She sighed and looked closer. Serassa was young and finding her place in the world. Yet there was something about her, like Ariandi, strong and wise. Something shifted, and Cora saw the dragon in her mind as a large graceful beast, very much like Ariandi and pale. She was the green of the dragons Cora had seen here, only she might be mistaken for white from a distance.
Cora longed for the snow again, and then she was sitting on her backside in the grass as the dragon had knocked her down. ‘Hey,’ she cried as she looked up, then scuttled back. Before her stood the dragon of her vision. Large and white, although the scales had a green tinge when she looked more closely.
She stretched out her wings as Cora climbed to her feet.
Thank you, Great Oldra, the dragon hummed through her body. Cora could feel the happiness ebb from her.
‘Serassa!’ Cora cried, throwing her arms around the dragon’s neck. ‘Look at you.’
I told you I had scales.
‘Did you know...’ But her question was cut short as Serassa looked up behind her, and she knew another dragon moved closer.
Now is not the time to meet, Serassa said, her voice firm. Cora wasn’t sure if the words were meant for her or the dragon behind her. As she turned, Serassa wrapped around her. She had grown more than scales. She was as large as the dragons Cora had grown with, and her first thought was that Artell was not going to fit her in the cavern.
You have taken her for yourself, a male voice rippled through her.
Cora tried to push out of the dragons’ hold.
You would leave me. He sounded so sad, and Cora stopped pushing. Serassa let her go and moved towards the other dragon, touching her nose to his. A leathery nose.
‘You live here,’ Cora said.
The dragon looked at her with the same golden eyes and stepped forward.
The dragon appeared just as Serassa had not very long ago. And although Serassa tried to get between them again, Cora pushed at her to move. She sat down with a huff. The male dragon bowed his head to her, then rubbed his nose along her cheek.
I see why she chose you, he hummed. You are very strong. I have no clan and would be honoured to be a part of yours. He is also strong.
Cora could feel him searching through her and the connection to Artell. Perhaps he should be here for this.
Perhaps they all should, the dragon hummed.
‘All?’ she asked.
‘Your clan. All of them should come.’
‘We are only three,’ Cora said slowly, wondering what this dragon knew that she didn’t, or Serassa for that matter. She reached out and ran her hand across his face, then down his neck. As she moved along his side, she could feel his heartbeat resonate through her.
She put her hand to where his heart was closest to the skin and took a deep breath. A whole world filled her senses as the mark on her chest burned hotter than it had before. His name, Meyza, formed in her mind as she stood inside the large cavern with people moving around, the hearths set out like those of the Penna and Nerrim. The light was bright. Children squealed with delight and dragons filled the spaces between hearths.
But as Cora looked around the people, they weren’t clear; she couldn’t quite focus on any one face. Then a man strode towards her, strong and confident. People bowed their heads as he passed them, and she could feel the respect they had for him. As he got closer, Teven smiled at her and put a hand on her shoulder.
She stepped back, overwhelmed by what she had seen and somewhat confused. She wasn’t meant to be with Teven—it was Artell. And yet she had never really believed that she would remain here, so far from the snow.
You do not need the snow. You need your people around you, and you will be content.
‘These are not the people I expected to be around me,’ she said. ‘Where do you fit into this world, Meyza?’
You can see.
Cora wasn’t sure what she could see, but she stepped back and placed her hand over the heart of the dragon, trying to steady the uncertainty she felt.
Breathe.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and focused on a dark green dragon sitting almost where they were now, shimmering in the sun. Then Teven was walking forward and leaping up onto his back, his smile wide as he patted the neck of the dragon and they lifted into the trees.
It felt as though it should be. But a nervousness pulled at her. She searched the shadows of the trees around her for Merik, but she couldn’t see him. Teven was dragged again into a future she wasn’t sure of.
When she opened her eyes, the small leathery dragon she had talked with glistened dark green before her. ‘Have you told him?’ she asked, thinking of Teven and what that would mean for her and Artell.
The time is not right.
Cora ran her fingers through her hair and tried not to sigh. Again, she had no idea where she was meant to be or where she fit. ‘Can I see inside?’ she asked Meyza.
He bowed his head, and she looked back at Serassa standing in silence beyond him. Cora waved her forward and, without a word, Serassa followed her into the cavern.
Dim lights lit up a wide tunnel that led into a much larger space. Cora stopped, and Serassa nudged her from behind. The cavern was larger than that of the Penna or the Nerrim. The smooth, domed walls were made of well-packed earth. Small globes of light appeared dotted over the ceiling, but the light was low.
You will need another to bring them to what they should be.
Rhali, Cora thought. She had the gift of light, but then so did Artell. She moved further into the space. ‘Did you do this?’ she asked.
We have been waiting.
‘For me or for Teven?’
Instead of answering, the dragon nudged her from behind. She was overwhelmed at the sheer size of the space before her. She could nearly fit the Penna and the Keetar in this one cavern. A wave of homesickness washed over her, and she knew that this was not meant for them. But how would the two of them—maybe four—and two dragons survive as a clan of their own?
You will see, Serassa hummed.
Cora shook her head. ‘Just like an Ancient,’ she murmured. Glancing to the side, she was surprised by Serassa’s colour and size.
Serassa nudged her again, and she saw the gap in the wall. ‘Has someone lived here before?’
Only dragons.
Cora moved through the gap and was surprised to find a smaller cavern. She was reminded of the birthing chambers, only this one had something dark in the corner. As she edged closer, she thought they were rocks, but as she squatted down, she saw they were egg shells. Large egg shells.
‘You were hatched here,’ Cora said, turning back to the opening where Serassa stood silently. It was hard to tell from the fragments how many eggs had hatched here and whether it was only one clutch or several over years. The room was warmer than the main cavern. Cora wondered if it was closer to the edge of the hill they were buried within and so it warmed from the sun. It would be perfect for human or dragon.
Come. There is more.
Cora nodded and stood slowly, following the dragon across the cavern to another gap in the wall. This opened into another large cavern. Larger than Artell’s, yet similar in size. It was narrow but long, and in the distance, something shimmered in the dim light.
‘Another dragon?’ she asked.
Serassa curled in the middle of the space and Cora, tucking her hair behind her ears, walked slowly towards the back. It was calm and warm and quiet. She turned back to look at Serassa. She felt instantly comfortable in the space, as though it was where she was meant to be. Closing her eyes, she could imagine a fire and woven mats, perhaps cushions in coloured wool like those of Arminel’s. People visiting would only need enter the front of the space.
She could set up an area to work with herbs near where she stood. And beyond, in the darker corners, she could set up sleeping mats. The space was large enough that she could set up more in case she needed to treat anyone.
Cora shook her head. She was startin
g to think of this as her own space, as though she was to be an Ancient. She nearly laughed at the idea. Artell was the Ancient. She was to be Chief.
She looked back at the dragon briefly. But if Teven was to be Chief, what would that mean? Cora imagined curling up with Artell in the far dark corner of the cavern. And then something glistened in the dim light.
‘Essara,’ she breathed, moving forward. Dark crystals pushed their way through the wall. She ran her hand over them, feeling a shiver through her mark as she did. ‘This is the place of Ancients,’ she whispered. ‘It is not for me.’
You are the greatest Oldra of all. Are you not to be an Ancient?
‘I didn’t think so,’ she said.
As the doubt washed over her, Merik appeared in the shadows. He grinned at her, and she looked away. She rushed out of the cavern and into the main space again. It was huge, and she stopped to close her eyes, imagining it as she had seen it in the other dragon’s heart. She could see the people. Some she thought she recognised; others she didn’t. Deen’s sister Junah smiled at her, and her heart leapt. From amongst the crowd, she saw Merik watching the world.
But amongst all the faces, she couldn’t see Artell. When she looked for him, she saw Teven again. He nodded her way. She looked down to see her hands were covered in blood. And she knew in her heart that it was Artell’s. He was gone, and she was left to do what he should have. The blood matched the long red robes she wore. She wiped madly at her hands, running through the cavern and the people and out into the sunshine.
She sucked in a deep breath and then focused on the emptiness around her.
‘Cora,’ Artell called, his voice as loud and clear as though he stood behind her. She swung around, searching for him.
She blinked into the bright light, and Serassa was there. Cora leapt up onto the dragon’s strong shoulders. Her scales were smooth and bright beneath Cora’s hands, which no longer appeared covered in blood. Then they were in the air.
Do not panic.
‘I can’t help it. Something is wrong. He is calling for me.’
They flew faster towards the cavern, and then Serassa flickered. The world was as it had been when she had flickered with Dra, only very different. She sensed rather than saw that the world around them slowed, yet she knew the dragon travelled fast. Then they were landing at the base of the waterfall, and Cora was running.
Chapter 27
Merik grinned at her from the shadows. She tried to work out if he was really there, or whether this was another hideous dream. Artell sat facing the fire, and Cora slowed as she approached, too scared of what she would find.
He turned and looked at her, his face bruised, and she threw herself down to him, cupping his face in her hands. ‘What happened?’ She looked around, but Merik was gone.
‘I thought I should check on where you might be, only I found someone else.’
‘Merik,’ she breathed.
‘Worse. Teven.’
‘And he hit you?’
‘He strongly believes that I should give you back.’
‘As though you stole me? They were the ones keeping me against my will.’
‘Really?’ he asked.
‘I thought I needed to be there to learn what I was, but if I could have gone home, I would have.’
‘And now you are here.’
‘I want to be here, with you.’
‘You don’t quite sound like you believe that,’ Artell murmured.
Cora sat back on the woven mat and rubbed her hands together, sure that she could still feel his blood on them. ‘I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to be the reason we aren’t together.’
‘What did you see?’ he asked.
She shook her head. She wasn’t quite sure of anything, and Merik was too close. Always close. She jumped as he grabbed her arm.
‘What did you see?’ he asked again.
‘Merik,’ she blurted. ‘No matter where I go, he is watching me.’ She shivered. Artell pulled her close then, and it didn’t seem so frightening when she was wrapped in his arms. She nestled against his chest. His heart thumped against her ear.
She looked then again into his heart, wondering if what she had seen of herself and the dragon at his hearth was here or at the other cavern, but she couldn’t tell.
‘I’m scared,’ she said. ‘Just when I think I have it worked out, the world tears it apart.’
‘What else did the little dragon show you?’
‘Too much,’ she murmured, ‘and she is not so little anymore.’
Artell turned and groaned. ‘Really, you were too big before,’ he said to the dragon.
A soft chuckle filled her, and then she felt something else from Artell. Fear, perhaps. ‘What is it?’ she asked.
‘She is white.’
‘I thought she was green.’
He smiled, but it was sad, and she could feel the pain that he focused on when he saw into the lives of others. He pushed her gently from his arms. ‘I should visit with Henda,’ he said.
Cora felt the divide opening between them. She pressed her hand to her mark as it hurt, a sharp pain travelling deep inside her. Was this how it ended? Had she only imagined the connection?
Hold on to it, Serassa urged.
‘He is safer away from me,’ Cora groaned as the pain sliced deeper. She gasped, unsure what she had done or whether it was something or someone else. She tried to see into the shadows, assuming Merik was close again. He had already found her there once before.
‘Why?’ Artell whispered. He sounded so distant, so far away.
Cora wanted to curl into a ball and hide away, but she couldn’t catch her breath.
‘Breathe, trust who you are and what you know to be true,’ her mother’s voice whispered at the back of her mind.
She sucked in a deep breath, but she wasn’t sure of anything. She could not keep him safe. As Merik continued to show her, she would be the end of him. She didn’t want that. She couldn’t allow that to happen. Was this the pain he felt at the loss of others? Was this why he lived as he did?
‘Cora?’ Artell asked cautiously. ‘Cora?’ he asked again, kneeling before her. ‘What is wrong?’
She shook her head, tears suddenly flowing. She couldn’t form any words that would help him understand this.
He took her in his arms, and the feeling dissipated somewhat. The calm of his hold did something she had never experienced before she had found him. It was like she was home. She clung to his tunic. ‘Don’t leave me,’ she murmured.
‘Do you think I would give you back to Teven?’
‘Teven is there in my future.’
‘Since when do you see what is to come?’ Artell asked, his voice jovial.
‘The dragons have shown me.’
‘Dragons?’
‘We have more, but...’
‘You didn’t see me in this vision,’ he answered for her.
‘Only your blood on my hands, again.’
‘It is Merik, not the truth. I have seen you in my future; therefore, it must be so.’
‘Truly?’ she asked, looking up at him.
He grinned and then pressed his lips to hers. The sharp pain in her chest continued to lessen, and she pulled herself closer to him. Desperate for the calm she had in his arms. Desperate to close the gap that had opened between them. She heard the distant flap of wings, and there was only the two of them.
He winced as she ran her hand over his face. She sat back, placing her hand carefully over the large bruise, and closed her eyes. The cold seeped between them, and he sighed.
‘Better?’ she asked. He nodded and leaned forward.
Wrapping his arms tighter around her, he pulled her closer and she kissed him again. His fingers worked their way under her tunic, and she gasped. The fire danced across her skin. Then his hand was fiery and flat against her back, pulling her closer still.
She wanted to see his mark, needed to feel his skin against hers. As she pulled at the base of his tu
nic, he yelped and leaned back. Then he grinned and pulled his tunic over his head. She placed her hand flat over the mark on his chest, and they were engulfed by the flames.
Cora woke wrapped in his arms, her body still burning and the furs thrown back. Despite the hot, sharp pain in her chest and across her skin, she felt content and calm. The panic of the previous day had disappeared, and although she still searched for Merik in the shadows, she couldn’t see him.
She had, however, dreamt of Teven. Talking with him at a hearth, laughing with him over something... She was surprised that it was not the past she had lived, nor did she think it was the past he had lived.
Was the dragon showing her more of a possible future, or was she so connected to Artell now that they shared his skill? She sat up and looked over his sleeping form. ‘Teven,’ he murmured, and rolled towards her. ‘What was that?’ he murmured, then put his hand to his heart and moaned. ‘I am burning.’
‘It seems that there are sparks after all,’ she said, trying not to smile, but she couldn’t keep it from her face.
He traced a finger over her mark as she leaned over him, and she flinched away. ‘How long will it last?’
‘You should ask your mother,’ he murmured.
‘Do you want to come with me?’
‘I should dress first.’
She laughed, bent down and kissed him again. The heat flared in her heart as she lay down against him. ‘Let’s not go anywhere,’ she murmured.
‘Teven,’ he said, and she sat back up. ‘I dreamt of him.’
‘I saw,’ she said.
‘Really?’
She nodded. ‘At the hearth.’ She sighed then. ‘That means it is your future, your discussions with him. You are there.’
‘Are you still worried that I wouldn’t be?’
She nodded. ‘Did you see where it was?’
‘I thought it was the cavern of the Nerrim, but I’m not sure.’ He looked at her closely for a moment. ‘What have you discovered?’
The Heart of Oldra Page 23