Of Dreams and Dragons

by Karpov Kinrade

  "It has to be," I say, answering Nova's question. "Nir is waiting."

  Raven is already mounted and waits for us to join her before heading to the caves.

  By the time we arrive, the sun is already casting golden hues into the night, sending the moons and her children, the stars, back to sleep, as the stories go.

  There's a general hum of anticipation and excitement amongst the workers, who are waiting for us.

  They bow deeply as we approach, and I hasten them to relax. "We need not stand on ceremony today. Show us what you've discovered."

  Raven has been lead on the cave excavations since the Sundering. She has been as committed as myself to finding the instructions Nir left for us.

  We light torches and enter the caves, the light dancing off the walls as we move cautiously through them.

  I want to run, to hurry everyone along, but I know we must proceed carefully and quietly, lest we cause a cave-in.

  There are drawings on the walls as we enter the deeper levels of the cave, and though initially they resemble others we've found, they soon start to change. A shiver runs up my spine as new images appear. New writing in the ancient High Dracos.

  I run my hand along the words, the power of them shimmering up my arm and into my body.

  And then we turn and step into a cavernous space with a clear pool of water in the center. I look to the walls for clues and see drawings and writings, but Raven shakes her head. "That's not what we brought you here for," she says.

  "Then what?" I ask, confused.

  She points to the pool of water. "Look."

  I step to the edge and look down. The water is still, like glass, and I peer into it. The bottom is a flat silver stone with gold flecks that shimmer. There are engravings on the stone surrounding a large golden dragonstone in the shape of a star.

  A thrum of power pulses through me, and Umi appears perched on my shoulder. I rub his chin and smile. "What do you think, little guy? Is this it?"

  Umi chirps and flaps his wings, then dives into the pool, splashing everyone with water. I turn to Kaden. "I'm going in," I say, though I know he already knows this.

  I strip off the top layer of my robes and pull off my boots. When I'm left with just my binder and underwear, I dive in.

  The water is shockingly cold and steals my breath. It's deeper than it appears, the water making the bottom look closer than it is.

  As I swim deeper, the pressure around me changes, and my lungs feel tight, my head fuzzy.

  Water that was previously still now churns like a whirlpool. I can no longer see where I'm going. Everything is a frothy white, blinding me, and obscuring which way is down and which is up.

  I reach my hand out, trying to get a sense of my position, when I feel something cold and smooth against my palm.

  The whiteness turns to black, and I'm no longer underwater, but rather floating through a velvet dark sky full of diamond stars.

  "You have come at last," a great voice says.

  "I've been looking for you," I say, recognizing the voice as Nir, the Elder Dragon who set so much of my life's course.

  "And now you have found me. Or the echo of me. The memory. Whether I still exist or not, who can say?"

  "What do you mean?" I ask. The voice seems to come from everything, even within me.

  "Layered illusions are still just illusions," he says, clarifying nothing.

  The stars begin to pulse together, their brightness amplifying as millions of them fuse into one and a shape begins to form out of the nothing.

  The shape of a dragon. The shape of a man.

  And then the shape explodes, blinding me, piercing into my soul, sending me shooting through space and time and history and the future and all that ever was and is and could be.

  My brain aches. My body feels ready to burst from the pressure.

  And something within me cracks. Pain shoots through me until there is nothing left but the pain.

  Pain and darkness.

  I gasp. Water ejects from my throat like burning bile and I choke and gag as someone slaps my back.

  I'm rolled onto my side on cold stone. My clothes are soaked through. Umi sits inches from my face, staring at me. When my eyes open, he shrieks and jumps up and down, his wings flapping.

  "Thank the gods," Kaden says.

  I struggle to sit up, but he has to help me. He is also wet. Our children are bent on knees near us, as is Raven. "What happened?" I ask.

  "You were drowning," Nova says, her voice full of worry. "You sank to the bottom and didn't come back up. Then the water went white and started bubbling." Her eyes glance to Umi. "He flew out of the water in a panic, and dad jumped in before anyone could do anything."

  I look up at Kaden. "Thanks for saving me. Again."

  "I owed you one," he says.

  He and I have saved each other's lives more times than I can count over the years. Seems we aren't done yet.

  I smile, unable to contain my excitement. "I know where Nir is," I say.

  Raven smiles.

  Our kids share a look, and I can tell they are less enthused. "You'll be leaving then, won't you?" Nico asks.

  Kaden nods. "We've always known this would be the course, should we find what we need. This is a quest we must take."

  Nova nods. "I wish it wasn't so, but I understand."

  We spend the rest of the day packing. The kitchen is notified and prepares travel food for us while we spend time with Nova and Nico and Raven.

  We leave at sunrise the next morning. We will travel to Dorshire and use the pools there to leave this world. As I suspected, Nir isn't on this world. He's been trapped on a less hospitable world, but I know how to find him and free him.

  At least I think I do. Nir dreams are fuzzy creatures, prone to misinterpretation.

  Nova wipes a tear from her eyes and hugs me again. "Be safe. Don't be stupid."

  I laugh at that. "Would your father or I ever do anything stupid?"

  She and her brother exchange a look that makes Kaden snort.

  There is a pause, as we all realize it is time to say goodbye. For how long, none of us know.

  There are tears, more hugs, kisses and more tears.

  I have imagined going on this quest for years.

  I just never imagined the leaving part. The saying goodbye to my children, my friends, my life…

  "Goodbye is just another way of saying hello to a new adventure," Kaden says.

  Nova cocks her head. "Buddha?"

  I laugh. "I think your father just made that one up himself."

  Kaden winks at me. "It's only fair I get to add something quotable into the lexicon I've stolen from all these years."

  Nico laughs. "Fair, indeed, father. Fair, indeed. You will be remembered. And quoted."

  Umi chirps and grows bigger and bigger, until he is large enough to easily carry two adult humans. Kaden and I mount the great dragon, and then…

  We fly.

  **THE END**

  Ready for another epic adventure? Check out Vampire Girl. Don't let the title fool you, this is a fantasy saga you won't want to miss.

  Want to experience this adventure as an instrumental soundtrack? Check out the Of Dreams and Dragons soundtrack on Amazon, itunes, Spotify and Google Play.

  Afterword

  Call us Karpov Kinrade. We're the husband and wife team behind Of Dreams and Dragons and Vampire Girl. And we want to say… Thank you for reading it. We worked hard on these characters and this world, and we're thrilled to share this story with so many readers. Thank you so much for joining us on this journey. We are sad to see it end. If you are interested in our other work, sign up for the Karpov Kinrade newsletter and get all that and more!

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  And visit KarpovKinrade.com for mor
e great books to read. If you're looking for something new and exciting, check out Court of Nightfall. It's an epic adventure full of suspense, love, betrayal, friendship, and twists and turns that will leave you breathless.