“Arāesya,” Raven gasped, and they disappeared from view. Hikaru dropped to the ground and changed back to elven form. They dove behind several large rocks. Hikaru glanced at Raven when he could sense his pain. Raven clutched at his badly burned side as he fought to remain still.
“They have to be here,” the red dragon growled as it circled above them. “They must be caught and disposed of, no one can know we are working together yet. All of the preparations are not yet finished.”
“I shall handle it,” Jyldar snapped from where he was perched on the dragon’s back. “Allow me off here. They are injured so it should be an easy kill.”
The red dragon growled again before it drifted away from their hiding spot to find a large enough place to land.
“Can you port us?” Hikaru asked in an urgent whisper.
Raven nodded and put his hand on Hikaru’s arm. He closed his eyes in concentration and pictured the valley in his mind. “Ēlipor ntāera,” he whispered, and they disappeared.
***
Wren watched Raven and Hikaru fly away before he turned back to the clearing. He tilted his head in thought before he headed over to the pieces of the tent Raven left on the ground. After picking them up, he dragged them into a small opening that was still under the cover of the trees. He could not shake the feeling that they needed to remain out of sight.
“Jake, Sara, Paige, and I shall see to the tent,” Jaeha said as he walked up carrying Rin. He laid her on the ground in some soft underbrush. “You should see to Kaedin’s wing.”
Wren frowned when he noticed that Rin was unconscious. He glanced up at Jaeha and nodded before he watched Sara and Paige walk past him. Once they were working on setting up the tent, he headed back down to the edge of the tree line where Kaedin was asleep on the ground. He rested a hand on Kaedin’s wing causing him to snap awake. Kaedin flinched away from him.
“Easy,” Wren said, his voice quiet. “I shall heal the wing.” As soon as Kaedin realized it was Wren who touched him, he relaxed, and Wren put his hand back on his wing, “Rujhāe.” Wren’s eyes were closed as he poured healing magic into the wound and it was several minutes before he opened his eyes with a sigh. “That is the best I can do. There could be some lasting pain because we did not get it healed quickly enough.”
Kaedin only nodded as he allowed himself to glow and returned to elven form a few seconds later. A grimace crossed his face when the pain from the wing radiated through his back and part of his left arm.
“Thank you,” he said when Wren reached down and helped him back to his feet. Once he was standing his attention shifted to the tent. He could sense that Rin was quite unwell, and his face clouded with worry.
“She will be fine in a day or two,” Wren said when he noticed his expression. “Your blood will keep her alive.” He motioned toward the tent and the two of them walked further under the cover of the trees. When they reached the tent, they noticed that the others were finished setting it up and were all sitting around the outside of the tent watching them approach.
“Until Raven and Hikaru return we must remain under cover,” Wren said as he sat down. “Do not leave the shelter of the trees.” He fell silent once Jake nodded and turned his gaze to the sky. His brows furrowed as he calculated the amount of time since the rider pair left. It was bordering on too long and he was growing concerned.
“How do you and Jaeha know so much about that poison?” Jake asked suddenly.
Wren regarded him for a moment before he nodded in approval, “It is as I suspected, you are quite observant and intuitive.” He paused. “We know about everdark because I have already been through it many years ago.” He pulled up the sleeve of his shirt to show Jake the mark the poison left. There was a large black circle where the back of the arm and shoulder meet. Several black lines branched out from the circle.
“Rin doesn’t know?”
“Why would she?” Wren asked with a wry smile. “It happened several centuries before she was born.”
Jake shook his head as disbelief crept across his face, “I still can’t believe you guys are that old.”
Wren only chuckled before he turned his attention back to the sky. When he saw no sign of Raven and Hikaru his expression darkened.
“He needs help!” Hikaru’s voice broke through the silence when he yelled from the clearing. He had Raven’s arm over his shoulder and was supporting most of his weight. Wren and Jake were both on their feet and across the clearing before they could move. They helped them get over to the tent.
Wren eased Raven to the ground, and he stifled a gasp when his burned side touched the grass. Wren reached down to heal him, but Raven grabbed his hand to stop him.
“There were dozens of orcs and humans, that I could see,” he gasped. “They appeared to be preparing for an assault of some kind.” He paused with a grimace when he moved too much. “There was an elder red dragon with them. He spoke of more coming and Jyldar was with them.”
“Allow me to heal you and then we shall discuss this further,” Wren said, his voice firm. He could see the pain on Raven’s face. Once Raven relaxed back onto the ground, Wren closed his eyes and held his hands over the wound, “Rujhāe.” It took several minutes before the burns were healed. When he opened his eyes, he sighed with a raised eyebrow. Raven was already asleep after the healing. Shaking his head, he stood and moved away from Raven and Paige took his place. She took hold of Raven’s hand and held onto it while he slept.
While Wren was tending to Raven, Jake helped Hikaru over to the tent. His burns were minimal since he sustained them in dragon form. Jaeha was able to heal them and he, like Raven, was asleep on the ground. Wren glanced over and when he saw that Hikaru was taken care of he looked toward the lake. He stood unmoving for a while before he looked at Jaeha. The dragon tilted his head and the two appeared to have a silent conversation.
“I shall take care of it,” Jaeha said. “They must be warned, and I should be able to make it back before you must move everyone.”
“Be careful,” Wren replied as the two clasped forearms. “May the winds blow in your favor.”
Jaeha gave Wren a slight bow before he turned and left the valley. Wren stood until he could no longer see him before he walked deeper into the woods.
Sara watched Wren walk away and worry lines formed between her eyes. She knew he had to be worried about Jaeha going somewhere alone. While she did not know exactly what was going on, she figured out enough to know he had to be going to warn someone. She sighed before she glanced up at Jake, who was sitting next to her. He noticed her gaze right away and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder.
“This place is pretty crazy,” Jake said looking down at her. “I’ve been through combat before and it doesn’t come close to this.”
“It seems like a scary place,” she whispered.
Jake watched her for a moment before he pulled her onto his lap and wrapped both arms around her. She flushed bright red and her entire body went rigid as she looked down at her hands.
“Yes, it is,” he said, his voice soft. “Watching you fly off Kaedin and knowing I couldn’t do a thing to help you was the scariest thing I’ve ever been through.” He tightened his grip on her and she could not help but relax.
“Sorry,” she mumbled before she put an arm around his back. He rested his cheek on her head and held her as the two fell silent.
It was nearing midnight when Sara rolled over with a sigh. Every time she tried to fall asleep, she woke up a short time later. After waking for the third time, she gave up and laid awake staring at the canvas roof. After a while she looked around the tent and her brows furrowed when she realized that Rin was gone. Sitting up, she peeked through the opening at the front and found Rin curled up next to the fire. She was watching the flames but looked up when Sara walked out of the tent. Sara hesitated and did not sit down with her until Rin tilted her head toward the fire. She sat down and the two turned their
attention to the flames.
“Are you having difficulty sleeping?”
Sara looked up when Rin spoke to her. “Yeah, I keep dreaming of falling off Kaedin.” Her face flushed, and she looked down at her hands.
“I can see how that could be frightening,” Rin said with a shrug before looking back at the fire. Sara peeked at her a couple times before she took a deep breath.
“You can’t sleep either?”
Rin glanced at her, “No.”
“Why?” Sara swallowed hard when she noticed the disapproval on Rin’s face when she asked the question. “Sorry,” she mumbled and looked down at the ground.
“If I attempt to sleep, I shall wake Kaedin.”
Sara glanced up at her, but Rin would say nothing more about it and the two fell silent until Sara plucked up her courage.
“Can I ask you a question?”
Rin raised an eyebrow, “If you wish.”
“If they’re dragons why do they stay in elven form? Wouldn’t they rather be in their normal form?” Sara asked, her voice shaking. Her face was filled with discomfort until she saw a fond smile cross Rin’s face.
“Do you wish to hear the tale?” Rin asked when she looked back at Sara. When Sara nodded, she leaned back and looked up at the sky. “It begins at the time of the forging of Asaetara and prior to the war that split the races. The gods and goddesses worked for countless years crafting and forming our world. They wished to make the homes for their people perfect. Once the world was created to their liking the gods and goddesses placed the first of the races into the world.” She paused with a smile. “Amongst the first of the elves was a maiden by the name of Arlaeyna. She was the most fair, intelligent, and was desired by all. When none of them caught her eye, she became saddened and traveled across the newly formed world. Her travels took her far and wide before she happened upon a settlement of dragons.”
“The king of the settlement was a strong dragon by the name of Takaeda. He welcomed Arlaeyna into their midst with open arms. She was hesitant to be among such large creatures, but his genuine kindness warmed her heart. He did not pester her with constant pressure to court and for the first time she was truly at ease.”
“The two spent centuries becoming the closest of friends.” Rin paused again and looked back into the fire. “Neither one was aware of the feelings that were developing for the other until orcs attacked the settlement. Takaeda fought to protect his home but nearly lost Arlaeyna when he was too large to follow her. He felt as if his heart would tear in two and for the first time realized that he cared for the fair elven maiden.”
“After the fighting subsided, he confessed his feelings to her and was overjoyed when hers were the same as his, but it was not long before he fell into a deep depression. The great dragon began to fade when he knew the two could never be joined. Arlaeyna in a desperate attempt to save his life pleaded with Lord Ruehnaer, the guardian deity of the elves, but he had no answer for her and Takaeda grew weaker. Arlaeyna refused to leave his side and remained with him. Her devotion to him caught the attention of Lady Kikaeyo, the guardian deity of the dragons. It pained her to see one of her children in so much despair and she appeared before Takaeda. She gave him a choice. Remain in dragon form or give some of his magic in exchange for the ability to take elven form. Takaeda lifted his head for the first time in weeks and made his choice. Rin paused and reached toward Kaedin. She rested her hand on his arm. “Since that day all dragons have had the ability to take elven form.”
Sara’s eyes were wide when Rin was finished with the story. She was surprised that the dragon would be willing to give up so much until she her thoughts drifted to Jake. Her expression changed, and she understood. She would give up almost anything to make sure that he was okay.
“Does this answer your question?” Rin asked. Sara nodded, and Rin tilted her head toward the tent. “You should attempt to sleep it is quite late.”
Sara hesitated before she stood up to head back inside. “Thank you,” she whispered before disappearing back inside.
The next two days passed slowly while they recovered and waited on Jaeha to return. Rin was feeling better and back to normal by late the first day and was anxious to continue on to Nuenthras.
Jake and Paige exchanged yet another glance when Rin walked by them. The change to her appearance from the poison was drastic and made her look more intimidating. The everdark left her with permanent black lines on the arm and palm of her right hand and left her lips black. There were also black lines that circled her eyes around the lid and made her green eyes even more noticeable. Kaedin even seemed to be having a little trouble adjusting as he watched her walk by again.
“All of you must stop staring,” Rin said, her voice short. She gave them all a dirty look.
“Sorry Rin,” Paige said with a sheepish grin. “You really look different. I mean, I totally like it and think it is awesome, but it’s a huge change. It’s like you have permanent lipstick and eyeliner.”
Rin rolled her eyes and went back to pacing. Sara watched her for a minutes before she shook her head with a grimace.
‘Not cool,’ she thought. ‘Just freaky.’
“I heard that,” Rin snapped.
‘You must learn that spell,’ she thought. Her frustration bleeding into her thoughts. Hearing Sara’s thoughts all the time was beginning to annoy her.
“Why?” Sara asked. “I really can’t do it.”
Rin whipped around with an incredulous look. “How do you not know the reason?” She snapped. “It is most distracting to have someone else’s thoughts in your head. If the distraction was to come at the wrong moment, it could be disastrous.”
Sara glanced at her before looking back down at the ground. She still did not really understand how it could be such a big deal. What could her errant thoughts possibly do?
Rin started to pace around the tent again when a sudden roar caught her attention. She motioned for them all to go deeper into the cover of the trees. They all backed further from the tree line and a few seconds later Wren and Kaedin appeared beside Rin. She edged forward a little so that she had a clear view of the lake.
A few minutes passed before several young red dragons landed in the clearing of the valley. They stopped to drink from the small lake. As she watched from the bushes, another two landed after the first group. They appeared to be hauling what looked like a wagon between them.
“How much farther?” One of the dragons carrying the wagon growled. The biggest of them turned and roared.
“Not much farther,” it snapped. “Quit complaining and let us go.” The two carrying the wagon walked over to the water’s edge and got a drink while the others began to take off again.
Rin caught her brother’s attention with a small hand wave. When he looked at her, she tilted her head in the direction of the dragons. He shook his head no. She gave him a dirty look before looking back at the two carrying the wagon. Tilting her head, she studied it for a moment as they took off. She glanced at Wren and once she saw he was not looking at her. “Cūdāe.”
Wren’s gaze flew back to her and he watched as she disappeared. He shook his head in frustration and looked at Kaedin. The dragon’s full attention was on the wagon getting father away from them.
“Where?” Wren hissed in his ear. Kaedin pointed at the wagon before he moved to follow her. “No, they will see you as soon as you transform.” He grabbed Kaedin’s arm to keep him from leaving cover.
“I cannot allow her to go alone,” Kaedin said, his voice worried. He looked back up at the wagon and tried to get his arm free, but Wren tightened his grip.
“If you follow her now, you shall give away our position. She is on her own, but the gods help her when she returns. I have several words I wish to share.” Wren’s voice became hard, giving away the anger that was concealed below the surface.
Kaedin held his ground for a moment before he exhaled hard and nodded. Once he did, Wren let go of his arm. Kaedin frowned and folded his arms
across his chest before he started pacing back and forth in their small hidden area.
***
Rin appeared in the wagon between the two red dragons. She laid down among the contents. The dragons seemed to notice the added weight but when they looked over at the wagon, they did not see her. She observed the contents as best she could without moving around. It was full of all kinds of weapons and armor. Her brows furrowed when she did not recognize the insignia on the armor. It was a black fist holding a silver hourglass. The sand appeared to be frozen in mid shift. While she contemplated the insignia, the dragons flew for a while before they began to descend.
Rin risked a quick glance over the edge of the wagon and saw that they were near the base of the mountains. The sun began to dip lower in the sky as it got closer to evening. She noticed a massive cave up ahead and figured that must be where they were headed. Ducking back down, she closed her eyes and pictured in her mind where she wanted to go.
“Cūdāe,” she whispered and disappeared. She ported to a clump of bushes close to the entrance of the cave. When she arrived in the bushes, she did not move for several minutes before she eased forward enough to see out. There were orcs, humans, and small red dragons going in and out of the cave at a brisk pace. She frowned when she could see multiple runes along the cave opening. The ones closest to her, she recognized as anti-magic runes. She stared at them trying to figure out a way to slip into the cave unseen when movement caught her attention.
A massive, almost seven-foot-tall, orc came striding out of the cave. His thick, strong muscles could be seen through the dark brown leather armor that complimented his dark green skin. It made it, so he could blend in with the trees around him without any effort. There was a large two-handed ax strapped to his back as he observed the camp around him with dark orange eyes.
Whispers of Time Page 27