Yes, Kalax said in my mind. But not enough. Many still need to heal.
I turned to nod at Seb. “We are going to do it! We’re going to free the Dragon Riders.”
I put my other hand on the Armor Stone—Seb did as well. The hum of power seemed to surge. This was what I’d expected to feel from the Armor Stone. The stone seemed to warm in my fingers. I could feel Seb making a connection with Kalax—and with other dragons. But I also sensed he was holding back a little. It was as if he was afraid now to use his dragon affinity.
“Seb—concentrate!” I told him.
He snapped back, “I am.”
The flow of energy from the Armor Stone seemed to waver—and then something odd happened.
I felt the flow shift—as if something else was pulling at the power. I shivered, remembering how Jodreth had said that Seb’s affinity could be a bad thing—it could link him too strongly to the Darkening. Was that happening now?
Opening my eyes, I glanced around. It seemed to me the dragons around us were waking up. They were all starting to stand or rise and stretch. I could hear a low hum of voices from the camp, too—the riders were starting to come out of whatever had been draining them.
But something was still pulling at the Armor Stone.
I tried to follow that tugging thread—and glanced at the mountains that stood next to the camp.
The mountains rose up a dusty rose color, near enough to see the scrub trees and rocky outcropping. Something was stirring in the mountain—I could feel it. A vibration started in the Armor Stone and spread up my arms.
“Seb?” The word came out of me with a caution—were we doing something wrong? I wasn’t sure, but Seb seemed totally caught up in the Armor Stone and connecting it to our dragons and the riders.
The ground started to shake under my boots. Heart pounding, I glanced around again, wondering what was happening. “Seb—did we do something wrong.”
His eyes popped open and for an instant, he almost seemed more dragon than human. His eyes had that swirl of color I’d seen in dragon eyes. He blinked and it vanished, leaving me thinking I must have imagined it.
He also turned to stare at the cliffs above us.
The mountain looked like it was shaking as if a giant had hold of it. Rocks tumbled down the side, loosened by what was happening. What was happening? Great spouts of dust burst from the mountain. I could still feel the Armor Stone—it was straining now, shaking in my hand as well, as if something had old of it and was trying to drain its power.
“Seb, that’s no earthquake,” I said, taking a step back and breaking the connection with Seb.
At once, the pull on the Armor Stone stopped. I could hear dragons around us, stirring, roaring. Kalax roared as well, a challenging call that I knew was one she only gave if a strange dragon came near.
Seb was staring at the mountain as if he couldn’t look away, as if he was caught somehow by something there.
Grabbing his arm, I shook him. “Seb? What is it?”
He didn’t react. I clutched the Armor Stone tighter, and thought to Kalax, What do you sense?
Danger comes.
She was right. I looked around us. The camp had at last come alive again. Riders were grabbing saddles and harness and throwing on their leathers and clothes. Someone blew a horn, sounding the call to mount. I could hear shouts—Ryan, it sounded like to me—yells to get into the sky.
Under my boots, the ground still shook. The mountain nearest us seemed to be changing—or was that cracking apart? I couldn’t really tell, but dirt kept shifting and now rocks spit past us. I had to duck as one shot past like an arrow. The scrub trees were sliding down the slope, and as I watched, two large caves near the mountain top seemed to collapse into the mountain. It was as if the mountain was coming alive.
I glanced down at the Armor Stone as it rested in my palm—it was cool again and I no longer felt the tug on it. But something, I knew, had reached out to pull energy from the stone. A lot of energy. Had the Darkening connected to it through Seb? If so, he’d been right to worry.
“Seb, we need to get to Kalax, to get in the air,” I told him. Grabbing his arm, I pulled at him. He seemed stuck now, like the riders had been. He could only stare at the hillside. “Seb!” I shouted at him.
Around us, riders hurried to their dragons, which were bellowing now and stretching their wings. After so many days on the ground, the dragons needed time to loosen stiff muscles, I knew. Riders were throwing saddles in place. Tents were forgotten, as was everything else except the need to get into the skies.
Muttering an oath, I grabbed Seb and dragged him with me to Kalax’s side. But I couldn’t very well throw him up in the saddle. I took his shoulders and shook him. “Seb!”
“It comes,” he muttered. “It comes.”
“Yeah, well, we’d better go.”
Dirt had been pushed into the air. The ground shook again, and the side of the mountain was sliding down. The camp wasn’t so close to the base of the mountain that it was in any danger, but all that moving ground pushed even more dust into the air. I coughed and pulled my flying goggles into place. Stuffing the Armor Stone into my glove, I turned to Kalax. “Can you get Seb to mount up?”
But Kalax wasn’t looking at me, either.
In fact, all the dragons were now staring at the mountain, roaring and calling out like another dragon was coming at them. For an instant, it seemed to me that the side of the mountain bulged out—like something was pushing to get out. The features of the mountainside shifted and I stared, my mouth dry and my heart pounding. It couldn’t be. But I knew it was. Those irregular features—the angular head, the horns, and the spiny back— those were of something every Dragon Rider knew by heart.
A dragon was coming out of that mountain.
But it was a dragon larger than any anyone had ever seen before—bigger even than the black Lord Vincent had been riding.
It was like it was being hatched from the stone—as if it had been growing unnaturally inside the hill. Was this why the Dragon Riders had been lured here? To see this monster’s birth. Or to be here as food for the beast?
More rock shifted and trees slid as the huge dragon began to climb from its hatching ground. The beast shook itself free from the ruined rock and earth, clutching at the ground and hauling itself up. I saw then that it wasn’t like any dragon I knew.
Six horribly mutated limbs and four wings lifted into the air as it roared at the sky. It was mottled black, and its tiny red eyes glittered as it swung its head around.
Grabbing Seb’s arm, I shook him again. “Seb, we have to go!” Around us a few other dragons launched into the sky, their riders clinging to their saddles and harness. The air seemed filled with dragon roars and dust. The huge dragon from the mountain bellowed a roar that shook the air and vibrated in my chest.
I knew Lord Vincent would be near—he’d want to see his beast come to life. This has to be some monster of the Darkening. I searched the sky, looking for Lord Vincent or his wild, black dragon. But what I really needed was to get Seb into the saddle.
Fumbling to pull the Armor Stone out of my glove, I called out to Kalax, “Be ready to fly.”
I pulled the Armor Stone free and pushed it into Seb’s hand, closing his cold fingers around the stone. “Hold it tight,” I told him.
For two heartbeats nothing happened, but then Seb blinked and his eyes focused again. “Seb, let’s go. That monster over there—if he’s like any newly-hatched dragon—it’s going to be hungry.”
At last Seb’s eyes focused on me. He nodded, and then glanced at the huge dragon now stretching its wings over the crumbling mountain top.
I was hoping we could stretch the Armor Stone again to shield the rest of the camp, and maybe we could keep this monster from destroying all of us. But I wasn’t sure that would work. The stone seemed cool in my hand as I took it from Seb and clutched it.
Not dragon-kin! Kalax hissed. She was right, it wasn’t. It was a creature larg
er than the size of an entire castle, larger than the entire academy and Torvald put together.
Kalax bent her forelegs to make it easier for us to mount our saddles. Seb climbed into his harness as if he was an old man. I vaulted into the saddle, but my harness would need to wait. We had to be in the air.
Hearing a screech overhead, I looked up to see a wild, black dragon. Seb was in the saddle, so I shouted, “Kalax, fly!”
She took off so fast, I clutched at the saddle to stay on. The black kept coming at us and I knew we’d collide.
Kalax had to turn and bank as the huge dragon from the mountain reached out with a long claw toward her. That monster-dragon had a reach longer than any river I’d seen. Kalax turned, and the wild dragon hit her side.
For an instant I held on, but I had the Armor Stone in one hand and my grip on the saddle leather began to slip. With a cry, my fingers gave way.
I spun into the air and fell, landing on my back. The breath whooshed out of me in a gasp and I lay there, dizzy—the Armor Stone had saved me from a deadly fall. But as I struggled to sit up again, I saw the black Armor Stone had slipped from my grasp.
I reached for it, but the wild, black dragon swooped down on me, and I froze as I stared up into the narrow, pale and gloating face of Lord Vincent.
*
Chapter 21:
The Darkening
“She’s okay!” I called to Kalax.
I’d seen Thea lying flat on the ground and for an instant my heart seemed to stop. It was as if my worst dreams had come true—Thea had fallen from the saddle. That was the fear of every rider—that we’d fall and our dragon would be unable to save us. I had felt the dragon slam into Kalax and had known another dragon must have hit us, but I was having trouble focusing. It was as if my mind was split between my own thoughts and those of the panic-stricken dragons below us. Their fear was mine. My heart thudded fast like theirs. My breaths came in shallow gasps. I wanted to fly—to run. But then Thea fell and I could only think of her.
She moved and I let out a long breath. The Armor Stone had saved her from a deadly fall. A roar put both me and Kalax on alert. I looked up to see the monster-dragon from the mountain swing around, its two tails sweeping over the hills and scattering anything it touched. Kalax had to veer and bank out of the way. Air rushed past us, pushed by that huge dragon’s movements. Below me, dragons launched into the sky with their riders. The monster-dragon’s tail swept down into the camp, smashing tents flat. I heard some screams then the dust rose up, hiding the destruction below. I needed to get back to Thea.
I could hear riders still on the ground, calling to their dragons, and dragons answering with shrill cries that sounded on the verge of all-out panic. How many would get away? How many would be caught by the thing that had exploded from the hillside?
The monster-dragon was now flapping its many wings, still testing its strength and skills as would any young dragon. It lifted up on its haunches and bellowed, and fire shot from its mouth. This beast was not like our dragons. I could sense only evil from it—an urge not to hunt for food, but to spill blood and destroy. It was a mindless thing, a pure beast with nothing more to it.
Our dragons had at least been given brief moments of clarity thanks to the Armor Stone—those that were not already in the sky and flying were screeching as they picked up their riders in their claws and launched themselves into the air and to safety. Once they were away, I knew they’d gain in strength. Maybe I could give them just a little more time.
The dust from the mountain’s destruction was making it hard to see, but Kalax swung around and rode the air currents back to where Thea had fallen. I’d need her help if we were going to distract the huge dragon from our riders.
A terrible screech pulled my stare, and I saw the wild, black dragon again. This time I glimpsed Lord Vincent in the saddle. He had swept down from the clouds. I should have known he would follow us here—or had he set this trap for all of us?
Haven’t we been here before, boy?
I heard his voice in my head—a dark sneer. The air around him pulsed and shimmered—the Darkening and the ancient prince working through him. Now I could see them like a black shadow that clung to Lord Vincent in an almost transparent cape. I shivered and called to Kalax for more speed.
I would not allow him near Thea.
But the wild black dragon Lord Vincent rode was fast.
His laugh echoed in my head, and I thought back to him, that monster is your doing…and I’ll see you die with it.
His wild dragon darted down, wings folded tight in a dive. My heart stopped as the dragon headed for Thea. But it swerved up again, and Lord Vincent lifted a hand to me—he held the Armor Stone itself. He had snatched it from Thea—or from where it had fallen from her grip.
I could see into his thoughts and I knew he now intended to see his giant dragon kill us all.
“No!” I shouted.
Kalax bellowed beside me, joining in my efforts.
I’ll never see Thea fall again—not to you.
Closing my eyes, I gave myself utterly to my dragon affinity. I had no choice. It was that, or perish. I slipped into Kalax’s mind and then into our dragons’. I pushed out and caught the thoughts of the wild black dragon—who hated the beast Lord Vincent had created as much as did our dragons.
Sweat popped on my brow and slicked my shirt to my back. My head felt as if it would explode, but I had to go on. I focused on our dragons—and then turned my thoughts to the monstrous beast Lord Vincent had created.
I screamed—and so did the dragons.
Spreading my wings, I would soar with them, and I told them, free—we will be free!
Freedom of flight—freedom to hunt as we wish, to have the friends we want. The sky, I called to them. Fly. We must fly!
I heard the shriek from the wild dragon Lord Vincent was riding. He might hold the Armor Stone, but his dragon was no longer his. I cut the ties between the Darkening—pushed myself between it and all dragons.
The huge dragon from the mountain stopped and stared at the sky.
Fly…
Wind whipped past my face. I soared and spun.
The huge beast blinked and I opened my eyes. For an instant, our stares met. I looked into dark eyes that seemed to be endless. It wanted to destroy—to kill. It was made to be a tool of the Darkening, but somewhere in there was a dragon’s heart. I reached for that small part of it that was still a dragon—the part that had to be there.
It gave a rumbling roar, and I thought it would reach out and swat Kalax and myself from the sky.
Dragon friend, I thought at it. Dragons…not the Darkening.
I severed the last ties to myself and fell utterly into the dragon’s mind—for Thea, I thought. For all Dragon Riders. For Torvald.
At first, darkness swallowed me. Hate. Evil. Destroy. I wound myself deeper, pushing into that beast’s mind, putting myself there. No…not destroy. Be a dragon. Be free of Darkening. It’s not my ruler. It’s not my kin. It’s not me!
I was free…I was a dragon so mighty none could stop me.
A roar echoed from my throat, vast and shaking the earth. I lifted up into the sky, spread my wings and turned toward the warm south—to the vast heat of the ground, to the open wind. I would fly. I was a dragon.
Seb?
No Seb…dragon!
“Seb?” The word echoed not just in my head but in my ears. I blinked open my eyes. I lay on the ground, staring up at blue sky. Kalax lay curled around me, holding me with her tail. Had she just called my name?
Thea’s hand tightened on my arm. “Seb?” she said again.
I blinked—for an instant I knew I could stay as a dragon.
I could live inside that huge dragon’s mind, and be one with it. I could soar forever. I could hunt and live as a dragon. I’d be the ruler of the skies—a dragon so mighty none could harm me.
Something wet splashed on my face. I looked up to see tears spilling from Thea’s eyes. Reluctantl
y, I let my connection with the dragons slip—first from the huge dragon now flying south, then from our dragons who seemed to be scattered everywhere, and then from the wild, black dragon that had thrown Lord Vincent. I couldn’t sense Lord Vincent near—but I knew he had the stones. I could feel that power pulsing around me, and I shut down even that thread of connection.
Good, Kalax thought at me. Seb dragon friend, not dragon.
Just before the connection vanished, Lord Vincent’s thoughts swept into mine—dark and swirling and angry. I knew he’s used the powers of the Darkening to make his escape. But he sent me one gloating thought.
The Memory Stone, the Healing Stone, and the Armor Stone—the perfect tools to take apart your entire, wretched world.
*
I didn’t remember much of what happened after that. I had some memories of how Kalax had flown me back to Thea. I knew I’d managed to save her—and the Dragon Riders—but I wasn’t sure how, except I’d been a dragon. I’d been all dragons—for a brief time. And I’d left a small part of myself in that huge dragon that the Darkening had created—it was no longer a mindless thing meant to kill. It had in it somewhere deep a connection to us—but I wasn’t sure that would be enough if we ever had to face it again.
I also wasn’t sure I could ever do that—become a dragon—again and come back to being just myself. Thinking about it left me cold inside.
Thea, however, hovered next to me.
The Dragon Rider camp was a mess—utterly destroyed by that monster-dragon. Tents had been knocked over and dragged over the sand. Some riders had been buried—I could hear the keening of the dragons that had lost riders. A few dragons and riders had gotten away, and a few had stayed to try and fight.
But I worried we were in a bad spot still—at least the one good thing was that the illness that had affected everyone was gone.
Just before nightfall, I got out of bed, dressed and stepped out of the tent.
The camp was getting ready to move. Dragon Riders were taking down tents and saddling dragons and packing up anything that was still worth taking—food, weapons and water. Dragons were calling with impatient cries to their riders—they didn’t want to stay here and I didn’t blame them. I resisted dipping into any dragon’s thoughts.
Dragon Legends (Return of the Darkening Book 2) Page 22