“Your adventure ends here, Xyleena.”
I forced myself to my feet and freed my tessens. With a flick of my wrist, the fans opened, revealing their razor-sharp blades. “You know my name, but I don’t know your real name.”
He laughed darkly. “Dimitri DéDos.”
“Why did you kill Valaskjalf?”
A huge gust of wind nearly knocked both of us off our feet. Luckily, I maintained my balance.
Dimitri scowled. “Quit trying to stall, girl! If you are afraid to fight me, then hand over Dragon Diary, and I will spare you.”
“I seriously doubt that. Remember? I was there when you slaughtered all of those innocent people at the festival.” I sank into the fighting stance I had practiced time and time again on the deck of the Shadow Dance.
Dimitri appeared amused. “You want to fight like a Dákun Daju?”
This is a Dákun Daju stance? I hoped I did not betray my surprise to him at his words. “I was trained by one of the best.” I really hoped he would believe that and back down.
Instead he just quirked an eyebrow. He sneered as he sank into a fighting stance of his own. “So be it. Can’t say I didn’t try to spare your life.”
Another gust of wind howled through the room.
The Haven had flown right past both of the stars in the system while en route to the habitable sister planets. The leadership committee had unanimously agreed to name the largest sun, a white-blue Main Sequence F-type star, Rishai in honor of the system’s discoverer. The other, a yellowish G-type similar to Earth’s Sol, was named Aruvan after Rishai’s wife.
– FROM “AN UNTITLED SCIENCE LOG” BY UNKNOWN
I could see the burning hatred teeming in his crimson eyes as he glared at me. I glared right back, trying to ignore the sounds of the battle on the stairs above. I had to focus on my opponent, just as Freya had taught me. My heart beat loudly in my ears. My breath came in deliberately slow, measured breaths. My hands were sweaty. I was nervous. And he could tell.
Dimitri slowly advanced to his left. I stepped right, keeping the distance between us the same. He smirked. Another step. Then another. I matched him step for step, circling the room almost twice.
He struck, fast as lightning and much stronger than expected. I screamed as he jerked his sword free of my shoulder. A warm flow of blood crept down my arm and pooled at my feet. He sneered, obviously enjoying the pain he caused.
“How do you like that, little girl?”
I said nothing, electing instead to allow my latent battle instincts to take over.
Another gust of wind rampaged through the room as I sunk back into my fighting stance. Dimitri scoffed and raised his sword over his head. With an enraged cry, he brought it down. Our blades met in a resounding clash that made sparks rain. Again and again he attacked. I successfully blocked each attempt. Finally, he backed off for a moment.
“Block this!” He raised his hand over his head as if grabbing energy then thrust his hand forward. “Daréta suahk!”
I barely managed to throw myself out of the way before a red bolt of lightning ripped though the room. Dimitri covered his ears as the boom of thunder echoed off the stone walls. I used this short respite to heal my wound and cast a protective barrier around myself. I rose to my fighting stance as the last echo of thunder faded into oblivion.
Dimitri glared at me through gangly bangs and lunged. I managed to dodge all of his attacks and even land a few blows of my own. I spun around and smote him across the face with the blades of one of my tessens. He recoiled and howled in pain. Taking advantage of the situation, I quickly spun again, striking two more times before dropping to the ground to kick his feet out from under him.
I stood over him as he groaned in pain.
◆◆◆
Above the dueling Dragon Keepers, another battle raged on. Thera and Teka found themselves against two Dákun Daju assassins and a powerful Judge. Teka confronted each opponent head on with clawed fists and a whip. Thera, on the other hand, fell back just far enough to avoid their weapons. The young Feykin fired off one spell after another.
“Thera!”
The cry of her name made her freeze. Turning to search for the source, she found it near the top of the spiraling staircase.
“Pox?” Thera blinked, hoping she was imagining her sister. It was no illusion; she was really in league with the enemy. “Pox, what are you doing here?”
“Thera, stop this foolishness!”
Thera cast another rapid string of spells to assist Teka before confronting her younger sister again. “What foolishness?”
“You are in league with the Dark Keeper!” Piper cried.
Thera’s blood ran cold.
“You’re wrong, Piper!” Teka shouted as she dodged a blow from the Judge’s heavy axe. “Xyleena is a good kid! There is no way she could be the Dark Keeper!”
“Dimitri is the true Dragon Keeper!” Piper shouted back. “His mother is Amorez, and he needs the Dragon Diary to prevent Xyleena from freeing the Shadow Dragons!”
“Shut up, girl!” the magenta-haired Dákun Daju hollered.
Thera sent a spell after her before daring a look below. Xyleena looked terrified, while the man she figured was Dimitri sneered. He was enjoying the pain and fear he inflicted. There was no way that he could be Amorez’s heir.
“You’re wrong,” Thera whispered. She sighed and turned an angry glare on her sister. “You are wrong!”
Piper frowned. “I am always wrong to you. I cannot do anything right in your eyes. And now that your mind has been stolen by the Dark Keeper, I will be forced to destroy you!”
“No, Pox!” Thera watched, horrified, as Piper gathered energy for a spell. “Don’t do it, Pox!”
“I don’t take orders from you!” Piper launched a ball of red energy at her sister.
Thera barely managed to leap out of the way before the energy struck. It blew a huge portion of the wall and stairs away as it exploded.
Debris rained down on the duelists below.
◆◆◆
I heard the explosion and dared a glance upward. Thera was in the air, held aloft by her midnight wings. Just opposite her, a gaping hole in the stairs still smoldered from the energy that had struck. Pieces of the wall and stairs fell to the ground a little ways away from where I stood. I had a split second to wonder what was going on up there before Dimitri struck again.
I growled out of annoyance and struck back. Our blades collided in a vibrant ring. I swung my other fan beneath his blockade, cleanly slicing across his thighs and almost unmanning him.
“You wretch!” He shoved me away and managed to heal himself before I regained my balance.
The moment I did, Dimitri lunged for me. I spun away, narrowly avoiding the edge of his sword.
I was growing weary from the fighting, but there was one tactic I had yet to try. I summoned energy and focused it in my hand. Dimitri gawked at me as I aimed the magic at him.
“Daréta esso!”
The crackling ball of electricity launched at my command. It slammed into Dimitri with enough force to hopefully break bones while successfully knocking him back several meters. He slumped to the ground, unconscious. I breathed a sigh of relief and sunk to the floor.
“Impressive spell, girl, but it seems to have drained you of all your energy.”
My heart stopped, and a cold chill ran up my spine at the voice behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see the Godilaied Dákun Daju standing on the final step.
“You!”
She sneered. “Still mad about your little friend, I see. Do not fret. I will send you to him!”
“No!”
I barely blocked her sword in time. The blow was so strong that my arm went numb clear up to my shoulder. Godilai growled and kicked me in the gut hard enough to send me skidding across the floor. I collapsed, barely able to breathe as I clutched my stomach in agony.
“A futile effort, Hume. Now you d—”
A deafening roar cut off
the last of her words. I was too weak to block my ears from the onslaught of the sound.
“Who dares disturb the peace of my Sky Castle?” A male’s voice boomed from somewhere behind me.
I groaned as I managed to roll myself over to see who he was. All I could see was a pair of glowing amber eyes floating in the shadows beneath the stairs.
“Vortex?” I managed to whisper.
The amber eyes lost much of their fierceness as they focused on me. “It is nice to see you again, hatchling.”
I stood with Amorez on the crest of that hill, watching as a storm grew on the horizon. On this, the first day of peace after Agasei’s reign, the storm seemed a bad omen… at least until Vortex changed our minds, “Clouds have come floating into our lives, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to our sunset sky.”
– FROM “CONVERSATIONS WITH DRAGONS” BY DJURDAK ZA’CAR
A giant foreleg slowly emerged from the shadows, revealing gorgeous cerulean scales that refracted light as if they were sapphires. Long, ivory claws dug into the stone floor as the dragon took another step, then another, until at last he had fully entered the light.
I gawked at him, this dragon called Vortex. He stood easily sixteen meters high at the shoulder. Thin, cream-colored wings lay folded across his back, which was armed with ivory spines. His long neck held his wedge-shaped head aloft. And he stared down at me with gentle amber eyes that were protected by a ridge of bone and long, ivory horns.
A joyful whoop echoed down from the stairs above. Vortex followed the sound and snorted at the five that were there. The dragon lowered his gaze to Dimitri, who had finally come to and was trying to sneak away unnoticed.
“You will fail, Dark Keeper, just as your sire failed.”
Dimitri flushed at the dragon’s words before scrambling up the stairs. Godilai was not far behind him. Vortex watched their retreat, greatly amused, before returning his attention to me. “Are you injured, hatchling?”
“That Dakun Daju woman kicked me pretty hard, but I’ll be okay. I just need to regain some energy.” I forced myself to sit up, trying to ignore the painful protest of my muscles at the movement.
“Take some of my energy,” Vortex said as he sat on his haunches. “Believe me, I have enough to spare.”
“I thank you, Vortex, but…”
He lowered his head until he was almost touching me. “But?”
I resisted the urge to reach out and stroke his snout. “I am not sure how to do that.”
The dragon stared at me, confusion and worry growing in his amber eyes.
“You cannot remember?”
“Remember what?”
I heard Vortex snarl, but it was not directed at me. Over my shoulder, I could see Thera and Teka as they descended the last few stairs. Both sported cuts and bruises but were otherwise fine. Thera bowed to the dragon as he snarled again.
“We are friends, great dragon. I promise.”
Vortex leaned in and sniffed the air around Thera.
“You look like Thernu, but you smell different.”
“Thernu was my mother. I am Thera.”
“She has gone to Havel?” Vortex sounded disappointed.
“The sea swallowed her a year ago.”
Vortex was silent a moment. “I am sorry.”
“As am I,” Thera whispered. She knelt beside me to begin helping me heal as Vortex turned his attention to Teka.
“You are completely new to me.”
Teka chuckled. “I am just the ship captain who brought you your new Keeper. My name is Teka Loneborne.”
“You have an important role, Teka Loneborne. One that is far from over.” The dragon straightened his neck and watched the three of us for a moment.
“What happened to Dimitri and his team?” I asked as Thera finished healing my wounds and moved away to start on Teka’s.
“I am not sure,” Teka admitted with a shrug, “but I think the appearance of Vortex caught them with their pants down. They rushed out of here faster than Thera and I could catch them.”
“And Pox blew up most of the remaining stairs with a spell.” The fury in Thera’s voice was as obvious as the wings on her back. “I could have followed… I should have followed.”
Teka gripped the young Feykin’s shoulder tightly. “But we needed you.”
“Why isn’t Amorez here?” I blurted, successfully redirecting the conversation.
Vortex tilted his head to the side. “She is otherwise occupied.”
“No. I mean, why is she not your Keeper? Why did you pick me? Amorez is stronger and far more experienced.”
Vortex studied me. “Xyleena Renoan, why do you doubt yourself so? You are much stronger than you realize.”
Renoan? That’s right. That was her full name, Amorez Renoan. I frowned. “You did not answer my question.”
The dragon snorted. “You are the Dragon Keeper because you agreed to it.”
“What?” Thera, Teka, and I asked in unison.
Vortex sighed and closed the distance between us. “You and Amorez met and agreed that if a Dark Keeper ever rose to power again, you would be the one we turned to and called our Keeper. Do you not remember anything?”
I hissed through my teeth in frustration.
“Please, great dragon, try to understand,” Thera began. “Something happened to her. She was found washed up on the shores outside the Temple of Five Souls. When she awoke later, she could not remember anything.”
Vortex grew ever more worried by her words. “You really have no idea who you are and what you have done? This is disturbing news.”
“You’re telling me.” I muttered, hugging my knees.
“You know nothing of what you have been taught—fighting, magic, the ancient tongue, and the locations of each of my brothers and sisters. You could have easily defeated every one of that would-be Dark Keeper’s team without a second thought if only you could remember.”
“Can’t you teach her?” Teka pleaded.
“Zenith of Space and Time could easily replace her missing memories, but I cannot. I can only tell you what I know. I am afraid it will not fill in many blank pages in your history, but maybe it will help you find yourself.”
“Find myself.” I chuckled. “Zhealocera said the same thing.”
“I guess she knew more about you than even you realized,” Thera murmured, sitting beside me. “So what is Xyleena’s story?”
Vortex looked me in the eye as he spoke. “Xyleena Renoan, you were born four hundred and twenty-eight years ago. Your mother is obviously Amorez, while your father was Djurdak, the former High Prince of Ithnez. He renounced his title when he married your mother.
“You were taught magic, alchemy, fighting, and languages at a young age. Some time after your one hundredth year, Amorez introduced you to us, the Twelve. That was the last time we were ever summoned by Amorez.
“It was you who secreted us to places all around the planet in hopes of protecting us. And you wrote the ‘Riddle of the Twelve’ so you would not forget where to find us.”
“Merciful gods!” I cried and buried my head in my hands.
Vortex curled his tail about me in a gentle hug.
I sighed, feeling defeated. “Anything else?”
“The last time I saw you was when you summoned me here and told me to await your return to the Hidden Plains. That was almost sixty years ago.” Vortex was quiet for a bit. “Your mother came alone a few years ago. She was distraught and hoping to find you.”
“I guess she didn’t.” I sighed and rubbed my temples. “What about my father? You sure his name was Djurdak?”
Vortex eyed me for a moment. “Agasei had been dead for almost a decade when you were born, hatchling. And Djurdak has been in Havel for a little more than three centuries now.”
Feeling numb, I could only nod in understanding. I was missing so much of my life, and everything I thought I knew about my past was all wrong. Granted, I was grateful to know I was not the spa
wn of Agasei, but I could not escape the feeling that so much more was missing. The truth about who I was lay before me now on a path I once walked. There was no turning back.
“Okay.” I got to my feet. “We need to find the other eleven dragons before Dimitri can find the Dragons’ Gate.”
Thera smiled at me. “We can do it.”
“Sure we can!” Teka clapped both of us on the back.
“The black dragon statues are the keys to the Dragons’ Gate,” Vortex explained. “There are twelve statues placed outside each of our hiding spots. Should Dimitri find all twelve statues, he will unlock the route to the gate.”
“And the only way to find the Dragons of Light is in the Dragon Diary.” I patted my hip sack. “That means we have to keep Dimitri from getting his grubby little hands on it at any cost.”
“Agreed.” Teka nodded.
“You should be on your way then, hatchling,” Vortex said as he stood. “You will need to stay ahead of him to prevent the release of the Shadow Dragons.”
I looked up at Vortex. “You are coming with us, aren’t you?”
“You truly have forgotten much.” Vortex sighed. “I shall be within the dragon eye, awaiting your summons.”
“Wait! How do I—”
I watched as the dragon faded into wisps of blue. They danced around me, creating a whirlwind before shooting into the amulet around my neck. One of the empty sockets turned blue.
The dragon of wind was mine.
My father was a military man; cold as ice and harder than stone. He never broke. Never. Not even in the face of his greatest enemies. Well, never came all too soon when mother died. Though he hid it well, I could still see the silver of a tear threatening to fall from his eye.
– FROM “THE DIARY OF AGASEI” BY AGASEI DÉDOS
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