The Goddess of the Underworld: The Chronicles of Arianthem VIII

by Samantha Sabian

  Kylan turned to him, taking a deep breath that caused her cleavage to rise and drew Drakar’s eyes magnetically to the soft mounds beneath his nose.

  “As will I,” he admitted, “as will I.”

  “Good,” Kylan said, releasing the breath. “I will ask her at first opportunity.”

  The ball of light winked out, perfectly controlled, and Skye wiped the sweat from her brow. She sat down and leaned over to grab the small ceramic jug that rested in the shadows of the bench. The cool water quenched her thirst, and she poured a small amount in her cupped hand and patted the back of her neck. The trail of liquid ran down her back beneath her shirt, refreshing her further.

  “You are getting much better.”

  Skye jumped to her feet as the gorgeous dark-haired woman in the equally gorgeous blue gown approached.

  “Thank you, your—,” Skye paused, searching for a title. She was not as polished as the Ha’kan and had no idea what to call the Ancient Dragon, but some sort of honorific seemed necessary. “—your excellency,” she finished lamely.

  “Kylan is fine,” the woman said with a smile and a twinkle in her eye. She sat down on the bench and patted the spot next to her. “Come join me for a minute.”

  Skye sat down next to her, certain that the dragon could hear her heart pounding in her chest. Kylan possessed the same dark sensuality that Talan did, those tendrils that seemed to snake out from the dragons and wrap themselves about everyone and everything in the vicinity. Skye could feel the imaginary appendages coil about her, settle onto her with a pleasant weight that took her breath away.

  “So,” Kylan began, “can you explain to me the difference between your invisibility spell and the ephemeral spell?”

  “Of course,” Skye said, relieved to talk of a subject with which she was familiar. “The invisible spell renders an object, well, invisible. It can’t be seen, but it’s still there. You can feel its outlines. Here, like this.” Skye picked up the jug once more and handed it to Kylan. She concentrated, and the jug disappeared.

  “I can still feel its weight,” Kylan said, hefting the invisible object.

  “Yes,” Skye said, waving her hand and making the jug reappear. “The jug could still be handled, picked up, dropped, even broken. It just can’t be seen.” Skye took the jug from Kylan’s hands and set it on the bench between then. “But ephemeral is different.”

  Skye again waved her hand, and the jug again disappeared.

  “Try to touch it.”

  Kylan reached out, but there was nothing there.

  “Ephemeral makes the object, not only invisible, but untouchable as well. Careful,” Skye said, moving Kylan’s hand out of the way. The jug reappeared at her mental command. “I’m not sure what will happen if the jug returns when another object is occupying the same space, but I can’t imagine it would be good.”

  “Fascinating,” Kylan said. The Tavinter was as talented as Idonea said, wielding a form of light magic that she had never seen.

  As if the thought of her had conjured her from thin air, Idonea appeared.

  “And what are you two doing?”

  “Not what you think, my love,” Kylan said at the suggestive tone. She gave Skye a quick once-over that made her blush. “Although that is not out of the question for some time in the future. Anyway, Drakar and I were discussing a little side mission since the two of us seem relatively worthless at the moment.”

  “And does it involve a gold dragon?” Idonea asked.

  “It does,” Kylan confirmed. “Drakar and I thought we might seek out Volva, keep her from interfering in the larger plan.”

  “If the larger plan is even carried out.”

  “Come my love,” Kylan said shrewdly, “even if all the races of Arianthem yield to the prophecy, you and your comrades will go on without them.”

  “As will I,” Skye said. “I will not abandon Raine to the Underworld.”

  Idonea nodded, although she wondered if Skye knew what she was getting herself into. Then again, this youngster had already spent three years at war with the Ha’kan, had battled the sorceress Ingrid and won, and had thrived in a life of hardship and adversity that would have crushed most.

  “You’re going to have to get permission from your command to go with Kylan,” Idonea reminded her.

  “Right,” Skye said, her enthusiasm and bravado wilting under this reminder.

  Senta sat on the terrace with the Queen, Astrid, and Gimle, and the four were having morning tea as was their custom before each set out for their daily duties. She observed Skye approach from the adjacent terrace, accompanied by Idonea. The determined look on Skye’s face, as well as her resolute posture, made Senta suppress a smile, but also made her wary. This was usually Skye’s attitude when she was about to engage in something particularly reckless.

  Skye stopped before Senta, bowed, then addressed her by her rank and title.

  “First General.”

  Skye’s excessive formality further heightened Senta’s wariness, and caught the attention of the three other women at the table.

  “Your Majesty, First Scholar, High Priestess,” Skye said.

  “Hello Skye,” Queen Halla said.

  “What can I do for you, First Ranger?” Senta said, both stern and sardonic.

  Skye took a deep breath. “I would like to request a leave of absence for a few days.”

  Senta leaned back in her chair and clasped her hands, considering the request. “And what would be the purpose of this leave?”

  Skye could make up any excuse, even say she was going to see her people in the woods for a few days, but she was a terrible liar. “Kylan has asked for my help.”

  “Kylan?” Senta said in surprise. A glance to Idonea confirmed the claim. “And what does Kylan need help with?”

  Skye was trying to remain serious, but she could not hide the gleam that appeared in her eye.

  “We’re going dragon hunting.”

  “The gold dragon,” Idonea said, stepping forward, “the one who was at the battlefield in the Empty Land, her name is Volva. She, Kylan, and my mother, are now the only Ancient Dragons left until my brother comes of age. She is dangerous to the people of Arianthem, and regardless of the path we take to move forward, her removal would benefit all.”

  Gimle considered these words. “What does Y’arren say?”

  “She is still uncertain how to proceed given the prophecy, but she thinks this might be a chance for Skye to test her abilities in a controlled situation,” Idonea said.

  “Fighting an Ancient Dragon is hardly a controlled situation,” Gimle murmured.

  “Better an Ancient Dragon than the Goddess of the Underworld,” Idonea said, “at least as a trial run.”

  “You’re going to go by yourself?” Senta asked, turning back to Skye.

  “Well, with Kylan and Drakar.”

  “I’m not even going,” Idonea said. “This is one of those situations where the bare minimum is the best option. Stealth is needed above all. At least until the fight begins. Then what’s needed is Kylan.”

  “I see,” Senta said. “Then I will grant your leave of absence on one condition.”

  “What condition is that?” Skye asked.

  “You must promise to return to us in one piece.”

  Chapter 30

  Skye rode on the back of the blue dragon, the thrill almost too much to comprehend. The cold wind blew through her hair and she leaned down to gain the heat from the dragon’s body. Kylan had warned her to dress for the cold; now she understood why. A vapor trail outlined Drakar’s body flying next to them, leaving ice particles in their wake. They were flying very high to avoid detection on the first part of their journey while they were still visible.

  Despite the cold, the flight was glorious, and Skye was aware of the rare honor that was being bestowed on her. Few
in all of history had been granted leave to ride a dragon, for they were intensely proud creatures. And even though Kylan granted this honor to her because she needed her help, Skye appreciated it all the same. She unconsciously stroked the soft, reptilian skin between the armored plating, then blushed at her impertinence.

  Kylan felt the caress and smiled. Although sensual, it was not sexual, an unconscious gesture from one who lived and breathed as a part of the natural world. The girl’s love for the Ha’kan must be great, because ones such as these usually never left the forest.

  “You don’t have to stop, but I must tell you, if you overstimulate me, I’ll make you release any pressure you build.”

  Skye was now uncertain whether to stop or to use both hands. Dragons in human form were imposing, in dragon form they were terrifying. She put both hands back on the bony ridge she was using to hang on.

  “Coward!” Drakar said, laughing.

  “That’s all right,” Kylan said, “conserve your strength. We’re going to need it in a little while.”

  Skye leaned back in the gap between two enormous spikes, the bony structures providing a saddle of sorts. The ground beneath them was beginning to slant upwards, gradually at first, but then more and more steeply. The air grew even colder and Skye shivered, as much from excitement as from the chill.

  “We’re getting close,” Drakar rumbled. When he had pretended to ally himself with Volva, he had gained information on her various holds. After reviewing the locations on a map, Kylan had chosen the one she felt Volva would most likely be holed up in. It was an educated guess at best, but Drakar thought it was a good one.

  “Yes,” Kylan agreed. “If we move any closer, she will begin to sense me and our element of surprise will be lost.” The enormous head of the blue dragon turned around and the pale blue eyes looked at Skye. “Are you ready?”

  “I am,” Skye said with confidence. Organic objects were more difficult than inanimate objects, but they had practiced for several days. Once Skye had overcome her initial trepidation about casting a spell on something so large, she was able to turn both Kylan and Drakar invisible, then ephemeral, then maintain the spell for quite some time. If things worked out the way they had planned, she would not have to maintain Drakar’s spell for very long, and Kylan’s only slightly longer.

  Skye took a deep breath, focused her energy, and then released both. Both dragons and their rider disappeared.

  A grin revealed a mouthful of translucent fangs on the formerly blue dragon. Kylan could see the transparent outlines of Drakar and Skye, and everything else in the world was transparent as well. When Skye had turned them merely invisible, they appeared translucent to one another, but the world around them was largely the same. When she used the more advanced spell of ephemerality, everything looked fluid and water-like. It took some practice navigating at first, for the spatial clues of light and shadow were greatly diminished, but once that hurdle was overcome, they could move about freely in the world, completely unseen and untouchable.

  And hopefully undetectable to other magical creatures, Kylan mused, because she could now sense Volva in Felag Keep in front of them. That meant that her educated guess on Volva’s location had been correct, and it also meant that, if the ephemeral spell did not cloak them completely, then Volva already knew they were coming. If the gold dragon was alerted to their presence, she would flee, and their long trek would be wasted. But they were still some ways off, and Volva’s presence remained steady, so the two dragons flapped onward to their destination. Felag Keep appeared in the clouds ahead, perched on the side of a cliff, inaccessible other than to creatures of flight.

  The two dragons circled overhead. There were no signs of alarm in the gigantic courtyard below. The castle was built to house dragons in their natural form, and the immensity of its size was apparent as a handful of lesser dragons perched on the parapets like birds. As expected, they were few, for Kylan and her allies had destroyed almost all who stood against Talan. What remained was a rag-tag group of reptiles still nursing their wounds.

  Drakar looked to Kylan, and she nodded. He turned to Skye.

  “When I give the signal,” he said, then dove downward to the courtyard.

  Skye watched the sleek dragon plummet. It was difficult to make out his form when he and the background looked so similar. Everything was just clear and fluid-like. But fortunately her eyes were keen and she saw his barrel-roll. She concentrated and released him from the spell.

  Nothing changed, at least from her perspective. Drakar and everything else remained translucent. But his effect on the other translucent beings was pronounced. As the black dragon appeared in the sky above them, they scattered like a startled flock of pigeons. Seeing that he was only one, however, they regrouped and took chase, for Drakar was already fleeing across the tree-tops.

  “Good boy,” Kylan murmured. Drakar had wanted to fight, to go in with fire-breathing fury and destroy those who had dared stand against his mother, but Kylan had convinced him it would be better to act as a decoy. It was his job to lead away as many as he could, leaving Volva to Kylan. He was reluctant at first, for Kylan was still injured and Volva was at full-strength, for she had not even had to fight in the battle that had never happened. But Kylan had convinced him she would stand a better chance against Volva one-on-one than the two of them would stand against a multitude of dragons. And she did not want to strain the Tavinter to hide them for longer than necessary.

  Kylan landed gracefully in the courtyard. Even this maneuver had taken some practice, for the dragons could pass right through things in their ephemeral form. But Skye had figured out that objects had to have a degree of solidity, even when the spell was cast, otherwise they never would have been able to flee the Hyr’rok’kin the first time she cast the spell. They would have just begun sinking into the ground, perhaps giving them a quicker trip to the Underworld than any of them expected. She had pondered this incongruity at length, then finally determined that the ground was solid because she expected it to be solid, and that this held true for other things as well, such as stairs and the terrace of the castle. It appeared there was a degree of belief in light magic that was wholly absent in dark magic, adding a multitude of dimensions to spells. Right now the terrace was solid enough for Kylan to land on simply because Skye wished it so.

  She slid from Kylan’s back, also landing on the transparent but solid-enough stone of the courtyard. The massive iron gate flickered fluidly. Although the spell rendered objects translucent, it did not render them entirely see-thru. Rather than looking through glass, it was like looking through thick, viscous fluid and little could be seen beyond immediate objects.

  “You should be able to pass right through that gate,” Skye whispered.

  “I thought you said no one can hear us?” Kylan whispered back.

  “They can’t,” Skye said, then realized she was still whispering. “They can’t,” she said in a more normal voice. She also straightened upright, realizing she was crouched down for no reason. “This takes a little getting used to.”

  “I see that,” Kylan said, her irrepressible humor shining forth even in their tense situation. Skye blushed, and although color was absent in their world, somehow the dragon knew it. “Well,” Kylan said, “let’s do this.”

  Kylan took a deep breath and passed through the iron gate. Although they had practiced moving through objects, it was still unnerving. Skye crept along behind her, unable to shed her stealthy ways no matter how many times she reminded herself she couldn’t be seen.

  They moved through the castle and Skye marveled at its size. Kylan was enormous, only slightly smaller than Talan, and two of her girth could have passed one another in that hallway. A full regiment of Ha’kan could have stood in formation in the passageway. The rooms themselves were even larger, and Skye imagined the dragons lounging about as she peered through the gigantic doorways. It reminded her of a Tavinte
r folk tale of “the little people.” She had been enamored with the idea of the tiny creatures interacting with normal-size objects, using a thimble as a bucket and a sewing needle as a sword. Right now, her sword felt a lot like that sewing needle.

  Kylan seemed to know where she was going, moving unerringly into the castle, and Skye could only surmise that she could sense the other Ancient Dragon ahead of them. Drakar had done well, for he had drawn away all others and they came across no other of the lesser dragons. Finally, Skye began to hear a low rumbling that she had heard once before, when they had been on their journey to the Alfar Republic. Talan had slept out in the open, Raine curled about her sleeping form, and the rumble had been the sound of her breathing.

  The gold dragon was indeed asleep, and even in her translucent state, her size was ominous. She was larger than Kylan.

  “’Tis a pity you cannot affect objects while in this state,” Kylan said, gazing at her sleeping enemy.

  “That would be ideal,” Skye admitted. But she was unable to cast any other spells while the ephemeral spell was active on herself. It seemed an either-or proposition. Nor was she able to physically affect other objects. Nothing could touch her, but neither could she touch anything else.

  “Are you ready?”

  Kylan nodded. “You stay hidden, but release the spell on me.”

  Skye took a deep breath, then released Kylan from ephemerality.

  To Skye’s view, nothing changed, but for Kylan, the room came into full relief. Volva twitched and began to stir, sensing the presence of her enemy. Kylan did not wait, but blasted her with frost from her lungs. The angled attack was devastating, the bitter cold blowing scales and plates from the gold dragon and leaving reddened, bloody flesh exposed.

  Volva screamed and Skye covered her ears, fleeing to a corner. Although nothing could touch her, the sight of two Ancient Dragons fighting in such close quarters was terrifying. Skye concentrated on maintaining the spell on herself because the thrashing tails and flying furniture would have crushed her.