by Amie Kaufman
“He says to hurry,” Theo whispered. “He thinks the Fyrstulf has other wolves looking for augmenters too, and no matter how much Hayn stalls, if one of the others finds one, the Snowstone could end up much more powerful.”
That dampened Anders’s spirits, and, as if to prove Hayn’s point, another wave of cold came through the classroom that day after lunch.
Everyone was weakened except for Anders and Lisabet, and Bryn was taken away to the infirmary by a worried Ferdie.
Anders could see from their expressions that they wanted to snap at one another or stop working and complain about the cold. But everyone behaved, because they wanted tomorrow’s class trip more than they wanted to vent their feelings.
After class Theo disappeared to the archives again, taking Mikkel, the Finskólar historian, with him, to look up as much as he could about Flic, her inventions, and her history, in case any of it was useful in locating the hiding place Drifa had chosen once they arrived at the waterfall. Lisabet would have been useful too, but as a wolf she was banned from the archives, so she did her best with a couple of books in their bedroom.
And Anders himself carried around the knowledge like a light in the dark: tomorrow they’d have the rest of the scepter.
Chapter Eleven
THE NEXT MORNING THEY GATHERED RIGHT after breakfast in the Great Hall, where Leif was waiting with piles of supplies—food and bedding packed into big bags that were easy for a dragon to lift.
Isabina, the Finskól’s resident mechanical genius, was standing and talking to the Drekleid. Her slender frame was nearly hidden beneath the long coils of rope she was carrying, slung crosswise over her body, her tangle of curly brown hair sticking out the top, and her legs out the bottom. It wasn’t until Anders got closer that he saw it wasn’t rope, but long strips of leather, some parts padded with what looked like fleece.
“Oh, there you are,” Isabina said, craning her head to see over the top of the leather rope. She had her usual smudge of grease on her nose. “Ellukka mentioned that you and Lisabet thought harnesses might be a good idea, so you have something to hold on to when you and Lisabet are riding Ellukka and Rayna.”
Anders blinked. The first time Lisabet had raised that particular idea, Ellukka had nearly gone through the roof. And now she’d been asking Isabina about it? “Is . . . is that what that is?” he asked, holding his hands out in an offer to relieve Isabina of some of her burden.
“Yes, I thought we might as well trial them today,” she said. “It’s not really my field, because there aren’t any mechanics involved, but it’s still an interesting design challenge. Oh, good morning, Ellukka! I’ve got the harnesses ready.”
Lisabet was just arriving with Ellukka, and she joined Anders in shooting the blond dragon a surprised look.
“No need to make a big deal out of it,” Ellukka muttered, crossing over to an empty space where she could transform. “It would be inconvenient if you fell off, is all.” She dropped to a crouch, changing before either of the wolves had a chance to reply. Or worse, Anders suspected, to thank her for being so considerate.
He and Lisabet helped Isabina wrap the first harness around Ellukka—they both knew they’d better learn how to do it, in case they wanted to make any trips without adult permission—and then the second around Rayna. It was a simple but clever design, crisscrossing under the dragons’ forearms and across their chests.
Anders and Lisabet had leather belts to wear, which had straps that clipped into the harnesses, meaning they couldn’t fall off even if they let go. They also had proper handholds now, which Anders much preferred to grabbing hold of Rayna’s neck ridges and hoping he didn’t hurt her.
“There,” said Isabina, tightening a buckle for Ellukka. “Nod once if it feels comfortable, and twice if it doesn’t.”
Ellukka nodded once and crouched a little, inviting Lisabet to use her front leg as a stepladder to climb up onto her back, and Isabina turned her attention to Rayna.
Rayna and Ellukka launched once they had their passengers aboard, and they circled in the crisp air outside Drekhelm, waiting as one by one the rest of the class launched themselves out the huge, dragon-size double doors. Ferdie was gliding along near Bryn, who had been allowed to come despite her trip to the infirmary before, but as the Finskólar medic, it was clear he wasn’t sure it was a good idea. Nearer, Anders could see that Ellukka and Lisabet were testing out the straps, taking some sharp turns, working together to see just how secure they were.
A couple of weeks ago, Ellukka had been ready to spit-roast him and Lisabet on the side of the mountain below them. Now, they were . . . there was only one word for it. They were friends. They weren’t just working together—they liked and trusted one another. Ellukka had wanted to make sure Lisabet could fly with her safely.
It was the first time Anders had really thought about it, and though it didn’t stop him aching for his friends at Ulfar Academy, he knew now that he had added Ellukka and Mikkel and Theo to his list of friends. Bryn and Isabina and Ferdie as well. He wasn’t just doing all this to try and stop a battle. He was doing it to keep the people he cared about safe.
Eventually everyone was aloft, some with the big bags of supplies dangling from one foot, and they formed up behind Leif to wheel away toward the northwest. It was to be a long flight to Flic Waterfall, made a little longer by the need to detour and avoid any populated areas.
To their right rose the highest mountain he’d ever seen—the top of it was completely shrouded in mist. This must be Cloudhaven, the legendary, forbidden home of the first dragonsmiths.
Eventually they left its hidden peak behind, and beyond it Anders caught a glimpse of the red roofs of the village of High Rikkel, nestled on a plateau almost as high as some of the mountain peaks. Tiny spires of smoke rose from faraway chimneys, and he wondered what the people living there were doing at the start of their day, whether they were thinking about the wolves or the dragons, or the battle that might come. Whether anyone from the village would make the long trek to Holbard for the Trial of the Staff this month, to test their wolf blood. Whether any of them carefully hid their dragon blood or had secret dragon family members. They seemed so isolated out here, but though he wasn’t even sure if they’d know if a battle took place in Drekhelm or in Holbard, the fight between the dragons and the wolves touched everyone in Vallen.
They flew over golden-green valleys, long rivers snaking through them with twists and turns, the water dashing itself on rocks in some places, so deep and fast in others that it looked still from the air.
And eventually, the wild Westlands Mountains rose up ahead of them. The Westlands were famous for being the fiercest, the most remote, and the most dangerous mountains in Vallen. Storms whipped through them all winter long, and sometimes during the summer as well. On the far side of them lay the inhospitable northwest coast of Vallen, where few ships dared pass.
Today, though, the sky above was a clear blue, and the snow on the mountains looked soft and gentle, as if it would be a comfortable place to rest. Leif tilted one wing and began to angle in on a valley at the edge of the mountains, and Anders looked over Rayna’s shoulder to try and make out where they were heading.
At first, the waterfall was so huge that he didn’t realize that’s what it was. When he understood what he was seeing, he gasped. The wide river surfaced from the mouth of an underground cave and ran along the top of a long plateau like a ribbon laid out in a gently winding path. Then it abruptly reached the edge of the mountain and tumbled hundreds of yards, landing on a series of ledges and pouring off each one in turn, so that the white, frothing mass looked like a layer cake, each section a little larger and more spread out than the one before.
At its base, it spread down to a huge pool, almost the size of the harbor in Holbard—a lake, really. Three great rivers branched away from it, as well as dozens of small silvery streams. It was incredibly beautiful but intimidatingly large, considering the size of the scepter they were hunting for.
Leif headed unerringly for a spot at the base of the cliffs, to the left of the waterfall, where a meadow provided a perfect landing place. The dragons wheeled in as a group to land, and as soon as Rayna and Ellukka hit the ground, Anders and Lisabet set to work pulling off their harnesses, so they could transform back to girls without finding themselves tangled up in anything.
It was only once Rayna was free of all the leather straps that Anders had a chance to step back and really look around. And from the ground, the view was even more extraordinary than it had been from the air.
All around the edge of the lake bloomed the most incredible collection of flowers—he saw the usual white, yellow, and red blooms he was used to finding on the rooftops of Holbard, but as he made his way along the water’s edge, he found plant after plant he’d never seen before.
There was a tree with huge, drooping limbs wreathed in purple blossoms, hanging down so low that they dipped in the edge of the water. There were smaller trees with sharp, green, spiky leaves, and red . . . he supposed they were flowers, though really, they looked like red-bristled scrubbing brushes, bundles of hundreds of red strands protruding from the stems in every direction, each ending with a small, yellow pod the size of a pin’s head.
This must be the genius of the dragonsmith Flic, who had found ways to make this place hospitable for plants from all over the world, using both mechanical creations and cleverly designed artifacts, bringing them warmth or water or whatever else they needed.
When he looked back, some of the class were still in dragon form, basking in the sun on the grass and rebuilding a little strength after the taxing flight. Deep underneath them there must be lava. Other students had already transformed and were digging through their packs in search of lunch.
They all spent the rest of the afternoon doing as they pleased. Anders would have liked to start exploring for the scepter right away, but there was never a chance to do anything without being watched—Krissin or Nico seemed to find a way to be near them more often than not, and whenever he did shake them, someone else would show up. Ferdie, with his infectious smile and easy manner, wanting to check that everyone was having a good time. Patrik, wanting help carrying his art supplies to the place he’d chosen to paint.
Ellukka and Mikkel had stories and history to share, and Anders and Lisabet sat and listened to all of it, allowing themselves a rest, enjoying their friends’ cleverness. It was a welcome reprieve from their constant attempts to solve riddles and stay one step ahead of the looming conflict. It was good to just be friends for an hour or two.
Eventually, before bed, the two of them slipped into wolf form, stretching their legs for a long run across the open meadow around the base of the waterfall.
Just as it had at the Skylake, tearing across the grass felt glorious. They bounded together to the far end of the meadow, matching strides, and when they reached the point where they had to turn around and return, Lisabet leaped on Anders, sending him rolling over and over, then running away before he could retaliate. But even in wolf form he was lankier than her, and he howled as he chased her down to return the favor.
There was a joy in running that he yearned for when he wasn’t doing it, and he reveled in when he could. It was the most perfect way to be, he thought.
But when they returned to the camp, he was abruptly reminded that they were two wolves in the company of eleven dragons. Their friends didn’t seem to notice that they’d transformed, but some of the others—Ferdie, Isabina, Patrik, Bryn—had never seen them transform before, and they were all openly staring. Perhaps they’d never seen any wolf transform before. Nico and Krissin had their arms folded, making their disapproval clear.
Anders pushed himself back into human form, Lisabet a moment behind, and the silence dragged out.
Then Ellukka looked up, rolled her eyes, and stood up. “It’s just a different kind of transformation,” she said, speaking slowly and carefully, as if everyone needed an explanation. “It’s not like you haven’t seen someone change shape before.”
Ferdie’s manners kicked in first, and he shook himself. “Right,” he said, though he was still looking at Anders and Lisabet. “Sorry, of course. Shall we find some wood to make a fire?”
Everyone broke up after that and set to work, but there was a lingering sense of unease that took a long time to dissipate. It was a reminder for Anders that even if he forgot it from time to time, he was still a wolf among dragons, and most of them never lost sight of that even for a moment.
Dinner dragged on, and it seemed to take hours for everyone to finally be ready for bed. The moon was high, and the sky was clear, which meant it was a crisp, cold night. By the time the dragons finally bedded down around the fire, the stars were twinkling overhead.
Most of the class transformed to dragons to sleep—it was warmer and easier than bringing blankets to wrap up in as humans—but Rayna stayed in human shape, curling up under a blanket between Ellukka’s forearms. She wanted to be ready to creep away with Anders and Lisabet, and it would be easier to go unnoticed if she was smaller. Anders and Lisabet changed to their wolf forms under cover of darkness and curled up in furry balls just outside the firelight’s edge.
Eventually, when nobody had said anything for what felt like at least an hour, and Patrik and Leif were both softly snoring, Anders made his move. He whined almost inaudibly to let Lisabet know he was moving and rose silently to his feet. Rayna must have been watching, because as the two wolves padded away from the class, she crawled free of her blanket and stood to hurry quietly after them.
It didn’t take long until they were at the edge of the lake, looking up at the waterfall. The sound of the water crashing on the rock would easily drown out the sound of conversation, and invigorated by the cold of the water, Anders pushed himself back into human form, Lisabet following a moment later.
“It’s freezing,” Rayna said, wrapping her arms around herself.
“Lovely, isn’t it?” said Lisabet, drawing in a lungful of cold air, her head tipped back in pleasure, just like a wolf sniffing the breeze.
“I can think of other words,” Rayna told her. “Right, where do we hunt?”
“I think it’s behind the waterfall,” said Anders.
Her eyes widened in horror. “Are you certain? I’m not sure I can walk through water that cold.”
“The riddle makes it sound that way,” he said. “It says ‘straight through the ice-cold veil,’ that sounds like it’s through the water. And then it says ‘where rót meets rock,’ so perhaps if there are plants with roots behind the waterfall . . .”
Rayna shivered. “Ugh. This is going to be horrible. The waterfall’s so wide, and there are so many layers leading up. Drifa could have hidden it anywhere.”
“She probably thought you’d know what she knew about the waterfall,” Lisabet said. “Remember, the Sun Scepter isn’t the only artifact the map can locate. It would have taken her a long time to hide all her artifacts around Vallen. Perhaps she sensed a battle was coming, but she must also have done it before . . .” She trailed off, then continued, soft and apologetic. “Before your father was killed. So she didn’t know yet that she wasn’t going to raise you. She might not even have known you existed yet.”
It was a sad, sobering thought, and all three of them were quiet as they walked in closer to the waterfall.
“I think we should try it in wolf form,” Anders said, making himself sound businesslike. “It’ll be too cold for us if we’re humans, we won’t last very long. And we’ll see better as wolves, anyway.”
Rayna’s teeth were already chattering, and she held out one hand to test the water, then yanked it back. “Snowmelt,” she said, shivering. “Anders, I don’t think I can go in there. I already feel like I’m thinking at half speed, and if I get soaked to the bone going through the water . . .”
Her voice was a mix of upset and apology, and she turned away, walking a few steps, then swinging abruptly back toward them. “I could do it
if I could breathe icefire,” she said through gritted teeth.
“You’ll figure it out,” he said, aware of just how unhelpful he’d found those words, when he’d been the one who couldn’t throw an ice spear.
“I’m trying so hard!” Rayna’s frustration burst to the surface. “I’ve tried so many times, before you came and since. And it just doesn’t happen, nothing comes! If I could throw it I’d be some use if there’s a fight, and I’d be able to walk through the waterfall with you right now, and . . .”
She trailed off, and he wrapped his arms around her without thinking, squeezing her in a hug. He couldn’t remember Rayna ever saying this before—that she couldn’t do something. And I’d probably have panicked if she had, he admitted to himself. But now, he felt surer.
“It will show up,” he promised, hoping he was right.
“What if it doesn’t? What if I can’t do it?” she whispered.
Lisabet answered, her tone as matter-of-fact as if she was reading from a book. “Of course you can,” she said.
Anders and Rayna both looked across at her, Rayna sniffing inside the circle of his arms.
Lisabet shrugged. “You inherited the ability to transform,” she said. “If you were going to be a regular human, that’s what you’d be. But you’re a dragon. And a dragon who coincidentally can’t breathe fire, the same way Anders couldn’t throw ice? Your gift is in there, Rayna. It’s just taking its time to show.”
Rayna was quiet, and then she nodded. “I guess it’ll show,” she murmured, sounding a little more certain than she had before. “I just wish it would hurry up. We don’t have time to waste.” Then, as she always did, she turned purposeful. “You should both go,” she said.
Anders gave her a squeeze and stepped back. “If anyone wakes up and wonders where we are, just say we went running. Wolves prefer to be awake at night anyway, Leif will know that.”
She nodded. “Good luck,” she said, stepping back into the dark and turning for camp.