Maybe that’s what is happening. After surviving a dragon attack, I’m going to get my throat slit by an overgrown chicken that did it with a horse.
The cacophony of screeching created a wall of sound around her. The stench of oily feathers and manure made her gag. She couldn’t think straight. The noise reached such a pitch that she couldn’t help but drop to her knees, her hands over her ears. A single, high pitched scream cut through the noise and pierced the night like an arrow.
All the other hippogryphs fell silent, aside from the one who had found her, who hissed, “Bow to our Queen. It is she who will decide your fate.”
Their Queen appeared at the top of the hill, staring disdainfully down at the human brought before her. It had to be their monarch; there was no better way to describe this mythic other than regal. She was taller than the rest of her kind and held herself with authority. Her feathers were sleeker and she was the only silver hippogryph there. The others were varying shades of brown and black, their colours seeming lacklustre in comparison. The hippogryphs parted and bowed their heads as their Queen moved through the flock. All aside from one hippogryph that trailed in the Queen’s wake, seeming to almost blend into her shadow.
Perhaps it’s a bodyguard?
The dim light of the dawning sun fighting to peek through the clouds made it difficult to tell what colour he or she was. The sharp stones on the ground bit into Sera’s knees and she made to stand.
The guard cuffed her once more, sending her crashing back to the ground. “Keep your head down, girl. Show our Queen some respect.” Stepping forward, he loudly announced, "Your Highness, I found this human at the edge of Lake Eyre."
“What are you doing here, human? Why have you disturbed our nest?” The Queen peered down her beak at Sera.
"I didn't mea—" Sera paused and coughed, trying to clear her raw throat. "I didn't mean to disturb you, Your Highness. I was flying with Arius..." She choked up a little, fighting the anxiety that swirled in the pit of her stomach, wondering if he was alive. "That is to say, I was riding a dragon when the storm hit and we fell into the water back there." She gestured behind her. "If you would let me leave, I will return to the lake, find my dragon, and disturb you no more."
"Dragons don't let humans ride them,” the Queen scoffed.
“This dragon, Arius, is my particular friend and has granted me the honour.” Sera held back the fact they were Soulbound for now, her instincts telling her it might inflame the tension.
“Even if that is true, dragons don’t just fall out of the sky, girl," she sniffed.
"They do when they get struck by lightning," came Sera's sharp retort and she stood up defiantly.
A small hiss from the hippogryph hidden behind the Queen drew her eyes briefly and she frowned. She could just make out the feathery eyebrows that established he was a male, but the Queen's spread wings still hid the rest of his features from her.
"I find that highly unlikely." Turning to the guard who had found her, she asked, "Did you see any sign of a dragon, Atticus?"
"No sign, Your Highness. Although, the human did appear to be searching for someone when I found her."
The Queen surveyed Sera critically, her sharp eagle eyes seeming to penetrate her soul, before stepping aside and snapping, "Torvold! Step forward!" The hippogryph behind the monarch trotted forward, his dappled coat becoming more obvious in the breaking dawn.
It’s Tor!
She could have wept with relief as he revealed himself to her. She took a step forward in anticipation but paused when he shot her a warning look.
“It’s high time you stepped up, Torvold. You are my son, and the next in line to lead our flock. You need to start taking responsibility and making meaningful decisions, instead of adopting this foolish persona and mocking your heritage.” She fluffed her neck feathers up in annoyance before swivelling her head sharply to glare down her beak at Torvold. “You decide this human’s fate, now. Do we kill her or let her go? Keep in mind we don’t know what her intentions are and we’ve never trusted a human Tracker before.”
The word Tracker was spat out by the Queen with a touch too much venom in Sera’s opinion. She sucked a corner of her bottom lip in and glanced over at Tor briefly, making sure to keep her head lowered in respect. She struggled to read his expression; would he honour his mother and her obvious prejudice against humans, or would he try to preserve their new friendship? Tor was utterly still apart from his eyes that stared deep into hers before turning to his mother and Queen.
He sighed and gave his tail a flick. “Mother, I appreciate you allowing me to make this decision. Please know that I would never intentionally put the flock in danger. I shall always endeavour to put family first. Knowing this, I have made my decision. I don’t think we should just let her go.”
Sera’s heart dropped. Tears pricked in the corner of her eyes. She couldn’t absorb the fact that not only was her death imminent, but it had been called for by someone she thought of as a friend.
“You only gave me two options,” Torvold continued, addressing his mother and the other hippogryphs that were gathered around them, “but there is a third. Not only will I let her go, but I intend to personally help this Tracker, this human, this woman. It is time to stop living in the past and embrace the new age. To move forward, we need to usher in a positive relationship between hippogryph and human. Let us forge an alliance with them! Our race will not survive another century without their help. We are fighting a losing battle against extinction.
“I remember stories of our ten-thousand-strong army fighting alongside the dragons in the Mythic War against the humans seventy years ago. They battled each other for ten years. And look where that’s left us. The werewolves hunt us, fewer young are born every year, many have abandoned our nest. We are weak. We are disunited.”
He flared his wings wide, his passion plain in his eyes as he walked forward to stand behind Sera, facing his mother.
“Our numbers are few, we have no combat training and the dragons are all but gone. We can’t rely on them to save us. We must find new ways to embrace this world, and I believe the best bet we have is to join with Seraphina. She is a friend of the dragons and she is a Tracker at the MRO. She can help us unite the mythic and human world for a better future.”
Almost panting from his speech, Tor turned to Sera and swept his wing behind her back, pushing her forward to stand beside him. “She can lead us into the future. I know it. Stand with me. Stand with Seraphina. And make our future one worth fighting for.”
Sweeping his wings back, Torvold reared up and loosed a battle cry to the sky. At that moment, she could see him becoming a worthy King of his people. Underneath his cheeky personality, he cared deeply for his flock. He was willing to push boundaries and break tradition to ensure the safety of his kind.
Time stood still. Hundreds of yellow orbs were fixated on the silver hippogryph, waiting for her final edict after hearing her son's passionate speech. Not even the wind dared to disturb the nest.
"Seraphina," the Queen whispered her name, but the word was laden with such animosity it made Sera flinch. "She never told us her name. You know this human already, don't you Torvold? Another one of your little projects.” Disappointment dripped from each word as she flung them like daggers at Tor. “You always find a way to destroy my belief in you. I should have known better. You can't be trusted with a decision like this. Your curiosity and endless thirst for knowledge blinds you to the true dangers of the humans." Hurt flickered across the Queen's features briefly as she murmured, "Just like your father."
The last sentence was spoken quietly but Sera discerned the pain it caused Tor. His expression crumpled in sorrow, his beak hanging open in disbelief when the Queen flung her wings wide and announced, "Let it be known! From this day forward, I have no son. Torvold, you are hereby exiled. Leave now and I will let you and the human live. If you ever return, so help me, I will tear you apart myself."
Torvold squeezed his eyes sh
ut briefly, the grief etched plain upon his feathered face. "I'm sorry you feel this way, Mother. I hope one day you can learn to forgive me."
With that, he nudged Sera urgently and presented his back to her. She leapt up and slid her legs around his barrel, just behind his wings. It was strange how quickly she had grown accustomed to flying with Arius. The silky feathers and smooth grey coat she now sat on felt foreign. Her heart twisted as she longed for the comfort of rough scales and familiar warmth. Torvold took a few canter strides before springing into the air, flapping hard, ignoring the wild screeching of his people around him.
Chapter Thirty-Three
He flew swiftly, furiously beating his wings to stay aloft with her added weight and putting as much distance between them and his flock as quickly as possible. They stayed low, skimming the treetops, and made their way westward, aiming for the massive mountain in the distance. The icy wind cut through her wet clothes and bit into her skin. The sun was on their backs now and offered some meagre warmth. The morning light painted everything gold, with no sign of the wicked storm clouds from last night.
"I'm sorry, Torvold," she called out over the wind streaming past them. "This is all my fault."
"Don't be silly, sweetheart. To be honest, it's been a long time coming. My mother and I have never seen eye to eye."
"Still."
Sera worried for him. A terrible grief had passed over his features when his mother announced his banishment. She ran a comforting hand through the feathers in front of her. A low nicker thrummed through his ribs, wordless thanks for her affection and concern.
They landed softly in a clearing a few miles before the start of the Red Waste. She shook her arms and rubbed her numb fingers, encouraging the blood to return to her limbs before dismounting. Concern clouded Tor's face as he turned his head back to her and said, "We've been followed."
Sera spun around and scanned the blue sky, half-expecting to see one of the Queen’s guards. A silhouette materialised out of the fluffy clouds before the form of a strange bay hippogryph landed in front of them.
"Bels!" Tor's tone indicated it was a friend of his. He whinnied a greeting. "What are you doing here?"
"Tor," she answered with relief, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me but I had to follow you. Your mother is wrong. I know I shouldn't say that but it's true. You made great points back there, and she let her prejudice cloud her judgement. I will stay with you. I will support you. And you, Seraphina." She nodded her refined head in Sera’s direction. “I'm Belisa but everyone calls me Bels. I will do what I can to help.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Bels. You can call me Sera. Thank you for your concern, but I don’t want either of you losing your family because of me.” Turning to Tor, she urged him, “Return to your people, Tor. Take Bels home with you. Blame me for swaying your loyalties, if you must. I have to find Arius.”
“Didn’t you hear my mother?” he asked bitterly. “I’m banished.”
“She’s your mother! Surely she would allow you back into the fold if you appealed to her?”
“She exiled my father for less. I have been cast out, Sera. Now that Bels has followed me,” he turned his sorrowful gaze towards her, “she has also forfeited her right to stay with my mother’s flock.”
“I’m so sorry,” she exclaimed. “Because of me, you have both lost your family.”
“We will just have to start one of our own,” Bels suggested coyly and grinned boldly at Tor who looked surprised to not be the one flirting for a change.
Feathers ruffled, he turned his back on the female hippogryph and faced Sera. “There will be time to discuss that later. For now, we need to concentrate on finding Arius. You said he fell during the storm?”
She nodded. “He and Desamor got into a fight.” She glanced uncertainly at Bels, unsure how much to reveal in her presence. “Afterwards, Arius decided to return me to the safety of my home, but his brother followed us and created that storm. He was hit.” She choked up and dashed the tears from her cheeks. Clearing her throat, she continued, “He was hit by lightning, and he – we – fell into the lake.” She paused. “Well, I fell into the lake, and I assumed he did too, but I didn’t actually see where he landed.”
Now that she was free of her fear of the hippogryph queen, she could focus on the loss of her Soulbound. A searing ache branded her heart and she struggled to halt the tears that threatened to spill over once more. She paced from one side of the clearing to the other, wringing her hands in agitation. Tor and Bels watched her in silence.
“Tor, I have to go back for him. We’re too close to Mandar City. He could have been hurt. He could have been captured.” She refused to consider that he might have been killed. I’d know. Somehow. I’d know if he were dead.
The hippogryphs shared a look. Bels stepped forward, her brown coat shining in the morning sunlight. “Sera,” she said gently, “I’m not sure that it’s safe for any of us to return to Lake Eyre. If the flock finds any of us, we’re dead. And realistically, what could any of us do to help a dragon?”
“I can help him! I need to go to him! You don’t understand!” She could feel herself turning hysterical but couldn’t rein in her emotions any longer. “We’re connected. I can’t survive without him, nor could he without me. We need each other!”
Tor narrowed his eyes and scrutinised her. “Sera… what you’re saying… is this about more than connecting to him with your power?”
She bit her lip and didn’t answer.
Realisation slowly dawned on his face and he said, “Tell me truthfully, have you been Soulbound to one another?”
She remained mute and studied the ground. A hiss of surprise came from Bels while he cocked his head and contemplated her.
“Well. This is… unusual.” Turning his head sharply, he said, “Bels, we have to help her return to him.”
The bay stamped her feet and spat out, “That is unnatural. No dragon should bind himself to a human. Not to mention, it is too dangerous to go back.”
Sera took a deep breath and addressed both the hippogryphs. “I don’t expect either of you to help me more than you already have. I want you to stay safe. I will return on my own and find him. I’m a Tracker. I’m good at finding lost mythics.”
A shout in the distance interrupted their discussion and made all three freeze.
“That sounded like a human voice,” Bels commented, throwing an accusatory glance towards Sera.
“We should check it out,” suggested Tor, subtly adjusting his wings to disrupt the daggers the female hippogryph glared at Sera.
With a swish of her tail, she replied, “I’ll go.”
He bowed his head. “I’ll stay here with Sera. Stay safe.”
The bay hippogryph tucked her wings close to her sides and cantered east, melting into the trees.
Once she had travelled out of hearing, Tor turned to Sera. “I have to ask: do you know why the humans would have travelled this deep into the ranges?”
Frowning, Sera considered the question. “The only reasons I can think of, is they are tracking a rogue, or, perhaps… they could be searching for me?” Silently counting on her fingers, she said, “I’ve been gone about ten days, so maybe this is a search party?”
A flare of hope bloomed in her chest with the thought of returning to the safety of her home. To return to her father. A sick feeling burned away her momentary happiness and replaced it with the memories of her time with Arius. He had saved her life. He had taught her about the magic and the truth of the real world, not the fabricated one she had grown up thinking she knew.
He is my dragon. My Soulbound. I won’t abandon him.
Torn between the beckoning comfort of her old life and the promise of the possibilities of her new life, she sat down, tormented. Craving an escape from her confused thoughts, she closed her eyes and sent her consciousness out. Bright spots flared all around her as the veil lifted and revealed the life that hummed through the earth. The lights of the insects and rodents were
dwarfed by the swirling warmth of Tor’s aura. Stretching further away from her body, she ignored the sparks of the small animals until she found Bels’ life force hiding in thick underbrush along with that of five humans. Gently probing, she didn’t recognise the first two auras she encountered. The third was familiar to her but she couldn’t place the female. The fourth human’s soul glowed, beckoning to her.
Dad! Her heart cried out to be with her father. She wished he could hear her thoughts the way her dragon could. Dad will understand. If I go to him, he will call off the search and let me track down Arius.
The last human’s aura blazed into her mind’s eye. The sickening feeling that accompanied it told her the owner’s name as quickly as if she had seen him with her own eyes. Steel bands squeezed the air from her lungs as she thought his name.
Tyler.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Her mind was made up. Regardless of her or her father’s wishes, Tyler would control the situation and have her returned to Mandar City.
I’ll never be allowed to search for Arius if they take me back. I can’t let them find me.
Distantly, she heard Tor calling her name urgently. Sadly, she began to withdraw her consciousness away from her father and back to her body. Shaking, she went to stand up but collapsed back to the ground, exhausted.
Panting, she looked up into the concerned face of Tor. “I heard you call my name, is everything okay?”
“I’m fine,” he said. “You’ve been gone for a while and I know how that ended last time. I wanted to make sure you weren’t going to faint for half a day.”
A Dragon's Mind: A New Adult Fantasy Dragon Series (The MINATH Chronicles Book 1) Page 15