by Melody Rose
“Give it to Stella,” Julei told me. She spoke with that assured voice, that all-knowing voice.
When Julei said this, Stella gasped. “Me? Why me?”
“I do not know,” Julei answered. “But I saw you wielding it.”
“I have never wielded a sword before in my life,” Stella protested, her voice rising an octave with nerves. “Give it to Freja or Troylan, someone who would know what to do with it.”
“No,” Julei said, her voice firm and definitive. “It is Stella’s to protect.”
I walked to my friend and held out the sword horizontally to her. “I’m just doing what the Seer says.”
Stella stalled. She reached out her hands a couple of times, only to pull them back like the sword gave off a painful heat.
“This is crazy,” she muttered but then removed the sword from my hands.
The weight surprised her as she hunched over and let out a little squeal. But then, Stella took up the weapon with both hands and held it up, in her best, albeit weak, stance. Freja approached us and put a hand on Stella’s shoulder.
“If you want, I will be happy to give you a quick lesson or two before we head out,” Freja offered.
“Probably should,” Stella said with a nod. She put the tip of the sword back to the ground. “I will guard it with my life.”
“I appreciate the sentiment,” I said with a chuckle, “but I’ll be back for it. Don’t you worry.”
Unexpectedly, Stella flung herself forward and enveloped me into a big hug. “Be careful out there,” she whispered in my ear.
“You too,” I said as I gave her a squeeze back.
“Ready, Eva?” Kehn called out from behind me.
When I turned, the two men were already mounted on Chyndron’s back. Gideonia lowered herself, waiting for me. I hurried over to her and climbed aboard. It was weird, being on Gideonia’s back, something I had never done before. Honestly, something I never thought would happen. Nevertheless, I found a comfortable spot and then called out to the group that would be staying.
“We’ll see you tomorrow,” I said with one hand in the air.
I could only hope they heard me because my words were ripped away in the wind as Gideonia lifted into the air, not bothering to wait for my command.
32
It only took a couple of hours to reach the base of the mountain ruins. The flight was smooth and uninterrupted. Gideonia and I rode in silence most of the way. I tried not to let my anxiety flare too much. I wanted to trust this dragon like I trusted the rest. Even though we were bonded, I never connected with her in the same way as I did the others. It was proof that even though a bond may form, there was a lot more to creating a solid relationship with your djer.
“Thank you for respecting the rules of the Sky Entrance,” Gideonia said, surprising me out of my reverie.
“Uh… I mean, sure,” I stammered, caught unaware by her gratitude. “It seemed really important to you.”
“It is probably a foolish rule in your eyes,” Gideonia said, not bothering to look behind her at me, “but it is something the dragons cherish. We invite other guests through the gates and other entrances to the kingdom, but the Sky Entrance belongs exclusively to the dragons.”
“It doesn’t matter if it seems foolish to me or not,” I reasoned. “It is valuable to you and the rest of the dragons. I don’t want to disrespect that.”
“I appreciate that,” Gideonia said with a bob of her head. “I believe that, as Queen of Dragons, you would be allowed to go through the Sky Entrance. You would have the privilege.”
“Is it, like, magically guarded or something?” I wondered, still not really understanding the significance of this specific entrance.
“No,” Gideonia replied. “It is simply a matter of respect, as you mentioned before.”
“Like taking your shoes off before you enter someone else’s home?” I related with my own nod. “I get it.”
“Your response did not go unnoticed, my lady,” Gideonia said, her voice softer before. I almost didn’t hear it over the wind.
My mouth plopped open. It was the first time that I could remember, that Gideonia used the formal title of “my lady” that the other dragons used. While I was still unaccustomed to the title, I was even more shocked to hear it come out of her mouth.
“Well, you’re welcome,” I said, unsure what I was supposed to say in response. “And I’m sorry, Gideonia.”
“For what?” the dragon questioned. I could hear the raised, curious eyebrow in her tone.
“For breaking my promise to you,” I said, “twice. I shouldn’t have used your gift like that. Especially not after you asked me not to. It was wrong of me.”
“It was,” Gideonia agreed simply.
“If you do not wish me to have the gift anymore,” I paused and swallowed some extra saliva before continuing, “because you do not think I can be trusted with it, then that is your right. I will break the bond between the two of us with Irena’s sword, if you wish.”
Gideonia took a minute to respond. It was as if I could hear her thoughts whirling around in her head like a propeller. The dragon huffed out a puff of hot hair before speaking.
“I do not wish that, my lady, though I am grateful for your offer,” Gideonia replied. “I know your offer is sincere, and that is enough. I know you will not abuse that power again.”
“I won’t,” I assured her. “I will find another way than controlling people. No one deserves to have their right of choice taken away from there.”
“They do not,” Gideonia agreed. “I would like to stay bonded with you if you would so wish.”
“I do,” I said, almost too eagerly. Then I cleared my throat and lowered my voice back to its normal volume. “I mean, yes, I would like to stay bonded with you as well.”
“Then that is settled,” Gideonia said finitely.
“Sounds good,” I said back, unsure if I should say more. I didn’t want to ruin whatever fragile connection we just made by saying something foolish or stupid. So I stayed quiet.
That seemed to satisfy Gideonia because she didn’t say anything during the rest of our journey, either. We flew over a series of leafless trees that stretched their branches outward and upward. The ground still had patches of snow from the powerful that swept through at the beginning of this quest. However, most of it had melted.
The air was crisp and thin, cold and still. We flew with ease save for the shiver that ran up my spine every once in a while. It was a thought manifesting itself physically in my body. Every time I thought about the prospect of facing Reon in person, that shiver ascended to the hairs on the back of my neck.
I had never met the man in person. I presumed he looked as he did in the white space, with the brown hair and long robes. Long features with dark circles on his eyes like sleep always eluded him. He could totally be catfishing me, and maybe he looked nothing like that figure I met in the white space. He would be the kind of person to intimidate me in that way, to trick me.
Something told me that wasn’t right, however. I had looked into Reon’s eyes and seen what he was really like. Having said that to myself, I realized it didn’t matter how he looked on the outside. I’d seen his insides, and it was an ugly, dark place.
I wondered how long he had been away from our previous world. Logic told me there had to be some reason for why he was doing what he was doing. Isn’t that what all those crime shows told us? Or how psychological profiles worked or something? Who had hurt him so badly to ignite this level of hatred in him? There was the possibility that all those profiles and psychological evaluations were wrong. Maybe some people were just drawn to power in dangerous ways.
I struggled with the notion of evil. Reon would certainly be a contender to help me believe in evil people. I used to think the mass shooter that killed my parents was evil. Something shifted in my thinking, however, when he was sentenced to the death penalty after his trial. I didn’t know if he deserved to die. Did anyone?
It may be naïve, but I believed there was good in everyone. It was a choice whether or not to listen to that good. The shooter and Reon had chosen not to, which was their right. But did that make them evil? I wasn’t sure.
The only thing I could think of to defeat Reon was to break his bond with his black dragon. That would eliminate his power and his control over the contamination. It would also avoid killing him, which I still didn’t want to do.
I hadn’t told everyone else about this plan yet, because I didn’t want them to disagree with me. I knew some of them didn’t understand my unwillingness to kill, especially the members of the king’s guard. But I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to do it, and I wasn’t going to condone any of the members of our party to do it either. There was always another solution, and I believed this was it.
We could rid ourselves of the threat by ridding Reon of his dragon’s gift and then lock him up in those terrible dungeons with Jae and the rest of Andsdyer’s criminals. Hopefully, then, the remaining dragons could reclaim Rictorus and rebuild the dragon population.
I could finish healing the rest of the land, including the Coast of Teine. Maybe I could explore and go around the globe, with Monte, of course. Any of the dragons could come too, but I figured most of them would want to stay in Rictorus.
My thoughts traveled back to Hannan and his plans for our future, being caretakers together. Something tugged at my stomach, knowing that I wasn’t going to be satisfied with that stationary position. It was Hannan’s dream to be the first non-noble Lead Caretaker, and he was well on his way to assuming that position, to breaking down those barriers. I couldn’t ask him to give that up, not when I really thought about it. Perhaps I could travel and come home to Hannan between adventures.
My heart interrupted my practical thoughts with memories of Kehn’s lips on mine and his jubilation at seeing me again. A smile spread across my face, and I forced it back into a frown. I didn’t even know what a future with Kehn looked like after all this. He would probably go back to the guard, and we would… what? We couldn’t go back to the way things were. I wanted more from him, but he pushed me away. I moved on with Hannan, hadn’t I?
Doubt wormed its way into my internal debate, and I didn’t know how to handle it. For some unknowable reason, the impending battle seemed easier to process than the back and forth my mind and my heart played.
As if the universe knew I needed a break from myself, the ruins came into view from beneath the patches of clouds. Gideonia followed Chyndron as the red dragon descended. We flew closer to the earth and landed just outside the broken stones.
The whole thing looked like a broken crown buried into the ground. Jagged edges of rock poked out of the ground, like shark’s teeth. It spread out farther than I could see.
“I never thought a mountain could be destroyed like this,” I noted, breathless with the incredible sight in front of me. “It looks like someone picked the whole thing up and carted it off somewhere else.”
“It crumbled when the race of the dragons did,” Chyndron informed me. “We have not been able to get in to reclaim our kingdom in years. This is a momentous occasion.”
“Well, we shouldn’t waste another minute then,” I concluded.
I took the piece of the key from around my neck and undid the string. I stuffed the string into my pocket and held out the metal half-circle. My eyes shifted to Kehn as he slipped off Chyndron’s back.
“You did bring the other piece, right?” I checked, a little bit of fear sparking inside me. “Like, we didn’t leave it with Heloise or something, right?”
“No, I do have it,” Kehn assured me with a half-smile.
“I just forgot to check before we left,” I defended myself. “Excuse me for being a little paranoid.”
“I have your back, Eva,” Kehn said as he looked directly into my eyes. It was a powerful stare, saying much more than his words did. “Always.”
I blinked to break his sudden spell over me and held out my hand. “Well, I’ll take it then so we can get this gate open.”
“We should make sure we are invisible before we open the gate,” Hannan suggested. “Just in case something happens.”
“We will get out of your way,” Chyndron offered as he and Gideonia retreated into the trees. “But we will not be far.”
My stomach churned at the impending moment. We had spent the last several weeks working up to this very second, when the two pieces would unite and the gates to Rictorus would be opened for the first time in years. A new weight slammed onto my shoulders, but I did my best to remain tall despite it all.
“Hannan, you should be in front,” Kehn commanded. He stepped towards the edge of the ruins and pointed to a spot on the ground. “Eva and I will flank you, one hand on each shoulder, Lyla on your head.”
Hannan replied with a single nod and a swallow. He walked up to the spot Kehn marked, and Kehn took his place on Hannan’s left side. The soldier gestured to me with his head.
“You coming, Eva?”
“Yeah,” I replied, my feet scurrying forward. I reached out my own hand and put it on Hannan’s shoulder. Then, I leaned over so that I could speak directly in his ear. “You’ll be great.”
I felt Hannan’s shoulder relax a little under my hand in response to my words. He took a large breath in and closed his eyes. I had only seen the caretaker do this once before, but the process was the exact same. He held out his arms so that they didn’t touch his sides. He slowly lifted his chin. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and blinked in time with Lyla’s wings. With each rapid movement, Hannan’s image faded. Finally, Hannan disappeared fully.
However, the invisibility didn’t stop there. It rippled up my own arm. It felt like dipping my hand in a bucket of ice, and I almost recoiled from the sudden sensation. Instead, I dug my fingers into Hannan’s shoulder and winced.
“You could have warned us about the cold,” I muttered through chattering teeth.
“I forgot, sorry,” Hannan winced. “I guess I am used to it by now.”
“Do not forget that this only blocks us from being seen, not heard,” Kehn reminded us. “We need to be as silent as possible and walk together as one.”
It didn’t escape my attention that I was in a triangular formation with two of the men I loved most in the world, while only several hours ago, they had been wrestling for my hand. It was slightly awkward, especially since none of us could see one another, but I could feel them, hear their breaths. I forced my mind to hone in the mission at hand, determined to limit the awkwardness as much as possible.
“Ready, Eva?” Hannan asked, his voice low and quiet.
I felt something strike my left hand. Kehn pressed the other half of the key into my palm. His fingers stayed there longer than necessary, and I could almost feel his smile as he pulled away, the lightest of brushes against my own fingers. I rolled my neck in an attempt to shake off the zings that radiated up my arm.
I took a page out of Hannan’s book and breathed in deep. Even though I couldn’t see the twice pieces in my hands, I knew they were there by the weight of the metal. I put the circular curls in my hands and brought the key together, attaching the jagged parts together like completing a puzzle.
There was a click, like the turning of the tumblers in a lock, and a bright orange light flashed. It shot outward from the key, a laser beam headed right for the ruins. The light etched out a ten-foot-tall gate with double doors. It ran over the outline of the doors until they appeared before us. The light zipped upward and went wide. It formed the base of the mountain, stretching farther than any of us could see. The top of the mountain reached high in the sky, th
e top passing through the clouds. The mountain kingdom of Rictorus formed before us and glowed orange until the final touches were made. Then the key sucked the light back to it, and the orange disappeared, leaving only this monumental kingdom in its wake.
We stared in awe at the massive door, wide and tall enough to fit any of the dragons. It loomed over us with an intimidating shadow.
“We have to go in,” I whispered under my breath.
I wasn’t sure how the door opened, if Hannan pushed it or if opened of its own accord. I was really hoping Hannan had done it because the latter notion was creepier than I thought I could handle.
I felt the caretaker lead us forward, so I followed in time with him. I was careful not to move too slow or too fast and managed to maintain a steady rhythm. With my left hand, I reached out for Kehn. I found his free hand quickly, and he let me take it. Now the three of us were connected on all sides as we ventured into Rictorus together.
The ceiling extended as high as the mountain itself. The walls were all stone carved out of the mountain. Several stories wrapped around the octagonal center. On this base level, some columns held up a balcony that extended farther out than the rest of the stories above us. Across the way was a grand staircase that reached that second level but didn’t go any higher. Another set of large double doors, mimicking the ones at the front gate, stood erect at the top of the staircase, a little back from the first step.
In the center of everything was an eight-sided hole. It had a grate across it, like a sewer. The hole took up the majority of the floor, and we had to sidestep around the columns to avoid it. The whole kingdom was glorious, vast, and beautifully built. However, it was dim with only limited torches lighting our way. I fought the instinct to create a ball of light as that would ruin the entire notion of being invisible.
One shaft of light extended down from near the very top of the mountain. I could see the sunlight pouring in, leaving a distinctive streak of light that sliced from one end of the mountain to the other. Instantly, I knew this was the Sky Entrance Gideonia spoke of. It would be easy to access for a dragon, but there seemed to be no discernable footpath up that high.