Keep the dragonlet safe.
Why hadn’t they been at Haz’drazen’s Council? Why hadn’t their voices been heard? They knew who Nasataa was and who I was because of him.
We are not like other dragons. We prefer our privacy.
Well, that was a poor policy right now. Right now, all dragons needed to stick together.
We had almost caught up with Heron who was clutching Nasataa to his chest as if he could protect the little dragon forever, spinning the super-rock in wide loops as he waited for us. Nasataa squirmed away, launching himself at me and then scrambling to grip my shoulders and back in a sort of swimmer’s piggy-back. That was fine by me. The closer he stayed, the happier I would be.
Heron’s eyes showed his concern as he helped me grab one of the handles of the super-rock. He was worried about me. I gave him a bright smile. No need to let worry take over when we were all still alive. Besides, I’d learned a lesson just now.
Gratitude was a powerful thing. Powerful enough to destroy the most powerful of enemies.
Hubric joined us, grabbing the last handle and we let the super-rock tow us forward into the current.
I felt bold, the warmth in my chest growing as I kept thinking of all the things I was grateful for. For Renny and Halana who had loved me as a daughter for most of my life. For Nasataa who had turned my world upside down just by being born. For Heron who would never give up on me. For Vyvera who had died to help us all. For Hubric who was here now to help guide. For Taoslil who had believed in me. I felt warm all over.
And then, up ahead, three Manticores plunged into the water, ripping the big metal orb from its cable.
I would have screamed if I could scream underwater. Bubbles hazed everything in a flurry of activity as their wings and feet beat the water, pulling the orb upward and breaking through the surface.
I let go of the super-rock and swam up. I had to know what was happening. They hadn’t believed in me, but that didn’t mean that they deserved to be taken by Manticores!
I gasped as I saw them climbing up through the air with their wings fighting, battling for height. The door of the orb opened, and a figure tumbled out – a figure all dressed in white with his face swathed in cloth. He fell like a broken doll, landing awkwardly with a smack on the water downriver and spinning away.
I gasped as a head popped out of the orb just for long enough to confirm that the body was gone. Atura’s gaze caught on me and I could have sworn she was laughing when she mock saluted me before ducking back into her orb.
Someone needed to catch them! Someone needed to stop them! Her Ilerioc guards were innocent in all of this and now they were her captives!
I spun in the water, looking for the Drazenloft and the dragons and that’s when I saw what was happening above us.
I almost sank back into the water in horror.
Above me, the sky was dark with bodies, occasionally lit up by a stream of fire as dragons fought Manticores – hundreds upon hundreds of them. A massive body fell in the distance – so far away that I couldn’t tell if it was friend or foe. Smoke billowed up from the landscape beyond.
And then a horrific cry sounded from above me and I looked straight up to see a dragon – eyes glazed with death – plummeting toward the river.
I ducked under just in time to see him plunge through the water upstream. Strong hands gripped me, pulling me out of the way as the huge body floated along with the current.
I looked back at Heron and we shared a look of horror.
That peaceful, paradise world of Haz’drazen’s was a battlefield now. And there was nowhere to hide – not on land, or underground, in the water, or in the sky.
My heart was racing as a new body plunged under the water – a purple dragon, gnarled with age and with an angry sneer on his face. Ice shot through me at his underwater glare, but his gaze darted past me as if he was searching and then his head pulled out of the water again.
Someone was shaking my arm.
I spun to see Hubric signaling to us to surface.
But there were angry dragons and Manticores above! Better to stay down here where it was safe. I shook my head, refusing his direction.
He tugged again, pointing above insistently and then swam up toward the surface without waiting for us. I turned to Heron but he just shook his head, shrugged, and followed.
“What are you thinking?” I asked as soon as my head broke the surface, between my usual gasping sputters at switching from water to air again. “This is madness.”
“The water is too slow,” Hubric said, gasping as he swam toward shore. “We need to be faster.”
“The enemy is all around!” I objected, pointing to where a black dragon fell in the distance, one of his wings broken in half. I clutched at Nasataa. He shouldn’t be seeing this. He was just a baby.
“We’ll go back underwater when we’re clear of it. We just need to get to the ocean,” Hubric said, a determined look on his face.
“No!” I said, more forcefully than I needed to. “That’s heading right into danger! We can’t walk to the ocean over the mountains anyway!”
We weren’t planning on walking. My wings work just fine.
The cranky voice was from the gnarled purple dragon. He stepped out from around a rock on the riverbank, flaring fire at a cloud of flies stirred up along the riverbank.
I thought dragons didn’t like talking to humans. So then why were all of them talking to me all the time?
I guess you’re lucky.
“We’re going to fly?” I asked, suddenly less sure of myself.
“It’s faster. We’ll stay close to the surface of the water. If you need to drop into it, Kyrowat here will let you jump. Good compromise? I thought so,” Hubric said, talking over any objections. “Hurry. We don’t have much time.”
Chapter Eighteen
We were still tightening our straps when Kyrowat kicked up into the air, bobbing awkwardly as he tried to find a good rhythm close to the surface of the water.
“We’re too heavy for him!” Heron called to Hubric.
“Tell me something I don’t know, boy.”
“He won’t be able to carry us for long!”
“He won’t have to.”
“The patches are worn out. If he falls into the water, you and I will be in big trouble,” Heron pressed.
“Would you stop whining?” Hubric’s tone was irritable, but he reached behind him with a wrapped package and shoved it into Heron’s hand. “There’s a dozen more. Happy? Now quiet down and let’s try not to die.”
I’d only ever flown on such a wild and wobbling trajectory once before and the dragon I’d been riding that time had been dying. Kyrowat seemed almost as erratic as he followed the course of the river, dodging falling opponents and allies alike.
“There’s another one, Kyro! Watch your tail!” Hubric called and we dodged roughly to the side.
I looked up, high above me, and caught a flash of light as the sun reflected off the side of the orb. The Manticores had carried it high above us and they were still climbing, trying to reach a huge group of them even higher up.
As I watched, another white-clad figure dropped.
“Jeriath!” I gasped – though I couldn’t be sure it was him. But something about the way he fell made me think it was. “Hubric, can we catch him?”
Hubric’s snarl was indecipherable, but the way Kyrowat turned in the air, flapping hard to gain height suggested that maybe we could.
“Seleska, tuck your staff in the saddle so you don’t spear him like a sunfish!” Hubric called. “Heron. Hand her the dragonlet, and get ready. You’re going to catch. Let’s see if those big arms of yours are good for something, eh?”
“Can Kyrowat take the weight?” Heron asked as we all scrambled to obey.
“Stop doubting my dragon. He can breathe fire and he’ll flame you to cinders if you keep annoying him.”
Heron and I shared a worried look – irritated or not, Kyrowat seemed overloaded alr
eady. But what other choice was there?
We spun suddenly to the side and I curled over Nasataa, protecting him. We must be close!
There was a grunt from behind me and then Kyrowat dropped. I held my breath counting the seconds. After long moments of me clenching my eyes shut and holding onto Nasataa as hard as I could, he leveled off, his feet kicking up spray as they skimmed the water.
I spun to look back. Heron held Jeriath. It was definitely him! He slumped over Heron’s lap bleeding profusely from the head.
“I don’t know if he’s dead.” Heron was trying to feel for a pulse.
“Nothing you can do about it if he is. Everyone hold on tight!” Hubric called and then Kyrowat kicked forward with more speed than I would have guessed he could muster.
I glanced behind us to see a pair of Manticores splitting off from a group and flying toward us at full speed.
Seleska? That was Taoslil. He was still alive. I breathed a sigh of relief. If you had passed the tests, we would have given you more information. Now that you are fleeing, you still need it. There were keys – three of them. You need them to unlock the Haroc under the ocean.
Keys?
No time for questions. Just listen. None of us might survive this battle.
The Manticores were gaining despite all of Kyrowat’s work. Could a dragon die from over-exertion?
I could see the ocean now, just a silver line in the distance.
The first key is in the Dominion. The second in a place now called Ko’Torenth. The third in the lands known as Baojang. Your rival will know this, and she will be seeking them, too. You must get them before she can. And you must hurry.
But those were just countries. A key could be anywhere in a country!
Ask my brother for help. He will know where to start looking. I have to –
His voice cut off.
Taoslil? Taoslil?
There was no answer.
A loud snarl from behind made me jump in the saddle.
I looked behind me to see a Manticore grab Kyrowat’s tail.
We were too late! They had us!
I couldn’t take my eyes off the ugly creature as his rotten teeth bit into Kyrowat’s purple scales. The dragon roared in pain and Nasataa keened loudly. Had he been hurt? I looked over him frantically, but he seemed to be sharing Kyrowat’s pain, not feeling pain of his own.
The Manticore shook Kyrowat and we bounced with him as he fought with his wings to get his balance in the air again.
Nasataa’s keen was louder and I could feel him now in my mind, projecting an image of what he saw, loud and vibrant. I blinked hard, one hand coming up to my head to try to block the pain.
But I needed to get the staff and aim it at the Manticore. Why hadn’t I thought of that?
I reached for it, but at that moment, the river below parted, and three huge creatures leapt up into the air.
Blue Dragons.
They were huge – dwarfing Kyrowat and even the Manticores. How had they even fit in the river? And they leapt like dolphins, arching up beautifully, light flashing off their scales as two of them snatched the Manticores up in wide-open mouths – ripping the one off of Kyrowat’s tail with a wrenching shake – and then dove back into the murky river.
The third Manticore had risen under Kyrowat, his back accidentally buoying the older dragon up and then as the Blue Dragon surged forward, we surged forward with him, balanced on his shoulders as he sped toward the sea, legs and tail still in the river.
I had no idea a Blue Dragon could move so fast. We sped past land, past the river bank, past the looming hills and mountains and we were nearly as far as the sea when he finally sank below the water, leaving Kyrowat to flap tiredly to the shore.
Don’t stop until you find the keys.
He vanished beneath the waves, leaving me blinking at a wide horizon with no idea what do to next.
Episode Five: Waves of Destiny
Chapter One
Behind us, screams and flares of flame still reached us as we left the Lands of Haz’drazen.
“Keep him from squirming!” Hubric called over his shoulder.
Wind tore at my wet clothing, drying the special underwater suit quickly. I clung to Nasataa as Kyrowat flew low over the edges of the ocean where the river tumbled into it, kicking up mud and fish where freshwater met salt.
Jeriath thrashed as Heron tried to keep him pinned in place.
“Traitors! Traitors!” he muttered.
“We’re hardly the ones who let Manticores into the Lands of Haz’Drazen!” I objected. “If anyone is a traitor, he is for supporting Atura!”
“I think he’s feverish,” Heron said. “His head is hot.”
“Why would he be feverish? I thought he was hit in the head.”
“He was. Look, he’s bleeding!” Heron was dabbing at Jeriath’s head with part of his head covering. The man’s scarf had dropped from his face, but I didn’t know if that ghastly pale green skin was normal for an Ilerioc or a sign of fever taking hold.
“Quiet!” Hubric’s command silenced us. I listened for what was worrying him but all I could hear were Kyrowat’s wings flapping hard in the air and a tiny keening sound from Nasataa. I hugged him closer. He was getting too big for me to hold well, my arms barely wrapped all the way around him anymore.
When had he found the time to grow so much?
Kyrowat ducked behind a large standing rock, landing awkwardly on the sandy beach behind it and we all held our breath waiting for whatever Hubric had heard. Something hit me hard in the back.
Oof! What was that?
I looked behind me to see what had hit me.
Heron had Jeriath in some kind of lock, keeping him pinned under one arm while his hand was pressed tight over the man’s mouth. Oh. He must have hit me as he thrashed. There was something wrong with Jeriath. Something that we’d need to dig into as soon as we dared stop.
His eyes looked wild and glazed at the same time, like he didn’t know where he was.
We didn’t dare to stop yet – not for long.
“Jeriath,” I hissed. “You’re okay. Calm down.”
“Shh,” Heron warned me, looking over his shoulder.
There was the sound of flapping wings and I relaxed for a moment until I heard an order barked sharply. Rock Eaters! I’d heard that language before!
They were just on the other side of that rock! At least a dozen, maybe more. And the sounds of wings and the crunch of something eating suggested it wasn’t just humans. Were those – those weren’t – Manticores, were they?
But they must be.
How had all these Rock Eaters and Manticores gotten here? The Troglodyte had opened up a portal to send us through to the dragons. But they couldn’t have all come through that – could they? They had to have had some other way to get here.
Nasataa made a small noise and I petted him gently, trying to keep my shushing sounds as quiet as humanly possible. One dragon with five passengers on his back was no match for however many Manticores were out there.
Speak for yourself.
Oh. He was still talking to me.
Only when you insult me.
Well, it wasn’t insulting to say that a dozen Manticores could take one old dragon, was it?
A dozen? There are thirty out there by my count.
See? Well, then he couldn’t be insulted that I thought he was no match for them. I was just worried about his health.
Uh huh. If you think that’s true then you don’t know much about dragons. You’re going to have to learn fast if you’re going to fight for our side. We are tough! Tough and strong!
Whoa! I wasn’t fighting for anyone. I was just trying to protect Nasataa!
What do you think being his protector means? It means you are the guardian to our Chosen One. Whether you realize it or not, you are fighting on our side!
Oh. Well. I kind of liked that. Seleska, Champion of Dragons!
Don’t get too arrogant. You aren’t actually
a dragon, he grumbled.
Maybe not, but I was the closet thing to it while still being human, wasn’t I? I felt pride swell in my breast. Seleska, Champion of Dragons.
After long minutes, the wings were flapping again, and the voices died away. We didn’t move. Maybe they set a guard to look and see if anyone came running out from behind the rocks after they left. Or maybe Kyrowat was just very tired.
Of course, I’m tired. You try carrying five others and see how you do!
Well, it wouldn’t make me so cranky that was for sure. Maybe we needed to see if any other dragons were willing to help out. We could use a few more to ride.
You think a dragon will just volunteer to carry some of you?
Well, he had, right? So, what was so crazy about seeing if anyone else would help out? They’d probably love the opportunity! We would all be great friends in no time.
There was no answer from Kyrowat. Either my question had him completely stunned, or he was sick of talking to me.
“We need a plan,” Hubric whispered eventually. “There are Manticores everywhere.”
“How could they all have come here?” I asked.
“Treachery. Someone had brought them into the Lands of Haz’Drazen.”
“Who would do that?” I asked.
Heron cleared his throat and when we looked at him he just nodded to Jeriath. “This guy maybe? Why did you save him?”
“Because no one should die like that,” I said at the same time that Hubric spoke. “And he was on my side before Atura came out with those lies about how she was saved by a dragon as a child.”
“We’re keeping him for information,” Hubric said. “We need all we can get.”
“We also need another dragon,” I said. “Kyrowat can’t carry all of us all the way to the Dominion.”
Hubric nodded tiredly but before he could speak, voices rang out in the distance again, and once again, we were huddled against the rock waiting as they passed.
After long minutes, the voices faded again.
“We could go into the sea,” I suggested. “That would be safer. And we’re all dressed for it.”
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