Wix’s brow furrowed. “We have extra furs, clothes, in our packs. Maybe we could tie some of those around us.”
Toli held a hopeful breath as she and Wix stepped closer to look at the dragon’s back. The surface between her wings was nothing but a wide expanse of smooth, interlocked scales. Toli’s heart sank. Trying to ride that would be like clinging to a wall of ice. Petal had already read the answer on Wix’s face.
“Come,” said Bola Stone, leaning down. “If you are coming, come. I have no care about how. You will come with me now, or I will take you. Or perhaps I will take the youngling and leave the rest of you to die. In any case, I am done with waiting.”
Toli nodded. Talons it would be. She should go first. She steeled her nerves as her stomach churned. The dragon’s scales were warm against her palms as she took hold of one finger and stepped into Bola’s palm.
Petal climbed in next to her. Toli could feel her struggle not to panic. Wix clambered in on the other side of Toli. Toli’s pulse hammered so loud it drowned out every thought. She shifted to hold Ruby at her front, quickly looping a sling of rope around her. The little dragon’s soft scales were cold, and Toli fastened her cloak around them both. At her back, through a thick layer of scale, Bola Stone’s pulse beat a steady rhythm.
The dragon’s voice rumbled against her. “When we arrive in the Mountain,” she said, “keep the youngling hidden. Her illness will keep any brethren from finding her scent. If what you say about Krala is true, we will take no chances. Our Dragon-Mother will know what to do.”
Bola beat her wings once, twice, and they lifted from the ground, lurching upward into the air with such force that all three children fell to their knees in Bola’s palm. Above them she laughed.
Her talons were crisscrossed above them, but the cracks between her fingers were big enough to fall through. Each of them clung to a black talon.
Toli couldn’t hold back a laugh as she stared out at the ground blurring past. The thin black lines of the trees looked like the tangled nests of serpents as they rose higher. The wind rushed past them—threatening to topple them out.
Toli caught the electric scent of dragon as Bola banked to the left. The dragon let her forearm skim the craggy rocks, chuckling as Petal yelped.
A blast of cold wind took Toli’s breath away, but as she peered down at the dark rising surface of the Mountain, her heart sang. The crags and trees of Dragon Mountain blurred beneath them as they flew.
Wix held tight to Bola’s talon and leaned forward, laughing. Toli reached out and got a firm hold on his tunic. Through the space between Bola’s fingers she could see the sky, streaked with lights. They seemed just as far away as ever. She stared out past the foothills to where Nya rose, her warm light stretching toward them like the promise of a friend.
“Look!” Petal cried over the roaring of the wind. “I can see the Queendom!”
Toli squinted into the distance and could see, just beyond the wide expanse of ice, the spark and gleam of the statues on the Southern Wall, and rising above it, the dark shadow of stone and forest.
Wix laughed loud and long.
After a moment, Toli laughed too. The cold burned her ears, but she couldn’t bring herself to lean back. There was too much to see. Minutes passed, but it was as if, after years of starvation, she had sat down before a feast. All of Ire stretched out in front of her. She couldn’t bear to turn away. Her eyes teared in the wind.
Bola turned to rise up the steep edge of the Mountain, and for a moment, a bright gleam of light caught Toli’s eyes. She pointed. “Look!”
“Is that water?” Petal gasped, jumping up. “Toli, it’s the sea!” She stumbled forward.
“Petal!” Toli cried out, hauling her back.
Petal dropped back down and shivered. “I forgot. For a second, I forgot.”
Toli nodded and forced herself to let go of her sister’s arm. The side of the Mountain now blocked their view. Wix still leaned as far as he could, craning to see more.
So Krala was right, after all. The sea did exist. Toli had the uncomfortable thought that maybe she had been telling the truth about the people in the South too.
It was Petal’s turn to let loose a laugh as they dived lower, veering toward a huge black cavern that gaped open, seemingly from nowhere. As they turned, low over scraggly patches of trees, Toli saw something that made her breath catch.
She elbowed Wix. “I think I just saw a sled down there under the trees.”
Her sister stopped smiling. “Where?”
Wix leaned forward until Toli couldn’t keep herself from grabbing the back of his tunic again. “I didn’t see anything,” he said. “Are you sure?”
Toli didn’t answer, and they were quiet as the ground got closer, none of them willing to speak their thoughts.
At last, Toli shook her head. “Why?” she wondered out loud. “Why would Spar come here? Could she be here to rescue Mother?”
“By herself?” Wix shook his head.” And how would she get in?”
Petal knit her fingers together. “Maybe she climbed the cliffs. Anyway, we don’t know it’s her. Not for sure.”
“It’s her,” Wix said. “Who else could it be?”
The thought itched under Toli’s skin as Bola Stone landed, her claws touching stone with the gentleness of an old friend.
Wix tumbled out as Toli launched to the ground like a spring, brushing herself off. They waited as Petal climbed out with her usual slow precision.
Toli had been too busy worrying to think much about what the inside of the dragons’ mountain home might be like, but as she stood up and adjusted Ruby inside her tunic, the sight of it drove away any thought at all.
She stood in a massive cavern, at the toppling edge of a deep pit. From the basalt ledge, she looked down into a seethe of young dragons. She would have guessed it was some kind of punishment—a crushing mass of bodies—except for the way the dragons swam over and under one another. They wove through tangled knots in a leisurely dance, a rush of scales crossing scales. The dim light ran along their bodies, first one, and then the next, with dizzying speed.
Their wings lay folded tightly against their bodies as they moved, feathers like foam trailing behind and across the surface of the seethe. Several of the dragons had long, iridescent quills tipped with feather. The quills lifted now and again along their backs, flickering and shaking as the dragons glided among one another.
Bola appeared next to Toli, startling her. How something as big a Bola could move so quietly was a mystery. “This is the rest of the youngling’s seethe,” the dragon breathed, indicating the dragons below. “These will see Ruby rise or fall.”
Every year, Toli watched from within the safety of Gall’s walls when the dragons left their mountain with the aurora lights. Everyone in the Queendom did. It was spectacular, even from a great distance.
This was different.
This was up close—and there were so many! She’d never dreamed there were so many.
“There are many,” Bola said, as if she could read Toli’s mind. “But new seethes are cause for celebration. They do not happen often—sometimes not for centuries.”
Toli dragged her eyes away from the writhing mass and turned to Bola. “Can you take us to my mother now? Please?” Now that her feet were on the ground inside the Mountain, not even the heat and color of the dragon stronghold were enough to distract her. She needed to know her mother was okay—that there was hope to bring her home. Had Krala already spread her lies? “Krala—” she began.
“Mmm,” Bola rattled. “All will be up to the Mother.”
Toli tried to calm the fluttering inside her chest by looking around at the rest of the cavern. Bola was the closest thing to an ally she had—and the dragon might make the difference between success and failure. This was the time to move slowly—breathe slowly—just as Spar had taught her to do on any hunt.
Bola looked over her shoulder as Wix and Petal gawked at everything around them. “Gather,
” she whispered. Wix and Petal moved closer. Massive dragons lumbered past them on the smooth black basalt, slipping by without a sound, or even a glance. “Now, little bites,” Bola said. “Follow me and be quiet. Dragons do not like disruption.”
Sweat beaded on Toli’s forehead and ran down her back in warm rivulets. It was hotter in here than in the Hall with all its fires blazing. Thin, fiery cracks branched out along the surface of the walls, reaching away into dark tunnels that stretched into the distance. “It’s just like the Telling says,” Petal whispered, shaking Toli’s arm. “The dragons heat the world.”
“Stay close,” Toli whispered as they followed Bola along the basalt path. Above them, dragons clung to enormous mineral stalactites that hung from the ceiling high above, or slept on ledges along the walls. Their tails dangled, flashing in the dim light as they spread wide their bright, feathered wings.
The quiet was disturbing. The only sound was the soft rush of scales slipping together or sliding along rock. None of the dragons spoke—not to her, and not to one another.
“Stay close,” Toli said again, shifting the sling that held Ruby so that the little dragon lay against her back, farther out of sight.
“Boiled,” Wix said with a grimace as a few of the dragons cast curious glances at them. He turned his head, nodding toward another group of dragons looking their way with narrowed eyes. “Fried.”
Toli squinted. “What are you talking about?”
He made a slow turn as Petal followed his gaze to more dragons on their other side. “Raw.”
The dragons hissed and whispered to one another. Most looked away. Petal leaned toward Toli. “He’s listing how he thinks they’ll eat us,” she muttered.
Toli studied her friend. “Well, he doesn’t seem too put out about it.”
Wix snorted as Toli tamped down her rising anxiety. Soon she would know if her mother was alive or dead. Soon they would know if the Dragon-Mother would thank them for returning her young—or kill them for their transgressions. Soon they would find out if Ruby would live long enough to singe any more of Petal’s dresses.
The heat of the cavern scorched the inside of her nose and throat as she breathed. The silence grew heavy, as though everyone was anticipating a spark that would ignite a blaze. The air was filled with the sparkle and shifting of the dragons’ movements and a dark, earthy heat—like a stone waiting to melt and become something new.
Toli’s thoughts turned back to her mother. Where was she—alive? The question was a thorn under her skin, prodding until she thought she might start to bleed. She was so distracted, she almost missed the small yellow dragon that sidled toward them with narrowed silver-gray eyes. Wix bumped her to attention.
Bola rattled. “Ah, Cata! I need brethren I can trust with these while I speak with the Mother.”
The yellow dragon ducked her head with a rattle. “I will help you with your task, Bola Stone. You may rely upon me.”
Toli shook her head. “But—you were taking us to the Dragon- Mother.”
Bola rattled. “It is better that I speak with her first. She does not like to be disturbed. I think it would not be … healthy for you.”
The yellow dragon—Cata—seemed to consider Bola’s words. “It sounds like a wise choice. I will watch them. But you must hurry. I have duties of my own.”
Bola Stone cast a glance at them over her shoulder and, without another word, moved off down the winding basalt ledge that seemed to serve as a main road.
The yellow dragon watched as Bola disappeared into the darkness. A bead of sweat ran into Toli’s eyes as Cata turned to face her.
“I am Cata,” the dragon hissed, her neck moving like a serpent. “You will follow me now.”
“Bola told us to wait here,” Petal said.
“Bola!” the yellow dragon hissed, and Toli caught a glimpse of fire in her throat.
“I don’t think she’s giving us a choice, Petal,” Toli said, tasting salt on her lips. “Where are you taking us?”
Cata showed her teeth. “To see an old friend.”
Toli paused. Was the dragon talking about her mother? She looked around, but the few adult dragons in the cavern were either sleeping or preening. Not one spared her a glance.
Wix caught her eye and tightened his fingers on his bow as they turned to follow Cata down a narrow alley of basalt that ran along the back of the chamber. As they came to the far side of the cavern, it opened out into other spaces. Smaller caverns, like rooms, branched off everywhere from a lacework of black paths. Cata slipped into the dark. The path led downward, the fiery cracks in the walls providing the only light.
Toli could feel Petal close behind her, could just make out the movement of the yellow dragon ahead of her in the darkness. Cata took a path that moved to the left, then another sharp right, and two more lefts. Toli tried to keep track as they zigged and zagged down into the Mountain, but the darkness pressed in, leaving little room for thought.
A glow ahead of them brightened, and Cata turned toward it, leading them into a smaller chamber of gleaming black. A fissure in the middle glowed, lighting up the cavern like a sky without stars.
It was full of heat—and dragons—but Toli hardly noticed them. All her attention was focused on the tall figure in front of them, her burns shining like the molten rock that ran through the walls.
“Spar,” she whispered.
Spar smiled and stepped forward, clasping her in a tight hug. “I wondered what was keeping you, Princess.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Toli’s thoughts spun as she stared at her mentor’s face. In the heat and dim light, her burns almost seemed to glitter. “What are you doing here?”
Her focus broadened as she took in the dragons that stood leering down at them. She scuttled backward, dragging Wix and Petal with her. The other dragons pressed close, and Toli counted six of them as Cata moved to join them.
A black dragon shifted her weight to push forward, and Toli recognized Krala. The dragon’s eyes widened, but the shock of seeing them alive passed quickly. She sneered. “The pass did not kill you. Well, I think you will find no better end here. You see that Spar is with us now. She has had her calling.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Toli’s eyes slid back to her mentor “Spar! Where’s my mother?”
Spar gave a small sigh. “Still no patience.”
“What? I don’t—”
“Traitor,” Wix spit out.
Petal cried out as Spar lurched forward and grasped Toli’s forearms, yanking her close. Though the grip made her cringe, Toli lifted her face, meeting her mentor’s eyes with a defiant glare. “What does she mean, you’ve had your calling?”
“It’s not what you think. Listen to me. I can’t escape it now,” the hunt master hissed, tapping her forehead. “Their Dragon-Mother is always … whispering.” She leaned closer. “Ever since I was burned, there has been a … connection.” She tapped her temple. “I hear her voice. Telling lies.”
Toli’s stomach flipped. Was Spar here because the Dragon-Mother wanted her here? “What do you mean, a connection? Between you and the Dragon-Mother?”
“Yes,” Spar snarled, spittle flying. “A bond.”
“I don’t understand,” Petal said.
“You cannot understand our justice,” said a large blue dragon, her scales sparking like light on water. “This Mother’s time is over. No more soft talk of friendship with your kind. We are dragons. We will take what we like, from you—or from the South. And I, Ata Sky, will—”
Krala let out a roar that shook the chamber, forcing Toli to cover her ears. “I will lead them, Ata Sky. I will lead the seethes. I—and no other.”
Ata Sky blew steam. “You do not lead yet.”
But she scuttled back nonetheless as Krala leaned forward into Toli’s face. “Give me the youngling.”
Spar shoved Toli back, out of Krala’s reach. Toli stumbled toward Petal, and her sister caught hold of her.
Ruby lay presse
d against her back, unmoving. Toli prayed the folds of her cape would hide the dragon’s lithe form, and that Bola Stone was right about Ruby’s sickness covering her scent. “She … she died!”
“Lies. Why would Bola Stone bring you into the Mountain if you do not have the youngling?”
Petal shrugged, but Toli could see the tension in her shoulders.
“Ask her yourselves,” Wix snarled. “Ruby died before we came up the Mountain.”
“It was the pass,” Petal added with a sidelong look at Krala. “We came through the pass and—and were attacked by bear-cats. They … your youngling was killed.”
“Fooliiiish girl,” Krala hissed. “We will find her body and owe you nothing. You three,” she added to the dragons standing behind her, “go find the youngling’s bones, and bring them here. Now the Mother will have to give me audience—she will have to gather all the brethren to hear my words. We will prove the treachery of the bone bags to all at once! All will see the truth of my position. Then I will issue my challenge.”
Toli was surprised to see sorrow in the dragons’ faces as they slipped past to look for Ruby’s body. Only Krala’s eyes held a gleam of triumph. Spar lifted her gaze to meet Toli’s.
“Where’s the queen of Gall?” Toli asked. “Where’s my mother—your queen?”
Spar frowned. “I’ll do what I can for her. For all of you. But you must understand, there can be no more avoiding the truth. The dragons must be destroyed.”
Wix scratched his head. “You … you realize you’re with the dragons.”
Ata Sky chuckled. “It is a temporary alliance. A common goal.” The dragons shifted, a red one bumping a smaller turquoise dragon, who reacted by blowing fire at the chamber wall, lighting up the small space like a sun. It grew harder to breathe in the stifling heat.
Toli glared at Spar. “You said they couldn’t be trusted.”
“They can’t be trusted. But they want what I want: to get rid of the Dragon-Mother. I’m already lost,” Spar pleaded, holding up her hands. “I was lost the day that dragon burned me. But if I’m going to die, at least I can take her with me. Don’t you see? Everything will be different … better, when their Queen is gone.” She was leaning forward as if she were telling Toli a secret. “Without her, they’ll be at one another’s throats. They’ll fall apart.”
Rise of the Dragon Moon Page 18