by Zora Marie
Erolith nodded, as if contemplating the tune, then he placed the flute to his lips and the sweet music sent a chill down Zelia’s spine. It had been a while since she had been around Elves using plant magic, and she hadn’t realized Erolith had that gift. For a moment, she was perplexed as to why he lived in a home of stone while Eleanor lived in a tree, but the vines and roots moved to reveal a large crevasse in the stone cutting her thoughts short. As she stared at the moving vines, a long and slender ship pulled free from the cave, guided by the vines.
As the barge eased to a stop beside the vessel, vines lifted it to be level with the deck of the ship and Erolith stopped his song.
Nikolas grunted. “Remind me not to tick you off.”
Zelia couldn’t help but grin as Nikolas glanced at the vines before climbing onto the boat. Linithion looked at the boat, then spun to Erolith. Zelia turned just in time to see her wrap him in a hug. Erolith kissed the top of his daughter’s head as he embraced her. He seemed reluctant to let her go as she leaned back.
“I will be fine, Father.”
“I know you will.” He stared at Vainoff, a reminder that he held him responsible for his daughter’s safety.
The others were loading the last of their supplies. As Starling finished stowing some things away, he caught Saria in a hug, and for a moment the siblings appeared far younger than they were.
Skylar nudged Zelia.
“Whatcha thinking about there, squirt?”
“Just…” she glanced over the Elves surrounding them, “how much is at stake.”
“You worry too much. Now come on.” He ushered her towards the ship.
“Zelia, may I have a word with you?” Erolith’s request caused Skylar to stop.
She stepped around Skylar and Linithion shrugged as they passed each other. Erolith waited for everyone else to be off the barge.
“If this is about Linithion—”
“It is not,” he interrupted her, “it is about you. The others are still using your powers to track you, so refrain from using them. And Zelia, I know it is in your nature to worry, but it is affecting your heart.”
He placed a hand on her chest, and she thought she glimpsed a grimace cross his features. Then the constant pain in her chest eased, and the uneven pace of her heart shifted.
“Remember that you need to take care of yourself, if for nothing else, because you are worth more breathing than trapped in that head of yours.”
He gave her a smile, then nodded to the ship.
“Now get going, before I change my mind about letting Linithion go with you.”
With that, those not going with them climbed off the ship and the vines released the boat and barges.
“Be safe, all of you,” Erolith looked at each of them before playing his flute again, covering the cavern and pushing the ship away from the cliffs.
As they drifted away, Linithion stood watching her father shrink in the distance. Kafthry taught the others how to set the sail to catch the winter breeze, and they picked up speed. Part of her felt guilty for not helping, but she was trying to do as Erolith asked. As her father faded from view, Linithion leaned against Zelia and intertwined her fingers with Zelia’s.
For a moment, Zelia thought of pulling away, but decided it was pointless. Then she felt someone walk up behind them and turned to see Kafthry staring at them with a huge grin on his face.
“So, when did this happen?” he gestured towards their clasped hands.
“I suspect not long after we did,” Saria said as she playfully sauntered past, causing Kafthry to blush.
Zelia rolled her eyes. This was going to be a long trip.
26
“Zelia.”
She could feel Kafthry shaking her shoulder and she rolled over, away from Linithion, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
“Yes Kafthry?”
“Could you look at the stars and confirm that I’m keeping us on the right heading? I’ve gotten better at reading them, but…” he trailed off.
“Yeah.”
She stretched and followed him out from below deck, stepping around sleeping bodies spread out on the makeshift beds along the sides of the hull. Their ship was made to take a large number of people on a short trip, but it was still more comfortable and far faster than any other she had been on.
As she stepped onto the deck, she almost tripped over Orvi’s tail. She had grown enough in the brief time since hatching that she felt more comfortable on deck than below. Still, she slept as close as she could get to everyone else. With her eyes adjusting to the moonlight, Zelia edged around Orvi and looked up at the stars. She looked straight up at the bright star that belonged to Hyperia. Glancing around it, she found the familiar shape of a wolf to the left of Hyperia. Then she looked at their heading and shrugged.
“You’re just about right on, a little further to the left and you just might run straight into Dragon Island.”
Kafthry moved the rudder slightly and then, with the boat on course, tied it in place.
“So, now that I have you alone, how did you and Princess Linithion meet?”
“She was about drowned by a fallen tree. Now about you. I woke up after the battle and you had left, not so much as a goodbye.”
Kafthry raked his hand through his hair.
“Sorry. Saria needed to return, and it seemed you had enough people there for you. And…” he trailed off.
“Keller?” she asked.
He nodded.
“He’d be glad for you and Saria.”
Kafthry gave a nervous laugh. “If you had told us I would be with Saria before the battle, we would have thought you were crazy. Especially with how she snapped at us after the ogres.”
Zelia was quiet as his words reminded her how she had collapsed that night. Everyone was arguing and she had snapped at them for it before collapsing. Guilt washed over her. She had been hiding how bad off she was for quite some time and had endangered them all by keeping it to herself. I’ve been doing that all along. She knew this realization had been nagging at her, but now she felt as though she needed to change.
“Zelia?”
“Hm?”
“Are you alright?”
She shrugged. “Yeah, just thinking. I’m sorry I lied to you so much back then, I shouldn’t have.”
Kafthry rubbed his arms against the cold. “You were doing what you thought was right, we all live and learn. Some of us are just slower than others.”
He flashed her small grin, and she gave him a playful shove. He grinned ear to ear as he turned back to her. It was then she noticed his lips had a slight blue tint to them.
“How about you go warm up, I’ll get you if I need help?”
“But—”
“No buts, we don’t want you to get frostbite.”
“Alright, but I’ll be back as soon as I warm up.”
Orvi stretched and ambled over to Zelia.
“You know, I can keep watch for a while. I know you haven’t been sleeping well.”
“And how do you know that?” Zelia asked. She was curious about the young dragon’s abilities and avoiding the topic of letting her keep watch.
“Hm, I kind of sense the dreams of others. Yours are dark, in contrast to say Linithion and Kafthry who dream of loved ones.”
Zelia shivered as the breeze picked up, sprinkling her with a cold mist that froze in her hair.
“Here.” Orvi curled around her, the heat from the fire within her warming Zelia against the freezing breeze.
“Thank you.”
“Zelia?” Linithion asked as she climbed to the deck.
“Over here.”
“Keeping her safe for me?” Linithion asked, scratching under Orvi’s chin.
The young dragon shivered in delight, and Zelia could tell the two had a connection to rival hers with Raven.
“I woke up, and you were gone.” Linithion said as she sat against Orvi and motioned for Zelia to sit with her.
“Not waking you up
was kind of the point. Kafthry wanted me to confirm our heading.”
“And you just stayed up?”
“No, Kafthry’s lips were turning blue. We don’t need anyone getting frostbite.”
Linithion sighed and leaned against her, staring up at the stars as she did.
“It’s beautiful out here. I have never seen so many stars before.”
“If you like this, you would love the view from Lumid’s home, the bridge makes for an incredible view.”
“Maybe we can go there together some day.”
Linithion laid her head on Zelia’s shoulder and her silky hair, shimmering in the moonlight, tickled Zelia’s cheek. Zelia took a deep breath of the salty night air and relaxed. For the first time since leaving home, she felt at peace and wished it could always be like this. But then something nagged at the back of her mind and she contemplated the anger she felt from Rogath. She hadn’t thought too much of it, but could Rogath pose a genuine threat to Skylar if he recognized him?
Zelia stirred to something tapping her foot, and she cracked her eye open to find Vainoff staring down at her, the sky lightening above him.
“It’s a good thing the seas were kind last night,” the old wizard mused, giving her a smile.
Linithion wiped sleep from her eyes at the sound of Vainoff’s voice. Zelia stood and stretched, cringing as her damp leggings stuck to her skin.
Then she noticed something on the horizon and was wide awake in an instant.
“How long was I asleep?”
Vainoff’s grin widened, and it was then that she noticed the soft white glow of his staff.
“You’ve been wielding the wind.”
“I could teach you, both of you.”
“But we don’t have that kind of magic,” Linithion interjected.
“And that my dear is where you are wrong.”
“Vainoff, they tried to make me do other kinds of magic. Even Zivu admitted that she wasn’t sure why I could only wield fire and ice. Besides, why are you bringing this up now?”
“I thought of it last night while brewing a nice wind. Did Asenten ever let you use one of the Guild staffs?”
“No.”
“Then you haven’t really tried.”
Zelia glanced at the island in the distance and then back to him.
“I don’t want more power. I don’t want what I have.”
Vainoff’s smile faded and his wrinkled face took on a serious yet kind expression.
“I know you don’t want it, but I’m afraid you will need it before this is all done. And before you ask, I don’t know what is coming, I just have a gut feeling.”
Zelia turned back to the island and pushed her mind towards it, yearning to get away from Vainoff as much as contact Raven and the others.
“Raven.”
“You can talk to her this far away?” Orvi asked.
“Zelia?” the response was faint, as though distant. “Where are you?”
“East of the islands. I should be just beyond the horizon, I can see the first island.”
“Then I’ll meet you part way.”
“Raven, I should warn you, I have someone to meet you. Oh, and Kafthry is with me.”
“And Keller?”
“No,” she didn’t even try to keep the sadness from her tone.
“Oh, then perhaps we should wait to tell Elm and Evergreen.”
“Maybe… But Raven, can you get Dotchavitch to come out to meet us? I want to introduce him to everyone before the entire village swarms us.
“Consider it done.”
“Zelia? Are you alright?” Orvi asked warily.
“Yes, why?” she spoke out loud this time and now she noticed that the others had joined them on deck and were staring at her.
“You were just talking to yourself.”
Now Zelia looked at Orvi as if she was the crazy one.
“Oh! You’re bonded! You can communicate over longer distances.”
Zelia raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t realized she and Raven had bonded. Now she wondered what it had meant to Raven to be left behind, believing Zelia would never return.
“So?” Linithion pressed.
Zelia rubbed her temples, the split conversations causing her head to hurt.
“Raven will be out with Dotchavitch to meet us before we reach the islands.”
She glanced around at her friends and noticed that Kafthry stood with his back to her as he stared at the islands on the horizon. Zelia approached him cautiously, knowing that returning without Keller would be hard for him.
“I never thought I would return… ” there was an audible catch in his voice, “especially without Keller. What am I supposed to tell Elm?”
“The truth. Keller gave his life to protect innocents.”
“But why am I returning and not him?”
“I understand how you feel, but you must try not to let it eat you up inside. It sucks, I know, it hurts more than the shrapnel in my chest.” There was a moment of silence between them and she added, “Besides, if anyone is guilty, it’s me. I dragged the two of you into that mess.”
“Dragged us? Sure, that happened.”
“See, now you’re smiling.”
“Please tell me that dark spot on the horizon is where we’re going,” Nikolas said. “I don’t think I’ve been this skinny since I was a pup.”
“Nah, even back then you weren’t this skinny,” Skylar teased, though there was a hint of concern in his tone.
“No, that is one of the smallest islands in the chain, we are going to the largest,” Kafthry answered.
“We have a little while, perhaps we should eat?” Linithion asked.
As she asked, Orvi snapped a fish from the water and dragged it over the side of the ship.
“Do you think she might share?” Nikolas asked.
“Orvi?” Linithion asked. The young dragon nudged the fish to Nikolas’ feet.
“Thank the gods, I couldn’t eat another piece of laygoose bread if I wanted to,” Nikolas said and sank to his knees, using his knife to fillet the fish. “Would you?” he asked Orvi, holding the two chunks of meat out on the end of his knife.
“Needy isn’t he?” Orvi teased and blew a small stream of fire over the meat before tending to what Nikolas had left for her.
Linithion gave Orvi a good scratching, removing the remainder of Orvi’s latest shed to thank her for helping Nikolas. Alrindel handed out pieces of laygoose bread and Zelia took a bite, while at one point the sweet elvish bread had made her melt with its taste, eating it for every meal since they had finished the perishable food had stolen her love of it. She thought even Koin would have tired of eating laygoose bread on this trip.
“Now that’s a ship.”
Raven’s words entered her thoughts, and she turned back towards the island just in time to see Raven slow her approach with Dotchavitch and his dragon by her side.
Dotchavitch rolled as he hit the deck and had his sword drawn as he came to his feet.
“Zelia?” he seemed confused as he glanced around the ship, then he craned his neck to look at his dragon circling above, a hint of frustration in his expression.
“They only did what I asked.”
The boat bobbed as Raven landed and Orvi cowered behind Linithion, nervous to be around others like her.
“Who is this?” Raven asked.
“Dotchavitch, Raven, meet Orvi. She is the daughter of Kniteoff.”
“Orvi, it’s okay, Raven is the one I was telling you about.”
Dotch looked at Orvi and the others, then turned back to Zelia.
“Why are you here?” Dotch asked.
“We need your help,” Vainoff stepped into the conversation.
“Why would you need my help?”
“They need to speak with Yargo and they think there is a…” Kafthry searched for a description, “something that will let them do it here.”
Linithion giggled at Kafthry’s frustration and took Zelia’s hand as she step
ped into the circle of conversation. The boat rocked and Zelia glanced over her shoulder to see Stardust had joined Raven and Orvi in conversation. She could hear them, but pushed them to a rhythmic hum in the background of her thoughts.
“Why have them bring me here alone?” Dotchavitch asked.
“I didn’t want to explain in front of everyone,” Zelia said. “And I know how hard it can be to get a word in around here.”
“Before we get too far, would you mind putting that away?” Linithion nodded to his sword, and he slid it into the sheath at his side.
“So, what makes you think we have a way to speak to Yargo? Sure, we have tales about the gods, but until you showed up, they were just tales.”
“Who painted the portraits of Yargo?”
“My great-great-grandfather. But wha… ” realization dawned on him and his eyes widened. “Are you saying he really spoke with Yargo?”
Zelia nodded and turned to Vainoff, letting him take over explaining what they were looking for.
“Zelia,” Raven’s voice came to the forefront with the mention of her name. “The others are coming.”
Zelia turned towards the island to see four dragons speeding towards them.
“Stardust, would you make sure none of them sink our ship please?”
“Yeah.”
“Where is he going?” Dotchavitch asked, interrupting Vainoff.
“To make sure our friends don’t sink us. I would kind of like to return this ship in one piece.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much. After you left, we decided we needed a way to communicate better.” He patted the small horn at his hip.
“May I see it?” Linithion asked, her love of carvings getting the better of her.
Dotch pulled it loose and handed it to her. The open end was carved in the shape of a dragon’s head, its jaw open as though to breathe fire.
“Not bad for a human.”
Zelia elbowed her. “Be nice.”
Linithion blushed, realizing what she had said, and handed it back to Dotch.