Teka bowed to the dragon as she looked her over. “I am Teka Loneborne, Atoka. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“A demi-Feykin. Interesting.” Atoka stood to her full height. “I am the dragon of eternal winter.”
“Are you the reason Arctica is so cold?” Kitfox asked, crossing his arms.
Atoka snorted but did not answer.
“Atoka.”
The dragon looked at me.
“Not to be rude or anything, but how do we get out of this cavern?”
“That’s easy, Xy.” Kitfox laughed. “Behind some of the snow piles and icicles in the last room there are some stairs and a statue.”
“Let me guess. The statue is a black dragon.”
“How did you know?”
“Those statues mark the location to the dragons’ nesting places.”
“Don’t forget, Dimitri can unlock the route to the Dragons’ Gate with the clues from all twelve statues,” Teka added.
Kitfox scratched his head. “Aren’t the Shadow Dragons supposedly locked behind the Dragons’ Gate?”
“So they say,” Atoka said.
I whirled around to face her. “What is that supposed to mean, Atoka?”
“Come now. You are all cold. You should be some place warmer.” The dragon faded into snowflakes and ice crystals that whipped out of the room through the hole.
I silently fumed and followed Atoka. Thera, Teka, and Kitfox were hot on my heels as I located the hidden stairs. Atoka greeted us as we ascended to the surface of the hollow lake.
“So, are the Shadow Dragons in the gate or not?” I asked as I walked up to Atoka.
Do not fret over such things, young one, Kkaia whispered to me.
I frowned. “What are you three hiding?”
Teka rubbed her chin. “Kkaia and Vortex won’t answer either, huh?”
Thera nodded. “Very suspicious, indeed.”
Atoka sighed. “Truth be told, we cannot be sure if our dark brothers and sisters are still within the gate.”
“Why not?”
“They are not our brethren, but born of another power.” She snapped her jaws shut several times, and I could tell she was having trouble trying to explain. “We of the Light can sense each other when close as we were born from the same source—hence the strange pull you started feeling when you donned the amulet. Those of Shadow, we cannot detect as they were not made alongside us.”
“How could they have escaped?” Kitfox asked. “I thought the Dragons’ Gate was designed to keep them locked away forever.”
I felt an uneasy feeling wash over me, and I looked up to Atoka.
“Did I let them out?”
“What?” Thera, Teka, and Kitfox exclaimed in unison.
Atoka sighed again.
Why would you say that, hatchling?
“Because Zahadu-Kitai told me how I lost my memories!” I cried. “I fell from the Dragons’ Gate! I released the Shadow Dragons!” I fell to my knees. “I released the Shadow Dragons.”
Kitfox was at my side an instant later. “No, you didn’t, Xy.” He cupped my chin in his hand and forced me to look at him. “If you had, the world would be in shambles. The influence of the Shadow Dragons would be seen everywhere if they had been freed. They are still locked up. Isn’t that right, dragon?”
“It is true that the Shadow would bring destruction everywhere they went.” Atoka replied thoughtfully. “It would be obvious by now, three years after their suspected release.”
Kitfox smiled and looked at me again. “See? The bad dragons are still locked up.”
As I stared into his soft, amber eyes, I could see an emotion there that I could not place. I somehow knew everything he said was true. Finally, I looked away and nodded.
“Thank you, Kitfox.”
“No problem.” He stood and extended a hand to me.
I took it and allowed him to help me back to my feet.
“Now, how about we get out of this place? I don’t know about you, but I’m freezing my tail off.”
I laughed humorlessly. “I don’t have a tail, but I’m freezing something off.”
Atoka walked beside us as the four of us made our way back to the rocky beach.
“It looks like Dimitri’s team stole our raft,” Teka announced. “I had a feeling they would.”
“I’d still like to know how they survived.”
“Pox said something about me falling for her illusion,” Thera admitted quietly. “It is a mistake I will not make again.”
“Teka’s right,” I said, scanning the beach. “Our raft is gone.”
“Then how do we get back to mainland?” Kitfox asked. “I haven’t seen any trees here to use in making another.”
Atoka snorted. “You little things worry too much.” She walked right up to the water’s edge and touched her nose to the surface. She exhaled, and I watched in amazement as frost crept along the surface of the straight. An instant later, the entire distance between the mainland and us was frozen solid.
“Sweet!” Kitfox thumped Atoka on the foreleg. “I like your style, dragon.”
“The ice won’t last forever. Best to move along while you can. And when you get the chance, I’d take a closer look at Amorez’s diary.” Atoka faded into snowflakes and ice crystals again.
Her power whirled around me, chilling me to the bone, before shooting into the dragon eye. A pale-blue jewel formed in one of the vacant spots.
The dragon of eternal winter was mine.
I think that being a female hero is a tough job. No one expects a woman to be strong enough to pull off the same feats as a man – especially if one is to lead an entire army to victory. They would find themselves quite surprised at a woman’s drive and dedication to perform those same feats.
– FROM “THE DIARY OF AMOREZ” BY AMOREZ RENOAN
Two days after acquiring Atoka, we finally made it back to Zadún. I could not wait to get back to the inn and warm up with a large mug of hot tea. I could tell Thera and Teka had similar plans. However, Kitfox seemed to have another destination in mind.
The Fox Demon led us down streets that took us farther and farther away from the inn. Just when I was about to ask him what he was planning, he stopped. Kitfox grinned at us over his shoulder and knocked thrice on a heavy oaken door of a rundown building. A slot in the door opened, revealing another pair of amber eyes. Kitfox muttered something I could not hear, and the slot was closed. A moment later, the door was unlocked and pulled aside.
The Demon in the doorway bowed and ushered us past. “Welcome to the Tahda’varett guild house.”
Kitfox nodded and stepped over the threshold. Thera, Teka, and I hesitated before following him into the warm and dimly lit hallway.
“Are you sure we’re allowed in here?” Thera asked, nervously looking at the black-haired Coyote Demon behind us.
“We take in people all the time, but we refuse to help rival guilds like the Warinarc and Serpehti.”
“So…you live in a rundown house?” Teka asked, her voice thick with skepticism.
The Coyote Demon snorted, and Kitfox met Teka with a bored stare and pushed aside a door.
The room beyond was lavishly decorated in the Tahda’varett guild colors– black, red, and gold. A long bar was on one side of the room attended by a few Wolf Demons. The other side of the room was filled with tables and sofas. Several Demons were lounging on the furniture talking, joking, or playing games. Only a scant few looked toward the open door.
“Does this look rundown to you?” Kitfox asked as he walked into the room.
“You got me there.”
Teka and I followed a moment later.
Thera was a little more reluctant to enter the room. “You are sure no one here will attack a Feykin?”
Kitfox smiled over his shoulder at her. “I promise, Thera. No one here will attack you or anyone else unless they are provoked into doing so.”
With a sigh, she finally entered the room.
“Hey, Ra
hvel, I need six hot butter ales and two large pots of tea.”
A burnt-orange Fox Demon behind the bar gawked at Kitfox. “Who beat you up?”
Kitfox laughed. “Nobody worth mentioning at the moment.”
“Right.” Rahvel shook his head. “You look like something the cat dragged in, and you expect me to believe nobody important kicked your a—”
“Add some food to my order too. And bring everything to room seventeen.” Kitfox smirked. He smacked the bar and backed away. “It’s open, right?”
“Last I checked it was,” Rahvel muttered and disappeared through a door.
“Follow me.” Kitfox waved to a few Demons as he led the three of us down a short flight of stairs.
“Is everyone in the Tahda’varett guild of canine descent?” I asked as another Fox Demon walked past us up the stairs.
Kitfox made a face while he thought for a moment. “‘Tahda’varett’ means honorable canines in a language predating the Earthic Landings so, yeah; almost everyone in the guild is of canine descent. There are a scant few exceptions, though.”
“How long has this guild been around?”
“Much longer than all of the other Ithnezian Demon guilds combined.” Kitfox grinned and opened a door marked seventeen. He ushered us through and sealed it behind us, plummeting us into blackness. “Hang on. I’ll light the fire.”
“You can see in the dark?”
He laughed. “Of course.”
I saw sparks as he ran steel over flint. A moment later, a spark combusted the tinder, and a small fire was burning in the pit. Kitfox placed a few logs on the fire and backed away.
“There we go.”
I looked around the room. There were two beds, side tables, a desk with a potted plant, and a chest of drawers. The fireplace was on the wall opposite a door left slightly ajar. The Tahda’varett guild emblem was emblazoned on the wall over the desk.
“Not bad, Kitfox. But why are we here?” Teka asked as she sat on one of the beds.
“The inn charges too much, whereas the guild house is free for members.” He chuckled. “Plus it is covert enough that we can freely discuss things requiring secrecy.”
A rapid knock made me jump. Kitfox chuckled and moved to open the door. Rahvel and another Demon were there with trays of food and drink. Kitfox stepped aside to let them in and watched as they set the trays on the desk. Kitfox slipped Rahvel some coins before he left the room.
“So, let’s have some dinner and take a closer look at this diary. I’m dying to know what Atoka meant by taking a closer look at it.”
Hours later Dragon Diary was spread out on the floor between the four of us. We had gone through every page at least three times now, searching for something out of the ordinary. Every page was the same– worn parchment with fading ink. Only when we turned to the “Riddle of the Twelve” did the ink change, but that was due to Thera’s translations. There was nothing outstanding to be found in the book.
Okay, Atoka, a little hint would be great right about now, I muttered.
What you are looking for is hidden amongst the riddle.
Does it need to be decrypted?
No.
I sighed and turned to the page with the “Riddle of the Twelve” scrawled over it. “Whatever we are looking for, it is on this page.”
“Let me see it a second,” Kitfox said, plucking a leaf from the plant on the desk.
I handed the diary over and watched as he rubbed the leaf over the page. A moment later, he grinned and rubbed more vigorously.
“Looks like Freya’s handwriting, and it’s in Kinös Elda.”
I leaned in to see what had been revealed on the page. “‘Xyleena, seek out the royal Dákun Daju.’ And it points to the next two encrypted lines of the riddle.”
“Okay…what is the point of telling us that?” Teka grumbled.
“I think Freya is trying to tell you about a person who might know the answer to the next portion of the riddle,” Kitfox said as he passed Thera the diary.
“Who is the royal Dákun Daju? That is the question,” Thera said, reading the clue.
“There is only one Dákun Daju sovereign.” I smiled. “Zhealocera’s cousin, the queen of Katalania.”
Kitfox laughed. “So we are off to Kamédan.”
Teka yawned. “Uh. Let’s wait until morning to start another venture. I’m too tired to move right now.”
“Okay, so the plan is to leave tomorrow morning after breakfast and head straight for Kamédan.”
I received nods in answer. A few minutes of arranging sleeping sections later, and the four of us were sound asleep.
◆◆◆
Kitfox led us past the ice castle on our way to the harbor. A huge crowd was gathered around the fence that protected the sculpture, talking in growing alarm and anger. Kitfox looked at me for a moment then pushed his way through the crowd. He returned several minutes later with a grave look on his face.
“The ice castle has almost melted.”
“What?”
“I thought you said it never melted.”
All three of them looked at me for an answer.
“The only thing I can think of is Atoka somehow played a part in keeping the castle frozen.”
“Well, whatever happened, it sure is angering several of the people in town. And several others are scared that this is a sign of the end of things,” Kitfox said as he looked over his shoulder at the crowd.
Atoka, can you do anything to restore the castle?
I felt a cold chill wash over me as the dragon’s mind melded with mine. You would have to summon me so I could use my power.
I sighed and nodded solemnly. “Atoka could restore it, but I would have to summon her here.”
“Great!” Kitfox smiled.
“I don’t know if that is such a good idea,” Thera said, gauging the crowd. “We don’t know how these people will react to a dragon.”
“Yeah, but obviously the sculpture is of great significance to these people. I think it would be worth summoning her if it could be restored,” Teka argued.
What do you three think? I asked my dragons.
The way I see it, one of three things will happen, Kkaia said. The people will run away screaming. The people will attack you out of fear. On the other hand, the people might cheer at the arrival of the Dragon Keeper.
Hopefully it will be the latter reaction, Vortex replied.
I nodded. Get ready, Atoka.
As you wish, my Keeper.
“I’m summoning Atoka.” I brushed my fingers over the jewel that marked the dragon’s presence within the amulet. I felt ice-cold energy wash over me as I thrust my hand into the air. “Atoka!”
A pale-blue light exploded from the dragon eye, and the crowd immediately silenced and turned to look at me. The light changed into snowflakes and ice crystals and whirled about the town square before they took on the form of the dragon of eternal winter. She roared as she solidified from her element.
Atoka paused to observe the reaction of the crowd. No one screamed. No one ran. They all stood there, watching in silent awe as the dragon took a step closer to what remained of the ice castle sculpture.
“Totally not the reaction I was expecting,” Kitfox whispered in my ear.
I nodded as I watched Atoka snake her neck around the sculpture to examine its remains. A moment later, she backed away and sat on her haunches. Her eyes flashed blue, and she exhaled a great breath. Ice and snow whirled around the sculpture and solidified. A minute later, the ice castle was back to its previous splendor.
“It is done,” Atoka replied and looked at me. “I instilled a fraction of my essence into it, so it should remain frozen for all time.”
The crowd cheered. Kitfox clapped me on the shoulder and ran toward the dragon. I smiled as several people turned and applauded or thanked me graciously.
“The Dragon Keeper has returned!” several cried out.
“Amorez is back!”
“Hooray for A
morez!”
I found myself frowning at their cheers for Amorez. I am not Amorez. How could they think that I am?
Correct them, hatchling.
Let them know who you are.
Are you sure that is wise?
They apparently thought it best not to answer.
I sighed and raised my hands over my head. “Listen! Listen to me! Please!”
The crowd continued to cheer. Atoka roared long and loud. Immediately the crowd quieted.
“Thank you, Atoka.”
“You are welcome.” She nodded her great wedge of a head.
I returned my attention to the crowd. “Please listen. I am not Amorez Renoan.”
Almost everyone gasped.
“I am her daughter, Xyleena.”
“Why do you have the dragons?” a voice in the crowd called out.
“My mother passed the Dragons of Light on to me so that I may protect you.”
“Protect us from what?” shouted another voice.
I looked at Thera, Teka, and Kitfox. All three of them nodded in agreement.
“Agasei’s son is bent on releasing the Shadow Dragons from the Dragons’ Gate. I am trying to prevent him from achieving that, but it is proving to be a difficult task.”
“Can we help?” asked a child who stood before me.
I stared at her, unsure of how to answer.
“At this point we are not sure exactly how any of you can help us, but any assistance is much appreciated,” Thera explained, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“Xyleena Renoan.” An old man in a uniform stepped forward from the crowd. He smiled and bowed to me. “I am Zhaman Verrs, the Magistrate of Arctica. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude for restoring our ice castle, a priceless heirloom, to our city. It would be my honor to repay your favor by fully financing and supplying you in any way needed.”
“I thank you, Mr. Verrs. Teka, would you like to speak to him about supplies for our journey?”
The first winter we experienced on Ithnez was a hard one. The weather was biting cold, and it seemed to drop several meters of snow every night. We ran short on food as many of our crops from Earth did not take well to this alien land. Eventually, we were forced to consume more of our livestock than intended. At least we survived.
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