Dragon Frost

by S. J. Wist

  "I don't want you to get hurt," Ubi pleaded as she woke up and caught Xirel's hand in her own. "Please stay with the ship."

  Xirel looked at Ubi for a moment, then turned away and closed his eyes. "Do you remember the day they took you from me? When I was still a Sentry?"

  "Yes," Ubi replied. She lowered her eyes to the floor from the weight of the sad memory.

  "I was strong enough to break free of Hino's control then and come to Aster, where I was able to live free. I fought at your mother's side the Sentry who had joined sides with Daath and defeated them. I made it to Earth and found you again, and there were no Sentry who were powerful enough to get in my way of that. Even Simera could only wound me. Whatever Hino has conjured up against us now, I will not underestimate it. Nor will I let either of you face it alone."

  "But my mother said it's dangerous!" Ubi pleaded. "You said it yourself--that she was always right!"

  Xirel set his other hand on the side of her face. "You worry too much for me. I can hold my own. Simera was a challenge, but they don't come stronger than him." He looked at Nafury. "Perhaps your shift will be of great use, after all. I seriously doubt there is anything that can control Alexia aside from you."

  "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I feel sorry for the idiot who tries just that," Nafury said as he went up onto the deck. He looked out across the water to the Torian Beach, as the ship dropped anchor. There was a single, dark blue dragon lying casually in the sand, watching them with orange eyes. Derel. "That one has gotten bigger in the last ten years," he said when Xirel and Ubi caught up to him. "With some luck, he's still the passive type." Nafury pulled the Threads of the air around him, and pulled Ubi onto his back. He lifted them off of the deck and then shifted. Making more distance from the fragile ship in a swift downburst from his wings, he flew towards the beach.

  Xirel wasn't going to be left behind as he shifted and jumped the rail of the ship, landing on instead of in the water. He took to a run and followed them.

  "He can walk on water?" Nafury said in disbelief after glancing back.

  "That's so cool." On sensing Nafury's disdain, Ubi started to pet him, hoping to mend some of his ego.

  FIFTEEN

  Nafury hovered over the blue dragon that lay on the beach for several minutes. The smaller dragon didn't seem the least bit interested in the ship that remained some ways out. Instead, he kept his orange eyes fixated on Nafury.

  Derel was Tynar and Trista's son, as well as Cecil's younger brother. He was more adventurous than many of the other young dragons, and he was also one of the more intelligent ones. There was no way to tell whether the dragon would attack them like Simera had.

  Nafury looked back at Xirel as the chimera Awl turned his eyes from the sky to the waves. If Derel decided to attack them, his first move would likely be a tsunami with his command over water. He didn't know if Xirel would be able to do anything with the Thread against that kind of force.

  "My brother made it clear that he wants nothing more to do with you," Derel said when Nafury landed in front of him. "You have some nerve bring that treacherous Alexia over here as well."

  "Ubi would like to see her mother's grave," Nafury replied, hoping to avoid having to try and explain anything.

  Derel looked at the Fay who stayed on Nafury's back. "Yes, we all know about the Outcast Fay. She is dangerous and should not have been brought to Aster."

  "Is that what Simera has told you?" Nafury asked.

  "Simera? Simera was dead before I was born," Derel replied.

  Nafury let out a silent breath of relief. News of Simera's more recent death hadn't spread to here, yet. "So who else is going on about how dangerous she is, then?"

  Derel looked at Ubi as if for the answer. "Her story is in the Texts."

  "Let me guess, these books have suddenly appeared? How peculiar. Look, I would like to discuss your schooling all day, but I have other things to attend to. My niece and I are going to visit my sister's grave, right now. I trust there won't be any problems with the merchants?"

  Derel looked at Xirel who had turned his gaze from the skies to give him a cold stare. "I won't bother them, but I make no promises with what the others will do. Derel was on his feet now, making his way backwards before he took to the air. Nafury did the same some moments later.

  "It's so pretty," Ubi said as she looked at the crystal-like castle rise in the distance. From its center, a pinkish-purple glow rose into the atmosphere and spread across it. "It looks like from a fairy tale."

  Nafury laughed. "We will get a closer look later on. Let's go do what I said we would, first." He turned his wings in the direction of the Bedlam Waterway.

  Ubi looked back to where they left Xirel.

  The Awl nodded in her direction and thought to her, 'I will hold the beach until you get back. Be safe.'

  After a twenty minute flight, they reached the Bedlam Waterway. Nafury floated down through the mists to a ledge and gave a quick look for danger. Satisfied, he unshifted and lowered Ubi down from his back. They headed inside the small cave that was near the waterfall that fed the river. Some ways inside, they found Sybl's and Cirrus' gravestones. Just to the side stood Serena's as well. A small, intricately carved shrine had been built within the cavern that hadn't been there last time he was here.

  "Who did this?" Ubi asked, looking all around before going over to her mother's grave. Fresh, pink flowers from the Casus Beli Canyon lay on Sybl's marker.

  "It's not much, but it was something to do with my past time," a voice said from behind a pillar. A dragoon with short, blue hair and orange, blind eyes stepped out. He didn't have Derel's better looks, but Cecil was always known more for his brains. "What are you doing here, Nafury?" Cecil asked.

  "Is it so wrong to see if my former kind are doing well?" Nafury replied.

  "We've been just fine with your Apocalypse attempt out of the way. And I see you found yourself another Fay."

  Ubi started to quickly lose patience with the arrogant dragoon. Nafury could feel her willing herself to not make Cecil's blue dragon shift eat him.

  "Do you intend to kill this one as well?" Cecil asked in an attempt to spite him.

  Nafury lost his cool, and launched himself at Cecil. But the dragoon was ready for his hit, and caught the punch aimed for his face. "You already know that was out of my control."

  "Yet what is done is done and you were the one to kill her. I suppose it was inevitable, as you always were a monster. Funny how we've gone from sparring with each other as children to fighting in adulthood. You never did grow up," Cecil mocked.

  The next strike didn't come from Nafury. A rush of estus energy surged from Ubi's hands and threw Cecil across the shrine. The dragoon hit the cave wall with a vengeance, sending rocks and dirt falling to the ground around him.

  "You are the monster for speaking like that!" Ubi shouted as she looked down at Cecil, her eyes a flashing a bright blue. "My mother has forgiven him. I have forgiven him. You are the only child here who refuses to grow up! The world is more than just dragons and pretty flowers!"

  Cecil wiped away some of the blood from the back of his head and slowly got to his feet. "And that would definitely be Sybl's temper. I might have had more faith in you if you looked like your mother and inherited your father's demeanour."

  Nafury caught Ubi's arms before she could claw Cecil apart. "Easy there, he's not worth it." He had to use all of his and Alexia's strength to hold Ubi back, as she was incredibly strong when angry. "Ubi, calm down. This is what he wants--an excuse to get rid of us."

  Ubi calmed down somewhat and Nafury let go of her. "I won't be able to sleep at night with the thought of this animal near my mother's grave." She looked around for Cecil's shift, but it was hiding well.

  "We also came here to warn you of Earth's latest threat coming for Aster," Nafury said to Cecil.

  "Hino is neutralized. Sybl's death saw to that," Cecil replied. "And the Sentry can't survive on Aster as long as the Soph and Atrum's Aur
s are up. If any humans venture to Aster, then they won't get far. So exactly what are we defending against?"

  "Sybl thinks this is something else. Something even more dangerous," Nafury replied. "Anything and anyone who can link back to the Sentry, descendants of Solar, the Awls, and even the chimera may become a threat."

  "And just when did you speak with her? She's in the realm of death."

  "Let's just say I found out what happens when two Dreamwalkers Dream the same thing. Look, Cecil, I hate you. I think I have always hated you as much as you have me, but don't be blinded stupid by that fact. From what I gathered all these years is that my sister has never been wrong. Bring up Toria's defences and do what the position you've taken up for yourself requires of you."

  "Why doesn't the whole planet just attack us?" Cecil replied, talking mostly to himself. "What exactly has the power to control that kind of a force?"

  "I'm still looking for it. But I have seen that it exists. Xirel was almost overtaken with it. Then I had to kill Simera shortly after he followed the Awl leader back to Aster, at the Sanctus," Nafury replied.

  Cecil's pale eyes turned skeptical. "I won't believe that. Even with Alexia as your shift, Simera was unbeatable."

  Nafury unsheathed his blade and threw it at the dragoon's feet. It wasn't his blade that he had in his sheathe, but Simera's. He figured that Alexia must have taken it from the dragoon's body after killing him. "Believe that then, or don't. I don't care. I'm leaving now. This isn't my home anymore--it never really was." He turned and started to leave then, and Ubi followed behind.

  Nafury reached the outside ledge and started to shift, before Ubi caught his arm and stopped him. He read her eyes and lifted her chin up. "Don't let him get to you. Cecil has always been a creep."

  "I don't want to see Toria anymore," she said and absentmindedly looked him over. She wanted to sleep in his shift for their return and she didn't know how to manipulate him in such a manner to activate it. "This place makes me sad and I don't like any of it."

  "It could be the Aur," Nafury said, offering her the excuse when he knew exactly what was bothering her now. "A dark Fay would be more comfortable near the Atrum's Aur. I'm sorry then that we won't see your castle up close."

  Ubi shook her head. "It's fine."

  He pulled her close and into his shift with his best effort to douse her sadness with sleep. Then Nafury stepped off of the ledge, and spread his wings in the direction of the Torian beach.

  On returning to the beach, he landed next to Xirel. The Awl hadn't had any visitors to deal with in their absence. The merchants were quickly finishing their gatherings as well. They would be ready to start the return to the Suzerain Continent by nightfall.

  "Anything?" Nafury asked.

  "I'm not sure. The Threads have changed on this side of the world. Is Ubi alright?" Xirel asked.

  "Cecil pissed her off, but other than a bit sad, she's alright."

  "Did he listen to you?" Xirel asked.

  "I don't know. I don't plan on hanging around to find out if he did or not, either."

  "The silence here worries me. That and can you feel that in the air?"

  Nafury tilted his head, as he tried to tune into the Threads that bothered Xirel. "That is weird. What is it?"

  "Someone is realigning the Thread, and I don't think it will be in our favour. We should hasten our return to the Suzerain Continent."

  'It's electricity,' Alexia voiced to Nafury by psi. 'They're statically charging the Thread.'

  "Oh no," Nafury said.

  "What?" Xirel asked, concerned.

  "Alexia says it's electricity."

  "And there are no thunderstorms on Aster..." Xirel brought his fingers to his mouth and let out a sharp whistle. It was the emergency signal that they were all leaving, right now.

  The captain began to shout orders and his crew began to move at double speed. They loaded everything they could carry last moment onto the small boats for the GLORIA. In fifteen minutes, the last phelan shifters and humans were off of the beach and paddling for the ship.

  Nafury spotted the enemy first within the trees. "A Sentry, there."

  Xirel looked in the direction that he did and unsheathed his blade. "Go for the legs, it's their weak point.

  Cries of fear could be heard from the GLORIA. Several of the sailors had spotted the semi-transparent, insect-like creature in the trees as well.

  "Is it alone?" Nafury asked. When he got no answer from Xirel, he took to the air and then landed right on top of the creature. It screamed and thrashed, and one of its bladed arms cut the side of his face. Nafury pinned it down, before sending his teeth for its neck. It died, leaving nothing but silver ash in his claws. He looked around if any more would join the fight, but only silence answered. The answer was too easy, and he focused harder. He sensed one moving invisibly for Xirel, and he launched himself back into the air. He came down on the Sentry just as the Awl cut the Threads to its legs from under it. "Xirel!"

  "Yes, I see them," the Awl replied and looked to the next closest one. "They can still reach the ship. We must hold them off a little longer."

  Nafury charged at the one Xirel saw and crippled it with several rakes from his claws. Another came up from behind him and Xirel collapsed its legs. That gave Nafury time to react and turn around to kill the creature.

  Xirel took focus on the next Sentry to come for him, and swiftly cut it down with a swipe of his sword. He paused for a moment then as the Sentry all vanished from sight again. One landed a bladed scythe arm across his back and he stumbled forward. He fell to one knee as it came back and nearly took his head off. Now frantic, he looked around for his attacker, but they remained completely invisible. "Nafury!"

  Nafury pushed away another Sentry that was on him, and looked to Xirel. He took to the air and then swiftly scooped up Xirel as if he were prey. A heartbeat later, the Sentry dropped its scythe-like forearm where the Awl had been. "That one is a problem."

  "Indeed," Xirel replied. The Awl was content to dangle between the dragon's claws out of harms way. "Thank you."

  "Ubi would send me into the next life in pieces if you died. So that's not going to happen. The fantasy cruise is over--we're leaving," Nafury said and turned in the air to follow the GLORIA. He hoped that the Sentry hadn't learned how to swim or fly.

  SIXTEEN

  Ubi woke to the feeling of someone on her feet. She sat up in bed in the cabin given to her on the GLORIA, and found Loki's head and arms asleep on her feet. Only Awls weren't supposed to need sleep. "Loki?"

  He looked up at her and pulled his arms away from where he had been resting. "Sorry, Princess. I was just worried about you."

  "I'm alright."

  "I know, but it was a close one on the beach. The Sentry shouldn't be able to move around on Aster like that. They can't survive the aeri and estus energies anymore than we can sunlight. Or at least, they couldn't before. Everything is just all wrong."

  "We'll figure it out, Loki. Worrying non-stop won't help. Why don't we change the subject. You're supposed to be some kind of renowned storyteller, aren't you?"

  Loki returned a small smile as he accepted the change of topic. "What story would the Princess like to hear?"

  "If you told my mother a story, I want to hear the same one, just like you told her."

  Loki's expression turned into that of surprise. "Alright." He sat down on the bed next to her. She lay back down and he pulled the blanket higher over her. "Once upon a time there was a beautiful world where everyone was born as twins. No one was ever born alone or without someone to love. They called the firstborn the Mei, and the second to be born, the Aliyr. The Mei was considered the shield into the world, and the Aliyr the sword. As such, the female was almost always the shield and the male, the sword.

  "But there were exceptions. Asteria was unlike all the others of her kind, and was born alone. They called her a Sylph, which were considered to be gods as they were able to survive entirely alone. She wielded great power
and wisdom despite that. As she made the world flourish in prosperity and peace, they named it after her; Aster. But this did not mean she wished to be alone, so when a Sentry of Earth fell in love with her, she agreed to be his wife.

  "Daath gave her a beautiful Unicorn on her wedding night. In its horn, he had Threaded the names of all 3000 Eminor loyal to him. From its horn that was also a curved, bladed staff called a festra, she could command the dark army as she pleased. He in turn, would have her to please him. But the army's primary purpose on Aster was to devour and destroy any nightmares to come near her. They became known as the 'Nightmare Eaters.'

  "It was a world of peace, so the Eminor lived peacefully alongside the Asterians. They aided them with their powers in exchange for their life energies. When they were unneeded, they would sleep peacefully entertained by the Asterian's few nightmares.

  "There was no hunger, suffering, pain or disease. The Asterians could wield the spirits like magic. They could cure and build almost everything, limited only by their imaginations. Every once in a while, they would stir up Earth's humans for inspiration. They would indirectly inspire their love for each other, even where it caused war. There was no need for their own kind to wage war, for they had the power of psi. They could see into the minds and feelings of those around them. Where a dispute lay, it was settled by the power of their own spirits.

  "The most powerful Dreamer would always intimidate the other to yield. Then the conflict would be settled. Or the opposition's spirits would be devoured. In such case, the host was exiled to continue their pursuit of misery on Earth. Many became or returned to being Sentries.

  "Asteria and Daath had a baby girl and boy, twins which they named Asil and Erebus. Unlike most twins, Asil was born as the Aliyr, and Erebus the Mei. They lived happy for a time. There was nothing that existed that could match Asil's beauty or Erebus' strength. The people took their love for one another as an example to live their own lives in balance. They were the first Fay; fairy immortals composed of two worlds.