by Kyle West
By the time we made our fourth round, Pallos finally found something.
“Look.”
He pointed not at the mountains, but at a cloud moving our way from the north. Something seemed to be moving within the cloud, but it was so far away that it was hard to tell.
However, I knew I couldn’t have seen a bird from this distance, so it had to be bigger than that.
There was only one answer.
“Dragons,” I said.
“Friend or foe?” Pallos asked.
“They’re flying from north to south,” I said. “That could make them either the Elders or Isaru’s swarm.”
“Can we get closer?” Pallos asked.
“I have a better idea.”
I reached for Silence, finding it instantly. Even with the distance, I could feel the presence of the dragons to the north. I sought out Quietus, but it was far enough that I couldn’t be sure my message would reach her.
I had to try, though.
Quietus?
And the response was almost immediate.
Anna . . . you have come.
Are you and your dragons safe?
Yes. Safe, but tired. Our journey has almost come to an end.
Dragonspire is near?
Yes, Quietus responded. It is well that we meet here, Anna. No one can step upon the holy mountain unless their heart is judged to be pure and worthy. Never has a human been allowed to set foot on the mountain.
Askal’s voice entered my mind. Never has a human ever reached Holy Dragonspire.
As was the Hollow the source of our power in the North, Dragonspire is the source of our power here, Quietus said. Humans—albeit humans many years ago—destroyed our home, slowly but surely. Many, no doubt, will seek to keep you from the mountain.
You’ll tell them that I only want to help, right?
Askal and I will tell them everything, Quietus said. You are Anna. It is because of Elekim, your husband, that the black dragons were saved . . . that the Xenofold was ever restored to the Elekai. For that alone, we will make sure you are admitted.
It’s hard to find a landing spot here, I said. Can we follow you?
Yes, Quietus said. There is space enough before the mountain. Just don’t land on the mountain itself or burn it with your ship’s fires.
She meant not burn anything on it with the thrusters. I’d have to park a good distance away to be sure not to offend the dragons.
We’ll follow close, then. Have you heard anything about Isaru’s swarm?
Nothing, she said. We found no trace of it on our journey south, and neither have our scouts.
We haven’t seen anything, either. Northold was attacked, but only on the ground. I don’t know if the dragons came or not.
Northold stands. We sense they are nowhere the Xenofold holds power.
They’re hiding in a reversion, then. They probably haven’t even left Ragnarok Crater.
I didn’t know if the news was good or bad. In a way it was worse, knowing that the danger was coming, but not the hour. At the same time, it gave us a chance to stay ahead of the swarm and respond to it.
Best case, we’d rally the dragons at Dragonspire and fly north to meet them in battle, destroying them before they even had a chance to do damage.
Something told me that it wasn’t going to be as simple as that.
Okay, I said. We’ll be close behind.
I slowed the ship and sustained a hover, waiting for the dragons to get closer. We waited for about thirty minutes, facing the ship west, watching the sunset over the xen-covered mountains, the light silhouetting the dragons’ forms. Quietus and Askal, the largest of them all, rode out in front, with a trail of no more than a hundred dragons behind.
“I’ve never seen such a thing,” Pallos said.
“Nor have I. Nor will most people.”
I called the rest of the crew to the flight deck to take in the sight. All watched, silent and breathless.
When the last of the dragons passed, heading south to where night already was taking over the land, I said, “This is what we’re fighting for. It’s not just for us.”
The others nodded around me.
I waited until they faded into the distance before flying after them, being sure to keep my distance.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
IT FELT AS IF WE were moving painfully slow compared to earlier, but at least now we knew we were going in the right direction. There was no variance in the dragons’ flight path until just after sunset, when they gave a sudden turn to the right. Before us rose a high, spindly mountain reaching for the dusk sky.
“That must be it,” I said.
Pallos remained silent as we gazed out the windshield. Dragonspire was curiously narrow and steep. It glowed with pink bioluminescence, much like the forest surrounding it, while it stood on its own upon a plain—the only flat land for miles around. There would be plenty of spots to land.
A nimbus of cloud surrounded the peak—a cloud that seemed to be moving.
“Dragons,” Pallos said.
I saw that he was right. The dragons circled around the spire in an unceasing revolution.
Hold.
A voice entered my head, dominating my entire mind. Hold.
The voice had come from neither Quietus or Askal.
I reached for Silence and connected my mind to the unknown source of this voice. Who is this?
You dare trample our garden, human? Begone. I will not have you defile the South as your kind has defiled the North.
I slowed the ship to a stop but still faced it toward the mountain. I could see the Elder Dragons of the North flying toward the dragons circling the spire, adding to their numbers. The dark cloud thickened until it seemed like something solid.
We were told to come here by Quietus and Askal.
I felt something like real malevolence come from the being. I am Tiamat, and I rule here, not them.
Tiamat . . . you’re their son, right?
There was no response from Tiamat. It appeared as if he’d cut off communication.
Pallos looked at me. “You’re talking to one of them?”
“Was talking to one of them,” I said. “It appears that we’re not welcome here.”
“What do you mean, not welcome?”
“We have to wait here for now. And hope that Quietus and Askal can convince him to let us land.”
“I see,” Pallos said, frowning. “And who’s him?”
“Their son, Tiamat. According to Elekai stories, he was the one who led the Samalites to Hyperborea. Only they didn’t make it all the way, deciding instead to settle in Ragnarok Crater.”
“I thought Ragnarok Crater was where Hyperborea was located,” Pallos said.
“The True Hyperborea, as the dragons call it, is the Hollow. But when the Samalites passed through Ragnarok Crater on their way, they discovered the source of power for the Xenofold, the Sea of Creation, deep under the surface of the crater. Rather than continue as Tiamat bid, they settled there and built a city. They named that city Hyperborea. The rest is history.”
“I see,” Pallos said. “And he blames humanity for the destruction of the Sea of Creation, for using it as a power source . . .”
“Yes,” I said. “Though that happened long before any of us were born, dragons can live forever so long as they are not mortally injured. As such, their memories are truly ancient. Some, like Quietus and Askal, have been living since the Ragnarok War, four centuries ago.”
“And this incredibly powerful being, who is the son of Quietus and Askal, does not want us here, and wishes us harm should we come any closer.”
I nodded. “That’s correct.”
“But we have to come here. I thought the dragons would just . . . follow us. I suppose it has to be more complicated than that.”
I supposed so, too. “I guess we wait and hope Quietus comes through for us.”
There was a knock on the door leading into the flight deck. I pressed the button to op
en it, for Shara to step inside.
“What’s going on?”
“We’ve made it,” I said. “Only, we’re not allowed to come any closer.”
“Really?” Shara asked, peering at the mountain ahead. “Any reason why?”
“Tiamat won’t allow it. We’re waiting for word from Askal or Quietus.”
Shara didn’t have to ask the reason why; like me, she was familiar with the Elekai lore surrounding Tiamat. From Tiamat’s lack of welcome, most of that lore was probably true.
I tried to reach out and connect with Quietus or Askal, but could find neither.
“Maybe we should put down somewhere,” Pallos said.
“Put down where?” I asked. “The land around the mountain is the only open place for miles, and I don’t want to offend the dragons.”
“As you say,” Pallos said.
We waited for another half hour. I was starting to see Pallos’ point about the fuel. We’d managed to get a good amount in the tank, but not enough to where we could hover indefinitely.
“Maybe we should land,” I said breaking the silence. “I’m not going to burn through the entire tank. If neither of them are talking to me, something could be wrong.”
“Should I alert the crew?” Shara asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. We’ll be landing in five minutes or so.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
I WAITED ANOTHER FEW MINUTES for an invitation that I knew would never come. I didn’t want to disrespect Tiamat’s territory, but at the same time, Askal and Quietus weren’t guaranteeing that I’d be okay to enter.
I knew I should wait, but the deuterium stores for the fusion reactor were limited, and I had to ensure there was enough to make it back to the ocean for refueling. That meant that I had to get moving soon.
I reached for the intercom. “All right. Strap yourselves in. We’re about to make landfall.”
I pushed the control stick forward and engaged the rearward thrusters, sending the ship forward. There was no reaction among the dragons who had, without abatement, continued circling the mountaintop. Again, I attempted to connect with either Quietus or Askal as I edged closer.
Neither seemed willing or able to talk.
I kept hold of Silence in case any of them tried to speak to me as we edged closer to the mountain. I lowered the ship, keeping half a mile of distance. Nothing happened as I lowered the ship toward the xen beneath us. Once we landed, I cut the engines, unstrapped myself, and headed aft.
Without needing to be told, Pallos remained behind. After our excursion into Northold, he didn’t seem to be as willing to leave as last time.
When I reached the wardroom, everyone had already gathered, armed with their weapons. Isa was the only person with something that wasn’t a sword, favoring her bow instead.
“Leave the weapons here,” I said. “We aren’t supposed to have landed yet, but we don’t have the fuel to just hover up there forever. Weapons might antagonize the Southern dragons needlessly. Quietus and Askal said they would vouch for us, so we need to trust that.”
There was a moment’s pause before everyone started to take off their weapons. They left them on the deck, to be picked up when we returned.
“Are we in any kind of danger?” Ret asked. “I mean . . . if there’s a chance we might get ripped to shreds, I think we deserve to know.”
“No, that won’t happen.” I considered for a moment. “At least, it’s not likely.”
“That’s . . . comforting.”
“We need to be here,” I said. “We need the dragons to counter Isaru’s swarm. If we don’t have that, the swarm will have free reign over the entire Wild, and maybe even beyond the Wild. Anything that weakens us before Xenofall comes needs to be dealt with. Coming here is the only way.”
Ret nodded. “I agree. But if there is any danger, we might need our weapons. Just in case.”
Several others were nodding, including Samal and Nabea, and to my surprise, Fiona.
“They wouldn’t do us any good here,” I said. “The eleven of us against an army of dragons? We came here for a diplomatic purpose. Askal and Quietus aren’t going to let us get killed. We are going to negotiate a solution that is in the interest of both mankind and dragonkind. That’s all.”
I looked at everyone to see if there would be any further protest. There wasn’t.
To prove my point, I was going to be the first to walk out.
I pressed the button and blast door hissed open, revealing the cool night and the glowing mountain outside. Looking upward, the dragons were still flying around the spire. The night was filled with their long, mournful calls, which sent a shiver down my spine.
As I walked out into the night, the others followed. I waited for everyone to reach me on the xen. Looking around, the ground wasn’t as flat as it had appeared above. The land sloped gently upward to the mountain, while shrubbery pockmarked the rising land. The shutting blast door signaled the last of us coming out.
I stood for a moment, watching the glowing mountain. Nothing had changed. The dragons still circled, and no one was warning us away.
“What now?” Samal asked.
“We go closer,” I said.
“And Tiamat?” Isa asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “What I do know is that Quietus and Askal invited us here, and they won’t let anything happen to us. Why they aren’t talking to me is anyone’s guess.”
“Looks like a ritual up there,” Fiona said. “That might be it.”
It probably was.
“We have to talk to them, though,” Ret said. “That’s what you said, right?”
“Yes. That’s what I said.”
The alternative was letting Isaru destroy whatever he and his swarm came across.
No, not Isaru. Rakhim.
Isaru had never asked to become Rakhim’s puppet.
“We should get moving,” Isandru broke in.
“Right.” I pointed ahead. “We’ll get as close as we can to that mountain and those dragons. Hopefully, one of them will talk to us there”
I felt strange to be unarmed, but I stood by my decision not to bring weapons.
I started and everyone followed. I wove through the shrubs and low trees, trying to pick the easiest way up. The xen was smooth and easy for walking, at least until the slope became steeper half an hour later.
I called a halt, craning my neck to see the top of Dragonspire. The dragons were closer now, but still circled. The way the xen crawled up the mountain meant it was possible to climb it. The xen would provide enough of a hold to reach higher ledges. With that, maybe we could get the dragons’ attention.
I walked closer to the mountain, placing a hand on the xen in front of me.
What are you doing, human?
Tiamat’s aggressive voice entered my mind.
We must talk, Tiamat.
I need not do anything, human. You would climb our holy mountain. I said you were not welcome here.
And your parents said I was. We need to talk, Tiamat.
Leave us in peace, human. It has been generations since we’ve hosted our northern brethren. They have abandoned the North rightly and to your doom.
I was told I’d have a place at the table. I mean to take it.
Do you, now? I felt something like amusement coming from the dragon, though he didn’t voice it. I will entertain you, for the sake of my parents. If you can climb up and touch the spire.
The spire was hundreds of feet, and if I lost my grip, it would be just as long a fall.
“What did they say?” Isa asked, guessing that I was talking to one of them.
“Tiamat wants me to climb to the top of the spire,” I said. “Only then will he talk to us.”
“That is madness,” Tellor said. “What of Askal and Quietus? Will they not bring their son to heel?”
“I don’t think they can,” I said. “I’ve tried to reach them already. They know we’re here and they’re allowing this to happen.”
> It had to be for a reason. What that reason was, I couldn’t say.
“I will go on alone,” I said. “There’s no need to risk all of our lives.”
“Shanti—” Isa said.
“Me alone,” I said. “If all of us were to go, one or more of us would surely fall. I’m the only one who has to, so I’m the only one who will.”
Silence met these words; silence, because they knew it was the truth.
Of course, I could always turn back. That was what Tiamat wanted. If I turned back, though, then I couldn’t speak to Tiamat or find out what they planned to do about the Mindless.
I had to give humanity a seat at the table, even if I was the only one who could.
“We will wait here, then,” Elder Isandru said. “The climb will be long and perilous. If you need a moment to prepare, do so now.”
I nodded. I was tired still, but I felt as strong as ever from my recuperation at Shenshi. When I reached for Silence, the connection to the Xenofold was strong and sure. I could use that to my advantage here.
It would take hours to make this climb, though . . . and that was a long time to hold onto Silence.
“I have no choice,” I said. “This is something I must do.”
“We can’t just fly you up with the ship?” Ret asked.
I shook my head. “Tiamat said to climb. So, climb I must.”
I placed my other hand on the wall of xen before me, before I could start to doubt myself. I reached for Silence, feeling my way up the wall using my mind.
It was a long, long way. But there was no other choice.
Before I could doubt myself, I started to climb.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
THE FIRST THIRTY MINUTES WENT easily enough. There were plenty of ledges to rest on and encouraging shouts from below. I never rested long, however, because I wanted to get to the top as quickly as I could.
I continued to climb under the moon and the stars, the light of the xen providing ample light to see the holds, while my concentration held strong with the aid of the Xenofold. I always knew just where to place my hand and foot to give me the power to push myself up. Even so, I could feel fatigue entering my muscles by the time the moon was high and beginning to lower in the star-streaked sky.