The Price of Survival (Journey of an Arbais Mage Book 2)

by Meagan Hurst

  He shrugged. “You so rarely are. I believe I have a guest though. I will have to go play host, or they will get to play dinner, but either way, I have to leave. Do try to sleep, Zimliya. I honestly think it is required despite your new immortal status.”

  “I’m not going to be able to sleep if you keep talking!”

  “Your point,” the Dragon agreed, and he was gone before she could reply.

  She hoped he took time to at least examine the wound she had inflicted upon him. Dragon or not, she had a lot more strength behind her than she had when she had originally been attacking him. The fact that he wasn’t even slightly upset surprised her, but perhaps he was truly just that used to her attacking him, or it was just another display of how much he’d change later. This added guilt to the list of other emotions she was currently balancing, and that didn’t help with her mood.

  The other possibility that was there was disquieting, and Z pushed it to the depths of her mind rather than attempt to face it. And there was a depth to her mind now. She had thought her memory was decent before, but she could recall vividly Nivaradros’s tone for the past few days on top of everything that had gone on around them. She had always had a memory for words and a few other things, but now she knew she would remember everything … forever.

  Forever was a word she had never wanted to know. There was a chance now—if she survived—that she would come to know that word in a way she had never wanted any mortal to know, especially her. Midestol’s ten millenniums were upsetting enough to think about, but now she had that lifespan as well, and, unlike the Dark Mage, she couldn’t get rid of hers.

  Growling at herself when she realized she was driving the sleep she had agreed to attempt further away, Z closed her eyes again and tried to relax. It caused her to want to fidget, and that brought a small amount of joy—something human was still with her. Immortals could fidget, but mortals made their attempts at it look pathetic. This thought carried her for another ten minutes before she grew exasperated again.

  Immortality’s a bitch, isn’t it?

  Crilyne’s words made her smile, and Z felt some of her anger slip away. Have any helpful advice?

  Don’t become immortal.

  Little late for that, don’t you think? Z sighed and struggled to keep from snapping over the Shade’s sarcasm. At least all those born to immortality get to accept the idea right away, not get it thrown upon them after they’ve spent years as a mortal.

  She felt his amusement despite the silence that hinted at immense disappointment at her stance in her new condition. Zimliya, you have never been among the merely mortal. Need I remind you how many times you should have died? Or all that you’ve accomplished. I believe the Mithane said it first—you were born to the wrong race. You’ve always been more on the side of immortals than you were of the mortals, and your logical stance on the way the world worked put you even further over the line. If you had been just a human, none of the immortal leaders would have given you so much as a glance. You’re special, you always have been, and it amuses me that we are still having this conversation even now. Do you think Nivaradros would have risked his life, magic, and position of power to keep you alive if you had been just a human?

  He wants something from me.

  It must be very important to him to make him do everything he’s done to protect you. She could feel Crilyne’s unease. Do you know what he seeks?

  Part of it.

  Does it involve you?

  To an extent. He won’t confide in me completely.

  Well, he is a Dragon. Laying things out as a whole is not something they are known to do.

  With the exception of this, he is honest and straight forward when I demand it of him.

  And yet, you still think you are merely human. Any other mortal would not have been given the amount of freedom he has afforded you. He cares for you, Z, and it frightens me to a point. I don’t think he would kill you, but he certainly seems to think you will go along with his plans without a fuss, and I shudder to think of what will happen should that not occur.

  I trust him.

  The Shade chuckled dryly. There is more to it than that. Admit it, Zimliya, you care for him far past the level of trust. He carried the honor of your friendship and so far, despite all the small hints that could have broken that gift, you have continued to let him carry it. You would, at this point in time, die to protect him if it wouldn’t mean the end of the world.

  Z grimaced. The Shade would always know her far too well for her liking, but he was like Nivaradros—she trusted him; just not as much as the Dragon. Some part of her felt the Shade wasn’t someone she could count on completely. She was still waiting for his betrayal, and if it ever did come, she was uncertain she would survive it. If she did, however, Crilyne would not.

  He’s not what everyone wants to believe he is.

  Much like you and how Tenia viewed you? the Shade asked shrewdly.

  She didn’t answer. The name still stung, and she wondered again if it would ever lose its hold on her. How in the world do you make your mind shut up? she asked him instead.

  You don’t, welcome to immortality.

  You’re just full of helpful information tonight! she snapped at him with a fair amount of anger. What do you want, then?

  Nivaradros hasn’t told me much regarding his current plans, other than he plans to join the fight and send you elsewhere—or should I say have you go elsewhere? Either way, it is a slightly irritating position to be in, so I am asking you to do something I am fairly certain you are going to refuse to do.

  Alarms went off in her mind over the words, but Z managed to keep from saying ‘no’ instantly. She would hear the Shade out if nothing else. She could always snap at him afterwards.

  What is it? she asked warily.

  I need you to consider trusting the Dragon one step further. I have a feeling he’s waiting on it.

  No. Alarms went off a hundred times louder than they just had, and if she had been standing, Z was certain she would have been on the other side of the room despite the fact the Shade wasn’t in it.

  Z—

  She ignored him and angrily shut down all communication with the Shade as a result. She could feel him trying to contact her still and forced him out further. Anger gave way then to something colder, and Z gave up on trying to sleep. Getting up instead, she began to pace the room as the lights came on, and she was therefore fully armed when the Dragon came in, and the Dragon didn’t come in alone.

  Her back was to them as they entered, and she tossed several daggers at both presences without so much as turning. Throwing blades over the shoulder was even easier than she remembered from the morning in practice. She felt the shield Nivaradros called forth, and a second later she felt and heard the blades bounce harmlessly off that shield as both Dragons—she could tell by presence alone who was with him—immediately stopped their advance once inside the room.

  “I am going to guess you spoke to the Shade?”

  “What gave it away?” she growled icily at him.

  “I was in the same mood after I spoke to him.” Nivaradros took a few steps closer to her back and she tensed. “I’m willing to assume he mentioned the same thing to you that he suggested to me.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it!” she hissed through clenched teeth.

  “Well, now would not be the time anyways,” the Dragon replied dryly. “Would you like to greet your guest? She has come a long way to meet you and is almost as annoying right now as the Shade. She seems to think I am torturing you to death. Why don’t you show her the latest reason why I think it is far safer you remain here?”

  When she didn’t move, a familiar feminine voice spoke softly for one of her race. “Zimliya? I sense something odd about your presence. What did Nivaradros do to you?” Veilantras’s worry was apparent, and it was strong. Veilantras had always had a soft spot for her, and Z was still surprised she hadn’t attacked Nivaradros the last time she had visited. Knowing full we
ll the elder Dragon was no match for her former student and inches from attacking him anyways, Z turned to face Veilantras and saw the Dragon’s eyes widen in shock. “Impossible!”

  “Far from it, apparently,” was Z’s sour reply as she let the ancient Dragon examine her both with her eyes and with a hint of magic. “Three days,” she added before the Dragon could ask.

  “Nivaradros, what did you do?”

  “Why is this my fault? She did this to herself! I was simply trying to save her from the ridiculous bargain she made all those years ago to awaken the eight Yvsina Shades.” Nivaradros’s eyes brightened at once, but his gaze moved to Z’s. It was slightly apprehensive and possibly pleading; she realized then he blamed himself for some of this. Something the Shade had said had hit home.

  “It was my magic, Veilantras. My magic and a bit of advice from an acquaintance. Nivaradros simply kept me alive long enough so it was possible.”

  Veilantras’s brow rose. “So, you don’t blame him?”

  She did, but she wasn’t about to admit it because she knew she wouldn’t always blame him. Veilantras would hold the grudge she wouldn’t until one of them was dead if she didn’t lie about it now.

  “No,” she answered softly as she turned to regard Nivaradros with a bitter smile. “Not for that.”

  What he was planning, on the other hand, she did hold him accountable for. Still, that wasn’t something she wanted to bring up either, and in order to convince Veilantras she was completely fine with things, she couldn’t continue to stand where she was. Moving to Nivaradros’s side, she allowed him to put an arm possessively over her shoulders.

  She also allowed herself to lean against him. There was something annoyingly comforting about the Dragon, and his temper, that managed to always calm some part of her down. She was still angry and still uneasy about his plans—the ones she now knew about—but at the same time, he did have her back, and she knew there was very little chance of her claiming another world as a possible home again if she ever made it to one. If she was honest, she doubted she would ever truly find any other place more like home than this room he had created just for her. If it still creeped her out—and it did—it was also a small piece of security offered by none of her other places of residence.

  Veilantras interrupted her train of thought rather suddenly. “Nivaradros says you will not be fighting with us. Where, then, will you be?”

  And now she knew why the female Dragon had really come; Nivaradros had summoned her to help. “I will be distracting the enemy,” she told Veilantras with a grimace. “I am going to go visit my grandfather.”

  Chapter 15

  “How far in do you want me to take you?”

  Z blinked in surprise and glanced to the Dragon’s head as he circled Midestol’s encampment lazily. They had spent the better part of two days flying to find the Dark Mage, and now that they had finally reached the small detachment of the army he was riding with, Z felt the familiar feeling of dread return. She really didn’t want to play family with this man, but if he truly meant what he had said when he had discovered she was kin, then this was the perfect way for her to help her allies without having to deal with the whole ‘oh my goodness you are an immortal’ thing. She was still struggling to accept the loss of her mortality and the sharpening of so many senses as it was.

  They were now flying over one of the larger meadows of the world, and Z noticed a distinct amount of damage to the land by Midestol’s forces and their passage. Due to the drought in the area, it wasn’t a surprise, but it did mean a harder winter for those living in the path of the enemy’s passage, as Midestol’s men trampled the ground some of the large game animals grazed upon. The small detachment’s presence would cause the game to flee to begin with, and then the destroyed grazing lands would keep them at bay after the small group had passed. The only possible upside to this—in a very twisted view point—was that Midestol’s men tended to destroy any civilizations in the area so the lack of food possibly wouldn’t be a problem. Dead beings generally didn’t eat after all.

  “I would assume word has been sent to him, just land on the outskirts.” She glanced over the side of the Dragon’s width with practiced ease and grimaced at the distance to the ground. It was much closer than she wanted it to be. “Watch out for stray arrows and magic.”

  “I have done this a few times before.”

  She smacked his neck lightly while shaking her head, but a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Though she had argued—and lost—with the Dragon for hours about him flying her to meet up with Midestol, Z had to admit she was grateful he had won the argument. The two day flight had been refreshing, and she found a small amount of comfort in Nivaradros’s constant degrading remarks about every single human—or any other mortal—village they had flown over. However, to be honest he had also been very insulting every time they flew over any immortal city or kingdom as well.

  Nivaradros had grown some tolerance in the presence of others, but she felt it was more of an act rather than true acceptance or respect for others. After what he had said while airborne, Z knew the Dragon’s opinion about many of the races—especially since they had only flown over a small portion of them—had remained unchanged.

  Nivaradros chose to land about five hundred feet outside the lines of Midestol’s small force. The majority of his army was attacking Istuion and two of the other kingdoms, so Z wasn’t entirely certain what this part of his army was doing out here. It wasn’t, however, her most pressing concern, but if she could gain that information she would. Sliding easily off Nivaradros’s back, she drew Kyi’rinn as a squad of twenty rode up on a band of creatures Z had never seen before. Clearly Midestol had been playing with life forms again.

  At least this time there was nothing snake-like about them. After the Tenian disaster, Z would consider herself lucky if she got to avoid snake-like creatures for a century or two. She eyed the leopard-horse-lizard cross with both disgust and an eye for detail. Lizard skin gave the creatures some defense against the strike of an enemy’s weapon, while leopard coloring for camouflage and paws that contained the animal’s deadly claws added natural weapons for fighting.

  To round it off for kicks, apparently, the creature had a horse-like build that made riding it a possibility, but Z found the horse head that ended in fangs extending a good three inches past the bottom of the jaw slightly concerning. She didn’t want to know what the creature was like to ride, but at the same time she needed to know its stamina, speed, and fighting capabilities. Sometimes Midestol’s little experiments looked worse than they were; sometimes they turned out to be worse than they looked.

  “Impressive, aren’t they?” someone sneered when they followed her gaze to their mounts. “Your people won’t know what hit them when they go up against these.”

  Z smiled icily up at him and shrugged. “I’m not sure I have a ‘people’ anymore,” she remarked mildly. She had been fairly certain her eyes wouldn’t be a color the speaker was used to in a human, and the way he backed up his mount confirmed it.

  “I am almost positive she doesn’t quite fit in with any one race anymore,” the Dragon added helpfully. He eyed the creatures for a moment and then snorted smoke. “And for the record I am not impressed. It would take me two minutes to eat them, and neither their claws nor their fangs would be able to pierce my scales.”

  There was a tense and angry silence for a moment as both parties eyed each other uneasily. “What do you want?” one of Midestol’s warriors finally demanded. His gaze was mostly on the Dragon—clearly, he thought Nivaradros was the biggest threat. As she was both female and human in his mind, Z wasn’t surprised, but she had thought Midestol had planned to leave standing orders with all of his men that she was permitted to see him at any time.

  “I’m here to speak to Midestol.”

  There was a hiss at her blatant use of their leader’s name, but Z didn’t even react to the whispered threats. Kyi’rinn, on the other hand, shuddered slightly w
ith anticipation, and she could feel the sword’s eagerness for battle in a way she hadn’t been able to before. Since this was yet another reminder that her senses had been heightened, Z tried to ignore it, but that was far easier said than done. Nivaradros still found her displeasure amusing, so Z had struggled for the past two days to keep from voicing all of her issues with her new condition, but her eyes ended up being a bit of a help to the Dragon when it came to how she was feeling.

  One of the self-decided leaders of the group opened his mouth to speak rather suddenly, but before his words could escape to get him killed, another voice spoke. It was velvet smooth, cold, and filled with the familiar power Z associated with its owner.

  “It is quite alright, gentlemen. Zimliya is here with my blessing.”

  Midestol rode up on one of his abominations, and Z was slightly pleased to see him start with disbelief when she met his gaze. He stared at her in absolute astonishment, and then turned to address his men.

  “I will handle things from here.”

  It took the squad a moment to gather themselves enough to leave, and since Midestol’s attention remained fixed on them while they did this, Z took a moment to examine the Dark Mage—her grandfather—unobserved. He was wearing clothing she hadn’t seen before and immediately disliked. Magic was woven both deep within the thread of the cloth, and heavily around it. It was as form-fitting as clothing could get that wasn’t immortally or Ranger made, but its color was a cold black that seemed to pull the color of the world around it. His boots were made from the hide of one of his new creatures, and Z noticed more protective and destructive spells had been used on them as well.

  She had her eyes back up to meet his when he returned his attention to her. “I take it you are no longer susceptible to seizures?”

  Her smile was faint, but amused. “Not so much, no,” she agreed. “But I’m not immune from death.”

  “Well, that’s a small ray of sun given the thunderclouds I see right now. What brings you here?”