I sighed and returned my gaze to Kitfox’s face. He was as weary as I had ever seen him. Maybe a day’s rest was in order before facing Magnathor and finding Kúskú.
“How long until we’re able to land?”
The Fox Demon smiled and glanced over his shoulder. “I’d say about half an hour or so.”
“Good. I can’t wait to stretch.”
“Same here.” Kitfox turned and crouched low, pausing as if gauging a distance.
“What are you doing? Don’t even think about jumping back over to Kkaia!” He blinked at me in surprise. “You’re tired enough that you could miss the landing, so just stay here.”
“I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable again.”
“What do you mean?”
“Never mind.” He sighed and hopped over me, landing as gracefully as ever, before sitting down just behind me in the saddle. Instead of wrapping his arms around me like I expected – maybe even hoped – he crossed them over his chest and closed his eyes. We flew on in silence.
◆◆◆
The six dragons landed on a sandy beach in a tight formation. I heard Helios’ wings creak in protest at being folded after so long, but the dragon did not complain. Like the others with riders, he knelt down so that stiff legs didn’t have such a large impact to absorb upon dismounting. I could barely move as it was, but thankfully Kitfox was there to help be down from the saddle.
“How long have the suns been down?” I asked Thera as I took a few awkward steps in hopes of loosening my muscles.
“Only a couple of hours for us, but they have been down longer in this region since we’ve been flying away from the sunset.”
“In other words, it is about midnight here.” Interjected Shazza. “We should eat and sleep.”
“I vote we just sleep.” Kkorian said through a huge yawn. “I’m all tuckered out, mates.”
Kitfox nodded. “We all are.”
“Nest for the night, Hatchlings. We dragons will watch over you.”
I didn’t need to be persuaded. As soon as I had my sleeping skins unrolled from the saddle bag, I was fast asleep.
◆◆◆
I awoke to soft conversation. I opened my eyes only to realize I was in a protective cocoon made of Riptide’s wing and the Dragon of Water was still asleep. Too comfortable to move for the moment, I elected to just lie there and listen.
“This Dragon of Illusion has me worried.”
“How so?”
“I heard stories about his powers from Mother. He has the ability to see into your very soul and bring to life your greatest fears. He used it once in a battle against Wyrd, the Shadow Dragon of Undeath. Mother said it terrified even her to watch the horrors of Wyrd’s soul brought to life before her very eyes.”
“Handy trick, but I don’t think the dragon would use it against his own Keeper or her friends.”
“I would hope not. Still, it has me worried.”
“What has me worried right now is those two boys. They went out hunting almost three hours ago. They should have been back by now.”
I found myself frowning at that revelation. I wasn’t sure about Kkorian, but I knew Kitfox was too skilled a hunter to take three hours to catch something to eat. What if something happened to them? Were they lost? Injured? Worse; what if they were...? No! I couldn’t think that. I knew Kitfox was alright. He just had to be.
“Shazza! Thera! Gimmie a hand here, please. This moron slipped and nearly cracked his skull open!”
I sighed in relief. Kitfox was fine. I threw my sleeping skins off and rolled out from under Riptide’s wing. I found Kitfox in an instant; a large boar in one arm and Kkorian slung over his other. Shazza was already tending to the large contusion on the pirate’s head.
“Thanks, sheila.” To everyone’s amazement, Kkorian actually kissed her on the cheek. Shazza growled and promptly slapped him as hard as possible without killing him. While she fumed and he regained his senses, the rest of us just about died laughing.
The rest of the day passed without a care. We all ate heartily and bathed in the sea until it turned into a water war between us and the dragons. Naturally, the dragons won. So we gave their scaly hides a well-deserved scrubbing.
We all turned in early that night. In the morning, we would once again be on our way to face Magnathor in the Myst.
Dawn. The interlopers were at the gates. This did not seem to affect our new High King. “They are no threat. Let them break upon the walls,” he calmly said. Then he cast his gaze skyward and cursed. There, in the early light of the rising suns, twelve shadows were flying in formation towards the city. I could scarcely believe my eyes. Twelve more dragons had been created! Agasei briskly strode away, disappearing into the keep. I never saw him again. I was gladdened by this.
– FROM “UNTITLED” BY LD KNT YUE VERSAHN
I awoke with a start as a loud crack of thunder died away. I sat up and looked around in the dark. A heavy rain pelted the membranes of Riptide’s wings. Beyond that, I could hear rough winds pummeling the trees and stirring the ocean into great waves.
“I was beginning to think you’d sleep through the whole thing.” I turned at the voice and barely made out Kitfox. His eyes were closed as he leaned against Riptide’s foreleg. As if sensing my gaze on him, he opened his eyes. He found me in the dark and smirked.
“How long has it been raining like this?”
“Few hours.” He shrugged. “Riptide told me to keep you company because she remembered you were afraid of storms.”
“I was?” I chuckled. “I don’t remember that.”
Kitfox grinned and closed his eyes again. “Silly thing to be scared of, really. Not like a little bit of thunder could hurt anyone.”
“Are you scared of anything?”
Kitfox frowned and shivered but did not bother to look at me when he answered. “No.”
It was a lie, but I let him think I believed it. I clicked my tongue and gathered my sleeping skins before moving to his side. I draped the skins over both of us and rested my head on his shoulder. He sighed and wrapped his arm around me.
“I’m scared of losing people.” I heard his breath catch, but he said nothing. “Especially people I love. It scares me so much because I don’t know if I can handle living without them.”
“Is that why you’ve suddenly been keeping your distance from me? You’re scared of losing me?”
My throat constricted. Tears stung my eyes. I forced myself to calm down enough to finally admit the truth. He really deserved to know. “I was terrified out of my wits when the dire wolf nearly killed you. I hadn’t even realized how much you came to mean to me until then. And as you were lying in my lap fighting for your life, I realized that if I lost you, it would be the end of me. I just can’t handle another death so soon after...”
He hugged me closer and whispered in my ear. “After?”
“Ríhan, a boy from the Temple, was murdered by Godilai while he was trying to protect me.” I choked on a sob. “I... I...”
“You loved him.” There was a pain in Kitfox’s voice. Too confused and miserable to speak, I nodded. “I’m sorry.”
◆◆◆
About hour before the suns rose, the storm finally blew itself out. Kitfox and I emerged from beneath Riptide’s wings to see the beach littered with branches and debris. Hand in hand, he and I walked down to the water’s edge and watched as a pod of eterfish played nearby.
The little talk we had last night had actually done wonders for the tension that had grown between us. He was no longer trying so hard to earn my affection and I found I could actually relax in his presence and not fret about hurting his feelings.
I turned and bade good morning to Wildfire as she rose from the ditch she had dug to nest down in for the night to shake the water and debris off her. She suddenly burst into flames, making me and Kitfox jump in alarm. A moment later, the inferno was extinguished and steam rolled off her ruby scales. She yawned to the tune of our relieved laughter.<
br />
“What a way to dry off!”
Wildfire shrugged. “I hate water.” That earned a disgruntled snort from Riptide. The twin dragons argued loud enough to rouse the others from their slumber. They were only quieted after Atoka froze Wildfire and Kkaia smothered Riptide with sand.
Thera greeted Kitfox and me as she joined us at the water’s edge. “Some storm last night, huh? It’s a good thing we weren’t flying through it.”
“No kidding.” Kitfox snorted.
I nodded in agreement. “Speaking of flying, how soon were we going to leave for Monrai and the Myst?”
“I’d like to leave as soon as possible so we can do a few flyovers. If we don’t find Kúskú’s island by nightfall, we can rest in Monrai and pick it up again in the morning.”
“I agree with Kitfox. The sooner we start looking for the island, the sooner we’ll find it.”
“And Magnathor.” I wanted to smack Kitfox for turning the conversation so gloomy by mentioning that monster. Even with Riptide’s reassurances that no harm will befall us upon meeting Magnathor, I still had my doubts. Who could blame me? We’ve all heard the nightmarish stories of the Monster of the Myst coming out of Fisherman’s City and Monrai. I shuddered.
“Well, we had better get started on packing up and breaking fast so we can be off.” Still holding my hand, Kitfox escorted me up the beach to begin the chores. I barely caught Thera’s delighted smile before it was erased.
◆◆◆
Aruvan was just past the midpoint of its daily arc when the trailing edges of Myst were spotted. Helios and the other five dragons fanned out as they made a slow descent towards the thickening, perpetual fog. I barely made out the visage of a small town as it whipped by below and figured it must have been Monrai. Why anyone would build a town so close to this dangerous place was beyond me. Not only did the inhabitants have Magnathor to deal with, but strange and violent monsters frequently appeared in the area.
I pushed those thoughts aside and stared into the scenery below. I could barely discern rocky, lifeless islands through the thick Myst. Any one of those could be Kúskú’s nesting place. How was I going to know which of these many islands truly was his?
Helios dipped lower. I watched as the Myst curled around his form, leaving an angry wake at his passing. Water sloshed somewhere to my right. I told Helios to circle back. Just as we passed the spot again, the Myst thinned. I caught a glimpse of a very large tentacle vanishing into the water without a trace.
I launched a light orb skyward as I clutched the communication wand. “Dasum meo nishi.” The round crystal at the end began to glow in varying colors.
“Who launched the orb?” It was Shazza speaking.
“It was me.” I replied. “I think Magnathor was just here so watch out if you come towards the orb.”
“It was she.” Helios confirmed. “I could smell her.”
“Be careful over there, Xy.”
“Will do.” I nodded though no one could see me and tucked the wand away. I sent a prayer to the Gods to get us safely through this before returning to the task at hand. My breath caught as the roar of a dragon echoed all around us.
“I’ve found the island!” Kitfox exclaimed through the communicator. “Head towards Kkaia’s roar!”
I sighed in relief and held tight to the saddle as Helios quickly pulled a sharp turn and ascended through the Myst. Once clear of its suffocating tendrils, he flared his wings to slow himself before searching for Kkaia’s presence. Upon locating her, he tucked his wings and dove towards her at breakneck speed. At the very last moment, he flared his wings again and caught an updraft to nearly stop himself completely. He landed like a feather right next to the Dragon of Earth.
“Ugh! Were you trying to kill me or just make me sick?” I muttered as I slumped in the saddle.
Helios chuckled and crouched low to the ground. “I apologize for scaring you.”
“You okay, Xy? You look like you’re going to be sick.” Kitfox said as he approached to offer assistance in dismounting.
“Oh! I’m just peachy!” I said as I dropped from the saddle and into his arms. Kitfox laughed and supported me while I regained my senses. “How did you find the island?”
“Simple. I couldn’t see it, but Kkaia could.” As he spoke, three out of the four remaining dragons descended from the skies above, landing in a way similar to Helios.
“Gods! Get me off of this crazy thing!” Shouted Kkorian, who promptly fell out of his saddle. He lay sprawled on the ground and whimpering for several minutes despite being teased by Kitfox and Shazza.
While the pirate recovered, Thera and I evaluated the area around us. The island was rocky and covered in moss and lichens. Everything was covered in a thick layer of moisture, courtesy of the Myst. Further in, the landscape grew too shrouded in the perpetual cloud to discern any features.
“Nevoa cäipe!” Thera was trying to dissipate the fog with a spell, but nothing happened. “Just what is this Myst?”
“No one has been able to figure that out.” I said with a shrug. “Some believe Magnathor produces the Myst as a means to hunt and others believe it’s just a strange weather phenomenon.”
“This Myst has been here long before the Earthic Landings.” Shazza explained. “Magnathor has been here just as long. And no one can explain the presence of either.”
I nodded and turned to check on Kkorian. The pirate was finally returning to his senses and Kitfox actually helped him to his feet. As I moved to give them a hand, my gaze fell on the water not far from where they stood. A trio of beady, yellow eyes followed their every movement.
My breath caught.
Something was watching us from the watery depths; unblinking. I knew in an instant it was Magnathor; and she was hunting. She silently crept ever closer to shore, matching every step Kitfox and Kkorian took. Reason gave way to panic and I screamed. “Run!”
With an angry roar, the sea monster exploded from the water, drenching all of us in cold sea water. Kitfox shoved Kkorian away just in time to avoid getting caught in Magnathor’s massive jaws. She crashed to the ground and rolled out of the water. All of us couldn’t help gawking at the ghastly beast she was.
She was even larger than my dragons! Several gigantic tentacles and fragile-looking legs squirmed this way and that as she fought to right her long and sleek, eel-like body. Huge crab claws smashed into the rocks, easily reducing them to rubble. Finally, she was able to right herself. She freed her grotesque head from the rubble and hissed, revealing several rows of long, needle-like teeth. A split second later, she launched herself after Kitfox with astonishing speed. He yelped in surprise and took off in a full sprint, transforming into his fox form on the run to lead the colossal beast away. The dragons roared in synch and quickly took to the air to aid the Fox Demon.
Kkorian swore venomously as he freed his pistols from their holsters and took aim. “Never knew that bloody thing could run on land!”
“Daréta esso!” I launched several sizes of my favored spell after Magnathor. Thera lent her power, combining each of my thunder balls with her powerful fire. Even the combined powers of Helios, Vortex, and Atoka weren’t enough. Each spell and bullet bounced off of Magnathor’s thick hide like rubber balls, leaving her unscathed.
Wildfire appeared from murky skies above, diving so low and fast I thought she was going to crash into the sea monster. The Fire Dragon pulled up just in the nick of time to sweep low over Magnathor. As Wildfire passed overhead, she opened her jaws and spewed forth a liquid inferno. It rained down on Magnathor and the beast screamed as she rolled into the water. Great clouds of steam billowed off the surface and all was quiet.
“Cooked lobster, anyone?” Kkorian snickered at his own remark as he holstered his pistols. Shazza promptly smacked him upside the head. “No? How about surf and turf?”
“Shut-up.”
“You’re no fun, Shazza.” Kkorian pouted. She ignored him and greeted Kitfox as he trotted up to us.
&
nbsp; “Are you okay?” I asked, looking him over for injuries.
He nodded and quickly transformed back to his normal form and wiped sweat from his brow. “That was not fun.”
“You’re bloody quick though, mate. I didn’t know you could do that.”
The Fox Demon smirked. “I’m full of surprises.”
Wildfire landed behind us with heavy thuds and folded her wings. “Do not let your guard down just yet. I don’t think I defeated Magnathor; just made her mad.”
As if taking a cue, Magnathor burst from the sea with an enraged roar. Wildfire bellowed a threat and took flight to continue the battle. The sea monster snarled at the dragon as she prepared to dive again. Magnathor snapped her great claws hard enough to send a shockwave through the air, causing Wildfire’s flight path to hiccup and sending her spiraling out of control. Helios and Vortex rushed to aid their sister before she crashed into the sea. Atoka faced the sea monster alone, diving at her and biting at her tentacles.
Magnathor ignored the dragon and launched herself at us like a bullet. She was upon us before anyone could react. Her massive form was so close I could smell the harrowing stench of rotten fish and decay. Just when I thought it was the end of us, the ground exploded. The chunks of dirt and rock culminated into the form of Kkaia, who promptly clamped her jaws on the sea monster’s throat. Magnathor was sent reeling with a horrid cry. While the beast was occupied, the five of us retreated further away from shore.
I listened to the sounds of the battle raging on behind me as I kept pace with the others. A pained scream echoed in the fog all around me and I froze. Another scream went out a second later. Momentarily forgetting the urgent need to escape, I ignored the calls of my friends and ran back to where I had last seen the sea monster and the Dragon of Earth. Peering through the Myst, I realized Magnathor had caught Kkaia in her claws and was squeezing her ever tighter.
Culmination Page 6