Siri sighs as she blinks, the liquid metallic colors in her eyes seeming to swirl and dance with her pulse. “I suspected that something was wrong in his blood. I can smell it, Iris. It’s strange, like the Cadogan blood is present inside him, but it is rotten. I’ve never come across that before. As far as knowing that he feels for you, all I had to do was watch his eyes. They follow you everywhere you go. Are you sure it is love? Or is it possibly the desire to possess you, body and soul? You should be careful with that one, Cadogan.”
It unnerves me that Siri’s counseling questions about Cane are exactly what I have been pondering in my secret heart. We know very little about these creatures. Antero’s enough proof that we should be careful with unfamiliar acquaintances. Cane’s warning replays inside me as I lean against the rough stones of the cavern walls, feeling their sharp edges upbraid my back. I don’t know who or what to trust anymore, I lament as sadness and exhaustion finally overpower me, and I close my eyes to sleep.
***
On the polished marble steps of an enormous palace in Déchets lies a stiff, scarred body, its form so gnarled that its head curls tightly toward its legs. At the wall, a young guard notices and creeps down to investigate. Almost vomiting from the sight of the bloody mess, the guard manages to find its broken face. “My gods, Antero! What did you do?” He spins, a tornado of wind enveloping their bodies as he hurries toward the infirmary.
“Tell my father…they have it. Cassé has Carreglas…guarded by Ddraigs. Not sure…not sure how many there are. Make known my injuries. They are proof.”
Wolf’s healing was only like using a bandage to cover a missing finger. He’d closed the wounds, but he could not replenish Antero’s energy for the journey home. Fatigue and the drain from his Windwalker abilities left Antero helpless.
Antero’s body quakes in shock, screaming as the furious breeze blows over his raw flesh. His mentors had warned him about overusing his magic. Their scolding words echo in his ears in mocking tones. “Exhausting your Windwalker magic without caring for your body can cause your skin to dry, crack, and burn. That’s why you must stay connected to yourself; do not get lost in the Windwalker’s dance and forget.” Antero always scoffed at his instructors, never believing they might be speaking truth. Now, the wind’s brush is as agonizing as glass tearing into his skin.
“Are you crazy? To risk yourself like this….” The guard’s words cease as they reach the medics, and Antero is laid on a cot to be treated.
“Just…tell him. Maybe now he will see me as useful.” Antero barely whispers the command as a nurse fills his blood with enough drugs to put a horse into a coma.
Chapter 12
“Stand up, Cadogan,” Siri’s voice demands from the shadows, but I cannot rise from my place on the ground. One of Cane’s wolf claws managed to land near my feet, and I cannot seem to leave it alone. My fingers dance along with its smooth, sharp tip, no longer frightened by its dagger like edge. I know the man who wields this weapon, and I don’t think he would hurt me. He says he loves me. It is hard to come to terms with his absence as the Ddraig repeats her wishes, “Iris, get up.”
“Why did you not let him stay?” I whine, clutching that claw and shoving it into my pocket. “Would it really have been so bad to keep him here?” He was my protector, I think, immediately berating myself for the idea. He was not your security blanket, stupid girl! You can protect yourself, can’t you?
“The things you will learn are not for his eyes, Iris.” Siri paces through the cave, the black Ddraig mirroring her actions. As they circle me their colors seem to blend, the epitome of night and day in their stark contrast, like complementing halves of the same whole. “You and I must join our minds, complete the rites of Ddraig and Cadogan. You are the first to be found; therefore, you will become their leader when the time is right.”
There is a burning in my skin as the silvery threads that web along my hands and face glisten like molten metal. I watch as the lines reach up my arms, and I feel my nails thicken at my fingertips until slender silver claws have replaced my human ones. Even my ivory shock of hair sparks with this mystical fire. Silver flames erupt from Siri’s mouth, and before I can react, they envelop me in their blazing light. In this moment, I am infinite. I am the essence of starlight and fire, the fibers from which dreams are built. It is almost as though I am a metal in the process of being smelted and refined until I am pure.
When the flames finally dissipate, I mourn their absence as I lay on the cavern floor. All the world is observable now, right down to the spider inching away from my body in fear. If I focus I can see it; if I think about it, I can recall anything from my memory. Staring up at the cavern entrance, my eyes pick out each individual granule of sand. Their infinite shapes, colors, and varieties fascinate me. A rumbling sound perks my sensitive ears, and I shiver when I realize it is the sound of the River Sangre. That’s miles away! How is this possible?
“What did you do to me, Siri?” I ask as I endeavor to sit up, my limbs hanging listlessly at my sides.
“Don’t try to move yet; the Dadeni is harrowing,” the black Ddraig whispers to me, bowing his head in homage to my leadership. “It will take you a while to adjust, Cadogan. You will learn to block out the things that you do not wish to notice.”
“Dadeni?” My voice sounds hoarse, as though I am just recovering from a grave illness. Yet at the same time, it seems to roar.
“The binding I spoke of, Iris, to connect you to your Ddraig. We call it Dadeni in our Ddraig language.” That is when I notice the iridescent body cradling me, feeding its warm breath on my face. “You are mine, Cadogan. We will find the others and protect Carreglas together.”
Images form in my mind; things that I have never seen before suddenly appear in my thoughts. A strange stone that shimmers brilliant blue and violet amid streaks of gray and white. It pulses with sentient knowledge hidden somewhere in its craggy surface. Then I see us flying to the House of Vultures, the other Ddraigs behind us as we search for their warriors. An army we will build, an unstoppable force that faces the Devil’s Spine with a watchful eye.
“You believe they will come for us so quickly?” I question, secretly wondering if I haven’t lost my mind.
“I believe we have already seen signs of the Windwalkers’ greed. They will not be able to resist coming after Carreglas now.”
As more images pass from Siri to me, the strangeness of the connection slowly disappears. She shows me the details of her life here in the Pith. How she hatched from a small milky white egg, clawing her way up to the surface to find food. Watching as others joined her, how they learned to scour the land for small game. The first attempt at flight was humorous. “It’s a wonder you survived,” I mutter as Siri chuckles at the shared memory. “It’s interesting that your coloring is like my mynah mask,” I comment as I observe the iridescent blue that stains the scales around her eyes. The rest of her body is covered with pearlescent scales that shimmer with infinite values, some as blue as the sky in the summer, while others are as dark as the River Sangre’s depths.
“Nothing is chance, Cadogan, as you will soon learn. Maybe my colors are such because of your masking, or maybe you chose the mynah because some part of you already recognized me. But we were connected long before the Dadeni was completed.”
The black Ddraig becomes a constant image in our memories; their antics are playful, lighthearted, and free. I can almost feel her love for the creature with my own heart.
“We are coupled, Iris, he and I.” By Siri’s sudden tight voice, I suspect there is more to that story than she is sharing.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I accuse.
“You love the boy that was here, don’t you?” Siri shifts underneath me, ignoring my question. Her long tail coils around my legs, tucking me protectively away from the rest of the world.
“I don’t know. I think I am too afraid to love anyone, Siri. In Cassé, there is no place for such dreams.” But I could learn to love h
im. I cannot stifle the thought as it forms. I cannot keep that inner voice from screaming as it bursts from my heart.
Siri grows thoughtful then, her mind drifting along the skies as I see her flying memories. I suspect it is a mental shield, a means of protecting what she’s truly thinking from my knowledge.
“I’ve seen this memory already, Siri. Are you hiding something from me?”
My suspicions seem correct as a grim face of decision forms on her features. Her connection to my mind disappears, and her memories fade to darkness in my mind. I miss witnessing her memories almost immediately. The flood of information makes it seem like I’ve spent all my life with her. It’s like I have known my Ddraig for years rather than hours. With that intimate knowledge comes surety. Siri is trustworthy, and she has captured a part of my heart that I did not believe myself capable of giving away. There is connectedness between us that is rooted so deeply in my soul that if it was stripped away, I would not be able to survive. “I wish you would just tell me.”
“All in good time, Iris.” Siri plucks me into her claws as she moves toward the cavern entry. “Suryc. We are going to find your Cadogan.”
He towers over us on a ledge near the cavern entry, a small smile on his lips. “You told her then?”
“That you and I are coupled, yes,” Siri answers smoothly, and I see worry build in Suryc’s eyes. “Will you come with us, Suryc?”
“I will follow you anywhere, my love.”
The words are too much like Cane’s, and I shut out the rest of their conversation as I worry over him. “Climb onto my back, Iris. My hide is tough, so do not be afraid to hold tight. You need to practice flying like a true Cadogan instead of cowering in my claws like my next meal.”
The thought chills my blood as I stumble my way up between her shoulder blades. “There’s nothing to hold on to up here,” I mutter, turning my head to judge the distance between my backside and her spine’s spikes. “I am one turbulent storm away from being impaled.”
Siri’s hearty laughter rumbles through her body. “Lean down over me. Clench your knees together as best you can. We’ll figure it out together.” Before I have the chance to inhale or scream, Siri jumps toward the sky.
The world flies beneath me, and I can’t enjoy its beauty. I plaster my body against the Ddraig as tightly as possible. Somehow, the force of the wind around me manages to keep me firmly in place. I relax only marginally, brooding over my Ddraig’s secrets. What is Siri hiding from me? My mind races with possibilities as we fly toward the House of Vultures.
***
Wolf plops into the mud as the emerald Ddraig lets him fall in front of the House of Vultures. Condor and Falcon still are bound in the traitor binds. Falcon has already passed through to the next life. A wake of vultures ironically soars overhead, one of the braver ones landing on her lifeless shoulder. It won’t be long before only her bones remain.
Condor, however, is still very much alive, his tongue ever sharp as he jeers at his brother. “Back so soon, Brother Mine? Mynah already tired of you?”
“I’m a little amazed that you survived this long. How did she not kill you sooner?” Wolf grumbles as he readjusts his clothing from the unceremonious flight.
“My charm,” Condor cracks as a hacking, bloody cough momentarily overtakes him. His wrist groans in frustration as he jerks against the binds. “But seriously, why are you back here, Wolf? You cannot truly have hated me enough to return here to watch me die. You wouldn’t leave her alone in the Pith. Or has your love for her grown sour too?”
“I was not allowed to stay,” Wolf replies coolly, his hands behind his back to hide their shaking.
“You mean they did not want you,” Condor laughs as he chokes. “Those Ddraig creatures are picky like that. Only their chosen are admitted; very elitist if you ask me.”
“What do you know of Ddraigs?” Wolf demands, hurrying over to Condor and grabbing his throat. “Tell me everything, or I’ll break your neck, you—”
“Go ahead!” Condor wheezes through Wolf’s tightening grip. “You’ll spare me the slow, torturous end awaiting me! Death holds no sorrow for me now, Brother Mine! It’s been my closest friend and ally ever since the first time you tried to kill me!”
“You’re insane!” Wolf shouts, ripping himself away from his Condor’s captive body. His fingers twitch, as if they are itching to choke the life out of something. “Nothing you could tell me would matter, anyway,” Wolf mutters, preparing to abandon his brother until Death had claimed him.
“Au contraire, mon frere,” Condor rasps, laughing hysterically at his rhyme. “After I was no longer welcome in Omphalos, I had to find somewhere else to trade. The minor houses set up their own markets near the Pith borders, and they felt honored to have the House of Vultures leader joining their ranks. My unscrupulous ways were never shared with the lower houses, it seems. Anyway, in the evenings they would tell stories about the creatures living in the Pith and their strange ways. I paid close attention. None of them claimed to have ever seen the Ddraigs, but they knew the old lore very well. I learned a great deal.”
“Really? And how can you possibly think I would believe you?”
Condor chuckles, knowing he has Wolf’s attention despite his suspicious words. “Fine, Brother Mine. I’ll keep my secrets as well as you keep yours.” Condor closes his eyes, dropping his head back against the traitor binds.
“What would it take to get you to tell me about them?” Wolf grinds out through his clenched teeth.
“Release me.” Condor yawns, feigning boredom. “I’ll tell you every snippet, every bit of lore that was passed around in hushed voices by the fires.”
“That decision was Mynah’s, and I will not go against her wishes. If you want free, she told you to save yourself,” Wolf replies, smiling as Condor’s head droops.
“Then food, water, and a knife will suffice.”
Rummaging through his packs, Wolf removes a few dried strips of meat, a hard, crusty bread, and a fresh water skin. He pulls his smallest hunting knife out of his belt and stands before his brother. Condor eats ravenously, slurping every drop of the water from the skin. “Put the knife in the wood next to my right hand.”
“Tell me what you know first,” Wolf insists, his face grim as he waits.
“So, you have no Ddraig blood then, huh? Well, cheer up, that just means you were tough enough to survive the windstorms without their help.”
“I do have Ddraig blood,” Wolf snarls, pulling the last bits of food away from Condor’s mouth. “But Mynah’s creature said that my blood was tainted.”
Condor stops chewing, his hunger replaced momentarily by his thoughts. “Interesting. Did Siri give an explanation for this altered blood?”
Wolf’s hands clench in fury, desperately desiring to clamp around his brother’s neck. He’d relish the gurgling sounds of Condor’s choking. “Are you going to start explaining all this to me, or am I going to have to use this knife as persuasion? I need to know how I can help Mynah with these monsters.”
“Oh, Brother Mine, I am afraid that Mynah is not for you. She belongs with another Cadogan, while you belong…elsewhere,” Condor answers with a twisted smile that bares too many of his teeth. “Ddraig to Ddraig, blood to blood, their hearts will bond if they’re meant to love.”
A fist connects with Condor’s nose as Wolf unleashes the full brunt of his anger toward his sibling. Over and over his head slams against the traitor binds, a knee landing in Condor’s gut, an elbow jabbing his ribs. A bone snaps in Condor’s leg, causing his body to lurch forward, straining his shoulders until they pop. He wails in agony, but the beating rages on, eventually drawing a crowd of gawkers. It is Fox that finally emerges and yanks Wolf away from Condor’s broken body, still standing only by the unrelenting grace of the binds on his bleeding wrists.
“Is he dead?” Wolf screeches as he fights against Fox, “Because if he isn’t, let me keep going. That monster was supposed to die a long time ago.”
/> A heaving breath still wheezes from Condor, his eyes closing against the pain as though they could shut it out of his body. “What did our father tell you that made you hate me so much?” Condor inquires quietly, blood oozing down his jaw. “What hateful lies did you swallow about me?”
Wolf’s answer hardly matters as two great forms shadow the sky, a roar cutting through the air as they land. Iris drops from the creature’s back, rolling a couple times before she rises and straightens her clothes. Her skin has more of those luminescent, thin as hair lines weaving along its surface. A slightly bluish tint bruises the skin around her eyes naturally, as though the mask of the mynah has permanently altered her face.
***
Before Wolf can run to her side, a voice rings out to address the onlookers. “We mean no harm to you.” A black, sleek Ddraig stalks forward, sniffing the air as though searching for pleasant dinner aromas in a kitchen. He ranges through the speechless onlookers, eyeing one or two warily before reaching Wolf’s side.
“This is your male, Cadogan, am I correct?” Suryc asks as he rears up over Wolf’s head. “What is your true name again?”
“I am not sharing such information out loud in front of all these witnesses!” Wolf responds, cowering as Suryc bellows his frustration.
“Do not waste my time, little fool! If you want to stay with your female, then….” As Suryc speaks his nostrils flare. The black Ddraig’s onyx eyes shimmer as he notices someone behind Wolf. “You! What is your name?”
Without hesitation the male responds. “Cyrus.”
An answering roar emanates from the black dragon as ebony flames pass over Wolf’s head to engulf Cyrus, covering his skin with black patterns that trail from his shoulders to his fingertips. When Suryc is done, the male stands before them, the antithesis of Iris’s pale form.
Suryc faces Iris as he addresses her, but his mind is far away, focused on the figure behind Wolf’s back. “I had hoped to come to this land to give your male a second chance. I thought maybe I was wrong in my assessment of him, especially since you care for him. However, by returning to this place, we have found my true Cadogan, and your second in command of the Ddraigs. He will be your closest ally, your greatest companion.”
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