The Ascending

by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson

  Jaax gritted his teeth. So, Jahrra had found out about Keiron’s betrayal only a short while ago, and in the worst way possible. And yet, she had managed to fight him off without letting her emotions rule her. Which was more than what he had done only a few minutes before. Pride swelled in the dragon’s heart. His brave, bold Jahrra.

  Beside him, Ellyesce continued with his report. “I tried to chase after them, but I was held back by the enemy line. Only after you flew back through with Jahrra and released a torrent of flame upon them was I able to get to the other side. By then, I had lost sight of both Boriahs and Keiron. I would have spent more time searching, but the enemy stubbornly refused to back down, even with Sapheramin and Tollorias adding their own flames to the fight. I then turned back to make sure the others made it safely behind Nimbronia’s walls.”

  Jaax nodded, agreeing with Ellyesce’s decision. “I would have liked to see those two dead,” he growled, the remnants of his dragon’s fury burning bright like dying coals met by a steady breeze, “but you made the right decision.”

  Ellyesce returned Jaax’s nod, but the dragon knew better. His friend was playing the scene over and over again in his head, wondering how he could have fought better.

  “They used magic. Even if I hadn’t felt it stirring in the air around us, I would have known it.”

  “Undoubtedly,” Jaax remarked as their upward path curved around a rocky outcropping. The edge of the city was still farther up the mountain peak, but he could discern some of the icy spires in the distance as he pushed past his weariness and the ache in his head to keep pace with the soldiers.

  “How many losses?” Jaax wanted to know, afraid of the answer.

  Ellyesce sighed. “A dozen or so of Nimbronia’s guard, twice as many if not more of the enemy.”

  He tilted his head and gave Jaax a wry grin. “I think your fury took care of most of those.”

  Jaax clenched his teeth again, trying not to think of what might have happened if any of their allies had gotten in the way.

  “All of our traveling companions made it out safe, though. It was fortunate they were all closer to the north end of the bridge than the south. And it was good to see Pendric among them. I am glad he made it out of Cahrdyarein.”

  Jaax smiled at that, imagining Pendric’s wife and son, and the limbit that Jahrra was so fond of. The small creature had been an extra burden on them when Jahrra had first insisted on bringing him along, but time had changed his opinion on that subject. Dervit never got in the way, and he was anything but a liability. He had proven his loyalty and brave spirit more times than Jaax thought possible, and he was beyond grateful for the friendship the limbit offered his ward. Jahrra would need it more now than ever.

  “How much farther to the main gates?” Jaax asked, returning his attention to his current surroundings. “I’m used to flying this route.”

  Ellyesce laughed. “Not much farther, I assure you.”

  For the next several minutes, Jaax once again retreated into his own thoughts. As the sounds of the footsteps of the soldiers and dragons crunched around him, and as their voices, carrying tones of triumph for vanquishing their enemy and sorrow for those who were lost, the Tanaan dragon couldn’t help but wonder what Ciarrohn’s next move might be. His second in command, this Boriahs Ellyesce had mentioned, had almost captured Jahrra, a thought Jaax desperately tried to purge from his mind. Since he had failed, would he try to regroup with the soldiers that remained? Would those lingering in Cahrdyarein march on Nimbronia? Jaax gave a mental snort. That would be an extremely foolish venture. Dhuruhn, the dragon king of this lofty and magic-infused city, might stick stubbornly to neutrality in this impending war, but he would not tolerate a direct attack. The Creecemind ruler had stuck adamantly to his stance on the impending fight between the Coalition and the Crimson King, but would Boriahs’ actions today sway his position in the right direction? Would he finally see the reason and rightness in Jaax’s, and the Coalition’s, cause?

  A cold wind gusted down the wide culvert the road into Nimbronia followed, the biting chill enough to work its way between Jaax’s scales. He gave a small shiver and lifted his head, his breath catching in his throat as his eyes fell upon the change of scenery before them.

  On either side of their party, sheer rock walls, the natural bones of the mountain, rose to impressive heights. The icy spires of the city itself were just visible above the gate, like great icicles rising from the mountain peak in ever increasing layers. The turrets sparkled and shone like polished crystal in the dwindling afternoon light, the stark beauty bringing some ease to the Tanaan dragon’s heart. Recalling what it was like to soar between those very towers, Jaax lowered his head and instead studied the gate, two huge, thick slabs of ice keeping them from the general safety of Nimbronia. The ice was somewhat transparent, like dense glass, and the people who moved around on the other side appeared only as dark, shapeless figures. It was almost like watching lazy fish swim beneath the surface of a frozen lake. Guards dressed in the same wintry colors of those escorting him and Ellyesce stood along the top of the wall, their weapons ready should these newcomers be enemies and not friends.

  “Who approaches?” one of the soldiers shouted down to them from a height of fifty feet or more.

  “I am Gelthea, captain of the eighth unit, and these are my men and women. We have just fought off an attack on the southern bridge, and we bring with us those who mean no harm to our city.”

  The sound of the woman’s voice resounded through the canyon, amplified so those above and below heard it clearly.

  “And who is it you bring with you?” the soldier on the wall pressed.

  Gelthea took in a breath to answer, but then turned her head to glance at Jaax and Ellyesce.

  “The Tanaan dragon Raejaaxorix, an old friend to our city, and his companion, Ellyesce.”

  It was Sapheramin who spoke this time, stepping out of her place in the formation and moving closer to the gate.

  “Identify yourself, dragon,” the man demanded, his voice not impolite.

  He held up a hand, and the archers made ready their arrows, the tight sound of stretching bowstrings scraping against their ears. Somewhere behind him, Jaax heard Tollorias growl.

  “Peace, my brothers and sisters!” Sapheramin proclaimed. “I am Sapheramin, friend of his Majesty and a diplomat of Nimbronia.”

  The guard on the wall lowered his hand, and the archers eased the tension on their bows.

  “Forgive me, Lady Sapheramin,” the man said. “It is my duty to question all who approach our city.”

  Sapheramin bowed her head. “Understood. And no offense taken. We generally arrive by air, not on foot.”

  She gave him a cheerful grin and Jaax, with his keen eyes, caught the soldier’s similar gesture.

  “Give us a few minutes to open the gate!” he called down.

  Sapheramin stepped back into line, and as they waited, Jaax turned to glance down the steep path they had just ascended. The wide road was clear, save for the footprints they’d left behind in the snow. No one, from what he could tell, had followed them. Yet, he couldn’t seem to shake a strange feeling of being watched, as if someone remained just outside the range of his senses. Who it could be, he had no idea. If there truly was anyone at all.

  Probably just your nerves still settling, he thought to himself.

  A sharp crackling and ringing sound snapped his attention back to the front of the line, his contemplation left alone for the time being. The great frozen gate of Nimbronia was opening.

  -Chapter Twenty-Three-

  The City in the Clouds

  Jaax waited on bated breath, fighting desperately against the urge to take wing and simply enter the city the same way he always had. Unfortunately, he was still very much drained from his ordeal that afternoon, and secondly, he didn’t think those posted on watch duty would simply let him push his way inside. The dragons’ entrance was clear on the other side of the city and far higher up the mount
ain than this gate. No, he’d have to curb his patience and wait. He had left Jahrra in one of the spare rooms high up the mountain, and the staff had been instructed to feed her and offer her a bath. With any luck, she’d be asleep by now, especially after everything she’d been through the past several weeks.

  A twinge of guilt shot through him as he considered just that. He had been so busy investing his entire focus on getting them to Nimbronia and securing allies along the way, that he hadn’t taken the time to really think about what Jahrra had been dealing with. While he and Ellyesce had been acting the diplomats with the steward of Cahrdyarein, which had not benefited them one whit in the end, Jahrra had been making friends and putting her trust in the wrong people. His ward was headstrong, stubborn and fierce in her own right, but she also possessed more compassion than most people he knew, and she had a weakness for giving people the benefit of the doubt. It had worked out in Dervit’s case, but not in Keiron’s.

  A low growl escaped Jaax’s throat as he thought about the young Resai elf again, that conniving little bastard. He should have sought him out first and set him aflame, then knocked him over the edge of the bridge for good measure.

  Ellyesce shot a quick, concerned look in his friend’s direction, and Jaax squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head once.

  The screech of ice scraping against stone came to an abrupt stop and Jaax realized the gate was finally fully open. Beyond those who stood in front of him, the sloping snow field stretched on a hundred feet or so and continued into the city. Men and women dressed in the silver, white and blue of Nimbronia scurried about with their business, carrying weapons, leading horses and preparing fires for their evening meals. The scent of smoke and roasting meat filled the air, and the steam rising from several cauldrons reminded Jaax of a den of young dragonlings, building fires in their dreams.

  “Onward!” Gelthea cried, and the retinue was soon on the move again.

  Once inside the gates, the injured and weary soldiers split away to tend to their own needs. Jaax glanced down at Ellyesce.

  “I’ll leave you here, my friend,” the dragon said. “I need to speak with King Dhuruhn and report what has taken place at the southern overpass.”

  The elf dropped his eyes in quiet contemplation. “I’m going to look into finding a place to stable Gliriant and see if I can locate Phrym and the other two horses. After that, I shall head up to the castle. I would like to check in on our young heroine and get a healer mage to take a look at her leg.”

  This time, the smile Ellyesce gave Jaax was infectious.

  Jaax nodded his agreement. “And see if you can find out what has become of the brave Dervit and our other friends from Cahrdyarein.”

  They had disappeared up the mountain with another contingent of soldiers before Jaax returned to the bridge to finish the fight.

  “I shall,” the elf pledged. “Until later this evening, then.”

  Ellyesce gave a flourishing wave, then nudged his semequin down a wide cobbled path populated by people leading horses away in the same direction.

  “Where are you off to now?”

  Jaax turned to find Sapheramin regarding him with mild curiosity, Tollorias just behind her.

  “Off to pay a visit to your king,” he responded mildly.

  “Shall we join you?” the female Korli asked. “We are headed that way as well.”

  Jaax nodded and soon the dragons were moving upward, following the wide, snow-dusted roads that spiraled up the mountain peak. The three of them traveled in silence, giving Jaax time to think and take in his surroundings. He hadn’t been in the lower part of the city in ages. Usually, he was landing and taking off from one of the many platforms nearer the castle. Now, as he surveyed this new environment, he noted that Nimbronia was very much like Cahrdyarein, except much colder and instead of buildings composed of stone and wood, most of the structures here were carved from solid ice. Beautiful and pristine and cold. Like the gates of the city, the walls of the dwellings were thick, distorting everything within them.

  The people of Nimbronia, elves, both Nesnan and Resai, dwarves and a few of the other races of Ethoes, scurried about dressed in winter furs and scarves. Every now and then, the trio would pass another dragon, some Korli, some Tanaan. Jaax, Sapheramin and Tollorias would extend a greeting, but no one stopped to take part in any lengthy conversations. Wagons and people on horseback moved to the side to let the dragons pass, and music and laughter poured from the frosty doorways of pubs and restaurants. Workers on stilts moved down the sides of the road lighting lanterns, the lamp glass a pale blue to match the brighter stars now pushing their brilliance through the thin veil of looming twilight. Blurred spots of orange and red fire flickered behind the frozen walls of the many structures piled high and close together. Jaax smiled at the irony of it all. Buildings and homes made of ice, but a roaring fire capable of warming the entire interior couldn’t even melt a thin layer from the enchanted walls. Yes, the magic in Nimbronia was stronger than any other in Ethoes. And Jaax was hoping the wielders of that magic would lend a hand when they finally struck out against Ghorium.

  By the time the trio made it to the outer barricade guarding the castle, full dusk had descended. This time, they didn’t have to wait so long for the portcullis to be lifted. The guards posted at this entrance knew Sapheramin and Tollorias on sight, and their association with Jaax gave him safe passage. Beyond the frozen arch of the gate, another bridge spanned a small chasm that acted as a dry moat. Fortunately, the drop wasn’t nearly as deep as the one Jahrra had thrown herself over earlier that day. Jaax fought a shudder as the dread from the still fresh memory returned.

  “Are you well, Raejaaxorix?” Tollorias asked as they stepped onto the wide ice walkway. Torches set in sconces placed every twenty feet or so threw flames of bright color against the inky sky, marking the edges of the bridge.

  “Yes, I am fine,” Jaax answered a little harshly, scanning their surroundings once again.

  A set of tall metal doors waited ahead, doors nearing seventy-five feet tall and sixty feet wide. Jaax was probably eight feet at his shoulder, and fifty feet long from snout to tail, so he was by no means small. But these doors and this castle always made him feel diminutive, like one of the Gili dragons living among the great trees with the woodland elves of southeastern Felldreim.

  Jaax sighed. At least this part of the city was familiar to him. The castle of the Creecemind king and his family occupied the top third of the mountain peak, all of the buildings and halls and roads big enough to accommodate the largest of the dragon kruels. Although the lower portion of the castle was guarded by the elvin races of Nimbronia, Jaax knew that Dhuruhn had warriors of his own kind tucked away in the deep shadows between the turrets and cliffs far above. The Creecemind might be enormous in size, but they were slender and their coloring blended perfectly with the snow, ice and granite of the mountains. He had noticed a few when flying Jahrra to her suite, but understood they represented a mere fraction of the true number of Creecemind dragons guarding their city.

  The guards posted outside the castle doors, two Korli dragons outfitted in silver armor, stood and pushed the doors open for Jaax and his companions. Sapheramin, staying true to her usual pleasant demeanor, smiled and acknowledged each guard while Tollorias gave them a quick nod of his head, his eyes narrowed. Jaax mimicked his companions, keeping his expression civil but not as serious as Tollorias’s.

  The interior of the castle was even more impressive than the artistically interwoven granite and ice of the city surrounding it. The entire heart of the fortress was carved from the rocky mountain top, with slabs and bricks of ice used to seal up any cracks or points of weakness. The main floor and entrance hall stretched on for ages, or so it seemed, and the well-lit corridors offered no shadowed corners for assassins to lie in wait for important diplomats or members of the king’s council. Ethoen citizens of all races moved about the space in their finest garments, their paths interlacing as they crossed over the smo
oth floor of the grand entrance hall only to disappear down a passageway or through a door or up a twisting, glassy staircase on the opposite side. The hum of voices echoing off the high walls and the general bustle of the crowd reminded Jaax of a busy bee hive. Great, frozen chandeliers blazing with magical light hung from the ceiling far above. In the distance, Jaax spotted the familiar rows of extra columns keeping the final apex of the mountain from crashing down upon their heads and crushing them all.

  Despite the throng of people, the three dragons managed to cross the entrance hall with little trouble. By the time they traversed the chamber of frozen colonnades, most of the busy diplomats and nobles had thinned out, their numbers staying mainly near the castle’s entry point.

  “Should we announce ourselves?” Jaax wondered aloud.

  “No,” Sapheramin sighed. “I’m sure one of his majesty’s dragons has already reported the events of the day to him. He is undoubtedly expecting us.”

  Another set of doors, these even larger and more ornately decorated than the ones leading into the castle, loomed ahead. The doors were placed within a solid granite wall, a set of wide stairs fanning out before them. On the other side, Dhuruhn’s throne room awaited. Jaax stopped his forward progress and furrowed his brow, attempting to gather his thoughts before making his grand entrance.

  Conferring with the king of the Creecemind wasn’t anything new to him. He had traveled to Nimbronia from time to time while Jahrra grew up under the watchful eye of Hroombra in the province of Oescienne. Every time he paid the legendary king a visit, he was met with skepticism and some level of disdain. And each time, Jaax would have to hold his tongue, grit his teeth, and figure out some other way to convince the sovereign of Felldreim that Jahrra was, in fact, the child promised in the prophecy, and that yes, Ciarrohn was quietly fortifying his strength in the east. Dhuruhn always turned Jaax away with the same song: “Yes, you make a valid point, but I am still not convinced.”