Asaph stood, and the saddle lurched violently. Issa stifled a squeal and grabbed at the rails for balance, her heart pounding. The Draxians had shown her how to ride in it, and she hoped it would get easier like they had said.
Asaph stretched his head and tail, making himself even more enormous and terrifying. Just a flex of his muscles could break the straps and send her tumbling to the ground. He spread his wings and arched his back. Goodness, these beasts are too big for Maioria! thought Issa, watching as powerful muscles rippled over his shoulders.
‘Asaph! Asaph!’ A voice shouted.
‘Hold on!’ shouted another.
Issa turned to see Leaper and Velonorian running out of the woods towards them, followed by a horde of Draxians. They poured into the clearing and stopped short, dragon fear and awe spreading over their faces, then sending them to their knees.
‘I tried to stop them,’ said Leaper, spreading his hands. ‘But they refused to board the ships until they had seen you for real.’
‘Hail King Asaph, Dragon Lord and King of Drax!’ said the tall, red-haired man rising to his feet.
‘Hail King Asaph!’ roared the others, getting up.
With the hail and cheer of his people, Asaph proudly beat his wings and leapt into the air. He swooped dangerously low over all of them, sending many to their knees again, before the cold wind lifted him up into the snow and sun.
Issa waved down, trying to look calm and composed as she clutched the lurching dragon seat. Velonorian and the others waved back until they were mere pinpricks in the trees.
Asaph headed due north, and it was as she had expected, freezing.
‘Warmth,’ she commanded and both the raven talisman in her belt and Illendri in its scabbard grew warm. Poor Ehka was certainly going to get cold, she thought as she watched the bird fly close. She pulled her scarf up over her nose and mouth and tried to loosen her death grip on the reins that weren’t really reins as she couldn’t command Asaph in that manner, but it gave her a feeling of control thinking of them as that.
She found the dragon seat remarkably comfortable. When Asaph flew straight, as he did now, flying was easy, almost boring when thinking she could be flying as a raven. All she had to do now was hang on—and even that she didn’t have to do when he flew straight and steady.
Asaph rose higher and higher until he cleared the low snow clouds. Bright sunlight lit up a field of white clouds and the deep blue sky above them.
‘Our ships are departing,’ said Asaph.
Issa looked down through a gap in the clouds and spied three Frayonesse and two Atalanph ships leaving the port. Two remained in the dock, probably waiting for the cheering Draxians.
‘How about some fun?’ shouted Asaph over the frigid wind.
‘What do you mean?’ Issa shouted back, feeling less than enthusiastic as the cold plastered her eyes.
With a roaring laugh Asaph folded his wings close and dropped through the clouds. Issa’s stomach somersaulted. She became aware of her own screaming when he slowed his descent just above the ships’ swaying masts. She couldn’t breathe to even shout at the foolish beast.
Soldiers and sailors screamed and fell to their knees. Was Asaph laughing? For once he didn’t seem to feel guilty about spreading dragon fear. He spurted a joyful bout of flames into the air and circled merrily above them as they recovered. Some shook fists at him—Marakon and Bokaard—but others broke into cheers and waves. Issa began to chuckle and waved back.
The great gusts of wind Asaph created helped to fill their sails. Eventually Marakon and Bokaard grinned and nodded. With a mighty roar that trembled her seat, Asaph lifted back up into the clouds and the ships were lost from view. The noise of the wind was too much for her to shout over, so she spoke with her mind in the Daluni way.
‘I hope they make it there all right. Let’s hope we don’t miss them or they’re attacked before they even get there.’
Asaph said, ‘They have weather wizards for speed and cloaking, and Bokaard is one of the best captains they have. At least one ship will make it.’ She detected humour in Asaph’s mind speak. ‘Don’t worry, if anything, we dragons will be there first. It’ll take them a week to even reach the tip of Drax.’
He was right but still Issa worried.
It was dusk by the time Asaph finally angled his wings down into the freezing cold clouds. When they dropped below them it was to emerge into huge fluffy snowflakes falling upon a mountainous land already covered in white. Craggy peaks cradled smooth white troughs and valleys that stretched on for miles. If there were trees, they had long been lost to the deep trenches of snow.
The Kingdom of Ice, thought Issa, noting how frigidly beautiful the white lands were. There was barely a breeze and the snow fell unhindered to rest peacefully on the land. The whole place was silent, reverent, frozen in time and space.
‘This is a place of dragons?’ asked Issa. It was so quiet and still, she didn’t need to shout. ‘I thought dragons liked hot places with lots of sun?’
Asaph didn’t reply immediately. He dropped lower and glided effortlessly over a flat plane, the cracks in the ice glowing a luminous aqua. Perhaps a frozen lake lies beneath them, Issa thought.
‘They came here long ago, when Feygriene first sent them forth from the sun, so the legend goes. This was a green, fertile land rich with crystal clear lakes and rivers, mountain flowers and long summers under a hot sun.’ Issa frowned as Asaph spoke, trying to imagine green meadows and mountain flowers under the snow.
‘When Baelthrom came eons ago, the North froze over, slowly at first as his evil was small, then more and more over time. Now the ice sheets reach to smother even northern Drax. No one ever thought the sea itself would freeze.
‘In the Recollection, I have seen ancient dragons from long ago discovering and mapping out all the corners of Maioria in their minds. I have seen the southern pole, also encrusted in ice—a place so cold and dark not even dragons could live there.
‘Dragons know—from deep memory of a time before they even came to Maioria—that a planet with frozen poles cannot breathe properly. Something in the ice I suppose, I don’t know. I would have thought Elven or human wizards would know more, but they don’t. They’ve forgotten because the memories and histories have been destroyed by Baelthrom.
‘Planets live through the grace of the sun’s energy. Through the poles, the sun sends a life energy into Maioria, and all the planets. It circulates through each and then returns to it. A symbiotic and intimate relationship between our sun, beloved Feygriene, and Maioria. This is dragon knowledge, for we are born of sun fire. Perhaps Feygriene foresaw the fall of Maioria, so she sent her dragons to come here, to help. I like to think so, anyway.’
Issa listened in fascination, trying to imagine Maioria and the sun as living sentient beings like she and Asaph, and the essential flow of life-force between them. It wasn’t easy.
‘If we destroy Baelthrom, will the ice melt?’ she asked, meaning would things ever return to a harmonious, normal reality, one she had never known?
Asaph chuckled. ‘I would have never believed it possible until I witnessed what happened at Yis.’
Issa remembered all that he had told her of the land being restored from a frozen desert to a beautiful spring sanctuary through the grace of Feygriene. Just as she was picturing it, they crested a mountain peak and a green oasis appeared below.
Issa inhaled sharply at the emerald land sparkling in a sea of white. Inlaid in the centre was a blue lake, and on its banks, a shining golden castle and temple. A powerful magical shield protected it.
‘Beautiful, isn’t it?’ said Asaph. ‘Only a living dragon, Dragon Rider or pure blood Draxian can see through the shield, so I guess you must truly be a Dragon Rider.’ He glanced back at her and she grinned.
They descended through the shield and warmth engulfed them. She rolled back her shoulders to relieve the hunched position she’d adopted for the entire ride to keep herself warm.
; Asaph alighted on the grassy shore and dipped his snout into the clear waters to drink. Ehka flopped down beside him. Issa drank from the canister at her side and took in the beautiful scenery.
It was the hairs on the back of her neck raising, and then fear that prickled her skin that alerted her. A gust of wind blew, and giant red wings swooped overhead making her yelp. She froze in dragon fear as the red dragon circled, said something to Asaph in mind-speak, then landed to his left.
The red dragon was smaller than Asaph, more slender in every way apart from its wings, which were longer. It looked elegant and built for speed. Both dragons dipped their heads and held a pose in respectful dragon greeting. Something passed between them again and Issa assumed they were talking mind to mind. She was not privy to the conversation despite being Daluni.
The red dragon turned its amber gaze onto Issa. ‘Greetings, Raven Queen Dragon Rider,’ said the dragon in a rumbling female voice.
‘Meet Garna, Issa,’ said Asaph.
‘Greetings, Garna,’ said Issa, her voice betraying the remnants of her dragon fear.
Another dragon descended fast towards them in tight circles. This one was green, and it shook the ground as it landed beside Garna, its dark eyes shining and black horns like a crown upon its head. The three dragons dipped their heads and communed.
‘Issa, this is Pennarc,’ said Asaph, gesturing.
The green dragon said nothing but eyed her with interest. Feelings of respect came from him. Issa managed to smile as the dragon fear waned.
‘The others are sleeping or hunting for our kin or food,’ said Asaph. Issa sighed in silent relief. She didn’t fancy going through the dragon fear every time a dragon appeared.
‘There are eighteen of us now, Asaph Dragon Lord,’ said Garna. ‘But six are still in deep recovery. We sense more but they are weak and far away…we do not have much hope. Once we were nearer a hundred, but that was long before Baelthrom came.’
‘Eighteen,’ echoed Asaph, his sapphire eyes looking far away. ‘Eighteen must be enough.’
There was a thoughtful silence and Issa wondered why. They didn’t seem to be speaking. She decided she didn’t understand the way of dragons at all.
‘Drax calls to us,’ said Pennarc, lifting his mighty head of horns and looking to the South. ‘The land will belong to dragons once again, it is as Feygriene wishes. When must we leave, Dragon Lord?’
Asaph took a long time to answer, as if he were trying to look into the future and discover what he must do. ‘I will leave tomorrow at dusk. You and Garna gather those willing to fight and leave three suns from now.’
‘Where is Great Morhork?’ asked Garna, lifting her tail.
‘I don’t know,’ said Asaph. ‘Morhork follows his own guidance and is beholden to none. It’s my fervent wish that he joins us, but I know how he feels about dragons getting involved in what he perceives as human affairs.’
Issa had not seen Morhork since Eiretonne had presented her with her sword. She still had trouble thinking of Domenon as the blue, wingless dragon.
‘Morhork has always been his own master,’ Pennarc agreed. ‘Strong, powerful, free.’
As the dragons talked, Issa longed to stand up and stretch. She slipped out of her harness and used the rope to walk down Asaph’s leg. It was easier than before, especially when he helped by angling his leg in a certain way, flattening himself.
She reached the ground sweating, and pulled off her hat, gloves, scarf and cloak. Her heart skipped a beat when she looked up at the three enormous dragons, one red, one green and one golden. From ground level, they towered above her, and a single dragon eye was bigger than her head.
She found herself stepping backwards until her back pressed against Asaph’s huge chest. From there, she turned and busied herself undoing the dragon harness.
The dragons finished discussing their plans and began saying goodbye—a strange display of angling necks and nodding heads. She found everything about the beasts fascinating.
When they leapt into the air, it was with such grace that she held her breath. A shimmer surrounded Asaph, the Flow surged, and then the man was standing there holding the dragon seat she had been fighting with for the last quarter of an hour.
‘Let’s go to the castle. I can’t wait to show you around,’ he said. With one easy movement, he hefted the entire seat into the air and carried it alone a few paces towards the castle.
‘It’s so beautiful,’ said Issa, staring at the smooth golden domes shining in the sunlight. ‘Is it really gold?’
‘You bet,’ said Asaph, setting the dragon seat down with a grunt. ‘You know how much dragons love the stuff.’
They walked into the courtyard, passing under the enormous arches and over the beautiful mosaic paving. She marvelled at the sprinkling fountain and followed Asaph through the great metal-scrolled oak doors and into a reception room. The floors and walls were covered in cherry wood panelling reaching to about his waist, and the high ceilings were supported by huge arched wooden beams.
Great windows everywhere let in plenty of light. The inner walls were decorated with beautifully painted scenes depicting dragons and humans—great moments from lifetimes lived thousands of years ago, captured forever in stunning colours.
Issa ran from room to room, hallway to hallway, letting her curiosity run wild in this fabulous, enormous palace. Asaph laughed as he followed. Finally, she paused and whirled to face him.
‘As stunning as it is, the whole place is completely empty,’ she said. ‘There isn’t even a chair to sit on.’
‘Only the structure itself survived,’ said Asaph, folding his arms and leaning on a wall. ‘Come, I’ve stored firewood and food in the kitchen. Fish from the lake, mostly, and some rations I brought with me. The dragons have also helped bringing food and blankets. In one of the smaller rooms, I’ve almost made some semblance of a bed.’
He led her to the kitchen on the ground floor. Soon, he had the oven blazing and was cooking lunch, while a kettle hanging above it boiled water for tea.
As they ate, Asaph told her everything he had seen of this place in the Recollection, and the details of how it had risen from the lake. Though she’d heard it before, now she was here, his retelling was far more magical.
Atop the balcony overlooking the lake, Issa and Asaph sipped Frayon port from chipped cups and watched the sun sink into the white mountains.
The long rays turned the landscape purple and red. White birds with long legs and necks flocked to the side of the lake where tall reeds provided a safe roosting spot for the night. Serene, protected, holy, thought Issa.
As darkness fell, Asaph took her hand and led her inside to their room where a warm fire crackled in the hearth. She did not protest as he sat her down on the pile of rugs and blankets that made their bed.
As he slipped her tunic off her shoulders, they kissed. She wasn’t hesitant when he laid her down—instead she was eager, excited, and free. Their passion rose when their marks touched. Power flooded through her body as he pressed firmly upon her. Again, the world turned into the magical energies of the Flow, lifting them both higher and higher. She felt the edges of her being blur and begin to meld with his in a way she could never describe or understand. It was as if their combined energy lifted them up into higher, purer realm of beauty and spirit.
As the waves of ecstasy gently subsided. She floated slowly down until she opened her eyes to find herself in his arms.
He smiled at her, a sheen of perspiration on his face and his hair dishevelled and red in the low firelight. She closed her eyes and hugged him close. The world of war and strife was far from this place, and this night, in the sanctity of Yis, Feygriene’s Haven, she would dream only of peaceful things.
They watched the sun sink into the mountains again the next evening, only now they stood before the lake.
Issa was dressed warmly in her cloak and gloves and seated in her dragon seat atop Asaph’s back. Both were subdued, pensive. Ahead lay victor
y or death—there could be nothing in between.
‘A strong wind blows from the South. It will hamper our journey but at least it’s a warmer wind,’ rumbled Asaph.
‘I wonder how far the others have got,’ said Issa.
Asaph nodded and looked up at the darkening sky. They waited in silence until the first stars appeared, then, without ceremony, Asaph spread his wings, Issa gripped the rails and held her breath as the dragon ran and launched them into the air. The wind and rush of excitement made her gasp, then as the shock faded, grin with delight. They swooped over the lake and up the mountainside over the tiny golden temple. The mountain fell away, and a star-filled sky filled her vision.
When they cleared the magical shield, frozen wind blasted her face. She pulled her scarf over her nose and blinked the tears from her eyes. Glancing back she glimpsed a black speck following. Poor Ehka must be freezing, she thought. When he landed on the bar in front of her, she took hold of him and pulled him inside her cloak to thaw out. It would be warmer in Drax, though not by much.
As she thought of the ancient land of Dragon Lords, she found her hand resting on Illendri. There would be a battle, a terrible one, but it would not be like Venosia, they had a fraction of that army now. Would it be enough? It must be enough.
Would Cirosa be there? She chewed her lip, feeling the anger for what she had done to Asaph, to the priestesses, and to the entire Temple, rise. What if she still had a grip on Asaph? Too many questions… But Cirosa could be their downfall. She could not be allowed to harm him. She must be located and taken down first.
There were other worries besides Cirosa, and her palms grew sweaty. It was known that Baelthrom’s right-hand man held Drax. Hameka, you bastard! You murdered my friend, now you’ll face justice.
War of the Raven Queen: The Goddess Prophecies Fantasy Series Book 6 Page 31