by Krista Walsh
“That was a dragon,” Ariana said, her face pale and damp with sweat. Jeff remembered his first dragon sighting all too vividly and thought she’d held up well in comparison.
Should it bother me that dragons are old hat now?
“Yes it was,” he said aloud. “Consider yourself initiated.”
Ariana gave him a weak smile, her trembling fingers wrapped around the blanket at her hips. “But it’s not your dragon, is that it? Not the one that Counsellor Reed has… bonded with?”
The princess had heard the whole story after it happened, when Feldall had returned to the capital to assure the queen that Raul was gone. Brady’s death and rise from the dead had been a point of particular interest for all involved. Brady had done what he could to keep the dragon part to himself, but none of them dared hide details at Ansella’s direct questions.
Now, with this interesting plot twist, Jeff was glad he got to skip over most of the background. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to lay it all out coherently.
“That is correct,” he said. “This one is new.”
Venn pulled her knees up to her chest and crossed her arms on top, staring up at the sky. “And that means trouble.”
***
As the sun set, the stars came out, the clouds gone for the first time in days. Even with only a quarter-moon above the trees, their path was clear, the snow a stark shining white. Brady, apparently still too shaken from earlier to want to stop, opted to drive through the night.
Jeff nodded off in the back of the sled, lulled by the steady rock of the blades sliding over the snow, the crunch of hoofbeats as they broke the frozen surface, the soft murmurs of Jasmine and Jayden as they discussed their next move and what they would need to tell Maggie.
He opened his eyes as the sky turned pink, the early light spilling soft ice cream colours across the ground. Cottages started to appear that he recognised, and he knew they would be back at the Keep in less than an hour.
He moved slowly as he sat up, trying not to jar Venn, who was using his shoulder as a pillow. He stretched his free arm over his head until the joints popped, and then pulled the blanket up closer around them both.
Looking up, he found Ariana watching them.
“She’s a tough girl,” she said.
Jeff smirked. “She likes to appear that way.”
“She’s lucky to have you.”
Jeff’s smile faltered. “I don’t know about that. I think I’m lucky to have her. Never mind that she tried to kill me, she’s saved my life enough times to balance it out.”
Ariana’s gaze moved from them to Jasmine, who had stretched out across the bench behind Brady; to Jayden who was still awake on the driver’s bench, bleary eyed as he stared ahead; to Brady who was as alert as he’d been the night before.
She spoke low enough not to draw attention, so only Jeff could hear. “I’ve never experienced anything like what you have. No matter how much you’ve been through, you stay together. You’re stronger together. It’s amazing.”
Jeff picked up on a tone he recognised from not so long ago, when his life revolved around nothing but writing, when his schedule was limited to words and the odd coffee break to see Cassie. It was loneliness.
“You don’t have many friends in the capital?” he asked, hoping he hadn’t crossed any boundaries.
Ariana smiled at her shoes. “Not so much. I have courtiers who follow me around, women who imitate and flatter me, men who pay me compliments, all giving me gifts. It’s why I spend so much time outside the palace, wearing slacks and tunics the women would never want to wear. They’re sycophants to the worst degree. You’re living the dream, Jeff. I hope you appreciate it.”
Jeff glanced down at Venn. He thought about his friends, and how he wouldn’t want to be stuck in this crappy situation with anyone other than them.
“More than anything else,” he said.
Ariana nodded, and again Jeff saw a gleam of jealousy pass over her face, followed by longing. The expression faded, and they both sat back to watch the sun rise over the tower of the Keep ahead.
“I gotta say, I’m a little disappointed,” said Venn, waking with a yawn. She sat up and stretched, her fist just missing Jeff’s face. He rolled his eyes and leaned away from her, giving her shoulder a shove.
“Why?”
“The last day was almost boring. We see a dragon in the air that’s not our dear and close friend, but nothing happens. It’s enough to make me miss the chaos at the coffee shop.”
“Coffee?” asked Ariana.
“Hot bean juice,” Venn explained. “It’s delicious.”
Ariana nodded, willing to take Venn’s word for it.
“What did you expect or hope for?” asked Jeff, coming back to Venn’s point. “An unknown dragon to swoop down and say hello? We may have a bit of a rein on the one we know and love, but I don’t think Brady’s connection would help with someone new. It’s for the best he didn’t see us.”
Venn shrugged. “I’m just saying.”
“Who was it speaking of jinxes?” Jayden posed through clenched teeth.
Jeff looked to the left to follow Jayden’s stare, and his stomach sank into his boots.
Next to the gate, the snow started to swirl up, caught in a gust of wind that didn’t affect anything else.
Brady pulled the sled to a halt and the group stared as the vortex began to open. Blue light swirling into nothingness, flashes of lightning, and rising winds.
“Whoa,” Brady murmured as the horses began to spook. The sled moved forwards and the counsellor clicked his tongue, forcing the horses back.
“We need to warn them,” Jasmine called over the high-pitched whistle of the wind.
Jayden shook his head. “There’s no one in the way, Jax. The people are fine. We need to get away.”
The sled continued to slide forward, in spite of Brady’s best efforts. On the floor of the sled, Venn, Jeff, and Ariana slid on the blankets, jostled towards the back as the sled lurched.
“Turn us around,” Jayden ordered, reaching over to grab the reins as Brady strained against the pull of the vortex.
Jeff grabbed the railing of the sled, heart pounding an uncomfortable rhythm in his chest. He remembered the words of the queen: that people were being sucked into these portals now, not strong enough to get away.
“Everyone get off,” said Jasmine. “Get off and run. As fast as you can.”
“Come on!” Venn yelled at Jeff when he hesitated. His leg was throbbing, and he didn’t think he’d make it far enough to be safe.
“Think of Cassie, you idiot. Just move!”
Ariana led the way, and Jeff allowed Venn to pull him off the back of the sled and into the snow, the three rushing away from the sliding vehicle. Jasmine cut away the tethers keeping Corsa, Nalen, Brady’s piebald, and Jayden’s thoroughbred to the sled, and the horses tore away from the pulling energy.
She raced around to the other side where Swish and Ariana’s mare were tied, but the sled was moving too quickly. Brady had lost control of the reins and the whole rig slid sideways, the horses screaming in fear.
“Swish!” Jeff yelled.
He ran forward, boots slipping in the snow. For a brief moment, he felt the tow of the vortex, catching him before he could fall, but Venn grabbed his arm and yanked him back, both of them tumbling into the snow. He saw Swish trying to get away and scrabbled on his hands and knees, desperate to reach him. Venn tightened her grip to hold him. Ariana knelt beside him to rest her hand on his shoulder, her hold compassionate, but restrictive.
He watched as the gelding pulled hard at the reins, terrified now when so recently, at the sight of the dragon, he’d remained calm.
“Brady, Jayden, get out of there!” Jasmine called out. The men still fought to gain control, to save the vehicle from getting caught in the growing portal. Most of the snow in front of them was gone, dirt and earth pulled from underneath.
Accepting it as a lost cause, they jumped and ran out
of range of the vortex, pulling each other to safety as they slipped on ice and snow.
Jeff continued to scream, felt the tears slide down his cheeks, felt his heart break into a thousand pieces as his horse and friend disappeared into the vast expanse of nothing, followed by Ariana’s mare, the sled horses, and the sled itself.
He kept screaming until the vortex closed in on itself and disappeared.
Swish was gone.
Chapter Eighteen
Numb, Jeff followed Venn through the gates and into the village of the Keep. He stared at the ground, not interested in or capable of seeing his surroundings. He heard Jasmine’s words of condolences, but when she, Jayden, and Brady turned to take their horses to Paul in the stables, Jeff continued up the stairs to the Keep.
He had no reason to go to the stables.
He’d lost one of his best friends.
The hurt threatened to burst through his chest, making it difficult to breathe.
Venn’s hand stayed closed around his, refusing to let go even when he tried to pull away. Ariana kept with them, in too much shock to say anything.
They reached the front doors at the top of the stairs, and vaguely he heard Venn introduce Ariana. The servants snapped to attention and rushed off to prepare rooms for her. In the back of his mind, Jeff knew that at any other time, he would be amused by their reaction. He would have watched Jayden’s response to the way his people welcomed his wife.
But it all seemed trivial.
Only one thing mattered now and that was finding Cassie, and then making sure these vortices closed forever.
Venn squeezed his hand, and he looked up long enough to notice she’d led him into Jasmine’s office. “Jeff?”
“I don’t want to be here,” he said. “I want to go to my room.”
“I know,” said Venn. “And you’ll be there soon enough, but you should stay while we talk to Maggie. She’s been working on these vortices while we’ve been gone, right? Maybe she learned something. Maybe Swish isn’t gone for good. What if there’s a way—”
“Don’t,” Jeff interrupted her. His throat closed up and more tears threatened to fall. He swallowed hard and pulled his hand away. This time Venn let go. “He’s gone.”
“I’m sorry.”
Maggie pushed into the room, smile bright as if she’d just woken from a nap and a great meal. Jeff turned away so he didn’t have to see her cheerfulness.
“I didn’t expect you guys back so soon. What did the queen have to say? Who is—Jeff?”
Jeff sank into one of the three chairs in front of Jasmine’s desk and stretched his legs out in front of him. He didn’t feel like talking, and did his best to tune them out.
“A vortex opened up right outside the gate,” he heard Ariana say, not succeeding in blocking his ears. “It… got Swish.”
He heard Maggie’s exclamation of horror and her murmurs of grief. Hot tears spilled onto Jeff’s cheeks, and he hastened to wipe them away.
Venn cleared her throat and changed the subject. “That’s the saddest news, but not the scariest. The vortices are opening all over the place. People are dying. Raul’s followers are causing more of them to open, and to top it off, we saw a dragon on our way back here. It wasn’t Talfyr. Oh, and Ariana snuck out of the palace to follow us and will probably get us all executed once the queen finds out she’s here. But she’s cool.”
“Oh,” said Maggie, as if the word summed up every thought and emotion that had passed through in the last thirty seconds. “Hello, Your Highness.”
“Ana, please,” said Ariana. She sounded uncomfortable, caught in the middle of too much emotion and shock and rushed explanations.
More voices sounded down the hall and a moment later the other three came into the office. A hush fell on the room, and Jeff felt everyone’s eyes on him. He knew they all wanted to say something to make him feel better, but the only cure for his grief would be to hear they’d found Cassie. That she was here and safe, and they could be sent home so the doorway could be closed for good.
Since he knew any of those words were impossible, he continued to glare into the desk and hoped they all had sense enough to leave him alone.
Jasmine got the hint and began, “Maggie, we need your help.”
“Venn gave me the shorthand notes,” said the enchantress, taking the chair to Jeff’s right. “Tell me what you need.”
Brady pulled out the third chair, stepping aside for Ariana to sit.
Jasmine sank into the seat on the other side of the desk, Brady and Jayden taking up sentinel on either side.
Jeff couldn’t see Venn, but felt her looming behind him.
“The queen’s enchanter told us Raul’s followers have formed some sort of magical group,” said Jasmine. “He believes they must be stirring up the energy with powerful magic to increase the severity of the rifts, if that makes sense?”
Maggie nodded. “It does. It’s what happened to Raul when he got trapped behind the veil. He was working with magic too strong for his skill level and created the tear in error.”
“We need to know if there’s any way to follow the trail they’re leaving?” Jayden asked. “Use the energy they’re creating to track down where to find them?”
The enchantress tapped her finger against her lip, her face scrunched up with thought. After a moment she offered a look of tentative hope. “If I send a message out to the enchanters in all the surrounding Houses, we might be able to triangulate any high-energy areas. I don’t think I could do it on my own. It would give us only the most general sense, like east or south, but not any concept of distance.”
“Anything to get us started, Maggie,” said Jasmine. “These rifts are getting worse and we need to stop them before they devour the whole country.”
“What about Cassie?” asked Jeff. He knew he sounded like a broken record, but if that’s what it took for them to listen, he would scream her name from the rooftops until his voice gave out. “What are we doing to find her? Is there any sort of tracking spell that could pinpoint her location?”
Maggie dropped her gaze to her folded hands. “I’m sorry, Jeff, but no. I know she means the world to you, but in the scheme of this world, she’s just one person in a million. I’d have no way of finding her.”
A red haze filled Jeff’s vision, and he clenched his hands against the arm rests. “What about the Meratis incantation?”
“What about it?” asked Jasmine.
Jeff raised his gaze to clash with hers. “Can’t Maggie cast that? It worked well enough to bring me here. Can’t you just cast it and summon Cassie back to the Keep? What good is that goddamn spell if all it does is tear holes between worlds?”
Maggie’s blue eyes turned steely. “I realise you’re upset, but this is not my fault. It is what it is and we’re doing what we can to find her and bring her back. You losing your temper with your friends is not going to make this any easier.”
Jeff bit down on his tongue, a string of curses flowing through his mind that he knew wouldn’t help anything if he let them out.
Maggie took a breath. “If you have any of her belongings on you, I can try to do some sort of location spell. But I don’t want you to get your hopes up.”
He cast his thoughts through everything he’d brought with them, but they hadn’t packed for a long trip. Anything Cassie had with her had disappeared when she did.
Feeling lost, he shook his head. “I don’t have anything.”
He sensed his friends’ sympathy as his best chance floated away, and he closed his eyes to block it out. It hurt too much to think of everything he was losing. He wished he could escape into his room and scream and throw the stupid white and blue basin off the top of his dresser, watch the porcelain shatter across the floor.
“I might have something,” said Venn, her voice much softer and smaller than Jeff was used to hearing. She rested her hand on his shoulder and gave it a tight squeeze.
Swimming to the surface of his grief, he held his breath
against a sob.
“Give me a minute,” she said.
“Meet me in the Haunt,” Maggie corrected. “The sooner we can get started, the faster we’ll get results. Jeff, come with me.”
He didn’t want to. He didn’t want to be near anyone. But Maggie’s hand slipped around his, always stronger than her softness suggested, and he decided it was better to follow along than make a scene trying to get away.
Ariana stood beside them, looking much less like her usual assertive self. In the face of the grief and confusion, she appeared just as lost as Jeff felt, without the support of friends to help her.
“Why don’t you come with us,” Maggie suggested, picking up on the same clues as Jeff. “It’s nice and warm downstairs and we’ll get you fixed up with something to eat.”
Ariana looked to Jayden, but he was bent over Jasmine’s desk, drawing his finger along a map. Jeff suspected he was focused more on not looking at Ariana than anything on the desk, and again he wanted to go over there and knock some sense into the man. Life was too goddamned short to play stupid games when what you wanted most was standing right in front of you.
He wanted to yell it out, but Maggie was pulling him towards the door, and he allowed himself to be guided, Ariana trailing along behind them.
“What about the dragon?” the princess asked as soon as it was only the three of them in the corridor. “That never came up in the meeting. Shouldn’t it be discussed?”
Jeff didn’t much care one way or another. What was one more threat amid all the others?
He was more surprised when Maggie also shrugged, expecting her to be the voice of reason.
“I guess it makes sense. The reason Talfyr woke when he did was that Raul tore back through the veil. The change in energy pushed him out of his nice deep sleep. If rifts are opening up all over the country, I’d say we can expect lots of random things to happen with the shifting balance. One dragon won’t mean anything if we can’t get the rifts under control.”