.
“Here’s what you were after,” whispered the first shadow, handing over a scrap of parchment. “You better get a move on. They’re flying back to Kamédan in the morning via dragon back.”
“Blast!” The second shadow hissed. “I need you to stick with them for a while longer.”
“Fine. But me price just tripled.”
“What? Why, you ungrateful– ”
“Hey, mate, you didn’t tell me I’d be dealing with a Tahda’varett Demon and a Dákun Daju. Not to mention all the crazy thingos they go through on a day-to-day basis. That’s why me price went up.”
The second shadow growled. “Fine. But if you don’t get my any useful information on them, I will gut you.”
“No worries, mate. I’ll get you what you need.”
The second shadow tossed him something. “Take this.”
“What is it?”
“A mirror. Pox enchanted it so we can communicate through it. It works as a simple pocket mirror until you utter ‘Dasum meo Dimitri’ to it.”
“Dasum meo? That’s Kinös Elda, isn’t it?”
“Of course. Now be gone,” the third shadow ordered as it briskly walked away.
The second shadow followed a moment later.
“Bloody Dákun Daju rats,” the first shadow muttered. Then with a sigh, it raced back to Xyleena’s camp.
◆◆◆
“Do you really think we can trust that moronic Hume to finish the job?” Godilai whispered as she watched Dimitri pace before the fire.
He paused to flash her the slip of paper and took to pacing again. “Kkorian got the runes from the black statue. That means we have four of the twelve keys to unlocking the Dragons’ Gate.” Dimitri removed his father’s diary from his backpack and turned to the page with the handwritten clues scribed across it.
“‘The greatest secret lies just beyond Human eyes on an isle.’ And this last one, ‘Moving by day.’ What is it pointing to?”
Godilai sighed unhappily. “I neither know nor care at the moment.”
Dimitri froze in his tracks and glared at her.
“The individual pieces aren’t going to make sense until we acquire more of the riddle. Plus, I am more concerned with Xyleena having obtained a third of her dragons.”
“I am aware of this, Godilai.”
“Then why don’t we do something?” she roared.
The pair was quiet, listening as Vincent snored loudly and rolled over while smacking his lips. Godilai shook her head and rolled her eyes in annoyance.
“What would you suggest? Hmm?” Dimitri moved to stand in front of her. “Taking them in their sleep? They have a dragon watching over them right now. We would not stand a chance. We have tried and tried and tried to steal the diary, and each time we have come up short. Ambushes do not work, because the Feykin brat and the Demon can sense them. So what should we do, Godilai?”
The Godilaied Dákun Daju glared at him, then spat and looked away. “There isn’t anything we can do. At least not until we’ve found the Dragons’ Gate.”
“And that is why I’ve hired Kkorian. He can slip us the information we need to keep up with Xyleena’s team, which was your idea to begin with.” Dimitri knelt and took her hands in his.
She slowly looked at him again.
“Please, Godilai, bear with me. We will come up with a plan soon, but for now at least we must be patient.”
“I just hope we can trust this Kkorian moron to uphold his end of the bargain.” Godilai stood.
Dimitri nodded in agreement. “Wake the others. We’ll have to warp to Kamédan in order to keep up with Xyleena’s team.” Dimitri kissed her hand and stood. “I will release the wyverns. No sense in taking all nine of them with us.”
Godilai nodded and ducked into the tent where Vincent and Pox slept. Dimitri, on the other hand, looked skyward and whispered a prayer to the stars.
I had to keep her from giving in to despair. So I cornered her, stared her down, and said, “A dream does not become reality through magic or because you wish it so; it takes sweat, determination, hard work, and, yes, sometimes failure. You want to know what your greatest weakness is, Amorez? Giving up. You cannot do that now; you must not! Always try just one more time; you will either find a way, or make one!” It worked.
– FROM “AN ONLOOKER’S JOURNAL” BY THERNU ONYX
I woke just as dawn was beginning to break. In the pale-blue light that filtered through Helios’s wing, I could see Kitfox fast asleep. I admired him as he sighed contently. He hugged his tail with one arm, while I used the other for a pillow. I frowned and quietly snuck out of the shelter made of Helios’s wings.
I shivered as the cold air washed over me. With a sigh, I moved away from our small camp. I did not go very far, just far enough so that I could watch the suns rise over the ocean.
“It is the sixteenth day after the summer solstice,” I whispered to the wind as Aruvan slowly rose. A sad smile made its way to my lips. “Happy birthday, Ríhan.”
“Are you all right, Xyleena?” Helios’s inquiry carried over to me.
I was quiet as I glanced at the white dragon over my shoulder. “Hey, Helios, can I ask you something?”
“You may ask me anything.”
I looked back out over the ocean. “What advice would you give to a person whose heart is torn in two? One half is dedicated to her first love, the one who died, while the other half is growing fond of another.”
“So you are confused about your feelings for Kitfox and Ríhan.”
I gasped and looked up at Helios. His blue eyes sparkled in a mix of understanding and sympathy. “I saw how you reacted when Kitfox nearly died while saving you from the dire wolf. You care deeply for him. Yet it is not the same as the love you shared with Ríhan.”
“I know I can never get Ríhan back, but I just can’t seem to let go.” Tears welled in my eyes. “I’m not sure I want to let him go.”
“Xyleena.” Helios’s tone turned firm, almost scolding. “It
makes no sense to be in love with someone who is no longer alive. To have fond memories of that person is fine, but clinging to them as if they are still alive is a waste of your life. You have been through that before and I would hate to see you suffer through it again. Please, for your sake, you need to move on.”
I frowned at the dragon’s words. “What if I can’t?”
Helios sighed. “What went through your mind when you saw that you might lose Kitfox?”
I was quiet for a while as I recalled the event that nearly ended the Fox Demon’s life. The tears began to roll down my cheeks. “When I saw Kitfox like that I…I panicked.”
“You thought it was Ríhan all over again. Another man was sacrificing himself to save you– a man you have come to love almost as much as he loves you.”
I collapsed to my knees as the dragon’s words sank in. I knew it was true, but I did not want it to be. I did not want to love Kitfox, because…because I could not stand the thought of losing him. I hugged myself and bawled openly. Strong arms suddenly surrounded me, rocking me gently.
“Shh. Shh. Everything is okay.”
I gasped at Kitfox’s voice and looked up at him. With an anguished cry, I threw my arms around him and cried into his shoulder. He just sat there, holding me.
It was several long minutes before I calmed down. Kitfox continued to hold me, slowly rubbing my back. I sighed and backed away slightly to look into his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Kitf—”
“You don’t have to apologize, Xy.” He smiled sweetly and wiped away my tears. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
“Do you think you are ready to face the others? They’ve been worried about you for the last twenty minutes.” His ears twitched and turned to listen to the others behind us.
I glanced over his shoulder. Kkorian was staring at us wide eyed, while Shazza and Thera spoke quietly to each other.
“I’ll have to eventually.” I sighed. “I just don’t want to answer a thousand questions about this.”
Kitfox chuckled. “Me neither, actually.”
“So what do we tell them?”
“Hmm…” Kitfox slowly got to his feet and helped me up. “Do you think a bad dream will work on them?”
“I hope so.”
Together Kitfox and I made our way back to the others. To my surprise, none of them asked about my little breakdown. They just inquired about how I felt.
“I’m fine, really. Just an overreaction to a bad dream.”
“Okay,” I could tell Thera did not believe the explanation I offered. Thankfully, she chose to hold her tongue instead of putting a voice to her thoughts. “Are you feeling well enough to travel?”
“Are you kidding? I can’t wait to get out of here,” I said, glancing sideways at the twisted iron gate that guarded over the tomb.
“The feeling is mutual,” murmured Shazza.
“So let’s get a move on.” Kitfox strode past me to start cleaning up our camp.
I nodded and moved to help him, but Thera grabbed my arm.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” She stared into my eyes.
I slowly smiled and clasped her hand. “I will be fine. I just need something to get my mind off of the things that haunt me.”
“I recommend dealing with your problems quickly.” Thera finally released my arm. “They will drag you down so far that you will not be of any use to us in this quest or the fight against Dimitri.”
I frowned at her words. Though I knew what she said was true, I was angry about being coddled, especially since she did not know the whole truth about my problems.
“I’ll deal with it.”
“I hope you do,” Thera whispered and walked away to help the others pack up.
I turned and brushed my fingers across the jewels of the amulet. A moment later, I threw my hand in the air.
“I release you all!”
Wind, earth, and ice erupted from the dragon eye. The three elements separated as they whirled around and then congealed into their respective dragons. The roars ripped the air.
“Gods! That was bloody amazing!” Kkorian exclaimed.
“And loud,” Kitfox complained as he rubbed his ears. “Every time you dragons do that, I get a headache.”
“Plug your ears,” Kkaia replied.
Kitfox growled at her.
Helios chuckled as he moved to join the other three dragons. “Now, now, sister. Play nice.”
Kkaia snorted and sat on her haunches. “So why have you summoned all of us?”
“I thought you guys could hear everything I hear when you are in the eye.” I quirked an eyebrow at the four dragons.
“That is true, hatchling. But we only hear and see everything you do when we enter your mind.” Vortex lowered his head to my height as he spoke. “When we are completely within the dragon eye, we cannot hear anything.”
I shook my head. “Okay, so you didn’t hear our plan to fly back to Kamédan?”
Atoka chuckled. “We did now.”
I rolled my eyes.
“When did you want to leave?”
◆◆◆
A little over an hour later, all nine of us were airborne. The four dragons flew in a formation so close they nearly brushed wingtips. To my left Kitfox whooped in obvious enjoyment of the flight astride Atoka. To my right Kkorian clung tightly to Shazza in fear of falling from Kkaia’s back as she beat her wings. Thera, on the other hand, worked on translating the next portion of the riddle while she rode on Vortex.
“I remember the first time we flew together like this,” Helios said with amusement.
Vortex chuckled. “We were still hatchlings, probably about as long as Shazza is tall.”
“That was so long ago. I’m surprised we can remember it like it was yesterday,” Kkaia replied. “It was shortly after Amorez had finished her year-and-a-half-long dragon quest.”
“No. Remember? She called it the dragon hope,” Atoka said.
“Why did Amorez call it that?”
I barely heard Kitfox’s question over the rush of wind.
“We were the last hope to ending Agasei’s evil reign,” Helios answered. “Had we failed to stop him and the Shadow Dragons, the world would have been completely swallowed by darkness.”
“Agasei was so bent on revenge that the dark power from the Shadow Dragons was choking life from the entire planet,” Atoka added. “During the Dark Keeper’s reign, so many people were either murdered or dead by disease and famine that the population dwindled to almost nothing.”
Vortex nodded slightly. “It took the planet centuries to recover from that devastation.”
“When we finally faced Agasei in battle, the Shadow Dragons were much older and stronger than we were, but we were still able to defeat them!” Kkaia exclaimed. “The people of this planet rejoiced, and we were declared heroes for all time.”
“Your story is still told,” I replied. “But I’m afraid that many of the details of the battle have been lost or forgotten.”
“That is depressing to hear,” Helios said, glancing back at me for a moment.
I nodded in agreement and chanced a glance downward just as the cliffs marking the fault line whipped by. We had just covered five days of travel via wyvernback in a little over two hours.
I smiled. “At this rate we should be back in Kamédan by nightfall.”
We passed the time listening to the four dragons tell stories about their adventures with Amorez.
◆◆◆
It was shortly after sunset when the crystal castle of Kamédan came into view. Shazza suggested having the dragons land in the royal gardens. The dragons obliged, back-winging and landing in perfect formation amidst the fauna and fountains.
Once the five of us dismounted, I thanked the dragons for their help. I watched as the four of them faded into their elements and swirled around. They entered the dragon eye amulet with flashes of light, and the four jewels marking their presence shone with their
essence.
Cheers of joy made me freeze. I looked over my shoulder toward the gate. Hundreds of people were pressed against it, cheering and applauding happily.
“Wave,” Kitfox whispered in my ear.
I blushed and slowly raised my hand to wave to the people at the gate. Their cheers grew even louder.
“I wasn’t expecting this kind of reaction,” Shazza muttered, staring in awe at everyone gathered.
“If it’s any consolation to you, I wasn’t expecting it either,” I said with a goofy sort of smile.
Shazza flashed a halfhearted smile.
“I think the crowd is growing,” Thera chuckled and glanced at the Dákun Daju. “I hope your royal guards can hold the gate.”
“Likewise.” Shazza nodded. “I’ll send some reinforcements once we are inside the castle.”
“Wait a second!” Kkorian exclaimed. “You are the queen?”
Kitfox smacked the back of Kkorian’s head. “Don’t you know anything? Of course she’s the queen of Katalania.”
“That hurt, mate.” Kkorian rubbed the back of his head. “And no, I didn’t know that Shazza was the queen. If I did, I wouldn’t have enjoyed the ride so much.”
Shazza rolled her eyes. “Let’s go. Do whatever you want inside until we meet again at the table for some dinner. Once the cooks are notified of my return, it should be only an hour or so before a meal is served.”
“Thank you, Shazza-sortim,” I said as I turned to follow her inside.
Thera and Kitfox were at my side a moment later. Kkorian took one last, long look at all the people at the gate before he followed after us.
◆◆◆
I sighed contentedly as I sank into the hot water. The maids had drawn me a bath to relax in, complete with scented salts. I let the spicy-sweet scent wash over me as I closed my eyes and let my mind wander.
Ascension Page 30
