A Trail of Embers

by C A Kinnee

  Amusement glinted in the Mage’s cold eyes as though he read her thoughts.

  “Yes, very like your mother. She was my sister, you know.” He laughed as Meara’s eyes widened in horror.

  “She wouldn’t heed me. But you, you have great potential,” he continued conversationally, “a part from your father that I didn’t foresee.” He considered her. “Yes, a very interesting combination.”

  He stepped away and looked down at the fallen Metreo. His amber eyes flamed. “Take him,” he ordered. “I will deal with his crimes later.” He waved a hand dismissively and turned back to Meara. “The egg, where is it?”

  The egg quaked against her.

  “You must stop him.” The panicked voice of the egg was almost unrecognizable.

  “How?” The single word burned through the link between her and the egg.

  “Reach,” the egg commanded.

  Meara closed her eyes.

  “You will look at me,” the Mage said sharply.

  Meara’s eyes opened.

  Satisfied at her obedience, the Mage continued the slow circle around her.

  The surrounding area had fallen silent. Dull thunder rumbled in the distance. The storm was moving further inland. Sporadic flashes of lightning lit the clearing. At the edge of the trees, Meara glimpsed a dark shape flitting past a giant cedar. The faint image of a face faded in a receding flare of light.

  Meara’s heart crystalized. Kieran. Another shadow closed behind him and both melted into the night. Go back, she implored putting all her strength into sending him the message, but she and Kieran didn’t communicate that way. She stared hard at the empty space where he had stood.

  “You must overcome the Mage,” the egg insisted, the faint whisper of his voice buzzed like a distant bee.

  A dreamy lassitude flowed through Meara’s veins. It stole her resistance and drained the strength in her legs.

  The Mage stepped back, smirking at her malleability.

  “No, I was wrong. Your Mother had more strength, or perhaps it was only her feelings for those she loved that made her strong.” He looked at her closely, pondering his words.

  A tiny spark of energy beat at the shield surrounding her emotions. She frowned. She needed to pay attention. Something was trying to reach her, to tell her something. No, she sighed. It was too much work to listen. She was so tired. She should sleep.

  “That’s it. Rest and heed my words. We will work well together. You will reach your full potential and be strong without the influence of your father. Come Meara, you will rule the world at my side. I will pick a proper consort for you as I did for your Mother before she defied me.” The Mage’s voice hardened. He reached out and touched her shoulder. An icy chill brushed her soul.

  “Be calm,” he said. “Listen to my voice. Let me guide you.”

  She listened. She was content. He would keep her safe and . . . Another voice called her. It was far away, the words vague and distant. Why wouldn’t it go away, be silent? She yawned. The voice hammered at her contentment. Its urgency brought a frown to her face. Stop bothering me. Her mouth wouldn’t form the words. She could only think them.

  “You must fight him!

  The sound of the whisper sent a shiver through her. A tiny crack appeared in the crystal shell surrounding her.

  “That’s it. Fight it. Push him away.”

  The lethargy holding her began to erode. The distant voice was closer, whispering in her ear. She listened. The sense of peace splintered. The voice hammered harder, growing more commanding. This time she heard the words clearly.

  “Run. Do not stop until you can run no more. Reach!”

  The shell holding her shattered. She reached. The stunned face of the Mage vanished. Lightning erupted from the sky. Ozone and char filled her nose. She ran, clutching the egg tightly against her chest.

  “Call the dragon!” she shrieked.

  A keening trumpet blasted from the egg, a call for its mother. The rising shouts of her pursuers stopped. She had barely crossed the clearing when fire rent the sky. A massive shadow deeper than the darkest night passed in front of the clouds. The shadow lightened forming the solid outline of Shakala. The dragon screamed and exhaled an inferno that lit the trees like match sticks. The stink of char rose above the scent of fear.

  Meara skidded to a stop. She had reached the edge of the flat pommel of land. She had nowhere to run. Already she could see the pale shimmer of her skin as visibility returned to her limbs. The power of the Mage was too great for her simple trick. She heard the screams of dying men and felt the lashing beat of wind from the dragon’s wings.

  “You will stop there, child. I want only what is best for you.”

  The gentle tones brought the lethargy back to her veins. If the Mage reached her, if he touched her, he would have her. She backed away. The edge of the cliff was at her heels. She could feel the ground break beneath her feet. Rocks tumbled to the ocean below.

  “Meara,” the Mage crooned, reaching out to her.

  “No!”

  Meara heard her name over the clashing of swords. The sound gave her the power to pull her eyes away from the Mage. Kieran. Her heart gave a wild leap of joy. He was battered and bloodied but still alive. He battled free of a ring of fighting men and ran towards her. Behind him, someone who could only be his twin, fought to cover his flank, swinging his own sword to beat back those who tried to follow Kieran.

  “Meara, come this way,” Kieran yelled, using his sword to push back the attack of a Miandrogas. The wind snapped Kieran’s hair over his eyes, covering his face. He half-turned to meet the blade of another attacker.

  “Give me the egg.” The steely tones of the Mage lacked the gentleness of before. He moved closer, his shadow looming bigger with each step.

  “Meara!” Kieran stumbled under the arm of the man he fought. No! Don’t!” he shouted. His voice was desperate and strained.

  His call turned her to face him. Meara smiled and her gray eyes softened. If only it could be, she thought wistfully, stretching a thin hand towards him in a gesture of farewell. She knew what she had to do. Silently, she stepped into the void. The Mage must never have the egg.

  Chapter 42

  Danger—be wary.

  Wait—watch!

  In the darkness

  pay heed.

  Translated from the Chronicles of the Egg

  The wind rushed to greet her, whipping her cloak, tearing it free from her neck. Meara’s hair writhed past her head like snakes. The lash of her curls stung her face. She heard the roaring in her ears and closed her eyes, giving herself up to the fall. If this was death, at least she had cheated the Mage.

  “Meara.” The call interrupted her preparation to pass her soul into the Great One’s keeping. Even in death, the egg had to have the last word.

  Resentfully she opened her eyes and instantly closed them. The bite of the wind filled them with icy tears. A wave of turbulence knocked her to one side. She tumbled end over end. Her cloak tangled around her head, stifling her screams. The heat of the egg burned her chest. She wrapped her arms tightly around it and held on. Another gust flipped her sideways. She shrieked in terror. The wind sucked up the sound. The sky roared. The noise filled her ears and stopped her heart. The fall ended in a hard jolt that shook every bone in her body.

  Faster than she had tumbled she surged upward with a speed that pressed the air from her lungs. Around her the storm raged, thrashing her with the force of its gusts, taunting her with its howls. A hot breath of air blanketed her, bathing her face in a wash of hotness. Beneath her the scaly surface she had landed on flexed and soared, riding the wind, surfing the angry clouds.

  “My mother. She saves us!” the egg trilled. His words flew in the same melody that had first called to Meara in the alley.

  The dragon! Panic ripped her. Was she its next victim? She had to jump off. The fall would kill her, but it was preferable to death as dinner. She gathered herself to make the leap. Beneath her, the bunc
hed muscles shifted. Shakala shot upwards. Meara flung her arms around the dragon’s neck, clinging to the bright green scales out of the need for self-preservation.

  “Yes, sit down.”

  Meara froze, afraid to move and anger the dragon. She clung to a spot between Shakala’s pounding silver wings. Shakala flexed her long neck and looked back at Meara. She slowed the speed of her ascent and spread her wings, floating on calmer air. Meara stared into her face. Topaz cat’s eyes met hers in an unblinking stare. Steam puffed from her narrow nostrils.

  “That’s better. I am not going to eat you.” The husky voice was amused. “Do stop wiggling and let go of my neck. I won’t let you fall off. Have some faith, girl.”

  Shakala flapped her wings lazily and soared higher. “This is the keeper of the bond?”

  “It is.” The egg sounded proud, as if he had planned the choosing.

  “Hmm.” The dragon was not convinced. “You are unharmed Eir?” she asked.

  “I am safe.”

  “Man’s sin against my egg will be avenged,” Shakala said. A blast of fire ended her words.

  The dragon’s eyes glittered with incandescent anger. Meara hunched into a ball and clutched the egg tighter.

  “Well girl, what have you to say?” Shakala’s voice clashed with fury.

  “Nothing,” Meara answered, her voice was a squeaky whisper.

  “The Mage is behind this,” the egg—Eir—said. “It was he who arranged my kidnapping.”

  The dragon was silent. When she spoke again, her voice floated over Meara like silvery music. “I promised a bond to the people of the forest and you have come. The Harmony egg has chosen well, the daughter of the First of Helligon and Danika of Remarne. An interesting selection. Still, a bargain is a bargain. For now, you must be protected. The battle for the forest is just beginning.”

  Meara peeked down at the fast-flowing clouds beneath her. Battle? Kieran was down there.

  “Come, Daughter of the First, we will return to my nest.”

  “I am no one’s daughter,” Meara said sullenly.

  “Of course, you are.” The dragon’s voice was amused. “Why do you think there is so much trouble surrounding you? You are part of a great love story, the conclusion to a long-ago prophecy. Do you know nothing?”

  The fierce raptor mellowed as the return of her offspring softened her anger. Meara wasn’t sure she liked this new dragon any better than the old one.

  “I make my own way,” Meara mumbled defensively.

  Shakala snorted. “No one is truly alone in the world. Sometimes they just get lost along their way.” She dipped towards the ground forcing Meara to throw her arms around her neck to keep from falling. “Until now, you were a part of the story left from the page. I will tell you about the role you play.”

  Shakala paused as if choosing her words. “Many years ago, Danika, sister of the Mage, fell in love. No one, but the two young lovers know how that was possible. It was a bond of night and day. Danika was as bright and beautiful as the sun and Alion of Helligon a dark warrior. But a match was arranged for Danika—a match that the Mage believed would advance the house of Remarne—a match with a powerful mage who was part of the inner circle. The bonds were set, the bargains struck. But Danika was an unwilling bride with no liking for her bridegroom. Mehart, the chosen one, was a cruel man, a man easily controlled by the Mage.”

  Speaking of the Mage brought the glitter of rage back to the dragon’s eyes. A puff of smoke steamed from her nostrils.

  “We don’t have to speak of this,” Meara broke in. She wanted to hear what happened, but not if it made Shakala return to the wronged dragon of before.

  “No. I will deal with the Mage in my own time. Where were we? Oh, yes, as I was saying, the Mage watched his sister closely, but even a great Mage is no match for the power of love. Alion of Helligon wasn’t the First in those days. He was sent to Laurana as a spy, to gather information for his father, the old First. The hatred between Laurana and Helligon is deep and bitter, a remnant of the time of Darone and the Meeachon wars. Somehow, Danika and Alion met and a love bond blossomed. Raised to be mortal enemies, that bond was unthinkable.”

  The dragon lapsed into silence for a wing beat. “Honor meant much to the young Alion, and Danika loved her brother. Instead of stealing away in the night, they went to the Mage and begged for the freedom to marry. The Mage flew into a rage. He threw young Alion into the Pit of Laurana, dooming him to a slow death in the mines. Danika became a biddable bride. She was a clever sort of human. Telling no one of her plans, somehow, she rescued Alion and together they escaped Laurana. As you can imagine, the Mage was even more enraged. The people of the forest closed ranks around Danika and Alion, protecting their golden couple as I would protect my young.” The dragon looked fierce. Eir hummed softly.

  “Time passed and you were born. All was well. The people of the forest prospered. The Mage stayed away. Danika, though saddened by the loss of her brother, was relieved by his absence. But no matter his evil, she loved him. That is why, when you grew to walk and run, she welcomed a message from him. He said he wished to mend their rift and begged her to visit Laurana. The First didn’t want her to go. He had no love for the Mage. By birth alone, they were mortal enemies.”

  “But if he is my father, how did I come to be left in the town?” Meara couldn’t hide her resentment.

  “Everyone thought that you died in the attack that took your mother’s life. She agreed to meet her brother, but he didn’t want her, he wanted you. He knew that you held great potential. He wanted to be the one that controlled that ability, not the First. He arranged the Miandrogas attack on the caravan, but something went wrong,” the Dragon paused. “I guess you are unable to remember. I do like to be able to put things in order, you know.”

  “I think I do remember. Was she very beautiful, golden?”

  “Beautiful like the flickering of flames. Amazing that someone like her could have any tie to the Mage.”

  “I dreamed of her. She told me to run.”

  “A wise thing. The Mage believed that you died in the caravan raid. Some of the bodies were missing.” The Dragon sounded defensive. “One must always take advantage of a meal, you know. Who can tell where the next will come from?”

  Meara’s stomach churned. She turned the conversation elsewhere.

  “How did I come to be in the walled town?”

  “That, I do not know. Another caravan arrived and found yours. I presume they took you with them.”

  And dumped me on the streets, Meara mentally finished the sentence. Shay Lann was right. She had come from love. Shay Lann had insisted that she had a place, that someday she would discover where it was.

  “Dragon, we have to go back. We have to help Kieran . . . and the . . . First.”

  Beneath her, the sleekly muscled shoulders moved upward in a shrug. “Go back? Whatever for? My egg needs the nest,” she said dismissing Meara’s plea.

  “Kieran is the Protector.” The egg spoke up.

  “The Protector,” the dragon paused. “The ancient bond is well met then, the keeper of Harmony and her shield. We shall follow this tale to its end.” She banked in a slow tight turn.

  The wind rushed through Meara’s hair and rain washed her face. Her hood scooped up the air and whipped behind her, snapping sharply.

  “The forest will need his help. You sit back and hold tight to my egg. Can you cast any fire balls?”

  “I can do nothing. The Mage took my amulet,” Meara answered.

  “That is nothing but a tool the forest people use to teach focus. Your strength exists inside of you, not in what you wear around your neck.”

  The beat of the powerful wings increased.

  “Hold on, we are going down.” Shakala plummeted earthward. The ground rushed to meet them with dizzying speed.

  Meara’s eyes widened in dread as they descended through the wispy clouds. She now saw the true depth of the dragon’s rage. Smoke and misty rain closed o
ver her. Fires raged around her. She would never find Kieran in the inferno.

  Chapter 43

  Danger—be wary.

  Wait—watch!

  In the darkness

  pay heed.

  Translated from the Chronicles of the Egg

  Kieran watched in horror as Meara stepped back.

  “No! No!” he screamed. He fought forward, savagely slashing and stabbing, working his way to the edge of the cliff where Meara had stood. The wind snatched up his scream and threw it back in his face. The ground under his feet crumbled, sending a stream of dirt and rock downward. The fall threatened to carry Kieran over the drop.

  “Kieran!” The First grabbed his arm and yanked him back.

  “No,” Kieran shouted struggling to break free of the hard hand locked around his wrist.

  The First held tightly, refusing to let go. “You can’t save her. Back away from here. The bank is too unstable. You’ll fall too!”

  Kieran fought harder trying to get loose. He couldn’t leave Meara, he wouldn’t. A band of air wrapped around him, locking his arms to his sides.

  “Why? Why couldn’t you save her?” he raged.

  “Yes, Alion.” The soft voice came from a hooded man standing at the edge of the abyss. “Why couldn’t you? Is your magic so weak? Or was your daughter’s life not worth saving?”

  The man turned his back on the void and faced them. His face was contorted in rage. His amber eyes blazed with a hatred so hot, that Kieran was surprised he didn’t burst into flames.

  The man struck first, the speed of his attack catching Kieran by surprise. A blaze of purple fire hissed towards him. The bands of air holding Kieran’s arms vanished as the First grabbed him and shoved him to the ground.

  “Jakhon!” The name broke from Alion’s lips, cold and hard, washing over Kieran’s ears in a wave of rage.