‘We are doing the right thing aren’t we?’ she whispered, ‘everyone seemed pretty nervous about the whole dragon situation, even Zina’. Rowan turned to face her, placed his hand on her cheek and looked directly into her eyes,
‘Always remember, I am with you, and I won’t allow any harm to come to you.’ He kissed her gently on the lips, ‘Also, your Dad asked you to go on this journey. He wouldn’t have sent you if he believed it to be that dangerous. He trusts you can do this, and so does everyone else. Let’s make a move, shall we?’ he declared, kissing her once more, before taking her hand and leading her to the other side of the village, where the people waited to see them off.
***
The send-off had been quite emotional, the villagers had made such an effort for them. They’d hung buntings everywhere, and adorned each of them with necklaces made of flowers. The children had run around them, singing songs that Lexi couldn’t understand, but they sounded beautiful. They had left the village far behind when Rowan turned to Lexi, cheerfully,
‘Those songs were about you, you know’. Lexi laughed,
‘Don’t be silly!’ She exclaimed. He lifted his flower necklaces over his head and laid them gently beside a tree, beckoning her to pass hers to him also. As he stood from laying the flowers he smiled,
‘It’s true, the children were singing of your triumph over Garrick and the return of peace and happiness to the kingdom.’ Lexi’s brow furrowed a little,
‘No pressure then!’, she stated, looking a little worried. He pulled her into an embrace and playfully kissed her on the tip of her nose,
‘It’s not pressure Lexi, it’s hope, you’ve given them hope!’, he flicked his wings open, let go of her and flew up into the sky. ‘Come on, I recon you’re ready to fly for a little while, thoroughly test those wings of yours!’. She flicked her shoulders and soared up into the air to join him, the rush of air felt exhilarating. They hung there in the air for a moment, Rowan turned to Lexi, a wicked expression on his face.
‘Do you see that large tree on the horizon, taller than all the other trees?’ Lexi nodded. ‘Well, the last one there’ he continued, ’has to make camp and supper tonight!’ he yelled, as he suddenly darted off towards the horizon.
‘That’s cheating!’ she shouted after him, as she set off in pursuit.
They raced through the air at a speed Lexi couldn’t even begin to comprehend. The trees became a blur as she caught up to him, overtaking from above, leaving him for dust. She reached the tree in what seemed like only a few minutes and darted swiftly around the tall trunk a few times, Rowan pulling up a few seconds behind her.
‘Wow, you are really fast!’ he exclaimed as he flew up to hover beside her. She smiled back at him,
‘I guess you’re cooking up supper tonight then!’ she winked, as she began to gradually move higher into the sky, slowly spinning as she travelled upwards, taking in everything around her. The freedom of flight was breathtaking in itself, but the unique perspective it gave was truly incredible. She suddenly stopped, ‘Rowan?’, he darted to her side in an instant, ‘are they the Misty Mountains?’ she questioned, a slight tremor clear in her voice. He followed her gaze off into the distance. On the horizon sat the ominous outline of a colossal mountain range. Dark, tempestuous clouds could be seen hanging over them, bolts of lightning striking down relentlessly at the jagged, steep peaks. The highest peak in the range was barely visible, most of it obscured by the cloud enveloping it. It was a stark contrast to the surrounding blue skies and lush green forest.
‘They are the mountains’ he replied, struggling to hold back the tremor in his own voice. ‘The weather may clear by the time we get there though’, A tone of false optimism in his voice. Lexi pulled her focus away from the formidable mountain range, one eyebrow raised,
‘Remind me never to let you play poker!’ she mocked. Rowan’s expression grew puzzled,
‘What’s poker?’ he queried. She burst out laughing as she flew back down towards the ground, pulling up just short and gently lowering herself onto solid ground. Her wings disappearing with a flick of her shoulders.
‘Maybe we should walk for a while’, she shouted up to him, ‘I don’t fancy staring at those mountains all evening.’ He nodded, and lowered himself to the ground beside her.
‘You know’, he smiled, ‘I wonder if you have the ability of speed on ground, as well as air?’ She looked at him, bemused. ‘Come on’ he teased, as he set off at a jogging pace. She followed after him reluctantly,
‘You do realise I hate to run!’ she stated. He laughed, as he began to pick up a little speed. Before she knew it, she was keeping up with him as they darted at high speed through the forest. He eventually pulled up at what appeared to be a stone circle. Lexi stopped beside him as he gasped for air. She was fine, as if she’d just taken a leisurely stroll. A slightly smug smile grew on her face, she passed him some water from the bag and waited, while he recovered his breath.
‘Wow! That was called flitting by the way. You’re Dad had every right to believe in your abilities Lexi!’ he stated enthusiastically, still a little breathless, ‘I’ve never seen anyone with powers as strong as yours, not even him, and your Dad was an immensely powerful fairy Lexi. It’s hard to believe you’ve only been in the forest a few days. When we set off from the Gateway, there was no way you could have achieved any of that’. She flushed, embarrassed by the admiration.
As the sun began to set, they decided to make camp within the stone circle. Rowan had insisted that the circle had been built as a place of safety, therefore the perfect place to camp overnight. Within the inner ring, there was a roughly carved, rectangular platform in the centre, surrounded by a series of waist height standing stones. Orbiting the inner ring was a much taller circle, it sat at roughly three times the height of the smaller stones, positioned about two strides out from the central ring. This created a slim corridor around the inner set of stones. The larger, exterior stones each sat parallel to a gap within the smaller columns, creating an excellent shelter from the cool evening breeze. There were stone lined ditches around the outer ring, charred and containing remains of previous fires, long ago extinguished. Rowan set to work cleaning them out, filled them with fresh logs and used his magic to set them alight. Once the flames were well established, he then utilized one of the fires to prepare the evenings’ supper. A little while later they laid on their backs within the centre circle, bellies filled with a good evening meal, getting warmed comfortably by the calming glow of the surrounding flames. Staring up at the stars, Lexi queried,
‘Is it unusual for powers to grow so quickly after crossing the Gateway?’. Rowan turned onto his side to face her, propping himself up on his elbow.
‘For full fairies it is, yes. For those who have chosen to live in the human world for an extended length of time, it sometimes takes years for their powers to reappear when they return. I think everyone assumed yours would take longer, being half human’, Lexi nodded, still deep in thought. She could feel the magic flowing through her, continuously longing to be set free. Lifting her hand up in front of her, she rolled it around a few times, as if studying it. As she did so, she felt the urge to click her fingers, a beautiful flame springing to life within her palm, flickering with a rainbow of colours. Rowan jumped to his feet,
‘Wow! What the hell! How did you know how to do that?’ he gasped, clearly really freaked out. Lexi sat up and passed the flame from one hand to the other,
‘I don’t know, I just felt it there, wanting to rise to the surface’ she replied, ‘but it’s pretty cool, right?’. Rowan cautiously sat back down beside her,
‘Lexi this is seriously advanced magic, you’re holding the Perpetual Flame. See how the colours dance within it’, he reached out to touch the flame, but quickly withdrew from the intense heat. ‘I’ve heard rumours that only a few of the Elders are capable of summoning and holding it, and that’s after many years of practice. The flame is incredibly difficult to master’. They b
oth sat, completely mesmerised by the flame as it danced on Lexi’s palm. Eventually she cupped her hand, and the flame extinguished, leaving no sign that it had ever been there. Yawning, a wave of intense tiredness washing over her, she curled herself up to fall asleep. Rowan reached for a blanket from her bag, laying it over her. He kissed her forehead,
‘I think you may have overdone it a little bit today. Make sure you get some good rest now’, he smiled down at her as he stood, heading out of the circle to tend to the fires.
The Offering
Lexi knew instantly that she was dreaming. Moments earlier she’d been laid in the stone circle with Rowan, marvelling at the most beautiful flames she’d ever seen. Now she stood alone on a thin ledge, snaking a route along the side of a very steep mountain. She once again held the Perpetual Flame in her palm, using it to guide her way as she navigated the hazardous trail. Working her way gradually along the path, the occasional rock would tumble down from the mountains above, then vanish into the clouds below. I’m in the Misty Mountains! she told herself, an intense fear beginning to take hold. She tried to remind herself this was just a dream, but it was beginning to feel all too real. She could feel the biting chill from the wind whipping around her, and the loose rock crunching beneath the souls of her boots. Without warning, a small boulder fell from the rockface above, slamming into her shoulder as it plunged towards the void below. That actually hurt! the realisation truly sinking in, this had to be real somehow. She raised her sleeve to reveal a large gash on her upper arm. Touching it, it hurt a lot, this is definitely not a dream!, wincing at the pain, this is it, I have to find Titus, she decided. Her Dad had told her that Titus would be difficult to track down, and that at the final stage, she’d have no choice but to face him alone. If she had somehow come here in her sleep, Rowan couldn’t have followed, it was the only thing that made sense, if in fact any of it did. She drew in a deep breath, focused herself, held the Perpetual Flame at arm’s length, and continued to work her way steadily along the slope of the Misty Mountains’ highest peak.
After some time, a small crack in the mountain wall came into sight a little further along the path, just large enough for Lexi to squeeze into. At first, she dismissed it, it was too small for a dragon. As she moved closer however, there was something drawing her to it. As she reached the entrance, the pull became quite intense. Is this the way I need to go Dad?, knowing that in some way, he was trying to guide her. She turned sideways, holding the flame out to guide the way, she ducked her head and entered the hole. It didn’t take long for the passage to open up and allow Lexi to walk comfortably through it, a smooth rock surface lay beneath her feet.
‘How does someone so young, carry the Perpetual Flame?’ boomed a voice, echoing around the corridor, deep and gravelly. Lexi paused for a moment, then called out into the darkness,
‘Are you Titus?’. There was a sound of movement further down the passage. Lexi pushed herself to move a little further forward, not letting her fear get the better of her. The path sharply and unexpectedly opened up into a large cavern, the flames’ glow flickering faintly over the cave walls. Looming high above her in the distance, were two large, glowing amber eyes. The flame she held in her hand, dimly highlighting the body of an enormous dragon.
‘That all depends on who’s asking’, he growled. Lexi bowed deeply before him,
‘I am the daughter of Bastian. I have come to appeal for your help sir, if you are indeed Titus the great.’ He laughed. It was a deep, guttural laugh that reverberated around the chamber.
‘Child, your Father taught you good manners, but what do you have to offer me, should I indeed be Titus, and choose to assist you?’ She approached him more closely.
‘My friends and I recently encountered a creature in a tunnel far below the Royal Palace. At first, I didn’t know what it was, I am unfamiliar with the creatures of this Realm. I now think sir, that you are not the last dragon, as many believe.’ She paused, drawing in a deep breath, ‘I think there is one of your kind trapped below the Palace. My uncle is currently in control of that Palace, among many other places throughout the kingdom. There is a prophecy that claims I will overthrow him, restoring balance within the kingdom. I believe that part of restoring that balance is to set your kin free from her prison. I understand the Palace will most likely be destroyed when she’s released, but I don’t care about that, I am not prepared to leave her to suffer down there any longer. I tell you this, so that you know what my intentions are, and I hope you will be able to appreciate that they are sincere’. The dragons’ head loomed closer, until it was within touching distance of Lexi.
‘You speak wisely for such a young one. You offer me no bargaining chip as such, however, you do offer me hope for my kind, something that I have not felt for centuries. I know of your uncle, he has sent many a fool here to try and capture or kill me.’ A burst of air puffed from his nostrils, almost knocking Lexi off her feet. ‘You may go back to your slumber now Child’. The vision before Lexi’s eyes swiftly faded into darkness and she drifted back into a deep, dreamless sleep.
***
Rowan sat beside one of the fires, poking at the embers dreamily with a stick. Hearing a faint shriek far off in the distance, he tilted his head to one side, it sounded familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it, and soon drifted back to his fire tending. Happy that all the fires were burning well and would last till morning, he made his way back into the stone circle, to where Lexi slept, curled up beside her and closed his eyes. Rowan had just drifted off to sleep when the wind unexpectedly began picking up, it blew through the clearing, whipping at the trees. The stone circle sheltered the slumbering pair for the most part, but outside, the fires fought to stay ablaze, eventually dwindling to a faint flicker here and there.
The sun was on the brink of rising when Lexi and Rowan were eventually roused by an enormous thud, as the ground quaked forcefully beneath them. Lexi swiftly jumped to her feet and ran to the edge of the stone circle. Before her stood the most magnificent dragon she could have ever imagined. Black scales, tipped with gold, covered his entire body, which glistened brilliantly as the sun began to peer over the horizon. He stood as high as the treetops, head adorned with four large golden horns. His captivating amber eyes gazed down at her. Lexi bowed before him,
‘I am honoured that you chose to join us Titus’. The dragon lifted his paw to his chest and bowed his head, very gracefully for such a large creature.
‘It is my honour to work alongside you, Queen Alexandra. The forest is a sacred place to me, your uncle chooses to desecrate it on a constant basis. I can no longer stand by and let that happen, therefore our aspirations have aligned, to both our benefit. We will take down our mutual adversary together.’ Lexi bowed in acknowledgement. He rose his head above the treetops and observed the sun rising. ‘I have matters to tend to now I have left the mountains, but I will meet you at the Gilded Fields before sunrise in two days’ time.’ Lexi nodded,
‘Until then Titus’, she replied, gazing up at him, as he spread his enormous wings and took to the sky. Rowan spoke from behind her, causing her to flinch,
‘How did he know we were here?’ he questioned, looking a little shocked, completely confused by the dragon’s arrival. Lexi chuckled,
‘Rowan, have I got a story to tell you! You’re not going to believe what happened last night!’, as she made her way over to the fire pits and set each one alight, one by one with the touch of her hand, ready to cook up some breakfast.
Escalating Chaos
With the agreement fortified with Titus, their journey to the Misty Mountains was no longer necessary, much to Lexi’s relief. Although in a way she had been there, the thought of it sent shivers down her spine, she had no intention of ever going there again. They eventually left the stone circle in the late morning, heading back the way they had come, towards the village of the tree dwellers. Lexi’s endurance for both flying and flitting were increasing all the time. She was now able to travel at twice the s
peed of Rowan, he’d never seen anything like it. They were a few miles out from the community, when Lexi darted up into the air through the tree canopy, Rowan following soon after, failing miserably at catching her, as they played tag. He suddenly stopped mid-air, an expression of horror on his face. Lexi, who had her back towards what had caused such a reaction, turned to see large plumes of smoke billowing from the treetops.
‘The village’ she muttered, as she darted towards the fire. Rowan called after her to stop, but with no success.
Lexi bolted through the thick smoke, landing in the centre of the village. The trees and homes were ablaze with a raging fire. Oddly, she didn’t feel the heat. The flames licking at her shoes, didn’t harm her or scorch her clothes. It was as if she wore an invisible heat shield. There were bodies scattered on the ground all around her. Then she spotted him, sat on the floor, his back against one of the few trees not ablaze, Oakley. His face was no longer jovial, but twisted with pain as he tried to apply pressure to a large wound down his neck and shoulder. Lexi ran and dropped to the ground beside him,
‘Oakley, what happened here?!’ she sobbed. A faint smile flickered across his face, mixed with a grimace as he stiffened momentarily in agony,
‘I’m glad you’re safe’ he sighed, reaching a hand towards her. She took it and held on to it tightly. ‘He knew you were here. He believed you still were, so he burnt the village looking for you. We managed to get most of the people to safety, they should be fine. They’re on their way to join Amber as we speak.’ He groaned as another surge of pain travelled through him. ‘Did you speak with Titus?’ he muttered. Lexi nodded her head. ‘Good, you’re going to need everything you can get Lexi, he has …’ he crumpled, the pain far too great for him to withstand, he cried out. Lexi reached deep down inside, to draw on her light to heal him. She found it far more easily than she had previously, it felt more natural, and immediately focused it on her hand, placing it over most of the wound, but his injuries were too great. Oakley slumped to the ground, he beckoned her closer, whispering ‘… strong magic. His powers Lexi, I’ve never seen anything like it, it’s not fairy magic’. He breathed out one last rattled breath and was gone. Lexi bowed her head and held his hand tightly.
Ignite: The Awakening Page 8