"That was ..." He didn't know what it was, but as the second bubble hatched, he slowly backed away. "If young are hatching, I think we need to go."
"I think you might be right," Isla said.
Outside, they crept around to where the tiny butterfly had emerged from the fortress and sure enough, four of the large mutant ones were on their way down from the tree above.
"Yup, we need to go, now," he said and shifted.
Without a word, Isla climbed onto his back and activated their shield.
Then Daimon took to the air. He circled close enough to see the larger MB's fluttering around the two smaller newborns.
"There's more coming," Isla called.
Daimon glanced upward, then turned and flew them back to the city.
As they soared above the devastated city, Isla tugged on the strap again and shouted at him. "Over there, can you land?"
It was an old bridge. Daimon found a spot and touched down. Then after Isla climbed off him, he shifted into his human form. "You didn't really need me to bring you home, did you?"
"No, but flying is more fun that teleporting."
"I enjoy it," he said, thinking about how he used to play with his siblings.
"You miss your family."
He nodded. "Can you teleport to other realms?"
"No, sorry."
"That's okay," he said, though he'd have liked to have gotten a message to his parents telling them he was all right and loved them.
"What happened back there?" Isla asked.
"I'm not sure. I was drawn to touch the crystal," he said, not mentioning that the energy inside him could be the cause.
"I understand, I was as well," she said, surprising him. "What did you feel when you touched it?"
"I ... ah, well, love. Lots of love, and then sadness."
"You said it was dying slowly," Isla said.
"Yeah, and I think the sadness was knowing that once it finally dies, the young will as well. It's keeping them alive."
"That's what I was afraid of." Isla looked out over the city. Dusk was fast creeping up, and in the distance so was the fog. Daimon could hear the thunder as well, and every few seconds the sky lit up with lightning. "This was once such a beautiful city. In fact, the whole realm was stunning."
"You've been here a long time then if you know what it looked like before the war," Daimon said.
"I have, since I was a small child."
"And now it's a deadly world where you never know what's going to try and eat you next," he said.
Isla raised an eyebrow. "You sound like you're talking from experience."
Daimon shuddered as he remembered the spiders, monkeys, MB's and the ghost snakes. "Sadly, I am." He absently rubbed his arm.
Isla touched his hand. "What got you there?"
"Oh, you know, not much, just a translucent ghost snake."
She stared at him. "And you lived?"
"Well, yeah. Why wouldn't I?" He didn't mention that he'd had help and if it weren't for Caro, he'd probably be a dead dragon shifter, or a ghostly one.
"Where were you when this happened?"
He pointed. "There’s a mountain range a few hours that way, and this really creepy dead forest."
"You are very lucky to be alive. Those are the Red fog of death eaters."
Daimon blinked. "Are you serious?"
"Deadly."
"That's what the fog brings, those ghostly snakes?" Though he shouldn't be surprised.
"It is."
"So why aren't they all over the place afterward. I haven't seen them anywhere but in that forest," he said.
"We tried to kill them, but couldn't, then I remembered a spell, and it drives them to a certain area. No one goes to the dead forest, so we sent them there," she said. “Once there, they can’t leave.”
"Well, that’s ... brilliant," he said. "Just wish I'd known about all this before we went there."
They sat for a few more seconds, and Daimon's thoughts went back to the crystal and the MB's young.
"I know you're conflicted about all this, but the Irod aren't bad. In fact, they used to be a peaceful, loving race before this all happened. They still are, but they've had to do things that I know they wish they didn't."
"Like kidnap Ilyium young to help them fight a war?" Daimon asked.
"Yes." Isla sighed, and then started to climb one of the arches that hadn't been destroyed.
Daimon followed her, a little nervous that she might lose her footing. But after a few minutes it became clear she'd come up here many times before. "It seems to me that it all started when they first opened the portal ten years ago to my world. Why?” he asked. “What was the purpose of taking humans back then?"
"Their race is slowly dying out, and they needed humans to mate with." Isla moved to the highest point of the arch.
"That doesn't forgive them kidnapping people," he said.
"No, it doesn't," she agreed. "It's hard to reconcile that we're killing a race of creatures who are just trying to keep their young alive, as the Irod are." Isla closed her eyes and turned in a circle. "I've always loved it up here." Then she stopped, opened her eyes and met his. "Thank you for a wonderful first dragon ride. I hope you will take me riding again. Maybe to the Celtylight one day." She paused, and there was sadness in her gaze. "And, I can't say much, but you're right to be cautious in your trust. Always trust your instincts."
"I don't understand, what are you trying to tell me?" he asked.
"The Irod used to be powerful, on par with the Ilyium witches. But over the years, each generation has lost some of their magic, until finally they no longer had any, with the exception of the royal females. The queen's line is a very old one, so they managed to retain a little more than everyone else, but it too has just about died out as well. Then the Irod began to lose the ability to procreate. By sheer accident, they learned that they could have young with humans," she explained.
"I got that part," he said, still not sure what she was trying to tell him. "Are you saying the queen won't honor her agreement to let the humans go?"
"I did not say that," she said. "But would you want to let them go if you were the ruler of a dying race?"
"Okay, I get you're not saying it, but you want me to think about this, right?" he asked.
He didn't think she was going to answer, when she shook her head. "You need to delve deeper."
Before he could question her further, she smiled at him. "You are sweet and kind and would make your father proud." Then she purposely fell backward.
"Wait!"
Daimon shifted and dove off the bridge after her. Her laughter in the wind was a song filling his heart. Just before he reached her, she teleported away.
Chapter 20
Elvren from Fairie
Daimon didn't see Isla often over the next two years, but each time he did, his heart would warm.
The battles continued, and they lost some, and won others, but there was no let up. Occasionally Isla would ask him to fly her somewhere, and they'd invariably ended up on the bridge overlooking the city afterward.
"When are you going to take me to the Celtylight?" she asked.
Daimon shuddered. "I never want to go back to that place."
"Why?"
"That's where the mutant winged spiders live, and we barely made it out of there alive the one time we found ourselves there," he said.
"You've told me they have those they've taken from us in cocoons there." She laid a hand on his chest. "What if they're still alive?"
"They're not, sorry," Daimon said. "And while I'd like to take you, I really don't want to get anywhere near the place again." It wasn't only the spiders, but because whatever was inside of him, no longer tried to compel him to do things.
"No, I'm sorry to keep pushing. I've been trying to come up with a way to end this war peacefully, and there's still so much I don't understand," she said.
"How come you never tell me about you," he asked, changing the subject.
>
"Because what you want from me, I cannot give. I'm not free."
"What does that mean?" he asked.
"I've pledged myself to the queen, and I belong to Irum."
"No." The thought of her belonging—like an item—a toy—to anyone, left him horrified. "Are you mated to him?"
"No, though he's asked." Isla sat down on the top of the bridge and let her legs dangle over the side.
Daimon joined her. “Why do most of the Irod fear or resent you?”
"Because of my mother. She had a fight with her sister and was cursed here. She caused a lot of … havoc I guess you could say. Everyone was terrified of her. At least until she found her way back home.”
“What, and she left you here?” he asked.
“Yes. She traded me to a demon who knew how to break the curse.”
“How old were you?” he asked, horrified at the thought.
“I was four years of age.”
“Was it Irum who she traded you too?” Daimon asked, his fists clenching with the urge to hit whoever it was.
“No. The demon she traded me too had a very bad temper and liked to hit me. Irum saved me. He came across us one day, and after much haggling, bought me from the other demon. He's always been good to me, and though I know what he wants, he doesn't pressure me."
"I'm sorry your mother did that and can't even imagine how that must feel." How could any mother trade her child away? It made him even more grateful for his own parents, then he shied away from thinking of them as it always left him unbearably sad. "I know you're not Ilyium, but you're very powerful."
Isla shrugged, then tucked her hair behind her ear.
Daimon smiled. "You're fae."
"I'm Elvren, a race of the fae. My mother, she was our queen, and I was a responsibility she didn't need nor want," Isla said quietly.
"Ouch."
"Yeah." Isla sighed, and let her hair fall back over her ear.
"So, should I start calling you princess?" he asked teasingly.
"You could, but I'm not sure you'd enjoy being turned into a frog with large warts all over you," she replied.
"I might, if it's a mutant one, and gets kissed by the princess."
Isla laughed, and punched his arm. "You're so bad!"
"And you are so beautiful," he said, tucking her hair back behind her ear. "Are you from Fairie?"
"Yes."
"Do you remember much of your home?" he asked.
"Most of the Elvren live in the Grundlewen area of Fairie," she said, tone wistful.
"You miss it."
"Yes. Fairie is ... color, sound, feeling ... its ... pure magic." She looked at him. "It's hard to describe, but when you're there, you don't ever want to be anywhere else. But it can also be deadly. Some of the more daring live topside, but most of us resided in Underhill."
"What does that mean?"
"We lived in cities—Burroughs, underground," she said.
"Like the Irod have started doing since this war started," he said.
"Yes and no. The Irod had to adapt, but the fae have always had underground cities that are part of the very realm, a living, breathing city, all underground. And it changes, very slowly. Sometimes it's hard to tell, but you will be somewhere, and the next day it'll be a little bit different. I always loved that. We even grew our food underground. At least, that which wasn't supplied by magic."
Daimon digested it all, wondering what that would be like, by the sound of Isla's voice, it had been amazing. "And did you always stay underground?"
"Oh no, not at all. We'd go outside, I remember my nan, the servant assigned to take care of me, she'd take me topside all the time. In Fairie, I could fly."
"You could? Did you have wings?" That would have been horrible if her mother took those from her as well.
"No, I didn't have wings, we used our mind to go where we wanted," she said.
Daimon smiled as he imagined her flying, then his thoughts sobered. "Is there a way to gain your freedom from the queen and Irum?"
"No," she said.
But there was a slight hesitation he picked up on. "Why don't I believe that?"
"Besides the fact that I've pledged myself—an unbreakable bond to the queen, you might remember that I have the gift of precognition."
"I do, kind of hard to forget," he said, but he'd noted how she'd said gift, as if it was anything but.
"I've seen my death."
"What?" Daimon had never considered that horror. "A few of my siblings had, er, have the same gift, but they always said they couldn't see anything directly related to them or our family."
"Most with the ability can't, but I can and do," she said.
"Maybe your vision is wrong."
"It's not. I see myself lying on the battlefield, surrounded by bodies and covered in blood. You're there, and so is Caro and Elan. I can feel it, I know I'm dying."
"No." It was inconceivable. "Maybe we can change it," he said, hating that he sounded desperate, but the thought of her dying shredded him to pieces.
"All my visions have always come true, and believe me, I've tried to change some." Then she smiled at him. "But thank you."
"For what? I haven't done anything."
"You have. You care."
"Well ..." He didn't know what to say. How could he not care?
"You've become a friend, one that I care about."
Daimon swallowed hard. "I'm glad to be your friend, and you're right, I do care." Maybe too much. There was already a pain in his chest at the thought of her dying.
Chapter 21
Serpent Tunnels
It was by accident that Daimon found a solution a year later, or somewhat of one. After a particularly bad battle, Caro asked him to get them all away for a little bit. Daimon flew with no direction in mind, just enjoying the wind in his wings and the sun on his scales. The twins were silent as well, each lost to their own thoughts.
He soared over the land that formed what looked like giant serpents long dead, and then circled around, studying the ground.
There were so many of them, their golden spikes reaching for the sky.
Each one was a good five miles or so long, and the more he studied them, he realized that one end was smaller than the other, like a tail and head.
He landed.
"What's going on?" Caro asked, sliding off him with ease.
Elan followed suit.
"I just want to see something," Daimon said, and approached what he figured should be the head. "Stay back," he warned the twins, then drew on his power. He tapped into the same ability he'd used to open the cavern to the hot spring, hoping he was right about what this was.
As the ground and rock in front of him dissolved, leaving a large gaping cavern, Daimon whooped.
"Is that what I think it is?" Elan asked.
"I believe so." Daimon grinned. "Come on, but be careful, it's a little jagged," he said as he climbed over the lip and inside. He turned in a circle.
"Teeth. Those are teeth," Caro said with a shudder. "We're in a giant serpent."
"They are, and we are." The sharp prongs were as tall as them. Daimon went a little further and studied the structure.
"This has to be thousands upon thousands of years old," Elan said.
"Or more." Daimon touched the walls. All that was left was the skeleton, and all around it the ground had petrified.
"I wonder what happened to them," Elan said as they started to walk.
After a couple miles, they stopped.
"I need to get back up in the air and study all this a bit more," Daimon said.
"Why?" Caro asked. "I mean, this is all really cool, but what good is it?"
"I'm not sure, but it just might be the answer we need."
Daimon dropped the twins off at their home in the Irod city, then went in search of Isla. He found her in the war room surrounded by Irod.
She looked up and smiled when he walked in, and his pulse started to race. "I need to talk to you."
"Ah," Daimon glanced around to see everyone waiting. "Actually, can you come with me for a bit?"
"We're kind of busy, can't you just tell me whatever it is?" she asked.
"I'd rather show you," he said.
"Go, we're done for now anyway," Irum said, though his gaze wasn't happy when he looked at Daimon.
"Where are we going?" Isla asked as she climbed up onto his back.
"I have to show you something, it might be an answer to surviving this war."
"Then what are you waiting for?" she asked, with a laugh that made him happy.
Daimon flew her over the giant serpents and circled a couple times before landing at the mouth he'd opened.
Isla jumped down, her eyes shining with excitement. "I've always seen the humps and spines from the ground, and they've always just looked like really cool topography. I never thought they could be more than just the landscape, but seeing it from the air changes things."
"It does, doesn't it?" Daimon asked, watching as she approached the entrance he'd made.
"How ...?" She looked at him. "You did this?"
He nodded.
Smiling, she took his hand and they went inside. "This is amazing!" Isla let him go and went over to run her hands up one of the giant spiked teeth. Then she hurried into the body of the beast.
"The walls are petrified and hard as rock," Daimon said, touching the wall. "There are miles of tunnels, and some of the serpents bisect each other. I think we can dig a tunnel to the ones that don't connect, and then link them all."
"So, what are you thinking, another city?" Isla asked.
"Not exactly. You mentioned that in Fairie they grow their food underground and it got me thinking. Maybe the Irod could do the same here, where the MB's can't get to them."
"Daimon, you aren't just a pretty dragon, are you?" Isla grinned at him.
They took his plan to the queen.
"That will take years before we have viable crops," the queen said, and Daimon could tell she was ready to dismiss the idea.
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