by Lucia Ashta
The shadow rider said something else, but this time Blue didn’t respond. The rider repeated the same sounds. When Blue didn’t react, the rider barked the command another time, his words laced with barely restrained impatience.
I sensed a piercing gaze upon me. The telltale tingling sensation swept across my skin, and it was only then that I realized the rider wasn’t talking to the dragon at all, but to us. Specifically, to me.
I searched out the rider’s eyes, but wasn’t sure if I found them. Either way, I held what I imagined to be a penetrating gaze. Was the rider blaming me for the death of the other? Probably. I gulped. How had the day gone so wrong? But then again, nothing had gone as expected since I first revealed myself to Dean.
The rider’s voice arrived again, this time with piercing, aggressive tones. I realized we’d better respond soon, or things were going to get worse. And I knew what that meant. I took a step out onto the path, and Rane lunged for me. He clutched my arm. “What are you doing?”
“The rider is trying to talk with me, can’t you tell?”
“Oh I can tell all right. That doesn’t mean you have to go out there.”
“Of course it does. If I don’t, what will happen to the rest of us?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t think I care. I can’t lose you.”
I looked to Traya, thinking she might be hurt by our brother’s words, but she only looked worried. “I don’t plan on dying today,” I said. Of course, few people wanted to die. That didn’t stop people from dying all the time.
“Then stay here. Let Dean deal with this.”
“Dean doesn’t know how to deal with this.”
“Of course he does, Nir. He’s a dragon charmer, the best of the best at that. He’s trained for centuries to calm and guide the beasts.”
“That might be so, but we’re not dealing with a beast that needs to be controlled here, we’re dealing with a person, or something like a person. The dragons aren’t in control, their riders are.”
“I don’t care,” he said again. “You need to stay here, where I can keep you safe.”
Finally, I turned to face my twin, the one I now recognized I was connected to in more ways than I’d ever realized before I was able to make myself visible. He was my reflection, and his fear for me seemed to pierce my heart. “You’ve always protected me, Rane, and I love you for it. But I have to do this right now. I can’t stand by and do nothing when our people might suffer because of my lack of action. The rider is calling for me.”
“Why does it always have to be you?” He hadn’t loosened his grip on my arm in the slightest.
“It isn’t always me. I’ve lived my life in the shadows as much as any of these people. This is the first time I have the chance to do something for the Ooba.”
“You did something just yesterday! You knocked yourself out because of the effort it took.”
“That’s beside the point,” I said, unbothered by the many contradictions in what I was saying. “That was then, this is now. If I don’t take responsibility for my actions, who knows what they might do to us? What they might command the dragons to do to us, and potentially even to the rest of the Ooba?”
A sheen of resignation settled across Rane’s rich brown eyes, and a pang of guilt pinged in my heart. “I don’t blame you for what you did. You didn’t mean to kill that rider.” His words were soft and free of judgment. I loved him for that. “But they might. They could punish you for the death of that man.”
“They might,” I admitted.
From my other side, Traya said, “Please listen to him. You can’t deliver yourself like this when they might hurt you.”
I smiled sadly at my sister. “Deliver myself? I think the reality is that they don’t need me to deliver myself. I’m at their mercy already. We all are. A swarm of dragons is under their command, right above us. If they wish it, we’ll all be dead in seconds.”
The shadow rider yelled again. While I still didn’t understand the content of the man’s words, I did understand the threat that stuck to the words like a foul smell.
I was to come to him now, or suffer the consequences. They were consequences I was unwilling to risk, especially when I was surrounded by so many people I cared for and admired. The people there were the last hope of my tribe. The death of one person—even if it was my death, and I was quite attached to my life—it was a worthwhile trade if it guaranteed the survival of the rest of them.
Of course, I had no idea if it would, but my goodwill might go a long way toward securing the others’ safety.
Rane sensed my intentions before I moved, and reached out to grip me with both arms. I moved quickly to catch him of guard, and I broke free of his hold before he could properly restrain me. I leapt out into the middle of the open path, where only Dean, who continued to stand his ground, occupied it ahead of me.
“No!” Rane and Traya yelled at the same time. But I didn’t turn to look at them. There was no point in offering them reassurances they’d know were empty, or to burden myself with the fear for me in their eyes.
Only Dean stood between me and the blue dragon, between me and the fierce stare of its rider. I still couldn’t make out the shadow person’s eyes, but I could feel them scanning, piercing, and probably accusing me. The tingles across my skin had evolved into flashes of heat, as if the shadow rider possessed a connection with the dragons so great, it could adopt its fire power.
I resisted the urge to squirm, sucked in a shaky breath, and stepped forward.
Halfway to Blue, Rosie pressed against my legs, causing me to stumble. I bent down to look into her dark eyes, so different than the ones that glared at me a short distance away. “You have to go with Rane and Traya, Rosie girl. You’ll be in danger with me.”
I kissed her on her bunched snout, pushed her away lightly, and turned back toward Blue. When I moved, Rosie moved with me. “You have to go, girl.”
But Rosie wouldn’t. I let out a sad sigh. The only way I’d get Rosie to stay behind was if some of the others restrained her. If they did that, she’d cry. And if she cried, we already knew what would happen, and there was no way I could risk any of the dragons there becoming any more agitated with us than they already were.
She’d have to come along. As if she sensed my resignation, she pressed harder against me and moved half a step forward. I looked at her, but finally followed, and drew next to Dean.
“I can’t ask you to do this,” he said.
“Then it’s a good thing you’re not.” Before he could attempt any more arguments along the vein of my siblings, I moved again, this time right up to Blue.
Beneath the blue dragon, fully encompassed by its shadow, I had a better understanding of just how large and menacing the beasts were. I had to work hard to keep myself from succumbing to fear and the trembling that I suspected would arrive the moment I gave into it.
From where I stood, I could better see the shadow rider. The image was still incomplete, little more than a suggestion of a person, but it was enough to conclude that the rider was an adult man, strong and athletic. His posture atop the dragon suggested he was a warrior, or at the very least a dragon rider with the attitude of one.
The shadow rider felt like a predator, and Blue certainly was one. While I knew better than to avert my gaze from a predator, I couldn’t help but flick a glance to the green dragon behind Blue. A small gasp left my lips before I could rein it in. Green’s rider was a girl. Again, her shadow offered little information; it was more an impression, but I got the sense that the girl was my age, seventeen going on eighteen. She possessed a confidence I wished I had, and reminded me of who and what I was dealing with.
I snapped my eyes back to Blue’s rider, a hand moving protectively down to Rosie.
The rider said something I didn’t understand. The heightened aggression was absent, replaced with what seemed like curiosity. Maybe there was a chance they wouldn’t kill me—us. Maybe they wanted to learn about us. If only one of them had
n’t died....
When I didn’t answer in the shadow person’s foreign tongue, he repeated similar sounds with the familiar impatience. I shook my head and shrugged, trying to communicate I didn’t know what he was saying.
In too few movements, he slid down Blue’s side, landed solidly on his feet right next to me.
By the time he reached out to grab me, without meaning to, I vanished from sight.
7
The gasps came from all directions. Few knew of my invisibility. Everyone knew now.
I hadn’t meant to do it, not even a little bit, but now that I had, I grabbed the surprise element, and took a few hurried steps back and away from the shadow rider. He’d been in the act of reaching for me, but when I disappeared, his arm dropped to his side, his jaw slack—and this was from a person who was barely visible.
But apparently complete invisibility was something beyond their mastery.
I considered drawing Rosie into my invisibility, but quickly discarded the idea. There was no real point to it. As much as I fretted over her, I didn’t believe she was in any immediate danger, and it was wiser to preserve my energy for my own defense.
The shadow rider made some more sounds I was unable to translate into words, and exchanged a look with Green’s rider. Whatever silent communication passed between them, the second rider also slid down the side of her dragon, and landed—hard—on the ground.
The girl rider lacked the grace the older man did, as if she were still learning. They’re father and daughter, I thought with a sudden burst of understanding. A pang of longing for my own father followed the thought. He’d been a remarkable dragon charmer—that’s what the rumors said. He would’ve been able to teach me far more than Dean, simply because he would have been more invested in me. Dean had taken a special interest in me, and for that I was grateful, but I wasn’t deluded into thinking it was because of me. It was because I was different in a way he thought he could use to benefit the Ooba tribe.
I realized my mind had wandered with a start. I snapped my attention back on the man, only to realize his gaze was pinned on me. It was so intent that I could actually see the outlines of his eyes—wide and intelligent.
How did you know we are father and daughter? Are you some kind of sorceress?
His words hit my mind, and I physically jumped at the realization that this man—a shadow person—was actually communicating with me. My eyes widened as big as they could go. I just stared at him until he scowled, and I realized I had to answer before I lost the chance at speaking with them. I had the feeling that if this didn’t work, the man would speak with his actions, and when he had a force of dragons at his command, they weren’t the kind we wanted to witness... with the final moments of our lives.
I tried to organize my thoughts and express them with the utmost respect and caution. When I still didn’t know what to say, I let out a huge exhale, which I tried to silence, and just did the best I could. Just be yourself, Anira, and it’ll be all right, I thought, but I said, I’m no sorceress. I’m only a girl. I was about to say I’d only just begun to understand that faithum existed at all, and that I hadn’t even known I possessed any until a few days ago, when I remembered Father’s teachings.
He’d told me the trick to working with dragons when we were so much weaker than them was to have them believe we are strong. And the way to have someone believe you’re strong is to act as if you are. Even better is to believe you’re strong until you become it. Appearances are half the battle.
While the shadow riders weren’t dragons, I thought Pa’s advice still applied.
I suspected you were father and daughter because of the energy between you. Had I said the wrong thing? The man’s eyes seemed to sharpen when I said it. Should I not have mentioned energy? I couldn’t take my words back, so I did my best to stand tall as I faced him—until I remembered he couldn’t see me. Then I allowed all the physical signs of my fear to manifest. I was a jumble of trembling limps and rolling shivers, until they worked themselves out of my system. Only then was I able to stand strong, even if no one could see my stance.
What I said must have been all right, because the sharpness passed, and curiosity replaced it once more. How is it that you shifted into invisibility, Anira?
How do you know my name? You read my thoughts?
Thoughts are little different than words.
Which meant he was capable of reading my thoughts. Crap. How was I supposed to keep my thoughts safe?
I tried to turn my thinking off, and it flared all the more, rebellious. Oh holy crap. There’s no way I can shield my thoughts!
You don’t have to, the shadow man said, and I began to wonder if I should start freaking out then or later. I’ll be able to access them no matter what you do.
I bristled. I didn’t know whether he meant it that way or not, but his words were of overt aggression. He’d invade my thoughts even if I didn’t want him to? Like hell he would. But I realized my anger was futile even as I gave into it.
The man’s energy was pulsing off him in waves. It only had to touch me for me to experience its strength and power. If he said he could access my thoughts no matter what I did, I feared he could.
I wanted to lash out and say something in my defense—I was the mistress of my own mind, thank you very much!—but then I remembered I’d killed one of his people, and that what I did and said would have implications for all of the Ooba.
I bit my lip and grasped for the right thing to say, the diplomatic thing. I was ordinarily too impulsive for that, wilder than most thanks to an upbringing away from critical oversight.
Dean must have felt me, because he chose that moment to move next to me—and he was pretty close despite my invisibility. Of course, Rosie was a pretty good giveaway as she continued to press against my legs. The dragon charmer positioned himself right next to me, an outward sign that he stood with me, that he shared in the responsibility of the death of one of the riders.
“What’s going on?” he said aloud to me, his eyes trained on the shadow in front of us.
“He’s speaking to me in my mind,” I said. Just like you do with me, I said to him through my thoughts, well aware that the shadow man might be able to tap into my silent conversation. He can also read my thoughts, even those I don’t send to him.
With Dean warned and in the position to take control, I began to relax. I realized I’d been tense, but not how much. My whole body went loose, and I had to resist the overpowering urge to plop down on the ground.
Greetings, Dean began, and my body became jelly. I cocked my hip to one side and leaned some of my weight on Rosie.
We mean you no harm, and we are very saddened by the loss of one of your own. Please accept our condolences over the loss of life.
It was what I felt and thought but hadn’t said. It was a good thing Dean had taken over.
I thought the shadow man might soften at Dean’s sincere plea, but he did the opposite. The outlines of his body, though still hazy, seemed to grow rigid, and he said, He was my brother.
And we were only defending ourselves from the overt threat posed by his dragon.
Not his dragon. We do not own the dragons.
But they did control them.
I felt eyes on me again, and realized he’d read my thoughts again. I had to find the way to control what I’d never had to before.
We do not control them, we understand them. They honor us by following our wishes.
Semantics, I started thinking, before I stopped. I couldn’t afford to introduce anything that might be misinterpreted. Stop thinking, stop thinking, stop thinking. Of course, it didn’t work at all. It was like an itch I tried not to scratch and therefore spread and moved all across my body.
I swore the shadow man grinned, but since I felt it more than I saw it, I wasn’t sure.
Oh I was so screwed. He knew exactly what I was going through, and found my inner struggle humorous.
Sun. Trees. Dragons. Rock. Dirt. I rattled thr
ough random thoughts in my mind, trying not to give him anything dangerous, but then I realized I was missing out on the conversation between him and Dean and I stopped.
We also work with the dragons, Dean was saying, and we also honor and respect them. We never, under any circumstances, harm them.
Your invisible girl harmed one.
She didn’t. She only tried to interfere with his attack.
So the slate dragon had been a male. I hadn’t noticed.
She definitely interfered. It’s a blessing she didn’t harm him, though she dragged my brother from this life.
I wasn’t sure if it was my place to step into this conversation between what appeared to be leaders, but I did anyway. I’m truly very sorry that my actions caused the death of your brother. I had no intention to harm him.
Then you should have controlled your magic. His words snapped through my already guilty mind.
Had I known how to, I would have. I worked hard not to snap back. But you gave me little choice but to act. The dragon was going to kill us.
No, he wasn’t. He was only going to scare you.
Well, he succeeded. He scared us well enough that we truly believed he was going to kill us. Leaving us no choice but to defend ourselves. This time, I did snap back. He was blaming me for something that wouldn’t have happened if they hadn’t threatened us.
The shadow rider held his ground, staring at me. Meanwhile, I noticed his daughter quietly walking over to her uncle’s body. The sight of her leaning on the ground over his lifeless form swept the fight right out of me.
Is there nothing that can be done for him now? I asked, already fearing there wasn’t. But maybe these people had stronger faithum than we did. If they could ride dragons, they might.
The shadow rider didn’t take his eyes from us, even though I experienced his longing to be with his brother. But a good warrior never took his attention from the enemy, no matter what happened. And we were still the enemy.
His life force and magic have already left his body. What remains is only a shell.