Kingdom of Dragons

by Melody Rose

  However, my physical blockade did nothing for the well-trained Kehn because he easily side-stepped me and launched himself at Hannan. Kehn tackled the caretaker to the ground, grabbing the man around his middle. They rolled in the snow, trading blows back and forth.

  “Well, we all saw that one coming,” Freja commented blandly to the group.

  The sight was so shocking and appalling that it took me a minute to gather myself and come to my senses.

  “This is ridiculous!” I shouted.

  I called to the light since I didn’t really want to put myself in the middle of it again. With one swift movement, I pushed my hands out and created a shield between the two men.

  It took them a moment to realize that their blows were no longer hitting one another. They pounded against a flat rectangle of light. Kehn was on top of Hannan, but they both turned their heads to look at me.

  “Kehn, if you don’t get off him right now, I will blast you off him,” I threatened as I conjured a ball of light in my hand. I wanted him to know I meant what I said and had no reservations about shoving this right into his groin.

  Thankfully, I didn’t have to do anything more than threaten because Kehn scrambled off Hannan and got to his feet. Hannan adjusted his glasses and bent them back into place, then wiped his nose, which dripped with blood and stained the back of his sleeve.

  Kehn rubbed a hand up and down the side of his face that Hannan managed to hit. Otherwise, he looked uninjured.

  The urge to whack him, and Hannan for that matter, in the nuts returned.

  “How could you be so stupid?” I asked the pair of them, not bothering to hide my frustration.

  “First thing he does when we see him is to go and kiss you like you are his property or something,” Hannan grumbled. He threw his hand outward to indicate Kehn as if I didn’t know who he was.

  “I am no one’s property,” I said sharply. “You should know that as well as anyone. And even if I was, what gives you the right to go slugging him? I thought you were a pacifist.”

  Hannan didn’t respond. He swiped at his nose again and stared at the ground like a sullen teenager.

  I whirled on Kehn. “And where do you go off kissing me like that?”

  “I am sorry,” Kehn said, clearly surprised either by what he did or by the question. “I do not know what came over me.”

  “Well, whatever it was, now is not the time nor the place,” I scolded, feeling like a parent myself. “Where do you get off fighting one another like that? And over me, like I’m some sort of prize to be won? We have bigger problems than who I decide to kiss or not.”

  “You are right,” Kehn said, sounding like a dejected puppy.

  “Damn right, I’m right,” I said, not caring how repetitive that sounded. I was too frustrated by their sheer stupidity to care. “Oh, in case either of you cares, I don’t want to kiss either of you, or anyone for that matter, until this whole thing is over and done with, got it?”

  I waited for both men to acknowledge me. Hannan gave me a swift nod, but Kehn stalled. He held my gaze, and something pained swirled behind his eyes. I knew right then how much I had missed him. From his chiseled face, to his goatee, to his stance. I missed him, and it hurt to think I hadn’t seen him in so long. I cherished that kiss and wanted to do it again.

  But sense and reason overruled my heart on this one. So, I willed Kehn to give me confirmation. To show that he would respect my wishes and keep his distance until we settled the whole saving-the-world business.

  Thankfully, Kehn nodded. “Got it.”

  “Thank you,” I huffed. “We’ve got enough going on without our own team taking each other out.”

  “Honestly, I found it quite entertaining,” Stella admitted from her spot by Heloise and Timone.

  “Not helping,” I shot at the peanut gallery.

  Stella held up her hands innocently. One of them was wrapped in a cloth holding something familiar. I thought I recognized the object, but I wasn’t sure. All anger from the moment before dissipated as my focus narrowed on the thing in her hand.

  “Stella,” I said her name slowly, like a prayer. “What do have there?”

  “Oh, this?” Stella twisted her wrist to show off the item. “It just so happens to be the other half to a certain key.”

  “They have it!” Julei exclaimed. She rushed up to my side and pointed as if I couldn’t see my own half of the key around my neck. “What did you have to do to get it? I bet ours was harder to get.”

  “Julei,” Zulu said from her perch on the rock. “It is not a competition.”

  “Still,” Julei protested, “I want to know what they had to do.”

  The four humans in the other group shared a glance, unsure if they wanted to delve into the journey they had been on for the past couple of weeks.

  “Well, the riddle was completely useless,” Heloise said with a light shrug. “We ended up finding the key with a really old and evil couple that were working with the false king.”

  “The group of us were able to destroy some of his companions and rescue the humans,” Lucien reported.

  “Wait a second,” I said, stopping the dragon. “Rescue them? Why did they need rescuing?”

  “There was a snowstorm, we got lost, and then we were accidentally kidnapped,” Heloise said like it was no big deal, even though it most certainly was.

  “Kidnapped?” Julei cried out with a hand over her mouth.

  “We are okay now,” Kehn said, chiming into the conversation. “Thanks to Heloise and her gift. Well, thanks to everyone’s gift, really.”

  “We all have some scars, but we made it out,” Heloise said with a half-smile. She and Kehn looked at one another like they knew a secret shared only between the two of them.

  Even though Heloise was dating Stella, and Kehn was clearly not interested in her, the look they exchanged made my stomach rumble with jealousy. I quickly squashed the feeling, however. I was so sick of feeling that green-eyed monster come into my gut, especially after the whole ordeal with Monte and Arabella.

  “What about your group?” Stella asked. “How did you fare?”

  Julei launched into the story at full speed. “We started by going to a library underground that was run by moles.”

  Stella’s eyebrows rose. “Really?”

  “Really really,” I confirmed, unsure how much I wanted Julei to share. But I figured that if I didn’t want anyone keeping secrets from me, then I shouldn’t keep any from them.

  While we waited for the second half of our party, I had relayed the story of the mermaid kingdom to the rest of our immediate group. I let Monte take control of the incident that happened in Opala’s room. He was brief but concise, telling only what he needed to. Zulu had enough sense to keep Julei calm during that portion of the tale, so she didn’t ask too many questions.

  Now, however, the young girl ran her mouth like a motorboat and regaled them with as many details as she could remember. She laid out the story like an epic drama. I was impressed with her commitment to the tale and happy that she felt like she could speak about the Library without shaking too much. Freja did jump in to help Julei every so often when she came to a part that caught in her throat.

  When Julei revealed that we met Monte’s original djer, a collective gasp echoed amongst the group.

  “How is that even possible?” Stella asked with her hand over her mouth.

  “It really wasn’t,” I answered for my djer, “but we fixed it, and everything is balanced again.”

  “Wait a second,” Troylan said as he held up a hand. “You did not kill her, did you?”

  “No!” I protested quickly. “No, nothing like that.”

  “I had to sever the bond,” Monte said, his voice hoarse like he would never get used to saying it. “I had to choose between her or Eva, and I chose Eva.”

  Chyndron and the other dragons murmured in surprise. “If you had asked me the result of that choice decades ago, I would have thought you relinquished you
r responsibility with the dragon council.”

  “Yes, well,” Monte hesitated, “that was decades ago, as you said.”

  An awkward pause ensued, driving the conversation to a halt. I pondered what to say next, but luckily, I didn’t have to fill in the gap. Julei was there to do it for me.

  “Then the piece led us to here, and you all showed up, and now we have both pieces.” Julei clapped her hands together, signaling the end of her story and her excitement at the next step. “We can put it together now.”

  “Not here, we cannot,” Chyndron warned.

  “Why not?” Troylan wanted to know.

  “Because then, we would open the gate to Rictorus right here, and that would not work,” Gideonia said. “We have to go to the base of the ruins.”

  “How long of a journey is that?” I asked, wary about our timeline, which ticked down faster than I would have liked.

  “Only a couple of hours,” Lucien supplied. “However, might I suggest that our group rest? We have pushed ourselves to a dangerous breaking point, and I do not know if I am up to another journey in the meantime.”

  “We should also consider how we plan to enter the mountain kingdom,” Chyndron said as he stepped forward. The ground shook a little when he walked. “We cannot simply walk in.”

  “Do we need a battle plan?” Kehn asked, sounding eager because he knew he could help in that department.

  “Does the key open multiple entrances?” I wondered aloud. After all, one house key can sometimes open multiple external doors.

  “Eva has a point,” Lucien commented. The green dragon flapped his wings nervously. “It would do us no favors to go through the main gates.”

  “We can go through another way.” Chyndron closed his bright yellow eyes, and his pupils moved beneath his eyelids. He appeared to be meditating. The rest of us waited in silence for Chyndron’s report. The dragon only took another couple of seconds before his eyes flew open. “There is an alternate entrance.”

  “Do you mean…?” Gideonia popped out from behind the tree. Her massive form wandered up to Chyndron and confronted him. “Humans are not permitted to go through that entrance.”

  “Gideonia,” Timone said with an eye roll, “I think this constitutes an exception.”

  “It is dishonorable to have a human enter through the sky entrance,” Gideonia spat out the words, definitive and sharp. “I will not allow it.”

  “I do not know if we have another option,” Myels said with a shrug.

  “Are we sure?” I stepped in. “I don’t want to disrespect anyone or anything.”

  Gideonia raised an eyebrow at me, and the world fell silent around us. I realized that I had just defended Gideonia, a feat which I hadn’t thought would ever happen, but I discovered that even after I said the words, I didn’t regret them. I meant every word.

  “There’s no way we have considered everything,” I continued, feeling a strong need to fill the silence. “What if we opened the gate and sent someone in first to scout around? Take a look at the place.”

  “Hannan would be the best for that,” Heloise chimed in.

  “Despite his gift, Hannan is not as covert as one would hope,” Kehn said with a sly look towards the caretaker.

  Lyla flapped her wings in defense of her djer, but Hannan transferred her from his head to his shoulder. He didn’t respond to Kehn’s jab right away, and I almost jumped in to defend him also, but verbally, where Lyla couldn’t.

  Heloise beat me to that. “I know his gift does not work when he moves, but what if you went with him?”

  Once again, silence reigned. The cold air seemed to sing between the trees as the sun dipped behind some clouds. Shadows dipped the clearing into a grey color.

  “What is she talking about?” Julei piped up.

  I looked to Kehn for permission. He looked down at his foot, which twisted into the snow. It took him a full breath before he shifted his gaze and addressed all of us.

  “I do not think that is a good idea,” Kehn said with a straight face.

  “I think it’s an excellent idea,” Heloise countered, not taking no for an answer. Her body language shifted to one of confidence as she shifted her weight and crossed her arms. “You said that he becomes fully invisible when he uses your gift. You and he should go in there and scout out the place, and then, you can let us know if it’s safe to come in.”

  Julei’s eyebrows rose. “What do you mean ‘uses his gift’? What is Kehn’s gift?”

  I looked at Kehn expectantly. In fact, Heloise, Stella, and Troylan shared my gaze. It was about time he told the rest of the group exactly what he could do. We had been through enough together to be past the point of secrets.

  “I can enhance other people’s gifts,” Kehn grumbled. “And when I enhance Hannan’s, he becomes fully invisible so that even when he moves, no one can see him.”

  Freja snorted. “No wonder you hate it when we touch you during missions.”

  “Yeah,” Kehn relented.

  “Then you are an idiot if you do not agree with Heloise’s plan,” Freja said with a side glance to Heloise, who nodded in gratitude. “It really is one of the better ones we have.”

  “I’m coming too,” I jumped in. “With the two of you, I mean. In case something happens, we need someone on the offensive too.”

  “Like I said, I still do not think it is the best idea,” Kehn argued.

  “I cannot imagine why not,” Freja protested.

  “Because of me,” Hannan interjected with a single step forward, further into the clearing. “He thinks it is a bad idea because of me.”

  “Why?” I asked, not knowing if I wanted the answer.

  “He does not believe I am as stealthy as my power would imply,” Hannan said. He stared at Kehn the entire as if speaking directly to his old friend. “Nor powerful enough to hold the invisibility. He has past experiences on his side, I am afraid.”

  “Okay,” I said as I drew out the word slowly to give myself more time to think. “But you said that was in the past. You’re much more powerful and mature now. When was the last time the two of you did this?”

  “It has been years,” Hannan replied, still staring down Kehn.

  “Exactly,” I countered. I flung my hands out to both of them and then stared at each in turn. “I already told you both to fix whatever is going on between the two of you. I think this is the perfect way to do it. Work together, work with me, and help us get everyone into the mountain safely.”

  The men stood stock still and considered my request. I didn’t have much more patience left in me. I wanted to get to the ruins and get this over with. I was about to tell them as such when Kehn opened his mouth and broke the silence.

  “Eva is right,” Kehn said. “It has been years. You are stronger now. I believe you can do it if you believe you can.”

  Hanna’s face changed from one of stone to surprise. He bobbed his mouth open and closed a couple of times. He morphed his expression into one of resolve.

  “I can,” he announced, speaking just as much to himself as to the rest of us.

  “Then it’s settled,” I said as I clapped my hands. “I don’t want to waste any more time. I understand you all are tired.” I gestured to the dragons that had been with the second group. “But, if anyone is willing to take Kehn, Hannan, and me to the ruins now, we would be grateful.”

  “Monte should stay behind,” Kehn said, resuming his soldier voice. “As a link to our group. We made that mistake last time of keeping the djers with one another. We can use the mental link to our advantage.”

  “What about me?” Uri said.

  “I want you to go back to King Elroy and tell him where we are,” Kehn asked his djer. “We might need reinforcements.”

  “That is more than a day’s journey, even for me,” Uri protested. “The Lunar Eclipse will be over by the time we get back.”

  “Then, when we defeat Reon, we will have reinforcements to help Rictorus,” Kehn reasoned. “And if we
have failed, there will be an army ready to face whatever Reon has accomplished. Will you go, Uri?”

  Uri nodded her approval. While I didn’t like the idea of being separated from my djer, I knew Kehn’s plan of having some way to communicate between the split parties was a good one.

  “I need Lyla with me to turn invisible, though,” Hannan offered.

  “That’s fine,” I said to him directly. “Are there any dragons who are willing to let us ride?”

  To my utter shock, Gideonia stepped forward. It took all my self-control not to gape at her openly. Instead, I blinked several times and tried to figure out what to say in response.

  “I will take you,” the navy blue dragon offered.

  “If Gideonia is willing to take Queen Eva,” Chyndron said, also stepping forward, “I will take the men.”

  “But, Chyndron,” Kehn protested, “you have been traveling just as long as the rest of the dragons in our party. You should rest as well.”

  “I do not know if I can rest,” the red dragon responded with an eagerness I had never heard before. “The notion that we are so close to restoring Rictorus invigorates me.”

  “If you are sure,” Kehn double-checked with the dragon.

  “I am,” Chyndron replied.

  It warmed my heart to know that they seemed to form a bond on this journey. Kehn had gone from fearing the dragons, like when we first met, to conversing and caring for them. I was pleased to see such a tender interaction.

  “You should leave your weapons and armor,” Freja suggested. She held out her hands. “If stealth is your goal, you do not want to chance any sort of clanging or other noise.”

  “Especially if you all have to be close enough to touch,” Heloise agreed, mimicking Freja’s movements.

  Without verbally agreeing, both Kehn and Hannan began removing all but their base clothing and essential supplies. I copied them and unburdened myself with the pack I carried, as well as some of the chain mail I wore under my leather armor. When I reached for my belt, to undo the sword at my side, I paused.

  As if she could sense my hesitation, Julei came up and put a hand on mine, which still rested on the hilt of my sword. The sword with the ability to break bonds between djers, pulled from the mouth of the red dragon himself. It was a powerful weapon and had hardly left my side.