The Ascending

by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson

  Jaax only hoped this time, now that he had Jahrra as proof of her existence, he’d get through to the stubborn monarch and gain his much needed help.

  “Because if you refuse to help us, we do not stand a chance,” he murmured to himself. A chill not associated with the icy walls surrounding him coursed through Jaax’s blood.

  No, they would not stand a chance against Ciarrohn’s legions or his dreaded Morli dragons if they could not recruit Nimbronia’s help. His contacts in Dhonoara Valley, just south and west of Ghorium’s border, had kept a close watch on their common enemy, and there was no doubt about it: The Crimson King was amassing an army and breeding his battle-ready monsters. The allies of the Coalition, those Jaax knew he could rely on, would not be enough to defeat Ciarrohn. They needed the help of the Creecemind and the deadly frost they breathed instead of fire.

  “Having second thoughts?” Tollorias asked, his deep voice rumbling through the cavernous space.

  Jaax shook his head, sending his worries scattering. “No, just trying to organize them.”

  With some reluctance, he started walking toward the throne room once more.

  “Oh, I forgot to tell you, what with all the commotion earlier,” Sapheramin said cheerily, as if she couldn’t sense Jaax’s darkening mood.

  The Tanaan dragon angled his head to acknowledge her.

  “While you and your party were making your way to Cahrdyarein, Tollorias and I paid a visit to Lidien. Only when we arrived did we learn of your hasty departure.”

  Jaax drew in a breath to respond, but Sapheramin held up a scaly hand. He snapped his mouth shut with a click of his teeth.

  “We learned quite a bit during our visit and brought back letters from your colleagues and friends. Tollorias and I were there a week, but we spent most of our time sitting in on meetings and talking with a young elf by the name of Dathian of Dhonoara.”

  This time Jaax craned his neck all the way around to focus on his friend. “Oh?” he asked, a sense of anxiety tainting his voice. “What did you learn?”

  Sapheramin came to a stop, the scrape of her claws on the stone floor grating against his ears. “Nothing too daunting, I assure you. Shiroxx, not surprisingly, is still up to her old tricks. Apparently she’s been trying to stir the pot and convince the others into believing you made a poor decision in leaving Kehllor in charge.”

  Jaax gritted his teeth together. That female was nothing but trouble, and would be even more so after what had happened in Lidien not two months before. He had a terrible feeling she was just getting warmed up.

  “And she wasted no time in pointing out that the Coalition, as it stands now, is no match for Ciarrohn’s army.”

  That came from Tollorias in his characteristic, emotionless drawl.

  Jaax cursed and blew out a breath of smoke from his nostrils. It didn’t matter that Shiroxx was right, or that he had been thinking the very same thing not thirty seconds before. Her pointing it out to everyone, however, was not helping with the common morale.

  “That doesn’t matter,” Jaax snapped. “Once Dhuruhn meets Jahrra and sees that I’ve been telling the truth all this time, we will have the aid of the Creecemind dragons.”

  Jaax turned to close the distance between himself and the king’s throne room, but Sapheramin’s voice drew him to a stop.

  “There’s more, Jaax.”

  He froze, his blood growing colder. What else could there be? What further obstruction could possibly be thrown in his path? What more had Shiroxx and her misinformed minions done to bring corruption to the Coalition?

  “Kehllor has requested a leave of absence to seek out the help of the Nephaari of Terre Moeserre.”

  Jaax drew in a sharp breath and snapped his eyes onto Sapheramin, an expression of utter shock and horror replacing his previous stern demeanor. He wouldn’t have been more surprised if Ciarrohn himself pulled the doors open before him and invited him in for tea.

  “What?!” he managed.

  Sapheramin nodded somberly. “Dathian told me Kehllor once lived in the great desert of the south and had met up with the Nephaari from time to time. Apparently, he thinks he can somehow talk them into joining our cause.”

  “The Nephaari are fierce and able warriors, there is no doubt about that, but they are worse than the Creecemind,” Jaax insisted. “They will have no reason to venture beyond their own borders and fight alongside those who are not their own.”

  Sapheramin nodded. “I know, Jaax. I know. But apparently, this Kehllor was adamant. According to Dathian, the young Tanaan insisted he was of no use simply sitting in front of a lecture hall full of arguing Coalition members. He had to do something.”

  Jaax cursed under his breath once again. Yes, that was Kehllor, alright. A young dragon determined to make himself useful, to prove he belonged.

  Sighing, Jaax shook his head and started his short climb up the stairs.

  “So, who is in charge then?” he asked, afraid to hear the answer. He was terrified Sapheramin was going to tell him Shiroxx had finally wrangled control of the Coalition.

  Tollorias said, “Dathian and a few others on the council are sharing responsibilities until Kehllor returns.”

  The tension in Jaax’s muscles eased immediately. “Thank Ethoes,” he breathed.

  “Your reason for calling upon his royal highness?” one of the elvin guards standing beside the doors asked, interrupting the dragons’ conversation.

  “Reporting an incident that occurred just along your city’s borders, and announcing the arrival of friends and allies of the court of Nimbronia,” Jaax responded in his characteristically cool manner.

  The elf nodded and pulled a cord which sent a bell to clanging somewhere far above. In less than a minute, the doors creaked, slowly swinging inward to reveal a massive hall half the size of the one he and the two Korli dragons just passed through. Only this chamber was composed entirely of ice and was lit as bright as midday. As they stepped into the huge space, two young Creecemind dragons, both easily longer than the three of them put together, moved back to close the doors behind them. Both dragons, their scales pale blue and frosty white, eyed Jaax, Sapheramin and Tollorias with cold suspicion as they passed by. Jaax edged his snout up a little higher, doing his best to appear more domineering, although he was certain he failed at such a feat. He was nothing more than a common lizard in their eyes.

  As they made their way across the king’s hall, Jaax took note of the decor, from the draping tapestries stitched in silver, gold, blue and white, their scenes depicting the history of Nimbronia and the Creecemind dragons themselves, to the blue flames dancing in ice sconces that didn’t seem to melt. Scattered throughout the chamber were more dragons like those who had opened the doors, as well as Korli and even a few Tanaan holding court. There were also elves, dwarves and Resai nobles, all attending the king who reclined on a wide, frozen dais at the far end of the hall.

  Jaax tried to withhold his irritation as he took in Dhuruhn, the Creecemind ruler of Felldreim whose immense size was matched by no other. Pale silver grey in color, his scales shimmered with a hint of sky blue when caught in the light. Eyes of a similar shade watched Jaax carefully as he approached, their fierce intelligence and cunning spirit impossible to miss. Beside him on the wide platform reclined his queen, Beihryhn, the snow-white female who was second in size only to her mate. On either side of both of them sat their two children, their son, Prince Eairhyut, who was more blue in color than his father, and their daughter, Princess Eairheihn, a paler version of her brother. Crowns crafted from stylized ice shards and the brilliant, pale blue and white crystals found only in the Hruhnan Mountains adorned their heads. Similar adornments fell over their shoulders, somewhat akin to the expensive chains and pendants seen on elvin and Resai royalty.

  All four of them watched the three smaller dragons approach, but each with a different emotion. Beihryhn’s expression matched her husband’s own gaze of distrust, but Jaax could almost feel some sympathy there. The
two heirs to the throne, however, were a different story. Eairhyut exuded curiosity and would most likely be eager to hear what Jaax had to say and his sister even more so. They had been to some of his past meetings with their father and had listened to Jaax’s plight. He wondered now, what with their being younger and more open to change, if he should make his appeal to them. While Dhuruhn and his queen were tied down to the affairs of Nimbronia, could their children have spent some of their youth exploring the world around them? Was it possible they had seen the subtle damage caused by the Crimson King? Jaax could only hope so, because if they had, they might be willing to turn their father’s sympathies onto the correct path.

  Jaax and his companions continued their trek across the lengthy room, the scrape of their claws against the frozen floor not loud enough to break through the general din of the conversing lords and ladies of Nimbronia. After what seemed like ages, Jaax finally found himself standing before the king. Not wanting to waste a single moment, he gave Dhuruhn a courtly bow, one that he’d learned long ago, and drew in a deep breath to speak.

  “Your Majesty will excuse my abrupt appearance and my informal state, but I am just arrived in Nimbronia after a battle in Cahrdyarein and a short skirmish on the very edge of your own boundaries.”

  Jaax’s voice carried over the light murmur of those present, but the moment he stopped speaking, the volume of their conversation strengthened and spread like dragon flame over a field of parched grass.

  King Dhuruhn, to Jaax’s slight surprise, actually pulled his head up a little higher and arched a brow.

  “Indeed?” he growled, his deep, expressive voice filling the royal chamber like a roll of distant thunder.

  Jaax nodded once to confirm his claim.

  “Do you come alone, Raejaaxorix?” Beihryhn queried.

  Her voice, nearly as intense as her mate’s, was cool and calm and held enough haughtiness in its tone that for a moment, Jaax was reminded of Shiroxx.

  “No,” Jaax replied. “I arrived earlier this morning with Pendric, the captain of the guard of Cahrdyarein, and shortly thereafter my ward, Jahrraneh Drisihn and our traveling companions, Ellyesce of Dhonoara and a young limbit by the name of Dervit, met trouble on your southern bridge. Pendric’s wife and child were also with them. A contingent of the Crimson King’s Red Flange ambushed them on the overpass. I was called away to help drive the enemy back, or else I would have presented myself sooner.”

  Dhuruhn sat up straighter at this, his massive claws gouging deep furrows into the icy surface of his dais. “Jahrraneh Drisihn? So, you’re finally ready to present this so claimed human child of the prophecy then?”

  Jaax’s dragon rage boiled just below the surface of his scales, but he refused to let it get the better of him this time. Besides, he knew most of his anger was a direct result of his fatigue. Exhaustion from the long fight in Cahrdyarein, and then the confrontation on the bridge not two hours ago, nipped at his patience like a swarm of fire ants declaring war. He had been fighting one foe or the other for over a week now with little or no rest between battles. It was a wonder he was still standing on all four feet.

  As if sensing his very thoughts, or more likely, taking note of the fatigue taking hold, Queen Beihryhn cut in, “Perhaps, then, we should postpone our formal meeting of the girl until tomorrow evening?”

  She looked to her husband for approval. Dhuruhn closed his eyes and nodded once, returning to his languid pose.

  “My informants have assured me the threat has been dealt with, so no action is needed at this point. I was also told your companions have been given lodging, on the top floor of the northeast wing. Most of those rooms are empty, and I am assuming your young human is up there now, resting.”

  Jaax nodded, too drained to take offense at the king’s boorish tone.

  “Thank you, Your Majesty,” he said, bowing once again before turning to leave the hall.

  Sapheramin and Tollorias stepped aside to let him pass.

  “We will catch up with you in the morning,” Sapheramin whispered to her Tanaan friend. “His majesty will want a report from us as well.”

  Jaax ducked his head in acknowledgment of her statement, but said nothing as he pressed onward. His feet seemed to drag as he left the king’s hall behind, his weariness no longer something he was able to fight. He wanted to analyze the conversation he’d just had with the royal couple, to pick through every word and every nuance to see if he could uncover some hidden agenda, but he just didn’t possess the energy at the moment.

  What Sapheramin had told him about Kehllor also weighed heavily on his mind, but his thoughts in that quarter would also have to wait. Perhaps, once he smoothed things over with Jahrra and made sure all those he was responsible for were settled and accounted for, and once he’d caught up on his own missed sleep, he could take a few hours for himself and reevaluate where all the pieces currently stood on this intricate game board he maneuvered. Jaax exited the throne room, his mood dark, and turned left to seek out the hallway that would eventually take him to the top floor of the northeastern wing.

  As he traversed the mostly empty halls and pathways, Jaax wondered if Ellyesce had found the stables Phrym and the other horses would call home during their stay in Nimbronia. He had lost complete track of the time, and for all he knew, the elf was probably tucked away in one of those empty rooms, catching up on some much needed rest. The idea of sleeping without worrying about Jahrra’s whereabouts and safety, and without the fear of being attacked in the night, gave Jaax a reason to relax for the first time in so many days.

  By the time he made it to the uppermost level of the royal palace, the Tanaan dragon was all but crawling and eager to find his own quarters so that he might curl up and sleep for a week. Before he could do that, however, he needed to check in on Jahrra. With the help of some castle staff, he was directed to her suite. The young maid who offered to show him the way cracked one of the tall doors open, and Jaax stuck his head inside. The room was cloaked in shadow, save for the low orange glow radiating from the fireplace and the muted, luminescent blue light phosphorescing down from the enchanted stalactites above. Across the vast space he spotted the terrace where he had landed earlier that day. The sky was a deep blue now, and the stars stood out like flame-hearted diamonds. They were brighter here than anywhere else in Ethoes, and the dragon found some comfort in that fact, as if their closer proximity gave those who gazed upon them extra strength.

  Jaax drew in a breath and let it out on a soft sigh. Despite the fact a sizeable part of the wall was missing and left open to the frigid mountain air, the room wasn’t cold.

  “She’s been sleeping since this afternoon,” the maid said quietly, indicating a long couch standing before the fireplace.

  When he took the time to look, Jaax noticed a pile of blankets taking up most of the couch. He narrowed his eyes and watched it for a while. Only when he could discern the slight rise and fall of the mound of quilts did he relax. Good. Jahrra needed sleep, probably more than he did. Although he was relieved to see her resting and safe, he had wished she’d be awake. He needed to speak with her, about what Dhuruhn and his queen had said, about what she should expect from the royal court of Nimbronia, about everything that had gone wrong since they first arrived at Cahrdyarein, but also, what had gone right.

  Jaax squeezed his eyes shut and tried not to let his frustration rise. He had expected her to learn of Keiron’s deceit on her journey up the mountain, but no, she had found out from the traitorous pig himself. And then, her guardian had unleashed a portion of his wrath upon her before returning to the skirmish on the bridge, leaving her alone in a strange castle to deal with the truth and horror of Keiron’s betrayal all on her own. Gods and goddesses of Ethoes. Jahrra deserved better than him for a guardian. He should have stayed with her. Knowing his ward, she would take the burden of all that had happened upon herself. She would blame herself for the fall of Cahrdyarein. More than anything, Jaax wanted to reassure her none of the tragedi
es of the past few weeks were her fault, that she still had friends, those who would never betray her even when faced with death. But, he didn’t have the heart to wake her. It could wait until morning.

  “I am sorry, Jahrra,” he murmured, his voice too quiet for anyone but himself to hear. “I should have been there for you. You should not have had to deal with the aftermath of Keiron’s sedition on your own, and if I could take this all upon myself and free you from this burden, I would.”

  Jaax drew in a long, weary breath, held it in his lungs for a few brief seconds, then let it out just as slowly. Beneath the pungent aroma of lavender soap and wood smoke, and the lingering odor of roast meat and fresh bread, he picked up the faint, familiar scent of his ward. Immediately, what little tension remained in his body melted away. There was no fear or sorrow, regret or anger this time. Only peace and tranquility underlain by the distant memory of apple blossoms in spring and gentle rain-soaked fields in late winter. That knowledge alone gave Jaax great comfort.

  “Thank you,” he said softly to the young maid as he backed out of the room. “I will speak with her in the morning.”

  The maid nodded and carefully shut the door behind her. “There is an empty room down the hall best suited for dragons. I can show you if you’d like.”

  Jaax nodded and the young woman led the way. Before bidding him a goodnight, the maid informed Jaax that Ellyesce was in one of the rooms closer to Jahrra, and the limbit had taken up a small chamber just beside hers. Jaax grinned at that. Dervit would wish to be close to Jahrra. They had an unshakable bond, those two.

  Without even taking full stock of his own quarters, Jaax settled down on a large rug spread before a low burning fire and, for the first time in weeks, let his mind slip into sleep without a fight.

  -Chapter Twenty-Four-

  Making Amends Once Again