“But we need you to show us the way,” I argued.
“Keep heading north. You’re almost there.” He seemed to be fading fast. I could make out the landscape through his skin where his armour didn’t cover.
“What will we do once we’re there?”
His voice sounded far away as he replied, “Use your powers to get to the island. Do not wait for me to return. Get the scepter and get away. I will find you once I have enough strength.” The rest of him vanished before my eyes, as though he were never there.
“Goddess dammit,” Chel swore. “He should have gone back sooner so he could be here for us when we really needed him.”
“I can’t say I’m shocked,” Seph commented from behind her. “Celestia and her creatures haven’t been much help.”
I shot him an icy stare. “Neither have you.”
He shut his mouth but couldn’t keep the anger from his face.
Phyra already had the compass Percifal had given her out. “This way.” She steered her horse around ours to take the lead. At least someone else besides me had faith in my guardian.
Sighing, I nudged my mount forward. Ramiel had gotten us this far. We couldn’t count on him to do everything for us. We were elementals. It was time to prove to ourselves we had the strength Celestia saw in us.
The ground turned rockier and trees became sparse. We hadn’t seen the sun in days due to the thick fog covering the sky.
I heard the sound of waves crashing before I spotted the shore. I found the noise to be soothing.
Chel almost cried with glee at the sight of the grey-blue sea. Seph smiled at her joyous reaction and held her closer.
Phyra remained quiet, her mind someplace else. She seemed to be deep in thought since her power had returned to her.
Black sand covered the stretch of shore like crushed obsidian. We stopped the horses at the edge of the water.
I squinted against the white mist, the water lapping my mount’s hooves. “I don’t see an island.”
“Maybe we came to the wrong place,” Seph offered.
“We’ve been going north like Ramiel said to,” Phyra said, furrowing her brow at the compass in her hand.
My heart sank. How could we hope to obtain the scepter if we couldn’t even find Salais? I wanted to call Ramiel, but I didn’t know if he’d be able to leave his realm yet.
“Perhaps it’s there, but we just can’t see it. The fog’s so thick; I can barely see my hand in front of my face.” Chel put out her hand to demonstrate.
“Of course.” I swung my leg over the saddle and slid to the ground on wobbly knees. I steadied myself and then faced the open sea.
The bright white spark within my spirit lit up, its cool caress filling my veins. A soft breeze lifted the strands of silver-blond hair off my face as my power grew and grew. Stronger and stronger, my spark burned, until I felt like I glowed from the inside out. The wind swirled around me, picking up speed. My tunic rippled against my arms as I sent that wind outward. It carried out onto the water, pushing the white fog away with giant, invisible hands.
The four of us, now all on our feet, stood and watched as the mist faded and revealed a huge, flat mass of grey cliff sides… Salais.
“You did it!” Chel exclaimed. “But how did you know?”
The spark within me faded back to normal, and the wind died down to a gentle breeze. “No one knows about this island. Celestia chose to hide it, and the scepter, from mortal eyes.”
“Well done,” she replied.
“I hate to be the shadow upon your light,” Sepheus started.
“Do you?” Phyra interrupted.
I raised my brows at her. Apparently, she’d lost her patience with his doom and gloom mood too.
He continued, ignoring her comment, “But how in the Dark Lord’s name are we getting up that cliff?”
Silence.
We all stared at the expanse of flat vertical rock that made up the island.
“Better yet,” I added, combing my fingers through my horse’s white forelock as she put her big head next to my arm. “How do we cross the water to get there?”
Chel stepped beside me and cracked her knuckles, leaving Seph with their mount. “Leave that part to me. Ramiel did say we’d have to use our powers to get this scepter.”
I glanced at her and nodded. “Yes. All right. One step at a time. First, we need to secure the horses.”
After we’d unsaddled them, Phyra dug some rope out of her saddlebag and passed Seph and me each a piece to hobble our mounts with. “They won’t stray far this way.”
I tied my horse’s front legs together with the rope and patted her neck, cooing to her, “We won’t be gone long.”
“Hopefully,” Chel uttered under her breath. When I looked at her, she said defensively, “What? We could become dragon food.”
“Shh,” Phyra hushed her, pretending to cover her chestnut’s big ears. “Don’t scare them.”
Seph chuckled and finished tying off his piece of rope.
We piled the tack up far enough from the shore, so it wouldn’t be swept into the sea, and then we pulled off our boots and stepped into the water beside Chel.
The island loomed like a giant, dark cloud in the near distance.
My toes sank into the cool sand, and the chilly water splashed up against my shins, soaking my breeches.
Phyra shivered beside me, wrapping her arms tightly around herself.
The translucent water began to ripple in a line toward the island. Chel held her arms out in front of her, the backs of her wrists touching. The water around our legs churned and bubbled as though it was boiling, but it remained frigid.
I sucked in a breath as the water elemental pulled her arms apart, and the rippling line of water separated. Wider and wider the water parted, showing the sea floor beneath until a path had been cleared all the way from us to Salais.
“Let’s go.” Chel stepped onto the path, keeping her arms at her sides.
We followed her in a single line as she kept the water at bay.
The island wasn’t far, but I held my breath while we crossed the sea. If she let go… I’d never learned how to swim.
I stepped up onto the rocky beach of Salais and stretched my neck to look up at the steep cliff.
“What now?” Seph asked as Chel let her hold on her power go, and the water once again submerged the path we’d taken.
“There’s only one way to go,” I pointed out. “Up.”
“Should we wait for Ramiel to fly us up?” Phyra inquired, adjusting the sleeve of her tunic.
“No,” Seph and I both said at the same time.
I widened my eyes at him, surprised he didn’t have something to say about guardians being useless.
“No,” he repeated. “We don’t need him. I can get us up there with my vines.”
“They’ll hold us?” I couldn’t help the apprehension creeping up my spine.
Chel stepped up beside him and confirmed. “They’ll hold. He helped us escape the palace at Solis with them.”
“All right.” I gestured toward the flat cliff face, indicating he should go ahead.
He stepped up and lifted his arms, palms facing the stony ground.
Four green vines appeared between the jagged rocks, a breath of life in the ashen landscape.
The vines met the cliff, rolling and climbing up, up, up, until they disappeared at the top.
“I hope you ladies are strong,” he intoned. “It’s a long way up.”
I glared at him as I walked past him and grabbed hold of one of the vines. “Not helpful.”
“I trust you.” Chel kissed his cheek on her way to the vine beside me.
Phyra set her gaze on the top of the cliff and gulped. “I’m not sure I do.”
“Oh, come now, Princess,” he drawled. “I won’t let you die.”
She narrowed her eyes at him and moved forward to pick up the vine on my other side.
All traces of humour left him as he grabb
ed onto the vine beside Chel and said, “Hold on tight.”
Chapter 23
Arms aching, feet scrambling over the slippery surface of the rock, I cursed Ramiel under my breath. Damn him for abandoning us. I tried not to look down and failed. The ground loomed far beneath. I gripped the vine tighter, my knuckles turning bloodless. My breaths came quick and terror rose in my throat. I pushed on through my fear, telling myself to be calm.
Phyra’s arms shook as her bare foot slipped. We’d left our boots on the mainland. Skin had better grip than smooth leather soles, and we couldn’t exactly carry them with us while holding the vines in a death grip.
“Are you all right?” I gritted out as she regained her grip.
She nodded, keeping her eyes on the rock before her.
The vines pulled us upward, but we still had to use our feet to keep from being dragged and scraped against the side of the cliff.
The other two seemed to be doing better than us, though sweat shone on the Chel’s face and Seph remained focused on his power to keep the vines pulling us up.
At one point, about halfway up, I slipped and lost my footing. I screamed as I dangled in the air, holding on to the rope-like plant with all my strength.
The ground beneath beckoned… death beckoned, my life just beyond its grasp. I wasn’t afraid to die, but instinct kicked in, and I was afraid of falling.
My heartbeat hammered in my chest, deafening me.
I squeezed my eyes shut. Ramiel, please. Help me, I begged in my mind.
But Ramiel didn’t come. Perhaps he couldn’t.
Instead, another vine branched off from the one I held and wrapped around my waist and dragged me back to the cliff so I could place my feet on the solid rock. It disintegrated once I’d steadied myself again.
The others had stopped while Seph had focused his energy on saving me.
“See,” he called through the wind. “My power is trustworthy.”
“Just get us off this damned rock,” I shouted back.
He turned his attention back to the vines.
Slowly, painfully, we made it to the top.
My whole body trembled as I climbed over the edge and rolled onto my back beside the others. I splayed and clenched my hands a few times, hissing at the painful red marks etched into the skin on my palms from gripping the vine. Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes, blurring my vision. I could’ve died. And then there would be no way to defeat Vesirus. Ramiel had made it clear it’d take all of our powers to stop the Dark Lord. Yet, he hadn’t come. The thought made my chest ache.
Maybe he was still too weak to travel to our realm. I told myself that was the reason he stayed away. Surely, he needed more time.
Seph helped me up. The others were already on their feet. “We made it,” he grinned.
I didn’t have it in me to return his smile, so I simply nodded.
The wind blew ferociously at the top of the cliff, thundering in my ears. The sea splashed and swayed far below. I turned and squinted against the sky bright with clouds. Shrubs dotted the rocky surface of the ground.
“Let’s go find this dragon,” I said, marching onward, not waiting to see if the others followed.
They did.
The sharp terrain jabbed the skin on the bottom of my feet. I wish we’d been able to bring our boots with us, but it wasn’t feasible, so I bit my tongue and tried to think of anything but the pain.
Phyra made it hard. “Ow!” she kept complaining. “These rocks hurt my feet.”
“They hurt ours too,” Chel finally told her, holding on to Seph’s arm for support.
“I’m sure Percifal will give you a foot rub when you return to him,” he said to the fire elemental.
She sighed. “Not funny.” She kept her mouth shut after that.
We didn’t see any sign of Kailasa, the dragon. I wondered if Ramiel was mistaken. Maybe the scepter was only a myth. Maybe we were fools for chasing this quest when we should be using our powers to send Vesirus back to Mnyama. I’d never trust him again if we’d come to this small island for no reason, wasting precious time.
We explored Salais until the sun fell low in the sky and twilight turned the grey world even bleaker. Fools… we were fools for coming here.
We’d have to go back emptyhanded and hope our powers would be enough in separate bodies.
“We should return to the horses and set up camp before it gets dark,” Phyra suggested.
I heard the defeat in her voice. I couldn’t accept defeat. “Ramiel!” I shouted at the sky.
Nothing.
“Ramielllll!”
I waited a few breaths. I sank to my knees. He’d abandoned us… abandoned me. He never ignored my calls. I started to worry that maybe he’d incurred Celestia’s wrath. Maybe she’d eradicated him for helping me. She was supposed to be the goddess of light, love all of her children, but I found I really knew nothing about the truth of the goddess we worshipped. I’d never have guessed she had created guardians—or weapons of Celestian steal. I knew nothing at all about the realms outside of my own.
I squeezed my eyes shut as I leaned forward. My hand slid over a smooth rock.
No, not a rock, I realized. I opened my eyes and picked up the bone and inspected it. Deep, hollow eye sockets stared back at me from beneath a smooth skull. Two horns curled up from each side, the tip of one broken off. Some of the flat, yellowed teeth had fallen out.
I set the animal skull down and scanned the ground before me. More bones of every shape and size were scattered along the dewy grass in a trail leading to an opening in a mound of boulders.
“I believe you’ve found our dragon,” Chel said, stepping up beside me.
I climbed to my feet as the other two joined us. Seph unsheathed his sword.
“No.” I eyed his blade. “No weapons. If she believes us a threat, we may not escape alive. Ramiel said we have to be smart with her.”
His top lip curled up. “Entering that cave defenseless is what I’d call the opposite of smart.”
“Put. It. Away,” I bit out.
“And why do you get to decide?”
I stepped closer to him. “I was meant to be queen.”
His brown eyes darkened. “Not my queen.”
“How about we flip a coin for it,” Chel suggested.
“A sword won’t do anything against a dragon if she wants to kill us anyways,” I stated, backing away from Sepheus. “Our magic is our best weapon. We’ll use that if need be. What do you think, Phyra?” She’d been quiet on the matter, contemplative.
She ran a finger over her lips and then replied, “I think we should simply ask Kailasa if we may borrow the scepter to use against the Dark Lord. She is one of Celestia’s creatures after all.”
Chel gave her a sideways glance. “She’s a dragon. She won’t understand you.”
Phyra shrugged. “I will control her fire if she tries to burn us.”
“And if she tries to rip us to shreds?” Chel countered.
“Well, then Seph can try to fight her off with his sword, I suppose.”
“Fine,” he said, sliding his sword back to rest in the scabbard at his waist.
“Fine,” I repeated and moved toward the mouth of the cave.
The inside of the cave stretched high and wide. My heartbeat quickened as we wandered further in, putting more and more distance between ourselves and the dimming evening light outside.
When it became so dark I could barely make out the walls of the cave, Phyra produced a golden globe of flames. “Let me go first,” she said, and I let her pass so I could follow the light she’d created.
Sepheus, so close behind me, nearly stepped on my heels. Chel took the rear.
The surface of the cave walls reminded me of the bones littering the dirt floor, smooth and hard. The ground beneath our feet began to decline. We wound down and around the never-ending trail of darkness. Our footsteps echoed down the hollow cave. The space above us and beside us widened with each turn. The air
turned damp and heavy. With each cautious step, my instinct told me to turn and flee. Water trickled from somewhere along the rocks. We stepped around another corner, and I gasped. Thousands of tiny blue lights illuminated the walls and ceiling of the cave. A tiny stream fed into a glowing aquamarine pool.
“Glow worms,” Seph explained, gaping up at the star-like orbs. “We have them in Terra.”
A soft rumbling vibrated through to my core.
Phyra stopped without warning, and I nearly smacked into her. She stretched out her hand with the globe of fire to get a better look.
We gathered around her to see what she’d found.
Silver flashed against the waving flames. Scales expanded and then shrank repetitively as the dragon snored—Kailasa. Her long, spiked tail curled around her silvery-blue scaled body. She’d tucked part of her long nose behind that lethal whip. Two horns with multiple spikes poked up from behind her closed eyes.
I studied her shiny black claws, as wide and long as my arm, and swallowed back the dread, realizing those weren’t even her strongest weapon.
“Look. The scepter,” Chel whispered loudly as she pointed past my line of sight.
Behind Kailasa, on top of a flat rock, our reason for venturing to that hidden island lay. A white-blue crystal at the top of a silver handle caught the reflection of the tiny blue lights above. My inner spark burned brighter at the sight of the magic scepter. So close, we were so close to obtaining the item we’d come for.
I put a finger to my lips. “Shh. Maybe we can take it without waking her.”
“Are you volunteering?” Chel asked a little too loudly.
Kailasa’s breath hitched, and she stirred.
I glared at her as I bit my tongue.
When the dragon’s snores returned to normal, I whispered, “If you don’t wake her.”
“Are you sure?” The whites in Phyra’s eyes gleamed against the firelight.
“I’ll go,” Seph offered, moving forward.
I grabbed onto the sleeve of his tunic. “No, I brought you all here. I will be the one to fetch the scepter.”
He stopped and made space for me to pass him. “If you’re so eager to risk your life, then go ahead.”
The Elemental Diaries - Complete Series Page 87