Fate of Dragons

by Alisha Klapheke

  “You are wrong. This feeling is more than natural injury.”

  “Super delightful, aren’t they? Still taking his side?” Dramour whispered.

  “I apologize for my tone, Healer,” Arcturus said.

  Ibai stuttered, obviously flustered at the show of respect.

  “Do you think you were followed? Should we guard ourselves?” Vahly put a hand on her sword hilt. If a band of elves stormed the cider house…

  Nix slid a mug of cider in front of Arcturus, then glanced at the side door. Smoke spun from her nose in warning.

  “I don’t think so,” Arcturus said. “The wind only hints at foul play.” He scooted away from the table and headed toward the door. “Thank you for rescuing and healing me, dragons, Earth Queen.”

  He didn’t know anything about the current problems on the island if he was calling her that.

  She pointed at her Blackwater mark. “This is a mistake. I don’t have any power. The Sea Queen is actually about to take over every bit of land and kill us all. That’s why I was in the Fire Marshes. I was planning a trip to visit your kynd to find answers. I thought maybe you would know about human rituals of power.”

  Arcturus furrowed his brow. “I … I don’t know. I can’t remember…” He looked up, suddenly fierce like he’d been when he first awoke under Ibai’s ministrations. “You see? I should know all about my kynd and this threat to all of us. But there is a blank place in my memory, and what is there … it’s twisted. A strong elf has set foul magic upon me. I must leave and attempt to discover who wishes me ill. If I recover my full capabilities, I can perhaps fight the sea folk and aid you, Earth Queen.” He stopped at the door and whispered elven words into the air.

  “What are you doing? Ibai, maybe he needs another herbal remedy to clear his head.”

  “I’m calling my horse.”

  “Oh, Etor took off, into the forest beyond the Red Meadow. He didn’t like the scent of dragons. You mentioned his name when I found you.”

  Arcturus turned. “Thank you for being kind to Etor. He gives you great praise. Once I untangle the wrong that has been done to me, I will do my best to return and give you the information you require, Earth Queen.”

  “Please call me Vahly. We’ll save the impressive title for the day I can do more than win at dice.”

  “Winning a hoard of gold out of me isn’t nothing,” Dramour said, a bite to his tone.

  “You practically told me what tallies you were going for. If you’d cease your bragging for a minute while you gamble, you’d be doing a lot more taking than giving.”

  Nix clicked her claws against the table. “So. We’re just going to let Arc leave, are we? Without gaining any info?”

  “Did you give him a nickname?” Dramour looked offended that someone else might have the honor that Nix had previously only bestowed on him.

  “What do you think we should do?” Vahly asked.

  “Ask our new friend here to stay the night. Once he is rested, perhaps his mind will return to normal and he will be able to shed light on the scroll.”

  That was a sensible idea.

  But here was a guide that could help them get to King Mattin, king of the elves. Arcturus might prove to be the only opportunity to enter the Forest of Illumahrah without force. If he left, that opportunity would be gone. Dragons were indeed formidable, but Vahly had no doubt the elf had the ability to sneak out while they slept.

  “With respect,” Vahly said, “I say we leave for the elven lands tonight. Now. Arcturus might not know his arse from a hole in the ground, but he is far more likely to be accepted into the elven lands than we are. We can use him to gain entry.”

  Arcturus leveled his gaze on Vahly. “I’m not quite that addled.”

  “Sure, the elf would be a help. Unless someone is trying to off him,” Ibai said, holding two satchels and a bow. “Then we’d all be salted.”

  Arcturus glanced around the room. “The Healer makes a fine point.”

  Vahly took a steadying breath. She was ready to stop being the slug and move toward becoming who she was meant to be. “These dragons have agreed to shift into full dragon form and carry me across the marshes. They will carry you too. Wouldn’t it be much easier for you to return home if you didn’t have to cross the marshes on foot?”

  Arc’s mouth twisted, his fingers curling into fists before relaxing again. He looked to the dragons. “Are you truly willing to take me as well? And Etor if he returns before our departure?”

  Dramour walked past Arc and began to undress outside. “I’m not carrying the elf.” He shoved his clothing, boots, and eyepatch into his satchel, then handed the bag to Vahly, who’d followed him out. “I say we burn our way to King Mattin.”

  “There might be an army of elves there,” Vahly said.

  “And we’ll make toast of the lot, leaving one to tell the story you need to hear.”

  Everyone gathered in front of the dark windows of the cider house. The smell of the ocean lurked in the occasional breeze.

  Nix put a hand on Dramour, visibly calming him. “If there is an army of this kynd, we would be wise to use great caution. They can fire large arrows into the sky with great accuracy. We are only four dragons.”

  “So we’re doing this?” Dramour’s eye studied Nix’s face, then he looked to Vahly.

  “We are.” Vahly tried to put more confidence into her voice than she actually felt.

  With a flash of blue-orange fire, Dramour shifted.

  Vahly jumped back as his wings unfurled, emerald under the moon. The scent of fire magic, sage-like, wafted through the air, accompanying the power’s crackle and snap.

  Nix pulled her dress off. “Yes, elf. We will carry you, but the horse is on his own. Vahly is taking the lead here. What she says goes.” She tucked the dress, along with her rings and ruby necklace, into the bag Vahly held. Ibai and Kemen didn’t even try not to stare at her lovely curves. “Dramour,” she said, “if you continue being rude to our elven guide, I will never invite you to my quarters for conversation ever again.”

  Dramour growled quietly, but he bowed his head. Vahly was fairly certain he would mate for life if she asked. Of course, so would half the Breakers.

  Arc whispered into the wind, presumably calling Etor again. Moonlight danced around his fingers as they twitched by his sides. He stood so straight, so sure of himself and who he was, and he didn’t even remember why he’d left his homeland to go traipsing about in enemy territory. His fingers moved again, stirring light and shadow until Vahly was almost certain the shape of a horse had formed in front of him. The illusion disappeared before she could be sure, and then his fingers were still.

  Nix raised her arms, ready to shift. “Wondering what he can do with those hands of his, Vahly?” Her laugh disappeared inside the fire she called up.

  Vahly blinked in the sudden brightness, and when she opened her eyes, Nix was a battle dragon, complete with talons the size of Vahly’s forearm, crystalline spikes from her brow to her tail, and starlit wings of a deep blue that was nearly the color of amethyst.

  Ibai and Kemen shifted then too. Arc and Vahly took the three satchels of footwear, weapons, jewelry, and clothing.

  “I never thought I’d ask a fully shifted dragon to please take me into their claws, but here goes,” Vahly said to Arc.

  Despite being so obviously ill at ease with everything about this night, Arc smiled wryly. “It’s not something I would’ve planned as a part of my evening either.”

  Nix’s wings flapped, and she lifted from the ground. Her claws curled gently around Arc’s middle, allowing his hands to be free to hold two of the satchels. She beat her wings with more force and flew into the sky.

  Dramour rose next and took up Vahly. His claws were firm on the flesh around her ribs, but not overly painful, more of a cage to set feet and hands on than a tight grip. His wings whipped air around her face, tugging her hair from her braid and making it difficult to hold on to the one satchel she was in charge of.
As they soared into the sky, she found she could put her feet on the lowest claw and easily look out over the highest talon.

  They grouped close, the moon shining above, and headed toward the spiraling gases and golden rivers of the Fire Marshes.

  Chapter Ten

  The ground flew by under Vahly’s feet, the combination of moonlight and dragon wings casting disorienting shadows.

  Golden threads of earthblood shot through the blackened ground, large boulders showed fragments of the old path, and thinly leafed bushes grew here and there—the only thing that could possibly grow in such an environment. Thin plumes of white smoke twisted into the air like spirits.

  Vahly’s throat burned with the vicious gases that the Fire Marshes put off, and a coughing fit pressed her ribs painfully against Dramour’s hind claws.

  Arcturus seemed well enough tucked away in Nix’s careful grip. The wind flew through his jet hair as he glanced at Vahly, his face possibly showing concern, though it was difficult to tell in this light. She coughed again. The elf had no trouble with the gases and that made her pause. He had definitely struggled to breathe when she’d found him, stranded and barely conscious.

  She determined to ask him about this when they took their first rest. If she could get her wounded throat to work. Too much time spent in this kind of air, and Vahly would be mute or dead, neither of which allowed for the questioning of elves or the saving of dragons.

  “We should fly higher.” Arcturus’s voice rang out like a large bell. Was that also elven magic?

  Vahly nodded in agreement although she wondered how much the air would improve. Surely they would have to travel quite high indeed to avoid these noxious fumes.

  Nix turned her huge dragon body toward the heavens, capable of understanding everything going on between Vahly and Arcturus. The rest of the dragons followed suit, gaining altitude at a speed that took what little breath Vahly had. A chill permeated the air as they climbed, but Vahly did find she could breathe without coughing up here.

  “Much better!” she called to Arcturus and Nix. Dramour growled, the sound vibrating Vahly’s bones. “And thanks to you as well, Dramour.” Vahly shook her head. Dragons.

  They flew for hours before Nix gave her a look that said it was time to stop.

  Squinting as they glided away from the stars and into that horrible miasma, Vahly spotted the place Nix had shown her on the map at the cider house. A stretch of earth, not marred by cracks or gases, spread out before the group. A line of impressively hardy bushes marked a natural boundary. Vahly thought perhaps it would be a good idea to gather leaves and stems from the bushes. They could prove useful to Helena, if Vahly ever did make it home.

  The only way to land without experiencing the full weight of a shifted dragon was for Nix and Dramour to open their claws and let Vahly and Arcturus fall to the ground. A clacking sort of growl sounded from Nix’s throat, and Vahly took that as the signal to prepare for the drop.

  Dramour’s claws opened.

  Vahly bent her knees and tucked her chin, rolling as the ground rushed up to meet her. Grit scraped her forearm and her knee bumped her cheek. But aside from that, she was well enough.

  Arcturus was already on his feet—for all she knew, he’d landed that way. He extended a hand, but she hopped up and waved it away.

  The dragons landed in a circle around them, breath puffing out and heavy feet shuffling.

  Vahly gave Nix a bow. “Thank you, friend.”

  The dragons nodded in response, then settled down to soak in the energy the earthblood gave them. They spread their great wings over their bodies like the thin walls of a summer tent.

  Nix’s eyes glowed like coals through the translucent color of her wing.

  Arcturus walked out of the circle of resting dragons, his gaze flicking from the way they’d come and toward his homeland. He adjusted the bow slung across his back and met her eyes. The first violet light of dawn seemed to gather around his temples and his long fingers. Placing the bag of Kemen and Ibai’s clothing and footwear at his feet, he looked to the West. She wished he would have kept the eye contact, but she wasn’t sure why.

  “Rest if you like,” he said, staying quiet and not disturbing their fellows.

  “You don’t need to take a break, do you?”

  “Not yet.”

  The air bit at Vahly’s throat and she coughed, touching the cheek she’d knocked during landing. It wouldn’t be bad to be an elf, she thought, with skin nearly as strong as scales and energy to spare. Both physical traits would have served her well when fending off sea folk spears near the Jades’ coastal territory or during the Jade-Lapis feuding that went on for months last year.

  “May I ask you a question?”

  “I love questions. I specialize in alchemical sciences so curiosity is key to my study. Plus, I owe you a life. The least I can do is satisfy your inquisitive mind. I might even beg an answer or two from you if you’d allow it.”

  This elf continued to surprise her.

  “Why did the Fire Marshes’ gases seem to bother you before, but now you’re standing there like you’re fresh from a pristine forest of dreams?”

  The corner of his mouth lifted. “I am far from fresh.” He held out his hands and dusted black grime from his fingers.

  “But seriously. I could tell the air had injured your lungs.”

  “Only because of the foul spell one of my kynd placed on me. It hinders my healing.” His lips tightened into a line. “It damaged my body as well as my mind. The bent magic sticks to my thoughts even now.” He looked up, sincerity widening his hawk-like gaze. “I do hope it does not affect you. Or the others.”

  Vahly swallowed against the fire in her throat. “I feel nothing strange. Just the pain of being in this awful place. I think I’ll take you up on that whole you guarding while I rest thing. I am merely human and need a nap.”

  “You are not merely human. You are the epitome of human strength and capability.” He gestured at her Blackwater mark.

  “How many times do I have to explain this? I have no power. Not a blink of it. That’s why I’m helping you get back home—so I can find out if your kynd know of any rituals my kynd used to perform to gain their magic.”

  “Forgive me. My mind remains hazy.”

  “No, forgive me. I shouldn’t bark at you when you’ve been through so much. I apologize.”

  “Where were you born?”

  “My family lived in what is now the Lost Valley. The Sea Queen flooded the area, but my mother held me up to Amona, the Lapis Matriarch, before she was dragged under. Amona took me in, hoping I would save the dragons and balance the world. But so far, I’m not the creature they were counting on.”

  “But the dragons,” he opened a palm in the direction of Nix, “they follow you. You do have power, Vahly. These would never listen to my commands nor my suggestions.”

  It was kind, the way he tried to make her feel important. But it was unnecessary. They either would or would not find the answer to her questions in the Forest of Illumahrah. It made no difference what she felt about herself otherwise.

  “I’m going to rest now.”

  Arc nodded. “As you wish.”

  Vahly made a pillow of Kemen’s trousers and shirt, knowing the dragon wouldn’t care as much as the other three if she dirtied his clothing on the ground. She closed her eyes, thinking there was no way she’d sleep here, half choking, but before she could form another thought, dreams took her away.

  Midmorning light seeped through Vahly’s eyelids, and she sat up quickly, panicked. “We should go,” she tried to say. Most of it ended up as sputters and coughing. Her entire esophagus was a column of pain.

  Arc was talking to Nix. He was apparently able to communicate telepathically with dragons.

  His surcoat did indeed feature a half sun against a half moon and she wondered at his powers, the magic of air.

  He glanced at Vahly and switched to speaking aloud, most likely for her benefit. “Yes, I do t
hink we should stop closer to the boundary. It would be good if you were rested in the case that my welcome is less than positive.”

  Vahly stood and hacked up at least half a lung.

  Ibai nudged the nearest satchel with his smoking snout. Vahly opened it to find a large water skin. Thank the Stones, Ibai had thought to bring it. Wincing, she managed five good gulps before pouring the rest down Ibai’s throat.

  “Leaving now, yes?” she croaked. “Because I’d like to be not dead when we finish this trip.”

  Nix gave a small roar to wake Kemen and Dramour, and after a few morning ablutions, they sailed into the golden sky.

  Vahly enjoyed the ride, breathing normally again. Her throat still throbbed along with the fingers she’d injured during her climbing and thieving escapades, but it was all so much better than being down there in that nasty mess of horrible.

  Vahly’s cheeks and ears grew numb from the wind buffeting her flesh. Her stomach growled too. At least she was standing in the comfort of claws. She snorted at herself. If only her kynd could see her now.

  Did something entertain you? Arc said from Nix’s clutches.

  I didn’t know elves could do this. Could speak telepathically.

  We can. And no, I cannot read all of your thoughts. Only the ones you project to me like your previous question and phrase.

  Arc’s telepathy felt different from Amona’s. Hers held a command, a force. Arc’s words were simply communication.

  Vahly wrapped her hand around Dramour’s first claw. The ridges were like wood grain on an ancient tree. All right. You can speak like a matriarch into my head. That’s . . . unexpected, but not bad. She took a deep breath. There were sure to be more surprises as this journey continued. I was laughing because I feel better in the claws of a dragon than on the earth at the moment. Pretty ironic from someone who is meant to be an Earth Queen.

  Arc raised a black eyebrow. No one could love that stretch of earth. Arc eyed the smoke curling from the black ground below. Even the fire kynd hate it.

  The dragons did gain strength from the earthblood. Vahly supposed that was why they hadn’t needed to hunt. The proximity to the golden fire kept them going.