Chapter 34
The weather hadn’t improved as the twins and their friends continued towards the Holy Land’s border. Their journey was slow and they had had to stop by a copse as a heavy blizzard prevented them from seeing the way forward. They had somehow managed to erect their tents under the boughs and Keolan had offered, and instantly regretted, to take the first watch. Kiræ curled up under the blankets and wished strongly that she could create a small fire in their tent for warmth. She was woken in what she assumed was the middle of the night by Tom.
“Come on,” he said dragging her into the freezing night. Kiræ gasped as the icy air and snow hit her and tried to retreat back to the warmth of the tent but Tom maintained his grip and dragged her towards a roaring fire. She huddled next to it for several minutes while scowling at her brother.
“You’ve not practiced for several days,” he pointed out.
“So you picked today?” Tom grinned, “I bet you were just bored.” Tom held out his hand and wiggled his fingers; Kiræ sighed and took it, closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She combined the elements with ease, it was definitely the part she was good at.
She still found asking them to change their form a bit tricky but guessed it hadn’t taken her more than a few minutes to finally achieve it. When the bright ball of light finally shimmered inside her, she decided to change tactic. Previously she had asked the elements to leave her body, she had practically begged them to do so with no success. The only time she had succeeded to do anything was when her emotions were heightened.
She remembered the words Brean had spoken so long ago and thought back to how she had felt when the mingual had killed Tino, she replayed his death in her mind and her breathing quickened as the fear, the loss, the anger and the desperate need to protect overwhelmed her.
Something inside Kiræ clicked and suddenly she understood how to make this magic work. She flicked her wrist casually, felt warmth flow through her and smiled to herself as she cracked an eye and saw a shimmering veil surrounding her and Tom. She opened both eyes fully and looked at her brother who was tentatively moving his free hand towards the wall of the small protection bubble. He pushed gently against it and his hand passed right through, though the shield itself remained intact.
“I guess you’re not threatened by me,” he said grinning at her.
“I guess so,” Kiræ replied grinning back at him before turning her gaze on the shimmering veil surrounding them. She stared for only a few minutes before her energy started to drain and she suddenly felt exhausted. Kiræ flicked her wrist again and the shield fell away, then she gently released the elements one at a time and sighed.
Tom threw fresh branches onto the dying fire and stoked it up with his magic, “I’d say that’s a pretty big step forwards,” Kiræ nodded but her face disagreed, “what’s wrong? You’ve successfully recreated the protection magic, that’s a good thing.”
“How long did it take? An hour? Two? The fire was almost gone and I could only hold it for a few minutes.”
“There’s still time to improve.”
“What if I never do? What if this is as good as it gets?”
“Then we’ll find a way to manage,” Kiræ looked skeptically at him, “think back to how we were when we first found out about our elemental magic, we didn’t think we’d ever control it but you practically found a way to control earth without Brean’s help. You’ll learn to control this too, it’s just going to take time.”
“Which is something we don’t have.”
“You’ll get there,” Tom insisted pulling her to her feet and into a tight embrace.
Kiræ woke to find the snow had stopped but the dark storm clouds continued to hang low and menacing as if they were contemplating smothering them. As they continued towards the border, small flakes began to fall again, gentle at first but several hours in, it began to fall thick and heavy creating a veil across their vision. They continued on, not daring to lose another day and hoped they were heading in the right direction.
After several more hours of painfully slow riding Tana, who was out in front stopped and held up her hand, which Kiræ only just saw through the snow. There was a deep rumbling that sounded like thunder but no lightning followed, despite them remaining stationary for several minutes. Tana moved forwards again and the others followed when another loud and low rumbling sounded. They were thrown to the ground as their horses spooked and fled.
They scrambled quickly to their feet and stood back to back in a circle. Kiræ remembered her vision and cursed loudly as she realised this could be it, instinctively she held air and unsheathed her sword in anticipation. Tom, seeing her movements followed suit and indicated the others do the same.
There were several long minutes of almost silence, where the only noise was the swirling snow around them, then the rumbling pounded against their ears and Kiræ realised that something was growling. Not knowing what direction the sound was coming from put her even more on edge and she glanced frantically around, trying to catch a glimpse of the creature that was so clearly stalking them.
She didn’t have to wait long; a large green snout appeared first, followed quickly by two pale yellow eyes that stared directly at them. The creature was taller than the horses they’d recently lost and incredibly long. When the body and tail finally emerged from the gloom Kiræ saw that although the legs were short, compared to the rest of the creature, the body was rippling with powerful muscles. She thought she saw tiny scales adorn its long, flat body, but dismissed it as a trick of the dim light since only dragons and fish had scales and this was neither.
They quickly realised weapons would be pointless against the creature, so the twins sheathed theirs and stood in front of the others, hands clasped, ready to see just how powerful their magic was. The creature took several large steps towards them and the twins raised their hands and pushed towards it with all their strength. Nothing happened. They continued to push and the creature neither advanced nor moved backwards.
Tom glanced at his sister as they continued to push air towards the creature and saw that she, like him, was struggling. Kiræ shook her head, knowing his thoughts had strayed to her protection magic but there was no way she could create such a shield in such a short time and to try would put them all in danger since Tom couldn’t hold this creature on his own. She felt him push harder against the creature instead and she tried to do the same as she heard both Keolan and Tana shouting incomprehensibly in their ears.
Tom shook his head and then the creature managed to take a step towards them as their energy drained away. The twins dropped their hands, then grabbed their friends and ran to the left as the creature changed forwards. Kiræ was already exhausted but she knew running was their best option against this creature.
They stopped after what felt like hours of painful movement and Kiræ, although tired and breathless grabbed Tom’s hand to try and create the protection magic. It was no use, they had used too much energy, she combined air and fire instead and prepared for a fight that probably wouldn’t end well.
It didn’t take long for the creature to find them, it lumbered towards them, sending a long pink tongue to wipe around its snout. As it approached, the twins sent a jet of fire hurtling towards it but it bounced harmlessly off the creatures hide and their hearts sank; there was nothing more they could do and the creature advanced.
A deafening roar echoed above them and the creature paused, looking to the sky. Kiræ’s heart leapt as she recognised her friend’s call and an aquamarine dragon thudded to the ground over the group. They staggered from the impact and the creature retreated several steps. Aurora roared again and spouted a stream of turquoise flames, which hit the creature’s snout and caused it to roar in pain. The creature took a step forward and a sapphire dragon landed next to Aurora. The creature paused, turned and lumbered into the snowy gloom.
The group finally emerged from beneath Aurora; Kiræ looked up at her friend and smiled. The large aquamarine dragon looked at
them and began to shrink. Kiræ quickly removed her snow covered jacket ready to cover her friend as Tom and Keolan averted their eyes until after Aurora had shifted into human form. Kiræ wrapped her jacket round Aurora and hugged her.
“Sorry I’m late,” Aurora said sheepishly.
“Looks like you’re getting a handle on the shape shifting,” Tom noted and Aurora nodded.
“I’ve spent some time with dragons,” she explained excitedly, “it was amazing seeing where they lived, and being around others like me. They’ve all been helping me control my power, especially Dray.” She glanced towards the sapphire dragon, Dray? Kiræ thought as she looked at him but knew better than to say anything. They expected him to shift into human form but he remained as he was.
“How did you find us?” Tom asked.
“Dragon sight,” Aurora said, “it’s fantastic! But we came to find you because we’ve heard something.”
“What is it?” Tom asked.
“Bælana’s been spotted in Limmi.” The twins froze, looking at Aurora in disbelief.
Tom was the first to recover and he sighed heavily, “We’d better start towards Yutshan then,” he said with a heavy heart and turned to the others, “but without our horses, it could take a while.”
Aurora looked at Draogo then nodded, “It’s okay,” she said turning back to the group, “Dray and I will take you.” Aurora turned away from the others and threw Kiræ’s coat towards her, then took a deep breath and began to change.
Kiræ watched, transfixed, she had only seen Aurora transform a handful of times and she couldn’t take her eyes off her altering skin colour, her expanding limbs or how Aurora seemed so at ease with the process now.
Aurora and Draogo lowered themselves to the ground; Kiræ stepped carefully onto Aurora’s snout, feeling a little uncomfortable about climbing on her friend. An icy mist streamed from Aurora’s nostrils and Kiræ quickened her pace along Aurora’s neck. Tom followed, stepping slowly and carefully. She sat herself between two of the spines on Aurora’s back and Tom followed suit just in front of her. She wobbled as Aurora rose to her feet and turned her neck to check they were both still there. Kiræ glanced at Draogo and saw Tana and Keolan also struggling to get a firm grip.
Aurora took a few paces forwards, unfolded her wings and pushed off from the ground beating them powerfully. Kiræ yelped loudly, wrapped her arms round the spine in front of her and wedged her feet firmly against the spine behind her. The dragons rose through the thick, snowy clouds and into the bright, warm sky above.
Kiræ began to relax as the winter sun dried her clothes and warmed her soul. The clouds rushed beneath them and from this angle they looked fluffy and comforting. Kiræ could see how happy Aurora was soaring through the air, she felt the wind around her and the sun warming her and she began to understand how free Aurora must feel in her dragon form. She smiled to herself, made a mental note to ask Brean about the strange creature, if she ever survived that long, and leant back to enjoy the ride.
Chapter 35
Vala rolled onto her side and saw a blurry Alten fighting back against mingual Fjord, she pushed herself into a sitting position and watched, dazed as the battle raged round her. She couldn’t hear properly and everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. She stumbled to her feet, falling against the wall as she realised from the shooting pain that her left arm was once again useless. She looked around for some kind of weapon and saw a discarded axe not too far from her. She took a couple of steps but the movement caused fresh pain to shoot through her left arm and she bit her lip to stop from crying out.
She ripped the base of her shirt and fashioned a make-shift sling to minimise movement, then grabbed for the axe. Sound came rushing back as she looked up and the smell of sweat, blood and smoke almost overpowered her. She saw Callaghan with a group of warriors, and started towards them when mingual Fjord’s laugh made her stop, she turned and saw him standing over Alten’s bloodied form, weapon raised to send the final blow.
“Alten!”
Vala ran clumsily towards them, a mingual warrior barred her way grinning and she viciously hacked away at his limbs until there was nothing left but a melted patch of snow on the ground. She looked towards Alten and saw mingual Fjord, still standing with his weapon raised, but he was no longer laughing, his expression had changed to shock and pain.
A dagger protruded from his neck; mingual Fjord dropped his weapon and fell to his knees choking, Alten was on his feet but had backed against the wall warily. Vala stared as black blood frothed from mingual Fjord’s mouth and he burst into flames. She ran to Alten and threw her good arm round him. He was breathing heavily and seemed shocked to see her, Vala smiled at him and Alten’s expression changed to concern as he noticed her left arm.
“It’s broken,” she stated.
“You should get out of here,” he said taking her by the shoulders, she winced and shook her head.
“I can’t.”
“The Gods! Why not!?”
Vala looked up towards the wall, “I have some unfinished business,” she replied as she found who she was looking for in the semi-dark. Ziqua was waiting for her at the top of the wall. She swung the axe towards his chest but he blocked easily, spun and aimed at her exposed neck, Vala ducked, lost her balance and Ziqua’s sword hit her side, cracking her breastplate. She gasped, righted herself and aimed low causing him to block low. She pushed him away, spun round and hacked through his arm, which fell to the ground along with his sword. He screamed and the sound made her shudder, he raised his left hand towards her, she felt an invisible force trying to push her away but somehow managed to hold her ground.
Ziqua looked terrified, he tried again, but Vala remained where she was, she moved towards him as he scrambled for the fallen sword. Vala swung at him, he blocked, she moved to kick him but he anticipated, stepped to the side and slammed his head into hers, knocking her to the ground.
She watched, dazed as he came at her, sword raised for one final blow, he brought his sword crashing down towards her. His grin faded as he saw the axe protruding from his chest. He looked at her, eyes still glinting red and burst into flames. Vala grabbed the axe and ran down the steps as the already gloomy light suddenly faded, she chanced a look up and saw two large winged creatures hovering high above the city; she froze as they began to dive.
Aurora and Draogo thudded to the ground not far from the castle, the area around them was bare, warriors and mingual having scattered quickly. The twins slipped from Aurora’s back and watched Keolan and Tana do the same. The two dragons instantly took to the sky again, Aurora spitting ice at the mingual while Draogo sent flames after them.
Kiræ drew her sword and turned to her brother, “The castle?” he nodded as Keolan and Tana reached them.
“Where do we need to go?” Keolan asked, eying the mingual warriors who seemed to be eying them suspiciously.
“We need to face her alone,” Tom said looking at them both, “I know you’ve risked everything to be here with us and we’re truly grateful for that, but we need to do this alone.” Tana nodded and noticed Gary and Hazime amongst the crowd, she dragged Keolan towards them to help.
The twins were alone and the mingual who had vacated the area began to creep towards them.
“It’s going to take forever to fight our way through,” Tom said in annoyance but Kiræ just smiled and offered him her hand.
“I’ve got an idea,” she said mischievously. Tom looked at her apprehensively but finally clasped her hand and waited. The ground in front of them began to shake, violently, Kiræ started moving forwards and Tom followed as the mingual warriors seeing that they had magic began to cower and back away. They continued to walk towards the castle, unhindered and a dark figure, watching the battle from a guard tower stared at them with shock and interest.
They entered the castle, which was surprisingly deserted and stopped; they could hear the battle raging outside but it seemed quiet and distant.
“Good
thinking back there,” Tom said smiling, “any idea where we go now?”
“Actually, I think I do,” she replied walking slowly down the stone corridor in front of them, “do you remember when I had that first vision? I saw us standing in a large room.”
“You think that’s the room we’re looking for?” Tom asked.
“I remember it was panelled, had three doors, paintings and tapestries.”
“How many rooms can look like that?” Tom half smiled. Kiræ sighed and they began looking for the mystery room. It wasn’t until they had climbed the stairs and searched through five other rooms that Tom opened a door to the one he believed his sister had seen.
“This is it,” Kiræ said staring at the alien yet familiar room “do you think she’ll turn up?” Tom nodded and pointed towards a door that had begun to swing open.
Bælana entered, wearing a long black and red dress, her hair was loose, and cascaded down her back. She smiled at them as she entered and sat in one of the large chairs in the centre of the room.
“Who are you?” she asked in a voice much softer than Kiræ had expected; neither of the twins spoke, they just continued to stare. Bælana rose and took a few steps towards them, Tom grasped Kiræ’s hand, “I saw you use magic, how is that possible?” She eyed them suspiciously.
It was Tom who answered, “You really don’t know?” he asked and she raised an eyebrow, “we’re your children.” Bælana’s expression faltered, then she smiled without warmth and walked towards them.
“It’s now or never,” Kiræ said under her breath. A shimmering bubble emerged from her and engulfed the twins as Bælana reached them, stopping her in her tracks. She stared in shock at the protection shield and pushed tentatively against it, she was unable to penetrate it.
She turned from them in anger, “Malum!” The tall man emerged from the shadows dressed in beige, “What in the Gods is that?” she demanded pointing at the protective bubble. Malum looked at the twins and smiled mischievously at them, then he walked towards them and through the shield. Kiræ released the elements in surprise and the bubble fell away instantly.
Forgotten Magic (Elementals Book 1) Page 30