by Nira Steele
Andie felt the hope rising within her. This felt like an extraordinarily well-timed opportunity. Smiling happily, she clasped her hands together in her lap.
“Hey we should think about getting back soon - oh crap, I haven’t left a message for my aunt….” Jumping to her feet, Andie dashed off into the kitchen.
“Take your time,” he called out behind her. “I might start examining some of your aunt’s house spells.” Carefully positioning his blanket, Darius rose from his chair.
Andie knew this was a good sign. If he was checking things out then he really was interested in staying here.
“There’s some spare clothes in the laundry cupboard,” she called out from the kitchen. “Feel free to throw any of them on.”
“Thank you,” Darius responded from somewhere nearby.
Sitting down at the kitchen table Andie’s thoughts began filling with furtive optimism. This trip had worked out surprisingly well in the end. If her aunt agreed then Darius may have a new place to stay soon.
She could clearly see he needed the help of the Lunarians now. He could obviously do with some guidance from their Overlord. Andie imagined leading a House would require some very specific training. Without any instruction Darius would never succeed at it.
As for the evil he was detecting in Lunaris… maybe it was there? Or perhaps it was merely a creation of his mind. Andie was starting to realise how easy it was to delude oneself. Especially if you had suffered a terrible trauma.
After a short time she abandoned the pen and paper. She needed to clear her head before attempting to write to her aunt.
Heading outside Andie crossed the veranda to the short set of back stairs. Stepping down into the sunlight she gazed around at her aunt’s yard. It was so lovely out here with the bright summer wildflowers blooming everywhere. Even the collection of quirky animals seemed to enjoy this time of year.
Breezing her way across the yard Andie headed towards the chicken coop. She almost reached the high wire fence before an angry pair of yellow eyes found her.
“Oh Speckles, there you are!” Andie warbled happily. “How are you doing my lovely girl? I’ve already put out some fresh tasty pellets for you.”
But the bad-tempered chicken already had a goal.
“Hey watch out, these pants are new…. No, no don’t… ow, ow, ow, ow!”
Chapter 14 - Falling
Andie’s visit to her aunt’s home had developed into another lengthy outing.
Things had begun going downhill after Speckles assailed her in the back yard. She was forced to retreat into the house to escape from the angry bird. Andie could not understand what was going on as Speckles used to be so affectionate towards her. Sighing heavily she scratched her head as she inspected the little marks dotting her leather pants.
To top this off Andie had noticed something rather worrying outside. As she was approaching the chicken coop she had caught a nasty whiff in the air. It was the thick cloying smell of something decomposing nearby. Dreading what she would find, she crept back outside and went to check the hen house….
Groaning, Andie went to fetch a large shovel. It turned out Speckles was cranky for a very good reason. With her eyes tearing up she removed the corpses of several rats. Then she just kept on going and cleaned out the entire chicken coop.
It was at moments like these Andie really wondered about her aunt. Why would someone who travelled so much keep so many pets? How did they survive when she wasn’t here to take care of them? They should have starved or drowned in their own filth by now.
Well everything except for the hairy goat. The crotchety old beast could probably survive a nuclear winter.
In the end Andie managed to genuinely exhaust herself. The yard tidying took her well over an hour to complete.
Slumping her way back into the house she found an unexpected treat waiting for her. Sitting on the kitchen table was a freshly made pot of tea. This was impressive - Darius had even put a placemat underneath it. Smiling to herself Andie poured a cup before writing her brief letter to her aunt. Once she was done she sat back and took a long sip of her drink… then she winced. Try as she might, she really could not enjoy it without some milk.
At least Darius seemed to be making the most of their visit today. He had taken a shower and found the stash of old clothes in the laundry. His choice of attire had made Andie almost guffaw into her tea though. Smirking fiercely, she had to look away when she recognised her aunt’s old gardening shorts. The orange and green stripes were horrific but she just could not bring herself to say anything. The white t-shirt wasn’t as offensive although it was hand-painted with flowers.
Darius definitely seemed a lot more relaxed now. A sense of calm had come over him during his time in the house. He was gliding around the rooms with a level of grace which would put Willa to shame. Moving silently past the antique cabinets, he ran his fingers over the large glass panels.
“Fascinating,” he muttered softly to himself.
So this is who he really was. The cheeky, yet darkly brooding man-child was not his true self. This was a completely different person - someone you could believe was royalty. It was remarkable how much he was reminding her of Lord Laurentius now. Smiling, Andie found herself watching him.
“Is there something you want?” Darius said smoothly as he turned to face her.
“No?” Andie responded haltingly.
“We really should be heading back soon,” he advised her with a serene smile. “Will you be finishing your tea soon?”
Beginning to blush Andie instantly gulped down the remainder of her cup.
Still smiling Darius added, “Would you be so kind as to withdraw to the upper level for a minute? I need to place this clothing in the appropriate place.”
Andie nodded mutely as she lowered her cup. Then she rose from her chair and promptly headed upstairs. After waiting for a minute she returned to the living area. Checking he had left, she then went to see where he had placed his clothes. Sure enough they were now sitting in the laundry hamper.
She nearly whistled with amazement. Now Andie was almost regretting he hadn’t managed to seduce her.
Quickly washing her cup she then went and emptied the teapot. Collecting her keys and goggles she made sure to lock the front entrance this time. Stepping out onto the back veranda she secured the door behind her.
As she left the yard she found Darius waiting for her in the back paddock. Sitting patiently in his dragon form, he already had the saddle in place. Gleaming brightly in the sunlight he looked like a magnificent ruby sculpture.
“Thank you,” Andie breathed with a smile.
He gave her a little huff and nodded his huge reptilian head.
Noticing the large buckle was slightly loose Andie quickly tightened it up. Then she climbed up into the saddle and locked her feet into the stirrups. Positioning her goggles she let Darius know she was ready to leave.
Once they were in the air Andie’s thoughts quickly turned to her new task. How was she going to convince everyone to let Darius stay with her aunt? If she wanted to succeed she would have to pick her targets very carefully. Willa would understand as she was aware how traumatised Darius was. She would see the benefits of Andie’s plan, knowing it would give them time to gain his trust.
She was certain he would eventually talk to the Lunarians. All he needed was some physical distance from them. Creeping around their settlement would only be feeding his paranoia.
Lost in her ruminations Andie barely noticed the spectacular scenery rolling by. It was only when they were ascending she abruptly snapped back to reality. As the air grew icy she glanced sideways for a moment. Flinching, she saw the sheer cliffs rushing past her shoulder.
Then she felt it – a strong shudder move through the huge body beneath her. Looking around she could see Darius’s wings twitching like crazy. She knew this behaviour, there was something nearby which was really bothering him.
Or someone. Immediately Andie thought of th
e white dragons she had seen earlier. Twisting her head she scoured the air for any signs of them. As she squinted through her goggles she could see nothing but the clear blue sky. There had to be something out there though, a presence she could not detect with her human eyes.
“It’s alright, we’re nearly back,” Andie yelled out over the wind.
She received no response, only more of the silent twitching. Chewing continuously on her gum she placed both hands firmly upon the pommel. Then she felt a sensation like a gust of wind coming in from the side.
Darius responded in a way she had never seen before. He roared so powerfully it completely deafened her.
“Oh shit,” Andie muttered as she gripped onto the pommel. His display of anger was the loudest sound she had ever heard. Completely overwhelmed, she clenched everything she had.
Then the wide tiled expanse of the platform burst into view. Andie released a huge sigh, happy beyond words to be seeing its bright surface. Relaxing her grip she welcomed the end of this flight.
However it wasn’t to be. They continued to ascend, clearing the landing area within a few seconds. Before she knew it they were flying over the town itself. A sea of glass domes flashed by underneath her, their shining surfaces reflecting the rays of the afternoon sun.
Where was Darius going? Confused, she strained her eyes forward to see where they were heading. Then she gasped when she saw the high white walls of the palace complex.
“What are you doing?!” Andie blasted out. Momentarily panicking she began kicking into Darius’s sides. Her ears were still ringing and her heart was pounding….
Then sound of a deep horn began resonating through the air.
Darius completely ignored it and continued on his path. Grimacing, Andie resigned herself to whatever lay ahead. Squinting forward she tried to work out where he was intending to land. Framed between his huge horns was a single white tower. Andie knew it from previous sightings - it was the tallest spire in the palace complex.
Within moments they were crossing over the wall of the royal enclave. Andie felt a sharp sting erupt all over her skin. The sensation quickly grew into an overwhelming pain. Darius roared in response, flaring his wings as the discomfort became too much. Banking around in a sharp turn he left the air space above the palace grounds.
Relaxing slightly, Andie was relieved he had been forced to give up. Looking directly ahead of her she could see one of the surrounding peaks. Darius seemed to be heading for the last snow-capped summit in the row. It sat right beside the palace at the far end of the township. As they approached its surface Darius quickly turned again. Dipping one wing, he started tearing along its side.
Wincing, Andie’s stomach lurched as he belted through the manoeuvre. Within a few seconds the white slopes had disappeared from view. They had travelled out beyond the town, flying right over the back of the settlement.
Looking sideways she saw the rear wall of the palace grounds. There was no ground beyond it, just a sheer cliff which dropped away beneath. Then it blinked out of sight as they moved through the invisible shields. Glancing down over one foot, Andie looked below her….
At a rolling expanse of green.
This could not be right. There should be nothing here, well nothing but more of the frozen landscape. The interior of the Nevari Central Mountain range was just a mass of high terrain.
So why was she looking down over a sea of verdant grasslands then? Stunned, Andie could not believe what her eyes were showing her. Then reality came jostling back in when she realised just how far down it actually was.
“Please Darius! You’re scaring the hell out of me!” she yelled out.
He ignored her as he swung back towards the rear of the palace. Abruptly the top of the highest tower burst back into view. Then Andie saw a figure standing between two pillars at the top of the spire.
In the instant she recognised Lord Laurentius a bolt of pure dread shot through her.
“No!” she screeched out.
How had Darius managed to track him there? For the briefest of instants she was actually impressed by his skill. However this wasn’t a moment to be offering him any congratulations. Something was happening, something very strange and deeply concerning.
The air was starting to crackle.
Andie’s heart was already racing but now it began to sprint. Looking back, she could not tell you how she knew what was coming. It was just something which came to her as she glanced up at the sun.
“Solista,” she muttered.
As they approached the tower the crackling sound became louder.
“No!” she bellowed out again, releasing one hand to smack it against his scales. “Don’t you dare do it, you great stupid lump!”
Darius completely ignored her – he was lost in his own little world. Balling her hand into a fist Andie leaned forward and punched between two armoured plates.
“Stop you idiot! You have to stop!” she wailed out.
Then the noise abruptly ceased as the air around her began to change. It started to hum with a strange vibration, almost like the rumbling of a deep roar. Abruptly the two huge wings either side of her flared. Andie knew what this indicated and flicked her hands back to grip onto the pommel. Sure enough, within moments she was being tipped backwards.
Leaning forwards she tried to compensate for the fact Darius was now hanging vertically in the air. Gripping on with everything she had, Andie caught a brief glimpse of Lord Laurentius. It was a moment she would always remember, indelibly etched into her mind. The tall fair lord standing in his snow white robes looking as serene as a statue. His long pale hair whipping around in the wind….
And the rich orangey-yellow flames filling the air all around him.
There was an uncomfortable sensation, like opening the door of a large hot oven. Her skin began prickling as the heat rose to the point where it was searing.
“No!” Andie screeched, holding onto the last vowel for as long as she could. Releasing the pommel she strained forward to hammer both fists into Darius’s scales.
It made no difference of course. Gaping in horror she watched as the palace walls began to glow bright red. The tower above them erupted into a column of flames. A sea of fire bloomed all around her, so intense she could not keep her eyes open.
Then there was a click.
In an instant she felt it - the dreadful recognition of something terrible happening. Sliding backwards out of the saddle, Andie grasped forwards but there was nothing to clutch onto.
Within a heartbeat she was gone. The air cooled quickly as she began to fall.
Staring upwards Andie clawed desperately at the air. Darius was above her now, a bright orangey-red mass surrounding him.
She was falling.
And falling.
Within seconds the terrible scene above had faded into a small glowing blob.
Then panic set in. Realising her predicament, Andie began screaming at the top of her lungs. Emptying all the air from her chest she clung to the hope somebody might hear her.
It was far too late though. The nightmare above had already shrunk into a red speck. Leaning forward Andie looked down the sheer stretch of cliffs. The clouds scudding along below her were still a fair distance away.
This was going to take some quality time.
She started crying, yowling pitifully into the expanse. Attempting to curl up she then began tumbling end over end. The wind was buffeting her brutally due to the proximity of the cliffs. As she fell further the turbulence increased as she edged closer to the rocks. The gusts became violent, pulling at her hair and painfully twisting her limbs. Then there was a nasty crunch in her lower back which abruptly stopped all feeling in her legs.
Andie closed her eyes. Concentrating, she tried to imagine she had wings. At this point pretty much anything was worth a try.
Nothing happened though and she continued falling towards the clouds. As she plunged into their shadows the wind finally ceased.
It wouldn’
t be long now.
Her thoughts turned to her family. Her mother and father, her brothers and sisters.
Their images filled her mind, all those special moments when they were still together. There they were as children playing in her aunt’s back yard. Everyone was laughing, their smiles as radiant as the sunlight. She remembered the freedom of running through the grass as her parents watched from the veranda. The thrill of raiding her aunt’s vegetable patch and gobbling up her fresh crop of summer strawberries. The vivid colours of the wildflowers which Andie collected with her mother. The scent of the earth and sweet blooms….
Then there was a jolt and everything grew dark. Had it happened yet?
Andie had heard death was quick if you fell from a decent height. She hoped her end would be swift with no pain or suffering. Everything was swimming through her head as the last moments of her life sped by. The recollections of her family began mixing with her recent memories of the Draconarid. Was this what it was like to actually die?
Please, please be quick she thought.
Then she opened her eyes. Something large was in front of her, or was it up against her?
Blinking, she recognised the sensation of solid ground beneath her. She was lying on her back somewhere with the afternoon sun falling on her face. Under her hands she detected smooth tiles, indicating she was somewhere within Lunaris. Or was she?
She attempted to sit up but her body would not respond. There was something wrong, her legs would not move….
Then Andie’s throat closed up. She began choking as the dry airways stuck together. Coughing in spasms she managed to roll onto her side. Then a gentle nudge from behind seemed to ease the strain of her breaths. Sucking in some air, she managed to pull it down into her burning lungs.
As the spluttering subsided she wiggled her goggles up onto her forehead. Andie lay there panting on the tiles as she slowly caught her breath.
Something large moved past her before she felt a dull thump through the ground. Letting her eyes flutter open she saw something huge and white. It looked familiar, or at least the shape of it did. Then she recognised the outline of a huge pale claw.