“Fine,” Kiana said. “Let’s go.” She winked at Desma. “We can always use the snake as an oversized training dummy if all goes south.”
The idea didn’t settle Rachael’s nerves. She boarded the raft feeling worse than before, and sat right in the middle while Cale, Reeve, and Lon pushed the raft off the sand and into the ocean.
Their trip across was mercifully short and uneventful. The sea was smooth and so shallow Rachael could have stood without having to hold up her nose in most of it. To both sides, the ocean turned a deep blue, but between the islands it didn’t get deeper than her bottom lip. Or so she suspected; she hadn’t jumped in to test it. Appearances could be deceiving. In theory, they could have walked, but wading through lip-high water would have taken much longer than building the raft, and what little provisions they had left would have got wet.
Rachael felt better when she jumped off and touched firm ground. She’d have to learn to swim or control water with her gift. Or perhaps she’d lock herself inside the palace and never go near the beach again. If she didn’t have to set foot on another boat, she’d be happy.
At first glance, the island looked no different to the one they’d left behind. The beach spread in both directions, and dense forest lay before them. Anywhere else it might have looked peaceful, but the thought of the snake and Cephy watching from the shadows had Rachael’s nerves on edge. Something ominous lurked in the shade between the trees; she felt it on her prickling skin and in her gut.
Lon patted her on the back. “You all right?”
Rachael nodded. “Just not fond of boats.”
“We should have waded across,” Desma said. “Nothing like a bit of water and hard work to wake you up.”
“If we’d done that, it would have taken us much longer to reach Malia,” Cale said. “Besides, I don’t want us exhausted if there really is a snake.”
Kiana grinned at Desma. “Fancy a spar in the water, Krymistian?”
“Not now,” Cale said. “We should set up a small camp. It might be an idea to explore the island a little too. Maybe we can find the villagers.”
“No,” Rachael said. “If this snake is real, I don’t want to give it the chance to pick us off one by one. We stay together.”
“I will not need long to recover,” Kaida said. “I can rest more when we reach the Red Wastes and prepare.”
“Thank you, Kaida.” Rachael turned to her Sparrows. “And thank you for building the raft and making it safe. It’s amazing what you achieved with what was available.”
In truth, the ropes they’d brought from the White City had barely held it together, but it had been enough. Still, Rachael was grateful the trip hadn’t been longer.
“Do you have the books?” She asked Cale.
“Oh, I have them!” Lon said and handed them to her.
“Can I help?” Cale asked. “I might see something you don’t.”
Rachael smiled. “Yes, please.”
It was time to figure out just how Kaida could help—and what Kaida was trying so hard to hide.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Rachael hadn’t noticed it when she and Kiana had run from the Mothers, but even some of the trees were different here on the islands. The bark of the one she leaned into was rough and layered, like the outside walls of the temple. Its leaves were long, thick, and jagged. Hairy brown ovals hung from its few branches. She ran her hand over the book Vail had given her, so smooth and familiar by comparison, and felt the same reverence the Tome of Ar’Zac Dar had invoked in her.
These weren’t sacred texts by any means, but someone who had faced the same challenges she faced with the Dark One had written it. Whoever it was had died shortly after the sorcerers had destroyed the empire. Vail had told her a sorcerer called Felan had overseen the decision. She still couldn’t see the destruction of her country as the only remaining option, but she felt some of what the old sorcerers must have experienced. The Dark One was a force unlike any other. Magic had been unlike its modern counterpart, too—much stronger, much more impressive. A creator of miracles.
And even that hadn’t been enough.
How was she supposed to fix what sorcerers skilled beyond her imagination hadn’t accomplished? Rachael hated feeling hopeless and she refused to give up, but she would have loved answers more.
She opened the book and stroked the pages. Vail had given this to her for a reason. It was time to find out why.
Cale guided himself down the uneven bark until he sat next to her, his hands carefully testing the rough tree trunk.
“Found anything?” he asked.
“Haven’t even started yet.”
Cale had talked to their Sparrows while Rachael had contemplated Malia’s fauna and their odds. She felt guilty now, but she had a feeling it wouldn’t matter. If this book was like the Tome of Ar’Zac Dar, she wouldn’t be able to read a single word.
“Let’s leaf through it,” Cale said. “Maybe something will stand out.”
“I found the drawing of the Halls of Reflection because I instinctively landed on the same page repeatedly. Maybe if I try that…” Rachael opened a random page with too many words she didn’t understand and no drawings.
Cale shrugged. “It can’t work every time. Let’s start at the beginning.”
Rachael sighed and opened the book on page one. It looked like someone’s continued work; as far as she could tell, the writer had dived right into their research. There were no dates or headers, just notes. Some sentences were underlined, some in another colour, but neither helped her.
“What if this text is all there is?” she asked. What if this gift was wasted on her, and Vail and the other wardens had protected it all these years for nothing?
Cale looked at her. “Vail gave this to you because he thought it would help. There has to be something.”
They went through it together, page by page. Some rare entries were dated, and some chunks of texts had small drawings of plants next to them, but nothing they needed. Rachael couldn’t decipher some of the drawings at all, and the ones she did were far from flawless. The author had had many talents judging by the amount of research, but drawing hadn’t been one of them.
When the sun stood high and the long, jagged leaves cast shadows over their legs, Rachael shut the book. “Maybe we should join the others, pick at the rations. We’ll need our strength.”
Cale re-opened it. “But this was just getting good.”
She raised her eyebrows. “You can read whatever this is?”
He smirked. “No, but did you notice how the writing changed? It started precise, but over the last few pages it’s grown more urgent. The writer was on to something.”
She stared at the page Cale had opened. It was the same one she had closed, and he was right. She had admired the writing when they had first started, but now it looked like even the writer would have had a hard time reading it.
They exchanged a meaningful look, and Cale gave her a smug smile. “I don’t think we’re far away now.”
Rachael turned the page, and her heart dropped. “Look.” At the bottom of the right page, someone had drawn a square room and a single red drop. She paled. “Is that—”
“Let’s find out, shall we?”
They turned the next page together. Despite the warm sun, goosebumps froze her arms. “That’s a dragon.”
Cale swallowed “It’s a bleeding dragon.”
“What do you think it means?”
They couldn’t pull themselves away from the drawing.
“Damn it.” Rachael slammed the book shut and leaned in to whisper. “If Kaida finds out… Cale, I don’t know what she’ll do.”
“We don’t even know for sure what this means. Maybe a single drop is all we need.”
“Didn’t you see the drawing? There was a pool of blood under the beast.”
“Okay, yes, it’s a little more than a drop, but that doesn’t mean anyone needs to die.”
“Think about it. Rumour has it there were a lot more
dragons around in the old days. Why couldn’t the sorcerers find one to help if all they needed was a little blood?”
Cale grimaced. “Any chance dragons are just precious about their superior blood touching filthy human hands?”
Despite herself, Rachael chuckled. “Probably, but chances are they didn’t succeed because they had to kill one. If the dragons found out—and I imagine the sorcerers didn’t keep this quiet since it was the solution to their problem—and left… Cale, what if that’s where they’ve been all this time? Not extinct, but in hiding?”
She wasn’t sure how she felt about the dragons still being alive, hiding somewhere humans couldn’t reach. Did they know what was happening right now? Did they care so little about humanity that not one of them was willing to help?
Cale thought for a second, then shook his head. “Not likely. It’s been too long; they must know what the old empire faced is over.”
“Yes, but they are dragons. They don’t age like we do.” Or so she assumed. She’d have to ask Kaida, if she found a good way to ask. “What’s a few hundred years to something like that? What would you do?”
He cursed. “I’d hide a little longer than necessary. Better safe than sorry.”
“Not that it matters. If they’re still around, we have no way of finding them. We only have one chance.”
Rachael looked towards Kaida, who was meditating by the shore.
“And she’s not likely to agree,” Cale said.
“We can study the book when we have enough time to translate it.” Rachael stood. “Right now, I know what to do.”
Cale squinted up at her. “Care to share?”
Rachael looked down at him. “I need to figure out how I’ll ask Kaida for her blood.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Reeve didn’t trust the calm in their camp. The other Sparrows and Desma were nervous too. They paced the beach, their eyes drifting to the dark between the trees. The only one at ease was Kaida, who was soaking up the sun sitting cross-legged where the waves caressed the beach.
He did agree with Rachael’s decision to come here. Staying on Kaethe would have been suicide; he preferred his chances against a gigantic snake to those against a power-mad girl who played with fire.
He felt Ludo before the Tramuran said anything. Ludo carried this annoying carefree air around him, which frustrated and attracted Reeve. He knew Ludo was close; he didn’t need to turn around to confirm it. He felt Ludo’s smile on him. That damned cheerfulness was infectious.
Ludo sat next to him. “Do you have a moment?”
“I suppose we’re not going anywhere.”
Reeve felt too exposed out here. He wanted to disappear in the shadows, but he didn’t trust the ones in the forest.
“You look uncomfortable,” Ludo said. “I can leave if—”
“No, stay. It’s not you, it’s—” Reeve wasn’t used to conversations about his fears. “It’s too uncovered out here.”
Ludo smiled. “On the ship to Krymistis, you complained that you felt trapped below deck.”
Reeve frowned. “There are different kinds of trap.”
“What’s your happy place?”
“My what?”
“You know, the place where you feel comfortable, no matter what happens.”
Reeve had to think. He wasn’t sure he had such a thing. It certainly wasn’t something anyone had ever asked him. Was it a common question and he’d never been asked because he didn’t spend much time with people? He felt more himself away from them, he couldn’t help it.
He looked out to the sea. “Away from people. Somewhere I can watch without being watched.”
Reeve turned away. Ludo always managed to get him to say things he’d never tell anyone else.
“When this is over, we could find somewhere like that,” Ludo said. “In the mountains, or a forest. Build a cabin. Live happily ever after.”
“Is that what you think will happen? Happy endings for everyone?”
“Maybe not.” Reeve heard the grin on the Tramuran’s face. “But hope is a powerful thing, don’t you think?”
“Hope is useless when you can’t fight your enemy.”
“We can fight this one.” Ludo stepped closer. Reeve tried not to hold his breath. Why did he have to be so torn between wanting Ludo closer and wanting to walk away? Why couldn’t it be easy?
“Reeve, look at me.” He pried his eyes away from the waves and met Ludo’s blues. “I think we should talk about this.”
He swallowed. He was bad enough at talking about his fears, but his feelings? He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone there without reservation.
But he wanted to try. If it kept that stupid grin on Ludo’s face, he’d try.
Reeve nodded.
“When all this is over, what do you think we should do?” Ludo asked.
“We don’t even know we’ll both be alive.”
“Work with me, Reeve. Imagine it. A cabin out in the woods, somewhere no one ever goes. Close enough to the Sparrows in case they need us, but far enough away that no one can bother us. You and me. Secluded from everyone else.”
Reeve did like the sound of it, but— “You wouldn’t be happy. You need people to think you’re adorable.”
Ludo leaned in, so close their shoulders touched. “I only need you to think I’m adorable. Or attractive. Or both.”
Reeve smiled and Ludo grinned.
“I’m not sure I’d call you adorable.” Reeve blushed, for Maker’s sake, and looked away again. How did Ludo do it?
Ludo chuckled. “I can live with that. Would you consider it? The cabin?”
Reeve turned his head a little. Leaned in a little. “I can do that.” This was easy for other people. Why did it have to be so complicated for him?
Ludo didn’t move but watched him. Reeve saw Ludo’s eyes wander, from his eyes to his lips and back again.
And then he heard it.
The breaking of branches.
The unmistakable sound of something big trying to be stealthy.
Reeve jumped to his feet. “We’re under attack.”
“What?”
He shouted to alarm the others, but his voice got buried under the sudden screams of ambushed people…
… And a roar so deep he couldn’t believe it came from a snake.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Rachael knew it was too late when she heard the trees crack. She had pictured the snake big, but the monster attacking their camp reached taller than the trees around it. Its grey-green scales were the size of her hands, its sharp fangs as long as her arm.
And it didn’t waste time. It whipped its tail around in one smooth motion. The force of it felled trees and hurled them towards the camp as its tail crashed into the ground and destroyed their raft. The ground trembled from the impact and shook her legs. She barely managed to roll away. The beast’s tail had thrown up sand and dust. For a terrible moment, Rachael couldn’t see.
“Surround it!” Cale’s orders came from somewhere to her left. “Lon and Reeve, hack away at its tail! Kiana, get up there and take out its eyes! Keep moving!”
If Cale could keep it together, so could she. The dust was settling. Through the haze, she could distinguish between snake and Sparrow. She was nowhere near its tail or its head, but if she sliced open its belly…
Rachael lunged herself forwards and buried her sword in the snake’s middle. It roared and hissed, but no blood covered her blade. She cursed; its skin was too thick for her blade to do any damage.
Kiana dashed past her and jumped onto the snake’s back. The monster writhed harder under the sudden weight, but Kiana held on to its scales.
“Lon, Reeve!” She couldn’t see Cale, but his orders were clear. “Now!”
The monster roared. Her Sparrows must have wounded its tail like Cale had ordered.
Rachael ran. If she got to Reeve and Lon, she could help. Even this enormous monster snake had to have a weak spot somewhere; they’d cut it
until they found it.
“Get down!”
Rachael ducked just as Kaida’s fireball sizzled past her. Burnt snake flesh stung her nose, followed by another hiss.
Rachael ran along the snake’s middle, jumping over trees and dodging its tail as it flicked out.
“Rachael!” Reeve shouted over the noise of breaking forest. “Over here!”
She followed his voice and found him and Lon slashing away at the snake’s tail whenever they got a hold of it. The snake coiled but couldn’t get away. With so many Sparrows attacking from all directions, its size was a weakness. Rachael guessed Cale and Kiana were still fighting at the front. Kaida had attacked from the side, and she didn’t know where Ludo and Desma were. Alone, they wouldn’t have been a match for the beast. She didn’t expect anyone had ever truly fought back—not like they could, with sharpened weapons and battle-hardened armour and wit.
Rachael plunged her sword into the snake’s tail. She dragged it through the monster’s flesh as she caught up with Reeve and Lon. It still didn’t react, but by the time she reached her Sparrows her blade was covered in blood, as were theirs. The monster could be hurt. They just had to hit it in the right spot.
Lon rammed his sword into its tail. “We’re trying to hack the tail off, but this bastard has thick skin.”
A deep gash near the tail tip bled heavily, but they hadn’t cut through half. If they hacked it off, make sure the monster lost enough blood…
Rachael buried her blade as deep as she could. The snake cried out and flicked its tail out of their reach. Her sword went away with it. It writhed, taking trees down around it and making her slip in its blood when she tried to dodge its tail. It missed her by a hair’s width. The force brought on by speed and momentum made her skid in the crimson pool beneath her. It was the most soaked in blood her armour had ever been.
She stood and stepped away from the blood. “Did you hear Cale’s orders?” she asked. “He asked Kiana to climb onto its head and take out its eyes.”
Lon laughed. “She must have got one! This is the most it’s reacted to anything we’ve done!”
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