“That’s great. What do we do with them?” Before he could answer, she gave him a small smile. “If we found the reason for my dreams, does that mean no more teas?”
Elias shook his head. “No more teas.”
By this time, the rest of their group had gathered. Bodies filled every inch of the tunnel, elbowing each other for a closer look. Madeline looked back to the wall of faces. The soft murmuring of their voices grew into a buzz of anxiety and bewilderment.
“Daniel,” she whispered, grabbing his arm, feeling the air around her disappear. Her eyes pleaded with him as she leaned against the wall, lowering herself slowly to the ground. Small piles of crumbling rocks landed on her lap.
With one look at her, Daniel jumped forward, pushing the wall of people back, quieting their grumbles with a motion to the princess. His men created a barrier while Elias composed his thoughts.
“The words of the prophecy will guide us,” Elias said, kneeling down by Madeline, his eyes shining brightly with the clarity of his thoughts. “In the prophecy, it clearly says, a race to find the hidden orbs. Whoever finds them first holds the path to the future. That’s it, Princess,” he said, grabbing her arms. “Your mother was right. She brought us here. Now we have no choice. We must get rid of them.”
Her heart dropped at the audacity of his words. “What do you mean, get rid of them?” she asked, jumping to her feet and positioning her body between Elias and the eggs.
Dismayed, Madeline watched each head slowly nod and defer to Elias. The soft green glow of the eggs reflected the fear in their eyes as they walked forward toward the eggs. The other wizards, the builders, the merchants, even Daniel seemed to agree. Madeline’s heart beat wildly, her stomach knotting as she watched the men encroach upon the eggs.
“No!” she yelled, oblivious to the rumbles beneath her feet. “Elias,” she said, “we can’t destroy them. That’s not right.”
“Not every choice that is right is easy to make.”
“And some choices are just obviously wrong,” she countered.
“It may be our only way, Princess. Your mother did not lay out everything, but she was correct in foretelling much along this path. This much is clear; the one who finds the orbs holds the future. If these are the orbs she referred to, we cannot let the dragon get them back.”
Madeline took a deep breath to calm down before looking at him. “But why are they here? Why are they below ground? That doesn’t make sense to me. Everything we have been taught tells us how dragons live above, how sacred their eggs are, and how they’ve disappeared for thousands of years.”
“Madeline, we have to follow Elias’s advice. He hasn’t been wrong yet. Think about your father and what happened to him when he didn’t listen,” Sophia pleaded, standing by Elias’s side.
Madeline shot her a look. “I am thinking of my father, and my mother,” Madeline yelled, frustrated that no one could see this from her side. “Think back. Am I the only one who remembers the legend of Dragon’s Gate? Think of where we are standing. Think about our history.”
Daniel’s eyes popped open at the mention of Dragon’s Gate. “That was hundreds of years ago. There is no way these eggs could be those same ones. Could they?”
Elias piped up, cutting off Madeline’s response. “Yes, they could be the same. Dragon eggs are unlike other eggs. These eggs will only hatch under the fire of another dragon. It would explain why they are here.” Elias shook his head. Daniel moved toward Madeline.
“All of this,” she said, motioning around them, “all of this makes sense. When Lord Hawthorne captured the red dragon, he did it by venturing to Dragon’s Gate. You said it yourself, Elias. These eggs are pure magic, encased in a shell. There is nothing more powerful, more valuable, or more vulnerable.” Elias looked at her but remained silent.
“There is only one case of missing eggs,” she said, forcing the crowd apart. A hushed gasp ran through the people as she reached over and picked up an egg. Cradling it, she traced its delicate designs. Impulsively, she pulled out her necklace, light flaring between the necklace and the eggs. A radiant sparkle brightened the tunnel, stronger than all the wizards’ wands combined.
“These eggs are connected to that dragon. The scale proves that. These eggs have to be the ones that disappeared when Dragon’s Gate was formed. I don’t think they simply vanished. I think they’ve been hidden underground for all these years. And that green dragon. All she wants is to get them back.” She smiled as the final pieces connected in her mind.
“My mother knew this,” she said wistfully. “And she wanted to show me what lengths a mother would go through to protect her child, so that I would know. A mother will not stop looking for or caring for her child. If these eggs are still connected by magic, then the dragon must be able to feel them and know they are alive. And that is why the dragon is after us. She won’t give up until she gets them back, even if it means a battle. My mother was right. Whoever finds the lost orbs holds the future. If we do not return the eggs, she will destroy us all. Our only hope is to trust in the power of love – a mother’s love. It is the only thing that will save us from her wrath.”
The tunnel was silent. Madeline watched their faces flicker between her and Elias, unsure whom to follow.
“Why don’t you see it?” she asked. “Love is the most powerful weapon we have. It is stronger than anger and greater than fear. We need to use the dragon’s love for these eggs to our advantage.”
Her words struck a chord with several of the men, and the women instinctively looked at the few children they had with them on this journey, aware that she spoke the truth.
Madeline cried out in frustration and fell to her knees, looking at the lost eggs hidden underneath the rubble. She struggled with a rock, moving it away from the hidden eggs. A single tear dropped, clearing a path along the outer edges of the largest egg. She raised her eyes and sought Daniel’s.
Daniel recognized her silent request, felt her desperation. Stepping forward, holding his head high, he placed a hand on his sword hilt and addressed the rest of them.
“What do you say? Should we put our trust in love or destroy these now?” Daniel asked. “I say we trust in love; I know I do.” His eyes connected with hers, and for a moment, she felt as if they were alone.
“Nothing, absolutely nothing is more powerful than love,” she said, looking straight into his eyes and reaching out for his hand. “I will do it on my own if I must, but I would prefer your help. Are you with me?” she asked her group.
“We will always be behind our princess,” Elias said, taking a position in front of her.
Looking down the tunnel, she gave a deep sigh. “We have a lot of work to do.”
Daniel rolled a rock out of the way. Their grunts of exertion echoed through the tunnels, and the sparkling light grew greater as each egg revealed its splendor.
“What do we do now?” Daniel asked, as the last rock was moved and a pile of ten eggs excavated.
“Now,” Madeline said with a twinkle in her eyes, “we go back to Soron and save a dragon.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Madeline’s smile shone almost as bright as the egg within her hands. Though each was the size of a loaf of bread, their weight felt heavy to her. Her heart beat in time with the subtle pulses beneath her fingers, each pulse of light a faint measure of the sleeping dragon, knocking to be released. Her wonder deepened to sadness as she tried to imagine that depth of captivity. Dark smudges marked her hands as the dirt rubbed off the fine etchings, clearing the delicate designs, as grand as any of her embroidered gowns. Beautiful decorations, confined for safety; maybe they shared more in common than not.
While Madeline’s mind wandered, her group continued their excavation, lining the rocks along the edge of the tunnel, brushing off the grime that time had layered on.
“Princess, we’re ready,” Emmett said, rushing to her side, his reserved expression hiding his typical goofy charm.
“Already?” she hesit
ated, looking behind him to where Elias and the other wizards were loading the eggs into harnesses made from their extra robes.
“There’s no time to spare,” he breathed wearily.
On cue, Daniel approached with his team, ready to go. Madeline, Sophia and Emmett would carry the eggs. The rest of the team would ensure their safety, clearing the tunnels and handling any unforeseen encounters. Madeline smiled hesitantly at the blacksmith, a giant of a man who seemed a bit too comfortable slinging his axe over his shoulder. Beyond him, the familiar face of the apothecary smiled down at her. Before she could offer more than a soft mumble of thanks, Sophia’s muffled cry rang out.
Struggling under the weight and complexity of the harnesses, Sophia had fallen, pinned between a boulder and a line of men.
“Oh, Sophia,” Madeline chided under her breath, relieved at the impromptu escape.
They shared a quick laugh as Madeline gripped Sophia’s arms and pulled her up.
“Sharing adventures. That’s what you always say, right?” Sophia grinned, blowing her red hair out of her eyes.
“That’s right. Sharing adventures,” Madeline agreed. The wizards gathered and draped the green cloth harness around her, tightening and pulling each strap until she cried out.
After the eggs were carefully loaded, Madeline taking four and each of the others carrying three, Elias appeared at their side. Sophia yelped as he pulled tightly, double-checking each knot, before turning to the princess.
“Are you sure?”
Madeline felt the question lingering behind his words and the unease growing in her stomach. She settled for a quick nod. She knew from the depth of her heart that this was right. Lowering her head, she focused on the cradled eggs, not the worries in her mind.
No one spoke as they walked past them. More than half the group chose to remain with Elias and continue their journey north to Dragon’s Gate. They stood to the side, their backs pressed up against the far wall in a single line, as Daniel led their team through. He, along with a few of his knights, walked up front with their torches, clearing the path. A soft crunching of footsteps and the continuous crumbling of the walls around them echoed as they walked back through the darkened tunnels.
Madeline’s mind raced, replaying the sequence of events, ending with Elias’s question. She hoped that beneath his distant gaze and raised eyebrows he understood.
The soft glow from the eggs illuminated the walls around them. With a sorrowful sigh, Madeline noticed that the etchings on the walls had disappeared, covered beneath the mounds of rock and newly-fallen dirt. Ancient drawings, messages and stories, now lost to the darkness. Cradling the eggs, she felt more determined than ever. Nothing else would be lost or forgotten in these tunnels.
Her throat choked up as thoughts of her own mother came to mind. Her mother had been right about so many things: Paulsen attacking her kingdom, the dragon’s return, and that she would need help overpowering this enemy. The cryptic words from the old scrolls ran through her mind. ‘Whoever finds the orbs first holds the future in their hands.’
As the light of the eggs filtered through the thin fabric of her harness, the gravity behind those words struck her. What did her control of the orbs mean for the future? That question weighed on her heart.
The trip back through the darkness felt harder. Shrouded in muted light, Madeline busied her mind by counting each moment, matching her steps to the rhythm of her heart, melting into a rhythm. There were no shortcuts or secret paths to get back. They only had one option: to retrace their steps and hope that their path remained intact. The days passed slowly, filled with the soft shuffling of feet, crackling of torches, and occasional whisper.
Visions of her mother blended with the visions of the dragon, keeping her awake and fueling her fears. Madeline bit her lower lip, holding back her insecurities as the double-edged sword of silence bit into her. She didn’t have to answer the loaded questions in their eyes, but she also risked her emotions boiling over.
While the others slept, she studied the eggs, looking for a sign to guide her. Under the soft fabric of the harness, they rolled on top of each other, nestled into the grooves of her body. An attachment to them grew as she adjusted to her new responsibility. Each shell continued to pulse as her fingers glided over the surface, feeling their markers. Individual works of art more important than any painting, their cold, hard surfaces were made beautiful by their intricate designs. One was covered in scrolls, another in hatch marks, spirals, and scales.
Her mind drifted back to Professor Warren’s and Elias’s lessons about dragons. Valuable and sacred for their protective properties, the scales were virtually impenetrable to weapons or sorcery. The eggshells had medicinal purposes when ground to fine dust and combined with other herbs. Her stomach churned as she remembered all the cylinders Elias had opened while concocting his horrible teas.
To protect these perfect spheres of magic, nature had developed a defense mechanism. Only under the fire breath of another dragon could they hatch. She held the next generation of dragons, a generation that had been denied life for centuries. Her worries left her as her heart filled with compassion.
Lifting her fingers off the egg, she entwined them with Daniel’s, resting back into his slumbering arms.
“Princess,” she heard whispered in her ear. Madeline opened her eyes slowly to see her best friend smiling down at her. Sophia was a mess. Since childhood, they had shared every adventure, but Sophia usually found a way to come out looking like the royal. Not today. Even her attempts at taming her hair in a side-swept braid had failed. Smeared under her eyes, the soot from the torches darkened her face, and patches of dirt stained her hands. Madeline unconsciously ran her fingers through her hair, feeling a tug of tangles, and imagined she did not look much better.
“It’s time to go. Emmett and the other wizards went ahead to scout the tunnels for any other collapses. Thankfully most of the damage was done in the northern channels. This area seems more or less intact and stable.” Sophia reached down and pulled her up, holding on a moment longer to search her eyes. “Do you know what you’re doing?” she asked earnestly.
Madeline brushed herself off and attempted a laugh. “Do you really want to know the truth?” she asked, with a sly grin.
Sophia stared at her and then smiled. “Probably not,” she laughed. “I’ve known you long enough to know that somehow you have a way of finding a solution. I believe in you. I just want to make sure you believe in yourself. Do you?”
Madeline weighed her words and felt her eyes drawn to the eggs. “Yes,” she whispered. “I do.”
They double-checked their harnesses and leaned against the back wall, waiting for the men to return. Her back ached—the harness bit into her shoulders, its weight seeming to have doubled overnight. Madeline glanced nervously at Sophia who smiled back, oblivious to the pounding in her heart and the butterflies stirring in her stomach. The sounds of her mind covered the footsteps until they rounded the corner.
Emmett and the wizards returned. “We found the king,” Emmett said, reaching for her hand.
Sophia gave a little squeal, and Madeline’s stomach settled. The certainty of action calmed her anxiety. “You found them? Where?”
“It was easier than we expected. We made it back to the main chamber, and before we could even think about our options, the noise from the forest tunnel caught our attention. Something is going on, something big.” Danger flashed in Emmett’s eyes as he spoke.
Madeline recognized the look, and felt her nerves rattle in her stomach. “We have to go,” she said, walking past them. “We need to get to my brother before something happens.”
The rest of way flew by. The path was clear. Before they knew it, they were back in the main chamber. Madeline looked around, feeling a pang of regret at leaving so soon. But when she stood still, she heard what the men had reported: a soft reverberation in the air. A growl floated down the tunnel toward them.
They ran, desperate to reach th
e end. Before too long, they found the familiar turn, and light filtered in from the hidden entrance. The low growl turned as warm air breached the tunnel. A mixture of howls, grunts, and fearful cries chilled her to the bone.
Madeline rushed to the edge, feeling her throat catch as the eggs warmed in her harness. A familiar voice cried out.
“Braden, no!” she screamed, running out of the cave, taking in the scene before her. Her hands covered her mouth as the green dragon plunged next to Braden, knocking him down and pinning him to the ground. With its wings held back, it arched its neck high and opened its jaw.
“No!” her screams echoed through the woods as pain shot down her arm. Agony gripped her as the scale from her necklace burned her again. The dragon turned its attention toward her.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Braden!” Madeline yelled. She crouched behind the nearest tree as the powerful wings of the dragon whooshed by in its escape to the sky. Closing her eyes, she leaned back against the tree, feeling her heart about to burst.
“We have to get out of here.” Her voice shook as she looked down at her burned forearm, where the scale necklace had rested. Blisters bubbled on her delicate skin. She threw her head back in despair, feeling the rough bark grab her hair. Her eyes flooded with tears as the pain on her arm flared up. Ripping a strip from the bottom of her gown, she winced as she wrapped it around the burn.
Her hair swept in front of her face as she knelt, peeking around the base of the tree. She needed to be out there. Her brother and her people were in danger. Through the thick brush and forest trees, she saw her men crouched in position. Silver flashes reflected off the armor, and the poorly-hidden banners of her kingdom announced their location. At least fifty of them hid beneath the bushes and behind trees, waiting for the dragon’s return. In the middle of it all stood her brother, sword raised, watching the sky.
The Dragon and Princess Madeline Page 8