“Come now, Seraphina. Arius obviously thinks you’re clever enough if he has chosen to risk his life for yours. Use your brain, girl!”
She glanced at Arius in panic and saw he too was locked in place by his father’s compulsion.
“I know that not many mythics are rehabilitated into society after going to the IRC. But I assume that is because they’ve committed crimes against humanity too terrible to give them back their freedom.”
“One should never assume anything.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You seem to be suggesting that they… what? Kill the mythics just because they can? What you’re insinuating is treason. The whole point of the treaty after the war was to foster peaceful relations!”
Talegar nodded. “It was the point, yes. However, humans do like to dirty their hands in greed and profit. If I were to allow you to return home, your employer will question where you have been for the last week. Assuming that they don’t believe any lies you tell them, they will find ways to make you talk. For the safety of Mandar, of course. I am sure they would believe they are doing an evil thing for a good reason, too.”
Sera blanched and looked away. His words slithered in her mind like poison, but they had a ring of truth to them. It can’t be true. It’s just a conspiracy he’s making up to turn me against the MRO.
Talegar turned his piercing stare away from her disdainfully. “Believe what you want to believe. Eventually, the truth that has been shrouded in darkness will be brought into the light.”
“Well… do you at least believe that I bear no ill will towards you and your kind?”
He examined her for a long moment before nodding in assent. “I do believe you are not intending to threaten dragonkind. In fact,” he cocked his head slightly, “you may even prove to be useful.” He released his magic that had held Arius and Aliah silent and cast a glance at the still-sleeping Desamor. “Regardless, the decision has been made. You will come to Sky Valley where we will determine if you are the one spoken of in the prophecy.”
“What if I’m not?” she asked.
“You may still be of some use to me. Consider your life spared.”
She sagged with relief. Arius took a step toward his father. “What of Desamor?”
The golden dragon rumbled a low growl. “I will deal with him later. And Arius? You are still exiled. I do not have the authority to lift your banishment.”
“WHAT?” he roared and flared his wings wide, tail whipping from side to side in rage. Each word crashed out with a boom as he exclaimed, “You will still take her from me? You cannot. She is my Soulbound!”
Aliah gasped at his revelation and Talegar’s eyes widened as he scented the air, tasting the truth of Arius’ words.
Sera glanced between them, perplexed by her dragon’s sudden rage. She hurried to his side, laid a calming hand on the coppery scales and whispered, “I don’t understand.”
Aliah raised her voice. “Father, if they’re truly Soulbound… that’s cruel. Surely you can request a short amnesty from the Elders? Just until we understand Seraphina’s role in our future.”
He stared down his nose at his son coiled protectively around the woman in front of him, and huffed, “For the sake of the most sacred of bonds, I will appeal to the Elders for a short reprieve. Stay home with your Soulbound, Arius, until I return with their answer.” His giant form sprang from the cliff, wings spread wide to catch the air currents, and sailed west.
Arius paced frantically, his talons sinking into the soft ground, snarling his frustration.
“Don’t fret, dear brother. It’s a better outcome than it might have been.”
Arius paused his march and scowled at Aliah. “Seraphina is safe for today, but if the Elders don’t grant me amnesty for her trip to Sky Valley, I don’t trust father not to sink his fangs into her.”
“Arius!” his sister cried out. “Father would never kill her after agreeing to spare her life.”
“I didn’t mean it literally, sister. There are many ways he could harm her without physically attacking her.” Arius tossed a glance at his brother, disgust written on his face.
“I will stay with Desamor until he wakes, brother. You do what you need to do.” Aliah gave him a knowing look and gracefully curled up beside the unconscious dragon. Nodding to her youngest brother, she said, “Fly fierce.”
He returned her nod and replied, “Strike strong.”
Sera moved to her and rested her hand on the opal scales. Thank you for speaking up to your father for us. She poured her sincere gratitude through the mental link with Aliah.
The silvery dragon smiled sweetly and nudged her hand. Love is love. No matter what form it takes.
Chapter Thirty
The wind made her eyes water as Arius flew swiftly to their cave. Upon landing, he shuddered and transformed into a human, before hobbling toward the hidden cavern.
“Wait!” she called, sprinting to overtake him. Grabbing her backpack from the bedroom, she rifled through the contents until she found the container of Heal. “Here, let me help you.”
“I’ll heal quick enough,” came his gruff reply, but he kept his body turned away from her.
Gently, she grasped his shoulder and drew him around to face her. Sucking a hiss through her teeth, she tried not to gag at the ugly wounds that crisscrossed his body. A particularly nasty slash on his neck had only just missed his jugular. Flaps of skin hung uselessly from his chest and his left arm had a massive tear in it, exposing bone. Carefully, she smeared the treatment liberally on his injuries, holding the skin in place and binding them with bandages where she could. Tears pricked her eyes every time he groaned in response to her ministrations.
“Enough,” he grunted. “We don’t have time for this.” He stood quickly and stalked away from her. Refilling her water bottle and collecting some skyberries and jerky from his pantry, he brusquely shoved them in her backpack.
She stood frozen in place in the cave that had so quickly and unexpectedly become home to her, observing his abrupt movements. “What’s happening?”
He strode to her and grabbed her face, crushing his lips to hers. Dread stole over his features as he withdrew and caressed her cheek with his thumb. “I have to save you.”
“But Talegar said I would be spared, regardless of the Elders’ decision about your banishment.”
“My father,” he spat the words out, “is a master manipulator. Everything he does is to advance his standing. Truthfully, I owe you an apology. When we met, I condemned you and your race, claiming your sole motivation to be greed and power. I had forgotten my father’s will to dominate all those who threaten his idea of a perfect world.”
Body quivering, he shuddered as he struggled to maintain his human form through the strength of his emotions. “I was banished from the protection of Sky Valley sixty years ago by the Elders. What they didn’t know was that I heard them speaking with my father before the trial. He was the one who recommended banishment for my crime.” He squeezed his eyes shut as he relived the pain.
“Arius… can I ask? What did you do?”
He looked at her, agony contorting his expression. “It’s my fault my mother died.” He inhaled a ragged breath. “The Mythic War was raging, and I was only young. It was a chaotic time. I was meant to go on patrol that night, but my mother let me sleep and took my shift. The humans… they shot her out of the air. She is dead because of me.” A tear dripped down his cheek.
Sera wrapped her arms around him and leant her head against his chest. His heart thudded loudly against her ear. “That wasn’t your fault. Your mother chose to take your shift. The humans were the ones who killed her. How could you be blamed for that?”
“I abandoned my post. Through my actions, a dragon died.” Despair lanced across his features again.
“It’s up to you to forgive yourself, but the way I see it, you were wrongly convicted. You should have been allowed to grieve with your family, not been thrown out of your home.”
&nbs
p; He smiled sadly into her hair. “You are so pure.” He stroked her back, his mind far away. With a little shake, he pulled away and held her at arm’s length. “The point is, the Elders answer to my father now. His going to ask their permission is a farce. He will never let you return home to Mandar and he will never leave us in peace. He will find a way to use our bond as leverage to exploit your power. I don’t know what his plan is, but I do believe he wouldn’t mind if there was another war between humans and mythics.”
Terror gripped her by the throat, making it difficult to breathe. “We can’t afford another war,” she croaked. “We haven’t recovered from the last one yet.”
“I know. Neither have the dragons. That’s why we can’t afford to play along with his game. I have to get you away from here. I can’t let him take you to Sky Valley, with or without me. If he takes you there, he wins.”
“What should we do?”
“The only place I can think of where you’ll be remotely safe is home in Mandar City. At least for now, until we can figure out another plan.”
Fresh panic flared as she stared at him. “What about you? I won’t leave you.”
He ran his fingers through her tresses. “I will take you to the city. I won’t be able to stay in human form for days at a time though, so we will meet that obstacle when we come to it.”
She pressed her body to his once more and kissed him passionately. The fire from the bond thrummed through her body, leaving her aching and elated in equal measures.
Twining her fingers through his hair she pressed her forehead to his and breathed, “We can do this. Together.”
***
They flew through the night, Arius keeping to the clouds where possible in an attempt to hide his massive form. The heavy comfort of the pack on her back and Firinne in its sheath on her belt made her feel as prepared for this journey as she could. As they skimmed through the intermittent cover, Sera kept looking over her shoulder.
Entering his mind, she voiced her concern. I think we’re being followed.
Did you see something? Is it Desamor?
She could sense the undercurrent of panic in Arius’ voice, his body still recovering from their earlier battle even with the help of Heal. Not to mention the taxing effort of lending his strength to her.
No… it’s not a dragon. More human-shaped, but I’m sure I saw wings.
It sounds like it’s just a mythic checking to see who is flying through their territory. Hopefully, they will leave us alone.
Shrugging, she dismissed the stranger and focused on the edge of the Red Waste that was fast approaching.
I’ll take us as close to the city as I can, then I’ll transform and we can walk the rest of the way together, okay?
Sounds like a plan. She rested her body against his, letting the wind stream over her and his steady wingbeats lull her into a dreamlike state.
Chapter Thirty-One
The temperature rapidly dropped. Shivering, she opened her eyes and squinted into the dark cloak of night. Heavy, black clouds rolled toward them from the west, travelling far faster than they should. Lightning flickered from within the tempest and thunder mingled with a terrible roar from far away. The unnatural storm sped towards them.
Still linked with Arius, she heard him snarl, This is Desamor’s doing.
His ire drew her deeper into his consciousness on the raging torrent of his thoughts. Feeling powerless to pull away from his rage, she was sucked into the light in the centre of his mind.
She looked back through his eyes, seeing for the first time the layers of colours that filled the storm. Purples, blues and flashes of green lit up the sky as the lightning crackled through the air. His distress mingled with hers and made it impossible for her to separate their thoughts, forcing her to go to the second level of his mind. She watched her unconscious body lying prone along his neck and winced as it flopped from side to side. The rain and wind had caught up with them and battered Arius. Dread filled her. Her body looked so frail; it would be so easy for it to slip over his side and fall. Sera was acutely aware of her mortality as the storm lashed them. She desperately needed to return to her own consciousness to do what she could to protect herself, but she was paralysed inside his mind. Arius’ anxiety heightened her own as the gale ripped at his wings. A blinding bolt of lightning sliced through the air and struck them. The shock jolted her back into her own body. She dragged in a lungful of air before choking on the water that came with it. She frantically swiped the stinging rain from her eyes as she coughed. Blinking furiously, partially blinded by the flash of light, her stomach clenched in fear as Arius’ nose dipped toward the earth. His unconscious form began to drop from the sky.
Grasping a spine in front of her, Sera screamed, “Arius! Wake up! You have to wake up!”
She pummelled his scaly hide in the hopes of rousing him. There was no response. Panic set in as they plummeted towards the earth, gravity drawing them inexorably towards certain death. His wings trailed behind them like torn sails, flapping uselessly in the cyclonic winds. His usually powerful body was buffeted by the elements as it cut through the air like a spear.
Unable to see anything through the roiling thunder clouds and painful raindrops, Sera had no idea how close they were to the ground. How close they were to their end. How close she was to losing her dragon. At that moment, she knew in her heart – she would do anything for him. Die for him, if need be. Against all rationale, she truly loved him. Regardless of her own fate, she couldn’t bear it if she lost him. With that thought, her mind snapped into focus. If she could take over control of his body, she could save them. Taking a deep breath, she centred herself, ignored the chaos of the storm around her and slipped back inside his mind.
It felt strange to be here without his thoughts surrounding her. The emptiness terrified her. Sera hurriedly moved through his consciousness toward the bright light in the centre. Once in the second level, she sifted through his mind, feeling guilty for intruding and praying he would forgive her, and followed the lines of light that stretched towards his limbs. Unsure if her plan would work while he was unconscious, she gathered up the lines like reins and tugged. His wings snapped open, catching the air and slowing their descent.
Clumsily, she pulled the lines up and down, and his wings corresponded with the movement, albeit jerkily. Guilt wrapped around her heart and squeezed as she took full control of his body. She dispelled her shame with a toss of their head. This was the only way she could save them. She didn’t know how to read air currents at all, let alone in a storm, but somehow, she managed to slow their headfirst dive and awkwardly guide him towards the earth. Without warning a bullet of wind slammed into their side. A half-scream, half-roar tore from their throat as Sera’s mind snapped back into her own body. She was falling.
She screamed as she rocketed towards the earth, alone in her mind. The darkness of the tempest had swallowed all light, leaving her disoriented. Sera had no idea how close she was to the ground but knew chances of survival were slim. Sooner than she expected, she plunged into the water; they must have been closer to the earth than she thought. Hitting the water was like slamming into a concrete slab. It pressed in on her, crushing her lungs. She strained to make sense of the murkiness that surrounded her. There were bubbles everywhere and she couldn’t figure out which way the surface was. Her limbs grew heavy in the freezing lake and her water-logged clothes threatened to drag her into the inky depths. Just as she gave up hope, a thick, sinewy body wrapped around her and pushed her through the water. She screamed in terror and panicked as the last of her oxygen bubbled away from her. Her lungs burned as she struggled to free herself from its coils when her head unexpectedly broke the surface. Coughing and retching, she dragged in the sweet predawn air as the unknown creature released her.
She didn’t have to swim far before she crawled up onto the rocky bank as oxygen rattled into her raw lungs. The worst of the storm had passed but light raindrops still smattered the shore. The moon was att
empting to peek out from behind the scattered remains of the stormy clouds before it retired over the western horizon. Pulling herself up onto her hands and knees, she expelled the last of the freshwater. Slowly, she rose to her feet and paused to let the world stop spinning. Blearily she scanned the riverbank, following the shadows, trying to locate Arius. Surely, he would have gained consciousness before crashing. Even if he hadn’t, the water would have softened his fall and woken him on impact. He would swim to safety as she had.
What if he was still knocked out and has sunk to the bottom? He’ll drown.
Anxiety clawed at her gut as minutes ticked by and he didn’t appear. Shivering, she began pacing and tried to connect with his mind. Only the easing rain greeted her attempts.
A rustle in the undergrowth at her back made her start and spin around. Her hand automatically grasped Firinne, which, miraculously, was still attached to her hip. Before she could draw the blade from its sheath, a massive beak drew level with her face. She froze. Her eyes followed the sharp lines up to meet the penetrating stare of a strange hippogryph.
“Move!” he commanded as he spread his feathered wings wide, herding her away from the river. She resisted, but the snapping beak that clicked shut beside her ear convinced her to follow his order, for now at least. She cast a last, searching look behind her, before trudging forward, away from the water, and away from her dragon.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Her guard drove her forward relentlessly. She slipped blindly down into a narrow gulley, getting covered in mud, while the hippogryph gave a few beats of his wings to fly over the ditch and easily avoid the sludge. She glowered sullenly at him as he kept her marching away from any chance of finding Arius. She tried to dash away into the cover of night but he struck her with a wing, sending her sprawling into the muck. Her ears rang from the blow. The rain abated as they trudged over a hill together before entering a natural amphitheatre. Hippogryphs lined the sides of the basin and all heads swivelled as one to watch her. Hundreds of pairs of bright golden eyes blinked at her. They all started shrieking in aggressive excitement as they saw her being shepherded to the centre of the bowl, like a virgin about to be sacrificed.
A Dragon's Mind: A New Adult Fantasy Dragon Series (The MINATH Chronicles Book 1) Page 14