My gift reacts almost without thought, spilling from my fingertips, filling the air with a bright-green glow. The force of my energy slams into the shield, again and again. I’m not thinking about spellwork or strategy. I’m not thinking about anything except what I need—to get to my dragon.
Magic is about will.
And right now my will is stronger than anything.
The shield crumbles under the force of my gift, bursting into sparks of purple, and Lilja lets out a roar and surges forward, dropping rapidly through the air toward me.
My left hand slips from the rock, and I can’t hold on any longer. There’s no time to position myself, no time for anything. I press my feet against the rock and push off with all of my might, leaping into the air.
I fall.
And fall.
And fall.
Lilja dives as fast as she can, nearly hitting me with one of her wings, but she isn’t going to make it. She can’t catch me in time—
She lunges forward, stretching as far as possible, and I slam into her neck.
I scramble for purchase, gripping the nearest spike and clinging to it for dear life as Lilja rises, the beat of her wings thudding in my ears. I reach for my magic and steer her with my gift, showing her where to go.
As I wrap myself tightly around her neck, Lilja soars higher and higher, flying across the bay and toward the arena.
THIRTY-ONE
The arena is in utter chaos.
Shimmering violet shields wrap around the stands—it looks like Seeker Ludvik put them up to protect the villagers. In the center of the arena floor, a beautiful golden dragon roars—it must’ve been brought in for the competition. A figure sits on its back, but from this distance I can’t see who it is. The chained red dragon is roaring back at it, its rider clearly leading the charge.
Scurrying below the dragons like ants are the Vondur soldiers, shouting and wielding their weapons. Lines of soldiers block both the main entrance and the back door of the arena, keeping any of the villagers from leaving. But the shield protecting them is also trapping them in place, preventing anyone from fighting back.
As Lilja storms into the arena and lands, both the golden and red dragons turn sharply in our direction. The nearest Vondur soldier raises a spear toward Lilja, but she roars and twists away from him, her tail sideswiping at least two other soldiers and sending them sprawling.
“About time you showed up,” yells a familiar voice.
The figure on the back of the golden dragon is Ari. The yellow light of his gift swirls around his hands, which grip the back of the dragon tightly.
“I was a bit busy finding a dragon,” I yell back.
I move Lilja closer to Ari and the golden dragon as the Vondur gather around us. They raise their spears, but Lilja and her golden friend roar, sending the men sprawling with swipes of their claws. Ari and I are both channeling our gifts, using them to strengthen the dragons’ energies and keep them alert.
“Look out!” Ari shouts, and I turn to see a Vondur swordsman stepping closer. I give Lilja a prod with my gift, helping her turn, and she snarls at him, sending him running. A spear flies through the air, aimed at Ari, but Lilja snatches it in her jaws and snaps it in two with one clean bite. Three more Vondur advance toward her, but Lilja exhales a burst of flame, cutting them off. How long has she known that trick?
Within moments, the Vondur retreat toward the red dragon as whoever is on its back shouts orders. I don’t think they’re giving up, though—not by a long shot. Lilja’s arrival surprised them, but now they’re regrouping.
“Where are the Seekers?” I ask Ari, nudging Lilja closer to him so we can talk without being overheard. He points toward the council table, and I finally notice the smaller battle raging there. Seeker Ludvik is using his gift to shield the spectators, and it’s clearly taking all of his magic to do so—he stands still, gift swirling through the air, unable to do anything about the Vondur. Seeker Larus stands in front, protecting Seeker Ludvik from the three Vondur soldiers advancing toward them. But Seeker Larus is a healer, not a warrior, and I don’t know how long he’ll be able to fend off the Vondur. Ari and I could help, but we’ll have to fight our way through a sea of soldiers to get there.
“Where are the others?” I ask Ari. “Where’s Agnar?” He’s the one with the warrior gift; he should be helping.
“You didn’t see?” Ari asks. He points across the arena, in the direction of the red dragon.
For a second, I’m not sure what he’s talking about. But I can feel it now—the gift that’s swirling all around the red dragon. Not dark and heavy like the Vondur magic. A warrior gift, the strongest one I’ve ever sensed.
I look again at the figure on the red dragon’s back, and suddenly it all makes a horrible kind of sense.
It’s Seeker Agnar.
He isn’t fighting the Vondur. He isn’t doing anything to stop them.
He’s helping them.
He’s the traitor.
This is how the Vondur knew that today would be the best day to invade, because they could trap everyone in the arena. This is how they got the red dragon. It’s how they got into the Realm. It’s how they sabotaged the second trial with that explosion.
Agnar told the Vondur everything they needed to know. He let them into the Realm. He used one of their spells at the second trial. He tried to trade them Lilja’s egg and who knows how many other magical creatures or items from the Realm.
He’s been helping them all along.
I look at Ari. “What are we going to do?”
Agnar didn’t become a Seeker for nothing—his magic is strong. And Seeker Larus and Seeker Ludvik are barely holding off the Vondur soldiers, and Seeker Freyr is nowhere to be seen, and it’s just Ari and me, in the center of the arena floor. What can we do, against him? We’re not Seekers.
Abruptly, the line of Vondur in front of us shifts, allowing the red dragon to move closer to Ari and me, with Agnar on its back. Whatever they’re planning, it’s happening now.
Lilja lets out a sudden cry, more of a whimper than a roar, and I reach for her with my gift immediately.
Agnar’s magic is spreading toward her.
“No!” I yell, and I push back without thinking. My gift bursts from my fingertips, its green sparks surrounding Lilja, forcing Agnar’s magic away from her. It’s not a spell; there’s nothing organized or deliberate about it. But the force of my reaction—and the suddenness of it—is enough to force Agnar’s dragon back a step, and his magic moves back with him.
“Get out of the way, girl,” Agnar says. “The time for playing games is over.”
But it’s too late. I saw him back away, and I felt his magic do it too.
He’s been trying to convince me ever since that first day in training that my magic isn’t good enough, that I’m not good enough.
But now my gift is coursing into my fingertips, and my dragon is by my side. I have flown over mountains and tamed firecats and found starflowers. I have learned powerful spells and trained a dragon and survived two trials. I am a naturalist and a defender, a healer and an empath and a warrior.
I am a Seeker, and I have a dragon, and I won’t let them take the Wild Realm without a fight.
I lift my chin, straighten my spine, and stare Agnar down.
The green sparks of my gift burst from my fingers. Lilja senses my intention and lets out another roar—but this time it’s accompanied by a jet of fire. Agnar and the closest Vondur are forced back as Lilja spouts a wall of flames.
Agnar gives some kind of signal to the Vondur standing below him, and the soldiers swarm forward at once. But they’re not divided now—all of them charge toward Ari and the golden dragon. Meanwhile, Agnar and the red one charge toward me and Lilja. She stands her ground, claws digging into the earth, and I act completely on instinct. I reach out with my gift for the red dragon’s life source.
The spark is all wrapped up with the angry red streaks of Agnar’s gift, and the dragon see
ms too tired and small to fight him off. I let my gift bleed into his, so the dragon will sense my intentions. Agnar realizes what I’m doing at the last minute and pours more of his own gift toward the dragon, but I’m faster.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” I whisper. “I’m your friend. But they aren’t.”
The red dragon lets out a frightened roar, and Agnar’s magic surges, but my gift is now a barricade, keeping him at bay.
“Don’t be afraid,” I whisper, feeding it more of my gift. I wish Ari could help me with its emotions, but he’s a bit busy at the moment fighting the Vondur army—I catch flashes of gold out of the corner of my eye as his dragon spins and whirls, fending off the enemy from all sides.
Agnar shouts something, and three of the Vondur soldiers break away from the fight with the golden dragon and advance toward the red one, who is slipping out of Agnar’s control. The red dragon lets out a burst of fire, forcing two of the men back. But the third is circling near the dragon’s tail and raises his spear, preparing to strike. On instinct, I reach for the man’s life spark and give it a tug. The energy starts to drain from him, and he lowers his spear, backing away from the dragon in confusion. I stop drawing on his energy before I do serious harm and instead focus on Agnar and the other Vondur he called over, who are trying to approach me. But Lilja is doing a fine job of keeping them away with her flames and doesn’t need any help from me.
I reach for the red dragon again. Agnar has a good hold, but he’s not a naturalist, and when it comes to living beings, his gift is not as strong as mine. I flood the red dragon with more magic, drawing strength from all the other life sources around me, and Agnar’s hold on it breaks. The dragon lurches and rolls its back, knocking Agnar to the ground. He lands hard and doesn’t get back up. The dragon jabs at the nearest Vondur with its claws, sending him stumbling to the ground.
I funnel all of my strength into it, feeling its energy surge and grow, and the dragon lets out another fierce roar. A jet of flames bursts from its mouth, sending the other Vondur running.
All three of the dragons in the arena are now under Ari’s and my control. The Vondur have only spears to fight with and no escape route. They’re realizing it too—some of the ones who were fighting Ari are retreating across the arena. Others are lying on the ground, injured or maybe even killed by the golden dragon.
My gift should be depleted by now after so much use, but connected to the magic of both Lilja and the red dragon, it only grows stronger. Its pulse thrums in my ears.
I glance at Ari. “I’ll get Larus and Ludvik, if you want to take care of the rest of these guys?”
Ari nods, his curls flying wildly, and directs the golden dragon to charge toward the Vondur again.
I direct Lilja across the arena, toward the council table where Seeker Larus and Seeker Ludvik are still standing against the Vondur soldiers. As we draw nearer to this end of the arena, I finally catch sight of Seeker Freyr—he’s crouched behind some kind of enclosure, which was brought in for the third trial. At first I think he’s being cowardly, but there’s a figure lying at his feet, and the blue sparks of healing magic fly through the air. It’s Tomas. He must have been injured at some point, and his father is trying to heal him. Behind them, I barely catch sight of Johann, peering out at the fight with wide eyes.
I stop Lilja immediately in front of the Vondur in the stands. “Hello,” I call out to the Vondur. “This is my dragon, Lilja, and if you don’t run right now, she’s going to eat you.”
Right on cue, Lilja snaps her jaws and growls.
Half of the soldiers run, scurrying down the steps and fleeing toward the exits. Behind me, the golden dragon roars, and I suspect Ari is leading the charge against some of the Vondur remaining in the arena.
But I keep my focus on the ones trapping the Seekers. Those that remain are aiming their spears at me and Lilja.
Reaching for my gift, I pull water from the air until I have enough to form a wave. The blast rips through the soldiers and sends most of them sprawling. That’s all the assistance Seeker Larus needs. He leaps to the top of the arena, pulling a glass vial from the pocket of his tunic. He drinks its contents, and within moments his voice booms over the whole space.
“The dragons of the Wild Realm will defend their home,” he declares, his voice echoing. His words are punctuated by wingbeats and roars from the red and gold dragon, still fighting the last remaining Vondur. “They have surrounded the arena. If you try to fight, you will lose.”
There is a pause, and then he continues. “I will give you sixty seconds to exit the arena, return to your ships, and leave this island immediately. If you go now and never return, you may leave with your lives. This is your final warning.”
I turn to watch the Vondur react. Ari has brought the golden dragon to a halt; he’s positioned near the main entrance, where it looks like he was threatening the Vondur guarding it, and many of them have already fled. In the silence that follows Seeker Larus’s announcement, most of the rest turn and flee. The crowd of villagers erupts into cheers as the Vondur run.
I nudge Lilja into the air, rising above the arena. Beside me, Ari and the golden dragon rise too. Together, we watch as the fleeing figures of the Vondur race for their ships. We cheer as they set sail toward the horizon.
Returning Lilja to the floor of the arena, I find that the Seekers have subdued the remaining Vondur, trapping all of them behind Seeker Ludvik’s boundary spells. Seeker Larus is now coaxing the red dragon into the enclosure along the arena’s far wall, where it can be contained safely until it can be returned to the Realm. Seeker Larus’s healing gift is already going to work on the dragon’s wounds. Meanwhile, Seeker Freyr is helping Tomas get to his feet—he now looks dazed but otherwise unharmed, so I guess the healing worked. Johann is nowhere to be seen—he’s probably fled into the stands.
Ari and I leap off our dragons’ backs and approach the Seekers. Seeker Larus emerges from the red dragon’s enclosure. “Ludvik, release the protection spell on the villagers and allow them to leave—but make sure they do so in a calm and orderly fashion. Freyr, make sure there is no one else who requires healing.”
Larus then turns to Ari and me. “Are both of you all right?”
“Yes,” I say, and Ari nods.
“Very well,” Seeker Larus says. “Ari, you seem to be doing fine on Gulldrik, so, if you would, fly her around the coast and make sure that all of the Vondur have departed. If you find any more on the island, use a boundary spell to hold them and then report back to the arena.”
“Yes, Seeker,” Ari says quickly. At his urging, the golden dragon whips out its wings and launches into the air once more.
“Bryn,” Larus continues, “please continue keeping your dragon under control and be prepared to assist me as I confront Agnar.”
I can’t help but grin. He’s giving me something do just like I’m one of the Seekers, and he called Lilja my dragon. “Yes, Seeker,” I say.
Seeker Larus crosses the arena floor to where Agnar lies, clearly injured after being thrown off the red dragon’s back. Lilja and I follow Seeker Larus, whose healing gift swirls around Agnar. After a moment Agnar sits up, and he and Larus stare at each other for a long time without speaking.
Finally, Seeker Larus asks the same question I’ve been wondering: “Why?”
“I’ve told you before, Larus,” snarls Agnar. “We’re sitting on a gold mine here. Do you know how much the rest of the world would pay for these creatures? For their magic?”
Seeker Larus’s jaw tightens. “The treasures of the Realm will no longer exist if the balance of its magic is disturbed. You should know this, Agnar. We cannot take more than the Realm can give.”
“There is more than enough,” Agnar growls. “It is wasteful to leave it all there.”
“It does not belong to us,” Seeker Larus says sternly. “When we trade the gifts of the Realm, we do so in moderation, never taking more than we need. We certainly do not allow this island to be pil
laged by those who do not understand its value or its balance. And especially not by those who use their magic to harm other creatures. We do not sell dragons so that they can be slaughtered.”
“I’ve been teaching them,” Agnar says. “The Vondur slaughter dragons because they do not know how else to use them. But I’ve been teaching them. They trained the dragon that I gave them to fly, and learned to ride it. They will not kill the dragons if we simply teach them, Larus. You guard your precious secrets too closely.”
Seeker Larus raises his voice. “You do not guard the Realm closely enough!”
“They hurt that dragon,” I say quietly, and both Agnar and Seeker Larus turn to face me. Louder, I add, “That red dragon was underfed and wounded. It was in chains. Is that what you’ve been teaching them?”
“They don’t trust dragons enough yet,” Agnar says. “The Vondur see them as deadly creatures who will try to kill them. They thought they needed the chains to control it. But they can learn otherwise. With more time, I could show them—”
“You will show them nothing,” says Seeker Larus. “You have betrayed the creatures of the Realm, for no more than the promise of Vondur gold. These dragons deserve to live in peace, undisturbed by humans who would abuse them or slaughter them for their magic. We guard the knowledge of how to train dragons because there are too many humans who cannot be trusted with it. Unfortunately, that now includes you.”
“You know me, Larus,” says Agnar. “I have dedicated years of service to the Realm. I am not your enemy.”
“No,” says Seeker Larus, “you are not. But you have broken every promise you made when you became a Seeker and betrayed the trust of this village. Therefore, the people of the village must decide what to do with you.”
Agnar spits on the ground. “The villagers understand nothing. They’ve never even seen the Realm.”
Seekers of the Wild Realm Page 27