"Astri, are you all right? I lost my head for a moment and flew a bit too far. Here, drink this. Emilia gifted me a few flasks of energy potion," Jorgen says, appearing by my side. I feel secure again, knowing that he kept an eye on me throughout this journey.
His fingers are warm and I gladly accept the flask. As soon I drink the bitter liquid, the magic enhances my abilities, renewing the strength and energy that I need so much. Jetli keeps sprinkling her Pixie dust around me, and I'm thankful that she’s helping me out too.
"Thank you, this feels so much better," I say. "I sense a mass of shifters nearby. I suspect it's Duncan and Vaclav's army?"
"Yes, it must be them. We should start walking, they most likely already know that we’re here," Jorgen says, sounding confident.
He must have taken Emilia's potion as soon as he landed.
We don't waste any time after that and start walking. A few minutes later we pass through the human village. The energy around grows in leaps and bounds, stirring the beast inside me. My inner dragon can sense their power; the army of shifters gathered in the open field near the Furagu Mountains.
It's not long before several shifters appear walking towards us in the distance. My heart skips a beat, then races triple time. Two of them are mages, and they both have black skin, and shiny dark eyes. They’re all armed, wearing red and navy uniforms. Jorgen told me last night that most of his soldiers were killed when Ruscal took over the castle. Edvard’s dead and Ruscal’s most likely bringing back up, so we need to return as soon as possible. I'm certain that he's going to use any kind of dirty trick he can think of. He’s failed far too many times.
"The Duke of Rivenna," says the leader, a largely built shifter who has a long silver sword attached to his side. He bows towards Jorgen and I'm a little shocked to see that the two mages obviously know each other well.
"David, it's an honour seeing you here. I thought you stepped away from army duties a while back," Jorgen responds in a chuckle and then the two mages shake hands. Jetli hides in my pocket, peering over the top at the strangers.
"I did, but retuned. It's not in my nature to sit around and do nothing. So, it's true then. You brought the Wyvern girl with you," David, the mage says, smiling at me. Jorgen straightens his posture.
"Yes, she's the woman who claimed my whole heart and became my true mate. Get used to seeing her around," Jorgen responds, wrapping his arm around me. "Anyway, we can't waste time right now. My brother’s growing in power with every moment. We have to head back to Rivenna as soon as possible."
Heat rushes to my ears, burning my face. I should be proud of him, proud of the fact that he's so open about the fact that we’re together. The mage glances at me and his eyes flicker with mischief and pure curiosity. Jorgen isn't supposed to be involved with anyone other than a pure mage, so his statement must have shocked David. I guess right now, he doesn't care about this at all.
"Good for you, Jorgen. I wish you all the best," David responds, sounding genuine. "Both Vaclav and Duncan were planning to leave tonight if they didn't hear from you by midday. They were getting lost with all of the conflicted information and were extremely concerned. Good thing you showed up today."
"Yes, a small group of shifters tried to take back the castle, but our mission was unsuccessful to say the least," Jorgen responds.
David nods and gestures for his men to follow. "By the way, I'm sorry about your father. We knew that Ruscal hated Hans and must have found a way to eliminate him somehow. He’s been getting away with killing innocent shifters for far too long."
Tension envelops throughout Jorgen's features. We haven't talked about his father much since we reunited, and I know that he must still be grieving. Everything happened so quickly. People that we care about and loved are gone. It's sad that we didn't even have a chance to say our goodbyes.
The army camps are on the edge of a steep hill that stretches to the Far East. Most of the shifters have dark skin like David and his companions; each wearing the same colours: red and navy. Soldiers stop what they’re doing when we cross over the camp and many of them stare at us. Word must have already spread that Jorgen finally made his way out here. Whispers and snippets pass through the whole camp.
Some soldiers bow towards Jorgen, others greet him too. It appears that the duke must have spent a bit of time around some of these people. The tents are set up all around. I see some half naked soldiers, and a few female shifters staring at me. The atmosphere is wary and conflicted. To most of the soldiers we’re only strangers. Their energy suddenly bounces off mine, drifting around the centre of my chest.
We approach a large tent, and David gestures for us to enter inside.
"My lords, Duke Jorgen has arrived!"
Inside, there’s a round table with chairs. There are several mages and shifters standing around it. The one on the right catches my attention first. He's tall, lean and very unusual looking. He has mass of red hair and a shaggy ginger beard. The gold signet on his fore finger shimmers as beams of sunlight shine through the tent. The other two are black, around my age. I assume that one of them must be Vaclav and the older one Duncan.
"For Hommis. It's good to see you alive, Jorgen. We’ve been worried about you," the red-haired mage says, slapping him on the back with his giant hand. "There have been rumours that you were supposed to be executed?"
"Yes, Ruscal was ready to hang me, but I was saved by Astri and other loyal friends. My own brother murdered my father right in front of me.” Jorgen shakes his head, then smiles and looks at me. “Meet my mate, the Wyvern shifter that the whole Eastern World is talking about, Astri Harlam," he says, gently pushing me towards the front.
"Blamey Jorgen, you ditched Cassandra for a Wyvern dragon shifter? Brave man. Apparently, Cassie was furious. She told her daddy not to send his army to your aid, and all because of the shifter girl," the black Duke adds, gazing over my features.
"It was my father's wish. He wanted to create a connection between Cassandra and her father. However, things didn’t go according to plan, but I'm not here to discuss my love life. I'm grateful that you and Vaclav are willing to fight alongside me. We need to head to Rivenna as soon as your men are ready," Jorgen explains, then describes what happened once we tried to take over the castle a few days ago.
Both Dukes and the other mages in the tent are listening carefully. Jetli keeps still, but once she becomes a bit braver, she begins to fly around.
"The storm forced us to stay here for days, but right now all my men are ready to start moving. We need to bring peace in the Eastern World. Ruscal is a coward, and I'm looking forward to running my sword through his heart," Duncan mutters. "David, spread the word around the camp. I want everyone to be ready to shift right away."
After that, Jorgen and both Dukes begin discussing their strategy. They agree to attack the four major points in the city leaving the castle for last. Other shifters keep glancing at me when I'm not looking. I don't take offence to it, and when Duncan starts asking me about my parents, I relax.
"I always knew that the Wyvern clan was filled with power. Other shifters became obsessed with the prophecy. Before anyone knew what was going on, Ruscal was out there killing every member of your clan. It was a total massacre," he tells me, after someone else approaches letting him know that everyone’s ready.
Soon after, we get ready to leave as word around the camp spreads. Several shifters and mages leave ahead. Others are packing up in a hurry. There are numerous dragons in the sky already, heading towards the north. Neither Duke is wasting any time. They must have been ready for a while.
"Just make sure you stay close to me, Astri. We can't lose each other. We have to be ready for anything," he says.
"We will, don't worry. He won’t have any idea what hit him," I say.
I'm proud to see the transformation in Jorgen. He changed from a broken man to a real leader. He's ready to fight, ready to take control of the castle and land that’s always belonged to him.
&nb
sp; There’s a little disorder in the camp, and we have to wait for our turn to shift. Part of the army is moving on foot, while others are traveling on another dragon's back. I suspect that they want to avoid losing necessary energy they’ll need when they face Ruscal's army. I’ve never in my life seen so many dragon shifters in the sky at one time, and I have no doubt that sooner or later, Ruscal will realise that there’s an army of soldiers heading towards the borders of Rivenna.
I remember when my parents took me to the dragon festival once long ago. I must have only been five or six years old. There were real dragons there, locked in cages. I didn't like it. I hated that they were in captivity. I remember it clearly now, like it happened only yesterday.
When Duncan and Vaclav shift into their dragons, I can’t stop staring. The creature to the right is a typical dragon shifter with extraordinary colours. Vaclav must be part sea creature, because all his scales are deep blue.
Jetli nudges me with her tiny finger and I quickly realise that I have to shift. Jorgen’s already in the sky following Duncan's beast. Several minutes later, I catch up with him, trying not to fly into any other creature. The sky is absolutely riddled with shifters.
I ignore the uneasy feeling in my gut—ignore the fact that I feel like there’s something that I’ve forgotten about. We all fly back, passing the desert, the many roads, and other towns.
The return journey takes less time than I expected. Some dragons stay behind, while others follow their Duke. We all land right outside the human villages, near the border of Rivenna. Many of the shifters and mages need to rest. It was a long trip, and the ones who shifted need to recoup their energy. I touch down, losing Jorgen's beast from sight and join David with other shifters.
"We’ll build a camp out here and wait for a few hours. I’ll send some men to figure out what Ruscal’s planning. He must have a strategy in mind," David states, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
We don't have any more potions left and I feel drained, even more so than before. My heart is pounding away. I need to make a connection with Emilia, but using the upside-down mirror is a little risky. The warlock witch is still trapped inside, and if I open the portal she might attempt to escape.
Then Jetli flies out, and a few mages back away. It's comical that they seem to be terrified of such a small creature.
Soon after she starts sprinkling her Pixie dust all over me.
"Thank you hon, but I don't think that’ll change anything. The other shifters need to regenerate their strength. We may have to stay here for a little while," I tell her, instantly feeling much more alerted. My Pixie’s magic is limited, but sometimes it can be useful.
"Is she a real Pixie? I have been following your journey for some time, and I saw her in the paper with you. She must be the mute one?" a mage with long dark hair asks, approaching me. Jetli hides behind me. I don't like that he calls her the mute one, after all she has a name.
"Yes, this is Jetli, and she's my dearest friend. We left Lenin behind, but he's a great fighter. They’re both very devoted to me," I reply, and my senses register movement nearby.
Then we hear an explosion in the distance. Some shifters are running in our direction. The smoke drifts above the trees.
"Something is going on out there," David says and I look around, searching for Jorgen.
"Maybe it's just a false alarm. No one was supposed to know that we were coming," I say.
"It's not exactly easy to hide hundreds of shifters approaching from the south. Find Jorgen, Astri. I have a feeling that we’re being attacked," David adds, then vanishes in the forest.
There are more explosions around, and I try to connect with Jorgen's magic. He must be somewhere close. I should have listened to him when he told me not to lose him. We’re both screwed and right now we can't be away from each other. This wasn't supposed to happen.
Then there is magic. It flows through me, hovering under my skin. Someone must have sold us out letting Ruscal know that we would be coming. This is exactly what we wanted to avoid, an attack from the enemy when most shifters would at their most vulnerable.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The trial.
Jetli starts pulling my hair, trying to tell me something, but I'm ignoring her. I must find Jorgen first before it's too late. The troops have to back away towards the border. It looks like we’re being attacked from the east and north. Mine and Jorgen's connection isn't that strong anymore, there are just too many shifters around for me to figure out where or if he’s still around this area.
He couldn’t have landed too far from me, but somehow, we were separated. Jetli hisses when an arrow shoots past me, inches away from my arm.
I crouch down while other shifters are getting shot, and Jetli’s flying above my head. Panic fills my veins, and I start crawling towards the trees.
We’re still miles away from the city, but I see shifters in the distance appearing on top of the hill. I hear screams and more explosions all around me. Raw, unbridled panic crawls up my throat when I recognise that its Ming and his warriors. I should have known that Ruscal would get him involved.
I take out my sword when I'm much safer around the trees, and away from the poisonous arrows. Magic starts rising deep in my core and I feel confident enough that I can fight. Jetli's magic helps a little, but I'm still exhausted and drained. It's going to take me a little while to accumulate my fire magic.
I start running through the forest, telling myself that maybe Jorgen’s on the other side of the field where explosions were going off just a second ago. I pass several dead shifters and my stomach contracts with nausea. I stop for a second, trying to calm my racing heart when someone jumps at me from the bushes, shouting.
"Die, little girl!"
A warrior appears on my right, attacking me with a thin, long Asian sword. We clash, and I roar at top of my lungs, gathering every ounce of energy left inside me, pushing him, and he loses his balance.
Ming and his army must have been waiting for us, but had to have been hiding underground otherwise, we would have seen them when we were flying into this territory.
The warrior is forced to drop his sword, and I stab him in the right thigh. He roars out in agony, rolling on the ground. I leave him and run towards the hill, hoping that maybe Jorgen’s fighting somewhere there amongst other shifters. My heart’s jackhammering in my chest when I pass more bodies and other injured dark-skinned shifters.
On the edge of the forest near the hill, I see more fighting—it’s a war zone. I shout Jorgen's name, glancing around, but I can't see him. No one is responding. He must be weakened after so many long hours in the air, and I'm fearing the worst.
Several more warriors appear to my right, and I start sprinting across the field, attempting to lose them. Sweat surges down my face and I firmly grip my sword, pushing my muscles to capacity.
I dive into the thick bushes when I see more warriors around. Then Jetli appears and I tell her to get inside my pocket. It's safer that way. I crawl deeper into the forest again. I can't risk getting caught. Now, I know where my bad feelings were coming from earlier on. Ruscal wasn't conducting any business with trolls when Bratlav tortured me in the castle. He must have left to meet with Ming. Crap, I should have seen this coming.
Moments later, I stand up holding my sword in my left hand. As I start walking back towards the explosions, I sense dark energy rising around me. It starts drifting, pulsing slowly at first, then more rapidly. My muscles are tired, and I can barely walk. Every step feels like the last. Somehow, I must return to the city to locate Emilia and the others.
When I look towards the other side of the filed my heart stops. It's Ruscal—I would recognise his dragon anywhere.
"Impossible," I whisper to myself, seeing him transforming into a human right in front of my eyes.
Warm energy hits me just below my stomach, when a second later I see David. He’s charging Ruscal—attacking with his sword; he must have seen him shifting back.
David doesn't get too far before he’s hit with a flying arrow that pierces right through his arm. He hits the ground, roaring out in frustration. Then Ruscal disappears behind the hill again, and I instantly change my mind. Jorgen isn't going to kill him now; the dark mage is mine. I’ve been waiting for this moment for far too long. The magic rings in my ears, vibrating through my body when I chase after him. I see his dark cloak in the distance.
He’s a coward, running away while other shifters are still fighting. The forest won't protect him, and that's where he's heading. I keep shouting after him, while my heart pounds loudly in my ears.
I lose him for a few moments, jumping over broken trees and dead bodies of several massacred warriors.
Sometime later, exhausted, and on the verge of passing out, I finally stop. Ruscal’s nowhere to be seen. I hear the birds when they suddenly fly out from the distance. My chest is burning and my whole body is aching badly. I grip my sword tightly, trying to breath in, and sensing that the scum is near.
I glance up, suddenly seeing the black dragon rising in the sky, batting its large wings with enormous speed.
"Coward! You won't escape my fire magic. Until next time!" I roar, realising that Ruscal’s getting away again.
I'm tired, but I keep going until I reach another empty field. My inner dragon wants to be unleashed. This is going to exhaust me even more, but the whole place is surrounded by Ming's men. I won't stand a chance staying here and waiting for Jorgen. Ruscal vanished and I need to go after him.
I concentrate on my beast and shift into a Wyvern for third time in the past twenty-four hours, releasing Jetli. She knows that she should crawl over my horn once I transform. This won't end well for me, but things are totally screwed right now. Everything happens fast and this time my transformation is painful, and I can barely stand it. Muscle and joints stretch and my vision goes blurry. By the time I can finally spread my wings, I wish that I could go back to being human.
Wyvern's Destiny (Mage Chronicles Book 4) Page 16